Tonight....

Tonight I'm at my parent's house and will be for the weekend. Dad's carrying my brother via FaceTime to check on my furry ladies that are peeking in the back door. The dogs have seemingly befriended the new neighbor dogs and tackled each other multiple times across mom and dad's backyard. For all the moments when I'd feared that my non-dog parents would begrudge my animals, they secretly love to see our furry girls frolicking through their grass and eagerly licking their windows. At night the girls always sleep curled up on their beds that have been thrown in the back of dad's old truck in the garage.

Tonight hub and I showed up in our hometown about 5:30pm. We dropped off our bags and drove to our old high school, where hub took off with a friend to help set up an event and I swam oh-so-absolutely-amazing-many laps in my old high school pool. It was the first time I'd dived in between my old lane lines since our return and it was wonderful to feel my arms slicing and carrying me through the clear water. I embraced the comfort of things being exactly as they were 12 years ago--pull buoys and kick boards are still found in the same bins, and I spent a few moments re-connecting with the lifeguard on duty who had been one of my students back when I was a local sub.

Tonight I was reminded of how much of a natural provider my father is and how fortunate I am for his continual guidance and quiet example in my life. I relished sitting down at the table to a meal produced by dad and enjoyed actual conversation over food with both my parents. I purposefully embedded into my mind the moments of standing quietly by my father's side, being handed dripping clean dishes for me to wipe and dry, all while looking out of the back windows of the house together. I've spent this evening, butt settled into the couch half-ass watching the Mariners vs As game, with Dad pointing out the important points of the game---just like many evenings we spent together in years prior.

Tonight I've enjoyed watching Squeaks, mom and dad's lil cat, who has spent the evening bemoaning changes in her surroundings. ;) I'm relishing her quite nap two cushions over from me, her head twisted into itself.

Tonight I'm looking forward to tucking myself into the guest twin beds in the back corner bedroom and losing myself into deep moments of sleep. I'm eager for morning coffee with one of my best friends, and hopeful for an afternoon beach trip with the dogs and a soul-kid sister and her beautiful babies for a check-in. Tonight I'm ready to settle into the Sunday pews of my youth and remember the hope and promise of a Savior that I so frequently overlook.

Tonight I'm somewhere between frustrated and fortunate......and really just thankful to again be wrapped up in the graces and comforts of the home of my youth. 

Another Weekend Away

Hiya folks and happier Monday!

As mentioned in my outfit post, I spent another weekend away. You might be thinking I'm running away from my full house but really I'm not....although I may have high-tailed it down the highway needing a mental health break from life---no lies. This time I headed directly for my other home---that town on the coast where my parents live, where I went to high school, where I met hub, and where there's just another vibe of life. I went thinking that I would feel so much more at ease and relaxed with time away, but in reality leaving here made me realize just how much I have here. I missed my dogs, my cats, my chickens, my bed....and I wanted nothing more than to be back where I could sit hub down for a long conversation. Originally I was going to come back today but instead I came back last night.

I took my time on the drive back---thinking about life, blaring the tunes, and appreciating the country. I took the back roads that hub isn't as keen to take and I breathed in remembering that views like the one below are what make Oregon forever feel like my home in my heart:

I might get tired of being home sometimes, but no other place has everything I could want.

My emotions have been all over the place the last two weeks--like perpetual PMS--it's been fabulous. Haha. I'm tired of work, tired of picking up the house, tired of not getting enough time with hub, tired of not being able to fix things for other people I love, tired of the gray days and ready for summer. An hour before I had to teach last Wednesday I also started feeling an UTI---needless to say I chugged an entire bottle of pure cranberry juice, five glasses of water, and then called class after two hours (an hour early) so I could come home to sleep it off. I stayed home Thursday morning and slept some more (and honestly I slept til 11am this morning). Since Thursday I haven't had any coffee, almost no alcohol, less sugar.....and what I've realized is that my body is exhausted and I'm probably more stressed by life in general than I've let myself realize. I also recognize however that there are many, many who have more to complain about than I---perspective is a good way to keep going.

Going home was good for many reasons. I spent time with Mom & Dad. One of my high school best friends fit me into her schedule for lunch on Saturday.....and our hour bitch fest again put my life in perspective and left us both looking forward to the road trip to come this August. I spent much time with hub's "fam"----visiting our newest "nephew" (hub's middle name sake), then attended the county beauty pageant to support our gal who was in it. On Sunday, I went to church with Mom and Dad---and just being there in the church of my youth and hearing the message, left me restored and remembering how much an important aspect of my life that needs to be. It's no wonder I get overwhelmed and whiny, when I start to lose perspective on what it's all about.

On the trip back I stopped briefly at my sister's and then headed over to my brother's to hang out for a bit. And then I arrived back to my house just as it was getting dark. Hub and I spent the rest of the evening wrapped up in conversation--not always the one we wanted to be having, but it was much, much needed and the resolution was closer to where we need to be. I so love that man but it's not always an easy road for either of us. A quick bite at 10pm, an episode of The Walking Dead snuggled on the couch together, and then some reading in bed before lights out---how time goes by so fast I'm always unsure!

