Which day is this? Oh, Saturday

We hit the lazy river today. What is a lazy river? Well, a lazy river is usually at some sort of water park where you go around and around on an inner tube without having to move much,with the exception of trying to avoid getting doused by water from waterfalls and such. We went to Typhoon Lagoon, another Disney park.
No cool freebies at the water park, but Emma met her heart's desire.
It was called, “The Garbage Pail”.This was a sand bucket filled with ice cream and toppings such as waffle cone pieces and hot fudge sauce. I was huge, not even the four of us could eat it. I must say she learned that important life lesson about you eyes being bigger than your stomach.
On an odd note, I must say, keeping this blog “Cub Scout rated” is difficult when one has spent the day in a sea of humanity. Oh what tales a water park could tell...
We headed back to the hotel for the evening, and of course, we went to the manager's reception for more slushies and popcorn. Our night had only began, as our next destination was Disney Quest. Disney Quest is a multi-level arcade extravaganza. At first it was sensory overload, then it was, “MUST PLAY GAMES!” We played for about two hours, but left in order to meet our friends at the Orlando airport.
This was the first installment of our “Sunriver” friends meeting at Orlando. They were in very late, and we waited and waited for them to arrive, but they seemed to enjoy their surprise greeting.

The Three Nancy's

So Thursday, we slept in late, and laid by the pool a good portion of the day. We enjoyed the pool deck atmosphere with the rock 'n roll sunshine music playing in the background. We also had a surprise guest, yes the guy has a power washer, yes a loud gas power washer. The kids and Paul survived my vigilant sun screen spraying (If you ever want to say, make someone scream like a girl, the new sunscreen sprays come out freezing cold).

Not very exciting, but it sure was relaxing. The freebies for the day were at the manager's reception where we had free snacks, and the kids had all the slushies they could drink. We headed to Downtown Disney for the evening. Evander was in nine year old boy heaven at the Lego store. Also, we did a stock up trip to the Winn Dixie. For those who didn't see the movie (one of my favorites), Winn Dixie is a grocery chain. Well, I did my pre-Disney World trip homework, and sent away for my Winn Dixie Club Card. Well, I saved over seven dollars off my bill just because I did so. That was exciting.
Friday, we slept in later than we had planned, as the time change threw us off, but we did go to a Disney park today, two actually. Our first trip was to Animal Kingdom, where I met the Nancys. We entered the park, and while Emma was on a hunt for a park map in English, I noticed a cast member was named, Nancy. Well I quickly stated that I was also a Nancy. We began to chit chat and she gave me a “dream”. Well I can't say I had really dreamed it before, but she gave us a pass for priority seating to the “Lion King” show. I can say it was really cool. Paul was able to be a part of the show by acting out the sound of a warthog. My very own Pumba.

We spent the majority of the day at Animal Kingdom, and loved the Expedition Everest ride. It is a crazy adrenaline making roller coaster. The Kali River Rapid ride was awesome as well. It's a big ol' circular raft ride where you never know if your the one who will get soaked. At one point, I closed my eyes, and heard a wave that sounded like what a tsunami must sound like...It hit Paul and only a little of me.
As Animal Kingdom closed early this evening, we took off for Disney's Hollywood Studios, as it was the park that was open the latest. We were disappointed to know that the major rides that were open were two hour waits, so we opted for ice cream, fries, and an interesting “movie” tour. Needless to say, we headed back to the hotel about two hours after going to this park.

Red Carpet Club-Day One

We've flown the first leg of our trip and have a way long layover in SFO. I am trying not to count how many bags of chips or pretzels I've eaten. I'm trying to remain calm knowing that there are free snacks a few feet away. I also know that no lunch is served on the plane, so I'm trying to fill myself enough not to go into starvation mode on the plane (not that many of us good Americans starve). I keep sending the children for snacks, as I am busy working on my computer. I'm not sure which sort of work I've done. It's more about killing time, since I know I will be interrupted by sweet family and all these new surroundings.
Evander is giving Paul a tutorial in Pokemon. Emma is busy helping me pace myself with the snacks. I think I might be getting full.
As I wrote that, Paul signaled me that it was time to go eat. WE obviously aren't on the same page. He was asking about going to eat real food. I thought that was against the rule that he didn't know about- that is buying the non-free food. I'll have to hurry up and eat my chips.
Last night, we made it to our destination without starving. We intend to spend much of the day by the pool.

