Summer!

I am getting very excited for Summer!  The weather is starting to get better now and I can hear the excitement and laughter of the children in Astoria with each passing day.  We here at Parks and Recreation are very busy making all of our summer plans.  There is so much in store for Astoria this summer!

As preparations are under way I am once again this year feeling so blessed to be a part of something that is so great.  We all have this strong and valuable Parks and Recreation Department here in Astoria.  I hope you will join me and my family this summer as we put on great programs and events!

Your Turn

I have spent some time telling all of you what I like to do but this week I would like to get more interactive.  So what kinds of recreation do you enjoy doing?  As we work hard to plan and write our guides we always look for ways to find out what our audience would like to have.  Sometimes we get it right but I still have this feeling that we aren't perfect.  Well let's just say it is more than a feeling!  So please take some time and let me know how we can do better.

Give me some ideas in all areas, adult, teen, youth, and pre-school.  I appreciate your feedback and welcome your comments!

Gardening

Without a doubt spring is around the corner.  As I look towards spring I think about putting in a garden again this year.  Until recently I never thought much about gardening being recreation.  To me it's just flat out work.  Tilling the soil, planting, and oh those awful weeds!  Somehow all of that hard work fades into memory once the fruits and vegetable are ready to be harvested.  Seems odd how even harvesting feels like work but it isn't too bad because the fruits of my labor are actually realized.

Gardening really is recreation!  To be in a garden feels wonderful to many and also to me.  So why do we usually just garden once a year?  Gardening takes on many forms year around and can vary from the indoor flower pots to the big outdoor vegetable garden.  Growing something can surely relieve stress and put perspective back into our lives.

As we head into spring you should think about gardening.  It is a wonderful experience if you have never tried it.  You don't need a big piece of land.  Gardening can be as simple as just one pot with some type of flower, fruit, or vegetable growing in it.  Enjoy this season!

Roller Skating

I am not from Astoria but have lived here since 2001.  It is fun to hear stories about roller skating at the old armory building years ago.  From the sounds of it many great memories were made, friendships formed, and a sense of community developed.  I don't know why it was discontinued but I am very excited that skating is back in Astoria now.

Being a part of something really big is very rewarding both personally and professionally.  Seeing families laugh and play together gives me a feeling like no other.  This community is so bonded over certain activities and my hope is that giving roller skating back to them will enhance more lives.  I think it already has!  There have been some killer birthday parties recently at the Recreation building and it hasn't just been for young people, even adults are requesting this.

The crazy thing is that this is exercise but its the fun kind of exercise.  It's the kind of exercise that everyone can do and families can do together.  Sometimes that is hard to find!  I hope you will join us some time in the future for one of these epic roller skating adventures!  If you do, you will surely come back for more.

Smallest Winner Challenge

Yet again this week I am amazed at the success that some of our contestants for the Smallest Winner weight loss challenge have had.  What a truly amazing group of participants.  I am not only motivated by their performance but also humbled.

Let's face it, weight loss is difficult, I personally have had the challenges of ups and downs.  A big hurdle for this group and anyone else trying to loose weight is to keep it off.  At the end of the day there aren't any "magic pills" or fat free soups, just a mathematical equation that is unique to each person.  Finding that equation can sometimes be difficult and then adhering to those numbers is a challenge.

So why does weight have to go up?  My guess is that we get lazy and don't monitor it each and every day.  Seems like long term successes go to those who truly make a lifestyle change.  It's no different then locking the doors at home when we leave for the day.  If we turn the concept of maintaining our ideal weight into the analogy that it is like locking the doors on a daily basis, or some other analogy that works well, then it seems as if it can be accomplished.

Indoor Opportunities

So as I embark on this journey I am searching for more indoor things to do during the winter.  Obviously since I an employed at the Astoria Recreation Center (ARC) it is easy enough for me to come here and recreate.  What other options do I have though?  The Aquatic Center makes a great spot to hang out in as well as the Indoor Play Park, Port of Play.

First stop is the Aquatic Center and that big red slide.  There is so much fun at this place and a lot of laughter too!  I can get my exercise with either the weight room or  I can swim laps.  One of my other favorite things to do is walking around the lazy river.  It is amazing to me how good I feel in the water.  The children of course always enjoy a good hour or two of splashing around.  It is great that Astoria has such a neat place to bring a family or to come by yourself.

Second stop is the Port of Play.  This is a great place to bring pre-school aged kids.  Where else in town is there a jumpy castle?  It's better then jumping on my bed at home, which usually results in trouble, and it is great exercise for children.  All of the stations from the museum are sure to please any age.  Port of Play offers a variety of classes for younger children that are sure to please.

Finally the third stop is the new recreation center, ARC.  This is an excellent place to take exercise classes if you are an adult or a teen.  For the stay at home mom this center has it all.  A child care center to sign your kids into while you go and exercise.  There is even a lounge that you can sit and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea.  Teens especially can be active here with a room all to themselves.  School aged kids can find plenty to do with the after school program, Kids Zone.

Well now we know what kind of recreation there is to do in Astoria.  Stay tuned next week for some other really cool topics!

Recreation

I am a pretty curious person and asked a lot of "why" questions when I was young.  So over the last week as I sat down to plan summer for the youth of Astoria and I thought a lot about the word recreation.  What does that mean?  Immediately I think of sunny skies, playing frisbee, pic-nics at the beach, etc.  Then of course I glanced out the window in my office and saw rain, not just sprinkles, full on downpour.  So that means then that recreation takes place without sunny skies!  Makes good sense since we live in Astoria and we get a lot of rain but still can recreate.

I turned to the good old dictionary to look for some answers.  Recreation, according to Merriam Webster (the know it all with vocabulary), is to do an activity for enjoyment when one is not working.  Ok so that sounds neat doesn't it?  It's not work but it's enjoyment.  Next stop was the thesaurus to find other words that are like recreation.  Here are some examples:  pleasure, leisure, relaxation, amusement, play, and sport.  Things are sounding pretty good to me with these words and dictionary.

Sounds like people can recreate in many different forms and places.  Now that I have a clearer picture it is easy for me to explore ways to recreate.  In the next few weeks I will look into ways to accomplishing activities for enjoyment when one is not working.  I hope you will join me on this adventure and we can figure out some really cool things to do here in Astoria.