This week is already looking like it'll be interesting. One of my vets is supposed to be coming to help put together a presentation, there's a staff meeting/event planning meeting on Friday, an urgent meeting got called for tomorrow morning, and then it's the final week of teaching and regular work week. Next week is finals, grades, and then I kid you not.....I will be sitting on my butt somewhere for the week of spring break---just two weeks to go and it can't get here soon enough!

As much as I'm tired and probably sounding full of complaints, I still recognize how good I have it. I have a solid husband who can melt my heart with a single look in the moments when he lets me see it. I have two rambunctious and loving dogs who bring so much joy to my life. I look out my back windows and see our chickens running around like crazies, laying their eggs in random places, but still being entertaining and productive. I have a warm, full home---one big enough to provide for others who need a place to be. I have great landlords. I have two jobs which allow me to educate and impact others, when all I really need is one. I have the freedom to choose whether or not I keep those jobs. I have parents and siblings who love me unconditionally and accept me for who I am. And when I grant the time I should to think about it, I have a Father who will continue to hold me in his palm--protecting, providing, and guiding. I have so much......that so easily gets overlooked in the minor concerns of the day.

More to say but this is already out of control---remind me to post about age---and feeling it :)

If you made it this far, I apologize for the internal word dump and I sincerely hope y'all had restoring weekends! But even more, I hope y'all have a great week ahead of you!

The Chickens & A Major Update

With the garage being cleaned out to create a work-out area, many of the "to do"s also got checked off the list. Hub donated our old king-size mattress & end tables to Goodwill (we didn't have any takers on Craigslist) and he's finally agreed to donate my old loveseat as well. Beyond that a few other things got donated and taken care of......and the chickens got relegated to a new home........out to the shed in back they went! ;)

Now if this was our house and not a rental, we'd probably just cut an entry hole in the side of the shed with a little ladder there on the right side. There are already shelves that line the right side that would be PERFECT for two little brooding boxes and we could enclose the right side off the shed with a built in chicken run area with wire, etc. However it's not our house and I'm pretty sure our landlords don't want chicken poop all over the floor of a corner of their shed nor do they probably want a hole in the side.....so instead, we just moved the kennel itself into one side of the shed.  

 This means the chicken poop is still contained and there's still electricity to plug in the heat lamp, but we can also open the kennel & shed door and more easily toss the chickens out. (If you can't tell the dogs are oh so intrigued btw!). I stood there for about 15 minutes hoping the chickens would figure out that if they hopped over the cardboard they could get to the outside oh.so.easily.....well they don't call chickens dumb for nothing....although I did stand there for 15 minutes, so I don't know what that says about my mental state today either (and ironically today I'm working from home.) ;) However, eventually, I reached back into the kennel and tossed each chicken out.

 The dogs were stoked to have their old friends outside and the chickens happily pecked around for about 15 minutes........with the dogs "cleaning up" after them.

Pure beauties aren't they? At this point I'm pretty sure they're full grown and they appear to be mid-sized birds. And while I don't have a picture of it, after about 15 minutes, the chickens are just like the dogs and start standing on the patio thinking they want in........sigh. Hopefully they'll just start being chickens and do a bit more clucking around the backyard!

 Major showed up inside at the backdoor looking out once I'd let the chickens out........

....but not to worry, so far he doesn't seem to want to eat them, instead he's just mad that he's still on a diet and his food bowl is empty. ;) Even though the cats survived off 1-2 small bowls of food a day while in Louisiana, they don't seem to be adjusting too happily to our attempt to return to daily food rationing!

Lady is giving her hunting meow out the back door as she watches the chickens, although anytime she's actually been around them she runs scared in the opposite direction!....And she's just now resigned herself to getting a piece of her own dry food daily ration. ;)

What's up with the animals in your neck of the woods?

Re-Organization is Totally Fulfilling

If there's one thing you should know about hub and I, it's that we both like change. A second thing is that we both tend to let little side projects stack up.

Now I don't know if it's that we're supposed to have house guests this weekend, the fact that we just spent two weekends with our somewhat pack-rat-like parents, or the reality that we've been living in this house for nine months now, but today was a day of rearranging and some project finishing. We'd already somewhat moved the furniture around so we could have the tree in the house, but today we swapped it around further and into a more cohesive arrangement. Our large red sectional is now in our front room (which I originally didn't want because our carpeting is a light blue.....however once you live with blue for months it starts to feel like a neutral), and our other couch and chair moved to the TV den area. Art work got moved around the rooms and walls and some new picture configurations were created. The area rugs also got swapped around to better match the new furniture arrangements. And for now we're both happy with the new lay-outs......well until after the next six months when we're again ready for something new ;)

I also finally took the time to print out a variety of pictures of our closest friends (thanks Facebook for granting me some great pictures!) and got them arranged in the collage-like frame I'd bought for that purpose months ago. It's nice to see the faces of some of our dearest hanging in the hallway and it's great to have the large frame finally off of the guest room floor!

