Moving to Los Angeles: part 1 leaving oregon

We got up on Monday, threw on some clothes and drove to the Budget truck rental place. Addy had made a reservation, so we figured it would be in and out in 30 minutes, tops. We were renting a 16ft truck and a car dolly to pull the Honda. We had to wait for the ONE GUY in the shop to finish helping one customer, so I ran to get some coffee. While I was on the way back, Addy began getting helped, but needed her ID (which I had). We got things underway when I got back, but found out quickly that they did not have the car dolly (that we had reserved). There was not much he could do, he called and found one at a "nearby location" and gave a us a discount. So, we signed all the papers and the guy ran out to get our truck. He drove it to the front of the shop, stopped, and then hauled-ass around the corner to the back of the lot. We had no idea what was going on, until he came back in and told us that was his only 16ft truck and the check engine light had come on. So, now he had to call and find a 16th truck. We ended up having to drive up by the airport to get both the dolly and truck. The guy gave us the most discount he could, but it still seemed ridiculous that we were having to drive somewhere else to pick up the equipment Addy had reserved weeks ago. When we got to the other shop, we asked if they could throw in some furniture covers and a handtruck as well. They did, without much fuss, since we had driven across town. I finally drove home with this huge truck and the tow dolly. The whole ordeal ended-up taking 2 1/2 HOURS! This was a big set-back for our timeline for the day, as we were scheduled to do the walk-thru with our new tenet at 1 pm and wanted to leave town before traffic started backing-up.

We got to work and started packing the furniture in the truck. We were taking the fridge from downstairs, since we had found out that some apartments in LA don't come with one provided. (That's what we needed the handtruck for) Everything went in easily and fit snugly. We put the boxes under or on top of the furniture and made sure everything was protected and stable. It took longer than I thought it would, but we did a good job. Our new tenet showed up at 1 and walked around for a minute, before deciding to grab some lunch and let us finish packing. That was really nice of her, because we were frantically trying to get everything packed up and Addy was finishing cleaning the baseboards and a few other last minute touches. When she came back, we were pretty much ready and she did the walk-thru with Addy and was satisfied that everything was in good shape. She left and wished us luck, saying that she was really excited to move in. It is definitely a weird feeling to give your house keys to someone else and realize they are the ones that will be coming "home" to your house for the next year. She seems great and I'm sure it'll all be good, just a weird feeling. Another weird feeling is packing up your whole "life" into the back of a moving truck, which we finished soon after she left. Those that know me, know this isn't the first time, by a long shot, that I've done this. But just because you've done it before, doesn't mean you don't still have a weird feeling about it.

I got the Honda (which was also full of stuff) on the tow dolly (following the directions to the letter) and Addy got the pets loaded into the Corolla. We said goodbye to our home and hit the road, around 5pm. I started out driving the truck really conservatively. The tow dolly said not to exceed 55 mph. I followed that for the first 2 hrs, then as I got more comfortable, I was able to go a little faster. Just had to keep it under control and stay comfortable. We had decided that Addy would just drive like normal, not waiting for me, so that she could spend some more time with her folks. We would not be seeing them for a while and it was the first time she was moving this far away, so I wanted to give them as much time together as I could. We kept in touch via phone, but everything went fine. I listened to a bunch of music and focused on driving the "big rig". I got to her parents house around 11pm. They were all up, hanging out. I got a drink and had some supper, thanks to her mom. She always has food ready for us, she's so great. We got to talk and hang out for a little bit, but it was late and we wanted to get an early start in the morning, so we called it a night.

We got up in the morning, had breakfast and lots of coffee and hung out with Addy's parents, enjoying our time together. Then Kim had to go to work and it was time for us to get going. Mark helped me try to back the truck and trailer out of the neighbor's drive, which we ended up not being able to do. We realized that there were too many pivot points for my level of expertise. We ended up having to unload the Honda and re-hook-up the tow dolly by hand. We went inside and found Addy about to freak out, because she couldn't find Ciara, our cat. We let her out in the bedroom for the night and now couldn't find her. Just as Addy was about to start getting emotional, I found her under the bed, in the box spring. I finished packing the cars and getting all prepped to go as Addy fought Ciara to get her out from under the bed. Finally, we were ready to hit the road. So, with a final round of well-wishing and hugs, we got in the car and headed to California.

The Move to Los Angeles 9/09: The Prequel

So, if you haven't heard already, Addy and I have moved to Los Angeles. I know I'm WAY behind on my blog (as some of you keep reminding me), so this is where I'll start. This whole adventure started when I was making plans for our summer trip to SoCal. I was talking to my buddy, Bowman, about getting to see him when we were down there, since he lives in Newport Beach. As we were talking he jokingly asked if I wanted him to set up an interview for me with his boss at Toys R Us. This was in June. Later in the month, he brought it up again. I agreed to it, thinking that I had nothing to lose and maybe something great to gain. You see, Addy and I had talked about moving to California before. We both love the sun and the beach. When we vacation, its either to a beach or to see my friends and family in the Midwest. Therefore, why not always have the beach and move to Cali, right? Also, one of Addy's items on her life's to-do list is to live in another state than Oregon, since she had always lived there. This opportunity with Toys R Us, would make it possible for us to move to Cali and fulfill those wishes.

