No-TV Tuesday: mattress shopping

We left the house this week for No-TV Tuesday - Big night out at BedMart!

But first...  routine X-rays and cleaning at Garden Home Dental:

Fun fact: I've gone to this same clinic since I was a little kid.

Next up - Winco:

While I was unloading my groceries, a guy roared up on this tiny motorcycle:

Still wearing his helmet, and with the bike still running, he jumped off with what looked like a food delivery and ran back and forth across my neighbor's driveway several times before disappearing into their side yard.

Several minutes later, he returned to the driveway, this time with his helmet off, and set the big bag and two Chinese takeout containers in front of the garage. He jumped back on the bike and rode away. 

Meantime, I texted the neighbors and told them a really confused delivery driver left their Chinese food on their driveway.

"We definitely didn't order any Chinese food," she responded.

I looked out the front window and saw both neighbors standing in their driveway looking at the food - so I went out to inquire....

They didn't even know anything was going on - except their dogs were going crazy. Then they found a big pile of FRIED RICE on the ground in their side yard. WHAT?!?!? Maybe the guy was scared by the dogs and dropped the rice? The bag on the driveway was ripped on the bottom... maybe the rice fell out when he was creeping next to their house?? So he just left the ripped bag and two containers randomly on the concrete?? 

They said the guy didn't leave an empty or partial box that would explain where the rice came from... They even checked the garbage can to see if he tossed it. Nope. 

SO WEIRD AND RANDOM!

After all that excitement, Brad and I ate dinner and then went to BedMart to shop for a new mattress!

We answered the survery and got scanned by the computer thingy and then laid on all.the.beds.

Mattress shopping is such an exhausting experience. BUT... Jim the sales guy was really great and patient and helped us figure out what we want.

We put down a deposit on the Sealy Premium Silver Chill hybrid:

At home, Brad continued the research:

It really never ends with this guy 😂

A productive evening for sure - and I can't wait to finalize the sale and get that new mattress next week! 😴

No-TV Tuesday: Ugh

Tuesday was a bad day. I had a run-in with a student that was frustrating, hurtful, and disheartening. Those hurt feelings carried into my evening, I channeled that negative energy into baking.

These are for my students. A reminder for myself that the care and love I have for my students is important - and continues even after a hard day with one student.

I finished a page-turning audio book while cleaning the house and prepping for Wednesday's family dinner: 

I spent the rest of the evening surfing the Internet. Probably not within the spirit of No-TV Tuesday, but it's what I needed.

No-TV Tuesday: cat nap, virtual meeting, chores

First things first: a short nap after work. Gizmo climbed right in with me... this is under the covers!

Monthly OSEA Chapter 51 union meeting:

Finished up my race recap:

Laundry:

Dinner:

Brad's folx are coming for dinner Wednesday, so I did some chores while listening to my audio book:

A good, productive No-TV Tuesday :)

Wildwood 25K - PR!! (4/2/22)

When COVID shut down racing, I continued training and ran my first 25K on my own.

Two years later, I needed motivation to up my mileage, so I thought I'd train for another 25K.

I'm still not comfortable with in-person races, so I set my sights again on the Wildwood Trail.

I used my Peloton app for weekly outdoor runs and weekly hill runs - and then increased mileage on the weekends. Without a specific "race" date in mind, I listened to my body as I ramped up. And I decided Saturday would be the day.

Brad agreed to drop me at the Northwest 53rd trailhead and then wait for me at Germantown - 15+ miles away. 

We left the house at 6 am, and because of the cloud cover, had to wait just a few minutes for it to be light enough for me to run. I did a 5-minute warmup, snapped this pic, and hit the trail:

Just starting to get light:

Meantime, Brad drove to Germantown and ran 8 miles of his own.

In 2020, I ran the distance in 3 hours flat. I had in mind that I could probably do it faster this time, but I didn't know by how much. This time I ran by feel, walking some hills to keep my heart rate under control, but also pushing enough to make it more of a race.

Last time, I ran very early on the Monday after the Fourth of July holiday and saw just three people the entire 15+ miles. This time, on a Saturday, I didn't have the trail to myself. Still, I was early enough to avoid big crowds. 

Near the end was a large group of hikers. I spotted someone with orange hair and instantly recognized her as Jenny Bruso of the Unlikely Hikers. I follow her on IG, and I was so excited that in my late-race delirium, I yelled out, "I know you!!!" as I ran past the group. They all laughed (with me, I hope!). 😂

I was starting to drag when I rounded the corner and saw cars parked below - sweet relief 💓

I finished in 2:52 - 8 minutes faster than 2020! That's 30 seconds per mile!🏆

I am thrilled with my improvement! 

Brad was waiting at the car and helped me as my calves cramped - ouchy! Thanks for supporting me through it all, Brad 💘

I changed into dry clothes and headed to Primo Espresso for a hot chocolate:

It's so satisfying to see your training pay off like this. I'm feeling accomplished and proud 😊

Now we'll have to see what's next...

Rock Weekend at Horsethief Butte - 3/27/22

It's BCEP season, and Brad's assisting his climbing buddy, James, with his class. 

The Mazamas Basic Climbing Education Program is an eight-week program that includes classroom (online right now), breakout, and field sessions, as well as conditioning hikes. 

"You will learn and practice the basic technical skills needed to climb alpine peaks as a climb team member," according to the Web site.

Brad has assisted James in the past, and I was fortunate to tag along on some of the hikes in 2010, 2011, and 2016. Not wanting to stay home while Brad played in the woods, I joined the crew earlier this month on their King's Mountain Junior hike.

This past weekend was the team's turn to rock climb at Horsethief Butte on the Washington side of the river across from The Dalles. My plan was to camp overnight Saturday with the crew and then spend Sunday exploring the area on my own.

We all shared potluck dinner Saturday at Maryhill State Park and then a fitful night of sleep due to warm temps, group campground noise, and incessant train and truck traffic. 

James's assistants left early Sunday to set up the climbing and rappelling stations and I stayed back to make sure the students made it to Horsethief. We carpooled to the parking lot and all walked in together.

While James and the assistants finished the setup, students donned their climbing harnesses and helmets and eagerly anticipated their day on the rock. I snapped a before picture - what a good-looking bunch!

The balsam root is starting to emerge, and this giant bumble was very happy!

Students getting started on the chimney station:

Look at that view:

The Dalles across the river:

I hung out for a bit as everything got under way. Then I realized I was having such a good time that I didn't want to leave! The weather was perfect. The view was amazing. The company was wonderful. (And my legs were tired from hiking the day before) So I just decided to stay.

I tried to stay out of the way and also cheer for the students, who were doing very well at all the stations!

Joshua rappelling:

It was fun to see Brad in this teaching situation. He's very good at this!

Julia belaying from above:

I stole this pic from Dan, who's also assisting James this year. It was great to see him!

Halfway through the day, our students moved to another section of the butte, where another BCEP team was set up with similar climbing and rappelling stations. Their students rotated to our stations.

Lindsay killin' it at their rappel:

As things slowed in the afternoon, Brad and James got to get on the rock themselves:

My phone battery was nearly empty, so I didn't get many pics later in the day.

I'm so proud of the students! For some, this was their first time on real rock. And at least one was quite uncomfortable. But each worked hard and got all their skills checked off. And I think everyone had a good day together - I know I did ❤