No. 35

As part of my prepping for the new school year, I did a Costco run armed with a purchase order to buy classroom supplies. I bought some pens, highlighters and bathroom items. Then I spotted The Fault in Our Stars by John Green for just $8. I had to have it for our CE2 library!

I cataloged it, officially adding it to the THS collection, then decided I'd better read it to see what all the hubbub is about - you know, so I can advise my students ;)

It is a very quick read! It's well written, though simple and not high-brow literature. But really, I don't like that kind of book anyway! It is a good story.

I won't give anything away - you'll have to read it for yourself. Now I need to decide if I should see the movie...

:)

Cool, cloudy ride

Dad and I were on the road at 6 a.m. today for a ride around town. It was cool and cloudy - perfect for some morning exercise!

I felt some tiny sprinkles, but otherwise it was dry and calm. Then sun started to peek out as we finished up. A beautiful morning :)

I dropped off Dad at 10 miles and then peddled home for a total of 11.2.

King's Mountain (8/15/14)

After one week of work, I decided a mini vacation was in order! I convinced Eryn to go with me, and when Dad heard we were going hiking, he invited himself along.

We left after work Friday and stopped at the King's Mountain trailhead on Highway 6. It was a first for Dad and Eryn.

It's a short but very steep trail, gaining about 2,500 feet in just 2.5 miles. We stopped for a little break at the lower lookout:

What a view, huh?!

It took just over 2 hours to reach the 3,226-foot summit:

Completely socked in at the top - no view  :(

The first part is a bit slippery, and Eryn ended up on her butt!

We got a big laugh out of her poopy pants :)

We were quickly losing light on the way down but managed to reach the bottom in one piece.

Dark!

Then on to Tillamook Subway for a late dinner:

We crashed at Ma and Pa's Oceanside beach house, where Pa was preparing to paint the deck. We had the pleasure of discovering the dead hot water heater. Yippee. Cold showers all around!

Pa was busy at work Saturday morning when we headed south.

A quick stop at the beach:

And a viewpoint along Highway 101:

When Mom heard we were going to the outlet mall in Lincoln City, she wanted in on the action. She drove west while we drove south, and we met up at Mo's for lunch.

I tried to get a good one of Dad and this is the best. I think he looks just like family friend Bruce in this one:

We shopped and shopped, then ate dinner at Gallucci's before heading home.

A nice little getaway before Week 2 at work :)

Mom takes the challenge

When Eryn and I took the Ice Bucket Challenge, Eryn tagged Mom to go next. Well, she's always up for anything, but she decided to up the ante by inviting a crowd to watch - for a price.

She's in the middle of band camp, so she challenged all her students (along with THS staff and all her Facebook friends) to pay for a ticket to the show. (A $5 ALS donation for kids and $10 for adults)

A large group gathered at lunchtime on the front lawn of the school to witness this:

Way to do it up big, Mom! It was worth my $10 :)

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

My friend, Bill, tagged me in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Because I was heading straight out of town, I missed my 24-hour deadline but did it as soon as I got home tonight - set up lights in the dark and everything.

I challenge my sister, Eryn, my kickboxing instructor, Brittany, and my life-long friend, Tera. If you accept, get doused and donate $10 to ALS research or stay dry and donate $100.

Eryn wanted to get hers out of the way and joined me on the deck. Check out our video:

Brittany and Tera, your turns.... :) :) :)

Adventure Thursday: Tryon hike

Dad joined me for a short hike yesterday at Tryon Creek State Park.

We spent about an hour going up and down the steep trails. We also explored a little, checking out a side trail we'd never hiked before.

Thanks for the little adventure, Dad! :)

Doubling up

Inspired by Paul, a fella in my kickboxing group, I decided to bike to class Wednesday afternoon.

I mapped my route, tied a cue sheet to my top tube and hit the road with plenty of time to pedal to southwest Portland.

The route was simple and fairly easy, and, even with traffic, I was there in about 35 minutes - 6.5 miles door to door.

Class was hard. Usually my lower body is my strength - I can do squats all day ;) But with all my weekend bike miles and a hard Monday kickboxing class, my legs were just plain tired. Still, it was so great to sweat!

And because class was smaller, I was able to get some extra attention and a little technique tip from instructor Brittany. On that note - Brad, Lindsey and I plan to take a private technique class next weekend so we know what we're doing out there ;)

Paul-the-cyclist was also in class and gave me a tip for the ride home (He lives in Tualatin and does much of the same route). I followed it and avoided a hill - yippee!

:)