Caitlin Erin

Amazing Ladies

2010-10-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

date night with our mom's at the gorge to see brad paisley

andrew and I are so blessed by our mothers. we are very close with both my mom and his mom and for this i am extremely thankful. they offer unending support. realistic advice. untiring encouragement.

they each love both of us. we each have a special, individual relationship with them; not just because we are future in-laws, but because we are in-dividuals.

they have raised us to be two individuals who are prepared for one another. i often stop and think how thankful i am that our parents had such strong (and conveniently similar) values, so that as we grew we were being fashioned for one another. what a gift!

{i happen to think they are pretty beautiful too.}

more pictures of the evening:

mom and her not-so-amazing binocular skills

campbell's

mom and i : labberton ladies

the gorge was so beautiful that evening, we couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather

preparations

2010-10-04T06:08:00.000-07:00

This whole marriage thing is staring to seem real. As in, the wedding is actually going to happen. The people are going to home, the priest is going to be there, in front of everyone we are going to officially begin our life together.
The two of us.
Just us.
He and I. (and God of course!)

We are starting to make plans for that life. For what it will look like when we are husband and wife. For where we will live and what we will do and how it will all work. These are things that we have been talking about for a long time, but now, NOW, they are becoming concrete. Now we have to act, make a move, and actively prepare for our life together.
I couldn't be more thankful, or excited.
It's coming. The two of us. Together. Married.

Seattle {Sunday}

2010-09-07T14:59:00.001-07:00

Andrew planned a quick trip to Seattle for the two of us to celebrate our 5 years together (5 years!!). I was so excited that I did not have to do the planning or deal with details. We finally made it to a Mariner's game. We have been talking about going every summer for the past few years and somehow our busy schedules have not allowed us to whittle out time to go. I jumped onto StubHub and got our tickets for $3.99 a piece! I was shocked. My brother teased me for being so cheap and purchasing such horrible seats, but really all I want to do is go to the ballpark, people watch, and have some junk food. Andrew didn't seem to mind the nosebleed section too much either. We ended up having the most gorgeous weather that day and we both left the game with pink cheeks and noses, I had worn my Uggs because I thought that we would freeze! Sun in Seattle is always a pleasant surprise.

I thought this was so funny. This man had a whole kiosk that went around with him on his segway.

Andrew watching the pitcher warm up.

On a recommendation from our friend Lauren we ate dinner at The Pink Door in Pike Place Market. They had delicious Italian food and great atmosphere. We sat outside on the patio and enjoyed some more of the beautiful weather as we looked out past the market to the waterfront.

we think we are funny.
I love the look on Andrew's face in this picture!!

Seattle {Monday}

2010-09-07T14:48:00.000-07:00

Andrew and I went to breakfast on a recommendation from my friend Lauren. She said that we should check out Lowell's in the market, and she would not lead up wrong! We got up early enough to get to the restaurant before it was too crowded. This ended up paying off because we got a table by the window on the very cozy second floor. Just looking at the restaurant from the entrance in the market I would have never guessed that it was this big inside! The view was perfect - right out to the water where we watched the ferries come and go. It was a dreary sort of day which made the warm restaurant that much more inviting. If you find yourself in downtown Seattle looking for breakfast, I highly recommend this place!

Andrew's drink of choice: fresh squeezed orange juice, and mine: coffee.

After breakfast we were ready to shop but apparently we are a little to eager for this town! The shops that we wanted to visit did not open until 10 am but Nordstrom's opened at 9:30. This is Andrew waiting every so patiently with me for Nordie's to open. And then we was the one that ended up buying clothes there!

A little bit of life

2010-08-18T11:42:00.000-07:00

Last week I got to spend a lot of time with these two girls. Maybe it was the intoxication of the fair food, maybe it was the country music, or getting caught in the rain with them. Whatever it was I couldn't help but reminisce about how these girls have taught me to be a little bit country. Because of them I have ridden a horse, learned to love country music, sung at the top of my lungs at countless country concerts, looked at steer butts, cheered on pooper scoopers at the community parade, learned about: rodeo, fair, farm life, working hard, toughening up. All of these things are memories and lessons that I cherish.

Grandpa Jeep

2010-08-18T11:18:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad recently spent a few days with their darling granddaughter. She is almost one! I can't believe it! Mom has always been head over heels for her but Dad seems to be falling more and more in love with this little girl! Of course he loved her to begin with but now he will just start laughing to himself as he's thinking about her, tell stories about her, and count the days until he gets to see her again.

Wedding Planner

2010-07-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

She may not look it, but this woman, is my wedding planner. She has amazing taste in color, decor, flowers. She is original ideas. She has ideas old and new and fresh and different and classic all rolled into one. I can tell her what I'm thinking and she runs with it, coming up with something more interesting, dimensional and beautiful than I could have thought. Thank goodness she's on my team. She is going to make my wedding ideas realities.
Did I mention she's a lot of fun too?

Lost in the Rush

2010-07-25T12:21:00.000-07:00

I thought I would have so much time.
Thought I would be bored, lazy, well-read, relaxed and rested.
Thought that I would wonder what to do with myself.

Here I am at the other side of my relaxing summer months wondering what in the world happened.
I had little time.
I was never close to bored, or well-read or well-rested. Possibly I was relaxed and maybe even a wee bit lazy once or twice.
I did not ever want for something to do with myself.

Instead I: laughed. sighed. talked. and talked. smiled. visited. caught up. read. not well-read, but read. splashed. lounged. ate. cooked. planned. packed. unpacked. repacked. drove. flew. biked. hiked. sang.

Danielle's Visit

2010-06-28T16:35:00.000-07:00

I drank lots of delicious, local, only-in-Seattle coffee, recommended by our lovely guide Garrett,

ate a ridiculous amount of Belly Flops, Lauren and Danielle helped,

shopped with Naomi, almost cried when she left,

saw the sights (literally a hop, skip and a jump from Lauren's digs),

and remembered how much I miss her.

Bummin Around Bend

2010-06-28T13:54:00.000-07:00

We spent the last weekend in Bend, OR visiting my cousin Brady. We miss him terribly so it was a lot of fun to go down and spend the weekend in his town and have him show us some of his favorite spots. We ate amazing food, drank local wine and beer selections, and got a taste of the hippy lifestyle. Brady rides his bike everywhere and I can see why! This town is so biker friendly and seriously it seemed like we didn't go a minute the whole weekend without spotting someone biking, kayaking, running, walking along their merry way.

Brady is Dominic's hero. It was obvious to see how much he loved spending time with him this weekend.

My Aunt Christine never fails to liven the night up, this time, her costume of choice was an inflatable witch. She disappeared for a few minutes and returned in this. What a hoot!

On our way home mom and I stopped to see the Crooked River crossing. We laughed on the way down about it and vowed to actually pull the car over and explore it on our way home. Over the years we have crossed it many times on driving too or from California. It is the strangest thing, you are just driving along, unassuming landscape surrounding, and suddenly the earth drops out from underneath you.

Big Thunder

2010-06-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

Dad was excited to have fellow riders on his favorite ride. When he and Mom go to the park together he has to ride it alone.

Dad's favorite ride is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. He insists on keeping his hands up during the entire ride. This picture makes me smile because this was my first "roller coaster" and I will always hold close to the memory of Dad and I riding it with our hands up for the whole ride!

Andrew Better Watch Out

2010-06-10T08:42:00.000-07:00

Andrew is starting with his first wife.... that will probably be enough to do him in!
Did I say wife?! That must mean that I'm going to be a wife!!! Strange.

Happily Ever After

2010-06-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

My parents are still in love. Our whole trip to Florida my parents were holding hands, seriously, the whole time. Andrew kept teasing me about how in love my parents are and just imagine...
I acted like it bugged me, grossed me out, etc, but in all reality, I think it is so awesome that my parents still like each other, enjoy spending time together and still like to hold hands! So many couples don't make it that far. Andrew and I are so lucky to each have a set of parents that have set an amazing example of what marriage looks like. When we sit down to plan our wedding, and more importantly for married life, we are so blessed to have two hand holding, in love, compromising, patient and genuine married couples to serve as examples to us.

** Andrew and I went back and forth joking whether Dad was holding Mom's hand as a loving gesture or as a sort of leash, if you will. Mom gets really excited when she gets in a Disney park and will, without shame, leave us all in the dust. (You MUST keep up!!!)

Taste of the South

2010-06-04T10:40:00.000-07:00

I had to take Andrew to Cracker Barrel. It was one of my favorite places to eat when I lived in Florida because it had fun breakfast fare. When we sat down to order Andrew looked over the menu and order some country breakfast deal with eggs, ham, hashbrown casserole, grits (grits? what are grits?) and biscuits. He actually had the choice between grits and fried apples, he swears the I told him to order the grits. It really went more like this, the darling waitress asked, "Fried apples? or Grits?" Andrew turns to me with a look on his face that said, "What the hell are grits and why the hell did you bring me here?" He chose the grits. mmmmm grits. I like grits. Turns out, Andrew, does not.

The hashbrown casserole didn't go over well either. Why is there crap in my hashbrowns? I ordered hashbrowns and I got hashbrowns and cheese and onions and crap all mixed together?!?? Babe, you ordered hashbrown CASSEROLE. Try it, you'll love it.

otherwise engaged

2010-05-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

Last year Andrew and I got engaged, on an unassuming Thursday evening, what an exciting event! This year we had plans to celebrate our engagement with a fancy dinner and time together. We were both looking forward to it! However, early that morning happened to be the time that God had picked for something else. I had to hold my cat that morning, suddenly a very sick cat, and let him go. A day that I had expected to spend celebrating, planning, rejoicing, I instead spent mourning, remembering, and praying with a very achy heart.
Later that morning Andrew called to wish me a good day and talk about what happened, "just one year ago today..." He asked me how my day was going so far and the floodgates opened. After work that day instead of taking me out to dinner, he took me into his arms and let me cry and snot and wimper all over him. I was one sad girl! That night we did not do much of anything, watched TV and I cried some more. He talked with my parents who were equally as sad, although Dad's a good fake. And that night I realized that there is nothing more romantic than knowing that the man that I get to marry loves me no matter how exhausted, unshowered, tear stained, sweatpant clad, falling apartedly I may be, and he still wants me to be his wife.

