We are going home (home as in Colville) today!! I am grateful because we weren't originally going to be able to go until tomorrow, but Ryan decided he could take tomorrow off so I am too and we are flying up late this evening. I'm looking forward to this visit for a number of reasons:
5. the main reason we are going: Tiff's baby shower on Saturday...it's a boy! I'm excited to see family and friends that I haven't seen in a while
4. now we will get to spend an extra day with Adysen and Bayleigh tomorrow when we babysit them while my sister is at work
3. Ryan will get some "guy time" this weekend with my dad and brother in law
2. We will both get Friday and Monday off from work...need I say more!
AND the #1 reason I am looking forward to the visit... is their is NOTHING like getting to spend time with family and those special people that can always make you feel better. I have been feeling pretty crummy healthwise lately and the thought of being surrounded by family makes me feel better already. Now if we could only get that nice weather back that we had last weekend we would be in good shape!
I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Weekend!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Law of the Garbage Truck
Good Story....
"One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport.
We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches!
The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.
So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!'
This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'
He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.
The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so..... 'Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.'
Life is 10 percent what you make it and 90 percent how you take it!"
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Do you smile often?
What is your salad dressing of choice?
Fat Free Ranch...I like the taste better
What is your favorite fast food restaurant food item?
Lately...Burgerville - Tillamook Pepper Bacon Cheeseburger
What is your favorite sit-down restaurant food item?
PF Changs - Lettuce Wraps
Where is your favorite pizza from?
Garlic Jims - Chicken, Bacon, Ranch
What do you like to put on your toast?
butter, strawberry jam
What is your wallpaper on your computer?
wedding picture of me and the hubby - big smooch
What color of cell phone do you have?
blue and grey
Are you right-handed or left-handed?
right
Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
weird question...teeth I guess, and endometriosis in my surgery
What is the last heavy item you lifted?
probably moving a chair from the living room to the family room by myself
Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
yes, a few times...I used to get hit in the head a lot playing sports
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
no way
If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
I just got to change my name and I'm pretty fond of it now :)
What color do you like to wear?
Lately, purple, teal and I wear a lot of black at work
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
No way, that would probably kill me...I'm a big wuss
What is in your left pocket?
$1...woohoo!
Is Napolean Dynamite a good movie?
Yes, so dumb that it's funny...and it sticks with you, great quotes
Do you have hardwood or carpet in your house?
a little of both
Do you sit or stand in the shower?
both, sit in the beginning then stand once I have woken up enough
Could you live with roommates?
Did for many years, loved it. I have a crush on my new roomie :)
How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
too many! I need a new pair of brown ones though, they broke!
Last time you had a run-in with the cops?
car accident a few years ago, rear-ender...NOT my fault! Crazy lady was walking on the freeway and caused a big car pile-up
What do you want to be when you grow up?
haha, still working on that, happy with a family and a doing something that I love
Last Friend/s you talked to?
Cassie, Jackie
Last person who called you?
Kathy, my mother-in-law
Last person you hugged?
Ry, my body pillow tonight though...hehe
Favorites
Season:
I like the snow, but I LOVE the sunshine of summertime
Holiday:
Definitely Christmas, no contest...and I'm a big fan of birthdays
Day of the week:
Friday, because I know I have a few days of rest ahead
Month:
probably September, my birthday and a bunch of family members birthdays fall in that month...except I am looking forward to July this year when I get to meet my new nephew!
Flower:
orchids, I love all tropical showers
Missing someone?
My family, as always, and some friends that I don't get to see very often
Mood?
A little irritable and annoyed that I STILL have a headache
Listening to?
Pandora Radio on my computer - Pearl Jam, Jack Johnson, Taylor Swift and Kate Voegle mix...random
Watching?
Gossip Girl...guilty pleasure, then One Tree Hill tonight - double feature!
Worrying about something?
more just wanting to feel better, wanting things to go my way sometime soon
First place you went this morning?
shower, then work
What can you not wait to do?
in life? - lots of things, have a family, see Ry as a Dad, move up in my career
this weekend? - See my family :) and play with my nieces
this summer? - hopefully take a week off, would love to paint the trim on our house and get our yard figured out, take some weekend trips with Ry to the beach, get a tan somehow :)
What's the last movie you saw?
Juno, with mom...it was cute
Do you smile often?
