334: some semblance of sleep again

This summer was a lot of fun but it was also just a lot. Especially towards the end we were all so busy and overstimulated at times and our sleep routines took a large brunt of the effects. The girls didn't have a consistent bed time, they would be up multiple times a night, and then they were exhausted the next day and it all just repeated itself. No good. Three or four weeks of that and we had some whiney, cranky, emotional, excitable little gals on our hands.

Now that we have been back (more or less) for a couple of weeks, we have finally gotten settled enough to get sleep again. The girls still suck at the actually-going-to-sleep part of it - it's border-line ridiculous - but once they're asleep they're asleep for the night. They have been sleeping 10-11 hours at night and it is heaven. They still come into our bed now and then in the middle of the night (3 or 4 in the morning, sometimes later) but that has never bothered me. I get a lot more sleep when they come in with us and fall right back to sleep than I do if I have to get u, walk to their room, get the resettled, and then get myself back to sleep - it always takes me forever. I would much prefer for them to come in. I fall right back to sleep and often don't even remember them coming in! And it's not every night. They have been sleeping all the way through more often than they ever have before ... It only took 4 years.

I'm thankful that we may be on our way to more consistent sleep for all of us.

333: modern technology in the medical world

I found out tonight that a dear friend of mine had an ectopic pregnancy that ruptured. She was taken to the emergency room where they did surgery. She lost over half of her blood volume and nearly died. She was in the hospital for two days where she had multiple blood transfusions.

She is healing physically but the loss of the baby will no doubt be something that is forever with her and her husband. My heart is absolutely broken for them. But I am so so thankful that they were able to get the quick care that was needed to save her life. Without the advances of modern technology this could have been a different story. I am so thankful that she is alive and that she is here to bless this world some more.

It's definitely yet another reminder that life can change in an instant.

303 - 332 (September) Nika

When I started this blog, I did it for myself. I wanted to try, every day, no matter how rough a day I was having, to find something to be thankful for. I felt like it would be a really positive thing in my life. And it has been. It helps me end every day with at least a small positive feeling. When I reflect at the end of the day (even if for only a few minutes), I make a note of everything that I could/should be thankful for. But when I think about what I'm actually going to post as my "thankful for" I don't always end up chosing to post the major things. I struggle with my memory these days. All of those concussions have definitely affected me in ways that probably only I notice. My memory actually sucks. When I started this, I was actually afraid that I wouldn't be able to come up with 365 different things to be thankful for. There are a lot of big things that, to me, are obvious: my family, my friends, a warm place to live, etc. I was writing about those sporadically. But when I thought of something smaller - good weather to run in, a glass of wine after a rough day, a good chapter in a good book to let my mind wander to - I felt the need to metion those things for fear of forgetting them and not having 365 things to write about. So I have been. But in doing that, I have unintentionally skipped over really really important things/people to be thankful for. Again, in my mind they are obvious - of course I'm thankful for them. But I also think that there is great value to actually verbalizing that and puting it in writing. Especially since these are my reflections and I will likely look back on this and remember this year more clearly than any other - this year has been documented more than any other for me in its own way.

I should have mentioned Nika a long time ago. A LONG time ago. Like 290-something thankful fors ago. She falls into that category to me of "of course I'm thankful for her. She knows that, I know that, everyone knows that. I don't have to write it yet because we all know that." But I can't assume that anyone excpet me knows that. And I'm not guaranteed another chance to say it. So ...

303: I'm thankful that I met Nika when we were young and that we were able to grow up together. The first time we really noticed each other was at Duniway when we wore the same outfit to school. We then "reconnected" at Holy Family walking down the hall as the "new kids at school" when we talked about wearing the same outfit back at Duniway. (I'm also thankful that I still have that memory.)

304: I'm thankful that Nika's parents let us continue to be friends. There were a lot of reasons NOT to let her hang out with me: we dyed our hair unnatural colors without asking them if they cared, we pierced our ears by ourselves multiple times, we snuck out of the house, and a lot lot more. But for some reason they did let her keep hanging out with me.

305: I'm thankful that we stayed close even when we were at different schools. She started high school a year before me, but we still hung out and remained close. I even did my high school visit with her and she pointed out a boy who she thought I would like in her art class ... it happened to be Kevin but I didn't give him much thought at the time because he was a big sophomore and I was only an eighth grader. HA!

306: I'm thankful that she was there when I had my first real break-up that hurt my heart.

307: I'm thankful that she was there when Kevin and I broke up. She wasn't physically there because she was already out of high school. But she was there that night on the phone with me and let me do my freak out thing. I'm not sure what I would have done if she wasn't "there".

308: I'm thankful that I had Nika as a big sister of sorts to talk to about boys and parents and friends and other high school stuff and that she was there through it all.

309: I'm thankful that even though we were again in different places when she finished high school, and this time in different states, that we never completely lost touch. We had our periods where contacts were further between, but they were still there. And we still knew we could count on each other.

310: I'm thankful that Nika was there and let me unload empty beer bottles out of the trunk of my car and into her recycling bin when a small get-together turned into a dancing-on-the-table, cars-on-the-lawn party.

311: I'm thankful that we can have fun together doing absolutely nothing. We would be perfectly happy watching a movie in sweats with some popcorn or just hanging out and talking.

312: I'm thankful that our parents didn't find out about everything that we did ... because they may NOT have let us keep hanging out.

313: I'm thankful that we made it through some stupid decisions and into our adult lives and that we were both there to witness it.

