Things Happening At School

Sherri decided she wanted to be a librarian for career day...I think she fits the part just fine. Jake suggested the mole to add a finishing touch. We also worked together on the backdrop in front of her door. It was Dr. Seuss week, and our hallway chose to feature the story of the Lorax- making the world a better, cleaner place.

Jake & Sherri Wavra

Mirror Lake Snowshoe Hike

We were recently surprised to have a 70 degree weekend in mid-April, so we capitalized on the opportunity to actually use some of our outdoor recreation gear. Up until now most of our toys have merely been collecting dust since teaching and school require so much of our time. It all started by waking up early Saturday morning to snag a good spot in line before the REI garage sale opened. We finally found a great deal on a pair of snowshoes for Sherri, and a Thule bike rack for dirt-cheap. Then Sunday we woke-up to some hot cinnamon rolls, and quickly headed up to Mirror lake by Mt. Hood. We strapped our snowshoes on and carried a lunch along with our snowboards up to an area that we’ve been wanting to explore. This place is covered with backcountry ski terrain and the view of Mt. Hood was spectacular.

Twins' Birthday

In April we celebrated Faith & Hope’s birthday. These two little girls have already grown to be 2 years old. We're all very anxious for their mother, Caroline, to return home from Iraq. Their favorite gifts if you can imagine, were all the cards, which we took turns reading to them. Sherri’s sister Carri also brought Autumn, their new 6-month-old child.

Sherri's High School Reunion

One of Sherri's High School friends managed to track us down somehow online, and invited us over for a wonderful dinner. It was sort of a reunion party since most of their old posse happened to be in town at the same time. We shared tons of photos with each other, and many old stories were retold with maybe a little exaggeration...both fun and educational.

Jake’s Parents Visit During The Best Season

My parent’s picked a great time to visit us in Oregon, witnessing all the gorgeous Fall colors. Their youthful energy inspired us to have a wonderful time hiking and site seeing together. One of our most memorable hikes was venturing down the Sandy river trail. We actually got caught in a torrential downpour, but the moment we finally reached the river, the rain subsided and the sun beamed out from behind the clouds. So we sat down on a rock for a picnic, listening to the roar of the river and watched Eagles soar high above us in the beautiful canyon. The most shocking part of our hike however was on our way back out, when we came across a giant boulder that had landed smack dab in the middle of the trail. We were fortunate not to have been in its path minutes before when it had slid down the bank. We also scouted a new trail that follows the Bull Run River, discovering a family of otters who insisted on showing off for us. Playing music together was an absolute must, and we were blessed with the opportunity to lead worship together at Aims community church.

Joe & Nichole’s Visit From Minnesota

Jake’s brother Joe and his girlfriend were able to fly out to OR for a week long visit with us, during which time we chose a new adventure everyday. Some of which included hiking up to the Cathedral Ridge on Mt. Hood, viewing all the waterfalls in the Columbia Gorge, skimboarding on the coast of Cannon Beach, catching the sun set on top of Larch mountain, Jake & Joe playing guitars together, and just hanging out at home playing games and having fun talking with each other. The time flew by as usual when you’re having such an enjoyable time, but we were so fortunate to be able to hang out with them over their vacation. Our hopes are that if we do a good enough job of hosting my family when they come to visit, that they may come out more often.

Ron & Katie visit us from MN

One of our favorite hikes to a spectacular viewpoint of Mt. Hood. Also, the next picture shows Katie holding-up Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach.

This is our beloved Statler at only 9 weeks old.

This is Statler and Waldorf hanging-out together. They are named after the 2 old dudes on the Muppet Show who are always knocking each other off the balcony.

They're just a wee-bit playful.

An afternoon hike to Horsetail Falls in the Columbia Gorge together.

Weekend with Jim, Caroline, and the Twins

Sherri's brother Jim and his wife Caroline, along with their twin girls (Faith & Hope) came down to visit us over Easter. Caroline is currently stationed up at the Fort Lewis Military Base in Tacoma, WA, and will be leaving for Iraq sometime in the middle of June. Jim has decided at that time to move down with the girls to Troudale, OR in order to be closer to family. We will be sad to see Caroline leave, which could be a year or more, however we are excited to be able to spend more time with Jim and the girls through this time in their lives. We had a great weekend playing in the park together with the girls.