Time has flown by this week. We are a very active family, but I have spent the majority of this Sunday, oddly enough resting.
So, the rundown of this week is...
We began the long list of to-do's for our "Sunriver" vacation to Orlando. Glow in the dark bracelets are on our list, as are rain ponchos for those really wet rides.
Our "Sunriver Gang" is vacationing in Florida rather than Sunriver. We've hung out at Sunriver with two other families since Evander was a baby, and have spent time together on vacation almost every year since then. Last year, my dear friends were wonderful caregivers to me while we were at Sunriver.
My dad was very ill and I didn't know if our family was going to be able to meet our friends at Sunriver, but bless their little hearts. They listened to me, fed me, and put all the meals together. These are those constant friends that will last a lifetime...
Tuesday, at Scouts the boys worked on learning knots. I tried somewhat hard to learn these knots, but this wasn't the night. I'm still working on my shoelaces.
Wednesday, I was able to do one of my all time favorite activities. I went to the Lane County Waste Disposal site, otherwise known as the dump. I'm not sure when my attraction to the dump began but maybe it was when one of my siblings took me when I was little, and I found a skateboard, which I took home. Maybe that's when I started loving free stuff too. bb
The Cub Scouts were given a great tour of the new BRING facility, and of course, the dump. It smelled. Not super smelly, but smelly enough for sure. Jokes aside, I was a bit distraught knowing that I contributed to the loss of about two 35ft. trees a year. So I have felt guilty for any use of paper these past few days. Maybe I've saved a branch since Wednesday.
This was a big week in that our nephew Sam turned fifteen. On Thursday, Emma and I watched him run a race in track. It was so nice to be able to go and support him in such a way, especially since Crazy Aunt Nan has a fondness for track.
Friday was our run around day, as we tried to finish the never ending list of to-do's. Emma and I hit the salon, later the kids had a game date with Grandma Judie.
I haven't mentioned our little soccer organization that meets on Saturday morning, but that's for another post.

After soccer, Evander read his "When the Clock Strikes 8:00" at the Saturday market.
I was a proud Mama listening to him. I was also very glad that his godparents and grandmother were there to support him as well. It was cold outside, but the experience was well worth the outdoor experience.
We also joined Sam Saturday night with his friends and "outlaws". Sam's mom is marrying into a wonderful family, and our little family seems to have quadrupled.
So this Sunday's review has turned into Tuesday's review of Tuesday through Tuesday, with Sunday being one of the highlights not aforementioned. Sunday I had occasion to lay around. I ran the "Recycle Run" shortly after the morning snow. I didn't run in the snow, but it was quite chilly. Without the play by play, I'll fast forward to the end where Paul, Tucker and baby Wilder cheered at the end. My good buddy ran the race too, and it was too fun hollering for her. There weren't many people running the race, so I came home with another medal. The highlight was the exciting cheering from my friends, and laughing at ourselves for being crazy enough for running nine miles on a perfectly good Sunday morning.

The Keys To A Lifelong Friendship

Monday...Well, now I'm back to the Lindsay/Morgan visit.

Not so fast, a little more rewinding. Sunday night we beat the rain, and moved all the giagantamous lavender to the back yard. Then we were tired. But not too tired, because I promised Lindsay we would have enough energy for her visit. 

On Monday, we were up bright and early and I went into full speed cleaning mode (although I'm not too sure anyone could tell). After the unofficial end of the clean-a-thon, I needed to move on to my hostessing duties. As I am not a huge plan aheader in regards to meals, I was perplexed as to what I might serve the ladies for lunch. The regular faire for guests around here would be sandwiches with meat, but I opted for something a little more fun for the ladies. I went the fondue route. 

After a trip to a couple of grocery stores,  I showed up just in time to greet our guests. After our greeting of hugs and welcomes, Morgan showed me what she bought from the outlet stores at the coast. I'm a little slow, but those thinking wheels started turning as she showed me a cute onesie with a duck on it. My sweet little flower girl is going to have a baby!

We so enjoyed the afternoon with pregnancy talk, baby talk, catching up and eating a variety of veggies and not so veggies with our fondue (Evander later confessed to eating double digit marshmallows!). 

As Monday was a continuously stormy day, we did find time near the end of the visit to drive to Shamrock Gifts so I could show Lindsay and Morgan one of the places I like to gaze at the gift items. I thought of her the last time I was there as they had a multitude of bunnies for sale, as I associate bunnies with Aunt Lindsay. While we were there she confessed that a youngster recently visiting her home had counted nineteen bunnies residing in her home, with two real ones living outside. 

A few days ago, in my blog, I touted my devotion, admiration and affection for my beautiful sister-in-law Lindsay. Visiting with her left no doubt of that. She left behind what reminds me of the keys to a lifelong friendship-letting go, forgiving, loving no matter the cost, and an enduring sense of humor.  

Where Was I?

Back to Thursday...

In the evening, Grandma Judie offered to take the kids as it was a Samfest over at her place. I was itching to go enjoy the sunshine outdoors with my husband for the evening. We settled with dinner at the North Bank, since we haven't had a hankerin' for their food and beverage for quite a while. I run on the path next to the restaurant frequently, and I wanted a good seat by the river to actually enjoy the view, instead of just huffing and puffing my way by the Blue Herons. 

It turned out to be a lovely evening, actually a bit romantic even. We sat outside at a table next to an outdoor fireplace. This was reminiscent of those college days at High Street visiting with Charley Dewberry and chatting up about philosophy and such. We were seated near a group of those younger 20/30 somethings who didn't have any kids with them. They reminded us of those ancient days with friends-carefree, outdoorsy types imbibing, when friendships were golden.

Friday, we began the grand clean-up at our place. I was able to accomplish much in the yard, continuing to move the gigantamous lavender to the backyard. Emma did a great job of cleaning the inside of the house, once she realized she had accidentally lost a recent gift from Auntie Patty. A special ring was missing from her finger which Patty had given to her on her 13th birthday. Well, Emma was distraught, but motivated to clean in order to find the ring. After a couple of hours, I began cleaning my room, when Paul noticed the ring on my floor. It was a great find.

