The Celtic Festival and Highland Games Re-cap

Did you attend the Celtic Festival and Highland Games last weekend? Randy and Shawna did and they had tons of fun. It was extremely well organized and the turn out was great! They liked sitting in the grass enjoying the weather and listening to the outstanding music. They were also super impressed by all the games. They were so fun to watch and took a lot of strength- it was no bean bag toss! Shawna's favorite game to watch featured competitors throwing large, heavy logs as far as they could. The food was also very good, Shawna enjoyed the hummus plate- her favorite food! If you didn't get a chance to make it out, you must plan to attend next year!

 

Fair Fun!

This year for the fair we set up a pinterest-like booth with all kinds of flyers on how to do many projects on your own! Also, each agent in the office did their own project so we could have some projects on display.

Patty's project was How To Make Painter's Drop Cloth Curtains.

This is what the final product looked like after we made a few minor adjustments to the booth!

While Shawna was manning the booth on Wednesday night Randy went over to the main stage and watched the Wasteland Kings perform!

We hope everyone had as much fun at the Union County Fair as we did!

Bragging Rights...

Haley ran her first half marathon this weekend! She ran in the Catherine Creek Classic. The finish line was at Union high school where she caught the shuttle bus to the starting line 13.1 miles away. The race course followed Catherine Creek along Medical Springs Highway back to Union. Haley finished in under 2 hours- which is an awesome time! We are pretty proud of her around the office, she definitely gets bragging rights!

Riding the bus to the starting line.

Pre Race

Post Race

While Haley was running, Bob was fishing! Bob went on a fishing trip toYellowstone for his son's 40th birthday. He has never been fly fishing before, but he caught the most and the biggest fish out of his group! He also has bragging rights here in the office!

Bob's son- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

A huge thank you to all who stopped by our fair booth this weekend- it was a success! Pictures of the Union County Fair will be up soon!

Hurricane Creek

This past weekend, Monica and her husband Barry hiked along Hurricane Creek in the Eagle Cap Wilderness. This is a perfect hike for beginners or someone who can't commit to an overnight trip and the views were phenomenal!  To get to the Hurricane Creek Trailhead from Enterprise you just turn on Hurricane Creek Road off of Main Street and follow it out to the trailhead, about 7.5 miles. If you are in Joseph you can head West on Airport Road for 1.5 miles, turn left on Hurricane Creek Road and follow it out to the trailhead. You have the option to camp near the trailhead or just park and make a day trip out of it. Either way the cost is $5 per day, so don't forget your cash!

Monica and Barry just hiked to Slick Rock which is about 6 miles there and back. After about .5 miles on the trail there is a side trip to the right that leads to a lovely waterfall and it's worth the extra steps! After that you can head back to the trail and move on to Slick Rock. Along the way there are some amazing views of Hurricane Creek, Joseph Mountain, the face of Sacajawea Peak and many waterfalls. At one point you do have to cross Falls Creek- but there is a sturdy log across it right now that even a beginner could use as a bridge. At around 3 miles the trail does three switchbacks and at the top you can see the gorge below and it was so pretty Monica and Barry almost stopped here for lunch but if you go just a little further you arrive at Slick Rock where you can view the gorge below and a waterfall above you and this makes a great lunch spot! You can continue on from there to Echo Lake, climb to the top of Slick Rock Falls, or call it a day and head back.

Afterwards, Barry and Monica went on to Wallowa Lake and rented a boat, road bikes, swam, did some more hiking, and spent 2 nights camping. We are so lucky to have so many activities so close to us here in Union County!

A Weekend Wall

The sun is shining and the temperature is warming up...this could only mean one thing: yard work. Monica and her husband, Barry tackled a little front yard fix up this past weekend. Armed with no experience, basic tools- some of which they had to  borrow from the neighbor, some garage sale blocks, and YouTube on their iPhones they set out to build  a small retaining wall to contain the little hill that was their front yard. It's true what they say, leveling the first layer of blocks is the most important step- the level became their BFF.

Before

During

After

After

They plan to lay sod in front of the wall and do the same thing on the other side of the yard! Here are some resources they found helpful:

http://www.dannylipford.com/how-to-build-a-stackable-block-retaining-wall/

Yee-Haw!

 

Last weekend Haley carried flags at the Eastern Oregon Livestock Show and had a great time! Haley said she learned a lot about a new kind of riding that she had never done before! Hope everyone is out and about enjoying this great weather this weekend! 

On the Run...

Last Saturday Haley participated in her first 12K in Spokane, WA! Here is a little re-cap of her experience:

I participated in Bloomsday May 6^th.  It was my first experience not only with Bloomsday itself, but an organized run as well.  This year there were over 48,000 participants that lined the downtown streets of Spokane for the 12K run.  As I was climbing Doomsday hill, a long hill about 5 miles into the race, I experienced something that made the whole trip worthwhile.  I was running up the hill but may better be described as crawling thinking to myself that the hill would never end.  I was contemplating walking on and off thinking I was so tired.  About half way up the hill cheering got loud and I looked up to see to my left a gentleman in a wheelchair 100% focused on making it to the top of the hill.  His face alone was inspirational as his determination was very apparent, but then I noticed his entire arms and back was covered in blood.  It was apparent that he had wrecked earlier in the race but that wasn’t enough to stop him.  I instantly felt ridiculous for feeling sorry for myself as I climbed Doomsday, and felt more compassion for this amazing individual.  I am sure he wasn’t just an inspiration to me, but the other 48,000 participants as well!

