Summer yet??

I fail miserably, but anyhow... Life is good, after the bf has FINALLY gone off the LDAC, I have had the parents and sister visit, do a whirl-wind of a tour of Portland the outlying sights to see in less then 72 hours, and then back to work to do 50 hours of work in 4 days, including an 18 hour straight deal overnight... I am to a real weekend... although I should keep myself busy, since time seems to go by quicker that way, and I eat way less.... two positives.

1. I need to loss some weight, went to the dr for the allergies (thank goodness that ordeal is fixed) and found out I have gained a good ole 10-15 pounds since last time this year... its time to move (its also be almost a year to the day since my marathon... yeah, time to get running considering I have a half in October, and I need to finally take the training for a half seriously so I just break 2 hours already). And I am not happy with my body, just feel blah if that makes sense, so its time.

2. The plants are growing!!! See...

Cucumber that is about to flower

 Green Bell Pepper that is struggling to figure out how to be upside down

 Tomato that is very very happy (This was from my birthday weekend in Bend)

If you look closely you can see some tomatos... there are 3 or 4 on this plant already!

3. There has been a great amount of camping and along with the bf trying to get me excited and into wanting to ride a dirt bike (unsuccessful might I add... riding on the back is just fine with me) I have enjoyed photo shoots with Ruby and catching Kristopher off guard : )

(Ain't he cute? and enjoying the river and sun, minus the fact he is icing his foot b/c the dirt bike fell on it.. 3 days before leaving for LDAC too *hand to face - boys)

And throwing Ruby in the water (she doesn't like getting her face wet)

4. And here are a few pictures of my parents visit, we went to Multnomah  Falls...

 Which my sister and dad didn't want to walk the short path up too (they are the yellow jacket and black spot next to him)

And taking them across to Mt. Hood after seeing the rest of the Gorge, the Dam, Fish Hatchery, and Hood River....

Then the next day we went up to Mt. St. Helens with little luck on a clear close up view, but still great to see and visit.

Ruby came along the whole time : )
This one is from the Johnston Observatory, the direction the explosion went out at....

And a sweet panorama shot I was able to take with my phone...

5. Now we are at home getting out for runs each day (minus my 18 hour work day in about 36 hours...) and waiting for Dad-er's aka bf aka Kristopher to return... only 3 1/2 more weeks to go.

Welcome Summer!

I know, its been forever...

Been busy switching to days at work, dealing with the DMV over my registeration, paying my last car payment, and trying to get motivated to run and get the boyfriend in shape for LDAC... and then finding out that he wasn't going b/c someone wasnt doing there job in Ohio, then finding out he is going.... 2 weeks later... this Thursday. Packing him up, unpacking, and now repacking...
Oh and a few weekends of camping...

Soo I have had some swings of emotion to say the least, thinking he was leaving, not leaving, leaving. Trying to help with his emotions and stresses of the whole thing on top of that, and dealing with 10 mentally unstable children 10 hours a day, 4 days a week... taxing.

Hopefully though I will finally make it to some Tri-Delta alumni events this summer, and get back in the swing of running (I better, half coming up in October, and Ms. Kristen Calderwood is miles ahead of me right now).

Still struggling over the job thing, trying to find the balance to make it to meetings and network, but also currently content at my job now.

Anyhow, also, parents and the sister come to visit next weekend... so I am trying to figure out what to plan to do with them in Portland... could be interesting, Dad that doesn't drink at all, sister that is in prime teenage years and doesn't really care what is going on, and mom who I could do anything with and would love it all, but not necessarily with the other two around... hopefully its nice out and we can just enjoy the weather and walk around bunches?!?

Anyhow, I will post more soon, I promise, and some pictures, especially of miss ruby-doo (the dog) b/c she did have quite the photo-shoot last camping trip, not that she needed much help being cute and pretty.
'Hope you all are enjoying the summer, once I get a grip on these allergies (appointment tomorrow) I will be right behind you.

Nordstroms 1/2 Yearly Sale....

T-R-O-U-B-L-E... thats what going to nordstroms was....

Ok, so I knew I shouldn't go. But I wanted a new wallet for my birthday, and the birthday check from the parentals came in the mail. I went the day before it started and poked around, found out that there was going to be some Hobo wallets involved with the sale... so I 'HAD' to come back, right?!?!

