Oh Yeah, and We Did THIS Over the Weekend

I forgot to tell you about our lovely weekend. 

BF and some of the softball guys in one of the summer leagues... I have no idea what he's doing with his arms.  Clearly neither do they.

Friday night, BF had the first of his Fall league softball games.  He played in two leagues over the summer as well. 

Saturday we headed down to Seaside, OR to hang out in the afternoon and wait for my Hood to Coast volunteer shift to start.  We got there around 4pm and took a look at all of the festivities on the beach.  But then we decided we were hungry so we found a little sushi place to eat.  It was delicious.  Our dinner came out on little bridges...

Our bridges full of food... this is an AFTER picture

I totally forgot to take a picture before we ate because we were too hungry to think about things like that.

The ridiculously girly drinks we got

BF was a little unsure of his fruit-bedecked drink, but he loved it!

Then we headed out to meet with the ladies I was volunteering with.

I literally have 3 shirts on under my jacket... I think Kelly and Jennifer do as well, one of which was that bright red volunteer shirt which came no smaller than a men's large.

It was nice because it didn't get too cold like we expected it to.  This week I get to go back to Seaside and Canon  Beach for work field trip.  It's just like elementary school!  AWESOME!

How to Keep Your Hair from Smelling Like Vinegar- OR, Going No 'Poo

Ok, so I made the leap and am now shampoo and conditionerless and I survived.  It's only been a few days and already I've had to change some of my original plans.

Here's how I started.  I found a few recipes online for going " No 'Poo" (Simple Mom and One Green Generation have good recipes).  Here is what you will need before you start:

1.  Two Containers for your cleansing solutions. I found some squirt bottles like the one pictured at a kitchen and home good store for $1.

2.  Baking Soda

3.  Vinegar (organic)- most say to use Apple Cider Vinegar but you can also use white vinegar if you want. 

4.  Any sort of essential oil or extract you'd like


You may also want to have on hand the following:  2 cup glass measuring cup, funnel, tape, and sharpie marker for labeling.

Here are the Recipes I use:



Cleansing:

• Add 3 tablespoons of baking soda into the squirt bottle.
• Add 1.5 cups of water (more or less depending on your liking)
• Shake mixture vigorously before use to keep the settled baking soda mixed up!

To Use:  Just shake the mixture up and apply a few squirts directly onto the scalp.  Work gently into your scalp and rinse as usual.

It will feel sort of gritty and doesn't lather like one is used to, but your hair will get clean and you don't really have to use a ton of this mixture to do it.

Some people like to use more of a baking soda/water paste so you can always add more baking soda if you like.




Sealing and Conditioning:

• 1/4 cup of vinegar, pour into second squirt bottle.
• 2 cups water, add 1st cup and shake up to mix in vinegar. reserve 2nd cup for a moment.
• A few drops of essential oil (I use tangerine, lemon and a little lavender)
• Add rest of water and shake.

To Use:  After cleansing and rinsing, squirt a little of the mixture on your hair, starting at the ends.  You don't really need to douse your scalp so I try to avoid putting a lot of this mixture at the top of my hair near the scalp.  Leave on for a minute or so and then rinse as usual.

This seals your hair shaft so that your hair is shiny and doesn't get all tangled up.  Some people like to use other herbs and spices instead of essential oils for this (I've seen cinnamon, vanilla extract, sweet basil, etc) it all just depends on what scents you like.  I like citrus scents because I feel like they smell clean.  BF commented on Saturday that my hair smelled like lemons.  It's a lot better than having your hair smell like vinegar, but some people say they don't really notice a vinegar smell. 



Extra Conditioning

In case your hair gets a little dry (like mine does) there are a few things you can do:

1. Jojoba oil- you can pretty much find this at any store that carries soaps, shampoo, lotion.  You can apply sparingly to your hair after you've cleansed it, starting at the ends and working your way up, just avoiding the scalp.  Put a damp hot towel or shower cap on your head covering your hair and put a heating pad on medium on your head to keep your hair warm. You can also do this in a sauna and it works about the same with the heat.  Leave on for 15 minutes, up to 30 minutes, then comb hair and towel the oil out.  There are companies that make "hot oil" repair serums that are very similar.