We re-organized our entry area and cleaned up the shelf that sits there too. In addition, the rest of the Christmas presents were put away, books were shelved, the carpets were vacuumed, the house was dusted, the bathroom and guest room were given the once over, and baby cousin's wedding gift was readied.

Sometimes it's great to spend a day just plain re-organizing and ordering one's surroundings. Although there are still things to weed through (some of which I've been wanting to do even before we moved back). I finally took a bunch of my old financial papers to shred at work, but we've both still got stacks of magazines to go through and then recycle. I've got a bag of old batteries to recycle, a box or two of CDs and other junk taking up room in the garage, stacks of old papers on environmental topics I've been toting around with me for the last three years (including countless similar emails), we've got two old laptops to clean off and pass on, and I'm sure my closet could use another weeding through. Unfortunately all those items will have to continue to wait til "another day" however.

But for now I'm glad for what we did accomplish today and the house is just about back to feeling cozy again!

Merry Days are Here Again!

Christmas has come and gone and there have been oh so many memorable moments in the making between our two treks to the coast and a trek over to central Oregon.

Just some of the awesomeness of our holly-days:
---Hub & my shopping trip to purchase clothes for the family sponsored by my work center
---Dropping off the deployment care package boxes and seeing just how amazing people are in their support of our troops
---A holiday Christmas party with hub's "family"
---An entire afternoon with one of my local hometown gals
---Two weekends of quality time with my M&D
---Two days of time with hub's father & grandmother, including a delish salmon & butternut squash dinner cooked by hub
---A most amazing dog park in the middle of Bend, Oregon
---A quasi-shower/appreciation brunch for one of my best gal's & her beautiful baby boy visiting from Georgia
---Cuddly time with said "nephew" and moments in the presence his parents aka two of my dearest friends
---A four hour drive "home" with hub & one of my best friends from high school---it was the first time we'd seen each other in three years
---Plenty of doggie smiles and excitement from the back of the Sorento
---My cousin who willingly cat & chicken fed, mail gathered, and all other things which encompass caring for our house during our adventures away
---Hub & mom's cinnamon roll making
---Christmas afternoon/night with my brother & his wife, including watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
---Two trips out to see the amazing holiday light displays at the coast; one with hub's fam and one with mine

---An incredible beach afternoon with hub, the dogs, & my two gals and their families

---Actually putting the Sorento to it's use crossing the mountains, hauling 6 adults using the third row seating, and also transporting 3 adults, 2 dogs, and baggage on a separate occassion
---Participating in the bowling fundraiser to raise money for the "Mr" competition held by our high school
---Donating change in the Salvation Army red pails
---Hearing Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer and Feliz Navidad, plus a lil Bing
---Candlelight church services (during which hub dropped his unlit candle, which rolled down the tile floor to the front of the church.....)
---Seeing some of my previous church mentees
---Facetiming with my brother in Colorado & his boys
---Christmas texts with my sister
---Hunting down snow for the dogs to run through
---Mom & Dad's gorgeously decorated Christmas tree......and watching their kitten climb up it

---Dad calling the cinnamon rolls "mixed gender" aka with nuts or without......
---Our dogs running around M&D's back yard and tucked up in their beds in the back of dad's truck at night
---Dad's tarp strung up across the patio to give the dogs shelter from the rain
---Hub taunting M&D's kitten with his remote control helicopter they got him for Xmas
---Christmas carols in Sunday morning church
---Morning coffee with two of my high school bests
---Late mornings with hub & I snoozing in our matching twin beds ;)
---Mom's hilarious stockings hung on the chimney with care....and helping to fill them

.....and the listing could go on and on. But these moments are some of the ones that make me so incredibly glad that we could be back in Oregon for the holidays. Our first married Christmas actually spent with our family and friends, and I personally think it went incredibly well. Here's hoping next year's will be just as grand!

We've still got a family happy hour tomorrow and my baby cousin's wedding this coming weekend, plus drinks out with a friend of mine in town tomorrow night. Then we'll ring in the New Year with my buddy & his gal visiting from Canada and to finalize "break" we're hoping to get in a snowshoe trip with another of our favorite Portland couples too. THIS is exactly what I've been needing after the long fall term and it couldn't have unfolded any better than it did--I feel most fortunate and blessed.

Hoping each of you celebrated a wonderful Christmas surrounded by those you love and hold most dear. What a blessed season and yet what a wonderful season full of opportunity for us to GIVE. Love and hope to each of you!

Foggy Fall Falls Fast

It's fall! Being that it's Oregon we've had quite a few days of showers already and quite a few days starting at 50 degrees with 80s reached by afternoon. The type of weather that makes dressing in layers necessary, evening fires desired, and cuddly down comforters on beds a must have.

After working 60+ hours last week between covering gaps in staffing in the center, teaching my fall classes, and handling the admin, lesson prepping, and email responses that new jobs and terms requires, I am more than looking forward to two things. The first thing that I'm looking forward to is the end of week three of the term, which is when I'll have the center staffed by students, the term will have regulated, and Fall 2011 will be much more routine. The second thing I'm looking forward to is Christmas, when Fall 2011 will be completed and there will be a week or so of vacation hopefully, beyond the usual happy celebrations of course!

