New Beginnings

A new addition...

2011-12-06T12:01:00.000-08:00

This is Bubba. He's a crazy little puppy that loves to play and snuggle. And by snuggle, I mean with anyone and everyone he can. I often find him spooning with Rissy or literally laying on top of her. He's a little over a year old and is a very good dog for being so young. He's a non aggressive, kid loving, fence hopping goofball. Colin and I have been babysitting him for the last couple months, which has turned into an adoption. More so because I couldn't allow this sweet little guy to be sent to a shelter. Being a pit bull mix, I didn't think there would be many people who would give him a chance, and to think of him sitting in a cage all day made me super sad. We weren't looking for another dog, but he's beginning to fit in nicely with Duke and Rissy. A little training - a lot of love is all it takes!

Even though he's a sweet dog, I was a little nervous about the Pit in him. The vet assured me he'll be a product of his environment and wasn't worried one bit. Bubba grew up with a little girl who is now 2. She crawls all over him which proves to us that Bubba is great with kids. We take him on runs and let him off leash. He's learning to obey our voices (aka, not run away). He's doing great so far. Today we met up with another dog who Bubba wanted to play with. We're confident he'll be a good dog for our family. Rissy absolutely loves him and Duke is warming up to his playfulness. :)

2011 Christmas tree hunting!

2011-11-27T19:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Colin and I trekked up to the mountains with our friends Jake and Jaya, and their little girl Addison. We wanted to try out the Willamette National Forrest past Sweet Home to get a Christmas tree and do a little gun shooting. The last two years, we've gone to the Siuslaw Forrest (west of us) and got pretty Charlie Brownish trees, so we decided to head out the other way and try our luck!

We didn't think we'd find snow because the first hour or so we were searching there was non. We went a little further up and all of a sudden there was a TON of snow. About 12 inches in some areas! This was Addison's first time playing in snow and she was so cute, until she got cold. Then she was done with it. :) We also saw some cougar prints in the snow which kind of scared me a little. Below is a picture of it next to Colin's giant hand. Yikes! And of course Colin left his gun in the car. :/

We ended up getting a tall, skinny Noble Fir. Really pretty, smells great and fits perfect in the only nook we could find to put it. All in all, a fun tradition we've started! Happy holidays all!

(Are you happy Aunt Gale??? ;)

Welcome Baby Van!

2011-09-12T22:44:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the world baby Van Gryffin Callon! Mr. Van was born September 7th. I drove up to Tacoma to visit him on the 8th - and what a cutie! Such a sweet boy. Eat. Sleep. Poop. Repeat. Love him! Keana, Josh and Joey are all doing great and loving having a new baby at home! I loved the time I got to spend with all 4 of them. Just wish I lived closer to spend more time together!

Beach boys and girls!

2011-08-08T22:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've been told my blogging has gotten "boring" (*cough* Keana), so I'm updating it about our trip today. It's funny how everyone posts about their kids, and I love reading those posts because they are all so adorable. When I post, I usually post about my fur babies and I sometimes wonder how silly I look! But my dogs are cute and I like to look back on my posts to see how they've grown.

I have lots of random pictures, mostly of the dogs, from our day trip to Waldport. Colin was a trooper and drove the hour and a half just to spend a couple hours with me and the pups playing on the beach. It was cloudy in Albany all day, but Waldport was so amazingly beautiful! Sunny, warmish and the smell of the saltwater gets me every time! I'm definitely going to need a beach house one day. :)

Before we ran them for 2 hours!

Apparently Mr. Sleepy found a nice spot on the sand. :)

Me and Duke's self pic. I was trying to hold him for a good 10 mins while a couple passed by with their dog since Duke has a naughty gene, or two, and barks at anyone and everyone.

BFF's!

Looks like fog, but it was pretty warm and steam was coming off the hot sand.

Had to get an action shot of both dogs!

Love this picture of Colin and be dogs!

This was all Rissy wanted to do - run in and out of the saltwater - take a swim - splash some more...

AND...he hates me for making him pose with the ball. hahaha

Mr. Scruffy after a long, hard day playing.

If Duke has to pose with the ball, so does Riss. I think right about this time Colin told me to stop taking pictures because I was going to ruin their eyes...with no flash. ;)

Birthday Boy's Bungee!

2011-07-22T14:40:00.000-07:00

For Colin's birthday, we went camping with some friends. We headed up to Yale Lake Thursday night and camped out until we could find the perfect camping spot the next day. We boated back to a remote site - it was amazing! We were able to stay until Monday since we didn't have to work due to the 4th of July. So fun! On Saturday, Colin got his birthday surprise I'd be planning for the last 3 months. He was obviously nervous but excited too!

Here's the before picture.

The "right" before picture...

And the after "I'm glad I didn't die" picture.

Did I mention this is the tallest bungee bridge in the US? AND he got 2 jumps? Yep. Poor guy. He loved it though and it even made me want to try it...well, almost. The area was beautiful and some friends got to see Colin jump also. Not sure what I'm going to have to plan for his 30th b-day next year!

Below: Not sure why we all felt the need to scream, but it was scary to watch! ;) And no he didn't hit the bridge and yes he still has both balls! lol

Mini Family Reunion!

2011-07-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been way too long since I've updated my blog! What a perfect post to start blogging with. We recently had a mini family reunion with a few family members from the Bruce side of my family. We had my cousin Paul, his wife Jessica and their daughter Meadow come visit from Las Vegas. We haven't seen Paul for around 25 years! On top of that, he reunited with his dad Ralph and met his sister Cora for the first time ever. My parents came down as well, so it was a packed house, but we wouldn't have it any other way!

It was awesome to "meet" Paul since I was too young to remember last time I saw him. Cora absolutely loved her big brother and neice Meadow! It was such a fun 3 days, we can't wait to do it again with even more family either next year or the year after!

Even Rissy loved Meadow...or at least tolerated her. ;)

Cora and Meadow on the slip n slide.

Meadow was such a little ham. She loved her Aunt Nancy!

Cora is SO photogenic...

Meadow and her puppies.

Gotta have a silly picture! Paul, mom and I.

Cora and her big brother, Paul.

My Uncle Ralph and 2 of his 3 kids, Paul and Cora.

Everyone minus Colin, the photographer! Jessica, Ralph, Nancy, Cora, Paul, Meadow, Kara, Cregg.

We can't wait until the next one!

Oldie but goodie!

2011-05-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I blogged about not having a picture on my computer of my Grandma and Grandpa. Well, thanks to my cousin, I now have one! Thanks Shani! This picture was taken in 1942 of my Grandma Corky and Grandpa Dick. Aren't they 2 good looking people?!? :)

Until we meet again...

2011-05-20T21:19:00.000-07:00

Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss.

Well, I miss my Grandma and Grandpa, but I couldn't find a picture of them on this computer! So, I put a picture of most of my California family after my Grandpa died. Grandma followed a month after from a broken heart. It's hard to forget Grandma's chocolate chip cookies, munchies and love for Dairy Queen! And also Grandpa's addiction to SportsCenter and fishing, and the love we shared for the peanuts in Grandma's munchies. Of course we know they're looking down on us - I know so because there's no way I could have sewn the pillows and curtains for the guest room on her sewing machine without her somehow guiding me! ;)

Cheese!

