Chicago Trip

Little and I had a wonderful trip to Chicago last weekend to visit my good friend, Lauren, and her husband, Ken. We escaped the oppressive 95º+ heat in Portland and the music festival bender that consumed the weekend for Jesse and our good friend, Tyson. I was pretty nervous about the 4 hour flight to Chicago, but Little (all things considered) was a pretty good traveler. I won't go so far as to say I had a great time on the plane (who does, really), but it could have been worse. Way worse. 

It was wonderful to visit with Lauren, since I haven't seen her since Little was just a few weeks old. She and Ken purchased a wonderful old house in Evanston and we fully utilized the screened in porch for breakfast and dinners, as well as the back yard for happy hour bloody mary's. Mr. M loved the stairs and terrorized their two cats, Simon and Louisa, every waking moment. His growls of "kittay kittay kittay!" could be heard all over the house as he tried (in vain) to get his mitts on one of the cats as they scurried around trying to escape. 

We took an afternoon drive over to Wagner Farm, just a few minutes from Evanston, where he ran around looking at pigs, cows, and giant farm equipment. I'd like to say that the animals were the object of his affection, but it was the blue tractor that gained his love. He was incredibly excited about the giant wheels and spent quite a bit of time inspecting the rims and tires. 

We also took a walk over to Lake Michigan and spent a lovely Sunday afternoon watching the waves lap onto the beach. Tons of kids and parents were playing and swimming in frigid water -- I know this because I only allowed my big toe to get wet. Little was a little unsure about the sand between his toes and refused to leave the beach blanket. I could tell it was a tough decision for him, because the lure of kids and beach toys would otherwise be too much temptation to resist. He happily barked orders from the safety of the green sheet and finally lost patience even for that. We put him in the stroller, brushed off his feet, and he happily cooed and dozed until we were ready to head home. 


I arrived in Portland Monday evening exhausted, but happy. It was a great trip and I'm so glad I decided to visit. 

Summer Saturday Evenings

You could say this is part two of our great Saturday on one of the hottest days of the summer. The temperature got up to 95º yesterday, which doesn't compare to the scorching temperatures other parts of the country, but was pretty huge for us. We went to the park with Miles in the morning, but by 10:30am we knew it was time to close down the shades, turn on the fans, and move like turtles, so not to work up a sweat. Miles took a two hour nap after our romp in the park, which left him with a hollow leg. He proceed to eat anything put in front of him (with bamboo fork in hand) -- a scrambled egg, some watermelon, 4 or 5 silver dollar pancakes, blueberries, and some graham crackers. 

We were a little nervous that he might have used up all of his nap time in this early long spurt, leaving him cranky and restless for the BBQ we wanted to attend in the afternoon. So, after the large lunch and reading A LOT of books, we took him out to a different park for about 30 minutes before nap time. He ran around again and by 3:30 he was exhausted and happily went down for his afternoon nap. He woke up cheerful and ready to party. YAY!

We arrived at the BBQ around 5:30 and our friends Rhiannon and Josh had set up a kiddie pool for the boys. The water was a little cool for Miles to take a dunk, but he happily played on the edges as Ethan and Daniel happily splashed around and handed him any toy that he wanted. Miles ran and ate like he had a second stomach to fill (growth spurt maybe?). The weeks leading up to his first birthday have maybe been the best yet. He's happy and playful and seems to get smarter by the minute. This week alone he's started to use a spoon, learned to drink from a straw, and learns new gestures almost instantly. 


My mom is coming into town tomorrow and my dad is soon to follow. I can't wait for them to see what a different baby he's become! 

Project Birthday

My friend, Elizabeth, arranged a Project Runway themed party for her birthday this weekend. It was brilliant and the most fun I've had in quite a while.

About twelve of us were invited to her place, where we spent the evening competing in PR-style challenges that led up to the final challenge of the night -- remake a hideous Goodwill dress into something that you'd wear today. Everyone was instructed to bring a pair of heels, three of their favorite accessories (to populate the "Bluefly Accessory Wall"), and a tank top/spandex in case we were chosen as models. 

There were five models, five designers, and four judges. At random (and with some trading around) I ended up as a designer and was charged with remaking this dress (well not this exact dress, but something pretty identical) into something more modern. My model, Margaret, and I were charged with making a split-second decision between five equally hideous frocks and opted for this one instead of a leopard print house dress. We had a few minutes to confer and she was sent to the workroom to stake out a table while I visited "Mood" (Elizabeth's guest room) to shop for fabric. I wish I had brought my camera, because there would have been a lot more documentation. 

