After the gift of Davan's phone call this afternoon, we checked the mail to find a letter from her. It's the first letter that I'd classify as upbeat. She wrote it on Tuesday.
She'd had a good time at the Derby Days thing the campers went to on Saturday. She particularly liked the big inflatable slide (I knew she would when I saw those pictures, but she wasn't in any of them) and the library in town which straddles the boarder between the US and Canada. She was very excited that, on the Canadian side, many of the books were in French.
This week they've been pretty exclusively working on the show, which she was thrilled about. She got to be in the fabric piece she wanted to be in and the dance piece she wanted to be in, but was bummed that the dance piece had been changed to hip hop.
They played a game one evening called Zombie Apocalypse, which she loved, even though she really thought she wouldn't. That's the night there was the picture of her arm and arm with another girl with a big smile.
The other girl, it turns out, is her roommate, whom she was getting along with quite well by then. Davan said while it's still true that she's really different, they have a lot in common, too, and have epic discussions about circus stuff and all that goes along with it. She said she's friendly with pretty much everyone in her rotation (one exception) but told us a little more about her one particular friend.
I'm so very glad that she ended up having fun. I'm proud of her for working through everything and not just letting herself fall into the pit of homesickness and negativity. And I'm so excited to see her tomorrow! I wish it were a little earlier in the day, though. Sigh.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Davan Called!
I got to talk to Davan briefly this afternoon. The ensemble members who were staying over got permission to use their cell phones if they had them to call their parents after camp officially ended for them this evening. Apparently, 6 of them are staying over one more night. She didn't get to talk real long, but I did learn a few things.
Davan's gotten all of our letters except the postcard I had made of Ranger. Too bad about that.
Things only got better for her, but she's still really glad to be coming home and she still really missed us. She's not supper excited about leaving again in a couple of days, but also didn't seem like it would be tragic.
The show went well and she got to take part in the pieces she really wanted to.
Her friend is one of the ones staying over and is probably the person she's ride sharing with to the airport tomorrow, which is great.
That was about all there was time for before someone on her end said that they had to say goodbye, but it was so good to hear her voice. Tomorrow she'll not only call again, but come home! Yay!
Davan's gotten all of our letters except the postcard I had made of Ranger. Too bad about that.
Things only got better for her, but she's still really glad to be coming home and she still really missed us. She's not supper excited about leaving again in a couple of days, but also didn't seem like it would be tragic.
The show went well and she got to take part in the pieces she really wanted to.
Her friend is one of the ones staying over and is probably the person she's ride sharing with to the airport tomorrow, which is great.
That was about all there was time for before someone on her end said that they had to say goodbye, but it was so good to hear her voice. Tomorrow she'll not only call again, but come home! Yay!
New Pictures from Camp
Smirkus put up new pictures today. Here are the ones that the Davan fans may enjoy.
Yesterday, they did an obstacle course for warm up. Davan's the one in the striped shirt coming out from under the tunnel.
They're working on their show, so this must be a piece that Davan is doing for the show. It was taken yesterday, but the show is this evening.
And another:
Here she is on top of a two high from what must be today because of the change of outfit.
In this one, she's the one with her back to us, doing a thigh stand:
I sure hope she's having fun. While these activities look like things she would enjoy, when I see her face, it doesn't look all that happy. Sigh. Oh well. She's coming home tomorrow.
Yesterday, they did an obstacle course for warm up. Davan's the one in the striped shirt coming out from under the tunnel.
They're working on their show, so this must be a piece that Davan is doing for the show. It was taken yesterday, but the show is this evening.
And another:
Here she is on top of a two high from what must be today because of the change of outfit.
In this one, she's the one with her back to us, doing a thigh stand:
I sure hope she's having fun. While these activities look like things she would enjoy, when I see her face, it doesn't look all that happy. Sigh. Oh well. She's coming home tomorrow.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Growing Up
We got another letter from Davan last night. Camp is still only okay. Some parts are great. Some parts are hard. Some parts are just there.
Davan is staying vegan while at camp, which is both a blessing and trouble. She is having a hard time eating enough in the allotted time to be really full. Once she was sent back for not having enough protein on her plate and told to get some. She was quite affronted because that councilor had a plate of meat and cheese as opposed to Davan's meal of bread and a wide assortment of veggies. Anyway, that resulted in several meals of eating something she didn't like until she struck upon the idea of sitting at a different councilor's table. She's also realized that the snack provided isn't usually vegan, so she takes an apple from meal time for that. So, she's coping. She's found that when she gets hungry is when she feels really homesick, so figuring this out has been important.
Some of the councilors are nice and some are mean...this might actually mean some councilors are a good match for Davan and some aren't, but it could also mean just what she said. She loves her fabric coach and loves doing fabric there because it's hung so high that when she climbs to the top, she can do three drops and still have room for a static trick. Tumbling isn't going so well. The tumbling coach is one of the "mean" ones and, according to Davan, plays favorites. Also, they don't do more than back handsprings, so she's not feeling challenged there.
She has a friend, which is great. There area also some kids she's not so fond of. Of course.
Every other night they get to have tent time rather than an organized group activity. Tent time is, basically, open gym time and Davan really loves that.
She ends her letter with this: "When I came to camp, I kind of thought that they would take care of me. But really I end up taking care of myself. I stretch on my own because they don't stretch enough at warm up. I figure out food. I figure out clothes. And many of their rules make this harder. But I'm okay. I'm working it out. And when I"m in the air it's all so much easier. But still, I'm pretty ready to come home again."
I think this is a huge growth experience for her. I think it will give her a realistic idea of what boarding at the National Circus School might look like. It may or may not give her pause as to if that is still really her goal for next year. I'll be interested to hear her thoughts on that when she gets back. I wonder if she's going to have a hard time leaving for Not Back to School Camp on the heels of coming home from what has ended up being a bit of challenging time away.