2011-05-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.

Dressed in her finest 80's bridesmaid dress, mom decided to party it up for Laura's Bachelorette party last spring. Priceless. Sorry mom. Had to do it. ;)

Scardy Cat!

2011-05-20T20:57:00.001-07:00

Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of.

Ugh. This picture literally makes my stomach turn. Blah. I hate heights. They are scary. Enough said.

Fam Bamily!

2011-05-19T21:55:00.001-07:00

Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.

How about 5 of them! This was our family Christmas card last year. :)

2011-05-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.

No brainer! Granny and Gramps! Of course the rest of our family too, but Granny and Gramps have a special place in our heart! Especially since my grandparents passed away a few years ago, they have taken me in like their own granddaughter. They treat me exactly like they treat Colin and the rest of their grand kids. We enjoy our game/taco nights and loved that Gramps came over to help lay our wood flooring recently! Couldn't ask for a more supportive family!

Cha cha cha changes!

2011-05-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

Day 25 - A picture of you last year and how you've changed since then.

I'm not sure exactly how I've changed, but I'm pretty sure I'm a few pounds lighter, my hair a few shades darker and a little bit stronger. Other than that, I'm still the same rocker as before! ;)

If you're on a diet...don't look!

2011-05-16T11:54:00.000-07:00

Day 24 - A picture of something you crave a lot

Chocolate and cupcakes. All wrapped into one. YUM!

Tipsy turvey...

2011-05-06T16:30:00.001-07:00

Day 22 - A picture that confuses you

1. Why is my mom trying to tip my dad over in my hammock.
2. How did Rissy get that rubber pull toy over her head?
3. How did they not break my hammock? ;)

This was at my surprise birthday party last summer. It was so fun! My mom, dad, sister and her neighbor Dawn all came down to celebrate along with friends and Colin's family. Such a great night!

Bookworm...not so much

2011-05-05T12:43:00.001-07:00

Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.

So, I'm not much of a bookworm. But once in awhile I do enjoy really good books. This one, Underneath The Banner of Heaven was really good. I actually finished the whole thing! It was a little boring in spots, but I loved that it was completely fact. More of like a documentary - somewhat controversial. SO good! I definitely recommend it.

Sight for Sore Eyes

2011-05-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.

The ridiculous man crack Colin and I saw at Fred Meyer yesterday.
It was one of those things that's so disgusting but you can't help to stare because
you can't believe anyone wouldn't feel their bum hanging out! EWW! (Picture below is NOT the one we saw, that one was way worse. I just thought the picture was necessary to show the full effect. :)

Tahiti Sweetie

2011-04-29T21:28:00.000-07:00

Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.

Tahiti! Oh my gosh. Talk about my dream vacation! I just can't imagine staying in one of those little huts on the water. I can dream...right!!

SO comfy...

2011-04-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

Day 18 - A picture of your favorite place.

My bed. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my bed! SO comfy. :)

Splish Splash

2011-04-25T19:35:00.001-07:00

Day 18 - A picture of your favorite place.

Pictured above with Rissy when she was 5 months and Stoli!

The beach! Any kind, doesn't matter. I love the Oregon coast and the smell of the salt water. My favorite place on the coast is Canon Beach. Such a quaint town with cute little shops. I also love lake beaches. My favorite one of those is Potholes. Soft warm sand, lazy days, and nothing to worry about but trying to decide what water activity to do next. :) Can you tell I'm dying for summer to get here!?!

Blah.

2011-04-25T19:27:00.000-07:00

Day 17 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.

I know, most girls have a belly fat insecurity. I've always said, "Why can't I just have one big toe, or knee or something!" Why does it all have to go in that one area where I don't want it to! ;) Working on it, one day it'll be where I want it to! Blah...

Friends...

2011-04-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

Day 16 - A picture of you and your friends.

This picture was taken when Abby, Alaina and I went to Big Lake in Eastern Oregon for a little R & R. We ditched the boys and headed out for a girls day. Then, wen't to get some ice cream in town. Such a fun day!

To die for...

2011-04-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.

I so badly want to go to the Caribbean one day! Sounds silly, but it's just one of the things I want to do before I have kids. I'm sure there are other more important things I'd like to do before I die, but this is the current one on my mind! Hmm...maybe a wedding one day? (Don't worry, still waiting on my ring. Waiting, and waiting, and waiting...)

Life as we know it...

2011-04-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.

This crazy guy! Although he drives me nuts with his constant '80's music and love for all things fish (tanks, plants etc), but I suppose that's the least I can pay for getting to spend every day with him! (Ahh, mushy, I know!) We've been together almost 6 years (in July) and have grown so much together. I love the life we've created together. We've done many home improvements, gotten one dog and one cat together and gone through med school and started my interpreting career together. I'd say that's enough to say I don't know what I'd do without him! :)

2011-04-14T20:07:00.000-07:00

Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist.

What can I say? She's darn talented! And for her age, I think she presents herself with grace and maturity. I know it's kind of "teeny bopperish", but I love her!

Love x2

2011-04-14T20:02:00.001-07:00

Day 12 - A picture of something you love.

How about 2 "somethings"? Ok. Duke and Miss Riss. LOVE, love, love these two. A ton. They're one of the only things that can make me feel better when I'm down. Rissy is super sweet and constantly makes me smile. Duke is a big snuggler and knows when I need a good puppy hug. These two make me want another one so bad, but don't worry, I know we don't have the space for a third! :)

2011-04-10T20:33:00.000-07:00

Day 11 - A picture of something you hate.

Backstabbers! You know, the kind of people who are super nice to your face, then go behind your back and say bad stuff about you? Ya. That's one thing I HATE!

One day....

2011-04-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

Day 10 - A picture of someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future.

Guess I would be a pretty cruddy girlfriend (of almost 6 years - speaking of marriage, ahh-hem!) if I didn't say Colin! ;)

lol, haha, lmao...

2011-04-07T10:45:00.000-07:00

Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh. (oops, I skipped this day yesterday!)

I won't go into the details of this photo, but lets just say my mom, Jen and I laughed harder than I've ever laughed before. :) And I'm pretty sure Lee was glad he was clueless to the event!

Colin bolin bo bolin!

2011-04-06T12:28:00.000-07:00

Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.

Again, aside from the parentals (lets face it, they've been around the longest and forced me to become somewhat of a decent person), Colin has really gotten me through a LOT the last couple of years. Everything from mini breakdowns to breakdowns of epic proportions. ;) He helped me through some of the toughest situations I've ever been in. Moving to Albany was super hard, and because of Colin I can now say I love where I live and I love the life I have! He forces me to be strong and assertive when I need to be but lets me be a baby and cry to let the stress out. All I can say is, thank goodness for him!

2011-04-04T20:35:00.000-07:00

My guest room is almost finished!!! YAY! This is the before picture below.

I promise I'm not lying...THIS is all the junk we found down the vent!
Seriously, a cell phone? It's actually in really nice condition!
Makes me wonder if the mom ever did find it or not after her kid hid it!