314: I'm thankful that I was able to share in one of the biggest days of her adult life. Her wedding was an amazing display of unconditional love and passion and to have not only been there to witness it but to actually be up there with them was an honor. I'm thankful that she chose me.

315: I'm thankful that she was part of one of the biggest days of my adult life. I couldn't have imagined getting married without her up there with me.

316: I'm thankful that, before either of us had kids, we took a girls-only trip to New York to get away. It was an amazing weekend that was full of exploring, shopping, experiencing the city, and just hanging out. I'm glad we were there together to handle the ridiculousness that was our hotel situation. A nice little snow storm hit on our last night and I'm glad it would have been her that I would have been stranded there with as I missed my exam that Monday. I'm glad that we had that weekend and the once-stressful memories to laugh at now.

317: I'm thankful that we were able to experience pregnancies together. Being pregnant, baby showers, having babies, and becoming mothers.

318: I'm thankful that we have experienced loss together. Of call kinds.

319: I'm thankful that we have had ups and downs in our friendship. They have made it stronger.

320: I'm thankful that we are honest with each other. We can talk about things when we have issues. I'm pretty sure that all of our issues have stemmed from one thing: assumptions. One of us will assume something about the other one and the other one will get offended in some way. But we always end up talking about it. Maybe not right away, but we always end up talking about it and clearing the water and being better than before.

321: I'm thankful that we can talk about anything. We talk about religion, politics (as much as either of us talk about politics), what comes after life. We talk about lifestyle choices, food, health, education. We talk about marriage, friendships, motherhood.

322: I'm thankful that we can talk about all of those things without judgement.

323: I'm thankful that I can go to Nika for advice. And, again, there is no judgement regardless of what I'm seeking advice on.

324:  I'm thankful that she trusts me enough to ocassionally come to me for advice.

325: I'm thankful that she trusts me enough to come to me to simply vent ocassionally.

326: I'm thankful that Nika is forgiving. I've made some stupid mistakes, I've been immature, I've been selfish, I've been just plain lame.

327: I'm thankful that she found Luca - someone who does love her unconditionally and who builds her up and challenges her and supports her. They are truly a match made in heaven.

328: I'm thankful that I now have a new understanding (or attempted understanding) of what that means.

329: I'm thankful that we can pick up after not physically talking for a while and start right where we left off.

330: I'm thankful that we can have interrupted conversations that are full of distractions from our little humans that we've made and that's part of our life now.

331: I'm thankful that I have Nika in my life. She makes me a better friend and a better person.

332: I'm thankful that our friendship continues to change and grow and get stronger. 


There are other people who I know I can't assume know that I am thankful for them. And they won't go without knowing that for sure...

272-302 (August)

The month of August was crazy busy for us, which led into a very busy and chaotic September. We also had limited internet access in August, which made it difficult to keep up on my posts. Then I got out of the habit and continued to not post. But I have been conscious of being thankful every day and so have decided to do one giant post for the last two months.

272: More family visits - The Caves all got to come visit Brookings. We got to show them around where we've been staying the last month and a half and we got to spend our yearly vacation week with them.

273: More hikes! - We did tons of outdoor walks and hikes while they were in town; the California Redwoods, the Oregon Redwoods, exploring the beaches, etc. Even though there was a ton of fog every single day they were there, there was so much beauty that it was hard to miss.

274: Darby - I'm so glad and thankful that Darby was able to get back to Portland for a visit. And a pretty good sized one at that. We miss her and it's great to spend some time with her.

275: A fun birthday celebration for Kins. We didn't get to do a party with her friends this year because we're out of town and it was just a lot of logistics that made it really hard. But we had a big family dinner and cake and ice cream the night before, then she got to go to the Prehistoric Gardens and have more cupcakes at Uncle Pete and Aunt Dona's on her actual birthday, THEN she got to have a movie night with the Spencer View gals the next evening. I'd say she was a pretty happy kid.

276: Open doors: We made the big trek from Brookings all the way up to the cabin in just a couple of days. I'm thankful that we have family that is willing to let us crash and split up the drive so the girls stay sane.

277: The cabin: There's nowhere quite as peaceful as the cabin. I'm thankful that my parents are able to keep a place up there for a nice getaway from reality and being connected. It's nice to be IN nature and not have TV and phones and computers for a week.

278: Dad had a few good days! I'm thankful that he was able to join us for a hike and a few walks and even get some serious work done on the cabin. It was nice to be there as a family.

279: New running terrain: I was able to get a run in every day we were there and they weren't confined to doing laps in the Northwoods neighborhood. I was able to run home from hikes a couple of times, do some hills with Kyra, and do my intervals in the neighborhood. I was nervous about keeping my training up there that week, but it happened.

280: A great hill workout! Kyra and I did some 8-minute hill repeats that kicked my butt ... but they were great and I wouldn't have been able to do those anywhere else (no hills quite like those logging hills) or if she hadn't been there to do them with me (no way I would have run out there on my own - cougars, etc)

281: I made it home safely from my run home from Lower Falls. I was nervous for much of the run. I hate running by myself when I'm on roads like that - I'm not a fan of the thought of animals chasing me, I'm not a fan of the big white window-less vans and motorcycle groups passing me, the corners and tight and blind ... lots to make me nervous. But I made it and I ran extra fast to get it over with. It may have been bad for my blood pressure, but I made it back safely.

282: Murray: We were able to spread some of Murrays' ashes while Kyra was there. I am so thankful for the time that he was part of our family on this earth. Talk about really experiencing unconditional love and loyalty. I miss him every day.

