I'm totally serious, you guys.
I am in the midst of wedding planning, holiday decorating and baking, house hunting and figuring out home loan options, renewing our storage space lease since we know we won't be moving before January, coordinating facy dinners and meetings for work, getting my new boss organized, getting the dogs groomed and the little one trained, looking at interior design ideas for our new house when we get it, shopping for appliances that we will need for any new house we get since we don't own any appliances, wrapping presents (because I'm SO not the last minute person) and the only thing keeping me up at night is the fact that I have NO IDEA what to get BF's mom for Christmas. NO CLUE. Not even a tiny glimmer of an idea.
Why? Because she's the hardest person IN THE WORLD to shop for. I'm not even making this up. You should ask BF. This is the only thing I've been focusing on all week. I'm done with all of my other christmas shopping. Every time I have to run an errand or go to the store for anything I think to myself, "Maybe I will find the perfect gift for BF's Mom here!" and then end up leaving the shop disappointed and frustrated. I asked BF for ideas and he couldn't come up with anything either (for some of the reasons I'll list in a minute).
I sat down and wrote a list of things that she likes to help me think of something. Here's what that list looked like:
BF's Mom- Ideas on things she likes:
1. Reading- but mostly she gets books at the library and doesn't really buy them unless she finds a super good deal at Barnes and Noble, like when they do their summer clearance sale and you can get books for $1 or $2. But didn't we get her a giftcard for books last year? Did she spend it? I can't get her the same gift card again.
2. Gardening- maybe books on gardening? She's got a shelf full, and she has been doing it forever so doesn't need another book on it. Maybe gloves? Got them. Knee pads? She's got fancy rolling knee pad thing for working in the yard already. Beer for her slug traps? Ugh.
3. Crafty things, like scrapbooking- but those are sort of personal and she has a whole room with her scrapbooking and craft stuff so what else could I get her?
4. Walking- she likes to take walks, but she just got new walking shoes this past fall. What else do you need for walking?
5. Tea- she likes tea. I'm not even sure what kind. But I've seen her make it and drink it! Out of a tea kettle she already owns... and tea cups she already has... dang...
... and on and on.
So what are some of the hit gifts you've given your other's mother?
Friday, December 16, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
It Begins...
Ok, so BF and I have launched our Wedding Website to keep everyone updated on plans. Please feel free to visit and check back often as we update it!
Our Wedding Site!
Our Wedding Site!
Monday, December 12, 2011
Eventful
Boy has it ever been.
So you know that last week BF and I put a bid on a home in the Good Neighbor Next Door program that the government runs. We were waiting to hear back as the bidding period closed over the weekend and kept checking the website to see if anything new was happening.
Saturday went by with not much news. We went about our day as normal- went to the gym, cleaned up the house and started on the pile of laundry, etc. I poured over paint colors and budgeting out what it would cost to replace home items if we needed to... if we get the house.
Sunday BF went to help his parents find and cut down a Christmas tree. I did some more home chores and then decided to get out and get some more of my Christmas shopping done. The plan was for me to meet BF at his parents' house after the tree adventure for dinner. BF called me and told me that there was new about the house and it looked like it had been reopened for bidding for an additional week. I was super bummed because I was hoping we would just get it and be able to start planning! That was frustrating to hear, but not the end of the world. I was trying to get the gifts unloaded at my parents's house during this conversation and then get back home to let the dogs out before it got too cold.
Then in the middle of our phone conversation, BF sort of trailed off and stopped talking. I was trying to ask him what was going on and he just said, "Something's wrong with my dad". Apparently he very quickly started feeling awful and then got terrible stomach pains and started vomiting. They made a quick decision to take him to the ER so BF told me to meet them there, so ran to let the dogs out and then jumped in the car to get to St. Vincent's.
I arrived and totally had to lie to get back to BF's dad's room where they all were... they said only immediate family so I fudged a little bit and told them that BF and I were already married so I was the daughter in law... not such a huge lie really. I still felt a little guilty and told BF right away what I did. Anyway, so I went back and BFD was in bad shape (BF's Dad) and I just felt awful knowing that he was in such pain. The doctors thought it may be kidney stones so they were waiting for the pain and anti-nausea meds to kick in before they could get a scan (since he was moving around so much from the pain it would have been impossible). We waited around a while and ended up running to get dinner for ourselves, his sister and his mother.
A couple hours later they were able to do the scan and confirmed it was kidney stones, but because of the locations there wasn't much they could do so they sent BFD home with some anti-nausea meds and a couple pain pills to help until they pass. Terrible! Everyone that I know that has had kidney stones says it is the worst pain they've ever experience so I cannot imagine what that would even feel like!
We went to BF's parents house to wait for his dad to be released and to feed his parents' dogs. We watched a little football and let the dogs run around and play in the yard. As we were sitting on the couch the dogs came pealing into the house from the backyard. This is pretty normal because they chase each other around constantly so we thought nothing of it. And then I smelled it. It smelled like cow poop and it was STRONG. I jumped up and grabbed Rudy and realized that he was COVERED in leaves and poop. GROSS! So we tried to grab him to throw him into the bathtub, but just then the door opened and his parents were walking in. I yelled for Rudy to come so that he wouldn't jump his poop-covered self up onto BF's parents and ran to grab him. Nora peed on the floor at the same time from all of the excitement and BF managed to wrap Rudy in a towel and throw him into the bathroom before he did any damage. I quickly shut the bathroom door and started scrubbing Rudy and covering him with soap. I did get him clean, but I was so mad that he rolled around in poop!
BF and I ended up getting home around 10:30 or 11pm and sort of slumped into bed. Long Day.
Today BF and I found out that we weren't the only bidders on the house, so we were put into a lottery for it. We weren't selected in the lottery and I was so bummed when I found out, but then our broker told us that it didn't mean we won't get it. The other bidder's bid was selected in the lottery, but the bid has not yet been approved which means we may have a chance at this house anyway, but only if the current winning bidder doesn't get their stuff in correctly or if their bid isn't approved. It's such a weird process with these homes and super stressful! In the mean time we are looking at other homes, even though they will cost way more.
Now I'm off to get a filling. YAY!
So you know that last week BF and I put a bid on a home in the Good Neighbor Next Door program that the government runs. We were waiting to hear back as the bidding period closed over the weekend and kept checking the website to see if anything new was happening.
Saturday went by with not much news. We went about our day as normal- went to the gym, cleaned up the house and started on the pile of laundry, etc. I poured over paint colors and budgeting out what it would cost to replace home items if we needed to... if we get the house.
Sunday BF went to help his parents find and cut down a Christmas tree. I did some more home chores and then decided to get out and get some more of my Christmas shopping done. The plan was for me to meet BF at his parents' house after the tree adventure for dinner. BF called me and told me that there was new about the house and it looked like it had been reopened for bidding for an additional week. I was super bummed because I was hoping we would just get it and be able to start planning! That was frustrating to hear, but not the end of the world. I was trying to get the gifts unloaded at my parents's house during this conversation and then get back home to let the dogs out before it got too cold.
Then in the middle of our phone conversation, BF sort of trailed off and stopped talking. I was trying to ask him what was going on and he just said, "Something's wrong with my dad". Apparently he very quickly started feeling awful and then got terrible stomach pains and started vomiting. They made a quick decision to take him to the ER so BF told me to meet them there, so ran to let the dogs out and then jumped in the car to get to St. Vincent's.
I arrived and totally had to lie to get back to BF's dad's room where they all were... they said only immediate family so I fudged a little bit and told them that BF and I were already married so I was the daughter in law... not such a huge lie really. I still felt a little guilty and told BF right away what I did. Anyway, so I went back and BFD was in bad shape (BF's Dad) and I just felt awful knowing that he was in such pain. The doctors thought it may be kidney stones so they were waiting for the pain and anti-nausea meds to kick in before they could get a scan (since he was moving around so much from the pain it would have been impossible). We waited around a while and ended up running to get dinner for ourselves, his sister and his mother.
A couple hours later they were able to do the scan and confirmed it was kidney stones, but because of the locations there wasn't much they could do so they sent BFD home with some anti-nausea meds and a couple pain pills to help until they pass. Terrible! Everyone that I know that has had kidney stones says it is the worst pain they've ever experience so I cannot imagine what that would even feel like!
We went to BF's parents house to wait for his dad to be released and to feed his parents' dogs. We watched a little football and let the dogs run around and play in the yard. As we were sitting on the couch the dogs came pealing into the house from the backyard. This is pretty normal because they chase each other around constantly so we thought nothing of it. And then I smelled it. It smelled like cow poop and it was STRONG. I jumped up and grabbed Rudy and realized that he was COVERED in leaves and poop. GROSS! So we tried to grab him to throw him into the bathtub, but just then the door opened and his parents were walking in. I yelled for Rudy to come so that he wouldn't jump his poop-covered self up onto BF's parents and ran to grab him. Nora peed on the floor at the same time from all of the excitement and BF managed to wrap Rudy in a towel and throw him into the bathroom before he did any damage. I quickly shut the bathroom door and started scrubbing Rudy and covering him with soap. I did get him clean, but I was so mad that he rolled around in poop!
BF and I ended up getting home around 10:30 or 11pm and sort of slumped into bed. Long Day.
Today BF and I found out that we weren't the only bidders on the house, so we were put into a lottery for it. We weren't selected in the lottery and I was so bummed when I found out, but then our broker told us that it didn't mean we won't get it. The other bidder's bid was selected in the lottery, but the bid has not yet been approved which means we may have a chance at this house anyway, but only if the current winning bidder doesn't get their stuff in correctly or if their bid isn't approved. It's such a weird process with these homes and super stressful! In the mean time we are looking at other homes, even though they will cost way more.
Now I'm off to get a filling. YAY!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
The Waiting Game... and Looking at Interior Decorating Sites Because I'm Old Now
So BF and I are waiting to hear back regarding the house. We probably won't hear a thing until Monday or Tuesday which is KILLING ME.
If we do get the house, we have to get an inspection, finalize the loan stuff and then figure out how we are going to replace the carpets and repaint some of the awful/half done paint that is currently in some of the rooms.
In order to occupy myself while we wait I've been busy looking at interior design sites and magazines to see what it is I like and how I want to redo our possible new home. I know what I like, but I also want our home to feel cohesive and not broken up into themed rooms, if that makes sense? Anyway, I'm just busily collecting pictures and paint samples and deciding what appliances would be necessary to replace.
Here's what I'm thinking:
1. Floors- the carpets NEED to be replaced. The house was a rental before it was put on the market and I'm pretty sure that they didn't clean/replace them because they knew they didn't need to impress anyone. I am debating on replacing the carpet or all out getting totally new floors... maybe wood or laminate wood or something.
2. Appliances- so the appliances in the home aren't terrible, but if it's going to be my home I want to update them with newer and more energy efficient ones. I'd like a french door refrigerator with the freezer on the bottom, an awesome dishwasher because I HATE doing the dishes, a more efficient water heater, and a better looking microwave. BF wants a new range as well, so there's one more. Again, I want them all to match so for the first time EVER I've been looking at Lowe's and Home Depot and Sears and Best Buy trying to find a good collection that I like. We also need to purchase a washer and dryer, but clearly they don't need to match the kitchen appliances so whatever we pick should be good.
