...spring break

Last year I got to go to New York right before spring break. I had almost 2 full weeks away from the classroom. It was an incredible, unforgettable experience!

This year I was tired going into the break, then crammed a lot into it. (I wish my parents and my kids didn't live in opposite directions!) A headache lasting toooo many days threatened to ruin my fun, but it turned out to be a good week in spite of it.

The high points....

• Hanging out with my sister and two of her girls--hadn't seen them since last May!

• Eating tacos with Katie and Matt and Nate and Genavieve on Katie's patio in Portland, with a fire in the pit. It was really too cold to be outside, but it was an adventure!


• Getting pedicures with Katie (red toes are ready for sandals!)



• Going to Happy Hour in a funky bar and eating delish food.



• Coming home from Portland and having a day just to "be."
• Spending time with a good friend and her family and getting to hold her newest grandson.
• Reading the day away on Sunday.

So it wasn't New York. But I got to spend a lot of time with people I love. A good break. :-)

...speaking too soon

OK, so the trainer really ISN'T put away for the year. Yes, the sun is shining. Yes, it's warm outside. BUT. It's springtime in good ol' EO...which means that at times the wind is going to blow. Really BLOW. And I am a wimp. I don't mind riding in a little wind, but when the weather channel has issued a weather advisory for gusts up to 45 MPH....nope. I will stay inside, thanks all the same. So the trainer came back inside today. Instead of riding with my usual buddies, here's who kept me company today. (They're not nearly as much fun as the crew from Scott's!) Hopefully, soon, the sun will shine, the wind will stop, the trainer will be tucked away in the garage, and you'll find me out on the backroads once more. Until then...happy spinning!Have I mentioned how cute cycling socks are? Yup, one of the reasons I ride. Ha!

...State playoffs '01

Here are more pictures from the past...Nate's senior year of high school--State Playoffs. All the guys bleached their hair as an act of solidarity. Even some of the parents did. Yikes. Grandma and Grandpa came over from Cove for the game, and Auntie Arlene came all the way from Boise! What fans!

...a blast from the past

When I told Katie I had discovered more old family pictures on my mom's computer she said I had to post them. So here you go, Katie! These are from a trip to Wallowa Lake with Grandma and Grandpa in 2000 or 2001. Grandma had her first digital camera and we had a blast with it.

...Jadyn

Finally! A video of Jadyn from February. Last weekend while in Cove I copied pictures that mom had taken with her camera and combined them with the few I was able to get on mine. (I have learned my lesson--take camera battery charger with me--even when the camera appears to be fully charged, it's not!) Jadyn is such a sweetie (and a bit of an imp!). She reminds us of her dad when he was little, yet she also looks like her mom. And, she looks like her grandma as a little girl. She's a beautiful combination of her gene pool!

...fun with family

My youngest sister and two of her girls (Bea and Tate) were staying with our parents this weekend (her two oldest girls were at the FFA convention in LaGrande) so I drove over the mountain for a visit. (Her husband stayed home to raise the barn and her son is in the Navy.) We had a lot of fun catching up, walking the dogs, climbing at the playground and playing UNO. Our brother Dave stopped in for a visit too. Fun times....we don't get together nearly often enough, but we live toooo far away from each other!Bea is recovering from strep throat so didn't feel like hamming for the camera as much as Tate did.Mom and Dad, just before leaving for church this morning.And this is what they walked out into!Just yesterday mom and I got the chairs out of the shed so we could enjoy the sun!

...high fashion girls

Tate and Grandma, ready for stardom!