Lots of good things have been happening as of late:

The House:
A few weeks back I painted two rooms in the house. I'd intended to write a whole post on how awesome it was to add color and to cover up the horrible off ivory paint in some of our rooms, but obviously I ran out of time. I actually got a good deal on paint by using our Chinook Book coupon for low-VOC paint, and the upgrades they've made to the new low-VOC paint has paid off because I didn't have any real issues with coverage and the smell was very minimal. Hub and I made a great painting team. He taped which I hate, and then I painted the whole thing, which he hates doing. We both helped clean-up and we borrowed most the painting supplies from my aunt & uncle, so all we shelled out was for the paint and a drop cloth.

The finished dining area in green.

The other big news with the house is that we got our new bed & mattress. Ironically hub kept telling me that it didn't matter what our master looked like cause we just have our eyes closed while we're in there. Well, well, now that we've got new paint and a comfortable bed and mattress....guess who is starting to spend more time lounging in there? That's right folks! We still want to add some art work and when it's all said and done I'll post pictures. (Plus I've got two more rooms and the entry I'd like to tackle with fresh coats of paint too!)

The Chicks:
So far they're continuing to grow and thrive. Hub upgraded their perch a few inches, we've swapped the heat lamp for a regular bulb and lowered it back down, they demolished the first pear placed in their home last night, and their beautiful feathers are filling in. They've gotten to wear they want an adventure each day and they enjoy the moments we put them in the raised beds to root around. The other day hub called them from the sliding glass door and they amazingly came right in to him! I've had a few concerns about potential health issues, but so far they seem to keep making it alright. Not sure these pictures will do their feathers justice, but the one is starting to look just like the original picture I'd found on the internet:

And Weddings:
My gal's wedding was yesterday and while rained forced the wedding & reception to both be held indoors, it was a beautiful affair and the venue was perfect. Everything went off fairly well--no major fiascoes. The ceremony went smoothly, food was tasty, the wine was delicious, laughter and love flowed, mingling occurred, and now two of my favorites are off enjoying a week to relax and relish in their love! I have to give two thumbs up to my gal who not only looked beautiful but who kept it simple, relaxed the week before because it was all already organized, and who rolled with the punches the day of. A more beautiful and simply elegant bride one rarely gets the chance to enjoy these days!

And then this next weekend we'll hit up one more wedding and help one of my favorite MPH gals celebrate the official joining of her love to her man!

Other News:

Hub started his official entry back into college on Monday of this last week, which means it's busy, busy for both of us around here. He's taking a legit full load of classes and seems to be enjoying most of them after week one. (In fact, I'm slightly jealous---he's taking a sign language class!) Add onto his courses the regular volunteering he started this summer (he's part of a program that matches new veterans with older and/or disabled veterans who need transportation services across town to medical and shopping appointments, etc), and he's definitely got quite a bit on his plate.

Given that both our schedules are a bit crazy and we're dealing with transportation to get places etc, we headed to Costco this last week to try to stock up on food, including things that would be quick, simple, yet still fairly healthy to make in the evenings when we get home or when we're on the go.

I've got lots of great "plans" for the yard, and I'm hopeful we'll get the bigger items done in the next month. We have the Asian pear that we need to get planted still and a few other gardening plans to help prep for next summer. The most recent gardening section of the paper, helped me develop some additional items we need to accomplish (mulching, planting, etc), but with our current schedules and rain I feel just lucky when we even get an hour out in the yard. Today we were able to do some raking up of pine needles, hub cut down the rest of the old diseased apple, and we picked the pumpkins and cleared out more of the raised beds. We stacked the wood from the tree in the shed to cure for the next year, and hub chopped and brought in the rest of our old wood for fires this week. And we'll have to hope that the rest will get done as it can. ;)

Having distracted myself enough today, I'm off to eat some pizza and finally finish my planning for class tomorrow, and to light the living room's candles and stoke the fire. Hope you each are relishing your moments and enjoying the changing season into fall! Layer up, burrow down, but let your autumn heart swell and continue to give!

August is Drawing to a Close

This month of so much busyness is slowly coming to a close... We're heading over to a friend of mine's tonight to BBQ with her and her boyfriend, also allowing the gents time to watch football on TV and hopefully give us ladies time to chat openly. Its been a slow morning, which has been exactly what I needed after the past week. I'm pretty sure that hub's off hiking, which while I'm sorry to have missed the opportunity to go with him, I'm pretty sure that on this day he needed some time in the woods with just him and the dogs. Waking up to an empty house and no dog licks was just another moment of appreciation for the mornings when I do wake up to hub's and the dogs greetings.

The new job is going well although somewhat confusing. Its a new position without any groundwork really having been laid and with the potential upcoming displacement of control that some others have previously had. It has been and will more than likely continue to be an interesting transition of power, expectations, and assessment. I'm hopeful to be able to increase program development, but first have to bridge some of the lower-level issues and concerns. And somewhat related to this same topic: I just had the joyous opportunity of fielding the Army Reserve Recruiter at my front door, which left me in a position of attempting to network for my new job and also trying to communicate hub's disinterest.

