Prom, Graduation, Hawaii Oh MY!

Well, another school year is about to start and I have barely gotten over the last one.  For it really was The. Last. One.  Anna graduated from High School.  The moment I had been dreaming of and working toward for almost eighteen years had finally arrived.

She. Was. Done.

Before she could walk down that aisle, however, smiling and glowing in her accomplishment,  there was Prom.  And I should have known that there would be drama.  Because after four years of buying dresses, and getting hair done, and finding just the right shoes, I should have known that this time would be no different.  And it wasn't!  The makeup that was "expertly applied" at the mall "wasn't right." The text I received while she was still in the beauty chair read, "she didn't even wash my hair!" And the boutonniere she bought for her date,  got left behind in the downstairs fridge.

But then, when the magic hour struck, like always, everything was fine.  Those much sought after shoes,  sparkly silver Toms, arrived via UPS just in the nick of time.  (4:00 p.m. the day before!)  Emily, the wonder with a makeup brush, fixed her face;  which really needed no fixing, in my opinion.   Her hair turned out beautifully, and the forgotten boutonniere was discovered by moi, before heading over to her friend's house for the pre-dance photo shoot.

The 3 Amigos: Rachael, Anna, and Athena

Following the Prom was, of course, the Post Prom Party, which I tried very hard not to think about.  Not that I'm in denial about my kid's social life, but I try to believe that she knows how to be as responsible as any seventeen year old should be?  Right?  I mean we have had the talk. Talks.  Many talks.


Then there was the Senior Sleep Out.  Basically, a party at a local campground.  Without parents.  Obviously,  I have no photos.  

Anna (Left) beginning her walk with her friend Rachael.
That's Victoria peeking upward in the front.

And then it was here:  Graduation!  The big moment!   Finally, I could breathe again.  And as I sat in the stands trying to zoom my little camera's lens in close enough to see her face, and listen to the speeches of her fellow graduates talk in depth about how they will never forget one another, or "The Woodrow,"  I tried desperately to remember my own graduation.  I know it was on the football field at my high school.  It was sunny.  My parents were there.  But that's it!  Things have come and gone in my life since that all important day,  leaving it only a vague memory.  Things like Dave, and Anna and Nora Jane.  But I didn't share that with Anna.  Because this was her moment.  Her time to shine.  And shine she did!  She had on her new dress (which, of course, no one could see and the aforementioned silver sparkly Toms), her hair was normal, no fuss, no muss.  Her smile was HUGE and she was ready!

The Grandmas and Grandpas were there, minus one.  And he was truly missed.  But walking much of a distance is just too much for my dad these days, so he got the benefit of my cell phone.  "She's on stage."  "She got her diploma!"  "She's smiling!"  "I'm STILL NOT crying!"  Text after text.  Thank God for cell phones!

The VERY Proud Family

And after a few more pictures, again she was gone.  To another party.  I went home and tried to sleep.  

THEN came the trip we had all been waiting for:  Hawaii.  A time to rest, relax, and relish in being together.  And it was all I hoped it would be.  Fourteen days in Maui was exactly what we all needed;  sun, surf, sand, and nothing to do but remember how good we are together.  We laughed, we swam, we sunburned (okay that was me), sunbathed (that was Anna).  We ate good food, we read, we watched movies,  we reconnected.  

Father's Day in Maui:  Beautiful!  

Beautiful Anna

Beautiful Nora Jane

Those fourteen days were magical for me, fairy tale like.  Everyone got along. There were no arguments.  My children laughed, really laughed, and played together.  

See--Happy Girls:
They were really like this the whole trip!  

There were no responsibilities, other than feeding ourselves.  Heaven!  I couldn't have asked for a better ending to high school, which was not at all fairy tale like.

My Bad Ass Baby:
Yes:  This IS the same girl as above
and HOPEFULLY not a sign of what's to come for me! Ha!

So it has been a crazy hectic time;  filled with drama, conflict, and tension.  Followed by hugs, tears, and reconciliation.  God what a pattern!  But we all survived.  Anna is happy and now looking forward to her future whilst (don't you love getting to use words like whilst?)  I am faced with one of my life's biggest changes:  moving my baby   daughter to college.  Okay, obviously she is no longer a baby.  But ya--to me--she totally still is.  

