When Dad got wind of our plan to go to the beach for our Weekly Wednesday, he asked if we could postpone it until the weekend so he could join us.He even got off early Friday so we could get out of town. But first, Mom wanted to stop at the Washington County Fair on the way.
Clearly, this is made for children, since none of us fit behind the cutout :)
Had to see the chickens and the bunnies:
And the cows (this one looked two-headed when we first walked in to the barn!)
Am I the only one disturbed by these signs, posted on the bovine barn??
Goats! These ones were raised by my former student, Mandi. They were just about to head into the ring to show:
Mom had to get a corn dog:
And play in a tractor!
My favorite booth:
We jumped back on the highway and drove to a fancy dinner in Tillamook:
And then the cheese factory:
We spent the night at Ma & Pa's house in Oceanside. Mom made us play Trivial Pursuit until late in the night. I learned that Kosajevo is NOT a place.Before traveling south to the Lincoln City outlet mall, Dad and I walked up to the top of Maxwell Mountain:
We spend a couple hours at the mall, getting some good deals on shoes, clothes, bras and books. Eryn even bought adult-sized clothes this time!!Then it was an early dinner at Mo's with Uncle Don and Aunt Cynthia:
Can you tell they are sister and brother??
A very nice getaway :)
Most CE2 seniors read Siddhartha just before they graduate... as part of the Senior English packet. I often hear them talking about it, so I figured I should give the classic a read.
Though it's just over 100 pages, it wasn't a quick read for me. It's translated and fairly wordy... not conversational. I really struggle with books that aren't conversational and, therefore, gravitate toward those that are.It was a good story of a man on a spiritual journey. But I found it a bit too philosophical - I prefer novels without a moral :)Speaking of, I think I'll read a trashy murder mystery next!
I turned on my Garmin for my dusky run today and the battery was dead. Well, poop. I don't know how to run without it. How will I know how fast I'm going?? I felt so naked without that giant thing on my wrist! My watch only told me what time it was!
Fortunately, Brad had his Garmin. We stayed together for the first 3.25 miles before I headed home... my time almost done. He went on to run a bit longer.With his GPS, Google Maps and some old-fashioned math, I figured out that I did 4.26 miles in 41 minutes - including a 1-minute walk in the middle. If my brain and calculator are correct, that's a 9:38 average.I'm still tired from Sunday's half, so that was enough effort for tonight.:)
My grandparents both celebrate their birthdays this week - Ma on 7/26 and Pa on 7/30!
They invited us to join them Tuesday for Trivia Night at Max's Fanno Creek Brew Pub in Tigard, something they do regularly with friends Joel and Margie.They all gathered early, in time to get cheap eats during happy hour. And then the game started at 7 p.m. It was really fun! Thanks to a variety of ages and interests, our team of eight, the Rank Amateurs, ended up in a three-way tie. We lost the second tie-breaker question. But then five of us took home door prizes - woohoo!!If you're looking for something fun on a Tuesday, check out Trivia Night!HAPPY BIRTHDAYS, Ma & Pa!!!!!!!! :) :) :)
I had this idea for a Weekly Wednesday...
We seem to hoard gift cards - holding on to them for some magical special occasion that never comes. We end up with a bunch crowding our wallets for, sometimes, years. OR... what about the ones that have just a couple bucks left on them? (Does everyone do that or just us??)
So how about running around and using up all the little cards in our purses? An adventure with spending as little money as possible! First up was Davidson's for a late breakfast. We ate and sketched out our day. 
The one-egg special for me (sub fruit for meat): 
Years ago, Eryn won free bowling... OK! 
We only had two coupons, so I watched, snapped pictures and heckled the bowlers. 
Mom, who has a crooked right arm from a childhood accident, crushed Eryn!!! It was great :) 
Tiny ball + handicapped bowler = happy Mom and sad Eryn. 
Next we swung over to the brand-new Wilsonville Fred Meyer to spend my $7.99 from a Christmas return: 
I spent just 24 cents and got four plants: 
Then we hit up Target, where Eryn had a $10 gift card left unclaimed all year at work.
First I made Mom (the social studies teacher) play the can-you-name-all-the-presidents game. She got ALMOST all of them right - and in order, too! WOOHOO! 
Eryn searched and searched and finally settled on this coat. It cost her just $12! (yes, it's in the children's section. no, she doesn't care. if the shoe jacket fits...) 
We needed nourishment, so we grabbed some grub at Claim Jumpers, where Mom had a $25 gift card. 
We carefully selected off the lunch menu to use exactly the right amount. We had 53 cents leftover so we gave it to the family at the next table. 
Fish tacos for me: 
Next up was my top-secret stop at Fit Right NW to register for my impulsive half marathon. I'm glad they made me do it - otherwise I might have chickened out!
Across the river to Next Adventure, where Eryn and I each had $40 gift certificates from Christmas that were about to expire. She did not buy this hat: 
I forgot to take any pictures, but Eryn scored a brand-new pair of Chaco sandals that cost her just $10.
I found a shirt and then let Mom use the rest of the $40 to buy a backpack. She gave me cash, which I used to offset my $60 race fee... perfect!!! We still had several cards to use up, but it was getting late and we were running out of steam. We headed home but first stopped at Starbucks for a quick pick-me-up: 
Eryn had exactly enough to buy two drinks and a bag of chips: 
Eryn wasn't feeling well on Wednesday, so our outing was pushed back until Friday. I'm glad we postponed and didn't bag it... it was a lot of fun! We love bargains :)
I needed to do 6 today, but seeing how close I was to 300, I went a little extra to finish it off.
I'm still pretty tired from my half, which was just a week ago, and it's warm and muggy. And I was carrying my cellphone and awaiting word from my husband, who has been climbing all weekend. So it wasn't my very best run. I stopped a couple times to text and call - something I never do. 
Next weekend will be my last long run before I taper for my half marathon at Disneyland!!!!