Once in the workroom, Margaret and I decided on a converting the dress into a short jumpsuit with puffed sleeves and a collar. We paired it with pink pumps and hat from the accessory wall. Elizabeth had a sewing machine on hand, but it was missing a foot petal for about 1/2 of the challenge, so I ended up sewing the sleeves in by hand and safety pinning the dress hem into shorts. Thankfully, Margaret was a natural on the runway and made our outfit look awesome. In the end, we made it to the top three, but the judges were divided on the use of the pink hat. Regardless, it was an amazing party.

I was exhausted when I got home at nearly 1am -- by far the latest I've stayed out while having fun in quite a while.

Photo Update

Yikes! The last time I updated was over two weeks ago! The lack of posting hasn't been for lack of good material, but I've been super busy (and without a functioning camera). So, here are a few photos (taken exclusively by others) to get you up to speed.

Chicago was amazing. For once I brought good weather with me on vacation. I had such fun catching up with Lauren and exploring her neighborhood. We stopped in for the afternoon at the Chicago Botanical Gardens and admired all of the early bloomers.

This variety of Ranunculus were absolutely gorgeous. Definitely on my list of must have garden items when I get that patch of grass someday.

J's parents were in town for the weekend and we caught the first Timbers game of the season. It's a good thing we got there early and secured good seats, because the Timbers won to a sold out crowd. I celebrated by inhaling a giant hot dog. I can't wait for the rest of the season!

On Sunday, we all took an epic hike up to the Japanese Garden, then on to the Pittock Mansion, and back down to the city through Forrest Park. I'm guessing it was in the range of 6-8 miles (with lots of uphill climbs) and we were all happy to land at the final destination, St. Honore's Boulangerie for sandwiches and pastries.

I had another prenatal group meeting with the midwives yesterday and all seems to be going well. I got to hear Baby G's heartbeat again, which is always a nice treat, but not without some difficulty -- he kept kicking the dopplar before the nurse's aid could get an accurate count. Finally, he played nice and let us document the 150 beats per minute. He then settled down for the afternoon, but started up again right around bedtime so J could feel his bumps and rolls. J's finally been able to understand what I mean when I say "the baby is going nuts right now."

Easter Weekend in Photos

With the leftovers from our nacho happy hour, J made migas for second breakfast on Saturday. I think migas means "crumbs" and is basically an anything goes kind of meal. Ours consisted of leftover beans and corn, tortilla chips, sharp cheddar, and was topped with delicious fresh avocado.

Fueled on migas, we got right to work on our Peeps art project to bring to Dan and Joanie's Easter party. The competition was quite impressive, with vignettes from the Easter pageant (the Last Supper, Crucifixion, and Resurrection), the Leaning Tower of Peepsa, a flowering Peeps Cactus, among others.

Our creation was a gladiator scene (later named "Sparta-peeps") and won the Peeples Choice award, which will be prominently displayed somewhere in our apartment very soon.

This morning, I went out to Easter brunch with the ladies and had a great time getting dressed up. Here's me capturing my profile progress with my new spring/summer dress. I'm officially in my 6th month (21 weeks) and over half way there. Apparently the baby now weighs about 3/4 of a pound and is 10 1/2 inches from head to toe.

Back in Portland

Last week J and I flew to Jacksonville, FL for a much overdue visit with my parents and sister. After a bit of a snafu with our plane in Portland, we thought we might not make it, but somehow miraculously showed up only two hours later than scheduled. The week was filled with a bit of work, a bit of play, and for my mom and me, lots and lots of shopping. I guess I should say browsing, because there wasn't a whole lot of buying -- except for a couple of maternity shirts that I found on sale. We looked at crib options, car seats, tested out strollers, and I even allowed myself to gush over the totally cute bedding at this boutique that carried really really expensive strollers. I had to keep repeating to myself, I will not be seduced by monkey sheets, I will not be seduced by monkey sheets, I am stronger and more powerful than the cutesy monkey sheets.

On Saturday, we all drove down to St. Augustine for an afternoon in the gorgeous sunny weather. Neither Jesse or I had been before, so it was a treat just to walk around and check out the town. We spent quite a bit of time at Castillo de San Marcos, one of the oldest standing structures in North America. The fort was started in 1672 by the Spanish to defend their empire and is one of the cooler forts that I've seen. You'd probably get a better sense of my new totally normal looking maternity top if my sister hadn't pinched my rear end two seconds before the shot was taken. Look at her smile. She is so proud.

