10 Barrel(s) of laughs in Bend

A few weeks ago, we took a quick weekend trip to Bend to spend some time with T's football buddies and their wives, the Greenbergs and the Schaffers.

We met up with their other football buddy, Garrett, who owns a brewery in Bend, and we certainly enjoyed our time touring, tasting, and enjoying the menu at his brew pub.

Another weekend highlight: Watching Taylor in his element out on the mountain bike trails. He was a terrific tutor to his friends and patient as always with me.

I left my camera in the car when we were touring the brewery, so these are from T's phone.

Was really fascinated with the bottling machine...

Colby gearing up at the bike rental shop.

Such a specimen, that Mike. 

Such a stud in his kit.

Typical 50% smile rate.

Colby, Kat, and Carissa.

Forgot to take a group shot out on the trail.

We really worked for those tacos and beer.

Oh. This has nothing to do with the trip, but I just feel the need to post this. If you look carefully, you can see a camouflaged fly. It's a salmon fly, to be exact, and Taylor made us pull over the car in Warm Springs just so we could all catch a glimpse of these seasonal insects. It's a fly-fishing thing, and we just didn't understand. :) 

Lessons in lawn mowing

It's been two years since one of my nearest and dearest friends opened her home to me. 

When Mariel bought her house, I was just finishing up my first year of grad school. I was attempting to put on an "everything's fine" face, though most every single thing was anything but. I was trudging through my days, just weeks after getting a break-up call and weeks before summer break. Final exams and panic mode. 

I just kept asking myself: How am I going to get through this, get over this, and become the independent girl I knew I always was?

The answer was in the invitation from my friend. She suggested I move out of temporary tenancy at my parents', and into her home. I was on a graduate assistantship stipend, though. I couldn't afford rent. Do you think she batted an eye? Help out when and where you can. That's what friends are for.  

There's no way I will ever forget this gesture of friendship. I believe it to be the epitome of the word. 

I thought I would be there through the completion of my degree. Then, as I often proclaimed, I was going to move back to Austin. 

I love how life never goes according to plan. Seriously. It's probably the most fascinating thing about life. You just can't predict what will happen tomorrow, no matter how hard to try. 

 

One year quickly turned into two, and boy what memories we made. From moving mattresses in M's dad's pickup truck (we didn't tie them down and almost lost them on a hill) to figuring out how to use a gas-powered lawn mower, we learned quite a lot as first-time homeowners. OK. I know I didn't own the home, but I always felt like M's partner in the whole deal. Now. Back to the mower. I think I had to have my dad come over and show me how to use it. My parents always mowed theirs with a push mower. I thought this whole mowing thing would be a piece of cake. But, it was not. It was pretty comical. Yards are deceiving. You think it should take 15 minutes to complete the whole job, but that's not factoring in the length of the lawn and the amount of times you have to unload the collection bag. I'll be using this experience someday when I am house-hunting. Minimal lawn = minimal time spent mowing said lawn.

Now I'm just rambling about lawn mowing. I wanted to use that story as a jumping off point for all the things I learned and the great life experience I shared with my two years of living with one of my best friends. 

She acted as my counselor when every new hurdle appeared before me. She supported me through my time of unemployment and always encouraged me, reminding me of past successes and motivating me to believe I had better days ahead. In exchange, I accepted my role as a cat-sitter and house-sitter when M was off traveling. I tried to be a handyman and housekeeper, attempting to make her life easier when and where I could. I always felt like we had a grand partnership, and I'm sure we could have for more time to come.

But. Oh you were sensing a but coming on, right? But, the time has come for me to have my own space again. I don't know what it is, but I've always just loved being alone. Perhaps it's the fact that I'm typically surrounded by friends, coworkers, or family. I'm pretty social by nature, but I think I gain my energy from time spent alone. I also thrive in multitasking endeavors when I have a place of uninterrupted solitude, where everything is in its place. I want to get back to writing my book, and I've always craved having an office space. Just someplace to go. So, I didn't get an office, but I did get my own apartment. 

I love its location, nestled between work and Taylor's home (the commute and time spent in the car was starting to wear me down). It's inexpensive, and if it were a house, I'd call it a fixer-upper. It's certainly nothing fancy. I can't compare it to living in a home as there's no yard and no roommate to make dinner for. It is what it is, but I think it'll do. 

I already miss messages on the whiteboard in the kitchen and lists of baking items we need at the store. I miss our silly roommate diary and mail in the old fashioned mail slot. I'll miss the memories but anticipate new ones to come as we're growing up and our lives are unfolding before us. Who knows what will happen un-according to plan? 

But I would walk 500 miles...

...and I would run 26.2 more...just to be the girl who ran 26.2 miles...to fall down on the Hayward Field flooooor.

Yep. I did it to myself all over again. I embarked on the marathon journey, this time in Tracktown, U.S.A. 

This was my fourth and most successful attempt, and I have to thank my running partner, Erin, for pushing me to do my best...oh, and I also honed my inner Steve Prefontaine. I mean we were in Eugene, and all. 

T and I stayed with Katie and Greg, and of course Katie rolled out the red carpet. Such a wonderful hostess!

And she made these adorable cookies! 

While Katie and I picked up my race packet, trolled the local estate sales (I made out with a vintage typewriter and a milkglass pitcher for my mom!), Greg and Taylor fished it up on the local rivers. Later, we parked it on the couch with Rocket dog. I think I was checking out the race route...or, more than likely, challenging Katie to Draw Something.

