This June something major happened for our family. Curt became a doctor. He graduated right on schedule, in three years, with a 4.00 cumulative GPA. Highest honors for this scholar and he did this while working a more than full time, demanding job and excelling as a husband and father, and leader in our church. Can I get an AMEN?
It's like senior portraits for grown ups.
He earned those stripes.
Curt is goal oriented and hard working. Both of these character traits drew me to him when we were dating and continue to woo me the longer I know this man. I met Curt when we were twenty and he knew then that he would become a Physician Assistant, work in orthopedics and eventually switch into higher education. He has chipped away at this plan, one contemplated step after another.
As Curt worked his way up the ranks of PA education, it became obvious that he would need his doctorate if he wanted to work in high level administration at a university. We talked about when the best time would be for him to go back to school. "Never" was the logical answer. Since there was no good time, we decided to just do it.
He was accepted at Portland State University and started a Doctorate of Education (EdD), specialization in Post-Secondary Education and Education Leadership, in the fall of 2014. Every other weekend he had class all night Friday and all day Saturday, with 25+ hours of homework assigned each week. He added this to working at least 50 hours a week and commuting an hour each way to and from work. Doctoral school is NOT for the faint of heart.
In April of 2014, the incoming class was invited to a Look What You're Getting Into night for families and students. Look how tiny our kids were! (I couldn't find the original photo, hence the Instagram scree shot).
But my Man... he just put his head down and did the work. He stayed up until midnight (or later) most nights and every morning was up at 5 a.m. to read his Bible and start a new day. Reading is hard for Curt because he's dyslexic, so he created a way to convert his text into an audio file that he could listen to during his commute. He faithfully made a habit of tucking the kids in each night, listening to them recount their day's activities and praying with them at bedtime. Then he'd come back down to his "desk" (the dining room table) and get back to work. His drive and determination are so admirable.
We all made sacrifices to get Curt through school. Less help around the house. Less time together. More carpooling (thank you to our Village that helped me get the kids where they needed to be). Tough decisions: homework vs. a water polo game. Homework vs. a basketball game. Projects that normally would get done immediately, went undone. We had to just let some things go and be okay with imperfection. Each semester brought different challenges and different adjustments. It wasn't easy, but through it all, God sustained us.
For three straight years, Dr. Stilp juggled his job, school, marriage, fatherhood and being an elder at our church. He rarely slept, rarely complained, and never stopped working hard. He kept his eyes focused on Jesus - gathering strength for each day from his time in the Word - and asking God to fill all the voids. The passage he meditated on toward the end of our journey was from Deuteronomy.
"Yet the LORD says, 'During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet'... I did this so that you might know that I am the LORD your God." - Deuteronomy 29:5-6
There is no way that Curt should have been able to keep the pace he kept for so long and not break down. It was truly God's miraculous provision of strength, clarity of thought, focus and energy that didn't add up given how little he slept and how much of himself and his brain power he gave away each day.
On May 11th at 2 p.m., Curt defended his dissertation. I watched with pride as he summarized three years worth of research in a twenty minute PowerPoint presentation then fielded questions from his dissertation committee and members of the audience. When he was finished they sent us out in the hallway to deliberate, then called us back in. We nervously took our seats and Curt's dissertation Chairwoman stood to her feet. Beaming, she declared, "Congratulations Dr. Stilp." It was all I could do to not burst into tears. Three years of sacrifice to hear those words. Thank you Jesus!!!
Presenting his dissertation defense.
So Handsome.
Answering questions.
This June we gathered together to celebrate God's goodness to our family and Curt's incredible achievement. My Mom and her husband flew in from Arizona. Curt's parents flew in from Minnesota. We threw a big party and people from Our Village came to celebrate Curt. They blessed him with words of encouragement and affirmation for a job well done. I gave him a pair of Birkenstock sandals, to remind him that "his sandals did not wear out."
Curt's finished dissertation and his honor society medal.
Curt with his parents.
Greeting Grandma Ru and Grandpa Terry
I LOVE this man!
