This is pretty much how my days play out. My mom or J take Little in the morning so I can sleep in for an extra couple of hours. I get up, have breakfast, feed Little his second (or third) breakfast, and he promptly passes out on my lap or shoulder. I decided to keep a book or two next to the couch so I can at least get a bit of reading done while he relaxes. With the exception of a few really restless nights, he's been a great baby, so I don't mind being his personal food cart.
Due to a couple of fussy afternoons, my mom and I have been putting off a few errands that required us to get in the car. However, yesterday we decided to make a break for it and took a mini shopping trip with Little. It was my first time behind the wheel since he was born almost three weeks ago and I couldn't wait to get out of the neighborhood. We set out right around his regular nap time, which was a bit of a risk, since he'd either sleep peacefully as we browsed the aisles of Kohls and Target, or wail uncontrollably for not being in his swing at home. In my mind, it was worth the risk because I was in desperate need of some essentials to fit my postnatal (post-cesarean) body.
Little handled the outing like a champ, crying only twice when he was hungry. I learned a couple of things as a result: 1) shopping will now take twice as long as it did before 2) I can never stop moving the stroller if I want him to snooze while I browse and 3) if all else fails, a full belly and bumpy car ride will soothe him into slumber. I definitely feel more confident that I will not be a shut-in for the rest of my life. This was a huge step.
Many of you who follow my blog and Facebook news feeds know that I've been hit hard by the nesting bug. It all started one night when I had a dream that the baby came early, was a girl, and could already talk (with a couple of choice phrases under her belt that would make a sailor blush). I was in a frenzy the next day picking up the apartment and was convinced that if J didn't get a new smaller desk in the next ten minutes that my head might explode. Luckily, J was willing to play along and really got into doing some serious apartment reorganization. It's so nice to finally feel settled. And now, I am at a point where I can share some of the work that we've accomplished.
Stay tuned for Nesting Part II: Baby G (Finally) Gets a Nursery.
After reading multiple reviews and pondering over a new camera purchase, I finally made up my mind this past weekend. It took a while and up until the final click to purchase, I was unsure of my decision. I know, I know, it's just a stupid point and shoot, but I had my Nikon for about 6 years and had done very little research on new developments. My findings? There are a lot of cameras and a lot of opinions. I was initially inclined to just get the newer model of the Nikon I had before, since it took pretty good photos and I had no problems with it (other than all of the screws eventually falling out). However, the reviews on photo quality were mediocre and so I decided to dig a little further.
As I said, after hours of internet surfing and a lot of pondering, I decided on the Panasonic Lumix for two reasons: it got outstanding reviews overall for being a very versatile camera, and it has a Leica lens. If I learned nothing else from my photography class in college, I came away truly understanding the meaning of fine handcrafted German precision when I developed my first roll of film taken with my professor's 1940s Leica. The only compromise is the camera's size, which isn't as compact as some of the point and shoot cameras on the market right now, but it certainly isn't huge either. Realistically, Jesse and I would probably destroy a camera the size of a credit card anyway.
Judging from the test shots that I've taken so far I think I made the right decision -- or maybe I could have just upgraded to anything other than my 6-year-old Nikon and been happy. Either way, I have a couple of cooking projects going on tomorrow and a trip to Tillamook this weekend with Jesse's parents to really put it to the test.
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.
Jesse left for D.C. for a work thing, so this weekend I was left all alone. Saturday afternoon I gave my first talk to an audience of about 12 people about researching their historic house. I think it went pretty well -- they still want me to teach the longer 2-hour workshop in August, so I didn't screw it up entirely. It was one of those afternoons that I probably would have gone out with Jesse for a celebration beer, but instead, I headed over to Powell's and sat in their coffee shop for a couple of hours researching places to stay in Brussels.
My plans for Sunday were a little more nebulous and a lot less fun. I was determined to spend the afternoon at the mall combing the department store racks for a cute raincoat and a pair of jeans. I have been on a search for a good-looking raincoat since we moved here way back in September, but had not been able to find something that fit all of my requirements -- somewhat stylish, doesn't hide my figure (the dreaded tube torso), and has a hood (preferably detachable).
Portland is the land of rain, and yet every single store that I've gone visited has had absolutely hideous raincoats for women that, I swear, were fitted on male athletic models with no hips, waist, or chest. However, I hit the jackpot at Nordstrom department store. In fact, I actually had a hard time deciding between THREE different coats. Shocking!
