The gang's all here!

It's official: Brad's family has invaded Newberg :)

When Brad was just a little guy, his immediate family moved from the Midwest to Oregon when dad Steve accepted a pastor position at Newberg Friends Church. So Brad and Jill grew up without extended family nearby - such a different experience from my family, which is mostly in the Portland area!

But over the past years, more and more of his family has been moving into the area. First came cousin Mike and his wife, Aj. Then it was Grandma and Grandpa Wood. Now, Uncle Dick and Aunt Louise have packed up and moved west to join the party!

Lou flew out while Dick and Uncle Stan drove across out with all the stuff. The men arrived this past week, and we had to get together for a little celebration.

Uncle Dick:

Notice his shirt?? He's a big hunter. Stories of dead ducks never get old, especially at dinner.  ;)

Grandma Wood and Aunt Louise (man, those sisters are two peas in a pod!!):

Uncle Stan stuck around for a couple days before flying back to east. Brothers Stan and Steve and cousin Deborah:

The youngest of the three generations gathered for Sunday dinner:

It's so nice to have Brad's family close! I can't wait for more family fun :)

No-TV Tuesday: Election Day

My Tuesday afternoon started with a very important errand: voting!

While we Oregonians can mail or drop off our ballots early, I prefer to drop mine on Election Day - it feels more official that way. I rode my bike to Tigard City Hall and did my civic duty.

Then I pedaled home and threw on my FiveFingers. Now that we have a treadmill, I'd like to try the barefoot running trend. It's essential that I ease into it to allow my body to adjust safely. So I ran slowly for just over 1 mile.

It felt good, but I didn't want to push it. As I expected, my calves are a bit tight this morning. No big aches and pains yet, though.

Next up, I pedaled back to THS for my monthly union meeting.

Fortunately, it didn't last too long because I had a date with my TV. Yes, on No-TV Tuesday I sat for hours and watched my TV. But I've always had an exception for the news. I'm not trying to block out the world on Tuesdays - just cut the vegging.

We watched anxiously as the results poured in and the electoral college numbers added up. And then came the news we were hoping for: Ohio!

(source)

Congratulations, Mr. President!

I finally got to sleep after the concession and acceptance speeches. Way too late for me. But it was worth it :)

Let's do this!

:)

Trails are fun

Between preliminary and finals performances at Saturday's band competition, Eryn and I took a break to go run at Tryon Creek.

It was SO warm - in the mid-60s - and muggy.

The leaves were turning and falling fast - it was beautiful!

We did 3.0 muddy, hilly miles at a 15:22 average. A good workout :)

I love that we have such gorgeous spots so close to home :)

It's a warm rain

Again, so glad I didn't ditch my after-work run.

I'm really happy that I'm in such a routine that I automatically work out and don't let less-than-awesome circumstances get in my way. It's a great feeling.

It was dry all day... until it was running time. Still, I changed my clothes and headed out for an easy 3 miles.

I'm hitting the trail again tomorrow with Eryn, so I wanted to go light today. I did 3.0 miles at a 9:34 pace:

It was sort of misty when I left CE2. But by the time I finished, it was raining hard! Fortunately, it was a warm rain, and I was comfortable without a jacket after about a half mile.

TGIF :)

Christmas comes early

I have personal rules for the holidays. I believe in concentrating on one special day at a time, and that means not decorating for Thanksgiving until after Halloween and not decorating for Christmas until after Thanksgiving.

BUT... Al's Garden Center held it's annual Evening of Lights last night, and we couldn't resist the brief  Christmas preview.

First thing, Eryn and I made a beeline for the Halloween decorations - 50% off!!

Then we took in the Christmas sights. I love this metal nativity scene. If I was ever rich, I'd buy it.

Had to break out the Christmas socks!

A flute-and-harp duet played beautiful Christmas tunes:

Everything was 10% off, so I bought a Halloween decoration, dilly beans and the best toffee I've ever sampled.

And now I will put away my Christmas thoughts for another month and enjoy November :)

Happy November!

:)