Later, we walked around the Flagler College campus and explored the lobby of one of their main residence halls. Can you believe students actually get to live in this building? As we were walking my parents to their car, a horse and carriage parked next to an old church that we were admiring. Apparently, I must suffer from post-morning sickness trauma, because the smell of horse pee sent me leaning over the church wall trying desperately not to lose my lunch. Luckily, I was able to compose myself before anything terribly embarrassing happened, but just in time for an entire group of trolley riders to witness my dramatic scene.

J, Katie, and I were left to our own devices for a couple of hours while waiting to meet up with my good friend Jon and his wife, Cathy, for dinner. Had circumstances been different, we probably would have ponied up to a bar and sampled a local brew or two. Since I've found that it's not really all that exciting to watch my husband drink great beer, we settled on a roaring game of mini golf instead. We found this 18-hole course tucked into a maze of hedges near the marina and had a blast. And at only $4.50/person it was quite a fun deal.

Sunday was a low-key afternoon. Jesse and I packed up our things, we all had a delicious lunch, and then went for a walk on the beach before heading out to the airport. It was a great trip.

Weekend in D.C.

Last Thursday morning at 6am, I hauled my suitcase to the MAX station down the street in 13º weather to make my 8am flight to D.C. J had been in Maryland most of the week for a business trip, so we extended the stay through the weekend to meet up with friends and relax a little.

Our good friend, Kyle, defended his dissertation that evening and a bunch of the GW gang got together at a local bar for a celebration. I was happy to discover that Dr. Kyle did not let his new status go to his head, keeping conversations firmly in the gutter. As for the rest of the gang? I was pleased to find that we all just picked up where we last left off with relentlessness harassment, embarrassing story telling, being first-rate busybodies, and laughing until we cried. My ribs actually hurt when rolling over in bed that night. It was such a great evening.

On Friday and Saturday nights we got a sweet deal at the Churchill Hotel in Dupont Circle. Since J stays there often when he travels to D.C., they upgraded us to one of the king suites on the top floor with a view of the city. I swear the hotel room was almost bigger than our last apartment! Since J had to work on Friday in the morning and early afternoon, I went and had lunch at my old office and had a great visit with my coworkers and former boss. In the evening, J's office had its yearly office party and followed it up with a visit to U Street with Kyle, Sally, and Kevin.

Saturday was a little more low key, we slept in and had breakfast at the Florida Avenue Grill with Kurtis and Amanda. I opted for sides of macaroni and cheese and collard greens instead of the standard breakfast fare. The collard greens were mind-blowing. I couldn't finish them because they were so rich, but wow! Outstanding. On Saturday evening, we met up with Dan and Lydia, good friends and J's former co-workers. This visit felt like a true vacation and left me smiling all the way home.

This week is going to be pretty busy. I have a lot of things to accomplish before Christmas rolls around in just 11 days! Yikes!

Pondering Halloween

I love this time of year. The weather starts to get cool, the trees start to turn, I get to roast vegetables and make soup, and of course Halloween is just around the corner. I love the process of thinking about and costumes, getting excited about creating crazy gross-out Halloween food, and carving pumpkins (even though I never end up actually carving a pumpkin). In D.C., we were lucky enough to have friends that loved to dress up and go out on the town, but our last Halloween there was a bit of a let-down. Most of our friends had moved away and we just couldn't get up the motivation to go out on our own. Since we moved to Portland just two months before Halloween last year, we didn't have a lot of time to make friends and sat that one out too. I have now had two years of build-up and can't wait to get out for Halloween Portland-style.

I feel pretty lucky to have found a group of friends who love to dress up (at Halloween and otherwise), so this year is going to be pretty awesome. The Halloween party date is set, and everyone is hush hush about their costume ideas. These ladies and gents take their Halloween pretty seriously. I have a couple of ideas up my sleeve, but they'll have to stay under wraps for now. Here are a few of our costumes from the past to hold you over for a couple of weeks:

2003: Ice Queen (which unbeknownst to me was my nickname during the first few months of grad school) and Wolverine.

2004: My best friend, Lauren, and I dressed up as Krystle and Alexis from Dynasty. J said that my faux silk jumpsuit was so ugly that he might never be able to love me again.