The summer term wrapped up on Wednesday evening however and Thursday I finished grading finals and inputting grades. A portion of September will be used preparing for Fall Term, especially since I'm happily teaching double the load of what I've been teaching. The nice thing about my current jobs is that I feel (for the most part) that I'm well-suited for both of them, and ta-da, I have benefits on the way! Yea for again having health care! Not that we usually need it, but it's nice to have at least for emergency situations. Additionally the increase in finances will be nice. We can finally pay off the truck, save money for at least 4 months of living expenses, and I can start really hacking away at my graduate loans.

A few additional things as of late:

--I just finished reading a book suggested by my cousin, A Dog's Purpose. Hilarious and sad all at the same time, and an amazingly fast read. If you love your dog, it's a must-read.

--A week late, I finally finished The Help, with mixed reviews on my part. I felt the book could have been equally as good with at least 100 less pages, and many parts of it broke my heart over the fact that racism, stereotyping, and social injustice are still so equally practiced throughout our nation today. The fact that in some ways we have come "far," yet the reality that there is still SO far to go....is just so sad. Ironically the topic of judgment came up frequently during my trip home this month and it actually came up in separate conversations with very different people. I have a horrible habit of becoming much more judgmental of all others the more insecure I am in my own life, and somehow the older I get the worse I am at forgetting the "plank in my own eye" when I focus on the "speck" in another's. Definitely something for me to be working on, especially as I move into my new position, where stereotyping and judgment is very much practiced at times.

--Next month's book for club is Crossing the Heart of Africa by Julian Smith, if you care to read along. It was my pick and I hope it turns out to be an alright read. I found it originally at Powell's in the airport, always have a love for Africa, and its by a Portland author.

--Hub and I are in the market for a new bed. I know, I know....the environmentalist and non-consumer-oriented part of me feels incredibly guilty! Didn't we just buy a new bed a year or so back you ask? And unfortunately the answer is yes....and unfortunately I strongly dislike our Ikea bed and hub strongly dislikes our Ikea mattress, never mind the fact that the slats under the bed have had issues for over a year encouraging the mattress to fall through...... Ikea's cheapness we've come to realize is great for some things and was a great fast fix when we needed it, but it wasn't the smartest purchase I've ever made. Even though I'm ashamed to admit I fell into the buy and dump consumption, I'm not going to lie...we're ready for some quality AND I'm pretty positive we can sell what we have for re-use on Craigslist. SO...we're focusing on quality of products. I've been eyeing the Sumatra Pottery Barn bed for two years, and a new cheaper II version was released in the last year. When we moved in we received a 10% off coupon for PB in the mail, which I'd intend to use to further reduce the cost. The reviews on the bed are mixed (solid but soft wood--easily can scratch) and hub and I have made several trips to check it out. It's definitely more sturdy and of a style that should be fitting for years. Hub also got a coupon off the internet for a local mattress store. (My "green" focus tends to be health considerations, hub's latest focus is local.) The mattress is made by a local company, made from about 90% USA materials (including recycled components), is guaranteed for 15 years, and the box spring should be able to be ordered to specification. We tested them out last weekend....and seriously had fun flopping and rolling on about 10-15 different beds! ;) We still haven't made any final decisions or attempted any orders.....but my PB coupon is only good until October! ;)

--The garden continues to grow although I, ahem, made the wrong choice on chopping the lettuce back and it died. We're also having issues with the zukes and pumpkin plants dying off, so I'm not expecting too many more of either category. The kiwi continues to go crazy, although without any fruit on it this year. The turnips will not be returning to the raised beds next year as they've taken over everything, and the tomatoes are just now starting to turn. Most our berries are done, the carrots are harvest ready, and Roxi decided to explore amongst one lower bed and flattened the rest of the onions.... Honestly we need to get to work on the rest of the actual yard....as it's starting to look like renters live here ;)

--This month also marked dropping money on two big but necessary purchases, which are some of the ones that I refuse to accept anything but quality: tires and bras ;) The car got decked out in 4 new 85,000 mile tires for a good price from America's Tire Company (cost comparison put these 85k tires at the same cost as 40k tires from Les Schwab, which is the company I've gone with in the past). And the "girls" got decked out in splurges from Nordies---now yes, $50-80 a piece is a lot to spend on one lil item of "clothing," but there's nothing quite like a legit bra that makes sure your boobs are covered and where they should be in perkiness and location! Honestly, a good appropriate bra especially with a proper fitting, in my belief, is the foundation for any outfit and only helps make sure that a gal looks her best. I'm sure my thoughts on boobs and bras, could be an entire posting in itself however, but here's an article on it from TLC Style. ;) Uh and awesomeness: have old still functional bras that you want to pass on? Send them to the Bra Recyclers!!!

I suppose that's mainly it, although Heather at Townsend House, just shared this blogger and I love her to bits: Keeper of the Home and she had this post Because Sometimes I Get Tired of Healthy, Natural Living  at Simple Organic.

