Firsts on the Fourth

So Cliff and I lucked out this fourth of July.  Our good friends, Kerry and Todd, asked if we wanted to float with them down the Willamette River.  Heck yes!  Well, I was a little less "heck yes" in the beginning as I'd never been on a raft.  Never ever.  And I was a little hesitant.  With this said, I really want to be more adventurous and Kerry and Todd are pros.  Seriously.  They are former professional river guides with over 30 years experience between them.  Kerry has chatted with me about getting on the river for probably a year now and every time she assures me that I won't get sick.   She understands my crazy and so I trust her.  

They have their own boats (a professional big yellow raft, an inflatable kayak, and apparently a few more than we haven't seen yet).  They have all of the gear: various lifejackets, different types of oars, a trailer, a professional first aid kit, they even have an epipen on board!

We met around 10:30am to load up and get all of us to the river.  Vans, cars, and trailers were all over town to set up the starting point and the shuttle areas.  We put in at one of the local parks (go Clearwater!) and in a short time all of us were off.  It was not only my first time on a raft but also Gretchen's, their 18 month old daughter.  Delly, their almost 3 year old, is already a veteran with multiple trips under her belt.  

The float was beautiful! I was with the crew on the raft (Kerry, Todd, Delly, Gretchen, and Jana) and Cliff was solo in the inflatable kayak.  We were the only ones in sight for 90% of the time on the upper part of our run (we saw two boats of fathers and sons fishing).  We hit a little white water here and there but overall it was really smooth (obviously as otherwise there wouldn't be little kidos in the raft).  I didn't get sick.  I wasn't stressed out.  I even snacked while we were moving down the river.  I actually really loved it. 

We floated for probably around an hour or so before we stopped on a little rock bar for lunch.  There were so many bugs on the rocks.  Well, it turns out they were all just exoskeletons (that would explain why they weren't moving!) but they were still cool.  

        

After lunch, Jana switched into the kayak and Cliff came on over to our floatation device.  About 30 minutes later we were out of snacks (the kids ate them all!) so Gretchen was starting to melt.  Todd went on Gretchen duty and Kerry took the helm for the first time. They promised Cliff that next time he will get a chance to steer the raft.  Awesome.  They also said we could use the inflatable kayak anytime.  So cool!  We are really lucky to have them as friends.  

The end of our trip took us right to downtown Springfield.  We passed under the bridges we travel over everyday to go to work.  There is a huge painting/mural under the bridge that says "READ".  Pretty cool message.  There were also tons of bird's nests.  Little birdies were flying in and out all over the place (see in my craptastic photo below).  We floated past Island Park as the Light of Liberty event was underway (Marty Stewart was the headliner).  When all was said and done, our trip was about 4 hours.  It was easy, relaxing, and something that I would like to do again...often. 

As we were unloading the raft I got stung by my very first bee!  Well, first outside bee.  First alive bee.  My only other sting occurred when I was little and I stepped on a dead one inside our house.  I did awesome.  I calmly asked Cliff to pick it out.  The first aid kit had tweezers so that made it pretty easy.  Todd put an epipen in my hand in case I swelled (to be honest I think we all expected for me to be since I'm the allergy queen).  Then once the stinger was out they even had anti-sting stuff.  I was totally cool.  Bees?  Apparently no big deal.  I feel like a big kid. 

Another great part of the day...we didn't get sunburned!  We lathered on the 50 SPF throughout the trip as we could tell that we were getting baked by the sun.  Cliff rocked the yellow Ducks hat (as we can't find the original green one..hum....) and I got to wear the road trip hat that Pam gave us.  With this said, we both realize that maybe we need better rafting apparel.  Maybe REI will have a sale soon on Chacos and those floppy brimmed river/gardening hats.  Or maybe it is a little too soon to purchase rafting goodies when we have only done it once.  Maybe?  Who cares. 

On the way home we stopped and got burritos and then I immediately went into a sun coma once I hit the couch.  I woke up around 9:00pm in time to catch fireworks on TV (although sadly we missed the ones where Usher choreographed the pyrotechnics).  The fourth had a first for Rudy too.  He was able to lay outside of his crate with us as fireworks were going off all over town.  He is really scared by them but he was able to self sooth enough to kinda chill out on the carpet.  Folks everywhere have been shooting them off this whole week so he has had a little practice for the big night.  Far more successful fourth that the others for him.  Good job Rudy.  It was a great 4th of July. 

