Tree Fall

Blog slacking once again. If you must know where I've been, it's perched on the couch watching the Summer Olympics. Non stop.

(Fave moments so far: The Queen and James Bond parachuting, Mr. Bean, swimming, diving, volleyball, and of course gymnastics. So basically all of it.)

I did have to leave the house for this though...

We are extending our driveway/parking area and this behemoth was in the way. Plus it was very very messy.

Now just the backyard is very very messy.

That's one LARGE tree. Since cutting it down Friday evening, Russ has been busy working on cutting it up into firewood. I think he's a third of the way done.

As a side note: know what's an awesome way to make sure no one (husband) changes the channel from the Olympics? Cut down a large tree that will take a week to clean up and then enthusiastically support your husband's wishes to spend the evening outside working on it.

I kid you not, we are well-matched pair, the two of us.

(dark shots courtesy of my cell phone)

Awkward and Awesome Thursday!

Awkward:
- When your knee has enough dimples to make a smiley face all on it's own, nose included.

- When you bring a boy doggy over to hitch up with your very-in-heat-and-acting-like-a-hussy girl doggy and you discover he can't. quite. reach so you ask your husband to help you "assist" (I know, you're welcome for your gross-out moment of the day) but instead all your husband does is this:

For 15 minutes straight. Super helpful.

Awesome:
- Cousin sleepovers on the trampoline and everyone making it ALL NIGHT LONG!

- Girls who entertain themselves for hours by dressing up and putting on fashion shows.

Just like you used to do with your friends. Except you were 16 years old, not 10. Aaaand we're back to awkward...

Scenes from Sunriver

Another vacation in the books and it was SPLENDID. 

We went with our close friends, the Haddens, and stayed in a vacation home in the middle of the beautiful Sunriver Resort in Central Oregon. Lots of swimming, bike riding, good food, visits to Goody's ice cream parlor, games, movies, sleeping in, and general relaxation. 

It's good to be home though. Even if it includes the horror of discovering a flea infestation in your bedroom carpet and having to pack up and leave again after only being home half an hour so that your house can be flea bombed.

Yeah, that happened. 

And what am I talking about? I WANNA GO BACK TO SUNRIVER!!!

"Out of the office"

{how we road trip}

We're officially on vacation and I'll be back next week. I had to share a quick story though because our trip over to Sunriver was not without incident. 

The incident being watching a car run a stop sign, swerve off the road, go through someone's fence, and INTO THE DECK OF A HOUSE.

If you just exclaimed, "oh my gosh!!!", then you said exactly the same thing I did, right before I called 911 and tried to direct emergency personnel to the scene when I had not a clue where in green acres we were, while Russell jumped out and assisted the driver.

It turned out to be an elderly diabetic woman with dangerously low blood sugar. Thankfully, not only did she appear unharmed, but she crashed in front of a car carrying multiple Caramello bars (ahem). Russ stayed by her side and helped her eat one while I waited in the road for the ambulance, and once they arrived and took over, I felt free to take photographic evidence.

From a respectful distance of course. 

{The path of destruction}

Pretty crazy, right?

I am so thankful we were at the right place at the right time, because even though the homeowners were inside their house, they didn't hear the crash, and no neighbors were outside to see it happen. And I'm sooo thankful that the driver wasn't badly injured because it could have been so, so much worse.

Of course, with such an eventful start to our trip, nothing's going to seem that exciting now! And that is juuuust fine with me.

Off to relax...

Fenced in

Something pretty exciting happened this weekend...

We finally got fenced in!

Now I understand if you don't quite feel the same excitement as I do, but did I ever tell you about the time my mother came over to help me garden and brought my two-year-old nephew along with her, and when we took our eyes off of him for .05 seconds he ran down our long driveway and up the road a little bit towards our neighbors, and a lady driving by pulled over and stopped and picked him up and pulled into the next driveway to find out who he belonged to, and while my mother and I about lost our minds with panic until we spotted him and Mum raced wildly to go retrieve him, the neighbor called the police and a county sheriff showed up to make sure Mum was his rightful guardian, a horrifying and mortifying and tear-inducing experience for poor Mum? And all the while I hid in the bushes along our driveway in shame, but made sure to take a cell phone picture for my sister, because running away is my nephews very favorite thing in the world to do and I knew she wouldn't be upset with us but rather upset with her son?

No, I didn't tell you that one? 

Well I'm sure you can guess why. 

Needless to say, I felt like fencing in our yard needed to move up the priority list of projects to get done this summer. Not only would it help keep runaway children in, but also small dogs who like to go into the tall grasses of the Christmas tree field that surrounds three sides of our yard and get covered with two thousand burrs that have to be picked out by hand.

And here's where my hero of a husband comes in, because not only did he give up his plans for a concrete pad in front of his shop to build the fence, but the STUD-MUFFIN did the whole thing by himself. In one weekend. Gates and all.

Across the front of our yard... (pic taken from the driveway)

And down the right side all the way to behind our shop...

And finally all the way across the back to the fence already between us and our neighbors, completing the giant rectangle. And yes, it may just be a farm fence, but technically we live on a Christmas tree farm, and out in the country, so it goes perfectly.

The tired but very-satisfied-with-his-work fencer himself (and Miley the burr dog).