283: The chance to spread some of Aunt Lynn's ashes. While Matt and Michele and the kids were there, we also spread some of Aunt Lynn's ashes. I'm glad I was there and that I was able to take part.

284: Kyra was able to come to the cabin for a bit. It was a short trip, but I'm glad she was able to come for at least a little bit. I know it meant a lot to Mom and Dad and it was fun to hang out. I wish it was longer.

285: Mom/Yaya. Mom celebrated her 61st birthday while we were at the cabin. I'm glad that the girls and I were able to be there with her on her birthday. Mom has always stood by my side and supported me even when I was a less than stellar child. I am realizing the hard way that karma is truly a bitch and I now have two stubborn girls of my own, but it does give me much more respect for what I made Mom deal with over the years. And she never stopped loving me and never stopped trying and never gave up on me. And I think she did a grand job, if I do say so myself. She is also the best Yaya the girls could wish for and they truly adore her.

286: Kevin could join us for the last couple of days. We weren't sure he was going to be able to with his schedule, but he made it and he even drove straight through from Brookings to the cabin to get there for an extra night. Love him.

287: Time with cousins. The girls absolutely adore Demi and Axel and they had so much fun playing with them for a few days at the cabin. They had been way over-stimulated for the last couple of weeks straight and so were extra emotional/excitable, but they were also in heaven having those two to play with.

288: Time with cousins. I also had a great time hanging out with Matt and Michele. It's a shame we don't live closer.

289: s'mores. And what better place to make them than at the cabin with the lake in the background?

290: Time in Portland to "relax". We decided to stay in Portland for the week between the cabin and Hood to Coast simply to limit driving time. But I'm glad to have more time with family before we get back to our routine in Eugene and our schedules get packed with school and activities.

291: Family Plan. It seems silly to say this one, but I am. We have the Yuen Lui photography family plan, which gives us 5 sittings over two years and a free 8x10 with each one. While the photographer isn't the greatest, we do always get at least one good picture. And I'm so glad to have the plan that makes us get the girls' pictures taken every 6 months or so and allows me to see how they change with actual, nice, professional photos in print. I take a billion pictures, but rarely print them. It's nice having large prints that I can look at every day.

292: Kevin. He makes time for me to run even with his busy schedule. I may have said that before, but it is worth repeating.

293:Hood To Coast. Kevin did it this year. We've sort of taken to switching on and off years since having kids. I did it last year while he stayed with Dagny and Kinsley stayed with Yaya and Papa. He's doing it this year and I'm hanging with the girls. It's such a fun weekend, even though exhausting mentally and physically, but I'm thankful that I've had the chance to do it and have that experience.

294: A new phone. My phone has been acting up on me for some time now: randomly turning off during phone calls or when I simply open it or close it, not letting me see texts, not even showing me that I have texts ... just being irritating. But I am now that proud owner of an iPhone, which I never thought I would have. But I'm very thankful to have a working phone again that is fully functioning.

295: A new "computer/camera". My new iPhone has also replaced my malfunctioning camera and my computer that no longer has a working keyboard.

296: Access to Skype again. My computer is so old that Skype no longer works on it. But I have it again thanks to my iPhone. This thing is really like 10 thankful-fors in 1.

297: a cheap plan. There is no way that we could afford a normal data plan. But because we're on the family plan, it's actually less to have an iPhone with the basic data plan than it was to have our individual voice-only plans. I'm not sure how that works, but I'm thankful it does because it's allowed me to have this phone, which is allowing me to stay in touch with family and friends in ways that I couldn't without it.

298: The chance to see the Clandos/Guileyss again before they left. This was easily the most drawn-out goodbye process ever - it spanned about 2 months - but I wouldn't have traded any of our times to hang out even if it meant it was less confusing for the kids. They've dealt just fine once they realized that their friends are actually gone now, and I got more time with an amazing family.

299: Safe travels for the Clandos/Guileys. They made it to Boston and are settled. Can't be anything but thankful for that.

300: Annual Sunriver trip. Lots of friends. Lots of chaos. Great times.

301: A good cleanup by Kevin and I. Between the two of us in our races this weekend, we won 5 nights a the Sunriver resort. I'm not sure when we'll use it, but I'm thankful to have it lingering where we can see it --- hopefully it will force us to actually get away and relax, just the two of us, soon.

302: The last night we were in Sunriver, a few of the kids and Chelsea all woke up in the middle of the night sick. Kinsley threw up for the first time in her life, which scared her but she handled it like a champ. She only threw up twice, but the others had it much worse. We're not sure what it was exactly, since there were no real common threads to who did and who didn't get it, but I'm guessing it was food in some way. I'm very thankful that Kevin, Dagny, and I dodged it somehow, and that everyone was better within a day or so.

271: clean air!

Many parts of southern Oregon are in a rough spot right now weather-wise. There are tons of wild fires that are creating pretty harsh air conditions. Businesses in Medford are offering free masks for people to wear if they have to go outside. Kevin says he doesn't really notice it, but often times I feel like I'm in a wood shop here in Brookings: the wood mill spurts out saw dust and I notice it on every run and even just when I'm in the "downtown" area. But I am incredibly thankful that the air here is nowhere near the poor quality that other areas are dealing with ... and that we usually live in Eugene and Portland where air quality has never been an issue.

270: A week of Eugene running

I've said it before, but I'll say it again: I'm not a fan of running and REALLY not a fan of running in Brookings. Even though every one of my runs in Eugene last week was pushing the girls in the burley (including a hill workout!), which is much harder for me than running by myself, I am thankful for a week of Eugene running. I love my running routes in Eugene and I miss them. I'm excited to get back to them so it was nice to have a small glimpse of that again.