Hope everyone has been well! Besos y abrazos!

The Rest of the June Traveling Story

After breakfast we knew we had some time to spare and still plenty that could be seen before we headed over to hub's family's for the afternoon.....so we looked on the trusty REI hiking map and discovered the Oregon Badlands walking trails....

 Now hub wasn't quite as impressed with this section cause he was already familiar with the Central Oregon terrain etc and the landscape didn't change the entire 7-8 mile round trip stretch that we walked.....but I enjoyed seeing something different and day dreamed about how easy it would be to lose track of location and one's mind when traveling these stretches 100-150 years ago. Lucky for us it wasn't too warm as we walked and there was a breeze blowing through, but there was no water source during the stretch we walked, junipers that had been struck by lightening during years past, and birds that had a call that sounded like mocking laughter. ;)

 Gorgeous contrasting wildflowers astounded in the badlands---these blues, bright pinks, and vivid yellows.

 I had no clue that junipers are actual trees! This was part of the "Ancient Juniper" trail.

 Another trail we walked along cut through an old homestead. I think this was the old well on the homestead but I couldn't find any remnants of the home's foundation or outbuildings.

 Old shooting targets:

And here's where most the photos stop ;) After our trek through the badlands, we headed over to hub's family's for the afternoon. After three days, we both showered and cleaned up. Hub, his dad, and his uncle started talking fishing and hunting goods, as part of the reason we'd headed over was to pick up the hunting guns that hub's dad had said he could have (and a gun safe---the compromise between us....). After cleaning up, we headed over to see one of my great gal pals for a BBQ dinner at her place, where we had the absolute pleasure of meeting her two adorably dirty faced children, who played wonderfully with our dogs in the backyard while hub sucked in the enjoyment of using their Traeger grill. After not seeing her for four years, it was great to catch up as much as we could in two hours, observe how good of a mama she is and how amazing her two kiddos are, and let her get to meet hub too. (Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures and her awesome hub happened to be gone for the weekend.) We ended up heading back over to hub's family's to spend the night and the next morning I sat and listened for hours hearing great work stories from hub's grandpa. It was incredible to hear him talk of working in a mining shaft, building roads, working on oil drills, and rounding up cattle on the family farm, along with panning for gold for fun in his "free" time. While grandpa and I chatted, hub loaded up the back cab with the "hunting gear." Between his new stuff, our backpacks and camping gear, and other random odds and ends in the back cab and our stack of camp wood, gun safe, and dogs in the truck bed, we sort of started looking like the hill billies! ;)

Hub and I headed out to come back to our place about 2pm but once we'd made it over the pass and were an hour from our home, we looked at each other and decided to make the three hour drive south for our hometown. A quick call to Mom and Dad for permission to bring the dogs (Dad's allergic and not a big dog fan....) which he readily gave, and then we headed south....and just in time for Father's Day. ;)

The bridge heading into our hometown on the coast:

 The dogs peeking out from under Mom and Dad's gate:

 Luckily the dogs did great settling into Mom and Dad's backyard during the day and sleeping in the bed of Dad's truck in the garage at night. We've been super impressed with them through all of our travels, and they did well enough that Dad gave the ok for them to come along anytime we want to come down--woohoo!

Going home allowed us to spend some moments with my parents, grab dinner with friends at two of our favorite spots, and take our dogs out to the beach for an afternoon with two separate friends and a couple of other dogs. The weather was drizzly but not too cold, and altogether the extra trip home was wonderful. Dad shared old backpacking photos with hub and the two of them talked for a couple hours about technology advancements, music, and sports---its always satisfying listening to the two of them engage in conversations about their similar interests. I also had the fun of running into one of my best gal's dad and (separately) her MIL while we were home, and we were able to share in the joy of the recently announced pregnancy of hub's best friends. Hub also was introduced to the show Extreme Couponing....and now I'm afraid there might be a new hobby in his life..... ;)

We split the four hour drive back up to our place and within two hours of being home had the truck unloaded, the mail opened and sorted, the gun safe installed and doing its job, the front entryway weeded, and the garden watered. An absolutely great trip through about half of our wonderful state, and we're looking forward to more trips to come!

Home Decor Favorites

Birds, I love birds....and I love West Elm...this bird came from West Elm...and is made entirely out of recycled paper....it sits on a shelf in our living room.

Mirrors and windows that stream in light---both of which are in abundance in this home.

Homemade items--hub's finished entry way shelf project (shortened and stained).

International flare--we both love to travel and want to do more of it. This mask was purchased in San Antonio from the Mexican Market area. There are several other items around the house from our travels.

Framed photos & art...and also all things the beach. This was taken by my eldest brother and the frame is reclaimed wood. We have several other photos taken by family and a fabulous Thailand print of a painting created by the father of a friend.

Over-sized comfortable furniture...to fit hub's 6'4" frame and double as extra twin beds if necessary. (Old photo but it works!)

Comfy furnishings via pillows, blankets, drapes, and area rugs.

