I Love My Cousins!

On our recent trip to Wichita we stopped in the Denver area for two nights on the way and one night on the way home. We had the privilege of staying with my cousin Christi and her husband Kevin on the front end of the trip and my cousin Brett and his wife Jenifer on the way home. We spent a day with cousins April and Harvey and his wife June. Cousin Alyssa and family joined us all for a dinner. Every time I see my cousins I have such fun. I simply love spending time with my cousins and seeing their great families. Every time we are together I wish we all lived near each other, we are simply too spread out, I hate that! Anyway I want all my extended family to know how much I love you and enjoy your company. We didn't take enough pictures while we were together but here are a few from Christi's blog. I haven't checked Victoria's camera yet but I don't think she took any pics in Colorado. I was too busy having fun to worry about photos but now I wish I had.


Doug, Andrew and April


Harvey, Devyn and Brandon


Andrew

My Amazing Grandchildren

I love these two kids more than words could ever express and I miss them so much it hurts. (Of course I also love the wonderful people in some of the photos). I thank God daily for my grandchildren and blessing Adrienne and me with them.

These photos are from our family beach trip in February 2008. Doug, myself our six children and darling daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren were there. Our wonderful son-in-law, Ken that works so hard to take care of his family had to miss due to a work trip.


10/24/2008 Photos that were here have been deleted

Victoria and teammates at Hoopfest Spokane June 2008

Spokane Hoopfest 2008

Below is information about the tournament Victoria participated in this weekend. Her team didn't do well and they are headed home but it looks like an amazing event. When she was asked by one of her school team mates to be on the Hoopfest team I had no idea of the scope of ages and numbers playing in the event. Pretty amazing really. I'm hoping the family she went with took pictures I will post them at a later date if I get any.


Hoopfest is a 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament

Actually, Hoopfest is the biggest 3-on-3 street basketball tournament on the planet. That means over 6,500 teams, 3,000 volunteers, 175,000 players and fans, 400 courts spanning 40 downtown city blocks, and that’s just on day one! Beyond basketball, though, Hoopfest is an outdoor festival chock full of concerts, shopping, food, interactive entertainment, and a zoo. Okay, we are still working on the zoo, but you never know what could happen next year.
Hoopfest is a place for players of all ages and abilities from all over the country to come together in pursuit of the ultimate goal: to become a Hoopfest Champion. It’s where friends and families gather and cheer at the top of their lungs for their favorite team. It’s the chance to see a college superstar, or your dad, hustle like he's in the final game of the NBA finals. It’s a place for your seven-year-old to score her first basket.
Hoopfest is a 3-on-3 basketball tournament with something for everyone. With the help of countless volunteers, staff, sponsors, the City of Spokane, and let’s not forget about the guy pouring water at the water stations, Hoopfest is an event like no other.

A thought for today

I took this from my cousin Ryan and wife Kari's blog:



A Thought


O Magazine has a feature of "A Million Ways to Save the World." This comment was in this month's issue:"Our culture has vastly overvalued the lives of the rich and famous. Our children no longer hunger to be good citizens, but merely well-known ones. In our misguided quest for heros, we've made fame the most coveted virtue. But when our heroes cease to do heroic things, and we still venerate them, where does that leave our culture? It is time to restore balance. Let's boycott celebrity and celebrate instead all the unnamed warriors trying to make a positive impact on our daily lives."--Lynn Nottage