June 18th was the Hooding Ceremony. My Dad and his wife drove up from Bend and we all met at the Convention Center for the big event. I had "a moment" in the parking garage. Curt was standing behind our car methodically donning all his graduation regalia: his robe with the three stripes indicating he is now a doctor, the tam with his graduation tassel attached, and the special tassels and a medallion from the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society to honor his 4.00 GPA. These items had been hanging in our guest room for weeks, but as he put them on, it all became real. THIS was really happening.
Having a moment in the parking garage.
Ready to graduate.
These kids admire their Dad.
Grant told us after the Grad School Open house, "I'm driving you to your graduation ceremony." Sounded ridiculous coming from a 7th grader but three years later, Grant drove us to Curt's graduation ceremony.
When the announcer called Curt's name to come on stage to be hooded, our entire cheering section erupted with loud hooping and hollering. None of us cared if we were breaking protocol. That was OUR man up there, being celebrated and honored by his peers and fellow scholars for his persistent determination and intellect, and celebrated by his family and friends for these things and the man of God that he is.
Dr. Curt C. Stilp EdD, PA-C
Thank you to our parents and friends for supporting us and loving us through this journey. Thank you God for sustaining us and giving us what we need for each day. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
This post is a year late. A YEAR LATE! Oh my gosh. I can't apologize. Life is full and incredible and flying by at the speed of light. But this could not go by unwritten about.
Last year our family was THICK into the third year of doctoral school for Curt. He was so amazing at managing a full time job, full time doctoral school, four kids, and a wife. He basically never slept. And things that normally got done immediately fell by the wayside while we all continued to adjust. It was definitely a Put Out the Fires mentality and everything else that was not an emergency got ignored.
My birthday fell on the same day as the water polo state championship. Our boys (Grant was on the team) played their way right into the state championship game. I told my family, "For my birthday I want new toilet seats - INSTALLED - on all the toilets in the house and a state championship."
Dane, Zach and Grant after their state semi-final win that put them into the championship game.
The morning of my birthday, I unwrapped four brand spanking new toilet seats with NO stains on them. Then Curt and Grant promptly installed them. All the ones the kids use even had slow-closing lids to eliminate the loud slamming. I felt so loved.
my water polo player
NEW unstained toilet seats
Later that afternoon we all headed to Corvallis to watch the state championship. We stood in line for an hour to get front row seats on the pool deck. It was hot. Humid. Sweaty. Personal Space Invading. But it was worth it.
space invading sweaty goodness
The state championship game is like no other. The teams line up on the pool deck and an announcer introduces every single player on both teams. The stands are packed. I mean shoulder-to-shoulder, practically sitting on each others' sweaty laps packed. The atmosphere is electric. You can feel the tension and excitement.
The boys played Southridge, their arch rival that knocked them out of first place for three consecutive years before they took back the top spot in 2014. It was a close, physical game. Grant was the first player off the bench but his coach wasn't making substitutions. It was way too close to take the starters out. But in the fourth quarter, one of our key players got rolled on ejections and Grant got put in the game. He held his own, without making any mistakes. Great job G!
As the clock ticked down, Newberg beat Southridge 8-6! State champs for the third consecutive year. It was SO exciting!!!!!!
I got to tag-team with the reporter for the local Newberg newspaper so I had special Media Privileges and was able to take some really fun photos of the boys celebrating their big victory.
#threepeat
This is what they play for. And bragging rights.
YES!
After the game we all drove back to Newberg and converged on Abby's Pizza for a big post-game party. When the athletes walked in, they received a standing ovation and lots of hooping and hollering. It was so fun.
So last year, on my 42nd birthday I got just what I asked for. Toilet seats and a state championship. Thanks Family. Thanks Newberg High School water polo. You guys rock.
If you've been following this blog at all you know that Alli's main identity right now is that of an athlete. If she could play ALL THE SPORTS she would, but she seems to have narrowed (note the sarcasm) it down to soccer, basketball, lacrosse and track and field. She wanted to keep playing water polo during the summer but we said, "No. You can't do all the things. Read a book or take a nap. Those are good skills to learn."
This winter was Alli's third season playing basketball. The first two seasons her team lost a lot. And by "a lot" I mean they won ONE game last season. It was so frustrating for the players, the coaches and the parents. When all you do is lose, it is hard with a capital H to keep showing up to practice. Keep working hard. Keep giving 100% effort in the games. It would have been easier to quit, but our girls are athletes. They show up, even when it's rough. Seasons like last year developed our girls' character through suffering and perseverance.