Needless to say at this point, I got the job at Toys R Us. But I'll still tell you the story, since the events that fact put into motion were interesting to juggle. I had an interview with the DM of RUS on Aug 17, the day after Bowman's wedding. It went well and he said that he was very excited to have me on his team. I then had to fill out an online application and when that was completed, I was scheduled to have a phone interview with the district HR. After a long game of phone tag, on both of our parts, I was able to have the interview on September 2nd (for those of you in the know, you may realize that part of the reason for the phone tag was that I was participating in Hood to Coast the weekend of Aug 28!). But she called me when I was at work, so I ended up taking the call in my car, in the parking lot. Again, it went well and she told me I would be hearing from the recruiter for an offer. I wanted to leave Target on good terms, so I was going to work 2 whole weeks after receiving an offer from RUS. Time was of the essence now, because of our housing situation. As you know, we bought a house last summer. As we were planning for this move, we decided we did not want to sell. Not that we even could have, if we wanted with the market the way it is. But we really like the house and would like to have it available if we were to move back. So, we decided to rent it instead. Addy took the initiative and put up a Craig's List ad and after a few showings, found someone who wanted to rent it for at least a year. They needed to move in by the 1st, so we needed to be out, obviously. To make everything fall into place correctly, I needed an offer by the 11th, at the latest. Not to say that would be easy, but it would at least work. On my way to work on the 11th, I got the offer. And after talking it over with Addy, accepted. Once I got to work, I gave my notice. My boss and boss's boss were both disappointed and tried to change my mind. It was nice to have them try to dissuade me and they said they would take me back, if this didn't work out.

Now that the timing was set, all we had to do was execute the plan. The plan depended a lot on Addy. I was still working 55 hrs/wk at Target, and to get everything ready to go, Addy stopped selling insurance. She worked on getting everything together for the move, from setting up our stop date on utilities, to getting a lease together, to packing, to selling things we didn't need anymore, and probably a hundred other things that I don't even know about. Oh yeah, she even traded-in her car. She had leased a 2009 Acura TSX (it was sweet. the first new car either of us have ever "owned") the summer before. She traded it in for something more utilitarian and affordable, a 2007 Toyota Corolla. We had 2 yard sales, sold a bunch of stuff on craiger's (including our bikes and our bedroom furniture), and donated LOTS of stuff to Goodwill. Besides working frantically to get everything ready for the move, we spent time in the city that we loved and with our friends that we were leaving behind. If you didn't know, Addy's got her own blog going. You can see what she wrote about the end of our time in Oregon here:

http://addylynn.blogspot.com/2009/10/last-days.html

Trip to Black Bar June 28th 2009

Since we've met, Addy's been telling me about this lodge in southern Oregon on the Rogue River that she used to work at late in high school and early in college and saying that we should go down to see it. Its called Black Bar and its is mostly used as a lodge for people rafting down the Rogue River, which has up to class I-V rapids along a 16 mi stretch that has been designated as a Wild and Scenic River, so it is protected from development. It sounded awesome and I was excited to finally get to go this summer. Addy got in touch with her old boss, the owner, John and he graciously arranged for us to stay one night in one of the cabins at the lodge.

We drove to Grant's Pass on Friday, taking the dog with us, so Addy's parents could watch him, while we were on this little trip. We arrived at their house and Addy's mom had dinner ready, carne asada and "chopped-up" (her amazing, super fresh, chunky avo, tom, onion, cilantro salsa). After eating way too much of her good food, we just hung out, talking and laughing having a beer. The next morning, we got up, had a little breakfast, and heading out to the trailhead. They had to drive us through the country to a river dock, where many of the river rafting outfitters put in to start their adventure. They left us their with our backpacks and water and plans to rendezvous back in 30 hours.

The hike in to Black Bar is 10 mi along a ridge trail that follows the river and is not busy, at least that time of year. The preferred method of getting down the river canyon is by boat or raft, but some do it the way we did. The weather was hot and clear and made for breathtaking views and a refreshing journey. On the hike we saw few other people, particularly once we past a small campsite near Whisky Creek Lodge. It was my first time, so I marveled at the natural beauty (which Addy likes to make fun of me for) in the canyon, from the different types of trees to the little lizards that were constantly running across our path, to the vistas of river, tree-filled valleys, and stone-sided canyon. The 10 mi went quickly and we arrived at the sand bar, where we were to meet John to get rowed across the river. We got in the water to cool off and laid in the sun, like the lizards, for a short time, then he showed up, with two cold beers all ready for us. What a great welcome!! He showed us to our cabin, we got settled in and then Addy gave me the tour, narrating as we went. It is a pretty amazing place. The lodge was built back in 1912(ish) and until recent years, the only way to get there was to hike, boat, or fly in. John has added a few cabins and added a better kitchen, but the main cabin is still original and has that distinctly rustic feel. We hung out on the lawn, which used to be the landing strip, until dinner was ready. Dinner is served family style around a large table. That night we were the only ones that weren't part of the large party that were rafting and the guides that were leading them. They shared their wine with us and we all shared conversation and fried chicken. John spoiled us, making us truly feel like guests of honor, by bringing Addy extra veggies and keeping a full beer in front of us the whole time. After dinner we shared beers with John, while he and Addy caught up and he got to know me enough to approve. Addy warned me that it got dark there, but with no power after 10pm and being in the canyon dark is not a strong enough word, it got blindingly dark. It was so dark, I nearly went blind, trying to see my hand when it was held six inches in front of my face. It was so quiet and still, that it had a certain effect on me, which my friends would recognize (I slept like a rock, a really, really old rock).

The next morning, we arose and had breakfast with everyone (John gave Addy 3 pancakes compared to everyone else's 2). Again, spent some time with John until it was time to get packing and start hiking back. He rowed us across, we thanked him profusely and we got back to it. It was another hot, clear day, but the views going the other way were just different enough to make it worth going back the way we came. We stopped a few times, because we knew we were going to get to the rendezvous early, but still got there way early. So, we kept walking back toward the little "town" on the way to her parents house. Shortly after we started, we realized that we were not going to make it all the way there without water, so we hitched a ride with an old hippy couple. They were really nice and were just out for a drive near where they had once lived. They dropped us off at the resort/lodge/restaurant/gas station where we had the weakest nachos I think I've ever had. They were more like chili fries, but nachos. Weird. Addy's parents met us there after a little bit and we headed back to their place for dinner.

