A Long Road Ahead

On February 9th, Derek texted me this picture of his bicep.  This is the aftermath from being injured while wrestling with the son of one of his coworkers.  He said when the injury happened, everyone in the room heard the tearing.  We both kind of hoped that this would just be another "owie."  He went to the doctor after Regionals (several days after the incident), and then another doctor, and then got an MRI.  It turns out that he tore the tendon to his pec out of the bone.  We found out on the last day in Seaside that he needed surgery.  And fast.
After his pre-op on Monday, we both felt like we'd been hit by a ton of bricks.  This was a pretty big deal.  4 weeks in a sling with no driving.  Then 6-8 months before he can go back to his normal work as a police officer.  THIS IS BIG.  He is about to miss the most important 6-8 months of overtime of the year.  He will get a "light duty" job on the department.  He does have 4 weeks of saved up sick time.  But wow.  This is potentially devastating.
But, we actually couldn't feel more blessed.  We felt like my opportunity to go back to work was going to put us way ahead.  We could finally do all the home projects we have been dying to do.  But now, my income will save us.  We won't have to dip into savings.  He can heal and get back to health while I work.
The surgery was on Friday.  He is doing as well as could be...on pain meds for now.
The thing I am reflecting on this morning is how blessed I am to have such an amazing husband.  There isn't anything I have needed moved in our marriage that he hasn't been able to move (sometimes with a little help).  He cooks, shops, puts his laundry away, makes the bed.  He is the driver when we go places.  He works long and hard for our family.  And, for a little while he won't be able to do any of those things.  This has encouraged me to reflect on what I love about him.  I couldn't be there for the surgery (I was running a Wrestling Rhino banquet), but nothing made me happier than to hear his voice when he came in the door.  These months may get long for both of us, but right now I am filled with gratitude for my husband.

 He is an amazing husband, father and friend.  He and his squad were also awarded Officer of the Month this week for the incident on Martin Luther King Day.  I am one lucky lady.
Prayers for quick and seamless healing appreciated.

He did make it to the choir concert yesterday! 

Mid Winter Break @ Seaside OR

When we gave the kids a trip to Seaside for Midwinter Break as a Christmas gift, they weren't all that excited.
But when my parents came and we headed out, they started to get excited.
Then, when we got there, they went crazy!  Sarah said, "Mom!  You have taken us to a vacation in HEAVEN!"
It was amazing.  And Heavenly.  If you think Heaven will be very very cold.  We actually got SNOW!  But that didn't matter. We loved being away and being together.  And the views from our hotel were great.  Short walks on the beach were great.  And some crazy members of the family even went swimming in the snow!
One of the things we got for Christmas was a puzzle of Seaside by Dowdle.  We (mostly I) put it together over Christmas break.  Then we (mostly my parents and I) put it together again in Seaside.  So fun!  It was totally nerdy, but I got so excited everytime we saw anything in the puzzle (which was about every 5 seconds).
The Wyndam had a picture scavenger hunt.  My parents took the kids to find all of the things while Derek and I went to the sales presentation for the timeshare company.  We did it to get his parents some points...but it turns out the points are for Wyndam Rewards, not timeshare points.  But we learned a lot about why we don't want to be timeshare owners.  (Like being "forced" to vacation...he seriously said that several times in the presentation.) We did get $50 dinner vouchers, which was nice.
I got up early (because my body just wakes up at 5:30 or earlier every day right now) and worked out in the fitness room and worked on school stuff in the Business Center.  Then I was free to relax and enjoy the days!
We also got to watch some of the Olympics!  Too much curling and hockey and not enough ice skating when we were watching, but I love the Olympic energy.

Here are my parents and the kids with the Lewis and Clark Statue.  This statue is IN THE PUZZLE!  

This picture was on our floor as we stepped off the elevator.  They are recreating.  How did they do? 

The view from our room.  Amazing!  (This is the view in the puzzle!) 

