somethingaboutschloemers

Considering the fact that Jeffrey is obsessed with anything outdoor (backpacking, hiking, climbing, skiing, etc.) it is pretty surprising that we have never been on a backpacking trip together. I grew up going with my family regularly but really have not been since junior high so I was itching to get out as well. We had gone on a few hikes and had planned to do more this summer but with Jeffrey being in Alaska, it never happened. So one of his first weekends home we decided to go up to Pamalia Lake. We didn't end up leaving until 4:00 PM so we only hiked a total of about 3 miles (this was a good thing considering the fact I was breaking in new boots...which was pretty disastrous actually). We pitched our tent, made some dinner, and made a smoky fire with damp wood. Anyways, it still ended up being fun for our first trip together and hopefully next time we can leave a little earlier and take on something a little more strenuous. Here are some pictures of our trip! Enjoy =) Getting r...

One of my dearest friends Sarah Eaden came to visit Jeffrey and I a few weekends ago. It was a wonderful weekend of winetasting (www.orchardheightswinery.com) , going to Oktoberfest in Mount Angel (www.oktoberfest.org), eating dinner at Montage in Portland (www.montageportland.com), and just spending some much needed time together. This summer, I pretty much saw Sar every day. Usually our get togethers involved running or some sort of other physical activity but rarely was there a day when we did not see each other (and I'm not complaining). I have known this for a while but have really come to this conclusion: Sarah is truely an amazing person. Her gentle spirit and listening ears have helped get me through so many rough patches over the last few years. She has always been there for me in her own way, and it is just what I have needed. She always seems to offers words of wisdom at just the right time and is NEVER afraid to tell me what she thinks. She is honest with me, and that i...

As I grudgingly pulled myself out of bed this morning at 6:23 AM to get ready for a class which I simply had to "make an appearance at", I thought about how much I wanted to crawl back in bed and snuggle up next to my warm husband. It was O, so tempting considering it was about 50 degrees in the room but I mustered up the courage to slide out and make my side of the bed, so to keep the option officially off limits. My shower seemed to liven my sleepy self and I hurriedly got ready for the day (hair, makeup, get dressed, make a smoothie, take vitamins, fill up water bottle, pack backpack, give Jeffrey a kiss goodbye, start freezing cold car, climb in, and drive). I don't really enjoy my 50 minutes of concrete from Salem to Newberg 2x a day but have some what gotten used to it. This morning, however, when I stepped outside, I was blasted with 39 degrees of crisp and refreshing goodness: Fall! It was the first morning I actually FELT a shift in the weather and it was so...

So my little brother is graduating from high school this year. He is so grown up in ALMOST every form of the word and I couldn't be a more proud big sister! When I brought up senior pictures to him, pretty all I got from him was a grunt. Now he has always been know to be rather....well....not photogenic so I expected his response. I asked him if he had any ideas of who he might want to take them and I was surprised to hear him say ME ! I have always considered myself to be a decent photographer but was not quite sure if putting my bro's senior year in my hands was the best option. But after thinking over how unmotivated he would be with any other photographer I thought it would be a fun adventure. I talked to my friend Anna TenBroek who happens to enjoy photography as well (and is pretty fantastic!!!) and we set a date to take him out and 'shoot' him! So one day after work, the three of us piled into my brother's huge truck with two shirts, a pair of romeo's, an...

It is currently 4:35 PM. On a normal day I might be surprised at how quickly the day how flown by. But not today. Today has been one of the longest days EVER. Let me explain. I got a text message Saturday night after my family got home from our Ross Lake trip (which was wonderful-I will write on that later) from Jeffrey that said simply "homeward bound". I about peed! I called him immediately to confirm the news and he told me they decided to come home 2 weeks early. My response was pretty much lots of tears and excitement and more tears and excitement. I hadn't been expecting him for another 2 weeks and given my experience on the camping trip it couldn't have been better timing! I haven't been able to talk to him since Saturday so I don't really know all the details but I think that they will continue to fish out of the Puget Sound for the next week or so. So I will still be heading to Salem without him more than likely but at least I will get to SEE...