3. Paint colors- I am SO TORN with paint. Some of the paint in the house I do like, but it needs to be touched up so I will have to find the matching paint to do so. Some of the rooms are just... gross. Who knows why people pick the colors they do. And some of the home just needs paint in general because it's worn completely off (like on the banister going upstairs). I'm wondering if I just wait to touch up the paint that I like and just go all out on the rooms and areas that really need it. Also, BF and I need to decide on colors and themes for the main rooms. The outside paint is ok, the house just needs a good spray down like any house does occasionally.
There's more on my list, but I'm trying not to invest TOO much time on the house until we know we've got it... but plan just enough so I'm not scrambling to figure out what we want if (when) we do get it.
Waiting takes forever.
If we do get the house, we have to get an inspection, finalize the loan stuff and then figure out how we are going to replace the carpets and repaint some of the awful/half done paint that is currently in some of the rooms.
In order to occupy myself while we wait I've been busy looking at interior design sites and magazines to see what it is I like and how I want to redo our possible new home. I know what I like, but I also want our home to feel cohesive and not broken up into themed rooms, if that makes sense? Anyway, I'm just busily collecting pictures and paint samples and deciding what appliances would be necessary to replace.
Here's what I'm thinking:
1. Floors- the carpets NEED to be replaced. The house was a rental before it was put on the market and I'm pretty sure that they didn't clean/replace them because they knew they didn't need to impress anyone. I am debating on replacing the carpet or all out getting totally new floors... maybe wood or laminate wood or something.
2. Appliances- so the appliances in the home aren't terrible, but if it's going to be my home I want to update them with newer and more energy efficient ones. I'd like a french door refrigerator with the freezer on the bottom, an awesome dishwasher because I HATE doing the dishes, a more efficient water heater, and a better looking microwave. BF wants a new range as well, so there's one more. Again, I want them all to match so for the first time EVER I've been looking at Lowe's and Home Depot and Sears and Best Buy trying to find a good collection that I like. We also need to purchase a washer and dryer, but clearly they don't need to match the kitchen appliances so whatever we pick should be good.
3. Paint colors- I am SO TORN with paint. Some of the paint in the house I do like, but it needs to be touched up so I will have to find the matching paint to do so. Some of the rooms are just... gross. Who knows why people pick the colors they do. And some of the home just needs paint in general because it's worn completely off (like on the banister going upstairs). I'm wondering if I just wait to touch up the paint that I like and just go all out on the rooms and areas that really need it. Also, BF and I need to decide on colors and themes for the main rooms. The outside paint is ok, the house just needs a good spray down like any house does occasionally.
There's more on my list, but I'm trying not to invest TOO much time on the house until we know we've got it... but plan just enough so I'm not scrambling to figure out what we want if (when) we do get it.
Waiting takes forever.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Feeling Very Grown Up
As I write this I'm looking at my "To Do" list from the weekend to see what I missed and besides NOT MISSING ANYTHING that I needed to get done, I also realized that I'm a Grown Up now.
What? When did this happen?
It happened when BF and I applied for a pre-approved home loan over the weekend because we are looking to get into a house.
HOLY CRAP.
I'm super nervous about the whole thing (because, you know... 30 year mortgage, purchasing appliances, property taxes, etc) but I'm also insanely excited! The thought of having a place of our own where we can let the puppies run around free in the yard and we can have a huge compost bin instead of having to throw our scraps away, and being able to PAINT and change anything I want is AWESOME. Also, a 2 car garage so we can both park inside on the cold, wet Oregon days is appealing.
We've found a house we LOVE and that is close to BF's school, so we are hoping to go see it, win the bid and get a loan ASAP so we can get this going.
The excitement is overwhelming, but I'm still stressing out until it's all worked out.
What? When did this happen?
It happened when BF and I applied for a pre-approved home loan over the weekend because we are looking to get into a house.
HOLY CRAP.
I'm super nervous about the whole thing (because, you know... 30 year mortgage, purchasing appliances, property taxes, etc) but I'm also insanely excited! The thought of having a place of our own where we can let the puppies run around free in the yard and we can have a huge compost bin instead of having to throw our scraps away, and being able to PAINT and change anything I want is AWESOME. Also, a 2 car garage so we can both park inside on the cold, wet Oregon days is appealing.
We've found a house we LOVE and that is close to BF's school, so we are hoping to go see it, win the bid and get a loan ASAP so we can get this going.
The excitement is overwhelming, but I'm still stressing out until it's all worked out.
Monday, November 28, 2011
That Was November...
Holy Cow, it's almost December. It seemed like it was just Halloween and I feel that I've almost completely forgotten about this blog and keeping up with everyone else's so I'm starting over this week.
Since I hardly said a thing during November, we'll do a quick catch up.
November:
BF and I got engaged, but I'm still calling him BF (see previous post). It was awesome and I'm so excited! We are in the midst of planning now and have set a date- September 28th, 2012. I already have my dress, we have a location, and now it's on to the details.
We got a new puppy! Her name is Nora and she is a Silky Terrier/Coton de Tulear mix and she is the sweetest thing you've ever seen. She runs the house... or more precisely, she runs Rudy. She is doing pretty well with "potty training" and Rudy and her are two peas in a pod. I'm so glad they keep each other entertained, especially since we are now in the rainy season and walks are less frequent.
Thanksgiving came and went and it was amazing. I took an extra day off of work so I had a 5 day weekend. Wednesday I got to sleep in and then we mostly cleaned and ran errands. Thursday we split Thanksgiving between my parents' house and BF's parents'. We got to my folks' around 12:30 and lounged around and ate sausage cheese balls while we were waiting on the turkey (as always). After we had stuffed ourselved we slowly made our way to BF's parents' house and promptly ate again (much less this time around, though). We also played some card games and watched the latest Pirates movie until we were so close to food comas we had to go home.
Now, I'm not really into the whole Black Friday shopping thing, despite working for a retail company. I don't like crowds and I hate feeling pressured to grab things for fear that they may run out if I don't purchase something now. Last year BF and I went to Best Buy and got an awesome deal on a television and also got a Wii for my mom for Christmas. The only reason we actually went shopping last year was because of the amazing deal that we couldn't have gotten later and we needed a tv for our living room. This year we didn't really need anything except for socks, underwear, undershirts and some better slippers for BF so after perusing the Black Friday ads I decided I would brave Fred Meyer at 5am. It's only a mile from our house so I didn't have to get up extra early to drive somewhere and find parking which was nice. And there wasn't much of a crowd. I arrived a few minutes before 5am and there were people in line waiting for the doors to open, but really it wasn't terrible because as soon as I walked up to the line they opened the doors and I walked right in.
I knew exactly what I was there for, so I was in and out in just 15 minutes and back home at 5:25am. I got BF some new white undershirts (buy one 3 pack get one 3 pack free, so 6 new shirts), some fuzzy lined Crocs (so he can take the dogs out and not get his feet wet), deoderant, lotion, and some baking items. I spent $40 which was the cost of the Crocs alone before the sales, etc so I think I did pretty well.
After my little shopping excursion I went back home and went to bed for a couple more hours. Friday, Saturday and Sunday we mostly ran errands for groceries, cleaned the house and then "Christmased" our house up for the holidays.
Which brings me to today. Today is my first day back at the office and it's awesome but awful at the same time. Getting up wasn't too bad this morning, however I'm definitely feeling more tired as the day goes on. I've got a busy week ahead of me full of work stuff and wedding planning and holiday parties so it's not all bad!
Is anyone else super psyched that it's almost Christmas? I gotta start collecting those Christmas lists and get shopping!
Since I hardly said a thing during November, we'll do a quick catch up.
November:
BF and I got engaged, but I'm still calling him BF (see previous post). It was awesome and I'm so excited! We are in the midst of planning now and have set a date- September 28th, 2012. I already have my dress, we have a location, and now it's on to the details.
We got a new puppy! Her name is Nora and she is a Silky Terrier/Coton de Tulear mix and she is the sweetest thing you've ever seen. She runs the house... or more precisely, she runs Rudy. She is doing pretty well with "potty training" and Rudy and her are two peas in a pod. I'm so glad they keep each other entertained, especially since we are now in the rainy season and walks are less frequent.
Thanksgiving came and went and it was amazing. I took an extra day off of work so I had a 5 day weekend. Wednesday I got to sleep in and then we mostly cleaned and ran errands. Thursday we split Thanksgiving between my parents' house and BF's parents'. We got to my folks' around 12:30 and lounged around and ate sausage cheese balls while we were waiting on the turkey (as always). After we had stuffed ourselved we slowly made our way to BF's parents' house and promptly ate again (much less this time around, though). We also played some card games and watched the latest Pirates movie until we were so close to food comas we had to go home.
Now, I'm not really into the whole Black Friday shopping thing, despite working for a retail company. I don't like crowds and I hate feeling pressured to grab things for fear that they may run out if I don't purchase something now. Last year BF and I went to Best Buy and got an awesome deal on a television and also got a Wii for my mom for Christmas. The only reason we actually went shopping last year was because of the amazing deal that we couldn't have gotten later and we needed a tv for our living room. This year we didn't really need anything except for socks, underwear, undershirts and some better slippers for BF so after perusing the Black Friday ads I decided I would brave Fred Meyer at 5am. It's only a mile from our house so I didn't have to get up extra early to drive somewhere and find parking which was nice. And there wasn't much of a crowd. I arrived a few minutes before 5am and there were people in line waiting for the doors to open, but really it wasn't terrible because as soon as I walked up to the line they opened the doors and I walked right in.
I knew exactly what I was there for, so I was in and out in just 15 minutes and back home at 5:25am. I got BF some new white undershirts (buy one 3 pack get one 3 pack free, so 6 new shirts), some fuzzy lined Crocs (so he can take the dogs out and not get his feet wet), deoderant, lotion, and some baking items. I spent $40 which was the cost of the Crocs alone before the sales, etc so I think I did pretty well.
After my little shopping excursion I went back home and went to bed for a couple more hours. Friday, Saturday and Sunday we mostly ran errands for groceries, cleaned the house and then "Christmased" our house up for the holidays.
Which brings me to today. Today is my first day back at the office and it's awesome but awful at the same time. Getting up wasn't too bad this morning, however I'm definitely feeling more tired as the day goes on. I've got a busy week ahead of me full of work stuff and wedding planning and holiday parties so it's not all bad!
Is anyone else super psyched that it's almost Christmas? I gotta start collecting those Christmas lists and get shopping!
Monday, November 14, 2011
How BF Went From BF to F... ? Oh Heck, We're Engaged!
The only stressful part about getting engaged is now I cannot call him BF anymore, and F is a little weird so I have to come up with something else. And even as I type this I'm realizing that I can continue to call him BF, but I'll explain that as well. Oh yeah, and now people are asking when we'll have kids. That's a little stressful to even start thinking about.
So the story... A few weeks ago BF said to me, "Why don't we go out to dinner or something for our November date? How about Rheinlander?" to which I quickly agreed because I LOVE the Rheinlander and dinner that I don't have to cook/ clean up after is always appreciated. Plus it was BF's month to plan our date. I didn't think much of it until the day before we were supposed to go to dinner.
November 3rd (Thursday) people started asking about weekend plans. When I brought up our dinner, some of my coworkers asked if I thought BF would be popping the question then. I thought about it, but talked myself out of it because I was sure he would do it during or closer to the holidays and would be planning something at a party or at super fancy restaurant. I wasn't expecting anything other than a nice dinner filled with breads and cheese and sausage, and that was fine with me.