Four Hours in Florence with Rudy

On Friday, Cliff and I got out of work early so we decided to load up the car and head west to the beach.  Rudy did such a great job on our outing last weekend that we didn't even think twice about the trip and a night of camping.  Well, maybe we should have.  

The road to Florence is a little bit windey.  It didn't take long for Rudy to start whining as he wasn't feeling the car.  I slowed down and took it easy and in 75 minutes we arrived on highway 101.  We headed to Honeyman State Park as we heard really great things about it from Cliff's Mema and Grandaddy (as I think they took their honeymoon there???).  We pulled up and quickly realized that the park is no joke.  The had a few spots left and we were quickly assigned to space 122.  There were so many cars, RVs, ATVs, and everything else under the moon parked in each of the site spots.  The campground was huge with 417 spots!!!  

Rudy continued to whine and bark the whole time.  When we pulled up to our spot Cliff and I didn't know if we should feel relieved or more stressed.  We got out, put up the tent, and started to cook dinner.  Rudy was so stressed out.  The car ride wasn't pleasant but now he didn't know what to do with all of the kids, bikes, squirrels, cars, etc.  It was not good.  So, Cliff and I made the un-fun decision to pack it all up and go home.  It reminded me of stories of parents who threaten kids on a car ride about "if you don't quite we will turn this car around and go straight back home!".  Well that was us.  But with a dog.  Not a kid.  In 15 minutes we were back at the ranger station putting in for our refund.  The line was pretty long and it was taking the ranger a while to process the refund.  I apologized to the lady behind me and she sweetly remarked "No problem.  I had little ones once too".  I smiled and didn't mention that we were leaving due to our dog not a child being fussy.  

We decided to not throw in the whole towel and instead we continued west until we hit sand.  Rudy had never been to the beach and I was really excited to see what he would do.  Well, was pretty excited to run like a mad man.  I mean, he loved it.  We brought the tennis ball chucker and he was happy.  

As we moved closer to the water, he was a little confused.  He tried to walk into the ocean and quickly remembered that he hates water.  From there on he stopped retrieving the tennis ball either because of the salt water or because of the sand. Either way we figured we should packet it up and head back home.  

So our four hours in Florence was actually more like an hour and a half in Florence and two and a half in the car.  

With this said, I think I should mention that Friday kicked off what is going to be a whole week of really hot weather.  High 80s and 90s.  With this said, with the heat inland this is what the beach looked like...on a Friday afternoon.  As you can see it was hopping.  There were three people in their bathing suites actually playing in the water (I've never seen that before!).  They are the three little dots to the left.  There were also a few sunbathers in bathing suits hanging out on towels.  They are the little dots to the right.  And there was an older guy with his dog walking on the beach.  They are the little dots in the middle.  Oh how I enjoy you Oregon coast. 

First Weekend of Summer

Cliff and I did a good job of making the first weekend of summer count.

On Friday work had an event to kick off the start of summer, Summer Solstice Dash & Bash.  It is a two part event: 5K to benefit Umpqua Bank's Snack Pack Program and a free concert with food and beer vendors and community booths.  To help drum up excitement, I did two live promo spots on our local news stations. I got to be on at 6:45am on KEZI and just a few short hours later I was on KVAL.  I kinda really like doing these types of things.  It scratches a performing itch that hasn't been tended to in a long while.   The event turned out really well.  More attendees than our first time around last summer.  The weather was beautiful.  Our sponsors were happy.  What more could we ask for?   

Yesterday, we got up bright and early as I went with a friend/co-worker, Jana, down to Roseburg to pick up her new dog from their humane society!  I really enjoy driving south as the landscape changes and you feel like you are going out on an adventure.  And we were.  She has been looking for a dog for quite a while and this week found a blood-hound that was a winner.  We picked up Sheldon (Chip's new name) and drove back.  It was really a different experience from picking Rudy up from the shelter a few years ago.  Sheldon didn't eat his own poop, he didn't take 30 minutes to get into the car, and he didn't seem terrified of the new people who were driving away with him.  Also Sheldon's teeth are in so much better condition that Rudy's were when we adopted him (both dogs adopted around 7 months).  All of this is really making me realize that Rudy didn't have it so great before we found him.  Perhaps his first few months set us up for some challenges that we are still dealing with to this day.  Hum.  Oh well.  Rudy is fantastic and we wouldn't have it any other way (although better leash skills by now would be pretty great).  No matter.  Sheldon and Rudy got to play in the yard.  Rudy is far, far faster that the 65 lb. pup but it didn't matter as Sheldon seemed to be having fun running behind and using his chasing bark.  It was great.  Rudy has a new friend. In fact, he seems to get a long better with Sheldon than any other dog.  It must be a hound thing. 


