Strangely Quiet

My life is suddenly very, very quiet.

I tidied up the house, and it stayed that way. I made dinner, and nobody lost their minds over how they don’t like beets. I went for a bike ride to do some errands, and it didn’t matter how long my errands took. I baked cookies with Christy, and we had a complete conversation with no interruptions. Janice is coming to clean, and it’ll stay just as she leaves it for days.

…Because the other 2/3 of my family are in (unexpectedly sunny) Seaside!
Continue Reading >>

Vacation: Summing Up

So here’s the rest of what happened on vacation: We read books, went for walks and hikes with and without the baby, my parents arrived (much to Benji’s incredibly cute astonishment), Deborah left, Ian and I celebrated our 10th anniversary, and we all drove home. Here are some pictures from all that stuff.

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With Grammy (not pictured) at a county park near Seaside, seeking sun. We found it for a little while, but clouds advanced relentlessly and we eventually had to concede defeat.

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Gee, the similarity between my mother and the model is striking. Continue Reading >>

Catching Up

All right, there is no catching up to be had. Sorry. I’m just going to start up leaving out whatever’s happened between mid-July and now.

Ian, Benji, and I are in Seaside, Oregon, at the Fergusons’ beach house with Ian’s parents. We arrived on Thursday, August 1 after a surprisingly easy drive with Benji. Not to say he loved the drive, and by the end he was continuously signing “all done,” as if that’d get us to take him out of his seat, but I admit being devoutly grateful he drinks from a bottle so he can eat in the car rather than stopping to nurse every few hours. We made it with one stop to look at the big trucks and crawl around, just south of Olympia. Continue Reading >>

More Seaside Pictures!

Day’s Verse:
God, brilliant Lord,
your name echoes around the world.

Psalm 8:9

Here are pictures of the day for the last few days.

Sunday: None, because I didn’t bring my camera with me at all! Also, we spent almost the whole day reading, with the occasional walk thrown in to keep our limbs from ossifying. I read almost the entirety of Three Musketeers. All for one, one for all! And thank goodness Milady was killed in the end, that b*tch.

Monday:
Ian at Kinni-Kinnic Lodge

Tuesday:
One Sandal
I went for a really nice bike ride on Tuesday, over to Oswald State Park. Here’s the route:

I mention this because there were some AMAZING views on the hill above Manzanita, and I took some pictures with my cell phone (which has the equivalent of a pinhole camera, so the best I could hope for is blurry-but-recognizable). Unfortunately, those will have to wait until we get home because I have no way of getting them off my camera here. Continue Reading >>

Seaside Vacation: Day 1

Day’s Verse:
I have God’s more-than-enough,
More joy in one ordinary day
Than they get in all their shopping sprees.

Psalm 4:6-7

Here we are in lovely Seaside, Oregon, compliments of Ian’s parents. We arrived yesterday evening, and after unpacking the car naturally went straight to the beach, where we reveled in the atypical sunniness (clouds have since moved in, but should clear by the afternoon). Expect more pictures than words for vacation-related blog posts.

Ian and Tillamook Head
Ian’s first step onto the beach for this vacation, with Tillamook Head in the background. Continue Reading >>

Seaside Day 8: Fort to Sea Hike

Day’s Verse:
Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.
1 Peter 2:16

Yesterday Ian and I did our most ambitious hike yet: the Fort to Sea, from Sunset Beach to Fort Clatsop and back. I call it a hike, but in places it was much more of a stroll, a walk, a perambulation, or a tromp. Here we are at the start, feeling fresh and frisky.
Fort to Sea: Start

We started by walking through a wind-ravaged clearing, crossed an amazingly elaborate pedestrian bridge:
Fort to Sea: Bridge Continue Reading >>

Seaside Day 6: Cannon Beach Day Trip

Day’s Verse:
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.
James 5:13

Here’s another thousand-word equivalent:
Cannon Beach

I’m just kicking myself: Why didn’t I walk to the edge of the dune and then take the picture?! Fortunately, Ian and I had an excellent time in Cannon Beach regardless. We caught a bus there, spent most of the day strolling around and talking to bored shop owners, walked a good bit of the beach — from Mo’s to the river — and then caught the bus home. It only rained a little bit while we were inside eating lunch, but amazing storm clouds graced the sky the whole time. After all of that excitement, I needed a nap. Tomorrow’s looking almost as exciting. Continue Reading >>