Sort of Here

I don't even know when I blogged last. October 2012? I got busy, lost interest in this blog and also have been feeling more private with my life lately. In a sense, this blog has become a personal diary and anymore, I am feeling like less is more when it comes to the Internet. I've always been careful with what I say...but sometimes that holds me back from writing what I want. Truthfully, I may make this blog private and create a new one that doesn't focus so much on my personal life. Not sure but it is a thought.

So much has happened since I last wrote. Big things always seem to happen when I stop writing. Maybe that's the problem. haha

• Early November -- My 101 year old Granny was in the hospital for a blockage in her intestine. Since she was at a hospital nearby I was able to visit her frequently. Thankfully she recovered and is doing well. Whew!
• Presidential Election -- I was relieved to have that over with to say the least. However, it isn't the end of politics and there will always be bickering. *sigh* 

• December -- Busy time. Granny got moved closer to us. She has had a hard time transitioning, which I don't blame her. It has been great being able to see her frequently. I'm hoping she will be able to get more involved and get comfortable living in the retirement community. 
• GRADUATED, finally!!!!!!! On December 8th, 2012 I became a Master. Not a hooded one yet ;-) That comes in May. My Mom, Dad, Granny, my boyfriend and I had a good dinner at a favorite restaurant. I loved celebrating with all of them (wish my sister and her husband were there!) - I love small intimate celebrations. 
•  I will say it feels great to be done but there is much uncertainty ahead. I am ready to be done with subbing... So ready for a consistent schedule, consistent pay and room of my own. So with that said, towards late spring/summer I will be looking for jobs with a passion! 
• Christmas was very good but fast. My sister and her husband came down from WA to celebrate. They were here for about 4 days. We packed in lots of fun -- baking, going to Zoo Lights, watching Christmas movies and general laziness. I wish I could see them more often but I am grateful for the time that we have together.
• New Years Eve.... While some might think it was absolutely boring, I had a the best day! I spent a good majority of the afternoon shopping with my lovely friend Jennifer. We went to all kinds of stores. I lusted after many items in J. Crew and Nordstroms. I was pretty good at not going too overboard (the looming thought of paying for health insurance, along with student loans... and not getting many sub days certainly keeps you from going crazy with $). Anyway, then after our shopping adventure, I spent a relaxing afternoon with Brian... then mustered the strength to drive home around 8pm so I could hang out with Mom. We stayed up until 12, of course... and we had no choice as it sounded and looked like the 4th of July around here! Awesome low-key, no drama, filled with special people type of day!

This month

My goal this month is to create some sort of routine. I really feel out of place and like I'm on a never-ending vacation. I mean, it's nice buuuuut it certainly doesn't help with the finances. I do have a couple sub jobs lined up and hopefully I will get a few more. I need to also fix my resume, write a cover letter, continue helping dad with all kinds of things, and look for jobs. Oh, I also have some clothing items I am hoping to sell through Craigslist. I need to work on that too!

We shall see what this year holds.... The past two years have had lots of very lows and very highs. I'm feeling mixed about this year already. Just one day at a time, right?

Here's to another year of ups, downs, and a whole lot in between!

Ending 2011 on a High Note

Wow... December 31st, 2011.

It has been a wonderful day!!

I will be brief and say 3 things:

**Congratulations to my sister and brother-in-law! They had a spectacular wedding day. I am so happy for them!

**Congratulations to my cousin Scott and his fiancé :) They got engaged today!

**As it is new years eve, the end of the craziest year of my life. I am thankful to have been able to experience it all, as life is ever so precious. I do have hope for a better year, however. May 2012 be full of joy, perseverance when needed and great memories!! Best wishes to all of you!!!

Credit: Carolyn Cochrane , her shop via Etsy

Christmas & Onto the Wedding

Tonight we are hurrying and scurrying around trying to get all wedding items gathered and set near the door. Mom, Sarah and I are leaving early in the morning to Salem so that Sarah can get beautified. So... Not much time left!! Oh, he craziness!!

