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. :)