Maybe that same romance explains that HUGE smile on my face. I am a very lucky woman.

Coon Huntin

2010-05-25T22:21:00.000-07:00

The sexy headlamp/raccoon locator.

This week has been a rough week. Tonight after the finale of The Biggest Loser as my mother and I toddled off to bed she walks past the back door and lets out a horrible gasp. There was a HUGE raccoon on our back porch! Raccoons = cat killers. We have had enough of that for one week, so Mom and I decided to take action into our own hands. We made a lot of noise, shined lots of lights, made some more noise, and then she sent me out to snatch the cat food. I have to do some backtracking here. We do not normally have cat food on the back patio, however, we had a cat until last week that had a huge heart for strays. I joke not. J.C. was a friend to the homeless. This cat that we have been feeding was a friend of J.C.'s that is extremely skittish. Although this cat was very hungry, he was also very afraid of people. So, J.C. would sit by him, as a kind of mediator, letting him know it was okay to relax enough to eat. Mom also has a very soft spot for throw-aways. Between her and J.C. we had no choice but to feed this little guy and feed him we have! But now, this food has attracted unwanted visitors. We will continue to feed our little guy under a careful watch to be sure that no one is sitting at the table uninvited! Coon, beware!!

J.C.

2010-05-23T17:41:00.000-07:00

He was a very particular kind of cat. He liked to drink from his water dish best when it was placed on top of the toilet. Go figure. I found this quite hilarious and made fun of mom for doing it for him, until one day, there I was picking the water bowl up off of the floor so that J.C. could drink on top of the toilet.

I keep thinking that I'm going to see him waiting to go on a walk. Yes, we walked him. He liked to have someone with him. A companion. He liked to go around the house. And why go alone, when you could take a friend?
You don't realize how much you rely on them until they aren't waiting at the door for you. He isn't waking you up in the middle of the night to watch him eat. He isn't leading me to the bathroom so that he can jump on the counter for a scratch and some love.
I miss him.

Simple Pleasures

2010-05-07T08:12:00.000-07:00

These shoes are amazing. Amazing. They are comfortable, so comfortable! Several people had recommended them to me, and oh my, were they right! I have been living in them. I wear them with sweats, with nice jeans, with summer dresses. These babies go with everything! Also, I really like what the owner of the company is working for. For each pair of Tom's that is purchased a pair is donated to a child without shoes, one for one. Not many companies go one for one. Check them out here: www.toms.com.

I have been watching this plant grow, willing it to bloom. I picked this plant out last year at the nursery because I LOVE peonies. This year it has grown and budded with much vigor. This baby is ready for spring! I have been watching those buds hoping to see them burst open...nothing yet. Still waiting...I'm learning patience. This seems to be a theme in my life over the last year. Keep waiting. I'm learning.

Shirt Re-do

2010-05-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

I had a shirt that I didn't wear anymore because those puffy sleeves make my shoulders look huge! Huge I tell you. I was walking it out to the "donate" pile when a wonderfuly horrible idea crossed my mind. I could re-fashion it! Oh heavens...

So I cut off those puffy, shoulder bulking sleeves (that felt good), and then the neckline and got to work. I managed to jam the sewing machine, but after much determination, and about an hour later, my Mom got it to release. Thanks Mom! Did I mention how great my mom is? I started by pinning one of the sleeves the way that I wanted it, then I got tired of pinning and figured it wasn't all that necessary and set straight away to tacking it down. I took the material from the sleeves and a few pearls and added a couple of flowers to the front. It turned out pretty well, didn't manage to grab a photo of the day I wore it. I think my hair was super out of whack, I.E. I didn't do it at all. Anyway, hopefully I'll post a picture of it soon. I think Mom was shocked that I could whip something like that out.

What's in a Name?

2010-05-07T07:58:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we were at my grandmother's 100th birthday party. We had to wear name tag's explaining our relationship to the family. I made Andrew's name tag :)

Cinnamon Rolls

2010-05-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

Cinnamon rolls, I have decided, take a lot of practice.
Yeast. It's a tricky thing. Temperamental. Likes to be pampered. A princess and the pea of sorts, everything has to be just so.
Gooey. Or too gooey? Not gooey enough?
The future mother-in-law asked me why I was making cinnamon rolls.
I said, "Practice."
"Practice for what?" she asked
"Life," I answered honestly, and then added, "to become a good wife." That was a lie, they all knew it.

Perfecting Imperfection

2010-04-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

I feel like I could relate to her decision, so much so, so much said that I had been wanting to say. Not that it's necessarily life changing, more along the lines of life tweaking, something small that makes a big difference.

I have a confession.

I have a scrapbook that I haven't started because I'm afraid that the pages won't be perfect. That I have to get better before I start. But how do I get better if I don't start? But what if I start and it's all wrong? What if I look back years from now and think of how crappy my scrapbook looks, picking out all of the flaws?
But what if I never start, and those memories are not recorded?
The issue here is that I need to start, and learn to accept the imperfections. One of the things that I enjoy most it to look back at pictures that were kept in albums. History recorded. The other day I was given an album from my aunt that had a picture of my parents when they were dating.

DATING.
Also, the album contained a picture of my dad's first car, and oh the stories it provoked from my mother about that first car.
A picture of my grandparent's wedding anniversary.
Showers thrown before my own parent's marriage.

Those are so precious to me. They are nowhere close to perfect. And in that, lies the secret. Someone was willing to splay out their imperfect record of day to day life. Of what mattered to them. And what was reflected to me, was the perfection of a imperfect world. A perfect gift. I'm not as concerned about giving future generations a gift, but to keep a record is something that is important to me. I get so much joy and realize so many blessings in being able to look back at the chronicle of my life so far. I don't live in a perfect world, so I should not expect that my pictures need to be edited before they are shared, my words don't need to be publishable before they are written, and my scrapbooking skills definitely do not need to be flawless before I have even started.

100.

2010-04-27T13:29:00.001-07:00

She asked my dad to take a picture of us smiling at one another. I think it shows us enjoying one another.

Eyes that have yet to see even one full year looking into the eyes that have seen 1oo.

She is 100. 100 years here. 100 years of life.

Moments.
Relationships.
Struggles.
Triumphs.
Laughs.
Tears.
Experiences.
Heartaches.
Joys.
Loves.
Prayers.

Today marks her 100th day. Although she often does not remember me at first glance, she eventually realizes who I am. One thing that is striking to me is that she always connects with my voice. When I call her Gram Clock, she knows it's me, her youngest granddaughter.It's odd that on this, her 100th day, it really does not matter that she doesn't recognize me: she has worked her way through this world and is prepared for the next. She may not always know me, or others that she once knew, but ONE that she always knows is HIM. She still knows HIM because HE was always there with her. HE was included. She made the choice to walk with HIM, to follow HIM. Not only is she still aware of HIM, but also of HIS WILL. She told me a few months ago that she had never planned to live this long but that this life is what HE had planned for her. She hears HIS voice and knows that HE is near.

Auntie's Little Helper (don't mind the bed head)

2010-04-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

This is very interesting...and yet, confusing.

Are you sure about this thing?

I could really get into this...

Yep, homework isn't so bad with a good study buddy.

2010-04-20T16:06:00.000-07:00

studying in bed should NEVER be trusted.

2010-04-10T10:59:00.001-07:00

One of my continuing goals is to learn more and more about taking decent pictures. While this goal is often sidelined in lieu of studying, I do sneak in a blip here or there to further my progress. Today I was browsing and found this tutorial. I know a lot of people advise getting to know your camera but this girl broke it down in a way that was short enough to grasp but detailed enough to get something out of it.
Now...back to the homework!

A Decade Down.

2010-04-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

Upon turning 25, the loveliest of best friends reminded me, that how-cow-how-did-this-happen?, but, we had been friends for nearly 10 years, a decade! For some reason this had not crossed my mind, at all, until she brought it how. How was that possible? How had I let 10 years fly by, unnoticed? Also, I was totally overwhelmed by what a blessing this friendship has been. How comforting is it to look someone in the eye who has also looked back at you in your 17 year-old-eyes (is anyone in there???), 21 year-old eyes (umm, you did what?!?!?! and are you sure that was a good idea?) and now today (gosh you're old!), is still right there with you? What changes have taken place over those 10 years? I started thinking about how we both had changes, how our families had grown close, how our geographical locations had changed, our daily lives have changed, our means of communication had changed, the lessons that we have learned, the lectures we've given one another, the issues that we have mulled over and bounced off one another. What a journey. Like a ribbon delicately woven through the path of life to create a strong, protective, safety net.

2010-04-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

St. John of the Cross:

"Wisdom enters through love, silence, and mortification. It is great wisdom to know how to be silent and to look at neither the remarks, nor the deeds, nor the lives of others."

I found this on a blog during Lent. I felt like it pertained to me and what I am striving to do, especially now, when nursing classes seem more competitive than ever. It is so great to take the wisdom of a life that has gone before and know that at some moment, that person, felt the exact same way that you feel at this moment.

Coffee Overdose

2010-04-06T19:09:00.000-07:00

Dad says this to me after I'm feeling guilty about pouring my fourth cup of coffee for the day.

"Coffee beans and human beings are meant to be the best of friends."

He said that it used to be on a Starbucks commercial. It just made me smile.