As we are heading into Wedding Central, I don't want to let Christmas get lost in the flurry. Christmas was a wonderful, fun day. :)

Since I don't have much time to write tonight, I am going to make a list. I will try to edit this post another day... Like after my sister's wedding. ;)

Morning:
-- Had Granny's delicious sweet rolls that are truly a labor of love. Due to her two falls she hadn't made them for about two years. So good!!!
-- Opened stockings with Granny, Dad and Mom
-- then we opened Granny's gifts and gave ours to her
-- sat around chatting and enjoying Christmas music
-- mom read several of granny's Christmas letters to her, as it is hard for her to see these days
--got ready to head up the street to my aunt and uncle's house

Afternoon:
--had a wonderful dinner that consisted of contributions from each family: green salad with apples, pomegranates, and other tasty items... Potato casserole, ham, fresh baked rolls (ours),ribbon salad (also a labor of love, usually made by Granny but one of my aunts took on he job--- amazing!), and plenty of other great things
-- once dinner was finished, the hilarious fun began!! Haha In the past few years it has been tradition to break poppers and then wear the crowns on our heads. The poppers come with trivia/jokes and little silly toys.
--oh, we had poppers alright! These came with musical "instruments," little whistle horns (guess that is how to describe em). My uncle, who is a voice instructor, looked all the part of he conductor and gave us each roles. We all had number stickers to wear to match our horns. Once we Successfully put our numbers on, Uncle Tom told us our first number, pretty sure it was Jingle Bells... He kindly gave us a preview of the "roles" which was "4 4 5 6 5 4" etc and hose people were to keep the beat and play when he called their number. Ohhh so funny! Everyone was laughing so hard, especially my aunts. Needless to say, Uncle Tom had a job on his hands in attempting to get us to perform! Haha we did manage to do three blind mice, jingle bells and perhaps one more... Well as you can imagine, none were done without laughter and silliness. Great thing is we have it recorded on a camera, suppose it is a viral video? Ha! People would sure think we are all a bunch of nuts, which isn't too far from the truth ;)
-- Sarah & D returned from his Christmas celebrations in WA so it was nice to have them be at the last part of the dinner here.
-- We opened a few gifts after dinner and then returned to our respective homes.

Being goofy with table decorations!

Evening:
--At our house we exchanged gifts with each other, Sarah & D opened their stockings too.
--I got some great presents! I got several peacock items (one being a necklace), OSU Beaver gear, two pairs of boots, a few accessories for my laptop and a couple other goodies. I feel very blessed to have received gifts like this, especially as there are so many in the world with less. The older I get the less I want-- I don't like getting "stuff." I prefer things that I can consume or use. Overall, I think this Christmas I received gifts that are pretty reasonable.
-- Happy about the gift Dad and I got Mom: new headlight caps for her car. She desperately has needed them!
-- One of my favorite moments was watching Sarah and D open the TV that Mom and Dad got them. D was very surprised and grateful!

Christmas 2011 was an awesome one! Hope that yours was full of blessings too.

Christmas Eve: The Forgiving Night

Merry Christmas Eve!

In the words of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, this is the forgiving night. I think that is a perfect way to describe the eve of Christmas. The night where Greatness became so small, innocent and human just like you and me. And to think that in the little manger lay the King of Kings, Lord of Lords. A precious baby... So magnificent.

Mom, Granny and I went to church this evening and it was a very nice service. I haven't been to church much this year so sit felt good to let the pastor's words sink in. I love visualizing the birth of Jesus. Humbling to meditate on the story.
~
Today has been a good day. Mom and I took care of last minute preparations before getting Granny; cleaning and wrapping presents. It was a gorgeous day to get Granny and bring her back home with us. :)

A stop at Starbucks before heading back from Salem

Passing through a small town

Can't see it in this photo but Mt. Hood was quite visible. Love the Willamette Valley!

Crossing the Willamette River, I always love this part. 

Hope you all are having a blessed night. I am going to enjoy chatting with my family, watch the Yule log on tv (tradition) and have some munchies.

Merry Christmas to all & to all a good night!

iCan Bake!

Yesterday was a day filled with goodies! Baking goodies and one big treat. :)

Mom and I spent the day baking all sorts of delicious cookies and truffles. iMade lots of tasty things! iCan't wait to try the truffles....

Notice my funny [cheesy] writing?

iGot an iPhone!!!!

Sarah and her fiance got the iPhone 4G (since they are getting married soon they wanted their own plan). Mom thought the iPhones looked neat and decided to "invest" in them. She was able to score 2 iPhone 3G phones for 99 cents each. Of course, the service is what costs quite a bit. Ah... I have been forced to go to the smart phone age! This is something I have resisted for some time now. I think smart phones are neat but have not been able to come to terms with paying for the service. Generously, I am not paying for service now, thanks to Mom, but if I had to, I would still be with my text-only phone. Anyhow... I am thoroughly enjoying my new phone and used it to document the baking experience, which of course I documented on FB throughout the day! ;-)

So.... to unveil the sweet goodies:

Mom actually baked these per my request. M & M cookies! Just use the  typical recipe for chocolate chip cookies but substitute with M & Ms. :) Delicious!!!