I have had my current wallet possibly for 10 years now... it was time...

I actually ended up with this wallet from Hobo... honestly b/c the one I wanted was Patten leather, and I just don't care for it, it seems cheap and cheesy to me, don't like it on anything, sorry... just can't bring myself to like it.

It is a bit funky b/c the change wallet is on the bottom... but I love that my phone fits in it and its got a sweet black and white flower pattern inside, works as a clutch this way, and is a little smaller then the big one I wanted... I have heard great things about Hobo wallets, so lets see if this one can last as long as the last ones (I also came to the conclusion its been awhile since I went wallet shopping since mine had a broken zipper and I was on the hunt to try and find one that has a place for a checkbook.... the sales lady said they had 1 wallet in the whole store that had an actually place for one *hand to face)

I also ended up trying on far to many clothes, but limited the purchases to 1 pair of nice jeans (love the fact they hem for free when you buy jeans there, and with the 1/2 yearly sale, it makes it manage-able)
A pair of Hudson's, that are currently about 8 inches too long : )

A nike running top, thats extra long and half cotton/half their dri fit fabric... and has a black and white pattern on it..

And a nice blouse/shirt from Danial Rainn in Sapphire blue.

Birthday is officially over... oh and the car is paid off, so really this was in celebration of both... next months car payment... pays for this shopping splurg and a bit more... and I was good and didn't get any shoes.... although I am drolling over getting a pair of Cole Haan simple black peep toe pumps....

love the bit thicker heel (couldn't find a picture of one with it, but its great, promise) , and with the air nike technology in them.... soooo sooo comfy... but first I need a place to wear them, and a job to pay for them... then they will be mine... I foresee that being the start of a troubling but comfortable foot/shoe relationship.

Yeah I think your cute, but clearly you should know I just came to say hellooo....

KC II (Kristopher, in contrast to KC I - Kristen) has me hooked on this song (see title) Hello by Martin Solveig & Dragonette. I just downloaded it earlier, and already have played it 14 times over... terribly addicting.

Anyhow, I had a wonderful 25th birthday, probably had way too much money spent on me/by me, but isn't that what birthdays are for??

Me and KC II went to Bend to hang out with KC I and Tyler. Lots of great food, wonderfully amazing company and a relaxing wonderful weekend of not doing much, getting dolled up and going out and enjoying and celebrating. I now realize outfit pictures were not taken, nor where many pictures at all. Clearly a sign of a good weekend. Here are the few that are here...

Charles & Charles wine with dinner was amazing btw... you should check it out for sure if you enjoy a red blend.

I tell you he's 33 going on 13, and he strictly told me not to put these pictures up.. whoops 

We got some basil and tomato and chives while there and brought them back to Portland to attempt to grow on our balcony area. We are on the North side of the building so we have been debating if it will work or not, but we keep seeing all these veggie and herb plants all over town and just had to give it a shot... so I was a dork and documented the planting of them, of course.

The tomatoes went in this hanging contraption that they grow out of the bottom from... only problem is watering the sucker from above : )

Nothing is dead yet and its been about a week, actually the basil is doing great, the chives are starting to perk up and the tomato seems to be getting use to being turned on its head.

In other news there is quite the prospective life changer happening. The company I interviewed with back before graduating, think 2 years back... (shit, has it been that long already??!?!) called me again, and we are negotiating money, well they asked what I was looking for, and they seem much much more serious this time then last year when he called me up to see what I was up to and I never heard back from him.... 

Anyhow, I am trying to figure out what it would take for me to make the move to Irvine, considering the boy and all. He has 10 more months before he graduates, and although he wants out of Portland, he can't leave before then, and he is still trying to fully decide if he is going to go active military after that (will be commissioning as an officer for sure though) This being said, he will be gone a combined 6 months out of the next year, with the possibility of being deployed for up to a year after that... makes this fun. 

I will keep you all posted, as I have said before with this conversation, Irvine isn't ideal for me, but there are many many worse places to be, say Barstow or Blyth. If they get close to what I asked them for (which I thought they would completely laugh at, but they didn't) it will be possible to travel up to Portland 2X a month roughly. Combined with KC II's drill and FTX weekends and school, I am guessing this would work out to the open free weekends he would have. The company in Irvine has a 4 1/2 day work week (4 9 hour days and a 4 hour friday) which lends itself to being able to travel back and forth a bit earlier. Also Long Beach airport has some cheap jetblue flights back and forth with Portland... it could be done... I just don't know if we can do it... like actually do it, rather than talk about it. 