Saturday, was the most georgous day of the year yet, and was the day I signed up for the Eugene Half Marathon. I was put to ease by the director of the race, that I wouldn't need to run 10 miles in Florida (I don't think I've mentioned that "travelin' nan" is headed to FL). He seemed to think if I get that long run done before I go, I'd be good to go before the race. O' Happy Day.

Emma and I shared some "Love Casserole" by attending a baby shower down the street at a dear friend's house. A fabulous idea was implemented, in that, one of the gal's gifts was some cloth diapers which the shower guests then embroidered. Remember my mention of my  mechanical skills? This applies to the Domestic Arts as well. With much focus, I was able to "stitch" out a heart on one of the diapers. 

 I had walked home to retrieve my camera to take pics for the shower, when Paul asked about the whereabouts of the dog which we were sitting. We then came to the conclusion that in the midst of the transitions, the dog had sought her freedom. The boys took to the streets in search of the dog, while I returned to the shower, with thoughts of the lost dog looming over me. I didn't stay much longer, (long enough for cake) then began to search the neighborhood  for the little black lab. While I was near the end of my search loop, a call to Paul revealed that Van said that the dog's tag had the owner's number on it. We concluded that if found, someone would call this number. Minutes later, Paul called to say that our next door neighbor had the dog. Lost ring, lost dog, oh the drama, in these the days of our lives...

Sunday, we went to church, came home long enough to make a sandwich, then Van and I were off to cheer on my favorite godson, Evander's best friend, at his baseball game. Not only was he so handsome in his uniform, he made some great plays that made me quite proud to know the kid. Evander chatted up the bench, and seemed to enjoy encouraging the players. At the end of the game, he somehow finagled a Butterfinger candy bar from the Snack Mom.  I was privileged to enjoy Erin's yumolicious Rice Krispie treats.

We made it through the rest of the day, without losing anything. I think.

Never A Dull Moment

These past few days, our family has been readying our home for a visit from my beautiful sister-in-law, Lindsay,(all my sister-in-laws are beautiful) and my beautiful, niece,(all my nieces are beautiful) Morgan.

In case you don't know Lindsay, I have known her since I was at least five years old. Lindsay was a high schooler when she started hanging around our home (sometimes outside our home since my father was a notorious teaser, keeping her fearful of coming inside). My teen aged brother, Doug, was the reason why she visited. I wasn't always so receptive to my brother's dates, but Lindsay easily earned a place in my heart. She had beautiful long brown hair, a soft voice, and comforting brown eyes.  If there were such a person, she would be one of those rare people who actually may have missed out on being inherently evil. 

So, our family prepped our house for the visit by cleaning those places that "no man has gone before". We also tried to accomplish tasks in the yard that may earn some respect back from the neighbors, as we have been somewhat negligent in keeping up with the Jones as of late.  

So I'll do a little rewinding of our family's happenings...

Thursday, started out as a fun day with my baristo babe (I don't know if that is the correct name for a male barista)Paul, helping me out at the book fair for the kids' writing classes. Paul made "coffee" drinks for the kids and staff during Emma's writing class. It was quite a blast just serving the kids, watching them enjoy themselves in the class, and having fun "imagining" the classroom as a bookstore/coffee house. 

Paul had to leave early, so I had to "man" the espresso maker. Now, if you know me, you know that I don't do mechanical things very well. It's a combination of not paying attention to the directions, learned helplessness, and a brain that just doesn't do mechanical things (think of those intelligence test where you try to put certain shaped blocks together. I can never figure how they actually go together).  Before the book fair, Paul told me he would have to leave for a meeting, which meant I either had to recruit a barista, or actually pay enough attention to his directions to be the barista. Well, after some help from Evander, and a little wasted coffee, I learned how to make a latte! What I didn't realize was that I had worked myself into a job, as I had recently begun letting my husband make me a latte in the morning. What was I thinking...

*I am so falling asleep that I need to keep all of you in suspense until sometime tomorrow on our happenings...although I traditionally do not post on a Tuesday, I will make an exception as I have more exciting news to note...

The Four B's

What I have written on my right hand is, "Be Brave, Be Calm, Be Clear and Be Careful."
Why do I have this written on my right hand? Well, almost three years ago, I signed our family up for Cub Scouts. Evander has his Tiger and Wolf and patch and has almost completed the achievements for Bear. I say our family joined because Boy Scouts really is a family and community organization. Their philosophies not only encourage the boys to build character, but encourage families to help build a great community.
Oddly enough, I've never been a boy, but was extremely jealous of my brother when he was a Cub Scout. He was able to do some great activities with his friends, as I watched. I thoroughly admired Mrs. Paulson, his den mother. She was able to mesmerize these boys into working on activities that they might not try on their own. Now, as a woman, even I see that such a leadership role as a Cub Scout Den Leader can have an influence on these boys' sister. As of yesterday, I became a card carrying Cub Scout Den Leader. So now, I have the opportunity to be a den leader and do all the fun things the boys do-if I choose. I made it through those first squirrelly years with the boys, and I look forward to the journey ahead with them. I'm going to need to be brave-maybe I should get my hand tattooed with those 4 B's.