269: fun with Yaya

It was a fun weekend getting to spend time with Yaya. Kinsley got to go swimming with her Friday evening and show her how she jumps off the diving board. It was also Kinsley's movie night. Saturday we spent the day down at the harbor, walking the boardwalk, after visiting the sperm whale that washed up on shore a few weeks ago. We then attempted to go to the beach, but it was the windiest day I've possibly ever experienced. Kinsley still had a blast, though, running from the waves with Yaya while I did my best to keep Dagny comfortable and out of the wind.

Pictures coming when I find my camera cord.

It was a great weekend.

268: time to hang out with Papa

Papa feels like crap this weekend and isn't up for doing any hiking or exploring while there here in Brookings. But I am thankful for the chance to have some time with him at the apartment anyway. And the girls love being with Papa.

267: parents willing to drive to see us

Yaya and Papa made the drive to Eugene last night and continued the drive to Brookings this morning with us. I'm thankful for parents that are willing to make a nearly 7-hour drive to come hang out with us for a weekend.

266: a full week of beautiful oregon summer weather

I feel as though I endure the wet, cold winters in Oregon because the summers here are so dang beautiful - and so worth the wait. Brookings summers, however, are not what I consider summer weather. High 60's is not summer to me. I'm thankful that we got a solid week of 90's in Eugene before heading back to Brookings for another couple of weeks. It was a nice little recharge and I feel like I got a little taste of why I love Oregon so much.

265: ice cream

because every now and then I need a treat ...

but ... of course ... I will only buy it if the ingredients are not ridiculous.

264: an upstairs for the summer

Like the other nice additions that we get to enjoy this summer in Brookings, it is great having a two-level apartment. It is still small, although larger than our apartment in Eugene, but having the space split makes it feel a lot bigger. And it is nice being able to feel separated a little bit. The girls can be asleep in their bed and I can feel like I'm in a separate space downstairs. It's nice.

263: Christina

While we were at the farm, the little gals had a blast playing together. Kinsley and Taya have really become great little friends and they play together so well now. Bijoux is the sweetest little thing and Dagny had so much fun chasing after the big girls. At one point, I had a bit of an emotional minute with Christina. As always, that girl knows exactly what to say to pick me up. I'm not sure how she does it. She is the sweetest and most genuine person I have ever met. I am so thankful to have met her on this journey and am so sad that she won't be here for the last year of it. We have only known each other for just under two years, and yet she has become one of my dearest friends. I truly hope that, even though her path is taking her to Boston, we remain close. She is one in a million.

262: a beautiful day spent with beautiful people

We went out to Redneck Organic (AKA Mackenzie River Farm) to do some blueberry picking and have a picnic today. It was not only a beautiful day in an absolutely gorgeous place, but our company was fantastic as well. Christina, her sister, Taya, and Baby Ike, Abbey, and Penelope, and Anna and Bijoux all joined us. Such a great day with really great people. I've been missing this down in Brookings and I'm thankful to have had an entire day today.

261: a break to Eugene

We came up this weekend for a couple of races - I did an 8k yesterday and Kevin did a half today. It is SO nice to be back. It is really making me miss it here. It is so nice to be able to let the girls just run around outside, ride their bikes, play in the sprinklers, play with their friends (!), and to be able to see my friends, and it is real summer weather! It has been mid-80's every day so far and is supposed to stay like this all week. It was nice to be here as a family, all four of us, and to be in our space that feels more like home. Kevin had to head back this afternoon, but the girls and I are staying through the week because I have a meeting that I want to go to. I'm so thankful for this break to Eugene - I feel like it is going to be the little rejuvenator that I need to go back to Brookings for another month.

260: the Groh's

Not only am I thankful that I got to see the Groh's (and Robbins and Greggs) but I am thankful that they are still in my life. We have been through a LOT together and they were such a huge part of my life throughout all of college. They really were my second family. Life has gotten busy and has taken us to different places geographically, but I can't imagine my life without them in it and I am so thankful that they are still part of it.

259: time with the Groh's

I am so thankful that the timing worked out to see and get to spend time with the Groh's. They planned their family vacation week for this week in Florence. I was originally bummed when they told me because Florence is so close to Eugene, but it's three and a half hours from Brookings - that's a tough trip with two small girls. But it worked out fantastically because Kevin and I decided to come up to Eugene this weekend for a couple of races. I left one day early and drove to Florence with the girls and got to hang out with the Groh's before finishing the drive to Eugene that night. It was so so great to get to see them all. I haven't seen Shannon, Chris, and their kids since just before Kinsley turned one. And I haven't seen Brad and Megan or Debbie and Dan since Brad and Megan's wedding reception a few weeks before Kinsley was born! 4 years! That seems crazy and not possible. But we finally were able to connect and we spent all afternoon and evening together and it was great. The girls had a blast sledding down the sand dunes and playing with Cooper and Callie and hanging out. And I had a blast spending time with some of my absolute favorite people on the planet.

258: library books

Not only has the library been great for the girls, but I have actually checked out quite a few books lately and forced myself to find time to actually read them. I stay up just a little later and read for at least 15 minutes each night. It has been really nice to get a book and FINISH it in a reasonable amount of time! I think I've already finished three books since we've been in Brookings. I'm definitely going to start making myself check books out when we go to get books for the girls.

