05-31-14

Ok, I just have to include two photos today!

The first is us looking wet and muddy (the kids shirts are supposed to be light gray!) after completing the 26 obstacles at the Rugged maniac 5K in Portland.

And about five hours later the mud is washed away and Anastasia is heading to prom with her girlfriends.

What a contrasting day!  And fabulous weather for both events!

05-30-14

Friday, friday, friday!  A day to enjoy sunshine, a day to anticipate the weekend, a day to eat myself silly.  

Also disturbed the ducklings with my paddleboard, got annoyed with helmets on the pepto bismo bike, and walked the lake to get 10,000 steps in.

05-29-14

So, G&G, here's the coat I used my birthday money to buy!  Thanks a bunch!

05-28-14

Anastasia found a new app and decided Bruce and I need to play it.  "It's like the newlywed game".  It's a fun way to spend a coffee date.

05-27-14

This evening was the tennis banquet at the school library to honor the 21 girls on the team and the two coaches.  Anastasia got a JV award and mentioned how much her volleys improved.

"Tennis is something you can play all your life, and meet great people." - Coach

05-26-14

Except for taking a few walks and eating, I scrapbooked all day today.  It's been a really long time since I've invested any significant time in my albums, it was fun to play with paper again.

05-25-14

Found a few quiet hours after Bruce and Anastasia left and before Xander got home.  Spent it reading, getting chores done so I can relax tomorrow, and weeding out my scrapbook supplies.  It feels like I should get rid of half my stuff, then get rid of half of the remaining stuff.  Baby steps...

05-24-14

The culmination of the extreme theater experience was a series of mini plays, all re-written Dr Suess stories.  This was Xander's team giving their curtain call.

The kids were so exhausted after 24 hours of intense work and very little sleep.  They couldn't even remember each others names, much less their lines.  

Glad we and Xander were a part of it. 

05-23-14

TGIF!

And the weekend fun begins… Xander is heading off for 24 hours of nonstop extreme theater.  Looking forward to watching the play tomorrow evening.  Anastasia is palling around with friends.

Leaving Bruce and I to enjoy a quiet evening with some tennis time.

05-22-14

Today was a perfect sit on the porch evening.  I even putzed in the garden a bit.  Fallow this year means I’m not cultivating new stuff, but I still need to keep up with taming the old existing stuff.  Also enjoyed the big Alliums’s in full bloom.

05-21-14

It’s hard to see in the photo, but the cake and cupcakes are full of little plastic naked babies.

We had a BBQ at work today.  Out in the sunshine.  With 2 token veggie burgers.  With our managers serving us.

All because our location donated the most diapers for our annual diaper drive.  For the second year in a row.

05-20-14

Both of the kids were working at the Electric Bean this evening, so we dropped in.  The espresso machine wasn't primed for decaf so it took awhile, but nice chance to chill out.

05.19.14

What a difference a day makes!  What was pelted with rain yesterday was kissed with the soft glow of sunshine today.  And life keeps marching on...

05-18-14

This photo doesn't give justice to how hard the rain was coming down.  Mom and I were about three quarters around the lake loop when the skies opened up.  We waited under the bridge for awhile, but still got soaked pants.  Blessed that Bruce came to our rescue!

05-17-14

Tennis!

A great way to move together.  Plenty of balls flying.

05-16-14

TGIF!

I do not suggest going into work for a half a day after being off for a week on a Friday.  But, I did.  Then it was time to prepare for the scavenger hunt.  That was painless, so we had time to go hear Blue Grass at the Electric Bean.

05-15-14

Outdoor dining is fairly common in Ashland.  The weather was warm, it was very pleasant.  This was double decker creekside.

We enjoyed our last play as a matinee then it was time to make the long trek back north.

05-14-14

We had close encounters with several deer.  They aren't timid at all in Ashland.  This one munched his way through the yard of our home away from home.  A smorgasbord of greenery!

05-13-14

Once I realized that our room had a kitchenette rather than a kitchen, I scaled back homemade food plans to soup and salads and googled all the vegan and gluten free friendly eateries.  Found five, we tried three of them.

This was the tempura at the Asian fusion place.  Oops, the breading probably has gluten.  But it was yummy, as was the salad, steamed veggies, and gluten free sweet and spicy dipping sauce.

05-12-14

We arrived!  Six hour drive to Ashland, Oregon for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.  The Anne Hathaway bed and breakfast had a garden suite, gooey blondies, and four sets of fantastically located play tickets waiting for us.  Sometimes life is about the small touches.

Plays seen:
Tempest, our favorite
A Wrinkle in Time
Water by the Spoonful
Comedy of Errors (set in Harlem)

05-11-14

Happy Mother's Day!

So many photos to choose from... posed photo in front of the cedar shakes, zumba fun, fresh food at Dick's diner...

Banana break won out.  Whole Foods was giving them out by the bunch at the end of our fitness walk.

05-10-14

Been walking too many steps to keep the blog up to date, sorry.  Mom likes to walk and that works for me.

This photo is out of focus, but I like it.  Mom is showing Anastasia her first painting, and Anastasia is comparing it to the inspiration photo on her phone for all the similarities and differences.  Ambitious first project in art class!

Grandma Vicki's here!

05-08-14

I'm going on a trip and I'm going to pack a...

OK, so I'm going on two short trips.  Broke free of the office for five days.  Headed to sunshine and relaxation.

But first to bed for a 4:15am wake-up...

05-07-14

Another gorgeous day.

I wanted to reward myself for not eating cookies and junk at work today, so we rode bikes to Electric Bean for a more sensible treat.

I rode Anastasia's bubble gum cruiser that sounds the bell every time I ride over uneven pavement.

05-06-14

Back on our adopted block this evening after work.  Invited residents to the Scavenger Hunt in a week and a half.  Met some new families, caught up with some old ones, and breathed in a lot of fresh cut grass.

05-05-14

Bruce is stripping the trim to repaint.  Some people may see ugly, but I see cool distressed background for photos.

05-04-14

Our main event today was a small group potluck BBQ.  I took a break from the Engine 2 eating regime, but did bring a dessert from the program, http://engine2diet.com/recipe/date-nut-fruit-pie/
It's a keeper!

05-03-14

Anastasia received an award from the AAUW (American Association of University Women) this morning...  Grandma & Grandpa, Eithyn, and Bruce and I attended the celebration tea and heard her moving little speech.

Of course that means plenty of photos.  The bricks made a nice backdrop.

"This is my life." - Anastasia explaining her paparazzi life to Eithyn

05-02-14

Bruce had a little friend watching him gather up all the balls after our tennis match.  What a difference a day makes, we were fighting raindrops instead of heat.

05-01-14

Ah, soaking up more warm weather.  At sunset tonight, after small group.

Loving it!