View of the pool from our room.   During the hours from 8am -10 pm it was quite the busy place.  Very brave swimmers. 

We couldn't decide if we needed swimsuits.  1/2 of the family brought them, and 1/2 didn't.  So we had to buy Derek Libby and Ben new suits.  Derek chose the pink pineapple suit.  Libby was so embarrassed!  But not embarrassed enough to miss swimming.  Yes, the outdoor pool was open.  Even in the SNOW!  Notice that I did not buy a new suit.  I let Derek handle swimming duty.  

Derek and I have fond memories of camping in Tillamook when we were newlyweds.  So we took the family.  The new visitor's center is under construction, but the temporary one is really fun too. 

The kids loved "driving" the van. 

Ben and Mom with Tillie the (fake) cow.  Derek quizzed the kids on all kinds of cow facts before they could get cheese samples.   

Grandpa with his next tractor (he wishes!).

 We had lots of other fun.

Grandpa taught the kids to play pool.  Then they played ping-pong, which didn't go so well because grandma went too easy on Ben.  Libby was pretty upset about it.  

 We also went to the Aquarium.  Feeding the seals was the highlight.  They would do tricks to get you to throw fish to them.  Watch out for splashes! (The Aquarium is IN THE PUZZLE!)

 This was such a beautiful morning!  After the aquarium we took a quick walk on the beach.  Ben wanted to swing for a few minutes.  But his hands got too cold to hold on! (The swings are IN THE PUZZLE!)

Wednesday evening it snowed.  A lot. It was beautiful.  

In the morning my dad went out and put some special names in the sand.  

Thursday was HIKE day!  Derek, my dad and I were worried that the snow might make it too difficult to get from Cannon Beach all the way to Tillamook Head in Seaside.  So we decided to just do part of the hike.  It was muddy in parts, but it was great!  We hiked up from Indian Beach along the ridge to the lighthouse lookout.  Then we took the more established almost paved path back to the beach.  It was chilly, but so good to be out and moving!  

So this was the view we were thinking we would get from the hike.  Nope, it is just a lighthouse view.
Glad we also stopped and took some pictures at some other viewpoints.  

View from the pinnacle of the hike.  (The lighthouse is IN THE PUZZLE!)

The scavenger hunt pictures were super fun.  Making a funny face with a reservation clerk! 

Ben seemed to fall down or injure himself very very often on this trip.  Here is a shoulder ride after a tough fall on the sidewalk.  (See in the background, Shilo Inn, IN THE PUZZLE!) 

The carousel mall was closing up as we got back from the hike.  But we managed to take a ride on the carousel before it closed for the night (at 5:45 pm).  There is definitely a "high season" in Seaside--and this is not it! 

Seastar Gelato! There are so many candy and ice cream shops in Seaside.  We hit just about every single one once or twice! (The Candy shops are IN THE PUZZLE!) 

The resort had some fun activities.  This was arts and crafts (during the hike).  That night we also did karoke with a few others in this same room.  The girls loved it! I even sang a song or two or more!

We also fulfilled Sarah's dreams by playing Family Business, Old Maid, Pit and Skipbo.  That girl LOVES games.
HUGE Thanks to Derek's parents for letting us use their timeshare! 
I hope we have started a new family tradition of a Mid-Winter getaway!  We will see if the wrestling schedule obliges!
 

Happy Valentine's Day!

This year I ended up focusing all my Valentine energy on the students of Meridian Park.
The student council had the idea of doing hearts for all the students, like they do at the local high schools.  It was a pretty big undertaking.  The principal wasn't sure we could get it all done.  But Maren and I got things organized and we wrote and put up all 750 before school on Monday.  Kids were pretty pleased to see themselves on the walls.  And we even got a tweet/facebook post from the district!

I did manage to get the girls new swimsuits.  But I didn't manage to get one for Ben.  He was always with me during my dance class shopping trips.  So he got to pick out a box of chocolates for himself.  I didn't do a fun Valentine's breakfast or dinner.  I didn't get Derek anything.  And we all survived.

