My Life in Bloom

Image ♥

2010-03-01T18:38:00.000-08:00

Portland=♥

2010-02-07T13:10:00.000-08:00

Things are good. I can't remember a time when I've been so happy with the way things have been for this long. Everything is feeling very well balanced (well except for never having enough hours in the day, but what can you do) and I feel unexpectedly sane these days. Work is going great, and although hosting is not my favorite job, the progress I'm making there is enough to make me happy at the end of the day :) I really like the people I work with (it doesn't hurt that some of my favorite people already work there) and I'm making pretty damn good money for just being a host. It was wearing me pretty thin in the beginning but I've gotten a little bit of a rhythm juggling school and work so far.

It's one week until Valentines day, and I don't care what day of the year it is, I love Dave all 365 of them. Yesterday we had the morning off and the first half of the afternoon together. We didn't do much of anything at all, had coffee at home, drove to a used CD store that we like, and had lunch together, but it was a really lovely day. I'm really amazed that we can spend so much time together day in and day out and still be so happy to just sit together over lunch and talk. ♥

My parents are coming in 5 days! I haven't seen them since October- no holidays with family this last year- so I'm really looking forward to a couple of days with them.

This time last year I remember being very depressed after the holidays, feeling really restless and anxious with my life. I can't believe how different this year has been. January wasn't much different than any other month for me (ususally it's when seasonal depression hits me) and winter in general has been so ridiculously mild that I still can't believe that January was mostly 50 degrees(ish) days! I already have bulbs coming up in my flowerbeds! IN JANUARY!!!

Ahhh- I love Portland.

2010-01-20T17:01:00.000-08:00

Work work school work school work work *breath* work school.

Out With the Old, In With the New Year!

2010-01-13T11:27:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh so many things have happened since the new year started!! I am SO excited and hopeful for 2010, it's the first year that we have been truly established here- this time last year we had mostly acquaintances instead of friends, we were starving for a new place to live, and I was miserable with my new boss at the coffee shop.

Okay, so for starters- I have a new job! After putting in SO many applications to restaurants since we moved here, out of the blue a really great opportunity presented itself at the very end of December. Brittany told me they had an opening for a hostess position at Applebees, and two days later I had a brief interview and was offered the job that night! I have since been through training and have my first real shift this week! Since I'm already friends with about half the staff there, it's been a breeze feeling comfortable there so far. I think it's a real possibility that I will be able to work my way up to serving in the next few months- so wish me luck!

I also made the decision to continue on with school this term (even though winter term is cold and miserable) so that I can have my generals done and hopefully be starting school at the Art Institute within the next couple years. I am schooling two days a week- but each day I am on campus for 10 hours- uhhg. But two of my three classes are art classes and I really enjoy them. I haven't made time to paint or really do anything creative in the last couple years so it's really nice to be able to do that again.

I've also really fallen in love with our apartment again. I was ready to leave it in the dust earlier last fall, I was dreading the lack of insulation in our home and the dark winter months again being huddled by our outdated heater every morning and night. Being that it's already January (really?) I'm pretty surprised at how little it's effected me (other than the $150 gas/electric bills we pay every month). Which leads me to a few New Years resolutions that I have put into motion for the the next 12 months...

* More organization in my house!

I have realized how much clutter effects my state of mind. Clutter for me = stress. I have cleared out most of the bad clutter spots in our apartment and have replaced them with baskets, folders, shelves, etc., to be better at sorting out what's in my home. Clearing out what I don't need helps me appreciate what I already have and enables me to make better use of it.

* Working now towards what I want in my future!

This is where going back to school falls into place. As well as the new job, because once I can stop struggling financially, I can start doing things like....

* Dave & I saving for a trip to Thailand!

We both really want to take a big trip together and we both really like the idea of Thailand. Being that it would only cost us around $1,500 for us to vacay for two weeks, we are hoping to plan a trip in about a year. SO excited for this goal!

* Trying out at least 3 new hobbies/activities this year!

This can really be anything, but what I have in mind so far is rock climbing (Jen you make this look like so much fun!), hiking, and surfing.

So that's it! Of course I probably won't be able to fully check off everything on the list, but that's what I'm going to aim for, because looking forward to things is what makes me excited for the future!

