Labor Day Weekend

Since Labor Day feels like it was forever ago, I don't really remember what we did, but I do have pictures...

On the Friday night of Labor Day weekend, we had a reunion dinner with some people we went to Hawaii with in April.  What that really meant was that we went to dinner with Kris and John and the Hobbs family, but it was at the house of one of Kris's friends who went to Hawaii for the wedding.  It was good to see everyone, and we were especially happy because Dianna lives about a half mile from us.

Ted, John (with his rum punch), and Randy 

Kris and Ted are always so photogenic together, 

especially with Sara photobombing. 

Trey and Silas are becoming good buddies.

We wish we had more time to get them together. 

A little couple's switcheroo... 

Randy, Trey, and I were on high alert because Grandma and Grandpa Clark were arriving at our house from California (via Lincoln City) on Friday night.  They were on their way north to Washington to finally get to see their new house built in Port Townsend.  We are so happy to have them closer!  As soon as we got the call that they were close (meaning sitting in front of our house), we headed home.

Grandpa Doug jumped right in to read Trey stories during bedtime.

On Sunday we went to visit the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum which was on the way to McMinnville to show everyone my new school.   Trey wasn't as impressed as I thought he'd be (in fact, neither was I), but the space part of the museum was cool, and the playground was awesome.

Trey flying in a bi-plane 

Trey thought he was touching the moon.  

I didn't have the heart to correct him. 

Doug and Carmen are moving to Washington because they have RETIRED!!!  They bought a property years ago and have been spending the last year supervising the construction of their new home all the way from California.  Doug will still work 25% for the university (I don't think he will ever fully retire), but they are so excited to start this next chapter of their lives and we couldn't be happier for them!

Grandpa Doug celebrating his last day of full time employment! 

The whole weekend was pretty relaxing.  It was nice to have the grandparents around, and Trey had so much fun with them.  And look what I got...

Someone else to play Rescue Bots! 

On Monday, the in-laws headed north and Randy went fishing.  Trey and I went to meet Mindy and Camille at the park for playtime and a picnic.  No idea what I did for the rest of the day, but I have a hunch it had something to do with meal planning, chores, and running errands.

Last days of summer

Wrapping up the last few weeks of summer was bittersweet.  I tried to get organized and get those last minute errands finished (dentist, car maintenance - actually, Randy did that for me, etc).  I also tried to spend as much quality time with Trey as I could despite the fact that playing Rescue Bots constantly is driving me insane.  I was starting to think about the good parts of going back to work (exercising regularly again, showering every day, listening to NPR in the car to stay up to date with the news, not using social media as much, not spending as much money during the day) partly as a way to make myself feel better about summer ending and partly because I really am looking forward to all of those things.

At some point Randy took Trey to this dinosaur exhibit... cannot remember when they went and don't know what this stuff is, but I found the pictures from Randy's camera and wanted to include them in our record of summer.

Randy said the bounce house was his favorite part.

Random picture of Trey inhaling blueberries from our yard

Here are some pictures of Randy's from a fishing trip.  I am putting them on the blog because he took some shots of "Tango's Run" which is where he scattered Tango's ashes in 2012.

Randy and I celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary on August 18th.  We celebrated by getting takeout from a local Mexican restaurant and making delicious margaritas.

The best part about this meal is that I didn't have to make it.  

My boys chilling out with some screen time 

Trey and I went to the Children's Museum during our last week together.  He has been asking to go because he wants to be on their stage.  They have a new outdoor area that Trey really enjoyed.  

Free rein to dig in dirt = happy boy 

My boy on stage?  Even happier. 

Dave (aka Uncle Wags around our house) was in town for a few weeks.  We had a mini-China reunion with the friends with whom we went to China in 2008 for the Paralympics.  It was fun to reconnect, and we always have a good time together.

On my last child-free day of summer, I dropped Trey off and went to Cooper Mountain Nature Park to go on a walk.  It was a beautiful day and nice to get some exercise.   I met some friends throughout the rest of the afternoon to celebrate the end of summer.  

On the last Saturday of summer (not counting Labor Day weekend), Randy took Trey camping for a night because they had missed their boys' campout earlier in the summer.  I had about 30 hours to myself with no plans.  Kris and John invited me to go to Archery Summit with them for the wine club members' party, so we did that and hit a few other wineries.  Later that night, I went with Julie to see the Fault in Our Stars at Valley Cinemas and then to Watson Hall for some drinks.  Randy and Trey had a good time, and I'll get him to post those pictures soon.

John and Kris 

Good friends + yummy wine = great summer day 

This has been a super fun summer, and I'm pretty bummed to see it come to an end.  The worst three moments would probably be:
1. Trey's stomach flu
2. getting a stupid ticket for not coming to a complete stop (WTF?????) and
3. saying goodbye to Porter, Kris and John's dog and Tango's BFF.  Trey has been sweet about it and assures us all that Porter and Tango are together in heaven (along with my mom and the zebras).