As for my reaction to all of this being away stuff...well, it hasn't necessarily been as expected. I've always been one to rejoice in Davan's accomplishments and growing up. I'm not the one who got teary when Davan let go of my hand and started walking on her own. When I could finally drop Davan off at a class rather than join it, it was all good. This isn't to say that I don't want her around or that I don't treasure our time together. I do, very much, but growing up is a good thing to do. It's supposed to happen.
So, I was taken aback a bit when I realized that I was entering a bit of a funk at the beginning of all this away time. That's gotten better, but I'm pretty anxious to see her now that it's getting closer.
What really surprised me was my reaction to a commercial on the radio. There are a few stations I like, so I tend to just find another station when commercials start. Anthony and I were driving when the first commercial that came on for a commercial break started with this question, "Are you sending a child off to college this fall?" In a totally unplanned, spontaneous move, I said, "No, we aren't!" and turned the radio off. Nope, I didn't just change the channel, I turned the sucker off. After a few moments, I said conversationally to Anthony, "Well, that was an interesting reaction," and turned the radio back on. Anthony just grinned.
I guess that answers the question of if I'm ready for her to go off to boarding school. That would be a no. Still, if it's what she is still really wanting for next year and gets in, I'll have to come around.
Davan is staying vegan while at camp, which is both a blessing and trouble. She is having a hard time eating enough in the allotted time to be really full. Once she was sent back for not having enough protein on her plate and told to get some. She was quite affronted because that councilor had a plate of meat and cheese as opposed to Davan's meal of bread and a wide assortment of veggies. Anyway, that resulted in several meals of eating something she didn't like until she struck upon the idea of sitting at a different councilor's table. She's also realized that the snack provided isn't usually vegan, so she takes an apple from meal time for that. So, she's coping. She's found that when she gets hungry is when she feels really homesick, so figuring this out has been important.
Some of the councilors are nice and some are mean...this might actually mean some councilors are a good match for Davan and some aren't, but it could also mean just what she said. She loves her fabric coach and loves doing fabric there because it's hung so high that when she climbs to the top, she can do three drops and still have room for a static trick. Tumbling isn't going so well. The tumbling coach is one of the "mean" ones and, according to Davan, plays favorites. Also, they don't do more than back handsprings, so she's not feeling challenged there.
She has a friend, which is great. There area also some kids she's not so fond of. Of course.
Every other night they get to have tent time rather than an organized group activity. Tent time is, basically, open gym time and Davan really loves that.
She ends her letter with this: "When I came to camp, I kind of thought that they would take care of me. But really I end up taking care of myself. I stretch on my own because they don't stretch enough at warm up. I figure out food. I figure out clothes. And many of their rules make this harder. But I'm okay. I'm working it out. And when I"m in the air it's all so much easier. But still, I'm pretty ready to come home again."
I think this is a huge growth experience for her. I think it will give her a realistic idea of what boarding at the National Circus School might look like. It may or may not give her pause as to if that is still really her goal for next year. I'll be interested to hear her thoughts on that when she gets back. I wonder if she's going to have a hard time leaving for Not Back to School Camp on the heels of coming home from what has ended up being a bit of challenging time away.
As for my reaction to all of this being away stuff...well, it hasn't necessarily been as expected. I've always been one to rejoice in Davan's accomplishments and growing up. I'm not the one who got teary when Davan let go of my hand and started walking on her own. When I could finally drop Davan off at a class rather than join it, it was all good. This isn't to say that I don't want her around or that I don't treasure our time together. I do, very much, but growing up is a good thing to do. It's supposed to happen.
So, I was taken aback a bit when I realized that I was entering a bit of a funk at the beginning of all this away time. That's gotten better, but I'm pretty anxious to see her now that it's getting closer.
What really surprised me was my reaction to a commercial on the radio. There are a few stations I like, so I tend to just find another station when commercials start. Anthony and I were driving when the first commercial that came on for a commercial break started with this question, "Are you sending a child off to college this fall?" In a totally unplanned, spontaneous move, I said, "No, we aren't!" and turned the radio off. Nope, I didn't just change the channel, I turned the sucker off. After a few moments, I said conversationally to Anthony, "Well, that was an interesting reaction," and turned the radio back on. Anthony just grinned.
I guess that answers the question of if I'm ready for her to go off to boarding school. That would be a no. Still, if it's what she is still really wanting for next year and gets in, I'll have to come around.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
As Requested
You may remember that back during the alphabet challenge, I mentioned that we'd been doing a lot of hiking. Pictures were requested. Well, I've finally gotten around to fulfilling that request! I ended up just putting them all together in a video. Here's about two weeks worth of a lot of hiking (minus the trips where I forgot the camera).
The Rest of Us
Back at home, we've been actually doing some things other than keeping up with Davan's camp life to the best of our ability. This is what we did this weekend:
Anthony's Dad has been a Boy Scout leader sense Anthony's older brother was ready to be a Boy Scout, maybe even a little longer. Boy Scouts was a huge part of Anthony's childhood. Dick has stayed with the scout troop, even though he's moved to the other side of town and even though it's dwindled to nearly no members at times. Right now, there are, I think 5 or 6 troop members, but only those two went this weekend. Conor is Anthony's sister's son, so, other than Scott, it was pretty much a family trip, even though it was technically Boy Scouts.
As you might have caught from the video, Scott, who has backpacked once before with the troop, didn't do a very good job of planning his pack and gear. He does have another backpack better suited for overnight trips. We don't really know what possessed him to think this was a good idea.
