Christmas 2008!

Travis and I had a great holiday! It went by so fast, and I am very sad that it's over already. First of all I have to say that I am so grateful and feel very blessed to be able to spend the holidays with family! Both Trav and I's families are very close AND both of our jobs are very flexible and allow us to take lots of time off to spend the holiday's at home. I'm afraid sometimes that I take that for granted but I look forward to it so much every year! It's what makes the holiday's truly special!

The festivities started early Christmas Eve! We headed to my parents for a big Christmas Eve lunch with ham, mashed potatoes, rolls, cran sauce....all the fixins. As usual, it was delicious! There was plenty of wine to drink as well. We finished with homemade cherry cheesecake, made by Trav's mom, for dessert. We relaxed after lunch and exchanged gifts with my Uncle Bob. He got us a gift card to Starbucks. Trav and I are looking forward to using that!

When it got dark dad took us for a drive to look at the Christmas lights. We didn't head toward Salem this year because of the bad weather so there wasn't as much to see, but we still got a pretty good show. In the evening we opened our Christmas Eve gift which is always jammies related. Trav and I both got really soft Wii jammie pants. They are awesome!

Mom and I watched a holiday movie while Trav and my dad talked, and my brother played some games on his computer. After the movie I joined Trav and my dad for a card game of Hearts. My dad and I used to play when I was younger. We had a great time.

Christmas morning came early! Dad read us the Christmas story and we had coffee, tea, cocoa, cider, and fresh baked scones while we listened. The Christmas story amazes me every year.
We took turns opening our gifts! We were all spoiled to the max this year! My mom had an envelope on the tree for Trav and I that we opened first. It said that they weren't able to get our game (Rock Band 2 bundle) that we wanted YET, but that they still would. It just came out on the 18th and was nearly impossible to get! We were a little bummed because we'd been looking forward to "rocking out" over the long weekend, but we understood. So we opened all our other gifts! Trav got lots of great new clothes, and he got some nice new head phones from my brother. I got him a new wedding band and he had no idea I'd gotten it so it was really fun to watch him open it! I also gave him $150 for a shopping spree! I got a cool scrapbooking kit from my mom, and some new clothes, and my brother got me an awesome spice rack AND some bacon salt! Trav got me some great new running shoes, and a $150 for a shopping spree!

It was a great Christmas! We all chipped in to get dad a nice new Nikon camera. He loved it! Trav and I got him a couple shirts to! He liked one of them, but the other one was pretty much a joke anyway, since he always gets us random clothes that we usually aren't huge fans of! My mom loved her digital camera that we got her, and her new Christmas travel mug! And Joel loved his bluetooth headset!

When we were all done opening gifts my mom left for a minute and when she came back she had a huge box in her arms.....yep, it was the Rock Band 2 bundle! They did get it! Trav and I were SO excited!

After presents we had ham and eggs for breakfast, and then got ready and headed to Trav's parents for a big Christmas lunch at 1. We made it right on time! We had turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans with bacon and mushrooms, salad, and rolls! It was delicious! After dinner we opened gifts. It was fun watching Coraline play with her gifts and try to figure out how to unwrap them! Trav got some nice knit slippers from Amber and Jason and some a gift card for a haircut, and nice shampoo and conditioner from his parents. I got a nice shirt from Amber and Jason and some gift cards from Robert and Kathy for a haircut and pedicure! Cora was spoiled with lots of goodies!

We got home a little after 5 and set up Rock Band. My brother came over to play and we rocked until 11 or 12! It was really fun! I love singing and playing bass! The drums are pretty hard, but I think if I try it a few more times I'll get it down!

Friday we got to sleep in! It was great! When we got up we bummed around the house for a while and then met Air in Corvallis to get the shopping for our Christmas Dinner done! We got everything in good time AND we got it for a great deal!

Trav and I met Rash and D for dinner at Cascade Grill a little after 6. I tried the rainbow trout and it was delicious! We had fun talking with R and D! After dinner we went back to the house and played Rock Band until late!

Saturday Trav and I went on our shopping spree! We just went to the little Heritage Mall, but Trav found tons of good deals! He got everything he wanted and got good prices on everything! I have fun just watching Trav go shopping. He LOVES buying clothes so it's fun for me to just watch his face lite up. I didn't have as much luck shopping, but I did get 2 really cute sweaters, and a little tank top and loungin shirt. Plus I still have a lot of my money left to use when I do find the perfect clothes!!

At 4 we went to Trav's co-workers house to have wine and meet some more of his family. We had a great time with them! We had red beans with sausage and rice for dinner, which we'd never had, and it was SO good! It was a great night socializing and very relaxing!

Sunday we cleaned the house up in the morning and Air and K came over at 1 to help with getting dinner ready! Air and I got the turkey in the oven at 2, and then prepared the green bean casserole, cool whip salad, green salad, appetizer platter, rolls, and cranberry sauce. Rachelle offered to bring mashed potatoes and I took her up on it! We were able to relax for a while and play Rock Band with the boys before anyone showed up. My brother and his girlfriend got there a little after 4. Sara brought me some delicious sparkling wine which was very sweet of her! Josh showed up shortly after they did, and Rachelle, Derrick, and Robin got there right on time at 5! Dinner was a little behind schedule but everything was ready and on the table around 5:30!

Dinner was delicious! We had a great time chatting and eating and drinking! Air and K and Joel and Sara ended up staying until 1! We played more Rock Band, and Wii bowling and Wii golf, and even played some apples to apples! We had a really fun time!
Today we are pretty tired, since we only got about 5 hours of sleep! But it's only a 3 day workweek, so we will survive!!

My cousin Lacee is getting married to Hunter this Wednesday the 31st! Unfortunately Trav and I won't be able to attend, but CONGRATULATIONS Lace and Hunter!! I wish you all the best and we love you guys so much!

It's almost Christmas!

It snowed again on Thursday night, so Friday I stayed home. Work was closed because of the weather. I slept in, took a bath, and made Trav lunch. While he was home for lunch we made a snowman. He was awesome. He stayed up all weekend!








Trav and our snowman

Then Air picked me up and we went shopping. I needed to finish my Christmas shopping, and we also went to Old Navy. They were having TONS of good deals and I bought myself lots of stuff! I got my Christmas shopping done and that night wrapped all the gifts!
That evening Trav and I went with my parents to dinner at the new Steakhouse in Albany, Cascade Grill. It was good! Then we got a bottle of wine to share while watching movies. It was a fun night.
Saturday we slept in again, and my parents came over at noon to bring some goodies they had for us. My mom had seen a good deal on a big crock pot and I asked her to pick one up for Air (for Christmas...Air has been wanting one for years and she asked for kitchen items for Christmas this year...). I LOVED it and it was a great deal so I asked them to go get me one! (I don't have a Bi-mart card) Trav still needed to get my gift, so he and my dad went shopping!
Mom and I just relaxed, drank hot cocoa, and listened to Christmas music while looking at the tree all lit up and stacked with gifts underneath!! It was very relaxing.
My parents left and invited us up for dinner and to make my mom's chocolate covered mints and cherries. We went of course! And I sampled a LOT of the chocolates. :)
Sunday we cleaned and all our normal stuff.
This is only a 2 day workweek! I'm off Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after...and then it's the weekend! I'm looking forward to the holiday's spent with family, AND the week off work!
Happy Holiday's! Have a very Merry Christmas!

SNOW DAY!!!

The Valley got our first snow of the season! Sunday evening it started! It snowed about 2 inches, and by the next morning it had frozen onto the roads-----so I got a snow day! My work closed because of the bad weather. So, Trav took me to mom's so I could help her with baskets. It was fun!
Our weekend was good to! Friday we went to dinner at Applebee's. They have the 2 for 20 deal going , 2 entrees and an appetizer to split for $20!! It was very good and a great deal. After dinner we went to the IMAX to see The Day the Earth Stood Still with my brother and his girlfriend Sara. Sara got held up on I-5 coming from Portland and she didn't get there until the movie was starting so we didn't get to talk before the movie. But after the movie we talked for a while. She is very nice. She laughed along with us (at us?) and had a good time! Hopefully she'll be coming to more family events now! We drove home through the snow! It was lightly snowing all the way from Tigard to Albany!
Saturday we slept in and then went Christmas shopping in Salem with my parents and brother. We got a lot of our Christmas shopping done, which was fun AND a relief!! After shopping we went to watch the Christmas Lights Parade. We usually watch it from the walkway between JC Penny and the mall, but we decided to watch it from the street this time. It was SO cold out! But it was fun. After the parade we went to dinner at Bentley's. My parents LOVE Bentley's and go there every chance they get. It was delicious dinner! I had Seafood Chowder with bread, and a house salad. And I ate a piece of my brothers pizza and had a few of Trav's calamari!
Sunday we did our chores and errands, and then went to the Christmas program at the Assembly. It's always so good! Afterwards we went home to finish cleaning. After cleaning we saw that it was snowing, and had been for a while so we got dressed in our warm clothes and went to romp around in the snow for a while! We walked around the neighborhood and through the park. It was so much fun!! We tried to make a snowman, but the snow wouldn't stick together!
They are calling for more snow tomorrow, so we'll see if I make it in to work or not! I'm dreaming of a White Christmas!!

