Sunriver cheese, snowshoes, long runs, hot tubbing, and snowy walks

For Christmas this year, my aunts very generously gifted us a stay at their beautiful Sunriver home. We looked at the calendar and requested Presidents Day weekend for a little getaway.

Friday's dinner was a cheese buffet while watching the Olympics

Saturday's weather looked best, so we went into the woods for an adventure. Because there was very little snow in the area - and none fresh - we opted for snowshoes. We slept in a bit and went later in the day. The trail wasn't crowded, and the parking lot was almost empty when we finished the long loop.

Edison Shelter:

Love adventuring in my locally made Purple Rain skirts!

Sunday was run day. My schedule called for 12 miles, but I got up early with the goal of running whatever felt right - at least 6 miles. I headed down the Sunriver paths to the Deschutes River Trail and planned to run toward Benham Falls.

A little overnight snow covered the paths, but footing was solid... until I hit the trail. I didn't know the dusting covered a frozen puddle/tiny ice rink. I lost my footing and felt like a cartoon character flailing in one place, try desperately to stay on my feet. I did not stay on my feet 😬 

You can see where I bit it:

I bonked my elbow, which still hurts a little, but otherwise, I was fine. My Garmin watch knew I'd fallen and started to send an emergency alert. I didn't know it did that! I was able to cancel the alert before it sent. 🚨

I called Brad, who was still back at the house getting ready to run, and warned him that the trails were impassable. He ended up running in his Yatrax and said it worked well!

I decided to stick with the Sunriver paths and ran toward the river. I've run there enough that I have a fairly good sense of where stuff is. I just ran by feel and checked the big maps when needed.

This huge owl was hanging out by the river, so I had to stop and snap a pic:

It snowed off and on throughout my run, and I was absolutely giddy!

I finished with 12.38 miles and dubbed it my Tour de Sunriver:

It was truly a great run. My splits were even, and I felt strong the entire time. Happy runner back at the house:

The snow showers alternated with patchy sun, and I was dressed perfectly to adjust to the changing temps/wind/precip (zippers up, zippers down, gloves on, gloves off, buff on, buff off... repeat!).

Not many people were out in the weather, and I enjoyed my mostly solo adventure! We got cleaned up and then recouped in the hot tub 😻

Monday, winter finally returned! We woke to about an inch of snow, and it just kept dumping!

Brad drove his RC Jeep around the deck, and it was way more entertaining than it should have been 😆

We got out for a few casual miles in the snow before packing up and returning to real life in the valley.

A huge thank you to Kari and Vicki for this gift of a winter getaway 💓

No-TV Tuesday: getting stuff done

No-TV Tuesday was all about getting stuff done this week.

After an Omicron-prompted hiatus from Wednesday Supper Club, we're back on! That means we need to get the house company ready.

First was a stop at Winco:

Then I squeezed in a short snoozy. Gizmo climbed right under the covers and curled up with me. She is the best snoozy buddy!

Then I got to work making dinner for Supper Club - Sally's minestrone:

I made a double batch so I could freeze some for later:

Laundry. There's always laundry:

I replanted a Christmas jade from Ma:

And this struggling guy. Thought maybe a bigger pot would help:

We'll see :)

A productive Tuesday!

Remembering Dad with hikes, agates, and ice cream

Mom, Eryn, and I spent the weekend of Feb. 12 doing some of Dad's favorite things.

First up: a short hike at Bloom Lake off Highway 26:

Then we stopped at Camp 18 for a brunch snack - scrambled eggs and a giant cinnamon roll:

Dad would have loved that ooey, gooey pastry!

Then another short hike at Soapstone Lake on Highway 53

Then ice cream at Tillamook Creamery:

Much of the weekend was chill... hanging out, watching Olympics, snacking...

Eryn made us cheese and onion enchiladas.

Eryn and I headed to nearby Short Beach and ended up hunting for agates, something Dad spent hours doing on beach trips.

I'd heard it was a popular rock-hounding spot - there were tons of people on the small beach searching for natural treasures. Our haul:

So pretty!

Dinner was takeout from Mike's Mac & Sanny Shack in Tillamook. YUMMO!!!

Sunday I got up with the sun for a run. First up to Maxwell Mountain:

Then down to the beach:

And then some beach miles in the sun:

On the way home, Mom decided she needed *more* ice cream! Dad would have agreed, so back to the creamery it was!

Four years seems like forever, but also just yesterday. We all miss Dad so much. And we're glad we can remember him with food, relaxation, and nature ❤

No-TV Tuesday: Poop Like a Champion

No-TV Tuesday was mostly getting stuff done: groceries, laundry, dinner, trash out, etc.

But then the Amazon man dropped a mystery package on the porch. I hadn't ordered anything. Brad hadn't ordered anything. 

This was inside:

Um.... 😆

Our first text was to Brad's parents. They didn't know. Then to my mom and sis. They didn't know. Then to Jill and Maroof (Brad's sister and BIL in NYC).

"Happy Valentine's Day!!!" Maroof said.

"I saw it yesterday and we both thought you guys needed it in your lives."

HAHAHA!!!

The Amazon reviews are hilarious!

Poop Like a Champion claims that one serving is 84% of your daily fiber! We had to give it a try. It smells horrible and tastes about the same - even with sugar. We just had a tiny bit, afraid to ingest too much fiber before bed!

We'll see if it lives up to its claims 😬🚽💩

Real dinner was Triple-Decker Tortilla:

With leftovers for lunches!

I worked through my latest audio book while getting stuff done:

Pretty bad when poop cereal is the highlight of your evening 😁

Miss you, Dad

Four years. It seems like yesterday and forever ago at the same time.

I miss you so much, Dad 💗 You're always in my heart.