♥ Thank You ♥

2009-12-14T14:27:00.001-08:00

I'm not really in the mood to write much, although I should be seeing as how I haven't written about anything at all in weeks. I would like to write about a few things I am so thankful for, however. Thanksgiving has already came and gone, and this blog would probably have been more appropriate then. But I think that this being the first holiday season where I have been completely without family, it's really made me realize that I've been successful at putting down my own roots here. I have created my very own substitute family, and never ceases to surprise me how good it feels to have that.

It's been a good two years at least since I could honestly say I had a best friend (besides Dave, duh). Even then, those friendships were like the relationships that happen fast, burn hot, and then fizzle out much quicker than you ever saw coming. That's kind of how it's always been for me, and by the time I graduated high school I guess I kind of figured that I had a flaw in my character and that's just the way it would always be.

In my head, visions of moving to Portland were full of endless potential for friendships galore. I could be whoever I wanted to be, and I would make sure that it was someone that everyone would want to befriend. Now that I'm leaving this little town, I had though, I'll never be friendless again.

Skip forward a year and a half.

I still have the same boy by my side that I did when I moved here. We are closer, more grown up, and have a little bit better of an understanding of what we might want out of life here. I have gotten so much support and strength from this one single person than I ever though possible. I can honestly say there is no chance in hell I could have survived everything that has happened without such a great friend. I am thankful for you, David.

After about 9 long months of no real friendships or strong social connections with anyone, I had started to feel like this place was no different than where I had come from, and I just didn't really fit in anyone's circle but my own. That was a huge test for me, because of all the expectations I had for moving away, in all honesty friendship was probably the largest and carried the most weight for me. This paragraph is really about all of people who have invited us into their life. I'm really trying to make this as un-cheesy as possible here, but for all of the friends who make up our substitute family here in Portland, I am thankful for you. All of the friends at home in Idaho, I am still very much thankful for you.

Most certainly not last on my list of thankful things, but really more the first and greatest thing I am thankful for here, are the people who both challenged and supported my biggest changes in life, my family. Quite literally I wouldn't be here typing about Portland and moving or really much of anything at all without their help. I am so very thankful for my family.

♥♥♥

2 and 1, Together at Last.

2009-10-27T22:08:00.000-07:00

It's official, I am 21 years old with nothing stopping me from making any alcoholic purchases that I so desire other than the fact that I'm a poor not-attending-college student with 17 dollars to my name. Suburban poverty aside, I am so happy to say that I had the best birthday (slash birthday week) this year that I can ever remember having. Not only did I avoid all cement stairs possible (and successfully did NOT fall down any, unlike last year) but I managed to have a blackout-free,fully remembered , and amazing 21st birthday! From the Monday before my birthday till the Sunday after my birthday, I had an amazing birthday week and could not have asked for more. I am so glad that we have made such good friends compared to where we were a year ago, and I am so extremely grateful to all of them for making me feel extra special this year ♥
I am so so so happy that Jenn, who set aside more time than anyone for my birthday this year, flew into Portland from Idaho Falls on my birthday evening and stayed all weekend long! She was an awesome sidekick for my night of belligerent fun and I love how good of friends we've become even though we've only gotten to see each other a handful of times in the past year.

The actual birthday night rocked, and Dave and I started the night off by going to Portland City Grill for the first time, just the two of us. My very first official drink was a blood orange mojito and it was delicious.

Next we picked up Jenny from the airport, and then proceeded to a cute little bar-restaurant in northwest portland where we had pineapple upside-down shots and a very strong alcoholic mocha.

After that, the three of us headed downtown to a placed called CC Slaughters, where we met up with everyone else. It was a really cool bar well equipped with drag queens, a dance floor, and lots of Halloween decorations, but more importantly, lots of delicious drinks for the birthday girl.This included a shot that someone (not sure who...) got me called a blowjob shot. Would have been super embarrassed if I hadn't already been drunk. The shame came later when looking at the pictures hahaha.
So I threw back most of my drinks there, met several strangers who were just as excited that I was celebrating my 21st as I was, which I was very pleased to hear. Lots of high-fiveing and hugs from said strangers, but the more the merrier, right?
We then all headed (no worries, we definatly did not kick off our shoes in the middle of the street and accidentally hit Dave's car hood with our sexy black heels. And by we I mean I.) across the river to a place that had dancing and delicious lavender lemon drop martini's. Dance dance dance, drink drink drink, the night continued on with all of the friends I wanted to come, right there with me having a really great time.