After the puppy excitement, we packed up the car to go camping with another friend/co-worker and her family*.   Kerry's family got a pop-up camper and wanted to do a test run.  Cliff and I have recently completed our backpacking supplies so we wanted to do a dry run too.  Well, in the end we decided to use our car camping supplies instead of the backpacking stuff as we wanted Rudy to come with us.  He has been doing really well recently about chilling out with us (not on leash) and being less crazy around kids.  So camping was the next challenge to tackle (we aren't going to count the cross-country move camping).  So we all drove up the McKenzie River to Delta Campground.  On the way up, we realized that Rudy gets car sick.  He whines, barks, and pants a whole lot in the car.  To be honest it can be really unpleasant, loud, and stressful.  Well this trip we finally put it together that he freaks out when there are windy roads, speed bumps, and sharp turns (that is why he starts to get upset as soon as he hears the turn signal go on).   I feel bad saying this but we always thought he was just being a jerk and getting overly excited about everything.  Nope.  He wasn't feeling well.  Thankfully, it was a pretty smooth trip as we could just cruse once we got out of town. 

We mocked Kerry and Todd before we left when they mentioned bug spray.  Cliff and I insisted that we have never been bothered by bugs here as we were use to Virginia mosquitos and in comparison Oregon has nothing to complain about.  Well, that is apparently a lie.  Our campground was on an arm of the McKenzie and there were so many mosquitoes   We started a fire at 5:00pm in the hopes of smoking them out.  I almost immediatly changed out of my tank top and shorts and into long pants and multiple layers of long sleved tops in order to keep them from attacking me.  But it was too late.  They got me.  They got us all.  Todd later told us that the highlands are bad for mosquitos due to all of the snow melt.  Apparently things are better in southern Oregon.  Note to self for the next camping expedition.

Last night was a whole lot of fun.  We hung out.  We ate a really great meal of salmon, salad, and potatoes.  We made smores and sipped Fireball by the fire.  What to know the best part?  Our dog was AMAZING! Honestly, we lived our dog owner dream last night.  He happily played at the site with the girls (he didn't bowl anyone over or get someone right in the face).  We didn't freak out and bark at every kid, bird, bug, motorcycle he heard.  He was so good that we trusted him off leash.  He stayed right by us and enjoyed hanging out under the picnic table.  Plus since he is an avid fire-loving dog, we didn't have to worry about him being stupid around the campfire.  It was great.  Once it got dark he got a bit stressed out as he is kind of a weanie and doesn't like the dark.  Also, he has a pretty strict internal clock that makes him want to sleep at 9:00pm.  He was already on the downslide when our camping neighbors rolled up around 10:00pm to set up camp.  As long as he sat with his back turned towards them, between Cliff and I he was ok.  As soon as he turned around to see them he would howl.  To keep it together he sat touching both of us with one of us always petting him.  Todd and Kerry commented that it was like we were dealing with a toddler past its bed time.  On top of this, around 11:00pm it started to sprinkle.  Rudy hates being wet.  He beelined towards the tent so we called it a night.  When we let him in he was incredibly happy to lay on his bed at the foot of our super luxe Coleman air mattress.  We knew with the rain that he was going to break the seal so we broke one of our rules: we let Rudy sleep on the bed between us.  Rudy was shocked.  That dog didn't move all night as he was warm, safe, comfortable, and cuddling with us.  He was awesome.

Good thing we didn't let him sleep at the foot of the bed and it rained all night long.  Cliff got a really bad allergy headache sometime around 1:00am and after taking painkillers left our toiletry bag too close to the tent lining.  He broke the seal.  When we woke in the morning all of our clothes were soaked but we were happily floating above the water on our air mattress.  Rudy was less than excited about the rain and looked very weary about having to go outside to go to the bathroom and start the day.  Can you sense the internal grumbling?