Make-up Mishap

2010-04-06T06:15:00.000-07:00

I had a little issue yesterday morning with makeup. You would think after so many years of being a "big girl" this wouldn't be a problem. I swear, I was just minding my own business going about my morning routine, when suddenly there was a huge streak of mascara lashing out at my eyebrow. What? How did this happen I wondered? Further proof that I am, as they say, special.
I figured I take an after picture to prove that I rectified the situation and did not go to the hospital with mascara smeared across my face. We're trying to look professional, right?

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T21:50:00.000-07:00

Easter always brings a renewed sense of hope. For me, there always seems to be lots of challenges related to the period leading up to Easter; Lent always presents with particular struggles that stretch me and grow me and make me more dependent on Him. Not to say that Easter relieves me of my need to rely on Christ but it gives me a new view of how possible it is to rely on Him and to know that He is taking care of me even when I cannot take care of myself. The walk towards Easter is a time for me to remember what the whole point is, what the GOAL is and how much has already been sacrificed with me in mind. With that being said, Easter Sunday is always a time of peace for me. One thing that I can compare it to (in a very rough, small way) is finishing a long run, completing a task that didn't seem possible, completing a tiring journey - and somehow owing all of these successes to Someone other than yourself.
This morning mass was a packed house. As I sat in church I looked around and wondered what brought each person there this morning. I wondered if it's allegiance to an elder in the family, the memory of a childhood tradition that has fallen victim to the busy schedules of today, guilt, reunification, need for forgiveness, gratitude, curiosity, habit. . . or was there Something more? Someone more? I hope that no matter what brought all of them in this morning, that for some, even if only one, a change was initiated, a fire lit, to continue the relationship that was started this morning. If someone were to come to your house and explain to you that their Son had just given up HIS life in order to save yours, wouldn't that gift have a completely and wholly life altering affect on your life? Would it change the way that you lived? Would it change your relationship with that man's Father?

My Valentine

2010-04-04T21:37:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to get this post up for a long time but I hadn't taken any time to muck with the pictures. When Andrew asked me what I would like as a Valentine's gift I told him that what I wanted was one day in which he would let me take any pictures of him that I wanted and he would do everything that I told him to. Request granted. While I have so far to go, it's fun to get the practice with my camera. Especially on such a awesome person! Okay, I'm only slightly biased.

Reinging in the Wedding Planning

2010-03-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

Thankfully I have a good friend who is able to see where I lack and is able to pick up the pieces without missing a beat. I have really not being doing so hot at wedding planning. I had no idea how miserable at it I would be, there is a lot of pressure and expectations involved here people!! But now I am finally getting my act together. Part of the reason that it took me so long to get a start on it was that I knew we would have a long engagement because I was going back to school and for the same reason I have no time. With spring break being last week, my good friend, A, sprung it on me - it's time! Time to get your silly butt in gear and make some stinking progress. She did not say it in those words, actually, she didn't say anything at all, she didn't have to, she just presented me with this:

Now I can keep everything organized and in one place and finally get all of my thoughts organized! It has a tab for EVERYTHING! She even made the pages to put into the notebook with our initials on them! I have to admit, I was a little embarrassed that I didn't think of doing this for myself, sometimes I swear I am helpless. Even Andrew thought it was cool! It got me really excited about having more concrete plans for the wedding and really got Andrew and I thinking. Such an awesome gift! I am so blessed to have such a thoughtful friend that knew just what I needed!

March Madness!

2010-03-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

march, the time of year when all of the men in my life suddenly lose the capability to hear absolutely anything that I am saying because of one thing: college basketball. this is a picture of dad and andrew filling out their brackets, intense. it's funny because being this into sports is something that has defined my idea of what a man should be. it would be really weird to be if andrew wasn't into sports in an intense way. also, if i didn't have dad and josh i would probably be totally confused by andrew's strange behavior. after all, we had to meet a nondescript man, at a hole in the wall bar, on a wednesday night, just to drop andrew's brackets off. josh however, is probably the worst offender. he had the girls at work act out the mascots of each of the 64 teams so that kira could choose HER OWN BRACKET. when she smiled at the acting, that was her choice. wow. i wonder when she'll figure out that maybe this isn't totally normal. anyway, after all of the men calm down and stop the screaming and shouting and betting and predicting, i have to say, that deep down i really enjoy the madness. i like to cheer for the underdog and see how excited the fans get, basketball is something that brings people together, united behind a team of 20 something boys. i smile and i wonder if the packed house at 8am mass this morning had anything to do with the gonzaga game starting at 9:10 am... madness, isn't it?

Trying Not to Laugh

2010-03-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

I think that everyone has those moments from time to time. Those moments when the whole congregation is quiet. That moment when your Dad says something hilarious. Those moments when you cannot help but laugh. That moment when you are trying to figure out how not to bust into full blown laughter and draw a ridiculous amount of attention to yourself while being completely irreverent and disruptive to a community of believers.
This morning at mass, I had one of THOSE moments. During the Peace of Christ we all shake hands and pass the peace of Christ to one another. Finally as it was drawing to an end I leaned over and tapped Mom on the back, she had not offered me Peace of Christ, she looks at me and says, "Oh whoops, I forgot." Forgot what? Forgot to offer me Peace? Forgot that I was there? Forgot that I was her daughter? Dad turns his back to Mom looks at me and says out of the corner of his mouth, "Forgot? I'm not buying it." And then, THAT moment struck. I could not help it. I probably seems much less funny being removed from THAT moment, but let me tell you, it was definitely one of THOSE moments. I laughed, out loud, just a little, and then I got a hold of myself.

Last Day of Winter

2010-03-19T14:29:00.000-07:00

Happy last day of winter! I had a great little study break today and got a chance to have a nice long chat with Steph. I miss her so much so it was great to be able to talk and get in a little exercise - ideal! While I was buzzing around the neighborhood I was snapping some pictures. I never think to take pictures of the blossoming cherry trees because they seem to common this time of year and reappear every year at this time. However, what if I stopped taking some of these beauties for granted. Today I'm celebrating the last day of winter and saying hello to spring!

Watch That Baby Grow! - 6 months

2010-03-16T20:57:00.000-07:00

I love this picture of the three of us. We were trying to get a nice picture of the three of us together for Mom and Dad and then Kira's sock flew off, and then she decided she should eat her sock which grossed Josh out. I like this picture because it shows us how we really were at that moment in time, nothing posed or forced, just us being us, baby socks and all.

Kira decided that Uncle Drew needed some help reading the newspaper. She was really not sure about him at first but after the first day together they became buds. She was propped up against his legs when she noticed the newspaper. She tried to eat that too, or really just suck on it a bit.

She is a daddy's girl. She loved being with Andrew and I but she would light up every time that she could catch Josh's eye. I can't quite explain how excited she gets when she looks around the room spot Josh and to realize that, "oh my goodness - there's my dad!" She is looking at him in this picture, she keeps an eye on him for us.

Bed and Breakfast

2010-03-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

andrew at the bed and breakfast, we were the only guests that night

I quickly became really intrigued with the details of this place, just look at those gorgeous doorknobs. I had no idea I would ever be interested in doorknobs.

The shower was housed in the original clawfoot tub that came with the house originally built in the 1800's.

Andrew and I took a quick, very quick, trip over to visit our niece. Andrew hadn't met Kira yet and I knew that I needed to see her during my break. I had my eye on this bed and breakfast since Stephanie and Ellen were here and we went over to the west side, unfortunately for that girls weekend the B and B was booked. This time around, they had a room and I am now hooked! It was the first time that I had ever stayed at a bed and breakfast and this was a new and exciting experience. When we checked in I was totally freaked out! We were to be the only guests that night and I was convinced this place had to be haunted! I made Andrew check the place out and I was sure that I would not sleep that night. We had gotten up at 4 am to drive over and I was exhausted, and yes, had a mini meltdown about staying in an old house that I was sure I would be sharing with past guests that never left...

The next morning, you can guess, much to Andrew's dismay, that the first question I asked the innkeeper was if the house was haunted. His response made me laugh, he told us that it's only haunted when people drink too much. We had a great breakfast cooked by the innkeepers and got to play with their beautiful 18 month old daughter afterward. What a fun way to spend a morning! Being so busy with school it was awesome to be able to spend time with Andrew and to check out something new like this bed and breakfast together.

2010-03-11T12:58:00.000-08:00

I always thought that Abby could read my mind. Now my suspicions have been confirmed; we are on the same wavelength. This picture might not do justice to the coincidence of this situation - we were literally wearing the exact same clothing components, making our outfits frighteningly similar. Black shirts, purple flowing sweaters, skinny jeans, tall boots. Oh my.

LBD

2010-03-11T08:13:00.000-08:00

The new "little black dress."
don't get too close to me because I WILL try to listen to your heart, or your lungs, or your bowels. I have no shame.

2010-03-11T08:10:00.000-08:00

I miss them. I am so thankful to have them, each of them, to have been gifted with them.
This picture was taken on Valentine's weekend - I have pretty beautiful Valentine's, don't I?

2010-03-08T21:18:00.000-08:00

I (begrudgingly, I admit it) sent my camera with my Mom this week. Down side = I miss my camera...Up side = pictures of the baby!! I suppose it's worth it ;)

Frustrated

2010-03-08T08:55:00.000-08:00

I get so frustrated with technology at times. I wanted to change around my blog background and I feel like an hour later, after tons of tinkering, web surfing, downloading, I'm less than completely satisfied. If only I were better at manipulating technology. Bleck.
Did I mention that I did all of this while I should have been studying? Whoops.

Baby Face

2010-03-07T10:00:00.000-08:00

When your brother sends you a text message like this...

It makes it REALLY hard not to jump in the car that second to drive like mad to kiss those little cheeks.