2.  Find a quality conditioner- Giovanni makes a good conditioning repair balm that you can use weekly.  I find their hair masks and balms at New Seasons, but I've seen them other places as well.  They use all natural ingredients.  There are other companies out there that make pretty good conditioners or leave in treatments without all of the unnatural, "bad" stuff, but some of them include animal products (like eggs or fats) so read the labels.  

3.  Wash your hair less frequently or use less baking soda in the cleansing mixture.



As a back up, I've ordered Dr. Bronners Citrus Conditioning Hair Rinse, but haven't used it yet.  Here are the ingredients:  Organic Lemon Juice, Organic Shikakai Powder, Organic Coconut Oil*, Potassium Hydroxide**, Organic Olive Oil*, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Lemon Oil, Organic Orange Oil.

So far I really like this method and will continue to use it.  I feel really good about not putting harsh chemicals in my hair and I'm very surprised at how healthly my hair feels using these methods instead of the standard shampoo and conditioner.

Maybe DON'T Eat Random Things on the Table Unless You Are Sure of What They Are

I never did get my nap yesterday, and I probably should have given up and just napped the rest of the day anyway because it was that lame. 

After work BF made me dinner- a lovely Korean beef rib thing with brown rice and zucchini.  It was delicious and I was so thankful that he took the time to do that.  We ate pretty early so that we could go to the gym.  I was feeling like crap and totally phoned it in at the gym.  I just felt weak and terrible and did all of my arm workouts, but didn't do all of the sets and reps that I normally do.  Then I just did 30 minutes of cardio on the bike because I felt pretty queasy. 

I went home and took a shower and some ibuprofen and cuddled on the couch watching/sleeping through some stand up comedy and then went to bed thinking I was going to be sick.  UGH.  I'm pretty sure I was just fighting a migraine.

I woke up today feeling about a million times better, but I still don't really have an appetite.


Now on to the title of this post...

BF made us dinner and we sat down at the table to eat.  I should mention that we weren't at his house or my house because he is house and dog sitting for some friends while they are out of town so we were at their house.  While he was cutting up meat, I was dishing out rice and zucchini and BF popped something into his mouth.  I assumed it was a tidbit of the beef rib meat that had fallen on the table while he was cutting it up, but as I watched his face I realized it had to be something terrible.  He started chewing and then he squinted up his face and opened his mouth and reminded me of a toddler eating something they aren't fond of.  He spit whatever he was chewing out and we sort of looked at each other for a second.  I was wondering if maybe the meat was bad or something like that, but then BF cleared it up.


BF:  I thought it was a piece of the meat that fell, but it wasn't.  It was CAT FOOD!

Me:  hahahahahahaaaaaa.... hahaaahahaa

BF:  *sigh*

Me:  hahahahaa


So the lovely people BF is house sitting for have a cat and two dogs.  They keep the cat dish full of food on the dining room table at one end because the two dogs will eat the cat's food if they keep it on the floor.  Sometimes the cat is a little messy and the food kernels end up at the other end of the table.  We thought that most of them had been wiped away before we sat down for dinner. 

I couldn't stop laughing intermittently the rest of the night at BF.  An hour would go by and I would say, "Do you need a snack... there's more cat food on the table," etc.  BF is a good sport and is laughing about it now; I'm just going to be careful and make sure that no pet food is left out.

Which brings me to a question.  Have you ever tried pet food? 

When I was really young (like 1st grade or maybe a little younger), we had a puppy and my parents bought those little Milkbone dog treats to train him with.  I was curious so one day I opened the box and took a big bite out of one.  Not only was I stunned at the crunchiness of it, but I was appalled at how bland it tasted. 

A few years later my family was pet-sitting for some friends who happend to have a turtle, among many other animals.  We were to feed the turtle these brightly colored pellets along with a piece of lettuce or veggie each day.  While feeding this turtle one day my sister and I realized that the turtle food pellets smelled fruity and delicious so we each chose a little pellet and popped it in our mouths.  It wasn't bad, but those pellets did NOT taste fruity like they smelled.

So, BF, you are not alone.  I think most people, at some point, have eaten pet food... but most just do it before adulthood.  :)

Heather Needs A Nap

I don't know what it is about this week but it seems like I just can't get enough sleep!  I'm not going to bed super late or getting up any earlier or doing more than usual so I have no idea what's up. 