Mortensen Family Life

• Victoria is in Spokane for a 3 on 3 basketball street tournament. Go to http://www.spokanehoopfest.com/ to check it out. You can even search on her name but it's misspelled so it is Victoria Mortenson (note the O instead of E).
• Dropped off the Prius for repairs, they will have it a week
• My great handyman, Johnny came today and measured the fence, he will be here Monday to repair fence and a couple of other things in the house.
• Plumber has been called and will be here on Tuesday for all numerous plumbing projects mentioned in prior blog
• We found a water exercise class three days a week for back problems just a few blocks from the office that Dimitri is going to start next week.
• Marina was home today to pick up a few of her things, I was at work so didn't get to see her, I miss her.
• Hillary called to be sure I am handling the crazy stuff going on around here, I am perfectly fine. I got to hear about the beautiful neighborhood she lives in, she is loving it but is discouraged about the job search.
• I drove by the water fountains by the Beaverton library and was thinking about the day I took Isaac and Annabelle there last summer and how much fun we had. I miss them so much!
• Weekends are when I miss my children the most. I wish I could have a pizza and popcorn movie night with Isaac and Annabelle tonight.
• I can handle burned fences, fender benders, plumbers, insurance companies etc what I'm not handling well at all is having so many of my beloved children move away in the span of three weeks.

Never a Dull Moment (Today's adventures in the Mortensen Family)

• Today Dimitri had his appointment with a neuro-surgeon regarding his back. It was been confirmed, he has a ruptured disc in his low back. We have two options, surgery to repair or time to let it heal on it's own. The doctor said it would heal that it is just a matter of time and how much pain Dimitri can bear. For now we are going to opt for time and will try to manage his pain with reflexology (which he had today and he is in less pain then he has been for weeks) and a few sessions of acupuncture.
• My doctor's appointment I had today to check and monitor my high blood pressure went well. My blood pressure is down some and the side effects I was having with the medication have lessened (dizziness, passed out twice). I am on a very low dosage so he would like to see me eat better, lose weight and exercise it lower it further.
• Our insurance company decided Monday's fender bender was 30% my fault and 70% the other driver. Of course that is our insurance company I'm sure his will see it differently. Regardless of how if comes out we have $1,000 deductible but if he is found more at fault maybe our rates won't go up as much.
• Victoria and I worked (volunteered) at the Horizon Christian High School girls soccer fireworks stand this afternoon. Very few sales but good bonding time with the assistant coach and I already have 8.5 volunteer hours toward the required 20 hours of volunteer time per family for the 2008/09 school year.
• This evening as we were sitting in the kitchen having our very late dinner there was a very loud knock at our door. A passer-by noticed our fence at the side of the house was on fire and had started to scorched side of the house. At this point this is where you have to remember the broken outside faucet mentioned in an earlier post. Still broken, I didn't do a very good job on Monday's to do list, I haven't yet called a plumber. The only other outside faucet is in the garage so as Victoria found a bucket and filled it with water and managed to extinguish the largest flame that was by now on the house. Doug and I were struggling with hoses and a faucet that was not working very well. I yelled for Dimitri to grab the shovel (which we just purchased a few days ago so we could plant the blueberry bush and apple tree the Teradas left behind) and go to the back yard and start shoveling dirt onto the fire. We finally managed it get a small amount of water to come out of the hose so between the dirt, buckets and poorly working water pressure we manged to completely put out the fire. Yeah for team work.

Now the dilemma and the hardest emotional part, why did a fire start in the first place? A stray firework? A tossed cigarette butt? Dimitri? I so do not want to believe it was Dimitri, however good chance that it very likely was. Since adopting him in 2001 he has started a couple of fires and was caught numerous times with matches and/or I have found evidence that he has tried to start a fire. Soon after adopting him he started a fire that burned a large section of fence and a row of the neighbors trees. The fire department was involved so Dimitri had to go be interviewed by the fire marshell (we had to hire an interpreter) since he couldn't speak English he didn't have to attend the classes. ($2,000 dollars worth of damage)A couple of years later I caught trying to start a fire in the neighborhood park. I knew something was up because he smelled like campfire and the way he was behaving. That time he was largely unsuccessful and no fire department was involved it could have been a disaster.

