Beach Routine

By the second day we've all fallen into a routine. 

Michele and I are up early for a work out before the house gets up. This morning it was a long jog.

Michele and I did 5 miles. When we returned, a couple of the kids wanted to go for a run so we went up and down the  prom. 

By the time we got back Laura had finished her elaborate breakfast. The house loved her blueberry pancakes.

Coastal mornings tend to be overcast so that is usually designated as town time. Rob was ready for a walk on the prom after breakfast. Running 8 miles didn't stop me from going out for another 3.

After town people start showing back up around the house for lunch. Then we start splitting up again for more outdoor fun.

Today, Skylar washed his hair 3 times to get it clean enough for Laura to cut it.

While Skylar got a haircut, Michele, Walt, Rob, and I hit the outlets. Michele and I came away with bright tops from Eddie Bauer's.

Almost everyone else was at the beach by the time we returned. Usually, sometime after lunch, the gang heads to the beach. Most days the clouds clear in the afternoon, today they didn't, but that doesn't really bother the kids.

This house has an amazing wrap around deck with a huge front seating area. The adults sit out there a lot, especially before and after dinner. Last year a portable fire was added to the list of things to bring. 

 

With so many young girls in the house evenings are often spent in this braiding position.

After an amazing taco bar made by Karen and Steve there were a lot of dishes. It was quickly discovered the dishwasher was busted.

We quickly hand washed the dishes before Big Brother started. Several of the families in the house are BB fans so 3 nights at the beach house are spent watching the reality show.

With the the show out of the way and the kids tucked away in bed the adults often decide it's time for drinks, snacks and a game.

Skylar's team almost won the game!  Laura reminded them, "It's not how you start the game, it's how you finish, bitches!"

Settling in

One of the things I love most about the week at the beach are the workouts with Michele every morning. Michele was out Cross Country coach in high school and we have been close ever since. She got Rob to ask me to prom and she had our wedding in her back yard. We have been workout buddies for a long time.

Her latest kick is circuit training. I'm always game for anything so we get out before most of the house is awake.

This was a different workout for me. The push-ups and burpies kicked my butt!

After the stretching cool down I was ready for more. I was anxious to get on my bike.

The first full day at the beach house is a big shopping day. Some are rushing to the outlets and others are going back to Warrenton to hit the Costco for food and Oregon, tax free purchasing. The Rittierodts were hitting Costco. I took the opportunity to hit highway 101 on my bike and meet Rob the 11 miles down the road in Warrenton.

Settling in for the week always includes checking out our favorite little park. It's just two blocks up the road from the house and the kids love it. Emie and Jane begged me to take them to see it.

It's still the same!

Each family is in charge of making a meal. Rob insisted on bringing his mini tregger so he could bbq ribs for our meal. Since we got the ribs at Costco and already after one day there is no room in the fridge, we got to do our meal the first night. 

I hear they were really good! Couldn't have been too bad, there were no left overs.

Part of settling in is remembering how crazy this house can get. There are always so many conversations going at once and kids running around. Getting a nap is near impossible. Poor Rob tried today. What a fool. Tony is a wild card, you never know what he will do to you.

Heading to the beach!

It's time for our annual trip to Seaside Oregon! This is my favorite time of year. We load up the truck with almost everything we own and head down I-5 to the Oregon coast.

Along with the kitchen sink, this time we also brought Skylar's tortoise Jeff.

I feel a little bad because Skylar is just three days off of having his wisdom teeth pulled. His face is still very swollen.

This yearly trip is special because we spend it with our chosen family. Skylar's  godparents Michele and Walter Mathay, their kids and grandkids. 

Walter rents a huge house on the beach for the five families to stay together. 

We've been doing this since Skylar was six years old. This is year 10, It's always a blast, but it's getting easier as the kids get older.

As the sun sets on our first night in the house everyone settles in for a fantastic week at the beach.

Another trip comes to an end

My run ended in downtown Pullman at the Daily Grind coffee house, a local small business. 

They have a fun atmosphere and decent coffee and food. Cindi chilled out there while I ran. I cleaned up and changed in their bathroom so we could follow up on some shopping we needed to do.

Our first stop was to be the Vandal Store on the University of Idaho campus. Skylar is pretty sure he wants to go there for his undergraduate work in Natural Sciences.

