Royale with Cheese

Six Years and Going Strong

2012-02-12T13:09:00.000-08:00

Six years ago Friday, I married my Royal Prince. I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that it has already been six years....but I suppose that will happen every year from here on out. It has been quite the ride these years together; I wouldn't trade it for anything. There is definitely something to be said for marriage, especially one where the common denominator is love, and you plan and work towards your future together. Every set back we have encountered, we have always had each other for comfort, support and love. Most of all Love. We know that no matter what happens, through every trial, through every success, we will have each other. There is such security in that. We are there for each other through sickness, through health, for the good times, and the bad. I feel like we've been through it all, and I know that whatever comes our way, we will make it through. Because what is written in our hearts is each other. And that is all that really matters.

Friday night we celebrated our marriage and each other with the loveliest of dinners at Sybaris. If you ever make your way to the Willamette Valley, this restaurant is a must go to. We got the best seat in the house, right beside the wood burning fireplace. Our waiter, Jesse, was fantastic and took care of our every need. (you'll have to excuse the quality of photos, we didn't want to use the flash to much and it was dark and romantic in there)

We started out our meal with a glass of wine, and the swiss style smoked steelhead, poached leeks, with egg. Oh, my, goodness....yum!

Next came our main course. I had the pan fried oysters, chipotle tartare sauce, vegetable fried couscous and oyster sauce bok choy, and Greg had the grilled big pork chop, not-by-the-door-arkley's medlar chutney, chile spiked hominy, and porky greens. Both our meals were fantastic. It looked so good that we dug in right away and forgot to take a picture of the food when it first came and was so pretty. We actually used the flash on this one...

We were going to call it a night after we filled up on our delicious dinners, when much to our delight and surprise this beautiful dessert of chocolate hazelnut cake was brought out to us. I couldn't even really categorize this as cake.....just call it heaven instead! It was also on the house, how totally sweet is that? Well, I suppose we did have an in....Jesse, our waiter, is the boyfriend of one of Greg's employees (and she is a sweetie). We are definitely going to have to go out with them sometime.

Here we are after indulging ourselves in all of the deliciousness. It was one fantastic meal!

After dinner we went down to Calapooia and caught the last few songs of a really good band that was playing. So good, that my friend texted me three times to get down there. We ended up dancing between tables and bought a CD. The band is called The Druthers. They are from Portland, and so good! You should check them out. Well, that's a wrap on our anniversary date. It was one to remember.

DCA After Hours

2012-02-08T17:26:00.000-08:00

This morning I was sitting at my desk going through email, like a good worker would, when I get an email from my boss. In the email there were two pictures of me from last night. This may not sound weird except that I was at the DCA After Hours and she was not. "Where the heck did you find these?!", I asked. To which she replied, "On Facebook!" I've never been on the DCA's FB page until today. But I "liked" it, so I'll see those photos first from now on! Well, assuming I actually check FB. Anyway, in case you didn't know, once a month a different business downtown hosts and after hours shindig, and I sell tickets for a raffle. Its like a service/volunteer thing, but I also do it so I can shmooze with all the business owners and try and learn a thing or two. Hey- it never hurts to be well connected. Also, it's fun to learn of all of the events being offered all of time.

This is me selling tickets to guests.

And this is me with Steve Hutchinson, the DCA board president, and Joan Wessell, the DCA's Executive Director. She's a peach and ropes me into it every month.
Photos courtesy of Jennifer Mooreland and Dave Basset.

A Sunshine Day

2012-02-06T22:33:00.001-08:00

It's been sunny lately here in Oregon. Much needed sunshine after all the rain and flooding last month. I took a walk on my break today and it was so gorgeous outside; I had to snap a few photos along the way. Working in Downtown Corvallis pretty much rocks my world on days like this. Anywhere you go there is something interesting to look at.

Do you ever have a soundtrack playing in your head during certain activities? Ok, I know that sounds weird, but I often have some sort of song playing in my head at any given time. It's like a soundtrack to my life. And today's song just happened to be the Brady Bunch, Sunshine Day. Yeah, I just admitted that online. Awesome. Anyways, hope you had a sunshine day today!

Hello February!

2012-02-01T20:31:00.000-08:00

Today was a good beginning to a new month. Forget January, I'm so over you January. I'm looking forward to good things in February. Like great lunches. Today's was focaccia bread pizza loaded with veggies, fancy water, a good book, oh, and a shopping trip for my first ever supremo shampoo. Yup, that all adds up to one pampered lady. In addition to a good day, I just got home from knit night at Stash. Everyone there is just so nice- it is so fun! Got picked up by my loves, Greg and Napoleon. Lots of kisses from both. :)

Aaahhh, February, the month of love! It's a 10 day countdown to mine and Greg's 6 year wedding anniversary. Then there is Valentines day. Oooh, and spring starts coming to Oregon! Pretty soon the daffodils will be peeping, and buds will appear on tree branches. Yes, February is going to be a good month!

He's Back!

2012-01-31T12:48:00.000-08:00

Napoleon is finally home! I can't even express to you how much we missed him. Greg and I picked him up yesterday evening after all of Greg's follow up appointments. I now have both my boys back. I'm one happy lady! And I have to say, we have one happy pup! Greg and I were both met with tons of loves and kisses all over our faces. He was SO HAPPY to be home! And he was so cute. All he wanted to do was be on Greg's or my lap, at all times. I thought for sure he'd want to run around a little, but no, all he wanted was snuggles all night long. No complaints here!

Ahhh, life is good. Oh, and a Gregger update...he is doing really, really good. Sodium levels are still up. It was a promising appointment with the neurologist yesterday. Oh, and get this, the resident who did most of the exam is from Phoenix/Tempe. Its always nice to connect with former southwesterners like us. :) Have a lovely day!

One sick puppy

2012-01-28T08:50:00.000-08:00

I've had my fill of my favorite housemates being in the hospital this month. First Greg, and now poor little Napoleon. Tuesday he started getting really sick, and I was getting really worried. Apparently the puppy flu has been going around some of his playmates. Only-he is just too small to handle it! So he has been at the Albany Animal Hospital since Wednesday night. It's crazy how much we miss that little pup! He's been getting good care there though, and he finally turned a corner and started eating yesterday! Hooray! This morning I'm on my way to see him and give him lots of loves. I'm hoping that they will send him home with me, but they might keep him another night just to make sure he is free and clear of whatever was plaguing him.

Here he is hooked up to his IV to give him fluids and sugar. Poor guy!

As soon as he saw me the other night, he got as excited as the vet has seen him get, gave me lots of kisses, and just wanted to snuggle. He stayed snuggled in my coat until I sadly had to leave.

Here he is as his perky self.

To help give you an idea about just how small he is, this is him with a plate sized pancake. Ya- before he got sick we had just gotten his weight up to 3lbs! That was a momentous day! We're going to have to work up to it again I'm afraid.

If there is one thing he is really missing, other than us and his normal routine, it would be his bed and his toys. He LOVES his bed. And he is a very neat little pup, always collecting his toys on his bed. He never leaves them out around the house. If he sees one out, he immediately picks it up and carries it to his bed. It's the cutest. He is going to be so so happy to get home!

Well, think good thoughts for him that he can come home soon! And have yourself a lovely winter Saturday.

GOALS

2012-01-25T13:47:00.000-08:00

Image source.

I have some goals I would like to accomplish this year. Not necessarily resolutions….I’ve not yet resolved exactly what I want to do with some of my goals. And I hate New Year’s resolutions because they never happen for me. In the past, I’ve set these lofty (almost unattainable) goals for myself, never really shared them with anyone, and then once I thought about starting to work on them- realize just how lofty they are and then never even started. So that is goal numero uno! START MY GOALS! I suppose that would include overcoming my fear of failure and success. Yes- I am so afraid to succeed it’s not even funny. Perhaps I should look at each new goal or adventure as a failure adventure- then maybe I’d surprise myself by succeeding and keep up with it! Hmmm, reverse psychology does work wonders for me.

Here are some goals of mine this year:

Don’t be afraid to JUST DO IT!
Get better at blogging. This will include posting AT LEAST once a week. This also includes sharing more of our lives with you.
Take more pictures. I’ve taken a lot of time off of photography. It’s time to get back into the game and rediscover my creative self.
Keep a cleaner house. (who am I kidding really…if you’ve ever lived with me you know. But a goal of mine it is nonetheless)
Remember birthdays and send birthday cards. (part one will be easier than part two for me)
Finally start learning a new language. I’d like to get Rosetta Stone and learn French. Oui!
Get and stay in shape.
Go somewhere new in Oregon every month.
Take online classes. One can never learn too much.
Sew. Learn to use the machine I have and go to town.
Branch out in my knitting. With my latest project, I’ve already grown a bit more confident in trying new patterns. I’d like to keep it up.
Cook more- and get better at it. Bake more- and really get better at that. Basically, I’d like to do more kitchen experiments (that is usually what my cooking is).
Make the Kids Art Discovery Zone at the Corvallis Fall Festival (40 year anniversary this year!) BETTER than EVER!

Well, there you have it. Nothing too lofty. And now I’ve shared them- so that is supposed to make me want to do them more right? Right. And I can share my progress throughout the year- which will accomplish goal #2- blogging more! Win, win.

Do you have any goals this year?

Knitting for a Cause

2012-01-23T18:20:00.000-08:00

I spent all weekend knitting. It was quite nice, I must say- to sit and watch movies all day while my hands were busy at work. I'm not just knitting because I felt like it (which is reason enough, of course), I'm knitting for a cause- for a cure to Type 1 diabetes. The idea was spawned to make a blanket to auction off at the JDRF fundraising gala in May. I had just bought the cutest little pattern to make a "Beekeepers Quilt", so I showed Christine the pattern (she is the administrator of the company I work for, my only knitting partner in crime, and is on the JDRF committee in the Portland chapter). Well, she loved it, and so the company is buying all of the yarn, and we (and other recruited knitters- hint hint) are going to shoot for 600 "honeycombs" by April. This is quite the undertaking! I don't know, for some reason I thought the pattern would move through a lot quicker. I did finish 6 this weekend..and it went a lot faster the more I completed. I was half thinking-what the heck have I gotten us into- but then recovered and realized that as long as I devoted as much time to it as possible- and especially if I could rope in enough women to make as many as they could- then all would be well. I mean- this blanket once done should bring in a lot o' money honey! It's my secret wish that it would be the highest ticket item at the auction and go for at least 20 grand. (a girl can dream you know!)

This is now where I try to recruit YOU! Are you a knitter? Do you know anyone who is? Wouldn't it be fun to knit for a cause?! It's totally a service project doing something you like, at your convenience! At the end I would of course show you a picture of the completed project. Plus- I'll provide you with the yarn and pattern- as well as any help you need! Shipping included if you live out of state. Really- I don't mind mailing it to you at all, with a return envelope. I got you covered babe! Or dude- if you are a man and you for some reason reading my blog and happen to knit. dude- i got you covered. (that would be really weird tho) Anyway, I digress....so if you are interested in knitting for a cause/cure, then email me at nrphoto(dot)andrea(at)gmail(dot)com. Knitting for a cause is super awesome- just so you know. Ooh, and if you need service hours- this would use up so many of them! Ha! It's perfect really.

It Can Only Get Better……

2012-01-19T16:54:00.000-08:00

Hello folks! Sorry for the loooonnnngggg absence here on the blog. How boring. I should tell you first that our Christmas was just the two of us, and it was lovely. Who would’ve known that New Year’s would not follow suit? Not me! We are off to a rough start for 2012. Very rough indeed. Let me fill you in…. (and this is only if you are interested. I have to document this as it is a pretty big deal for us. And if you do continue reading, right now would be a good time to get a snack and drink- for it’s a doozy.)

To ring in the new year of 2012, we went to Bend, OR with some of our friends. The second night we were there- Greg passed out and hit his head, hard. Like, really hard. Why did he pass out you ask? It’s a mystery, but I attribute it to dehydration and long hours of standing with locked knees. This happened on the 30^th. That night I was waking him every 2 hours making sure he knew 2+2 and who the current president is. The next day we went to Urgent Care, the doc there gave him some anti-nausea pills and some IB Profin, said it was probably just a small concussion and watch out for further symptoms.

Fast forward to January 5^th- those symptoms were presenting themselves in a big way. He just didn’t look right! Everyone at his work was concerned, I was concerned, and so I picked him up from work and took him back to urgent care. There, they drew his blood and scheduled a CT scan for that evening. An hour later he got a call from the doctor saying his sodium levels were too low and he needed to go right away to the ER. There, they drew more blood and did the CT scan of his head. His sodium levels were still low (lower) and the CT showed a walnut size bruise on his brain frontal lobe and a small bleed! Huh, what!? Next thing we know they are getting him a room at the Corvallis Good Samaritan Hospital and calling the ambulance to bus him over there.