Conor, who bears a family resemblance to Anthony and Dick and looks more like Davan's brother than his two sisters' brother at times, was well outfitted. I'm sure people thought he was our son and we'd brought his friend along and made him carry that mess on his back. Oh well.
Camping at Elk Meadows is a (pretty much) yearly thing for our little family group. I know Davan won't be thrilled that we went without her. I have told her we can go again in September if she doesn't mind the cold nights that will mean.
Yesterday I packed a picnic dinner and Anthony, Ranger and I walked up Mt Tabor. I spend time on Mt Tabor, which is a park/inactive volcano here in Portland, about once a week, as I run up there on my hill days when I'm training regularly.
It's mostly residential streets between here and there, but one section on the way up is this alleyway. In the mornings, there's a dog in the yard to the right. Ranger and that dog do not get along. Sometimes I'll go a block out of my way to avoid dealing with a thrashing Ranger on the end of the leash. Last night, though, all was quiet.
Entering the park.
There are miles of hiking trails on Mt Tabor.
At the top, there are benches with a nice view of downtown. We picked one on the shade to sit and eat our dinner. Unfortunately, you can't actually see downtown in the glare of the sunlight. That's where the view is, though.
Ranger was hot, but happy to be out and eating dinner - I took her's up, too.
There is a road that is closed to cars around the very top with views all around. In the summers, they have a series of criterium bike races up there. Anthony is thinking of participating next year.
After dinner, we walked down a different side of the mountain to go to the off leash dog park.
That made Ranger very happy. It's a huge off leash area with walking paths and open areas.
On the way home, we passed by a friends' house and stopped to say hi when we heard their voices out on the deck. They'd just gotten home from an extended road trip that included camping, backpacking and rafting. It was nice to see them and hear that their kids are going to take part in a show that Davan is also doing. Yay!
We had a lovely evening out. It was nice to break away from the screen after our marathon of way more TV than we ever watch over the course of the Olympics.
Anthony's Dad has been a Boy Scout leader sense Anthony's older brother was ready to be a Boy Scout, maybe even a little longer. Boy Scouts was a huge part of Anthony's childhood. Dick has stayed with the scout troop, even though he's moved to the other side of town and even though it's dwindled to nearly no members at times. Right now, there are, I think 5 or 6 troop members, but only those two went this weekend. Conor is Anthony's sister's son, so, other than Scott, it was pretty much a family trip, even though it was technically Boy Scouts.
As you might have caught from the video, Scott, who has backpacked once before with the troop, didn't do a very good job of planning his pack and gear. He does have another backpack better suited for overnight trips. We don't really know what possessed him to think this was a good idea.
Conor, who bears a family resemblance to Anthony and Dick and looks more like Davan's brother than his two sisters' brother at times, was well outfitted. I'm sure people thought he was our son and we'd brought his friend along and made him carry that mess on his back. Oh well.
Camping at Elk Meadows is a (pretty much) yearly thing for our little family group. I know Davan won't be thrilled that we went without her. I have told her we can go again in September if she doesn't mind the cold nights that will mean.
Yesterday I packed a picnic dinner and Anthony, Ranger and I walked up Mt Tabor. I spend time on Mt Tabor, which is a park/inactive volcano here in Portland, about once a week, as I run up there on my hill days when I'm training regularly.
It's mostly residential streets between here and there, but one section on the way up is this alleyway. In the mornings, there's a dog in the yard to the right. Ranger and that dog do not get along. Sometimes I'll go a block out of my way to avoid dealing with a thrashing Ranger on the end of the leash. Last night, though, all was quiet.
Entering the park.
There are miles of hiking trails on Mt Tabor.
At the top, there are benches with a nice view of downtown. We picked one on the shade to sit and eat our dinner. Unfortunately, you can't actually see downtown in the glare of the sunlight. That's where the view is, though.
Ranger was hot, but happy to be out and eating dinner - I took her's up, too.
There is a road that is closed to cars around the very top with views all around. In the summers, they have a series of criterium bike races up there. Anthony is thinking of participating next year.
After dinner, we walked down a different side of the mountain to go to the off leash dog park.
That made Ranger very happy. It's a huge off leash area with walking paths and open areas.
On the way home, we passed by a friends' house and stopped to say hi when we heard their voices out on the deck. They'd just gotten home from an extended road trip that included camping, backpacking and rafting. It was nice to see them and hear that their kids are going to take part in a show that Davan is also doing. Yay!
We had a lovely evening out. It was nice to break away from the screen after our marathon of way more TV than we ever watch over the course of the Olympics.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Today's Camp Pics
I was looking at the new picture additions for Circus Smirkus and finding slim pickings of my young one.
Here she is in the green tank top on the left side of the picture:
There's another, just like that one that I won't even bother with. Sigh. I was thinking, gee, all these 100s of pictures and this is all I get to see of my kid? I guess that's the way these things go some times.
I did find this one from the after dinner activity. She's on the right hand side, in black with the red bandana that looks like it's flapping in her face:
I was thinking I would have to live with that. At least I know she's participating in things and is, you know, alive and all that. But then, I found this:
Egads - doesn't she look happy? This just totally made my day.
Here she is in the green tank top on the left side of the picture:
There's another, just like that one that I won't even bother with. Sigh. I was thinking, gee, all these 100s of pictures and this is all I get to see of my kid? I guess that's the way these things go some times.
I did find this one from the after dinner activity. She's on the right hand side, in black with the red bandana that looks like it's flapping in her face:
I was thinking I would have to live with that. At least I know she's participating in things and is, you know, alive and all that. But then, I found this:
Egads - doesn't she look happy? This just totally made my day.