2005: Bill the Butcher from Gangs of New York and Mrs. Incredible. I think bourbon and some strong margaritas gave me the courage to put on skin-tight red suit. Jesse also really enjoyed the margaritas and nearly got kicked out of Heaven and Hell (a local bar) for his jubilant dancing. I had to cut off part of his costume when we got home. It was a good Halloween.

Grand Larceny

Jesse's parents were in town this weekend for a quick visit and we had an awesome time. We went on lots of neighborhood walks, stopped at a couple of our favorite food spots, and went to a Timbers playoff game at PGE Park. Unfortunately, the Timbers tied with the Vancouver Whitecaps, which was not enough to advance them on in the tournament. It was quite heartbreaking to see the team so distraught after the game. So, we had to all drown our sorrows in some good Cajun food at Montage. I personally comforted myself with the Spold mac & cheese with Andouille sausage. We also shared a plate of crawfish hushpuppies that were outstanding.

On one of our walks through Ladd's Addition, we stopped to admire this plant that nobody could identify. I'd never seen anything quite like it before and was struck by the beautiful pink flowers and teal centers/berries growing inside. I haven't bothered to Google it yet, as I'm hoping that you, the internets, will help me come to some determination. The flowers were growing on what appeared to be a small tree, or a very well-trained bush. Seriously, I've never seen that blue color occur like that in nature. It was pretty awesome.

Walking through the neighborhoods made me long for a cute house with a yard again. It was like tearing open a wound that I thought had healed. Given that I still have not been able to figure out what I'm going to do for work here in Portland, renting will likely have to suffice. And honestly, I'm pretty okay with that solution. I went to a couple of websites this afternoon to check out what's available. Jesse and I are going to ride around a few neighborhoods this weekend to see if there is anything on the rental market that might work.

With that said, I didn't have much time to think about those cute bungalows calling my name, as I had a short interview with a staffing agency and later broke into a friend's house and stole their car. Heh. I like to leave out the part about them giving me permission and giving explicit instructions on how to break into their house and car. Even still, I was a bad-ass ninja today (avert your eyes if you can't handle the the masked facade). The photo was taken just before I (the perp) entered the premises and made off with their Matrix. My ninja status was seriously compromised by the baby car seat and smiley sunshine face in the backseat. However, if I didn't look in the rear view mirror too much, it was easily ignored. Besides, even ninjas sometimes have to transport cute babies and their parents home from the the airport from time to time.

Sometimes You Just Need the Big Guns

Yesterday, a very special package came in the mail. It was from Jesse's office. No, he didn't get promoted, but judging from the excitement in the apartment, you would have thought they made him King of the non-profit. We did a little happy dance as he ripped open the padded envelope. That very special package was the new Adobe Creative Suite 4 Web Premium edition. It's the tricked out Cadillac of all Adobe packages and it's allllll miiiinnnneee. (Ok, technically, it's all Jesse's, since he is going to use it for work, but I can also load it on my Preshus and tinker to my heart's content.)

I popped in the tutorial cd this morning and realized that there are about 15 different programs and applications, many of which I've never heard. I decided to get a little breakfast before diving right in, because I am definitely not worthy. Having this software package to do the types of projects that I have in mind is like hiring Deloitte and Touche to balance my checkbook. However, I feel that I must step to the challenge of owning the CS4 Web Premium edition. In addition to my Public Administration course, I'm thinking of taking a basic web design class to learn how to use Dreamweaver. My main goal will be to rebuild the Quickcrit Blogger template (which is right now sort of a Frankenstein of pieced widgets and html parts) so it's not all buggy and annoying. We'll see how that goes.

Oh and my Public Administration class? Awesome. I think it's going to be a really great quarter for two reasons: my professor is pretty great and Public Administration is such a nebulous field that just about anyone can find a niche -- kind of like my degree in American Studies. Oh, and speaking of American Studies, my professor is also an American Studies graduate. I think I'm going to love this class!

August! Stop Running Away.

How on earth is it already August 24th? I'm seriously going to have to put my foot down and insist this month stop moving so quickly. That means that we're only 9 days away from stepping on that plane to Brussels! I'm so excited that I don't even know how I'm going to sleep at night as the week nears its end. Jesse has an intense work schedule the day before we leave (Wednesday, Sept. 2nd), so we've set a strict deadline for packing. Everything must be ready and in the suitcase by Sunday, Aug. 30th -- as in six days, oh crap!

