Sunday March 31st 2013

SPRING BREAK :)

Oh I have been waiting for this day for so long. 

Mine started a day early... with a double ear infection and a ruptured ear drum. Seriously.... if you've never had a ruptured eardrum, I would not wish it on ANYONE. I spent at least 10 hours crying in pain before I could get to a doctor, it was insane. Thankfully, I was able to get into my doctor early in the morning, who perscribed me a whole bunch of medication and pain medicine, and I was able to sleep for 2 days. Now, it's Sunday and FINALLY I feel better.

I don't have that many plans for spring break, but I did go to lunch with my parents & Josh today (not my brother, he's still in Kabul). It was nice to enjoy the sun ...it's 77* today!

PS, it's so true, and I love this-

throwback thursday 4

I have a board in my room at my parent's house (yes, I still have a room there!), and last time I was visiting, I thought it would be cool to look at my pictures on it, since they're all pretty old- I don't really put anything new on it now.

^ One of favorite pictures of me and one of my best friends, Caroline from my last summer in Boston.  LOVE. You can also see the corner of my friend Aireanne's wedding announcement.

^ Picture of me & my brother from his college graduation in 2009. Some Morocan money, a zoo ticket & you can kind of see a photo strip of me and my BF, Mackenzie. I've never been to the Grand Lodge, my Mom gave it to me, random.

^ Me & Mackenzie, my graduation announcement for my Master's Degree!!, a post card from Pompei that I love & the same photo strip from above.

Sunday March 24th 2013

Oregon & Washington have different spring breaks, which really sucks since a ton of my friends were on spring break this week, but I have to wait till next week.... I am trying not to be bitter. But I can not wait for spring break! I have no plans but to relax and enjoy myself and recharge for the nine weeks we have left, with only one three day weekend. I love my job, but it's going to be brutal. June 11th will be here soon, though.

My friend Aireanne came to visit me (science teacher, she's on spring break) & brought her adorable puppy with her! I was actually with her when she adopted her! But I had not seen Lexi since. OMG! She is so big! Aireanne is super into puppy training her too, so she is SO well behaved.  

^staring at geese. So serious! 

We took a really long walk (my favorite walk, by the fairgrounds) and went for pizza. It was really relaxing and fun to catch up. It's easy to feel so isolated out here, so I love it when people come to visit me, even if only for a night!

In other news... I FINALLY finished my taxes, I am proud because I actually did them before April....okay, only my federal, but STILL. :)

& I celebrated....

:)

Life is good :) xo

throwback thursday 3

Before my brother moved to Germany, my Mom wanted us to take family photos. So...we did. Hello, 2008. I think these are the cutest. I also think they only highlight how different I look from anyone in my family. I actually have one of these pictures on my desk at work, & people always ask "uhm, is that your family?"I think I look the most like my Dad, but you can totally tell my brother &  I are siblings, especially in this picture-

People who are friends with my Mom & I say we look nothing alike, & I have to agree. We not only don't physically look alike, we are super different in personalities, too... which is fun. :)

Adorable, right? My family is the best. xo

March 16th 2013

With weather like this, why wouldn't you want to go to Seattle?

I have a total hate/hate relationship with Seattle, for no real reason I can really pin point except I know that I don't like it...for the following reasons: It's so crowded and everything is so close together (not in a good way). The people are not nice. The weather is awful. The only thing they have to brag about is a mediocre, totally fake market and a space needle that is pretty small. There is no real history to make the city interesting. 

So when my Mom asked me to go with her for the weekend to meet some family friends, I very begrudgingly agreed to go. Oh, another reason for the hate list-the drive from Portland to Seattle is really awful and driving in Seattle is also awful. Basically, there is just no redeeming quality for me in Seattle.

^ Starting the drive, at 7am.

^It is so small.... I did get a corn on the cob here, which was by far my favorite thing that happened while in the city

So that was that. I went to Seattle & I have nothing nice to say. Seeing our friends was fun, and we went to dinner at a really good Italian place (that was 30 minutes North of Seattle...just saying).

March 13th, 2013

I finally finished the quilt I have been working on! :) & I started on a new one, which I drew out on my lunch at work.... I'm pretty excited to be finished with this one, too. Then I think I (may) be done quilting for a little bit.

▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲

Friday, frienday! & Elaine, Phoebe & I went to Walking Man Brewery in Stevenson- it's sooooo good. Seriously, the tatter tots are amazing! That with sun = a perfect Friday. I can't wait for spring break- only 2 weeks!! And then, I can't wait for summer... only 2 more months. 

throwback thursday 2

Continuing with last weeks throwback post, this is on the same road trip. 

And here is my favorite picture, maybe of all time, my brother reading with my little (little at the time) cousin, D3. They're reading about Star Wars. I love this picture so much!

After hanging with them, we headed to Savannah, so these must be somewhere around there-

This road trip was much needed and one of the best brother/sister things ever. Even though I threw up non-stop, and slept when I wasn't vomiting. :) 

Monday, March 11th 2013

^This weekend I went on a little road trip to Kennewick to visit some family and friends. It was actually really nice and fun... and relaxing. I got to see my cousin, Aunt and Grandma, none of who I really get to see enough of. Three more weeks till spring break.... and it can not come soon enough. I have no real plans, but I am looking forward to sleeping in and relaxing-from spring break to the end of the year we only have one day off! (Actually we never have any days off, except federal/state holidays, lots of my other teacher friends get planning days, or grading days, (of if they're lucky, both) and we don't get those.)

^I love this FOE building- I have no idea what FOE stands for, it just seems so exclusive to me 

The weather makes for a pretty depressing start to the week, but I made homemade chesse its to cheer myself up, and pulled pork sandwiches. Laying in bed with a good book, and there are only a few things that could make me happier right now.  

throwback thursday 1

I don't know where throwback Thursday started, but I think it's great. I love seeing old pictures of all my friends all over facebook, but I thought I would share mine on my blog instead. 

In 2007 (2008?) I went with my brother to his girlfriend Kelly's best friend Mary's wedding. Yeahh... the reason I was there was complicated, but it was so. much. fun!! Springfield, IL, I love you. Horseshoes are still pretty much the best food of all time, though I have never been one on a menu anywhere since. A restaurant in Springfield also claims to have invented the corn dog, random fact.

 ^ Me & Kelly

^ Josh & me! 

The whole trip (this was one stop on a road trip) was so fun! I am sure I will have to post pictures from more stops also. I think it's crazy how young we all look, though it was only 5 years ago. & yes, Mom that in juice in that cup. :) 

March 1st- Warhorse

My Mom & I got tickets through my Dad's BFF to see the play Warhorse a few months ago. I had never heard of it, but I figured.... how bad could it be? So off we headed to the play. I don't want to say it was the worst thing I have ever seen in my life- because I have seem some really bad high school productions- but it was certainly the worst play I have ever seen that GOT A STANDING OVATION. I was so confused when I woke up from my little nap, and everyone was standing up clapping! 

I have heard it was a good book & movie, but this play was just so wrong in so many ways. I honestly cared about nothing in it, and even the cool technical horse stuff (it was all puppets) was boring after about 20 minutes. Maybe I am not "cultured" enough to appreciate it, but that's fine with me.

The bright spot was that my Mom and I mocked it for the rest of the weekend (calling each other by blowing a whistle... bwahaha) and it was amazing, because we kept seeing horse stuff all weekend long! So it wasn't a total loss. Good mother/daughter time. 

February 28th- OMSI After Dark, Mythbusters edition!

Wednesday I was working in Vancouver, & that night was OMSI after dark, so it was perfect. I was able to work all day, meet Keri & Taryn in the (later) afternoon, then meet with Elaine at night for OMSI. I am kinda fighting a cold, so I was tired, but it was worth it.

First, Taryn & me! How adorable is she. It's hard for me to process that she will be THREE this year!

Then, OMSI after dark! It was a Mythbusters "theme," which basically meant it was all games! So cool.

^ they also had a lot of stuff/facts about the show and things they have used (like a ducktape raft!) & a coffin that they buried someone in, to prove that you can't really be accidentally buried alive in a coffin

^this was a rain thing, where you saw which way you got more rain on you-running through the rain, or walking. You get more wet walking, Elaine and I experimented :)

We also got to change into superhero outfits in phone booths, build little towers and have tornado winds blow them down, try and dodge a shooting bullet and try and flick cards into a wall.  Oh, and try and pull a tablecloth off a table without breaking the dishes. And sit on a swing made out of phonebooks.

It was awesome!