I made sure to be super helpful and supportive along the way by keeping Russ fed and hydrated, complimenting his fine workmanship and strong muscles, and not saying a word of reproof when I heard him swear loudly after accidentally running into one of wood posts with the tractor bucket, tipping the whole thing caddywompus. 

(In fact I hightailed it out of there because it's a known fact that a man in the height of frustration over a mistake in a work project does not want to "talk about it".)

All was fixed though and after a grand final tour and much more complimenting and stroking of previously mentioned muscles, I was not at all surprised to find my husband sitting outside later that evening, still admiring the work of his hands. It's much the same way I feel after getting all the floors clean and then sending the children outside so they won't mess them up while I sit and enjoy the shiny glossiness for a good 20 minutes. (Ok maybe not completely the same.)

So, one more summer project down, one accomplished husband, one grateful wife, and one burr-free Schnoodle. It was a good weekend :)

InstaFriday

Hurrah for Fridays! 

Here's the pics from the cell phone this week, courtesy of the lovely Instagram app.

 The Veteran Memorial Field of Flags visited our hometown over the week of the Fourth - it was so spectacular right in the middle of town.

 Playing down at the river on the back of our property last Sunday night.

Awkward river pose. As you can see, I dove right in.
Headed down again tonight and might actually swim this time!

Fun new polish colors for summer!

Miley with her fresh summer haircut. SO much better than the long shaggy hair she was sporting!

 I am still a little bit addicted to doing the crossword puzzle in our local paper once a week. I am finishing it quicker and quicker each time!

 And speaking of addictions, holy cow, have you heard of Noosa finest yogurt? It is AMAZING. And originally from Australia. And AMAZING. As you can see I don't hold back.

 You will be shocked and amazed to learn that I saw this in the grocery store and did NOT purchase it. This time. But seriously, white chocolate cream cheese spread? What kind of evil genius came up with that?

 And of course no trip to the grocery store would be complete without Blake rocking out into his maple syrup microphone as he fake sings along with the overhead music. 

I'm almost halfway!!!

Have an excellent weekend, my friends!

Awkward & Awesome

Awkward:
- walking into a teenage boy at church on Sunday while turning my head to talk to someone else. This was no light bump, people. We are talking full-on frontal body slam. As in, knocked the poor guy back a few steps and rocked a bit myself. Wow, slow down there, Jodi.
- looking around quickly to make sure no one else saw and then, after apologizing profusely, straightening up as if nothing happened, only to hear from halfway across the sanctuary, "JODI! Baahaaahaahaa!!!" from a dear but unfortunately loud friend who is dying from laughter. Drats, witnesses after all.
- running for only 4 minutes (at the end of an hour long walk) and then almost throwing up. Husband patting my back and telling me how proud he is of me for pushing myself. Admitting that I think it might be the hot fudge peanut butter milkshake I downed beforehand.
- asking all my Facebook friends if anyone has a bike trailer we can borrow for an upcoming vacation and being offered one within the hour, and then telling husband the good news only to have him exclaim, "Why? We have a perfectly good one sitting out in the shop. Don't you remember we bought it off Craigslist last summer?" APPARENTLY NOT.

But look... here's evidence (circa July, 2011):

Ah yes. THAT trailer.

Awesome:
- rediscovering the fact that you own a cool bike trailer. Yay!
- the feeling of walking/jogging on the treadmill becoming a regular habit instead of a momentous event. I mean, that's the goal right? For it to just be a normal part of your day? I think I'm getting there!
- our weather right now. It's actually, dare I say it, stable! Sunny and warm and nothing else on the forecast except the same! I don't care what anyone else says, summer is the BEST season.
- teaching Blake (4 years going on 8) how to wash his own body and hair in the shower. No more getting half drenched every time he bathes? Very awesome.
- an afternoon with friends at this beautiful spot on the river. ONE MILE from our house.

Oh, Oregon the beautiful. I am ready to forgive you for your pretty sucky June weather.

Rodeo

If you've never been to a country town rodeo before, you're missing out. 

I almost did this year, until my best friend Jana decided that she hadn't had enough of the Independence Day celebrations and planned a girls night out Friday night to attend the final performance. 

Best idea ever.  

Besides watching everyone remove their hats and stand with their hand over their heart as the American flag is carried by a US Marine to start off the 4th of July giant street parade in our hometown, nothing brings out my patriotism like the Molalla Buckeroo. The whole start of the show honors every branch of the military, every single veteran in attendance, the POWs and MIAs, and the flag. It's very moving and gosh darn if it doesn't bring tears to my eyes every time!

But besides all of that, it's fun and exciting to watch, plus, there are elephant ears!

I feel deeply, deeply sorry for those in the southern and eastern states who have never heard of such a treat. In fact, I'll eat one in your honor. 

 Jana, Amy & I.

Amy is my fellow carnival food lover and we decided during the rodeo that we are each other's preferred dining date for anything involving dessert. Forget our weirdo non-sugar-loving husbands, we have each other.

Me and our friend Kristie.

I'll tell you something about Kristie, this girl knows her music. Every. Single. Song that started (and there are a LOT of songs played during a rodeo), she would name the artist and then start singing the lyrics when they began. Pretty impressive. Also, plain ol' pretty!

We had such a blast. I highly recommend girls nights out. And rodeos. Although next year it should work out for our whole family to go together again, which is what we normally do, and I'd have to say I'm already looking forward to it :)