40 x 40 - 26. Ride the Train to See My Family

Before I tell you about riding the train, I feel like I need to set the scene:

In the summer of 2012, I went to Salem to spend a few days with my best friend Dawn and her family.  We had a great time visiting and spending time together.  We took her boys up to Portland to a warehouse that is nothing but trampolines.  We jumped for an hour and I don't think I have ever been so sore afterwards.

The next day Dawn and I went to the Portland Saturday Market.  We browsed around and found some treasures.  On our way back from Portland, about 10 miles from the exit for Dawn's house, I looked down and noticed that every light on my dashboard was on.  I made the split-second decision to not say anything to Dawn.  No reason to panic both of us.  I figured at this point that we were still moving forward, getting closer to her exit.  My car was still running, and as long it didn't start smoking, we would just keep going.

I started inching over from the fast lane, to the middle lane, to the outside lane.  Dawn was continuing to tell me some funny story about her boys, completely oblivious to my racing heart.  Finally we reached her exit.  Once I slowed down my car, I realized that my car no longer had power.  I could not accelerate anymore.  I calmly said to Dawn "don't panic, but I think my car is dying."  I have to give her credit that she didn't panic too much.  Luckily we had made it off Interstate 5 and were on the Parkway (which is still a busy road, but nothing like I-5).

We made a few calls, one to the local Hyundai dealership service department and one to Dawn's husband. It was 3:30pm on a Saturday and the dealership closed at 4:00pm.  They would not open again until Monday morning.  I called AAA and was lucky enough to get a fast tow to the dealership, just minutes before they left.





Meanwhile, Dawn's husband came from home a few blocks away and picked up Dawn.  She took him back home and then met me at the dealership.  Feeling bad for me, Grant decided to come along and treat me to a cupcake at his favorite place downtown.



So now I am stuck in Salem with a car that won't be ready for a week to 10 days depending on what they find when the service department opens in two days.  This was also about the time we were going to Gold Beach to go fishing for a few days so it seemed like a waste to rent a car to get home and then get back up to Salem in two weeks.  After talking with Scott, we decided that he would drive up on Sunday and pick me up.  We are housing one of our boys spare vehicles at our house so once we got back home I had something to drive. 

So I made it back home, leaving my car in Salem for a diagnoses.  This is one of the times in the story where I tell you how blessed I was that my car broke down when it did.  It could not have happened in a better place.  There is no dealership in our town; the nearest one being 77 miles away.  Had my car broke down at home, we would have had to had it towed all the way to the dealership.  That would have been a little expensive.  I was blessed to have Dawn with me, and to have her husband so close that he was able to come help us.  I was blessed that we made it off the Interstate before we had to pull over.  I was blessed that my husband had the next day off and could come and get me, never complaining once about driving 9 hours roundtrip in one day.  I was blessed that we had a spare vehicle to get us around for two weeks.  And I was especially blessed that my car was just under 100,000 and still under warranty.

Flash forward two weeks and a new alternator later.  How to get back to Salem to get my car?  Our town is right on the mainline of the Amtrak train.  Fortunately, so is my hometown. We researched taking the train north as an option.  The final cost of a one-way ticket, with our AAA discount, was $44.  That's well below a tank of gas to have someone drive up in a second car.  This wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I said I wanted to ride the train to see my family, but I guess when the opportunity arises, you take it.

When my car was fixed my brother-in-law and my nephew ran up to Salem to pick it up.  (Again, count your blessings!)  They were not going to be in town the weekend I was planning to go pick it up, so they dropped it off at the train station in Albany.  Scott had to work so he took me to the train station on his way to work.



Seven hours later I got off the train in Albany, got in my newly repaired car, and drove the four hours home.

Ok, so I know this is a stretch to say I rode the train to see my family.  But we are getting close the deadline for this list, and the stretch is going to have to do.

Riding the train was fun.  It would have been nice to have a partner, but I got lucky and got a nice kid to sit next to.  I plan to do this trip again, for fun next time.  Maybe in the winter when the view from the train will be completely different than in the summer.

40 x 40 - 17. Get A Pedicure

I'm sorry this post is not very exciting.  I know that most of you don't really want to see pictures of me at the local spa*, plus I was too chicken to actually take pictures during the process.

Back in May, Mother's day weekend to be exact, I hit up my good friend Heather to see if she would want to go to the local spa* with me and get pedicures.  Neither of us had done this before and were both a little nervous about the process.

We made appointments to assure that we would be able to sit side-by-side during the whole ordeal.  We laughed, we cringed, we tried very hard to relax while a stranger rubbed, buffed, scrubbed, and massaged our feet and legs.  But most of all we had fun.

I don't exactly remember what this photo is from, but I am guessing I wore shoes that were new and apparently rubbed me in all the wrong places.  The Band-Aids kinda take away from the pretty pink toes.



































So I have officially decided that I enjoy pedicures.  I have been back to the spa* twice since May.  Maybe I will have to make a quick stop by the spa* and get a holiday polish.  Maybe that will help me feel more festive.