Don’t forget the 3 Rivers Race is coming up in La Grande on June 2^nd! It has something for everybody including a 10K for runners and walkers, a half marathon for runners and family bikers and a 70 mile and century bike ride for teams and individuals. In addition to great food and entertainment waiting for you at the end prizes will be given out for money raised, and first place individuals and teams. Maybe you will get to see Haley in action on June 2^nd!

Register for the 3 Rivers Race Here!

Spaghetti Feed Recap

The RE/MAX Crew

Thank you so much to all of you who attended The Angel Fund Spaghetti Feed last night! With the the help of the community we raised $1,253! All of the money raised last night goes to The Angel Fund. The Angel Fund supports homeless and unaccompanied youth in Union County. This fund helps fund Loaves and Fishes, provides toiletries, short term shelter, clothing, and assists with the Friday Back Pack Program. The event ran smoothly thanks to all of the volunteers and sponsors who helped us out! A special shout out goes to the other sponsors: Safeway, Coke, KCMB, The Observer, and the Peterson Family. It was fun to get to see so many friendly faces last night and to catch up! We really do appreciated the community coming together for a worthy cause. Remember the words of Dr. Seuss, "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lost, nothing is going to get better. It's not."  Here are some photos from last night! Have a lovely weekend!

Dear Union County,

We couldn't do this without you! Thank you so much for you continued support...

LOCAL BROKERS RECEIVE AWARDS 

RE/MAX Real Estate Team is pleased to announce that five of their brokers have earned prestigious awards from RE/MAX International LLC.

Haley Hines, Principal Broker and Shawna McKinnis, Principal Broker/Owner each earned the 100% award.  To be awarded this  honor a broker must meet certain production standards.  Hines assisted over 30 families with their real estate needs and sold over 5 million dollars in real estate in 2011.  McKinnis sold well over 4 million dollars and assisted 30 families.

Randy McKinnis, Broker/Owner, Sharron Langdon, Broker and Ron Smith, Broker were awarded the Executive Award after meeting requirements set by RE/MAX International LLC.  McKinnis and Langdon each closed over 3 million dollars and each assisted over 20 families meet their real estate needs. Smith closed nearly 20 transactions and 2.5 million dollars in real estate.

“Our Brokers work hard to make sure our client’s needs come first,”  commented Shawna McKinnis, Principal Broker/Owner.  “We all work hard to be educated to the best of our ability in order to assist our clients and know that strong ethical standards are imperative in our business.  Being recognized for that hard work is something that we all appreciate and don’t take lightly.”

To contact a RE/MAX Real Estate Team Broker you can stop by the office at 2106 Island Ave, La Grande or call 541-963-1000.

A Ladd Marsh Adventure + Office Project Update!!

Have you ever been out to Ladd Marsh? Sharron took a walk Sunday afternoon and enjoyed the beautiful weather at Ladd Marsh. The Nature Walk Trail is about a mile long and is accessible to the public off of Foothill Road. You can check it out by taking the Foothill Road exit and go left like your heading toward North Powder and it is right across from the freeway on your left. Sharron took along her dog and her hubby for a fun afternoon outing in the sunshine! She snapped us this pretty picture while she was there.

If you haven't made it out to Imbler lately, Randy took this picture of the new elementary school that is being built for us! They are making some progress!

In office news, over the next two months one of the regular sources for the Shelter from the Storm food bank will be significantly short - causing the shelter to have a big shortfall for their food bank over the next few months. We are going to hold a food drive over the next few weeks and you can drop donations at our office! There are many women beginning their lives over who rely on this for short term assistance. While you’re in you can also purchase your tickets for The Angel Fund spaghetti feed, which takes place Thursday, April 5th, 5-7:30pm. You can of course buy tickets at the door if you don't make it in to see us. If you can't make it for dinner you can also drop off any donation at RE/MAX Real Estate Team for The Angel Fund. The Angel Fund is a fund that assists unaccompanied and homeless youth in OUR community! Last year we raised a whopping $3,399! Any donation you’re willing to make for either of these projects we are taking on would be greatly appreciated!

 

We hope everyone is having or had a wonderful spring break! If you’re looking for ways to fill your days off, add the Nature Walk Trail to your list of to dos!

Randy's Handy Work!

Be sure to check out the 4-H auction March 24th and 25th! Randy made this adorable children's potting bench and donated it to the auction! The 4-H Radio Auction is the Union County 4-H Leaders Associations only fund raiser for the year. All proceeds from the auction are used to support the 4-H program. To learn more about the auction and to preview items click here!