Although I'm glad I had the following day off for some recovery time, my hangover was pretty mild compared to some of the previous underage-drinking hangover's I've had before. No puking, no tripping, no lost items, and no regrets :)

Happy Birthday, Indeed.

To Red, or Not to Red?

2009-10-15T12:37:00.000-07:00

So sadly, I believe the time has come to for a seasonal hair color change... I was thinking I would go back to brown, a lighter shade than usual and a semi-permanent so that as it faded the blonde would show through as highlights. Plus semi-permanent is always the best choice for home color cause it is actually healthy for your hair and has no ammonia (can you say: no fumes that make me want to pass out in my bathroom?). But then I started thinking. I was flipping through the pages of some Us Weekly magazine or something, and I saw some pictures of Isla Fisher and her amazing hair. It's red, but not really red. Red in the most low-key, fall-ish, lovely way. I think Im going to wait until after Halloween to make any changes, regardless what I decide. The whole point of me wanting to be a lion for Halloween is because I have blonde hair this year...

I really like her red because it isn't like jewel-toned red, which I think looks best on people who naturally have it, otherwise it can end up looking too costumey. Hers is closer to dirty blondeish-golden light brown with just enough red to make her look more redhead than not. Love it!

Fall is ♥

2009-10-15T12:32:00.000-07:00

Sierra on CuteWithChris.com!

2009-10-14T14:40:00.001-07:00

I sent Sierra's picture to a website called www.cutewithchris.com, I listen to the guy who runs the site's (Chris) podcast regularly- love it! Cat-obsessed people all over the world send in their pictures and stories and he blogs/podcasts about them- usually poking fun at crazy cat ladies. Her picture was posted right after I sent it in but I just barely remembered to check the website!

http://www.cutewithchris.com/2009/10/there-will-be-blood.html#comments

Frizzz Trim

2009-09-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

You know how some days you just lust after everyone's hair but your own, and cant stop thinking of what you can do to get your hair to do what theirs does?? That's how I've felt for the last several weeks. My roots are growing out, I haven't felt like I've had a decent hair day in weeks, and on top of that, I didn't realize how long it's been since I had my hair trimmed! So instead of wallowing in bad hair pitty for another week, I took the sissors to my own hair last night and went to town. I can't believe how much better it feels and even how much better the color looks now that I trimmed off most of the frizzled ends and cut some long bangs in. Note to self: next time I can't figure out what I ever liked about my hair, just get a little trim!

The Wilt.

2009-09-19T18:16:00.000-07:00

Thongs by Request

2009-09-19T17:15:00.000-07:00

This week was my first week at Victoria's Secret, and so far so good. Everyone I've meet so far that I'll be working has been awesome, the commute hasn't been nearly as bad as I dreaded, and it looks like I'll be getting enough hours to quit the gardening center soon. Things are looking up and I'm excited to get more experience in what I'm selling so that I can be a little more comfortable working on the selling floor. To give me a little bit more of that experience, V.S. now lets all new employees buy 10 of nearly ANY of their panties (Ok to be serious here I hate the word panties, but I have to get used to saying it so might as well type it) for only 25 bucks! Most of the ones I got were like 16 bucks a PIECE, which is crazy talk, but I think the company wants their employees to get to try the product before they try to sell it (which is just fine with me). Anyway, Jenn here ya go, all my from-the-waist-down lovely lady lump holders in all their glory. LOVE THEM ♥

On the next subject, in my last posting I was about to meet with both Art Institute and Paul Mitchell to see what they had to offer. The open house with AI was first, and let me just say, that when I went into the school I was tired and very unsuspecting of being able to see a future for me there. I really didn't have much interest in it (I think my genuine lack of interest is pretty obvious in my last post), which was why I was so surprised that when I left that school, about 90% of my desire to go to Paul Mitchell had dissolved. I'm still a little confused about how that happened, but sitting in the open house I think I realized that I might be selling myself short by going to cosmetology school. Not that doing hair would have to be a lifetime commitment, but I when I was listening to all the programs and opportunities that A.I. had to offer, I guess I started remembering the things that I used to feel really passionate about, and I really didn't feel like settling for something that I can get done faster was going to make life much easier for me. I'm going to keep in touch with the administration and work on doing what I can to get closer to attending there in January. It's a long shot, but I have felt less reservations about this than any other option I have explored so far (which is saying something considering the price tag!). Anything is possible I guess!