What we learned was that the brain contusion caused a hormone called ADH (anti diuretic hormone) to be released which caused his body to retain fluid, which drastically lowered his sodium levels. This condition is known as SIADH. Do you know what happens when your sodium levels drop? It causes brain swelling, damage, and death. How do they fix this problem? Very s.l.o.w.l.y. If they raised his sodium too quickly, it would cause a whole lot of problems, including his brain cells shrinking, brain swelling, brain damage, and death. The good news was that he didn’t need any brain surgery due to the contusion and bleed. That would all heal on its own, and was healing.

Greg spent the next 5 nights in the care of Good Sam. He was put on a fluid restriction, had to endure a 24 hour EEG, and getting his blood drawn every 2-4 hours. He looked like a heroin addict -his arms had so many holes. At one point, his sodium had dropped to 110. The normal range is 135-145. YIKES! Even the renal specialist said he was quite worried. Slowly, but steadily, he started to improve. Tuesday (1/10/12) afternoon, he was finally released.

He is doing so good now. He is back to work and more himself. We had an appointment with the renal (kidney) specialist yesterday who said that he looks good, and he doesn’t have to restrict his fluid anymore. Oh, to note on that subject, he was allowed to have about 200 milligrams of water about every 4 hours. He could have drunk that amount in one gulp, but stretched it in small, small sips. So glad he doesn’t have to deal with that now. He is back to work. Hurray! He’s getting his sodium checked tomorrow to ensure that things are still good with the fluid restriction off. Our next step is seeing a neurologist. I’m so grateful for doctors who know what they are doing and communicate what they are doing (for doctors are NOT created equal- so many of them are TERRIBLE – thank goodness for the good ones, and THANK GOODNESS FOR NURSES!). I only had to fire one doctor, and I won’t go into the details, but I will say- if you ever find yourself in the hospital (which I dearly hope you don’t), you do NOT have to just take whatever they say as law and abide. Get a second opinion if something doesn’t seem right. You have the right to fire and hire anyone there. Just so you know.

On the whole, I am just so THANKFUL that he is ok. He lives people! He lives! He must have like 9 lives or something with all that he has gone through medically. He is one tough cookie. I believe in the power of prayer and I believe that helped him pull through. I really don’t know what I would do without him. I love him so much. Did you hear that Greg? I LOVE YOU!!!! No more banging your head OK? :)

So anyway- you are now caught up. All is well and returning to normal. I’ll get back to regular and more fun, upbeat posts very soon!

It's looking festive round here!

2011-12-21T21:43:00.000-08:00

Here are some bits and pieces of the festivities around our house. I had a lot of fun decorating this year. We've been having quite a jolly season! I hope you have been too.

I had to end the post with a picture of Napoleon...because really, doesn't he make you smile?

Thankful

2011-12-10T17:58:00.000-08:00

So now that we are into the Christmas Season, let me back track a minute and share with you our Thanksgiving. It was the smallest that either of us has ever had...just the two of us. and Marco, Dora and Napoleon of course. As we were planning our menu, you know, turkey, potatoes, what kind of veggie to do etc.; we suddenly realized that since it was just the two of us, there were no guidelines. So, we decided on a seafaring Thanksgiving..........

with king crab legs.......

fresh king salmon.....

roasted red potatoes, green bean & mushroom side dish.......

...and homemade pumpkin pie with fresh whipped cream....as you can see above, we cleaned our plates and stuffed ourselves full and subsequently needed a nap! After a while we felt up for the pumpkin pie and I whipped the cream for it (using my new cuisinart immersion blender/mixer/food processor). It was awesome.

We spent the day hanging out, listening to records and working on a puzzle......

It was a beautiful, relaxing day. I had to come back to Thanksgiving because I never got to say all the things I'm thankful for here, and I really wanted to share it with you. Because I am so blessed...I'm incredibly grateful for my husband and best friend Greg. He lights up my life with fun and laughter. I am incredibly grateful for my family. Each and every one of you has helped shape who I am. you've all taught me so much. About love, forgiveness, patience, commitment, humor....I could go on and on. For my friends...some of who I count as family. For our furry kids, Marco, Dora, and Napoleon (tiny tim is now Napoleon...yup, he's not going anywhere). For our jobs, our home, car, health...I'm so grateful for this life.

Now, onward to Christmas!!!

Sunrise

2011-12-02T10:58:00.000-08:00

This morning on our way taking Greg into work, there was the most beautiful sunrise. I tried to capture it with the camera on my phone. It doesn't do it justice, but at least you get a small taste. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by the beauty that surrounds us here, or rather, the beauty of this earth in general. But specifically, the mid Willamette Valley that we call home. The drive into work is inspiring; it never stresses me out like it did in Phoenix. It kind of kick starts my day...driving through all of this beauty, every single day. We are so blessed.

I promise to share our Thanksgiving photos over the weekend, and perhaps some other random things. Until then....Happy Friday! Have a wonderful weekend!

Too Funny

2011-11-17T17:07:00.000-08:00

One of my friends at work shared this video with me today. If you haven't seen it, you are so missing out. It is hilarious! Enjoy!

Introducing....

2011-11-11T09:29:00.000-08:00

Good Morning! I have some introductions to make...along with a little bragging. First off, let me introduce you to the new manager at SafeHaven Humane Society...

Yup, it's Greg! He was promoted two weeks ago. I'm so proud of him. I can't tell you how good he is with each and every animal that goes through that place. He's always coming home with stories about them; how they came to be there, what their personalities are like, all of the triumphs and all of the heartbreak. There are a lot of heartbreaking stories out there in the animal kingdom. I'm just so glad all of these furry friends have someone like Greg looking after them, doing his very best for each and every one.

Which brings me to my next introduction...... Please meet Tiny Tim! He is the newest addition to our home as we are fostering him (for now....I really don't know if I can let him go back, he just might have to be ours). He is the cutest, sweetest, smallest little Chihuahua mix you will ever find. He is about a third of the size he should be, so he needs lots of observing and time to grow bigger.
Last night, Greg picked me up from the DCA After-hours, and Tiny came in with him to make an appearance. I tell you what, we were there for an hour longer while everyone oohed and aahed over him. They were all cuddling him, taking iPhone photos to email each other, and talking baby talk. It was pretty much adorable. I think cute animals make people so much braver around each other. People I've never talked to just walked right up to see him and talk to us for a long time. Of course, Greg said that as he was trying to get upstairs where the event was, he was stopped by 10 different females. This little guy is a chick magnet!

We've been fostering another kitten and had her for a few weeks now; her name is Abby-dos. Or Abby number 2. But we call her Abby-dos. She is very well behaved, very snuggly, playful, and just all around cute. When we brought Tiny Tim home two nights ago, she and him made fast friends. They played and chased each other around and gave each other kisses! She completely wore him out. And when she realized that he was in fact not going to react to her taunting to play, she decided to snuggle down with him.

I mean really, do I really need to tell you how flippin cute this is? I think not. It pretty much speaks for itself. We are having too much fun with them I tell you. And as for our other permanent residents Marco and Dora, how are they doing with all of this you may ask? Well, they don't like it very much and stay in the back of the house, mainly our bedroom where the visitors don't really go. When we introduced them, Marco and Dora both just hissed a little and then walked off. Eh, cats. What are you going to do? :)
Last I'm going to leave you with this little video of the scene from above. Enjoy your day!

There are times....

2011-11-04T18:35:00.000-07:00

A while ago, my boss sent us this little poem. I liked it so much that I've kept it in my in-box and decided to finally share it here.

There Are Times

To hold open a door.

To surrender your seat.

To thank someone, in writing.

To let bygones be gone.

To remember your parents.

To listen with care.

To surprise with a gift.

To mind your table manners.

To honor tradition.

To give voice to your heart.

Tiffany & Co.

NY Times

October 6, 2011

I just loved the reminder of courtesy, of remembering that there are others out there besides yourself. These days I've been nostalgic. When am I not, really, but lately its only been on the good stuff. I'm kind of coming back to being myself. Slowly, but surely. It is me, after all, who has said time and again that sometimes you have to get lost to get found. I just hope I can always find my way back.

Fall is most certainly here......slowly giving in to winter. It is getting cold and dark and wet. But there is color, vibrant color everywhere I look. In front of our little house too. These trees turn the most beautiful and vivid red. These picture I snapped with my phone just do not do it justice. I really want to bust out my camera, I haven't picked it up since I photographed that wedding. Maybe this weekend I'll put it to some good use....maybe.

As the weather gets colder and colder I'm thinking more and more about the holidays. We have no plans at all except to be home. I'm kind of wishing I had decided to go home (AZ) for the holidays, but between Greg's job and the fact that I have no one close to pet-sit for us, it just wasn't going to happen this year. But, I have to say, I'm kind of relishing in the fact that we aren't traveling. I've been picking up Christmas decorations and can not wait to put them up! I'm going to transform our whole house this year! I can't wait to have a tree and come home to its piney smell. I can't wait to have our cute little home all lit up with string lights and candles. When normally I dread the holiday season, this year I'm filled with nothing but excitement!

Halloween

2011-11-01T18:10:00.000-07:00

For the first time in YEARS, Greg and I dressed up for Halloween and went out with our friends Michelle and Dustin. We had too much fun! After much debate, consideration, and shopping, we decided to go as GHOULISH GHOSTS! Can you tell that's what we are? We did consider going as the gang from ScoobyDoo, but we couldn't find just the right outfits at the thrift stores, and the costume shop cheapy costumes were $30+ a piece! Lame. I wasn't about to spend that kind of cash. So I suggested we go get some cheap white sheets, white face paint and go as ghosts. Michelle and Dustin were down, so that's what we did (and all for under $10 a couple). Greg didn't really get a say in it as he was at work, but he was up for it. Half the fun was getting ready. Who knew cutting up sheets and doing makeup could be so much fun?! You know, ScoobyDoo would have been fun, but I have never ever gone as something scary and not pretty. I was so happy to freak people out!!! Hahaha...

This picture really freaks me out!

What was your favorite costume this year? If I had a daughter, I would have made her dress up with me as a rag doll. How cute is this? Someday.......someday.......

Source.

Hope you had a safe, spooky, but mostly fun Halloween!

And I'm back........

2011-10-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

(me, one year ago in our front yard)

Greetings from Oregon; where fall season shows off what it can do with all its splendid color! It is seriously gorgeous here right now! Sorry again for the long absence. September was incredibly busy! And then, wham, all of a sudden it's October! And then wham! It's almost November. Crazy. This month hasn't been incredible busy, I've just been a little out of commission with a small surgery. Ya, good times right? Not to worry, everything is just dandy; so I'm going to spare you all of the gory details. The worst thing about it has been just lying around waiting to feel better so I can go out and do things (other than work). Instead, I'll catch you up on what went down in September.

Actually, all I want to catch you up on is the Corvallis Fall Festival. As I talked about earlier this year, I'm on the committee for the Kids Art Discover Zone. It was great this year! A lot of work, but so worth it! We tried a new activity; hand puppets! We provided the material for them and they went at it. What was especially unique about the activity is that most of the materials were donated recycled/reused goods (seriously, you have everything you need to make a hand puppet at home, this very moment). We had all kinds of fabrics, tennis balls (they made the best heads!), leather scraps, card stock, buttons, fake fuzzy fur, yarn...the list could go on! We even had a puppet stage (thanks to Jon and Jenny!) for them to put on their very own show. We're going to bring it back next year for sure. Kids make the cutest little puppets, let me tell you! Of course I didn't take my camera with me- so no photos to share. bum deal. But, below is a picture taken at our volunteer appreciation night a couple weeks prior. It ended up in the Corvallis Gazette Times (really, really wish I had a better outfit on that day, oh well). So thanks to them. Below is me and my co-chairs, Caron and Sarah. They are two fantastic women!

Let's see, what else went down in September.....I shot a wedding...but not my best work. Few good ones though. It was a very last minute gig. Hmm, seems like there was more, but nothing else too special to report. Next time I'll fill you in on what's up in Greg's world and other fun stuff.

Now that I'm feeling more myself again, I will get back to more regular posting. Which will be good for me. And hopefully good for you too. I'm actually surprised that you keep checking back in when my posting has been, well, sporadic at best.

I have to say though, I'm sure glad you do! xoxo

Crickets

2011-10-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

It's been quiet around here lately. Can you hear the crickets chirping? I'm sure they aren't loud and entertaining like Jimmeny Cricket is. I'll get back to blogging real soon. Just haven't been feeling quite, um, myself lately. Will explain in due time. All good things come in time right?

Image source.

It's that season again...Football! Go Beavers!

2011-09-08T18:57:00.000-07:00

September brings warm days, and super cool nights and mornings. It brings Fall, it also brings FOOTBALL! Last Saturday was bright and sunny. The perfect day to kick of football season. You know that I don't follow football or anything, but when I got offered a ticket to go to OSU's opening game, I couldn't pass it up. Michelle's boyfriends Dustin was supposed to go, he's a die hard Beaver fan. However, he got called to duty, and so I got the call to take his place. I accompanied Michelle and her lovely parents, Dave and Cindy. We parked in my work parking lot and took the bus in to the game. That is so the way to do it by the way. I never knew what true blue American culture existed at college football games. It was a sea of orange, tailgating, arm movements for the 1st down, lots of yelling and chanting and well, if you've been, you know. And it was such a myriad of emotions. I mean, just see for yourself with my phone documentation.....