November 4th after work I came home to find BF hanging out with the dog as I normally do. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and mostly I was just excited that it was Friday and we were going to eat good food. After winding down for a few minutes we left for the restaurant. We were seated in "our" corner (the past few times we've been there for dinner we've been seated in the same little alcove) and ordered the usual fondue appetizer. It was a fabulous dinner and we were stuffed to the gills by the end of it. I desperately needed to wash the cheese off my hands and excused myself to the restroom. When I came back to the table BF kept glancing over at the accordian player which I assumed was because he wanted to ask the player to play something ridiculous, which is sort of what we do when we go there. Last time we requested the Beatles, Beyonce and a few others, ALL of which were in the players repretoire. Fabulous. Anyway, I didn't think much of BF's preoccupation and started gathering my things so we could head home and drift into food comas.
As I started to move to the edge of my seat BF reached across the table and held my hands. I stopped and thought that maybe he wanted to sit for a few more minutes before we left. He sort of looked a me for a minute and then down at my hands and said something like, "Your nails look very nice, but they would look nicer with something else..." and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. He said a few more sweet things but I don't really remember much of it because I was SHOCKED and time started moving quickly but slowly at the same time... that doesn't make much sense but that's how it felt. I started crying but then BF saw that I was crying and put the ring box to the side of the table and stopped his cute proposal and exclaimed, "You're crying!!!" and so I had to tell him to continue. I don't cry that often so BF was a little baffled, but it was a good cry.
Of course I said yes and then the table next to us congratulated us and sent us drinks and dessert. I was so stuffed/excited I couldn't even eat the dessert, but BF helped with that and ate a good chunk of it. We laughed and talked and finally headed home to tell the good news.
A few things that people have asked:
1. Did he get down on one knee? - No, because where we were seated there wasn't any room for him to do that, so he held my hands across the table which was super adorable.
2. Do you have a date?- Yes, September 28th, 2012. More details to come!
3. Are you going to change your name?- Yes. I'm a little traditional.
Also, I aluded to the fact that I can still call him BF, even though it no longer stands for Boyfriend. I'll explain that:
This past Friday night, BF and I decided to have a get together with our friends to celebrate our engagement. We had discussed that neither of us really like the word "fiance" because it just sounds... stupid. I don't know, sort of hoity toity. Anyway, I used to tease BF and quote Beyonce's song and tell him, "You liked it then you should've put a ring on it," before we were engaged, and then once we were he told everyone, "I liked it, so I put a ring on it!". On our way to our party on Friday night we brought up the Fiance word again and started joking around that we would instead call each other "Beyonce" and see if people would notice the difference. You know what? No one did. Not one person noticed that I said "Beyonce" all night instead of fiance. So instead of BF for Boyfriend it's BF for Beyonce Fiance.
Come on, it's just easier on me.
YAY! We're engaged!
So the story... A few weeks ago BF said to me, "Why don't we go out to dinner or something for our November date? How about Rheinlander?" to which I quickly agreed because I LOVE the Rheinlander and dinner that I don't have to cook/ clean up after is always appreciated. Plus it was BF's month to plan our date. I didn't think much of it until the day before we were supposed to go to dinner.
November 3rd (Thursday) people started asking about weekend plans. When I brought up our dinner, some of my coworkers asked if I thought BF would be popping the question then. I thought about it, but talked myself out of it because I was sure he would do it during or closer to the holidays and would be planning something at a party or at super fancy restaurant. I wasn't expecting anything other than a nice dinner filled with breads and cheese and sausage, and that was fine with me.
November 4th after work I came home to find BF hanging out with the dog as I normally do. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and mostly I was just excited that it was Friday and we were going to eat good food. After winding down for a few minutes we left for the restaurant. We were seated in "our" corner (the past few times we've been there for dinner we've been seated in the same little alcove) and ordered the usual fondue appetizer. It was a fabulous dinner and we were stuffed to the gills by the end of it. I desperately needed to wash the cheese off my hands and excused myself to the restroom. When I came back to the table BF kept glancing over at the accordian player which I assumed was because he wanted to ask the player to play something ridiculous, which is sort of what we do when we go there. Last time we requested the Beatles, Beyonce and a few others, ALL of which were in the players repretoire. Fabulous. Anyway, I didn't think much of BF's preoccupation and started gathering my things so we could head home and drift into food comas.
As I started to move to the edge of my seat BF reached across the table and held my hands. I stopped and thought that maybe he wanted to sit for a few more minutes before we left. He sort of looked a me for a minute and then down at my hands and said something like, "Your nails look very nice, but they would look nicer with something else..." and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. He said a few more sweet things but I don't really remember much of it because I was SHOCKED and time started moving quickly but slowly at the same time... that doesn't make much sense but that's how it felt. I started crying but then BF saw that I was crying and put the ring box to the side of the table and stopped his cute proposal and exclaimed, "You're crying!!!" and so I had to tell him to continue. I don't cry that often so BF was a little baffled, but it was a good cry.
Of course I said yes and then the table next to us congratulated us and sent us drinks and dessert. I was so stuffed/excited I couldn't even eat the dessert, but BF helped with that and ate a good chunk of it. We laughed and talked and finally headed home to tell the good news.
A few things that people have asked:
1. Did he get down on one knee? - No, because where we were seated there wasn't any room for him to do that, so he held my hands across the table which was super adorable.
2. Do you have a date?- Yes, September 28th, 2012. More details to come!
3. Are you going to change your name?- Yes. I'm a little traditional.
Also, I aluded to the fact that I can still call him BF, even though it no longer stands for Boyfriend. I'll explain that:
This past Friday night, BF and I decided to have a get together with our friends to celebrate our engagement. We had discussed that neither of us really like the word "fiance" because it just sounds... stupid. I don't know, sort of hoity toity. Anyway, I used to tease BF and quote Beyonce's song and tell him, "You liked it then you should've put a ring on it," before we were engaged, and then once we were he told everyone, "I liked it, so I put a ring on it!". On our way to our party on Friday night we brought up the Fiance word again and started joking around that we would instead call each other "Beyonce" and see if people would notice the difference. You know what? No one did. Not one person noticed that I said "Beyonce" all night instead of fiance. So instead of BF for Boyfriend it's BF for Beyonce Fiance.
Come on, it's just easier on me.
YAY! We're engaged!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Canada, The Sickness, A New Job, BF Gets Old, Here Comes Halloween!
So I went to Canada.
Here are some pics and it was AMAZING. Most of the trip was work stuff, but we also got to travel around and see fun Vancouver things like the Capilano Suspension Bridge, Granville Island and running at the butt-crack of dawn on the bay.
In Canada we ate and ate and ate and ate great food for 3 days straight. I felt like I was going to POP. And then I got home and started feeling under the weather and exhausted, but I figured it was from traveling and meetings so I thought nothing of it.
Friday last week I left work a little early, ran some errands and then came home and collapsed. We ate dinner at my parents house and then Saturday morning my mom and I ran errands together. I felt hot and sweaty and weird and thought I was running a fever, but when I got home I wasn't so I just took it easy the rest of the day. Saturday night BF and I went out for dinner because neither of us felt like cooking or doing dishes. I had an awesome roasted mushroom and veggie paninin and soup and I can't even tell you what BF had because I wasn't paying attention. And then we had dessert because why not? It was a black and tan brownie with fudge and caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream, YUM! We came home and vegged on the couch with the dog and went to bed pretty early because we are getting old.
I woke up at 2 in the morning because the dog needed to go out, so I slipped a jacket on and shoes and took Rudy out. I was outside for maybe 30 seconds before I started feeling really lightheaded and woozy. I thought it was from standing up too quickly to get the dog outside, but then realized that I felt like crap in general. Then I started to feel hot and sweaty and practically dragged Rudy back to the house because I knew I needed a bathroom quickly. NOT FUN. We all know how much I hate puke in general, and I hate puking even more. I don't know if I had a touch of the Flu or if I got food poisoning because I only threw up the once and then went back to bed (on the couch with a bucket just in case) and slept until 9am.
The rest of Sunday I just slept on the couch and watched movies. I was STARVING but afraid to eat anything just in case, so I munched on saltine crackers and ginger ale and water all day and finally made myself some chicken soup for dinner. Monday I was just fine and went to work, but my voice was all scratchy. At first I thought it may have been from throwing up, but it got worse as the day went on even though I wasn't talking a ton. Tuesday morning I woke up with a very hoarse voice and some congestion and then today I have practically no voice.
On top of that I have a new boss, who technically I worked for before but who wasn't my direct manager. So I'm moving on to support him but I'm also going to continue to support my old manager (which is AWESOME because I absolutely love him). I'm excited, but feeling a little busy and overwhelmed.
In other news, BF turns OLD this week (and by old I really mean 27). He's older than me, so I can call him old. We are celebrating on Friday with family and then celebrating with friends at Lazerport on Sunday. It's going to be awesome.
And then next week it's Halloween and I cannot even WAIT to put my costume on. Actually, I tried it on last night and walked around the house in it. Oh, there will be pics.
Here are some pics and it was AMAZING. Most of the trip was work stuff, but we also got to travel around and see fun Vancouver things like the Capilano Suspension Bridge, Granville Island and running at the butt-crack of dawn on the bay.
In Canada we ate and ate and ate and ate great food for 3 days straight. I felt like I was going to POP. And then I got home and started feeling under the weather and exhausted, but I figured it was from traveling and meetings so I thought nothing of it.
Friday last week I left work a little early, ran some errands and then came home and collapsed. We ate dinner at my parents house and then Saturday morning my mom and I ran errands together. I felt hot and sweaty and weird and thought I was running a fever, but when I got home I wasn't so I just took it easy the rest of the day. Saturday night BF and I went out for dinner because neither of us felt like cooking or doing dishes. I had an awesome roasted mushroom and veggie paninin and soup and I can't even tell you what BF had because I wasn't paying attention. And then we had dessert because why not? It was a black and tan brownie with fudge and caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream, YUM! We came home and vegged on the couch with the dog and went to bed pretty early because we are getting old.
I woke up at 2 in the morning because the dog needed to go out, so I slipped a jacket on and shoes and took Rudy out. I was outside for maybe 30 seconds before I started feeling really lightheaded and woozy. I thought it was from standing up too quickly to get the dog outside, but then realized that I felt like crap in general. Then I started to feel hot and sweaty and practically dragged Rudy back to the house because I knew I needed a bathroom quickly. NOT FUN. We all know how much I hate puke in general, and I hate puking even more. I don't know if I had a touch of the Flu or if I got food poisoning because I only threw up the once and then went back to bed (on the couch with a bucket just in case) and slept until 9am.
The rest of Sunday I just slept on the couch and watched movies. I was STARVING but afraid to eat anything just in case, so I munched on saltine crackers and ginger ale and water all day and finally made myself some chicken soup for dinner. Monday I was just fine and went to work, but my voice was all scratchy. At first I thought it may have been from throwing up, but it got worse as the day went on even though I wasn't talking a ton. Tuesday morning I woke up with a very hoarse voice and some congestion and then today I have practically no voice.
On top of that I have a new boss, who technically I worked for before but who wasn't my direct manager. So I'm moving on to support him but I'm also going to continue to support my old manager (which is AWESOME because I absolutely love him). I'm excited, but feeling a little busy and overwhelmed.
In other news, BF turns OLD this week (and by old I really mean 27). He's older than me, so I can call him old. We are celebrating on Friday with family and then celebrating with friends at Lazerport on Sunday. It's going to be awesome.
