1.17.2009

More of Coolio riding her scooter with matching Go-Go boots.


Stop the car.... It's a free box!



As you all know, Portland is known for weirdness. That's why I fit in so well. (I would insert a big smiley face icon here but I hate them). From freaky tall bikes (see above), some of which are covered in faux fur to the small plastic horses on the old horse rings still on the sidewalks. Carson loves the "free box" thing. When people don't want something anymore, they put it in a box labeled "FREE". Carson and Sam have been known to demand me to stop the car so they can look through a free box. They have found many a treasure in the free boxes in our neighborhood. Carson found a giant wooden African Goddess head statue which has a prime spot on her special thing shelf. Sam found a handmade paper tree topper? shaped as an angel which has mysteriously (hint hint) disappeared. I love these old Real Estate paper boxes which someone has turned into free boxes. They are all painted up. I saw an old pair of shoes in one. There was a can of sunkist soda in another.... I will be taking pictures of the boxes when I stumble on one. Here is one example.

1.14.2009

So what if I am trying to re-live my childhood.


We took the kids roller skating the other day which really sparked some childhood memories. I used to go roller skating with my Pappaw Burl on Saturday mornings. He was one good skater. He could go forward, backward, dance, do the limbo, and the hokie pokie (which he taught me and I can still do all of the above). I think he took Steve and Jeff when they were little too. We had 3 roller skating rinks in our little town. I think the Bellview skating rink is still there. It had an old wooden floor with big lighted board telling you what was going on at the time; couples skate, reverse skate, etc. I could skate for HOURS. Well, we moved to Portland and wouldn't you know...they have an old wooden floor roller rink with an huge organ that they play music on!! So of course I had to get right online and buy myself (notice I didn't say Carson) a pair of roller skates. Shiny white ones with pink wheels (that's them above). I seriously feel an adrenaline rush just thinking about them. Maybe I will go a lot or maybe just a few times, but just having those skates will be so nostalgic. Now I need some pink puffy pom poms to go on them. Maybe I will get on EBay and get Sharon a unicycle so she can feel nostalgic too.

ps. Oaks Park Skate Rink has Alternaskate on Monday nights. For "alternative folk". I guess that's me........

pps. Look out roller derby girls.

Another Samism.........



"I wish the park could go on forever so we would never have to go home."
He must have had a good time playing. I love Laurelhurst Park and feel very lucky to live so close. The kids rode trikes and scooters (with no helmets.....gasp!). Sam rode his little bike down a hill faster than he has ever ridden it before. He was really going fast enough to make his Peds ICU mom a little nervous. I started to tell him to slow down and then got to laughing with a man walking his dog about our culture of hyper parenting. Let them be kids! I even got a chance to take a ride on the scooter.

"Mommy, it's burning my eyes!"


Just when you think you can't take the gray anymore.......the sun comes out and all is better. It was a cold day today with a big shiny sun. Kind of like Denver in the winter. You have to take advantage of this when it is here, so Sam and I went out for walks and rides all day. Then we picked up Carson and went to the park and played soccer and ran and got cold and muddy. Even in the cold I could feel the warm Vitamin D soaking into my skin. Maybe the sun will make another appearance tomorrow! When I took the first picture, sam actually said...."Mommy, it is burning my eyes"!