Second-hand goods: the desk, the futon, the spare bed, the carved coffee table, our Ikea chair, the entertainment center, the washer/dryer, and many other goods---second hand is second good! :)

Productivity & Sunshine

As I type, hub is busy at the stove preparing chai and harassing me to come up with a protein packed snack option for the hike we're about to go on. It's been a beautiful two days, even if today is overcast. At this point, a few days without rain are heavenly! We spent the afternoon yesterday out in the yard finally---still MUCH to do but we removed 6 bushes, shaped 4, laid down mulch, pulled a lot of weeds, and cleaned up the entryway. The yard has been neglected for several years so there is a lot to get accomplished, but already what we did yesterday makes a big difference.

Still hoping to get to the following in the coming weeks:

---Rebuild the raised beds using cinder blocks and wider construction
---Take out 5 bushes in front, move 4 others, trim 2
---Streamline flower beds (ie plant like flowers w/ like)
---Till front entryway and a strip of side yard for gardening

---Mow front yard; seed/fertilize back yard

---Purchase starts, seeds, etc; Make trellis for peas/beans; Purchase blue berry bush?
---Hanging basket; Bird feeders
---Plant juniper bushes along back fence (although might be next season)

---Remulch

(All the bushes we ripped out in a pile, our rhubarb flourishing along the fence, and the raised beds that are a great height but starting to fall apart.)

By cutting back one bush in the back corner, we opened up the perfect spot for a lil chicken coop to be built alongside the shed....although we'll still have to look into that option and clear it with the landlords.

It feels like a whirlwind of a week with a few longer days at the office and two long days coming up next week. I am loving my job, but every job has it's transitions and I'm putting in extra time each week. Sometimes a part-time job can be a full-time mental occupation at times. ;) Hub had an old high school friend in town on Monday who he hadn't seen in five years, so we spent part of the day with her and with several other high school alumni. I got together on Thursday evening with two of my favorite PDX gals, catching up on work, love, and life from the last two years---incredibly great and rewarding to be back with the two of them. It's always so rewarding to have friendships where so much time can pass without talking but it feels like it always did when you finally meet up again. This week hub also built the entryway table, cleaned up the garage, and replaced the toilet in his bathroom with a new, better functioning one---very impressed with all his handyman skills!

(Still needs staining, but we're having a debate over whether it should be cut down by 2-3 inches or left alone! ;))

Our trip home was amazing---too much to do in too little time, but so rewarding all the same. The long weekend was full of great eats at our favorite dives, a stroll on the beautiful Oregon beach, beers and laughter with some of our closest friends and family, helping out with the high school pageant, and comfortable ease in my parents house. Sometimes there's nothing quite like going home again.

It's been a relaxing but full weekend so far--the type you look forward to all week. Still much to get done in the days ahead, but much to enjoy too! Hope y'all are having a wonderful weekend :)

Its 1am, Night Cap in Hand

This evening I told my night class about how much the hub's and my schedules have changed. We went from being up at 6am and in bed by 10pm to up til 1am and sleeping in until an hour of the morning that makes me feel so guilty I don't even want to type it! Again, I'm not sure if this is maybe due in part to our lives currently feeling like long glorified vacations OR if it's the fact that hub is heading into "those college days....". Regardless, I'm not surprised to find that it's 1am and I'm sitting down to write with a glass of wine in hand.

I started my job this week and am, so far, really enjoying it. Definitely a bit different than what I've been doing for the last two years, but I'm glad to be back in the health and teaching fields. Am spending more time than I expected on weekly prep for lecture and on responding to student emails, but it's been a great way to get back in the swing of things in the field. Speaking of which, if you'd like to see how your county/state measures up on various health outcomes, the new stats are out. Also, you've heard me mention TED Talks before, but spend 20 minutes listening to Majora Carter's inspirational discussion: Greening of the Ghetto.


The hub and I are headed to our hometown this weekend, so it should be no surprise that we ended up with an injured pet this week...they always seem to know the perfect times to choose. ;) Anna broke her nail near the quick causing a big bloody mess Sunday evening. They couldn't get her in until Tuesday and $45 later only told us what we already knew via internet searches. She was scheduled for nail removal tomorrow but we've pushed it back for another week, as she seems to be doing fine and we're somewhat hoping it will fall out on its own. Luckily baby cousin is very reassuring and between her and the fabulous boyfriend, I'm pretty sure our pets and home will be well cared for while we're gone.

I for one am very much looking forward to spending some time in our hometown. There are a few people living there (and others coming into town for the weekend) that I haven't seen in two years. The primary reason to go this particular weekend is to attend a major community fundraiser organized by the "family" of hub...beyond getting to see everyone and our favorite hometown haunts of course. Hub and I are still taking our running clothes and I'm hopeful to remember my swimming gear to hit up some laps in my old high school pool. Whether either item will get much use during our first attempt to equally balance time with both of our families and individual friends is to be discovered...