So my sister and her husband Brandon are home for the week. My brothers Steven and Manny are here. Dad and Jenny are here. I am here. I can not help but think during this wonderful time of reunion about my own husband in Alaska. It has been more than two months now that he has been away and I am really missing him like crazy. The main reason that Lisa and Brandon came home for the week was to go on our annual boat-packing trip to Ross Lake. It is always anxiously anticipated by everyone and this is the first year that we were all going to be able to go as a family, all new spouses included (seeing as there are three additions within the last year). This year our adventure was going to be an extra day longer making it four days of wonderful canoeing, kayaking, swimming, and camping bliss! Jeffrey and I have been looking forward to this all year and when he found out he would be going fishing we knew that among other things, Ross Lake would not be in the cards for him this year. S...

So I did a health Detox this last week (fantastic by the way) and discovered my new favorite smoothie recipe. Gluten Free, Dairy Free, All natural Goodness! It's super smooth and since I have oober weird texture issues it's perfect! 1 Banana 1 Peach about 1/4 cup of sugar free plain apple sauce Splash of Rice Milk 5-6 ice cubes You can also add other fruit like a handful of strawberries or blueberries! Try it...you know you want to! Just thought I would share =) Peace~SheriLynn

Better Together - Jack Johnson There's no combination of words I could put on the back of a postcard, No song that I could sing But I can try for your heart, Our dreams, and they are made out of real things, Like a shoebox of photographs, With sepiatone loving, Love is the answer At least for most of the questions in my heart , Like why are we here? And where do we go? And how come it's so hard? It's not always easy, And sometimes life can be deceiving, I'll tell you one thing, its always better when we're together I like this song. I don't love it. I think it had to much radio play at one point so I got a little sick of it, but it seems to be in my head right now and describes how I am feeling. Jeff and I are about half way through this summer of being apart; him being in Alaska fishing and me being in Lynden living with my family. All-in-all, things have been good. I have kept busy with work and school and really have not have a lot of free time to wallow...

Sent by letter from Jeffrey 6/26 "Ironically, fishing has become more of a "reality" to me. Of course it varies from year to year, but there is much more down time than I expected. I have already finished one book and am partway through my second. Both are Krakauer literatures. Its my 11th day from leaving Bellingham. I have taken some things into account if I decide to fish again: 1: bring a pair of casual jeans, holes in the knees get really old! 2: bring a nylon sleeping bag or linens, Dad's sleeping bag, though warm and cozy and smells like him does not allow for mid sleep rotation in a tiny bunk 3: do a full check of all items before leaving home. Somehow I escaped without toothpaste, face wash, a wash cloth, and not enough reading material. I keep reminding myself that despite financial strains, God has been faithful in providing for our needs. Well, more fishing tomorrow!" 6/30 "We saw 2 grizzly bears from the boat the other day. That was ...

Over the last week a few things have happened. Nothing terribly thrilling but I thought I would take a break from homework and share. O yes, homework. I started my online classes last Thursday (the 24th) and have already in week one sat in front of my computer for about 15 hours typing posts, responding to posts, timed quizzes (my forte....not), and mainly aimless busywork. The worst part is that these classes are not even classes that are exciting or interesting information: Astronomy, Geology, and American Literature. I did, in my Astronomy class, learn that there is going to be a total solar eclipse on the 11th of July which I actually think is pretty cool. If you wanna know more about it and when it is specifically here is the website: In other news, I developed a lovely cold which left me completely glued to a tissue box, humidifier, and lots of salt water. This is courtesy of my Dad who had it last week. I, however, can't kick things quite as quickly as he can. Tha...

