Surprise!

Well, hello there. Last weekend we headed up to my grandparents' cabin to surprise my grandma for her 80th birthday party! 

The drive from Eugene is about 5 1/2 hrs so we left right after work on Friday, dropped off the dog and picked up my little brother Max and headed north. I texted grams when we were about 45 min away. We got to the cabin on the Puget Sound around 11:30 pm, had a sip of brandy, chatted and were off to bed. 

I was up at 6 am to enjoy some time by the fire with gram and moms and some wedding planning books. 

After a bit, the guys were up and grandpa made pancakes and mom made scrambled eggs. At the cabin, our kitchen and "dining room" is all outdoors, kind of like camping. 

I let food settle for an hour or so and then I headed off for a hilly 6 mile run! It was actually pretty nice and my quads were feeling the burn. 

In Eugene, it seems like I either run all flat runs or super hills, but there aren't a lot of places to run on rolling hills. 

A few of the neighbors were helping to do the party planning and set up, table cloths and bright chairs included. 

Party hardy! I didn't take any pics of the food, but highlights were: goat cheese/caramelized onion/kalamata olive flatbread, bbq salmon over salad and brownies. 

Growing up here in the summers, it's always nice to see some of the old beach neighbors and meet some new ones. But it's also nice to duck away to the beach and enjoy some quiet time. 

And peaceful views...

After the party, some of us sat on the deck drinking wine/beer and telling our engagement stories.

Sunday morning, Max and a neighbor kid and I took their motorboat out to fill up on gas and cruise around on the sound. It was a bit cold out so I doubled up on sweatshirts, but honestly I was just grinning ear to ear - love life on the water!

Grams read a few more of her birthday cards. And soon enough, it was time to hit the road.

We got home Sunday around 7 after a quick grocery shop. I gave Pete one list and I had another and we met back at the register - divide and conquer. 

Detox salad was in order after a weekend of pancakes-a-plenty, beer/wine, s'mores, road trip snacks and great party food!

Ingredients: organic spinach, braeburn apple (my favorite!), tomatoes, red onion, avocado, cherry tomatoes, hard boiled egg, feta and balsamic.

Have you ever surprised someone with a party or by showing up from quite a distance? 


Today was Day 1 of Tina's Best Body Bootcamp (round 2)! This is the first time I've ever seriously split up upper body/lower body weight work. Usually, I just do full body strength work. It will be fun to see what she has in store and if I see results.

My main goal for this first two weeks is to limit the amount of processed food I eat. I don't eat a ton of it, but sometimes I let myself snack on junk around the office and there's just no need for it. Do you have any health/fitness goals you're working on right now?