Bulk

2010-03-04T17:13:00.000-08:00

I love buying in bulk! I went to the bulk section of WinCo today because I have been wanting to make some homemade granola and we were out of oats. Sometimes I wonder if there is something wrong with me, and on the other hand I'm thankful, that something as simple as the bulk food bins at WinCo can make me so happy. I ended up picking out several items to make my own trail mix. I am really picky about which kind of dried fruits that I like, but the ones that I do enjoy, I love. I ended up with: banana chips, dried pineapple, dried strawberries, mixed nuts, and dark chocolate chips. Sounds pretty good to me! I also start to wonder if this is life from here on out...getting excited about buying dried fruit.
For right now with all of the time that I spend either at school, clinical or studying, even something like grocery shopping really is a nice break. I'll take it.

Stand still, even if it's so difficult

2010-02-21T14:04:00.000-08:00

I am taking a minute now to stand still. Well, actually I am not standing, or even sitting, I am totally sprawled out on a couch that isn't even mine. I am exhausted. Andrew and I have been up in Montana skiing and it is beautiful. Everything about it. You get off of the lift at the top of the mountain and have a full view of Glacier National Park, Whitefish Lake and the Flathead Valley. The place we are staying really feels more like staying at a good friends home than a lodge. You pad down in the morning in your socks for breakfast and coffee in front of the fire. Everyone staying here talks like old friends coming together for a weekend.
The point of my post is that I was rushing around like crazy getting ready to come here. Getting up early to do homework so that I would be able to come and leave at least some books at home. Then once I got here it's as if we needed to "ski, ski, ski, hot tub, eat out, ski, ski, ski". There is somehow hidden in vacation an intense desire to cram everything "fun" into as few hours as possible and get the most bang for your buck. Today, however, that plan did not work out too well for me. I feel like crap. I woke up with a sore throat and a runny nose and told myself that I was not going to get sick. I was not. That lasted until lunch when I sat down from skiing, let down, and totally fell apart. So here I am, on the couch in the lodge by a huge stone fireplace with sunshine and a diet Pepsi and it hits me - stand still! Look what I was missing out on as I hurried past. Stop being in constant motion, if even for just a few short hours and let down. Truly let down. Be willing to let go of the constant, harried pace that seems to have even invaded my vacation time, and relax. It feels good. Really good. I can't say that I haven't enjoyed everything that I have packed into the weekend or all of the work that I did before I left, but, even if it takes getting sick for me to slow down, it feels good just to be still.

Grand Central Bakery

2010-02-17T18:52:00.000-08:00

the "shuttle cock" - impressive, no?

they had me hooked with the raspberry jam. they set out little pots of what tastes like homemade raspberry freezer jam.

Best. bakery. ever.
(don't even get me started on the lattes or the raspberry jam)
I should add more than just posting these pictures, because really there is some motivation behind tracking down this bakery. My mom bought me this cookbook for Christmas. I love to bake and this cookbook fit the bill. What really threw me off however was that on the front cover it claims to be the "Pacific Northwest's Celebrated Bakery." How had I never heard of this bakery until now??? I receive a book that claims it holds the recipes to a celebrated bakery that I have been missing right in my own backyard! So, I hounded Naomi. How could SHE let this happen? She is on top of these kinds of things and usually keeps me well informed of the latest and greatest. She had not heard of it either. So, being the good friend that she is, the next time that I was in town for a visit she announced that we she had in fact located the "celebrated bakery" and we would be visiting it the next morning for breakfast. Isn't she good? (I think yes.) The next morning we headed out to this bakery that we had been missing, and oh my, had we been missing out!!! The most delicious lattes and baked goods! Quality, down to earth, nothing too fluffy or pretentious. The barista attempted some coffee art in the foam and ended up with what his coworker dubbed a "badminton shuttle cock." Needless to say this was not a place to be distracted by opulent surroundings or impressive latte art, their baked goods downright stole the show! I cannot wait to start in on some of the recipes from the book - they are equally as appealing!

Hope

2010-02-10T06:18:00.000-08:00

Wearing Grandpa's Cougar hat.

She is a TOTAL daddy's girl. This is them dancing. We tease Josh that she's already got him beat in the hair department.

Two things that Kira loves: 1. Grandma Labberton and 2. Sophie the Giraffe, yum.

I can only HOPE that my kids come anywhere near her level of cuteness.

**credit for these pictures go to my parents.

light

2010-02-07T06:55:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to learn more about my camera and all that it can do. I have been reading, taking a class and practicing so that I can take better and better pictures. One of my "assignments" had to do with light and noticing the different qualities and colors of light. There is one problem to trying this in the middle of winter - finding the sun! We have had several days of clouds and rain, which I must admit, I love! I love the rainy days, I could have even more of them! However, it has been hard to take pictures of "light" when there is none to be found. This picture is just proof that the sun does come back out, does warm us back up. Isn't that the point of winter. Letting everything rest? Rebuild? For me this picture is proof that the sun does come back around, even when we think that the clouds will continue.

Wedding Planning, Or Lack Thereof

2010-01-02T13:23:00.000-08:00

I feel so overwhelmed by the idea of wedding planning that I have done NOTHING. Nothing at all! I thought that I was going to be an organized bride ready to jump on the planning bandwagon, and here I am, engaged for 7 months, and nothing! Granted, for the first 6 months we really did not know when our wedding would happen because of me going back to school, but now that I've been acccepted, I have no more excuses. Not. a. one.

I am so excited to marry Andrew and to live together and have him as my husband. I love Andrew so much and cannot wait to go home at night with each other to a place that is "ours." I am not at all dragging my feet on wedding planning because I don't want to be married or in a sad attempt to prolong single life. I just had no idea there would be so many unknowns. For example, we can pick any date we want. The whole year is ours for the taking, we can get married on whichever day we choose. But, how do you choose? We can wear whatever colors we want. We can serve our guests a feast or finger foods. We can dance to whatever songs we like, get married here or there or across the world. Andrew and I are bad with choices. Although I am usually highly opinionated I feel like all of those opinions have nothing to do with a wedding. I am more interested inthe marriage than I am in the actual wedding day, maybe that's part of my problem. I also realize that this wedding is not MINE, it is not OURS, it is a celebration that I want to share with Andrew that will honor and bless EVERYONE invovled. My goal is that each person that has influenced Andrew and my lives until this point is reflected and celebrated on the day we get married.

I am enjoying the right now however because I can have crazy wedding ideas that don't actually have to be pursued in earnest but can still be pondered. Some of them are as follows:

1. Taco Truck! - wouldn't that be great? Real, hands-on, delicious, no frills, grub!!

2. Purple - well, more like plum, or wine, a rich deep purple. Can you really imagine me with a purple wedding? I'm not sure I can, but I like to try and picture it. It's so elegant looking in my mind.

3. Morning after brunch - wow, that makes it sound more like a one night stand instead of a wedding. One of the things that I would really like to see happen would be for all of our family and friends to get together for a relaxed, muffin filled, brunch the next day to kick back and enjoy one another. Okay maybe this is more along the lines of something that I actually want to see happen.

4. Amazing shoes - I want to have beautiful shoes for my wedding! I love love love shoes. Yes, the dress should be nice too but I'm really in it for the shoes. I'm thinking red, or maybe plum, if I go purple.

5. An outrageously expensive photographer - pictures are probably the #1 thing on my list for the wedding and I want to go all out. However, I'm not sure that's the most realistic thing ever, but this list isn't supposed to be about being realistic!

Flower Pins - Revamped Tutorial

2010-01-02T13:13:00.000-08:00

The patient one.

The day after Thanksgiving I had some extra time, what? what is SPARE time? I feel like that is a term so foreign to me. I should really rephrase that and say, I did not feel like doing any of the homework that I should have been doing so, I ended up with some free time. I had been eyeing flower pins that My Momma Made It had posted a tutorial for. I figured making a pin shouldn't be that hard. There were two major things standing in my way though, 1. I had not touched a sewing machine since my 8th grade home-ec class and 2. I needed supplies. Mom to the rescue on both accounts! She is a superhero, I swear. She had just the material that I needed stowed away in her fabric bins in the garage from some well-intended project that she never completed - you see, we are related, I come by this naturally! And of course, she is a pro on the sewing machine, now, all she had to do was teach me. ha.

Here is the link to the tutorial that I followed: Large Layered Flower Pin How To. As Mom and I worked our way through the steps, I felt like there was some information I'd like to add. I am the kind of person that doesn't like to leave much room for my own artistic interpretation. At least the first time through a project I want the teacher to hold my hand, I want to be told exactly what to do to complete each step.

The flower pin turned out great results in a short amount of time. I learned to use the sewing machine, granted I only had to make straight, loose stitches, but still, I had to be taught. I have been wearing the pin with mixed responses. I love it, it's huge, gorgeous, rough but not rough look has me pinning it to everything. I do think that some people are thrown by it, uh yeah, like when I walked into the kitchen wearing it and Dad asked what "it" was. I can see myself making a bundle of them to embelish a shirt or sweater, possibly even a purse. It was very rewarding to be able to sit down with the fabric and turn out something that I would pay money for, something that looked like more than an arts and crafts project. My little secret, right?

1. Rip strips of fabric of any color you like into the following sizes:

Fabric #1

3"x18"

2"x18"

Fabric #2

2 1/2x18"

1 1/2x18"

Fabric #3

2 1/4x18"

1 1/4x18"

2. Iron all of the pieces flat. The frayed edges give the look that you want for the flower texture, don't worry about the fray.

3. Stitch along one side of each strip. Secure one end of the thread around a straight pin and pull the other to scrunch the strip.