As if we didn't have enough to do, a couple of months ago we signed on to take a rafting trip down the Deschutes river with a few of our kickball friends. I have to admit, I was a little leery of camping and rafting all weekend, however, I had to remind myself of how much fun I had tubing down the Shenandoah with our friends in D.C. I'm glad I got over my initial reservations, because I had a blast. We drove down on Friday night to a campground in Mt. Hood National Forrest, pitched our (borrowed) tent and unrolled our new self-inflating camping mats. When my parents were visiting they gave us an early anniversary gift, which in turn funded two wonderful nights of sleeping outdoors. The last time we went camping, we bought cheap foam mats from Target and after the first night of restless sleep (and aching hips) I was ready to go home. While the mats only inflate to about a 1/2 inch in height, they are pretty darn awesome. I slept like a log.

Saturday morning we got up, had a little breakfast, and shivered into our bathing suits (it was barely 60 degrees at the campsite). The drop-off point was about a 30 minute drive and not long after breaking through the canopy of the forest, the landscape turned into burnt hillsides dotted with a few trees and houses. It reminded us a lot more of California than the lush Oregon that we've gotten used to in Portland. Thankfully, the sun was out and the sky was crystal clear -- we wouldn't freeze to death on the river.

As for the river, it was absolutely beautiful. I didn't bring my camera, because I didn't want it to get wet, so these two images are borrowed from Google Maps. The Deschutes is a lovely blue-green color and rolls along (in the section where we were rafting) with a few small rapids. We got on the river about 1pm and floated along with oars in hand to direct the raft to the best rapid spots. Of course, with Jesse on the boat, he ensured that we got the best turbulence possible by bouncing the raft over rocky spots. Luckily, we never turned over. We reached our end destination around 4pm and had already decided that it was so much fun that we definitely need to do it again. The sun was extremely hot, but I'm pretty sure none of us got a sunburn (thanks to the liberal application of sunblock). We all had plans for a rockin' party back at the campground, but reality hit when we were starving and dead tired by 6pm. In an attempt to rally, a fire was built and we played games, but there was no rescuing the evening.

Next time? Party first, then raft. And yes, there will be a next time.

Comfortable Shoes? Check.

Today was the first day of freedom after a very long two weeks. Summer school toward the end kind of kicked my butt. I forgot how tiring class can be and how insanely disruptive it is to the day to day schedule. Since mid-July, my life Monday-Thursday has consisted of getting up, eating breakfast, reading/note taking, class, and totally spacing out before bed. I learned a lot, but whooo doggies, I don't think I'll do summer school again. Class two days a week is much more my speed.

Maybe I wouldn't have minded as much, but my parents were in town last week, just as class was getting stressful. Their visit wasn't stressful to me, just the fact that I hated having to break up the day for school. I wish I could have suspended classes for a few days so I could maximize my time, but unfortunately I haven't perfected time travel. If I could warp time (Star Trek style), I would go back to Thursday afternoon when I skipped a trip to Multnomah Falls to study for the exam that turned out to be open book/notes. Whatever, I don't want to talk about it. I'm thinking happy thoughts.

The weather during my parents' visit was grey and rainy, which quite literally was the first time that happened in about two months. Mt. Hood stayed hidden behind the clouds their entire stay. However, the clouds kept things cool, which was really nice for walking around the city. This was my Mom's first time visiting Portland, and my Dad's second (his first was in the early 1980s) and he somehow remembered that Beaverton was a lot closer to Eugene. It's a good thing he came back to clear things up! While I am always happy to see my parents, this trip was particularly exciting, because this is the first time we were all together in our new city. It was great showing them around our neighborhood and introducing them to our favorite happy hour spots. We also toured around the east side of Portland quite a bit to show them the areas where we're interested in living someday. I think I have my Dad all but convinced that they need to retire here, but that's several years in the distance. They're playing into my nefarious plans to get all of our friends and family to relocate here. Watch out! You're next.

Anyway, with most of July and half of August consumed with school, I've had very little time to plan for our trip to Belgium and Germany. I looked at the calendar today and realized that it's just 17 days away! I have so many things to do to prepare, so I decided to head out to the dreaded mall and do a little shopping. First thing on the agenda was finding a bathing suit (not for Europe, but a rafting trip we're taking next weekend) and pair of comfortable walking shoes. I'm trying not to remember the bathing suit shopping. Why do department stores insist on putting such unflattering lights in the dressing rooms? I looked like myself in 15 years if I developed a gnarly case of jaundice. In bathing suit terms, that's just about the worst thing possible.