I had taken Monday off, so that we could have a little longer weekend, so we decided to go out to Applegate Lake. We tried to stop by an old corner market that Addy used to get sandwiches from, but when we got there, they were in the act of tearing down the building that used to house it. We went into the new building next door and found that they had moved into that building. The sandwich was great, but Addy could not get over the building being torn down. The drive out to the lake was interesting. We apparently went the back way, as it was nearly all gravel roads with lots of "No Trespassing" signs. We ate our sandwiches as we travelled this long-cut, enjoy each other's company. We eventually came to the lake, greeted by an amazing view of the lake, cradled by the valley, the peaks snow-capped in the distance. We followed Addy's directions by memory, which led us not to the beach on Applegate lake, but eventually to a mountain lake called Squaw Lake. I swear it is the lake where they filmed "Indian Summer". It is so picturesque, it is only fitting that we forgot the camera. We didn't forget Jackson (the dog), though, and he had a blast. We all got in the cool, refreshing spring-fed water and it felt great. Jackson was hesitant at first, but once we got him in, it was hard to keep him out. We taught him to swim and fetch, to rescue (acting like we needed his help in the water), and to put his head underwater to get a rock. After spending an hour or so there, we got in the car and headed back home. This time, the fast way, on paved roads. We had dinner at Circle J, the local artisan pizza joint with the best sweet potato fries ever!

We had to head home after that, but it was another great weekend adventure for the Dergmuttons!

Helvetia Half Marathon June 13th 2009

Addy and I had signed up for this run months ago and now that the day was here, we were excited, but nervous. This would be the longest we had run (13.1mi), the next longest being the Pear Blossom (10mi). It is really not that much longer, but the words, half marathon, make it sound so much harder. We left with what we thought was plenty of time to get to the start, but hit race traffic 2mi from the actual exit. I was having a stubborn, high and mighty day, apparently, because I refused to cut into the left lane and cut back to bypass all the traffic. It drove Addy crazy because it was getting closer and closer to the start time, but we were still sitting still in traffic. The race started at 8am and we didn't get parked until 8:15!!! From there, we had to walk to the start and still check-in. As we walked past the starting line to the packet pick-up, we heard the announcer say that they were going to start taking down the timing apparatus in 2 minutes. I felt pretty bad about getting us there late. We got our packets and put on our bibs and got to the line just as they were taking the timing strip away. We swallowed our disappointment, stretched, and got started.

The weather was great and the course was as beautiful as they advertised. It is 13min through the "countryside" outside of Hillsboro. It was basically a course of gently rolling hills and had some nice pastoral vistas. I felt great during the race. One thing that I'm learning about my race habits, is that I like starting at the back of the pack and passing everyone that I can. Having started 30 minutes late, I got many opportunities to pass other runners. Just before the turn around point, I saw Faith and got excited that I was catching up to runners who were running at a good pace.

At the end of the race, I was ready to be finished. I was tired, thirsty, and famished. I got some water and a banana and went back to watch for Addy to run into the finishing chute. I never saw her finish through a fluke of the universe. But we met up and grabbed some grub and sat on the lawn for a while cooling down and easing our appetites.

We both did great and set PB (personal bests). We don't have official times (since we didn't get to cross the start line when the timing apparatus was up), but Addy was wearing the Garmin and I was able to use the finishing clock to get a fairly accurate time.

Brett 1:45

Addy 2:07

We got pretty nice "technical tees" with the Helvetia Half logo on it and medals to say that we completed it. I don't know how I feel about the medal, I don't feel like I necessarily deserve a medal just for finishing, but its a nice gesture.

All in all, it was a fun, challenging experience and we did it together!! Next race, Hood to Coast!

Addy's Birthday '09

Addy's Birthday was June 9th, last Tuesday. She didn't want to do anything big or crazy, so we kept it low-key. We went for an easy 4 mile run first thing in the morning, to get it out of the way. We decided that we were going to start our marathon training, so this was our first run. Addy had scheduled a few appointments for the morning. We went to those together which didn't take much time, really. Then we went to Tin Shed (on NE alberta) for breakfast, which we have talking about since we started dating. The sun was out and they have great patio seating. We sat outside waiting for a table with our coffees and enjoyed the slow pace of our morning. Breakfast was good, Addy's wrap and my veggie scramble with rosemary gravy. We decided to go back home for a minute and water the lawn, while we let digestion do some work. After a short break, we went to Portland Running Co. to get some new running shoes. It was the kind of place that sells real running shoes, the ones have certain design elements that make it a better shoe for certain runners. For example, by watching Addy run for a half block, the saleslady was able to tell Addy that she pronates and fitted her with shoes that give her more support to accommodate for that. After picking up some nice new shoes, we drove back toward home, but stopped in Woodstock for some frozen yogurt at the Surf Shack. We walked down the strip with our yogurt and checked out a few of the little shops that we still hadn't been in after living nearby for nearly a year. One of them was Otto's, a small deli that specializes in sausages and during the warmer months, always has a grill going out in front creating the pleasant aroma of grilled meats drifting down Woodstock. A pleasant surprise is that they have a small, but good beer selection, as does the small wine bar/deli further down the block. The short stroll came to an end when we realized it was time to go meet Addy's friend Daryl for drinks. We met him at a local pub on 82nd, appropriately named 82nd Street Bar and Grill. The place was not hip, not a big surprise given its locale, but seemed friendly enough. And the bartender, Wes, was all about serving us the $2.50 well drinks that were the special during happy hour, which didn't end the whole time we were there. My neighbor on the barstool next to me was pretty funny and kept us entertained and laughing. We started getting hungry and decided that it was finally time to leave. We went to a new restaurant called Eastburn. It is a neat place with different areas to hang out, good beers on tap, and, as we found out, good food. We had the fry basket, which was a mix of sweet potato fries as well as regular, skin on potatoes. Addy had a wrap (surprise) and I had a portabello sandwich. Everything was delicious and the ambience was chill, it was just a little loud. When we finished our food, we left for the night to retire. I had a great day, but more importantly, Addy said that she had a great day.