This was the first time I saw any of my "support" crew...around mile 8. In the very edge of the photo, to the right, you can see a dude in a green shirt. That's Keith. Enough said.

Erin jumped on right around the Duck football stadium. Taylor joined on about a mile later. These rogue runners kept me going for the home stretch.

SO happy to see Taylor. Also...please note the difference in size between Erin and me. Somebody say Frick and Frack?! 

Height order.

Sticky and sweaty from the repetitive reenactment of those old Gatorade commercials. Official time = 3:47:10, I believe. 

Thanks to everyone for the texts, prayers, and well-wishes. It's Wednesday night, and my legs almost feel normal again. Almost.

Ladies who lunch v2.0

When Stef and Hazel came to town, they ventured to Vancouver and took me to lunch one afternoon. Hazey went to just about anyone who wanted to hold her, and I suggested to my sis that she become the office mascot. 

"I. KNOW. It's kind of silly how mom won't let you have any Thai iced coffee. You don't know what you're missing."

She wore her scarf just like auntie.

Before the big circus party, my bestie Leslee brought over her babe, Andee, to do a little side-by-side comparison. Andee was born 11 days after Hazel, and they are the same weight. Hazey has a few more rolls and tons more hair, but they're both just the happiest babies I've ever met.

Hazel, Leslee, Stefanie, and Andee Grace.

HOLDING HANDS! How precious is this?!?!

Under the Big Top

It's not everyday your big brother turns 30 on the same day your uncle turns 60. Naturally, my parents threw an over-the-top "under the big top"-themed party for Joe and good ol' Uncle Bill, April 22.

As if my mom needs an excuse to throw a party? She loves planning and stressing herself out over the details (takes one to know one). Ohhh the details. Words cannot express the prep that went into this shindig. Wowza.

My sisters, their husbands, and their kiddos flew into town for the 90 party, and we spent all day Saturday assembling goodie bags, frosting a ba-zillion cupcakes, assembling a clown cake, watching my mom drag out two laundry baskets full of "raffle" prizes, assisting my mom with the sides for the barbecue feast, watching the guys set up the tent, arranging the truckload of party gear my aunt brought for the party (including, but not limited to, cupcakes, banners, cake walk cutouts, etc.), stocking the frige full of beer, firing up both grills for a test run, and any number of other pre-party "tasks."

It seems like every time we all get together, the memories burn brighter, and this event was no different. If this party were a sporting event, the highlight reel would be three hours long. Not only did my brother's and uncle's friends come out in full force (ranging from childhood buddies to coworkers and of course all the fam)...my parents somehow managed to have the Shriner's Calliope parade float roll up through the neighborhood blaring its circus music. Yes. You read that correctly. A parade float...rolled into their neighborhood just before the party began. It (or should I say Mr. Adamson, as that was the float operator's name) proceeded to park in my parents' driveway and play throughout the party. All the neighborhood kiddos came running out thinking some supersized ice cream man was coming down the road, and I wish I had some footage of their priceless faces when they saw the float was parking in front of the party.

With all the hullabaloo going on around their house, I am sure my parents could have charged admission for this one.

I'm leaving out so many of the details of the day, but hopefully the following photos will pick up where I am leaving off. No one will forget the magic of April 22, 2012. Happy Birthday, Joe and Bill!  

Hazel just would not fall asleep because she wanted to be a part of the baking bonanza...so Stef improvised and Hazey got to "help."

God bless coconut for its cover-up abilities. 

Aunt Terry and cousin Sam whipped up these a-dooooorable popcorn cupcakes and the big top cupcake. Terry also made all the aprons the Benz ladies are wearing. She's outrageous. 

Custom stickers (again, courtesy of Terry) for cupcake take-away boxes. Mini-version of the invitation with Joe and Bill's photo.

Big Poppi getting inked.

Sam, Stef, Mom, and Liza...who knew my sis could whip up balloon animals? Hidden talent REVEALED!

Birthday boys oh so many years ago!

Aaand here comes the calliope! 

Both my sisters and I started crying when we saw how excited my mom and dad were at the sight of this. You have to understand our family's history with Rose Festival parades--especially my uncle Bill, who never misses a parade. It was pretty special...and maybe something only my family would appreciate. 

So cute seeing the looks on their faces...they kept this part of the day a surprise.

Team Heit with the float. 

Team DeVries, party of three!

Sometimes I feel so bad for Taylor and all the random family jokes and traditions I subject him to. He is such a good sport.

How cute are they?!

Missing a few of the fam...including the birthday boy.

Steve and Hazey D.

Lize and Leo-weeo.

ALL of the family.

And another. Unofficially 14.

Elizabeth, Joe, me, and Stef. 

The birthday BOYS!

Nice gun show, Taylor. Actual size.

My, what long arms you have, Sara.

Aunt Terry and her sis on the cake walk! 

Brothers-in-law assuming their roles as grillmasters.

Sis-in-law Sara really took to her role as the raffle leader.

We even rolled out a cake for my sis, Elizabeth, as she turned 35 just two days later.

Two cakes, ice cream cones, cupcakes, but Nana B.'s most over-used phrase: "Will there be enough food?"

Birthday princess.

Saying goodbye to Mr. Adamson and the calliope.

Recreating the photo sans uncle-holding-brother.

Nana "relaxing" post-party with Hazel in her jammies.

Sisters in stripes.