Holiday Season/St. Nick's Night

What a fun weekend! I can defiantly tell it's the Holiday Season!
Friday evening after work Trav and I went to his co-workers house for dinner. On the menu was Sushi, Sake, wine, and ice cream with strawberries and whipped cream! We had so much fun! After dinner we sat in front of the fire and chatted until late. Then we played some Rock Band....I tried the drums but was to embarrassed to try singing. I did just meet these people!! :)
Saturday morning I tried to get up early to go jogging. But we didn't get to bed until 2, so I ended up hitting snooze until almost 11! I'm glad I got to sleep in.
Lindsey's baby shower was at 12:30, so I got ready and headed over. We played some fun games, ate some delicious food, and watched her open lots of wonderful gifts! We also got a tour of the nursery which is VERY cute! Pink and Brown....adorable.
I picked up my mom at 3:30 and we got to the Christmas in the Park show right on time. It was a lot of fun! They had children doing dances to different Christmas songs, and free horse and carriage rides. That was my favorite part! I love horse and carriage rides. And we were there when they lit up the big tree and the whole park with Christmas lights. It was beautiful.
Then we rushed back to my house for St. Nick's night, which is always a blast! We had pizza, enjoyed the fire and the tree, opened our stockings, listened to Christmas music, and had LOTS of treats! We made brownies, gingerbread, cocoa, cider....we had chocolates and candy canes....you name it! My mom got Trav and I smelly pine cones that you throw into the fire and they make the house smell good as they burn. They are really cool!
She also got Trav and I Beavers Christmas stockings!!! My brother got us a wii remote charging stand. I thought that was very thoughtful of him! We got tons of good stuff and had a great night with the family!
Trav even put the lights on the outside of the house while I was gone on Saturday!
Sunday we had Kathy's Christmas play, so we got up at 8 to squeeze a jog in before we got ready for church. They play was great. Kathy's part was really funny! Afterward everyone got together for lunch at the Clarks. Trav and I played with Coraline for a while. Poor Trav.....everytime he holds her she starts crying. ;) I told him it happens to all of us! We had fun playing with some toys together.
The rest of Sunday was spent doing our chores and errands, and watching tv!
Now on to another week! Only 2 weeks until another very short week, and then another short one!
It might snow in the valley this weekend! Wouldn't that be fun!

Thanksgiving Weekend

The long weekend went by SO quickly! I can't believe it's over. Wednesday after work Trav and I went over to help my mom clean the house for Thanksgiving. When we go there, she had it done. So, we got to relax with my parents and enjoy a wonderful Salmon dinner instead. Of course we enjoyed some wine while we were there, and after dinner we watched Fred Claus.

Thanksgiving Day we slept in! Yay, I love sleeping in! We got to my parents a little after noon. I helped mom in the kitchen with preparing all the delicious food, and opened up a bottle of white wine. My mom, grandma, and I cooked, drank, and talked in the kitchen preparing the turkey, yams, mashed potatoes, asparagus, peas, cranberry sauce, rolls, green bean casserole, gravy, stuffing, and cool whip salad! Dinner was ready a little after one and we all sat down to the feast! My Uncle Bob came as well. It was a wonderful meal with ALL my favorites. After dinner mom and I cleaned up, had a little more wine ;), and at 3:30 Trav and I headed off to his parents.

We visited with the Clark's Sr for a few hours before heading back to my folks for dessert and to meet with Lace and Hunter. We got back at 7, had dessert and more wine, and played Apple's to Apple's! Kevin and Tina came over too, and brought their 3 daughters. We had a great time!
Trav and I didn't head home until almost midnight. Normally that would be just fine, but the next day was Black Friday and Air was picking me up at 3:30am to start shopping!

I didn't end up falling asleep until after 1, and my alarm woke me from my "nap" at 3! I threw on some clothes and Air and I were off. We started at Kohl's where we got some great deals. The line was so long that by 4:30 it wrapped all the way around the store and back outside! We were in line by 4:30 and didn't check out until almost 6! It was really fun though. Next we hit Kmart, then Target, then Gottschalks and Sears. By then it was almost 11 and I was pretty much delirious from my lack of sleep!

Air took me home and I showed Trav all my treasures. I got he and I some great new slippers, I got some new boots with the fur (with the fur), a new scarf and glove set, a few Christmas coffee to go mugs, a digital photo frame, and my brother a hoodie for his birthday! All for the regular price of my boots with the fur and Trav's slippers! It was a successful trip. Although I normally buy gifts on Black Friday and this year I pretty much only managed to buy for Trav and I!

I took a nap before Trav and I headed to my parents for my brothers 23rd birthday dinner. We had another feast, this time of Waikiki Meatballs! Happy Birthday Joel!

Saturday we woke up early and headed to Air's house. Air and I went shopping for all the goodies we needed for tailgating because today was the CIVIL WAR baby!! We got crackers and dip, carrots, fruit, and mixers for our drinks! We headed to the liquor store to get vodka. We were making cran and vod's, and rasp red bull and vod's!






Trav and K tailgating before the game







Trav, me, Air, Air's friend, and Sharm before the game






Trav and I. GO BEAVS!!!!

We tailgated with Air, K, Sharm, Keith, Cheryl, and a few others from noon - 3:30 when Trav and I headed to the stadium. The weather was perfect! It was cool out, but the sun was out and it was in the 60's! The stadium was packed. I've never seen it so full. I don't think there was an empty seat! It was a rough game. Thank goodness I'd already had several drinks to numb the pain. I was the Beavers biggest fan, at least in our section. I screamed for the Beavers, but I don't think they could hear me. The Ducks won. They won the Civil War at OUR stadium, and took away our hopes of going to the Rose Bowl. Oh man was it a tough loss. After the game we met up with Air and K to drown our sorrows a little more at the bar. Overall it was a really fun day and the team spirit for the Beavers was alive. The stadium was even louder with fans cheering than it was for the USC game I think!

Sunday we slept in until noon. We dinked around at Air's for a while and then headed to Trav's parents to borrow their truck so we could go cut down our Christmas Tree. We went to our regular spot in Lewisburg and it wasn't open. It was slim pickins last year so we were afraid they might be closing. Hopefully they just need a couple years to grow the baby trees and they will re-open! We headed to a place in Albany we'd heard of to check out their goods. We LOVE it! They have several different kinds of trees and you pick which kind you want and they have a Christmas cart that they pick you up in. It's carried by a big tractor and they drop you off in the section of tree you want. You find, cut down, and tag the tree you want and carry it to the main road where there is a little area to sit and wait for the Christmas "trolly" to come back around and pick up you, and your tree! Trav and I found a great tree and they had a huge selection! When you get back they unload your tree and even shake all the loose pine needles of in a shaker machine. Then where you go to pay they have free wassail and hot cocoa! It was a lot of fun. I loved the trolly ride behind the tractor!

We took our tree home, put it up in the stand and then took the truck back and went grocery shopping. When we got back we still had to clean up so we didn't get a chance to decorate the tree and house like we wanted until last night.

Monday it was SO hard getting back into the work groove! My day was busy though, so it went by really fast! When I got home I turned on the Christmas music and lit some candles and after dinner Trav and I had hot cocoa and decorated the tree. It was a lot of fun! I love the way the tree looks.

Tonight I will finish decorating the house while Trav works on TF, and Saturday Trav will put the lights up outside and put up the outside decorations!
Christmas is right around the corner!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

I absolutely love this time of year. I love the hot chocolate, hot cider, hot tea. I love the baked goods, I love the candles, I love the movies and tv, I love the oranges, pears, and apples, I love the meals, I love the family time, I love the cold, crisp air, I love the shopping, I love the crowds (as long as I don't have to be in them for long), I love that at my work winter is our slow season so work really calms down, I love the music, I love the parties, I love the concerts, I love the plays, I love the nativity scenes, I love going out to look at the beautifully light up houses. I love the smell of Christmas Trees, I love cutting down our Christmas tree and putting it up, I love decorating the house and tree with my husband, I love how much my husband LOVES Christmas lights, I love the coziness of being at home, cuddled up on the couch enjoying the fire. I love it! And it's here! Thanksgiving is right around the corner! I am so happy that my mom is hosting the dinner this year. Last year Trav and I took on the task, and it was a big one! I'm sure I'll want to do it again someday, but not this year! This year I think being able to drink and relax while HELPING someone else host sounds fabulous!
So as usual we will have lunch at my mom's, with my grandma and grandpa, and possibly my Aunt Tammy and little cousin Ryan. Then we will head to the Clarks to have a snack in the evening and visit with them. And, at about 7 we will head back to my parents for dessert, games, and drinks when my cousin Lacee and her boyfriend are able to join us. The next day will be SHOPPING day! Air will pick me up at 3:30 and we'll head to Dutch Bro's and then to Kohls by 4am! And the shopping will continue throughout the day!
Ok, enough talking about things that haven't even happened yet! :) Last weekend was a blast. Friday night we went to dinner at Applebees, and then to Twilight with Air and K. Dinner was delicious, and the movie was very good! We went to bed pretty early that night, because we had a busy day Saturday.
Lacee and Hunter arrived on Saturday. They took the train. Hunters mom was picking them up, but we wanted to see them, so Trav and I went to the train station to greet them when they arrived! Then we got our grocery shopping done right in time to watch the Beavers game at home. We invited Air and K to watch it with us. I got cranberry juice and vodka to drink. I haven't had vodka in almost a year....so it worked a little faster and "better" than normal! We cheered the Beavers on, playing drinking games off the football game, and the Beavers WON!!






Trav and I enjoying the game, and showing our Beav's Spirit!






Trav, Air, and I after we won!

It was an amazing end and now the Beavers only have to beat the Ducks in the Civil War this Saturday to get to play in the Rose Bowl! I've always wanted to go to the civil war, I always thought it was the best game, since it's the two Oregon Rival teams playing each other. Well we finally got tickets to see it this year, and THIS year, it's even more than just beating the Ducks, it's our ticket to the Rose Bowl! GO BEAVS!!!
Anyway, it was a great game and by the end of it I had polished off several cran and vod's and was feeling very tipsy! Lace and Hunter came over a little while after the game. They brought a couple friends with them, and we played catch-phrase and talked and laughed. I honestly don't remember it much. By that time I had far to much vodka in my system, but I do know it was a lot of fun!
Now it's a 3 day work week and then a nice long Thanksgiving weekend! Happy Thanksgiving!