Monday, August 13, 2012
A Couple of Picture of Davan at Camp
We got a letter from Davan over the weekend. It was okay. She, unfortunately, was sick and having a hard time dealing with that at camp, but seemed to be handling it alright. She wasn't loving it like she hoped she would and said she probably wouldn't go back next year. Sigh. It wasn't an easy letter to get, I have to say. I sure hope that, as she has settled in more and started feeling better she's been having more fun. It wasn't a total downer, though.
Davan said that the instructors seemed to be impressed with her aerial skills, which are pretty high in comparison to the general level of camp. Her tumbling is up there, but not the best. Her juggling is...not as horrible as she thought it would be. Apparently, she's makes a pretty decent clown with entertaining faces. This does not surprise me one bit, although it seems to surprise her.
Okay. So the promised pictures. The camp posts about a zillion pictures a day on their flicker account. I've weeded through to find a few of Davan to share with you.
Here she is in a group - dancing? She's the one in teal on the right side a couple rows back:
In the afternoons for an hour or so before dinner, they do some non-circus activity. The day that Davan wrote the "I'm sick letter," they, to her horror, played ultimate frisbee. Davan said in her letter that she didn't get the game. Here she is "playing" - you can tell which one she is because she's the one just standing there with her back to us:
Later that same day, after dinner, they played kickball. We were surprised to find this picture, which would indicate that Davan actually kicked the ball. Go Davan! She's running from first to second:
And here she is standing with a gaggle of people on first base, indicating that she, once again, successfully kicked the ball. The gaggle would also indicate that they were playing with some alternative rules.
In this picture, she's the one on the red fabric. I know she would think this was fun:
They have themed dress up dinners every night. Davan went with a limited amount of dress up stuff, as she had to fit everything into two bags for flying and she had to take her own bedding and pillow! Davan seems to be managing with what she took, though. She said in her letter that she dressed as a ninja for ninja vs pirates night by wearing all black with her black leotard on her head. Anyway, this series of shots was taken from one of the dinners. I'm assuming it was fairy tale night. And, yes, that's her hat - one of the few dress up things she took:
Here she is, um, juggling:
While it's not the most clear, here's Davan on fabric:
Here's more dancing. With it being a smaller group this time, I'm thinking this will be part of the ensemble show they're creating:
They had some sort of wild west activity Sunday evening. Davan is the one with the red scarf (her other costume item that she packed) who's face is visible:
And that, my friends, is all I've got, at least in the way of pictures of Davan, but I'll leave you with one last bit from the letter. I'll type this in verbatim because I was amused by it. She'd been talking about the first day and the check in process.
"Then we heard a lot of rules. Some make a good bit of sense, but then there are a few that really don't. For instance, no upside-down flippy things outside of the tent. Really? This is a circus camp people!"
From the way she says it, it sound like that means even things like cartwheels. That would, indeed, put a crimp in Davan's life style. Poor kid. :)
Davan said that the instructors seemed to be impressed with her aerial skills, which are pretty high in comparison to the general level of camp. Her tumbling is up there, but not the best. Her juggling is...not as horrible as she thought it would be. Apparently, she's makes a pretty decent clown with entertaining faces. This does not surprise me one bit, although it seems to surprise her.
Okay. So the promised pictures. The camp posts about a zillion pictures a day on their flicker account. I've weeded through to find a few of Davan to share with you.
Here she is in a group - dancing? She's the one in teal on the right side a couple rows back:
In the afternoons for an hour or so before dinner, they do some non-circus activity. The day that Davan wrote the "I'm sick letter," they, to her horror, played ultimate frisbee. Davan said in her letter that she didn't get the game. Here she is "playing" - you can tell which one she is because she's the one just standing there with her back to us:
Later that same day, after dinner, they played kickball. We were surprised to find this picture, which would indicate that Davan actually kicked the ball. Go Davan! She's running from first to second:
They have themed dress up dinners every night. Davan went with a limited amount of dress up stuff, as she had to fit everything into two bags for flying and she had to take her own bedding and pillow! Davan seems to be managing with what she took, though. She said in her letter that she dressed as a ninja for ninja vs pirates night by wearing all black with her black leotard on her head. Anyway, this series of shots was taken from one of the dinners. I'm assuming it was fairy tale night. And, yes, that's her hat - one of the few dress up things she took:
Here she is, um, juggling:
While it's not the most clear, here's Davan on fabric:
Here's more dancing. With it being a smaller group this time, I'm thinking this will be part of the ensemble show they're creating:
They had some sort of wild west activity Sunday evening. Davan is the one with the red scarf (her other costume item that she packed) who's face is visible:
And that, my friends, is all I've got, at least in the way of pictures of Davan, but I'll leave you with one last bit from the letter. I'll type this in verbatim because I was amused by it. She'd been talking about the first day and the check in process.
"Then we heard a lot of rules. Some make a good bit of sense, but then there are a few that really don't. For instance, no upside-down flippy things outside of the tent. Really? This is a circus camp people!"
From the way she says it, it sound like that means even things like cartwheels. That would, indeed, put a crimp in Davan's life style. Poor kid. :)
Friday, August 10, 2012
We Got Our First Letter and Other News of the Week
I fully expected to have to wait until at least Saturday, when we'll actually not be here to check the mail, so really, Sunday, to get a letter from Davan. Imagine my delight when we opened the box yesterday to find a letter!
Davan wrote it Sunday and had only gotten in late on Saturday, so there wasn't a ton to share, but she did say she'd met some people and that most people had been going to Circus Smirkus for years. She stayed up late talking with a temporary roommate (camp didn't officially start until Sunday evening, so they were in an interim dorm Saturday night) who was the only other first time camper she'd come across.
She said she had a bit of a hard time Sunday morning (I imagine she was exhausted!) and kind of just wanted to be home, but it was better already by the time she wrote the letter which was pre-lunch, as she'd only told us about breakfast.
