All My Bags Are Packed...

I'm ready to go...TO MEXICO!!

Honey giving me the "you're leaving us again?" look

Sugar and Honey, however, are not ready to see me go. They have been laying in my suitcases (empty and full) not letting me get more than 3 feet from them at all times and anytime I leave I hear ALL about it when I return.

Sugar isn't looking at me, he's looking at the cords behind the TV to see which he'll eat while I'm gone.

Sugar is taking it the best, although he will let me know he's upset when he throws up on the floor and eats some really important/expensive cord while I'm gone. That's his way of showing me to not take vacations with out him!

The essentials: sunglasses, passport, and my cowboy hat. That's all I need....

...and a FEW other things stuffed into this (almost) full suitcase. Don't worry, there's an extra duffle bag stuffed in there for the Mexican goodies I plan to bring home! So long McMinnville, I hope you are in one piece when I return from 15 beautiful days in Mexico. If you'd like to see where I'm staying; here is the website! Many thanks to my sister who is taking Erica and I to the airport at 3am (for our 6am flight...who planned that?! Oh, that's right...me (oops!)) Thanks to Tramaine for taking care of Sugar and Honey while I'm off on my adventure. No 100 degree days while I'm gone please! See ya'll when I return! Paige and Beflany: I'll see you on the 7th! Adios!

Team Camp and New Car

Its been while since I've posted and that's because I've been SUUUUPER busy...well, I was super busy and then the last few days I've just layed around doing nothing. :0)

Last week I was at Team Camp coaching 12 hour days. I definitely have the energy to last that long, just not the voice. That was gone by the end of day 2, yikes. Then came the bruises. I haven't played indoor volleyball for a while and at this camp there is no easing your way into things. Let's just say I came back with more bruises than a 6 day old banana. But, despite all the physical pain I endured it was a lot of fun. It's really great to connect with people who share a love for volleyball and coaching as much as I do. I just don't get that all that much in my circle of friends and it's really nice to be around that (more like submerged in it!) every once in a while.

For those who didn't know, I've been looking for a new car. I have been on a hunt for about a month or so and I knew what I wanted, I just needed to find it in my price range. I stopped at a dealership on my way home from Bend just to check things out and I ended up buying a car! It's a Mazda CX-7 and depsite what Tramaine says, it's red. It has the two main things I was looking for, Navigation and leather and it was a crossover. I totally love it but it'll take me a while to get used to. I was very used to my other car so figuring out all how to work all the bells and whistles will take me a while, but I think I can do it. For those who want to see a picture; it's coming. In the meantime, here is one I found online.

Home Again, Home Again

Yesterday Erica and I (and Lynden) made the trek home from Canada. We decided to leave early in the morning and ended up leaving a little earlier than planned. We were on the road at around 5:45am. We made great time and only stopped twice along the way (once for Starbucks for me and once for gas) and ended up pulling in Erica's driveway at 11:45.

At the time I thought it was a great idea to get home so early...then the lethargy set in. I didn't move from the couch for the rest of the day. I watched some movies (Bride Wars is really cute by the way and its been eons since I've seen Cruel Intentions) and a little Dog the Bounty Hunter (hey bra!).

My one adventure out was to get some hairball ointment for Sugar since he decided to throw up about 12 times. I was about to take him to the ER vet in Tualatin because he was not looking good but luckily I calmed down enough and called Peggy Owens and she advised me on some ointment. He took right to it and has only thrown up once since then (I know you were all dying to know!) and we all slept peacefully last night. And, after all my complaining about everyone going to bed so early while I was in Canada, there I was last night: In bed before 9:30. Karma.

My Ode to Sugar (aka: Suge Knight)

Kits Beach

Our final day in Canada was by far my favorite. We spent most of the day at Kits Beach near downtown Vancouver. Its a very happening place on a hot Saturday afternoon. People of all walks of life are strolling, rollerblading, sunbathing...you name it. Its a great beach that overlooks the bay that was just as busy as the boardwalk. There were probably close to 100 small sailboats racing out on the water, along the shore a group was doing sea kayaking, and right down the beach from where we were folks were playing volleyball. I ended up getting in a few pick up games which was fun (and definitely made me realize that it's been a WHILE since I played sand!) Erica and Lynden had a great time throwing the Frisbee around and people watching (Erica's favorite).
Once the sand got too hot to play on we headed to the pool. It was HUGE! Hopefully the picture in this collage does it justice but to give you an idea of its length...it is almost 3 times as long as an Olympic size pool! The water is like saline solution, very clean but no harsh chemicals to burn your eyes (or ruin your nails in my case). When we got there Erica asked me if I was going to swim a lap and I didn't think I could because I thought it was too salty...nope! I did pretty well for a girl who hasn't worked out in a while! I ended up swimming a little over a lap and it felt great. The water was the perfect temperature, the air was nice and warm (about 85) and the people watching was the best (I think that's what Erica is doing in the center picture on the collage).
We ended up heading home at around 4:00 and had a wonderful dinner with Kathy and her family and friends. Fresh salmon just caught yesterday over caesar salad and key lime pie for dessert! Perfect summer meal...oh so good! We ended our evening painting our toenails; Lynden was especially patient and really excited to get a "dark" color AND have mommy and Anna's toes match hers!
Happy 4th of July everyone! Canada was very fun but I'm ready to head back to the States!