And then next week it's Halloween and I cannot even WAIT to put my costume on. Actually, I tried it on last night and walked around the house in it. Oh, there will be pics.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
The Great White North
Hey Everybody! I'm posting from Canada today as I'm here most of the week for work. Can we say awesome? Indeed it is.
It is not, however, white. We've really lucked out and gotten some amazing weather- way awesomer than Portland weather this time of year. It's been in the upper 50's and mid 60's and sunny and the fall foliage is breathtaking. I'll be uploading pictures as soon as I get home (left my cable at home... sad).
Just so I don't forget, here's a list of things I LOVE about Canada:
1. Everything's in French and English.
2. Winter Tuke (sp?)- winter knit hats
3. the crazy accents that aren't even close to French Canadian or just Canadian
4. The close ties to Scotland and Ireland
5. Maple candy
6. Friendliness- Canadians are so polite!
7. Asian restaurants- there are TONS and they are good!
8. Salmon, we have it at home but it's everywhere here.
9. First passport stamp
I'm happy to be here, but also happy I get to go home soon. I'm missing Rudy and the BF.
It is not, however, white. We've really lucked out and gotten some amazing weather- way awesomer than Portland weather this time of year. It's been in the upper 50's and mid 60's and sunny and the fall foliage is breathtaking. I'll be uploading pictures as soon as I get home (left my cable at home... sad).
Just so I don't forget, here's a list of things I LOVE about Canada:
1. Everything's in French and English.
2. Winter Tuke (sp?)- winter knit hats
3. the crazy accents that aren't even close to French Canadian or just Canadian
4. The close ties to Scotland and Ireland
5. Maple candy
6. Friendliness- Canadians are so polite!
7. Asian restaurants- there are TONS and they are good!
8. Salmon, we have it at home but it's everywhere here.
9. First passport stamp
I'm happy to be here, but also happy I get to go home soon. I'm missing Rudy and the BF.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Oh, I'm Still Here
I definitely didn't fall off the face of the earth, but it feels like I did when I look at my poor neglected blog!
The past month has been busier than ever at work and it's been meeting after meeting after meeting. I'll bring you up to speed:
September-
We had our huge annual work conference and I ran around from the week before until the week after setting things up and then tying up loose ends. It was fun, but always a TON of work.
During all of the actual meeting stuff I've been busy planning upcoming meetings as well. Next week I go to Canada for one of those, the week after it's here locally (but still a ton to do), and a ton of on-campus meetings.
I also on-boarded a new Admin to take my old job! YAY! But of course as soon as that was announced I got more added to my To Do list because I was free now, right? Right...
October-
It was BF's and my 2 year anniversary! We celebrated by going to Corvallis for "Blocktoberfest" with some friends. It was fun for the first half of the trip and not the second. I will spare you details but it involved something I absolutely HATE. BF gets a re-do.
It's also my sister's birthday this week and BF's birthday at the end of the month and Halloween. I decorated the house yesterday and it's spectacular... or should I say SPOOK-tacular (I had to)!
For a make-up anniversary this past weekend, BF and I took Rudy to Beverly Beach and stayed in a yurt. After all of the craziness of the past few weeks I decided to take a long weekend and catch up on my rest and family time. My parents met us down there on Saturday to spend some time at the coast and we lucked out and got some great weather. Rudy ran himself ragged on the beach, so slept most of the afternoon on Sunday and a good part of Monday.
Like I said, I took a long weekend, so I had Friday off last week and I had Monday off this week. We got back from yurt-camping on Sunday afternoon and after thoroughly cleaning ourselves, our stuff and Rudy we vegged out at home and then ate a wonderful Vietnamese dinner with BF's dad and sister at Pho Tango. I absolutely love that place.
Monday I sort of slept in (still got up when BF got up to go to work), ate breakfast while I watched the Today show- which I never get to do!- and then took a nice run. After my run I cleaned the house and did some organizing of our junk in the extra room. I leisurely ran errands and bought groceries and then busted out my Halloween decorations. My. Favorite. Thing. To. Do. Then I spent a couple hours looking at cool Halloween decorations and party ideas online.
So there it is and here I am, again. This week will be full of catching up and also trying to get ahead of a few things, but it should be fun.
Last night we watched Hocus Pocus, and I think Casper should follow this evening.
The past month has been busier than ever at work and it's been meeting after meeting after meeting. I'll bring you up to speed:
September-
We had our huge annual work conference and I ran around from the week before until the week after setting things up and then tying up loose ends. It was fun, but always a TON of work.
During all of the actual meeting stuff I've been busy planning upcoming meetings as well. Next week I go to Canada for one of those, the week after it's here locally (but still a ton to do), and a ton of on-campus meetings.
I also on-boarded a new Admin to take my old job! YAY! But of course as soon as that was announced I got more added to my To Do list because I was free now, right? Right...
October-
It was BF's and my 2 year anniversary! We celebrated by going to Corvallis for "Blocktoberfest" with some friends. It was fun for the first half of the trip and not the second. I will spare you details but it involved something I absolutely HATE. BF gets a re-do.
It's also my sister's birthday this week and BF's birthday at the end of the month and Halloween. I decorated the house yesterday and it's spectacular... or should I say SPOOK-tacular (I had to)!
For a make-up anniversary this past weekend, BF and I took Rudy to Beverly Beach and stayed in a yurt. After all of the craziness of the past few weeks I decided to take a long weekend and catch up on my rest and family time. My parents met us down there on Saturday to spend some time at the coast and we lucked out and got some great weather. Rudy ran himself ragged on the beach, so slept most of the afternoon on Sunday and a good part of Monday.
Like I said, I took a long weekend, so I had Friday off last week and I had Monday off this week. We got back from yurt-camping on Sunday afternoon and after thoroughly cleaning ourselves, our stuff and Rudy we vegged out at home and then ate a wonderful Vietnamese dinner with BF's dad and sister at Pho Tango. I absolutely love that place.
Monday I sort of slept in (still got up when BF got up to go to work), ate breakfast while I watched the Today show- which I never get to do!- and then took a nice run. After my run I cleaned the house and did some organizing of our junk in the extra room. I leisurely ran errands and bought groceries and then busted out my Halloween decorations. My. Favorite. Thing. To. Do. Then I spent a couple hours looking at cool Halloween decorations and party ideas online.
So there it is and here I am, again. This week will be full of catching up and also trying to get ahead of a few things, but it should be fun.
Last night we watched Hocus Pocus, and I think Casper should follow this evening.
Friday, September 16, 2011
A Roller Coaster Week- Also, Autumn Is Upon Us
Man, this week has been challenging in so many ways! I'm so thankful that I have a job, one that I love, but sometimes one can't always be in love with what they are doing and I'm totally feeling that right now.
It's just that it's a crazy busy time of year at work because we have all of these big meetings planned and then we head straight into the madness of the holiday season with no time to breathe. None of this stuff is even happening yet and I'm feeling like I could drown in the amount of "stuff". Part of my issue is that I'm such a planner and scheduler that when new things pop up I get a little angry- angry that people didn't tell me earlier so I could add what needed to get done in to my already full schedule, angry that I have to rearrange my plans, angry that I have yet another thing or things added to my to do list, and angry that I'm angry and frustrated. I just want some peace, or as one of my favorite television characters would say, "Serenity now!". I'm already looking into escaping for a few days at some point in October just so I don't completely lose my sanity.
I'm thinking I need to start meditating on my lunch breaks.
Also, if you live in the Pacific Northwest you may have noticed that summer died on Sunday and we awoke on Monday to Autumn, in all of it's cooler-weather, leaf-falling, foggy morning and cloudy day glory. I have such mixed feelings about this because I love Fall, but we had the shortest summer ever.
On a related note our Halloween costumes are purchased and I only have to find footwear for mine. And it's Friday.
Sigh.
It's just that it's a crazy busy time of year at work because we have all of these big meetings planned and then we head straight into the madness of the holiday season with no time to breathe. None of this stuff is even happening yet and I'm feeling like I could drown in the amount of "stuff". Part of my issue is that I'm such a planner and scheduler that when new things pop up I get a little angry- angry that people didn't tell me earlier so I could add what needed to get done in to my already full schedule, angry that I have to rearrange my plans, angry that I have yet another thing or things added to my to do list, and angry that I'm angry and frustrated. I just want some peace, or as one of my favorite television characters would say, "Serenity now!". I'm already looking into escaping for a few days at some point in October just so I don't completely lose my sanity.
I'm thinking I need to start meditating on my lunch breaks.
Also, if you live in the Pacific Northwest you may have noticed that summer died on Sunday and we awoke on Monday to Autumn, in all of it's cooler-weather, leaf-falling, foggy morning and cloudy day glory. I have such mixed feelings about this because I love Fall, but we had the shortest summer ever.
On a related note our Halloween costumes are purchased and I only have to find footwear for mine. And it's Friday.
Sigh.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
In Remembrance
10 years ago I was a Junior in high school. My day started like most other school days: I got up around 5:20, made some tea and got dressed and made the brisk walk to my school. I always arrived earlier than I needed to because I like my time alone in the morning to prepare for the day. I sat in the Music hallway floor just before 7am, put my headphones on and pulled out some homework that I still needed to work on. As I worked I got restless and moved myself out to the common area of the school to find a seat to continue working. A TV had been set up for something that was going on earlier in the week and some of the students and teachers that were at school for "Zero period" (the class period that starts before school officially starts) had turned it on to watch the morning shows. I pulled my headphones off so I could hear the news while I worked. A few minutes passed before the news show changed to the National news morning show on that station, nothing out of the ordinary yet.
I remember hearing about a plane crash that caught my attention. What was being described was a horrific accident in NY, so I listened for a moment before returning to my work. I packed up my stuff and headed to my first class, worrying slightly about the people in NY that had been in the plane and in the building hit but wasn't overly concerned. As usual, I was one of the first to my morning class. I remember sitting down and spacing out as my classmates wandered in and found their seats. Our teacher had not yet arrived and the din of morning chatter started to grow. The bell rang and our teacher walked in and wanted us to come out into the common area with her to see the news. We were a little excited to be getting out of class work and followed her down the hallway into the main common area.
As I watched, the crowd grew and my head was spinning with the details, trying to grasp what was happening. I was seeing the plane I heard about earlier and where it crashed into one of the towers, but then I was seeing a second plane crash into it's twin tower next door. The news reporters were speculating an attack while reports of a hijacked plane in Pennsylvania and a crash at the Pentagon poured in. Live shots of NY alternated with shots of Washington DC. Our supervising teachers were trying to keep people calm and telling us to not worry until we knew more details. We watched flames and debris in the towers burst and fall, we watched the black smoke billow from the Pentagon, we watched little dots fall from the towers as if propelled from within... those little dots, I think, were people. We watched the top of the tower fall and the dust and smoke billow around the streets of NY.
Time seemed to stop and then fast forward in short bursts the rest of the day. No one really attended classes and a few of my friends went home early because their parents came to pull them out of school. By the end of my school day (2 hours before most because I had an honors pass and early release) I was more confused and a little scared about what these attacks meant, who was "attacking" us, what was my country going to do.
I went home and immediately turned the television on. I called my mom at work to make sure that none of our family on the East coast had been in NY for any reason that day. I said little prayers for the people affected all while watching replays of the morning's coverage.