Off and on over the years I find matches in the laundry or in his room or back pack. ( I randomly search Dimitri and his belongings for this and other reasons). I have had to get rid of all butane lighters used to light grills or candles because he likes to play with them and I find them in his room. Soon after moving to this house I found a small pile of twigs and paper in the yard just waiting to be lit luckily I found it before he did start it because it was close to the house.

Nothing has happened in the past year to make be think he would light a fire but it seems every time I start to trust him something happens.

This afternoon Dimitri was home by himself for several hours and as mentioned above he wasn't hurting as much today as he has been so it is entirely possible he was at the side of the house playing with fire. It is the side of the house where there is nothing but a strip of bark dust several feet wide. There are no windows looking over the area and no reason for any of us to ever go there so he could go unnoticed there. In my haste to get the fire out I had Dimitri use the shovel in that area to put out the fire so none of us were able to see any evidence before it was buried if there was any evidence. I sifted through the mess a little but it was muddy by then and daylight was fading so tomorrow I will go investigate. So now I have nothing more than Dimitri's word but with his history of both fires and lying it's not much. Please pray for wisdom for Doug and myself as to know what to do. Please pray for our ongoing struggles with trying to love and parent Dimitri, it's not easy.

My poor little car!

I am now in the insurance loop and just have to wait to see what happens, Doug, Tucker and two different body shop estimators seem to think it is no question that I am the one at fault. I will just hope for the best because I am just sure it is the other driver that was in the wrong :)


I got two estimates one is for $1,750.00 with the disclaimer that it will probably be more due to unseen underneath damage. The second is for $2,450 with the assumption that there is underneath damage and they know what it will be because they just finished a Prius with the exact same damage.


We have a $1,000 deductible so most likely it will be that plus increased insurance premiums but I again why I am worried because it so clearly was not my fault!

My to do list for today

In no particular order:

• Call a plumber to fix the faucet that was broken off the house outside, to fix the ice maker, and to fix the loose kitchen faucet
• Take the car to a body shop for an estimate
• Call the insurance company about my little incident
• Go to DMV to file an accident report
• Process payroll at The Watch Prince and train Melissa to do it in case I am in Kansas the next payroll
• Go to my massage appointment
• Go for a bike ride before work
• Call the doctor about Dimitri's back X-Ray results
• Work on my never ending task of paperwork at home to prepare our 2007 tax return
• Check family and friend's blogs for updates
• Go to Victoria's summer league basketball games (two) this evening in Beaverton
• Caution Victoria about being careful not to worsen her already sprained wrist playing basketball
• Imagine Isaac and Annabelle playing and laughing at their new house and wishing I could read to them
• Watch an episode or two of Friends on DVD with Doug. (Since we don't have cable and there is nothing I want to watch Doug and I have been watching the entire 10 years of the series for a few months now we have a little over two seasons to go).
• laundry

Bullet Point List for Monday Continued

• Had an eventful evening
• Was in a fender bender in the Prius, my fault apparently but I disagree, I guess we will see what the insurance companies say
• Had an unexpected dinner with my parents
• Tucker and Jenn got enough unpacking done that Jenn convinced Tucker to have Game Night after all
• Had a great time at Game Night this time at Tucker and Jenn's.
• Laughed a lot playing Scattergories while Dimitri was swimming in the pool
• Had fun bowling on Jenn's brother Wii
• Enjoyed seeing Hillary's new photos on her blog
• Kept busy enough I didn't think about how much I miss Isaac and Annabelle ( well not much anyway, since I was at their old home it was hard to think about them running around and giggling there)
• Happy that tomorrow I have a massage appointment for my aching back
• Worried about Dimitri's back
• Hoping Victoria's sprained wrist is better, it's been hurting her a lot.
• Hoping I get up in time to go for a bike ride in the morning, but since it is 1:00am and I'm blogging we will see

Copying Hillary's blog style

I love to read Hillary's blog because:


A. She is so creative
B. She is such a good writer
C. I love keeping up with her life
D. I love her bullet point style posts

Therefore I am going to copy it on occasion. Here goes.