Yesterday I was super tempted to go out and take a nap in my car during my lunch break, but I know that once I'm asleep a hurricane couldn't wake me up so I decided against it. 

I think that it could be partially because I had such a full weekend and didn't get to laze around as much as I normally do on the weekends so my body never got that recovery time. 


Also, last night, the whole issue of BF's mom not liking me came to a head.  That was fun...  BF had a conversation with the parents about it and then a conversation with me about it and I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place because I don't deal with other people's issues very well when I feel like I've been doing the best I can to help.

We'll work through it, and basically all I have to do is continue to do what I've already been doing, which is to be social with the family and try to get to know them more.  Hopefully it'll be easier now.  It's just frustrating. 

I feel bad because BF is stuck in the middle of the issue. He's trying so hard to make things easier on both sides, but really he knows there's not much he can do. 



On a completely separate train of thought- I bought my Shampooless ingredients last night (for a whopping $8 dollars total).  I'm going to try it this evening after I go to the gym.  I also have a back-up method in case this is a disaster, but I feel like it probably won't be since I've read about a million success stories with it. 

Is it Friday yet? 

Adventures In Alternative Toiletries

As you may have heard, I've recently been venturing into the land of natural soaps, cleansers and toiletries. I thought I would share a few of my findings in case you were interested... in learning more about natural cleansers or in trying them for yourself!

  

Toothpaste:

They already make some great natural toothpastes and mouthwashes, but I'm pretty independent so I thought I would try to make some of my own. I found a few recipes online and most of them called for baking soda, some sort of glycerin product (straight glycerin to coconut oil), salt and any sort of essential oil- most people use peppermint or wintergreen.

Ok, I tried this using a mixture of baking soda, salt, coconut oil and a few drops of peppermint oil recipe I found on SimpleMom.net. I left out the Stevia at first, but added some later after I tasted it.

The Verdict: It cleans well and your mouth feels good, but the taste is not wonderful even with the Stevia addition.

I prefer using Tom's of Maine toothpastes as they come in better flavors and are very accessible- I can find them at all of my local grocery stores. BF doesn't like it so much, but I've found that I really like the Cinnamon-Clove flavor the best.

  

Deoderant:

  

Natural deoderant has come a long way from that weird looking rock crystal deoderant I remember seeing at the local health food stores when I was young- which I tried years ago and didn't like. They still have that rock crystal deoderant, but it now comes in many forms (crystal, spray and cream).

Companies are now making a variety of great, all natural deoderants that do not contain aluminum, parabens, PEG's, perfumes, dyes, and synthetic ingredients. I started my search at my local grocery store. There are a lot of deoderant companies that are in the regular deoderant aisle that claim to be natural and good for you, however I found after reading labels that most of these still have harmful and synthetic ingredients in them. I moved to the "Natural" section of my grocery to continue my search and found a few good starters:

  

1. Tom's of Maine- these come in a variety of forms such as liquid roll on and stick and a multitude of scents- unscented also available. So far I've tried the Garden Fresh roll on. I like the smell of this one as it isn't perfumy and doesn't irritate my skin at all. The only downside is that I usually have to reapply in the late afternoon.

2. Jason Everyday Natural Care- Jason makes a handfull of different deoderants, all available in stick or roll on. I've tried the Tee Tree Deoderant Stick and I really like it. It smells fresh and clean but isn't overpowering and it lasts all day. I'm a big fan of products that contain Tee Tree oil as it is an natural anti-bacterial and antimicrobial agent. I would reccommend this product to anyone looking to try a natural deoderant. Not all stores carry Jason products, but around here it's readily available. I find mine at Fred Meyer, New Seasons and Whole Foods.

3. Make Your Own Deoderant- there are a few recipes I've found online, but I've only tried one: Baking soda and cornstarch. You just mix the two together in a container and dust in on your armpits in the morning or at night. It works well, but also leaves powder on things so I wouldn't reccommend this method if you are going to be wearing a dark colored top where the powder might rub off and leave you a bit streaky.

  

I still have some leftover old deoderant that I'm trying to work my way through- so the transition isn't complete yet, but after reading about what types of things are in deoderants really made me wonder why people would put such terrible things in products that we use on our skin!