We arrived with plenty of time before kick off. Hopes were high! Everyone said it would be an easy win. That's what I was expecting....opening game, all the players would be pumped up, ready to play, ready to win.

But by the end of the 2nd quarter, things were not looking so good. not at all. You should have seen the flags flying on the field. I don't even follow football and I could call every error (or what do they call it in football? offense? heck if I know, but I know interference when I see it). We hadn't even scored a touchdown.

This is by the end of the third quarter. I got a good dosey nap in, and the Beavers kicked things up a notch, scored a touchdown, made the field goal, and we were tied. It went into overtime and tensions were high.

Everyone was standing and cheering. We scored in overtime...all we had to do was hold off Sacramento from scoring and the game was ours.

But all the standing and all of the yelling was to no avail. We lost by 2 points. You see what I mean about teh emotions?! Happy, sad, happy, sad, happy, sad. But it was a great experience and I would so go again!

Body Parts (from a child’s point of view)

2011-08-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, my sis Jeni and I skyped. It was so good to see and talk with her. I even got to see Spencer, Ethan and Olivia. Ryleigh must have been out doing something pre-teenish. Gosh that girl has grown up! Olivia is 3, wait 4? No, almost 4, but still 3. She’s a red headed wild child who I think could probably charm just about anyone to do just about anything.

Jeni was telling me about all of the hilarious things that Livy (short for Olivia) says…which is quite often. There was one particular thing that Jeni said she wished she could blog, but didn’t feel she could because of the youngins that sometimes read her blog. Well, I don’t have such readers, and since we’re all adults here, I’m going to share this (what I thought absolutely hilarious) little story:

Recently, she had to teach Livy about girl body parts and the word “vagina”. (GASP! I just used the word vagina on my blog! Wait for it…it’s about to get worse!) Why at such a young age you ask? Because apparently Livy was going around explaining that “boys have a penis…. and girls have a butt penis!” Hmmmm….an interesting take on that one don’t you think? I laughed until I cried and almost wet my pants.

That’s the hard thing about living away from them….missing the most hilarious moments. Kids do say the darndest things, don’t they? Thank goodness for Skype!

I couldn’t resist sharing a pic from Jeni’s blog of the spitfire Livy.

Isn’t she a cutie pie?! Speaking of her blog…check it out for more hilarious stories (or if you are a big fan of baseball): www.linnloop.blogspot.com.

Yay, it's Friday again!

2011-08-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

During the week, I come up with the most wonderful blog posts. They cover a wide variety of topics of interest, they are colorful and meaningful and funny, witty, well written, all the things you would want out of a blog. And then when I finally get to it, it's all crickets chirping in my head.
I wanted to tell you about last weekend. I want to tell you how proud I am of my little brother Chad for getting recruited to Phoenix College to play baseball. I want to tell you how much I've been thinking about gratitude, and how thankful I am for my family, and for those friends who are like family. I wanted to do a post about how crazy I can be, and how we all have our craziness, and to thank those of you who continue to love and support me despite my craziness. I wanted to post about love, and forgiveness. I wanted to do a post about what to do if you are ever in a vehicle accident (Random, but I should still do that sometime).These are the things that have been on my mind lately. And perhaps, someday, I'll regularly post here and talk about these things. But for now, you just get a topical glimpse.
I know that it is Friday, and I should be doing a Friday Favorite....but eh, do I really need a special feature? I mean, come on, its just you reading ;) just my family. So I won't stress about making this blog perfect, or worry that it is sub-par on the internet land. I mean, who needs 50 comments and loads of followers anyway? this is just not that kind of blog. You know it and I know it. Maybe, if I had a laptop, I could get really good at this and do it all the time. But for now, you only get bits and pieces of us and our life here in Oregon. And I'll save the rest of my brilliant posting ideas for someday. As my grandpa says, "Somedays do come."

Happy Friday Ya'll! Have a great weekend. I'll leave you with some pics- scenes from last weekend.

This gorgeous flower was a bulb given to us by Kevin (Greg's brother). What a perfect gift.

By the way, I've really been trying to use my own voice here and write like I talk, not as an essay or anything like that. It's kinda scary being me, but can you tell? Thanks again for the love and support you bring, not only to me, but to Greg too! xoxoxooo

Good Gracious, 2 weeks gone....oh, and Friday Fav's

2011-08-12T19:15:00.000-07:00

Well hello there! I got an email from my aunt today. It read "I'm bored, update your blog!" And so, here I am. I've been meaning to do this for the past two weeks, but we've been busy man! Lots of stuff with friends and Greg and I have just been going and doing. And then I was "sick" this past week, and I just cannot blog when I'm all drugged up. Ok, and my dear readers, who I'm pretty sure are just my close fam and friends and you all probably know, but for those of you who may not, what I mean by "sick" and "drugged up" is the infamous monthly pain cycle. You know what I'm talking about. Yes, anyways, back to the past two weeks. Well I've been taking pictures with my phone like a mad woman, so I'll just annotate those and spare all the gory, long winded details that I love to do. :)

We've been loving cooking all of the bountiful fresh produce from local farms. I mean, who wouldn't want to eat this colorful goodness?

We got the BEST DEAL EVER on this grill. Can you see the tiny little grill that we were using before? It's in the background in our fire pit. Yeah, imagine crouching over that! Poor Greg. So one day we went out for charcoal, and found this grill on super sale for $26!!! Oh yea, Greg is the grillin king now!

Our first meal from the grill....

It was so super delish! Grilled portabella mushroom and bacon sammies. Remember those veggies from the first photo? They went into this delectable pearl couscous pasta salad. It's one recipe that I made up that we both actually loved. Yay me! Wow, I'm a foodie huh? All these pictures of food! I had more, but refrained from posting them. :)

Fresh flowers from the Wednesday Farmers Market. $5 for this bouquet- they were so so pretty on my table. The Farmers Market is like the only place I will get flowers because they are huge and gorgeous and never outrageously priced like grocery stores.

My cat Marco. He decided to try to wear my reusable shopping bag. It was sooo funny watching him try to wriggle out of it!

Last Friday we had some friends over for dinner. Greg and I made fajitas. Of course, no photos from the actual dinner, just the aftermath. Not too bad eh? It was such a good time. We had Michelle and her boyfriend Dustin, and Shannon and her husband Kail over. We had a fire in the backyard complete with smores. It was a lot of fun. Too bad Shannon and Kail leave at the end of next month...they joined the Peace Corps and were assigned to Peru! Pretty cool though huh?

Last Saturday my friend Glory had her band debut. They had it at one of the band members homes, and this was the view. Their band, Blue Honey, did a great job. I took their band photos last week. I'll post one up soon, they turned out pretty good.

My Friday Favorite has to go to this cute little fella. Greg brought him home last night for us to foster until he reaches 2lbs. He just tugs at my heart strings he does! Currently, he is laying on my lap, loving my kitty scratches, making it very hard to type.... so worth it! I'm calling him MC, short for Moo Cow cause he has spots like a cow. Well I cant give him a serious name or else I might keep him! Apparently, some lady found him wandering around and like a good Samaritan brought him to SafeHaven. Kittens are just the best! Now if only our cat Dora could warm up, we'd be set! Or we'd have another cat. Maybe its best she doesn't accept any other animal in the house for now. But later...we might have a problem. For now, kittens are my Friday Fav.

This weekend we don't have a whole lot planned...just a lot of house cleaning and stuff like that. I think we will hit up the Zimbabwe Music Festival at OSU. We went last year and it was fun. We especially enjoyed a few dancers in the crowd who never stopped dancing! it was great! What are you up to?

Saturdays are for Sushi!

2011-07-31T14:46:00.000-07:00

Last night, Greg and I went out for a little sushi date to Momiji. We were feeling pretty hungry, and ordered a ton of food! It was sooooo soooo goooood!!! It was actually the first time we have ever taken home leftovers from there, cause usually with sushi, you can just pack it in and you can be hungry an hour later. But this time, we decided to try the tempura veggies along with our sushi which filled us up pretty good. Tempura veggies are so tasty! We sat outside and it was a lovely 75 degrees with a light breeze....if only it could be that perfect the whole year round. I'd think I was in heaven probably. This was close enough.

mmmm, tuna roll

yeah, we took home like 4 pieces of sushi, that's what I meant by leftovers.

we pretty much cleaned our plates.

Content and satisfied. It was a perfect Saturday evening.

Ingersoll Family Reunion- June 2011

2011-07-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

Hello, hello...I'm only a little bit late with this post about our family reunion with the Ingersoll side. It happened in June, and it was in Flagstaff. And we had an awesome time together! I just love them. We stayed at my uncle's parents home up there, which was quite a nice place. We ate so much food it's incredible....breakfast for dinner, tons of snacks, surf and turf, and oh so much more. We laughed, we talked, we played poker. We had a talent show complete with awards (but I didn't get any photos of it for some reason). We got to see where my Grandpa lived when he was young; it was above a bar downtown, and the building is still a bar called Recycle The Good Times. We explored the lava caves. That was dark, cold, and so much fun. It was an awesome trip!

Here is a little video slideshow documenting the trip. Enjoy!

Just a note to all my other Arizonians...I love you so much, sorry it doesn't always work out to see everyone. We really had no time in the valley, and 15 minute visits to everyone is so hard. But don't worry, we love you and we'll be back to see you. Like, maybe in January or February when we need that big ol' Arizona sky and plenty of sunshine! And of course, our family and friends. :)

Friday Favorites...er, uh, Happy Wednesday!

2011-07-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

Hello! Happy Wednesday! I started this post on Friday, for a Friday favorite, but then I never finished it. Probably for the best though, it was kind of lame. So I have some things to share with you my friends!

First, I found some new music that I really love. Found them on Jamendo. For your viewing/listening pleasure, here is a video by Bella Ruse. I really hope they someday play in Oregon, cause that would be a fun/happy show.

Next, I have to tell you how much fun Greg and I have been having. Adventures of finding cherries, baking pies, bike rides, baseball games, Yellow Bottom excursions, movie nights, listening to new records - ah I love summer!! Here are a few pics I've snapped recently with my phone. Sadly, no Yellow Bottom photos - I left my camera in the car and didn't go back for it. But we will go again and I will get pictures!

I'll leave you with a thought for the day that my dad sent me. Its a good one.

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts."

-Winston Churchill

They Call Me Andie

2011-07-21T18:02:00.000-07:00

So, just a quick update on the Corvallis Fall Festival. The Kids Art Zone is coming along quite well. I met with my co-chairs, Caron and Sarah, on Tuesday night for some brainstorming and to make some silly puppets. Did you know that they call me Andie? They do! I love it! Sunday is going to be PUPPET day!!! We are going to make puppets using fabric, paper bags, contact paper, stickers, all sorts of recycled stuff (bottles, papers, socks, tennis balls, plastic spoons, etc.). Here is our inspiration for it all:

And to make it even better, a group is coming in of international women, who are going to cut and sew and put together multicultural dresses for said puppets. I cannot wait to see how it turns out. I have still to cut some fabric (we got a ton of it donated by Amy- who works(ed) for Nike); I found some lace for the dresses today; and I'm in charge of creating a puppet stage. At this point, I'm just not sure if I want to do all fabric and curtains, which could be very easy to string up either on some PVC pipe framing, or we could hang it on a string between the trees..OR..by getting a large piece of particle board, building a frame to stand it up, and painting it. I love the idea of having the board because I think it would make it look really official. But I don't think it would look as official unless it was painted really cool- and I can't paint. So I'm in search of a painter. Someone who can make it look really good, with spotlights and caricatures and Corvallis Fall Festival Puppet Show painted at the top. Do you know anyone who can paint like that who would want to volunteer their time??

Other activities in the Zone will be Spin Art (but of course), miniature golf, wood block sculptures, journal making, pinwheel making, hair braiding, marine themed pastel posters, bubble play, and I'm probably missing something here but you get the idea. It will be total chaos and I cannot wait.

So if you are in Corvallis September 24-25, stop by and see us! We will be having a blast I'm sure!

Here is my silly puppet I put together in about, oh, 30 seconds. I call her Suzanne.

Isn't she sweet? HA!

Thought for the day...or many thoughts if you will

2011-07-07T18:21:00.000-07:00

When I worked at Access in Colorado, a few work mates and I would get together every morning and read an inspirational thought for the day. When I left, I kept the tradition alive for a while...and still do when I see a good one every now and then. Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the direction of my life and where I want it to go. Namely: WHAT DO I WANT? So, I've been reading this book called "DO IT! Let's Get Off our Buts" by Peter McWilliams. I have to tell you, it is so good. And it is helping me realize all the things I let hold me back. Also, it is chalk full of quotes. Here is one that I really liked:

You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, "I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along." You must do the thing you think you cannot do.

