Wedding Weekend

I am blessed to work with some of the most wonderful people in the world, including an assistant principal who can make everyone feel good just by walking in the room, generally accompanied by hugs and smiles and laughter. She's just the best! (And she calls me "the Queen"!)  Today I enjoyed attending her wedding as she married the man of her dreams in beautiful Central Oregon on this deck overlooking the Deschutes River.

Such  a lovely setting. Here's a few of my co-workers as we waited for the ceremony to begin.

And here's the bridal party right after the ceremony. The purple shoes worn by the bridesmaids were simply fabulous. Sadly, they changed their shoes as soon as possible! I can't imagine why!

I'm pretty sure that if I had gorgeous purple shoes, I would not abandon them at the earliest possible moment for some flat black sandals. Just sayin'. 

 Such a beautiful couple! They are both "cryers", and she predicted they would both shed tears at the wedding. Sure enough, as she walked down the aisle, both the bride and the groom were visibly tearful. There was much eye wiping in the audience as well.

Check out the cake and the awesome H at the top. Yep, their last name starts with H.

Did I mention, purple m&ms? And even better, the bridal couple's initials and wedding date on some, their picture on others, and their pug on others? Too cute. Tragically, my close ups didn't turn out.

Her dress was absolutely gorgeous, front and back.

The groomsmen wore purple socks!

It was an absolutely gorgeous wedding for a couple who are beautiful inside as well as outside! I pray they will be blessed with a very long lifetime of love, joy and laughter.

Speaking of wedded bliss, I am so happy that my husband of nearly 30 years was by my side at today's festivities, even though, strangely enough, weddings are not one of his preferred Saturday activities!

It was a wonderful day!

Five Blonds in a Minivan and Other Blond Moments

As our minivan bound for Auburn, Washington sped down the freeway Friday afternoon, I noticed my four companions were all beautiful blonds (whether natural or not shall remain our little secret).  I do admire (and envy) the fact the the oldest member of our group retains her natural lovely hair color, and if there is any gray in it, I haven't noticed it. Whether or not I am blond has been debated in our house several times over the years, but my husband has assured me that I am blond on the inside, so there you go.

Trite it may be, but blonds definitely have a lot of fun. A women's ministry leadership conference was on Saturday's agenda, but Friday night belonged to us. In spite of the fact that I foolishly occupied the front passenger seat, therby becoming the navigator, we found ourselves in the Super Mall where bargains and fun abounded!

Saturday's conference gave us the opportunity to mingle with women from a variety of other churches across Oregon and Washington. My favorite session was "Fun with a Purpose".  The first thrilling direction was to find two or three other women with a purse similar to yours. There were more than 200 women there, and I only saw two other women with delightful purple purses.  What a privilege to discuss easy but fun women's activities your church has done with fellow purple purse possessers!  Some interesting statistics were given: 87% of people with a best friend at church are satisfied with their church. 74% who worship with a best friend say that faith is part of their every day life, compared to 34% of people without a best friend at church. Friendships draw us closer to each other and to God. I like it. (And I hope I got the stats right. They're close anyway!)

At the end of the day, they gave away some gifts. One of the categories was to the oldest participant. This happened to be a winsome 82-year-old lady who never stopped smiling. I would never have guessed she was that old. Imagine being that age and still actively involved in women's ministries leadership! She became my hero, along with the 80-year-old I read about last week who backpacked over 400 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail all the way through Oregon this summer. Very inspiring. I suspect both of these old gals were blond at some point in their lives.

The fun continued all the way home. On the trip up, we had stopped at a little convenience store in the middle of nowhere, and the sweet lonely "retired" clerk said she didn't have a public restroom but we could use her restroom anyway. (Tiniest restroom I've ever seen that wasn't in an RV!) My fellow travelers were very friendly and conversed with the clerk awhile, and she insisted on giving us all a free donut as we purchased beverages. She was shocked that I didn't want a FREE donut and I kinda feel bad that I didn't just take it. A nameless member of our party wrapped hers in a napkin and "lost" it. (Perhaps when she saw a fellow traveller wrap her gum in a tissue and drop it into the napkin she lost her desire for it?!) On Saturday, she stayed to visit a friend and catch a train home...and we located the "lost" donut on the back seat. I had to send her a picture.