Self-control

The chicken are speaking to me...are they hungry? Do they want us to gather the eggs? Do they want their coop cleaned out? Do they want it to stop raining?
I'm not sure how often I actually hear them, as I have developed a great ability to ignore them in their chatter...
It's Sunday, and we don't have much planned today. My house has returned to disorder, due mostly to the fact that on Thursday we had glorious weather here, and I opted to return to my gardening duties. I have begun the process of moving my gigantomous Hidcote lavender from the front of the house, to the backyard, where, I can overlook it's needs as I do my chatty chickens. I love that our guests are greeted by their wonderful smells(the lavender, not the chickens), but the lavender has grown woody and I don't prune them as often as needed, hence, not so pretty. I like plants that need pruning, but I am a slow pruner. I am in need of a pruning tutor, mentor perhaps. OK, maybe someone sitting close by to supervise me while I prune. Seems as though my mother did that on her last visit...
So I spent the afternoon on Thursday in the garden. It felt so good to be outside working, as I am, sad to say, a fair weather gardener. Evander mowed the front lawn, and I mowed the back. Things progressed so well that I even pulled out my seed box. I was prepared to throw caution to the wind, and plant some seeds in the garden, when Emma informed me, it was time to go to the Cub Scout's Roundtable meeting. I stopped just as I was about to open the package. Alas, the rain has since returned, the seed packets are all over the kitchen table, and the lavender plant that I moved, isn't really in the ground.
Saturday's run notables...
I didn't see the moon on Saturday morning, but the sun seemed to be rising as we began our run. Heidi and I ran the first part of the Eugene Half Marathon course. About four miles into the course is South Eugene High School. Well, Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton just happened to be scheduled to show up at the school a few hours after our run. People had already begun to line up outside the school to get into the event. As Heidi and I ran by it was really, really, really hard not to taunt or heckle the crowd, as I am not a fan of Hillary. I joked with Heidi about what great self-control I had in not yelling, “Go John!” (Granted I don't know much about John McCain, and don't know if I will vote for him, but know I don't like Hillary). As I write this, I think that it probably was a good idea that I didn't taunt these Hillary supporters. Political supporters can be quite rabid, and now I envision their response to my teasing with Heidi and I running for our lives up East 19th street. Our safe half marathon pace would be pressed to an all out sprint to avoid the clutches of those I had offended.
It's a good thing I have self-control.

Mantal Health

In Saturday's paper, there was an article with a headline asking for people to join a "Mantal Health Committee."
Well, I didn't take many mantal health classes at the U of O. I do, however, have a few friends that inspire me in such domestic artful play, but I just know I was meant for the mantal health field. I was even a "Skill Builder" in the mantal health field a few years ago. I would go to a family's house and help them with their mantal health issues. I was really good at the diagnosis of such issues as: " PTSD; Post Tramatic Stuff Disorder," "ADHD; Anti-Do-Hickey Disorder," "OCD; Obssessive Clutter Disorder," and when they just had a poor mantal self-image.
Well, a few weeks ago, I had an itching or inspiration, to add a little aesthetic love to my house-without spending "any" money (So, maybe I did spend some money. I think the "mantle love" cost about ten bucks).
The boy in the picture, clearly benefits from my mantal health expertise.

Spring Break?

Yes, that was the moon this morning when I went to go meet Heidi for a seven mile run... 

It was all part of the strategy to get the running out of the way and meet with friends rather than putting off a long run later in the day. Now it seems so long ago. 

So this Saturday evening, I sit and eat Jelly Bellies, and try to reaccount the week...

Last Saturday, the morning of Emma's first party, my nephew and his wife came down from Vancouver to join us for Easter and Emma's birthday. We had a great time over the weekend, and Bud and Kes withstood my midday disappearance to go running. My evening disappearance was to Fred Meyer's in search of some Easter Bunny treats. My schedule during the week was crazy busy, and the Easter Bunny was never without children at the grocery. 

The highlight of Easter morning was that Bud and I joined the group on the church's annual Spencer's Butte sunrise hike. The low light was was Bud and I were the only ones to go on the hike. It seems that over all the years I've attended Reformation Fellowship, every year someone announces the hike and that there will  be hot chocolate, and sometimes Debbie's Blanchard's brownies. It's legend that some hikers may even get sick from overexertion. But somehow, I missed the unannouncement that no one had organized the event this year.  I had spoken with some friends the day before, and they were almost committed to the hike, but opted for sleeping instead.

So Bud and I donned our hiking gear, drove across town and made it to the parking lot by 6:10AM, otherwise know as the crack of dawn. Bud is quite the spry hiker, and as we were almost to the top of the mountain I had to tell myself, "I can run a half marathon. I can keep up with Buddy!" At we climbed to the top, it was sprinkling and windy, without an exciting sunrise, but it was one of those great bonding times for Bud and myself. The highlight of this early morning foray was watching a hawk sail in the wind above the butte. Although it was cold, we stayed  just a little longer to watch this awesome bird.  