Oreo Balls! Basically, a truffle and it is amazing.  A cousin made these awhile ago and I have been hooked ever since! I added some  Christmas sprinkles for an extra touch. And yes, iDID these! haha

Coffee Bon Bons... delish!

*

A Pinterest idea. All you need is Hershey Kisses, M & Ms and pretzels. Here's the link to the blog post,  "Our Favorite Christmas Treats." *

Hope you all are having a wonderful day! 

*Taken with my camera, wish the iPhone was that snazzy! haha

What I Am Loving: Christmas Season

Oh it is the Christmas Season, and today marks the first day of Winter.

As it is the holiday season, there are lots of things that I am enjoying right now...

Snuggly Dearfoam slippers from Costco, an early gift from mom:

My new laptop, an HP core i5 processor... Ooo I am loving it! And no, it didn't take me nearly three weeks to figure out that I could move the screen back so it was easier to see ;-) Merry Christmas to me!

Cheese Puff by the tree is a sweet sight:

Beautiful Christmas tree:

So thankful to have my future brother-in-law home for the holidays. Have to cherish these times as they will come few and far between for the next few years. He has just started his Army career and there is a long road ahead. Hoping and praying for the best.

Credit to Goodwill for the image

What are you loving this season?! 

O Tannenbaum

"O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree! How lovely are thy branches!"

Today was Christmas tree day! 

Mom, Sarah, and I traveled into the foggy country and wound around the hills to get our tree. A family friend, an old neighbor, told us where she got her tree this year and for only $20, a great deal! The farm was about 30 minutes from our house so not too bad. Felt somewhat rustic driving through the winding roads and onto the back foresty ones. 

We found our tree within about 15 minutes. As usual, Mom, sister, and I debated on what tree looked the best and gave our convincing reasons why. We walked around (more like traipsing, as there were gopher holes and parts of cut tree trunks on the ground) the area checking out our options and had quite a few that we collectively did not like. Mom spied one that looked good enough, and also as usual, she reminded us that all of our trees have looked just fine once the decorations are on it.... So, we evaluated the tree she thought was the best choice and ta-da!

Mom cut the tree down and Sarah and I hauled it to the car. I was happy about getting a tree with a small trunk since I don't have the strongest of muscles (yes, those two make fun of me for it all the time!). 

Our tree is decorated now with (LED) lights, ornaments, and a plaid ribbon for a garland. She's a real beauty! ;-) 

Just like every year when we get the tree we decorate the whole house on the same day. So this afternoon has been quite busy bustling around -- the kitties have gotten a kick out of all the action, especially Coco. She is thoroughly enjoying her first Christmas season! She has been sniffing out the tree and getting real frisky. We are a little concerned what will happen when we leave her on her own during the day... Suppose things will be rearranged?! 

I just hope she is kind to our nativity set on the fireplace...She took a good whiff at baby Jesus and Joseph - do hope they will not be removed from their places! 

Currently, I am typing this in the (must mention: on my new laptop) living room and the only lights on are the tree. Ah..... Beautiful. In some ways it is so hard to believe that we are here already,- and in some ways my heart aches slightly, it has been a rough year. I don't want to think too much about all of that right now because it feels good to just breathe and being with the tree...

"O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,

How sturdy God hath made thee!

Thou bidds't us all place faithfully

Our trust in God, unchangingly!

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,

How sturdy God hath made thee!"

---

*A version of the song "O Christmas tree" from the original song, "O Tannenbaum," which is sometimes attributed to August Zarnack. My Papa used to sing this song with his tenor voice :)

Fill in the Blank Friday: Holidays

credit: Lauren @ the little things we do

It is Friday folks! Happy, happy Friday! Also, this is the second day of a brand new month, December. Sheesh, last month of this crazy year... I wonder if we (being those of us in the PNW) will see that lovely white stuff any day soon...

Well, I am following along with Lauren this week at her blog "the little things we do" and doing her "Fill in the Blank Friday" post. She has the cutest blog and is a great writer, I am glad that my cousin "introduced" me to her.

With that said, here are the blanks and my answers!

1. The holiday season is mostly enjoyable, filled with fun moments, colorful lights, decorations, beautiful church services, reflection on the year, and to be reminded of hope.