For days afterwards I was confused, I think the whole United States was. I didn't understand what was happening or why someone would do this. I watched the heartbreaking pleas on tv of people trying to find their lost loved ones in the hysteria and destruction of the city. I watched people debate terrorism and new wars and military action. Mostly what I felt was sadness and lost. I didn't lose anyone personally, but collectively we lost a lot as a country. It was a shared pain that seemed oddly deep to me. Maybe it was because I felt so confident that I lived in a safe and free nation and that feeling had never been shaken; my resolve had never been tested. It was very unsettling, that feeling of being ambushed and being unprepared.
Ten years later I still sometimes feel that loss and pain. I feel now that some of that was me grieving human lives lost and part of it was me grieving the loss of my feelings of security and strength. As time has passed and more stories of that day are shared, I'm grateful to the folks who tried their hardest to keep this country safe and derail plots against us. I'm grateful to the service people of our country to who searched for the lost and hurt, who cared for the injured and grieving and gave their lives to save others. I'm grateful that I had many chances to help as well and did what I could to aid those in need because it probably helped me more than it helped them. I'm thankful that September 11, though an awful event, brought people together in the end. I can look back and see how we've grown a little closer because of it.
In remembrance of all those who lost their lives and loved ones; I will never forget.
I remember hearing about a plane crash that caught my attention. What was being described was a horrific accident in NY, so I listened for a moment before returning to my work. I packed up my stuff and headed to my first class, worrying slightly about the people in NY that had been in the plane and in the building hit but wasn't overly concerned. As usual, I was one of the first to my morning class. I remember sitting down and spacing out as my classmates wandered in and found their seats. Our teacher had not yet arrived and the din of morning chatter started to grow. The bell rang and our teacher walked in and wanted us to come out into the common area with her to see the news. We were a little excited to be getting out of class work and followed her down the hallway into the main common area.
As I watched, the crowd grew and my head was spinning with the details, trying to grasp what was happening. I was seeing the plane I heard about earlier and where it crashed into one of the towers, but then I was seeing a second plane crash into it's twin tower next door. The news reporters were speculating an attack while reports of a hijacked plane in Pennsylvania and a crash at the Pentagon poured in. Live shots of NY alternated with shots of Washington DC. Our supervising teachers were trying to keep people calm and telling us to not worry until we knew more details. We watched flames and debris in the towers burst and fall, we watched the black smoke billow from the Pentagon, we watched little dots fall from the towers as if propelled from within... those little dots, I think, were people. We watched the top of the tower fall and the dust and smoke billow around the streets of NY.
Time seemed to stop and then fast forward in short bursts the rest of the day. No one really attended classes and a few of my friends went home early because their parents came to pull them out of school. By the end of my school day (2 hours before most because I had an honors pass and early release) I was more confused and a little scared about what these attacks meant, who was "attacking" us, what was my country going to do.
I went home and immediately turned the television on. I called my mom at work to make sure that none of our family on the East coast had been in NY for any reason that day. I said little prayers for the people affected all while watching replays of the morning's coverage.
For days afterwards I was confused, I think the whole United States was. I didn't understand what was happening or why someone would do this. I watched the heartbreaking pleas on tv of people trying to find their lost loved ones in the hysteria and destruction of the city. I watched people debate terrorism and new wars and military action. Mostly what I felt was sadness and lost. I didn't lose anyone personally, but collectively we lost a lot as a country. It was a shared pain that seemed oddly deep to me. Maybe it was because I felt so confident that I lived in a safe and free nation and that feeling had never been shaken; my resolve had never been tested. It was very unsettling, that feeling of being ambushed and being unprepared.
Ten years later I still sometimes feel that loss and pain. I feel now that some of that was me grieving human lives lost and part of it was me grieving the loss of my feelings of security and strength. As time has passed and more stories of that day are shared, I'm grateful to the folks who tried their hardest to keep this country safe and derail plots against us. I'm grateful to the service people of our country to who searched for the lost and hurt, who cared for the injured and grieving and gave their lives to save others. I'm grateful that I had many chances to help as well and did what I could to aid those in need because it probably helped me more than it helped them. I'm thankful that September 11, though an awful event, brought people together in the end. I can look back and see how we've grown a little closer because of it.
In remembrance of all those who lost their lives and loved ones; I will never forget.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
And She Squealed with Delight!
OMG, have you been to a store recently? Besides "Back to School" stuff, do you know what is creeping into the seasonal aisles of my favorite places?
HALLOWEEN!
Every year I about hyperventilate when I find Autumn decorations and Halloween stuff popping up in stores. I LOVE FALL. Everything about it. I love warm days and cool crisp nights, I love hot cocoa and cider in the evening, I love the colors of the changing leaves, I love fall-harvest produce, I love wearings jeans and boots and sweaters, I love handing out candy and getting cutesy decorations, I love dressing up!
I mean, I love all holidays, but for some reason Halloween has a special place in my heart.
I ventured to Joann's the other day with BF to find a few crafty items for his classroom when lo-and-behold! Halloween and Fall decorations greeted me as I entered and I was in heaven. BF lost me for a while as I roamed the aisles and I immediately picked out a cute Autumn themed welcome sign to hang in our entry way. I made notes of the decorations I needed to go back and look out without BF because I don't think he'd appreciate spending massive amounts of time there the way I do.
Anyhow, so more errand running later and I had to go to Petsmart to get some things for Rudy when I found the seasonal pet item aisle. I didn't buy him any fall or halloween themed toys because most of them have squeakers in them or are made of materials that Rudy would eat pretty quickly, but I did find an ADORABLE line of pet Halloween costumes and I needed no persuading. I picked out a good one (one that I think Rudy wouldn't mind too much) that glows in the dark. I took pictures of Rudy in it when I got home- you know, just to be sure it fit, but I'll wait to post those until closer to Halloween.
Also, in my travels around town I noticed that Martha Stewart makes a damn good line of products. At the craft store I was instantly drawn to her Autumn themed decorations and at Petsmart I fell in love with her pet products. I mean, I've always loved the woman, I feel like we are very similar, but it's like she read my mind when creating some of these things. Like the pet-grooming caddy. Right now we currently store Rudy's grooming items in a bucket so they are all together, but I have to dig for items frequently. I'm so tempted to buy that caddy so everything has it's own place (nothing will get lost) and it's cute.
Oh yeah, and today is the first day of school here in Portland. BF and I spent countless hours coloring and cutting and getting organized for the first week of school (did you know some curiculum comes in black and white and you have to color and put it together yourself? LAME). BF was so excited and nervous yesterday, but I'm sure that today is going to go well. He's teaching 1st Grade this year and I think it's going to be so much fun! I'm hoping I get to chaperone some of the field trips!
I'm also sure that parents are excited for their kids to be occupied for a good part of the day now. I was at Target the other day and I felt bad for this poor lady- she had 4 kids between the ages of 2 and 12 and I could tell she was just done. They were shopping for school supplies and one of the middle kids kept poking the little one in the cart to make her cry and the older one was asking for EVERYTHING in the store and the other middle one was running to and fro down the aisle leaving bottles of Elmer's glue and pink erasers in his wake. I love kids, but I also love not having them yet. My trips to the store are much less stressful.
Anyhow, I'm beyond excited that Fall is on it's way. Not that we had too much of a summer, but I cannot help it that I love this time of year.
Speaking of summer... what's with the heat this week? I mean, NOW we have to start using the AC? It's freakin' September!
HALLOWEEN!
Every year I about hyperventilate when I find Autumn decorations and Halloween stuff popping up in stores. I LOVE FALL. Everything about it. I love warm days and cool crisp nights, I love hot cocoa and cider in the evening, I love the colors of the changing leaves, I love fall-harvest produce, I love wearings jeans and boots and sweaters, I love handing out candy and getting cutesy decorations, I love dressing up!
I mean, I love all holidays, but for some reason Halloween has a special place in my heart.
I ventured to Joann's the other day with BF to find a few crafty items for his classroom when lo-and-behold! Halloween and Fall decorations greeted me as I entered and I was in heaven. BF lost me for a while as I roamed the aisles and I immediately picked out a cute Autumn themed welcome sign to hang in our entry way. I made notes of the decorations I needed to go back and look out without BF because I don't think he'd appreciate spending massive amounts of time there the way I do.
Anyhow, so more errand running later and I had to go to Petsmart to get some things for Rudy when I found the seasonal pet item aisle. I didn't buy him any fall or halloween themed toys because most of them have squeakers in them or are made of materials that Rudy would eat pretty quickly, but I did find an ADORABLE line of pet Halloween costumes and I needed no persuading. I picked out a good one (one that I think Rudy wouldn't mind too much) that glows in the dark. I took pictures of Rudy in it when I got home- you know, just to be sure it fit, but I'll wait to post those until closer to Halloween.
Also, in my travels around town I noticed that Martha Stewart makes a damn good line of products. At the craft store I was instantly drawn to her Autumn themed decorations and at Petsmart I fell in love with her pet products. I mean, I've always loved the woman, I feel like we are very similar, but it's like she read my mind when creating some of these things. Like the pet-grooming caddy. Right now we currently store Rudy's grooming items in a bucket so they are all together, but I have to dig for items frequently. I'm so tempted to buy that caddy so everything has it's own place (nothing will get lost) and it's cute.
Oh yeah, and today is the first day of school here in Portland. BF and I spent countless hours coloring and cutting and getting organized for the first week of school (did you know some curiculum comes in black and white and you have to color and put it together yourself? LAME). BF was so excited and nervous yesterday, but I'm sure that today is going to go well. He's teaching 1st Grade this year and I think it's going to be so much fun! I'm hoping I get to chaperone some of the field trips!
I'm also sure that parents are excited for their kids to be occupied for a good part of the day now. I was at Target the other day and I felt bad for this poor lady- she had 4 kids between the ages of 2 and 12 and I could tell she was just done. They were shopping for school supplies and one of the middle kids kept poking the little one in the cart to make her cry and the older one was asking for EVERYTHING in the store and the other middle one was running to and fro down the aisle leaving bottles of Elmer's glue and pink erasers in his wake. I love kids, but I also love not having them yet. My trips to the store are much less stressful.
Anyhow, I'm beyond excited that Fall is on it's way. Not that we had too much of a summer, but I cannot help it that I love this time of year.
Speaking of summer... what's with the heat this week? I mean, NOW we have to start using the AC? It's freakin' September!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Don't Rub My Feet! Why Are My Dreams So Weird?
No, but seriously.
Last night I had a dream about this guy I know from high school. We were hanging out and I was asking about his wife and family and he made me sit in an office chair and take my shoes off. Then he told me he was going to give me a foot massage and I pulled my feet up underneath me and said ,"No thank you!!" but he kept insisting. I finally put my feet down hoping that he'd just get it over with and he started to rub my feet and then pushed them away.
As I looked dow at him he gave me the most disgusted look EVER and said, "Your feet are so dry and gross! Why don't you use lotion?" I was so embarrassed, but also so mad at him!
I woke up shortly after that and I was still thinking, "Well, you are the one that wanted to rub my feet!".
What a strange dream. The funny part is, I haven't thought much about this person and there's no reason why I would be dreaming about them. Also, not that I want a foot massage from this person, but in real life I LOVE getting my feet massaged- something about it makes me feel like my whole body was massaged and relaxed. Also, I definitely do use lotion and keep my feet as clean and pretty as I possibly can.
