Isn’t it always like this toward the end of the school year?  Stuff starts happening, blogs begin to suffer.

The sun has come out in full force, and for many days straight.  I asked another mom after school today, “Dare we hope summer might actually be here?”  She replied, “No way!  The June Gloom is coming.”

Oh, that’s right.  June isn’t historically the prettiest month in Seattle. (July and August, though?  ”Nice” is an understatement.)

So, I’ve been rowing.  (And flipping, treading water, climbing back in.  You may thank me now for the lack of a Bruises Aimee Has Gained slideshow.)  Rowing is ever so pleasant in sunny weather.  I’ve even been remembering my sun block.

Yesterday, I spent an hour fixing up the deck.  It’s been swept, and the table and chairs scrubbed.  I’m out here now on the netbook.

 Wireless networks are cool.

I was inspired to get this outdoor room habitable after Mom and Dad moved into their new place last week.  They have the most excellent patio, and sitting out there with them is pure heaven.  Patio Envy is dangerous, man.  I have plans for this place.

It turns out, we have giant lilac trees on the other side of the yard.  I can smell them from here, but they’re so tall, I’d need a ladder to harvest the blooms.

I’m rambling, I know.  I don’t think I’ll even go back and edit.  *gasp*  I’m feeling positively rebellious.

The other thing – besides blogging – to suffer this time of year?  Dinner.  Planning, shopping, prepping…it’s all falling to the side.  And, of course, there’s that part of me (my conscience?) saying, “If you have time to sit out here and blog, why don’t you have time to go to the grocery store?”

Touché, conscience.  You have a point.  But my son just came outside to sit with me in the sunshine, and this seems much more important than wasting time in some silly store.

Jason and I took a trip to Whistler.

It was amazing.  It was relaxing.  It was scenic.

It was…a year ago.

After a few months, I figured too much time had passed to blog about the trip.  Now, I disagree with myself.  It’s never too late to blog about happy times.  Right?

Right.

 There was a heck of a wait at the border. It’s okay – we were on vacation!

We were there for nearly a week, in a great hotel suite we got on timeshare.  We knew practically nothing about Whistler before going, except what we had seen on television during the 2010 Winter Olympics – namely, that it’s a ski resort.  Unfortunately, we are not [yet] skiers, and it was May, so there would be no skiing.

 Whistler – a river runs through it.  Far less drama than the film, though.

I had looked online for “things to do in Whistler during the summer,” and I was surprised to find out there’s quite a lot.  One thing I told Jason we were doing, no matter what, was ziplining.  It looked like it would be amazing.

 There are a lot of stairs in ziplining.

It was.

 He was moving faster than it looks.  Especially since it looks like he’s sitting still.

The tour is through a true old-growth forest, unharvested by men.

 Do you see me? I was attempting to zip upside down, but I forgot to let go. Oops.

It is beyond gorgeous.

The town itself is wonderful, too.  The best part?  Easily the restaurants.  We enjoyed several of them.

 I love swings. I *really* love swings.

That is to say, we ate at several of them, and we enjoyed each and every one.

Since we didn’t get enough time in helmets on the ziplining trek, we decided to rent bikes one afternoon, and explore the area.

 I do love these arm-length photos. We have dozens.

This was a big deal for me…bigger than ziplining.  The last time I was comfortable on a bike, I was a teenager.

 When my hair was purple!

But I did great.  We biked a trail around the lake, up and down gravel paths.  I was nervous and excited and proud of myself.

Most of the rest of our week was filled with wandering around town, playing cards, and eating.

 And drinking wine.

Kind of a perfect vacation.

The end.

Oops.  I’m only about a week late posting this.

Last Friday, Mom and Dad closed on their new condo.  Their “forever home.”  It’s perfect.  Their new neighborhood is perfect.  The location is perfect.  I’m so happy for them.  (And, yes, for us – they’re an hour closer to us.  Yay!)

So, last Friday evening, we had a mini-housewarming party, complete with paper hats.

Have you ever wondered what happens when two boys are let loose with a package of party hats and an empty home?

Now you know.

Project52 is a Photo Challenge I’m participating in at My3Boybarians. This week’s theme is “Fiesta or Siesta.”  Click the graphic for more information and to see the other participants’ beautiful photographs!