*By spa, I mean the local Regal Nails at WalMart.  I love that they are fast, you don't need an appointment, and they don't expect you to make an conversation.  Plus I love watching all of the people of WalMart.  It's quite entertaining.

40 x 40 - 18. See My Nephew Play High School Sports

I still remember the day that Austin was born.  My sister and brother-in-law chose to wait until the day their baby arrived to find out what it was.  There are very few surprises left in this world, and I love that they held off.

Austin and I spent a lot of time together when he was a baby.  My sister worked as a teacher and Austin and I would spend at least one day a week together.  I am so thankful for that time we had.

Flash forward 18 years.  My sister has done an amazing job with her two kids.  She encourages and supports them through pretty much anything they want to try.  They are a highly competitive family and very much into sports.  Being that we live 250 miles away from my sister's family, I don't get very many opportunities to see my niece and nephew play sports.  It was my goal to see Austin play each of his high school sports at least once.

These don't go in year order, but by sport season.

The busiest sports season around my sister's house is Fall.  Austin is a two sport athlete in just this season alone.  Year's ago Austin took up running.  He ran on his own and in a few community races throughout the year.  His junior year of high school he started running cross country.  (Here is my sports disclaimer - I absolutely love watching cross country and running events!  I know it sounds crazy, but for me as a spectator, there is a thrill in watching the racers take off, disappear for a while, then come back into view and that anticipation of waiting for your racer to go by before moving to the next spotting location or finish line.)

These photos are from a race at Bryant Park in Albany in the Fall of 2012.




This year my niece, who is a freshman, also started running cross country.  Here is a photo from a meet in Salem in September of this year.  Georgia as a freshman and Austin as a senior.



One last running note.  Austin ran his first marathon in September, the week before he turned 18.  I have no idea what motivates this kid.

The other fall sport is soccer.  I don't exactly understand the rules of soccer, but it's fun to sit outside on a fall evening and watch a bunch of kids run up and down the field.  Austin was chosen to be the goalie for his high school team.  The goalie is a very important part of the team, it's just not very exciting except for the few moments when the other team attempts to score.  Here are some photos from his junior year playing against Lebanon.







Austin had a severe injury in a game shortly after this one.  This injury took him out for the rest of the soccer season and required some pretty extensive knee surgery.  There were a few months there when Austin's sports future was in question.  Luckily, wait I won't say luckily because luck had nothing to do with it.  Austin worked his butt off and proved all the skeptics wrong.  He would be back in playing form by spring sports season.  I don't believe that there is anything Austin can't do when he sets his mind to it.

Winter sports season is my least favorite.  Basketball.  I don't understand the rules, and I don't like that you can barely touch the other team without getting a foul.  Come on, let's make basketball a full-contact sport and see where it goes.

Austin played basketball his freshman and sophomore years.  He would sit out his junior year with his knee injury.  Here some photos from his sophomore year game against Lebanon.  It was their "pinkout" game.











I'm not sure if Austin will play basketball this winter.  My guess is that he will, and hopefully I will get to catch a game or two.

Spring sports are my favorite!  I love that the weather is turning nicer and once again you get to enjoy the fresh air.  Austin has played baseball since the good ol' days of T-ball.  The kids that he plays with have been together 10-12 years.  They are a great group of boys.



Austin is the catcher for his baseball team(s).  The catcher is an important role model for the team and Austin fits this position perfectly.  Watching him with his teammates you can definitely see that he is a leader among them.  He is constantly encouraging them and keeping them motivated.



I have gotten to watch Austin play baseball more than any other sport.  Somehow it just works out getting to his games. 



This past summer he also play American Legion baseball.  The American Legion team is made up of boys from his area.  They put together an elite team and travel all around the state to play games.  I was lucky enough to tag along when they came down south for a couple of days.

The first game of the south road trip brought them to our town, to our prized stadium.  I was so excited to see Austin play in my favorite stadium.




My sister and I followed them the next day to Medford and Grants Pass. 


The Albany paper does a great job highlighting local high school sports.  Here are a couple photos from past seasons.




I am sure that I will get to a couple of baseball games next spring. 

Austin's future plans aren't set in stone yet.  It's that transition point in his life where he is applying to colleges, waiting to see what his options will end up being.  I am sure that he will continue to play sports, maybe at the college level.  If that does happen, that's will go on my ultimate bucket list, to see my nephew play college sports.

For now, I am thankful that I am able to participate in his life, even if it is just as a spectator.

40 x 40 - 8. Have a Monthly Date Night with My Husband (Part 4)

We have made it to the final three date nights.  June, July, and August.  Planning a year of dates was a lot of fun.  It definitely encouraged us to do things that we have always talked about doing, but just never followed through on.  June's date night was a prime example of this.

The Cowboy Dinner Tree is one of those places that is legendary around these parts.  It's hard to believe that way out in the middle of nowhere is a restaurant that is famous for large servings of steak and chicken.  We have always talked about going to see this place for ourselves.