Our visitors went to church with us, and listened to Jack Crabtree teach. It wasn't the usual Easter message, but I can't say we do anything too usual at our church.  We ended the afternoon home, with our Easter meal of roast and veggies. Kes was my kitchen coordinator/cook, while I dorkedly watched her work cuisine magic. 

-------------------------------------------------

So my last post was late Tuesday, as I slowed down, having survived my first teenage party. 

This meant that Wednesday, Spring Break was in full swing. The kids went to karate, and we met up with the our Bella friends at the Eugene Public Library. We'll it was sort of after karate. I had gone on a run with Heidi, and was absolutely soaked to the bone.  Although I don't normally dress to impress, I thought it best to go home and change, since my pants alone probably weighed five pounds! 

Our library visit was short lived, as the timing of our lateness was also the time limit of our wee little one year old friend. We were kindly invited for lunch post library, that turned out to be dinner as well. It's those friends that have put up with me for so long, that are those who are the precious gold in my life. 

Thursday, the birthday girl was in the midst of a full fledged sickness. Wednesday night she said she was cold, and Thursday awoke with a nice fever. So it's Saturday, and she's still sick. Maybe she'll be well just in time to go back to classes on Tuesday. Thanks to G-ma, on Thursday, Evander was able to get away from the Typhoid Pindell's. 

So Friday came, and I was so giddy waiting for a birthday luncheon at Marche for my good friend Linda. She's older than me, but allows youngsters to hang out with her. What also contributed to my giddiness was spending time with most of my very close friends throughout the week. I didn't even leave town!  This week felt like my birthday week!
Friday evening, Fiona and her family met us for dinner at Three Forks. My friend Erin was back from sunny California and joined up with us as well. Saturday, the De laMottes came to the house, and we chatted in up with Fiona and the fam while Fiona's very good friend, Sara Groves, played the background music. 

 

 

OK, the silly, saddest part of the week is that I missed the birthday celebration at the Poet's Garden.

Since my last visit to Poet's Garden, I feel as though I have proselytized the merits of this fine establishment to all my lady friends. It's not just the amazing gardens these women have established that draw me to this place, it's their demeanor and grace that they share with their customers.  I also appreciate that Poet's Garden is a bit off the beaten path. I love that it gives me a moment's break in my role as a wife and mother, just to peruse through the gift items and admire the garden. 

Slowing Down for a Moment

                                   Emma at our traditional IHOP birthday breakfast

I asked my husband, Paul, if he thought I had time to sit down before the next event. He said he hadn't seen me sit down much in the past few days.  I haven't gotten back up for several hours. 

Today, I woke-up late, as last night was Emma's birthday sleepover, which  was made up of only three girls, including Emma.  Being with three teenager girls ingesting sugar is like pouring Pop Rocks on the tongue. 

Wow. I have a teenage daughter. She was kind enough to let me hang out with her and the girls. I cannot count how many sleepovers I've attended, but I'd never given a thought that someday I would be at my own teenage daughter's party. 

Before the sleepover began, I went on a special trip to the store for iceberg lettuce. On my way, I felt compelled to call to my friend, Arlene, who more than likely was at my thirteenth birthday party. Arlene is phenomenal at keeping in touch with me. She sends cards on various holidays, calls to check-in, and has visited me more than once in Eugene. Arlene seemed as astonished as me with my news of becoming the parent of a teenager.

Emma's godmother gave Emma a great birthday gift, and with the gift was a note with the following a quote: 

As you journey through life, choose your destination well, but do not hurry there. You will arrive soon enough. Wander the back roads and forgotten paths, keeping your destination in your heart like the fixed points on a compass. Seek out new voices, strange sights and ideas foreign to your own. Such things are riches for the soul. And if upon arrival you find your destination is not exactly as you had dreamed, do not be disappointed. Think of all you would have missed but for the journey there, and know that the true worth of your travels lies not in where you come to be at the journey's end, but in WHO you come to be along the way.

-anon.

A Fulfilling Weekend

Friday seems so long ago.
Our family has a blessed and full life, but our lives can move very fast. I sometimes miss cherishing those true moments of joy, because, to my detriment, I am "The Queen of Moving On." I see life as these "snapshots" of learning opportunities, and times to really and truly love people. But generally how I operate is that although I am thankful and grateful for spending time with people, I'm on to the next scheduled activity. Perhaps when we over schedule ourselves we miss enjoying the gifts that are given to us.
Saturday morning began with a celebration of Emma, as her thirteenth birthday is on Monday. At Emma's request, we met at the Fifth Street Public Market, downstairs at the Marche Provisions. Some of the people who have helped in the village aspect of raising Emma attended this gathering. Paul and I are blessed in that we have not done this parenting job on our own. The people at this gathering have gone out of their way to make themselves available for the caring of our children. They are not at a lack for teachers, or Aunties and Uncles.
Friday seems long ago, and I am too tired to give the rest of the account of our weekend. Perhaps tomorrow sometime in the whirlwind of Emma's birthday, I can record the other events of the weekend.