Yard work this weekend

This weekend, we had planned on putting in the front lawn and garden.  Because we were at phil's party until 4:30 in the morning, we had a late start on saturday and i had some heartburn from the Fish House Punch.  so, it ended up being a lazy day for us.  i got completely caught up on Heroes, though.  and we finally watched The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (which was good, but sad, ladies).

sunday morning, we decided that we were going to go for it.  we went and rented a tiller, bought fertilizer, seed, and mulch.  from 12pm to 9pm, we worked in the yard.  we went to work, basically.  but i always enjoy working with addy.  she holds her own and always does more than my midwestern unconsciously sexist mentality thinks she can.  and she makes sure that i know!  she is hilarious and awesome and i love her so much!  i tilled the front yard, garden, and a few other little spots.  i had lots of fond remembrances of working for gary at Just Scraping By throughout the day.  i had forgotten how physical the work is; my hands hurt from using the roto-tiller and my back hurt from shoveling and raking and lifting.  we raked and graded the front yard, then rolled it to make sure it was flat and level (cause i want to be able to mow with our rotary mower).  then we seeded and threw such mulchy stuff on top.  i wished that i had the machine i used with gary, where we mixed it all up and then sprayed it on the lawn nice and evenly.  it is much harder to do by hand.  during the day, we also weeded, trimmed the bushes and trees, and cleaned up the back  yard.  i've been saying that we would get this stuff done for a while and i'm glad that WE did it!  i'm excited to see how the lawn comes in and plant our garden.  maybe next weekend.  

Phil's Cocktail/Bday Party '09

This past friday, our friend, phil, threw a party at his apt.  If you have read my past posts, you know that parties at phil's entail a lot of drinking, mostly classic and uncommon cocktails (phil is a great bartender and consummate gentleman, as well as a good friend).  Phil had sent out invites weeks earlier for everyone to come meet his friend, Jen, from NYC at the party and show her we knew how to get down.  This was to be a respectable party, so suit and tie and dresses were the required garb.  For those of you who know me, you probably suspect the truth, addy had to take me out and find me some "dress-up clothes".  

We showed up to the party, for once not early.  And received a warm welcome from phil and those already there.  For those of you who don't live in portland, the weather has been miraculous.  80's and sunny for nearly the past 2 weeks.  and if you don't live nearby, you don't know this, but the summers in Oregon are unbeatable.  it is sunny and blue and gorgeous.  and everyone comes out of hibernation and frolics in the sun.  this is the feeling going into the party, everyone smiling and warm and happy.  and that was the feeling throughout the night.  there were a lot of people i hadn't met before, but we all had a good time, drinking, talking and just enjoying the gregarious atmosphere.  phil had asked several of the ladies to bring appetizers to keep everyone going, since his drinks were ridiculously strong.  

Now about the drinks.  phil had obviously spent some time researching and debating what he wanted to have for us.  he had two punches pre-made for us and a make your own mint julep station.  for those of you who don't know phil, let me invite you to watch a short video by his new bartending idol from new orleans. http://www.gumbopages.com/looka/archive/2009-05.html#2  this guy is obviously amazing and is more historian/bard than bartender.  phil sent us this to whet our appetites leading up to the party and to educate us on what a "true" mint julep is.  the two punches were both 18th century as well.  one was called Claret Cup, which was based on a red wine, then "fortified" with other liquors.  very strong and full-bodied, if you will, but also a little flat on flavor compared to the other drinks.  the other punch was called Fish House Punch.  i don't really remember what was in it, but know it was super tasty and was finished much sooner than the Claret Cup.  i wish i would have gotten pics of this, but above each punch was a short write-up about the drink, its history, ingredients, and a quote about the drink expounding its strength or eliteness.  everything was written by phil, except the quote of course.  the mint julep station actually had step by step directions, so that you made it correctly.  and it is delicious.  i suggest everyone having one this summer on a hot day.  but make sure you are getting the real deal, not some schmo using some pre-mix or something.  its a simple drink, and that's part of the draw, you can taste each of the ingredients with each sip.  

it was a great party, where no one puked, everyone had fun and i met some new people and had some great talks with friends i hadn't seen for a while.  thank you, phil!

Camping trip to Willamette National Forest May 09

This past weekend, Addy and I went camping.  I had decided to go somewhere in the valley and found out online about Willamette National Forest, which is 50 miles East of Albany (3 hrs SSE of Portland).  There are many different campgrounds at different elevations most having opened only a week or two earlier and the ones at higher elevations still being closed by snow.  We left home in the evening and didn't get to area until dark.  I hadn't really decided on which campground to stay at, but had somewhat randomly decided to stay at a smaller one called House Rock.  The gravel road down to the campground was a little scary in the dark, and we didn't really know if it was going to be nice or not.  We got the tent set up and crashed for the night.  When we woke in the morning, we found that we have hit a gold mine.  The campsite was right on the creek that rushed past, separate from the other sites by trees with a fire pit, picnic table and room for 2 tents (not that we needed it).  I started a fire using the teepee method, which Addy criticized and said that she was going to make the next fire using the log cabin : )  

After breakfast burritos and coffee, we were ready to hit the trail.  We walked to the camp hosts RV and they pointed us in the direction of the trailhead.  The first item of interest was the camp's namesake, House Rock, which is a cavern that settlers, indians, and others would use to take shelter.  It was pretty neat, but nothing compared to the overhang at Silver Falls.  The next point of interest were some falls that fed the creek that went past our campsite.  Again, not the most impressive falls, but still gorgeous with a rock wall backdrop and the sheer volume of water.  From there, we joined the Santiam Wagon Trail which is a trail that follows the old wagon road from Albany to Eastern Oregon, past Sisters.  The trail follows over 29 miles of the old road through ridges, valleys, and rivers.  It was fun to imagine, for a moment, what it would have been like to be the people traveling on the old wagon road.  Having to cross the rivers with your cargo and keeping your horses under control and all the difficulties they may have faced.  We hiked for a few miles, enjoying the sun, beauty, and quiet.  We didn't see a single other person out all morning.  It was just Addy, Jackson, and me.  It was just what I wanted and needed.  We decided to turn around after reaching a outcrop that afforded some great pics.  Jackson was beat, too.  He panted the whole way back.  We went back to the site and ate lunch, lounged in the sun by the creek and read our books.  