  

Hand Soap:

  

There are recipes out there to make your own soaps, however I don't want to spend time concocting things and making a mess, so I usually go to the store for these. My favorite soaps are:

  

1. Nature's Gate Pomegranate Sunflower liquid hand soap. It smells awesome and is super moisturizing. I find it at Fred Meyer, but I've seen that many stores in the area carry Nature's Gate brand products.

2. Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soaps- I've written about these soaps before and I LOVE THEM. They do tend to dry my skin out a bit, but if you have a good lotion or moisturizer you should be ok. This soap comes in so many scents which is great because you can find exactly what you like. I love the Almond, Lavender and Rose scents.

  

Face Soap:

  

I never thought I'd say this, but I've gone SOAPLESS. A few of my friends have done this and I was really hesitant to try it since I have this crazy combination skin since hitting my mid-twenties. I've been using expensive face soaps for the past few years to try to combat my t-zone issues and I go through cycles of victory against it and then sorely losing. Very frustrating.

Essentially for cleansing your face using this soapless method you just need a few items:

1. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2. Castor Oil
3. Tea Tree oil or any other essential oil you like.

Here is the recipe I use:

• 3 Parts Castor Oil
• 1 Part Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• couple drops of Tea Tree Oil

I just put all of the ingredients in a little travel sized squirt-top bottle and shake it up. If you have drier skin you can change the EVOO/Castor Oil Ratio to 2 to 2 or you can also use a different carrier oil instead of Castor Oil, like Jojoba or Sweet Almond Oil.

To Use:

After you've mixed your "face wash" up just squirt a little onto your fingertips and massage onto your face for about a minute. Take a washcloth and run under super hot water and wring out before setting on your face and letting it steam for another minute. Then just gently wipe the oil off of your face with the washcloth, you may need to rinse the cloth and wipe a second time.

It takes less time using this method of cleansing than it did with my 3 step super expensive soap method which dried my skin out and made me flaky while I still had pimples and blotchy spots.

It sounds totally counterintuitive to wash your face with oil, but it works! It has left my skin feeling ultra smooth and soft and, strangely enough it doesn't make me break out. My skin doesn't feel tight, but it doesn't feel greasy or oily either.

  

In addition to this, every few days I take a cotton ball after I wash my face and dab on a little bit of Witch Hazel over my t-zone to help dry up the little blemishes I have. I have noticed that the amount of large pimples on my face has decreased and the only skin issues I'm dealing with are the leftover pimples that were there before I started using this method.

There are commercially made natural face soaps, but since this recipe is so simple and easy to use/make I figure why buy it if I already have the ingredients?

So there are few of the natural products and homemade products that I have been using and have mostly found success. I hope you find the info helpful if you are looking for alternative products are wondering what it's like to use some of these products.

My next transitions will be hair products... scary. I LOVE good smelling clean hair so I'm super nervous about going 'poo less. I'll definitely write my findings for those of you who are curious.

One for One... Something Super Awesome

Recently a friend of mine was sporting some super cool shoes at a get-together and I gave her a compliment on them.  She started gushing about how she'd been wanting a pair of these particular shoes for a while but was hunting down the striped canvas that she wanted.  She also explained how these particular shoes were part of a program that gives a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair you buy... One for One.  That means that the simple shoes are a bit pricier than other similar shoes (between $44 and $55 for the basic styles), but you are basically paying for a second pair of shoes so it makes sense. 

I was impressed by this idea and looked up the shoes (click the link).  After reading about it I decided that I wanted to support the cause, but then I forgot about it because life got in the way... 

...Until the other day, while shopping at Whole Foods I saw a display of these shoes!  OH YEAH!  So I bought a pair of the red canvas ones and a pair of the ash (gray) canvas ones (not pictured).  They are super comfortable and BF calls them my "ninja shoes" because they are incredibly quiet- unlike my usual summer choice of flip-flops- and they sort of look a little like the shoes that the guys wear in the kung-fu movies

I LOVE these shoes and would reccommend them not only to support a good cause, but because they are like wearing slippers and are crazy cute.  Check out TOMS online for more information about their company, their cause and their upcoming events.

