Bikes, trikes, and automobiles

Ryan got a new bike.
Ezra inherited her old trike.
There are automobiles in the background of most of our pictures because my kids spend their days playing in a parking lot.
We spent the morning outside, enjoying the overcast skies and breaking in our new wheels.
Well, new to us anyway.
We purchased Ryan's "princess" bike from a nice old man advertising on craigslist.
I felt a little guilty about presenting her with a bike that is a little worse for wear,
that is until she crashed it twice in 20 minutes.
Then I was patting myself and Scott on the back (metaphorically) for getting a bike that will no doubt receive a few more battle scars.
And since I have now realized this entire post is made up of corny cliches,
I also tooted my own horn while crossing my fingers no one would get hurt.
And no good morning ride is complete without a photo shoot.
And no good photo shoot is complete without me taking a picture of myself;
at least according to Scott.
Mark my words.

July

So I was looking through my pictures to see if I had anything worth writing about and found, like, three strange pictures, that are completely unrelated to each other and do not at all document our recent family activities.
In the last month, we have visited Eugene (yes again), rearranged our entire apartment, (all four of us can now live almost exclusively in one room ... the one with the air conditioner), visited Seattle, watched Eclipse (the most important item on this list ... just kidding ... okay no I am not), attended my 10-year-high school reunion (my camera pooped out and I got zero pictures, which is fine because I didn't recognize very many people even after only 10 years!), and played hard in the oppressive heat (to me anything over 85 is boil-an-egg-on-my-head-while-in-my-apartment discomfort).
Our summer is nearing it's close and we have yet to go to the beach, go camping, go to the farmer's market, or get shaved ice ... summer must-dos.
We have been traveling a lot to be with family.
In fact, as I sit here, Scott is once again in Seattle with Ryan at a pro golf tournament.
And while that sounded like a bucket-o-fun, I opted to stay at home with Ezzy and just take care of one maniac, plus I had some furniture to polyurethane. Yippeee!
So in conclusion, I am going to post the few said pictures of nothing in particular, I am high from the fumes in this apartment, and I need to take Ezra out to enjoy some fresh air because I cannot let him watch Cars all the live-long day.
Happy summer!

One picture from the reunion. These girls were my best friends in high school and we still see each other every few months. It may look like a rare photo op, but it isn't. We hang out fairly regularly. It was still fun to see them along with a few other classmates. I think the reunion was a success. I looked at pictures of me from high school (barf) and definitely feel I stepped it up for this get together. I mean it is important to look better at these things, right?

A random shot of the kids at lunch. I was trying to take a picture of Ezra's new chair that Brady helped me to paint (I love it). And no, Ezra did not join the military, I just like his hair short. And yes, I feel the need to defend myself.

A generation shot. We visited Scott's grandpa in Olympia over the Fourth of July weekend. Four generations; don't my kids look happy?

And last, but certainly not least, me in my Twilight shirt. I wear it every time I see the movies in the theater, even if I am by myself, which was the case for Eclipse. I opted to go alone as opposed to going with someone that would not be as giddy about the movie as I was. I don't want to hear a sigh of pity as I squeal with excitement when Edward appears on screen. I am kinda a twi-hard fan.

Super lame

So I have been a super lame blogger lately.
I have every intention of posting something exciting and witty,
and then ... I just don't.
I don't even really have much of an excuse.
I mean, I want to ... and I have some semi-cool pictures
but then I let my camera battery die, or I accidentally erase them
or better yet, I forget to take some in the first place.
But, all excuses aside, I am going to think of something clever to do with my erratic collection of photos and download them babies ...
after our company goes home,
and possibly after my ten-year class reunion this weekend?
So to my three readers ... stay tuned :)

The Bastings come to town!

So Britney and her family came to Forest Grove.
They stayed for three glorious days.
We had so much fun.
A trip to the zoo, staying up late for movies every night, screaming kids, morning runs, even a birthday party made their trip a blast (okay maybe not the screaming kids part).
We all squished into our shoebox-sized apartment and it was quite cozy.
We love to spend time with them and I am always sad when we part ways.
But we will be together again in a few weeks!
I have a 10-year reunion to attend.
Yikes.
So we will see the fam soon enough.
Thanks for coming to see us Britney & Rex.
We love you!

A little trip

We went to Eugene again!
You cannot tell from the look on Ezra's face, but everyone had a great time!
I love LOVE hanging out with Britney.
I wish I could hang out with her everyday, all day ... forever.
Our plan is to one day live in the same town where our husbands will have awesome jobs and we can open a bakery together.
My best friend.
Anyway, I love to hang out with my dad and Brady too.
In fact, Brady ... thank you so much for all your help with my never-ending amount of home improvement projects I drag with me to Eugene every time.
We are talking toxic amounts of spray paint.
Anyway, we were busy, busy the whole time.
A bbq, smore's, yard work, a movie with my Dad (The Losers ... so good), thrifting, a 10 mile bike ride, and cooking (thank you Britney for the BEST tortillas I have ever sunk my teeth in).
I feel so happy when I am there and love to spend time with the fam.
The only downer was that my Scotty couldn't come, darn school.
But all in all, a great week with an uneventful drive (thank goodness).

p.s. Scott is currently fixing the xbox after watching a repair tutorial online; the car is in the shop and is being fully covered by the phone-talking-bonehead who hit me; my neck feels much better, thank you; and Eclipse is coming out in a little over two weeks ... things are looking up.

Quick update

So the running total is:
2 flat tires
1 busted trunk/bumper
1 ticket for failing to wear a seatbelt (even though the seatbelt was in use)
1 red ring of death (our xbox 360 pooped out)
1 case of whiplash, coupled with a splitting headache.

So we have had an awesome week.
I thought that bad things happened in threes.
Uh huh.
On the bright side, we have our health, and ... well we are blessed in lots of ways.
I am just super grumpy and can't think of them right this second.
But they are there.
I am sure things will look up from here.
Knock on wood.

Memorial Weekend fun

On our way home from a quick trip to Seattle, we ended up on the side of this road ...

with our trunk emptied onto the side of the freeway ... due to a flat tire.
Not only did our tire pop, but our spare popped too, 15 minutes later.
Double the fun.
So we hobbled along the side of the road, at 8 miles an hour, on a deflated spare, until we reached here ...

a parking lot in the middle of nowhere. Luckily this parking lot was attached to a Safeway, Subway, McDonalds, and gas station (with plenty of space to ride our scooter while passing the time as we waited for Scott's mother to drive 2 hours south to rescue us.)

Seven hours later we made it home. And then Scott returned to our deserted car the next day and replaced the tire and brought our car home to us. However, the fun continues. Because, of course, the next day I was rear-ended and now our car is crunched and I am wrestling with the insurance companies to get our vehicle back in tip-top shape. Never mind that I am suffering from a super great case of whip lash and the trip I was planning to Eugene is on hold.

Why is that when it rains it pours?