257: story time

Every Wednesday, the library has story time. It has been so great. It's something for Kinsley to really look forward to and Dagny has even proven to have a much better attention span than I thought! There are TONS of kids that show up each week (and yet that's the only time we ever see them?), which is fun. Dori, one of the librarians, reads 3 or 4 books and sings songs in between. Then there is always an art project set up that relates to the theme of the books. One week was all about babies, one was about sea creatures and they made 3D seahorses out of toilet paper tubes and cut-out faces/tails, one week was about picnics and they made colored picnic baskets and got to glue all of the different things inside. This week's theme was safety - the kids glued faces and shoes and helmets onto a little kid character and then got to color them. The girls are getting so much more comfortable and I love watching them. They were both so proud of their coloring and wanted to show Miss Dori. It was so sweet to see Kinsley (who is relatively shy lately around people she doesn't know) go up to her and proudly show her the rainbow shoes, shorts, and helmet that she colored. And it melted my heart to watch Dagny follow Kinsley proudly holding her picture up in both hands to show Miss Dori her creation.

256: Brookings wind

See 255 on hills, but apply that reasoning to the wind of Brookings. Every day. Wind every day. But it's good because it's helping me. Again, that's what I tell myself to be positive.

255: hills

I am not a fan of running in Brookings. Every direction I go there are hills. And not just little hills. They are either short and crazy steep or they are gradual but really long. Literally, every direction. There is no such thing as an "easy" run for me here. They all hurt. I don't REALLY like running anyway, I love the atmosphere of races and I like the feeling AFTER I run, but I'm not much of a fan of the actual training. But here's my positive spin on this little situation we're in: the hills are going to make me stronger and when I get back to Eugene, which is about as flat as they come, running will seem easy. At least that's what I tell myself.

254: family time

I'm not loving Brookings. It is making me appreciate what we have in Eugene even more than I already did (which was quite a lot, actually). I was excited to live at the coast for the summer, but I had a much different picture in my head. I envisioned warm (at least) days spent playing at the beach and long, beautiful runs, and lots of quality time with my little family. It hasn't been warm - rarely even gets to the 70's - it's foggy or overcast every day. The city is covered in hills, which makes running less than pleasant for me. We don't really know anyone and have no friends to hang out with during the days while Kevin is at work. But what I do love about this place is that it is forcing us to really be a family. I am thankful that, even though there are rough moments every single day, where the girls are at each other's throats, and I struggle to entertain them and get them good exercise and get their energy out, we are together. That's one thing, but it's a lot to be thankful for.

253: playgrounds in brookings

There isn't a whole lot to do in Brookings. We haven't really met anyone and I feel a little bad for the girls. They've gone from having someone to play with at a near drop of the hat to having ... me. The weather hasn't been great so far in Brookings - it is super foggy every morning and then burns off in the late afternoon but isn't really all that warm. But it hasn't been rainy, which is nice. And there are a couple of playgrounds that we can walk to, which does give us something to do. Azalea Park has a huge wooden playground that looks like a giant castle. It's really just a lot of maze-like structures, not a ton of things that little little kids can do, but they do have a couple of slides, swings, balance beams, and some wobbly bridges that the girls like to walk through. We don't end up playing their for too long (whereas we could be at the sandy park for hours), but they do enjoy themselves.

These faces melt my heart.

252: facebook

There are things that I hate about facebook. But with all of the negatives aside, I really am thankful for it. It has been a way to stay connected to people who I otherwise would feel completely DISconnected from. It has allowed me to see my friends' kids grow up when I can't physically because of distance. It has allowed my friends and family to see my girls do the same. While the little status updates often seem pointless (and are sometimes even irritating), they do make me feel like I am communicating, at least on some level, with my friends on a continual basis. And while I would much rather that communication be in person or on the phone, that's not realistic with our lives right now. So I am thankful for facebook for allowing me to stay connected.

251: I forgot my bluetooth on that long drive

I had planned on bringing my bluetooth with me on that 13+hour drive so that I could call some friends who I haven't talked to in ages and catch up - I typically use car time to talk to friends if the girls fall asleep because it's the only time I can talk and actually pay full attention to my conversation. Knowing that I had a HUGE chunk of time to talk, it was going to be a perfect time to make some phone calls. But I took the other car and left my bluetooth in the Saturn. I'm thankful that I did because had I not, I wouldn't have had 249 and 250!

250: NPR

When I didn't have reception in the car for good music stations on that long drive, I was still able to get some NPR stations. I love listening to NPR because it makes me feel like I get an ounce of what is going on in the world. And while I was literally yelling at the radio for a good portion of one of the programs (I like to think I'm a pretty non-confrontational and peaceful person, but I have little tolerance for people who hate ignorantly), it was still nice to get to listen to the programs uninterrupted and "enjoy" some programs that really got me thinking.

249: a drive alone to belt it out!

I thought about posting this right after it happened, because I truly am thankful for the chance to do this, but I somehow forgot. So I'm posting it now, because I'm still thankful that I got the chance. When I drove up to Seattle for Aunt Lynn's celebration, I had roughly 13 hours in the car all by myself. It gave me the chance to listen to MY music, and listen to it as loud as I wanted, and to really rock out to it. It was a very free feeling in a way. I rarely get the opportunity to belt out the words to the songs that I like and sing along to an entire song. I had that chance over and over and over on this trip and it was lovely.

248: dessert alone

Sarah came over in the evening with Izzy kitty and played with the girls for a little bit so Kevin and I could go grab dessert for our anniversary. We were only gone for about 45 minutes, but it was nice to have a little bit of the day to ourselves and be able to have a full conversation without getting interrupted. I love our little interruptions, but it is nice every now and then to have a little bit of time during the day to ourselves.

