Lately...the round-up

Just a quick post to bring together all the odds and ends that aren't big enough for a post of their own.

I left my job at the end of June and have been happily completing lots of projects around the house. Sadly, it's about time for me to find new employment. I've been sending out my resume and completing applications. I failed the 30 Days of Self Portraits challenge on A Beautiful Mess. They say it takes 12 days to make a habit, I made it 8.

 

Bailey spent a week traveling to L.A. and back with his girlfriend's family. Ellie was attending a dance intensive there so they all drove down to pick her up and check out the sights on the way back. They visited Disneyland, San Francisco, the redwoods and played at the Oregon coast. This is him exhausted the day after he arrived home, wearing his new Seaside sweatshirt.

This summer he has been babysitting for two of the little girls down the street. They are Anique's best friend and her younger sister. The girls have loved having him. I'm so proud of him for getting up early on his days and interacting so positively with them. He plays with them, takes them for walks and to the park. They all seem to be enjoying themselves. There are moments, but for the most part, he is a very responsible teen.

Anique participated in the Aquafest parade and is loving cheer so far. Official practices began on Monday. They are learning new cheers and Anique was recognized for her contribution during a teamwork drill. 

 

She got two new guppies and a dwarf frog. They were named Neptune, Triton and Poseidon. The guppies didn't survive long. Poseidon the frog is the only survivor. He has become very vocal the past few days since Neptune ceased being his tank mate. In the evenings he does laps around the bowl and croaks quite loudly. It took us a bit to figure out where the noise was coming from. He's a water frog and only about 2 inches long yet you can hear him from the other room sometimes.

My father-in-law made Anique a planter from some scrap wood he had and my mother-in-law dropped off flowers for her to plant in it. It turned out beautifully and she was so excited. Her collection of plants continues to grow. (Photo below by Anique)

 

 

I have been walking and running a few times a week to get in shape and try to improve my cardio before the Color Me Rad 5K this weekend. My foot is not happy with all this new activity and has been hurting like crazy. I apparently have plantar fasciitis and have been referred on to a podiatrist. Picked up some fancy new insoles today and am trying to get used to them. I've been instructed to not go barefoot and stay away from flip-flops. This has put a major crimp in my summer footwear look as flip-flops are my main hot weather staple. This is my second summer with a foot issue. I'm thinking it comes with age and would like to revert a few years. Is that possible, someone must sell a cream for that right?

Ken has been working on his car as time and budget allow. He too has been walking a ton and is kicking my behind on our FitBit challenge. I've lost track of how many steps ahead he is each week. I started gaining ground and then was waylaid by my foot. Of course, this is just an excuse since he has a foot problem of his own and is still walking consistently.

 

 

Summer is passing quickly. The weather has been beautiful. I'm not really looking forward to school starting in September. I'm loving the laid-back summer schedules. Everything gets done and even with all the sport practices there isn't the sense of rushing.

I'm determined to make the most of the remaining time.