Pushing Forward

2009-09-11T21:20:00.000-07:00

The next couple months are going to be full of all kinds of change. This time of year with the seasons changing always gets me very excited and ready for changes anyway so my take on this is bring it on!
For starters, I got a job offer at Victoria's Secret downtown! Finally, all my applications got me somewhere (with no shortage of thanks to Michelle who helped get me the job-she's a manager there). I start this Sunday for training, and can't wait to be getting more hours and experience elsewhere. Now, I am fully aware that I have a tendency to be a little lazy when it comes to jobs. Not the actual work, but my attitude about my jobs outside of the workplace. I have a hard time keeping up modivation in jobs when I feel like my hard work is going unnoticed and when nobody expects anything of me, it's easy to just stop caring. So I'm excited to get into retail again simply to be a part of something bigger than a small business (which have been my last four jobs-ugh) where I can move up in my job and feel beneficial to a company (don't get me wrong, I'm not over-glorifying retail jobs in my head here- just excited for some damn change). Anywho, snagging this job is just part of my life scheme that I'm trying to plan here...
Another part of that scheme is meeting with Paul Mitchell and Art Institute tomorrow to figure out my next steps to choosing and applying to my future school to attend in the next couple months. Both schools are downtown as well, and even though Art Institute is probably going to be a no-go (80 grand in tuition is a tad above my -ARE YOU CRAZY?- pricetag limit), it will be really nice to work-n-school in the same part of town... If Paul Mitchell does end up being my decision, it's just blocks away from the mall I will be working in, making it much easier for me to both be in school 40+ hours a week and still have a job (which is gonna be a necessity).

I've really been trying to work in some of those healthier habits that I wrote about last time, eating less junk and snacks between meals, running more (which I've slacked on this week), read more (I'm talking 3-4 hours at a time!), and it's funny how I can tell a difference in the way I feel the days after I slip up on alot on things, and how much better I feel when I stay on track. I'm still struggling on a few things, but I feel good about the changes that are starting to be put into motion.

Vacations, Updates, Etc...

2009-08-23T16:01:00.001-07:00

I know. I haven't been very good at keeping up on the blogging. My apologies to Jenny and Ashley, who i think are the only ones who read this. I'm not sure how I'm going to fit in all that's happened between now and my last blog without writing 6 pages, but I'll do my best.

Lets see... Well for starters, I went on my much anticipated Mexico vacation! It was great, as any vacay in Mexico should be. Although I thought we were going to Cabo San Lucas, it actually ended up being about a 30-40 min bus ride north of Cabo, in San Jose. Still amazing, we had a swim up bar and were staying right on the beach. Sun sun sun, for a whole week, i came back with the best. tan. ever. (Don't be too jealous, it's almost completely gone now)

However, to be completely honest, I have to say it was kind of a bust in some ways. I love Mexico in every way, but unless you have the money to spend (and a lot of it), I think there are better places to enjoy Mexico and not feel like such a tourist. I most certainly don't regret going and am so grateful for the time i got to spend with my family, but for all the fuss Cabo gets, there were a few things about our trip that were kind of a disappointment. Drinks everywhere, were COMPLETELY skimping on alcohol. Be wary when you buy the two-for-one happy hour drinks, its gonna take a LOT more than two drinks to get your buzz on. No matter how good of a deal it seems, make sure you ask for more alcohol when they are "dumping" in the booze.
The resort we stayed at was indeed right on the water, but it was "a dangerous and unswimmable beach due to strong undercurrents," and we were urged not to swim there. Regardless, we swam anyways, but we had to be careful and it was more stressful at times than the beach should ever be.
Bahh, i wont sit here and list all the complaints about vacation, it was vacation! I loved it and i absolutely love spending time with my family. Next time ill just purchase my own bottle of booze and make my drinks the way I want:)

After I got back home, a few days later Dave and I drove up to the most northwestern corner of Washington to meet my parents and brother for a weekend trip to the San Juan Islands. We drove (yes, drove!) onto a ferry that took us for an hour-long ride to Orca's island where we were staying. It was BEAUTIFUL. I absolutely had an amazing time there. Right off the boat we went to meet with our kayak instructor for a 4 hour kayak trip on the ocean around some of the islands. It was Dave's very first time in a kayak and we had so much fun. We stayed in the yurts, which were most defiantly as awesome as we anticipated, our three were very private and on the water, with "clothing-optional" hot pools nearby. (note, we chose the option to wear clothing) The whole community was extremely hippy-vegan-organic style, and i loved how untouched the whole island seemed. I defiantly would love to go again.