Spending the day uploading photos yesterday, I noticed things in photographs I didn’t the first time around.  I had forgotten I’d taken most of these, as a matter of fact.  This is why I don’t want them lost.

 Look at the way he holds onto his big brother

 Why I Relay

 I can’t wait for this year’s summer freckles

 Sometimes the best pictures aren’t “great photographs”

The world is miraculously beautiful

“Worms, Roxanne! I’m afraid of worms!”
Words 

Over the past two weeks, there have been several home burglaries within a mile of our house.  We know of at least five at homes in our elementary school area, they’ve all been during the day, and at one of them, someone was home.  The first one we heard about was actually at our friends’ home – they got the TV’s, the Xbox, all of her jewelry, and more.  ”Floaters,” she told me.  ”That’s the lesson from all this – get floaters on your home insurance policy.”  Her jewelry wasn’t covered.

People are understandably freaked out.  Another friend told me they’ve lived in their home for sixteen years, and there’s never been this kind of issue in their time here.

I’m not freaked out, but I am cautious, and the response to this situation, in our household, has been swift.  We’ve been talking for months about installing a home security system, for various reasons.  That’s happening.  I’ve been talking for years about taking a video inventory of our home, for reimbursement purposes in case of theft or fire.  Of course, the house is never as tidy as I’d like for permanent record, but this morning, I thought, “Screw tidiness,” and I videoed our electronics and other items likely to catch a thief’s attention.  (I didn’t realize we had quite so many Xbox games.  Ahem.)  I’ll go back soon and do a more detailed video, for recovery in case of fire, but for now this will do.  Thank goodness for our tiny video camera, because it’s living in my purse and staying with me until I get a copy of the inventory somewhere safe.

What has me most nervous, though, is the potential theft of memories.  All our digital photos reside on my computer, which is lightweight and easy to carry away.  I have back-ups on CD through part of 2009 in our safe, but beyond that, nothing.

 Backing up involves lots of waiting…so I’m blogging, too.

This morning, I’m backing up.  There are lots of places online with free storage – I’m using SkyDrive, simply because it’s easy, I’ll remember where everything is, and I don’t need to set up a new account.  (It’s linked to my Windows Live ID.)  Of course, there’s also Dropbox, Shutterfly, and countless other websites where one can upload files and photos.

I remember when I was a young child, in church, the congregation was asked, “If your home were on fire, your loved ones were all safe, and you had time to grab one item before you left, what would it be?”  I glanced at my mother’s paper and saw she had written, “Photo albums.”  It hit me in that moment how replaceable almost everything in the house was, except for those photographs.  I copied her answer.

Do you back up your photographs?  If not, do you plan to?

Yesterday, I read a book.

I know.  I can’t seem to stop.

This one wasn’t anything particularly fantastic (another in the spanning-the-centuries, Rosicrucian, holy conspiracy theory genre, à la Dan Brown and Kathleen McGowan), but it was good enough to keep me hooked. To result in my saying to myself, “I’ll skip the gym today and finish this up.  No, I won’t.  I’ll finish this up today and delay my workout.  I’ll go tonight, after Jason’s home from work.”

The amazing thing here?  I actually did it.  Jason got home, I slurped some soup, I got in the car.  Whereafter I made a discovery.

The gym is different in the evening than in the morning/mid-day hours.

There are strangers at the front desk.  They don’t recognize me; I don’t recognize them.

The locker room feels different.  During the day, it seems more energetic.  In the evening, most women are changing out of work clothes, and they seem tired.

There are more people on the machines.  I understand now why there are so many.

But most of all, the free weight room is very, very different.

Coming down the stairs, through the darkened cardio theater (the separate cardio room, darkened, for people who don’t like to work out in the light), into the free weight room, I stopped dead in my tracks.  It was crowded.  Not only was it crowded, there were only two trainers working with clients.  In the morning, and at mid-day, there are a few people working out on their own, and there are always a bunch of people working with trainers.

In the evening, though?  It’s [almost] all men.  Men pumping iron.  Men spotting men pumping iron.  Men watching themselves pump iron in the mirror.  Even one man moving along to a workout video on his laptop.  (Huh?)