I still wanted to check some other stuff out in the area, but it was further away, so we jumped in the car and went sight-seeing.  The drive itself was gorgeous: ridges of fir trees, river valleys, and snow capped peaks.  We stopped at a waterfall lookout and were amazed again at the volume of water coursing over the cliff.  There was a placard that said it was twice the volume of Multnomah Falls.  There was a hiking trail that we followed down to the next falls.  The water was cold and blue from the snowmelt and kind of scary, because it was so fast.  After Addy snapped-up some great photos, we drove on south through more of the national forrest.  I wanted to check out a natural hot spring that I had seen online.  The hot springs were near a beautiful reservoir.  There was a cooling tower near the dam.  I read the placard and it was actually installed to cool the water coming out of the dam back down to the temperature it was naturally before being warmed in the reservoir.  This helps to keep the habitat intact for fish and other fauna.  It was pretty interesting.  We hiked back to the hot spring and it was under construction and disappointing.  We drove back to camp and had some burgers for dinner, relaxing around the fire with cold ones.  Addy made the fire and it worked much better than mine, of course.

The next morning, we took our time eating breakfast and getting things together to pack up.  Once everything was dry and packed, we drove to the trailhead of the hike that I thought I was leading us to the day before, Rooster Rock.  The trail was in the Menagerie Wildness, which I read had many rock formations and was popular with rock climbers.  The trail proved to be pretty intense.  It was a steep grade and continued that way the entire climb.  I believe it was an elevation gain of 1800 ft in 2.1 miles!  We took breaks, mostly for Jackson as he was already tired from the day before and would laid down as often as we would let him, and enjoyed the weather and views of the valley.  We didn't see anyone, again, until we made the summit (3657 ft).  There were a group of rock climbers scaling Rooster Rock itself.  We enjoyed the sun and the view, but unfortunately had forgotten the camera in the car.  The hike down was much easier (but we felt it later!) and Jackson led the way to the car.  

We had lunch packed, but decided to wait and have a picnic by the lake we had seen (by moonlight) on the way to camp on Friday.  We stopped at a viewpoint at the western end of the reservoir/lake and laid out a blanket on the bluff.  The weather was truly amazing and we just laid there in the sun on the blanket, reading and wishing that we didn't have to go back home and that the day could go on and on.  Eventually, it was time to head home.  Luckily, this is just the start to the summer.

Pear Blossom Run 09

Easter weekend, Addy and I went down to Grant's Pass (GP) to see her family and to participate in the 33rd annual Pear Blossom Run.  This is something we had planned on doing since we started doing registered runs.  Addy's dad, Mark, was on the cross country team in high school and ran the race in one of its first 10 years, when it used to be 13 miles (half marathon) instead of the 10 miles it is now.  He runs now and is on our Hood to Coast team, so he thought it would be fun for us all to run the Pear Blossom together.  That was months ago, by the time of the actual race, there were many more family and friends involved, which made it even more fun.  

We drove down to GP on Friday night after work.  We were going to get in late, so we stopped for dinner in Eugene at the Eugene City Brewery.  We hadn't been there before and when we arrived, we discovered that it is actually owned by Rogue Brewing.  Which was great, because one of Addy's favorite Rogue beers is actually one that is brewed there.  It is the Honey Orange Wheat by Track City Ales.  It is a great wheat beer: fresh, a little citrusy with a great balance that you could drink all day.  I had their seasonal IPA which was great as well.  We finally got into GP and hung out with her mom and dad for a while before we all hit the sack to be rested for the run in the morning.

We got up early, since we had to meet people and the race was actually 45 minutes south in Medford.  We met up with the rest of our group at the race.  The people running the 10 mile run were: Me, Addy, Mark (her dad), Jessica (her sister), and Andrew (her cousin from LA).  Several others had decided participate and do the 2 mile walk: Kim (her mom), Kacie (her aunt and Andrew's mom), Jeremy (Jessica's boyfriend), Brittany (her cousin from Bend), Diana (her aunt and Brittany's mom), Deanne and Aaron (Jessica's friends since high school).  I was meeting several of them for the first time and it was everyone's first time meeting Jeremy.  Everyone was in good spirits and excited to be out doing something good for themselves together.  The weather was perfect for a run.  It was in the low 60's and partly cloudy, with low humidity.  The course was supposed to be flat and fast, and the participants are mostly from Southern Oregon, which I now believe should be called Runner's Home.  There is a history of great runners from here, the most famous being Steve Prefontaine.  The University of Oregon is in Eugene and has a serious track and field team, several of who come to run this race.  

Back to our race, we got lined up, the muskets fired, and we were off.  I felt great for the first 4 miles, pushed myself through the next couple of miles, then found a pace setter that I stayed with for several miles, eventually passed them, and at the end was pushed to my limits by a friendly competitor.  It was my best race to date.  I found my pace setter and thanked her and congratulated her, then walked back to cheer Addy on to finish.  She had a great race too, as did her sister and cousin.  Her dad unfortunately strained his calf, but finished strong, with his daughters running with him through the finish line.  