March Madness is here!

If your a basketball fan, then look no further than your own back yard for your March madness fix! Randy and Shawna headed over to Baker yesterday to catch 1A boy's quarterfinals action! The 1A boy's basketball state tournament is continues through tomorrow in Baker! Check out the bracket here: http://w3.osaa.org/scorecenter/bbx/11-12/brackets/details/1A

Randy and Shawna cheered on Imbler!

EOU men's and women's basketball teams both made it to the NAIA national basketball tournament. The women will be headed to Sioux City, Iowa and the men to Point Look Out, Missouri. The women play in the first round against Ave Maria (Fla.) at 8:15am on Wednesday, March 7th. The men play against Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) Thursday, March 8th at 7:15pm. Watch parties will be organized on campus to watch both games for free. Watch 365 Things to do in Union County for room assignments on campus for the watch parties.

Happy March!

Sugar high for a cause!

Friday night the EOU athletic department had their annual "Pink Out" game. It's a great event that raises awareness for breast cancer. Many local businesses had booths in the lobby of Quinn, prizes were given away, there were fundraisers, and of course RE/MAX was there pushing sugar! RE/MAX hosted a delicious dessert silent auction! All of the proceeds from the auction go towards CHD to provide mammograms for local, uninsured women. The turnout was amazing and we can't thank our community enough for supporting not only a worthy cause, but something that will benefit women right here in our community! We ended up raising $220 for CHD! 

To cap off the already great evening, both the men's and women's basketball teams won their games against Warner Pacific! Catch first round CCC tournament action tonight, February 22nd, at Quinn as the EOU men take on Corban College. 7pm.

We will now leave you with some drool worthy dessert pictures:

Roll Back to the 70's

Randy and Shawna went to the EOU basketball games last weekend. It was 70's night at Quinn and they loved the music and seeing all of the students dressed up! Tonight both teams travel to Corban College. The women play at 5:30 p.m. and the men play at 7:30 p.m. You can listen to the assistant athletic director, Barry Henderson, at EOU call the games tonight and tomorrow night on 98.7 FM! Tune in to hear both teams play some great basketball!

A little fun in the mountains!

Doesn't this look like a blast? Haley and her husband Nic spent the weekend in Halfway with friends snowmobiling! We hope that you were able to spend the weekend having fun with your family and friends!

When it snows, it pours...

We hope you are enjoying the snow day! Congrats if you got the day off- sorry if not. We packed up and headed home to sit by the fire are here at the office working away until 5:30pm! Look at what Shawna came across in her son's girlfriend's yard! This is a TWELVE FOOT TALL snowman! Built by Shawna's son, his girlfriend, and little brother! If you have an awesome snowman picture from today post it on our facebook wall and brag about how great it is or what a disaster it is...your call. Everyone have a fun and safe day in the snow!

Wear White, Get Loud!

Last Friday night Randy and Shawna headed to Quinn Coliseum to catch some exciting EOU basketball! If you haven't been to a game this year- then this is the week to start! This Friday is "White Out" night at Quinn Coliseum as the women's and men's basketball teams take on their rival, The College of Idaho. This game should be a ton of fun with giveaways for everyone wearing white and the first 200 fans with receive one of the coveted, "Wear White, Get Loud" tee shirts for free!

To bring you up to speed on this years teams, the women were ranked No. 9 in the NAIA Div. 2 Top 25 national poll Monday. The Mountaineers (13-4, 6-2 Cascade Collegiate Conference) were rated ninth in the country in the last poll on Dec. 12. It was the highest ranking in school history. Monday's mark is the third highest position EOU has ever been ranked. All top three rankings in school history have come this season.

The EOU women are coming off of a weekend split with a win over Northwest Christian University and a loss to Corban University. Over the break in the polls, the Mountaineers posted a 4-2 record.

The Cascade Conference has one other team in the Top 25, Corban at No. 21. The Warriors moved up one spot. Oregon Tech is one spot out of the Top 25, The College of Idaho is receiving 16 votes, and Warner Pacific has six votes.

The Eastern Oregon University men's basketball team's streak of 26 straight polls in the NAIA Div. 2 Top 25 came to an end Monday.

Eastern Oregon (12-5, 5-3 Cascade Collegiate Conference) had been in a school-record 26 straight polls dating back until the 2009-10 preseason poll. The Mountaineers have been in the Top 25 in 32 of the last 34 polls.

The Mountaineers were ranked No. 23 in the last poll on Dec. 12. Since then, EOU has gone 4-2 with losses to No. 3 Oregon Tech and No. 10 Northwest.

Cascade Conference members, Oregon Tech, Warner Pacific, Northwest, and Southern Oregon all appear in the latest poll. OIT remained No. 3 in the country, Warner Pacific jumped from No. 17 to No. 8, Northwest moved from No. 10 to 12, and Southern is three spots out the poll with 51 votes. EOU is four spots out of the poll with 42 votes.

Please join us this Friday for the women's game at 5:30pm and the men's game at 7:30pm and wear white!