... to come next week:  Adventures in natural toiletries...

I Think I'm Better Than You

You know that I don't... but lately this is the vibe I'm getting from people.  When did it become ok to feel smug about doing good things?  I feel like someone negates their good deeds when they start having a "holier than thou" attitude.

A couple years ago I started becoming more interested in taking better care of myself in general:  eating whole grains and fresh local produce, using more natural products that are better for me and the environment, and supporting causes that are sustainable and actually helpful to the communities of the world and to the earth.  I do a lot of research about products or organizations and try to know as much as I can about things before making any sort of purchasing decision.  I'm trying to simplify and learn from other people who have successfully done the same.  I can't believe how many fantastic blogs and websites are out there sharing what other people have done and what sorts of changes we can make for the better.

I also can't believe how many people are out there not educating and sharing their stories, but showing what they've done or are doing and trying to shame everyone else into doing what they have done.  Nothing turns me off of something more quickly than someone being too smug with themselves.

There are certain products and organizations that I had shied away from because of such people.  The impression that these people left me with made me hesitate trying new things... and I cannot blame these people for turning me off of something, it's just how I am.  If you tell me to do something directly, I probably won't do it out of principle.  BUT if you give me the facts and tell me your story and aren't trying to CONVINCE me to do something, I'll probably try it.  I'm stubborn.  Eventually I'll research it/try it, but the process is a lot slower. 

For a long time I didn't want to try natural deoderant because an acquaintance of mine told me that I was going to get cancer and die if I didn't switch to a natural product and that .  I know this person wasn't trying to be rude, but like I said, I don't like being told what to do... and also this person sort of smelled like BO so I didn't give any natural deoderants a try for years.  Now I use one almost everyday and I try new ones all of the time. I feel a lot better about using a product that won't harm me but that doesn't leave me smelling like I've been at the gym for 2 days straight.

Anyhow, I decided that since I'm very grateful for other people sharing their experiences with products, new ways of doing things, or organizations to become involved with that I would start sharing my experiences as well.  The more we get the word out about these cool things, the more people will learn and can decide for themselves and hopefully the better off we all will be.

And I definitely DON'T think I'm better than you... unless you drive a Prius.

Where We're Going We Don't Need Roads

Like I mentioned, BF planned a lovely mini vacation for us which he didn't keep secret, but which I kept secret.

We went to McMenamin's Edgefield in Troutdale on Thursday afternoon.  We started our vacation with a wonderful dinner at the Black Rabbit Restaurant.  After dinner we made our way outside to see a Prince cover-band in all of it's glittery-sequined glory.  Let me tell you that it was most awesome. 

Edgefield has a lovely balcony where BF and I sat to people watch for a while and have deep conversations about life.

People Watching from the Balcony

Deep Conversations

Effing Adorable

And then we played a rousing game of "Find the Celebrity"...

J-Wow and the Jersey Shores boys... and a new celebrity, Camo Man

After the music and balcony sitting, we soaked in the soaking pool before returning to watch part of Back to the Future out on the lawn.  It was a very full and wonderful day.


Friday we awoke and had a delicious breakfast at the Black Rabbit- I had what they call The Boxcar.  A "Boxcar" breakfast consists of a bed of crispy hashbrowns topped with a ham and egg scramble with melted cheddar cheese and sausage gravy smothering the entire thing... and a side dish of fresh fruit.  You know, for your health. 

Friday BF played softball and we didn't do much of anything.   We house/dog sat for the weekend the cutest boxers ever.  EVER. 


Sunday was the Warped Tour so we headed out in the hot heat of the day to see some awesome rock.  I feel SO OLD.  I think the average age of the concert attendee was 14. 

We got some great shots of the type of folk in company at this year's Warped Tour.

Check this guy out... AWESOME in skinny jeans and football jersey

A Kid with the right idea on a hot day... Kilt.

The crazy wasted lead singer of The Sparring out in the crowd verbally abusing their prospective fans.

We ended up leaving before seeing all of the bands we wanted to see because it was  TOO hot and too long of a wait and we are OLD.  Well, older than most of the kids there and less able to handle standing around for 4 hours to see bands we've already seen before. 