247: a great anniversary

It really was a beautiful day. And other than maybe getting to go to a private tropical island, just the two of us, I can't imagine a better way to spend our anniversary. We both got our runs in early and then we spent the afternoon exploring the river. Dagny fell asleep on the way out, so I hung out in the car while Kevin and Kinsley got to playing. We were able to drive the car right up to the edge of the river on the rocks, so I was able to watch them play while hanging out with Dagny. 

When Dags woke up, she was immediately in to playing in the water. Weird, I know. 

Here the girls are throwing the biggest rocks they could find as far into the river as they could.

 Such a beautiful picture that I got to witness. My three favorite people in a gorgeous place.

Our attempt at a family picture:

Kinsley wanted to try to take our anniversary picture. She did a great job of getting us into the frame, but Dagny wasn't about to let it just be the two of us.

 6 years married. I'm a lucky lady.

246: 6 years of marriage tomorrow!

It doesn't seem possible that it has been six years already since we got married ... and yet it feels like much longer at the same time. Maybe that's because we've known each other now for more of our lives than we didn't. Not many people can say they met the person of their dreams and the love of their life when they were 14. But I can!

245: kids' races

Kevin ran in the Funky Foot Race half marathon here in Brookings yesterday and the girls and I went down to watch him finish. They also had a kids' boardwalk dash that Kinsley got to run. She was in the 3-6 year old race and was the only 3-year-old there. She was the smallest by a long shot. But she absolutely loved it and even came in 3rd place. I'm so thankful for events like this for kids. It's so great for them to be able to see other people out being active at the event and then get to actually join in themselves. There were people of all ages at this one - from her age all the up to a 72-year-old man who ran the 10k.

Here she is waiting for Daddy to finish his half marathon

 And checking out the boats in the harbor after his race

 Getting her number pinned to her shirt before her race! She was so excited to "really get a real number of her own" :)

 Checking out the competition

 Getting instructions from Daddy

Here's the video of her race!

kinsley's race

And such a proud girl afterwards

 The girls even got to have balloon animals made! Kinsley got a lion (that ended up popping and traded for a green dog) and Dagny got a yellow bunny (that popped and was traded for a monkey climbing a tree!).

At the awards ceremony, the girls had some fun doing handstands ...

 running to Daddy and doing cartwheels ...

 getting thrown into the air and spun ...

and getting tossed way up

It was such a fun day that ended with us back down at the harbor to watch the fireworks. Kinsley loved the whole thing and Dagny fell asleep about half way through. It was great.

244: the freedoms that we have

Happy 4th of July. I am thankful for all of the freedoms that I have and for all of the people who have fought to give me those freedoms.

243: the community pool

The city pool is only a few blocks from our apartment. It's outside, which is a nice change for the girls from the YMCA pool in Eugene. They have an open recreational swim time every day as well as a family swim in the evenings. It's a pretty nice pool, too, other than being a little on the chilly side. I'm hoping that the weather warms up so that the colder water feels more refreshing - we had to keep telling the girls to keep moving around so they didn't get too cold! - but it's definitely bearable. Kevin and I got passes and the girls swim for free, so we'll likely be spending some time there this summer!

242: Kevin works 3 doors down

We live in #6 and Kevin's office is in #9. It's pretty great. That is mainly what allows him to come home at lunch. It also allows the girls to walk him down the way to work in the mornings and at lunch and meet him in the evenings when he's done. They love it. There is no commute time, either, which means more time with us.

241: Kevin's schedule

I'm thankful that Kevin's schedule this summer allows him to come home during the day for lunch. The girls get to see him and read books, I get to go for a quick run, and we make a lunchtime smoothie together. I'm not sure I would get a run in every single day if I didn't get it in at lunch. There are days when I'm just exhausted by the time he gets home in the evening and we still have to get dinner ready, eat, baths, some family time, and the bedtime routine - it would be really easy (and some days tempting) to just "take a day off" and not do it. But because he comes home around noon I don't have any excuses. And it's so great for the girls to get to spend a little bit of time with him and see him during the day - it's not only the couple of hours before they have to go to bed. His schedule really is great right now.

240: a beautiful celebration

I think it was everything that Aunt Lynn would have wanted it to be: A beautiful day, lots of family and friends, tons of love, her favorite foods, drinks, and treats, ladybugs to release into everyone's gardens, and lots of stories and memories. I know she was there enjoying it with us all.

239: family to drive with

It took me roughly 8 hours to get from Brookings to Portland yesterday, with a stop in Eugene to pick up a few things. We have 6 hours in the car today with our trip to and from Seattle for the celebration. .I am thankful that I don't have to do the actual driving, but can sit and relax a little and have some good conversation with family on the way. I'll be making the 7ish-hour drive back to Brookings tomorrow so it's nice to have a little bit of a focus-break today.

238: The chance to get up to Seattle

Aunt Lynn's celebration of her life is tomorrow and I am so thankful that I'm able to go. Kevin is staying with the girls - we thought 20 hours of driving in one weekend would be a bit much for them to handle. I'm sad that they can't all come up - I know everyone wants to see them - but Kevin is really taking one for the team on this one and I am so grateful to him that I do get to go and spend some time with family and celebrate the amazing woman that Aunt Lynn was in her lifetime here.

