IT'S A NEW CARRRRRRR

But first: The C at work today. He was kept quite busy with this massive shipment of fabric we received.

And now: (Cue the music) The Car

Test drive

We're so tired. Please give us our car

They asked if we wanted the bow for pictures. OF COURSE we want the bow!!!!

Getting comfy

meeeee

R Having A Cozy

Sometimes it goes like this when you sleep

Bringing Home Our Kayaks

But first: my sushi socks are making me okay with going back to work this morning

And now: The Kayaks

We've been talking about kayaks for quite a while. Living in this area, with all these beautiful lakes, rivers, and ponds, I've been in the mood to own some kind of water conveyance for years now. I still hope to own a little rowboat with an outboard motor someday (Hubby wants something bigger). 

But first, we want something a bit smaller and easier, and so here we are tonight buying our long-awaited kayaks.

The minivan was ready with the J hooks, but tying the kayaks to the racks was a bit less straightforward than we were hoping. Bringing the kitchen stepladder turned out to be a good decision. We also now know where all of the little hooks underneath the bumpers are located.

An hour later....

Ahhhh. Welcome home, babies.

First Sunday

....which means the first big planning session of the year. 

I love the dots on the pages; they're making a huge difference. They can't help me keep my days of the week straight, though (ha). It's a good thing I'm not going to obsess on perfection this year, isn't it?

I stopped making New Year's resolutions years ago, noting that like most people's, mine tend to fail. Guidelines relating to a year-long theme work better for me. 2021's theme is getting healthier. 

Hey look, blue sky!

Wednesday decided to help with my journal:

Then: adventure time. We didn't have much time, so we only stopped at Portland Women's Forum. We drove past Vista House and a few waterfalls before turning back toward Portland, then drove through Rooster Rock State Park to see what it's like.

I kept falling asleep on the way home, so I took a giant nap while Hubby ran errands. Here's one errand:

We have our J hooks installed! Kayaks, here we come!

Also, the string of bells I bought at Tipton's in Seaside looks very festive on our front door:

Later: Spaghetti and silliness for Sunday dinner

First weekend of 2021: GOOD

Seaside Saturday

My favorite picture of the weekend. 

New Year's Day 2021

Sometimes when it's the first day of a new year, you find yourselves in a hotel on the beach in Seaside, Oregon. 

Amazingly, and not without some major effort, we were able to get all twelve of us there to spend the night. It was so fun. 

Here we are at Pig N Pancake:

Taking a walk after dinner:

Playing cards with Hubby:

Hanging with Hubby

.....and a couple of furry lumps

We did the following things today: had BC and Tawnee visit and meet L and the granddaughters; went shoe shopping in Portland, bought nothing; played catch at the park with my NEW MITT; had Sunday family dinner with H (deli chicken strips, macaroni and cheese, potato wedges); watched TV

Post Christmas Purchases

Not the hat (gift from H & C). Not the huge embroidery hoop (gift from Baby R & Baby C, one of my favorite Christmas gifts this year). Not the plaid flannel nightgown (gift from Mom).

Nope. Today Hubby and I went to Dick's Sporting Goods and I bought myself a bike helmet and a baseball mitt. 

Maybe it's all the times that Field of Dreams and A League of Their Own have been on TV lately, or maybe it's my way of getting through the winter, but I've got a serious baseball jones. Hubby says he'll play catch with me and maybe I can drag the kids outside sometimes too.

Mom's and Bob's Gifts

R's Dental Appointment

Just here for a checkup and cleaning. 

The Left-Right Game

Sadly, because of the pandemic, we can't have a regular Christmas party at work this year. Rachel and the team throw wonderful Christmas parties. 

But we wanted to do something, so we arranged a gift exchange. I told Nick about the "Left-Right" gift game we've been playing at home for the last two years, and he was all for it. Here's the tree with all of the gifts we brought:

We had such a great time. Most of the group had never heard of the game, so it was fun to show them something new and watch everyone enjoy it. 

At lunchtime, H and I ran to Wendy's and grabbed food for ourselves and C. Here we are lunching in H's car.

After work, I shopped for Christmas gifts. Tiring!