Photo Shoot at the Park

Erica, Lynden, Kathy and I had our pictures taken today by Kathy's good friend Suzanne. She was very patient with all of Lynden's desires...one of them being playing Frisbee. We had fun tramping through the park but had to leave early because we were being attacked by mosquitoes. That's when we headed to the playground. It got hot early today so Lynden headed straight to the fountain after playing on the swings. I couldn't help but join in and we had a lot of fun running through the sprinklers as they sprung up all over the cement area.
After that (and some much deserved pool time) Erica and I took the sky train to downtown Vancouver. I've definitely done my fair share of shopping on this trip and our trip to downtown was no exception. We walked up and down Robson Street and stopped when something caught our eye...which happened a lot. We had dinner at Cactus Club Cafe (which was yummy!) and then walked around some more and then both of us felt ready to go home. We were done with the down town scene...lots of people, noise, commotion. We were ready to get back to a much quieter simpler place...like Oma's!
Once we were back we both nursed our newly acquired mosquito bites from today and tired feet with a soak in some magnesium salt and a much deserved foot massage. All in all it was a fun day, and once again all are in bed before 9:30 and here I sit...awake. :-)

Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge

These are the pictures we took while we were on the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge. Erica was not a fan of being on it because it swayed back and forth and she had to keep reminding Lynden to hold onto on of the ropes. I was a bad example because I was never really holding onto the ropes while we were walking across. My favorite picture in this collage is of Erica and Lynden and the line of tourists behind her and if you look closely some of the people are actually smiling for our picture.. The pictures of Lynden and I were taken just moments before that one Thanks random tourists!

Fun at Lynn Canyon Park

Today was another exciting day in Canada, eh? In the morning we got up and drove to Lynn Canyon Park. It is home to a long suspension bridge. There were a bunch of trails around it that led many different places. We chose one that led down to a creek that fed into the big waterfall that the suspension bridge went over. Lynden and I had a blast jumping up and down and running all around. It was so peaceful I was able to bust out some of my favorite yoga poses (ha!). We made our way back home, got lost, and then luckily used the GPS on my phone and Erica's sense of "oh yea, I know that street let's go this way" direction to eventually steer us back home to "Oma." We finished the afternoon playing, reading, and lounging by the pool (because that's what we do best). Kathy taught me to play cribbage and I kicked her booty the first time around. My guess is there will be a few more rounds played before I leave here...that is if they can stay up past 9:30!

Fun by the Pool!

Happy Canada Day collage

Happy Canada Day!

Yes, these Canadian flags are held on by duct tape.

To those unaware, July 1st is Canada's birthday. When Erica and I planned our trip up here we knew it would be over the 4th of July but I wasn't aware that we would be here for Canada's version too!

We got up early this morning because like I said in my last post EVERYONE WAS ASLEEP BY 9:30...so there we all were 7:30am bright and early (earlier than I would like!). We spent the morning making fruit salad and a yummy drink I got from my friend Courtney with watermelon and strawberries in it! The American version calls for Squirt but apparently Canadians have never heard of it nor do they sell it in their grocery stores...so we had to settle for Fresca (which I bought the sugar free kind...gross) or Canada Dry (which they have EVERYWHERE).

After that we headed to the pool for the Co-op's version of Canada Day. Good times were had by all in and by the pool. Those geriatrics really know how to throw a good party! Between the 3-legged dog that I wanted to take home, the old senile Vet who became my best friend, and the burgers that I swear were made out of goat, we had a ball. Lynden LOVED the pool...I LOVED the pool and I in between raffle drawings and listening to the CCR blaring on their make-shift speakers I was able to do some reading.

After showers to remove the day's sunscreen and such Erica and I hit the mall that's within walking distance and had a BLAST at H&M (my new favorite store...cute clothes on the cheap). Oregon REALLY needs one of these! Total bummer is that the malls around here close at 6pm Saturday-Wednesday (and no, it wasn't because of the holiday for those of you thinking that) , then Thursday and Fridays they're open until 9pm...weird Canadians!

Tomorrow we're off to cross a suspension bridge! Should be fun!