I hope we get more letters, but I wouldn't be surprised if they aren't supper frequent. Once camp starts, they keep them pretty busy.
Meanwhile, at home, Anthony took Monday and Tuesday off for his birthday, which was on Tuesday. After some schedule juggling on my part (he didn't tell me until Sunday evening!), I freed up those days and we had some couple time. We went back to the alpine slide on Monday, as Anthony enjoys it but wasn't able to go with Davan and I previously.
Tuesday he went for a long morning bike ride while I did a not-as-long-but-still-long run with Ranger. We met back up for lunch out and a trip to the mall for his birthday shopping. He had to come help pick things out because he wanted slacks for work and a pair of shoes for work. These are things that need to be tried on.
I've barely been to Poekoelan due to a combination of kickball, spending time with Anthony on his days off and a bit of laziness in regards to Wednesday night class.
I'm hanging in there, but have had some down moments, missing Davan and hoping she's doing well. I'm hoping to hear more about how camp is once it's started. Of course, if it's not fun, that will make things worse. I'm fairly sure she's having a blast, though. Or, at least, so I keep telling myself.
Davan wrote it Sunday and had only gotten in late on Saturday, so there wasn't a ton to share, but she did say she'd met some people and that most people had been going to Circus Smirkus for years. She stayed up late talking with a temporary roommate (camp didn't officially start until Sunday evening, so they were in an interim dorm Saturday night) who was the only other first time camper she'd come across.
She said she had a bit of a hard time Sunday morning (I imagine she was exhausted!) and kind of just wanted to be home, but it was better already by the time she wrote the letter which was pre-lunch, as she'd only told us about breakfast.
I hope we get more letters, but I wouldn't be surprised if they aren't supper frequent. Once camp starts, they keep them pretty busy.
Meanwhile, at home, Anthony took Monday and Tuesday off for his birthday, which was on Tuesday. After some schedule juggling on my part (he didn't tell me until Sunday evening!), I freed up those days and we had some couple time. We went back to the alpine slide on Monday, as Anthony enjoys it but wasn't able to go with Davan and I previously.
Tuesday he went for a long morning bike ride while I did a not-as-long-but-still-long run with Ranger. We met back up for lunch out and a trip to the mall for his birthday shopping. He had to come help pick things out because he wanted slacks for work and a pair of shoes for work. These are things that need to be tried on.
I've barely been to Poekoelan due to a combination of kickball, spending time with Anthony on his days off and a bit of laziness in regards to Wednesday night class.
I'm hanging in there, but have had some down moments, missing Davan and hoping she's doing well. I'm hoping to hear more about how camp is once it's started. Of course, if it's not fun, that will make things worse. I'm fairly sure she's having a blast, though. Or, at least, so I keep telling myself.
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
Sunday, August 05, 2012
More Catching Up
I finally got around to making a video of the second trip to the flying trapeze in Colorado. Now both girls have left me. Sigh. Davan will come back home, though, and I hope she's having a blast. Looking at the clock, camp has officially started. The parents will have been sent away and the campers will have done some get to know you/bonding games and probably be at dinner now. I'll be so curious to hear about it all when she gets home.
Anyway, here's the video:
Anyway, here's the video:
All About Running...Sort of
You know how I signed up for that marathon? Well, October is fast approaching and guess what? I haven't run more than 6 miles at a time since this event nearly three months ago. This, my friends, is a problem. I'm not thinking there is any way I'm going to be running 26.2 miles all at once in two months' time.
Partially, I'm okay with this. I actually decided not too long after the half marathon that I'd be fine with just walk/running the marathon and not running quite so much. I only strengthened this intention when Davan and I took on the walking challenge, as completing that left no room for running. Our couple of weeks last month of hiking and backpacking rather than running pretty much cinched the deal.
Never-the-less, I decided last week that I really wanted to up my running some and be more ready for the marathon. Even if I walk/run it, it's still 26.2 miles and that's a lot of distance!
I've done pretty well. I did a nice long run on Wednesday. I got out there for two more runs that week. I had full intentions of doing some interval training this morning, after a couple of rest days.
And then I went and played kickball yesterday. Anthony's office fields a team for Kickball Without Borders, which is a fundraising event for Engineers Without Borders. We went out there with several of Anthony's co-workers and their significant others and, surprisingly to me, ended up kicking some booty. We had fun, although we only stayed for two of the three games, as Anthony didn't want to over do it yesterday. He's riding in this race today.
Somehow, in the first game, although I hardly touched the ball (I was in outfield with three other people), I did something funny to my left hip. I enjoyed the second game quite a bit, where I got to play third base and had a lot more action as well as more success (having not caught the one ball that came my way in the outfield during that first game) but also noticed my hip more and more.
We came home and chilled out for most of the rest of the day, aside from walking the dog and that sort of thing. I did some stretching while we were watching the Olympics last night and thought, "Oh, boy, this is not a good thing," on many stretches which involved, if only peripherally, my hip.
Overnight, though, it didn't bother me at all. I got up this morning feeling pretty good, laced on my running shoes, leashed the dog and headed out. Within steps I realized I was not going to be running sprints today by any stretch of the imagination. Ranger and I ended up doing two easy miles and that was still painful.
I believe in working though pain most of the time, as long as it's not making things worse. Usually movement is good. Not always, obviously, and this isn't meant to be medical advice. Broken bones, for example, are best left to mend. Many sports injuries, though, and the experts are all agreeing on this lately, will heal better if one continues to exercise and use the injured area in an intelligent way. So, I feel fine about running on it if it's not killing me. That doesn't mean I want to do long distances or sprint, though.
So, that marathon that's coming up in a couple of months? Well, it's looking less and less like I'll be posting any sort of semi-respectable time. I still plan on being out there, though, and completing the course. That's still something. Right?