Luckily, my shoe mission was a lot more enjoyable. I did a little research online and found that comfortable no longer equals hideous (or sneakers). In addition to comfort and cuteness, I determined that I need a strap so I don't lose them when riding my bike (like the day that my ballet-style shoe flew off on a commute home from school and barely missed a moving vehicle). So, I stopped by a local shoe store with a great variety -- they even measured my feet and arches to determine just the right size. The perfect shoe, the Naot Primrose, turned out to be one of the most expensive in the store -- naturally. They feel like heaven, as they should, given that they cost more than our weekly grocery budget. However, Jesse reminded me that I wear through shoes much less frequently than he does and having comfortable (cute) shoes is important. I've been wearing them around the house this evening and can't wait to put them to the test on the town. I have quite a few more (non-car related) errands to run tomorrow.

Urban Bike Racing

Summers in Portland are jammed with exciting (and largely free or insanely cheap) things to do. Last Friday, before heading out to a concert, Jesse and I rode our bikes downtown to watch the Portland Twilight Criterium (krI'-tir-E-&m). Basically, a bike course was set up on the streets around five city blocks, which produced a highly-technical, six-turn course. The bikers raced around the 1-kilometer course for an entire hour, averaging just over one minute per lap (or a little over 30 miles per hour). It was insanely fast. My hair blew around as they whooshed by.

Today is insanely busy. My parents are in town and I want to spend as much free time as possible! Also, on the table for the next two days? Studying for my class final and finishing up my papers (which should have been done at the beginning of the week, but then Preshus arrived), and I volunteered to teach a course on house research and really, really need to go over my notes before Saturday. So, here's a video of the action -- it may be all you'll get from me for the rest of the week.

Victorious Timbers

We have become Thursday night regulars at PGE Park when the Timbers are in town, but I was feeling a little run down last night after class. However, when I called home to let Jesse know that I was on my way home, he informed me that two of our friends were coming over for drinks before the soccer game (and that he had cleaned the apartment in preparation). Score! I immediately felt energized. I rode my bike to the grocery store and picked up all of the necessary ingredients for the "Triple B" (the meal formerly known as Bachelor Broccoli Burritos) so we could have a quick bite to eat before heading out. After a cocktail or two, we were set to go.

Timbers games are always more fun with a little fire in your belly. And if you're grouped with or near the Army, there's no sitting allowed or a quiet moment to pass. The Timbers played the Vancouver (a huge rival game), so the fans were overjoyed when we beat the Whitecats 1-0. We walked into the game a little late this time around, but made with only a minute to spare before the first (and only) goal was scored by the Timbers. It was a fast-paced game that put them in a two-way tie for first place in the league and added to their unbeaten streak of 19 games -- a new record.

This was the second win over Vancouver this season, which mandated that the Cascadia Cup (an entirely fan-based rivalry) be passed to Portland for the very first time. We stopped in at the Bitter End pub for a celebratory beer after the game and the team showed up for a victory lap -- at which point someone filled the Cascadia Cup with beer for every one to drink. Gross. I happily watched from the safety of my booth as the cup was passed around by the crowd. It was quite festive and fun. Timber Joey was even there, sans chainsaw of course.

The Timbers are playing again on Saturday against the Charleston Battery and we are definitely going to make that game. By then my voice should be back to normal for more raucous cheering and goading. God, I love soccer.

Childish Asswipé*

That's pronounced "ass-wee-pay". Not to be confused with a more derogatory word that might get me a Jackass Card (the penalty for being a jerk in our league). Have I mentioned before that Jesse and I are on a kickball team?

I was adamantly opposed to joining, given my horrible experience a couple of years ago in D.C., which involved another team throwing food at us on the street and very angry words (I seriously nearly decked a guy in cropped pants). However, I relented when I realized that it might be a fun way to make friends. Also, Jesse's co-worker (who invited us in the first place) is really nice, so she was bound to have nice colleagues. And she does have really, really great friends. Our league is called Recess Time and we are the Drinking Team with A Kicking Problem. Our name pretty much sums up our skills, but we're in the C group, which means that we're really bad and like to play people who are there to have fun. I'm pretty sure in this photo we were laughing at one of our teammates falling flat on his/her back (no injuries were sustained, except for a total loss of pride).

Up to this point, we have had a great time. Our team has graciously lost every single game, fumbling our way through the field with occasional bursts of genius. However, last night, we encountered a group of particularly heinous kickballers who blew us away (which wasn't the problem) and then insulted our team under their breath as we were giving the obligatory high-five after the game. Come on?! We're all adults. And this is kickball for god's sake! I won't say anymore, because they're just not worth it. I hope they crawl back into their dark holes in Portland and stay there.