The following updates have been sent by letter to me (Sheri) from Jeffrey in Alaska. I will be taking parts of his letters-with his permission of course-and filling you guys in on what he has been up to. 6.16 "The trip has been nice so far. I couldn't sleep hardly the first night. I stayed up and watched the fading red skyline as we chased the sunset west. John's grandson Max is really enjoying the trip too. He reminds me of Zoe and Halle." (our nieces) "He puked a few times last night...poor kid. Still chipper though. The inside passage is beautiful from what I've seen. It's alot like the islands at home. My bunk is a quaint quarter on the bow. I only have about 2 feet of clearance above my head. I hope I don't wake up too fast! IF I bump my head, I'll just laugh and think of how you would make fun of me." 6.18 "Upon arriving in Alaska my attention is commanded by the innumerable mountains that are scattered across my vision. ...

so I decided that wordpress was a little boring and I have a little more experience with blogspot...so I made the switch! I pasted our old posts onto here so as well so it should be an easy transition. I spoke with Jeffrey on Saturday and things are going well on the boat. The season opened on Sunday and I have yet to hear how things went. Hopefully he did well and didn't get himself tangled in to many nets. He was a little nervous as he was the only new crew member on the boat but I sure that he is doing great. If you could keep him in your prayers that would be great; mainly for safety but also for the relationships with the other crew members. Hope this Wednesday evening finds you all well! Blessings~SheriLynn

So for those of you who haven’t heard what has happened over the last 2 weeks I will briefly update you. I am sorry it has been a while since I have written. It has been a whirlwind! Jeffrey and I were still unable to find jobs in Salem and in a round about way Jeffrey left for Alaska to commercial fish this last week Tuesday (the 15th). He got the job through a good friend of my dad who has been fishing during the summers for about 45 years now. We had about one week of notice so we drove up to Lynden, spent some time with family, packed him up, and sent him on his way. The boat left the Bellingham harbor mid afternoon. Family and friends of the five person crew gathered round to pray for and bless the vessel and the trip. Here’s the kicker: He will return at the beginning of September. That’s two and a half months without my husband! Many people have seemed to think that this is some sort of tragic event and that he didn’t want to go or I didn’t want him to go but I just wan...

today, I must say, has been rather pleasant. I woke up around 9:00 and made my usual 3 cups of coffee (yes, for myself). I tinkered around on the internet checking e-mails and the latest REI sales…. nothing changed since last night. I decided to finish the project i started the previous evening. I went out to the drive way and …. cleaned it. I know this sounds ridiculous but a man gets desperate with out a job or project. Well anyway, i methodically cleared the cracks between the slabs from the overdue moss and dirt. Then I moved to the edges. This presented a new challenge. I don’t have an edger; either electric or a hand tool. So I resorted to the next best lawn tool item… a steak knife. Not our new kitchen set knife, an old one from my bachelor days. I must have looked really white trash. I spent about two and a half hours cutting the edge of my lawn with a giant steak knife. Oh, and i forgot to mention i was wearing an old sweatshirt and a pair of my tight-fit running pants hiked u...

So yesterday, Jeffrey and I decided to go on a much needed grocery shopping trip to Winco. Now how things ACTUALLY played out depends on who you ask, so I will try and be objective. I say he grabbed the keys, he says I did, either way…….the keys did not get grabbed. We always lock the door from the inside before shutting it behind us, and so it was done on this particular afternoon. As soon as Jeffrey shut it and began venturing to the car, he asked, “So you have the keys right.” I have learned over our time of being together that Jeffrey likes to make jokes and mess with me so I assumed he had them and was just trying to freak me out. Apparently not. We have two other keys for the house. One of them was up in Washington with a friend who had been taking care of our house while we were in California the week before, and the other was with a friend a few miles away. Thankfully Jeffrey had his phone with him and we made the logical choice to call the friend a few miles away. . . n...

So after reading my sister and her husband’s blog (behanduo.wordpress.com) Jeffrey and I decided we wanted to start one of our own to keep people updated about our lives. As of now, Jeffrey has graduated from College and I have one more year left. It’s been three weeks since school let out and we are both currently jobless. After the first week of relaxation and rest from the busy semester, boredom set it. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE sleeping in! But having no purpose or goal for the day is a rather directionless feeling. We now have a ridiculously clean house and the lawn gets mowed about two times a week. I will admit that it has been nice to finally do some decorating around the house as well. I found a steal at Ross the other day on a huge ‘painted’ canvas of a rose that matched our bedroom perfectly; I was quite pleased. We recently made a trip to California (a very spur-of-the-moment decision) and visited with extended family. We stayed a week with really no agenda and were ...