A few fabulous moments of late:
--The first bite of REAL Mexican food indulged in upon our return, felt like a complete taste sensation.
--The toad quivering in the garage this week, cornered by an inquisitive Lady cat.
--A morning run with the hub with a smiling and joyful Roxi accompanying.
--The gleeful backyard squirrel happily storing away corn kernels while the dogs rested unaware inside.
--Reading the local paper alongside the roaring fire.
--Long, languid mornings snoozing away in our cave of a master.
--Health discussion and discourse.
--Hub's acceptance into one of his colleges of choice.
--Savory Oregon chai in the mornings and Oregon local wine by night.
--Rehabilitation of clearance purchased house plants.
Still much to enjoy, see, and do back up here as well....and we still haven't seen several of my family and close friends yet! Still no real break in the weather, although I'm dreaming of the yard work and gardening we'll someday be able to get accomplished.
 
Hope each of you has a relaxing and rewarding weekend ahead. Best wishes to you and yours!

New to Us Finds!

The hub and I have been on the look out for a new to us dryer. I'm sure I've mentioned that the last set we had was purchased for $100 from another soldier's wife. The set was pretty old but for $100 they definitely served us well! Although the last year, the dryer suffered from an extreme shriek and eventually the door was held shut by applications of duct tape. ;) We attempted to "door prize" purchase a new energy efficient set via the after Christmas sales, but didn't make it in time to Sears (apparently 4am wasn't early enough!!). So we've soldiered through with the old set and decided we'd keep our eye out on craigslist for a new dryer once we'd returned.

Well, the hub was talking about craigslist as we laid in bed waking up yesterday morning, so for the first time I set up and searched using the craigslist app on my Iphone....and what do you know....an unmatched but fairly new washer and dryer set for sale $350 for the both and within a 10 minute drive of our home. Hub put in the phone call and within an hour we drove over to check them out! The gentleman selling them had several other appliances for sale and is an appliance repair man by trade....he guarantees his used appliances for up to two months, switched out the plug on the dryer to the one we'd need for this older home (for free), taught us a few basic fixes that he gets a lot of calls on, AND told us where we can drop off (and get paid for) the old washer and dryer set.  A deal or what?! Needless to say, our new washer and dryer are amazing....and I don't know that we've ever enjoyed catching up on laundry as much as we have the last two days! Did I mention they both have increased energy efficiency features as well?!

Our second awesome find so far happened when we stopped off at Goodwill to look for some used furniture (we're in the market for a buffet/liquor cabinet option, a solid desk, and an entry way table......). One of the things I always used to look at in thrift stores/Goodwill was the art selection....and in this particular store we happened upon two faux paintings of Italy (which was where hub was stationed originally when he joined the Army). $11 later and we now have two decent pieces of "art" that hold meaning for the hub. LOVE IT!

Between craigslist and the major availability of Goodwill and thrift stores around here I have no doubt that we'll score some more great deals on the other items on the list.

The other awesomeness about the visit to Goodwill was that I asked the gentleman at the front door to verify that Goodwill accepts functioning and broken electronics for re-use/recycling. His response was that indeed they do and in fact, it's a necessity to keep electronics out of the landfill as harmful chemicals can easily leach into the environment.....SO GOOD TO BE BACK IN OREGON!!!!!

It's Icy & Dicey

Winter overtook much of the mid-west and east coast this weekend, but it officially landed for the first time this season upon our local area. While we have had a relatively dry season, the recent rain and freezing temperatures led to the closure of most of the surrounding area for icy cautionary reasons. This led to a Friday of working from home for me and an extra day off for the hub. We hunkered down for most of the day but did venture out with the dogs to explore what was actually icy. The coldest temperatures arrived last night but today's sunshine has already melted what ice did exist and we're projected to be in the 60s tomorrow.

Beyond the actual thermometer, its been a bit icy & dicey in our home as well as the hub and I continue to refine and research the choices of our upcoming transition back to Oregon. We have official dates and paperwork is beginning to move, but our housing options so far have been limited due to the dogs (especially with Anna looking so much like a German Shep) and much of the information that should determine the ideal area to live won't arrive until after we need to be relocating. It's beginning to feel that 75% of our "free" time is spent researching and contacting housing options and that the areas that appear to be more dog flexible are less conducive to our commuting needs. In addition, we're both researching and applying for additional employment opportunities. To say there is much still up in the air is an understatement.

So instead, I've taken the morning off and the hub's done a great job of emailing and contacting places. Instead I've been catching up on blogs and thinking about the wonderful opportunities that will be available upon a return to the Pacific Northwest. Such as:
----Receiving a monthly food box from Organics to You and getting eggs and other goodies from local Farmer's Markets
----Increased recycling options, including glass, batteries, and electronics
----Wading and walking along the Oregon coast and watching the dogs enjoy their coastal initiation
----Enjoying a local microbrew with a plate of tots or garden burger
----Supporting causes important to our family & friends
----Attempting to find a church home suitable to our needs
----Fabulous hiking and outdoor activities
---Participating in family events & BBQs

---Frequenting bulk bins at Freddies

I just have to keep believing that everything will work out for the better! And soon instead of iciness, we'll be surrounded by spring showers, sunshine, and flowers....