Here is the room after I painted and decorated, but before the carpet was ripped out.

G0odbye nasty carpet!

The wood floors going in on a whim Sunday night.

Wa-la! Now just have to finish the curtains (which I'm totally putting off)
and Colin is going to make me a built in storage unit on the wall to the right of the bed! :)

Not too shabby for a couple of average people! Now for the rest of the house...

2011-04-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

Day 07 - A picture that shows your true self

I'm a dork. Enough said. :)

Dreaming of warm sunny days...

2011-04-03T21:43:00.000-07:00

Day 06 - A picture of somewhere you've been

Back in the day, when I was still in college, I went on a trip to Puerto Vallarta with the family I was a nanny for. I couldn't find the picture of Vivian, Olive and I, but this is one of my favorites. Vivian was about 5 and Olive was around 2 when we went. I stayed for a week with them then had to head back so I didn't miss anymore college classes. This picture was taken when we were eating dinner at a restaurant one night on the beach. Olive (above) was such a snuggler. Her and I were best buds! I miss those little girls like crazy, but get to keep in contact with them and their family which is really wonderful. :)

2011-04-03T21:37:00.000-07:00

Day 04 (aka day 5) - A picture of your night

Tonight (Friday) I made a sign, card cookies and casino cupcakes for Mandy's birthday. Saturday we went to Lincoln City to see Tesla in concert and our friends Dan/Mandy and TJ/Alaina came with us on a mini road trip in the RV. Of course I had to decorate for Mandy's birthday which was last week...casino themed! We had such a fun time!!!

Two Peas in a Pod

2011-04-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

I'm switching day 4 and day 5 around. Why? Because I worked last night, not so excited. And I don't have any pictures of me interpreting. Plus, I'm doing something super fun tonight. :)

Day 05 (aka day 4) - A picture of your favorite memory.

One of my favorite memories growing up is our yearly summer trips to Potholes. It's near Moses Lake. We boat back and camp on the sand dunes almost every year since I was a baby. It's one of my favorite places in the world. Warm, secluded and family time. This picture above is a pictures of Colin's only time in Potholes - Rissy was about 5 months old in this picture and loved the water. She's definitely our water baby. Priceless!

Desperate

2011-03-30T11:41:00.000-07:00

Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.

Guilty pleasure. :)

Sista, Sista

2011-03-29T19:13:00.000-07:00

Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest.

Aside from my parents (lets face it, they spanked me, sent me to time out and made me clean my room), I'd have to say la sista. The first person to put make up on me for my first date and do my hair for all my formal dances. The only person to ever try and kick me out of their car. And the one who paved the way for me to get away with so much more than she ever did. I guess I owe her a bock post dedicated just to her. ;)

Me, Myself and I

2011-03-28T21:31:00.001-07:00

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with ten facts.

1. My shooting skills are not very advanced. In fact, I never wanted Colin to get a gun until we went camping one weekend, and I seriously thought we were going to get eaten by a bear. Ever since, he's welcome to have as many guns as he wants!

2. Colin and I like to watch many of the same shows - we never watch them without each other! Ex: Alaska State Troopers, Cops, Pawn Stars, Survivor, Gold Rush, Flying Wild Alaska, etc.

3. You ask me to do you a favor or want something done? Chances are they'll be done before you ever even wanted it done. That's just how I roll...

4. I've never met another person who had Meningitis when they were young and still has all their hearing, except me. And I meet a LOT of deaf/hard of hearing people who've had Meningitis.

5. I am NOT a morning person. And I don't drink coffee. I'm pretty much screwed for this quarter.

6. I love, love, love popcorn. Any kind. So. Good.

7. I love to bake and cool. In fact, this non steak eater made Colin (and I quote), "One of the best steaks I've ever eaten."

8. As much as all the work sucks, I love the satisfaction of knowing Colin and I have put 100% of the work into our house. All our projects have been created purely by us! With a little help from the family...

9. I love shopping. Enough said.

10. And finally, I've got the best family, friends, puppies and boyfriend a girl could ask for!

30(ish) Day Challenge

2011-03-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

I'm sure many of you have seen the 30 day challenge going around on Facebook. I thought it would be a fun thing to do, and who doesn't LOVE pictures!?! I may not post everyday, but I will eventually post 30 pictures! :)

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with ten facts.
Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest.
Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.
Day 04 - A picture of your night.
Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory.
Day 06 - A picture of somewhere you've been.
Day 07 - A picture that shows your true self.
Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh.
Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.
Day 10 - A picture of someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future.
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate.
Day 12 - A picture of something you love.
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist.
Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.
Day 16 - A picture of you and your friends.
Day 17 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.
Day 18 - A picture of your favorite place.
Day 19 - A picture of a habit you wish you didn't have.
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.
Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.
Day 22 - A picture that confuses you.
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.
Day 24 - A picture of something you crave a lot.
Day 25 - A picture of you last year and how you've changed since then.
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of.
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss.

Fireplace Remodel

2011-03-25T21:56:00.000-07:00

Remember this fireplace? This lovely, lava rock, cob web catching eye sore? I hated it. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of a big cozy fireplace in our living room. I just hated how dark and dreary it was. Sometimes friends would come over and absolutely love the rock, but it had to go. Adios, sayonara, peace out!

Yesterday, on a whim, Colin and I decided it was finally time to get new flooring for the entire house. We've hated our carpet and wanted to get Pergo floors for a long time now. Thank to 2 great tax returns, we were able to get 1100 square feet of Havana Mahogany. It's a darker wood than we have in the kitchen/dining room. We had to get extra so one day when we decide to redo our kitchen, we'll have enough to fix the floors due to a changed layout. Back to the reason we are redoing the fireplace. To put in the flooring correctly we were going to have to rip out the lava rock beforehand so we cut butt the wood up to the fireplace without the lava rock in the way, and also so the falling debris didn't ruin the new floors.

You can see how much of a mess I made! And I was just about 1/2 way done here! Unbelievable how much dust there was. Ridiculous!

Even Duke was worried! Yuck!

Since I did this project solo while Colin was at work, I needed some extra man power. What did I come up with? An old computer chair and Rubbermaid container! Pretty darn smart, right? By using the rolling chair, I didn't have to carry the super heavy rocks all the way to the garbage can. I could just roll it! Pretty darn smart if you ask me! :)

The side done, right near the front door.

The front done! Next up - new stove! Now we just have to scrape the extra cement stuff off the brick. Then we'll be either putting drywall up with some natural stone or white wood with molding and natural stone. What do you think? Any suggestions?
You have NO idea how good it feels to get done! We have been absolutely dreading this project!

Guest Room Update

2011-03-06T16:27:00.000-08:00

Remember THIS post from last year? I said I was redoing our guest room? Ya. So I procrastinated on a few things, mostly the sewing part of the room. Aka, curtains, zippers on pillows etc. Well, I finally have the motivation to finish thanks to a couple visits in the next few weeks from Keana and my parents. You can see below we have a big storage thingy. That hopefully will be gone here soon and Colin will be building me a cabinet I can hide linens and different things in. So, just picture that thing NOT in the picture. I can't wait to get it out an put up my picture collage I have! All my picture frames are painted the same color purple as the lamp base.