237: jumper cables

I know. Another material THING. But really. Whoever thought of making a way to get a car battery up and going again without having to hassle with a tow truck and going to a shop and getting things checked out and fixed ... hats off. A little on the distracted side the other day (imagine that) trying to get Kinsley's car seat out of the Aveo and back into the Saturn, I somehow didn't quite get the door shut. The light stayed on for however long it takes to completely drain a battery to the point of absolutely zero life. None. Nothing.

I am thankful not only for the jumper cables themselves, but for the fact that we happened to try to start the car before tomorrow evening when I am supposed to make the trip to Portland by myself. Had we not, we would have been stuck with no battery, no cables, and then likely no car for Kevin and the girls for the weekend as I would have had to take the Saturn. You see, we had no cables yesterday. We haven't had cables for years. My plan right now is to leave for Portland when Kevin gets off of work, which will likely be around 5ish and too late to start the process of buying cables, getting the car jumped, etc. Not to mention the car needed gas. Had I had to stop to get gas, chances are the battery wouldn't have been charged enough to start again. BUT ... we DID check it. So today the girls and I walked down to Freddy's and got ourselves some cables and jumped the battery. Kevin drove it down to the gas station and we followed behind him knowing that we would likely have to jump it again.

We have the cables. Tomorrow when he gets home we'll jump it again as I'm sure it will be dead after sitting all night and having only charged for about 10 minutes. Then I'll take off for Portland and hope that it charges on my way up. If not ... I'll have those trusty cables right there with me to get me going for my trip back down on Sunday.

236: DOMA is struck down

I don't even know what words to use to express how happy I am with the supreme court decision to strike down the Defense Of Marriage Act. I do realize that there are still many steps that need to be taken and that this battle is not over as there are still way too many states that do not recognize gay marriages, but it is such a HUGE step in the right direction. It makes me SO so happy. Nobody should be judged for who they love. Nobody should be discriminated against because of who they love. It should not matter who we love, it should only matter how we love. I'm thankful that this country is maybe starting to become one that agrees with that.

235: friends

We've only been in Brookings for a little over a week, but I miss my friends like crazy. I've always known that I'm thankful for my friends, but it is much more apparent right now since I'm away from them. I feel like I have made some of the most amazing friendships since being in Eugene - I can't quite put my finger on what is different about them, but there's definitely something. And I am thankful that I get to see them so often in our little community - I know I say it a lot, but it is like none other. Right now I miss being able to walk out my front door and get a smile from someone or a wave or a walk over a visit. I am missing being able to let the girls play out in the grass and run around the apartment with their friends.

We're only here for a couple of months, but I know I'm going to keep missing my friends while we're gone. I'm thankful that I have friends that I really really miss.

234: Chetco library

We have already spent three days at the library here in Brookings. I wasn't planning on having to come up with so many days worth of rainy day activities for the girls being that we're AT THE BEACH FOR THE SUMMER. But we found the library and it has been a lifesaver. It's small and quaint, but it's cute and fantastic. It has a kids' section that has toys and a play house and a train and they even have live animals! There's a bearded dragon (my favorite), a pond turtle, and a whole bunch of little birds. The book selection is much smaller than we're used to, but the girls couldn't care less and don't even notice - as long as we get to bring books home with us, they're happy. And we've brought tons of books home with us already. The ladies that work the desk are so so sweet and seem to know every single person in there by name. I feel like I'm in a small town movie.

233: I'm in better shape than I thought

... not a great deal better, but at least a little bit. I have been struggling to get back after it since coming off of a month break for my ribs. Three miles used to be so easy - heck, six miles was easy - but now it seems like I can barely get through it without having to stop. I can do it, but I have to go much slower than I want to. It's frustrating. But today I was able to do six and a quarter at a decent pace. And I felt like I could have kept going, but I was on a bit of a time constraint and had to get home. It was great to feel like maybe my body is going to remember how to do this a little sooner than I was thinking.

I'm always thankful when I can get a good run in and this one finally felt like I got one.

232: laundry for the summer

It's similar to having a dishwasher for the summer. It is so convenient to have it right between the bedrooms. It makes me feel so productive to be able to NOT have loads and loads worth of laundry building up because I either can't find an empty washer or I just can't get my ish together enough to get the girls and the laundry out the door and to the laundry rooms. It's so so so nice to be able to throw a load in (without having to load the girls up, too), keep doing whatever we were doing, toss it in the dryer when it's done, and then throw it on the bed and fold it while the girls play. Sure, it's not SO inconvenient to walk the 100 feet to the laundry room to do a load in Eugene, but it does get tough when I'm trying to do it in the rain with two small girls who don't want to stop playing. And that apartment is so dang small that a couple of loads worth of laundry actually take up a good amount of space.

I'm loving having a washer and dryer right here in our apartment for the summer. But it's also like a dishwasher in that it's going to be hard to go back to not having one after being spoiled. I'm enjoying it while I have it!

231

Kevin is always reassuring when I need it.

I had a bit of a rough day emotionally and he (genuinely) did and said exactly what I needed to feel better.

230: a dishwasher for the summer!

I often say that I think I would be less stressed out if we had a dishwasher in our tiny Eugene apartment. When the kitchen is the first thing you see when you walk in, and there are constantly dirty dishes in the sink or pots on the stove or even clean dishes in the rack, it constantly feels cluttered - regardless of the state of the rest of the apartment. That gives me a bit of anxiety. I hate feeling cluttered. But when the kitchen is clean I don't even mind when the girls' toys are sprawled out on the living room floor. For some reason, that doesn't feel as messy when the kitchen is clean. But I can't seem to ever have the kitchen completely clean - there are always dishes that either need to be done or need to be put away. The minute I put the clean ones away, there are more dirty ones to be done. It is endless.

