Independence Day

Our first 4th of July in Oregon was a success.  I was feeling kind of sad about being away from family and the traditions of home, but we ended up having a really nice day and are building new traditions.  I will say that I did miss the Menan fireworks.  We didn’t see any fireworks and that’s a bit of a bummer.  We didn’t really know the best place to see them and we were worried about being stuck in traffic for hours when Myke had to work today so we abandoned the idea.  We’ll try again next year.

The events in review.

Mini-marathon race:

2.6 miles along the parade route from Monmouth to Independence.  It didn’t start until 11:30 and it was HOT.  The entire route was in the middle of the road and the asphalt was radiating heat.  I usually run early in the morning so I struggled with the heat.  But I made it and I didn’t even have to stop to walk!  The whole route was lined with people waiting for the parade so it was a little weird to have an audience.  I think if I hadn’t been dying, I would have enjoyed the cheers more.  Mostly it just made me self-conscious that all these people were staring at me.   I was hoping to finish in 26 minutes and ended up with a time of 28:08.  I’ll take it.

Silver Falls State Park:

We met up with some friends (I think I can safely call them that) for a small hike to one of the waterfalls then had a picnic while the kids played in the swimming hole.  It was the perfect temperature in the shade and it felt good to be outside.  After sweating like a horse during the race, the bag of Fritos I brought tasted divine.  Eva enjoyed crawling around in the grass and discovered that she likes eating pinecones.  Yum.  Thanks, Grandpa for the Chukars hat!  It was perfect for protecting her little head from the sun.

Backyard BBQ:

One of the women I work with in Young Women at church has an annual BBQ and she invited us this year.  It was very casual and we all sat around in the backyard in our camp chairs eating delicious food and talking.  We had a great time.  Myke’s boss, who is also our neighbor, was there and I spent a lot of time talking with him and his wife.  I felt really comfortable and made the rounds talking to various people.  It was nice to feel like we are finally making some friends and that we belong.  Eva just roamed around and smiled at whoever would talk to her.  She also discovered she likes to eat dirt.  Yum.

Not a bad day at all.  Happy 4th of July!