The headboard was made my my friend Abby and I. I made the black and purple pillows and bought those sassy pink ones from Good Will. I also bought the lamp base from Good Will and painted it purple. The lamp shade was from Ross, the end table was a great CraigsList find, and the bedspread was a splurge from Kohls. I made the curtains, ok, one curtain, still working on the other ones, with white fabric I bought from Walmart. The damask fabric I found on Etsy which PERFECTLY matches the lampshade. How lucky, right!?! Abby was kind enough to sell me those great oak tree decals for a great price too AND give me the dark grey paint. :)

So, here's the almost finished product! What do you think? Not too shabby for a cheapo makeover! The whole room probably cost me less than $200 to redo since I reused a lot of the frames and furniture, and did a LOT of DIY. :)

Flubber be gone!

2011-03-01T20:08:00.000-08:00

Just a little note...down 7 pounds! If I continue to lose 1 pound a week like I have been, I'll be the exact same weight as when I first met Colin! I have to credit www.myfitnesspal.com for the fabulous world of calorie counting, Beyond fitness in Corvallis for circuit training - aka - getting my ass handed to me once a week, and Colin for helping me make better eating choices. Here's to another 19 pounds until my goal!!!

PS, I wish I had a skinny(ier) picture, but 1. I'm lazy and 2. those 7 pounds haven't melted off the places I'd like them to. I'm sure my thumbs, knees and boobs are smaller - fabulous. Once the chubs come off my gut, thighs and ars, I'll take a pic. ;)

Happy Birthday Rissy!

2011-02-20T17:29:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Rissy! She's 2 years old today!
Today Riss got to go for a fun ride in Colin's truck (with her head out the window of course),
eat some extra doggy treats and go to Colin's parent's house
to play with her Chocolate lab friend Bella!

Rissy is the sweetest dog ever. She LOVES her brother Duke and any kind of stuffed animals she can take the stuffing out of. She is also Colin's BFF. Often, you'll find her out in the garage working with Colin with sawdust all over her head! Tomorrow she gets to go play with her other Chocolate lab friend Angus at the park! She's a pretty spoiled girl! :)

Some of my faves...

2011-02-18T16:37:00.000-08:00

My mom called today and asked me for a couple pictures of the dogs. It got me thinking...I need to get more of them together! So we had a mini photo shoot! Then of course, I started looking through all the pictures I had of them together and apart, and decided to post a few (ok, a bunch!) of my favorites. Yes, this IS what you do when you don't have kids to blog about. You get the furbabies! And they are super cute if I do say so myself! Enjoy!

New Years Black and White Ball for Nepal Fundraiser

2011-01-03T18:15:00.001-08:00

As most of you know, this New Years Eve Colin and I drove up to Seattle to attend the Black and White Ball for Nepal, a fundraiser set up for my sister's non profit organization - Life's Handy Work. The money raised from this event and all future events will benefit the underprivileged children of Nepal through scholarships and other financial help. The great thing is, 100% of proceeds go to these children. There are NO admin costs.

We absolutely had a blast! Definitely one of the most memorable New Years we've had. I can't say I'll be drinking cherry rum out of a beer cup anymore. I sure paid for that one the 1st. We had a few people over 200 attend ALL who wore black and white dressy clothes. Here are some pictures below:

The ice sculpture at the bar.

The view of the back of the room right as we got started.

Colin and I.

Mom and Dad.

The Handy girls. Laura, mom and I.

Justin, Laura, mom, dad, me, Colin

Lindsey (Colin) and I!

My sister and I toward the end of the night.

My mom and I close to midnight. Gotta have the self portrait!

Next year's theme is Hollywood style. I can't wait to see all the awesome outfits people come up with! And hopefully it won't be so darn cold! Next up?

April - Driftwood Dash 5k
August - Softball for Nepal tournament which Colin and I are hosting

We'd love for you all to come to one of these! They really are fun events and for a good cause! Plus, who doesn't need to run 3.1 miles. I know I sure do!

Oops!

2010-12-29T17:11:00.001-08:00

Me, in all my technological incompetence glory, deleted all my buddies in my Friends and Family section. ;( So if you have a blog, PLEASE leave me a comment and tell me what your link is. I'd love to re-ad you!

Playdoh!

2010-12-23T21:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Colin's nephew, Brayden, came to spend a couple days with us. He had so much fun with Duke, Rissy and us. We just love how big he's getting and all the fabulous stories he creates! The funnest thing we did was make playdoh. 3 different colors! Below are a couple pictures from his visit.

Our first batch of playdoh - blue!

Mr. Cheesy. Then we made green.

And Brayden's favorite, orange!!!

Of course, when a boy makes playdoh, he's got to play with it!

I think the funnest thing to do at our house is play with Duke and Rissy. He absolutely loves these dogs! He especially loved that Rissy would lay her head on him and that Duke would make sure Brayden didn't make a mess while eating - he's a pretty good vacuum!

Brayden asked to have a picture taken with Duke and Riss. This is what I got! Then we noticed that B's fly was down, and we both chuckled about it! Immediately followed by, "We should zip it up." :) So zip it up we did. This little guy puts so many smiles on our face, we love having him here! So much fun! (except for the 7:30 wake up call ;)

Pretty girl and handsom boy!

2010-12-20T21:12:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share a couple cute pics of the dogs. :)

Naughty Boy...

2010-12-20T21:10:00.001-08:00

I left the garbage by the door, forgot about it, and went to take a shower. I got out of the shower to find this. He can't be guilty, can he? ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-12-20T20:59:00.000-08:00

This year Colin and I went to my parents for Thanksgiving. It was so neat because they had LOTS of snow! Unusual for the Seattle area, I think this was the first year ever we've had Thanksgiving snow. So pretty! We also had our friend from Germany here for her first Thanksgiving ever. I'm not too sure she was loving our food, but she was a good sport and tried several things! The turkey was a little interesting to her, since they don't usually eat turkey in Germany. That morning I did a Turkey Trot 5k with my bff Keana. it was very cold and icy, but Colin was a good sport and drove us there! Below are a few pictures from the day.

This is how we do Thanksgiving. Notice the snow on the porch AND the alcohol.
YEP. That's how we do Thanksgiving.

My mom with my sister's "Tofu turkey". Disgusting.

Colin and his caveman turkey leg.

We had such a nice dinner together...

YUM! Even Duke thought it was yummy!

Happy Holidays!

2010-11-27T09:57:00.001-08:00

From the Handy's, Nimick's & Grice! ;)

Wanna smell good?!?

2010-11-26T20:25:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! I just wanted to announce that I've started selling Scentsy! My website is:

karahandy.scentsy.us

If you're interested in ordering, let me know and I'll get you what you need! Happy Holidays!

We've got Beaver fever!

2010-11-03T12:55:00.000-07:00

I've been told my blogging is slacking...this one's for you Gale!