As much as possible...they are contagious :)
Fat Free Ranch...I like the taste better
What is your favorite fast food restaurant food item?
Lately...Burgerville - Tillamook Pepper Bacon Cheeseburger
What is your favorite sit-down restaurant food item?
PF Changs - Lettuce Wraps
Where is your favorite pizza from?
Garlic Jims - Chicken, Bacon, Ranch
What do you like to put on your toast?
butter, strawberry jam
What is your wallpaper on your computer?
wedding picture of me and the hubby - big smooch
What color of cell phone do you have?
blue and grey
Are you right-handed or left-handed?
right
Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
weird question...teeth I guess, and endometriosis in my surgery
What is the last heavy item you lifted?
probably moving a chair from the living room to the family room by myself
Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
yes, a few times...I used to get hit in the head a lot playing sports
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
no way
If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
I just got to change my name and I'm pretty fond of it now :)
What color do you like to wear?
Lately, purple, teal and I wear a lot of black at work
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
No way, that would probably kill me...I'm a big wuss
What is in your left pocket?
$1...woohoo!
Is Napolean Dynamite a good movie?
Yes, so dumb that it's funny...and it sticks with you, great quotes
Do you have hardwood or carpet in your house?
a little of both
Do you sit or stand in the shower?
both, sit in the beginning then stand once I have woken up enough
Could you live with roommates?
Did for many years, loved it. I have a crush on my new roomie :)
How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
too many! I need a new pair of brown ones though, they broke!
Last time you had a run-in with the cops?
car accident a few years ago, rear-ender...NOT my fault! Crazy lady was walking on the freeway and caused a big car pile-up
What do you want to be when you grow up?
haha, still working on that, happy with a family and a doing something that I love
Last Friend/s you talked to?
Cassie, Jackie
Last person who called you?
Kathy, my mother-in-law
Last person you hugged?
Ry, my body pillow tonight though...hehe
Favorites
Season:
I like the snow, but I LOVE the sunshine of summertime
Holiday:
Definitely Christmas, no contest...and I'm a big fan of birthdays
Day of the week:
Friday, because I know I have a few days of rest ahead
Month:
probably September, my birthday and a bunch of family members birthdays fall in that month...except I am looking forward to July this year when I get to meet my new nephew!
Flower:
orchids, I love all tropical showers
Missing someone?
My family, as always, and some friends that I don't get to see very often
Mood?
A little irritable and annoyed that I STILL have a headache
Listening to?
Pandora Radio on my computer - Pearl Jam, Jack Johnson, Taylor Swift and Kate Voegle mix...random
Watching?
Gossip Girl...guilty pleasure, then One Tree Hill tonight - double feature!
Worrying about something?
more just wanting to feel better, wanting things to go my way sometime soon
First place you went this morning?
shower, then work
What can you not wait to do?
in life? - lots of things, have a family, see Ry as a Dad, move up in my career
this weekend? - See my family :) and play with my nieces
this summer? - hopefully take a week off, would love to paint the trim on our house and get our yard figured out, take some weekend trips with Ry to the beach, get a tan somehow :)
What's the last movie you saw?
Juno, with mom...it was cute
Do you smile often?
As much as possible...they are contagious :)
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Are you kidding me....
The following is an excerpt from the July 1943 issue of Transportation Magazine. This was written for male supervisors of women in the work force during World War II.
"Eleven Tips on Getting More Efficiency Out of Women Employees"
1. Pick young married women. They usually have more of a sense of responsibility than their unmarried sisters, they're less likely to be flirtatious, they need the work or they wouldn't be doing it, they still have the pep and interest to work hard and to deal with the public efficiently
(this cracks me up....us young, married women are full of pep!)
2. When you have to use older women, try to get ones who have worked outside the home at some time in their lives. Older women who have never contacted the public have a hard time adapting themselves and are inclined to be cantankerous and fussy. It's always well to impress upon older women the importance of friendliness and courtesy (apparently all older women are cranky-this is hilarious)
3. General experience indicates that "husky" girls - those who are just a little on the heavy side - are more even tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters (wow-that's all I have to say)
4. Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination - one covering female conditions. This step not only protects the property against the possibilities of lawsuit, but reveals whether the employee-to-be has any female weaknesses which would make her mentally or physically unfit for the job (what exactly are femaily weaknesses??)