-Eleanor Roosevelt

This quote reminds me of some advice my aunt Lynn likes to give. She says: "Always do what you're scared to do; unless it is unkind, unsafe, or illegal." Good words to live by.

So, bringing me back to my original thought...what is it I want? I wish I was one of those people . You know, who it comes easy for- those people who buy houses at 20, have their own business at 25...those people who go to college right out of high school and seem to have it all figured out. I know it can't possibly be that easy. I know that every person in this world has their own problems, their own tragedy. I know that one of my biggest problems is being brave enough to go out there and DO IT! And those people - the infamous "them", they seem to have no second thoughts about getting out there. The thing is that, all of these years, I've not done anything because I've been too scared. I feel guilty when I have even the smallest successes. And I've just learned that that guilt, is one of the many things holding me back. I mean, I didn't just learn that, I've known, but not known how to stop it. Get it? Maybe not. I'm kind of rambling here. I just want to for once, not put on such a happy face here. I want to be real. I'm scared to be real. I'm scared because, oh gosh, what if you don't like it? What if I'm real and I'm not liked anymore. I know, lame. But there it is. My heart and my fears laid out before you.

What do I want? I'm going to start investigating that. I'm going to start to be brave. I feel like I've gotten small starts. Such as my involvement with the Fall Festival and the DCA. But that isn't necessarily the same as living my dreams. Feeling worthy of my dreams. So this is my new adventure. I'm in the pursuit of living my dreams. I just have to figure out what that is exactly!

Well, I can't leave here without at least putting up a picture, and saying
HOPE YOU HAD A WONDERFUL 4th of JULY!
My weekend was FULL of STRAWBERRIES! I hand picked 24lbs of them. Yowza, that's a lot.

I brought this beauty into work with me. I was told by one of my work mates that he thought it was the best pie that he had ever tasted, and that he didn't know that pie could be so good. Aaahhh, I love making pies. :)

Friday Favorites: Good Tunes and Red Toes

2011-07-01T09:04:00.000-07:00

Happy July to you! And happy Friday! Sorry I missed the past couple...we were out of town (in Flagstaff for a family reunion on my mom's side), and then just busy busy! But I'm back today with a few of my favorite things. Oh- and I'll get some of my family reunion trip photos up here soon...and by soon I mean don't be checking everyday for it, but one day it will be here!

I love my records! They make me so happy. Especially when I'm cleaning and listening to The White Stripes. They disbanded- so I'll never see them play live, but the music lives forever!

Red toes are fully appropriate for the 4th of July!!! One of my favorite holidays.

There is a new restaurant in Downtown Corvallis called the Laughing Planet Cafe. This place is quickly becoming one of my favorites. They have an upstairs seating area that has a small deck looking over the river walkway. So pretty. The food is super tasty. They cater to vegetarians and vegans. My perfect lunch on this day was the Cuban Bowl. It had brown rice, black beans, sweet potatoes, and plantains, topped with salsa. YUM!

One of Greg and mines favorite things to do is seek out live music. If they are playing at a restaurant and we get to eat delicious food while we are at it- all for the better. Last Saturday night we wandered over to FireWorks Restaurant- where most nights they have live music (and the wood fired pizza they have there is awesome!). This duo I snapped a pic of are The Winterlings. It was folk music- and man were they good. They sang this one song, called Lauren's Forest, it seriously brought tears to my eyes. I would have purchased their CD if I had brought extra cash. Even Greg enjoyed them- and folk music isn't his regular thing.

So there you have it. What are you up to for the 4th of July weekend? Fireworks? BBQ? Strawberry Pie? I'm going strawberry picking tomorrow and you can bet I'll be making pie! And jam, and freezer jam, and who knows what other delicious creations.

Friday Favorites

2011-06-10T16:45:00.000-07:00

I decided that I would try to make my blog a little more interesting by adding a "feature". This feature is telling you whatever my favorite things are on Fridays. Fridays are my favorite days because it kicks off my weekend, so naturally I would share my favorite things with you on this day. It could be anything I'm loving at the moment, from restaurants to Pandora stations to other blogs I enjoy.

Friday Favorite: BAGUETTE's - Downtown Corvallis
This little restaurant has been one of my favs for a while now. Vietnamese, French inspired sandwiches- they are to die for! All of their sandwiches are under $6. There is nothing that they sell that costs more. The first time I tried it, I was kind of like...hmmm...these flavors are a little weird, but in a good way. And then, WHAM! I was hooked! All baguettes come with cucumber slices, pickled carrot shreds, cilantro, and their special tasty sauces. EVERY SINGLE ONE is DELICIOUS! Last week I had the Lemon Curry Tofu baguette. YUMM! And to go along with it, a roasted coconut drink. I could seriously eat at this place every single day.

The people who run this place are always there, and are so incredibly nice. They make everything there, fresh, every day.

This is the Lemongrass Curry tofu Baguette. It is a little spicy in the best way. So so good.

My other favorites are the other tofu with mushroom pate, the Lemongrass BBQ beef, oh, and their shrimp salad rolls with the best peanut sauce. Greg's favorite Baguette (which he rarely deviates from) is the Shumai - which is pork meatballs. I always end up asking for a bite of his because it really is tasty.

Other Friday Favorites are:

Music: Been loving Mikke Snow radio on Pandora

Blogs: Oh She Glows! (This one is for you Lynn, and all of your vegan friends! :)), and Bluebird Vintage

Product: Virgin Cold Pressed Coconut Oil - not only can you cook with it, but you can use it straight up as lotion. It makes your skin so soft and gives a nice little glow.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

It didn't rain on our parade!

2011-06-08T15:58:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! I have a bazillion photos to share from our stupendous weekend! Boy were we busy bees. Friday night out with Michelle and Dustin. Saturday's Lebanon Strawberry Parade, then dinner with friends at our house. Sunday- well, we rested a bit. But I did bake a pie- make that two for the weekend. I actually don't have a picture of either one. First was a strawberry-rhubarb (YUM!), and the second was a mixed berry pie filled with strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. I liked the strawberry-rhubarb better, but both were good, and both are GONE! Pie does not last long in the Royal household.

I could regale you with all of the fun stories and tidbits, but really, that would be kind of boring and I don't want to type that much. So I'll let the pictures do my talking. I've always preferred that anyway!

Dustin & Michelle @ Block 15

(mmm, day dreaming of beer battered french fries with garlic and parm topping!)

Yours truly & the Greggers

Here is us and the dog Jazzy that Greg walked, pre-parade

I was kind of wishing while we were there that I had brought my real camera instead of just my phone- some of the floats were AWESOME! Just check out these hulu ladies. They looked so great!

This is at the beginning of the parade walk.

Here's a little video I took with my phone. If you get dizzy real easy, don't watch.

This is the dude I got to walk - his name is Deuce, he is a lover of all children.

He just soaked up all the attention. There were lots of lucky kids who got to pet him on the fly by.
Like his shirt? That gorgeous design was made by the Royals!

Mmm, yes, dinner Saturday night. Full of veggies - we did Shiska-bobs on the grill, had artichoke dipped in lemon garlic butter, a cucumber tomato salad, and of course, PIE!

And besides the great food and company, it was still lovely outside- warm enough not to need a sweater.

The sunset was a treasure.

Welcome to June!

2011-06-03T08:31:00.001-07:00

Its been cold and rainy here still. And due to the cold and rainy weather we still don't have our garden in. I heard from someone yesterday saying welcome to Junuary! This week whenever the sun came out for a peek I would take my break and go for a little walk. Here's some photos from Wednesday- just a little break from the rain. It's how I want it to be always!

On that particular day I walked over to Many Hands Trading. It is like my all time favorite store Downtown. Check out a part of the card I got for someone special..

The weather people say it is supposed to hit 80 degrees tomorrow! I can't wait! Seriously, I can't wait! It will be such a fun day. Greg and I are going to be walking dogs in the Lebanon Strawberry Parade on behalf of his work- Safe Haven Humane Society. I have never walked in a parade before. I'll certainly report back. Tomorrow night we are having friends over for dinner. It should be a great weekend. And hey- maybe we'll get our garden going!

Pictures!

2011-06-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

My friend from work, Melissa, told me she hadn't done family photos in almost 10 years. That is just uncalled for. So I dusted off the ol' camera and we walked around downtown. It was so fun, and we got some great takes! It just happened to be her son Ethan's 14th birthday as well. Ahh, the teenage years...

Proud & Puppies

2011-05-25T16:09:00.000-07:00

My brother Chad was in the paper today! Hooray for him! You can check it out here. And here is the photo of him from the article:

I'm such a proud sis!

Yesterday, my two brothers and Kaitlin came for a visit. They moved about a month ago. We've missed them bunches. Its really fun having them, especially because Devin's dog had puppies, so they are visiting too! Last night they got their first bath. It was adorable. Remember how I said that I would not get a dog, no if's and's or buts, until we own a house? There is a crack in my resolve.....

I think you might understand why.

Week Pic dump

2011-05-19T09:22:00.000-07:00

Wow, I started this post last Friday, and here it is almost a week later and I'm just getting around to it. I really don't want to write a whole lot, so I'll just describe the pictures at the bottom of them all.

1. I'm officially a member of the Downtown Corvallis Association.

My big role: Bucket of Bucks raffle. I sell tickets like you've never seen!

Better not come if you don't have $5 at the door for me.

2. Pretty sunset on my porch.

3. The end of Chad's baseball game at Goss Stadium.

They won the game and secured their place in Playoff's!

4. #4, Chad Naylor, Catcher for Corvallis High School. Voted 1st League All American catcher!

Woot woot! My lil bro is such a good ball player- so fun to watch!

Laundry

2011-05-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

My sister Jeni started making her own laundry soap. I heard it was super cheap and easy so I made it! You can find the recipe and detailed instructions here. It was SUPER easy, and I feel like it will last forever because it makes so much. I snapped a few pics with my fancy phone while I was making it.

I had to get a pic of Dora checking out the neighborhood. she loves to stand on her hind legs and peer in between the blinds. Luckily, she never bends them up or ruins them at all, just peeks through like a little person. I think it is so cute!

Last nights Albany Downtown wine walk was so fun! I didn't really get any photos that I can share. I had one taken at the beginning of the night, and if I get it scanned then I will post it. Some of the shops downtown are so cute. I wish the whole downtown area would get more business. My favorite spots are on 1st Street. they all have tall ceilings with beautiful crown molding and tiling. It is so cool. I really need to get some pics to share. I'll just add that to my list. :)

Cherry Red Vinyl

2011-05-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

My Birthday is only 6 days apart from my Dad's. Last night we celebrated both of ours by going to his place for some yummy tacos and enchiladas. It was super good! For his birthday, Greg and I picked up some vinyl for him.

We got him Kings of Leon- Holy Roller Novicane, and Santana - Greatest Hits. He pulled out the Kings album, and it was cherry red vinyl. SWEET. I love that I can get my dad cool music. He is the one who really got me started with music. He almost always has music playing, and loves all different kinds. Mom likes to say it is an eclectic taste in music. I love that about him.

Tonight, I'm going on a wine walk in Downtown Albany. The cool thing about the Albany walk is that they open up all of the fancy downtown lofts. They had some for rent last year that were beautiful. Greg and I considered going for it, but we opted for a house with a big yard instead. I don't regret that. But loft living would be super duper fun. I'll try to get some pics tonight with my fancy phone. :)

I downloaded a camera app and now I can take Polaroids. Dad took this of me last night. Sooo happy for Mexican food birthday dinner!

JDRF Gala 2011

2011-05-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

Last week, including the weekend, turned out to be quite eventful. One noteworthy item is that I turned 27. Yes, thats right, just 3 years shy of 30. Wow. 27. Wow. People say I look younger than that now, and when I was younger they thought I was older. I like the way this is working out! :)

Next item that is noteworthy is that on Saturday night, Greg and I attended the JDRF Fundraiser Gala in Portland at the Governor Hotel. It was fabulous, just like last year. Except this year I didn't get us lost on our way.

The night started with cocktails, hor'derves, and a silent auction. After that we went up to the main ballroom for dinner. For me, it was all about the food! Started off with salad and bread, then shrimp, filet Mignon, asparagus, and rice pilaf. For dessert they served the most delicious pecan pie. YUM!

Then there was the live auction, which was super fun to watch. We also heard speeches from several different people who live with Type 1 Diabetes, which is why we were all there. It was very touching to hear their struggle with this disease, and I truly hope that a cure is found. For me, it is dear to my heart because my grandma is diabetic. I know what she has to go through everyday. Its a lot.

Anyway, here are some photos from the night. Enjoy!

Greg and I at our table.

Me and my friends- Stephanie and Kelsey

YUM! Our dinner. I tried to finish every last morsel- it was so good!

Did I mention that the theme of the evening was "Unmask a Cure"? :)

Christine, Jackson (he's the one we were all there for. He's lived with Type 1 Diabetes for 17 years), and his sister Kelsey.