Strangely enough, when my husband and I travel together, we have never stopped at an outlet mall for a restroom break. Our minivan full of women sure did! We tried on a bunch of shoes and nearly spent eternity in a Christian bookstore before we finally found our way back to the car.  I strutted around the shoe store on some fabulous shoes for awhile. Ok, so maybe teetered more accurately describes my gait. (Staggered even comes to mind.) I coveted them, and had I been 30 years younger, they would have gone home with me. I contented myself with taking a few pictures of them.

The next morning at church, I showed the picture to another blond friend of mine. I am a very honest person, but I was suddenly overcome with an irresistible desire to lie. Shamefully, I gave in and said. 'Look at these awesome shoes I bought yesterday!" She and her college-age daughter both agreed they were very cute, and her daughter asked what I would wear them with. I said I would shop for a hot pink dress and some orange leggings. She tactfully suggested they would look good with jeans. Then I had to laugh and scold them for believing me and for not telling me I would look ridiculous in those shoes!

After church, I showed another friend the picture of my "new" shoes. She too agreed they were very cute and asked what I would wear them with. I said jeans. She said, "Well, you do realize they're pretty trampy looking, don't you?" Yay for honest friends! She is brunette!

I was disappointed that my blond bff wasn't at church, but later that afternoon I texted her the picture of my "new" shoes, eager to hear her response. After saying "You are stylin'," she sweetly added, "Be careful when you fall...at our age, bones break a lot easier!"  I just love her wit and kindness!

Now it's Monday and I'm back in the real world, dealing with work and life and loss. I'm so thankful that I was able to have such a fun and encouraging weekend, and that I am blessed with so many blond friends (and brunette ones too. Oh, and the occasional red and silver-haired ones as well!) I love it that my involvement in women's ministries has given me the opportunity to develop friendships with talented, fun people who I otherwise wouldn't have gone beyond "Hi, how are ya!" I just wish I had more time to hang out with my friends, both new and old. Maybe when I'm 82 we can all hike the Pacific Crest Trail together......

My Beach Running Day

I happened to have the day to myself, and the weather forecast for the coast was sunny with Lincoln City's forecast slightly warmer than Newport's. I put my running clothes on and hopped in the car. I decided that I would stop at every beach I noticed between Newport and the Lincoln City outlet mall and run at least a mile.

First stop: Beverly Beach. Beautiful and windy. I couldn't find any good firm sand to run on but I went 1.23 miles there.

Next I stopped at the Devil's Punch Bowl. There wasn't much fizz in the punch today.

 There were lots of steps to get down to the Beach, so that was a bonus! Beautiful beach to run on. Totalled 1.14 here.

 I passed Cape Foul Weather and strangely, the blue skies turned to gray. Fogerty Beach was pretty chilly, with nothing but very soft sand. I struggled to run .44 miles here. If you can call my motions running!

 Gleneden Beach was also dark, but the surf was fun to watch.

The tide chased me, causing me to increase my pace and scurry up the beach a few times! Firmer sand here, and I enjoyed 1.83 miles in spite of the lack of sunshine.

Things were looking a little better when I got into Lincoln City. I went down to the Taft District and forgot to take any pictures of the beach there, which was crowded with lots of people, but this is from the deck overlooking the bay.

 The sand there was very soft too, and I had to stick to a trail at the back edge of the beach. After my 1.04 miles, I sat on a sunny bench watching people playing on the beach and ate my eagerly anticipated lunch. Ok, here's what I had. Diced smoked chicken breast (smoked on our Traeger), string cheese sliced into little rounds, halved cherry tomatoes, and basil leaves, all sprinkled with basalmic vinegar. Fantastic! I'm taking it to work tomorrow too!