So here we are now.  Four days to go.  And I'm holding it together pretty well.  Even the dorm shopping didn't bring me down.  Instead,  it gave me a purpose.  She still needs me.  At least she needs my money.  So we have bought bedding, and hot pots, and dishes, and laundry soap, and cable locks for computers.  And through it all, I was fine.

And then I went to the grocery store.  Where I saw a group of girls, about twelve or thirteen years old, laughing in their daisy dukes and training bras, texting-- one another probably.  And I thought, where did my girl go?  So I turned my cart away.  Away from their laughter, their smallness, their youth, and headed into the produce section, where it hit me:  The Vegetable Tray.  The Vegetable Tray that Anna ALWAYS brought to her yearbook parties.  The Vegetable Tray that I was ALWAYS delivering to the school at the last minute, because she forgot it at home, or more likely, at the store.  And I panicked; is she going to eat her vegies?  Is she going to be alright?  Is she going to study hard and avoid the pressures of college life?  And my eyes started to tear up!  Right there in front of all the shoppers, and watermelons, and ranch dips. 

I don't know how long I stood there staring in that vegetable case.  Probably not long.  But long enough to make me realize that this is it.  She has grown up.  And I wheeled my cart away.

A little wave to Mom

20 Years--Part II

My boys:  at a bike race, of course.
But still both so gorgeous!

Last night D- told me he was looking back at some pictures and feels that he has aged so much just in the last five years.  When I heard that, I had to figure out (a): how old we both are now (44) and 
(b): then subtract 5 (39) and then 
(c):  think how old were my kids then?...since that’s how time is measured in my head -- by my kids’ ages (13, and 4 respectively).  


Okay,  now I can picture that guy and girl (aka mom and dad) in my mind.  

Anna was a Freshman in High School (sniff sniff, just a baby!) and NJ was toddling around on her chubby little legs right behind me everywhere I went. (more sniffs! Where does that time go?)   

just yesterday....

We were starting to become the parents of a teenager--Hellooooo!   No wonder we both feel older!  

But at our essence, we are still today the same two we were back then.  Does that make sense?  


We still love all the same activities:

Going for the big finish at last year's cross race
...all smiles!

Dirt Golfing:  A sport enjoyed only by the hardy and/or intoxicated.
Look at those BEAUTIFUL arms!

We still love hanging with our kids:

Okay, this is NOT Dave.  This is Joe.
But Dave IS taking the photo and we ARE spending time w/our kid:  
preparing her for the big race :) 

Taking an ice cream break after a LONG day in the car.

And we still love each other...even more than we did five years ago.  

Perhaps we are a little less fit.  Still hoping my feet will recover.  And Dave hasn’t been able to ride as much this summer.  That darn life has gotten in the way.    Maybe there are a few more gray hairs, maybe a bit less hair on Dave’s part, but all in all he’s still the same guy I married:  Tall, Dark, Handsome and a helluva bike rider/skiier/hockey playing boy.  Oh, and golfer, obviously! 

Thank Goodness he hasn’t changed :)

Happy Anniversary!

Twenty years ago I married a man I was in love with. 

Oh how young I was.  

I thought I loved him then.  

Since that day,  together we have raised one daughter and are working on the second.

We have laughed, loved, and fought the big fights.

Okay, really only a FEW fights.  But, still...

We have brought home animals and said goodbye to beloved pets. 

We have been scared by doctors only to later be overjoyed with life.

We have planted trees and gardens and we are all still growing.

We have put in miles together on wheels, on foot and figuratively.

Today I know how truly young I was back then;

I didn’t just marry the man I love.

I married the love of my life.

Happy 20 D-

xoxo

S

A Weekend of Leisure

On Friday we packed up three bikes, one cooler full of marinating steaks, one kid (guess which one...  Anna was heading off to WSU for orientation instead of going with us) one dog and headed to the Gorge.