5. Stress at the outset the importance of time the fact that a minute or two lost here and there makes serious inroads on schedules. Until this point is gotten across, service is likely to be slowed up.
6. Give the female employee a definite day-long schedule of duties so that they'll keep busy without bothering the management for instructions every few minutes. Numerous properties say that women make excellent workers when they have their jobs cut out for them, but that they lack initiative in finding work themselves (I STRONGLY dislike this one. I can't believe it would be assumed that women need male instruction in order to get through the day....I love my husband, but I could manage just fine without men if I had to :))
7. Whenever possible, let the inside employee change from one job to another at some time during the day. Women are inclined to be less nervous and happier with change.
8. Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. You have to make some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick and wash her hands several times a day. (I laughed for more than a few minutes about this. Why are our hands so dirty? I DON'T do lipstick so I would be in trouble...haha)
9. Be tactful when issuing instructions or in making criticisms. Women are often sensitive; they can't shrug off harsh words the way men do. Never ridicule a woman - it breaks her spirit and cuts off her efficiency (yah...never ridicule a woman or we won't get any work done :))
10. Be reasonably considerate about using strong language around women. Even though a girl's husband or father may swear vociferously, she'll grow to dislike a place of business where she hears too much of this.
11. Get enough size variety in operator's uniforms so that each girl can have a proper fit. This point can't be stressed too much in keeping women happy.
This was passed around at my job today and we all got a kick out of it all day long...saying that we needed to go tidy our hair and wash our hands every half hour - oh how far we've come...
"Eleven Tips on Getting More Efficiency Out of Women Employees"
1. Pick young married women. They usually have more of a sense of responsibility than their unmarried sisters, they're less likely to be flirtatious, they need the work or they wouldn't be doing it, they still have the pep and interest to work hard and to deal with the public efficiently
(this cracks me up....us young, married women are full of pep!)
2. When you have to use older women, try to get ones who have worked outside the home at some time in their lives. Older women who have never contacted the public have a hard time adapting themselves and are inclined to be cantankerous and fussy. It's always well to impress upon older women the importance of friendliness and courtesy (apparently all older women are cranky-this is hilarious)
3. General experience indicates that "husky" girls - those who are just a little on the heavy side - are more even tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters (wow-that's all I have to say)
4. Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination - one covering female conditions. This step not only protects the property against the possibilities of lawsuit, but reveals whether the employee-to-be has any female weaknesses which would make her mentally or physically unfit for the job (what exactly are femaily weaknesses??)
5. Stress at the outset the importance of time the fact that a minute or two lost here and there makes serious inroads on schedules. Until this point is gotten across, service is likely to be slowed up.
6. Give the female employee a definite day-long schedule of duties so that they'll keep busy without bothering the management for instructions every few minutes. Numerous properties say that women make excellent workers when they have their jobs cut out for them, but that they lack initiative in finding work themselves (I STRONGLY dislike this one. I can't believe it would be assumed that women need male instruction in order to get through the day....I love my husband, but I could manage just fine without men if I had to :))
7. Whenever possible, let the inside employee change from one job to another at some time during the day. Women are inclined to be less nervous and happier with change.
8. Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. You have to make some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick and wash her hands several times a day. (I laughed for more than a few minutes about this. Why are our hands so dirty? I DON'T do lipstick so I would be in trouble...haha)
9. Be tactful when issuing instructions or in making criticisms. Women are often sensitive; they can't shrug off harsh words the way men do. Never ridicule a woman - it breaks her spirit and cuts off her efficiency (yah...never ridicule a woman or we won't get any work done :))
10. Be reasonably considerate about using strong language around women. Even though a girl's husband or father may swear vociferously, she'll grow to dislike a place of business where she hears too much of this.
11. Get enough size variety in operator's uniforms so that each girl can have a proper fit. This point can't be stressed too much in keeping women happy.
This was passed around at my job today and we all got a kick out of it all day long...saying that we needed to go tidy our hair and wash our hands every half hour - oh how far we've come...
Monday, April 7, 2008
Meet the Browns
I was thinking about my family tonight and I realized that I talk a lot about my nieces and family back home on here, but it has been a while since I gave an update on the Brown Family in Oregon and Hawaii. So, here's the scoop...