Another victory!!!

Seriously, GO BEAVS!! The Beavers beat Cal on Saturday, 34 - 21. YES!!! We are still Rose Bowl bound! They should have enough momentum built up to win this weekend's game at AZ, and then it's the civil war. Trav and I have tickets to the civil war, and it looks like it's going to be an even bigger game than normal this year. Especially if we beat AZ and UO is the last thing standing in our way of the Rose Bowl! It's very exciting!
Trav and I had a great weekend. Friday night we settled in on the couch and watched movies. Saturday we woke up early and went tailgating before the OSU game. When we got home, our new digital camera had arrived, so we got to play with it. It's really nice. So fast compared to our old one. And the battery is like a superstar compared to our old one! I can't wait to take tons of pictures over the holiday's!
We went to bed pretty early and slept in until noon. It felt so nice to sleep in.
We went for a jog first thing. It was a very cold crisp day out! It felt great for our jog. We got back and showered just in time for our cord of firewood to be delivered. Our delivery ended up being late though, so we worked in a yard a little while we waited.
When it finally arrived Trav helped them unload and stack it. There were 4 of them working, and they got it all stacked in about 1/2 hr! It is a lot of wood!
We went grocery shopping and while we were out we found a great fire poker/grabber/sweeper/ and shovel set! It was a very cold, dark, and foggy night....a perfect night for a fire. So Trav built a huge fire when we got back! It was SO nice and warm. I love having a real wood fire! Plus, it should save us a bundle on our gas bill to!
We finished off the night watched tv and enjoying the fire.
It was nice to get that expense out of the way. We still need a few more things before our "spending spree" is over. We need blinds, and we need a new dishwasher. I would LOVE a whole kitchen remodel, but we'll have to wait on that. Hopefully we can at least get a new sink and counter tops in the near future! They are so outdated!
Anyway, thats an update for now! Lace and Hunter are coming to visit the 22nd - 28th! It will be so great to see them!

GO BEAVS!!!

On Saturday the Beavs played UCLA. In the 9 years that Riley has coached the Beavs, they have never beat the UCLA Bruins! It was an away game this year, which is always harder for the Beavs! We watched with high hopes that they could win this year, and the DID!!! 34 - 6 Beavers! The Bruins curse is broken!! The Beavers are tied with USC for 1st in the Pac 10, with only 1 Pac 10 team loss this season! This win also got the Beavs ranked nationally at #25!! YAY Beavs! If they win their remaining 3 games, they will go to the Rose Bowl this year!
The next 3 games are hard ones. This weekend they are playing Cal. My friend Rachelle had 2 extra tickets with she and her boyfriend Derrick, and she offered them to Trav and I! We took her up on the offer in a heartbeat!! Heck yes we want to go to the game! Plus we actually get to sit with friends!! So we are really pumped to go to the game this weekend!
Come on Beavs, I know you can do it!!

L*O*V*E

Travis and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary on Sunday, November 9th. We have been together for 10 years! Not married, I know, but together. It has been the best 10 years of my life!
We took the day off Sunday to celebrate! We even did our chores and errands on Saturday so we could just relax, hang out, and do whatever we wanted on Sunday. And, in case we wanted to stay up late, we took Monday morning off work so we could sleep in!
We started Sunday by sleeping in. We woke up several times, snuggled close together, and drifted back to sleep. It was so comforting and soothing being in Trav's arms.
We finally got out of bed at 11am, and got ready for the day. We started out at the Albany mall. We wanted to have lunch at the Flaming Wok, the little Chinese place in the mall. We used to eat there a lot and thought it would be fun to reminisce! It was, and the food was delicious! While we were eating, we wrote a list of all the things we have done on our anniversaries over the years. Here is what we came up with:
November 9, 1998 - Travis asked me out right after the "lunch is over" bell rang at school. It was 12:36pm on a Monday. I said yes. :)
November 9, 1999 - We went to the park near the school to exchange gifts. Travis gave me a big box. I unwrapped it, and inside was a smaller wrapped box. I unwrapped about 10 boxes before getting to the small box at the bottom. It was a diamond promise ring. Awwww, so sweet. I gave Travis 2 tickets to a dinner cruise on the Portland Rose Cruise boat, and a scrapbook I made of our first year together. We skipped school and went to our favorite restaurant, Amadore's Ally.
November 8 - 9, 2000 - We went to dinner at Micheal's Landing, and afterwards went to see Charlies Angels. After the movie was over it was midnight so we went back to my apartment and opened our gifts! I don't remember everything we got each other, but I do remember that Trav got me tons of clothes, and the all fit perfectly! I don't know how he did it!
November 9, 2001 - Dinner in Portland at the Brasserie Montmart. A fun jazz restaurant. There was a live band, and the tablecloths had white paper over them and crayons so we were able to color on our table! We colored about our experiences together. It was a great restaurant and a lot of fun!
November 9, 2002 - We stayed together in Portland. We had a Jacuzzi in our room! We took each other shopping at the Portland mall. We got each other several things, but the only thing I remember is getting each other an Italian charm bracelet. We went to dinner at Pazzo's and saw an Opera together at the Portland Opera.
November 9, 2003 - We got cash out to spend, and got it all in one's. We decided to spend the day doing whatever we wanted with our cash! We started at Elmers for breakfast. Someone bought our breakfast for us! We think because Travis was counting some change we has brought and they didn't think we had much money! After breakfast we went to Wunderland to play video games. We had a blast. We finished up the day at the Salem mall.
November 9, 2004 - We were now engaged. We went to Palm Springs on a 3 day weekend to stay with Lacee and Hunter. We had a lot of fun! We went to a really upscale bar, where even the beers were $10! Travis got me a beautiful white gold bracelet with a flower shape on it. We also went to Mexico to Club Iggy's and partied until 4am! I burned my leg on a big fire pit they had there.
November 9, 2005 - We had gotten married August 20th, so our dating anniversary wasn't as important anymore, but it was still important to us to acknowledge the date! So we went to Kin Tin in Corvallis for dinner.
November 9, 2006 - We got off work early to head to Portland to go to the Portland City Grill for dinner. It was SO good! It was a very fun date night.
November 9, 2007 - We spent the day reminiscing. We went to Dairy Queen for lunch, our first "Date" spot. We used to spend a lot of time at Dairy Queen because Travis worked there through high school. We also drove around the hills of Corvallis where we used to spend a lot of time. We'd look at the beautiful mansions in the hills and dream of owning one someday! We also found some great make out spots in the hills that we went back and revisited.
November 9, 2008 - We started out at the Albany mall! After lunch we went to Fred Meyer Jewelers to find a new wedding band for Trav. He lost his a couple years ago. We found the one we want to order! Then we went to Hallmark and picked each other out an anniversary card. Here is what the Trav got me said, "For my wife, Love isn't just hearts and flowers, though sweet words have their place. It's rainy days made sunny by the bright smile on your face. It's the little daily triumphs I can't wait to share with you. It's all the random rough spots that we help each other through... It's the way that you accept me- my good points, faults, and all. It's knowing you support me and feeling ten feet tall. It's wanting to be worthy of the trust you put in me. It's looking toward the future and liking what I see. It's mornings in the kitchen. It's cuddling up at night... This is love, the daily stuff... and we've sure got it right. Happy Anniversary."
Ugh, so sweet. Thank you so much sweetie.
Here is what my card to him said, "L O V E - Know what I love most about our life? The everyday stuff. The daily routine that keep life moving. The surprises that keep life interesting. You know...the ordinary thing. All pages in the story of us, our home, our life together. Know what I love most about our life? The way we share it. Happy Anniversary" A successful marriage requires falling in love many time, always with the same person.
After picking out our cards, we went to find a frame. We wanted to pick out a frame together and pick out a picture together to put in it. We found a great shadow box frame that says "Love" on the glass. We are going to take the mat out and write on it to, to personalize it. I love it.
While we were frame shopping a gray peacoat caught my eye. I fell in love with it. Trav said he's been wanting a nicer jacket to, so we went to the men's department and found a great deal on a black CK peacoat for him.
Then we went to Kohl's where I got a couple new shirts, and a great new purse! Travis spoiled me!
After we were done shopping we drove to Corvallis to walk along the waterfront in Corvallis. We looked in all the new little shops and restaurants along the way. It was chilly out, so we stopped at New Morning Bakery and got a hot cocoa to warm us up!
We went to dinner at a little French Restaurant called Le Bistro. The atmosphere was great, nice soft French music, and a very romantic setting. Our server was very nice. I got Lamb with mushrooms in a mushroom sauce. It came with mashed potatoes. It was AMAZING. Trav got the New York Steak that also came with the mashed potatoes. We were both very pleased with the restaurant.
After dinner we drove through the hills of Corvallis to reminisce. We went to all our old favorite make out spots. Our very favorite was at the very top of a windy hill covered in beautiful mansions. At the very top there is a coltasack to turn around in and we used to park up there and just look out over Corvallis.
We finished the evening with candles lit, snuggled up on the couch. It was a great day!
Thank you Travis, for giving me the best 10 years of my life! I have so much fun with you! I'm so glad that God brought our paths together and I look forward to our journey through life together. I love you.

Welcome November!