Greg and I went for a little walk around town after the event was over. We stopped into another swanky hotel because it was pretty. and we took a few photos. then left.

I think we were finally on our way back to our car at this point.

OH Albany

2011-04-22T17:24:00.000-07:00

The people of Albany can be a little strange. I don't mind it, for I find it entertaining. One morning my boss Glory, who also lives in Albany, came in to tell me about the weirdest thing she has seen yet. There was a man that was out walking about the neighborhood, presumably getting his exercise. Normal right? Ha! She said that he was wearing camouflage shorts, boots, NO shirt, and a ski mask. UM YA.

Then she found this in the Albany Democrat Herald, and I laughed so hard!

A Birthday that started it all...

2011-04-06T16:29:00.000-07:00

SEVEN years ago Monday, Greg and I met. My oh my how time flies, and how things change. Little did we know that we were destined to be together from that point forward. Seriously though, we met at a church FHE, that happened to be on the most exciting subject: Food Storage! I was with a friend, and he was with roommates, and we kept giving each other the "eye". You know that "eye" I'm talking about. Anyway, we introduced ourselves afterward, and then all went back to his house to hang out. Our friends ended up making out for a few hours, so Greg and I got to know each other. I even folded his clothes that night.

Two days later was his BIRTHDAY! I couldn't go to his party, but I made him a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. What's funny is that there was this girl that was his friend who was leaving his party as I was coming in with a cake. She gave me the evil eye and a week later gave him an ultimatum of me or her. I won.

That weekend was our first date. He was so stinkin cute! He picked me up on his motorcycle and we went to see a movie. A month later- we were officially a couple. I can still remember the first time he kissed me in public in front of friends- I freaked out! I mean, it took us 3 dates to have our first kiss. Probably a good thing too cause once we started smoochin it was all over...I just couldn't stop kissing those lips! But soon after that first "public" kiss, I calmed down and knew I wanted to be with him for good.
The day we became an official couple he drove on his bike all the way to 24th & Lincoln in Phoenix where I had just started a new job. That drive only took him the better part of an hour- just to have lunch with me and make us "official". We've basically been joined at the hip ever since.

I have to confess here and now that Greg proposed to me about a month and a half before he "officially proposed" to me. It was so sweet....we were sitting on the porch at a cabin up in Pinetop, AZ (we stayed a night there with my grandparents), drinking a cup of tea. We were just snuggly and talking, and then completely out of the blue- he leaned over and said, "Andrea, will you marry me?" Of course I said yes. But then I asked, "Did you ask my dad already?" I was so worried about doing it the "proper" way. A few weeks later he did ask my dad, and then we had our "official" engagement with the ring, and the hike at midnight, and dancing under the stars. Both were just perfect.

Greg and I on the night he first proposed.

My reason for telling all of this right now is just because whenever his birthday comes around, I just can't help but think about how it all started. How I got to be so lucky to have a man that I love so much. He is so incredibly kind, patient, caring, understanding, smart and creative. He is my match and I love him with all of my heart.

Happy Birthday to my man! I love you Greg and am so lucky to have you in my life!

They say it’s your birthday- SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YA!

2011-03-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

Or so the Beatles say anyway….

I can’t believe that this month is almost over and I haven’t done one post since the first. I’ve started 3. I was going to tell you a gross story about work. I was going to tell you about the weather. I was going to tell you about the March Fourth Marching Band. And here we are today with a post about Birthdays! I know SO MANY PEOPLE born in March. And since I’m terrible about remembering birthdays, and especially bad at sending out cards or anything at all, I thought I’d make a happy birthday list of those I love and care about.

Happy Birthday to

Kristi- 3/2

Chad (18! whaaat?) – 3/4

Patty Mom – 3/7

Betsy (18! whaaat?) – 3/11

Darcie Mom – 3/12

Missy – 3/14

Jeni (big 30!) – 3/21
Janay - 3/25

Karen Mom – 3/26

Jef – 3/27

If I missed you, please do accept my apologies as I’m trying to go off memory here, and like I said, I’m bad at the birthday thing! But happy birthday to you anyway!

Maybe next post will include some pictures or something fun like that. Cause that would be good.

By the way- I really don’t like this new font or anything, not really the layout either, but since I am so un-blogger savey, I can’t figure out how to change it! I try, and it gives me no options. Don’t worry though, I’ll figure it out somehow!

EXCITEMENT!

2011-03-01T17:06:00.000-08:00

I’m pretty excited about a few things.

FIRST: Greg has a job! In this crappy economy, he would have taken just about anything, but instead, he got something worth while. He’ll be working at Safe Haven Humane Society, part time. It’s just the perfect thing so that we can get on with his education. I wonder how many more pets we’re going to end up with…..we could end up with a petting zoo in our house if I don’t keep tabs. Though it will be hard to say no…. you know….. those cute little furry animals just tug at the heart strings they do! But I’m holding firm to one notion: we can not have a dog until we OWN a house. No ifs, ands or buts about it.

SECOND: Refer to the first!

THIRD: What was I saying? Oh, yeah. Things I’m excited about. Did I already say that Greg got a job? Oh, yeah. I did. J Ok ok, third, I’m excited because the Corvallis Fall Festival planning is once again underway! I’m one of the Kid Zone planners. I think this year we might try to do sock puppets, and then have a sock puppet play. Would that be fun for kids? I need my nieces and nephews around! Dang- why are all of you in AZ? Oh, yeah, I moved here to OR. Well, if any of you who have kids and actually are reading this, if you would be oh-so kind to leave a little comment of suggestions of crafty things you might like to see your kids doing at a festival. Please? Pretty please?

FOURTH: I started a weekly girls’ night. Tuesday night is now girls’ night at my place. We’ll see how it goes and what it turns in to. Last Tuesday was the initial one, and we had to brainstorm ideas so that we wouldn’t be bored to death during the weeks to come. I mean, there’s plenty of things we could do, but I need them to be cheap. Ultra cheap. Cheap, but not lame. So we came up with some things and I’ll keep you posted. Tonight is PIZZA, and possibly some card making or playing. Or playing Apples to Apples.

FIFTH: Refer to the first!

Tenderoni

2011-02-18T17:53:00.000-08:00

Yowza! 10 days since my last post? Really? It just does not seem that long. Last week, February 10, marked 5 years of our marriage! WHAT? Really...5 years. Crazy. On the day of our anniversary, we did nothing. In fact, I didn't even get home until after it was over, at about 12:30am. It wasn't exactly my choice, I was at work acting in a support role for my boss for a HUGE report that was due at midnight. But hey- that's ok, because we celebrated over the weekend by going to see CHROMEO!!!! If you don't know Chromeo, I suggest you get acquainted because they are just too much fun!
The show rocked, of course. Justin and Kaitlin came with us. Kaitlin and I got all gussied up. SUPER FUN night!

ME+YOU, BABY WE GO SIDE BY SIDE

my hair- purty

Me & Kaitlin

The 4 of us

At the end of the show, they dropped glittered confetti on the crowd- how fun is that?

This show was up in Portland at the Roseland Theater. I've never really been in Downtown Portland on a Saturday night, and boy oh boy is it a whole new world! Get this, as we were walking back to our car, we saw a bunch of Drag Queens! One of them was wearing the same tights that I had on! Hilarious! And then, we saw a couple more walking down the road with a midget man! Two DragQueens and a midget! HA! I wish I wasn't so shy and had gotten a photo with them. Next time... next time.

I would give you a Valentines day report, but because it is so close to our anniversary, we really don't do much. We did go to Calapooia and ended up having to sit outside. But we were alone, right under the heater, and it was basically like a private candlelit dinner. Sweet.

and, I can't sign off without professing my undying love to the man I married. I LOVE YOU GREG!

At the Chatoe

2011-02-08T18:28:00.000-08:00

Hmmm, last week didn't start out so well, with that lil trip to the ER and all. And then, I was in a crappy mood all week long. I hate that- stupid hormones! Anyway, so the week got better, then worse, then AWESOME! Why so grand you say? Cause, we got to party! My bro invited us to come along to the Chatoe Rogue. It's a farm house on a hop farm (many many many acres of hop farm) and the hops go to Rogue Brewery. The house was over a hundred years old, and was very well kept up. The farm was just super cool and right on the river. There was a tasting room that's open daily. The host was THE HOSTEST WITH THE MOSTEST (thanks Cat!), super duper nice, and I've actually met her several times before at DCA events. Such a small world. Anyway, Justin's friend Luke is in a band, and all of his band cronies were there and we basically got an awesome show. (Oh,and get this, he played on New years 2009 at Strega, and we totally enjoyed his band and were the only ones dancing in that stuffy highrise restaurant. Like I said, small world.) I have to say, if you are ever in Oregon, this lil place in Independence is the place to go! 5 bed, 2 bath house rents for only $300/night! Crazy good deal! Oh, and we got to sleep on bunk beds. Fun. and play croquet (my team won!). and watch the super bowl. and, I got peed on by a turtle (yeah, a small blind turtle who I swear hadn't peed in a year and let it all loose on lil ol me...it was kinda funny though).

I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

Good morning sunshine!

the Old Farm House

On a lot of land

Oh yeah, we are so super cool

Tasting room! Open daily.. I think...

POI (point of interest?)

The farm is on the Willamette river

Don't ya just love old farm equipment? I do.

Kaitlin and I! We can rock it!

The HOP YARD

Much love baby

False Alarm

2011-01-31T17:47:00.000-08:00

(Ahh, the infamous hospital pic. Laugh it up folks, laugh it up.)

Soooo, 8 years ago, before my 19th birthday, I woke up one day with a swollen leg. It was a blood clot... or DVT (Deep vein thrombosis to be technical). There was no rhyme or reason for it, no disorders, no good reason at all. It was a pretty trying time for me. I was living in Fort Collins, CO, the first time on my own and I had no insurance to boot. Luckily, lots of wonderful friends and work associates took the utmost care of me.

Needless to say, I'm always on the lookout for anything that might be wrong, or signs of another one. My leg (the same one as before) has been kind of swollen and in & out of pain for about a week. Normally, I might get a little swelling, but I can usually attribute it to some kind of stress (working out, sitting for too long, standing too long, yada yada). I might even get a little pain from that swelling, but I always know its because of my jacked-up veins. This time it was different. More..consistent/persistent I'd say. It actually made me worry. Quite a bit.

I left work about 3pm today and headed to the hospital. Check in, the man says "what're you here for?" I say, "I think I might have a blood clot." Lame. Anyway, I had to go and answer all of his questions, get my little wrist band, and put up with the witchy (<-putting it nicely) triage nurse, then got whisked away in a wheelchair to my room/bed. Doc came in and ordered the blood test and ultra-sound. The phlebotomist missed my vein and it hurt. The ultra sound was fine, lots of goop. 30 minutes later (side note! we passed the time by starting two new books both by Ken Follett: Pillars of the Earth and Fall of Giants- I hear both are super good) the doc struts in and says I'm just fine.

Whew! No cumiden for life on this day! False alarm. I did get to see on screen the scars in my veins from the old one though. So, I guess that's cool. And I am going to sleep really good tonight. ;)

What the?! Is that the SUN?

2011-01-24T18:28:00.000-08:00

Oh Yeah baby! This weekend we had sun! And did we take advantage of that? 'Course we did! What Oregonian didn't? Seriously, everyone was out. And so we took a little drive to one of our favorite spots, Ankenny (one of the Finley Park Nature Reserves). Boy oh boy- those birds were out in numbers. We went for nice walk and ran into other nature watchers (we just happened to ALL be breaking the rules, going past a fence to get some extra views). That sums that up.

ANYWAY....the rest of the weekend was just us. Hanging out, being dweebs(<-- hahaha, remember that...dweebs? Haven't used that word in a while). When you're married with no kids, you kind of run out of stuff to do sometimes, but not us!

Behold: GLOW STICK PHOTOS!

And that's what boredom+digital camera+glow sticks from the Dollar Store will get you folks! One night of seriously fun, goofy picture taking! Good times, good times. But really- they are kinda cool huh?

Well, dinner (homemade pizza) is awaiting. That's my exit.

But first, check out this video- and make sure you have the sound on. Greggors caught it on his phone on our little nature walk. Lots and lots of birds!

On a drive on a rainy day....

2011-01-19T14:26:00.000-08:00

Sunday, Greg and I did go for a drive. It was quite relaxing. Rainy. But there were some really pretty clouds and I even felt inspired to snap a few pics. That is what you see here. For some reason that day, I felt like dressing up, and donned my most favorite heeled booties, holey jeans, black shirt, and a beret. It must have been quite the site standing on the side of the road, in the rain, taking photos as the sun was setting. You couldn't even tell there was a sun that day though!
Some rainy days are just fine with me. I love to watch the huge clouds rolling over the valley, the sounds rain can make on the roof, the puddles and unexpected lakes that appear from the unrelenting rain. Some days, I love that I can stay in and watch 24 all day and night, or movies, and not feel guilty about it because, hey, it's raining outside!
Today is not rainy- yet, but very cloudy. Grey. I'm kind of sick of grey. Only 6 more months to go for sunshine! I'm counting down.

