Lazy & Hazy

We finally had a lazy relaxing summer week! It was the first week after summer swim season ended, and not having kids at the pool by 6am felt decadent--we didn't have to be ready to roll until 7:30am for cross country practice. On the other end of the day, there were no late night swim meets to slowly drain my life force. Each day, we basically ran with the cross country team in the morning, did some yardwork, and then vegged the afternoon and evening away watching Olympics and various other screens. The morning runs and workouts were intense enough to make the afternoons feel extra necessary and luxurious. My legs are sore after our relaxing week! 

We did battle with waves of wildfire smoke that thankfully was never bad enough in the morning to keep is from running. Jeff ran and won a 3 mile road race in Moxee, WA on Saturday at the Moxee Hops Festival. I was going to run the race too, but I had a bad night sleep the night before and that plus my sore hips/glutes/legs convinced me to stay home. Jeff is the fittest he has been in over 3 years. He has been running 45+ miles per week all summer and he is loving life and running right now. With all of the health and fatigue struggles he has navigated over the past few years, I feel extra happy and grateful that he is feeling so good now. I know enough to understand that good health is never permanent, but that just makes me value the healthy times more.

Sisters, reading on the couch.

There's a canal in front of the PT clinic in West Richland, so I went on a run along it after my PT strength workout on Monday morning.

New shoe heaven! I love my comfy red Puma Deviate Nitro 2 running shoes.

Smoky sunset: this ring of wildfire smoke on the horizon made a very vivid sunset. (View from our kitchen window.)

After another grueling PT strength workout early Wednesday morning, I ran up the very hilly Bombing Range Road in West Richland and totally battered whatever might have been left in my legs.

Snuggled up watching the Olympics.

Amberry! She had such purple blackberry fingers and teeth.

Rose made snickerdoodles one afternoon, and most of them disappeared by dinnertime. We were each saying how many cookies we ate, but the numbers were not adding up. Jay was leaning against the counter quietly listening to us tease and joke about who was telling the truth. Then he quietly said "I had 7 cookies." Hah! Jay the sly cookie eater!

Jeff taught a few kids how to make a training plan one day after cross country practice.

Amber got out our bow and arrows on Friday morning in the smoky air.

Blackberries forever and ever!! YUM.

Distant brown hills barely visible on the horizon through the smoke.

Coach Winger accompanied Jeff to the Moxee Hops Festival 5k on Saturday morning, and he sent me this picture of Jeff's finish. He ran 3 miles in 17:06 and won the entire race!