I've gotta look this one up.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Weekend In Review
Here it is in short points and I will elaborate later:
- Laundry
- Storage Space
- Gym
- Dog Walk
- Sellwood wandering
- Grand Central Bakery Lunch
- Gym
- Baseball Game
- Hot Dogs
- 1:10am wake up call
- Early Morning Police Call
- Clean House
- Church League Softball
- Heat
- Family Dinner
- Desserts
- Dog Puke
** Updated! **
Now here are my elaborations as promised:
Friday night I started on what turned out to be a weekend full of laundry, which was actually ok. Sometimes it's nice to have clean everything, including clothes and linens. With the disappointment of last week (BF did NOT get the full time kindergarten classroom he was hoping for) we didn't have much in the way of weekend plans. We did finally get a storage space for our seasonal items and large items that don't fit into our house. We went to the gym as usual and just hung out and watched 127 Hours in the evening (which I highly recommend).
Saturday we woke up bright and early so we could help out at BF's elementary school clean up. I packed water and a snack and my leather work gloves expecting to have to pull weeds and spread barkdust but as we drove past the street that the school is located on, BF and I made the decision that we did not, in fact, want to spend our Saturday morning doing any of that and that the school would be just fine with the million community members that showed up to help. Instead we parked and wandered around the Sellwood neighborhoods looking at homes for sale and for rent because we would LOVE to live down there. It'd be convenient for BF since that's where he currently works and it's just the cutest dang town ever. After our wander, we decided to eat at Grand Central Bakery since it's delicious and BF happened to have a couple of gift cards there to use. I had the Sausage Cheese Biscuit and BF had an awesome turkey sandwich. We lucked out and beat the early lunch crowd by minutes and had our order in before the line stretched out the door.
We headed home and decided that the gym was a must after such a hearty breakfast. After lunch I did more laundry and we hung out with Rudy until it was time to head to Keizer for the Volcanos baseball game. BF's parents got tickets so it was a fun family outing. BF and I ate Volcano Dogs for our "snack" which were absolutely delicous. Something about a hot dog/polish dog at a sporting event is much more satisfying than one at home. When we went home I was so tired and happy from all the good food that I didn't care if I made it to the bed or not, I could have fallen asleep anywhere.
At around 1:10am I woke up out of a dead sleep to an awful screaming rant which I thought was only going to last a minute, but after a 5 minute reprieve it started again. I cannot tell you how horrifying this screaming was. At first, before I started listening and while I was only half aware while still waking up, I thought someone was being murdered. But then I realized that this person was screaming a rage-filled rant to someone else who was only somewhat yelling back. I opened the blinds since it sounded like it was right outside of our window but didn't see anyone and then I realized it was coming from one of the 3rd floor folks who had their windows WIDE OPEN. After a few minutes of trying to decipher what was going on, I slipped my flip flops on and walked outside where I met one of our other neighbors trying to figure out who and what had woken him up so horribly. Apparently a couple was having some sort of issue at 1 in the morning and the best way for them to resolve it was by waking up the whole complex. I tried to go back to bed, but the screaming and door slamming persisted so I called the non-emergency police line to report a domestic dispute. The police were there in no time to help sort out the situation and luckily they only called me to verify the address as they were pulling up and I had no further involvement. The worse part of the whole thing is that there are small children in that apartment. I don't care what you do to yourself, but when you act like an asshole in front of your child I have to draw the line and call for back up.
It took a while for me to settle back down and go to sleep, and even then I only slept restlessly.
Sunday morning was a "rest" day so no gym, but I was in a hyper-motivated state of mind and cleaned the whole house so thoroughly you could have declared it a Clean Room and manufactured chips in it (totally dorky Intel reference). Seriously, every single thing we owned got cleaned. I did some more laundry and then we headed out in the heat of the day to play on my parents' church league co-ed softball team. BF played and I was there for support (I don't really play softball). It didn't feel so bad in the shade, but as the sun moved, my shade disappeared and we were red hot by the end of the game and ready to be back inside.
After softball we had to cool off and change before heading to Chevy's for a dinner with part of BF's extended family. More food! It was delicious as always (wish I could make that salsa!) and afterwards we went to BF's parents house to socialize more with the fam and eat some homemade treats. We went home to rescue the dog from boredom after a while. He got so excited that we were home that he ran circles around us when we walked in the door, drank entirely too much water, and then jumped up on the couch and puked on my sweater and on the couch while I was reading.
I was out cold a few minutes after getting into bed and didn't even wake up to move until this morning.
It's going to be a busy week, I can tell, but probably a good one.
- Laundry
- Storage Space
- Gym
- Dog Walk
- Sellwood wandering
- Grand Central Bakery Lunch
- Gym
- Baseball Game
- Hot Dogs
- 1:10am wake up call
- Early Morning Police Call
- Clean House
- Church League Softball
- Heat
- Family Dinner
- Desserts
- Dog Puke
** Updated! **
Now here are my elaborations as promised:
Friday night I started on what turned out to be a weekend full of laundry, which was actually ok. Sometimes it's nice to have clean everything, including clothes and linens. With the disappointment of last week (BF did NOT get the full time kindergarten classroom he was hoping for) we didn't have much in the way of weekend plans. We did finally get a storage space for our seasonal items and large items that don't fit into our house. We went to the gym as usual and just hung out and watched 127 Hours in the evening (which I highly recommend).
Saturday we woke up bright and early so we could help out at BF's elementary school clean up. I packed water and a snack and my leather work gloves expecting to have to pull weeds and spread barkdust but as we drove past the street that the school is located on, BF and I made the decision that we did not, in fact, want to spend our Saturday morning doing any of that and that the school would be just fine with the million community members that showed up to help. Instead we parked and wandered around the Sellwood neighborhoods looking at homes for sale and for rent because we would LOVE to live down there. It'd be convenient for BF since that's where he currently works and it's just the cutest dang town ever. After our wander, we decided to eat at Grand Central Bakery since it's delicious and BF happened to have a couple of gift cards there to use. I had the Sausage Cheese Biscuit and BF had an awesome turkey sandwich. We lucked out and beat the early lunch crowd by minutes and had our order in before the line stretched out the door.
We headed home and decided that the gym was a must after such a hearty breakfast. After lunch I did more laundry and we hung out with Rudy until it was time to head to Keizer for the Volcanos baseball game. BF's parents got tickets so it was a fun family outing. BF and I ate Volcano Dogs for our "snack" which were absolutely delicous. Something about a hot dog/polish dog at a sporting event is much more satisfying than one at home. When we went home I was so tired and happy from all the good food that I didn't care if I made it to the bed or not, I could have fallen asleep anywhere.
At around 1:10am I woke up out of a dead sleep to an awful screaming rant which I thought was only going to last a minute, but after a 5 minute reprieve it started again. I cannot tell you how horrifying this screaming was. At first, before I started listening and while I was only half aware while still waking up, I thought someone was being murdered. But then I realized that this person was screaming a rage-filled rant to someone else who was only somewhat yelling back. I opened the blinds since it sounded like it was right outside of our window but didn't see anyone and then I realized it was coming from one of the 3rd floor folks who had their windows WIDE OPEN. After a few minutes of trying to decipher what was going on, I slipped my flip flops on and walked outside where I met one of our other neighbors trying to figure out who and what had woken him up so horribly. Apparently a couple was having some sort of issue at 1 in the morning and the best way for them to resolve it was by waking up the whole complex. I tried to go back to bed, but the screaming and door slamming persisted so I called the non-emergency police line to report a domestic dispute. The police were there in no time to help sort out the situation and luckily they only called me to verify the address as they were pulling up and I had no further involvement. The worse part of the whole thing is that there are small children in that apartment. I don't care what you do to yourself, but when you act like an asshole in front of your child I have to draw the line and call for back up.
It took a while for me to settle back down and go to sleep, and even then I only slept restlessly.
Sunday morning was a "rest" day so no gym, but I was in a hyper-motivated state of mind and cleaned the whole house so thoroughly you could have declared it a Clean Room and manufactured chips in it (totally dorky Intel reference). Seriously, every single thing we owned got cleaned. I did some more laundry and then we headed out in the heat of the day to play on my parents' church league co-ed softball team. BF played and I was there for support (I don't really play softball). It didn't feel so bad in the shade, but as the sun moved, my shade disappeared and we were red hot by the end of the game and ready to be back inside.
After softball we had to cool off and change before heading to Chevy's for a dinner with part of BF's extended family. More food! It was delicious as always (wish I could make that salsa!) and afterwards we went to BF's parents house to socialize more with the fam and eat some homemade treats. We went home to rescue the dog from boredom after a while. He got so excited that we were home that he ran circles around us when we walked in the door, drank entirely too much water, and then jumped up on the couch and puked on my sweater and on the couch while I was reading.
I was out cold a few minutes after getting into bed and didn't even wake up to move until this morning.
It's going to be a busy week, I can tell, but probably a good one.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Excuse This "Type A Personality" Rant for a Moment
I'm sorry, but I've got to get it off my chest...
Dear Coworkers and Peers,
If you haven't noticed by now, I do not get paid your salary on top of mine which means that I do NOT do your job, even if you ask nicely. Even if you don't know how to do it. Even if your boss asks me (because they aren't my boss). I know that I do a lot of things and you may be confused to my actual role, but I'm not confused and neither are my managers and I can say no. Oh wait, that's right, I can say no to the things you are asking me to do because I have my own job and my own schedule to keep.
You may also think that some of my job duties are performed well by me and that it would be easy for me to do a similar thing for you. But again, not the case. If something in your department/geography/group needs to be done it's your responsibility to do it. I know I've coordinated similar events to the ones you are supposed to be doing and they were successful, but that doesn't mean that I am responsible for ALL events- only the ones in my department/geography/group.
I try to anticipate what questions you may have and information you may need and neatly compile links, resources and How To's frequently for you to keep and reference so that when it's your turn to do something similar you don't have to start from scratch. I do not have to do this, I'm doing it to be helpful so you don't spend hours researching something the way I had to. I would appreciate it if you actually looked at and read those resources/links/How To's so you don't call or email me incessantly when you are trying to get your projects together and have "Urgent Questions". Again, about 99% of the time your questions have already been answered in one of my communications that you forgot about or deleted.
Another thing that I've not been appreciating is the idea you have about dictating my schedule. A few times recently I have found notes or emails regarding trainings and conference calls that you've volunteered me to lead. I have my own schedule to keep and you do not know it so the hour notice for a training you set up that I'm expected to execute is just plain rude. If there is a need and you all feel that I am the one to lead the charge on a training, etc then how about partnering with me on it and we can collaborate to figure out trainings, times and calls the suite everyone's schedules.
It all boils down to the following:
1. I am not your mom.
2. I cannot read minds.
3. I don't get paid to do your job, you do.
4. Work together and share.
5. If you're not organized it's not my problem. You're an adult.
Regards,
Heather
Dear Coworkers and Peers,
If you haven't noticed by now, I do not get paid your salary on top of mine which means that I do NOT do your job, even if you ask nicely. Even if you don't know how to do it. Even if your boss asks me (because they aren't my boss). I know that I do a lot of things and you may be confused to my actual role, but I'm not confused and neither are my managers and I can say no. Oh wait, that's right, I can say no to the things you are asking me to do because I have my own job and my own schedule to keep.
You may also think that some of my job duties are performed well by me and that it would be easy for me to do a similar thing for you. But again, not the case. If something in your department/geography/group needs to be done it's your responsibility to do it. I know I've coordinated similar events to the ones you are supposed to be doing and they were successful, but that doesn't mean that I am responsible for ALL events- only the ones in my department/geography/group.