Jimmy & Kathy (my in-laws) are still working very hard, with only a few more years until retirement! Woohoo! They love being grandparents and wish they could have grandchildren that lived closer to home. Therefore, we have been informed that we are never to move out of the state of Oregon. That is a conversation that will be dealt with later...hopefully :) They live in Tigard, OR and are looking forward to the summer months to host many back porch BBQ's with Jimmy and Ryan's famous BBQ. One thing I love about them is that they are both very invested in their jobs, yet still seem to find time to be anywhere that any of us would ever need them...which I have always admired about them and my parents as well.
Jordan (my brother-in-law) is 21 and is a junior in college. He recently moved into Ryan's old room in his old house downtown :) How cute is that? He plays football for PSU, just like Ry did, and he is getting ready to start Spring Football in a few weeks. We are all really proud of him because he has been putting on some weight to stick up for himself on the field! He is still taking care of his knee (tore his ACL last season) and will hopefully be ready to go in the fall. I love the relationship between Jordan and Ryan. Ry is really close with his siblings, just as I am, and he loves giving Jordo all of his brotherly advice.
Megan and Joe Lokis (my sister and brother-in-law) who were recently married in Vegas in January, live in Hillsboro, about 7 miles from our house, in a really nice home they bought last fall. We started our tradition of weekly dinners (we only made it one week in a row so far, but at least it's a step in the right direction) and I am really excited and hopeful that we will continue to spend more time with them. Megan and Joe don't have any kids yet, but they do have an adorable bulldog puppy named Apollo who has quite the wardrobe.
Taylor (my other sister in-law) is my age and lives in Hawaii with her fiance and their daughter Kaley. They are expecting baby #2 in August and just found out this week that it will be another girl! Tay is a nursing student on Kawaii and loves her life on the island. They are able to come visit a few times a year and we always have a really great time with them. Kaley is the sweetest little girl, and we can't wait to meet our other new niece!
I consider myself very lucky that my new family has been very accepting and supportive of me. They made it so easy for me to fit in with them and I will be forever grateful that they have welcomed me as a member of their family.
Jimmy & Kathy (my in-laws) are still working very hard, with only a few more years until retirement! Woohoo! They love being grandparents and wish they could have grandchildren that lived closer to home. Therefore, we have been informed that we are never to move out of the state of Oregon. That is a conversation that will be dealt with later...hopefully :) They live in Tigard, OR and are looking forward to the summer months to host many back porch BBQ's with Jimmy and Ryan's famous BBQ. One thing I love about them is that they are both very invested in their jobs, yet still seem to find time to be anywhere that any of us would ever need them...which I have always admired about them and my parents as well.
Jordan (my brother-in-law) is 21 and is a junior in college. He recently moved into Ryan's old room in his old house downtown :) How cute is that? He plays football for PSU, just like Ry did, and he is getting ready to start Spring Football in a few weeks. We are all really proud of him because he has been putting on some weight to stick up for himself on the field! He is still taking care of his knee (tore his ACL last season) and will hopefully be ready to go in the fall. I love the relationship between Jordan and Ryan. Ry is really close with his siblings, just as I am, and he loves giving Jordo all of his brotherly advice.
Megan and Joe Lokis (my sister and brother-in-law) who were recently married in Vegas in January, live in Hillsboro, about 7 miles from our house, in a really nice home they bought last fall. We started our tradition of weekly dinners (we only made it one week in a row so far, but at least it's a step in the right direction) and I am really excited and hopeful that we will continue to spend more time with them. Megan and Joe don't have any kids yet, but they do have an adorable bulldog puppy named Apollo who has quite the wardrobe.
Taylor (my other sister in-law) is my age and lives in Hawaii with her fiance and their daughter Kaley. They are expecting baby #2 in August and just found out this week that it will be another girl! Tay is a nursing student on Kawaii and loves her life on the island. They are able to come visit a few times a year and we always have a really great time with them. Kaley is the sweetest little girl, and we can't wait to meet our other new niece!
I consider myself very lucky that my new family has been very accepting and supportive of me. They made it so easy for me to fit in with them and I will be forever grateful that they have welcomed me as a member of their family.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Mother Knows Best
I did it. I took my mom's advice, took the plunge and started exercising again. I grew up an extremely active girl and even after I finished running in college, I continued to work out in some capacity until I started going through some health problems. To be honest, before today, I don't think I had been running in almost a year.