At least the grey can make some really beautiful images...well, at least beautiful to me.

Rainy Day

2011-01-15T19:05:00.000-08:00

Today is a very rainy day. I woke up wishing it was a day like the picture above. I wanted to be outside, soaking up the sun. Maybe go on a picnic and a hike. Or something of that nature. But it will be a few months (if lucky) before we get that kind of weather again.

So, on this rainy day, we went to see a movie. Naturally. What else is there to do? Especially when trying to avoid the chores awaiting at home. We went to see the latest Harry Potter. Pretty dang good. Can't wait for the next one to come out. Wish we didn't have to wait a whole year for it, but, such is life. Before the movie,We had lunch at Market of Choice. That place still blows me away. The deli is a mile long, and it always takes me at least 10 minutes to decide what to eat. We landed on a huge roast beef sandwich on Ciabatta bread. It was delicious! Then, we did a little thrifting and I found a great deal on some fun scrapbooking paper. Not that I do any scrapbooking, but I do like to make stuff with such cool patterns and colors. It was a pretty good day, despite all the rain.

Tomorrow, we might go for a drive or something. Search for some sunshine! (yeah, probably that won't be too likely, but I can dream) But even if we can't find any, I'm sure we'll have a lovely day, just like today.

Before I go, I was going through some old photos I had, and stumbled upon this one of my sister, Kristi. I edited it a bit, and really like it. Miss ya sis.

2010 Wrap UP

2011-01-04T20:41:00.000-08:00

It's gone. 2010 is gone. Happy New Year! Oh thank heaven for 2011. Isn't that how it goes? Ok, well, here are some photos of happenings. This covers the last two months, including visiting with some very special peoples! Happy New Year everyone!

I hope it is fantastic, joyful, prosperous and filled with love.

November here was gorgeous!

Silver Falls

Diane and Geoff came to visit us in November. It was a blast!

We took them to Silver Falls- it was beautiful. We even got some sunshine!

Greg and I learned how to make sushi. Easy peasy japaneesy.

All of a sudden Christmas was upon us. We decorated with what we had. Not much, but we felt the Christmas spirit anyway.

We gifted ourselves The White Stripes on LP, and got another one from J & K. Sweeet!

Here is Greg and I with my Mom's side of the family after brunch on Christmas morning. Yup! We got to go visit the family(ies) in AZ for Christmas. I didn't take my camera anywhere with me. So, not a lot of photos this trip. But we had an AMAZING time and were so happy to see everyone we were able to. Of course, we never have enough time to visit everyone :(, but hopefully next time we're there we can make some more rounds. We really need to take longer trips.

To end, here is a video of me hitting the Gong at the MIM (Musical Instrument Museum) in north Scottsdale. I highly recommend any music enthusiast going to check it out. By the way- hitting a gong on a daily basis would be very fun. You can't imagine the vibration that thing gives off, and I barely hit it!!

Random

2010-11-02T18:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know my blog is boring because I rarely share anything personal, and I'm real slow to post. BUT, since this blog is called "Royal Randomness" here is a random picture for you.

It's from the trip we took to say goodbye to Grandma Jolley. The sky was so beautiful for our whole trip. Maybe I'll just randomly put our sky shots up.

Here's to hoping your Tuesday was great.

Hunting and Gathering

2010-10-21T11:25:00.000-07:00

If a tree falls in the Forrest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? I don't know. What I do know is that delicious mushrooms litter the Forrest floor. They make for quite a find if you know where to look.

Last weekend Andrea and I, along with Justin, Kaitlin, and her dad Todd, went mushroom hunting in the near by woods. We got up early Sunday morning and headed out just in time to see the sunrise. It was a brisk 40 degrees when we arrived at our hunting grounds. We were prepared though, with multiple layers we were ready to battle the elements. With Knife and brush in hand we set out down the hill. The prey that day were Chanterelles. Like fleshy orange flowers, they rise up from the soft Forrest floor. The good thing about Chanterelles are that no other fungi really look like them, so you can pick them with confidence. The tricky thing about them is that they like to hide. There camouflage skills were no match for our desire to find them. With in an hour our so our buckets were growing heavy with our finds.

This was the first time Andrea and I had gone mushroom hunting but we're already planning our next hunting trip. There is nothing better than being out in the woods alone with friends enjoying nature. Plus the excitement you feel when you find a big mushroom patch just can't be found any where else.

Here is Andrea showing of her fungi finds.

Isn't she beautiful when she smiles. As you can see Chanterelles are not small mushrooms. Some we found were almost two hands wide.

We found so many that we had to dry them for storage.

You would be surprised at how long it takes to dry mushrooms. This was an all day process.

We have been trying all sorts of new recipes in an attempt to use up
all the fresh mushrooms. Mushrooms gravy, fungi fritters, and mushroom leek soup are the most memorable. However my all time favorite is mushrooms sauteed with butter and onions.

And the final product!

Now history shows us that 90% of you reading this will think that it's a little weird to go pick mushrooms in the Forrest. Some of you may even be worried about poisoning. Well if that's you, all I can say is your missing out. With a little research it's easy to tell the good fungi from the bad.
It's even easier if you go with someone who has been before. Soon you will be on your way enjoying delicous mushrooms. Best of all their free, which is always fine by me.

We hope everyone has a good October and can't wait to see everyone
at Christmas.

Kids Zone at the Corvallis Fall Festival

2010-10-05T20:09:00.000-07:00

This year I volunteered on the committee for the Corvallis Fall Festival (September 25-26, 2010). We've been planning since March. I got to be part of the Kids Art Zone. It was a lot of work, but so fun. The Fall Festival is the biggest festival in town and the artists that come are amazing. The Kids Zone helps nurture the young creative spirit. There's even a kids vendor zone, where little budding artists can sell their hand made goods. And then there are the activities kids can do.

We had Spin Art machines (so classic!). Greg fixed them up so kids could spin paint on paper and we had frames there for them. It was only 50¢ for with out a frame, and $1 with a frame. Kids could also miniature golf all day long for 50¢. And then, there were the free activities provided. Journal making out of recycled paper and materials, lantern making (I totally made one), wood block sculptures, card making, materials to just go to town with, pinwheels (promoting wind energy- Blue Sky donated the activity), hair braiding and styling - yes you heard that right- on mannequin heads, names written in different languages, and there was more but you get the idea.

Next year is going to be even better! You know, I have to say that I always wondered how these festivals were put together..and now that I'm a part of it all, I know that it is truly an amazing thing. So many people volunteer, come together, work together without even knowing each other, just to make this amazing event happen where anyone can come out and have a great day.

Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure:

Above: Me, Amy, Caron and Sarah- all of my co-chairs on the committee.
They are amazing women!

Above: My pretty lantern I learned to make.
Seriously, I think some of the parents had just as much, if not more, fun making stuff!

Above: Kids Zone under the tent.

Above: The Kids Stage- these little dancers were so dang cute!

Above: The kid vendors selling their goods.

Above: Wood block sculptures!

Above: Some of our volunteers busy at work cutting paper.

Last but not least, me, Greg and Chad.
I'm so glad Chad and my Dad came to see us on Sunday. :)

PS. For those of my readers (most of you) who have children, I would be especially interested to know what you, as parents, like and don't like about activities provided for your kids. Also, any thing that you would especially like to see at such events, would be very helpful in our planning. Thanks!!!

HIPSTER

2010-09-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

Greg and I Stumbled upon this....and I laughed so hard...

And here is my best hipster look...

And here are our chickens! Bob and Joy. Yes, they are both female. And yes, they were named before we got them.

Seester!

2010-09-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

This last weekend my sister Kristi came to visit.

(Below: Kristi at the Chowder Bowl- the best chowder in Newport!)

Isn't she beautiful?!!!

Here is why having a sister around is so great:

1. They may bring you CLOTHES! Oh-yeah, hand-me-ups galore! Plus, a few gifts. You are the BEST! Thank you so much for my new duds. 2. Bike riding in the rain. 3. They can help you with your make-up and teach you how to do "wings"- cuz they are pretty sexy. 4. Baking- cooking and goodies galore! 5. Girl talk! And straight talk. They'll let you know if you are annoying. 6. Hair tips, and the best hair products. 7. LATE nights. 8. LAUGHTER!

I always liked the number 8, so I'll stop there. But seriously- I had a great time with Kris- we all did. I'm too lazy to plug in my camera and download the few pictures that I took, so here are some photos that are compliments of Kaitlin. She is always great at taking pictures and documenting what we are up to!

(Below: Me and Kristi shopping Downtown Corvallis)

(Below: Kaitlin, Kristi, and me- bike riding in the rain. BTW- I totally biffed it on a wet wooden bridge- watch out! They are slippery!)

(Below: The gang: Kristi, Me, Justin, Kaitlin and Greg all at Calapooia *thanks G!)

(Below: Kristi, Me and Justin- we aren't related at all - are we?!)

Sisters are truly the best. I miss you Kristi. I miss you Jeni! Jeni- you should move back, and Kristi, you should just move here! It would make borrowing clothes and stuff so much easier. :)

Night Glow

2010-09-05T16:56:00.000-07:00

Every year, Albany hosts an Art & Air Festival. Last year I posted pictures of the balloon launch early in the morning. This year, we were way more interested in checking out the night glow. These big bright and colorful balloons are so beautiful to look at.

Especially when they are glowing at night.

Getting Caught Up

2010-08-28T16:47:00.000-07:00

I was talking to Kristi the other night when she suddenly said, "Dude! When are you going to blog again? It's been like over a month." Well sis, here you go. I have been meaning to, but, you know, I can just be really lazy about it. Here are some pictures that I've been meaning to share....

If it gets too hot here, like towards 100 degrees, we can always escape to one of the many rivers or lakes. Not to mention the coast.
On this particular Saturday we went to the North Santiam River.

It sure was a nice escape from the heat. And extremely beautiful.
Next, we have photos of when McGreggor's family was here. It was so nice to see them. I hope they enjoyed themselves here in the great Pacific Northwest. They sure did do a lot of driving and saw some lovely countryside. I unfortunately had to work the whole time they were here, but did get to hang with them on the Saturday before they left. We took them up to Belknap Hot Springs. We swam and went exploring the gardens. Love you guys!

All righty then. That's all for now. Enjoy the ends of summer everyone! I'll do another post soon.. Promise!

The Sun is shinning. The weather is sweet.

2010-07-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

As you probably guessed from the title, Summer is in full swing here in Oregon and we couldn't be happier. To make things even better, we have our new backyard to enjoy it in. Here are some pictures of our new abode.

Andrea is so excited to have a house with a front porch. I picked up a rocking chair for Andrea at a thrift shop so she can sit outside and keep an eye on the neighborhood. I acquired the chair for a bargain price too. Only $4.50, can you believe that. All it needs is just to be recovered. You can Barely see it on the right side of the porch.

It's fantastic having a deck in the back as well. We lay out on it during the day to soak up some rays, and at night it serves as a good platform for star gazing. I also like to use it to work on projects. In fact here are some pictures of me building our cats a feline tower.
I built it out of wood scraps and some extra carpet from the local carpet shop. We wanted to buy one but they are just way to expensive. The one I made was completely free! Here is a picture of Dora's reaction to the finished tower.
As you see she was very excited about it. After she came back to Earth she was much more calm. she even posed for a good picture.
Marco on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with any of it. He was to busy warming up the floor under the bed.
As you know Andrea has talked about how much we love riding our new bikes. I figured I'd show you what they look like so you can have a better idea of how cool we look on them.
Not to brag or anything but I am responsible for the spectacular paint jobs. Pretty sweet Eh?
Last but not least. say hello to our new friends Barry and What's his name.

Well that's all for this post. hope it was as good for you as it was for me.

So much to tell, so much I tell you!

2010-07-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

First off, I can't say anything without mentioning a trip to Utah that Greg and I took back in June to say goodbye to Grandma Jolley. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends. She was full of life and I was so glad to learn so much about her while we were there. The above photo was taken at the cemetery where she was laid to rest. It was a lovely service. Going out there was the first time I had the opportunity to meet the rest of the Jolley family. They are a great bunch and I only wish we could have been there under different circumstances to spend more time to get to know them. This is another "someday" thing. I know it will happen.

On to other news:
The good news is that the Royal's (everyone in the above photo) are going to be here on the 27th this month! And, the other good news is that we've moved so we have the space to entertain them! Yes, that's right, we live in a house now! With a yard- a HUGE yard, and a HUGE garage, and it is the cutest little house with a big covered front porch. I can't tell you how much we love living in a house. Mc. Greggor (yeah, sometimes i call him that) got to work on our yard the very first day we were in. He's in hog heaven with yard work. The garden beds are in pretty bad shape, so he went right to work digging and turning it up, and we have a compost going so he can amend the soil. We've got to get some fall crops going pronto before its too late. Thing is, what do you plant at this time of the year?

