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.