I have been fighting major fatigue that I can't seem to get a hold of and I was talking to my mom about what to do. She suggested some kind of exercise in order to give me more energy. The last thing I had on my mind after being exhausted at the end of the day was working out, but I decided to give it a try. One of my co-workers has started working out in the afternoon on campus - taking a little break around 3pm and hitting the treadmill. Today I decided to tag along. One completely empty gym, a borrowed Ipod and a machine that I had almost forgot how to use (the treadmill) - turned into the best part of my day. I told myself I didn't want to overdue it, so I stretched, walked for 10 min, ran for 10 min. and then did 2 min. intervals between running and walking for another 10 minutes, cooled down, stretched again and headed back to the office. I was pretty dang proud of myself :)
Mom was right. It felt SO good to break a sweat (as gross as that sounds). I had forgot what it felt like to be an athlete, something I never really saw happening to myself. So, I'm hoping to make this something I can keep up with on a somewhat regular basis!
I have been fighting major fatigue that I can't seem to get a hold of and I was talking to my mom about what to do. She suggested some kind of exercise in order to give me more energy. The last thing I had on my mind after being exhausted at the end of the day was working out, but I decided to give it a try. One of my co-workers has started working out in the afternoon on campus - taking a little break around 3pm and hitting the treadmill. Today I decided to tag along. One completely empty gym, a borrowed Ipod and a machine that I had almost forgot how to use (the treadmill) - turned into the best part of my day. I told myself I didn't want to overdue it, so I stretched, walked for 10 min, ran for 10 min. and then did 2 min. intervals between running and walking for another 10 minutes, cooled down, stretched again and headed back to the office. I was pretty dang proud of myself :)
Mom was right. It felt SO good to break a sweat (as gross as that sounds). I had forgot what it felt like to be an athlete, something I never really saw happening to myself. So, I'm hoping to make this something I can keep up with on a somewhat regular basis!
Monday, March 31, 2008
inspiring words...
Attitude is more important than facts.
It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success,than what other people think or say or do.
It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.
It will make or break a company, a home, a relationship.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice, every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for the day.
We cannot change our past.
We cannot change the fact that other people will act in a certain way.We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90 % how I react to it.
-Charles Swindoll
It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success,than what other people think or say or do.
It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.
It will make or break a company, a home, a relationship.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice, every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for the day.
We cannot change our past.
We cannot change the fact that other people will act in a certain way.We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90 % how I react to it.
-Charles Swindoll
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Girls Just Want to Have Fun
The girls are REALLY into dancing and came up with quite a few new moves this weekend! Here is a video of them in their play dresses dancing up a storm in Mom & Dad's living room.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Oh to be a kid again....
Some of my favorite things my nieces said this past weekend...
Bayleigh- while riding in the car to Spokane, "Auntie, does JC Pennies have baby clothes?" and then she continued to ask us that about other stores...they love to buy things for their baby brother.
Bayleigh- while riding in the car to Spokane, "Auntie, does JC Pennies have baby clothes?" and then she continued to ask us that about other stores...they love to buy things for their baby brother.
Adysen- "Our baby brother is going to be very little. Like this size (as she held her hands only two inches apart)".
Bayleigh- "and it's very important that he is healthy. All babies need to be healthy so they can grow." 
Bayleigh- "I call these boggles (as she points to my chest) because mommy thinks that boobies isn't a very nice word to say to people. We only have little boggles because we are little girls, and you have big boggles because you are all grown up." Thanks for the compliment B.
Bayleigh- "When I grow up I'm going to play the cello". We asked her what the cello is and she said, "Well I can't tell you because I want it to be a surprise." I have no idea where she came up with that....
Adysen- sitting in the car holding a pair of head phones on her ears, "Excuse me, I need to make a call. Hi Auntie Deyna, whatcha doin?"
Adysen- as she comes running in the room naked and I ask her what happened to her clothes, "Well I spilled water and I was afraid I would do it again so I took my clothes off"
What is your favorite thing to wear?
Bayleigh- "Sweats"
Adysen- "Dresses"
What do you want to do when you grow up?
Bayleigh- "Be a skateboarder"
Adysen- "Be a soccer player, a dancer and a cheerleader"
Bayleigh- "Actually I'm not very hungry for dinner because I had a big breakfast."
Adysen- "I don't know if the easter bunny is a girl or a boy but I hope it will bring me something pink."