Last weekend Colin and I borrow his parents new RV for a little trip with our good friends Scott and Kristiina. We headed over to Corvallis (next town over) and parked in an RV lot to stay the weekend. We tailgated on Saturday with a bunch of friends then went to the Beaver game, which we won 35-7. (I think, we left after the 3rd quarter). The game was at 12:30 and our crazy boys decided to start tailgating at 9:30 in the morning. I however, had some tea...I had to be ready for that night, and drinking at 9 in the morning would make me a sleepy downer all day. So, tea it was!

Later that night, we headed out to Clods, Peacock and eventually got a ride home from another RV lots shuttle. Oops! We tipped the guy well...so he didn't mind driving us to the right lot. Next year we're definitely planning on making this trip a couple times with even more friends! And gauranteed we'll have a nicer tailgating set up. ;)

Hello, from Rissy!

2010-10-10T12:09:00.000-07:00

Rissy just wanted to stop by to say hello!

Tufted Headboard

2010-09-17T11:54:00.001-07:00

One of the major projects I did in our guest room was a tufted headboard. The hardest part? Those stupid buttons!!! They hurt my fingers so badly after stretching the fabric around the button and hooking it on the teeth, but the pain was worth it. For much less than I would have paid to buy one, I got this beauty below!

Here's the headboard breakdown:

Styrofoam - $20.00
Fabric - $6.00 (On super clearance!)
Buttons - $9.00
Batting - $12
TOTAL - $47!

First I cut the styrofoam to the size I wanted. Then I measured where I wanted the buttons placed on the headboard . After that, my friend Abby and I staple gunned the batting around the Styrofoam.

Then comes the ironing...

Once that was done we just had to stretch the fabric around the foam/batting.

And nail gun it. The funnest part!

Ahh! These buttons were the death of me. Seriously! I finally got one sewed to the headboard!

SNEAK PEAK of my new guest room! The white/damask fabric will be the curtains. And yes, somehow I found the same exact fabric on Etsy to match the lamp shade!

Posting it to the wall is the next thing to do. I can't wait until that's up! More pics to come when the whole room is finished!!!

We have trees people!

2010-08-30T12:16:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I got some black oak tree decal from my friend Abby. She bought white ones awhile ago and they accidentally sent her black ones which I ended up buying from her. I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do with them, but when I decided to redo the guest room I thought they would go well with the black/white/grey/purple theme.

Last night as the boys (Colin, Abby's husband Adam, and TJ) got liquored up, ate pizza and played poker, we jumped into our sweats, put our hair up and applied the decals to the wall. I think they turned out pretty cute! Thanks for all your help Abby! (<--Seriously amazing designer!)

Here's a peak at the decals in the unfinished guest room!

Before, finally finished painting the wall!

Abby putting on a branch.

The finished product! This room is so small we didn't have much room to work with the bed and armoire in the room. We just had to scoot things out of the way when we needed extra space!

Headboard pictures to come next week hopefully. Buttons are made (most of them), materials are bough, now I just have to put it together!

Sew many projects...

2010-08-28T15:40:00.000-07:00

As I'm in the process of redoing our guest room, I'm trying to do as much DIY (do it yourself) on a budget as possible. I recently bought purple on one side, black on the other fabric from Joann's for $2/yard marked down from $12. I bought 5 yards since it was such a good deal, and decided to make some pillows. I finished 2 yesterday. The checkered one is a little boring, but the flower one turned out pretty fun. I hand made all the fabric flowers - which took forever!!! Of course the bottoms aren't finished, I still need to add a zipper. When Colin came home from work, I think he almost passed out from the mess in the living room! The next one I do will be striped with flowers, but I think I need a sewing break!

Sneak Peak!

2010-08-28T15:22:00.001-07:00

See this beauty below? Yep. $7 at Good Will. I know you're probably asking yourself how I got so lucky as to snag the lovely gold and green lamp up. ;) When my friend Abby helped me come up with this project I thought she was nuts. I mean seriously, how ugly is this!?! After a couple coats of primer, some funky purple paint and a new damask shade ($12 at Ross), I think this rock turned into a diamond!

I also went to Good Will and bought a bunch of picture frames, primed, painted purple, and will be adding black and white pictures in them for a wall collage. One of the frames is in the last picture.

From ragged to chic!

2010-08-28T15:11:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I bought a really good quality night stand off Craigslist. This obviously is an older piece of furniture, but super heavy and constructed well. I decided to revamp it for my guest room I'm redesigning. Here's the before picture.

After sanding, (which I forgot to take a picture of) I painted on a coat of primer.

Then spray painted it white to match the black/white/grey/purple themed room. I bought purple knobs to coordinate.

Here's the finished product! I think it turned out pretty good and am really excited to see the room all put together. I have a few more projects then it'll be done!

Metolius River Camping

2010-08-18T21:47:00.000-07:00

Colin and I went camping with our good friends TJ & Alaina and Abby & Adam at the end of July. We were planning on camping at Suttle Lake near Sisters Oregon, but there was literally NOTHING available! After some phone calls to the rangers office and some driving around scoping out sites, we FINALLY found a decent one. In fact, it was one of 3 available in the whole Deschutes National Forest!

Our site was right on the river and just beautiful! Although the water was freezing, the girls took a 5 hour trip to Suttle Lake to soak up some sun and go antique shopping in the little town of Sisters.

Duke and Rissy came along too. They had to be chained up most of the time but loved hanging out with us. Rissy liked the fast river water a little too much. She jumped in on Sunday morning right in front of me and wasn't a strong enough for the current. I ended up in the river to save her in my sweats! Poor thing. She just doesn't know her size or strength yet!

Here are a few pictures from the trip. Enjoy!

Mr. Duke sunbathing

Rissy watching the fly fisherman fishing.

Miss Trudie! Somehow she got a hold of a piece of leftover corn.

This picture makes me smile. :)

The boys playing poker.

The girls playing rummy.

Girls trip to big lake for a little sunshine and floating.

The only couple picture I took all weekend!

Only in McCleary...

2010-08-18T17:03:00.000-07:00

Colin played in a softball tourney in (teeny, tiny) McCleary, WA about an hour from my parents house in July. Colin, our friend Dustin and I loaded up in Granny and Gramp's RV and hit the road for a 3 hour, very shaky, car trip. It was super cold, and not sunny AT ALL. Luckily, we had my sister visit Saturday morning whom brought bacon covered maple doughnuts. Goss. BUT, Colin and his buddies loved them! I was happy eating the cookie crumble one. Later that day, my parents came and watched Colin play. We then went to a really good bbq place. Yum!

The boys didn't play very well so the tourney was short lived, which meant we had to find something to do. SO, we hit up the local dive bar and had at it! Karaoke, chair bull riding, and too much to drink which caused a pretty good hangover in all of us. And I've got the evidence below. :)

My home run hitting machine!

Yes, this is McCleary where you can park in the outfield to watch the tourney.

If he can make a goofy face, I can too!

No shower, no makeup, scary!

Cheerleaders! Ashley and I.

Boys will be boys...

A few drinks in

And some pretty sweet sweats from Gramps...

And we've got chair bull riding!

Only in McCleary will a bar let you do this.

Vintage Nimicks...

2010-08-10T12:38:00.001-07:00

I've been a terrible blogger lately but wanted to share this awesome picture from Laura and Justin's wedding. Isn't this neat? It's like, modern vintage. I love it!