4. Heat up the glue gun! The finishing of the pin is easy with a glue gun and plenty of glue, and trust me, you will see none of it! Cut a circle out of any fabric you like. I used a heavy duty fabric that I doubled over and glued together to give my pin a solid base. Glue a standard pin to the back. To finish the pin just glue each of your scrunched up strips in a circle and secure it to the base. Use the strips to give the flower the shape that you want it to have. I added detail to my pin by sewing a few pearls into the center. You could easily use any sparkly detail you like.

Finished product:

Market Basket

2009-12-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

I love these market baskets! I totally laughed when Andrew's mom showed up with one. I thought that I would never use one, and now, I'm hooked! I have a small one in pink, but I have my eye on a large one. I just got the small one, so for now it's the most amazing lunch basket ever! Okay, in all honestly, I gave the small basket to my mom and now her basket is the most amazing lunch basket ever; mine is being used to hold my knitting. Wow, carrying my knitting around in a picnic basket, you're jealous of my coolness, I knew it.

In all seriousness though, if you have a chance you should give one of these babies a try!

Vaccinated

2009-12-29T17:00:00.000-08:00

I have been getting all of my shots for the nursing program. And being the genius that I am I decided that it would be a good idea to get an H1N1 shot just in case, why not?? Well, today I got a second TB test, apparently they don't trust just one, and swung on over for my H1N1 shot. Woo!
I felt really crappy after my seasonal flu shot but somehow thought this would be different. Hmmm.
Now I am sitting at my desk wishing I could go and take a nap, anywhere.
Did I mention the outrageous amont of chocolate I'm eating? There are just some times when other things hurt that I assume that eating gobs of comfort food will help. Not today.
Bummer.

Photo Class

2009-12-27T18:25:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to learn more about my camera and to take better pictures I decided to take some tips from a class that Andrew's Aunt Jody is taking. She has passed some of the "assignments" on to me in order to challenge me. The first task was to take a picture of each of the following:

1. Someone you love

2. Two people you love

3. Your favorite food

4. A flower, tree or plant in your yard or nearby park

5. A landscape picture

6. A person or pet in action (i.e. a child riding a bike, someone running, etc.)

7. A candid photo (try not to let your subject know you're photographing them!)

8. A self-portrait (you can hold the camera out in front of you, take a photo of yourself in the mirror, or use a self-timer)

9. A favorite object in your home

10. A group portrait

Let it Snow!

2009-12-17T12:00:00.000-08:00

Next week Andrew and I will be heading up to the mountains for a few days with his family. I am so looking forward to the first runs of the season! The ski report couldn't be better. As they say, we are truly being blessed by beautiful weather! Now it just has to last a few more days. I can't wait to ski fresh snow!

I love being called "Auntie Caitlin"

2009-12-16T22:00:00.000-08:00

I love being "auntie" to my little Kira. We had a lot of fun together. And, look at those big, blue eyes!

I got to spend the last two days with the most beautiful little baby girl, my niece, Kira. She gives me so much joy! I went over on Monday and picked up Mom and Dad from the airport and then we met Josh and Kira for lunch and Claimjumper. Yum! Kira wasn't feeling it however. She gets really irritated when she gets hot, she prefers to be nice and cool. She let us know that she was not happy so Josh had said to take her outside, so of course I snatched her up and out we went. Literally the second I stepped outside she went from screaming to silence, even laughing. Silly baby! She knows what she wants! Mom and Dad took Kira for the rest of the afternoon so that Josh and I could do some Christmas shopping. What a blessing it is to be able to have time to spend with my brother, just the two of us, just hanging out! We didn't end up buying a lot but had a lot of fun none the less.

Hours later, after we finished shopping we went and picked up Kira from Mom and Dad at Aunt Cyn's house. It was very cool to see one of my aunts getting to coo over my niece. I can now relate to that feeling and really understand how special I am to my aunts and uncles. Anyway, Josh and I took off and stopped for some Starbucks on the way back to his house. I ran in to get the coffee and he stayed in the car with the baby. When I got back Josh had stripped down to his undershirt and was outside of the car cleaning the spit up off his messy daughter. It is moments like these that catch me off guard; seeing him be such a dad! He is such a wonderful dad! I just never imagined Josh getting down to the nitty gritty of laughing as he cleans up a messy little girl. I ended up sitting in the backseat of Josh's truck with her the whole way back to his house. It's funny how a little baby like that will just stare at you. So there she say, with hiccups, unable to take her eyes off of me. Melts my heart!!

The next morning we spent the day playing, dancing, feeding, picture taking and altogether just drooling over Kira! Josh and I had a very relaxing morning just being able to hang out together. We do not get time like that very often. We literally just HUNG OUT. Kira was in such a good mood and was totally smiley the whole time. One of the things that I love the most is the look she gets on her face when she sees her mom or dad. If I were holding her on Monday night she was cool with it, but then she would spot either Shawna or Josh and she would just break into smiles! Then the next day when she was familiar with me, she would bust into the same smiles when she saw me! What a beautiful little girl, what a gift!! Mom would hold her and she would look around for me until she found me and then flash me a huge, fall-in-love-with-me smile.

Playing with Dad. They are dancing here. It cracks me up because he holds her up and she likes to move her hips back and forth.

I am so lucky to be her aunt. My brother and Shawna have given me the most amazing gift in Kira.

Partners

2009-12-16T21:00:00.001-08:00

I have the best fiance ever! Really, truly, he spoils me!! It is super cool to be in the period of our relationship where we are really just coming into the partnership in everything. It is so cool to have been given this guy that just steps in to help me out when I crumble. I have a tendency to get stressed out a little more than he does. Just a little. Maybe that's an understatement, but either way, he stays calm when I am bite-your-head-off crabby. This morning was a little rough, I was running around trying to get out of the door, the roads were icy, I made it part way to work and realized that I was driving Andrew's car because he had let me use it to take over the pass and I had gotten home late and hadn't had a chance to drive over to his house to switch our cars back. That meant that my car was with at work, and with my car, were my car keys, and with my car keys were my work keys, and no one else was going to be at the office! ERg! So I turned around and drove out to Andrew's office on the other side of town, got my car and my keys and headed to work. When I arrived at work one of our maintenance crew guys reminded me that the office Christmas party was tonight, TONIGHT?!?!? I thought it was tomorrow, in fact I was SURE it was tomorrow! I had not made the dip that I had offered to bring and I hadn't gotten any white elephant gifts to exchange. Wow I was really 0 for 3 this morning! BUT Andrew, calm as can be gives me a huge hug when I show up to get my keys, about as crabby as can be, then when I told him about the party he offered to go and pick up white elephant gifts for both of us. Did I mention that while I was gone in Seattle he stayed at my parents house to watch the cats, which he is allergic too??

I am just so thankful, today especially, that I have been given such a good partner! I am so excited to marry him!

Seattle Half Marathon

2009-12-05T12:00:00.001-08:00

After Thanksgiving Andrew and I headed to the west side to run the Seattle Half Marathon. We met Naomi there and Lauren and Garrett were kind enough to host all of us. Lauren even decided to sign up the night before! She's such a tough gal! She totally went for it and kicked butt!

We look fierce, don't we? Ready to conquer those 13.1 miles!

Not so fierce, but fun!

After the race, back and L and G's place. We were blessed with perfect weather: 50 degrees and no rain! It was such a nice day to be running and such a gorgeous course. Starting at the Space Needle was a great kick-off. Lots of hills to this course, but nothing the four of us couldn't handle. It was fun to see everyone's reaction to the race afterwards. I am so proud of Andrew, Lauren and Naomi for doing such a good job and having such a good race!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2009-12-04T17:58:00.000-08:00

I had a very fun filled Thanksgiving weekend! It was filled with lots of friends and fun. Many, many things to be thankful for. Here is what I was up to:

Got to spend two days with Naomi and Lauren. We (well mostly Garrett, but we shopped) made an awesome dinner from Whole Foods, my favorite grocery store. I think that I would be really poor if I lived any closer to one! I might be poor, but I would be WELL fed.

Andrew and Naomi and I shopped our way through Pike Place Market.

Mom and I spent Thanksgiving morning just the two of us. Dad was visiting him Mom and Andrew was golfing. I watched the parade, went for a run, and helped Mom cook dinner. It was SO relaxing and very enjoyable! I made her take this picture with me. She wasn't happy about taking pictures in jammies with no showers, but these are memories!

Lauren and Garrett spent some time on our side of the mountains, fun to meet up with them!

Getting Crafty

2009-12-04T17:56:00.000-08:00

I am learning how to sew. Mom is a good teacher, but she's much more of a perfectionist than I am. Project pictures to come.

Cabin Fever

2009-11-23T12:55:00.000-08:00

I want to go skiing! I have the itch so badly, I am ready to go! I want to bundle up, be outside all day, try new runs, wipe out...I'm ready. Andrew and I got in a lot of skiing last year and I enjoyed it so much.

I would like to think that I was the "most improved" skier last year. Let me tell you, my first run out was a bit rough, okay, more than a bit, A LOT. But, I kept at it and by the end of the season I had many more minutes of enjoyment than I had of terror. I can't wait to get up on the mountains this year and get going!

Our first runs this season will probably be on a trip we have planned with his family to Mt. Hood Meadows. I have only skied there once so I'm looking forward to checking it out. I can't wait - about a month from now we will be up on the hill enjoying the early snow! Can't wait!!

Thanksgiving Recipes

2009-11-23T12:00:00.001-08:00

Usually we have a whole house full of people at our house for Thanksgiving which means we stick to the basics and everything that we have goes into making two turkeys, ham and some bbq. This year however one of my cousins is getting married on the East Coast and many members of our family will be attending. Unfortunately, I'm not going to the wedding because I have finals in the weeks to follow and cannot miss class. Even though I am bummed about not going to the wedding I am really looking forward to a "quiet" Thanksgiving. A smaller crowd means that I will have time to make some more interesting dishes and take on some challenges. This year I have had a new appreciation for squash of any kind, sweet potatoes, pumpkin etc. So when browsing through Tastespotting this recipe caught my eye. I have memories of people making sweet potato dishes growing up but somehow they are one ingredient that hasn't made our Thanksgiving spread in recent years. When I was younger I thought sweet potatoes were disgusting, icky, not something I wanted to waste time on. Now, I'm dying to try some recipes to find the perfect one. I love sweet potatoes. Sweet potato fries are one of my favorite side dishes, I can't wait to add a casserole to that list. Mmmm...Thanksgiving is coming...

