Foiled!

My body is trying to sabotage me, but I am determined to beat it into submission.

Come Monday, I'd like to march into Hecht & Norman completely on top of my game in every way possible. My immune system, however, seems to think this week is a good time to let down its guard and allow any number of bugs to attack me. But never you fear, I have no intentions of letting these little buggers win. I've thrown my arsenal of natural defenses toward my immune system, hoping it will utilize all the help I'm sending its way. In the last 20 hours or so I've pulled out all the stops: loads of Airborne, zinc lozenges, Vibe dietary supplement, Waiora Natural Cellular Defense drops (thank you, Livia), and Jamba Juice with the Daily Vitamin boost. Not to mention gallons (it seems) of water, more sleep than normal, and pain pills when I just can't take it anymore.

Am I ridiculous or what?! No one can accuse me of not doing my best to avoid being sick! On the plus side, it seems to be working. With any luck (knock on wood) I will be running full steam long before Monday!

Florence, Oregon

I whisked Tim away for an afternoon trip to Florence, Oregon today after church. It was nice to get away together - just the two of us. Our lives have been so hectic lately with me on two weeks of vacation by myself and Tim working very hard at the Eugene Country Club.

We enjoyed Mo's clam chowder and walking along the boardwalk in Florence.

Then drove out to the Sea Lion Caves.

Sea Lions galore! Man they sound funny.

And on our way back home we stopped in at Three Rivers Casino, but after spending a dollar on a game we had no idea how to play, we decided to take some "free" soda, walk around and gawk at all the people playing their money away and head home with our money still in our pockets. It was a splendid and relaxing afternoon.

Heceta Head Lighthouse - purports to be the most photographed lighthouse in the world... and I helped it along.

In other news:

- I turned in my two weeks notice at work on Friday! That's a first for me, so it was a pretty exciting day!

- We saw The Dark Night when it released at midnight on Thursday, and I was not as impressed with it as I had hoped to be. I will not include any spoilers in this post, but suffice it to say that the philosophical/ethical content and superb acting were all there... it was the length of the film and how much Christopher Nolan tried to cram into it that ruined the experience for me. But then again, maybe if I hadn't been so exhausted I could have enjoyed it more.

It's the Little Things

That saying about "the little things in life" being "what really matters" ... it's true.

I'm discovering this more and more. A few examples:

- Yesterday I was amused by the man in the cooler at Albertson's. He got a chuckle out of startling me, and I enjoyed his accent as we chatted about the pros and cons of his job ("it's great in the summer, but in the winter it's not so fun.")

- The last couple of days, my mom's blog about the Winn Homestead project my parents are doing "back home" has brought me joy and pride. Check it out, you'll see why.

- Last night Tim and I played "keep-away" and "sharks and minnows" with a friend and some little kids in the Country Club pool while Tim "supervised" his staff. I had so much fun pretending to be a 10-year-old again, playing water games in the summertime.

- Even my morning surprise - no water in our apartment - is amusing to me now. I had to pack up and go to my gym to shower in their locker rooms before work! I was not amused at the time, but it is pretty funny now.

- And today my after-work activities have me all excited: reffing two YMCA women's league games, watching Burn Notice, and going to see The Dark Knight at midnight with 3 other couples!

It's decided. The little things in life make everything worthwhile!

Vacation Week II

So, it's back to the daily grind after my second week of vacation perfection. I arrived back in Eugene around 1:00 yesterday afternoon, and it was good to be home even though I had enjoyed my two weeks immensely.

A few highlights from my trip to California:

- A guided tour (thank you, Aaron) around Berkeley, including UC Berkeley where Aaron is attending Law School, during which I witnessed Code Pink's protest of the US Marine Corps recruiting office.

- Traveling by BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), Emery-Go-Round, and foot (more than 20 miles walked in the 4 days I was there.)

- Shopping with Amber all afternoon in San Francisco, and finding my new favorite store: H&M.

