2022: Nos. 18 - 25

March reading roundup 😃

 No. 18 - Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica:

No. 19 - Strange Brew by Kathy Hogan Trocheck: 

No. 20 - Everything's Trash, But It's OK by Phoebe Robinson: 

No. 21 - The Hand that Rocks the Ladle by Tamar Myers:

No. 22 - The Consequences of Fear by Jacqueline Winspear:

No. 23 - I Found You by Lisa Jewell:

No. 24 - All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny:

No. 25 - Love, Loss, and What We Ate by Padma Lakshmi:

:)

No-TV Tuesday: Taxes

Absolutely nothing worth reporting happened for this week's No-TV Tuesday... but since I'm using this for accountability...

My one goal for the evening was finishing my book. Mission accomplished.
Brad worked on the taxes, which are apparently more complicated this year because of the sale of his company and the stocks involved in that. It might finally be time to hand it over to a professional. 

Other than dinner, that was it. Our whole evening.

WOOHOO 😑

Year of Hiking 2022: 16 - 23

March means Spring Break and spring-ish weather - and that means more hiking opportunities! Five of these were brand-new to me 😀 52-Hike Challenge

No. 16 - Angel's Rest, March 3:

No. 17 - Newell Creek Canyon Nature Park, March 6:

No. 18 - King's Mountain Junior Loop, March 12:

No. 19 - Gleneden Beach, March 18:

With my (CE)2 crew! ❤

No. 20 - Hardy Ridge, March 22:

No. 21 - Ridgefield Wildlife, March 24:

No. 22 - Lyle Cherry Orchard, March 26:

No. 23 - Horsethief Butte, March 27:

:)

No-TV Tuesday: Hardy Ridge trail run

It's Spring Break, and Brad joined me in a couple days off. We decided Tuesday's forecasted near-record highs called for an outdoor adventure.

Brad is not a morning person, so my question is always, "How early are you willing to leave?" Beating the crowds is my No. 1 goal. We compromised and left home early but not super early 😁 An empty parking lot was our reward!

We picked a trail run at Hardy Ridge, a new spot for both of us. Guides said it was 8.5 miles, but since it abuts the Hamilton Mountain trail system, we thought we'd explore and see what our legs could handle.

Snow patches and overgrown brush made the summit ridge extra exciting! It's clearly not a well-traveled trail - at least not this time of year. 

The summit's 360-degree view was 100% obscured by clouds. It was warm and calm, and I could feel the moisture on my bare skin.

A tiny cairn marked the summit:

The "view":

I always forget to bring my Altra gaiters but managed to pack them this time. Wow - what a difference! I won't forget them again!

We headed downhill to Hardy Creek and found tons of snow in the sheltered canyon.

The snow helped us decide our route as we made our way up to Hamilton Mountain.

We knew we'd start seeing people as we entered the very popular Hamilton Mountain area. But 3 hours of solitude was awesome! And because we came in from the top, the trails weren't super crowded.

Absolutely beautiful!

Hamilton Mountain summit - no view there, either:

We made our way down and found the parking lot nearly full - so glad we went early!

13.3 miles and 3,700 feet of elevation gain:

We can't wait to go back later in the season 😀

No-TV Tuesday: Target, New Seasons run

First item of business after work Tuesday was a nap! I love to squeeze in one if I have time. It makes the early wakeup calls easier!

Our cat is a barfer. The poor thing has a weird tummy, and I try not to get mad because I do, too. She leaves us presents around the house - kind of like an Easter egg hunt 😬

We have this awesome spot cleaner, but the hose broke when I was cleaning up her mess. (We've had it for many, many years. It's not defective.)

So glad Brad was able to order a replacement hose instead of a whole new machine!

If you have pets, I HIGHLY recommend the Bissell SpotBot!

After dinner, we hit Target and New Seasons. We recently switched out our flannel sheets and discovered our non-flannels were kinda sad. So we wandered the aisles at Target trying to compare and figure out which to get. And Brad picked out a new snuggle pillow:

Update: Brad read some reviews Wednesday and then checked out the Target by his work. He found several on clearance and brought home THREE options for the price of the one we bought Tuesday night - including one that's the same but in a different color! 

Brad needed coffee, so we also hit New Seasons for some essentials:

Nothing exciting, but it felt nice to get out of the house and also get some things done.

PS - We're choosing to still wear our masks in stores. It was nice to see some others also masking 😷

Mood

 

Two more!

(CE)2 said goodbye to two more students this week!

CONGRATULATIONS to Leonor and Mekhai! Both were with us last year as we tackled remote learning and stuck with us through the madness. And now they've graduated early! 

So proud of you both 💗

No-TV Tuesday: migraine edition

Today was ACT day at school, so basically a work day for me. It was awesome to have time to catch up from last week's tiny, mini sabbatical. 

After work, I hit up Winco for necessary supplies for tomorrow's Wednesday Supper Club with the fam. I ran into friends Jen and Sue and had a nice chat.

As soon as I got home, Brad texted to say he had a migraine coming on and was headed home.

He went straight to sleep to try to knock it down, and I quietly cleaned the kitchen. Chore night was abbreviated, but I got done what I needed to get done before company. I also finished one audio book and started a new one.

I'm trying to be quiet, so nothing at all exciting to report. Hopefully Brad will sleep it off and feel better tomorrow.

💗

A week of rest

When I envisioned my week off, I hoped to hike and spend time outdoors. As it neared, the forecast called for lots and lots of rain. I love rain, but I was disappointed conditions wouldn't be great for outdoor adventures. 

However, the rain provided a forced rest that I think I really needed.

I haven't completed any big home projects, and I spent minimal time doing "chores." Most of my week has been reading and binging Netflix (Clickbait and Pieces of Her). Gizmo again proved to be an amazing sabbatical buddy:

A rain break was predicted for Thursday, so I decided to do my weekly hill repeats at Angel's Rest.

It was an excellent run and outing - smiles the whole time:

Winter provides views unseen in the summer:

The plan was to drive the short distance to Lindsey's house in Vancouver, refuel with a hot chocolate while waiting for her workday to end, then grab a quick shower and enjoy Georgian takeout from Dediko. Well, traffic had other plans, and I spent the next 2 hours in near gridlock. Fortunately, Lindsey is way more chill than me and didn't mind the tardiness and change in plans. She ordered us a bunch of dishes to try, and we still ate really yummy food when I finally got there. (I was supposed to buy for her birthday month, so the next one's on me!!!!!!)

I was so glad to have an audiobook to keep me company in the car! Thanks, Phoebe Robinson, for the laughs 😂

Friday was another restful day trying not to feel guilty about not being productive. WOW. We are really, really conditioned to not allow ourselves rest. We're supposed to be going and doing and producing all the time. I think this week of rest was very valuable for me - and I plan to do it again next year when I'm allowed another five days of leave without pay.

Saturday was a long run in Portland with Kate. She is the perfect running partner, and it was a wonderful 10.5 miles.

I stole these beautiful pics from her:

Two badass ladies who easily knocked out double digits while our partners slept! 😂

Hot chocolate milk from Primo Espresso on my way home:

Sunday was an outing to Newell Creek Canyon Nature Park, another brand-new Metro park:

We ran all the pedestrian trails (some trails are bike only) for a total of 4 miles.

Then a stop at Oswego Creamery on the way home for some black licorice ice cream. Dad would be proud 😇

As my tiny, mini sabbatical comes to an end, I'm so thankful for this time of rest. And now this is my Monday mantra:

😂😂😂

I can do this.