Summer 2008

In recent years summer has been hard for me because my children still at home do so much better on a schedule and they seem to always want to be entertained and I'm just not good at that.

Gretchen...

• had a very hard weekend emotionally because I was missing Adrienne, Hillary and Marina, but to be honest it is missing Isaac and Annabelle that is the most painful for me right now.
• I am worried about Dimitri's back, it isn't getting better. We have an appointment with a neuro-surgeon on Wednesday
• is sad that Monday Night Game Night has been postponed so Tucker and Jenn can continue to do some unpacking
• It's time to start thinking about what's for dinner and I hate that
• is bummed that the longest day of daylight for the year is already past
• is happy that I went for a bike ride before work today, so unlike me
• and Doug planted the blueberry bush and apple tree left behind by Terada's when they moved to Kansas
• got a lot done at the office today
• is going to the Russian store after work with Victoria and Dimitri
• was happy to talk to Adrienne and Marina today to get updates on their adventures
• had fun reading Hillary's blog

My children are leaving again!

Adrienne and Family

In June of 2007 Adrienne and her family moved from Kansas City to Tualatin, OR. I loved having them so close. I learned to help care for Isaac's diabetes, I got to see my grandchildren several times a week. I got to share in the highs and lows of their family. I love being a grandmother more than I can possibly describe. Nothing is better than have two amazing children get so excited to see you. I loved the times I got to pick up Isaac from school when he didn't know I was coming. The expression and excitement on his face was priceless and it was because he saw me! I loved hearing Annabelle's new words. I loved being there for the firsts in their lives. I could fill a book with what they mean to me and how I loved having them live so close after living in Kansas for 3 years. In May of 2008 they moved back to Kansas for Ken's career this time to Wichita. I could fill a book on the pain of missing them and feeling so lonely without them. You think with as many kids as I have I would be fine but I am not fine at all. I not doing well it's painful.

Hillary

In June of 2007 Hillary returned to Tualatin, OR after spending two years as a missionary in Kazakhstan. I got the pleasure of her living in our house for a few months while she got used to being back in the U.S. I got to see her reconnect with friends and family. I got to be part of her everyday live. It wasn't an easy year for Hillary with the break up of a serious relationship, culture re-entry shock, job disappointments and some health problems but I loved having her here. For most of the year she shared a house with roommates just a couple of miles away but she shared many late nights with Doug and myself. Since the fall we got the privilege of having Hillary work at The Watch Prince. She was a God send and a great asset to our little company. Hillary felt god was calling for her to leave Oregon for southern California. she left last Wednesday and arrived safely in Pasaden on Friday. For more on Hillary's great new adventure be sure to visit her blog. (follow Hillary's link on left)

Marina

In November of 2007 Marina came for Thanksgiving and stayed the whole weekend and the healing of our relationship began. This was after we had been estranged for the last three years. She came for Christmas and the rebuilding of family ties continued. For a few months Marina split her time between Corvallis, OR and our home. She got a job here and few months later she gave up her apartment in Corvallis and moved in full time with us. She took a class at Portland Community college while continuing to work. It wasn't easy for either any of us but Marina and I worked very hard on our relationship and learning to respect each other. A few weeks ago she made the decision that she wanted to return to Corvallis to be closer to her boyfriend of two years and the life she had built there. I miss her, I wasn't ready to have her leave after being back in the family for such a short time. This time of course it is different we call each other and I know where she is living and we have more respect and understanding of each other than we did 7 months ago.

Jack B Root is 75!

We had a great 75th birthday celebration for my Dad with a Hollywood themed party!

The guest of honor and his lovely wife Wilma

Many hands and props help make the evening a success!

John Wayne (aka Gary Dunmire) helping in the kitchen.

Master Chef Tucker Mortensen created the amazing dessert buffet!

Ashton and Taylor brought equipment and props galore!