Talking about it has been an on going, not so thrilled, but understanding conversation. Which seems promising, but we haven't gotten down to the how would it work part. We have just to the understanding that I have to consider it. That I am absolutely utterly insane if I don't give this opp. a serious consideration. That life has finally settled and we are happy and in love. I am working days at work, and have evenings and dinner time with him.

I love Portland though, and Oregon. And life right now is good... This would make career life better and way more promising, and make the financial bit of my life stable and successful, but I know that isn't everything... 

I want my cake and to eat it too. I know I am a tough cookie and could do it, but the cake has to want to make it work too, you follow???

What do to with life.

This quarter life crisis... I am over it..

Seriously, I just want to know what to do. There is no instruction booklet and I am struggling. I want to know what to do...

A. go to grad school.

B. Continue to apply for jobs in my field and hope it works out eventually, meanwhile getting beat up by angry children.

C. Change jobs and work in a coffee shop, retail store, etc and see if that makes me happy til I figure something else out.

D. Get my real estate license. I have wanted to do this on and on for awhile, but really requires a decent commitment to location.

E. Join the military, my dad has always encouraged it, and it could solve a lot of problems, aka - job, pay for school, pay for loans, give me direction. Although doesn't allow me to pick location - I seem to struggle with this anyways, but swore off letting the military move me every 3 or so years after doing it with my dad ( I have failed to stay in one place more then 3 years since).

to go or not to go...

I should get up and go to yoga, but I have a slight headache and tuesday I went and came back with a headache that pounded the rest of the day.... hmmm

The exciting news is that the Groupon this weekend was for 20 sessions of Bikram Yoga for $20! a steal... its got a 60 day time limit... so about 2 times a week... I will start going regularly... as soon as I don't feel aweful going into it...

lame.

Wonderful weekend

The sun has finally decided to shine this weekend and had perfect timing for Karen's 50K for her 50th birthday! Went out to Karens parents house in Hillsboro to hang out and catch up over dinner which was fabulous and much needed after our busy lives have sabotaged regular phone calls since me moving up to Portland. Where able to review pictures from her trip to Hawaii in Feb and show the pictures from the wedding and catch up on everything else going on in our lives.

Kristen came to town from Bend which made it extra fun as well. So wonderful to have her around for a few days, even though its never enough, we are continuing to develop a schema to move me to bend eventually, and work on a visit sooner.

*At the 15 miles mark/turn around point*

9 miles of walking around Forest Park in conjunction with Karens 50K Fat Ass Birthday run, with KC I and II (bf is a KC too) and boyfriends friend Pedro resulted in the same 5 conversations being had over and over again, but some good witted humor and poking fun of. And the sun shining made everyone enjoy it that much more. Oh and Ruby (the pup) joined as well.

Karen completed her 50K and we had a l-iner at the Oak Creek McMenamins Brew Pub and then completed the evening with a nap, showers, and Adult Mac and Cheese and Steaks cooked on the Tregar Grill.

A long day interrupted by a minor medicine mis-hap (conclusion of the story - always remark medicine bottles if something different is in it then the label says, even if you live alone or with one other person, and always ask about med's when you are a friends house looking for ibuprofen : ) )  but everyone is ok and survived.

In other news, looks like I should be able to move to the 7-5 Sun-Tuesday position at work, which should make everything and everyone a bit happier. No getting home at 11:30 pm and needing an hour to un-wind. Normal dinner times, and the potential to attend planning meetings and network more for a real planning job. Also still maintaining full time status and benefits at work, and the ability to pick up an additional shift to keep my 40 hours. Paperwork is being done and the last few that need to be talked to to make the switch happen is occurring, could be as early as next week! Excellent.

I hope you are all doing well, feeling healthy, and getting some of the sunshine and warmth that seems to be on the verge of spring/summer.

Any ideas of what I should do for my birthday??... 26 days and counting.

Oh and I found a few pictures of Kristen's 10K from Run with the Roses a few weekends ago here in Portland, so here are those!