July 2013

 

We started off the month with a fun, relaxing Fourth of July with Nana and Papa,

    

Seeing this picture of my kitchen makes me a little giddy because it looks SOOOOOO much better now, and sometimes I forget how much work we’ve done!

 

Nathan did sparklers while Emma sat in the grass and ate flowers.

 

 

but the main even of July was the STP!!

On July 13th Ryan participated in the Seattle to Portland Bike Rally.That’s right! He rode is bicycle from Seattle, Washington to Portland, Oregon- a total of just over 200 miles- in ONE day!

By car, Portland is only about 3 hours away, so that afternoon the kids and I drove down to meet him at the finish line. I hate driving, but complaining about heat with no air-conditioning and a lot of traffic (all with bike racks on their cars) seems silly since I at least didn’t have to pedal my way down there!

We got a hotel for the night and tried to make a bit of a mini family vacation out of it, but the truth is, it was really hectic and short and crazy- but still fun!

Ryan wasn’t expected to get to the finish line until evening, so the kids and I relaxed at the hotel and got some dinner while we waited.

Ryan called us and said he’d be at the finish line around 8, so we headed over to wait for him.

It was really crowded at the park, so we figured we would just track each other down once he got there. But then on the way, I saw a great spot where we could stand right in front of the finish line. besides, we brought a balloon!

There were a lot of bikes zooming past us, but after waiting as long as the kids could handle, we saw him! It was such a fun surprise for him when he saw us waiting and clapping for him right by the finish line! I even managed to snap a picture!

The next morning we enjoyed the swimming pool and headed home.

       

We stopped at Cabella’s  on the way home, just to break up the trip. The kids loved it!

  

Ryan said he’s going to wait a few years before he does the STP again (it’s a lot of work and money to do every year). I told him maybe I’ll do it with him!