I try to anticipate what questions you may have and information you may need and neatly compile links, resources and How To's frequently for you to keep and reference so that when it's your turn to do something similar you don't have to start from scratch. I do not have to do this, I'm doing it to be helpful so you don't spend hours researching something the way I had to. I would appreciate it if you actually looked at and read those resources/links/How To's so you don't call or email me incessantly when you are trying to get your projects together and have "Urgent Questions". Again, about 99% of the time your questions have already been answered in one of my communications that you forgot about or deleted.
Another thing that I've not been appreciating is the idea you have about dictating my schedule. A few times recently I have found notes or emails regarding trainings and conference calls that you've volunteered me to lead. I have my own schedule to keep and you do not know it so the hour notice for a training you set up that I'm expected to execute is just plain rude. If there is a need and you all feel that I am the one to lead the charge on a training, etc then how about partnering with me on it and we can collaborate to figure out trainings, times and calls the suite everyone's schedules.
It all boils down to the following:
1. I am not your mom.
2. I cannot read minds.
3. I don't get paid to do your job, you do.
4. Work together and share.
5. If you're not organized it's not my problem. You're an adult.
Regards,
Heather
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
What Happens in Vegas...
...happens because of the Food Network.
I'm in sunny Vegas this week for work! Yay, I get to see some summer weather this year, although it's not in Oregon. This week has been pretty packed with meetings so far, but last night we split up into groups by work territory and went to dinner. My group picked Tao, to my delight, for dinner. I had first heard about Tao on the Food Network show, "Best Thing I Ever Ate...". That particular episode featured the Chilean Sea Bass over asparagus from Tao and ever since I've wanted to go. Lucky for me my work peers wanted to go as well.
It was a pretty interesting night because Tao also has an adjoining nightclub so the mix of people there was kind of funny. We were seated and instead of ordering separate dishes, we decided to do a family style 3 course meal. It. Was. Fabulous. Everything we ate I absolutely loved. It was also SPENDY. I will not tell you how much it cost for a group of 7 to eat dinner, but it was almost my 2 week paycheck.
 |
| Giant Buddha in the center of the restuarant |
Since it was a group dinner we decided to have the dinner served family style in 3 courses instead of everyone ordering separate dishes. The first course was a Kobe beef tartar, a Tuna tartar, and a chicken potsticker. I was hesitant to try to Kobe beef since it is RAW MEAT, however I was pleasantly surprised and truly enjoyed it. The flavor was akin to a very rare steak instead of the bloody-iron taste I exptected. The potstickers and the tuna were excellent as well.
The second course was a sushi and sashimi course. They brought Kobe beef and avocado rolls, and Surf and Turf roll with Kobe beef and assorted fish, and then a shrimp roll with fish. All were fabulous and I would have been happy to eat more of the same for the main course.
The main course was immense. I wasn't expecting that much food and was already pretty full when it came. We were served thinly sliced marinated Kobe beef (I think it was just seared) with shitake mushrooms, pork fried rice, Kung Pao chicken, Thai chicken, Chinese sausage fried rice and Chilean Sea Bass over asparagus. I was in absolute heaven. That Chilean sea bass was like butter. No joke. Every single dish was amazing.
I pulled the waiter aside at one point and let him know that we were also celebrating the promotion of my NEW BOSS, Ryan, and I wanted to have a little something special sent to him at the end of our meal. The wait staff blew me away and brought Ryan a chocolate pudding parfait and a huge tray of special desserts for the table to share, free of charge. There was a giant fortune cookie filled with vanilla and chocolate mousse, coconut ice cream and a fortune for each person at the table, little milk/dark/white chocolate Buddhas, chocolate ganache filled "spring rolls" with citrus dipping sauce and a few other little cookie and chocolate items that I couldn't identify.
I would definitely go back, but I think I can only afford the Chilean Sea Bass and one other item... but totally worth it.
 |
| Mini chocolate Buddha... too cute! |
Thursday, August 11, 2011
The Rudy has The Fleas
Oh. My. Goodness.
I'm feeling totally guilty and negligent about our little puppy this week because the poor guy has fleas. This is a tragedy and also sending me into panic mode... I all but bug-bombed our home last night.
It started as a typical Wednesday night. BF and I finished eating dinner and sat down on the couch to watch some tv with Rudy before heading to the gym. The dog had been acting super jumpy and aggitated but we couldn't figure out what was going on. Rudy had climbed in between BF and I on the couch and rolled over to have his "tummy rubs" that he loves so much. As we were petting his stomach I noticed a single black dot that started to move. I tried to pinch it out of Rudy's fur, but it was too quick. I quickly jumped up and grabbed a flea comb from Rudy's box of stuff (more on that later) and ran back to comb through his fur. Sure enough I found 3 live fleas! BF told me that Rudy had been scratching his hind-end a lot earlier that morning but he didn't think much of it since we bathe him pretty regularly and give him monthly Frontline treatments from the vet.
We figured that Rudy must have got it from playing in fields of tall grass that we walk through on our evening walks with him. Like I said, he's bathed regularly and given monthly flea treatments. None of the other dogs he plays with have them either, but I still cannot help but feel responsible. He's itchy and uncomfortable and I just feel bad for him.
I immediately ran to the store and bought flea wash and spray for Rudy and carpet and upholstry spray for the house- who KNEW what had been infected. And who knew that flea shampoo, spray and carpet spray would set me back about $40! But I figure it was necessary. We promptly threw Rudy into the tub and soaped him up generously. As he was drying I took the carpet/upholstry flea spray and sprayed Rudy's bed, the couch, all of the areas Rudy like to hang out in and then under our bed because Rudy frequently crawls under there to sleep when he's tired of his own bed.
It became a cleaning frenzy and I stripped our bed and washed all of our sheets, blankets, pillows and comforter with HOT water and a little bleach just in case any had found their way to our bed (even though Rudy is not allowed on the bed you never know... plus, like I said he's frequently under it). Then I started pulling stuff out of corners in our room and dusting/vacuuming EVERTHING. Once I was done with the bedroom and main living areas I took some bug spray and sprayed the perimeter of our place, our porch and around all of our windows (outside, of course).
BF continued on to the gym, but I stayed behind and cleaned... once I get going on a project it's hard for me to break away until I finish! I then moved on to the extra bedroom and started packing up items that BF and I are going to store (seasonal things that are taking up space but that we want to keep for holidays and for winter/cold months).
By the time BF got home I felt much better about our situation. Rudy was still a little itchy but I think all of the fleas are gone or on their death bed.
I'm feeling totally guilty and negligent about our little puppy this week because the poor guy has fleas. This is a tragedy and also sending me into panic mode... I all but bug-bombed our home last night.
It started as a typical Wednesday night. BF and I finished eating dinner and sat down on the couch to watch some tv with Rudy before heading to the gym. The dog had been acting super jumpy and aggitated but we couldn't figure out what was going on. Rudy had climbed in between BF and I on the couch and rolled over to have his "tummy rubs" that he loves so much. As we were petting his stomach I noticed a single black dot that started to move. I tried to pinch it out of Rudy's fur, but it was too quick. I quickly jumped up and grabbed a flea comb from Rudy's box of stuff (more on that later) and ran back to comb through his fur. Sure enough I found 3 live fleas! BF told me that Rudy had been scratching his hind-end a lot earlier that morning but he didn't think much of it since we bathe him pretty regularly and give him monthly Frontline treatments from the vet.
We figured that Rudy must have got it from playing in fields of tall grass that we walk through on our evening walks with him. Like I said, he's bathed regularly and given monthly flea treatments. None of the other dogs he plays with have them either, but I still cannot help but feel responsible. He's itchy and uncomfortable and I just feel bad for him.
I immediately ran to the store and bought flea wash and spray for Rudy and carpet and upholstry spray for the house- who KNEW what had been infected. And who knew that flea shampoo, spray and carpet spray would set me back about $40! But I figure it was necessary. We promptly threw Rudy into the tub and soaped him up generously. As he was drying I took the carpet/upholstry flea spray and sprayed Rudy's bed, the couch, all of the areas Rudy like to hang out in and then under our bed because Rudy frequently crawls under there to sleep when he's tired of his own bed.
 |
| Rudy getting a bath. This wasn't from last night, but the only pathetic bath picture of him we have during a weekly bathing session. |
It became a cleaning frenzy and I stripped our bed and washed all of our sheets, blankets, pillows and comforter with HOT water and a little bleach just in case any had found their way to our bed (even though Rudy is not allowed on the bed you never know... plus, like I said he's frequently under it). Then I started pulling stuff out of corners in our room and dusting/vacuuming EVERTHING. Once I was done with the bedroom and main living areas I took some bug spray and sprayed the perimeter of our place, our porch and around all of our windows (outside, of course).
BF continued on to the gym, but I stayed behind and cleaned... once I get going on a project it's hard for me to break away until I finish! I then moved on to the extra bedroom and started packing up items that BF and I are going to store (seasonal things that are taking up space but that we want to keep for holidays and for winter/cold months).
By the time BF got home I felt much better about our situation. Rudy was still a little itchy but I think all of the fleas are gone or on their death bed.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Rose City 'Till I Die
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| BF and I on the Budweiser Balcony with Timber Joey |
AHHHHHHH!
Last night I had the wonderful opportunity to take myself and BF to the Portland Timbers vs. LA Galaxy game. Though I support my team through and through, I was a little nervous about how we'd perform against the number one ranked MLS team.
We got to sit in the Budweiser Balcony, which was fully catered so all we had to do was show up with our Timbers pride and enjoy the evening. Before the game and after finding a pretty convenient parking spot, I hit up the Timbers Army merch van to buy a crest shirt since they aren't branded (meaning I will NOT wear an Adi shirt, even if it is to support my favorite team) and since I recently joined the TA and the 107ist organization I figured I sort of needed one anyway. We headed into Jeld Wen stadium to find our seats.
Once we were settled we dug into a barbeque dinner (chicken breast, pulled pork, cole slaw, the works!) and enjoyed the sun, although it did get a bit warm. Once the game started the air was electric and we were lucky enough to be right next to the Timbers Army seating so we could participate in all of the cheers and chants.
About 26 minutes in we scored. It took me a second to realize that we had actually done it! A few minutes later we scored again and then I got so nervous ( I don't know why, it's not like I was playing). I didn't want to be overly confident that we had this game nailed, but it was so hard not to be ecstatic. Our boys did an amazing job and were super aggressive. We had a few more great shots, but nothing else until the second half. We scored again in the 2nd half and I just couldn't believe it; we were 3-0 against the best team in the league! With confidence and energy the Timbers held the Galaxy off and even managed a few more great shots before the game was over.
The crowd was deafening and I was thoroughly enjoying the evening. BF and I stayed and watched Timber Joey give the chainsawed rounds to the scoring members of the team and present them to the crowd. It was a fantastic evening and I am totally addicted to these games!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Nehalem, Pizza and the Importance of a Pillow
Oregon is beautiful right now. In a way, I'm sort of glad that summer was a little slow to start because usually we are in the middle of heat waves and the only time I feel comfortable is when I'm in a cold shower or in my air conditioned car... but this year not so much.
Over the weekend BF and I took Rudy to Nehalem Bay to camp. We only stayed 1 night, but Rudy had a blast exploring the campsite and running wild on the beach.
He ran himself ragged, which was good because when we got home he was super mellow and just napped the rest of the evening.