Special times with Indy kids

On his return from California this evening, my husband was quick to comment that he didn't know what I was doing because I had not made a post these past few days. I told him I was just too busy.
These busy times make for exciting posts, but I don't have time to go through all the details, so here is one of the great highlights of the past few days.
Our children's friends from Indiana joined up with us Wednesday after the kids were done with karate. As I am busy readying myself for visits and grand celebrations of Emma's thirteenth birthday, I have had errands and cleaning on the agenda these past couple of days. The kids obliged by having lunch at Costco, with a promise of a trip to the park afterwards.
I haven't commented much on homeschooling as a blog author, however, our conversation at the Costco table was quite fascinating. I'm not sure how the discussion began, but the children "talked amongst themselves" about their fondness of a home school education, and compared their likes and dislikes of a subject like math and history. The younger children discovered that they had all recently studied Roman history. They debated over the reasons why Romulus killed Remus, for quite some time (I asked Van how to spell these names, he replied, "How can you write about someone who you can't spell their name?"Ouch).
Who'd a thunk such a conversation would take place at the Costco hot dog kiosk.
The photos reveal the fun the kids had at the park. As we drove home I asked the kids how they liked the park. I had commented that Emma was almost too big for the park (she's grown taller than some of my adult women friends). Payton interjected with this question,
"How can someone ever be too big for the park?"

Look Who's at the Door!

Just this morning I was reading the Macy's ad in the paper noticing that robes were on sale. It promptly reminded me of my visit with Jodi in Indiana. She had the most comfy robe for me to wear, and in seeing the ad, I thought I should go buy myself one. Although it wouldn't have the same comfort without Jodi's hospitality. 

Today, in Evander's science class, I looked through the pictures from our visit to Indianapolis, missing the kids and Jodi. I even stopped to notice the picture I took of her dashboard with the "12" on the thermometer. 

After the class, I went upstairs to the lunchroom, and noticed the dismal weather outside. Another mother and I commented that the weather was, well, yucky. Then I said to myself, "At least it's not as cold as Indiana."

This afternoon, the kids and I were sitting on the couch in our living room looking at the schedule for the day, when we noticed a boy running to the door. Evander jumped up to investigate, assuming that it was his friend Logan. He looked out the window to see who it was-it was the boy from Indiana, Cooper!

When Evander noticed it was Cooper we heard a big, "Whoa!!!"

Evander rushed to open the door as he continued to exclaim, "Whoa!!" In a flurry of surprise, there stood Cooper, Payton and Jodi, our friends from Indiana! We hugged and laughed and kept pointing out that it was really them.

The kids stayed and played while Jodi went to an appointment. While she was gone, we fed them hot Nestle chocolate chip cookies and Umpqua vanilla bean ice cream, as it is apropos to share with such dessert loving friends. 

What a great surprise on such a day. We are looking forward to these next dreary days!

Best Buddy

Buddy with Jordan, Emma and me at Jay and Joy's wedding 1995

A while ago, a friend forwarded one of those "get to know you better" questionaires.  Sometime later on one of our runs, she remarked that she thought it was interesting that I answered the question of "Who has been your friend the longest?" with my nephew. Well, I have eight nephews and two great nephews. But my first nephew, Buddy, gets the longest friend award. 

Although his name is a given, Buddy has had to put up with "Crazy Aunt Nan" most of his life. I'm sure he could come up with plenty of stories. My memories seem to be a collage of activities-swimming, biking, body surfing, crawdading, fishing, camping, running, playing basketball on and on. I even took him to the high school dances-to dance with my friends. All very happy memories. 

He's grown to be a good man, husband and father. I don't see him as often as I should, but enjoy our times together with he and his wife. 

Not many girls can say their best friend growing up was their nephew, but Buddy certainly was my best friend. 

Happy Birthday, Buddy!

I Have Been to the Mountaintop and Back Down, and then Up, and Down

My quandary began with the realization that I was to spend some time before twelve noon on Saturday running six miles. I completed my scheduled forty minute cross training by finishing the laundry and cleaning the house most of the day (I'm not sure if that's cross training or some sort of penitence). At approximately, 6:40P on Friday, I decided to check an e-mail regarding a local run calendar. I looked up a run scheduled for Saturday, and saw that I had less than twenty minutes to drive to the Eugene Running Company to sign-up for the run. I made it, twenty seven dollars later, I owned a black, long sleeved t-shirt with a very “different” representation of an Irish icon and a chance to run 6.2 miles in the Lucky Clover race.