Derek rocked Valentines this year!  He sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers to work, brought me lunch, and stayed up to help me put together our new couch!  Rockstar!!

New couch

New chair for the family room.  It looks really out of place now, but lots of orange and teal accessories are coming, including curtains.

Student Council also put on TWIN day this week.  I gave out all the old t-shirts from the student store to the teachers, so we were matchy matchy.  Sarah was home with the flu, so she didn't get to twin, and Libby was in the office serving out her sentence for bullying a girl in my class on Tuesday.  Sigh.

But Ben and his friend Sam were super cute.  Green shirts and jeans.  Ben's first time wearing jeans in forever.  He said he "kind of" liked them.  Ha!  Luckily we had some hand-me-downs that fit him.   

My 5th grade team!  Libby's teacher is the one with glasses. 

Dining Room Project

The dining room project has taken 4 years.  These first pictures were taken in April 2014.  This is when I painted the back wall a beautiful orange.  

Love this color and the curtains.  

Then in preparation for Leanne's wedding in 2015 we refinished the floors, got rid of the screens, and got a new chandelier. 
Then we stalled out.  We just couldn't find a table I liked.  I wasn't sure if I would like a rug under my table (especially with little kids!)
But the kids are older now.  And I successfully bought a rug I loved (with help from my designer) for the family room.  So I was a little braver.  And, I finally found  table I loved.  It was on sale at Costco and Maren I ended up going in to buy it on the last day of the sale on my birthday weekend.
It was a great birthday present.  Only took us a few weeks to get it put together.
But here is the new space.  I love it!

Another 2nd place...

This week at Regionals, Shorewood managed to take 2nd place in WESCO South again...but this time, that left us with only 2 2nd Alternates to state.  Friday was a full of heartbreaking losses.  By Saturday we only had 4 of 11 left in the competition.  At the end of the day, we had 2 guys on the podium, both in 6th place.  So, there will be no trip to Tacoma (& the state tournament) for Shorewood for the first time in Derek's head coaching career.  It is humbling, and gives us a chance to think about how we can get the guys working harder and preparing to be stronger for next year.
I am relieved.
These tournaments are draining and emotional.  Time to move on to Einstein season.  Less stress, more fun. 
And, Derek has his first incoming group of Wrestling Rhinos.  They started as kids when I was on the board the first time around and now 6 years later I will see the fruits of my labor!

6th place at 220. And our placer isn't a senior.  So next year... 

This 6th placer looked amazing out there!  He is a 1st year wrestler and a sophomore.  Great things to come! 

Shorewood's 2nd Place Streak Continues!

It was actually a pretty short day yesterday as far as wrestling tournaments go.  Shorewood has a lot to be proud of!  We have 11 wrestlers moving on to Regionals next weekend!  Lots of young guys too.  Hope for the future!  If you look down the pictures, we have a lot of 3rd place finishers (guys who ended with win) and 4 second place finishers (guys who ended with a loss).  That is what tends to stick in Derek's mind...that we didn't have a single finalist finish first.  But we had 4 finalists!  That is something to celebrate!  Also, when it comes to districts, every wrestler you put into the bracket can score for you.  That is when having a small team hurts.  Edmonds Woodway beat us by 199.5 points in part because their team had 28 men in the bracket, while we had only 18 (or actually 17.  Two varsity wrestlers didn't make it into the tournament.  One for grades and one for a concussion.) 

This wrestler is Henrich, a german exchange student.  So sad he goes home this summer! 

I have a cold that came on on Friday afternoon.  I ran out of gas and didn't run the length of the gym the last time to get our heaviest weight finishers. (And you can see I didn't quite make it in time for David Ball either).  I'm hoping for a nap this afternoon!

http://www.shorelineareanews.com/2018/02/3a-district-2-south-sub-regional.html