speaking of Fall...

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I took Laurel (age 7) for a hike up to Lake Clara on Sunday. The trail head is adjacent to the parking lot at Mission Ridge. It was a perfect length hike (3.5 miles), with not too much elevation gain for a pumpkin her size.  She's such a great little hiking partner. It's a treat to have her along. 

 

Sometimes I feel inadequate as a field guide. I even feel a little foolish, like "Is it really safe to be out here alone, with my child, roaming about the wilderness, with no cell phone service, and in the company of wild beasts? Should I be carrying a gun or a whistle or something?" (You have to read this book!)  I wish I could identify mushrooms, cloud formations, weather patterns, trees, and tell her which berries are safe to eat. I can't exactly. So we just walk together and soak in the surroundings. 

We chat about things like the difference between a squirrel and a chipmunk. I ask her questions like "If we stay to the left at every fork in the trail on the way up, which way would we go at every fork on the way back?" We guess our direction by the position of the sun, and have fun estimating our elevation gain using mapmyhike. 

At some point we usually make a wrong turn and have to backtrack. (I was not born with a sense of direction. It is literally missing from my DNA.) It is for these types of setbacks that I usually tuck some candy in my pocket. Sour Mentos can really help you rally if you are 7. Or 35. Note to self: always bring sugar to ward off a mid-hike slump.  

It's all about being together, and being outside. Perfect combination. And, I'm learning along the way too. I may eventually give Bear Grylls a run for his money.  (You can totally see me feasting on a completely raw/bloody chunk of wild game that I killed with a slingshot fashioned from my ponytail holder and some random sticks. Right? Um probably no.) 

Autumn really is pretty. Seeing the chairlifts made me excited for ski season, and taking in the scenery with Laurel Bird made it all the better. 

Hurry up to Lake Clara before the snow blankets the trail!  

little updates

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We've been having amazing weather. It's been in the 90's for the last 5 days. I'm loving it. So are the kids.  The school year has been wonderful, but the girls are getting anxious for summer break.

I'm so thankful that they've transitioned well to public school. I appreciate the time and love that their teachers have invested in each of them. It's been exciting to see them make new friends and take ownership of their work. It's not a perfect system, and we're smack dab in the middle of all of the end-of-year standardized tests (of which I'm not a fan), but even with the small little variances in educational theology, I know I made the right decision to send them. The thought of homeschooling 3 different grade levels and learning styles, entertaining a busy 3 year old boy, AND trying to run this house... it just gives me a major wave of anxiety. I admire those who can do it with such grace.

 

This week I started working on the pool. It's always a gross task to get it cleaned up, but I'll be floating on that water (now blue) by the weekend. Can't wait.

I also planted my outdoor pots yesterday. It's quite a task to pick out plants that grow in full sun (so hot on my patio), and that bloom all summer long, with matching colors and varying heights... it was an all-day process. I can't remember what I've done in the previous years, but some this year I picked: black and blue salvia, sweet potato vine, dahlias, blue lobelia, osteospermum, and cuphea llavea. I'm happy with how they turned out.

My little veggie plants are coming along slowly in the greenhouse. I'm hoping that they'll be ready to tuck into their outside beds in another 3 weeks.  

I've been enjoying the early mornings. I actually took on a little part-time baking gig at my favorite coffee shop. Two days a week my alarm goes off at 2:30am! Baking is not for the faint of heart!  It's a nice quiet time doing something I love. I usually finish up around 6:30am- just in time for some exercise.  

I'm still training for the Chelanman triathlon in July (I'm going to need every one of the next 70ish days to be ready). Here's what my workout schedule has been looking like. 

Mon: Run 3.5 miles

Tues: Bike 10miles/run 2miles

Wed: Swim 45 min/yoga

Thurs: Run 3.5 miles

Fri: Swim 45 mins

Sat: Bike 10miles/run 2 miles

Sun: free choice

I ran a little 5k last weekend and I'm not speedy, but I can feel myself getting stronger. I love wearing a number. And I love running to this song. It's my new favorite.

 
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We celebrated Ian's 3rd birthday last weekend. I'm so glad we decided to wait until he was better. He just loved all of the attention. I made him a train cake because he is obsessed. It turned out a little ghetto, but homemade cakes usually do. That's the cool thing about them I guess. He was easy to please. 

We have activities going every night; swim team, music lessons, volleyball, etc. I'm also teaching my childbirth classes one night a week. That craziness, combined with the warmer weather, has kept our dinners light and fast.  It can be a challenge to fill up these athletic little bellies on the run! Yogurt parfaits and egg sandwiches are some of my go-to quickies. 

So we seem to be settling into a nice little early summer rhythm here. I hope it's warming up where you are! Thanks for checking in... I"m going out for some more sun!

why i run

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.... or perhaps more aptly titled "why I TRY to run" (because I'm really not being politely humble when I say I'm no good at it). 

* because I like the way it feels when my ponytail swings from side to side. 

* because I'm a competitor by nature and there is no one that I'd rather beat than myself.  (okay, sometimes I like beating other people too)

* because it gives me an excuse to buy shoes in aggressive colors. 

* because I like cold morning air that makes my eyes water with a little bit of speed. 

* because I also like chips and salsa, and was born without the portion-control gene for that particular food group. 

* because there is reliability in roads and pavement. 

* because there is variability in trails and landscapes. 

 

* because I'm an endorphin addict. 

* because sometimes the roar of my lungs and the pounding of my heart is loud enough to drown out other useless thoughts.

* because I want my kids to see that a 30-something year old mom can be badass.  

*  because sometimes my house smells like chocolate chip cookies and I have to run. Literally run away from them, with the hope that they will be gone by the time I get back!

* because I love it when Donavon Frankenreiter, Muse, Jack Johnson, The Lumineers, Oasis, The Temper Trap, Dave Matthews, and maybe even Justin Bieber (don't tell) take turns singing in my earphones. LOUD!

​thanks @nella23pdx (twitter and instagram) for snapping this pic.

* because I like a challenge.

* because I like conquering a challenge.

* because Wheat Thins are like crack to me, (and they make really good cream cheese sandwiches.) 

* because when I run (early morning) I see other people running, and we nod or smile, and it's like we are all members in an elite little club of "go-getters". There is a mutual respect.

* because sweat and sunrise go well together.

* because unlike other ambiguous areas of life, fitness can be measured, tracked. 

* because I wrote this post in my head on a little 3 mile jaunt this morning.

 * because I can. 

Gotta run. Happy Friday!