I have so many pictures to share. But it might be a little bit because we have no internet at home right now. Which is why I've been so MIA with blogging. Oh- wait, that's pretty much all the time (hehe). But I want to share pictures of our house, of our trip to Utah, of me that my talented friend Shelley took while I was in CO visiting, of Greggors (cause he's so handsome), and of the beautiful summer we're finally having!

By the way- hope everyone had a great 4th of July! It is my favorite holiday, we had our first BBQ to celebrate it and then set off some sweet fireworks and ran around with sparklers. Love living in Oregon! And it always makes me think of Grandma Suey and Ken- they were married on the 4th! Happy anniversary!

Colorado

2010-05-04T18:42:00.000-07:00

I was recently in Colorado to help my friend Shelley photogragh a wedding (Shelley is the owner of Studio S Photography- she's amazing!). I only got a few shots of the trip, and then found out that my camera was acting faulty. Uh-oh. Luckily, I had another camera with me that did work, and she had a back up as well, which I used for most of the day. The wedding was big, and it was a long day, but was super fun. While I was there, I was able to meet up with some friends for dinner, see Justin and Emily's new baby boy, stop by my old job at Access, and catch up with some of the best girlfriends a girl could have. I miss Colorado and its big Rocky Mountains. They are so beautiful and majestic. I miss my friends that I made there. But I have to say, it was wonderful to come home to Greg, my cats, and the lush Willamette Valley.

Our Weekend...

2010-04-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

The JDRF Gala on Saturday night was as good as expected. The only hiccup was me looking up the completely wrong address....what a detour....and so we were fashionably late, arriving just when the doors opened for dinner. We had a blast! The food was delicious, everyone, including us, looked fabulous. The live auction was very entertaining. One of the auctioned items was a trip to Scottsdale, Arizona for golfing. funny.

Today I went horse back riding. It was fun. I'm going to go again. Greg is cooking me my birthday dinner right now. It smells incredible! French pot roast with smashed potatoes. Mmmmm. Here are pictures of the weekend to sum it all up. I'm tired now...

This Beautiful World

2010-04-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

Well Hello! I can't believe my last post was last month, and this month only has a week left in it! Where does the time go anyway? I can tell you this month has been busy. Greg had a birthday. He is now 27. And I turn 26 on Monday. For our birthday's, Greg found us some cool cruiser bikes on Craigslist. We've been bike riding fools ever since. But that is for another post.

Now, I want to share a few photos. Greg's been organizing them and putting them into folders. He said we have like, over 33,000 photos. Ridiculous I know. And I'm sure you're wondering why I don't share. It really is as basic as this....once I get home from work, I DON'T want to be on the computer. I sit on a computer all day long and when I get home I like to give my eyes a rest, and not feel like I'm working. Anyway, so that leaves all of those photos just sitting there. Someday....I'll have the time to organize, edit, and throw all those gorgeous, funny, and documenting photos into a book. Just glancing through them, I pulled out a few that we've taken around here in Oregon. I just love this state for it's beauty.

Below: The first photo is from the nature and wild life reserve, Ankenny; the second is from our walks down by the river; the third is from a December mountain drive; and the fourth is pretty flowers from the farmer's market last April.

Whenever I look through all of my nature pictures, I am reminded of God's love for us. Because no matter what is going on in life, there is always beauty to look upon. And here's wishing you a beautiful day in this beautiful world!

Tonight- we are off to the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) Gala, where we will be all fancy pants and pretty, and eat, drink, dance and have a splendid time! I will have to post some photos of us all decked out to the nines!

Because it just sounds so good..

2010-03-23T22:17:00.000-07:00

Have I told you that we acquired a turn table this year? Or have I professed my love for vinyl? No? Well, here it is- I love records! Why? Because they sound so good. If you listened to a song on your turntable, and then played the same song on your computer- I bet you hands down that you would prefer the sound of the record. It sounds so much richer- you can really pick up on all the instruments. We've amassed quite the record collection too. Today, I picked up three more. Eurythmics, ZZ Top, and WAR. At only $1 each and in such good condition- how could I say no? I'm loving the WAR album- it seriously jams!

Above is our turntable spinning Kings of Leon. That's right, current (and selective) groups still record on LP's. I love that they chose red vinyl- this record is one of my favorites! What else do we have in our collection? That, my friends, is to be shared with you on another day.

Cloudy Spring Sunday

2010-03-21T15:28:00.000-07:00

This is the kind of day we are having. Happy Spring!

Snacks Anyone?

2010-03-21T15:12:00.001-07:00

You know how sometimes between meals, or when you get home from work, and you feel a little hungry, but all you have in your cupboards is stuff you have to cook? All you need is maybe some nuts, dried apricots, crackers, or M&M's. Behold the snack jars. We kind of stole this idea from Kaitlin and Justin, they had lots of these cool Ball jars from her mom that they started filling up with items from the bulk section. I can't tell you how much money it saves us!

We found all of our jars at thrift stores around the area. Each one cost less than $2. You can also find them at antique stores, but be ready to pay around $15 per jar there. Antique stores are just all around more expensive because people go out and find all the cool stuff at the thrift stores, mark it double or triple (or sometimes more), and put all the cool stuff together in one easy to find location - antique stores. We happen to enjoy the hunt- and the bargains of the thrift stores. I'll have to do more posts about the stuff we find. We sure are enjoying our snacks!

Happy Friday!

2010-03-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday everyone! And what a beautiful day it is! It's 65 degrees and sunny here in Corvallis, and with flowers and buds popping up everywhere- it couldn't be more gorgeous! I really wish I could just walk out of work right now....but then they might not let me come back, so I'll just stare out the window and dream. My co-worker, Melissa, forwarded me some random thoughts. I don't know where they came from, but I thought I'd share. There are so many that made me laugh and that I directly relate to (pay attention to # 2, 7, 10, 11, and 14). Here they are:
Random Thoughts for the Day:

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can’t remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this -- ever.

15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

17. I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

18. My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How do I respond to that?

19. I think the freezer deserves a light as well..

20. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Tequila than with Kay.

I have some things to share- updates on our lives and such. Stay tuned for that. HAVE A HAPPY WEEKEND!

A follow up to my rant last week...

2010-03-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

So, after talking to my mom and sister, I now know all the reasons behind the crappy voting on American Idol. As my sister so lovingly commented/questioned- did I vote? NO! I didn't. Honestly, I don't even have cable. I only get to watch the show a couple of days later after all the damage has been done. But really, what adult has time to watch it on the night and vote? Not any that I know of. Including my sister. And so, the voting is left to those like my little bro Chad - who vote for girls that can't sing just because they are cute, and who aren't into Indie Rockers who actually have talent. To be fair to him, he does have pretty good taste in music most of the time- only he is more into pop than rock. My sister challenged me to complete the season, and so Jeni, I will. But you and I will have to talk about it since my boss just informed me that she won't be watching anymore because she was so dissapointed with the top 12. Hopefully, as my sister informed me it would, it will just keep getting better. Did anyone watch last night? Was it any better??? I'll find out soon enough......

A little American Idol venting....

2010-03-12T12:30:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I have never ever seen a full season of American Idol. Here's why...all my favorites always get voted off!!! Such as Lilly Scott:
WHAT GIVES?? I'm a fan of Indie rockers- she totally did her own thing and I love the style of her voice. She had better get signed with some record company and come out with an album soon. Why watch the show when you have to listen to crappy people who can't sing or can't perform? Seriously- what is wrong with American voters???!!! And the other people who got the boot could actually sing too! I am so dissapointed. I'm not even sure I want to keep watching. But, I think I will keep watching only because there are still a few who I enjoy listening to. They are:
Crystal Bowersox, Siobhan Magnus, Casey James and Michael Lynch. If any of them get the boot next week I think I'll be done.

Ok, that's all. I'm done venting now.

Happy Anniversary to us!

2010-02-10T12:15:00.000-08:00

ON February 10, 2006, Greg and I married. Best decision I've ever made. I think I love him even more now. Funny how love can grow. So that is 4 years of marriage, and I think it suits us well. We both are on the same page in life, we both want the same things, we both love each other, and we both enjoy each others company. I mean, could you live in a studio with your spouse? It works out pretty well for us. At least, for now. :)

To celebrate our anniversary, we spoiled ourselves this past weekend with a romantic couple's retreat at the most beautiful spa I have ever been in. We both got a one hour massage, snacks, a robe and slippers, and they blocked off the mens locker room for couples only. We got to steam together (oh, and the steam room had the coolest wall of tile that lit up like stars), and shower together (TMI?), and the shower was amazing because it is a rainfall shower. If you don't know what that is, look it up, because it is amazing! Anyway, we were completely relaxed and pampered.

Tonight, if the rain stops...haha...we are gonna go on a picnic. But, we might have to resort to plan B. Don't know what plan B is, but I know it entails us being together and eating some food. Greg is leaving for Arizona tomorrow and will be there for a week. He said he is still my Valentine though.

Anyway, below are two pictures I scanned in from our honeymoon. We went and stayed in a cabin in Sedona, AZ. I don't think those cabins exist anymore, but ours was super cute and cozy.

Greg: I love you with all my heart. You keep me sane. You light up my life. I look forward to each new day with you. Thanks for being my everything! Happy Anniversary babe!

Snapshot

2010-02-07T22:19:00.000-08:00

Greetings to 2010. I can't believe its been so long since I have done a post. The new year has started out quite well I think. Not much new to report on. We've made some changes in our lives, such as eating better and we have a new zest and vigor for life. I guess that is something to report on. Maybe I'll post about some of that stuff this year. I never know what to write about, so feel free to leave me ideas.

Today was a beautiful Sunday. Greg and I went out for a drive. We took our cat, Dora. She loves car rides. It is kind of hilarious! She loves to sit on top of my head rest and just lay her body over it so she can look out the side windows. And after she is bored of looking around and exploring the car, she gets really lovey and lays in our laps and purrs. It's pretty adorable. I have a few snapshots from today to share. And I wanted to share a quote about snapshots from Ansel Adams. I read it today in a book about film photography that I got for Christmas when I was in high school.

"The snapshot is not as simple a statement as some may believe. It represents something each of us has seen - more as human beings than as photographers- and wants to keep as a memento, a special thing encountered....The more we look, the more we see, and the more we see, the more we respond. Wen we begin visualizing our responses to the world in terms of images, we become photographers in the most rewarding sense of the term."
-Ansel Adams

So, without further ado, here are our snapshots of the day:

Baby- It's Cold Outside!

2009-12-09T12:34:00.000-08:00

So- who else has been FREEZING this week? I know my friends in Colorado are FROZEN! I know there was a storm in Arizona this week. Kristi's electricity even went out. I have been absolutely freezing. The high today is 32 degrees- a little warmer than the past couple of days. It was 14 degrees when I left the house this morning. I have been wearing triple layers of clothes and I am still cold. And let me tell you something....wearing thermals under your work clothes when you are required sit most of the day can be very uncomfortable.

It is, however, very sunny. Bright and sunny and cold. I love the sunshine! By the end of the week, it will warm up and then the rains will come. I wish it were snow. Because if it was snow, then maybe we could have a snow day. If we had a snow day, then I could stay inside and be warm with my sweetheart. I've been thinking about the song- "Baby It's Cold Outside". I love this song! If I were the one to sing it though, I would be making my own excuses to stay inside and not to go out.

What are you doing to keep busy and warm inside? Greg and I just got a new record player. And by new, I mean old- but working and new to us! Greg got it all set up, and it is pretty sweet. A while ago, I saw this deal on Craigslist for a few boxes of records- $50 takes it all. Well, we got it all. All 8 boxes packed full of LP's! We've barely gotten through one box. That is a lot of hours of listening. It is fantastic. And while we listen to new and old sounds, we have been cooking and baking up a storm. This also helps to keep our apartment warm.

Another project the two of us are working on is making some pillows. My Uncle Johnny fixed our old sewing machine that we got this past summer. THANK YOU Johnny! Now we will learn to sew. It is a pretty cool machine, I think. I'll have to take a picture of it and post it for you.

Well, that is all for now. I hope you all are having a fabulous Christmas season. Love and miss you all!

Stuff

2009-10-25T16:22:00.000-07:00

We've been places. Done things. Had a pretty good time. Haven't shared for a while. So, here are some pictures of some stuff we have done, things we have seen, places we have been. They are in no particular order. Very random actually. Enjoy!

The first couple photos are from a wedding that I did. Well, not just me. Me and Greg, and Justin and Kaitlin. We had a lot of fun. The family that put the wedding on owns 3 Mexican food restaurants- the BEST Mexican food we have found around here: La Roca.

We made blackberry jam, and a blackberry syrup. These are a couple photos from that day, no finished product, just some of the stages.

One early gray morning, we went to a hot air balloon festival.