Next stop: The outlet mall! It was very cloudy and chilly there, but what did that matter? Some of my favorite stores - the Ann Taylor Loft, Maurices and the Gap - had some beautiful things. I brought just a few home and left the rest. I am still amazed and grateful every time those size 6 pants fit. It is so much fun to try on clothes.

As I headed north out of Lincoln City, the skies cleared, and Road's End beach was beautiful.  I took a 2.68 mile run/walk, noticing some soreness in my legs. That sand-running works different muscles for sure!

8.36 miles altogether, but breaking it up that way made it easy. I ended my beach day sitting on a log and gazing at the breakers rolling in for awhile, counting my blessings. How awesome is it that I can drive less than two hours and be at this incredibly beautiful place so different from my home? I thank God for my good health, strong body, my amazing husband, my loving and large family, wonderful friends, great job working with fantastic people, my church family...and the list goes on and on. I am truly grateful for my many blessings.

This was so much fun, I may need to make it an annual event. Anyone want to join me next year?!

Brother Dave is 50!

The 7th sibling in the family is now 50. Couldn't get everyone together but those who could joined us today for a dinner of ribs smoked on the Traeger followed by home made ice cream with blackberries and of course, angel food cake.

 I made sure Dave had some beauty supplies for the long road to old age that lies ahead of him.

 I think he appreciated them, but I know he liked the shirt from Brittany even more!

 Trust my husband to come up with a very efficient way to light 50 candles! Actually, I heard that someone put 2 of them in upside so there were only 48 to light. Oh well!

 Dave was able to blow them all out, as efficiently as they were lit!

 Duane was pretty excited about the homemade ice cream! And I was pretty excited to get my picture taken with him in his trademark stance!

 Here's Dave with his two daughters and loving son-in-law!

 And just Dave and his girls.

We love you, Dave. You have been through a lot but through it all, you have a great attitude and a smile that never quits! May your next 50 years be filled with joy and blessings!

First Week of School Musings

I'm celebrating my 12th first week of school at my job in a middle school office. That is particularly noteworthy because, remember, my birthday is coming up on 12/12/12. Big day. Oh rats, I just corrected my math, and that's not even true. (Not the big day, that part is true.) I actually completed my 12th year on the job on July 31.  Oh well, it was fun celebrating for a few minutes. Weird to think that kids who were born the year I started will be in 8th grade this year!

The point is, school started this week. Some things never change. The same alert parents who came in last year on the Friday before or on the first day and acted surprised that school was starting and they needed to register their kids, did it again. Excited 6th graders and their parents were in and out since receiving their schedules at registration to decorate and fill up their lockers with fresh new school supplies. Teachers started trickling in a few weeks before they were due back to spiff up their rooms and make plans.

This year, the daughters of some friends started 6th grade. I can't believe these sweet babies are middle schoolers already! I was delighted to catch them in the hall after they came in, and got to be in a first day of school picture!

It is so much fun to see the eager 6th graders looking so important and grown up in their darling new outfits on the first day. The 7th and 8th graders join on the second day and the fun really begins.

With over 600 students, some who do and some who don't ride buses, it's always a challenge to make sure everyone knows what bus to ride. No matter how hard you try, the office is always full of kids AFTER the final bell rings. Ten minutes BEFORE the final bell rings, we get on the intercom and ask anyone who still doesn't know their bus number to come on down, and lots of kids do. But there are always those who straggle in cluelessly later, not even knowing their address. We now have a computer program where we can type the kid's name in and viola, it tells us what their route number and morning pickup time is.  When technology works, it is beautiful!

This morning, lots of those cute 6th graders were in the office asking for a copy of their schedule, which they forgot to bring or lost. One claimed his sister flushed his schedule down the toilet! Of course, then they also need their locker number and combo, and likely their lunch number also. After you give or hear the lecture about "You're in middle school now so you need to be responsible blah blah blah" it gets really BORING!!