Partially, I'm okay with this. I actually decided not too long after the half marathon that I'd be fine with just walk/running the marathon and not running quite so much. I only strengthened this intention when Davan and I took on the walking challenge, as completing that left no room for running. Our couple of weeks last month of hiking and backpacking rather than running pretty much cinched the deal.
Never-the-less, I decided last week that I really wanted to up my running some and be more ready for the marathon. Even if I walk/run it, it's still 26.2 miles and that's a lot of distance!
I've done pretty well. I did a nice long run on Wednesday. I got out there for two more runs that week. I had full intentions of doing some interval training this morning, after a couple of rest days.
And then I went and played kickball yesterday. Anthony's office fields a team for Kickball Without Borders, which is a fundraising event for Engineers Without Borders. We went out there with several of Anthony's co-workers and their significant others and, surprisingly to me, ended up kicking some booty. We had fun, although we only stayed for two of the three games, as Anthony didn't want to over do it yesterday. He's riding in this race today.
Somehow, in the first game, although I hardly touched the ball (I was in outfield with three other people), I did something funny to my left hip. I enjoyed the second game quite a bit, where I got to play third base and had a lot more action as well as more success (having not caught the one ball that came my way in the outfield during that first game) but also noticed my hip more and more.
We came home and chilled out for most of the rest of the day, aside from walking the dog and that sort of thing. I did some stretching while we were watching the Olympics last night and thought, "Oh, boy, this is not a good thing," on many stretches which involved, if only peripherally, my hip.
Overnight, though, it didn't bother me at all. I got up this morning feeling pretty good, laced on my running shoes, leashed the dog and headed out. Within steps I realized I was not going to be running sprints today by any stretch of the imagination. Ranger and I ended up doing two easy miles and that was still painful.
I believe in working though pain most of the time, as long as it's not making things worse. Usually movement is good. Not always, obviously, and this isn't meant to be medical advice. Broken bones, for example, are best left to mend. Many sports injuries, though, and the experts are all agreeing on this lately, will heal better if one continues to exercise and use the injured area in an intelligent way. So, I feel fine about running on it if it's not killing me. That doesn't mean I want to do long distances or sprint, though.
So, that marathon that's coming up in a couple of months? Well, it's looking less and less like I'll be posting any sort of semi-respectable time. I still plan on being out there, though, and completing the course. That's still something. Right?
Saturday, August 04, 2012
Sob
We got up way too early this morning.
We grabbed bags and loaded into the car. Notice that it's dark out.
We drove to the airport and parked.
We crossed the pedestrian bridge into the airport.
Some of us were excited.
Anthony labeled the suitcase for checking.
We parted ways at the security zone.
See that those eyes are extra bright? Yeah. She was excited, but also got teary when it was time to say goodbye.
We decided not to prolong things, gave her kisses and left. It was so, so hard. We were very quiet on the car ride home. Just as we were pulling in, our phones alerted us to messages. Davan texted that she'd gotten through security smoothly, was turning off her phone and she loved us.
Davan has flown alone before, but only to go visit her grandparents and she's never had to self navigate a layover. She's getting all grown up! I don't know if I like it.
I'm doing okay. I'm tired from not sleeping well and I'm hoping she'll have a great time, but I'm pretty okay, even though I titled this post "sob." And, actually, I like it very well that she's capable of and wanting this adventure, even though I'll miss her.
This doing okay thing in spite of the fact that an hour after Davan texted from DC saying that she was getting on her next flight, she texted again. The flight is an hour and 45 minutes long, so that wasn't a good sign. Turns out they had a mechanical problem and, after sitting on board on the tarmac in the 96 degree heat for about 45 minutes, they came back to the gate. She was concerned about her ride and all. So concerned she actually broke down and called rather than relying on texts. LOL I assured her that they had her flight information and would be keeping track of things, but said I'd call if she wanted. She did. They were on the ball. The flight was delayed about 3 hours all together. Bummer. She's flying on that second leg as I write this post.
We'll hear from her again when she lands and when she's driving to camp, but not once she's there, as they have a no cell phone policy and Davan is nothing if not a rule follower. She won't even break the rules to text me occasional updates. Rotten kid.
I suspect, though, that she's going to have a grand time. I'm looking forward to hearing all about it when she gets home. In two weeks. For a grand total of two days and three nights. Before she leaves me again. Rotten kid.
We grabbed bags and loaded into the car. Notice that it's dark out.
We drove to the airport and parked.
We crossed the pedestrian bridge into the airport.
Some of us were excited.
Anthony labeled the suitcase for checking.
We parted ways at the security zone.
See that those eyes are extra bright? Yeah. She was excited, but also got teary when it was time to say goodbye.
We decided not to prolong things, gave her kisses and left. It was so, so hard. We were very quiet on the car ride home. Just as we were pulling in, our phones alerted us to messages. Davan texted that she'd gotten through security smoothly, was turning off her phone and she loved us.
Davan has flown alone before, but only to go visit her grandparents and she's never had to self navigate a layover. She's getting all grown up! I don't know if I like it.
I'm doing okay. I'm tired from not sleeping well and I'm hoping she'll have a great time, but I'm pretty okay, even though I titled this post "sob." And, actually, I like it very well that she's capable of and wanting this adventure, even though I'll miss her.
This doing okay thing in spite of the fact that an hour after Davan texted from DC saying that she was getting on her next flight, she texted again. The flight is an hour and 45 minutes long, so that wasn't a good sign. Turns out they had a mechanical problem and, after sitting on board on the tarmac in the 96 degree heat for about 45 minutes, they came back to the gate. She was concerned about her ride and all. So concerned she actually broke down and called rather than relying on texts. LOL I assured her that they had her flight information and would be keeping track of things, but said I'd call if she wanted. She did. They were on the ball. The flight was delayed about 3 hours all together. Bummer. She's flying on that second leg as I write this post.