Confronted by such a wall of testosterone, I was stunned for a moment.  And just for a brief moment, that old intimidation began to creep back into my brain.  Do I really want to work out in front of – in the midst of – all these guys? 

But the moment was brief.  I slammed the door on that intimidated, out-of-shape girl and stalked to my spot.  I “excused me” and “half smiled” along with everyone else when I made eye contact.  I worked out.  Three other women, at least forty men, and I.  I did everything assigned by Min for my Tuesday workouts, and I left sweaty and exhausted.

I mentioned the different feel of the gym at night on Facebook, and a friend asked, “Does it turn into a meat market? I’ve been worried about going to ours later.”  Oh my.  Thank goodness, this is not that kind of gym.  That would be a whole other kettle of fish.

I’m happy to say I could quite comfortably work out there at any time of the day, but I missed the daytime “feeling” of the place yesterday.  I’ll be happy to go back tomorrow morning for my appointment with Min and use this record to remind myself to put future books down, work out, and finish them in the evenings.

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The other day, I received an email from Nicky’s teacher, wherein she had made several book recommendations for the kids, including The Hunger Games.  I replied, asking if she’d read The Book Thief (absolutely amazing book, by the way), and suggested she do so.  Her reply:

“Love that book; have two copies actually.  But no books with swearing for 6^th grade :(   Parents can though!!”

I was snorting most indecorously in the Costco parking lot, wondering at a world where The Hunger Games is appropriate, yet a few curse words are not.

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I saw this at Costco, and actually lamented the price:

When did French pressed coffee or Via become “not good enough” for a camping trip?  Never, Aimee; move along.  (Although I maintain this would be very, very nice for Relay For Life weekends.  Still, better to just put that $70 towards fundraising, right?  Right?)

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Jason loves aircraft.  When he hears a plane pass overheard, he always stops and looks, to see if he can identify it.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard him say, “Look! A plane!”

On the way home from the sculling regatta a couple of weeks ago, I texted him this picture, with the words, “Look! A plane!”

It’s not often you see planes driving down I-5.

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You know I’m a Star Trek: The Next Generation fan, right?  I’ve seen all the episodes, probably multiple times over the years, and the boys and I are making our way through the series together.  (It’ll take us years at this rate – still on Season 1, and we started last summer!)

If you are also a TNG fan, I urge you to check out Fashion It So.  Fashion blogging.  About Starfleet uniforms.  Funny enough that certain people I know have been snorting with laughter while reading it.  I am naming no names.

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Today, we participated in a 5k and health fair put on by Jason’s company.  I had an ‘out loud’ goal for myself of walking the 5k (I don’t run – the knees don’t like it) in under 50 minutes, but a private, secret, ‘in my head’ goal of beating 45 minutes.  I’ve never maintained a 4 mph pace for that distance.

I made it in 44 minutes 54 seconds.  I did my first mile in 13 minutes.  Who rocks?  I rock!

What made me laugh, though, were the boxed lunches, which included a 490-calorie chocolate chip cookie.  At the health fair.  I only burned 319 calories walking the 5k.

I ate the cookie.

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Our neighbors are very, very kind.  We moved in nearly fourteen months ago, and no one has ever mentioned the horrible state of our yard.  To our faces.  They certainly had the right.  It was easily the most horrible yard on the street.

I had difficulty looking certain super-gardening neighbors in the eye.

We finally set the date and made plans to do something about it, so last Saturday, Mom and Dad came over to lend brawn (Dad) and planning advice (Mom).

I forgot to take a before picture (bad blogger!), but photographic evidence can be found from last October.

It was really bad.

Oh, here’s another.

Believe it or not, that’s quite an improvement.  When we moved in, we didn’t know there was a stone border.  The weeds extended a foot beyond its edge.

Now, however, I do a double-take each time I pull into the cul-de-sac.  So much better!

Dad and Jason worked their butts off pulling out the old stuff, turning in new topsoil, mulching, transplanting two cedar saplings to the backyard, and even pulling out the blackberry brambles around the corner.