November is here! And it shows, it's rained every day since November 1st!
I do love November. It always reminds me of when Trav and I got together. I love the cold, the rain, and dark....everything. For about a month, and then I'm sick of it and ready to warm up!
Trav and I will have been together for 10 years this November 9th!
We had a great weekend.
Friday was Halloween and Rachelle was throwing a party. After work we passed out candy to the kids (the cutest little giraffe came to visit), until Ladd arrived from Bend. Once Ladd got there we went out to dinner at Wilhelm's. My Cajun Tri-tip wrap was as wonderful as it always is!
After dinner Trav and Ladd got dressed up. Ladd was Winny the pooh, and Trav was a pimp. The costumes looked great. I waited to get ready until we got to Derricks so I could get ready with Rachelle. We headed over and the house was so nicely decorated! It really looked great! I got dressed as a "ho" (pimp and ho), and Rachelle did my make up, and then we made witch's brew, which was a delicious mixed punch.
The party made it until midnight, when people starting leaving for the bars. Trav, Ladd and I walked home at that point, to avoid the bar scene.
We drank more at the house and passed out at 3 am.
Saturday was a GREAT lazy day! We slept in until almost noon, made breakfast for lunch, and watched tv until about 2. Then we watched "Baby Mama" which was really funny, and after that the boys turned on football so I went to take a nap. My nap ended up going from 5 - 7! I was tired!
When I got up it was time to get ready and go to GameTime to watch the OSU vs ASU game. Rachelle had some extra tickets she got earlier that day and offered them to Trav and I, but we didn't want to leave poor Ladd stranded, so we didn't take them. Man was that hard! :) But it's ok. We had fun watching it at GameTime and we got to stay warm and dry! OSU won! 27 - 25. Go Beavs!
When we got home from the game, I made some apple crisp and we watched "Forgetting Sarah Marshall". It was pretty funny. The apple crisp was delicious! And I made a healthy recipe!
Sunday we got up at 9. I made breakfast for the boys, and went for a walk/jog. Right when I got out there it started raining pretty hard, but I kept going! It was a good workout. When I got back Trav and I cleaned up a little, and Rachelle asked if I wanted to go to lunch. I did! :) We went to Pizza Amore. It was my first time there and it is delicious! The garlic rolls are amazing!
After we ate we went to Costco and I got some new really comfy sweats/workout pants. Rachelle got some furry boots that were SO comfortable! She's been looking for some and got a great deal on them! I'm going to have to borrow them. Before we left we had to get a frozen yogurt! Then we watched a movie and she had to leave for volleyball.
Trav and I did our usual chores and grocery shopping and watched ANOTHER movie and of course Desperate Housewives before heading to bed. On the way to bed I checked the woot of the day and it was a really nice digital camera. We have been needed a new digital camera for a couple years. The one we have eats through AA batteries in seconds! Seriously, it lasts for about 1 hour before it needs new batteries. PLUS, it's slow, big, and has a super small screen. I was going to get a new one on Black Friday, but when I saw the deal they had it for, I called Trav in and we researched it and bought it! It was only $90 and is reg $170 - $230! And it came with the battery and charger and computer connection cables and wrist straps....all the goods! I am really excited to get it! I love taking pictures to preserve memories, and since I've had my old digi I feel like I've missed out on a lot of great pictures!
Here she is: Pentax Optio M50 Digital Camera


Well thats all for now! Have a great week! Welcome November!

Pumpkin Pie Hot Cocoa!

My pumpkin pie hot cocoa has arrived!!! It is delicious!
I haven't posted for far to long! Trav and I had a good weekend. Friday night we went to Clemenza's for dinner. There was a 45 min wait so we walked down to Wyatts to get some drinks. Of course on an empty stomach they worked very well! I had 2 glasses of Willamette Valley Riesling, and Trav had a couple heffy's. We had a great time. We sat at the bar and played the brain teasers they had there. By the time Clemenza's called and told us our table was ready, I was really buzzin! We had a really good dinner and then went back to the house to have more wine and watched Iron Man. Great movie!
Afterwards, we put in the Incredible Hulk but I fell asleep about 1/2 hr into it.
Saturday we slept in until 10 and then got ready to go to Trav's parents for lunch. We had lunch and talked with them until about 3. Then we went by Air's to take care of their animals while they are on vacation. The rats had babies and they were SO sweet! So we held and played with them for a little while before going home.
We had plans with Rachelle and Derrick that evening, but Derrick's co worker who was in a coma got out of it (yay!) so he went to OHSU to see him, so we rescheduled. Trav and I decided to get pizza instead and watch more movies! The pizza was SO good! I haven't had pizza in probably 2 or 3 years!
My brother called and asked us if we wanted to come up and watch a movie on his huge projector screen tv! We did! My mom got out the Edelweiss which is such good white wine! We watched Journey to the Center of the Earth (cute) and then went home and went to bed!
SUNDAY we slept in until 10:30, then measured the fireplace and FINALLY ordered the paint for it! I can't wait to paint it! Then we went for a walk/jog which felt really good. It was such a beautiful day! 70, sunny, and beautiful fall leaves everywhere. It was very colorful! We got back and got ready to go groc shopping. Before we got that far though we had to eat! So we went to subway, then remembered that we wanted to get our transmissions flushed at Oil Can Henry's, so we got that done, and THEN went grocery shopping! Then it was back to the house to clean up and Trav mowed the lawn! Sunday was a very productive day! It felt great getting some items crossed off our list! We've been so busy the past several months that we've just been adding to the list, instead of crossing things off!
This weekend we are going to a Halloween party that Rachelle and D are throwing. Ladd is coming with us! I still haven't decided for sure what I'm going to dress up as! I think Trav's going to be a pimp, so if we go as a "couple" I guess I'll have to be a ho. :) I also borrowed a dark angel costume from Rachelle that is really cute, and I might be a school girl. So many options!
The weather has continued to be gorgeous! COLD, but sunny! And it's so pretty with all the leaves changing colors. October is coming to a close already, and I feel like it just started!
Well, back to work! I'm going to go make some pumpkin pie hot cocoa and get to it!

American Dream

I heard this song on my way back to work from lunch and it really got my attention. I want to make sure to remember that it's not money, status, and things that are important in life, it's the people you love and touch.
All the really want is YOU....

American Dream
by Casting Crowns

All work no play may have made Jack a dull boy
But all work no God has left Jack with a lost soul
But he's moving on full steam
He's chasing the American dream
And he's gonna give his family finer things

"Not this time son I've no time to waste
Maybe tomorrow we'll have time to play"
And then he slips into his new BMW
And drives farther and farther and farther away

Cause he works all day and tries to sleep at night
He says things will get better;Better in time

[Chorus]
So he works and he builds with his own two hands
And he pours all he has in a castle made with sand
But the wind and the rain are comin' crashing in
Time will tell just how long his kingdom stands
His kingdom stands

Well his American Dream is beginning to seem
More and more like a nightmare
With every passing day
"Daddy, can you come to my game?"
"Oh Baby, please don't work late."
Another wasted weekend
And they are slipping away

'Cause he works all day and lies awake at night
He tells them things are getting better
Just take a little more time

[Chorus]
So he works and he builds with his own two hands
And he pours all he has in a castle made with sand
But the wind and the rain are comin' crashing in
Time will tell just how long his kingdom stands
His kingdom stands

He used to say, "Whoever dies with the most toys wins"
But if he loses his soul, what has he gained in the end
I'll take a shack on the rock
Over a castle in the sand

Now he works all day and cries alone at night
It's not getting any better
Looks like he's running out of time

[Chorus]
'Cause he worked and he built with his own two hands
And he poured all he had in a castle made with sand
But the wind and the rain are coming crashing in
Time will tell just how long his kingdom stands
His kingdom stands

All they really wanted was you
All they really wanted was you

Healthy Living

Another week has arrived!
I just ordered 100 packs of Pumpkin Pie hot cocoa and I am REALLY excited about it. I've been loving my hot cocoa over the past month, but adding the pumpkin pie flavor just reminds me that the holiday's are here! My next order will have to be Peppermint hot cocoa! I can't wait for my order to arrive!
My friend Rachelle is such a great support! She moved back from AZ in June. Before she left (3 years ago) she was my workout partner, (well I'd say she was my personal trainer) helping me get in shape for my wedding. We did some great workouts! Back then we would even do daily doubles! We'd workout before work at 5 am, and after work at 6pm. It was crazy, but she whipped me into shape for sure! Workouts with Shell are fun because she adds a lot of variety so I don't get bored or burned out doing the same thing. Here's an example of a workout:
Start by jogging 2 laps
run 2 sets of bleachers - there and back twice. You can feel the thighs burning after this!
jog 2 more laps
fast walk 1 lap
run 2 sets of bleachers
walk the corners, run the straightaways for 3 laps
walk the corners do walking lunges on the straightaways for one lap
then go to the calisthenics corner and go there and back for frog jumps, high knees, high skips
walk 1 lap
do 10 minutes of abs or arms
There it is!
Since Shell has gotten back we've tried to workout a few times a week, but with the busy summer and her finding a job we didn't get as many in as we'd wanted to.
Finally, a few weeks ago both of our schedules freed up and we made a commitment to workout after work (she ended up getting an 8 - 5 job to!) Tuesday and Thursday's, and before church on Sunday's. We are also very committed at helping each other eat healthy! We are both trying to eat between 1400 - 1600 calories a day, so we send each other our daily food log to help us keep on track! Also, we are trying to drink 90 oz of water a day! Drinking water is hard for me, so it helps to get Shell's emails that remind me. Drink 8oz of water every hour today! And eat healthy!
I'm already starting to feel better! Now we've just got to keep it up!
Trav and I had a fun weekend.
We hit 4 or 5 tailgaters on game day! The beavs won 66 - 13! Go Beavs!!

October, What???