Washington D.C. Trip

Over spring break, Sherri traveled to Washington D.C. with a group of students and teachers from Eugene, OR to explore the capitol and other historic landmarks. The leader of this expedition, Brad Bellingham, is a good friend of Sherri. Sherri was a student teacher in his classroom back when she was getting her teachers certificate. This trip has forever been on Sherri’s list of things to do before she dies…along with many other endeavors. She had a wonderful time, and wants to go back again sometime. She is already recruiting for her own guided tour. The subway made for easy travel to all the sites, and the weather was perfect, apart from all the pollen in the air. The only bummer about the trip was that Sherri got hit real bad with allergies. One day it was so bad, that during a moment of silence at the tomb of the unknown soldier- she let loose at least a half dozen sneezes to show her respect. She took a load of photos and was dead tired when she got back to Portland.

Skimboard Project Finished!

Just Married!

September 31, 1995 was the day that Sherri & I first met at a Trout Creek Bible Camp banquet. I was invited to attend so that I could inquire about the Program Director position now available since Sherri was resigning. However, when I was introduced to her, my interest was drawn to her alone. So after some small talk, I managed to get her phone number and we ended up going to church together the following weekend. This was the start of our journey together as a couple. We are very grateful for our true friend, Spencer, who introduced us, and who we found out later was also praying for both of us specifically, months before we had even met. Exactly 1 year later, we dedicated our lives together in marriage. This last summer we worked together as staff ministers at Cannon Beach Conference Center, and enjoyed developing our relationship with each other. We were both convinced that we should pursue a journey together as a life long couple. God has blessed us so much, and we are thankful to have such a great community of friends and family that support our relationship.

The wedding was such a wonderful experience. We chose not to fall into the typical money trap of the glamorous Cinderella ceremony style. Instead, we attempted to create the most laid back, informal, conservative, and most of all- sincere wedding party that we knew how. It was perfect! Many of our friends kindly helped with preparations, food, and decorations. Our pastor, Jim Wicks, shared his heart for what we were celebrating together, delightfully portraying the blessing of marriage as a holy and pure promise of devotion and commitment. Sherri’s close friend and spiritual mentor, Joe Fahlman, also shared his blessing over us, telling stories about our experiences together. We also showed a video that Sherri and I worked on together, attempting to capture the essence of our life paths colliding, creating the bond of love that we now share together. Our message was that even though we understand how being married will stretch us in ways we never thought possible, it could only mean that we would also be drawing closer to God in the process…together.

Another great blessing on our wedding day was a surprise visit from my parents. We had no idea of course, since we were planning on celebrating with my family in MN over winter break. However, our friends Spencer and Teresa secretively called them and graciously offered to fly them out for the wedding. So a couple hours before the ceremony, Spencer walked up to me with a huge cactus plant in his hands and says, “Your parents thought it would be appropriate for your first roommate to attend your wedding.” After some awkward mental processing, I realized that the cactus he was holding was Spike, a plant that I had through college. When I moved out west, I left Spike with my parents, an eighth of the size it is today and somehow they must have managed to get it through airline security to be at my wedding. I then realized that my parents must amazingly be here somewhere, and just then they walked through the back door of the church together. What a lovely surprise! I cannot describe what a pleasure it was to see the excitement on their faces, and the joy we experienced that day. Sherri and I ended up spending the rest of the weekend with them, opening gifts and visiting some of the sites in the Columbia Gorge together. We couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate our new life together as a family.

Our Wedding Vows
To Sherri,

I commit my life to you in Marriage. I promise to love and care for you in every situation. I will also attempt to faithfully lead and encourage you throughout our lives together, in the knowledge of God. Though my actions and thoughts will never be perfect, I want to always be growing in understanding of how to be a better husband to you. My aim is to be someone you can forever trust and count on to be there for you always. I vow to love you for the rest of my life.

To Jake,

Today I dedicate to you a lifelong commitment of love and growth: spiritually, mentally and physically. I promise to honor and respect you, through all circumstances, as we live and grow old together. I will follow you as you lead. I will be open and honest with you, and even through the hard times learn to communicate with you. Though I will never reach perfection, I will always strive to be woman who is there to support you, encourage you, love you, and trust you. Jake, I am committed to our lifelong journey and to always be, as you would say, "on the same team."