5 Years...and still going strong

2010-07-27T21:53:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's right. 5 years from the day we met. I'd say that's an accomplishment! I can't believe he stuck around through my crazy and constant house renovation ideas, and that I'm still here after dealing with his obsessions like a 135 gallon fish tank! I guess that's what makes the world go round and our lives a little bit more...eventful. ;)

I just looked up the traditional gift for a 5 year anniversary. It was...wood! Although I don't consider Colin and I dating 5 years an anniversary, I definitely got wood all right. A whole forest full! (See above post)

So, happy 5 years to my wonderfully patient and sometimes crazy boyfriend, Colin. I hope 5 years one day turns into 70!

Nimick Wedding

2010-07-05T08:42:00.001-07:00

This last weekend was the wedding of my sister and her husband Justin (weird to say!).The day was pretty gloomy but it didn't end up raining for the outside ceremony. Instead, it held of until the reception where it poured like crazy. Good thing we were inside!

The ceremony was nontraditional and fun. Low key, short. Perfect. The reception was beautiful in the Puyallup Pavilion. Everyone ate a ton, danced their feet off and had a great time until 1am. We even had a beer bong event and the best candy bar ever! The best part? We got to drive down to the ceremony and home in a short bus. Yep. A short bus loaned to us by a friend. Decked out with a tv playing music videos. :)

It was nice visiting with out of town family and friends like my grandmas from Colorado and Missouri, my aunt/uncle/cousin from Virginia, my uncle from Oregon and my other aunt/uncle from Idaho/Montana and my mom's good friend from California. Even though it was a short visit it was fun to see everyone!

Also, a very happy 28th birthday to Colin! His birthday was the same day as the wedding so he got a giant celebration!

Here are a few pics of the rehearsal, wedding prep and actual wedding...Enjoy! We sure did!

Mary's Peak

2010-06-08T23:21:00.000-07:00

Today my new friend Abby and I went hiking up Mary's Peak. It wasn't as much of a hike as we had hoped but the views were amazing. The pictures don't even come close to giving it justice. Apparently, on a clear day you can see all the way to the ocean, which is a good hour and a half drive from our house. We could see Mt. Bachelor and Sisters Mountains as well as a couple others we didn't know the names of. The peak we hiked to had a 360 degree view of the Willamette Valley.

We're hoping to go up again on a clear day so we can see the coast and also bring the boys. As you can see by the pictures, Duke tagged along. Poor guy was tired when he got home but he loved it. Next time I think I'll bring along Rissy and see how she does.

I just want to note that this is the 2nd blog this week. I'm on top of it! ;) Enjoy the pictures!

And...we have a yard!

2010-06-06T17:59:00.001-07:00

The last few weekends Colin and I have been working really hard at redoing our yard. Since we bought this house in October of 2008 we knew this was a big project for us. Little by little we starting working on it. Taking out those rhodies, raking the leaves, cutting down the tree, killing the grass/weeds, and finally installing sod. It's amazing how much brighter and bigger the yard seems without the rhodies and tree!

Not sure if you remember, but last spring we redid the front yard with the help of our families. I was dying to redo the back yard but we just didn't have enough time and/or money. My goal for this summer was to finish it so I could lay out in the sun and enjoy being at home! We got a new hammock and set up some flower beds. Also we set up our veggie garden in some unused space on the side of the house. I'll have to post a pic of that later. Here are some pictures of our progress...

This was taken the first night we saw the house. We knew we would be buying it before we even saw it because it was Granny & Gramps rental property that they graciously sold to us.

Here is the mess of a yard we had last weekend! The sprinkler systems were already installed and we were just waiting to finish prepping the yard. Notice the tree and rhodie is gone!

Almost done prepping. The sprinklers were marked by the orange flags. Also I made a flower bed to the right, next to the house, which has different kinds of flowers and shrubs.

Looking from the back corner of our yard (near the fire pit). We were about 1/2 way done laying the sod. And yes, it's super muddy because it rained on us all morning!

Looking the other way. 1/2 way done. Colin's dad came to help for a couple hours which was MUCH appreciated! His mom did something just a great - brought us pizza when we were starving! ;)

All done. The fire pit will be so neat once we get the gravel in around it and cut the tree's limbs above it.

Wa - La! Beautiful! Sprinklers are on, now we just wait for the roots to set! We had to buy some chicken wire so the dogs don't dig up the yard while we're waiting for it to set.

Excited? YES!!! And muddy. But I'd rather be muddy and tired and have a nice back yard that I can enjoy this summer than be squeeky clean with the old back yard!

I knew we'd be excited for the final product but I had NO idea we'd be this happy. And now that we have 2 dogs they'll need a place to run and play without getting muddy. I think we'll be spending a LOT of time outside this summer - and who knows, maybe another puppy? (Ok, totally just kidding. These 2 are enough for me...for now.)

Now...on the the next project. ;)

What's a bachelorette party without big hair, blue eyeshadow and poofy dresses!?!

2010-05-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we all packed up and headed up to Leavenworth, WA to celebrate my sister's bachelorette party. The weather was absolutely amazing - we got SO lucky! Friday night we just hung out and did some girly chat. Then Saturday we headed off for a day full of surprises! Laura's fiance, Justin, and his brother, Jared, set up a wonderful day and night for us. First, we went to three separate wineries to wine taste after being picked up in a stretch escalade limo. Laura was given one bottle of wine at each winery, which included one bottle of Ice wine. This kind of wine is made from frozen grapes picked at approx. 8 degrees, then the juice is extracted out of it. We also tried a chocolate cherry wine which was really interesting.

After wine tasting, we headed off to a surprise dinner reservations at the Mexican restaurant South which had balloons, signs and personalized place mats waiting for us. So cool! We then headed back into the limo to change into our '80's bridesmaid dresses for a night out on the town. Lets just say, out of the three bachelorette parties in town, we were by far the most memorable! We had LOTS of stares, pictures taken, and people asking if we were going to prom. ;)

Below are some pics to showcase the night...

Me sewing my dress to make it short while mom and Sarah poured mimosas!

So ready for the limo!

In the lomi

At the first winery, in our private room!

Outside of South, the restaurant

Don't be jealous. We know we're sexy!

I know you love the blue eyeliner too.

First bar we went to.

NEXT UP: Bridal Shower

Things I'm happy about...

2010-04-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

I feel like I need a little positivity so here are a few things I'm happy about...

* My enchiladas I made tonight which turned out pretty darned good.

* Duke's surgery going well and him being back to normal. And by normal, I mean him being happy enough to go lay in the mud outside, me being clueless to him having done so, and then traipsing through our house and rolling in our carpet.

*My 3 trips in 6 weeks up to Seattle - minus the driving part.

* Getting next weekend over with!!!

* My sister's Bachelorette party where we're going to paint the town red...or bright orange, yellow, and hot pink. With 1980's bridesmaid dresses, blue eyeshadow and some serious pumps on.

* My team terp and my weekly rice krispy treat binge.

* The fact I've never been on the show, "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant" or "Funniest Home Videos" or "Jersey Shore".