Also, I got a sweet Dropkick Murphey's shirt and BF got a DM pirate flag/banner for our house... when we have a house.  Planning ahead.


It was a fabulous vacation and I'm so glad that BF is so sweet and planned a wonderful getaway for us.

Monday Monday

I enjoyed my time off.  It was fabulous.

And then I had to come to work today.  Not that work is terrible, but today was not the best day I've had at work.

Did I mention I was gone most of last week on VACATION?  I'll post about the fun later, but I wanted to post with pictures so it'll have to wait.


Anyway, so yes, I was gone from work Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  I told people for WEEKS to not to try and get a hold of me during that time because I would be gone. 

I came back today to a TON of surprises at work.

First, one of the other admins took this week off and told everyone to contact me for any help during her absence.  She didn't ask me beforehand if I would be her contact person while she was out.

SURPRISE!

So this morning I had a line of people waiting to ask me things I know nothing about and a ton of emails asking about things I still know nothing about.  I emailed said admin and asked why everyone was asking me for stuff that I didn't know about.  The response was something like, "Oh yeah, I meant to talk to you last week before you left but didn't get to so I just listed you as the point person for me while I'm out... hope that's ok!". 

It would be ok if I had any clue what was going on.  But I don't because I don't work with half of these people.  Awesome.

Then I got a call from someone who I will be running a Job Fair in Seattle tomorrow with that informed me that there was a dress code for us tomorrow. 

SURPRISE!

I've already packed for Seattle since I'm leaving DIRECTLY FROM WORK this afternoon and do not have time to go get different clothes.  They will just have to deal. 


Later I was volunteered to help with a project this afternoon without my knowledge. 


SURPRISE!


 When I inquired about what the details were of this project (time, place, what I needed to do) I got multiple rude response emails and NO ANSWERS.  Also, unbeknownced to the person who volunteered me for this project I was BOOKED SOLID for this afternoon and DIDN'T HAVE TIME to do it.  You know, because I'm trying to get my job done AND leave on time for Seattle. 


It's a freakin' Monday.



I'm leaving soon for Seattle and won't have time to post pictures from my LOVELY vacation with BF until tomorrow evening, but I promise I will.

PS. You will love them so much!  We played a game all weekend called find the celebrities.

Secrets Secrets...

Are totally fun and BF has a hard time keeping them.


This week I decided to take some time off of work to hang out and enjoy the summer.  BF and I started crafting plans for my days off (some of which are listed in yesterday's post). 

Yesterday while I was at work I got a text from BF asking ,"So if i were to plan something for all day/night thursday and come home friday would that work?"

I answered, "Yes, I think so."

To which he replied," Well, you should be sure because I'm making reservations now-ish... Also, it's a surprise.  Also, it will blow your mind."

And then I got all excited because I love surprises, but hate them at the same time.  I could hardly stand the excitement of it.  The rest of the day I was trying to figure out what BF was planning and about a million things ran through my head such as:

1.  Maybe we're going to Seattle.  I don't really like Seattle.  But it'd be fun to get away.

2.  Maybe were' going to Canada... well, that's not long enough to go to Canada.

3.  I think we're going to the coast.  But where on the coast? 

4. Possibly we're going to Mt. Hood.  I don't know where to stay up there, but that's definitely where we're going.

5.  BEND!  Bend isn't that far. 


I attended a work dinner, so after work BF and I were lounging around watching nothing on tv when he says, "Do you want to know where we're going?"

And of course I say," YES!!!"

Then we go back and forth on whether or not he should tell me because he never can keep a secret from me and always ends up telling me what it is well ahead of time. 

Yes, he told me where we are going and it is not only awesome but very sweet and thoughtful of him.  I'm not going to tell you where we are going or what we are doing until I return from said trip. 


I'm so excited for today to be over and for my vacation to begin!

Opulence...

I has it...

So I may or may not have mentioned that BF LOVES this one commercial where there is a Russian guy surrounded by gold everything, gold busts of himself, gold-upholstered furniture, etc and then very rare and expensive items.  At the beginning of the commercial he says in a very thick Russian accent,"Opulence... I has it," which BF and I find hilarious and awesome.  Of course we started quoting it all of the time. 