We'll hear from her again when she lands and when she's driving to camp, but not once she's there, as they have a no cell phone policy and Davan is nothing if not a rule follower. She won't even break the rules to text me occasional updates. Rotten kid.
I suspect, though, that she's going to have a grand time. I'm looking forward to hearing all about it when she gets home. In two weeks. For a grand total of two days and three nights. Before she leaves me again. Rotten kid.
Friday, August 03, 2012
Walk #20 and the Rest of the Day Before Colorado
With this post, I'll be done with pre-Colorado times. Shesh. Behind much?
After walk #19 the night before, we picked Lena and all of her stuff for the trip up and came home. Lena was not to return to her host family until after the Colorado trip. Actually, it was just her host mom at this point, as her host dad and siblings had all gone to a language camp she'd opted not to go to. Any-who, I encouraged the girls to get some sleep as we had plenty to do the next day and an early start. Then I put my earplugs in and went to sleep. I suspect they, on the other hand, did not settle down so quickly.
Tuesday morning dawned cloudy and showery. This was not overly encouraging for our 3 mile walk in the Belmont area, but we loaded up the troops and headed out anyway. After all, it was the last of our walks and our only time slot in which to get it done if we wanted to do our soak in the soaking pool at the Kennedy School, which was our reward.
This walk is near our neighborhood. It's near enough that, if we'd had a longer time slot in which to walk it, we could have walked from home rather than drive. Everything being what it was, though, we drove. We'd enjoyed all of the other walks in our general area and fully expected to enjoy this one, as well. However, it wasn't our favorite. I don't know if we were a little burnt out, if it was the rain or what, but we mostly found ourselves just going through the motions, wanting to be done.
Davan read us the introduction in the car as we hoped a shower would pass.
This part was boring for Ranger.
What wasn't boring for me was realizing I'd forgotten her leash. Yikes! It was the first time such a thing had happened on our walking adventures. I guess I'd been so busy planning for being out all day that I forgot that simple thing. I improvised with a cloth bag.
We saw some nice Victorian houses.
And walked some steps here and there.
The girls deemed the playground too wet to play on. Shocking!
We just thought this house was cool.
Smiling in the rain.
We hadn't eaten breakfast before the walk, intending to stop at Sweetpea's, a vegan bakery that was a block off the route. Sadly, though, they weren't open yet when we went by and so we were reduced to snacking on these soy crisps from Trader Joe's.
Walking though a lovely bamboo patch.
This playground, part of the Buckman Arts Magnet School, was covered, so the girls had a go.
Davan and Lena started in Portland, OR...
And walked to Colorado Springs, Co. Sort of. Ranger was trying to tag along, but was usually a state away. LOL See her bag tucked into her collar? Fancy, no?
This was another of those apartment complexes.
We have a lot of green here in the Pacific Northwest.
We found another painted intersection. Due to the wetness, however, Davan and Lena just posed standing.
I told them to interact in some creative way with these dogs on unicycles. This is what they came up with. I tell you, we were not really at our best that morning.
We finished with just enough time to go by Sweetpea's before our next appointment.
Ranger really thought the girls should share.
Our next appointment was a good one!
Okay, actually, the mechanics of it weren't that fun.
I dropped Davan and Lena off for this appointment, then made a quick trip to the DMV because when they sent us our renewal stickers, they sent them for this year, not two years from now! The person I dealt with had some reluctance to believe me, but after hearing the story and seeing the plates for herself, she grudgingly gave me complementary replacements.
I got back just in time to see this, as well as the above very flattering picture that Davan will be delighted I shared with you.
The after was really good, though! No more braces and Davan is loaded up with balloons and caramel corn, something one is not supposed to eat with braces, but which she and Lena (who is still in braces) shared anyway.
I then took the ladies out to lunch. We'd talked about lunch at the Kennedy School, but Davan asked if we could go to Nicolas' instead. It's a middle eastern restaurant we frequented fairly regularly when we lived in Gresham and is right by the orthodontist. When Lena said that sounded good to her, too, I agreed.
The plan had also been to do lunch and soaking in between the orthodontist and the next appointment. However, it was clear by the time we were done that we didn't have time to get to the Kennedy School, soak in a relaxed manor, then get to the next appointment, which was Davan's final back study appointment.
I ended up calling to see if we could move the back study forward so we could fit in a soak after the back study and before the girls had to be at Do Jump. I didn't get an answer, but we headed to the school anyway and kept trying. While we were waiting, the girls managed to entertain themselves.
In addition to picture taking, I look Ranger on another bag as leash walk. We weren't there long, though, when we got the go-ahead to come on in and do Davan's appointment.
Lena and I entertained ourselves with the physical therapy equipment while Davan did her strength and range of motion assessment that was both part of the intake process and the out processing. Davan joined in in between things, but she was a little jealous, I think, of our challenges to one another throughout her appointment. Davan was working, but Lena and I were having fun.
Then she was done and wound up with mixed feelings about it. She'd ended up feeling like the chiropractic care was helpful, even though she didn't love it at first. She was glad to be done with the weekly appointments, though, and had also felt like the PT stuff she was given to do was a bit of a waste of time for her.
Next, it was off to the Kennedy School for a soak!
This is not my picture, as I chose not to take the camera in with us, not wanting it to get wet. When we were there, we were there with a good dozen (give or take) other people. It was fun and it's obviously very pretty, but it was also a big hot tub and by afternoon, it was warm enough that we didn't want to be in that long. I'd like to go back in the winter.
Then I had to get the girls to Do Jump for their last Zig Zag practice of the year, or ever for Lena. :( That was followed up by the last fabric class of the term and it's end of term show, which I've already shared highlights of with you.