Amber and I in front of a bell in Dolores park - and at Aaron's apartment

- Touring Pixar with Reid! I loved all the life-sized characters, and the WALL-E paraphernalia (even though I have yet to see the movie).

- Meeting a TV celebrity at Victoria's going away party that Amber and Aaron threw. Anyone else watch Beauty and the Geek and know who Ankur is from Season 2?

I didn't know he was fake kissing me until I saw this picture later...
Seems kinda backwards - the celebrity "adoring" the fan... ;)

- Touring San Francisco with Aaron, and actually getting him to take pictures with me!

Arm wrestling at the Musee Mecanique - Aaron and I with the San Francisco skyline.

Aaron and I in front of Alcatraz - hanging off a Cable Car

- FOOD! Pie in the Sky Pizza, Senegalese, Indian, Thai, and good 'ol American BBQ potluck.

At Bissap Baobab - yummy Senegalese food

First Anniversary

Tim and I celebrated our First Anniversary today. It was nice to be home between my two vacation trips, and we kept it pretty low-key. We played a lot of tennis, ate a lot of good food (at the Country Club and Ambrosia), and generally enjoyed each other's company.

It's hard to believe that one year has passed since we said our vows, but really a lot has happened in the last year. We have both grown a lot in our own self-discovery and our relationship to one another. It's been a wild ride of a year, and we are both (obviously) looking forward to many many more!

Vacation Week I

Not to brag, but I just had the best week of vacation a girl could ask for. My train was two hours late, but after 8 hours sitting next to a very large wheezing lady, I arrieved in Seattle!

I stayed with Tobin and Allyson Sunday night through Thursday morning, then spent Thursday through Sunday afternoon with Julie before I caught the train back home!

Highlights from the trip:

- Professional massages with Allyson.

- Lunch at Agua Verde (best Mexican food I’ve ever had, seriously), and kayaking at Agua Verde on a beautiful, sunny 80 degree day.

Kayaking between Lake Washington and Lake Union

- Cooking and eating yummy food out of Simply in Season.

- The Ballard Locks - we watched the boats go through the locks, saw trains and airplanes, watched the fish climb their ladder and had a picnic in the grassy area.

The Kids at the Ballard Locks

- Shopping all afternoon in downtown Seattle with my bestfriend Julie.

At Pikes Place in Seattle

- The Farmer's Market in the community where Tobin and Allyson live.

- Seeing a Bear in Leavenworth!


- Relaxing and recreating on Lake Chelan (soaked in the sun, swam in the beautifully clear lake, rode in the boat, learned to wake surf, played games, ate yummy food, and enjoyed the fireworks show).

Julie and I tubing - before we broke the handles

Learning to Wake Surf

- Chopstix - a dueling piano bar in Belltown (Seattle).

At Chopstix

- Church with Allyson ad Tobin at Wallingford United Methodist Church (the first time in quite a long time that I have felt more positive leaving church than I did going in).

Here is part of the liturgy I loved so much.

Prayer for Our Giving:
“O God, through the offering of these gifts may we become a more open people…
open-minded in hearing your word and wisdom,
open-hearted in healing a broken world,
open-handed in heeding your call for charity and enacted love.
With thanks for all good gifts,
We present a portion of our substance and the whole of ourselves. Amen.”

and...

Prayer of Confession:
“Creating and Sustaining God, your great commandment in Christ is that we love one another as Christ has loved us. We confess that we fail to embrace your liberating love. We divide where you would unite. We exclude where you would embrace. We choke the breath from your Word when its truth does not accommodate our fears. Forgive our hardness of heart. Mend our broken human family. Breathe into us the living Word of all-inclusive love. We ask in the name of your Child, our Brother, Jesus, the Healer of our souls. Amen.”

The church also had “Summer Choir” which invited anyone who desired to join, to go to the front, pick up the piece of music, divide into sections, and sing for the congregation. As Winn girls, Allyson and I naturally went forward to join. What a fun and interactive way to worship!

I arrived back in Eugene tonight, and it was great to see Tim again. We’re not as good at long distance as we once were.