The Red Carpet Entrance: Hosted by Ryan Seacrest (aka Ashton Root) with help from Cameraman Taylor

The Guests Arriving!

Cameron Root

The Geisha girls (aka Jeri Laythe, Mary Carr, Kathy Jabuka)

Kathy Bates and One Eyed Jack of Durango Kids (aka Gretchen & Doug Mortensen)

Max Root

Ben Affleck & Jennifer Garner and their duaghter Violet along with Bob The Builder (aka The Terada Family)

Megan Root and Arron Whitaker

Levi Levasa

Jeffrey Root

Marlon Brando (aka Doug Root)

Thanksgiving Day

We spent Thanksgiving with our family and my daughter-in-law's family at Chef Tuckers Restaurant. Tucker cooked the turkey and made the gravy (because he said no one else could do it right) and the rest of us brought the rest of the meal. It was different than our traditional Thanksgiving but I had a wonderful day. It was the first Thanksgiving ever that we had all six of our children there.

My Favorite Restaurant in the World!

Doug is updating Chef Tucker's web site so I thought I would give you just a small preview, for more go to http://www.cheftucker.com/ (the new site isn't up yet but will be soon) or better yet go in person and eat the most amazing food you will find anywhere.

This is the most incredible tasting eggs benedict you will find anywhere. I have it at least once a week!

This isn't your typical ravioli!

Gluten Free Cake!

School and soccer have started!

My camera has been broken for most of the summer so I haven't had many photos to post. I was using my "old fashioned" film camera but now I need to take the film for developing and who knows when I will do that. I will also need to remember to order a photo CD so I can have pictures to post. I need to gather up all the undeveloped film around the house. Who knows what I might find. Maybe I will do that soon and just post lots of older random photos on our blog.

For now I just copy photos from others. These latest soccer photos were taken by another parent of a girl on Victoria's team. These are from Victoria's first game of the season last Friday. Due her hard work and improved running time of the mile and a half Victoria was given a starting position for the game. Not bad for a freshman on a high school varsity team! To say nothing of all the pain she has been fighting in her knees.

Kazakstan Adoptive Families Picnic

Twice a year there is a group of families in the Portland area that adopted children from Kazakhstan around the same time. It is always fun to see how the children are growing and share our joys and challenges with others that are going through the same things.

Dimitri was fishing with friends, Doug was working so just Victoria and I attended this year.

The Watch Prince Open House

In March we rented our new space for The Watch Prince and hoped to have our new retail showroom up and running by May. It didn't happen, it was so hard to find the time while still maintaining the online portion of the business and our business. Luckily for us when Hillary arrived from Kazakhstan in June she took over the project. We had our opening on August 21 and it was great! The store looks wonderful, Chef Tucker's did a great job on the food.

I will try to update more often!

With most of my children now back in Oregon, we have let up on the blog entries. I get to see them in person now! Yeah! At the Metz family reunion in Colorado I was surprised how many of my relatives told me they often checked out our families' blogs, I had no idea since most don't enter comments. Since I now know many people do read our blog I will try to at least do some entries. I certainly love all the blogs I read and wish more family members would start a blog for there family, hint, hint.

I have been hoping for some posts from someone of photos taken in New Mexico over the 4th of July since somehow during the trip both of our camera memory cards were lost so we have almost no pics!

I have taken almost no photos this summer so I borrowed some from the web site of Victoria's basketball camp last week. It is a camp run by former Portland Trailblazer, Larry Steele.

Gretchen

Victoria has been having trouble with her knees recently. We are seeking medical advice!


To spot Victoria almost anywhere anytime look for an orange or black Oregon State shirt and she will be easy to find! (top row in group photo)

The Long Drive

The long drive to Silverton with a over heated motor home which has left us a few hours behind. So I'm really bored but Im now posting a blog, I am your guest bloger for today. So I'm entering a few comments.

-Victoria

Madison and Dimitri wait patientlyto get started for our drive