Hood River mom/daughter weekend

Liesl and I wanted to cross country ski, and to have some girly time together, so we took off on Saturday morning for Hood River. We picked up skis, snacks, and latte/chai, stopped for fish and chips at Pfriem on waterfront in HR, and then continued on toward Mt Hood and Tamanawas Falls. We had previously been here as a family in 2017 or so, and not since.  It was lovely to revisit and enjoy a snowy hike to a beautiful frozen waterfall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We returned to Hood River and our hotel - there's a heated outdoor pool that overlooks the Columbia, so we went swimming and enjoyed the hot tub. I ordered takeout pizza and salad from Solstice, and we cozied up with Korean face masks and manicures, watching the movie To All the Boys I've Loved Before (a high school rom-com).

On Sunday, we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel and the views, and then headed back up to the mountain for some cross country skiing at Teacup Nordic. We did the entire outer loop, black diamonds and all, probably close to 6 miles. We were both pretty tired by the end, but I was so proud of Liesl for taking on new challenges.

 

just Jasper

I take a lot of pics of the dog. :) He's very generous in his willingness to pose, as well as to go on long forest walks with me.

bball weekend

While Seb was basking/burning in the Nevada sun, we were here enjoying Liesl's end-of-season basketball tournament and the usual rain/sun of a Portland February. Jasper and I did a very muddy run in Forest Park; Steve and I went bouldering together at PRG (yay!); Liesl bought Ella a talking bunny for her birthday.

soccer in Vegas

Seb's soccer team traveled to Las Vegas for a soccer tournament this President's Day weekend. They flew out on Friday after school and played 4 games over two days, with Monday for sightseeing. I asked him to send me photos periodically -- even crappy ones -- as proof of life.

 

On Saturday, they tied their first game 1-1 and the second game 0-0. Seb thought that tying the second game was a miracle -- the other team was pushing forward all game and were very good. On Sunday, they tied again 0-0, which was a bit disappointing -- it seemed possible to score more against that team, but the boys looked a bit tired. Then there was a final consolation game late Sunday afternoon, which they won 1-0.

 

 

On Monday, with the games concluded, they took a tour of the UNLV campus and then got to wander the strip.

 

And then they flew home on Tuesday. I picked Seb up from the airport, tired and smelly and hungry, but happy with the trip overall. Such a fun experience.

happy Valentine's day

It was mid-week, we had work and basketball games and homework, but we still managed to celebrate with some sweetness. I made waffles for breakfast; Liesl requested a dozen red roses to distribute to 12 of her closest friends at school; Steve ordered far too much chocolate (yum!) from LA Burdick and Lilac in New York.

7th grade dance

Liesl and friends went to the 7th grade dance on Friday night. They had pizza and got ready together at Ella's, and then I picked them up at the end of the night -- it was loud in there with the music and over a hundred kids singing along, but it seemed pretty fun.

 

Halimat, Ella, Diya, Liesl

 

 

And then today, Liesl accompanied Ella's family to a Danish festival of the new year. Ella's mom works for the Nordic nonprofit running the event, so Liesl helped out by running games for little kids. They dressed up as characters from Super Mario -- Liesl was Toad. 

man and dog

Steve and Jasper racing a lap around the field. The photos are blurry, but I like them -- they're both grinning as they run.

 

J asleep in the sun on Seb's bed -- his preferred cozy spot in the winter.