Results: 

Brett         1:10:35     7:03 min/mile pace    123/1270 overall place

Addy        1:26:52     8:41 min/mile pace     604/1270 overall place

Andrew    1:29:46     8:59 min/mile pace     717/1270 overall place

Jessica    1:42:50    10:17 min/mile pace   1039/1270 overall place

Mark         1:50:02    11:00 min/mile pace   1136/1270 overall place

The winner was a 29 year old guy, who finished in 49:21 (4:56 pace)!  He is a crazy distance runner who 2 weeks ago ran and won an ultra marathon (50 marathon).  After the run, we all went to eat at the local pizza joint that Addy grew up on, Abby's Legendary Pizza.  There were 15 of us there and we all got our fill of pizza and beer and had a good time talking and relaxing.  From there, a small group of us adults went to a local place with good beer and hung out there talking some more.  Then we decided we wanted to head back to addy's parents' place and grill out.  We had carne asada, kim's awesome "chopped-upped", and margaritas.  It was a fun afternoon in the sun with family and some crass humor.  A great way to kick off the spring.

The next day, we did what we always do in the morning at addy's parents' house.  Get up late, drink a pot of coffee, hang out in our pajamas, and talk about whatever comes to mind.  Its so great and relaxing to just be there enjoying each other's company with no agenda and no pressure to do anything else.  Eventually we did get going, since we had plans to go to addy's great grandma's back in Medford.  It was a full house with us, addy's aunt and her family, and jessica and jeremy.  We had a great meal with her grandma's famous spiral cut ham as the main dish.  After we ate, her grandma wanted to play give-away games.  She finds treasures at the local thrift store and wanted to give away some as gifts.  She would have a guess a number closest to the one she was thinking of, or guess how many macaroni's are in a jar, or pick a card our of the deck and the high card won.  The gifts were anything from fake flowers to books to nice quilts.  Everyone won something and then some wheeling and dealing ensued.  The were many alliances that were formed and just as quickly broken.  It was a lot of fun and had some hilarious moments.  Unfortunately we had to leave earlier than we would have liked since I had to work in the morning.  It was a great weekend and it was really fun getting to meet some more of Addy's family and I always enjoy hanging out with her folks.  I can't wait till the next time we all get together.

short run 4/20/09

Man, I do not like taking a break from running!  Its always twice as hard to get started again.  Well, today I said enuf was enuf and went right after work (it helps that it was absolutely f-ing gorgeous in Portland today).  Just decided to see how far I could get on the Springwater from our house in 30 min, then turn around and come back.  I made it to Utmalia and 17th (in Sellwood), which is about 4 miles.  I took a little breather there and stretched, then headed back.  I did a total of about 8 miles in less than 90 minutes.  Not bad, but my pace was all over the place.  If I'm going to run the 1/2 marathon like I want to, I've got to get out there and put in some solid 10 mi runs and a few 15 milers to get comfortable with 13.  Well, I've got till June 13th (Helvetia Half) to get in the groove.  Wish me luck.

Brad's Birthday Weekend 09

This past weekend we celebrated the birth of my best friend, Brad Webster.  His birthday is auspicious in that it is the first day of spring as well as being the day after my dad's birthday.  So, friday night finally rolls around and we head over to Phil's apt. to do what Brad wants to do . . . get wasted playing a board game.  But not just any board game, a game that he has been toting around for years.  Its called Pass-out and he is psyched.  We head over to Phil's bearing a cake that Addy has made for Brad and our favorite appetizer, jalepeno poppers.  The cake is incredible and hilarious, because it is decorated as a Four Loko can.  For those of you not in the know (unhipsters), Four Loko is a malt liquor energy drink that tastes like Hawaiian Punch.  It is 11% ABV and is Brad's new drink of choice.  This was probably the secondary theme of the night, as when we showed up, we found a case, literally, of Four Loko in Phil's fridge procured by the host and Brent, new friend and Palio employee.  

Shortly after we arrived, I got a call from Andrew letting me know that he and Tyler were at the train station.  I went and retrieved them quickly, so we could get this party started.  When we got back to Phil's, we started the game.  It is basically a monopoly board, but instead of properties on every square, there are directions on who needed to take a drink (ie. green team, blue team, all drink).  The squares where you draw cards were of 2 types, just like in Monopoly.  Either say a tongue twister correctly the first time (the object of the game was to do this correctly and collect 10 of these cards) or some kind of choice card (ie. everybody smoke, get out of bar free, take 7 drinks and go straight to the bar).  It was a fun game and we had great teams.  The teams and game changed a little throughout the night as some other friends came by and took the place of other friends (Faith, Red, Donald and Krista).  I was the first to follow the literal direction of the game and passed the f out on phil's rug in the other room.  Apparently, gameplay continued for a while and much fun ensued.  There aren't many pictures, but the ones I have are not PG, so you'll just have to imagine.

Sunday we met up for breakfast at the Cricket, one of my favorite breakfast spots in Portland.  The wait for a table of 5 sucked, but we stayed and I felt bad for the ones that were hung-over.  The food made it worth it, though.  May I recommend the Saint's Hash, a bowl of diced potatoes, cajun seasoned, with 3 eggs, peppers, onions, and hollandaise sauce over the top.  The flavors all combine delightfully to create a somewhat creamy, spicy taste.  The portion is perfect and the flavors keep me coming back.  After breakfast, Andrew, Tyler, Addy and I went back to our house to get cleaned up and just hang out for a little bit.  Once we were all feeling a little restless, we headed to Powell's.  We all found something and then decided we wanted to spend a little more time out and about and enjoy the sun.  We ended up on NW 23rd, people watching, shopping, and enjoying the weather.  We grabbed lunch at Laurelwood.  I really like their beer and the food is good.  Plus it is really nice, but laid back.  Once we got a taste of good beer, we wanted another, so we went to the Horse Brass to play some darts, while having great beer.  They always have some of the best and most varied taps in town.  We stayed there getting beat by Tyler at darts for a while, just talking and having a good time.  It got late and we got hungry, so we ended the evening at Dots.  Their food is awesome if you are looking for some greasy, gut filling, mouthwatering grub.  Especially if you enjoy said food in a hipster diner with low lights and a staff of hipsters who are convinced they are the coolest kids in town.  