6th Grade Basketball Team
When basketball season rolled around this year I readied myself for more of the same, but this year was different. Alli's grade had an influx of new players and coaches worked into the mix of the regulars from the past two seasons.
Middle school girls are prone to drama - on the court and off the court. Managing 14 of them is not for the faint of heart. But Coach Alloway and his coaching staff immediately established clear ground rules. They had high standards and expected the girls to meet the mark.
Practice was not social hour. It was HARD work. If a player didn't follow the instructions, the whole team ran. The girls learned quickly to pay attention and work together.
Coach also had high standards for his players' behavior. "During basketball season we are a family on and off the court. We support each other. We work hard. We encourage each other. We don't put up with social media drama or any kind of negative talk toward each other." And then he enforced it.
I think he deserves a Gold Star for holding these girls accountable to a higher standard of living on and off the court. Alli came to life under his leadership. Coach saw Alli's potential on the basketball court and he didn't let her cut corners or do things halfway. Alli submitted to his leadership and became a student of the game. Her raw, undeveloped talent morphed into smooth ball handling, less turnovers, more steals, more assists, more rebounds, and less fouls. She still missed a ton of shots, but she made a ton of baskets too, including her first three pointer.
My favorite action shot from this season.
SCREEN
Dribbling without turning it over all the time has been a huge improvement this season.
Going for the steal
She will take on any player, any size. This kid is fearless.
THREE POINTER!
Defensive Trap without fouling
It wasn't just Alli coming alive. Her teammates had similar stories. Each game they got better, smoother, cleaner. Less mistakes. More confidence. The deeper into the season we got, the more these girls looked and played like a team. It was SO fun to watch.
This year's players and coaches - more of both genres!
And you guys... THEY WERE WINNING! In our first weekend of game play, we tallied two victories in five games, doubling our wins from the season before. The girls ended up finishing 11 and 4 in league play, earning a first place seed to the league championship tournament. Winning isn't everything, but it sure is fun.
This weekend our girls played their hearts out in the league tournament. They won their first game convincingly, but started slow in their second game and lost by 5 points. Their only chance at the championship game was to win the following day.
We started that game slow too and went down 0-6 in the early minutes of the first quarter. We couldn't buy a bucket. But the girls didn't quit. They believed in themselves and trusted their coaches. They slowly clawed their way back into the game. Tied it, then went up by eight. The momentum shifted back and forth. Both teams were hungry for victory. In the end our girls came out on top 27-22 to earn a spot in the coveted championship game.
Our opponent in the championship game was McMinnville (Mac) - the same team that defeated the girls the day before. It was the perfect matchup against long time arch-rivals. Our girls charged to a 0-10 lead, but Mac refused to roll over and die. They started scoring, shut down our offense, and were right back in the game.
The momentum shifted back and forth the entire game. When Mac would shut down a Newberg player that was on fire, we'd shift our offense to another player. The points, rebounds, steals and assists were spread evenly between all the Newberg players. Both teams played with grit and determination, but our girls pulled off the victory: 32-36!
They are your Three Rivers League Champions - Bronze Division! What a great way to finish a season that has developed their confidence and their character. When at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
The future of Newberg basketball is bright. Well done girls. Well done Coaches. We are all so proud of you.
Well hey there. Long time no talk. The only excuse is life is full of such awesome things.
In September Curt and I had a Date Day and we tackled the McNeil Point hike. We've attempted it together twice before with the kids, but both trips had way too much whining and not enough fun (adults included). Since this is one of my all time favorite hikes, we attempted it a third time and were successful.
Self timer at the top of the ridge in Really High Country
DIFFICULTY: According to our trusty hiking book (60 Hikes within 60 Miles of Portland by Paul Gerald) this 9.2 mile hike is rated "Easy" to Bald Mountain and "Strenuous" to McNeil Point. We agree. The trail definitely shreds your quads and calves with the steep climbing and descents, but is worth every sweat-inducing step. For detailed specifics about this hike, buy the book or google it. My "directions" will be vague.