I thought I would pick him up a shirt.

Next stop was Joann's which just happens to be next door to the Michael's. I thought it was odd at first, but then I thought, how convenient. Cindi was looking for something specific and we found several things we didn't need as well.

"We came, we shopped, we're ready for cocktails!"

We head back to Pullman after that to see if we can get measurements in Maddy's dorm for next year. We knew chances were slim, but we were going to try. When we showed up there was a crew working outside the door and one of the people happen to be the head custodian. She was so gracious and took us to the room and showed us all around and gave us tips about move-in day too.

Maddy has a great view of a cute little pond out her window. She is bringing her cat so we needed to check out the windows; no screen!

Soon after that Maddy finished her orientation obligations and we were on our way out of town. 

She had fun being a Coug for the weekend, but the food wasn't as good as it is during the school year so that was a bummer.

Good bye Palouse! It was great to see you again!

It was already 4:20 in the afternoon and we had a lot of driving ahead of us. I showed Cindi the short cut that bypasses downtown Colfax so that helped. She stopped in Dusty for gas and I took over driving.

I was in a hurry to get home. I had an assignment due for library school that night and I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to work on it.

Turns out, that assignment was already past due. The deadline was 9:00 AM. I finish it around 10:30 PM.

2 summer trips down,1 to go. Stay tuned.

Joani out!

Beautiful Palouse morning

The sun was shining bright this morning and I was ready to run for the border. I headed east on one of the nicest trails I've ever been on.

The Palouse Trail connects Pullman to Moscow, Idaho. This trail is very well maintained and has very good signage. I didn't run the full 7 miles to get to the border, but I did get several miles of wonderful rolling hills, a babbling brook, and singing birds.

Just killin' time

Today started with a chilly run through campus and downtown Pullman on a wonderful new system of trails.

Maybe I would have been more motivated to keep up running during my college years if the trails had been here then.

Even though it is July and we are in Eastern Washington the weather is dreary and cold today. While Maddy is off learning all about what WSU has to offer Cindi and I seek out warm activities.

We start by getting warm in the car with a drive across the border to Moscow Idaho. Moscow is a great little town with fun shops. 

We found ourselves spending a big chunk of time in a great independent bookstore.

The local toy and hobby store was a ton of fun. There were lots of great games we had never seen before and of course plenty of cards for a certain Pokéman fan.

One of the best places to get lost for hours is Tri-State. Such a great mix of stuff in that store and free popcorn too!

After so much time on our feet we were ready for a treat.

Not sick of huckleberry just yet.

Maddy wanted a shake too. She was on a break and waiting for us in the Bookie. We hustled back across the border those short 7 miles and met her there for more shopping.

After the bookie it was dinner time. We had been on our feet avoiding the rain all day. It was time to hit the Coug!

When I was a student at WSU the Coug was the spot to be, open 2 close. They had the best food (especially the fries!)...

And the best beer...

Yes, that is me with a beer...it is a pineapple beer and it's delicious!

The Coug is also the place you leave your mark. I've written on the walls there many times. This one I saw and it reminded me of some friends I have.

After the Coug we had to hit another of my favorite watering holes in Pullman, Rico's. We drank our dessert!

Quote:

Joani-You look drunk in that picture.

Cindi-That's because I am drunk!

Needless to say, I drove us to our sleeping quarters. Cindi's car has the most amazing feature, a must for my next car, a heated steering wheel! Cindi caught me making out with it at a stop light.

One of my favorite places

I'm soooo excited that Maddy is going to be a Coug. The time I spent at WSU was some of the best years of my life. Of course I said yes when Cindi ask to go with them to Pullman.

We started with a walk up to the CUB, home of the bookie. It is on summer hours so it was closed, but we found another place to buy great Cougar gear.

After the shopping we set up camp. Yup, we are tenting it this weekend while Maddy gets a taste of dorm life.

For dinner it was on to an old favorite of mine and a new favorite of the Lucas', Sella's.

Maddy's choice because she loves their pasta Alfredo.

She is right, the Alfredo is amazing, but the Thai pie is also quite good. You would be surprised how awesome peanut sauce is on pizza.

After dinner it was time to check Maddy into orientation and her dorm room for the next two days. She decided it would be cool to trundle the bed and she was determined to make it happen.

It wasn't easy but it was fun to watch.