It was a great weekend and it had been way too long since we had seen andrew and tyler.  We all made plans to see each other again soon.  Hopefully we actually follow through.  

Portland Shamrock Run 2009

This past weekend (March 14th, 15th), Addy's parents came up to Portland to visit.  The is the first time her parents have seen the house.  It was nice to have them up, I always enjoy hanging out with them.  The occasion was the Shamrock run on the waterfront on Sunday.  Addy, me, her dad, her aunt and uncle were all registered to run.  

Saturday I had to work, but Addy and her folks got to go thrifting together at a few goodwills before I was off.  Addy made out (she always does) with a couple pair of jeans and hand-bags.  When I got home, we sat around for a while and talked until we got hungry and decided it was time to get some food.  Last time we were in Grant's Pass, they took us out to a new pizza joint called Circle J.  They had some great pizza and good beer on tap.  So we decided to return the favor and get them some good pizza and, of course, some portland microbrew.  So, we went to HUB (Hopworks Urban Brewery).  If you haven't had the Cascade Mountain Range, it is AMAZING!  

Sunday Morning!  Time to race.  The weather was absolutely crummy.  40 degrees, overcast, and raining.  Man, it was cold!  We got there almost 2 hours before the race started.  It was dark and cold and I parked too far away.  The volunteers were still setting up the tents when we got there.  We went to pick up our t-shirts and of course, they were already out of small T-shirts for Addy.  The cool thing is we all got free tees from last year, because they had a bunch left.  After we got our race bibs, we went to find a warm, dry place to spend the next hour.  Unfortunately, Addy and I still don't know downtown that well.  So, the only place we could find was a Starbucks.  Also unfortunately, it was tiny and also full of people already.  So, we ended up standing outside in a doorway for most of the time.  This did nothing to help our warm-up for the race.  Addy's dad and aunt and uncle were all running the 5K so they started 30 minutes before us.  It was so windy out that the finish line actually blew down before the start of their race.  Addy's mom was awesome and stood at the finish line, holding our stuff.  She was a sport for standing in the rain the whole time.  Thank you, Kim!  

Soon it was time for Addy and I to line up.  There were SO MANY people!  The announcer said that there were a total of 20,000 people running in the different races!  The line went as far as I could see in both directions.  The horn blew and we were off!  Our first 15K race.  The first 2 miles or so were through downtown and it was pretty cool to run through downtown with so many people and the streets blocked off for us.  We ran south past PSU and up the hill toward OSHU.  This was the beginning of the 2.5 mile climb up Terwilliger.  Addy's uncle had run the 15K before in past years and said that the view was great on the run.  I believe that if the weather was nice, it would have been gorgeous.  But it was terrible out, so I was really just focused on getting through it.  As we climbed, the rain actually turned into freezing rain because of the altitude change.  That's right, we ran through freezing rain and up a f-ing hill for 9 miles, for fun.  Anyway, the top of the climb was at the half way mark and I had to stop the portalet.  Five minutes later and five pounds lighter, I felt much better and started on the decline.  I knew I had to make up some time because of my pit stop, so I tried to lengthen my stride and focus on passing people while keeping my pace steady.  The view of the Willamette while running down Barbur with 8,000 other runners was pretty cool and made up for the crappy weather a little bit.  According to the Garmin, I run the last couple of miles at a pace closer to 6 min/mile instead of the 7:30 min/mile I was aiming for.  I was glad to finish and found a place to wait for Addy, so I could see her finish.  I didn't have to wait long and saw her finish strong and ran over to give her a kiss.  

As we were making our way back to where Addy's family was waiting, we ran into our friends and teammates for Hood to Coast, Faith and Krista (Donald was with them for encouragement). They had run the 8K and finished with good times.  We introduced them to Addy's dad since he is running Hood to Coast with us as well.  It was awesome to see them and get part of the team to meet before we all run together in August.   

After the run, we went to get a big breakfast at Macadam's in John's Landing.  We had a good time talking with the Vials and hanging out.  We played Tripoley the rest of the day back at our place and bbq'd a big dinner.  Mark and I kept checking the time till we could check our times on the race website.  Finally, halfway through Amazing Race (best show, ever), they finally posted the times.  Mark and Addy did great, but I was not able to make up the time I lost in the portopotty on the second half of the race.  Oh well, I guess I'll just have to post good numbers at the Pear Blossom in a month.  

All in all, it was great to have Addy's parents up and I'm glad we ran, even in the terrible weather.  

Daytrip to Bloomington w/Mom and Dad

On Monday, we got up and drove Zane to the airport, since he had to get back for his wine exam (tough life, huh?).  Then we kept heading south and took a little trip to the town of my alma mater, Indiana University.  I really only have one family of friends (the Shackey's) that still live in Bloomington, but I love them, so I try to make it down whenever I visit my parents.  First place we stopped was Oliver winery.  I was really pleased to see how well they are doing and how they have evolved.  When I used to go there during college, they had only about a dozen wines and specialized in semi-sweet, "picnic" wines.  Now they have many more varietals and even some reserve wines.  The quality of all of their wines have increased and I enjoyed this tasting more than any of the other times I've visited.  From there, we headed into town and met Eric for lunch at Upland Brewery's brewpub near the square.  Similarly to Oliver, their beer has evolved since I lived in B-town.   I remember their Wheat being good, but it is GREAT now.  And all the beers I tried were good, as was the food.  