2009-11-20T13:00:00.000-08:00

"May the God of hope rill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Romans 15:13

Over the past weeks and months I have been waiting to hear back from the nursing program, but what is more, is that I have been craving to be closer to my God. For the first time, when I was faced with a situation that I found difficult I felt keenly aware of where my focus should remain. I feel like it has taken a lot of hard situations to make this come out of me. To now try to fix something myself, jump in and take the reigns from God's hands (ha! yeah right!!!) and put them into my own. I like to be in control of my future and I like to know what is coming next. However, I have learned that this does not work. My driving skills are horrible, I speed, I have no perspective from which to make these decisions and really have no idea what is best for me. Sounds helpless, right? Well, I do know that it have a God, a Father, who is in control and knows what's best from me and has the perspective of eternity from which to view my life. He sees what is coming, what has gone before and where my heart is today, right now, this moment.

The reality of my situation during the past months is that my future was unknown; to any of you who know me, even a little, you know that this is a HUGE challenge for me. I want to speed things up, fast forward to being in the nursing program, planning my wedding and moving forward. Yet, here I was, right where God wanted me. I am a list maker, a calendar keeper, a planner. I like to know what is coming next. I find the most joy in the preparation, the anticipation. I don't like to be caught off guard. I am not a spontaneous person. I do now like to do things on a whim. Really. Call me boring, go ahead, do it, but don't ever call me unprepared.

I am learning trust and to wait. Because of my need for control, at least over my own life, trust is something that I struggle with. Or at least, really need to focus a lot on in order to get just a tiny little bit of it. Through this experience I finally saw, a glimpse of what it looks like to know that no matter what happens, God is still there and working out the details. One of the things that I had to keep in the forefront of my thoughts was that God hadn't forgotten my plea, he hadn't ignored my request. He was doing a work in me every moment. Even though I felt like I was being forced to stand still, HE was moving me forward. I don't want this to come off as if I never have had any faith in God's care of my life, nor that I have learned a perfect trust. I have just learned that perfect patience and faith in Him is what is called for. I have walked slowly, cautiously, feebly through the past few weeks, like a child, truly dependent on a Father.

"Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

James 1:4 KJV

2009-11-16T19:02:00.001-08:00

Simple Pleasures of a Sunday

Andrew and I had a lot of running to do on Sunday. Thankfully, it seems as soon as November hits my mom gets a hankering for turkey, so she ended up making an entire Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday, notice that stuffed bird? It's as if November comes, those turkeys are calling her and suddenly, it's time to feast! Yum. Anyway, it's a lot easier to be motivated to run long when you know that a freshly roasted turkey awaits. At least for me.
These are the pumpkin bars I kept promising myself I'd make. They were delicious! This was the first night and they were already almost gone. Dad said they tasted like "fluffy pumpkin pie." I think he was right. Some of the pumpkin cakes/breads/bars/cookies that I've made end up way too dense or with a strange overly-chewy texture (bleck). This had the consistency of a normal cake and still offered the perfect amount of pumpkiny goodness. The link to the recipe is in the previous post. You can't go wrong with Paula Deen, can you?

This is "pre" run. Andrew came over to find me in my pile of studying madness (notice the spread of notecards, notebook, computer, handouts, etc) and tried to convince me to take a nap with him. Now, if you know me, you know I'm a sucker for a good nap, especially on the kind of drizzly day it was and with such a cute fiance...but, WE HAD RUNNING TO DO! On Sunday we were exactly two weeks out from 1/2 Marathon Day, and now, we are even closer, eek!

Pumpkin Bars

2009-11-12T14:08:00.001-08:00

This morning, Saturday, I am studying, again. I am trying to cram knowledge of every possible kind of prokaryote into my (small, stubborn) brain. Is the gigantic cup of coffee any indicator of my struggles? Please forgive the bed hair, smeared makeup and general lack of primping, my micro book doesn't seem to care what I look like. Thankfully. (We've been spending a lot of time together lately.)

While I am studying today, I am dreaming of baking. I can't help it, everyone needs a goal! Right? Every fall it seems that I plan to bake bundles of pumpkin delights and before I know it Thanksgiving has passed and there is Christmas baking to be done. So, today, once I know all of these bacteria, I will be baking! Woo hoo! Pumpkin bars! Happy November baking to me! And you, if you are Abby, because you will probably be receiving some. You can find the recipe here.

2009-11-12T06:27:00.001-08:00

Bit was not happy with me when I shut him in the food room. He hassles the other cats when they are trying to eat, he could eat us out of house and home, so when the other cat wants to eat, Bit has to eat in the food room or else the only one to get any food would be him. This cracked me up though a few minutes later when I walked by and saw his fluffy paws stretched out underneath the door.

I woke up and stumbled out into the kitchen a few days ago to find J.C. seated at the counter, seemingly, ready for breakfast.

2009-11-12T06:15:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Mom and I made a day trip to Spokane. This tree was absolutely gorgeous! I had to jump out of the car and get some pictures of it. Look at all of those colors! Happy fall.

Keeping Pace

2009-11-11T12:04:00.000-08:00

Right now, today, I sit and wonder how I will fit everything that needs to be done into the space of one day. How will I memorize all that I need to know? How will I workout to maintain sanity, health and, oh did I mention, my figure? Don't forget work, that has to fit in there too, at least, if I want to get paid. Funny how that works, they are so picky around here.

Tofu for you?

2009-11-06T13:08:00.000-08:00

I tried something new this week, something that I had wanted to use before and never had. I've eaten it in miso soup and I think that is just about it. Then I stumbled across this recipe, and yum yum yum, I'm in love, with tofu! Well, I'm in love with this recipe, maybe not tofu quite yet. This recipe was so simple and turned out great! I have made it twice in the last week, eaten it as leftovers, you should too!
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/slurptastic-herb-noodles-recipe.html
101 cookbooks has lots of great, beautiful, recipes. Most of her recipes may be a little bit outside of my palette range but I have been tempted by so many of them. Instead of the spinach noodles I just used whole grain spaghetti and it worked well. We have just been starting to get some real fall weather and these noodles are perfect to come home to. Enjoy!

Birthday Half Birthday

2009-10-27T06:20:00.001-07:00

Today is Dad's birthday...which also means that today is his mom's half birthday - 99 1/2 years! Not to steal Dad's thunder, but come on! The scary thing about today is that she is having surgery to fix a shattered leg, broken in three places. So today, instead of having a very merry unbirthday, we are facing the reality of celebrating 99 1/2 years, today that reality is very thick with the human condition.
So in celebrating Gram's half birthday it seems fitting to celebrate the birthday of her youngest son, my Dad. I took this picture of him this weekend. He came in from the garden where he had been rototilling and harvesting and getting the ground ready for the winter. He was covered in dirt and I was laughing because as he sat down to eat lunch he had mud smudged on his face, not that that bothered him much. As I am watching him help his mother finish her life here, it has become so important to me to remember the "normal" day-to-day moments that we share. Days when Dad comes in sweaty from the yard smeared with dirt. Those are the times that even though they seem a dime a dozen now can too easily pass unnoticed and slip away.
I hope this picture makes you smile. It makes me smile. Happy Birthday Dad! Happy Half Birthday Gram - what an awesome Dad you gave me!

Birthday Half Birthday

2009-10-27T06:20:00.000-07:00

More Steph

2009-10-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

This picture may not be Steph's favorite, but it was the only one that I didn't have to edit to get the window out of the picture. I like that it's just her, the red bench and white wall. The idea is good, execution is a bit lacking. But that look on her face is priceless! Maybe this is right as she noticed the HUGE spider above her head...

Steph's Shoot

2009-10-16T10:59:00.000-07:00

When Steph and Ellen were up visiting last month we had a few extra minutes one morning and of course, I begged Steph go out and let me try to get some good pictures of her. The place that we stayed at was a home in the middle of a green belt which was a beautiful setting in itself but the home also boasted a huge garden which was fun to shoot in. We also found this little red bench that happened to be set up against a completely white wall of the house. It was fun to play around with the color contrast. I'm just learning so I still need LOTS of practice! Thankfully, Steph is a very gracious and patient subject. She'll do whatever I tell ask her to and is up for anything! It makes for lots of hilarious photos and lots of fun. I am so grateful for a friend like Steph. Everytime we get together is truly cherished time. It was so nice to have her in the Great NW for the weekend especially because she delights in the surroundings...it's so fun to watch her enjoy FALL. I hope some of these pictures can truly reflect to everyone how beautiful my best friend really is.

The trouble with Facebook.

2009-09-20T14:11:00.001-07:00

My story starts a few months ago when Andrew and I decided that we needed to run and went on to decide that if we were going to run we needed a definite goal to work towards or no real running would happen. So, we set out to do the Indian Summer Half Marathon here in TC. Well, we got off to a great start, kept to our schedule, and then...August hit! For me, the month of August compares to getting sucked in face first by a black hole. Come about the second week in September I look at Andrew and wonder..."who is this guy and why is he so nice to me?" Oh yeah oh yeah, I do have a life outside of the fair and this guy is my fiance - cool! Needless to say, our running schedule got a bit derailed thanks to ME, I take full and complete blame for lack of forward motion during August and now into September.

