Jan's Journal

May 27, 2005

IT'S FRIDAY, MY FAVORITE DAY!!

Just a quick update for this week as nothing really new or exciting happened.

We came into town last Friday, as Dave had to announce the races. As we were approaching West Linn, we encountered a huge thunderstorm. I mean it was hailing and there was lightning everywhere. It was coming down so hard that some drivers had pulled their cars under the overpasses on the freeway to wait for the rain to stop. Our windshield wipers were going so fast and they still couldn't keep up with all the rain. The lightning even knocked out the power for a couple of hours here at the apartment. We thought because it had been raining so hard that the races would be cancelled, but no such luck. As race time approached it cleared up, and Dave had to work until midnight.

On Saturday, we had two social events to attend. I tell you, when it rains it pours. We can go weeks without a single event on our calendar, and just when there are two things we want to do, they come at the same time! We did manage to work them both in...but it took some doing! The first one was in Forest Grove and after driving around the countryside trying to find a shortcut we eventually arrived at our first destination. A long-time friend of ours who we hadn't seen for quite awhile was retiring. We stayed there for an hour or so and then we were off to another party in Oregon City. That's about 30 miles in the opposite direction. In fact, it's just across the river from our apartment in West Linn...right back where we started! A few weeks ago, this party was cancelled, but we didn't get the e-mail that time, so we showed up at their door not knowing the party had been rescheduled. That was embarrassing, but what the heck, at least we knew how to find their place this time! This was a party with the bunch from the Blazer broadcasting crew and it turned out to be quite fun even if it was raining. In fact, it was raining so hard that Dave got a call during the party that the races were cancelled this time. So he put down the bottled water and had a beer!!

Sunday, I hosted a baby shower for Lara and she received a lot of really nice things. I didn't think very many people were coming and I almost cancelled the party. But then more people showed up than I thought were going to attend and I almost ran out of food! It's frustrating when people don't RSVP!!

Since Dave had electrical jobs lined up all week, on Monday, Lara and I packed up the girls and made a Costco run. Between Lara and me, we had the car loaded to the top with stuff! I try to go to Costco about once a month and stock up because otherwise I am driving 50 miles round trip to the store closest to the house to get stuff. We should be set for a while with T-paper and paper towels.

The rest of this week I have been helping out around the house for Lara while she recovers. I did some laundry and cleaning and entertained Jadyn for her while she cared for the baby. Because she had a C-section, she has been unable to lift anything or drive her car anywhere. That's tough to do when there's a 2-year-old demanding her attention! We took Jadyn over to Clackamas Town Center one day to ride the carousel but she wasn't too keen on that. We even tried the little train they had, but it was just a little too much for a two-year old. We also visited with my mother and showed her the new baby. She enjoyed seeing her, but it's her 14th great-grandchild, so I guess after a while it gets hard to keep track of them!

Thursday, I went down to Salem to watch Ashtin's dance recital that she has been working on since March. She is taking ballet and tap and seems to really enjoy it. The little ham really strutted her stuff. She came out all smiles and really caught everyone's eye. Her little sister Paige, who is three, kept us entertained when her sister wasn't on stage by dancing along in the aisle with all of the other dancing routines. She's got better moves than some of the kids in the program! It was a kick!! Daddy got it all on tape too.

Today, I am headed back to the coast. I feel I have been gone for so long and I need to rescue some plants and flowers that have been neglected. I also want to get ready for some company that will be coming for the weekend. Dave is still doing electrical work today, but he'll be along after he gets off the job this afternoon. The weather has been hot the last couple of days (90 degrees) and I am hoping it will be cooler at home.

Well, I have rambled on long enough; I guess more things happened this week than I thought. I hope everyone has a nice Memorial Day holiday.