The top three moments would have to include:
1. my 40th birthday party
2. Fourth of July in Walla Walla going wine tasting and
3. too many good moments with Trey to list.  Having such quality time with him is such a blessing.  I'm a lucky mom.

Turning 40

A few weeks ago, I hit the big milestone of turning 40.  This year has been a big year of turning 40 for my friends, and I think I'm one of the last from our class to have this celebration.  I don't dread 40 like some people I know (not naming names), but I'm not really excited about it either.

I really liked this link about turning 40 from earlier this summer.  I think my favorite one is number 6: You have a close knit circle of amazing friends.  I really felt this at my birthday party.  So many of my friends know and love each other, and while they may not see each other as much as I see them, many of them were excited to see each other at the party.  So many of my friends from different circles have met my friends from various parts of my life, and it was super cool to see them happy together.  Not all of my closest friends were able to be there on Saturday night, and not all of my friends are in the same circle of friends, but I do feel truly blessed to have the amazing friendships that I do.  My friendships are what sustain me, get me through the daily drudgery, and have made this journey of motherhood so fun.  Thank you to all of you!

One of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite books which is so apropos to the feelings I'm having about my friendships right now:
"What was important was the golden footprint, the magic footprint she had left on his life and no one could ever remove." Milan Kundera from the Unbearable Lightness of Being

On the night of my birthday, August 16th - same day as Madonna, I went to sushi with Sarah and Sarah before the party.  I discovered Yama Sushi earlier in August, and I think it's safe to say that it is my new favorite sushi spot.

Delicious! 

After dinner with two of my favorite friends, we made our way to Everyday Wine on Alberta.  We had reserved the wine bar for the night, and it was a highlight of my night (my year, probably) to look around and see so many people that I love in one place.

Kris and John

Kelly, Sarah, Sarah, and myself

I have known Kelly since 1986 (OMG) and Sarah and Sarah since 1992.
Kelly and I went to junior high, high school, AND college together - we even visited Willamette at the same time and both applied early decision, and while I don't see her nearly enough, she definitely qualifies as one of my oldest friends.
Sarah, Sarah, and I met at Willamette during our freshman year because we lived in the dorms together (go Matthews!).  We have stayed close since we graduated from college and are a great trio of friends.

Going directly left to right: Randy, Jonah (Kelly's husband), Jason (Nyree's soon-to-be husband), Nyree, and Kelly.  This is a dangerous group of people to get together...lots of fun.  The only ones who are missing are Kerri and Jamie.

Nyree, Sarah, me, Sarah, and Julie

This is the end of the night and the last ones standing.  

So lucky to have these strong and supportive women in my corner.  

me and Nyree

Nyree and I have known each other since freshman year of high school (I think) when she moved into my neighborhood.  We used to hang out after school making cookies and listening to New Kids on the Block.  As we have ventured through adulthood, Nyree and I have had some things in common we probably wouldn't have picked (moms with cancer, partners who weren't good choices - past not present, of course), but those have only made us closer and led us to understand each other in ways that other people don't.  When my mom was sick, she had a friend named Cheryl who would drive up from Eugene to hang out with her.  One day, I walked into my mom's room and found her and Cheryl lying next to each other in bed just talking.  I thought to myself, "Who is going to be my Cheryl when my time comes?" and the first person I thought of was Nyree.  (PS I can really say anything I want about Nyree here because I'm about 99.9% sure she doesn't read my blog.)

me and Julie

Julie is such a rockstar sister.  She spent the entire day throwing a bridal shower (at her house!) for one of her oldest friends, and then put together a birthday party for me that night.  Thanks to Julie and Sandy for pulling off a great night.  It was just what I wanted - many of my favorite people in the same place having a good (childfree!) night.

People ask how I feel about turning 40, and I honestly don't feel like it has affected me too much.  Sure, I wish I was in better shape at 40, but other than that, the only thing that bothers me about turning 40 is that now people are going to start getting sick.  Morbid and pessimistic, I know, but it's the truth.  My mom first got cancer at 42, and I didn't understand (at the age of 12) why people were freaking out.  Now I understand.  42 is damn young.

My goals for the next year are to survive my first year back in a school building, make better decisions for healthy living, spend quality time with Trey, and continue to nurture my friendships.  It gets harder and harder as life gets busier and kids get older, but my relationships are what matters the most to me.  Thanks to all of you who have had an impact on my first 40 years.

Some modified lyrics from one of my favorite country singers (My Next Thirty Years by Tim McGraw - wow he's dreamy):

I think I'll take a moment, celebrate my age
The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now it's time to focus in on where I go from here
Lord, have mercy on my next thirty forty years