After eating breakfast in the new pop-up (which was super sweet), we loaded up the car and headed home.  I stopped at the general store to get jojo's (or taters for all of us east coasters) with ranch as they are a must when we travel up river. We spend the rest of the day napping, unpacking, and doing laundry.  We even made it to Olive Garden.

Overall I think we did a pretty great job kicking off the summer.  I have my fingers crossed that we can keep this up for a little while.

*Side note: Kerry was my original office soul mate.  A few months ago Kerry got a new job in one of our different departments and that is when Jana moved in.  So far, I've really lucked out with co-workers. 

Fits and Starts

So this last month or so has been really nutty.  Really nutty.  In fact, I'm not sure how time has flown by so quickly.  We have either been super busy or not doing anything at all.  No in between.  No sense of balance.  Just living it up or being up for nothing.

The push towards the summer really ramped up at both of our jobs.  Cliff's days got a lot longer and after work he frequently went to training to become an instructor for the Spencer Butte Challenge Course this summer.  On top of that he taught Saturday school, volunteered like mad at the climbing wall, and succeeded at keeping a nice workout schedule (lifting weight at the gym, running, and climbing).

The summer is really busy working in Parks and Rec.  I think this is true especially in Oregon as we have all of 12 (well maybe 10) guaranteed weeks of non-rainey weather all year so people make the most of their summers.  With this said, I start to get a little crazy this time of year. I work a lot of non-regular hours.  Plus I've been taking a Spanish class.  Additionally, up until last week, I had been swimming two to three times a week, doing stuff in the gym once a week, and I started jogging  again once a week.  I ran the Bark in the Park 5K and felt horribly slow but it was only a few seconds off my PR from last year.  Cliff and I set out to be healthier when we moved.  By gosh, it looks like we might be doing it.

 Along with all of this awesomeness of doing things comes the need to do absolutely nothing.  Seriously.  I have been napping a whole lot recently again.  I mostly blame it on my terrible allergies. I can't enjoy a sunny morning outside without ending up in a Benadryn coma for the rest of the beautiful afternoon.  There is a fair amount of sleeping going on.  While I sleep, Cliff does a lot of reading about things on the internet to decompress.  When we fall into our times of nothingness, nothing gets in our way of doing nothing.  No dish pile can get too high.  No laundry bag can get too full.  Nothing.  Which brings me to our brief dance with Netflix.

Arrested Development is one of the best shows ever made.  Hands down.  Cliff and I own all three seasons and watch them on a regular basis as it is nice to have something funny playing in the background of doing boring things like cleaning, rowing, or doing work at home.  So I think it might be an understatement to say that I was excited about the new season coming out on Netflix after so many years of being off the air.  To prepare for the event, Cliff and I downloaded our free month trial.  Kathy and Jill decided to come down for a viewing slumber party.  Think costumes, banners (like in the show), and an entirely themed menu that featured items eaten on the show (candy beans, frozen bananas, juice, Skip's Scrambles, ice cream sandwiches, club food, bangers, margaritas, etc.) .  It was glorious.  We moved the TV closer to our computer so that we could connect the two to stream the episodes on a full screen.  We did nothing but eat, drink, and eat some more for one whole day as we marathoned our way through the 15 new episodes.  Like I said, it was glorious.

But then all of the new episodes were watched.  Kathy and Jill had gone home.  It was just Cliff and I left with another two weeks of free Netflix and a whole lot of TV available to be watched. We causally decided to leave the TV in it's temporarily inconvenient spot so that we could check out a documentary or two.   This turned into three or eight more documentaries followed by binging on Dr. Who (don't even get me started on how much I love that show).  For those two weeks I substituted my allergy napping for being a couch zombie.

It was a sad yet wonderful night when I selected to cancel our free subscription.  I won't lie.  We were totally temped to pay the $8 and keep on going to finish Dr. Who and watch SciFi/documentaries/crappy TLC shows but we knew that we needed to stop.  Like I mentioned before, there are only 12 (actually 10) weeks of solid weather in Oregon and we weren't going to spend them inside in front of a TV ramshackley wired to our computer.  No sir.  We are going to live!