Our dear friend, Mike, (whom Dave met in college and has remained friends with ever since) has a place in Lyle, Washington.  And it is there, over the past fifteen years or so that we have traveled to hike, mountain bike, wind surf and just relax.  Not this weekend though, despite the fun contents inside and on top of the van, this weekend was ALL ABOUT WORK.  You see, Mike bought a new place in Lyle.  "The Villa," he's calling it and it is BEAUTIFUL.  It sits high above the Columbia River, on five spacious acres.  It has a garage the size of a small house, which is mucho importante to people like Mike and Dave.  It has horses next door, which is important to people like Nora Jane.  And it has plenty of garden space to people like me who love to grow things.  AND, it has a sweet spot to pluck some grape plants into the ground, which is pretty cool to people like Mike.

So, since we have pretty much been able to come and go at Mike's Lyle house for the past fifteen years--WHENEVER WE WANTED, we went down to help Mike paint the old house in preparation for it's sale. Okay, Dave went down to help paint.  I got talked into coming down, with Nora Jane, to soak up the sunshine.  And oh did I soak!  It was in the 90s!

So while the boys and Mike's friend Tara, who is lovely, slaved away,  Nora Jane and I were the total Ladies of Leisure.  We went into White Salmon and played in their pool.  We played tourists in Hood River shopping for books at one of my favorite book stores, ate lunch, and got ice cream from Mike's Ice Cream--not our Mike--which we then ate outside at the restaurant next door called Nora's Table.  Again, though, not our Nora....but cool names huh?  When it simply got too hot for us Pacific Northwesters, we traveled across the street, to the bench, under the very big tree.

We ended each day with a soak in the Klickitat River.  Mike and Dave were more than ready to hit the water after spending their days on rooftops and ladders where, I'm sure the heat felt like it was above boiling.  However, it took Nora Jane and I a while to fully enjoy the benefits of this freezing cold glacial river.  But once Nora finally took her "swim" between the shore and the spit, she didn't want to come out.  She sat by the edge and built mounds of mud castles, while her dad built rafts appropriately decked out with Pacifico bottles.

When the river became shaded and the water seemed even cooler than when we arrived, we packed up the cooler, the towels, and the dogs (one of which will remain nameless because he rolled in something so foul and stunk up the entire beach and required a bath with my Pantene Shampoo once we got back to Mike's so he could sleep in our room that night) and we drove back to the house where we had lovely barbecue dinners and sat on the deck looking for bats and enjoying all the stars that we never see back at home.

Now Mike's old house isn't completely painted.  The walls are done, though, and that's a big deal if you've ever seen his house.  It's TALL!  And it's built into the side of a hill!  But, now he can putt around and paint the trim and decks at his leisure before he packs up for the final time and says goodbye to a place that has housed friends for barbecues, birthdays, half marathons, ski weekends, mountain bike treks, and man-fest hunting weekends.  

When we got home last night, Dave gave me a hug and said, "I'm so glad you decided to come down."  And I thought, WHAT?  I didn't do anything.  I didn't help.  I pretty much just played and tried to stay out of the way.  "But you were there each day when we were all done," he said, with a smile.

Ya, I'm pretty glad I went too.

Thanks for inviting me too Mike.

xoxo--

Knock Knock! Who's There? Me!

For several weeks now, I have been trying to decide how to resume this blog.  I mean I made such a big deal in one of my first posts about doing something beautiful and creative every day.  And working on my blog was supposed to be one of those creative endeavours.  What happened to that?  Well, work got in the way and, honestly, it didn't go so well, for a variety of reasons, and I decided I simply would not blog about it because I didn't want this "place" to become a forum for my venting and unpleasantness.  No one wants to listen to someone complain about their job.  Right?  So I put it aside....only temporarily, I told myself.   And the next thing I knew, it was June!  WTF!

Okay, I should interject here, for just a moment, and say that I am trying (sort of) to quit cursing.   Now I don't go around spouting obscenities "like a trucker," (as my dad used to like to say).   Most of my bad language violations occur only within my own head.  As if there is some bad-ass version of myself living within me.  However, I have been known to let one loose when a driver pisses me off, or my children annoy me, break something, don't follow my rules (I know----horrible!)  Or when I talk to my sisters.  Enough said.  Or, apparently, when I write.  At any rate, I am trying, I'm thinking about trying.

