Beaching it Up in Style

This weekend was a blast and a half and I’m so sad it’s over!  It would have been more fun if I wasn’t so swamped with work but I still had a great time and it was exactly what I needed.  Well except for the 10 hours of driving and a sewer leak issue, but that’s a disgusting story for another day. 

This weekend we headed to Lincoln City for the lovely 3 day weekend, though I was nervous about terrible weather since it has just been straight-up pouring here all week, including the drive there which was a torrential downpour (I heard we nearly broke the all time record with over an inch of rain in less than AN HOUR) and thunder / lightning the whole way.  But the weather cleared up and although it wasn’t exactly sunny and warm, it didn’t rain and it cooperated enough for some good beach trips and nearly 4 hours of running on Saturday.

Who wants to pay us to be models for advertisements?

Activities included:

1.  Beaching it up.  We all know how much Cooper loves the beach, and let’s face it, we mostly go there to indulge him.  So it was absolutely necessary he get tons of playing time – with dips in the surf, sprinting around like a mad man, digging random holes, etc.  He highly enjoyed himself.

2.  Some extremely competitive tennis.  JMan and I are the only ones who really play tennis but I saw some serious potential in people! 

There's JMan trying to pull out the between the legs shot.  Spoiler alert: he failed!

3.  Casino-ing it up.  I actually barely partook in this.  I fell asleep instead of going on the first night, only went for a little bit on the 2^nd night, and worked instead of going on the 3^rd night.  There is a SWEET dance club there that has some pretty hilarious people-watching though, which I definitely need to make more time for on future trips.  I was also devastated to find out I missed out on COSMIC BINGO!  Next time, next time.

4.  Running!  Didn’t I already mention my nearly 4 hour run on Saturday!  Well I added another hour on Monday, running a lovely 6.5 miles on the beach with Cooper (running with him off-leash on the beach is seriously one of my most favorite activities in the world). 

5.  Beer Tasting!  Duh!  Rogue Brewery in Newport is a must-see, and I enjoyed my little 4-sampler pack that included, in order of my preference: 1) Hazelnut Brown (remains my favorite of Rogue’s beers), 2) Orange Honey Wheat, 3) Chipotle Ale (spicy!), and 4) Tracktown Brown (I had to get this in honor of my long run!). 

6.  Salt Water Taffy Eating.  A trip to Depoe Bay to one of the best little candy shops around, Ainslee’s is always a requirement.  Hello, you can’t go to the beach without enjoying a little Salt Water Taffy.  Okay, you might also need some caramel corn.  And okay, that chocolate dipped twinkie must be tried!  It’s okay because I just ran 22 miles? 

7.  Bon-firing.  Boom.  JMan made that fire all by himself and he was quite proud. 

 

8.  Working.  Sadly, work majorly got in the way of my fun this weekend and I felt like a bit of a party pooper.  As I mentioned earlier I’ve been swamped lately.  I’m at the peak of my data collection for my dissertation and the next few weeks may be the busiest of my existence, which is unfortunate timing because there are lots of fun events going on plus the peak of marathon training!  I’m a poor planner, what can I say.  So if my blogging is less than par in the next few weeks, you now know why! 

What's your favorite beach activity?  How well do you deal with stress?