Otherwise, we have tired to make the most of our weekends.  I spent five hours yard saleing at a huge community garage sale (think over 150 houses) with co-workers a few weeks ago.  I learned how to haggle from a pro and came away with a mini Weber grill, air popper, two lawn chairs, four shirts, three glasses, an iphone case, a DVD of Anchorman, and a bag of fresh caramel kettle corn for only $16.  Victory.  We've also hit up Saturday Market, tried out a new hip coffee bar called The Barn Light, ran a 5K, made two new batches of sauerkraut, climbed, frolicked with Rudy, replanted the garden, BBQ'ed with friends,  processed 20-24 lbs of fresh strawberries, went to an Emerald's game, and found time to play cornhole (I'm terrible by the way) with our neighbors.  Oh and we finally managed to get all of our laundry taken care of.  Not a dirty piece of fabric in the entire house. 

The hope is that things are evening out.  I'm starting to hit my stride at work and am preparing for an exciting event season.  School is out and Cliff has a full time job for next year!  He is already working as a co-instructor for the Challenge Course and enjoying spending time with other outdoorsey cool folks.  Nice weather is here and we are enjoying out new lawn chairs and Weber grill. We are even planning on going camping this weekend with friends.  Summer is fabulous here.  We just need to figure out how to properly enjoy it.

Successful Eugene Weekend

Like most of the rest of the country, we are starting to see some serious signs of spring.  We are getting more prolonged sun (three days in fact) as opposed to just a few minutes of sun breaks every now and then.  The flowers and trees are blooming.  And people are wearing summer beach clothes despite the fact that it is only 70 degrees.  Everyone at work on Friday was talking a good game about weekend plans and I am happy to say that this weekend I/we delivered.

Saturday was a pretty big day in Eugene as it was the one that every Ducks fan has been dreaming of since the end of the Fiesta Bowl.  The Spring Game.  Part of the stadium area is under construction (some emergency exit paths) and because of this Autzen could only hold a little over 37,000 yesterday.  The game was free but you did need to bring three cans of food for FOOD for Lane County (AMAZING organization by the way you should check them out).  I went with my boss, her husband, and two year old kiddo.  We got a seat in the shade and all was well in the world.  People seemed so content  just to be back in Autzen.  It was the first time that the town saw what the Ducks looked like without Chip Kelly.  Offense played defense and it was a good time.  Plus there was lots of talk about the uniforms as...you know...it is Oregon football after all.

After the game Cliff and I went to Red Robin and redeemed our free rewards card burger!  That's right.  We eat there enough to get a free burger every six-eight months.  On the way home I heard something coming from our car.  I had to pull over on the side of the road as it sounded/felt bad.  Sure enough we had an extremely flat tire.  Really flat.  We have my Dad to thank for saving our sanity as we used an amazing gift he gave us- a portable air compressor that works by plugging into your cigarette lighter.  We pumped that puppy back up and drove to the Honda dealership where they patched it and got us on our way in less than 30 minutes.  Cliff and I were impressed how we dealt with the whole situation like adults.  No stress.  Clear thoughts.  Boom.  On the road.  Thanks Dad!

End of successful day number one.

This morning we got up at 6:00am to head down to cheer on runners for the Eugene Marathon/Half Marathon.  After everything that happened in Boston two weeks ago, I knew that I needed to be there to show my support and general faith in humanity.  We knew a few people running in the race so we came up with a solid plan to cheer folks on at the 2 mile mark then move to Hayward Field to see the finishes.   I think it is safe to say that I cried for most of the 3 hours that we cheered folks on.  I can't help it.  I love this type of thing.  

Go Alex!

Over the last two weeks I have really struggled with what happened in Boston.  My heart and mind still can't wrap around it.  I lived there for four incredibly formative years.  I walked those streets on a daily basis.  Marathon Monday is magical.  I love that city and I love the people who live there.   Marathon Monday was our favorite day and so many of my warm fuzzy memories of college and the city are attached to this celebratory event.  Since I couldn't be there to grieve with friends and colleagues, I wanted to show my support by going to my new city's marathon and being apart of the love and the joy.

2006 photo of the Boston Marathon by Steve Lewis

I love that the race ended at Hayward Field.  It is holy ground for track and field folks so I can imagine how amazing it would feel to run on the track, in front of cheering fans in the the stands, and to finish the race.  We got there early so we got cowbells (awesome).  We sat there and made lots of noise for hours.  Even Cliff!  It felt so good.  So many people were sporting their Boston Strong apparel (the shirts were created by Emerson students by the way).  Those who ran the Boston Marathon wore their bibs on their backs.  Runners sported black ribbons.  People crossed the finish line with their hands to their hearts.  The whole event was about the power of the running community.  People held hands as the finished together.  We saw several little kids triumphantly crossing the finish line.  Several ran the entire distance holding American flags.  One man pushed his disabled son in a cart the whole way.   In those final stretched we saw hard working faces, lamaze breathing, tears, and lots of smiles.  My heart was full of love and happiness.