This is where Facebook comes in. It's really easy to show someone website links but simply posting them to their Facebook page. So, I posted a link for the Seattle Half Marathon on Andrew's wall. The problem with that is that it them becomes public information. This is not a good thing! Andrew and I toyed with the idea of running the race and had pretty much settled on being lazy for a big longer and running a race in January instead, and then, Naomi logged on. Naomi being the runner of all runners sees mention of this on Andrew's wall and as it looks on Facebook (let's remember that most of what you see on Fb is lies, all lies!!!) Andrew and I are hoping to run the Seattle Half Marathon and she thinks this is a fabulous idea! Crap. So then she tells us that she had been planning on running it and blah blah blah blah. Can you guess what I did today? Yes that's right, figured out how in the heck I could be ready to run a half marathon in just 10, TEN, short weeks! Andrew doesn't know it yet but here is our training plan for this week, wish us luck!:

Monday, September 21: 40 minute run, easy/moderate

Tuesday, September 22: 40 minute cross train, moderate

Wednesday, September 23: Rest

Thursday, September 24: 40 minute run, moderate

Friday, September 25: 30 minute cross train, moderate

Saturday, September 26: 3 miles, conversational pace

Sunday, September 27: Rest

*Training plan adapted from the book "Marathoning for Mortals" by John Bingham and Jenny Hadfield.

2009-09-10T20:08:00.000-07:00

Starting from the top left and moving right, a recap of my summer:

1. Dominic did Mutton Bustin again at the fair, always lots of fun!

2. The fair's second annual fun run, lots of stress but totally worth it! So exciting to see a dream come to life.

3. I got a brand new baby niece, Kira! I'm love her pieces already.

4. Annual camping trip with the Campbell's at Priest Lake. I'm getting better and better at camping.

5. Went to Mt. Rainier for the 4th of July with the girls. So pretty!

6. Amanda and I headed to Seattle to see Kenny Chesney at an amazing concert. I think we were both hoarse the next day from screaming.

7. Dad, Andrew and I took a helicopter ride over the Snake River down at Uncle Gene's. I think that a short ride was long enough for me.

8. Mom and I went to California to see Steph and Ellen. This is a picture of us at Disneyland, it was a great day!

9. Danielle had never been to Canada after living in the NW for almost 6 years - it was time, so again, we went camping. Holy cow, I did a lot of camping this summer. Strange.

10. Mom and I at Dana's graduation party. I love this picture of us. She is such a beautiful woman.

11. Andrew asked if I would marry him. I said yes. :)

12. Because I'm a dork, Dom is on here twice. He's cute, huh?

Summer Started

2009-09-08T21:57:00.001-07:00

Summer seems like it has flown by. I wanted to put up a few pictures to highlight some of the events that took place this summer. It was a great summer filled with many blessings, too many apparently to fit into one post. So, here's a look at how my summer started....

My cousin Dana graduated, and became a Coug...

Andrew's cousin Kevin graduated as well and with in a weak moment made a bad choice, he is now a Dawg (bummer).

Mom and I headed to California to spend time with some of our best friends, The Keens. Steph and I of course soaked up our time together.

And oh yeah...on May 21st I got a new ring. :)

Fair Stories...This is mine, what's yours?

2009-09-03T21:47:00.000-07:00

Dominic ready to ride his sheep!

Having a fairgrounds packs with animals implies one thing : Flies! Abby, was gracious enough to kill some of those in the office, even if they were sitting on my arm at the time.

I made it! We made it!

We did it, the fair has come and the fair gone. Sitting here on my bed now it feels as if we all stood through a hurricane and are left with the aftermath. The grounds are still covered with remnants but we are left with what is a virtual ghost town, a shadow of what was a bustling festival at this time last week. The office is crammed with leftovers, lost and found, supplies, banners, paperwork and four women tired and busy with wrap up. There are so many things that I love about the fair, among them are:
....the people that come to the fair. They are excited to be there having looked forward to it all year. People that come to the fair are not middle of the road, they are so glad that it's finally fair time again.
....the animals. It took me awhile to finally catch on to the fact that the huge sale that they were doing on Friday ended with all of the animals being sold, not being sold as a pet to another loving home, but that many of them would be bacon before next week. How had I missed this reality? Denial is a powerful defense.
....the mutton bustin. Dominic rode again this year. There is really nothing funnier to me than strapping a small child on to an angry sheep and seeing how things work out. What is up with that? Who came up with this game? Thankfully Dom is a good sport and finds it fun.
....but most of all the thing that I love the most about the fair is the people that I get to work with. There are so many things that are thrown at us during the week that I cannot imagine not having support from the people that I work with. These girls are some of my best friends. To go through a fair together is to understand the good and the bad of each person you're surrounded by. We know each others strengths and weaknesses. We know what makes each other smile and what makes each other bitchy. Thank you girls for making me laugh throughout the week! So many memories were made in the past week.
When I think of the memories that I made in the last week, I like to think about the memories that others made because we put on our fair. What does it mean to have a week of community coming together to share what they are proud of, what they are passionate about, what drives them. We have artists, cowboys, farmers, cooks, bakers, vitners, all coming together to show to others what they are most proud of, to share with others what it is that drives them. I saw a 99 year old gentleman run in a three mile run, running as part of his community. I watched as one of my employees showed her reserved grand champion hog as the two of them won fitting and showing. I saw a young boy donate his sheep to TETWP and raise $12,000 for women in OUR community with breast cancer. I also got to remember the place that started mine and Andrew's story. Every year it's fun to think about the week that I met Andrew and the week that I was given the man I would marry. I wonder how many other stories come from the week of the fair, how many stories begin, end or are made more full because of our humble fair.

Excitement

2009-07-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

I am leaving to go to camping with the Campbell crew tomorrow. It's funny because when Andrew first told me that we would be going to camp in the middle of a lake on a small island with no power and even worse....no flush toilets, gasp!. I was totally freaked out, to say the LEAST. I did not grow up in a family of campers. When the rest of the family went camping my parents would get a hotel room, and yes, the apple does not fall far from the tree. However, in the last year or two I am slowly, slowly coming around. I still hate no showers and I still dread port a potties, but I can make do. I have decided that it's worth the dirtiness and bit of discomfort for the beautiful places that I have been able to see thanks to camping. In fact just the other day Andrew's dad Doug started to question my loyalty to our alliance. We joined forces when I first ventured up to the lake with them. I was so relieved to discover that Doug didn't enjoy camping either. He did not squeal at the mention of the A boat, Hill's coffee runs, getting "fresh" and tents. Thank goodness, I was not alone! But now, for good reason, he is worried that I have turned to what we will call the darkness. Yes, sadly, I am on the fence about camping and I'm afraid, about to fall over onto that side that will make me a full fledged happy camper, or at least, less of a bitchy one.
So on to the original intent of my post. I am so excited! I am so ready to head up to the lake for a few days of boating, chatting, reading and relaxing, yes, camping. There I said it, I'm excited to go camping. Although I feel this really strong need to be content today, this minute, here where I am and not miss out on the next two days because I'm constantly looking ahead. Excitement is such a cool thing, but really, for me it can have the power to ruin my present because I'm so busy planning, list-making and checking off, packing, dreaming about the days to come. Especially with the time of year that it is, my job demands that I focus and give it my all for the next few days. This morning when I woke up I was having a rough morning. I was just ready to go straight to vacation, ski pover the next two days and be gone. I went for a run early came back and promptly fell asleep which is not usual. Then I was running late, my hair was terrible, the shirt I put on had a hole in it. Yes, I was ready for vacation. I got in the car and was driving to work, when I heard a song that was telling how Amazing God is in THIS place. I was thinking about the fact that I could easily have missed all that God had planned for me in preparation and work the next few days instead of focusing on where HE is working RIGHT Now. THIS MINUTE. In THIS place.

Give me your best shot

2009-07-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

Today we took the day and went down to Uncle Gene's house. Andrew hadn't been down there yet and it had been several years since I had made the trek down the palouse. Dad had told Andrew to pack his clubs so they could practice hitting golf balls into the river. Gene's back yard backs right up to the Snake River and makes an ideal driving range. As soon as we got down there Andrew was scoping it out, he was just sure that he could drive it clear across, something that Dad has only managed once. So after a very eventful day, which included an impromptu helicopter ride, Dad and Andrew headed down to the beach to try their luck. I enjoyed documenting the attempts, quite hilarious actually, as competitive as the two of them are. Unfortunately there was a strong wind blowing right back to the shore keeping their "old balls" just short of the far shore.

Mommy (Sort Of) for a Week

2009-07-09T15:05:00.000-07:00

This week my youngest counsin Dominic came to stay with us. My mom being the oldest in her family has taken on the role of amazing aunt/grandmother for this little child. Well, he's not all that little anymore, he's six now and often talks about "when he was a little boy."

It has been fun to have him here this week. It reminds me of how much and how innate the desire is inside of me to be a mother. But, it also reminds me of how far I am from being ready to step up and handle that gift. I have never questioned whether or not I will be a mother, I have known for a long time that was something that was meant to come into my life. However, I view being a mother as a supreme gift as well as the greatest of challenges. I often have irrational worries about my children already...what if they dislike me? what if they don't get along with one another? what if they move across the country and never visit? or write? what if they are sick? what if they are depressed? what if they have problems that I am not able to solve?

All of these seem irrational now and of course, I'll say it, many of these things are inevitable. Right? What about the sleepless nights? what if I never get to nap again, ever? what if I get fat from eating their leftovers? what if? what if? what if?

Or what if, all of these things come and it turns out that I am completely inept at parenting? What if my husband is completely inept at parenting?