This summer we have a dishwasher in our Brookings apartment. And oh. my. word. It is heaven. It takes two seconds to rinse dirty dishes and get them into the dishwasher and then ... it's clean! They're out of the way! And we get this joy for two whole months!

Now I just need to figure out how to come down off of being spoiled when we get back to Eugene and go back to the dishwasher known as "me".

229: absence makes the heart grow fonder

yes, yes it does.

228: callouses

After a month off from running due to bruised ribs, all of the callouses on my feet and toes were gone. That sounds nice - soft, smooth feet again? But when I was finally able to run again, it became very clear why those callouses are so so necessary: my toes hurt so bad! They were so tender and felt like I had crazy blisters in between them. I didn't have any blisters, but the skin was rubbing itself raw. So gross and so painful. Now that I've been back at it for a few weeks, the callouses are coming back ... and they are so so welcomed.

227: I didn't shower right after my run

Why am I thankful that I didn't get a chance to shower before Kevin had to go back to work? Because the girls and I went to the park and ended up getting rained on. I loaded them back into the Burley, put the bubble on, and ran home. I'm glad that I was still in my running gear.

226: we live together again!

It's been a long month with Kevin gone (and back and forth a couple of times), but we're all in Brookings together now and our newest adventure begins!

225: honest feedback and suggestions

I've been sharing my products with lot of people. I must say that I am incredibly thankful that I have people in my life who will be honest with me and not simply say they love things because they don't want to hurt my feelings. I have had some great feedback and some great suggestions. I'm thankful that I have so much support in my attempt to turn my neurosis for being natural into a way to help others enjoy it.

224: picnics with friends

Wednesday, before heading to Portland, we met some friends at Tugman Park for a picnic and play. I should mention that Kim was again a saint today and let me bring the girls over to play so that I could pack and load the car for our trip - she is a Godsend. The park was great. The girls were able to play with some of their friends and get some serious energy out before our drive. And Kim had popsicles for all of them (again, she's amazing). She even let some of the kids ride in the front of her bakfiet to go get the popsicles from her freezer!



Rocky, Daisy, and Kinsley with Kim

I love our Eugene friends.

223: local farms

Tuesday we met up to do some strawberry picking with Christina, Taya, and Isaac, Melissa and her kids, and Jen and Ben. I had heard from Freida that Stillpoint Farm was fantastic, organic, inexpensive, and LOCAL. I'm all about supporting local farming for so many reasons so I was all over this. We spent about three hours out there and it was absolutely gorgeous. 



Dagny caught a little nap on the long drive out.

Christina and Isaac :)

The scenery was beautiful - very serene. 

 

Taya and Kins loving the outdoors

Such a beautiful place!

 

 

The berries were delicious - so sweet and juicy. The kids probably ate a few pounds right off the vines while they were picking. I actually resorted to making it a competition to see how full they could get their pints just to convince them to put some IN the pints and not eat ALL of them just yet.

notice Kinsley's empty pint

there we go :)

The kids had a blast playing with each other and got plenty of fresh air. It's amazing how well they get along when there are no toys involved!

making pretzel eyes with Kelub

love

Last summer we went out to a local blueberry farm and had a great time. We will definitely be going back to Stillpoint and looking for more local farms to support. I'm thankful to have so many options!

222: great new playgrounds!

Monday morning we went out to meet some friends at a new playground. It was pretty deep out at the edge of town, but it was well worth the drive! What a great area. The girls had a blast exploring new structures, swinging, sliding down new slides, climbing new things, playing in the sand and water features, and playing with friends that they haven't seen in a while. I had a great time catching up with some ladies that I haven't seen in a while.

I'm thankful for so many different fantastic playgrounds in Eugene - some big, some small, but so many options to change things up and keep it exciting for the girls.

221: last week of "single" parenthood

We're going to Portland this next weekend for the Hydrocephalus Walk and then we're heading to Brookings! I've definitely settled into a mini routine of doing things on my own with the girls, but I am SO looking forward to living with Kevin again, being a team, and being a family again. 4 more days.

220:

After a long (but very fun) day today ... I'm thankful for this moment right here:

Love me some Bachelorette.

And I'm thankful for Kevin being the amazing man that he is. He is watching my show "with me" from Brookings so that we can really watch it together when I move down there next week. Maybe I'm easy to please, but that might be in the top 10 sweetest things any guy has ever done for me. My husband is pretty damn great.

221: we're almost done with this distance stuff!

Kevin has been in Brookings for nearly a month now. We get to go down next weekend. We've done distance before - many times, actually - but never with kids involved. And it sucks. I can't wait to be together again. And we're almost there.

220: finally no rib pain during runs

Well, for the most part at least. I still feel them, but it's more like a bad bruise now rather than the radiating pain that I was having a week ago. But I can run now, and even though I feel like I'm starting from scratch again and am frustrated with it ... I'm able to run again.

219: Kinsley's school year

This year exceded all of our expectations. Ali and Melissa were incredible and Kinsley grew so much and in so many ways. She absolutely loved the classroom, her love of learning and exploring was enhanced exponentially, she adores her teachers, and she formed some pretty sweet little friendships.

Miss Melissa, Kinsley, and Miss Ali after the preschool Circus of the Stars

Miss Ali and Kinsley on the last day of school

Miss Melissa and Kinsley

Kinsley and Sage couldn't give enough hugs!

LOVE Miss Ali

Kinsley and her buddy Robin

Kinsley, Robin, and Simon on the fire truck

One of the happiest kids I know  <3