They also planted the Japanese maple Mom and Dad brought, and which is now our Fergie tree.  Her ashes are under there, to help it grow.  The boys, Kalen especially, were fascinated by the idea.  Mom and Dad are moving into a new home next week (hooray!), but as it’s a condo, there’s nowhere there they could plant their own Fergie tree.  We were happy to give her the centerpiece spot in our yard.

Now that we have this area of the yard looking so swell, we’re itching to get going on other projects.  My goal: by the end of spring, have the lawn de-mossed, the front door painted, the garage door cleaned, and the garage organized (so we can park the cars inside).

In other words, I’d like to have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about when the neighbors walk by.

Green!

My favorite color!  I have a Pinterest board completely devoted to it.

Something else you’ll find on my Pinterest boards is a plea for an adorable, hand-made, stuffed green owl.

Mom came through, big-time, for my birthday this year.

Meet Owliver.  (Which is totally “Oliver” with an “owl” thrown in there…not “ow liver.”)

He perches on our living room sofa these days, but he’ll find sanctuary in My Room once I’ve finished painting and rearranging the furniture.

Project52 is a Photo Challenge I’m participating in at My3Boybarians. This week’s theme is “Green.”  Click the graphic for more information and to see the other participants’ beautiful photographs!

I’m so jealous of Jules’s tagline:

“Phenomenally Indecisive since 1972.”

Man, I wish I’d thought of that first.

Because, yes, I am opinionated, but in some ways I am the epitome of indecisiveness.  Mostly when it comes to food.  (And spending gift cards.  It has to be just the right thing, you know.)

Where would you like to eat?  I don’t know, but not here, there, or there.

What would you like off the menu?  This, that, this…or maybe that.  I don’t know; you all order first.

So, to be challenged with picking favorite foods for one whole day?  Choosing breakfast, lunch and dinner…snacks and dessert…with no regards for financial or health-related constraints?

Wow.

Well, let’s start with breakfast.  Maybe biscuits and gravy?  My mom’s sausage gravy is the best.  Or eggs Benedict!  No…waffles.  Or an omelette with smoked salmon and cream cheese.  No, I think the eggs Benedict.  Or the biscuits.  With thick-cut bacon.  Coffee, well-sweetened, and thick with cream.

And lunch.  Oh, lunch.  Simply because I am still mourning the loss of our favorite local Mediterranean restaurant, for the sake of fantasy, I’m choosing to have lunch there.  I miss them.  I want their mucver and hummus and pita and tabouli.  Oh, and a few bites of one of their fabulous paninis.  (And a Coke.  You didn’t hear me say that.)

If that absolutely cannot be done, I’ll take a “wandering Paris lunch.”  Drop me in la ville-lumière, with a few euros for a baguette, some cheeses, and a few hours to walk around hand-in-hand with Jason.  Hey, if I’m going to dream, I’m going to dream big.

Dinner.  Well, dinner’s easy.  I want the world’s best cheeseburger.  With some sort of special cheese, thick-sliced (not fatty) bacon, a special sauce of the chef’s creation.  Red onions, thinly sliced, or maybe grilled, one slice of tomato, no lettuce.  What would Gordon Ramsay make me?  That’s what I want.  Well-done on an amazing roll, with my mom’s macaroni salad on the side, and some sweet potato fries…oh, and onion rings from that sports bar in Duluth, Georgia that closed down right before we sold our house there.  Carbs, carbs, gimme lots of carbs.  Maragritas (plural), on the rocks, no salt.

Dessert.

Dessert?

I love dessert.  I’m sure I’ve never yet tasted my favorite dessert, because there are so many I love, but one doesn’t jump to mind as my must-have.  Tiramisu, fresh-churned ice cream, key lime pie…there are dozens I could name as “favorites.”  There’s that indecisive thing again.  Perhaps a tasting sampler — surprise me.  Just no nuts or coconut, please.  (Blech.)

And more coffee…with Bailey’s and a bit of Kahlua.  Just for a little kick.  And a lot of flavor.

It’s fun to think about, but I know I could never survive a day eating like this, calories aside.  I believe the heartburn is starting just reading back over the whole thing.

But still…that burger is sounding pretty incredible.

“If you had one day to eat anything you want and not gain a single ounce what would it be?”