However, this week has struck a cord with me. It was funny because the first night he was here Dominic announced that he would be sleeping with me, in my twin bed. Hmmm, okay, although he's rather tall he's also really skinny so I thought maybe this would be fine. However, as soon as we get into bed he lifted up his shirt and asked me to "tickle" his back, which means he wanted to fall asleep while I continued to scratch his back. Must be nice huh? So we both pass out and I wake up the next morning to him giggling in the bathroom doing some sort or male peeing thing in the bathroom at 5 a.m. Apparently there was something hilarious going on that was lost on me. What is it that little boys find so funny about peeing?

Just this morning I woke up to go running with Andrew before work. I crawled out of bed and tried to get past Dominic without him waking up. But of course, he woke up and asked where I was going. When I got back from my run he asked me why I got up so late last night to go running. Ha. He made me feel impressive for getting up "in the middle of the night" to go running.

I had kind of a freak out momen when I was driving home from work on Monday. I was thinking about the fact that he is there when I leave and still waiting for me when I come home. I have to admit that Mom has had the bulk of the time taking care of him this week has given me, for the first time, a real feeling of what it must be like to be a mom.

The Girls

2009-07-01T20:54:00.000-07:00

I am so looking forward to spending a weekend with the girls this weekend. We have many things to celebrate, memories to relive, more to make, and futures to ponder. It has been a few months since the five of us girls have been in the same place at the same time, this weekend is a huge blessing. It's very exciting to think about heading off to camp with some of my very best friends. I also have to keep pushing the thoughts out of my mind that are reminding me that this will be the last time in a long time that all of us will be able to spend time like this, like "normal."

New and exciting goals have captured each of us, our sights have refocused now that we are a couple years past college and our futures are stretching out ahead of us. Exciting, huh? For me, it's scary. It's hard to make the changes, everyone knows that I am miserable at change. At the times that I hate change the most it is when each of us is making me so proud to be who we are and going where we are going. Even though it seems scary now and it's painful for me in the moment, it's exciting to see the women that each of us is becoming. I have always fought change, but this time I have more peace than I have before. I know that each of us has established ourselves as young women and are continually moving forward into who we are to become while still remaining tightly knit.

So between continued education, male counterparts, new homes and whatever else is thrown our way, tonight I'm thankful that wherever these things take us that they will be shared and navigated together. As for tomorrow... my focus is on looking at the immediate future that is spending the weekend with some of the girls that mean to the most to me: many laughs, meals, hikes, pictures, memories and hugs. And I'm sure lots of crap for me posting this AWESOME picture of us.

Photo Captions

2009-07-01T20:52:00.001-07:00

I am so horrible at HTML. I took a class way back sophomore year at Gonzaga but not much of that knowledge has lasted, apparently. I just want to be able to post my pictures with captions below them and then be able to continue writing. How do I do this? I am still learning! Be prepared to see many pictures posted will ill-fitted captions, bear with me!

2009-07-01T20:48:00.000-07:00

My Ideal Saturday Morning

my mom

2009-06-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

Mom - she is my best friend, role model, teacher, counselor, comforter.

today

2009-06-24T21:37:00.000-07:00

Today I woke up at 5:30 and got to the gym for a good, early morning workout. I am really happiest when my day starts off with an elevated heart rate. I also practiced with my camera's self-timer. Today was just a "normal" day but it's fun to document the day to day things that I am doing. Maybe someday when I am old, these "normal" things will seem quite exciting. Hmm, okay maybe when I'm REALLY old these things will seem exciting, right now, I'm just content with the day to day.

Pit Master

2009-06-24T21:31:00.000-07:00

Since I just told you a little about my Dad I wanted to put up a picture of what he does best : BBQ. I have to be one of the only girls that has a Dad that makes his own Father's Day meal, and loves doing it. At our house, he is the pit master.

Goals for Me and My Camera

2009-06-23T18:40:00.000-07:00

1. Take more pictures, at least one per day

2. Learn to use Photoshop to edit said pictures

3. Have my camera with me more often than not

4. Take golf pictures of Dad and Andrew

5. Pictures of Mom, her hands in particular

Bro Jeep, Jeep Li, "Quite A..."

2009-06-19T13:35:00.001-07:00

With Father's Day coming I thought it fitting to sit and reflect on who my Dad is. Sometimes, I wonder if we are actually related and then I look at my wide feet, short stature, bad eyes and realize, that yes, I am in fact one of his. It seems that the physical traits that I dislike the most about myself seem to have resulted from Mom's wussy genes giving up to Dad's and saying, "okay okay you win,.... again, our child can have your thin hair, fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."

This is not to say that Dad doesn't have a fist load of amazing qualities, it just seems that he was unable to pass the most desirable ones on to me. I I often tease him that all of my bad traits I got from him, which we all know is a lie because I got my attitude from Mom, but graciously, he never points this out.

One of the things that amazes me about my Dad is his ability to talk to anyone and everyone (and enjoy it!). He truly enjoys getting other people going and unlike me, new people don't make him the least bit nervous. To him they are an opportunity to make someone laugh. One of the ways that Dad connects with people is to give them a name. He has several names for himself, but also nicknames most of the people that he meets. This is a little about my Dad and his "names."

With all of my Dad's pseudo names you would think that he worked for the CIA instead of the railroad. Jeep, Bro Jeep, Jeep Li, "Quite A," are all things that he responds to. He doesn't do well with anything formal, Mr. Labberton never has suited him, neither does his given name of James Theodore. If you have never heard the story about how my Dad came to be called Jeep ask me, or him, about it, it will make you smile. But as for the other names that he has acquired...

One night I walked into his bedroom and he looked at me and said, "I'm thinking about changing my name." Hmmm...why would a man that doesn't even go by his real name need to change it now that he's 54 years old? Okay. He goes on to explain to me that he's "thinking of changing it to 'Quite A'...because he is 'Quite a Catch'." I about died laughing. Does he really lay awake at night and think of these things?

When he is BBQing he insists on being called "Bro Jeep," ironing and he's to be called "Jeep Li." Out of all of my Dad's silly names, I am thankful (despite my wide feet) that I am the one that gets to call him my Dad.

Aunt Jody's Salsa

2009-06-11T18:03:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of the salsa and of my cilantro crop!

At a graduation party this past Saturday for Andrew's cousin, his aunt had made some A+ salsa. Chunky, fresh, spicy...delicious. Watching my crop of cilantro go buckwild I decided to make a batch up. A word to the wise, or the wimps if you will: those dang serrano peppers are hot! I put in half and let me tell you, I had tears running down my face after a few bites.

Aunt Jody's Chunky Salsa
5-10 roma tomatoes
2-3 regular tomatoes
1 serrano pepper
1/4 head cabbage
2-3 limes squeezed
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 T. sea salt
1/2 t. sugar
2 cloves garlic
1/2 red onion
1 t. pepper
Chop in food processor. Enjoy!

Thanks Jody!

Photo Op

2009-06-06T20:36:00.000-07:00

I just got a new camera. A friend from high school had taken some amazing pictures of Steph and I and our mothers and once I saw her camera I was totally addicted! I decided that before I find a house that I want to buy I'd better purchase the camera.

I have been trying to take as many pictures as possible to play with my new camera. So far, I'm not much better than I was with the ol' point and shoot model, but I'm working on it! The only problem is that it seems that my best shots are always of food! What is that about? People seem shy, cats walk off but food, it's always there for me. So here are a few of my pictures so far.

Badgering My Parents

2009-05-17T09:13:00.000-07:00

Near our home is a hiking trail that is 1.4 miles up the side of what is named Badger Mountain. The first time I made Mom take the trek with me the wind was blowing 35 miles per hours. I'm pretty sure that she thought I was trying to kill her. I figured if she made it up once she could do it again. So this spring I have hauled my folks up there on weekend mornings to get our exercise in. Mom has several conditions on this ritual, it has to be cool, not hot, if this means getting up at 6:30 on a weekend morning to go, we do it. It also has to be calm, no more 35 mile per hour winds for her, no way. We also have to drive straight there once we leave the house, if we stop anywhere else it's possible her resolve will escape.

Then there's Dad. It really just makes him mad when Mom can beat him, so he comes too.

But, today was a good day on the trail! Mom had a goal that by the end of the summer she was going to make it the whole way up without stopping. Today Dad and I took off in the front and headed up the hill, Mom prefers her own slow and steady wins the race pace. Mom determined not to stop, Dad determined not to be beat by Mom, kept scurrying their way up the hill. Would you know that in fact they can both make the entire way without stopping? Heck, they both went fast than they ever had before. I think they've been holding out on me...

Now I'll start in on convincing them to hike the 2.2 miles of the backside, after all, we have a lot of nice weather months ahead and goals that have already been met.

You should check it out: http://www.friendsofbadger.org/

Out Takes

2009-05-11T16:36:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a long weekend, and long awaited weekend, with my friend Steph in California. I always enjoy the time that we spend together. We always laugh a lot, eat copious amounts of amazing "California" food and end up driving down the hill about a bazillion times. This last trip down was with Mom. It was her birthday and we were going to Disneyland to celebrate! As a bonus Steph and I decided to have my talented friend Jessica, www.jessperkinsphotography.blogspot.com, to take some pictures for us as gift to our mom's for Mother's Day. Although all of the pictures turned out great, I'm going to post a few that didn't turn out so ...err, well, "great." These are the pictures that crack me up however because they show us how we really are; they are so true to form.

Enjoy!

Learning to Blog

2009-03-24T10:16:00.001-07:00

I want a fun place to post recipes and pictures of the things that I've been up to. So, I decided that it's finally time to start a blog.
Pictures to come!

2007-11-02T14:21:00.001-07:00

This is my first post and really it seems quite awkward. It feels like learning to ride a bike for the first time. You really want to do it, but it seems kind of like you don't want anyone to watch when you run into the bushes to stop. You know? I really think that for now blogging is just a way to keep writing after college. I'm sure that anything that I write here will be far less intelligent that papers for school, but dear goodness, let's hope it's slightly more interesting!