On Friday, as sort of a joke, I got out of work early (because it was Friday, duh) and went to the store to find some gold nail polish.  I found the perfect shade and threw a couple of quick coats on my fingernails.  My plan was to show up at BF's softball game and flash my hands in front of my face and say, "Opulence, I has it."  Which I did.  And it was awesome.  BF and I both got a kick out of it, but I could only handle the gold nail polish for about a day and a half and it promptly came off on Saturday night. 

Sadly I did not take a picture of my gold nails, but I still have the polish for future use, you know, in case I have the need to be so opulent again.


Anyway, Friday night BF had a softball game so I went to that and it was pretty fun.   After the game we met up with the team for drinks and snacks (an after game tradition now) and then we headed to the theater to see Dinner for Schmucks, which I found hilarious.  Most people that we had talked to gave it mixed reviews, and nothing higher than an, "It was funny, but not hilarious".  Boo on that.  I found it extremely entertaining and quotable. 

Saturday BF attended his cousin's wedding in Roseburg (basically BFE, Oregon) which is something like 4 hours away... or maybe like 2.5 hours, same thing.  Anyhow, I had a free day and was super productive early on in the day, but had run out of things to do by mid afternoon and after the gym.  I ended up just sitting around reading which was pretty nice since I haven't had a lot of time to do that lately. 


Sunday was another nice lazy day.  I got up and lazed around the house for the morning and then went to the gym.  BF and I ran errands afterwards and picked up some stuff for German dinner.  I made dinner (Jagerschnitzel again) and then BF and I took a lovely walk around the neighborhood. 

I'm back at work this week for only two days.  I took Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off so I won't come back until next Monday where the week will explode into a million things to do and I will go to Seattle for a day to help with some work stuff there. 

BF and I are trying to make some fun plans for my few days off this week which may or may not include the following:

1. Trip to the Zoo.  I love the zoo and haven't been for a while so it'd be nice to go.

2.  Trip to the Coast- it's supposed to be nice this week so that is a definite possibility.

3. Camp for a night somewhere.

4.  Go to OMSI- who doesn't love science and things? 

5.  See the movie, "The Other Guys".


I'm so glad it' Monday AND Thursday today.

An Update

I'm still upset about this and wanted to share. 

Follow the link to the article regarding the Iroquois Nationals lacrosse team.

Everybody Loves Heather

... unless your name is BFM.  Then for some unexplicable reason, you don't.  I'm trying my hardest not to stress out about it, but it's difficult.



Moving on to better things:  I GOT MY CAR BACK AND NOW IT HAS THE AIR CONDITIONING!


You guys, I drove back to work from the shop with the AC on full blast and five minutes down the road I had to turn my seat warmers on because I had goosebumps. LOVE IT. 


There's nothing sweeter than AC in the summer. Well, maybe gelato.



Also, I went to the phone store yesterday because I hate my phone.  So I told the phone store guy, "Hey, I hate my phone so I need a new one.  Just so we are clear, I don't like touch screens and I don't need anything fancy."

And he promptly said, "Ok, come this way,"  and proceeded to show me a range of phones that weren't touch screen and weren't too fancy. 

I picked the Samsung :)  (AKA, Samsung Smile).  I really like it so far.  What I really like the most is that I can hear people when they call me because the speakers aren't jacked up.  That's nice.


It's almost Friday!

Car Updates

So I got a call back from the shop guys.


It's never good when the conversations starts like this:

Car Guy:  "Hey, we took a look at your car and ran some diagnostics to see what was going on."


Me:  "Great, did we find out what's up with the AC?"


Car Guy: "Yes, and we can fix it without a problem. We also found out why your check engine light is on."


Me: "Ok, great!  What needs to be done?"


Car Guy:  "So...  ... ... I'll start with what I think you should fix now and then list what can wait for a while in case you can't get it all done at once."


Me:  "Oh... ok..."



The very nice car guy then proceeded to list off 8 different things that I should have repaired/replaced on my car.  Awesome.  The total for all of it would have been $2600.  Yeah.  Like I have $2600 in my pocket waiting to be spent on something like this!