I can't believe it's already October! The weather has been showing it though! It has been cold and rainy. This morning was the first morning there was a thin layer of ice on the car! Burr! My fingers are still cold! I'm excited for the cold weather to set in because I love cuddling up and watching movies while drinking hot chocolate. And I LOVE the holidays. BUT, I know that by January I will be very tired of this weather and ready for the sun to come out again.
Trav and I are going to the OSU game on Saturday. I'm really excited. I love going to the games and lots of our friends are going to this one so it will be extra fun!
We had a relaxing weekend. Friday night we went to Air and K's for dinner, movies, and wine. K got sick and ended up going to bed at like 10, but the rest of us stayed up chatting and drinking until about 2 am.
We woke up at 11 on Sat and got ready to go to Trav's parents for lunch. Amber, Jason and little Cora were down to visit. We enjoyed lunch with everyone (Grandad made it over to). We left a little after 3 and met up with Air again to make a trip to the OSU bookstore for some Beavers gear!
Trav got a t-shirt and I got 2 t-shirts, a little jersey, and a pom-pom! I've been saving for a while! I LOVE my new beavers gear, although there was so much more that I wanted! I'm going to wear my jersey to the game this weekend.
We got home a little after 5 and got our grocery shopping done before settling into our comfy couch to watch a movie.
Sunday we went to church with my parents. We still like our new church. :) After church we had my parents over for stir fry. My mom and I went to the home show after lunch and that afternoon Trav and I took care of our chores in time to relax a little before bed.
Monday I had a doctor's appointment to meet my new doctor. I like her! Dr. Leer-Konald. We also met with our financial adviser for my IRA (when I left Allied and had to move my 401k), Kerry at Edward Jones. Obviously with the economy the way it is, it wasn't pretty. Over the last year year we've lost 28%. But on the positive side we have gained a few shares. At least we have a lot of time before we need to use our IRA and Kerry said that the economy does this about every 15 - 20 years so we shouldn't worry to much. Still, it worries me a little.
So, life goes on! Have a great week!

100th post!

Random Things:
1) TrendFort
Travis and his business associate Luke started a business a few months ago. They have been working on getting the website for it completed over the summer. It's been a busy summer for both of them, so they weren't able to work on it as much as they would have liked, but they got it done! They have had several meetings and I am really excited for them. The Website looks great, and now they just have to bring in the clients! www.trendfort.com

2) Weekend
We had a good weekend. We got a lot of errands done, now that we finally had a little time at home! Friday night we had dinner and a movie with Rachelle and Derrick. We had chicken enchilada's using Rachelle's recipe. They are creamy and SO yummy! We watched The Black Dahlia which was a good mystery about the Black Dahlia killer. Saturday we slept in and then went to run all our errands. We got air filters and license plate lights for our cars, got some new filters and insulation for our gas furnace, and got our blinds cut to the size of our window. It was nice getting some things around the house taken care of. That evening we watched a movie, dyed our hair, and relaxed. Sunday we did our regular chores and stained our fence. We have more to stain, but we ran out of the stain our neighbors gave us! The Holcomb's stopped by for a few minutes to say hello.

3)Life
I've had some time to think about life lately, and how glad I am to be able to enjoy my time spent with Trav. Sometimes I get caught up in what I want for the future and I lose sight of how great our lives are right now. I know I've said this many many times, but I need to enjoy the now. Trav and I worked very hard to pay off our debt. When we got married we made it one of our first goals. Trav had some credit card debt right off the bat, and we decided to put our honeymoon on a credit card. So, our marriage started with Trav working part time, going to school full time, me working full time, and $6k in credit card debt. Also, along with Travis came some debt of his parents. He has put some of thier debt on his credit cards during some of thier hard times, and they made the minimum payments each month, but the $10k in credit was in his name.
We owned a small, 1 bedroom house that luckily had a small mortgage payment. But of course we wanted to change all this. We wanted to pay off our debt, get Trav graduated and into a full time job, and get a bigger house.
It was a lot to tackle at the beginning of a marriage. We sent up a plan though, and jumped one hurdle at a time.
In March the company Trav worked for closed, leaving him jobless and in his final and hardest term of school. We decided to wait until he was done with school before he started looking for a new job. That way it could be in his career field. It was a rough couple months financially, but such a relief when he graduated!
Trav ran into an old client from his last job right after he graduated. He happened to be the owner of the local Big Town Hero, and told Trav he could work there anytime if he needed some extra money. Trav took him up on the offer while he was applying for jobs in graphic design so he could bring in some money. It didn't take him long to rake in the interviews and land a full time job at the Democrat Herald as thier Web Developer. It was a great job! Shortly after starting there we were able to pay off our credit card and we decided to start saving for our next house.
We were able to save a nice chunk of change with Trav making a nice salary and working full time!
We sold our house in March and moved into our new one in April. We were able to put 10% down from the sale of our old house, so we got an 80-10-10 loan, with plans to pay off the other 10% in the first year, leaving the 80% loan only. We wanted to do this because we wanted our mortgage payment to be as close to $1000.00 as possible.
So a year later, we finished paying off the 10, and our $5k home depot card that we used for home repairs and updates! It was a great year.
Phase 1 complete. Now on to phase 2- build the savings up! Of course there are many other things we’d rather do with the money, but right now we are working very hard to build our savings up to a comfortable level.
Looking back I am very proud of us. It was a lot of hard work to pay off all that debt, and it’s still hard work building the savings. I am glad to be on phase 2 though! We’ve been through a lot, and we’ve come a long way. It’s great that Trav and I have the same goals in life, and we’re starting to see some progress!
I am so blessed to have Travis in my life. He is a gift from God and I thank God for him everyday. He takes care of me, he wants to keep our house nice and clean, he strives for excellence at home and at work, I never have a doubt in my mind that he loves me. We are blessed in so many ways. I try not to lose sight of that, but sometimes all my “wants” get in the way. I get so focused on the future that I forget to enjoy the now!
Here’s to enjoying the now!

Beavers Beat USC!!!!! GO BEAVS!

Wow, yesterday was a whirlwind of a day! Travis got free tickets to the OSU vs USC game. We were excited to go, but a little worried about our Beavs. USC is ranked number one and we've had a pretty rough start this year. Plus, Trav and I haven't been to a game the Beaver's haven't won and we didn't want to start! It's more fun when we win! Well, our winning streak continues! Final Score: Beavers - 27, USC - 21! Yeah baby!
In an interview with Coach Riley for the Beavers, he said in the last 7 years he's coached he has never heard resier stadium that loud!!
It was an amazing game. The fans were wild, the energy was intense, the game was close...I am so glad we went! GO BEAVS!
Click here to read an article about the game.

Weekend gettaway to Bend

Good Morning!
Our weekend trip to Bend was a success. We left right after work on Friday and got to Ladd's at about 8. I LOVE the room we get to stay in when we visit. The bed is so comfortable and big, and the room is clear at the top of the house and has it's own little balcony and tons of windows. It is truly a retreat in itself.
We relaxed and watched some TV before heading to bed that night.
Saturday we got to sleep in, and woke up to a wonderful breakfast. I had some hot chocolate....2 cups. I can't get enough of it lately!
Then we went outside to check out the veggie garden. Lots of goodies! Trav and I would like to start our own little veggie garden next year!
That afternoon we got ready for the party that was taking place in the evening. People started showing up at 6ish and we got the grill fired up. There so much food. A fruit and veggie tray, chips with jalapeno artichoke dip and humus, bbq'd chicken, turkey burgers, and hamburgers, and a cheese platter! YUM!
Our friend Chad who we rarely see anymore came, so we had a great time catching up with him, and we met some new friends! We were taking shots, mixing drinks, having beers, going in the hot tub, eating, just having a great time!
We slept in again on Sunday and the Variel's took us into the veggie garden again to take what we wanted. They sent us home with lots of fresh tomatoes, squash, zucchini, beans, and potatoes! And a huge bag of plums. They also always send us home with some new plants.
It was a fun weekend and as usual, we were spoiled rotten!
This week has been good. It's gone by quickly! We've been planning to watch the OSU vs USC game tonight with Mon and JD. We were going to have tacos and watch the game and after the game watch the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy. I have really really been looking forward to it! Well this morning Trav's boss said he had some extra tickets and offered them to us! So I got ahold of Mon to see if they could go and we're working on getting it all figured out but it's looking like we're going to get to go to the game! I am SO excited.
We have plans this weekend to hang out with Rachelle and Derrick. Dinner and a movie! Good times. :)
Thats all for now! Have a good one!

Beavers 45, Hawaii 7! Go Beavs!!!

We had a really good weekend. It was busy, but just the right amount of busy.

Friday we headed right to Corvallis after work. We wanted to make it to Great Harvest before they closed to use our gift certificate. We did, and we sampled bread and bought 2 loaves.....one honey wheat (I always have to get that!) and one 9 grain which we sampled and it was SO good. We've already eaten almost half the loaf of honey wheat!

After that we went to the OSU bookstore to check out their OSU gear. They had some good stuff. We wanted to get prices so when we come back know how much money to bring along to get some gear!

Then we went to the Clark's Sr. for dinner. Dinner was DELICIOUS! Steak, fresh watermelon, banana muffins (homemade) and salad. Yum! Trav's dad has been having some health problems, so we are keeping him in our prayers. We got home at about 10 that night, and watched a movie.

Saturday we got up at 8:30, got ready, and headed to Corvallis again! We parked at Travs parents and they drove us to the stadium where we set out to find our tailgaters! First we found Trav's bosses, Bill. They had a huge one, with TONS of good food and drinks. I had a pulled pork sandwich, some fresh cut pineapple, and some sweet and sour chicken and rice. It was all really good. We talked with his boss and all his friends for about an hour, and then headed to Rachelle's tailgater. We were there for about 20 mins and then we all headed to ANOTHER tailgater that they knew about. It was fun, going to all the different ones! My boss, Scott invited us to his to, but we never made it.

We sat down in our seats right at 1 and the game started. I LOVE the games. There is so much energy in the stadium. It's amazing. The Beav's started off a little rough. Hawaii scored the first (and their only) touchdown. We came back with a vengeance! It was so fun. The first half was very high energy because Hawaii was giving us a run for our money and we weren't that far ahead. The 2nd half we were just crushing them. It was so fun. That was the 5th game I've been to...and we still haven't lost a game I've gone to!! I'm really glad we won....it'll give our players some hope. Since it's doubtful we'll beat USC....and losing 4 in a row would have just killed our momentum! But now we won one! Yay!
We headed home, had some dinner, and went grocery shopping that evening.

