How to Hug a Baby

Since Melissa and I need to get some practice at this here is how you hug a baby:

1. First - Uh, Find a Baby......


2. Second, be sure that the object you found was indeed a baby by employing classic sniffing techniques


3. Next you will need to flatten the baby before the hugging process can begin


4. The Paw Slide - simply slide paws around baby and prepare for possible close-up


5. Finally, if a camera is present, you will need to execute the difficult and patented 'hug, smile, and lean' so as to achieve the best photo quality.

September Who?

I know I know September went by and I did not even post a single note on our blog. Well needless to say it has been a busy schedule around the Sackett family house. Melissa is about ready to have the baby any day now and we are both thinking she is going to come early. Melissa has her baby shower this weekend and is looking forward to seeing family and friends from out of town and of course her friends that are here in PDX.

We're praying for her (baby) and for us as we get ready to become parents. It's a little weird saying that, but it will be here before we know it. I am working on one of my last classes of my MBA program and after this one is complete - I will only have two classes left before I am done with Grad school! Praise the Lord. We are looking forward to some much needed relaxation and I can finally read some books that are not tied to my MBA.

We also started attending a new church this last month called Colossae here in Tigard. It is a fairly new church that has planted here from Southern California. We are enjoying meeting new people and getting plugged in to the group. That is our life in September. Talk with you soon.

Hood 2 Coast

Last weekend I ran Hood 2 Coast - the largest relay race in the world. We call it "The Mother of All Relay's" here in the NW. It is a 197 mile relay race starting at Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood and running all the way to Seaside on the coast of Oregon. You have two vans with 6 runners in each van. All six runners run a leg and then you pass off to the second van and they run six legs. You repeat this process three times and before you know it, you are at the coast and celebrating with all the teams on the beach.

I ran with a team from work "GOFARGO" - I was not invloved in making the name but was involved in running 20 miles of the distance. Our team was comprised of mostly all Wells Fargo folks. We did have a handful of friends and replacements that we're not bank employees. The race was a success and our team had lot's of fun.

I was in van 2 this year. In years past I have run Hood 2 Coast I was always in van 1, so this was a new and exciting twist. I look forward to next year on this team or another one. This has to be one of the best races that our great state of Oregon offers. There was over 1,000 teams this year in Hood 2 Coast. Unfortunately a young woman was hit by a car this year and we all should be praying for her. She was only 18 and was badly injured by the accident. Please pray for a quick and easy recovery for her.

Tom's Shoes - Get Some!

I first heard about Tom's shoes at Church about 3 years ago as an example of someone who was in business to help people around the globe. Blake Mycoskie the founder of Tom's shoes when he graduated from college spent several months traveling through South America. He noticed in almost every country he traveled through the majority of the rural population did not have any shoes on their feet. Blake came home wanting to start a shoe company that not only made profits but also donated shoes to the poor families around the world. Tom is committed to his early vision and for every pair of shoes he sells, one pair of shoes is donated to a child or adult in a foreign country. I love to hear about business that is more than making profits and jobs, this is a lifestyle business that has a huge mission and making a difference around the globe! Go get your pair of Tom's today TOMS SHOES

RED BULL FLUTAG - THIS WEEKEND

This has to be the best event on the PDX calendar for the year. It is an event where people build flying machines and crash them into the Willamette River. It's sponsored by Red Bull and it sounds like the most exciting thing to hit P-town since we got Greg Oden in the draft.

It takes place this saturday August 2nd in the waterfront park just outside downtown. Here is the website http://www.redbullflugtagusa.com/Portland2008

I was looking at some of the teams that have entered this year and the competition is thick. It will be interesting to see who wins. Come one come all and did I mention there is free red bull! It gives you wings!



WHAT IS A FLUGTAG?

Red Bull Flugtag challenges teams of everyday people to build homemade, human-powered flying machines and pilot them off a 30-foot high deck in hopes of achieving flight! Flugtag may mean "flying day" in German, but all these crafts ultimately splash into the waters below. They are judged not only on their flight's distance, but creativity and showmanship as well.

Garage Sale

We had a very successful garage sale yesterday and we're amazed at how much stuff we sold. One of the great things about getting ready to sell your home is that you purge everything you don't need and it has been a very successful process for the both of us. I talked Melissa into getting rid of 90% of her books that she was holding on for dear life. We have decided that the library provides a wonderful service and they can hold the books for you when you are not reading them. One of our friends gave us this idea and it makes sense. We also had a lot of items that have been given to us by friends and family to sell and that has worked out well. We have our garage sale up again today but have not had the steady stream of people like we did yesterday. If you are bored today and want to swing by please do - we are sitting in the sun!

N

4th of July

For the 4th of July we made our way down to Medford for a celebration with family and friends. It was quite the crowd with several family members from out of town including Todd & Tracey with boys, Uncle Glen & Aunt Dorothy, Jacob my brother and his daughter Aislynn, and of course our two precious Grandma's June and Gerry. We had a wonderful time soaking in sun, playing games, singing by the campfire, riding dirt bikes, talking walks, running, and bike rides. No 4th if every complete without some fireworks and several varieties we're in attendance. We had a celebration of fireworks on the 4th and a final show on the 5th because they went on sale and we we're able to pick up a boat load for cheap. Melissa and I also made our way over to Applegate Lake for a day outing. We sat in the sun and read books and went swimming in the lake. It was hot and we both soaked in some sun.

My parents home is such a wonderful retreat and we enjoy our time down there in Medford every time we go. With our trip south we also go to spend some time withe Melissa's Uncle Curt who married us up at Timberline. Curt is always a wonderful example to Melissa and I and our conversation revolved around our walk with Christ and catching up on life and events. Curt's daughter Whitney is getting married towards the end of this year and we are excited for her celebration. Wedding's are always a joy because we get to see family and friends.

I did not take all that many pictures but I will post some of the ones we do have. Enjoy........

M & N's

Baby Belly

With the onset of pregnancy Melissa has a belly that is now getting larger by the day. We took some pictures for all of you to see how she is progressing. We are still working on names for the little girl and are open to suggestions.

With Love,

N