I love my girlies!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Random Thoughts 2
-I'm SO excited to go home this weekend and see my family. We haven't seen anyone since Christmas and that went by so fast! My sister has been remodeling their house and I'm really looking forward to seeing it and for the girls to show me their new room also :)
-I love One Tree Hill, maybe because it is the only new show on right now, but I can't wait to watch it tomorrow night. I just got caught up on last week online!
-I get nervous everytime Ryan goes to basketball on Monday nights. He always comes home with some kind of boo boo....and he is kind of a big baby!
-I think my sister in law, Taylor, should be finding out what her baby is soon. Either way, they are naming him/her Jordan.
-I really don't like the new Mariah Carey song...she says "I will hunt you down"...that's creepy.
-I wish our taxes were done already. I have never taken them to anyone else to do them before so I hope that goes over ok.
-My brother in law entered their lab in a dock jumping contest this weekend where they run and jump into the water and their jumps are measured (the dogs, not the people...haha). We have been telling him to do it for a long time because Casey is awesome, and he finally did it! We are all going to watch at the Spokane Fairgrounds on Saturday.
-I have neglected my guitar for the past few years and I have decided that I really want to start playing and learning it again. I wish I had a piano down here. Ryan has been bugging me about my music and writing lately and I wish that I could get more into again like I used to be.
-I love Jujubes
-Almost everyone is going to be gone from work the rest of this week with our basketball team, so work is going to be SO quiet. I'm really looking forward to getting a lot of work done and then taking a few long overdue days off :)
The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen.-Frank Lloyd Wright
-I love One Tree Hill, maybe because it is the only new show on right now, but I can't wait to watch it tomorrow night. I just got caught up on last week online!
-I get nervous everytime Ryan goes to basketball on Monday nights. He always comes home with some kind of boo boo....and he is kind of a big baby!
-I think my sister in law, Taylor, should be finding out what her baby is soon. Either way, they are naming him/her Jordan.
-I really don't like the new Mariah Carey song...she says "I will hunt you down"...that's creepy.
-I wish our taxes were done already. I have never taken them to anyone else to do them before so I hope that goes over ok.
-My brother in law entered their lab in a dock jumping contest this weekend where they run and jump into the water and their jumps are measured (the dogs, not the people...haha). We have been telling him to do it for a long time because Casey is awesome, and he finally did it! We are all going to watch at the Spokane Fairgrounds on Saturday.
-I have neglected my guitar for the past few years and I have decided that I really want to start playing and learning it again. I wish I had a piano down here. Ryan has been bugging me about my music and writing lately and I wish that I could get more into again like I used to be.
-I love Jujubes
-Almost everyone is going to be gone from work the rest of this week with our basketball team, so work is going to be SO quiet. I'm really looking forward to getting a lot of work done and then taking a few long overdue days off :)
The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen.-Frank Lloyd Wright
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Hangin with the Sideris Family
Ryan and I have known Pat and Gayle Sideris for 6 years now. It is crazy that I have even been in Portland for that long, let alone have known my "new friends" that long! Thursday was Pat's birthday and a group of us went to dinner and then the 4 of us headed to Cirque du Soliel. I have been waiting to go for a few years now so I was so excited! I loved it. They seemed to like it too, but I know I was way more into it than the guys were....they even admitted to falling asleep in the last ten minutes. I still can't figure out how that is possible, but Ryan said that the ribbon dancing was just too soothing to stay awake :)
On Saturday, I had a date with Gayle and Simone. I was excited to spend some quality time with both of them. Simone was such a smiley girl, more than I had ever seen her smile before. She is starting to react to people's voices and is SO strong. It was nice to see Gayle get a chance to relax and tell me all about motherhood! We don't get a chance to sit down and visit as much as we would like to. That night, Pat joined us and we headed to Tigard for steak and potatoes with the Browns. Jimmy and Kathy finally got to meet Simone - their grand goddaughter as they called her :) We brought Rock Band with us and introduced them to our latest hobby! Here are a few pics from the day/night.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Must see...
