La Grande
We got a little behind in our entries and A LOT has happened.
Mike is developing Coign Studio, LLC. He’s had his first paying job already and his client was excited with the finished product. Mike is really enjoying working at home (and I’m enjoying the cleaner house and breakfast being made every morning). He is much happier now. He is going to start advertising his first marketing campaign next week. We’re crossing our fingers.
Every year for the 4th of July, my law school friends Marlo and Ryan Nedwicke have a party at Ryan’s dad’s lake house in Washington. Mike and I went again this year (my 7th year and Mike’s 4th year). Marlo and Ryan flew in from New Hampshire for the drunken-weekend fest. We had a really great time this year – even Mike had fun though he probably won’t admit it. We camped there for just one night, which was more than enough for us. We were quite hung over on Sunday. We drove back home on Sunday and spent the rest of the day recovering.
On Monday the 4th of July, I ran another half marathon at Sauvie Island. It was a really fast race. I started running sub-9 minute miles for the first 4-5 miles. I knew I was starting too fast but I wanted to see what would happen. At mile 10, I was at 1 hour 30 minutes, an average of 9 minute miles. Boom! I hit the wall. My last three miles were quite a bit slower. With just .2 of a mile left to run, I noticed that I was really close to breaking 2 hours for the race. I picked up the pace and forgot to look at the time as I crossed the finish line. I enjoyed the free strawberry shortcake, then went home and crashed. The next day, I looked up the results online and was thrilled to see that I ran the race in 1:59:46.
On July 7 and 8, I tried my second solo trial, 4th trial total. It was in La Grande, Union County. It was a pro se auto accident case and the plaintiff was not too bad. Mike went to La Grande with me, because we thought we might play in the Wallowa area after the trial. The trial took two days and Mike helped me with my closing argument in between. One of my proudest moments was when Mike told me that he initially thought my client was at fault for the accident, but after completing my closing argument, he changed his mind. Mike is a more liberal juror than I would like for any trial, so I was excited to hear that my argument had persuaded him to change positions. I had a great time trying the case and an even better time after receiving a defense verdict. Of course, everyone at work was thrilled for me and I was quite the “Big Cheese” around the office on Monday.
I am “this” close to finishing the tile around our bathtub in the master bath. I have to touch up some of the grout work that cracked when it dried. One more hour and I should be done with the hard part. I can’t wait to have a second working bathroom again and to have my bathtub back. Our next project will be the back yard, which is a real mess. Lots of spiders at the moment.
Mike and I are climbing again consistently and are enjoying that. We’re still a little weak but we expect to improve quickly. We’re excited to see Kris and Connie next weekend at Smith Rock. I want to plan a weekend at Smith and invite all of our climbing and camping friends. I’ll have to plan that soon.
Today, I went for a run with Pete and the Marathon Training Clinic. We ran 16 miles today and I feel really good about it. We ran the Wildwood Trail and part of Leif Erickson. There was one hill that was about a mile long that almost kicked my butt, but I ran the whole thing. My body feels healthy and strong and I’m ready to pay my entry fee for the marathon.