What I am going to get fixed will cost me about $1300 and those are:

1. A blown coil which means the coil, spark plugs and some of the wires need to be replaced.

2.  AC has a low charge so they will recharge and refill the refrigerant.

3.  Replacing all of the drive belts because they are all getting cracked and worn and may break soon.

4.  Transmission fluid- is currently black and should be red so they are changing that for me.


Here's what I'm waiting on until I can afford it:

1. Replacing the timing belt- not that it's broken now, but should be replaced.

2.  Water Pump- I don't remember what he told me about it, but something.

3.  Front differentials changed.

4.  Worn struts need to be replaced.



The blessings in this whole thing are:

1.  Last week I got a free month tri-met pass from work until the new yearly tri-met passes are for sale so I don't have to pay for public transportation while my car is in the shop.

2.  I don't HAVE to have all of the repairs done now because some can wait.

3.  I got my work bonus statement this week, so next week I'll actually have the cash to pay for the repairs instead of charging part of it.

4.  I have a job so I CAN actually pay for things.



Here's to better car luck in the future.  I'm currently lusting after a  brand new Subaru or a Mini Cooper. 

CAR CURSE

I had to take my car to the shop this morning because, as I've mentioned previously, the air conditioning was not working.  And then over the weekend my check engine light came back on. 

I have the worst luck with cars and I'm hoping beyond all hope that my air conditioning is just out of refrigerant and that the check engine light is something small and easy to fix.  If not, I have to spend my vacation money on it, which I will not be pleased about.  So pray for my car repairs because I'd much rather spend the money on a trip to Colorado.

If not, I'm going to be looking into and saving up for a new car.  And I really mean a new car this time.  I'd rather be paying for a car that I will eventually own that is brand new and under warranty.  That way if anything happens I don't have to pay out of pocket for it.

Softball and Picnics

My weekend was filled with these.


Friday night BF had a softball game so we went to that and then we planned on seeing a movie.  Planned.  But after the game BF wasn't feeling well, so we went home and watched movies on TV as he vegged on the couch.  I think he was fighting a migraine.  No fun. 

Saturday we had a picnic at Council Crest and met up with my friend G and her dog M.  It was a little chilly because it was sort of cloudy, but it warmed up and turned out to be a really nice day.  After our picnic, BF took me to the batting cages.  I have NEVER batted before in my life.  I was so nervous because I didn't want to look like a total idiot and I also didn't want to get hit!  But turns out I can actually hit a ball... I'm not awesome at it, but I'm not horrible.  Today my forearms hurt from it.

Saturday night we hung out with our friends, K2, and their dogs, O and E.  We played a little Wii and hung out and then went to Carl's Jr. for some late night eats.  I had the BEST Oreo shake ever.  It wasn't long before the food coma hit and BF and I went home to sleep off the greasy, fatty food.

Sunday morning BF and I headed to Montavilla park on the East side because BF's other softball team was in the league play offs.  They weren't really expecting to get far, but they just kept winning and winning so they ended up finishing 2nd!  The team played really well, (Go, Base Invaders!), but consequentially we spent our whole Sunday at the field.  It was nice though because it wasn't super hot out and his team is really fun.  It was also nice to eat outside and relax in the grass between games.

We were exhausted by the end of the day and I was asleep before 10:30pm which never happens. 

Because the games ran so long yesterday I didn't get to make BF a German dinner, so tonight I'm making Rinderroulade (Beef Rolls) with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans.  I'm hoping it turns out well.  Also, it's hard to find good German Cookbooks.  It was super easy to get a good Korean one... I guess German food just isn't that popular. Also, I'm sort of picky.  I like cookbooks with pictures so I can tell if I'm doing it right. 



In BF's world this week:  He's teaching at a camp all week and the premise of his class is something like they have to create their own digital world with commerce and government, etc.  Sounds kind of cool. 


Other miscellany: 

1.  My friend Matt and his wife Libby will be in Portland this coming weekend.  Matt is an old friend from Colorado.  I haven't gotten to meet his wife yet, so I'm super excited to see them!


2.  The speaker in my cell phone is all broken and lame and won't get loud enough for me to hear so I need to take the phone in and see what they can do.  They should be able to do something because I'm paying for insurance on it after the phone debacle two years ago.

3.  I'm only doing cardio this week to give myself a break from weights.  I'm a little excited about it becasue it cuts my workouts in half, but also a little sad as I mostly hate cardio.