I just watched what is now my favorite movie - I say for now because I tend change my 
favorites a lot - It is called Dan in Real Life. I had been wanting to see it ever since I saw the previews and have been needing a good "life" movie. I loved it. It is a comedy about love, life, family and all of the crazy things each of those can bring. It is completely down to earth and I laughed out loud (by myself by the way), cried a few times and caught myself smiling through most of it. A perfect combination.
favorites a lot - It is called Dan in Real Life. I had been wanting to see it ever since I saw the previews and have been needing a good "life" movie. I loved it. It is a comedy about love, life, family and all of the crazy things each of those can bring. It is completely down to earth and I laughed out loud (by myself by the way), cried a few times and caught myself smiling through most of it. A perfect combination.I have been missing my family A LOT lately and find myself emotional at times for a number of reasons. This movie was just what I needed and I would highly recommend it. Steve Carell, the main character, has such a great sense of humor and it is natural humor, not the forced, scripted humor that you find in most comedies. He reminds me a lot of my dad for so many reasons...that's a compliment by the way Dad. Not necessarily his looks, even though they do kind of resemble each other in some ways, but more his personality. In the movie, Steve constantly tries to relate to his 3 daughters after his wife passes away. It made me realize just how hard it must be for dads to understand us girls/women sometimes. Good thing we have mom to help translate when 
needed :) Then again, their are those things Dad understands more than anyone else....and he does give the worlds best back rub! "Back rub, Back rub!!" Moral of the story, I miss and love my family very much and I feel very lucky that I have both sides of the equation to put up with me!
needed :) Then again, their are those things Dad understands more than anyone else....and he does give the worlds best back rub! "Back rub, Back rub!!" Moral of the story, I miss and love my family very much and I feel very lucky that I have both sides of the equation to put up with me!PS- For some reason, I think that if you put together Steve Martin, Tom Hanks, Steve Carell and Richard Gere you would come up with my dad...weird I know, but whenever I watch movies with these actors in them, some part of them reminds me of him. Dad, you must have been an actor in a past life! Mom, you are a lucky lady...being married to a movie star and all :)
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Best Music Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv5zWaTEVkI
Check this out...It's my favorite! Make sure you watch the whole thing. It's an oldie but a goodie - still makes me laugh everytime :)
Check this out...It's my favorite! Make sure you watch the whole thing. It's an oldie but a goodie - still makes me laugh everytime :)
Monday, March 3, 2008
Wine and Roses - Thank You
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Now that the dust has almost settled and I am starting to get things back to normal - whatever that might be :) - I wanted to finally post a few pics from Wine and Roses. I know I have already talked about it with many of you, but it went really well and I was very pleased with the outcome. The look of the Stott Center and the way that the decor turned out was more than I had imagined it could be. I was SO excited to finally see it all come together. My favorite part of the entire event was seeing the looks on people's faces when they entered the gym. It definitly didn't look like the place that we will play basketball tomorrow night! I loved it.
Working on this event was stressful, tiring and a lot of work - but I had so much fun seeing all of our work pay off and I loved what I was doing. The event was very successful in terms of money. We went over our fund raising goal and raised $60k more than last year. The best thing was that people have been talking about how enjoyable it was. I wanted the event to be successful, but also something people would look forward to next year. Everyone keeps giving us a hard time in the office, telling us that we have set ourselves up for much more work next year...which I am sad to say is already being talked about this week! Our Athletic Director loves to give us VERY LARGE goals, which I enjoy because I love a challenge, but it can be intimidating at times. I am looking forward to taking a day off next week, or two or three :) Let's hope I can do it!
I want to thank everyone for being so supportive of me throughout my learning process this year. Their were so many things that were new to me this year and I'm sorry for boring many of you with "work talk"...especially in the last few months. Thank you Meg for checking in with me and being so supportive of everything I am doing. It means so much to me. I love my book! Thank you Mom and Dad for coming to the event again and supporting me. It meant SO much to have you there, even if I didn't get to see you very much. Just knowing you were there allowed me to stay much more relaxed than I would have been. You have helped me throughout all of this more than you probably know. Sorry for keeping you up so late! Thank you Ry for understanding and putting up with my late nights, especially when I didn't plan on spending so much time at the office. I appreciate you being there for me and for showing that you were proud of me over and over again. You looked super handsome! I love you.
Also, I know my boss or anyone in my office probably doesn't read this, but they understand that I like a challenge and a few of them have pushed me and helped me to make this event what I imagined it to be this year. I could never take all of the credit for pulling everything off. It has been so nice to have a good "coach" in the office to help me decide what I want to get out of my job. So many people, hours and volunteer help went into this process and I wish everyone knew how thankful I am for everything.
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