So, thank you Michael Kors, for making multiple feminine water-resistant jackets (with detachable hoods). Also, thank you Nordstrom for holding a summer blow-out sale so I didn't have to spend my whole week's grocery budget on said raincoat -- I spent the remainder on this cute jacket and shirt. It seriously took me about 20 minutes to find, try on, and purchase the raincoat. I thought (foolishly) that the clothing gods were on my side and with all the good shopping mojo, I'd coast through the jeans searching process.
Reality hit when I walked into the jeans section of the juniors department (juniors pants fit me better than ladies for some reason) and found that a bulk of the inventory looked like this. I actually smelled a pair because they looked so worn and dirty that I was convinced they had occupied the legs of a homeless person. Honestly? Why would I buy a $70 pair of jeans that look like they've been mauled by a rottweiler? Also, there's a very good chance that I might rip them on my own (the reason that I was in this jeans-buying predicament in the first place), so I don't need industrial rotors tearing my pants to shreds before the point of purchase. Hopefully this trend, along with skinny and stirrup jeans, will soon fade into oblivion for another couple decades.
I did find a pair of jeans down the road at a Nordstrom Rack store. Did you know that there are $225 jeans floating around on the clothing market? I had to wait in an enormous line to try on 15 pair of (Euro size) jeans and managed to find one pair that fits well. However, they need about 14 inches hacked off the legs. I could probably build an entirely new outfit out of the remaining fabric. However, because I bought them at Nordstrom Rack, the price was pretty awesome. Luckily, I am handy with the sewing machine, so the alterations should be a cinch. I can't wait for a (rainy) night out to wear all of my new finds.
Next step? Finding comfortable, but non-hideous shoes for the upcoming trip to Belgium and Germany!
This weekend we did our part stimulating the economy. Jesse's busy travel schedule has left very little time for running errands and taking care of some necessary, yet boring, tasks like buying socks, and pants, and cellphones. As a result, we had a major shopping spree (compared to our frugal policies of the past few months) and I am convinced that we singlehandedly raised the GDP.
For the past couple of weeks, Jesse's phone has been in a frightening tailspin and warranted an emergency trip to a crowded retail center on a Saturday. There, we spent a good hour and a half looking at phones, contemplating plans, and having our new phones programmed. Afterward, we were both starving and stopped on 82nd Avenue at Pho Hung for delicious beef noodle soup. The restaurant was a total shot in the dark, I literally swerved in the parking lot and we both plopped down exhausted from the afternoon -- I consider it quite a find. Anyway, Jesse is now the owner of a Blackberry and I have to admit that it's pretty amazing (even though I nearly had to pry it out of his hands at lunch in order to have a conversation). Already, he's put it to good use. Right now he's in McAllen, Texas on another site visit and we've been able to chat on his layovers. I'll be glad when he's back for good, but it's nice to be able to talk with him throughout the day instead of just in the evening when he's worn out.
I decided to cook dinner for myself tonight (I usually just have leftovers when he's out of town) after being inspired by one of my favorite PBS cooking shows, Lidia's Italy. She was making a simple pasta with pancetta, greens, and chickpeas. I ended up making something that wasn't even close to her original recipe, but it was in the spirit of a one pan dish -- mushrooms, lots of garlic, broccoli, white wine, and roasted red peppers. I sauteed and browned the veggies, and dumped it on top of pasta tossed with olive oil, fresh parsley, and parmesean cheese. Oh, and I threw on a few toasted pine nuts for good measure -- a tip from Lidia. Lately, I have read about adding browned butter to dishes on several of my favorite food blogs. I think that might be a nice addition next time.
This quick concoction is definitely a keeper. It was also a nice reminder that a healthy dinner is only 20 minutes away, even if I start from scratch. I'll have to keep this in mind should my work load pick up again in the next few months -- I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
This is pretty much how my days play out. My mom or J take Little in the morning so I can sleep in for an extra couple of hours. I get up, have breakfast, feed Little his second (or third) breakfast, and he promptly passes out on my lap or shoulder. I decided to keep a book or two next to the couch so I can at least get a bit of reading done while he relaxes. With the exception of a few really restless nights, he's been a great baby, so I don't mind being his personal food cart. 