Sunday we went to church at Oakcreek again. We liked it again. :) Thats a good record so far! Then we went to my parents and we all headed to Mt. Angel to the Oktoberfest. We ate lunch at the Glockenspiel Restaurant which is very well known and was a lot of fun! The Oktoberfest was fun. It was a hot day, and all the booths/tents/activities were outside. We looked at all the booths, listened to the music, watched some dancing, had real strawberry shortcake AND a real strawberry lemonade, and enjoyed the different "culture". It was a lot of fun.

We headed home and finished up our chores before watching a movie and going to bed. :)

It was a great weekend.
Now it's back to another work week! This Friday we'll be heading to Bend to stay with Ladd for the weekend. NEXT weekend we're planning on doing NOTHING. :0)
Back to work!

Camping at South Beach

We had a really great time camping at the beach. It was so relaxing, which is exactly what we needed. Friday we left work early, and headed right over.

It was a really nice campground. We set up our tent, and took a walk to the beach. It was a nice paved trail through a foresty area that dropped you out on the beach.

Then we headed back to camp to grill some hot dogs and made our fire and just sat around the fire talking until we turned in at about 11. I think it is so amazing that Trav and I can spend so much time together and still enjoy talking for 5 hours by the fire. Seriously, what can we still find to talk about?? :)

We woke up early.....7, went back to sleep, 8, went back to sleep, 9, went back to sleep, and 10...we finally got up. Our air mattress was just so comfy with our sleeping bags! This was the first campground we've stayed in that had showers, so we took a shower and then headed to the beach again. We walked along the water for a while. They were having a surfing competition, so we watched that a little and then headed back to camp to make lunch. After lunch we headed into town to a little sports bar to watch the Beavers get creamed by Penn State. We still had fun though.

Then we headed back to the beach, and a little later back to camp to make dinner. It was a very yummy dinner. Hamburgers, corn on the cob, grilled onions, and baked beans!

After dinner we made another fire and again sat around it talking until 11! I really don't know what we found to talk about, but it was a great time.

We headed home on Sunday, and did our regular Sunday chores and errands. We finished off the evening with a couple movies.

The showerhead we found at the state fair was a GREAT purchase. Our showers are SO enjoyable now. It's like a spa treatment.

I've really been enjoying work lately to. Weird I know, but I feel like I've really come into my own here and I'm getting along really well with Scott and Tim, so it's been fun. Of course I would rather be on vacation, but it's nice to enjoy work when you have to be there!!

3 hrs till we're camping on the beach!

Happy September!
September is already here, and unbelievably the summer is coming to a close. It went by so fast. I think it goes by faster every year!
We are continuing to stay busy through September so far! I hope things slow down a little in October so we can get a few house projects done. We'd like to paint the fireplace in the living room, get a new dishwasher, and put blinds up in all the windows!
I am really looking forward to camping at the beach this weekend. We've been wanting to go to the beach, and do more camping this summer, but the weather hasn't been the greatest. This weekend is supposed to be beautiful on the coast! The nicest I've seen it all summer.
Next weekend we are going to OSU's first home game! OSU vs Hawaii! I hope we win, but regardless the games and tailgating before them is always a lot of fun.
Trav and I have been doing really well. We installed our new showerhead last night and got to use it this morning. It is amazing! It is huge though, and used up all our hot water in abut 5 minutes! It has a valve you can put on it to reduce the water usage, so we're going to put that on before the next shower, and hopefully we'll get a good 20 minute shower out of it. A good, HOT, 20 minute shower! It's like having a mini spa right in the bathroom.
I have been really enjoying my job. I've enjoyed it the whole time, but in the past few months I've really gotten comfortable with my co-workers/bosses, and with all my work which has made it fun at work.
Trav and I have been talking about a few parts of life that are frustrating, but it's been nice to have each other to lean on and vent to. We pretty much agree on everything so even if we just want to have a good 2 hour b*tch session, we can relieve a lot of stress.
We've recently been watching the presidential campaign. John McCain chose a woman named Sarah Palin as his vice president which was a real shocker because no one has really heard of her. We've watched her speak a few times and she is a great speaker. She seems to stand up for what she believes in and go after what she wants and doesn't stop until she gets it. It's going to be an interesting election year to say the least!
Well, I'm going to finish up my work and then Trav and I will be on our way to Newport to relax and enjoy the weekend. :) Have a good one.

Labor Day Weekend

Trav and I had a great Labor Day weekend. There were so many things we wanted to do, it was hard to chose just a couple! We contemplated camping, because we haven't got much camping in this summer, but it's such a busy camping weekend and we didn't have a spot reserved so we decided not to do that. We hadn't made it to the State Fair for the year yet, so we decided to do that. We also decided to try a new church with my parents, and we haven't been to the Oregon Coast yet this summer, so we decided to head there as well.
We haven't had the best weather this summer, so camping and going to the coast, etc hasn't been available as much as I would have liked!
So Friday night Trav and I decided to have some drinks....I had about a bottle of red wine to myself....we went to bed at about 3am. I woke up to 5 male paramedics standing around my bed. I thought it had to be a dream so I closed my eyes again, but then I felt that I had oxygen tubes in my nose and I could hear a bunch of people talking about me, so I realized it was real. When I opened my eyes the 2nd time, One of the paramedics said," Welcome Back Sarah. Don't move your arm ok, and don't panic about all the blood on your sheets, we had a little trouble getting your iv in. Do you know whats going on?" I had been scanning the room and by this time I had finally located Trav, standing at the foot of my bed next to a couple other paramedics. I realized that this must be happening because I'd had a low blood sugar, so I nodded yes at the guy who asked if I knew what was going on. I looked at my arm, and the pool of blood next to it. Blah, that grossed me out. One of the medics said, "We heard you were partying like a rock star last night". I tried to laugh...a little snicker is all I managed. They took the oxygen mask off, and took the iv out. The lead medic told me I should go to the doctor for a follow up, and had me sign a release saying that I didn't want to go to the hospital. After they left Trav came over to me and hugged me. He started crying. He said he didn't know what to do. He woke up at 6 and I was shaking and he couldn't wake me up. He knows how much I hate it when he calls the ambulance (he called it one other time before we were married when we wasn't with me and when they got there I woke up and opened the door for them, so after they left I called Trav upset that he had called them. He said I was really out of it and he didn't know what else to do. So he didn't want to call them prematurely again), so he tried everything to wake me up, but I guess I just wouldn't. I told him it was ok that he called, he did what he had to do. Poor guy. We took a shower and hugged a lot, and then went back to bed...in the guest bed since there was blood all over the sheets in our bed. Trav said they had 3 medics holding me down and one trying to put the iv in and they still had trouble because I was jerking my arm away. Sounds about right. I hate ivs and blood draws!
We slept in until about noon, when we finally got up and got ready for the fair. I know it was the wine. I've been having trouble with lows in the morning, but never ever have I not been able to wake up because it's so low. Never. It sucked. But I'm alive and well and we've given Trav a few more ideas of things he can give me to help me wake up when I'm unresponsive before calling 911.
The state fair was a blast. I got these awesome slippers that you put in the microwave to heat up and they warm your tootsies. And we got a new shower head that you adjust up and it's flat and wide so it'll be like the awesome shower that was in the ceiling at the Hard Rock Hotel!
Sunday we went to the new church and then went to Pings afterwards. Then we cleaned and ran all our errands and that evening Air came over to watch a movie. We ended up talking from 7 till 11! It was a good talk. We didn't start the movie until 11, so it didn't end until 2.
Monday we slept in and then went to the coast. We layed on the beach and drank champagne that my mom had given us for our anniversary and then went to Mo's for dinner. It was really relaxing. We got home in time for the season premiere of Gossip Girl. :)

