I Don't Think the Laundry Will EVER Get Done!

No, this blog has very little to do with laundry, and mostly to do with how my family has been occupying their time in the last couple of weeks. Because of the busyness of our summer schedule, the laundry has been piling and if I finish one load in a day, I'm doing quite well.

I'll try my best not to make this entry drag on too long, as I don't have any visual stimuli to keep you reading. Yes folks, I accidentally deleted all of my most recent pictures. It's a tragedy, for sure. I plan to steal some from my mom of our most recent camping trip, and I'll post those as soon as I get them. But, for now, all you get is the boring text.

The week after 4th of July flew by in a flash. My old high school bud, Rachel, came for a visit with her two lovely daughters before heading back home to California. We had a nice time chatting and catching up on some old times. Adam busied himself fixing the Montero and gathering materials for the chicken run that he's now building. I took the rest of the week doing chores and getting ready for our next camping trip that we were to head off on in a week.

Adam had to be at the Toledo mill (don't know the name of it) to help with a safety audit on Monday, which also happened to be our 7th wedding anniversary. Adam was scheduled to be there the entire week, so instead of leaving us home, he brought us all with him! He had the great idea of bringing the trailer and camping out all week...kind of like having a free vacation. My Mom and Dad caught wind of the news and came too! It was perfect!

We weren't allowed to check into the campground till 4:00, but Adam had to be at work around 2:00. So, Adam and I dropped the kids off with my parents and drove our trailer down to Toledo. On the way, we stopped in Newport for a little anniversary lunch at Sizzler. Once in Toledo we had to find somewhere to park (said a big prayer on that one) that was close enough to the mill that he could walk. There's a rule at the mill that people can't park trailers on site. God led us to a public park just up the hill from the mill...woo-hoo! I took a nap in the trailer, and Adam headed off to work.

Meanwhile, my parents took their time driving down the coast, making sure to stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory for ice cream and squeaky cheese. Adam got off at a reasonable time, and we made it to the park 15 minutes after my parents did. We stayed at South Beach State Park which is only 1 mile south of Newport, and like 10 miles away from Toledo. The park was quite nice and looked just like Fort Stevens campground. Campground camping isn't as much fun as camping in Naselle, but we still had a good time. The weather was a bit chilly at times and foggy because of how hot it was inland...but it didn't rain!

While Adam was a work we played tourist. We saw the sights, visited a couple of beaches (South Beach and Fogarty Creek), and went to the Lincoln City outlets. My friend Jessica even came for a visit on Tuesday with Jailey and Josiah. I think the kids enjoyed that...but they didn't enjoy the very long walk to and from the beach. Unfortunately, all the pics I took of that day are lost since Jessica didn't bring her camera. On Friday, Adam didn't have to work, so we chose that day to visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium. The kids seemed to like seeing all the fish...especially the sharks. Then, we played tourist a bit more and headed home.

Over the weekend I got busy catching up on chores and yard work while Adam began constructing the new chicken run. It's quite impressive. I'll post pics soon. On Saturday night, we invited the Thompsons over for dinner. Good times. On Sunday, my friend Margo came over with her two girls. I only get to see her like once a year (if that) so it was great to catch up with her while the kids played outside making potions out of blackberries and huckleberries. After Margo left, I took the kids over to Fi-Fi's house to see the baby bunnies that Peppermint Patty had birthed on early Saturday. Alice was bunny-sitting our pregnant Patty while we were in Newport. I can't remember the count, but I think she had like 8 bunnies! 4 survived...until last night. I guess Patty squished them on accident and they all died. She wasn't a very good 1st-time mom...maybe next time?

When the Thompsons were over for dinner on Saturday, Alice and I made a plan to take a trip to the Goodwill Outlet in Hillsboro. She hadn't been to the one there, and wanted to know where it was. So, we planned to go Monday. Synnove had swimming lessons that morning and I was busy trying to find a buyer for our portable air conditioner (what a hassle!!). It was a crazy morning. My dad said he would watch the kids while we were gone, so I dropped Soren off at my parents' house. Synnove decided she wanted to go shopping with Fi-Fi...go figure. Meanwhile, I was trying to deal with a somewhat shady character that wanted to buy my air conditioner. He lived near Portland, so we drove it up with us and met him in Scappoose. I could go on a rant about inconsiderate Craigslisters right now...but I won't.

Anyway, we spent a good 3 hours at Goodwill Outlet sifting through "the bins" as people call it. We ended up with 2 cart-fulls for $40. We even got to watch a nasty old lady cat-fight! It's always something at that place. If you've ever been to one, you know what I'm talking about. Here's a link to an article someone wrote about "the bins." After that, we meandered a few other places, and headed to Red Robin for dinner. Synnove was a trooper during our "Girls Day" and I think we all had a good time. I can't wait to do it again!

I'll try to get some pics of our Newport trip up soon.

But, for now, laundry is calling my name....ugh...