07.12

I always love July.  It means Dave is on vacation and it means we go somewhere that is ALWAYS sunny.  Those things combined mean I'm a happy girl. 

We spent the first part of July at home and things started to really feel like summer.  The weather wasn't so great but the lazy days of summer were nice.  No rushing from here to there all day long.  We could pretty much do as we pleased (as long as we got all my chores done :-) ).  Tyler was supposed to go to soccer camp but it was cancelled at the last minute.  Such a bummer but he took it in stride.  Hailey did a week of Dinosaur camp which she loved.  The day before we left for vacation it was pouring down rain.  A perfect day for packing.

Bend, Oregon is our summer tradition.  It gets more fun every year as the kids get older and more able.  This year was our first year of family biking.  Hailey's on two wheels now so she can now go fast and keep up with Tyler (if she wants).  We had lots of fun biking at Sunriver this year.  Hailey is also a very competent swimmer this year so it's so much more relaxing to be at the pool.  Plus Hailey could go down the Juniper Park water slide all by herself which was so fun for her.  We made it back to Smith Rock twice this year, visited Tumalo Falls, spent some time biking and playing at the Old Mill, and more of our other favorites.  New to us this year was a visit to Clear Lake.  So cool.  It's extremely cold but looks like Caribbean water in places since the water is so clear.  We rented a row boat and spent the afternoon out on the water. 

In other news for this month, Dave has left the SWAT team at work.  We are fortunate that he is still uninjured and in good shape after 8 years on the team.  He has some new opportunities at work that will likely take SWAT's place even though his plate is still more than full.

I also have some changes this month.  I've decided to follow my passion for health and fitness and become a beachbody coach.  It is an opportunity for me the help others achieve their health and fitness goals using at home products with the support of a close group of people (if they choose) to keep them accountable and motivated.  I am still working my other job and have no plans of leaving that any time soon.  But this is another opportunity I am trying out.  The unfortunate reality is that I will need to go back to work full time (or at least earn more money) in the next few years.  Having the chance to do something I love and perhaps earn a living off it too is extremely appealing.  It's very part time at the moment since, well, there just isn't a lot of extra time in my days but I'm excited to see where it will lead.

On the health front, finally got an MRI of my neck and have learned that I have some degenerative vertebrae so there is little cushioning around some of my nerves which is why I sometimes have so much pain.  Good news is no surgery.  Bad news is that there isn't much I can do about it but therapy and make the bad days a little less bad.  Also may get cortisone shots....still deciding.

I can't believe August is here and it feels like summer is so close to being over.  Where does the time go?