So here I am.  Trying to figure out how to resume.   Dave says, "just do it.  Just start writing about your day."  He, of all people, though should know how obsessive I can be.  I can't JUST pick it up again.  What would THEY think?  How would I explain my absence?  No, I need a plan.

But what kind of plan?  Does it need to be spectacular?  Silly?    Or,  like calling an out of touch friend, should I just pick up the phone and say hello?  Afterall, I have relationships that work just like that.  With friends I rarely see, yet think of almost daily.  And I know I can simply call, or text, or email these people and it's like I just saw them yesterday.

Yes, I think that's definitely the best plan.  

So hello.  How are ya?

I'm fine.

Where have I been?  What have I been doing?

Well, in a nut shell, I was working (ugh!) getting my oldest daughter through chemistry, graduation and prom (more on these in a later post), traveling to Maui with the family (heaven!) and puttering around with jr.

Oh, I've been riding my bike, (yes--still tending my sore (but somewhat better) foot and trying to keep the love of my life from throwing our cats out with the garbage....

So, this is it.  I left without a word and in much the same way I'm back.  I may write about some of the afore mentioned, but probably not too much about the job....

So, stay tuned.

:)

1 Crazy Week

3 crazy days in first grade

2 daughters brought down by the flu

1 rushed decision to return to work full-time (temporarily)

all led to:

1 WET bike ride

1 trip to Tacoma Bike and the purchase of

1 beautiful blue, WATERPROOF cycling jacket

(my first ever!)

Isn't she beautiful!

I'm thinking of naming her.

Whatta ya think?

Old Blue?

No--she's NEW! 

How could I call her OLD BLUE?

Okay, maybe the naming is a bad idea :)

The Road to Recovery

As I mentioned earlier, I am currently NOT RUNNING.  And, as a runner, this makes me very unhappy.  This is a sport I have been enjoying since high school and in all that time I've never really missed more than a day or two.  But this year has been hell.  Actually, it was last year mostly, but it's spilling over into this year.   In short, I was plagued with injuries.  There was the groin (ouch), the knees (chronic), the piriformis (bet you didn't even know you had one of these did ya) and last, but not least, my current problem:  The foot (Plantar Fascitis--again--ouch).  

So it's been two long months since I've hit the road, or run the trails and, I must say,  I've handled it remarkably well.    Thankfully, Christmas and Winter Break kept me busy.  But now school has resumed.  Everyone is back where they belong and I have more time on my hands.  (Hence this new project.  Apparently, I go from one addiction to another.)

To keep my body from going completely downhill,  I have decided to devote some of this free-time to "cross-training."  I have tried doing this before, but never successfully, as I was never able to give up my  running days for something else.  Not a very good philosophy for someone trying to cross-train I know.  But, now,  if I'm going to stay in shape, I have to move.   Rolling out cookie dough and lifting those Starbucks holiday cups to my lips didn't really do anything for my heart, or my muscle tone.

Now if you are a Face Book Friend, you already know I went swimming the other day.  I do this from time to time, when my legs are tired or achey.  But it's not really my thing.  I like it well enough, but my obsessive nature takes over and I can't stop counting laps.  And then when I lose count, I'm a mess.  Was that ten, or eleven?  The mental stress is  exhausting.   Not to mention The Gear.  Obviously,  there's the suit.  You can't go without that.  Then there's the cap (makes no one look good) and finally, the goggles.  Which make us all look ridiculous.   Although I have to admit, it's not as bad as cycling.  This sport just involves way too many layers.  On a cold day,  I'm surprised I can even lift my leg over the frame.  There are the gloves, the booties (so the toes don't freeze, though mine still do) the base layer, the mid-layer, the jacket, the ear warmers, the helmets, the bike pumps, the spare tubes.  And then five miles down the road I'm sweating like a pig!

