Ferris Wheels, Funnel Cakes, and Fried Food - The Fair

I've been so stressed out for, oh, probably the last month and a half and it is really starting to take its toll on me.  I'm sure this is a surprise to no one.  But I think the combination of new thyroid hormones, Thyrogen shots, extreme stress and a weird diet have done me in.  I'm tired and get grumpy pretty easily.  Plus my appetite likes to play a little game of being non-existant to totally raging.

Before your mind goes there... no... I'm not pregnant.  What proof?  How about that wonderful blood pregnancy test I was forced to have that probably won't be covered by my insurance last week before my iodine dose and scan that resulted in a lovely arm bruise?  Will that work?  Ok. 

And I think if my insurance tries to not pay for this one, I am going to call and cry gender discrimination.  This will be the 3rd pregnancy test I have HAD to have this year for my cancer stuff.  The first two were urine tests that cost me $25 that were not covered by insurance.  For $25 I could have walked to the Walgreen's across the street and bought a box of 3 for less than $25.  Not to mention that my almost 2 years of trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant makes being forced to have a pregnancy test kind of an insult.  But I think if a doctor is making me take the test, my insurance should cover it.  If I were a man, I wouldn't even have to have the stupid test.

Did I mention I get grumpy easily?

The point is... I'm tired.  If you couldn't tell from my pictures, we went to the fair this last weekend.  And we did everything you are supposed to do at the state fair:  Saw the animals.  Ate fried food.  Walked through the exhibit halls to see the crap they are selling.  Get yelled at by a salesperson (more on that later).  Eat fried food.  Ride some rides.  Have a scone (or two).  Watch the boys get into a giant hamster wheel.

{Pictures are kind of blurry, but whatever.  You get the idea}

Why didn't I think of this?  It's GENIUS!  Another lost opportunity.

David didn't get his face painted like the last two years.  And he didn't say anything super cute or hilarious either.  But he did ride one of the big people rides and loved it.

Jeffrey and I rode the ride too.  But we didn't enjoy it as much as the girl next to us.

But he couldn't go on all the rides.  He was pretty bummed he couldn't go on the giant swings I made Jeffrey go on with me.

{Phil took this picture and I love it.  So cute}

Next year, David.  You'll be big enough next year.  Then your problem will be your dad letting you go on the rides.  :)

Gone Fishing

While we were camping, my brother decided he wanted Phil to go fishing with him and his boys (Jacob and David) and Jeffrey. 

{Isn't their family cute?!?}

{This isn't our group}

{This is}

{Jacob being a fisherman}

We went to a stocked reservoir and fished off the bank.  Since we were at the Oregon coast, it was very overcast and the fog rolled in quite a bit while we were fishing, but it was so nice.

{Watching Phil get the fishing poles ready and bait the hooks was super cute}

{I don't think that is what the net is for}

{This is what timeout looks like while fishing}

My favorite part of the outing was when Phil taught David (who is 4 years old) how to cast.  And this wasn't with a little kids pole.  This was Nick's grandpa's fishing pole.

Phil did a great job being patient with David and explaining to him how to hold the line and flip the reel and how you have to release the line with you throw the pole forward.  Watching David's little pudgy finger grab the line with his tongue stinking out in concentration was a definite Hallmark moment.  And he got it right away.  So cute.

{He got it}

Nobody caught anything, but it was still a very nice little outing.  And it was extremely peaceful and beautiful.

Weekend Snapshots

Friday afternoon was rough for Phil.  His dad was having another procedure (using a hot needle from outside of his body) for his liver tumors and it had some complications we weren't anticipating.  It had Phil's mom pretty upset and thanks to bad cell phone reception, at one point Phil thought his dad may have died.  Thankfully that wasn't the case.  But as you can imagine, it was emotionally taxing for Phil.  Even after that got cleared up, there could have been additional complications we were worried about.  His dad didn't have any additional complications and got to go home Saturday.  YAY!

I decided we needed a low-key Friday night to help Phil relax.  We headed to Red Robin for dinner.  Did you know you can order their burgers on lettuce rather than a bun? 

I didn't know that.  I decided I would give it a try (not for health reasons but because I wanted to eat more fries and not feel guilty about it) and it was DELICIOUS!!  Seriously never order a burger on a bun there again.

Then we headed home and played Hand and Foot while eating Teddy Grahams dipped Strawberry Cream Cheese and spiced Apple Cider.  Yes we are 80 years old.

Sunday, we went to a harvest fest at the Willamette Valley Fruit Company with my parents, Nick and Steph and the little boys.  It was really cute to watch them run around.  We attempted to do the corn maze as a family, but my mom and Jake weren't having it.  So Nick, Phil and I did it ourselves. 

It took us about 45 minutes to do the intermediate difficulty but that was mostly because it was REALLY muddy.  My shoes didn't have the best traction.  I was better off skating than trying to walk.  I may have fell down 3 times.  At least once on my butt.

Here are some pics of the boys:

What a week

Sunday night, I was laying in bed totally dreading this week.

My boss is gone for the next three weeks, meaning I am the only engineer at work.  And since getting my license in January, I haven't had to stand alone and stamp things.  This caused a certain level of nervousness which I am sure everyone can understand (I can tell you are nodding as you read this).

I knew that next week I had some fun things to look forward to and lots of work to do in preparations (aka work like mad) for Tegan's bridal shower.  So that week would FLY by and would end with a fun little party where I get to see some friends.

And the week after that... well... let's just say I am a HUGE nerd and Harry Potter is released on Friday.  Everytime I see the HP trailor on TV, I get full body chills.  In fact, just sitting here thinking about it I got full body chills.  Kind of makes me want to run through my office and jump.

Alright, so now that I have embarrassed myself I will move on.

I figured I just needed to get through this week, and then the next 2 would FLY BY.  By wednesday, I was ready for the week to be over.  Thursday morning, I woke up and thought it was Saturday.

But you know what, this week has had some delightful surprises.  Phil and I were able to make some decisions about some things, we went to the gym two days in a row, I am feeling energetic and optimistic.  To top it off, Phil and I are going to a Volcanoes game tonight with my brother and his family!!  I LOVE hanging out with them and they are usually so busy that it is hard to see them.

Here are some pics from the last game we went to with them:

It was so much fun!!  I am secretly hoping the boys will last longer tonight.  It would be cute to see how they react to the fireworks.

You never know what the week will bring.  This week was good to me.

Love, Mrs. Janney

Egg Sammich

These little guys belong to my brother and they LOVE egg salad sandwiches.












Especially the little guy, David. He is a funny kid. I am actually pretty surprised either of the boys like egg salad because it isn't something I usually think of when I think of kid food. Peanut Butter and Jelly, yes. Cheetos, yes. Fish Sticks, yes. Egg Salad, no. You can ask him any day what he is having for lunch and he will say, "Egg Sammich." Even if it isn't true, it is his wishful thinking. His daycare teacher told Stephanie, David's mom, that he would eat his entire lunch everday if she sent him and egg salad sandwich. Obviously Stephanie isn't going to send him an egg salad sandwich everyday. That's a lot of eggs for a little guy.





Since Phil was going to be at the Blazer game last night and I was planning on going to the gym, I decided to make some Egg Salad so I could have a quick, non-cereal dinner when I got home. I had never made Egg Salad before, but decided to make it like Deviled Eggs and it turned out SO YUMMY! I used 6 eggs and between Phil and I, it is already gone.





I had it for dinner last night and for my lunch today. And it brought an extra smile to my face thinking of this guy...









My "Egg Sammich" was yummy. Can't wait to see these boys again. :)




Love, Mrs. Janney