For some reason last night, I decided that 3:30A was a good time to wake up for this event. I tried and tried to go back to sleep, but my busy brain thought it was important to dwell on such things as when I would go pick-up the litter at the end of my street. The train whistles, the airplanes, the constant rain, and the paper person all conspired to keep me from being ready for that race. Hours went by, and I finally fell asleep about the same time the alarm went off.
Fortunately, I had set “all” of my running clothes out the night before. Normally, this can take some serious time in the morning. I have to decide which really bright shirt to wear, choose which non 80's shorts to wear, and find which pair of socks doesn't have a hole them. The list goes on, and sometimes it can take a half-an-hour to get dressed in my running clothes.
The race took place at Dorris Ranch in Springfield, a little drive from my house. But I made sure I was on time. I arrived over 45 minutes early. I sat in the van staring at the moss on the tree. This forest looked as though it was capable of eating me.
I then called my running friend to apologize and confess I'd signed-up for the 10K without her. I thought of calling some other friends that might be able to sign-up fifteen minutes before the start. Not likely. I was on my own.
So I left the van, then went back into the van. It was too early and too cold to go to the start. The bagpipers had begun pipping. All good St. Patrick Day runs have bagpipers piping. I stayed in my car until fifteen minutes before the start.
I had the sorriest looking warm-up. I never really ran. I only walked about a hundred yards, and moved my arms around to look as though I was stretching. I had to work exceptionally hard at smiling, as the rain (did I mention it was raining) kept-up a steady cadence.
I hadn't entered a 10K since my very sorry time last July at the Butte to Butte. In the Eugene area, everyone who's ever donned running attire runs the Butte to Butte. 

Maybe two hundred Lucky Clover runners showed up today. I didn't recognize any of them, but some looked like the exceptionally well trained runner-super fit and ready to splatter me with mud.
This race, The Lucky Clover was unusual, in that you could pick the first 5K to run, either on a bark path, or a big hill and streets. Hmm.
I choose the hill last, because in the Eugene Half-Marathon, the hill is about half way through the course. I ran on the path first, and it has made all the difference.
While at the starting line, I had put my earplugs in and started my Nike+. I stood there stomping my left foot with the "pod" in it. This was to fool the Nike+ lady into thinking I was doing an activity. But soon, the race started with “Ready, Go!” Although, I couldn't hear the “Go!” with my earphones in. Everyone started going, so I followed. I quickly realized that the old cross country runner in me had to hold back. Running on the path with those people in front of me was a real temptation, as I had miles to go but wanted to dash past them. The path had patches of sloshy puddles, and I even sank down to my socks a couple of times. I only passed one woman, but I was smiling.
The second 5K proved, interesting. The hill wasn't actually that bad on the way up. I was able to put one foot in front of the other while Sheryl Crow sang “Every Day is a Winding Road”. I then began peeling off layer #2, the long sleeve race shirt. I did not realize that I was wasting the free ride on the downhill bumbling with my shirt. As soon as the hit the bottom of the hill, BAM! To the right, a short steep hill awaited me. I might have laughed out loud. I can't remember which song helped me through this hill, but it was a High School Musical song that was playing when two young things passed me on the return trip to the other side of the big hill. After that, I was all on my own. The gals stayed in front of me about a quarter mile away, but not close enough for me to feel an impending need to race past them.
I came around the last corner with “Anthem”, by Superchick, playing loud and strong. My finishing time wasn't necessarily remarkable, but I had a great morning during that wet, muddy and cold race.
At the finish, I guesstimated that I might have actually won something for my age group. I can't recall if that has ever been a possibility for me. I stood there in the rain waiting for them to list the age group winners. It took forever for them to get to my age category. I was very wet, and my muscles were shaking like never before. Then, the man called my name! I was the overall winner for my age group!
Ok, so I was giddy for myself. I cheered for myself and did a little shuffle-like jig. They gave me an interesting looking medallion which I promptly put on. I politely stood in the rain for all the other age group winners to be announced. Then I waited through the Irish trivia contest. Finally, they were done, and I ran off to the van so I could call Paul to tell him of my victory. But Paul was on the phone! I then made about five calls until I was able to get ahold of someone who would listen to my story, my mom.

Mountains of Laundry

A bit of reality has found it's way into my home. I stood on a mountain of laundry this afternoon, wondering if I would make my way down.

You see, between running, traveling and "writing", the laundry and other domestic duties have fallen to the wayside. Today, I ran out of important underthings, which means I really had to climb that mountain. 

I don't believe I've ever had to do so much laundry, so I dubbed the day, "Laundrathon".  I also toyed with the names of  "Laundrama" or "Launderama," even "Laund-o-rama".

I won't bore with the details of my laundering system, but I will say that most of the time, I turn on the tele when I fold clothes. Sometimes I let the ADHD take control. I'll stand and fold one item at a time, then go put it away. Again, one item at a time. 

OK, I barely ever watch Oprah. But sometimes, when I'm folding laundry, I do. Today, women like me were on the show. The women who are harassed by the "What Not To Wear" people. Apparently, these women volunteered to be subjected to the scrutiny of the fashion police. I want to know who gave them permission to make fun of me? 

This morning I kept my running clothes on after running. Not terribly unusual, but we had lunch later than we normally do, which gave me no time to shower and change before Evander's chess class. I exclaimed, "I have to go like this!" So, I went out wearing my new black striped track pants, my old running shoes, my lime green Sporthill shirt, and my salvaged, navy blue polyester long-sleeved shirt. My shirt is salvaged in that, I found it in the winter outdoor box. It had survived the winter, but the box also contained a rotten onion. It doesn't smell like onion anymore. It's just the thought of smelling like an onion makes it smell like an onion.

The fashionistas say not to go out in your exercise clothes-except for the ones they say you can wear. I think they might disapprove of my going out in the onion shirt.

It's a good thing I'm doing laundry today.  