2. Snow makes me very happy! I absolutely love it when school is cancelled and the city shuts down. People may look at Portland/PNW as a giant snow wimp, but I say-- we know how to enjoy a good snow day (or more if we are lucky, yeah Dec '08 was amazing!). :-)

3. The best comfort food to eat when it is cold out is soup, stew, roasts, basically anything in the Crockpot, and good tasting bread to go along with it all. Sounds like a bear's diet huh?

4. Winter is the best time for being cozy and connected to home. Great time to drink tea and hot chocolate, snuggle on the couch and relax in the light of the Christmas tree.


5. I can hardly wait for a break! Ever since the end of October I have been going, going, going non-stop. I will be happy to have the semester done, and a break from my wonderful jobs. I love 'em but do need to get refreshed.


6. When it comes to holiday gifts, I prefer to surprise others and make them feel special. Each year I love giving to people more and more. I also like to donate to those I don't know as well. There are so many organizations and charities that need money or supplies. Trying to pick two or three to donate to this month.


7. If I were to rate my excitement about the holiday season on a scale from 1-10, I would say I am at about a 6. I have a lot going on right now and haven't been able to focus on the Christmas season. Not only am I finishing up the semester and working, but there is the added excitement and busyness of wedding planning (for my sister)! With her wedding at the end of this month, we are making sure everything is all ready.  Would like to get a few relaxing moments once school and a sub job is finished-- I am hoping! :)

Here's to hoping your December and Christmas Season is filled with blessings, joy, and good times!

A Thankful Day

I don't think I could have said it better myself. A student this week said, after learning about the pilgrims coming to live in North America, "so it is a thankful day." I love how children say things so simply. They are profound lil beings sometimes.

Ah.... Where has the time gone and how did we get here? I will say, today was a wonderful day of being with loved ones. Life has been so hectic in these past few weeks, and in my partial emerged state of mind, it felt good to be around the people I care about. It was good to get a mental break, as there are plenty of little stressors. Putting those aside for a moment, here is how I spent Thanksgiving:

one of the beautifully decorated tables at my aunt & uncle's house

Granny's sweet potatoes cooking. Yuummm

we always have nut & chocolate cups (this year just chocolate!), thanks to Granny

my plate :)

Our contribution to Thanksgiving dessert, pilgrim hats. Thank you Pinterest!

Here is the link to website that was pinned on Pinterest. Just scroll down and you will see  how to make 'em. Very simple:  chocolate striped cookies, buttercream frosting, orange tic-tacs and mini-peanut butter cups. Yum!

While it is so easy to be absorbed with the comings and goings of life, it is good to reflect on what we have. With each class I have subbed for in this past week I have made the students say what they are thankful for. Since I have made them do it, I should too. Here is a small list (items in random order) -- I could write for days and days:

-- My health: So thankful to not be sick or have any major illnesses.
-- Education: Though I have loans, I am thankful for the opportunity to learn more and better myself. Not everyone gets this chance.
-- Cats: My two kitties make me smile everyday. I feel blessed to have such silly furry friends.
-- Family: Thankful for my immediate and extended family members. I am grateful that I have gotten to know some of these individuals better.
-- My two jobs: They wear me out some days but I am so thankful to have them. I enjoy being a tutor and a substitute teacher. Both have helped me to refine my teaching skills and grow in many ways.
-- My faith: Something I have not talked much about, truthfully, because it has not been real strong this year... but even when I struggle I am thankful that Jesus is patient with me. Even during this 'dry' time, I feel like some things are changing in my heart...
-- My car: Always thankful for my safe lil car. It gets me to and from with fairly good gas mileage.
-- Friends: Where would I be without my friends?! I don't get to see them as much as I would like, but I feel incredibly blessed to have them in my life. They are patient, kind, always have a listening ear, and make the dreary times bright again.
-- For the roof over my head: This is something I need to remind myself of everyday. There are lots and lots of people in the world that do not have this blessing.
-- The fact that I don't go hungry for days: Also something that is lacking in the world... I am so blessed to always have what I need.

Yes, I could write days on end about the blessings in my life. As I tell the students, even in the hardest of times, there is always something to be grateful for. Sometimes it is difficult to see and appreciate but those blessings are there....

