Fourth Grade Fun

I am back in elementary school. Or it least it feels that way since I'm on adult co-ed teams for dodgeball, kickball & softball. That's three nights a week of ridiculousness followed by the whole league converging on Portland bars.

Kickball was slow to start but has been ramping up; I have a game tonight for which I'm actually excited. This weekend is Potlatch, the ultimate frisbee tournament in Seattle where we're all camping on the fields. Taryn's organizing the team & festivities. Caroline is flying up from Hawaii for it. Should be fun. We'll be back on Sunday night. Kinley's staying with a friend.

Next weekend, Ken's doing a scramble up on Mt. Hood with Emily, Marne & CanErik.

The following weekend is camping on the coast with Ken's men's softball team (he's in two leagues this summer).

In the meantime, I'm busy writing a grant (due Aug 5th; in for signatures around July 14th), making reviewer-recommended changes to a manuscript, writing up another and getting more research done. I am swamped but happy. Actually, I'm quite happy with my life right now.

And depite the heat wave this past week (100+!), my plants didn't die (or even wilt)thanks to the irrigation system on a timer I installed last month... meaning less of my time spent watering and more time to just enjoy what I've done. So far we have a bunch of tomatoes (all still green), an eggplant(!), strawberries and lots of herbs. I fear that despite the 5 basil plants I planted, we don't have enough to sustain us this summer.... Ken loooooves basil; I love caprese salads (mozzarella, tomatoes + basil with little balsamic, salt & pepper). I'm so excited it's summer.

But no, I can't get it all done. Our place is a mess... not dirty, but not clean either. Hey, something's gotta give. Luckily Ken & I are in the same boat with what we want to do (sports, camping & fun) and what we don't (general cleaning). As long as we're in agreement, I suppose.

Triathlon Update

We've been swamped since getting back into town, but here's a brief race report from Ken on the triathlon this weekend. He finished!!!

The swim was as I had expected. the first 400 yards were tough trying to get into a groove. Once I passed the first buoy, I fell into a groove and got the swim done in 42 minutes flat. Then the bike course which went well. i was probably a little slower than I should have been, but I was also trying to conserve energy for the run. It was hot and i didn't want to burn out during the run. I did find out that hills on the bike are my strong point (ala Lance Armstrong!!!). I was passing people left and right on the 4 mile sustained hill we had to climb. Once to the top, it was just hot. I hit a top speed of 36mph on one of the downhills and was still passed by some doing about 38.

The run was a completely different story. Even though I drank everything I had on the bike, I apparently didn't have enough in electrolytes because I had a cramping problem. Had to slow down and walk about 7 times over the 6.2 miles. but I finished strong over the last 1.5 miles and ran across the finish line. Toals time: 3:33:13. I think they'll be posting the results sometime over the week. i email you the link when i see it.

but the best part of it was seeing Lisa and Kinley at each of the transitions and the finish. lisa was jumping up and down at the finish line. It was awesome and such an inspiration.

Thanks again for all of your support and your donation to LLS. As a team, we raised over $400,000 for LLS. That A LOT of money!!!!

Triathlon Weekend

It is finally here. Ken's running his triathlon on Sunday. To help him prepare, I have gotten him sick. Not biiiiggg sick, just a persistent cough and joint aches. He's doped up on Nyquil and has been eating lots of pasta to push through. He's still really excited about his race, so don't worry about him not being able to do it. Plus, he'll have a support staff there to help him out. Our friends Brian and Emily from dodgeball are joining us.

We leave tomorrow morning for Bend. With Kinley. Our first camping trip with him. We're camping at a spot next to a lake that has lots of crawdads for the picking. I'm excited for crawdads with garlic butter and a beer for appetizers. Yum. I'm planning the food menu(my favorite part), but am having a bit of trouble getting inspired for a Saturday night dinner. I'm grilling fish over the fire on friday night with roasted red potatoes and a strawberry grunt with fresh whipped cream for dessert. Eggs benedict and mimosas for breakfast on saturday morning... But saturday night, hmmm. Any ideas?

Lisa, 25 years later

There is a classic story in my family about when a young Lisa wanted to give her mom flowers and did so by picking ALL of the neighbor's blooming tulips. My mom was so excited... then she realized that they looked all too familiar. She turned me around and went with me to apologize to the neighbor and return the flowers.

A scarring experience for a young girl.

This morning as I was getting ready to go to work, the doorbell rang. It never rings, especially in the morning.

Standing there was a father -- his 3-year-old girl in one hand, my coreopsis flowers (with dirt and roots hanging) in the other.

"I'm sorry", said the little girl.

"Apparently, she picked your flowers. I'm really sorry about that" said the dad.

I just starting laughing and assured them it was fine. I told the little girl I did the same thing when I was her age. Then she apologized again. I could see her mom and grandmother waiting by the street, somewhat embarrassed; they apologized as well.

On my way to work, I saw them all in the coffee shop down the street. The whole situation is just hilarious and has put a smile on my face all day.

So that's why we left the desert

Vegas*. Super hot^. Overwhelming~. Way expensive$.

Had a great time despite being in Vegas. Whit and Rachel are awesome. We had a great time and lounged the whole time. The Wynn is beautiful and I'd recommend it to anyone. Very peaceful in an atmosphere that just isn't. Can't wait to take a trip with them again sometime soon.

It's so nice to be home+.



*"The taxi cab union would never allow it," says every cabbie I talk to in response to the idea of light rail connecting the airport to the strip. For a city based on tourism, it irks me to no end that visitors are lined up in the heat outside baggage claim while they wait 45 minutes for a cab to take them 10 minutes away for the low, low price of $25.

^I forgot that the heat knocks you out. We sat out by the pool chatting. In the shade. Wearing sunscreen. Drinking water and some pina coladas. Yet we still had to take naps before we could move for dinner

~We were way underdressed according to the Vegas Hooch Scale (VHS). We were in sundresses yet still looked like frumpy maids considering some of the Vegas outfits.

$ 12 dollars for a specialty drink (i.e. pina colada, daquiri, martini) is way expensive in my book. So I ordered a gin & tonic instead to save some money. "That will be $11." Nuts.

+I love Portland. It is my home. We will be here for the long haul. It is the everything that Vegas isn't.

Vegas Bound

In 9 hours I will be in Vegas with some girlfriends for a much needed vacation. I know Vegas doesn't sound a place for R&R, but that may have a lot to do with the company (read: Ken or Kyle who are both blackjack machines and thus push up the pace of a Vegas trip 10 fold. There's a reason Ken sleeps for two days after he returns from a trip. And our crazy group trip with Kyle remains my favorite memory of Vegas thus far).

But this trip with be different. Waaaay more mellow. We intend to lounge by the pool sipping cold drinks in the semi-shade for two days straight. Reading magazines, sleeping in, and chatting it up.

Rachel flies in tonight from San Fran around 8:15; I get in 15 minutes later. Then Whitney arrives around 11 from Richmond. We went to college together and are all living in different places and rarely get to see each other. Once a year at best. Plus, we're all in the same place in life right now (settled in towns we love, with great friends and amazing significant others, and are all currently employed). This is the kind of trip we always told ourselves we'd take. I'm excited for the opportunity to do so.

We were going to stay at Mandalay Bay but our reservations got messed up, so in the end it was the same price to stay at the brand spanking new Wynn. I am excited.

And it continues

Blog postings will be limited until the end of PDX assassin. Ken has signed up for the second mini-game since the previous game went so fast. FYI.