After lunch, I gave a driving tour of the campus and some off-campus things that we part of my life when I lived there: apartments, parks, restaurants, etc.  We got out and walked around a little, too.  I wanted to show Addy the building where I spent the vast majority of my undergrad career, the Chemistry building.  It didn't have the effect on her that I somehow expected, but she reminded me that I am a big nerd and she didn't even have to take any chemistry courses in college.  We snapped a couple of photos, enjoyed the weather and then headed out to Amy and Eric's house to meet up with them.

It was great to be able to see them and hang out for a while.  It is great to see such good, nice people prospering and having such a good life.  I'm sure they are plagued with their own day to day struggles, but they are both healthy and have a beautiful boy that they are proud of and raising to be a good person.  We got pizza from my 2, that's right 2, favorite pizza places from college.  For those of you in the know, Pizza Express breadsticks are still amazing and they are still using Que Bueno.   But I have to say that Aver's is actually making better pizza's now.  The Cream and Crimson was WAY better than the supreme we got from Express.  But it was all good and exactly what I wanted to eat when I was visiting.  And of course, Amy had to make brownies for me.  If you haven't guessed already, I gained 10 lbs on this vacation, even with the 10K!

Vacation home to Brett's parents' house in Indiana 03/09

Torkelson graciously drove me, Addy, and Zane to my parents house.  Along the way, Addy got to experience the true boredom that comes with being in Indiana (IN) for more than a day.  It was the worst time of the year to be "sight"-seeing, since there is no snow and no green.  It is a flat, brown wasteland.  As you can tell, I miss it.  The only thing I miss from IN is my friends and family.  If you haven't noticed yet, almost all the pics from this trip are of people, there are almost none of the countryside or buildings.  Those of you from IN know why, and for those of you not from there, if you ever drive thru (I don't say visit, because there is no reason to) you'll understand.  

After hugs, the weather was so great, we wanted to be outside, so we all took a walk around my old grade school campus (which is in my parents' backyard).  The constant thing in life is change, right?  Well that was bore out in that walk.  The campus looks completely different than from when I went there, and I realized that I don't know anyone currently enrolled there.  Just to top things off, I saw one of my swimming teammates and was grateful that I had the support to move away.  After the walk, we went out to get a beer at Kokomo's microbrewpub, Half-moon.  Then went to see my grandma in her new apartment.  I hope I get to live in a place like that when I get older.  She's got a cafe, bar, soda shop, home theater, spa, gym, pretty much all you need in one building.  Plus a pool of friends that you get to see everyday.  I hope she really likes it.  In her apartment she has a plaque that has a message from my grandpa to those he left behind.  It made me weep.  I've still got some feelings of guilt about not being at the funeral or having seen him for a while before he died, but more than that, the words just reminded me of how selfless and refreshingly honest he was.  I hope that I live my life in a way that would make him proud.  

For dinner, Dad treated us with "Dad's Famous Ribs and Chicken" of course with mashed potatoes.  This is one of my favorite meals at home and I think he just keeps perfecting the recipe.  After dinner, we gave Mom and Dad their birthday gifts, which included a Wii Fit.  That occupied us for the rest of the evening.  

The next day we got to have my mom's famous egg casserole that is my favorite breakfast at home.  Zane and her had prepared it the night before and it was great! (as always)   In the afternoon a bunch of my extend family came over to visit and it was so great to see everyone.  This is without a doubt the thing that I miss the most, since I haven't lived in Indiana.  I have a big family on my mom's side and I grew up spending a lot of time hanging out with them.  Either in a big get-together setting like this or just spending the night with my cousins.  I'm so lucky to have such a great, supportive family and hardly get to see them.  The upshot is that is that the time I do get to see them carries that much more weight for its being rare.  I love and miss you all.

10K with Torkelson(s) and lunch with "the boys"

Saturday morning Addy and I got up early and went for a run.  Nothing to blog about, right?  But then I say that we were on vacation in Indiana and it was a 10K (6.2 miles) that people ran to train for the 500 mini-marathon and there were 1,778 running with us and it gets a little more interesting, right?  So, now your probably asking, "why?".  Well this was the best opportunity we had to run with our friend Torkelson.  He is a good friend of mine from high school and one of our teammates for the Hood to Coast relay this fall and we don't get to run together often, since he lives in Wisconsin (just north of Chicago).  Torkelson just started running this past fall, but has taken to it like a duck to water.  We have always been competitive and this is a great outlet for our long-distance shit-talk.  We are constantly pushing each other to run faster and further.  Torkelson's youngest brother, Tim, also came up to run from Bloomington.  

The weather could not have been much more perfect: cool, little windy, and sunny.  The course did a figure 8 around the canal and by IUPUI campus.  Pretty flat, too (duh, it was in Indiana).  Addy and I started at the back of the pack and passed people the whole race.  All of us had great personal times.

Brett           time 46:56  avg mile 7:33  overall finish 193rd  division finish 35th

Addy          time 54:45  avg mile 8:48  overall finish 565th  division finish 40th

Torkelson  time 1:01:08  avg mile 9:50  overall finish 950th  division finish 110th

Tim            time 1:11:29  avg mile 11:30  overall finish 1343  division finish 31st

The race was fun and it was great to see Tim.  After we cooled-off and took some pics, Tim left to head back south and Torkelson, Addy, and I headed north to pick up my brother, Zane, on the way to my parents' house.  We met up with Zane and his friends ("the boys") for brunch at Lincoln Square.  I've seen these guys grow up since they've been friends since grade school and then lived together in college.  They crack me up constantly and are way too entertaining.  This time it was Mike, Colin, and Garret.  Suffice it to say that the company was better than the food and I'm so glad that I got to see them on this trip.