All the kids who lost their locker combos get sent to see me, and I had a steady stream of 6th, 7th and 8th graders all day. I found myself starting to get a little irritated. There seemed to be an excessive number of airhead kids! Wait a minute. I can empathize with airheadedness. I vaguely remember that possibly I used to slightly have some of those tendencies. Anyway, I just decided to have fun with it. I started telling kids they couldn't leave my desk until they repeated their combo silently 10 times. "Silently, not quietly!" "I need to see your lips move!" "This is shocking, you are the very first person who has ever locked their combo in their locker! Amazing!" They were all good sports and it became a lot more fun.

We have a 7th grade student who was diagnosed with cancer last year and had a tumor removed from his leg. After surgery and through chemo, he came to school as much as possible, even if only an hour a day. Sadly, the cancer is very aggressive and is now in his lungs. He was fiercely determined to come for the first day of 7th grade, and we were all disappointed when he wan't there this morning. When I looked up and saw his mom bringing him in mid-morning, it was the highlight of my day. It's sad to see him in a wheelchair, but he was present for a couple of classes! He is very well liked, and kids were excited to see him when he went to class.  I have so much respect and admiration for his spirit and his courage. His family's faith and fortitude during this time is amazing.

He is a very special part of our student body, and his life impacts and touches us all. It boggles my mind when I think of 600 students and all their stories, most of which I will be unaware. To consistently show respect, compassion and kindness to all of them (and their parents), even those who are much less lovable, is my daily commitment. (Note to self: Remember respect, compassion and kindness when the same parents call every Wednesday and ask if it's an Early Release Day. YES! After today, every Wednesday is an Early Release Day! Remember, Airheads need to be treated with respect as well as a dose of humor!

Snail War Saga

This has been the summer of snails. If you're my Facebook friend, you may have seen a few posts bewailing the proliferation of snails in my flower/garden beds this year.

Will started plucking the night-time marauders when he took Zeek out at bedtime, and I too would remove them every time I saw them while watering and weeding. We filled many empty disposable plastic jars of these beasts. In spite of this, when I splurged on some bigger, more expensive plants for some of my big flowerpots, the snails found them so delectable that they completely chewed them up. One evening on my rounds I got SIX SNAILS descending into one corner of my strawberry bed. It was horrifying.

One evening, I volunteered to keep my sister Jean's beautiful children. When we came back from the park, her oldest, Cody, was delighted to help me on the snail roundup. I was concerning about keeping an eye on the little ones while we were focused on snails, but we found a great solution.

They love the dog kennel, really. They entered it on their own. Well, the first time anyway. I am a wonderful babysitter. You can trust me to keep  your children safe any time. We released the children from the kennel before their cries became loud enough to alert the neighbors. Just kidding. More importantly, Cody and I eliminated about a dozen snails!

The Facebook posts below describe a few especially annoying snail incidents:

July 10: The war I wage with snails intensified again tonight - while picking blueberries I observed one lurking on a leaf of the later blueberry bush that hasn't ripened yet. Talk about forbidden fruit! Snail bait has been liberally dispensed around the property.

July 13: Good grief. I noticed something on the end table in my dimly lit living room as I walked through. I picked it up and found a dried snail shell in my hand. (But not for long!) That takes my Snail War Saga to a whole new level. Can't imagine how it got there. Would one of my sons play such a cruel practical joke? Worse yet, did it invade my house, crawl up there and die all by itself? Did it lay some eggs somewhere that will hatch and take over first my house, and then the world?

While camping with family members at the Metolius few weeks ago, I walked into a discussion where I heard someone saying I seemed to have an obsession with snails. I don't think that's quite fair. Can I help it if snails are out to destroy my potted flowers, my strawberries, my blueberries, my rosebushes, and now perhaps even my very own living room? They are everywhere! I am not obsessed, people! I am a perfectly sane, rational person who is under attack!

During that camping trip, we shopped in Redmond one day with Doug and Anisa. Soon after, I was very amused to discover that an unbelievably huge snail had mysteriously appeared on our picnic table.