TRAIL ACCESS: This trailhead is remote, but not too rugged. You'll drive the typical narrow Forest Service road that is really one lane with steep drop offs on one side, but is supposedly wide enough for one car going each direction. Thankfully all of it is paved save the last 1.2 miles and the potholes are minimal. The trail is under snow from October through June, so the window to go on this adventure is July through September. Mark your calendar now and just do it!
The Bald Mountain viewpoint is only a mile from the trailhead and it is magnificent. You hike through an old growth forest, go around a corner onto a ridge and BOOM! There's Mt. Hood. She takes your breath away. The ridge the trail traverses is high in the air with a relatively steep drop off. Don't bring dogs off a leash or kids that don't obey or they could roll off the edge to great peril. The ridge looks down into the valley of the Muddy Fork of the Sandy River.
Curt in the old growth forest before we came out onto the ridge.
Curt at the Bald Mountain Viewpoint. McNeil Point is WAY up Mt. Hood on that ridge to the left.
The trail is narrow with some significant drop offs. Be careful.
I love this viewpoint because it's a glimpse of where your final destination is. Squint and look way up on Mt. Hood. Four more miles of hiking will take you WAY up the mountain to a "1930's era stone shelter" that marks McNeil Point.
Along the way, you'll finish traversing the ridge, hike back into old growth forest, ford a creek twice, and pass wildflowers (if you're lucky enough to catch them in bloom). The mountain terrain changes the higher you hike with big boulder fields and mountain meadows with ponds. Backpackers camp here and we saw several breaking camp on our way in.
We stopped at The Ponds for a snack, then continued the final stretch to the McNeil Point. The narrow trail takes hikers across a "windswept ridge and eventually crosses a rockslide/snowfield." This area is a little sketchy. Go slow and be certain of each step you take.
The Ponds
Curt checking directions before we set out to finish our hike.
Getting closer to McNeil Point
Some of the Sketch Area. The trail picks its way across these loose rocks that are often covered with snow.
It was in this area that Curt and I missed the right hand turn that leads down to McNeil Point. We accidentally followed another trail to the left that meandered up the ridge instead of down. When we reached the end of the ridge there was no where to go except into thin air. It was amazing. McNeil Point was below us by several hundred feet. We set our lunch up on a rock and picnicked on top of the world.
Lunch Rock
That tiny turquoise speck directly in the lower middle of this image is a hiker. The slightly bigger brown speck is the stone shelter.
The panoramic views were jaw-dropping. Layers and layers upon layers of mountains and forest nestled together to form a backdrop for all the Cascade volcanoes. Mt. Hood. Mt. St. Helens. Mt. Rainer. Mt. Adams. They were all out to play and they were amazing.
Volcanoes in the distance.
The very steep, non-switchback trail up into Really High Country.
The trail we were on continued above us into "Really High Country. It's not on any maps, but if you follow it you will soon run out of breath as you approach 7,000 feet in elevation with virtually no switchbacks and find yourself on a narrow, rocky ridge between the Sandy and Glisan Glaciers." You better believe we huffed and puffed our way to the top of that ridge. It was slow going and H-A-R-D, but so worth it.
Hello Handsome.
I hiked all the way up to the point on that middle ridge, then came back.
We sat on a rock at the top of the ridge and listened to the glaciers pop and crack and slide down the mountainside. It was an experience I would have paid a ton of money for, but it was free (minus the National Forest Pass required for parking our car).
We hiked down to the stone shelter on our way out. It's pretty cool.
#forreal #mightycreator #inoregonasitisinheaven
Our little side trip added 2.5 miles to an already long hike, giving us almost 12 miles of hiking by the time we made it back to our car. Since I hadn't run my mile yet for my run streak, I let Curt pack up the car and I ran down the mountain for two miles until he picked me up. All exhaustion from the hike dissolved into the euphoria of running in the remote wilderness, fresh cool mountain air filling my lungs. One day I will retire and live in the mountains. They are my happy place.
So there you have it. An overview of the McNeil Point hike. And can I just add one thing? If you're married, date your spouse. The adventures Curt and I go on carry us through the mundane, nose-to-the-grindstone weeks and make us fall more in love. Happy hiking.