I did learn one thing today and that is that I maybe shouldn't sit that close to a finish line ever again.  We saw quite a bit of puking, heaving, and general first aid issues.  For anyone who knows me, this is a big deal as I am phobic about you know what.  So let me be clear when I say I'm proud of how I kept my act together today as we saw quite a bit of vomit.  After the first runner got sick it became several folks jobs to run up to people after the race and give them a plastic bag to puke into.  I would die if that had to be my volunteer job.  They even had a special kind of bag for it.  See.  Oh my gosh.  The stress.

It was so sad to see people's legs/feet giving out on them so close to the end.  We saw a girl go down about 150 yards from the finish line.  A fellow runner stopped, not worried about her own time so close to the end) and help to carry/walk the injured gal across the line.  We saw quite a few people collapse upon crossing the line.  There were lots of quickly moving wheelchairs.  So emotional!  I could never be an EMT, nurse, or doctor.  I thank those solid stomached people for doing lots of good in the world.

Afterwards, Cliff and I went climbing.  Since it was sunny out no one was in the gym.  We had the whole wall to ourselves and Cliff took full advantage as he probably went up about 15 times.  I worked my first 5.8 (with lots of rests) but I'm considering it a victory.  

Rudy also got to play outside this weekend.  He isn't a big fan of the rain or mud so the winters involve lots of fetch in the house.  Rudy loves days like today when he gets to run around as we chuck tennis balls all over the yard.  (He is so stinknin' cute that he deserves two photos.)

I should also mention that because I have been outside for the past two days my allergies are ridiculous.  I'm pretty heavily medicated everyday in order for my body to combat all of the allergens that live in the world; so it is a sad, sad day when even decongestants, antihistamines, and nasal steroids can't save me from the itchy, red, inflamed, wheezy, grossness that is my life.  My face has in fact been red, blotchy, and kinda swollen all day.  It wasn't a surprise when I face planted into the couch earlier today to take an epic nap.  In fact, a Benadryl is calling me now...

End of successful day number two. 

The Holidays in Oregon

First off, happy new year!  I hope that everyone's 2013 is off to a good start.  It is hard to believe that the holidays are over (although Cliff keeps telling me that they aren't over until this upcoming weekend when we take down the tree and decorations).  This was an odd holiday season as this was the first time we were away from the east coast and on our own for Christmas.

Cliff and I did an excellent job of getting into the Christmas spirit.  We went with friends to see holiday lights (see Coos Bay post), we watched holiday movies, ate chocolate, listened to Christmas music, decorated the whole house, and drank egg nog.  We were in good shape until Christmas eve.  We were really homesick and sad.  So we made dinner, chatted with our lovely family, watched "It's A Wonderful Life", and headed for bed.  On Christmas we finished opening presented (we snuck a few ahead of schedule) and packed up to head to Portland to spend the night with Kathy, Jill, and our friend Zoe who flew up from California.  We were actually supposed to go up to Portland before Christmas but postponed the trip as Zoe's flight was cancelled and she came in a few days late.  I'm really glad we changed our plans as spending time with friends helped to make a really nice Christmas.  Kathy, Jill and Zoe made a delicious lunch/dinner (ham, vegetables, bread and cheese, green bean casserole, stuffing, mimosas, and homemade cookies!).  We Skyped with our friends Sam and Steve in Pittsburg.  Afterwards we all went to the movie to see Les Miserables.  The theater was packed.  I love going to the movies on Christmas.  We all really enjoyed the movie and cried a lot...well....I cried a lot.  I get so emotional with musicals.  They are magical to me.  After the movie we opened presents and ate Chinese food.  It was a solid day.