We honestly didn't do much in Nehalem. BF and I had decided ahead of time that we didn't want to cook our dinner the first night since it was "cheat meal" night, so we did a little research and landed on a pizza place in Seaside (only 25 miles away) called Angelina's. We called ahead and told them where we were driving from so they wouldn't sit there waiting for us to arrive. It was hands down, the best pizza I've eaten in a long time. Not that I eat a lot of pizza, but you know, DARN GOOD.
The one thing that went awry on our little getaway was that we forgot to bring our pillows. I always forget how important a good pillow is for a good night's sleep. Needless to say we didn't get a lot of restful sleep and woke up with slightly sore/stiff necks and shoulders.
This week should be nice and easy because almost everyone is on vacation until next week. Can we say awesome?
Over the weekend BF and I took Rudy to Nehalem Bay to camp. We only stayed 1 night, but Rudy had a blast exploring the campsite and running wild on the beach.
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| Beach Rudy! |
He ran himself ragged, which was good because when we got home he was super mellow and just napped the rest of the evening.
We honestly didn't do much in Nehalem. BF and I had decided ahead of time that we didn't want to cook our dinner the first night since it was "cheat meal" night, so we did a little research and landed on a pizza place in Seaside (only 25 miles away) called Angelina's. We called ahead and told them where we were driving from so they wouldn't sit there waiting for us to arrive. It was hands down, the best pizza I've eaten in a long time. Not that I eat a lot of pizza, but you know, DARN GOOD.
The one thing that went awry on our little getaway was that we forgot to bring our pillows. I always forget how important a good pillow is for a good night's sleep. Needless to say we didn't get a lot of restful sleep and woke up with slightly sore/stiff necks and shoulders.
This week should be nice and easy because almost everyone is on vacation until next week. Can we say awesome?
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Sometimes Thursday Should Be Friday
I've been terrible at keeping track of the days this week. Tuesday I thought it was Wednesday for half of the day, and yesterday felt like it should have been a Friday; today, even more so, feels like it should be the end of the work week. I think it's because the summer weather has finally appeared and it feels like it should in July.
I think I'm just anxious to get out of town for some camping. This weekend BF, Rudy and I are heading to Nehalem for a little overnight camp trip. It's not that far and we are only staying one night but it's nice to get out of the house and out of town just for a little while.
Also, I'm not diabetic or pre-diabetic. Thanks to my eye exam we know that now. It wasn't really a concern of mine even though it does run in the family (mom's side is Native American, but I'm convinced that it's not genetic with them but a symptom of their eating habits). Randomly during my eye exam last week the student doing my exam (I usually go to Pacific University's eye clinic) asked if she could test my blood sugar for a research project they are doing in one of her classes. She asked a few questions (like when and what did I eat last, if diabetes ran in the family, took my blood pressure, etc) and then pricked me and my sugar level about 2 hours after eating lunch was a 116. The "normal" blood sugar range for someone without diabetes should be <140, so I think I'm good. I meant to look up the normal range for these things last week after my actual appointment, but kept forgetting. I'd like to thank my mom for not introducing us to sweets and treats until we were out of our toddler years and for always providing healthy foods for us to eat for my good results. Oh, and BF for helping me put together a great nutritional plan a few years ago that included whole grains and less processed food.
Let's hope when I get home today that BF has great news about winning the lottery.
I think I'm just anxious to get out of town for some camping. This weekend BF, Rudy and I are heading to Nehalem for a little overnight camp trip. It's not that far and we are only staying one night but it's nice to get out of the house and out of town just for a little while.
Also, I'm not diabetic or pre-diabetic. Thanks to my eye exam we know that now. It wasn't really a concern of mine even though it does run in the family (mom's side is Native American, but I'm convinced that it's not genetic with them but a symptom of their eating habits). Randomly during my eye exam last week the student doing my exam (I usually go to Pacific University's eye clinic) asked if she could test my blood sugar for a research project they are doing in one of her classes. She asked a few questions (like when and what did I eat last, if diabetes ran in the family, took my blood pressure, etc) and then pricked me and my sugar level about 2 hours after eating lunch was a 116. The "normal" blood sugar range for someone without diabetes should be <140, so I think I'm good. I meant to look up the normal range for these things last week after my actual appointment, but kept forgetting. I'd like to thank my mom for not introducing us to sweets and treats until we were out of our toddler years and for always providing healthy foods for us to eat for my good results. Oh, and BF for helping me put together a great nutritional plan a few years ago that included whole grains and less processed food.
Let's hope when I get home today that BF has great news about winning the lottery.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
HOT BOX!
BF and I watched "Fantastic Mr. Fox" and it is now my favorite and most quotable movie. It's pretty safe to say that if it's a Wes Anderson film, I'll like it. It's based off of the lovely Roald Dahl children's book "Fantastic Mr. Fox". I also LOVE Roald Dahl. Very fond childhood memories of reading his books. If you haven't seen or read it, I suggest doing both. It's also a kid-friendly movie other than a little bit of violence (PG rating).
So this week I feel like an absolute bonehead. At work I'm keeping up with the manic pace of things just fine, but at home I'm completely lacking my usual motivation and organizational gusto. I haven't vacuumed, I haven't done any cleaning other than daily dishes (with BF's help, mostly) and I left a load of wet clothes in the wash completely forgotten. When I did remember it (2 days later) I opened the lid cautiously, knowing that I would find a wet mildewy heap of clothes to rewash and that's exactly what I found. I had to rewash the load, on hot with a drop or two of bleach to kill the moldy mess. Lukily, my clothes weren't ruined.
I also did another awesome thing where I miscounted days on the calendar and stopped my birth control almost a FULL WEEK before I was supposed to (how long have I been doing this whole lady-days thing?) so I spent a couple days feeling like complete ass because my body was all "Hormones... what???" until my period finally started. I know that's probably WAY too much information, but that's my week.
Really looking forward to camping this weekend!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
The Benefits of Mini Vacation
As I said I would, I took a few days off of work. BF and I didn't really go anywhere or do much, but it was nice to have a few days to sleep in and not answer phone calls or emails.
We kicked off my mini vacation by seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II on Friday morning at 12:01am. It. Was. Awesome. They gave us 3D glasses shaped like Harry Potter's glasses to keep! It was adorable. I'm a little sad that it was the end to such a great series of movies, but I cannot wait to own it and watch it whenever I want! Sort of like the books... sometimes I'll just pick one up and start reading all over again.
Anyway...
It was really hard the first day of no work (last Friday) to turn off my "work" self; I was buzzing around the house getting irritated that I wasn't getting everything done. Then I sort of chilled out, got my house clean, didn't drink anything caffeinated and felt more relaxed- a clean house seems to have that effect.
Friday night was softball as usual and then the weekend was pretty much a blur. At one point we had a BBQ at our place with BF's parents and sister and my parents. It was a tight fit in our small place, but the food was excellent and the company was nice, too.
We also went to Corvallis to see a Corvallis Knights baseball game. Our friend Sean is on the team and it happened to be his birthday so we watched the game, ate hotdogs, got gelato and then ate burgers afterwards to celebrate. Because it was his birthday, we let Sean pick where to eat and he DID NOT pick Block 15 so BF and I were a little sad, but the food we did have was pretty good so really no complaints there. We'll just have to go back to Block 15 another time.
Monday I had an eye appointment and found out that my prescription has stayed the same for 3 years now... that's pretty incredible! No new glasses since mine are serving me well, but I may go back and pick out a pair to have as back up since my back up pair are getting a little beat up from travel.
Yesterday BF and I saw a movie IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY with all of the old retired folks. It's funny to see what type of people are seeing movies at noon on a Wednesday. We saw "Horrible Bosses" and it was us and two other older couples in the theater. I forgot they were there half the time and was laughing loudly- Charlie Day is one of my favorite people.
Today was my first day back at work and I even got there early in anticipation of the pile of stuff waiting for me, but it wasn't that bad. I got yelled at when I ran a quick errand by a crazy old European man in an Adidas soccer jersey for getting a plastic bag for my purchase. I told him thank you for the unsolicited comment regarding my purchase and that I would be reusing the bag at home (which I frequently do when I RARELY get a plastic bag)* and that he could take a plastic bag and put it somewhere unmentionable. I really do hate it when people think they know better than me and I know I was a bit rude, but I made the checkout lady laugh and I felt much better. Reminder to all: you may mean well, but sometimes you have NO IDEA what other people are doing so you should just stay out of it. That's my PSA for the week.
Anyway, it's great having a super short work week (tomorrow's Friday!) and I'm already looking forward to the weekend again.
*For future reference, BF and I rarely get plastic bags at the grocery store preferring to use our reusable fabric bags instead. When we do get a plastic bag, we keep it for future use or we return them to the recycling container at our local grocery store set up specifically to collect these bags.
We kicked off my mini vacation by seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II on Friday morning at 12:01am. It. Was. Awesome. They gave us 3D glasses shaped like Harry Potter's glasses to keep! It was adorable. I'm a little sad that it was the end to such a great series of movies, but I cannot wait to own it and watch it whenever I want! Sort of like the books... sometimes I'll just pick one up and start reading all over again.
Anyway...
It was really hard the first day of no work (last Friday) to turn off my "work" self; I was buzzing around the house getting irritated that I wasn't getting everything done. Then I sort of chilled out, got my house clean, didn't drink anything caffeinated and felt more relaxed- a clean house seems to have that effect.
Friday night was softball as usual and then the weekend was pretty much a blur. At one point we had a BBQ at our place with BF's parents and sister and my parents. It was a tight fit in our small place, but the food was excellent and the company was nice, too.
We also went to Corvallis to see a Corvallis Knights baseball game. Our friend Sean is on the team and it happened to be his birthday so we watched the game, ate hotdogs, got gelato and then ate burgers afterwards to celebrate. Because it was his birthday, we let Sean pick where to eat and he DID NOT pick Block 15 so BF and I were a little sad, but the food we did have was pretty good so really no complaints there. We'll just have to go back to Block 15 another time.
Monday I had an eye appointment and found out that my prescription has stayed the same for 3 years now... that's pretty incredible! No new glasses since mine are serving me well, but I may go back and pick out a pair to have as back up since my back up pair are getting a little beat up from travel.
Yesterday BF and I saw a movie IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY with all of the old retired folks. It's funny to see what type of people are seeing movies at noon on a Wednesday. We saw "Horrible Bosses" and it was us and two other older couples in the theater. I forgot they were there half the time and was laughing loudly- Charlie Day is one of my favorite people.
Today was my first day back at work and I even got there early in anticipation of the pile of stuff waiting for me, but it wasn't that bad. I got yelled at when I ran a quick errand by a crazy old European man in an Adidas soccer jersey for getting a plastic bag for my purchase. I told him thank you for the unsolicited comment regarding my purchase and that I would be reusing the bag at home (which I frequently do when I RARELY get a plastic bag)* and that he could take a plastic bag and put it somewhere unmentionable. I really do hate it when people think they know better than me and I know I was a bit rude, but I made the checkout lady laugh and I felt much better. Reminder to all: you may mean well, but sometimes you have NO IDEA what other people are doing so you should just stay out of it. That's my PSA for the week.
Anyway, it's great having a super short work week (tomorrow's Friday!) and I'm already looking forward to the weekend again.
*For future reference, BF and I rarely get plastic bags at the grocery store preferring to use our reusable fabric bags instead. When we do get a plastic bag, we keep it for future use or we return them to the recycling container at our local grocery store set up specifically to collect these bags.
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