Now that has to be the classiest snail I've ever seen. Ok, it's the only classy snail I've ever seen. Real pearls and everything!  Turns out, Anisa spotted it at Big R and told Doug she had to buy it for me, no matter how much it cost! Doug helpfully pointed out some scratched paint so they got a discount! I hope they aren't broke the rest of the month after paying for that fancy pearl necklace. I never did ask just how many hundred dollars they must have spent on that beauty. I had no idea they cared so much. It almost made up for the hurtful comments about my supposed snail obsession. 

It was also perfect for watering the flower pots that I brought camping! I shall try to give it a place of honor on my camping tables forever in the future. 

I now haven't seen a snail for a couple of days. I definitely have the upper hand in this war at the moment. But I will not let down my guard!

Before and After

Yesterday I reached my Lifetime status as a Weight Watchers member. This is achieved by remaining not more than two pounds over one's goal weight for six weeks. I was camping on the sixth week, so I had to wait for my return two weeks later for this awesome milestone.

I was a little concerned about maintaining under vacation circumstances. I diligently tracked my food, though I had to use paper instead of my iPhone since there was no cell service. While losing, I never used the Activity points I earned through exercise because I wanted to lose weight faster. But I realized that now I needed to eat up all the Activity Points I was earning with my average daily vacation hiking of 7 miles. I thoroughly enjoyed a large blueberry pancake, bacon, and egg almost every morning! (Usually after a two to three mile early morning walk!) 

Upon my return home Sunday afternoon, I approached the scales telling myself it was ok if I maybe gained a pound or two, because I had been 3 pounds under goal weight when I left. May I say I was rather pleased to see that I was down another 3 pounds. I immediately changed my dinner plans from a chicken salad to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich accompanied by a glass of 2% milk! I savored every delicious bite!

I weighed in yesterday at six pounds under my original goal weight. So I changed the official maintainence weight to five pounds less than it was originally. I like it.

When I got home from work yesterday, I decided it was time to do an official "After" picture. I never did an official "Before" picture, but I figured I could find one. Have you ever noticed that often on the "Before" picture, the person is not smiling, dressed sloppy, and looks generally frumpy, and then the "After" picture shows a person who is smiling and well groomed, has an improved hairstyle, and is posing smartly? It's a stereotype I attempted to match!

So here is a suitable "Before" picture, taken the summer of 2010. (I started Weight Watchers in October of 2010.)

 The "After" picture is a little harder to come by. Do you know how difficult it is to stand around and pose for a photo? As I told Will, I know it's a vain and self-indulgent thing to do, but it is part of my history. I nearly gave up because posing is just plain awkward. I almost decided to break tradition and go with this one. But it's kinda fuzzy. And maybe a little ridiculous. But I definitely look happier than I did in the "Before" picture!

 So here's the official "After", stiff and vain though it may be. But look, my stargazer lilies waited til I got home to bloom!

 I did not lose 62 pounds because I am a special lucky person who became self-disciplined and overcame all my bad habits. If I can do this, anyone can do it. I tried and failed, over and over, for years. Weight Watchers is a fabulous program. It teaches a very healthy and satisfying eating plan and provides many tools to help the process. Meeting leaders share helpful information and are very encouraging at weekly meetings. Jena Hedding, the leader of the meetings I went to a few years back, is the best ever and is such an inspiration to me. But none of these things "worked" for me until I made up my mind that I would quit making excuses and waiting until tomorrow to start over. In November last year, I seriously committed myself to stick to the plan, track my food every single day, and exercise regularly. The weight came off. I am so thankful that I have so much energy and feel absolutely great. God is good!

If you want to lose some weight, don't give up! You can do it!

I plan to continue going to the Tuesday noon meetings for the accountability and because I like them. I wish I could go to Jena's Tuesday 5:15 meeting, but it doesn't fit my schedule as well.

And once again, the quote that I read nearly every day and repeated to myself so many times:

"Satisfaction does not come from indulgence; satisfaction comes from achievement." (Calvin Coolidge)

I am satisfied!