Labor Day Weekend

Well, well, well, it is now Saturday, September 10th and I am finally writing about Labor Day Weekend. I am great about being consistent in my delayed postings. *sigh* For that reason, I am thankful that this blog is primarily for my enjoyment and if others happen to read it, then that is fine and dandy. :)

So, I will try to recall what all happened last weekend, which was quite a bit. I had a great LDW and hope ya'll did too. I can already say that it was much better than this one, as I am sitting here a bit uncomfortable due to sore tonsils and a slightly stuffed nose. I am a bit irritated to be sick but let's hope it doesn't get any worse... and maybe this will be my only fall seasonal cold. Please oh please. No mas!
~
Friday - September, 2nd:
First football game of the season! My high school alma mater played their first game and at home so it was pretty darn exciting. Warriors vs Lincoln. I am happy to say we won! 35 to 12. :)

I was only able to stay until half-time because I was going to have a sleepover at Jennifer's house. Actually, we were "tenting." Her mom recently bought a tent and she wanted to test it out in her backyard. We had a good time! We woke to the next morning covered in dew- at first when I woke up I thought I slobbered a lot (not something I do typically but hey it was an initial reaction!)... But as sat up and removed the sleeping bag from my body, hundreds of dew drops trickled down to the tent floor. I was amused!

Saturday - September 3rd:
Since I woke up at Jennifer's I spent some time with her that day. We ended up going to the Woodburn Outlets because there were some good deals going on. Her mom invited me to come along so I took the offer. Lady time and shopping is always a good combo. Prior to heading to the stores, Jennifer's mom kindly treated us to Noah's Bagels. One of my favorite places to eat at! While we were eating breakfast/brunch we were amused with all the sports fans. That Saturday was the start of college football games for the state- so many people were dressed in either OSU or U of O colors (the two state teams were playing other teams, not each other). The rivalry is revved up again. Ah, I love football season. :)

Of course, we ended up meeting several of those fans on the freeway but thankfully we weren't going too far. Jennifer, her mom, and I shopped for about two or so hours. I saw a few cute items at the Gap Outlet store and Banana Republic but they were still too spendy... so I lusted. haha I also wasn't really in the mood to spend too much money. I haven't been wanting to spend a lot since my CR trip. I will admit though that I am quite sick of my work slacks, two pairs of shoes I have worn to pieces, and a few others... but nothing felt worth it enough to spend $. Oh well, I still enjoyed myself and had fun just being with Jennifer and her mom. It was a good day :)

The day concluded with hanging out with B and a few of his friends. We parted ways at a reasonable time so we could rest up for the adventure the next day would bring...

Sunday - September 4th: 
This was my favorite day, hands down. I could write a blog post all on this day but I will share just the main events. B and I hiked ~6.5 miles to and from Tunnel Falls at Eagle Creek, on the Columbia Gorge. Oh wow. Yeah, so it totaled about 14 miles when we were done (when you add in the walk to the main trailhead etc).

If you live in the PNW, near this area, I suggest that you go on this hike! I loved every part of it- despite the fact that I was/am not conditioned for such a physical experience AND that I had multiple "war wounds" afterwards... I am hooked on hiking and it is now my motivation to get in good shape! I must say though that I am proud that I completed the hike. 14 miles is pretty darn good. Here are some pictures....

Yes, we made it to the end of the map!

Passed over a few small bridges like this!

Beautiful clear water!

The destination: TUNNEL FALLS! I was so happy to see this!!! 

I was a bit exhausted at this point but oh so happy. haha

On the way back- to and from the falls we had to pass through some of these areas. They were challenging, more so because of the heat. These places are what contributed to me cracking several toenails. Totally worth it though. ;-)

A wonderful naturally made rest area... We spent some time here  to & from. I  loved cooling myself off with that fresh water!

Trailhead... We made it! Awesome hike and I can't wait to do it again!

Good websites for Eagle Creek :
William Sullivan's Oregon Hikes
Portland Hikers' site

Monday - September 5th (Labor Day): 
Besides feeling like I was Methusela- oh yes did I feel stiff, achy in my back, and exhausted... Labor Day was a fabulous day! haha Mom, Sarah and I went to Gales Creek in the afternoon to cool off our feet. This also gave Mom a chance to relax, which she needs quite a bit these days. Going to Gales Creek was a great way to relax, especially since the weekend was very warm.

GC also has lovely clear water!

Labor Day evening concluded with making my most favorite summer sandwich. I got this idea from a lady I had class with several years ago. Toast two bread slices and add lettuce, tomatoes (fresh from our garden! Yay for a good tomato season!), few slices of cheddar cheese and a little bit of mustard. Mom made hers more into a BLT so I had a slice of bacon to go along with mine. You can make your sandwich however you want but this is my preferred way! Delicious.

Hope you had a great LDW too!