Top Ten Notable Observations on Today's Run

1) The Communist flag is no longer hanging in the window at the City Bakery.
2)At the Amazon Community Center a “Tofu Adventures” class for 3/2 is being advertised on their sign. It also say, “Come Hungry.”
3)I didn't have to tell any dog owners on the Amazon trail to leash their dogs.
4)I saw a teenage smoker on a skateboard.
5)I gave a holler to some daffodils I helped plant at Gutenberg.
6)It seems college students wear their pajamas to class. In college, I wore lavender sweat pants, not pj's.
7)I'm wondering if I'm the only one not invited to be a contestant in the Miss Runner America pageant. It seems that the women who run at the same time I do around the university are all participants in the pageant.
8)Are they giggling at me when I run by?
9) Hayward field is looking way cool.

10)Six miles didn't use to be that long.

Where the Wind Blows

The “Hot Now”sign just went on. Here we are at the Krispy Kremes in Beverton Oregon. We are “stripmall schooling” at the moment. It is somewhat difficult for the kids to concentrate when the aroma of fresh doughnuts permeates the classroom. Evander is up watching the doughnuts come down the conveyor belt, and Emma is trying to work without the books she didn't bring.
This weekend Paul is working with a friend and we're going where the wind blows us. Our first stop is here at the Krispy Kreme. They do need to have different seats here. The bench seat pushes my upper body forward enough to feel that ever so slight muffin top roll over my jeans. I will not have another doughnut.
By the way, I was sorely dissapointed that they not longer give away the free hot doughnut. Those of you who know I love “free” I'm sure you are feeling my grave disappointment. Oh, did I mention that music is playing in the background. Do you think it's Doughnut Radio?

Earlier in the day, we found ourselves in Hillsboro at Paul's job site. I realized we were in my dear friend Fiona's neighborhood, so I gave her a call. Our spontaneity of plans were such that it happened that she and the kids were available to have lunch with us. The destination for lunch was the Panda Express, located in another strip mall. I wasn't raised in the Hillsboro area, but I imagine this was another “pave paradise and put in a parking lot”. Also at the strip mall was a Fred Meyer's. We traversed the Fred Meyer's shopping for a few things, stopped in at The Perfect Look for a quick trim for Van, and then met our friends for lunch.


It was difficult to end the fun with our friends, so we spent much of the afternoon at their home. During our marathon conversation, my friend had commented that she felt comfortable about her house not being impeccable while I was there. That was quite a compliment. Not only have we been friends for over twenty years, we can share even our dirty dishes. Of course, I did more talking instead of jumping in with the dishes but our “fly-by” was very rewarding. She offered to take the kids for the night, but Paul was to work late, and the generous offer would have to be taken up another day.
So we moved onto the East, and settled into the Executive Tower of the Portland Hilton. The kids and I roamed around downtown a bit, and tried to catch up with “Aunt Kes”, my nephew's wife. She works near the hotel where we stayed, but we missed her, as she leaves work early to miss those notorious Portland traffic jams.

We stopped at a Starbucks, and I tried with all my computer skills to log onto my blog. This being my first “play by play” to inform you all of our happenings on a three day trip North, I left the place frustrated that I could not magically connect to the Internet.

Saturday, we started off at a slow pace. Paul had finished his job late the night before, so we hung out at the hotel until the afternoon. We ventured out with our destination being OMSI, but couldn't even find a place to park! We are so spoiled by having museums mostly to ourselves during the school week, that we decided to move on. 

We headed to the Pearl District. Our draw was to the REI. As we drove by I noticed someone was climbing the climbing wall. That was enough to lead us that direction. So after a quick stop for coffee, Evander was the one who was up the climb.

 

Our next destination was our friends store "Upper Playground" at 5th and Couch. It's not my genre of clothing but the concept of the art in the gallery and on t-shirts was quite intriguing.  Our friends weren't there, but we were about a block away from an old high school friends parent's restaurant, "House of Louie." But she wasn't working either. 

We had intended to try and get together with some of my younger nieces and nephews on Saturday, but do to short notice and illness, we ended up having dinner with my "little" nephew, Matt, and his wife Elsa. 

We ate at Elsa's other kitchen, The Spaghetti Warehouse. It's always a treat being able to spend time with them. We had a bit of a wait for our table, so Elsa and I made a terrific team playing in the game room. It's a good thing neither of us are very competitive. 

Sunday morning, I accidentally packed away my camera. So I have no photos, only a report of our happenings. We made it out of the hotel to the Pioneer Courthouse Square. We had our breakfast in the Starbucks at the Square. The big city is quite busy, and international compared to our berg. We listened to others converse in Spanish while we read the paper. We also listened to a man talking to himself. Probably the most interesting was the group that was meeting with "Free Tibet" bumper stickers on their back.  On the way back to the hotel, we passed them as they were singing a very somber prayer. Such strange crossings of cultures. 

Our last stop downtown, was a trip to Powell's Bookstore. The kids seemed to enjoy this about as much as walking downtown. Although, we did leave with a few books, which they immediately started reading in the car.

We then headed East for a quick visit with Grandma Lois. She was kind enough to feed us a lunch before we drove South to Eugene. So ended another of our unplanned, where the wind blows trips.