* PAYDAY is Friday!

* Making Bachelorette party and Bridal Shower invitations by hand for my sister's wedding.

* Getting to see family in July for Laura's wedding. Hoping everything goes smoothly!

* Getting my zipper fixed on my maid of honor dress that broke last weekend. I SWEAR it was a faulty zipper and NOT any weight gain!

* Waking up in the morning and finding Duke by my side and Rissy by my feet (who sneaks up on the bed in the early morning almost every night) and sometimes even Diesel at my head. Love my fur babies!

* Finally, I'm happy for my friends and family who never complain about my calling and chatting forever when I'm bored and/or homesick. :)

A few 5k Pictures

2010-04-23T11:44:00.001-07:00

After almost all the donations were counted my sister came up with a total ove around $1800 raised for the Nepal Orphans Home! This is enough money to provide lots of food and clothing for these children who need it so very much. Thank you everyone who participated and/or donated! A special thank you to the people who I recruited - Maegan and Danea, Keana, AJ and Lindsay and their friend, and Andrea. Hope you're ready to do it again next year! ;)

Mia familia after the 5k at Laura & Justin's house.

Keana, Danea, Colin, me, Maegan, AJ's friend, AJ & Lindsay with their raffle prizes after the 5k

Mom, Maegan & Danea

Me and my love

Mr. Dukie Doo

2010-04-21T20:54:00.001-07:00

2 weeks ago I noticed a bump on Dukes side and just thought he was playing too hard with Rissy. Well, late last week the hair fell off the bump and yesterday it split open a little. I took him in to the vet today instead of waiting until tomorrow's appointment to get him checked out. I thought it was some kind of abscess but the doctor is pretty sure it's a tumor. There's a small chance it's a cyst but because it's so hard, she's thinking tumor. We aren't sure if it's cancerous or not yet, we'll have that sent in to the lab when he gets it surgically removed next week.

Because he's only 6 (well, on Saturday) the vet said she's be surprised if it was cancer. But there's still the chance. :( Apparently they have chemo for dogs with sometimes helps prolong their life. But I'm just SO hoping we don't have to deal with that. I'm trying to keep a positive attitude until we find out if it's benign or malignant but even having to think about it suck!

Fingers crossed for a safe surgery and a non cancerous bump!

5k, Wedding & Softball...oh my!

2010-04-19T17:49:00.000-07:00

Wow it's been forever since I last blogged! Last weekend was the Nepal Orphans Home 5k my sister organized. There were around 65 people and others that just donated. It was a great success for the first year and we hope to do it again next year! Unfortunately, my sister took off with my SD card so I don't have many pics. Actually, I just have this one of Keana and I before the race. And yes folks, I'm alive. I didn't die, pass out, fall down. Nilch. Nada. Colin and I ran almost the whole way, just stopped 3 short times to catch our breath. We finished in about 32 minutes. Next year we hope to do much better!

SO much has been going on lately. The official countdown is on. Just a little over 2 months until Laura and Justin get married, 2 weeks until I drive back up to Seattle for a "secret" I'm working on, we're redoing the backyard with sod and new flower beds, and Colin and I will be starting a softball league in a couple weeks! Some of our friends and us decided to play Sunday nights. It should be fun!

I'll have more to post once I get my SD card back in a couple weeks. Until then...peace out! (As Brayden would say...)

30 Days!

2010-03-18T20:18:00.000-07:00

3o days down, 60 to go!!! (of p90x that is) We have done every workout except not all the Yoga days. Instead, we go jogging with the dogs. I'm still up a total of 7 pounds but people keep telling me it's from muscle. I'm taking picture here soon (of course after we watch Fugitive Task Force) and I'm really hoping I see a teeny bit of difference! Apparently after the first 30 days is when you really start getting result. All I have to say is that if I still look the same at the end of 90 days as I do now, I'm going to be pretty ticked! These workouts are anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half and are seriously hard. I bought a heart rate monitor to see how many calories I burn and it' anywhere from about 400-600 in a workout. Not to shabby! More to come later...or in 30 more days. :)

Nepal Orphans Home Driftwood Dash 5K!

2010-03-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

Official Driftwood Dash Website

Hello everyone! Please check out the above website and help support a very exciting cause.

My sister is putting on the first annual Driftwood Dash 5K to help support the Nepal Orphan's Home (NOH). Not only does this support NOH but 100% of donations will be used to provide food, clothing and other necessities to Kamlari (previously slaved) children. Can you imagine your children or future children being malnurished and having a past of being sold by their parents for money into slavery? Yes, it does really happen. And with all my friends help we can help make these children's life better. Below is a picture of our beloved Gita, who Laura fell in love with when she volunteered in Nepal last summer. When Laura left, she told Laura with her bag packed that she was ready to go to America with her. Who can say no to this little spunkster?

I have a copy of the registration form. If you're interested, please email me at KaraHandy@gmail.com and I'll send it to you. Colin and I will be there running...please join us! Only 100 spots available so please hurry and sign up!

Tulips

2010-03-15T13:22:00.000-07:00

My tulips finally popped! Well, at least a few of them!

Update on our workouts & ish

2010-03-10T22:06:00.000-08:00

Today Colin and I did week 4 day 5 of P90X. It was an hour of stretching, which you would think would be easy. Nope. Most of it felt good but some of the stretches were really hard. I am still up in my overall weight due to water and muscle weight but I feel more fit. I've heard you don't start losing weight until after the 30 days. Our day 30 will be this Sunday and I'll have to take pictures again. Yuck. BUT, at least I'll be able to see if there's a noticeable difference!

Colin has been really busy at work. He's increased his schedule at the office by an extra 1/2 day a week. He had 4 new patients today so he's definitely busy!

I have made a couple changes with my work that has been really positive. I'm REALLY happy with the change. It allows me to do more freelance work (which I LOVE) and also allows me to be home during the days for a few hours a couple times a week.

Rissy is finished being in heat...THANK GOD! Poor baby. We'll be getting her fixed ASAP! Her and Duke have been spending a lot of time outside now that the weather has been nice and I think they're liking it for the most part. We're trying to take them on more walks and runs to get their energy out and it's definitely helping! We haven't noticed Rissy's hips getting sore in the past few months which is a huge relief to us! We just hope it stays that way!

Hope everyone is enjoying this Spring like weather! (Minus the freakish snow that fell a couple days ago!)

P90X

2010-02-28T19:26:00.000-08:00

Colin and I started a workout system called p90x a couple weeks ago. We have finished a total of 2 weeks and 1 day and WOW...is it hard. It's about a 60-1hr 45 min workout, depending on the day. Everyday focuses in on a different set of muscle groups. Today was back and chest and boy are we hurtin' for certain! The push ups are just killer.

Anyway, blah blah, who really wants to know about that. The truth is, we've both gained a lot of strength already. We're able to do more and get less sore. We've gained weight because of all the water weight that's accumulated to protect the muscles but that's just starting to go down. So hopefully I'll lose around 10 pounds by the end. I took before pictures but they are hidden on my laptop. NOBODY will ever see them unless I get down to perfect. :)

Today was absolutely beautiful and we finished chopping and stacking the firewood. We also went to Mikes Bargain Center, Home Depot and Costco. Such a productive day! We're looking to redo our back yard so some things had to be priced out. And not to mention the pretty flowers I got to fill my pot today. (Pictures below). I love spring! Especially spring in February!