Our 3 yr anniversary, and vacation

August 20th marked Travis and I's 3 year wedding anniversary. They have truly been a wonderful 3 years. Everyday I thank God for Travis. He is my soul mate, and my very best friend in the world. He understands me like no one else and he loves me for who I am. I know we have another 70 years to go!
To celebrate our anniversary, we went on a vacation to California. We stayed with my cousin, Lacee, and her boyfriend Hunter. We've stayed with them a couple times and we always have a blast.
Friday the 15th we worked until 2, and then we were off to the airport. We arrived in LAX at 10:30, where Lace and Hunter picked us up and drove us to Orange where they live.
We got set up in our room (We got to stay in their roommates room since he was on vacation at the same time we were there, and it was GREAT to have our own room), chatted and then hit the sack.
We woke up early Saturday and went to Laguna, to a beach called 1000 steps. It's a hard beach to find, so it was really private. There are about 500 (it feels like 1000) steps that go straight down from the street to the beach. All the houses on the street have a set of their own private steps, except a few of them had elevators! It was an amazing beach. We played in the waves for a couple hours. There were some big waves! I got taken out a couple times. We laid on the beach for a few more hours, and just enjoying the sound of the waves and relaxing!
Sunday we went to visit Huntington Beach, and went to a cool restaurant called Hurricanes. We got beers and margaritas, and fish tacos! Yum! It was another great day spent relaxing on the beach. I really can't get enough of that!
Monday we were up early. We left at 8am to head to San Diego and go to SeaWorld! It was a lot of fun. We watched the Shamu show, the Dolphin Show, the circus show, and the Sea Lion show and went to all the exhibits. I love Sea Lions. They are so funny! We went on a few rides while we were there to. It was a lot of fun.
We left at 6 and headed to our hotel, the Hard Rock Hotel. It was AWESOME. Our room came equipped with a bottle of vodka and mixers, about 20 mini bottles of different liquor, several bottles of wine and beer, and lots of snacks! They had the music of our choice playing in our room. The beds were feather beds, with feather pillows. The bathroom was incredible, and the shower had the shower head on the ceiling which makes for an amazing shower. It was really cool. Trav and I went to the outdoor pool while Lacee showered. It was surrounded by couches and beds and the water was a great temperature...very warm! There was an outdoor bar right next to the pool that had lots of places to lounge in comfortable booths with fire pits. We took a quick dip before heading back to the room to take our shower and get ready to go out for dinner. We got all dressed up and ended up going to one of the restaurants downstairs. It was really nice. I got fish taco's....they were delicious!
Tuesday we took another dip in the pool before getting ready to go. After checkout we went to Mission Beach in San Diego. It was really neat. There was a carnival right on the beach that we walked through. We went to "Roberto's" a little Mexican restaurant, for lunch. I got a chicken burrito that was amazing. It has grilled peppers and onions, cheese, a special sauce, chicken, all on a homemade tortilla. It was amazing. I don't think I've ever had a burrito that good. Trav and Lace also got burritos and agreed they were the best they'd ever had. After lunch we went and layed on the beach, and played in the waves some more. It was so relaxing. We left at 4 to head back to Orange.
That evening we met friends at a Mexican Restaurant called Tia Juana's Restaurant for Taco Tuesday. They had taco's for .75 each. And they were wonderful! I had a chicken, beef, and fish taco. They also had pitchers of fresh fruit Raspberry and Watermelon margaritas!
Wednesday marked Trav and I's 3 year anniversary. We had a lazy day. We slept in, watched some tv, took a walk around the neighborhood, and just enjoyed each other company. That afternoon we went shopping for our gifts for each other. The 3 year gift is supposed to be leather, so we found each other new leather wallets. I LOVE my new wallet. It's black leather and so cute. Trav picked out a new brown leather wallet that just one fold instead of 3. It also has a zipper section so he can keep change in his wallet now! He likes it a lot.
That evening we got ready to go to a nice restaurant in Costa Mesa called Mesa. We'd heard great things about it.We got there at 8, and were seated right away. The restaurant had no windows, it was all lit by candle light. There were fires next to the tables, to keep you warm as you dined underneath the stars because it had a retractable roof. That was really neat. It had a great ambiance. One of the walls was completely covered in ivy which was also cool. The staff was very friendly, prompt, and helpful. We got an mushroom appetizer that was delicious. Travis got the tenderloin steak as his main course. It came with caramelized onions. It was the most amazing tenderloin we have ever had, and the onions were to die for. 5 stars for that meal! I got the halibut that came with spinach and mashed yukon gold potatoes. It was so tender and just melted in my mouth. It was amazing. Everyone loved their meal. We had a great time there and it was the perfect place to celebrate our 3rd year together.
Thursday we went to Raging Waters water park in San Dimas. It was a perfect day, nice and warm. We went on lots of water rides and slides! Our favorite was Neptune's Fury. It's on a 3 person tube and you start by going through a waterfall and going into an enclosed dark tube. By the middle it's pitch black and your whipping around turns and down dips, and getting soaked of course. It was so much fun! There was a lazy river that we floated a few times, a wave pool, and fun house, about 8 other rides, and a couple slides. I didn't like the slides that you went down without a tube or mat as much. It was a great day! We left at about 6, and headed back to the house for dinner. We went to In and Out Hamburgers. I got a hamburger animal style. They put grilled onions on it and it is delicious! Yum! We need In and Out's around here.
Friday we got up, made breakfast, and got ready to go to LA! We started at Venice Beach. We didn't get in the ocean, we just walked along the path and enjoyed the scenery. We headed to Beverly Hills and to Sunset Strip afterwards. It was really cool. The mansions in Beverly Hills were amazing. It was fun just to look at them! We parked and got out to walk along Sunset Strip. It's fun seeing all the places you see so much on movies and tv. We spent the afternoon sightseeing. After the strip we drove down Rodeo Drive and admired all the shops that we could never afford to shop in!
Our flight left at 8:30, so Lace dropped us off at the airport at 7......I can't believe how fast our trip went! We did so much fun stuff! We got home at about 2am and finished out trip by going out to Denny's for breakfast before bed.
The weekend was spent unpacking and cleaning, and running errands to get ready for the week ahead! It's back to normal life again now.My brother house sat while we were gone. He did a fabulous job watering the lawn and feeding the kitties! When we got back we heard that it rained here in the valley most of last week, so it was a good time for us to be in Cali....where it was 85 and sunny everyday! Whats with the rain in August?Well, thats all for now! We're working on getting caught up at work! At least we have a 3 day weekend coming! :)

August Rush

No, not the movie. :) I just feel like time is continuing to fly by.
There are only 6 days left before we leave for our vacation to Cali to stay with Lace and Hunter. We have so many big plans while we're there! SeaWorld, staying the night in San Diego at the Hard Rock Hotel, which looks AMAZING. Touring San Diego, going to Raging Waters Water Park, going to an amazing restaurant for our 3 year wedding anniversary. This restaurant has a roof that rolls away, so you can see the sky while you enjoy your meal.
Of course we will also be visiting several beaches. Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, and Huntington Beach top the list. We were invited to a pretty big party in Hollywood at a popular nightclub as well, and we are going to spend a day in LA, checking out Beverley Hills, etc. It is going to be a wonderful, and much needed trip!
My friend Lindsey recently announced that she is pregnant. Congratulations Lou! I know how much you've wanted this and it's finally here! I know you will be a wonderful mother. You're dreams are finally coming true!
Last weekend we went boating with Lindsey and Brian and her family. It was a lot of fun! Trav when tubing for the first time. He didn't want to try it, but once he got out there he loved it. I enjoyed just relaxing in the boat!
Last night we went to Carino's for the first time. We've been wanting to try it since it opened in July. It was pretty good. Nothing amazing, but good food. We went with Linds, Brian, Jeff and his new girlfriend Liz.
Today we are doing yard work and tonight we are going to Mon and JD's for a BBQ and some Wii fun! Tomorrow I'd better start packing because our trip is right around the corner!!
Travis continues to be an amazing husband and best friend. I rely on his advice and understanding very much, and he is always there to give me what I need. I love his will to always make things better. I've really noticed him striving to make the yard look good this year, and it's fun to see the improvements he makes on it. It is really looking so much better! Your hard work is paying off baby!
We're coming up on our 3 year wedding anniversary, and in November we will celebrate 10 years being together! It's been a great 10 years and I'm looking forward to so many more!

Slow down summer!

Man, the summer is flying by so quickly! We love to take advantage of the good weather while it's here, so evenings and weekends are packed!
Last weekend Trav and I had 4 BBQ's! We started out Friday at lunch BBQing hot dogs. Yum. That evening we went to Linds and Brians to BBQ with them.
Saturday we woke up early, got all our chores done, and then we went for a bike ride on a little trail by the river in Albany. It was a great ride, and a beautiful trail that I didn't even know existed! We brought our little floaties with us and at the end of our ride we pumped them up and floated in the river for a while. It was a hot day so the water felt really good!
We got home at about 6, cleaned up, and headed to a BBQ at Mon and JD's. We had a good night with them! JD made some really good burgers!
Sunday Trav and I worked in the yard. It was REALLY hot on Sunday, and we both ended up getting burned. Trav got a worse burn than I did. We got a lot of yard work done though! Our yard is looking so much better. That evening we had my parents and brother over for a BBQ. It was my parents 30th wedding anniversary on the 15th, so we wanted to celebrate with them! 30 years is a huge accomplishment! Congratulations Mom and Dad!
Last night we went to the Linn County Fair. We got off work early and biked there. It was a fun ride. We had a lot of fun looking at all the animals! I love the bunnies and they had a baby tiger that was SO cute. At 8:30 Craig Morgan had a concert there. It was a great night. On the way home we stopped at McDonalds for an ice cream cone!
This weekend we're not sure what we're doing. :) It's pretty much the only weekend for the next month and 1/2 that we don't have plans! We might go to the coast for a day, or we might just work around the house and go shopping. Trav got a raise and it was effective on this check. I told him off the first check he could take the extra from his raise to go buy some new clothes. Congrat's to Trav! I'm so proud of you!
Well, 30 min's left until the weekend starts. Have a great one!

4th of July

It's hard to believe that the 4th of July, and our long anticipated 3 day weekend, are over. We had a great time though. We ended up having a BBQ at our place, because we had a lot of friends we wanted to spend the 4th with!
We started on the 3rd! After work we BBQ's some hotdogs before meeting Robbie and Becky at River Rhythms with a couple bottles of wine! We had fun catching up with them.
The 4th we slept in, and at 10 got up and went grocery shopping for all our BBQ goodies. We got chips, pretzels, hamburger, hot dogs, lettuce, tomato, baked beans, jello for the dessert, corn on the cob, veggies for a veggie platter, watermelon, strawberries, and grapes for a fruit platter, and Rachelle brought potato salad!
And of course we got wine and beer! When we got back, Trav mowed the lawn while I cleaned up and started preparing the food. We were ready by 2, which is when we told people they could start showing up. Ladd arrived at about 2:45, my brother showed up at 3ish, and EVERYONE else got there between 5 - 6! We spent the afternoon throwing the football, sitting on the porch swing, and playing the Wii. At 6 we fired up the grill and ate! We had a great time. At 9 we left for the Timber Carnival to see the fireworks. When we got back we headed to the park to light off some illegal works that Ryan had brought, and some legal ones that Ladd brought. They were all awesome. We got back to the house and played the Wii until a little after 2 when we finally went to bed!
Saturday we slept in. We wanted to go rafting but the sun never really broke through the nasty clouds, so we ended up watching old movies on the couch. It was a good day. Late that evening Trav and I went night blading. We used to do that a lot when we were 16 - 17 and it reminded me of back then.
Sunday we did our chores and my parents called and invited us up for a BBQ and to play some games outside. The sun came back so we got to enjoy the weather out on the deck.
Now it's back to the work week.....I'm anxiously waiting for Friday!
By the way our camping trip was wonderful! We had a really great time with Ladd. The camping spot we got was great, but we still like our secret spot at Yukwa the best! We took a hike on Saturday and it was pretty hot so we took a quick dip in the Metolious River! Burrr! That river is 40 degrees. It was refreshing though! I can't wait to go camping again!