 

Simple directions to the Cowboy Dinner Tree:  Head about 50 miles direct north of town until you see this sign:

 



 

Drive past the large herd of pet buffalo:

 

Keep going until you see this sign at an intersection just before you actually enter the town of Silver Lake. And by town, I mean gas station, tractor parts store, and cemetery. Don't be alarmed that it appears to be a road that leads to nowhere.

And just when you are convinced that this can't possibly be right, you come around a corner and find an oasis of cars and old-timey yard decorations.  That's when you know you have officially arrived.



The menu is fairly limited, steak or chicken.  When you call to make reservations (which is highly recommended) you place your order.  Scott made the wise decision to get one steak and one chicken.  The steak is more like a roast and the chicken is literally an entire chicken! 

You are immediately seated and served lemonade, salads, and rolls.  Before you can finish your salad,  she brings a large bowl of soup for you to share.  I am not sure if you noticed in the picture, but the concept here is that no one goes home hungry.  Everything is served in large quantity.



And whatever is leftover is happily bagged up for you to take home for the next day. 



The Cowboy Dinner Tree was definitely worth the drive, and possibly someplace we would take guests to.  It might become an annual event for us.

So now I have some bad news.  But first let me preface it by saying that planning 11 months in advance did not allow me to take into consideration changes in our plans.  For the month of July we were supposed to go on a canoe ride and have dinner up a local lake.  We had every intention of doing this, it's just that life happened and the canoe trip did not.  Between hosting a baseball player for a local summer league team and traveling Scott's niece's wedding and our summer vacation, we did not have a free day to squeeze this in.  But rest assured we had several other date nights in the month of July.

August was our 12th and final planned date night.  This was the one that I was most excited about!



Summer in our town gets very warm.  Not willing to spring for air conditioning, there are many nights in the month of August where it is almost unbearable to be inside our house.  Since it was August when I was originally planning these, this one came easily.



Using a white sheet from our spare bedroom, and some strategically placed binder clips to prevent holes, Scott hung a "screen" on the backside of our house.



With Daisy supervising, he ran the laptop, projector, and speakers out to the middle of the yard.



And then everyone waited patiently for it to get dark.

This night really lived up to my expectations!  It was such a beautiful night; warm enough that blankets were hardly needed.  We picked the perfect movie to watch under the stars.  I would absolutely do this one again, only next time I would invite some friends over for a movie party.

Well there you have it, a year of date nights.  I hope that you enjoyed these as much as we did, and are maybe inspired to try some new things.

40 x 40 - 8. Have a Monthly Date Night with My Husband (Part 3)

I cannot take credit for coming up with all of our date night ideas on my own.  The Internet is a wonderful tool, and if you are looking you will find thousands of ideas for fun things to do.

We finally made it to the months where the weather started to turn nice and there were more options for date nights.  In March we went on a "Restaurant Hop".  The idea behind this is that you go to several restaurants throughout the night, enjoying a different course at each one.

Before we left the house, we each secretly wrote down the name of local five restaurants that we like.  When then put these in the paper bag.

Scott drew out the name of the first restaurant where we would go enjoy appetizers.

It was strange going to a restaurant and only ordering appetizers.  The waitress kept asking us if we wanted anything else.

After filling up on ribs and artichoke dip, we drew out another name and went on to the next place for dinner.

This was a new restaurant for us.  The food was wonderful and the atmosphere was fun.  Unfortunately, they closed down shortly after we ate there so we never got to go back.

Ok, so here is where we cheated a little.  We were so full from having appetizers and dinner that when we pulled out the third restaurant for dessert, we both looked at each other knowing that we could not possibly eat the large desserts they serve there.  We continued to draw out names until we got to Baskin Robbins.

The Restaurant Hop was fun, and we would definitely do it again.  I think it would be really fun with couples.

The month of April was really hectic.  Our work was hosting a conference here in town and that made for a lot of extra hours at work.  It worked out perfectly that our date night for this month was to have dinner and spend the night at the Pinehurst Inn.


This quaint bed and breakfast is only 26 miles from our house.  I think this is one of my favorite things about it.

I love that we can enjoy a sunset on the porch and a nice dinner and nobody has to drive home.

The food is all homemade.  You should definitely make reservations because they prefer to seat one table every half hour so that your food gets made especially to your liking.

We have been to the Pinehurst several times and we have never been disappointed.  Oh, and if you go in the winter, Donnie the proprietor will entertain you after dinner with his piano skills.

Thank goodness for the good weather we had in May!  This was one of my first ideas for a date night, but I had to wait nine months to actually go do it.

Scott had mentioned several times that he wanted to go to the driving range. 

We happen to have a pretty nice driving range just up the road from our house.


With our bucket of balls, and a few spare clubs, we marched out the driving range.

I hadn't golfed in 21 years, since my high school golf team years.  I don't know that Scott had ever golfed before.  It took a little while, but I finally felt like I was back in the swing of things (notice that pun?).


We finished up the evening with a nice dinner at the Running Y lodge.  We had never been out to the lodge for a meal, but since this date night, we have been back for breakfast. 

Date nights are winding down.  Just a few more months to go.  Stay tuned - my favorite is still coming up!