Anyway, after our sorry performance in the outfield, a few of us have called an emergency practice session this weekend to brush up on catching and throwing. I know, kickball boot camp in our free time? Whatever, I don't think you realize how bad we really are. Then, we're going to take our anger out on the next team and leave them in the dust -- in a very non-asswipé, fun-loving way.

*Thanks to Lauren's cousin, Steve, for introducing me to my favorite insult/curse word disguised as a foreign language.

Friday Fun

I'm in LA at the moment enjoying the sunny weather. I'll write more on all of my adventures when I get back home. But for now, enjoy a little YouTube clip of Bizkit the Sleep Running Dog. My sister alerted it to me yesterday and I found myself crying with laughter at the breakfast table.




Also, I've often described myself as a troll in the morning, but after watching this video, "Two Angry Camels in a Car" I'm definitely more like a camel. I played the video the other morning and Jesse called out, "Are you looking at yourself in the mirror?" I think a better question would be, "why are there two camels in that car," but whatever. They're mighty pissed to be alive and some mornings, so am I.

Long Weekend Part 1: A Taste of Adventure

As I mentioned earlier, Eric and Lea visited for the long holiday weekend. I was so happy to have them here in our new town. We had a great time just hanging out, exploring Portland, going to a concert, making delicious food, and drinking delicious beer. One of the highlights? Taste testing four grades of maple syrup that Eric brought home from his visit to Vermont this winter. What better way to start a day than with eggs, Ken's Artisan Bakery's Oregon Croissants, and homemade french toast. MMM! That's happiness.

The weekend was packed with lots of adventures, but unfortunately I failed to take very many photos (other than this rad pic). More exciting posts are certain to follow as soon as the weekend photographers share their wonderful shots! Saturday, in particular, was quite a day. We experienced ice, wind of epic proportions, beautiful crisp weather, rainbows, noodle soup, and a concert.

As for now, I need a nap. Big time. I had the misfortune of having some work to finish yesterday that took a lot longer than expected. Unfortunately, I didn't spend much time after lunch doing anything except for writing alone in the bedroom. My meeting this morning went really well, so I'm glad I stayed up late to finish, but now my body is crashing.

Hopefully while I'm napping, a certain stranger will make me very happy by posting her video taken this Saturday on YouTube. She was able to capture Jesse and Eric scaring the ever-loving-crap out of me with their antics on one of our outings. I barely survived the trauma and certainly didn't have the wherewithal to pull out my camera. In case the anticipation is too much to handle, here's a little taste of the conditions at Crown Point in the Columbia Gorge on Saturday:

(This is video footage was taken same day that we visited the gorge...Gusts up to 100 mph.)

1852 Rowhouse

Our apartment in Savannah was located in a 1852 row house that's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The exterior is impeccable and has been well-kept. The inside, while clean and spacious, is crammed with knick-knacks, do-dads, and lots of lace. The master bathroom had a tub that was large enough for our entire family and there was a baby grand piano in the parlor.


The walls were clad in red damask wall paper that was punctuated by an array of prints ranging from classic impressionist paintings and rather strange posters from a bygone era. If we had chosen to soak in the family-sized tub, we could have set our sights on this scantily clad butt during our soak.

The lady (with clothes that somehow were run through a paper shredder) greeted us every day when we came home from touring the city. The shredded lady was sandwiched between a 1920s ad and a movie poster for Gone with the Wind. I'm not sure if Scarlett O'Hara would approve.

Unlike Charleston, Savannah was warm and balmy. The temperature hovered right around 65 degrees during the day, but the humidity hung in the air and made our hair unruly and our shirts damp -- even while just strolling along the streets. Despite the fact that it was the middle of December, the city was still beautiful. The fountain in Forsythe Park was still running and the trees hadn't yet lost all of their leaves.

We didn't tour any of the houses in Savannah, instead choosing to take a trolley tour. Our legs were tired after all of the walking around Charleston and we decided it would be a lot more fun to see all of the city and just hop on and off the trolley when we found a site that looked interesting. Of course we walked by the Mercer-Williams house that was a prominent setting in the book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Even without the history behind it, I think the house is pretty amazing.

One benefit of the accoutrement in our row house was the opportunity to channel our inner child. Katie and I had lots of fun on our last night in Savannah playing dress up with items we pulled off the walls, mantles (from the 5 fireplaces scattered throughout), as well as our bedrooms and the parlor. Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls in the dining room? Heck, why not?!