This last weekend, Dave and I drove down to Silver Falls, about an hour and a half south of Portland. It's a state park with ten waterfalls on a nine mile loop that you can hike,there are biking trails and a lodge. Many of the waterfalls you can walk behind, and the two that we hiked to were both walk-behindable (real word? no, probs not). It was a beautiful drive, hike, and day. Plus, I scored a box of peaches on the way home. Nom nom nom.

Other than that, not much has happened, although those things have kept me busy enough. I have been working, but I'm about out of work at the gardening center and currently looking for another job. I am going to Paul Mitchell next week to talk with them about attending school in November. The more I think about it the more I feel like its going to be the change I really need, and it's the kind of change and opportunity that I moved here for. It's more money than I like to think about but it's a direction for me, rather than wandering aimlessly through college just because it's better than not going to college. I'm strongly feeling the need for some kind of direction right now.

The last few weeks (well now that i think about it it felt more like months...) I've been in a "funk." I've been getting migraines again, almost daily, which takes so much out of me that it makes it really hard to function like a normal person some days. It's been causing a lot of tension in my relationship and just a lot of tension mentally for me. I hate taking pills every day for them, and in some ways i feel like if i could just tough through them without any help, it would pass. But it hasn't really been working that way and nothing throws my day off like waking up with a migraine. I sleep more than I want to, and yet i still always manage to feel exhausted and irritable. I hate me when I feel this way.
I am trying to start some better habits in my life again. When I was on Weight Watchers, I learned so many good habits that I carried with me for a year, but I feel like they have tapered off and I feel out of control with my life again. So, I decided that first and foremost I need some new motivation in my life. In Weight Watchers, there was a whole room of motivation for me, but unfortunately I am more broke now than I have ever been, so, I turned to the self-help section of Barnes and Nobles. Sad? Sounds like it, yeah. But no, not really. Actually it's kind of nice to read about people who feel like you do. When you aren't in school and don't work with people your age, its really easy to feel like your alone in the way you feel.
Anywho, I'm turning this post into a page out of a diary (which, i suppose a blog is kind of like a diary...) What I am wanting to get to is that last night, I went out. I went to a friend's house, stayed out until two, came home, hit my pillow, and slept until 1:00 this afternoon. And I slept great. (Minus needing to take some aspirin this morning for a headache before going back to sleep). Normally sleeping till one makes me feel like a lazy pile of dirt. But today, I felt amazing. I felt great, and I went running! Not just any run, but I ran for forty-five minutes! Okay, it was more like a heavy walk/run, but I felt motivated and I just can't even type how good it feels to feel good again. More on that later...

Oh, and Ashley, since I know you can't see my pictures on facebook/myspace anymore here are links to pictures for you, miss you!
Mexico-
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=95707&id=505338374&l=6ad227f107
San Juan's-
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=98889&id=505338374&l=36c43b62f1
Summer in General-
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=89759&id=505338374&l=7b52be4887

OH, and P.S.
We are planning on visiting home in September! See you then!

The Best Kind of Mornings.

2009-06-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

Can I just say how much i appreciate being able to wake up on days off, get a cup of coffee, lounge in the sun with my cat in the mornings and admire my garden?

Love it.

Oregon and I's Anniversary.

2009-06-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

It was two years ago this month that I first came to Oregon and fell in love with it. Southern Oregon anyway, but it was enough for me to decide this is where I wanted to be. I was just friends with Dave at the time, we both really wanted to get out of Idaho Falls and needed each other to do it. I remember texting him from Shady Cove (we were there for a wedding) while my mom, my friend, and myself were driving down a particularly beautiful road. It said something like "Want to move to Oregon with me? It's beautiful here!" (half joking, but only half). He texted me back "Sure, lets do it."

For the next year, a LOT of things happened. A lot of them worked against my plan and made me hestitate the move. Financially, obviously, i was very naive for what it was going to take, but regardless I saved saved and saved and made it happen. The fall after that first summer trip to Oregon, Dave and I fell in love and started dating. As much as I loved it, I truly hated the idea of us moving as a couple at such a young age and so early in the relationship, but first and foremost he was my very best friend and so, we made the jump together. July 12th, 2008 we crammed everything we had (well most of it anyway) into a 5x8 u-haul and hoped for the best.

