...a good weekend

So sorry to all of the folks in the Midwest and NE who are still covered in snow. This is what the NNE corner of Oregon looked like this weekend! Ahhhhh....



Those pesky goat heads abound year 'round.

Saturday...31 miles with Kathie and Bob. Top speed? 38.8, going down the hill into Echo. (Had to pause at the bottom to pick the bugs out of my grin.)

Sunday...35 miles with the whole crew. We would have gone further but several wanted to get back in time to see the hockey game between USA and Canada. Proof that yes, I can actually lead the pace line once in a while. (I was working too hard on the next hill to snap a picture of them blowing past me.)

...a little of this and a little of that

Obviously, I have not been blogging much lately. Here's what's been going on:

1. School...that's a given. Moving on. Oh, wait! My students created photo essays using the Photo Story program. (My technology goal...and once I taught them the basics, they took off with it and were teaching ME how to do things!) When the essays were finished we had a showing in the classroom for parents and siblings. Five pizzas were gone in no time and we had a wonderful time!
   
2. Riding my bike. We're having unseasonably warm and sunny weather for February, so every chance I get I'm on my bike. Ahhh...
   
3. A date with Katie--both of us drove 1 1/2 hours on Sunday to meet in the middle. We had a great gabfest, oohed and ahhed over each other's hair cut, and parted way too soon. But we'll see each other during Spring Break, which is just around the corner.
   
4. I've tossed around the idea of getting a degree in counseling for a while now. Just yesterday I took the plunge and made an appointment to fill out the necessary paperwork. Gulp. The program starts in the fall, classes are only 45 minutes away, and...they are only held on the weekends. Friday evenings, all day Saturday, most of the day Sunday. For a year and a half. Double gulp. Can I do it? Do I want to do it? I was 15 years younger the last time I worked and went to school. But...the seed of an idea has taken hold and I need to follow through.
   
5. My cousin Jenn just contacted me recently on Facebook. I was 15 when she was born so we never really knew each other. A few years ago we started exchanging emails, then...? Who knows why we stopped? I'm glad for the chance to reconnect with her.
   
6. My sister Arlene is taking vacation days during my spring break. We're taking a road trip to Portland together to see Katie and do some shopping. (Not the usual kind of shopping. No, we'll be going to exciting places like Penzey's Spices, Trader Joe's, and Saturday Market!) I can't wait!


7. Nate is coming to spend a day with me Monday. (I'm taking a personal day.) He considered coming last Sunday with Katie, but we needed girl time. It will be good to catch up with him too. He's borrowing my little truck for a bit--he and his roommates are giving up their big old rental house and going their separate ways. A good change for him--he's tired of living in a house with multiple people, one bathroom, and no one willing to clean on a semi-regular basis. Friendships are intact, as far as I can tell--just time for a change.
   
8. Twenty-some years ago I made a book bag for myself. When Katie went off to college she nabbed it for her own and used it. And used it. Until it was worn out. (One cannot see the handles in this picture--they are in shreds!)
9. On Sunday she gave it back to me. "Mama, please make me another one!" I don't have the pattern any more, so will be taking this old one apart and using it to make a new one. Time to start ripping.

**Update: Two new bags--one for Katie because she requested it and one for Arlene, just because. I am guilty of feeding the addiction of my two favorite bag ladies. :-)

...finding balance

Anyone who has been reading my blog since September knows that this is an incredibly busy school year for me, a fact that I've whined more than enough about. To keep my sanity and feel like I'm still in control of my life I carve out little bits of time to sew. Sewing takes me away from it all like nothing else does.

These two projects went into the mail to Katie yesterday. In December she mused that it would be fun to have colorful aprons to wear to work on the holidays, instead of boring, everyday black. (She works at a small family-owned Scottish pub, not a chain, so some independence is allowed.)

Next up: The last time I saw her my favorite three year old put in a request for a new apron with pink bunnies. I can't wait to get started.

...a pizza story

My son Naterecently created something on Face Book that made me smile, but really didn't make much sense. It involved friends, a very cheesie nacho, and silliness. When I asked him about it on the phone he said, "Mom, it was like the tiny pizza." Enough said. I totally understood the silliness behind his post without having to hear all the details. I hope everyone has a "tiny pizza" story. This is ours:

Several years ago when Nate was in middle school and Katie was in 5th grade our budget was pretty tight. One Friday night towards the end of the month we wanted something other than macaroni and cheese. It was Friday night, after all. So we gathered up all the coupons for free food we had laying around and headed to town. (For some reason Katie elected to stay home and wait for us to return with the goods, so unfortunately, she doesn't share our "tiny pizza" story.) We had a coupon for a burger from one joint, fries from another, and the prize, a free pizza from the local take-and-bake. So we made our rounds, gathering up our feast, and finally made it to the pizza joint. The two of us went in, placed our order, handed over the coupon, then sat down to wait. And wait. And wait. Finally, after what seemed like an incredibly long time our name was called. We walked up to the counter...and were handed the tiniest pizza we had ever seen. We looked at the pizza, looked at each other, and barely got out the door before we were doubled over with laughter. There we were, two large people, sitting and waiting forever for a pizza that wouldn't even feed a three year old. We laughed so hard on the way home that I could barely drive. I remember Nate asking me at one point if I needed to pull over. Of course we tried to explain the situation to Katie when we got home, but for some things...you just have to be there. Even now, all these years later, the "tiny pizza" is my go-to memory when I need a good laugh. It hasn't failed me yet.