I had to practically pry the girls out of Do Jump with a crow bar so we could come home and get some sleep before our road trip to Colorado the next day, but they finally came. Once again, though, actually going to sleep was another issue all together.
After walk #19 the night before, we picked Lena and all of her stuff for the trip up and came home. Lena was not to return to her host family until after the Colorado trip. Actually, it was just her host mom at this point, as her host dad and siblings had all gone to a language camp she'd opted not to go to. Any-who, I encouraged the girls to get some sleep as we had plenty to do the next day and an early start. Then I put my earplugs in and went to sleep. I suspect they, on the other hand, did not settle down so quickly.
Tuesday morning dawned cloudy and showery. This was not overly encouraging for our 3 mile walk in the Belmont area, but we loaded up the troops and headed out anyway. After all, it was the last of our walks and our only time slot in which to get it done if we wanted to do our soak in the soaking pool at the Kennedy School, which was our reward.
This walk is near our neighborhood. It's near enough that, if we'd had a longer time slot in which to walk it, we could have walked from home rather than drive. Everything being what it was, though, we drove. We'd enjoyed all of the other walks in our general area and fully expected to enjoy this one, as well. However, it wasn't our favorite. I don't know if we were a little burnt out, if it was the rain or what, but we mostly found ourselves just going through the motions, wanting to be done.
Davan read us the introduction in the car as we hoped a shower would pass.
This part was boring for Ranger.
What wasn't boring for me was realizing I'd forgotten her leash. Yikes! It was the first time such a thing had happened on our walking adventures. I guess I'd been so busy planning for being out all day that I forgot that simple thing. I improvised with a cloth bag.
We saw some nice Victorian houses.
And walked some steps here and there.
The girls deemed the playground too wet to play on. Shocking!
Along this walk were three different apartment complexes, all built by the same guy. The author was quite taken with them, dubbing them all to be reminiscent of being on vacation. This was one of them.
We just thought this house was cool.
Smiling in the rain.
We hadn't eaten breakfast before the walk, intending to stop at Sweetpea's, a vegan bakery that was a block off the route. Sadly, though, they weren't open yet when we went by and so we were reduced to snacking on these soy crisps from Trader Joe's.
Walking though a lovely bamboo patch.
This playground, part of the Buckman Arts Magnet School, was covered, so the girls had a go.
Davan and Lena started in Portland, OR...
And walked to Colorado Springs, Co. Sort of. Ranger was trying to tag along, but was usually a state away. LOL See her bag tucked into her collar? Fancy, no?
This was another of those apartment complexes.
We have a lot of green here in the Pacific Northwest.
We found another painted intersection. Due to the wetness, however, Davan and Lena just posed standing.
I told them to interact in some creative way with these dogs on unicycles. This is what they came up with. I tell you, we were not really at our best that morning.
We finished with just enough time to go by Sweetpea's before our next appointment.
Ranger really thought the girls should share.
Our next appointment was a good one!
Okay, actually, the mechanics of it weren't that fun.
I dropped Davan and Lena off for this appointment, then made a quick trip to the DMV because when they sent us our renewal stickers, they sent them for this year, not two years from now! The person I dealt with had some reluctance to believe me, but after hearing the story and seeing the plates for herself, she grudgingly gave me complementary replacements.
I got back just in time to see this, as well as the above very flattering picture that Davan will be delighted I shared with you.
The after was really good, though! No more braces and Davan is loaded up with balloons and caramel corn, something one is not supposed to eat with braces, but which she and Lena (who is still in braces) shared anyway.
I then took the ladies out to lunch. We'd talked about lunch at the Kennedy School, but Davan asked if we could go to Nicolas' instead. It's a middle eastern restaurant we frequented fairly regularly when we lived in Gresham and is right by the orthodontist. When Lena said that sounded good to her, too, I agreed.
The plan had also been to do lunch and soaking in between the orthodontist and the next appointment. However, it was clear by the time we were done that we didn't have time to get to the Kennedy School, soak in a relaxed manor, then get to the next appointment, which was Davan's final back study appointment.
I ended up calling to see if we could move the back study forward so we could fit in a soak after the back study and before the girls had to be at Do Jump. I didn't get an answer, but we headed to the school anyway and kept trying. While we were waiting, the girls managed to entertain themselves.
In addition to picture taking, I look Ranger on another bag as leash walk. We weren't there long, though, when we got the go-ahead to come on in and do Davan's appointment.
Lena and I entertained ourselves with the physical therapy equipment while Davan did her strength and range of motion assessment that was both part of the intake process and the out processing. Davan joined in in between things, but she was a little jealous, I think, of our challenges to one another throughout her appointment. Davan was working, but Lena and I were having fun.
Then she was done and wound up with mixed feelings about it. She'd ended up feeling like the chiropractic care was helpful, even though she didn't love it at first. She was glad to be done with the weekly appointments, though, and had also felt like the PT stuff she was given to do was a bit of a waste of time for her.
Next, it was off to the Kennedy School for a soak!
This is not my picture, as I chose not to take the camera in with us, not wanting it to get wet. When we were there, we were there with a good dozen (give or take) other people. It was fun and it's obviously very pretty, but it was also a big hot tub and by afternoon, it was warm enough that we didn't want to be in that long. I'd like to go back in the winter.
Then I had to get the girls to Do Jump for their last Zig Zag practice of the year, or ever for Lena. :( That was followed up by the last fabric class of the term and it's end of term show, which I've already shared highlights of with you.
I had to practically pry the girls out of Do Jump with a crow bar so we could come home and get some sleep before our road trip to Colorado the next day, but they finally came. Once again, though, actually going to sleep was another issue all together.
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