I still can't believe I pulled it off some days. I have set out to do a lot of things in my day, 90% of which haven't worked out, and I kind of half expected my dream of moving to a place I had never been to fall through or end badly. There is no way that I could be here now if it wasn't for David. He has been my support for everything I have done successfully and everything I have failed at. I didn't expect us to last through something so huge as moving with nothing but each other. But we did, and regardless of what happens in the future I will never stop being grateful for the friendship he gave me and continues to give me. It's the strongest and kindest friendship I have ever experienced in my life. Where my friendship has failed with others, Dave has perservered with me as so much more than a boyfriend.

I wouldn't be here without my family. Although they didn't think much of it when I first proclaimed my intentions to move to Portland, the more serious I got about it the more they wanted me to stay. But as the moving date grew closer, the more excited my mother became for me to experience my own life adventure, and the more my dad didn't want to see his little girl leave home. I miss them so much some days, it's so much harder to live in a city without any family than I wanted it to be. I am so grateful for their visits, their letters, and their calls. I have always tried to be as appreciative as possible to my family, but nothing makes you appreciate them more than their absence in your everyday life.

I wouldn't be as happy or as strong as I am today if it wasn't for the friendships that have grown stronger since I've moved, and the new friendships I've made since I moved here. I've fallen apart more times than once in the last year due to failed attempts to make connections with new people. It's taken a long time for me to create a new life with new friends and new jobs and new apartments and new everything. It certainly hasn't been as glamorous as I wanted it to be, but that's where the naievity of my first big move comes in, and I expected that on some level.

So, happy anniversary to Oregon and I, for I never thought our relationship would be so awesome. Can I just say how much I love Oregon? He never ceases to surprise me, very spontanious. Extreemly handsome, lots of lush foliage going on year round. Oregon keeps me wined and dined quite well, always has something up his sleeve that I have never tasted or seen before. Yes, Oregon is quite large, but in our relationship, it works to our advantage. Keeps things interesting, lots to explore if you know what I mean. There are even parts I have yet to see. He has great friends, like Idaho and Washington, and lets not forget the Pacific. California is nice, but definatly not house guest material. Oregon get's a little hot and humid somtimes... okay, he's pretty much always damp. But you learn to get past some things when you're in love. He's an amazing summer lover, always up for anything and usually keeps things hot for us. So here's to Oregon, perhaps not a life-long lover, but who knows, maybe so. Either way, Oregon will always be a lust-worthy state.

My Cat Speaks Bird

2009-05-13T19:12:00.000-07:00

Sierra attempts to speak to the birds, but fails miserably slash adorably. The result is her sounding like a wannabe birdcat instead:

Summer Plans

2009-05-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

I am SO excited for this summer to begin! I still have a couple weeks until I'm out of school so hopefully by then summer weather will be in full swing! I have a pretty busy schedule so far, but I'm completely okay with that because I would prefer to spend my summer doing lots of stuff than over-relaxing (which often happens to me during summer!). There are still a few things that I haven't planned out enough to know when exactly I'm going to do them, but these are my planned events for the season:

*May:
20th-Dave and I will be driving to Seattle on the 20th to meet up with Ashley and Josh for the day. I cannot wait to see her adorable little baby belly! And her of course!
24th-Robin and her boyfriend will be coming to Portland and will be staying with us for a few days. It will be her first trip out here!*June:
12th (ish?)- Dave's family comes to Portland for a couple nights. After that, they head over to Cannon Beach to stay in a beautiful right-on-the-beach rented house for a week with room for us!
24th/28th- My sister comes to Portland! It will also be her first trip to Portland, and her first trip out to see me and our apartment! I can't wait!*July:
Not much is planned yet for most of this month, so we are thinking of driving down to southern Oregon and California to see the redwood forests! I really want to drive through the redwood tree!
27th/August 3rd-CABO! My mom and I are flying to Cabo Mexico for a whole week to meet my aunts and stay in one of their timeshare beach homes. I will be saving up all summer just for this trip!*August:
6th/8th: We are meeting my parents and brother and his girlfriend at the San Juan Islands in Washington to stay for two nights. My mom reserved each of us pairs somethings called a "Yurt" on Orca Island that you have to take a ferry to get to. They are little round tent set-ups with beds in them right on the water, and they look like so much fun! It will be a really nice family get together- I need one of those!