We came back from Portland on Wednesday so that I could work the rest of the week.  Cliff and I were both looking forward to the weekend as REI was having their scratch and dent sale.  We really want to start backpacking but are missing a few essential items and we had Christmas money burning a hole in our pocket.  We got there 2 1/2 hours before the doors opened and we were about the 70th or so folks in line.  It was cold but dry and a friend waited with us so the time went by pretty quickly.  Once inside, Cliff did it.  He found the exact tent we wanted.  The tent sells for about $350 and we got ours for $70 because a non-essential zipper was broken.  Totally excited!  We also got a fuel bottle for our future stove and I got a fuzzy fleece jacket.  We were pretty proud of ourselves.  We put the tent up in the living room quite a few times that night.  Rudy was very confused.  We are now a few steps closer to our first spring backpacking trip.

Last night we went out to dinner with a friend from work and stopped in at our neighbor's for a get together.   The clock struck midnight as Cliff and I were going to bed.  We decided to ring in the new year with sleep.  This morning we got up and Cliff suggested that we climb Spencer Butte.  It has been dry this week (awesome) and the sun was out.  Everyone and their mom, brother, cousin, and dog was at the butte today.  We all wanted to take in the view and the sunshine on the first day of 2013.  There was quite a bit of frost and even some ice on the butte.  I took a photo of some as it was a cool shape. It was clear and we could see the Three Sisters and even up to Mt. Hood.  The whole hike was relaxing and wonderful.

I've failed to mention that Rudy had an awesome Christmas.  He got a new bed, treats, a long and leggy Santa monkey, a Rudolph rope/squeak toy (via Kathy and Jill), and a new tie (via mom).  He has been a happy camper.  He won't leave his new bed and when he does it is to either eat, go to the bathroom, or frolic with his new toys.  You can't see them all, but he is sitting on top of them in this photo.  He likes to snuggle with them.

As for the new year, 2012 was full of transitions for us and for the family.  We are looking forward to 2013 and the new challenges and the opportunities that await.  We don't really do resolutions but Cliff and I have a few hopes for the upcoming year:

• Spend more time outside
• Start backpacking (the goal would be once a month in the dry times)
• Be more active and eat healthier (we both have quite a big sweet tooth)
• Finally get the dog to walk properly on a leash
• Cliff wants to row another marathon before April
• I want to improve my ability to balance work and life

May the new year bring you all lots of love, laughter, prosperity, and happiness!  Bring it on 2013. 

November

What happened to November?  The whole month flew by.  Seriously.  Where did it go?  A lot happened in those 30 little days.  In addition to turning 29 years old (let the count down to 30 begin!) and the 2nd annual Eugene Friendsgiving,  Cliff and I also did a bunch of little things.  For example, we purchased quite a few end-of-season fall bulbs and planted them in end-of-season clearance bamboo pots.  Cliff really loves flowers. 

We retrained our dog where to go to the bathroom in the yard as apparently somehow he forgot after doing it several times a day for over a year. Cliff kicked his climbing into the next gear of awesomeness and I started swimming again.   I passed my six month mark at work and now have full health benefits!  This is a good thing as I'm pretty sure I need glasses.  I helped to organize a 5K and Cliff ran in it.  And I even got my first cold of the year.  We were productive.

We also received quite a few generous and awesome gifts in the mail.  Birthdays are fun.  First came the Virginia Ham.

Then, I received a super-cool Fascinator (one of those little hats that British people wear) from Mom and Pam for my birthday.  Awesome.  Mom, Pam, and I had a good time trying them on when I was in Maryland between wedding weekends.  Mom bought one as well and now for fun we wear them when we video chat.  Again, awesome.

Cliff received his birthday crock.  We can now make homemade sauerkraut and pickle anything we can get our hands on.  It is beautiful.  This week were are going to try our first batch after we buy two cabbages.  Let's be honest, the process will warrant a whole post so get excited.

We want to thank everyone for the birthday messages, cards, gifts, and love that have been sent our way over the last two months.  We are totally spoiled.

Oh, did I mention that Cliff also grew a mustache and soul patch for Movember?  Cause he did.  In case you have been wondering what is up with all of the mustaches running around town, men are coming together to show support and promote awareness for men's health issues such as prostate and testicular cancer.  They are doing it the best way they know how...by growing facial hair.  Many of the male teachers at Cliff's school decided to take the plunge and see what their faces looked like with a 'stash.  Cliff shaved after the official Men of Movember celebration on Thursday but I think we are both curious now to see what he would look like with a full beard.  Hummmm...do I sense a winter break project?

Lots of love to all and happy December!