Hood to Coast

Kevin ran the Hood to Coast relay on Friday and Saturday. His team, Grateful for a Bed, included Kevin, Paul, Jason Gross from work, and then others that I do not know. Eric was the driver of their Suburban. The relay involves teams of 12 running from Mt. Hood all the way to Seaside, OR. It is 197 miles. Each runner completes 3 legs. They each run about 20-21 miles total. Kevin had a blast. They don't get much sleep, if any. He came home exhausted and pretty dirty. (They don't shower in between those three runs.) I would like to get a Harker team together and have all of us do it next year, but we shall see. Congrats Kevin and Paul

Happy Anniversary

Yesterday was Kevin and my anniversary. We have been married nine years. In some ways, it seems like forever that we have been together, and in other ways I can't believe that it's already been nine years. Time has a funny way of distorting the truth. Since it was Sunday, we agreed that we would celebrate it on Monday. So we went to Sinju Sushi which was delicious. We actually went to the bar section of the restaurant for happy hour so all of our food was half off. What a great deal! We then milled around Bridgeport Village. I got a new pair of running shoes which were much needed. We had a great evening and we didn't even talk about the kids that much. On the way home from dinner there was a double rainbow up in the sky. What a perfect way to end an evening with my husband. I am sure grateful for Kevin and the joy that he brings into my life. He is a wonderful husband, father, and provider for our family. I look forward to many happy anniversaries with him throughout the eternities. Do you celebrate anniversaries in the eternities? And what is the gift for the millionth year?

Swimming Lessons

Marin is finally able to take some swimming lessons this summer. She has taken this particular class three times. Her teacher this session seems to be on the ball. He is very positive about Marin's swimming ability and compliments her when she does something well. Marin has started learning how to dive into the lap pool where it is nine feet deep. She got on the diving platform and jumped in. She also sits on the side of the pool and simulates the diving motion into the pool. It is very fun to watch her progress. Andrew is in his second session of lessons this summer. He is swimming exclusively in the lap pool. He says that his lessons are boring because all they do is swim--rather than the games that they play in Marin's class. Andrew practices his front crawl, back crawl, elementary backstroke, breast stroke, and is learning to dive. They are getting so grown up. I love watching them learn new skills.

A Lost Tooth

Andrew lost his seventh tooth. It is always so exciting when kids lose teeth. Marin asked if any of hers were loose when we were pulling Andrew's tooth. Kevin has the floss around the tooth trick down to a science now. Andrew is growing up before our eyes.

Amusement Park

We went to the only local amusement park. It is pretty tiny--more like a fair than an amusement park. It's the perfect size for my kids though. We went twice this year, thanks to discount coupons from the summer reading program. We also went roller skating one of the times. The first time we went, I rode most of the rides with the kids. I got sick on a spinning ride and then I felt sick the rest of the day. The second time we went, I just watched the kids and enjoyed the sunshine. It amazes me some of the rides that the kids went on. Marin loves the roller coaster. It is small. She likes to sit in the front seat and raise her hands up. I have no idea where she learned that, but it is super cute to watch. Andrew is pretty adventuresome. He wanted to go on the spider and Marin followed suit. It spins around on a couple different axes. I could have never gone on it as an adult. They seemed pretty dizzy when they got off. Andrew said it was scarier than the Black Hole water slide he went down at the Phillips' Family Reunion. We had fun both times. I prefer the rollerskating to everything else.

A Trip to the Zoo

It was a beautiful day for a trip to the zoo. Andrew put up a fuss because he said, "All you do is look at stupid animals." Yes, Andrew that is correct. I think by the end of it though, he had a good time. Marin's favorites are the monkeys. She even agreed when Andrew said that was her family reunion in the monkey exhibit. Andrew and Marin looked particularly cute riding the giant elephant tricycle and sitting on the animal statues. Sometimes I feel like we live in a zoo, but today, they were pretty well behaved.

Rock Wall

Our Parks and Recreation agency does a great job of having different activities at parks throughout the summer. This one happened to be a rock wall that the kids could climb. Marin didn't want to climb at first, but after seeing Andrew go the first time, she decided to give it a try. I was surprised at how well both the kids did with the climbing. They didn't seem to be afraid of heights either. Way to go kids!!