I want to fit in lots of beach trips and camping somewhere in there too somehow. And a trip to Idaho Falls at some point, I can't miss out on my favorite Idaho season(or people)!

Twilight, with cheeseburgers.

2009-05-06T11:22:00.000-07:00

I could really go for a cheeseburger now.

Considering something new...

2009-05-05T22:49:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks I have been contemplating what I am going to be doing this coming fall. Going to school full time at PCC was what I've been planning on doing, but to be completely honest, I am having an extremely hard time getting excited about going back to school in the fall for a degree that is completely unknown to me yet. Yes, I know getting generals out of the way will give me time to figure it all out, but I'm growing impatient with my own indecisiveness. With hardly enough money per paycheck to do much more than pay rent and buy groceries and no tips to be made at my new job, I'm thinking that I'm going to need some extra help along the way. Finding a new job is certainly an option, but considering I have applied for probably 50 jobs since moving here and only been offered jobs or interviewed for maybe 5 of them, I am starting to feel that an optimistic attitude just isn't going to be enough, and that the odds are not in my favor with the job market the way it is. So I began thinking...What if I got a part-time career until I figured out what I really wanted to do?
So as of now, I am seriously considering going to cosmetology school this coming fall. There is a Paul Mitchell school here in downtown Portland, and if I started in the fall, I could be done by Christmas of next year. It's expensive and will take a lot of hands on hours and just a lot of school time in general, but the thought of being a hair stylist is the first thing thats excited me in a long time. I could be creative, social, and make tips, all while making a decent living! Just a thought for now, but I'm very excited!

The Killers

2009-04-27T11:27:00.000-07:00

When I moved to Portland, one of the things I was excited about was all the bands that play here and Seattle. I've only been to a few concerts in my day (and by few i really mean only one or two at best) so I really looked forward to getting to see more live music here. It's funny though, how something you are excited to have gradually becomes the norm, thus less exciting over time. So back in February, I decided to start taking advantage of such festivities, and after m uch searching, found a show that was affordable (150+ dollars to see Lady Gaga and Coldplay? I'm a college kid (ish), come on) AND a band that I loved. So, after a couple months of anticipation and waiting, last Wednesday my friend Holly and I drove up to Seattle for the evening and saw The Killers live.
Seattle is about a three hour drive from Portland, not un-do-ably long but just long enough to be an excruciatingly painful drive when you head back at midnight and your friend is asleep next to you the whole way. BUT I must say, despite the drive, it was completely worth it! They had really great lights and effects, even shooting sparks up from behind the stage at one point and lots of confetti exploding into the audience. They played songs from all their albums, about two hours worth of awesomeness. Can I just add in how completely scrumptious Brandon Flowers is? MMM.I can't wait to go to Seattle again, we were only there for a couple hours and didn't have any time to play around the city. I would love to take a trip there this summer, any takers?

I couldn't fit many pictures on here, so the rest are here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=74492&id=505338374&l=faa36dae60

Sierra

2009-04-17T22:26:00.000-07:00

For the last six months i have been aching to have a feline of my own in an attempt to help soften the blow of having no family within twelve hours of proximity. I am very excited to say that I am an extremely proud kitty owner as of today! While I was driving down to Sherwood C.A.T (Cat Adoption Team) Shelter, I was a little anxious about how I was going to know who was "the one." Would he/she be extra soft? Extra adorable? Extra Meowey?

I walked inside, expecting to see the same adorable kitty faces that I saw on Monday when Dave and I stopped in to see the cats earlier in the week. But almost immediately, I found an unfamiliar kitty that I hadn't seen before. Sierra. I asked to hold her in the "acquaintance room", and after she sniffed around the room a bit, she quickly warmed up to me. I didn't even need to see any other cats, I knew she was the one!

Shes a very small cat, but full grown. About 2-3 years old, and only weighs about 5 pounds. Shes called a "torbie", a mix between a tabby cat and a tortiseshell cat, with two paws that are brown and two paws that are cream. She has orange markings on her back and HUGE green eyes. Absolutely adorable :)

Right off the bat, Sierra found her favorite place in the house, between the window and my nightstand table on the window ledge. I think she used to be an outdoor cat, because she meows at the window as if she thinks she belongs in the great outdoors, but the adoption agency informed me that there is a coyote problem in Portland, and it's not uncommon for cats to be dinner for them. So, an indoor cat she will be!