Some more AZ trip photos. One of my best girlfriends Janay recently had a baby. We got to see baby Gavin and Janay and Brett while we were in AZ. I also got to take some pictures of them. Here is one of the final ones. I still need to finish them up.

My mom and sister are with me in this picture. Kristi was here with her boyfriend Mark this weekend. Can't wait till she comes again. We had a good time this weekend. A really good time.

Fishing!

Marco- he looks kind of grumpy huh?

Summer concert days.

One photo from a recent drive we went on.

That's all for now.

Best Slumberparty Ever!

2009-09-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

While we were in Arizona, we had the chance to spend some quality time with Brintley and Jaydin. They have gotten so Big! They are so bright, and gorgeous, and just fun to be around. We had the best slumber party, complete with swimming, Mexican food, old records, dancing, fort building, cartoon watching, picture taking, hot chocolate drinking, and finally sleep. It was a blast and here are a few cute photos.

HELLO!

2009-09-11T11:40:00.000-07:00

Well, hello! It's been a while. But now I am back in action. I have quite a lot to update on. Such as our trip to Arizona in August. Yes, we were there, and I am sorry to those who we did not get to see. Trust me- its nothing personal, we just ran out of time! It was a very good trip though. I got to spend lots of time with my mom's side of the family. It was the first Ingersoll vacation ever! The only people missing were the boys- Justin and Zac. We stayed in a cabin up in Pine Top for 4 days- it was lovely. We were celebrating my grandparent's 50th Anniversary! 50 YEARS! So incredible. You should have seen those two dance for our talent show. It was great. Another highlight of the trip was seeing my nieces Jaydin and Brintley. They are truly a joy!

Also need to catch up on the ends of summer and what we accomplished. Here is a list of the things we did (pictures to follow later):

Hiked around Clear Lake - just gorgeous
Visited Family (miss you all so much!)
Picnicked
Picked blackberries (blueberries cost money, but blackberries run wild and can be found in abundance!)
Made and canned blackberry jam
Made blackberry pie
Drunk lots and lots of iced tea
Went to a hot air balloon festival - a photographers dream
CAMPING! twice :)
Found a SWEET sewing machine, 1964 Singer, mint condition, in a table - best find ever!
No herb garden- but got lots of goodies from Kaitlin and Justin's garden- thanks guys!

I have to say- this is really just an overview of how many wonderful things we did. I can't wait for next summer.

Although it is still warm here- it is definitely fall. I'll have to come up with a new list of things to do. Don't you just love fall though? That crispness that gets in the air, the leaves changing from green to golden.... it makes me excited! I can already feel myself preparing to hunker down and drink hot tea, listen to music, read books and sew on my new sewing machine!

Until next time... ENJOY LIFE!

Yup, still in love

2009-07-30T17:18:00.000-07:00

There never was a doubt...

Yellowbottom

2009-07-28T21:30:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from last weekend at Yellowbottom. Finally! Pictures! Yay! These are all out of order, but you'll get the idea.

Look, this one is me and Kaitlin jumping off a cliff! I was so proud- the last time we went cliff jumping in AZ, I wouldn't jump. This time- NO FEAR BABY!

I know you're jealous right about now.....

Greg brought his scuba gear- this is what he and Justin found.

Kaitlin in the falls...

Me & Kaitlin coming up out of a water fall!

That's all till next time!

We Rise, We Fall

2009-07-21T11:55:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about highs and lows throughout life. 8 months ago was low, 18 months ago was really low. Life now is pretty damn good- I would say it is a high. What I think is really interesting is the highs and lows from week to week, day to day, and even hour to hour. We were talking the other night about good times and bad, and how if we never experienced those bad times, we wouldn't know how great good times can be. Everyone struggles. Everyone experiences things differently. So when you are in a good place, be understanding of those who may not be. When I was in high school, a friend of mine told me that everyone has their own reality. Another very wise person once told me to never judge how one may handle a situation, whether it be grief or joy- for you never know what they might have experienced in life.

I don't mean to get preachy or anything. I'm just taking a step back to appreciate how well things are going now, and how happy we are finding ourselves to be. And if/when life starts to get rough, I have these times, as well as other good times past, to look back upon and remind myself that we rise and fall with the tides of life.

Let the good times roll.

Wish I was at the Coast today!

2009-07-16T16:55:00.000-07:00

It's been hot here- like 95 degrees! Nice compared to our previous home in AZ, but hot for here. I wish that today I was on the coast, laying on the beach, watching Greg and Justin skimboard. A perfect day like we had two years ago like this:
But alas, I am where I am, which is not on the coast. Can't even get there this weekend. Too much going on. At least we are having a blast! Super busy having a lot of fun. Like tomorrow morning, I am hosting a Spa Party! It's going to be fabulous! Also happening tomorrow is me shooting a wedding for the first time in a couple years. Greg is going to help me photograph it as well, and this will be his first real photoshoot ever! Wish us luck!

UPDATE

2009-07-09T11:02:00.000-07:00

Whew, it has been a whirlwind lately! We actually have a life now, and it is great! I have to recap our past 4th of July weekend. We did everything except float on the river. Instead of floating, we went camping near and swimming in a river! We went to this place called Yellowbottom. It is called Yellowbottom because they have found gold in it. This river is CRYSTAL CLEAR! It has large swimming holes and you can actually still see the bottom of them. We swam all day, and trudged up and down the river. You can actually sit in small waterfalls and just let your feet hang over as the nice cool water runs right over them. Feeling all the water stream past you is what I would call a relaxing rush! It was a perfect day.
We were also lucky enough (on the 4th even!) to score THE PERFECT campsite! It is one that you pay for- but it is so worth the $8. It was so nice and clean, with bathrooms- well, you know, a nice hole in the ground with a toilet hole on top- and water, and they sold campfire wood for an awesome price. The forest was all old growth- which means the trees aren't just big, they are GINOURMOUS!
What's missing here? Pictures! I know, I can't wait to get the internet at home again. I have so many pictures to post it is ridiculous!
The rest of last week and this past week has been a blast. Been hanging out with my brother and friends a lot! Tonight we are going to go and see Young Dubliners down at the park. I'll let you all know how the music is. It should be fun- we are going to eat some ribs first- yum!
I'll try real hard to load up some pics and borrow someone's computer this weekend. I'll also try real hard to post more than once a week!
Later dude!

The 4th of July- My Favorite Holiday

2009-07-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

This week will be/has been a very busy one. Last night was fun- went out for a work social. Tonight I'm meeting up with some friends. Tomorrow night- meeting with more friends. Friday-small backyard BBQ. Saturday- the 4th of JULY!!!!- we'll float on the river and another BBQ. Sunday will be a day of rest. :)

July 4th, 1776, the colonies claimed independence from the British and Democracy was born. Greg and I are both patriots of this amazing country. It is something that is deeply rooted in me, and yet, I never really paid attention until these past couple of years. Not too happy about the way that things are going now, but that's for another time, another place....

This is also a great holiday because it celebrates freedom and independence- something that each person should claim for themselves. It is also the anniversary of my Grandpa Ken and Grandma Suey- Happy Anniversary you two love birds! My Grandpa Ken is a US History teacher- one of the best there is! That man has knowledge! My stepdad Jef is also a major US History buff. You should see some of the Civil War memorabilia he has. Love it!

Finally- I love this holiday because it is the one where you don't have any obligations except to celebrate how you want. Usually this entails some kind of BBQ. How can that get any better!

Happy Independence Day Everyone!

Just Curious....

2009-06-25T16:23:00.000-07:00

Have you ever passed by someone on the street and wondered what makes them who they are? How did they get there? What is life like through thier eyes, in thier shoes? I wonder that all the time. Everytime I see someone who is down&out or maybe someone who looks like they have it all- I wonder...how did that happen?

If you could ask any stranger 2 questions...what would they be?

Please comment and let me know, I am very curious about how we, as human beings, are all somewhat curious about each other. Thanks for your help!!!

Longboarding...

2009-06-18T15:21:00.000-07:00

When my parents moved my little brother, Chad, stayed behind. He also left his longboard with Greg and I for safe keeping. Little does he know that we have been having a BLAST with it!
I never thought I could ride on any kind of board. When I was in Jr. High, I had tons of "Skater" friends. I hung out with all the guys and they tried to teach me to ride a skate board once or twice. After many failed attempts and some scrapes and bruises- they told me to just "Stand there and look pretty". Nice. I had resigned myself to never learing to ride any kind of board.

Lucky for me, Chad left his board, and we have an apartment on the ground floor with all lynolium floors! Also lucky for me, Greg (who is a natural at this kind of stuff- like most guys) is an EXCELLENT teacher. He taught me how to ride! Longboarding in the house is SO FUN! I have also gone around the block- quite a few times might I add- AND- without falling!!!!! I want one!! I want two actually. One for me, and one for Greg. Like this beauty of a board posted here. I guess I will just have to save my pennies...............

Food for Thought

2009-06-16T16:41:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Greg and I want to someday own a big hunk of land and grow an assortment of food? Well, now you do. That's what Greg is going to school for, and I am right on board with him. He was shown a film in one of his classes: The Future of Food.I would recommend this film to EVERYONE! There is one thing other than living that we ALL have in common. And that is, in order to live, we need to eat (obviously). Ask yourself, do you really know what you feed yourself? Do you know what it is, where it came from, how it might have been modified? Did you know that most food comes from abroad? I could go on, but instead I would suggest you just watch. You can see it free on Hulu.com. Watch and let me know what you think! (this might be weird, but I totally cried....)

I'm not Crying

2009-06-12T15:31:00.000-07:00

So, last week my folks and my sister and her family left Oregon to move back to AZ. I'm not crying.....amazing. It does hurt my heart to see them go, but I know that we'll see them any time we are in Arizona. Almost ALL of our family is in Arizona. I miss you ALL! But I am amazed at myself because had it been a year ago- I don't think I would have stopped crying. My eyes did water a bit as I gave my hugs good-bye. Really, how could they not? I love my family and it has been fun being up here with them. I will really miss my sisters kids too. They are so special to me. I already have one set of nieces in AZ that I don't get to see. I can't imagine how big they have gotten in the two years we have been up here.

My heart aches for those that I love that are not around me. Friends and family- do you realize how much I love you all? I know I am far away, and sometimes I don't call often- but I think about each one of you. I look at your blogs. I look at pictures. I remember good times. And if you ever need me- I am here for you. I will always be here for you- no matter how long it has been, or how far away you live.

But I am not going to cry. My heart is full. I am happy. I have the BEST husband in the world! I love him more than I knew I could love. Not only that, but he helps me stay true to me, and hopefully, I do the same for him. We laugh so much together! We cook together. Lots of times Greg cooks for me when I am too tired after work. He also cleans and bakes! I feel like we have the perfect partnership- each one of us picking up where the other left off. I am so grateful to him- my husband- my best friend- my love. I have everything I need and more. I am in good hands up here in Oregon. And even though I will miss my family who has moved away- we are not alone, and we have each other. I'm pretty excited to see what the future holds!

Summer time and the livin is fine....

2009-06-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

Warmer weather has finally arrived! Flowers are blooming everywhere, tons of plants are for sale, and the Farmer's Market is open! For the past three Saturday's, Greg and I have started a routine of sorts. We get up, grab our bag, and walk down to the market down by the courthouse. The Albay market is not as big as the Corvallis market- but it is also WAY less crowded! There is definitely something to be said for that.

I just LOVE the farmer's market. Individuals and family's selling all of their home grown/ hand made goodies. Tables piled with fresh salad greens and broccoli. Stands of fresh baked bread and goodies. Yarn that is spun and died by hand from their own sheep (there is one particular stand that has the most BEAUTIFUL yarn! I can't wait until I can afford to purchase some.). As the summer progresses, we are going to see more and more fresh veggies! Harvest time is the best!

After the market, we are usually thirsty- and hungry! So we walk down to the coolest little coffee shop (not to mention- the ONLY coffee shop downtown) to get some refreshments. The place is called Rhythm & Brews. Every Friday night they have some kind of live music. Once we have some more energy- we either check out the shops downtown or just go home to put away our market purchases.

It is so fun live downtown right by the river. Evening walks become magic when all the cotton from the cottonwood trees fly around you. Seriously- it looks like you are walking in a snow globe! In some places it looks like it just snowed at first glance! The smell of the cottonwood, blooming flowers and the river come alive in the evening. Which reminds me- Thursday evenings in July and August they have free concerts in the park!

There are a few things I want to do this summer. Here is a list to get started:

Make lots and lots of iced tea
Start our herb garden
Camping- must go camping
Silver Falls hike.... (the last time we went with Janay and Brett, and it was SO FUN! We really need to get back- wish they could too)
Homemade Popsicles (although we did just pick up some Otterpops- I feel the need to make my own!)
Hand pick blueberries
Visit Sauvie Island Organics Farm near Portland- which just happens to be owned by a second cousin I have yet to meet..........
Picnic at least twice

Maybe I am overly ambitious, but there is still more that I want to do! We'll see how far I get with this list. :)