No. 13

No. 13 was Diane Mott Davidson's Crunch Time - the last in my culinary-mystery collection! Such sadness. These are light and entertaining and perfect for letting my mind rest amid trying times. :)

Nos. 10, 11 and 12

No. 10 was David Baldacci's The Innocent on audio book. I'm addicted to these :)

No. 11 was Diane Mott Davidson's Double Shot - culinary mystery goodness:

And No. 12 was Lego City Look Out Below!

Tim and Laura recommended this gem while we were visiting their home. It's full of silly puns :)

lunch running buddy

My cross-fitting co-worker recently decided to add a bit of cardio to his daytime routine and invited me to join for some lunch-time sweating. We both brought our gear Wednesday and hit the track for a short run.

Tony planned to do 800 meters, but as we approached the end, he asked if I was up for one more lap. Duh :) Then three laps turned into four for 1 mile total - without stopping! 

Nice job, Tony! 

Since I was gonna need a shower anyway (sweat monster!), I left Tony in our classroom and hit the neighborhood for another 2 miles. 

Perhaps this will be a regular thing - a good prompting to get off my butt at lunch :)

Tigard snow!

This has been such a strange winter. I read that Chicago was snow-free in January and February for the first time in almost 150 years! Meantime, it's been snowing like crazy in Portland and Seattle! We might see more next week.

Dec. 14 was crazy in P-town! Snow hit mid-day, and area roads completely jammed as schools and businesses sent everyone home early. Early release ended up being very, very late release for some who were stuck at school until bedtime because buses were stuck in traffic. It was near gridlock in many areas.

I simply rode my bike home when we were told to leave. Snowflakes in the eyes were harsh, but flakes on the ground were no problem.

I love my Sherm :)

Brad also left early, but his 8-mile commute from Wilsonville was a nightmare. After nearly 2 hours, he ditched the car in Tualatin Park and walked the 2 miles home through Cook Park.

Later, when traffic subsided, we ran together to retrieve the car. It was absolutely beautiful.

Such a rare treat... usually. This year, it sorta became common!

:)

Best day? Worst day?

Yesterday was one of my proudest as an educator. And also one of my worst.

I posted these signs in our bathroom. I am so very honored to support my students during this incredibly difficult time. As a very white person with deep roots in the United States, I can only imagine what they are going through. I will fight for them with all my power.

But as I was posting "Know Your Rights" on the wall where I usually hang silly facts about the current holiday - you know, like how much people spend on candy for Halloween and the origin of Christmas trees and whether corn was actually served at Thanksgiving - I was really sad. I should be sharing fun facts about shamrocks and green rivers this March. Instead, I am sharing life-and-death information. Because they may need it. My students are in danger, and that hurts my heart.

I was also wearing my multilingual "I'm glad you're my neighbor" shirt, and one student noticed and told me he liked it. Small things make a difference, and I will continue to do things - big and small - to protect the vulnerable.

#resist #knowyourrights

Old Maid Flats (12/18/16)

With all the early snow this year in Oregon, Brad and I got out several times before the end of the year. Our first outing was Dec. 18 - in the middle of a snow event at home in Portland!

We decided on Old Maid Flats, an easy trail low on the mountain. Because of it's elevation, there's not always enough snow for skiing. That is not a problem this year :)

The trip was a scouting expedition because we hoped to take Jill and Maroof there for their requested Dec. 26 cross-country skiing adventure.

The trail is a closed road that trends slightly uphill to the summer Ramona Falls trailhead parking lot. Clouds mostly obscured our view of Mount Hood (barely visible just left of center)

We loved laying fresh tracks across the "field" (parking lot).

Time for a snack break before a little exploring along the riverbank:

It was just a gorgeous day in the woods!

We had fun testing our downhill skills on the little hills next to the river :)

I think we did about 6 miles in all. Happy boy:

:)

Candles of joy, hope, courage, peace, grace and love

It's always nice to reminisce about Christmas, right? And since I have months of photos sitting in my camera just waiting to be shared with the world, we're going back today :)

Christmas Eve at Newberg Friends is really, really special. I love the music and fellowship and candles and tradition. And being in the handbell choir, I get to enjoy it three times each year!

This poem was especially poignant with all the unrest this year:

I will light candles this Christmas,
Candles of joy despite all sadness,
Candles of hope where despair keeps watch,
Candles of courage for fears ever present,
Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days,
Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens,
Candles of love to inspire all my living,
Candles that will burn all year long.
                   (Candles for Christmas, Howard Thurman)

Each service ends with Silent Night by candlelight. So wonderful.

Eryn and I remembered to go outside to see the luminaries!

Christmas morning at Mom and Dad's house:

Virtual reality at Ma and Pa's:

The family:

The Pa:

Christmas evening at the Wood's house in Vancouver:

Gifts in front of the fire:

As spring is starting to bud, it's fun to look back at our wonderful holiday season. My favorite :)