See what I mean?  The remains of my WET and WINDY ride

So, after dropping NJ off at school on Monday,  I set out to start my new exercise program.    After checking in at the YMCA, and a quick pit stop in the bathroom, I grabbed my cap and goggles and walked into the pool room.  As I put my hands inside my cap to stretch it over my big head,  (Yes, I believe I have a big head.)  it split right down the back seam.  Oh Snap!  Well, maybe it'd still work.  Forever the optimist, I tried again.   Of course it didn't work!  It just split more.  So I dug through my swim bag and purse hoping to find something--anything--that would hold my hair out of my face!   Voila!  TWO of Nora's LITTLE, TINY, yellow hair clippies.  Well, that ought to hold about five hairs in place.  But I was determined.  I was here.  I was in my suit.  I was going swimming!

I put on my goggles, hopped into the pool, swam a few strokes and my goggles began filling.  This was going to be a LONG swim.  So I fiddled with them.  I tightened the straps. I talked sweetly to them.  I hoped for the best.  But this was their best.  So for twenty-five minutes I swam, back and forth, back and forth, eyes burning from the chlorine, until I could see no more.  

God I miss running.  The simplicity of lacing up your shoes and locking the door on your way out.  No fuss.  No muss.  No heavy dependence on equipment.  Okay, your legs and feet gotta be cooperative, but other than that....not so much!

I miss these guys :(

Well that was two days ago.  Today I was going to be better prepared.  I borrowed a new cap from Anna's swim drawer and went to look for my goggles.  And guess what?  The damn things were nowhere to be seen.   Again my optimism wouldn't let me give up.  Well, I'll  just buy some new ones at the Y I told myself only to get there and REALLY be told, "we're out."  My heart sank.  Why is this so hard, my brain voice screamed at me.  Still not ready to throw in the towel, (get it?) I asked, "may I check your lost and found box, maybe I left them here on Monday."  After I described them, the Y-Guy said, "are any of  these yours?"  And I said, "those are"  as I grabbed them and walked into the locker room.   Of course, they weren't mine!  But they were goggles for God's Sake and I was going swimming!  

Again, with suit on, hair tucked snugly into my new cap, goggles suctioned so tightly onto my face there was absolutely NO chance of removal,  I dove in.   And THAT'S what I get for lying!   They were worse than my lost ones!  But, again, I kept on.  A glutton for punishment if ever there was one.  Until thirty minutes later when I stumbled blindly into the locker room and stood under the shower, for what seemed like an eternity, cleansing my poor eyeballs.  

During this time, Jack E Boy had been waiting patiently in the car.  Or maybe not so patiently, it's hard to tell really. I promised him a walk in the nearby trails after my swim.   With my eyes still red, I pulled my hat low to avoid direct eye contact with any other dog walkers we may encounter and off we went.  Luckily it was a quiet day at the trails and not many people were out.  But, as we turned our last corner and headed back to the car, I lifted my head and smiled directly into the face of a runner coming towards me.  It'd been so long since I've seen one up close.  She was beautiful!  Her long black ponytail swinging back and forth in perfect rhythm.  And her outfit!   Well, it consisted of a baggy sweatshirt, sweats that were too short to be sweats, but not quite short enough to be capris, ugly mismatched gloves and GASP!  weird shoes!  Some kind of clunky REI slipper/shoe thing!  BEAUTIFUL!

But the real beauty of her outfit:  she didn't have to fuss with any of it!  She knew her cap would stay on her head.  She knew her ugly mismatched gloves wouldn't fall off.  She knew nothing would leak, rip, or tear.  OKAY,  I really don't know what she was thinking with those shoes, but they seemed to be working for her.    NO FUSS, NO MUSS.  

We smiled as we passed each other and yes, she did appear concerned as she quickly scanned my battered eyes, but I carried on.   Renewed.  Hopeful.  For the day I, too,  return to running these trails.  

Back in the car,  Jack and I had to make one final stop before returning home.  The Fircrest Swim Shop.  There I would certainly get some much needed expert advice on goggles.  "You see, you gotta get a good seal,"  I was told.  Really!!!  So I handed her my twenty bucks and walked out.   

As I was hanging up my wet suit and cap in the bathroom, I spotted them.  Hanging from the bathtub faucet, RIGHT where I left them.  Well, they are clear.    They did totally blend in to the side of the tub.  

Hmm...maybe the goggles aren't the real problem afterall...