Feb. 25th-Feb. 28th

2010-02-28T17:07:00.000-08:00

Because this weekend was SO nice, I decided to go shoot some of my flowers in my front yard. I practiced some things I learned in my photography class and I think I got the aperture down pretty good! Here are some of those pictures. :)

Feb. 24th

2010-02-23T22:14:00.000-08:00

Look at my little kitty Diesel. How amazing are these eyes? This picture was taken a few days ago when it was really sunny and beautiful outside. I had the window open and Diesel kept jumping into the window sill and back out onto the front porch. Anyway, I snapped this picture of him and I thought it was so beautiful!

Feb. 23rd

2010-02-22T21:21:00.000-08:00

Duke, my blanket lover. Anytime there's a soft fuzzy blanket around, you'll find him wrapped up in the middle of it. He's definitely our snuggler!

Feb. 22nd

2010-02-22T21:16:00.001-08:00

Sad pitiful puppies!
I gave the dogs a bath yesterday after they had stayed the night at Colin's parents house. They play so hard with their chocolate lab, Bella, I always give them a bath when they come home. Duke is pretty used to baths so just sits through it. Rissy on the other hand, NOT a happy camper. I swear she puts on a pouty face every time. At least we have two clean babies again!

Feb. 21st

2010-02-21T15:09:00.001-08:00

Ahh, freshly mowed and weeded yard. AND, my daffodils and tulips will be popping soon!

Feb. 20th

2010-02-21T15:07:00.001-08:00

Happy 1st Birthday Miss Rissy Roo!

Feb. 19th

2010-02-21T15:05:00.001-08:00

This weekend Colin and I went and stayed the night in a hotel in Portland, compliments of Colin's parents. This was the view we saw from our room's window. Mt. Hood!

Feb. 18th

2010-02-21T15:03:00.000-08:00

Diesel's been super lovey lately...I think he wants a new kitty sister to love on. ;)

Feb. 17th

2010-02-21T15:01:00.000-08:00

Has anyone noticed the nice weather lately!?!?! Well, my little flower planter puppy wanted to come out and enjoy it. :) Not to buy something to put in it...

Feb. 16th

2010-02-15T21:34:00.001-08:00

Escape artist! The other day Colin and I were doing our P90X workout and that just totally freaked Diesel out. He decided it would be best to just go out the window - that's pretty sad when your own animals get freaked out when you exercise! Guess we need to do it more.

Feb. 15th

2010-02-15T21:32:00.000-08:00

Look at those sweet brown puppy eyes. Such a cute little boy. :)

Feb. 14th, Happy Valentines Day!

2010-02-14T19:19:00.001-08:00

Today Colin and I went out to mexican food for dinner. When we came back, wala. We noticed that out little girl has officially turned into a woman dog. :( Kinda sad. Anyway, we quickly hurried out to Petco to get some puppy diapers. Holy cow are they expensive! $23 for a pack of 12! Anyway, we brought them home and strapped them on her. I know it's not nice to post pics of it, but funny! She's so big and long she looks like a giant baby! Hopefully she keeps them on. Next up - a good old fashioned spaying.

Feb. 13th

2010-02-12T22:12:00.000-08:00

This is the first picture of Rissy and Diesel together I've ever been able to get. Normally, Rissy will run up to Diesel and sniff, lick etc him. Poor little cat gets absolutely run over every day! Just a few minutes ago, Diesel was on the chair hanging out and Rissy walked over, kissed him and got up in the chair with him. So sweet. 2 seconds later...Diesel took off. At least I was able to bust out my camera and take a picture!

Feb. 12th

2010-02-12T21:33:00.001-08:00

SPOILED, enough said!

Feb. 11th

2010-02-10T21:22:00.001-08:00

I snapped this picture of my mom at Bruce's Candy Kitchen in Cannon Beach. Her maiden name was Bruce so it was fitting to get a picture of her by it. And lets face it, who doesn't like candy!?!?

Feb. 10th

2010-02-09T20:14:00.000-08:00

Today I worked on some fabric flowers for my sister's wedding. They will be worn on the flower girls heads (on headbands), on my dress and possibly a few other places. We saw them on Etsy and decided we could make them instead of pay the $15-$35 other people were asking. I think they turned out pretty good for my first ones! I can't wait until one of my friends has a little girl one day so I can make a pretty pink baby one! :)

Feb.9th

2010-02-08T21:01:00.000-08:00

Our babies running on the beach. Love this picture!!!

Feb. 8th

2010-02-07T23:43:00.000-08:00

The infamous self photo. Sunday was actually really sunny and
beautiful in Cannon Beach. Pretty much a perfect day! It was also
Super Bowl which meant a LOT of food, drinking and to add to it - the boys
made a bet that whoever rooted for the losing team would have to go take a
dip into the ocean. Colin and I were the only ones that wanted the Colts to win
and of course, they lost. So, we took the 2 minute walk down to the ocean and said
hello to all the little fishies, crab and whatever the heck else lives down there! Absolutely
freezing! At least the rental house has a hot tub, so we were able to warm back up in that.

Rissy did really awesome during her first trip to the beach. Other than keeping
us up all night the first night we were here, she was great. She LOVED the beach
so much! We haven't seen her run as much as she did this weekend. She's a little
sore, but for the most part, she's happy and seems to be doing much better with her
hips. We just try and keep up with the glucosamine and asprin when needed.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!!

Feb. 7th

2010-02-07T16:33:00.001-08:00

Arch Cape, OR. Today is such a beautiful day! We all took a walk
down the beach and this is one of the views, a little doctored.

Feb. 6th

2010-02-07T16:30:00.000-08:00

Miss Riss & I at Cannon Beach. This was her first trip to
Cannon Beach and she ran like crazy, especially through the water!

Feb 5th

2010-02-05T14:44:00.000-08:00

This is a true Rissy picture. She often has her tongue hanging out of her mouth. She's so dopey and sweet, and I think this picture totally captures her personality!

Feb. 4th

2010-02-04T09:35:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to try this icing technique last week after I'd gone to Michael's Craftstore and got a new tip and some new icing bags. I brought them to a friends going away party and everyone seemed to like them. I also made the icing from scratch. I don't normally like home made icing but this recipe tasted pretty darn good! Everyone had purple tongues!

Feb. 3rd

2010-02-03T12:26:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't like a mini ice cream cone?!? Yesterday I picked Brayden up from daycare and took him to play at the McDonald's play place. I got him a mini cone and thought it was too cute not to take a picture of. :) Later, Colin, Brayden and I went to the Y to go swimming. He had a fun time and is getting to be a pretty good swimmer!

Feb. 2nd

2010-02-01T20:02:00.000-08:00

I was giving Colin's nephew, Brayden, a bath awhile ago when we had him for the night and took this picture of him. Isn't he adorable? I must be a pretty good bath giver because he looks pretty darn happy! :)