First Camping Trip of the Season!

In 2 hours Trav and I are off work, going home to load up the car and start the beautiful drive to Camp Sherman. The weather is amazing today. It's supposed to be in the low 90's all weekend. We're bringing the raft so hopefully we'll be able to go rafting down the Metolious River!
Last weekend was a good one. Friday night we went to my parents for the evening. My mom has just had oral surgery and needed someone to comfort her. We sat out on the deck and enjoyed the sunshine until it got dark when we headed in and watched some tv.
Saturday Trav and I got up early for a Saturday and Trav started in on the yard work while I cleaned the house. We both got a lot done, and at 4 got ready to meet Mon and JD for dinner. We tried a new Italian Restaurant called Clemenza's. It was very good!
After dinner we headed back to Mon and JD's and played the Wii and drank wine. We had a great night talking, laughing, and drinking!
Trav and I walked home a little after midnight. When we got there we met up with K and started a fire in our fire pit. We talked around the firepit and drank until 5 am!!! I couldn't believe how late it was when I looked at the clock. Sunday we got our grocery shopping done and Trav's business partner came over at 5 with some huge rib eye steaks for the BBQ! We had asparagus, mashed red potatoes, and salad with the steaks. It was delicious! After dinner Trav and Luke worked on their project until it was almost bed time.
Last night I had wine night with Robbie. She took me over to their new house and it is amazing! It's nestled back into the forest and the landscaping is just beautiful. I felt like I was at a retreat! We made plans to go to River Rhythms, garage saling, crabbing, and more!
Now it's Friday and only 1 hr until Trav and I leave for a relaxing weekend camping! Have a great weekend!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday! Happy Birthday Mom!! I love you very much and am excited to celebrate this special day with you!
Our weekend was really nice. For one thing, the weather was beautiful! It's about time we get some nice weather. It was 75 and sunny clear skys Fri, Sat, and Sun! Pretty much perfect.
Friday night Trav and I layed low. We knew Sat was going to be very full, and we didn't want to be worn out! So we watched some movies and went to bed at a decent hour. It was a nice, relaxing evening. We spent some time on the back porch laying in the porch swing enjoying the sunshine!
Saturday we woke up nice and early, got ready, and headed to my parents. We packed some snacks, printed off a map to several wineries from Salem to Portland, and loaded everyone and everything into the car. We headed to the first winery at 11am! Nice and early! We had a great time. The weather was perfect for a country drive. There were SO many vineyards on our drive. It was a beautiful drive.
We arrived at the Portland City Grill at 6, and got a great window seat in the piano bar. We had martini's and enjoyed the view until a little after 7 when we were seated. Dinner was wonderful!!! I got black cod on a bed of rice with Japanese sauces on it and woked veggies. It was SO good! My brother and dad got huge prawns with mashed potatoes and asparagus, my mom got duck, and Trav got crab cakes with mashed potatoes and asparagus. We headed home at about 9. It was a great day!
Sunday we got up and took care of all our chores and errands before heading to Trav's parents to celebrate Father's Day with his dad. We had bbq'd steaks for dinner. He seemed to like the shirt we got him! It was not an easy one to find!!
Now it's back to work for another week! I can't wait till Friday!!

Birthday weekend

Well, I'm 26. I can't believe another year has gone by! Every year at this time I have to take a moment to think about how grateful I am to NOT be stuck driving to Woodburn to an Accounts Payable job that I never wanted, that was horrible, in Woodburn. I am especially glad to be working in Albany NOW with gas prices sky rocketing!
I have a hard time getting older now.....I'd like to stay in my 20's forever and I am getting further and away from it!
I had a wonderful birthday week! Dinner at the Clark's Sr. was delicious, as usual! Kathy made my favorite light cake.....it's chocolate with a raspberry filling and it doesn't taste light at all!
Thursday dinner at my parents was SO good. I haven't had manicotti for a long time! We had manicotti, salad, french bread, and cantaloupe, and angel food cake with strawberries for dessert! And my parents spoiled me with gifts. They got me a set of really nice wine glasses, a beautiful wood planter, and a Wii Fit!! It is a lot of fun to use.
Friday I went to dinner with friends. Mon and JD, and Robbie and Todd were out of town, and Rachelle wasn't back from AZ yet, so they couldn't make it! But Air and K, and Linds and Brian came and we had a great time at Red Robin! We went back to the house and played the Wii Fit.
Sat we worked in the yard and had my parents over for a bbq! They stayed and played the Wii Fit until about 10.
Sunday we slept in and worked in the yard some more. We went rollerblading with my new blades and Trav's new wheels, and of course did all our chores and errands!
It was a great weekend.
I am really looking forward to this weekend to. The weather is supposed to be really nice! We are going on a wine tour from Salem - Portland, and then to dinner at the Portland City Grill. It will be a really fun day! Just having some nice weather will be a blast!
Rachelle is back!!! She got back on Sunday evening and this morning we worked out before work. She is such a good workout partner. Even though we only worked out for 40 mins it was a good workout. I can't wait to get back into shape! And I'm so happy to have Shell back. She is such an encouraging person and so much fun to be around! Tonight we are going to a softball game and then I am going to Lou's to hang out for a while.
Well, I still have a few things to get done before 5, so I'm going to get to it! Have a good week!

Summer is here!

I can defiantly tell that summer is here! It's only June 2nd and our calendar is already booking up!
June 2nd - Going to the Clarks Sr for bday dinner
June 4th - Having Air and K over for a BBQ
June 5th - My 26th bday, going to my parents house for dinner!
June 6th - Going to dinner with friends to celebrate my bday
June 9th - Surprise party for a friend
June 14th - Wine tour with Mom and Dad ending in Portland and taking them to Portland City Grill for mom's bday and Father's Day
June 15th - Clark's Sr. for Father's Day
June 17th - Mom's bday...another dinner!
June 18th - My 1 year anniversary with CM&S
June 21st - Going to the coast for the weekend
June 28th - Camping
July 4 - 6 - Camping

And it's only the 2nd!!
We had a great weekend. Friday we went to the Olive Garden with Mon and JD. The food was wonderful. I had apricot chicken. After dinner we went back to their house and played the Wii. We brought over our remotes so we had 4, which was a lot of fun! We drank margaritas and wine. Trav and I walked home at about 1. We were able to walk because Mon and JD live only 1 mile away.
Sat we slept in and Trav took his car in to get the brakes fixed, while Air and I went to get pedicures. She tool me for my bday. It was really nice. My feet need to be pampered more often! Then we went shopping in Salem and found TONS for cute summer clothes!
We headed back at 6 and went straight to a going away party for one of her co-workers. It was a good party. Good food, good drinks, and good people.
Sunday we slept in again, and then headed to Salem (3rd day in a row for me!) to get my bday present from Trav. We got me some nice roller blades since we have been roller blading a lot more lately and I've been using his brothers old skates that are way to big and very worn out! We also got a new BBQ. We got a great deal on it and it is really nice. We spent the next 2 hours putting it together!!
Now it's back to Monday! It'll be Friday before I know it. I'm looking forward to this week....it feels like it's going to be a good one!

Memorial Day Weekend 08

Our weekend didn't go as planned, but thats ok! The weather did not shape up, so the beach got ruled out. How much fun is the beach in the rain?? Not much!
So instead, Friday we went to dinner with my parents and then came back to the house for some wine. We watched an old Indiana Jones movie to! It was fun. They headed home at about 10, and Trav and I got a little more serious with the drinks! I drank WAY to much wine. I was actually chugging it at a couple points, which is never a good idea. So needless to say when I woke up Sat morning I wasn't feeling the greatest.
We stayed in bed until after 12! When we finally got up, we had some lunch....grilled cheese! Yummy. Then we decided to do our chores and errands just in case the weather shaped up Sun and Mon, so we could go to the beach if it did. After running all our errands we came back to the house and did some yard work for a few hours. We are working on edging the front yard. It's about half done now.
After all our hard work on the yard we went and got some burgers and then headed over to Linds and Brians to watch Cloverfield.
Sunday we slept in until about 11, and got up to pretty much do nothing. It was great having a day to just be able to relax! The weather showed rain on the coast...so we decided not to do that. We laid around watching TV and bbqing most of the afternoon. In the early evening we went to get our hair cut....and then came home. We went to bed at about 1. It was a good night.
Monday we got up at 10, and laid in bed talking until 11. We got up and went rollerblading around town. It was fun. We talked about the house we'd like to have someday. We got home and got ready to go to a bbq at Air's. We got there a little after 2, and ate at about 3. We had great food and great drinks all day! Trav and I headed home at about 8:30.
Now it's back to another work week. I'm sad that the long weekend is over, but it was very relaxing. And now this week is only 4 days!! Friday will be here before I know it! This weekend we are going to dinner with Mon and JD on Friday night, and Sat Air is taking me to get a pedicure for my bday and then we're going to go shopping! It should be good fun!
Trav and I are going to start exercising again. He has a weight bench at home, so he is going to start lifting, and we're going to go for walks/jogs or rollerblading, etc for our cardio. While he is lifting weights I'm going to do a little more cardio...some jumping jacks, and of course sit ups! We have a cd player out in the garage so we'll crank up the tunes and get our workout on!
It's a good plan....now we just have to stick to it!
Thats all thats new in the Clark household. Have a good short week!