Jesse opted to watch rather than play along -- especially since the only thing left for him to wear was the undergarment to my lacy negligee. The woman who owns this house must be seriously out of her mind, but the lacy bedstead, flowery towels, and bizarre sense of style made for a pretty good time in Savannah. I don't think I've giggled this much in a very long time!

On the Road Again With Snacks

If you are reading this post (unless you work the early morning shift) we are on our way to California to kick off the Thanksgiving festivities. It seems like we were just making the reverse trip way back in September to settle into our apartment in our new city. Thanksgiving seemed like an eon away and I still can't believe that it's already almost here. Yesterday, we spent the afternoon packing and planning the menu for our near twelve hour drive. Menu you ask? Well, yes, we have a menu and thought quite a bit about it. Jesse and I have traveled together enough to know that full bellies make for a happy marriage.

I remember the first fight we had at an airport when I refused to take off my flip flops (I forgot socks) at the security line and the TSA employee made me step into the plexiglass room to be patted down. Jesse was quite embarrassed and refused to talk to me for at least an hour. (For the record, it is not illegal to refuse to remove your shoes, you just have to go through the extra steps of having all your stuff searched and your body checked for explosives. I gladly chose the long route in lieu of a rare foot malady from the thousands of bare feet that walk on those mats every day.) Anyway, ever since we have packed lots of food, which usually consists of turkey sandwiches, nuts, fruit, M&M's for emergencies, as well as four mini-bottles of gin or bourbon for long layovers (all TSA approved of course). This time though, we won't have the turkey sandwiches.

Since we are driving this time, we left behind the bourbon shooters, but put together an array of snacks (both substantial and light) to fuel the trip. Last night we made vegetarian Runsas for dinner with plenty of leftovers for the trip. Nightrain was worried about the lack of meat, but they are actually quite hearty and delicious. The wild rice has a nice chew and the mushrooms make everything delicious. It took a lot longer to make the vegetarian version, since I had to cook all the veggies in different stages to ensure the right texture and prevent the ending mixture from being too soupy to be contained within the delicate dough. Unfortunately, I forgot to put in the cheese, but they are tasty even without.

In addition to the Runsas, we have Pirate's Booty, Cheetos, mixed nuts, bananas, apples, some seltzer water, and of course, we brewed iced coffee last night to make sure we got out of the door with partially functioning brains. In addition to snacks, we have over 30 hours of audiobooks on our iPod, so I think we're set. If all goes as planned, we should arrive in Santa Cruz just around dinner time!

When the Husband's Away, the Wife Will....

...work like a dog.

Ok, ok, so I played a little too. J had a whirlwind business trip to Florida this week and I had the apartment all to myself for three days. I dropped him off at the airport on Sunday and had a "play date" with Carolina, a good friend of my friend Ann in D.C. Carolina and her husband moved to Portland this spring and she is quite the avid knitter and jewelry maker. We had an afternoon of crafting and I made quite a bit of progress on my cathedral windows blocks for the joint quilt that my Mom and I are making.

On Monday, I was still in the crafting mood, so I spent most of the afternoon finishing up that mystery project (the one with curved piecing) and working a bit more on the cathedral windows blocks. At the same time, I finished up season 4 of Grey's Anatomy and indulged in a few episodes of Dynasty that CBS is now streaming on their website. Dynasty has a warm spot in my heart, partly because I know the theme song by heart from listening to it as a child, but also because I spent one of the best Halloweens ever dressed as Mrs. Krystle Carrington. My friend Lauren dressed as Ms. Alexis Carrington (Krystle's nemesis) and we thoroughly enjoyed the spotlight. As a side note, it was one of Jesse's least favorite Halloweens because he said the red jumpsuit creeped him out. Whatever. I was fabulous.

I knew that the fun couldn't last and was determined to be productive around the house before J came home. I woke up early on Tuesday, had a nice hearty breakfast and got pumped to clean and organize. I was so busy yesterday that I never slowed down, hence the lack of posting. Aside from the the normal duties (like loads and loads of laundry, vacuuming, etc.) I also finally sorted through our pans and hung a shelf above the stove. It felt pretty darn good to step back and see everything finally in its place. J was quite impressed at all of the improvements and we are excited about having a tidy apartment again.

After his long trip, J needs a break. Luckily for him, instead of putting him to work washing dishes and making the bed, we can focus on something fun. Like finally making those holiday cards!