Summer time, and the living is easy...

Yay!!! It's finally summer here is Portland! Officially (says so on the calender) and physical- the sun is out and is beautiful outside. Not a day too soon, I have to say. If we had one more weekend of horrible weather, I was going to file an official complaint with... well, I'm not exactly sure with whom, but you can bet I would have found someone. No need, though, because it's gorgeous out there. :D

So much has been going on, I feel like I left this blog behind a little bit. No worries, I'm here now to catch it up. I have finished my time at Ten01 and am back to being a full time mommy to Ryker. I have to say, I'm loving it! I haven't been home with him since early December, and I was really missing it. My little man is growing up so quickly and learns new things almost instantly. I do not want to miss a single second of that. To prove my point, he managed to learn a new word yesterday- "Crappy". Yes, you read that right. It was all mommy's fault too! He seriously learns new words from hearing them one time... a lesson I'm learning the hard way. From now on, everyone has to be VERY carefully what we say around him. At least when he says things like that, it's super cute!

I have been busy as Mrs Portland as well. I'm still training with the amazing Zach and Marie as Saturn Styles Studio, and it's still kicking my bum. But in the best way possible. I have definition in my legs and arms that I've never seen before! It's awesome and totally inspiring. I'm also coming along with my self-confidence. I actually told my husband I thought I looked pretty good in a pair of pants yesterday. That's a HUGE step for me! They work miracles, let me tell you.

This past weekend I was able to make 2 appearances. The first one was in Lincoln City at the Summer Kite Festival. If you are in Oregon and you haven't gone to the event yet, you have got to make time. It was a beautiful day at the beach and there are hundreds of kites flying in the sky. Huge kites mounted in the sand, trick kites that are flown to music and hand made kites made by the little tikes and yours truly. I joined my fellow Mrs Washington Co contestant, Jen Moser and Amy Pluedeman, Oregon's 30's Beauty of America at the kite making table. We spent the afternoon helping the little ones color and make kites to fly in the festival. I was overwhelmed with the reception we got from Lincoln city! They introduced us to the crowd, the kids and parents were excited to see us, taking pics and wanting autographs... it was wonderful. We even raced in a "celebrity" bowl kite race (think strapping on a parachute in the wind and running across the sand.) We had such a great time and I really want to thank Maggie for allowing us to come and share in their community fun.

That same evening I joined the Oaky Doaks Square Dancing Club at the OC Relay for Life at Clackamas Community College. This relay is a fundraiser for cancer treatment through the American Cancer Association. This is a cause that is near and dear to my heart, as you have seen in my previous post about Sallie, my niece. Also, my grandfather on my dad's side past away from cancer, my grandfather on my mom's side has been treated for cancer, and my husband's mother passed 2 years ago from cancer. I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who hasn't been effected somehow by this disease. I enjoyed hearing the stories of the survivors and watching the determination of the families who were remembering lost loved ones. It is a heartwarming event and one that I hope to be able to be involved in for many years to come.

Well, I think you can consider yourself officially up-to-date on what's happening here. Just to let you know, upcoming events include the Mrs Portland Garage Sale and Bake Sale on July 9-10th. Have a great weekend and get out their and get some sun!