A Time for Thanks...

I love that we have a holiday devoted to giving thanks... sadly we overlook being thankful for things on a regular basis and only remember once a year.  But if a holiday once a year is what it takes to get people who are too busy on a day to day basis to slow down and give thanks, then I am glad we have it.

I've seen a number of people on facebook take advantage of each day in November to post something for which they are thankful.  But because I am too impatient [and let's face it... lazy?] to keep up with the idea every day for an entire month I am choosing to fast forward and lump the whole thing into one happy little post.

Here goes!

1. I am thankful for my family -- without them I would not be the on the planet, and without their love and support, inspiration and influence, I would not be the person I am today.
2. I am thankful for my husband -- he makes me laugh, supports me in every way, encourages me and loves me unconditionally.  Which can be a hard thing to do!
3. I am thankful for my friends -- you love me... flaws and all, embrace my quirks and make me smile.
4. I am thankful for my puppy -- "Man's best friend" cannot even begin to describe the bond I have with my furry child.  He truly is the best dog I've ever known!
5. I am thankful for my job -- I might not make a lot of money, but I can truly say that I enjoy the work I do, enjoy the people I work with, and look forward to seeing those little people every day I go to work!
6. I am thankful for my home -- When Dustin and I first got married we were living in a one-bedroom apartment on the third floor of an apartment complex... now we're living in my Grandparent's former home.  We're not paying an outlandish amount for rent anymore, we have a giant yard for Porter, and we have lots of space.  Not to mention the fact that I am living in my grandparent's home, the house that my dad grew up in, and am surrounded by memories that this house has lived.
7. I am thankful to live in the United States of America -- as much as I whine, gripe, complain and grumble about things... there's no denying that we live in an amazing country that gives us freedoms that are often taken for granted.
8. I am thankful for everyone serving in armed forces -- We would be nothing without these brave men and women who sacrifice SO much of themselves and their time.
9. I am thankful for my education -- and I'll be even MORE thankful if it ever *really* pays off.  Anyone who has graduated from college and isn't exactly working in their field of study understands.
10. I am thankful for lazy weekends -- ESPECIALLY since we haven't had one in a LONG time!  We're on the go so often that weekends where there is no driving, and no to-do list are like heaven!
11. I am thankful for modern technology and conveniences -- let's face it.... I wouldn't have survived well in a land before heat, air conditioning, stoves, hot water heaters, computers and cell phones.  
12. I am thankful for diet pepsi -- Yes, yes, I did just list soda as something I'm thankful for.  Get over it!
13. I am thankful for my nephew and niece -- I know that they are technically counted within the 'family' section... but I think they needed their own number.  As much as they can be loud and test my patience, I am SO thankful that I have two little people who make me feel like a celebrity in their presence.  I know that they look up to me and I am always excited to see them, hear the new and exciting things they come up, and find things to discover together.
14. I am thankful for facebook -- Sadly, I have to admit it.  If it weren't for facebook I wouldn't know what half of my friends are doing, I wouldn't be able to spy on people I am secretly happy have gotten a reality check, or keep in touch with long lost friends and relatives.
15. I am thankful for fast food -- Mhmm.... while I'm not one to eat out daily, and I've never worked at one, or had a desire to, I'm super thankful that fast food establishments exist.  Who isn't?  Sometimes a person just NEEDS fries and a pop... right NOW!
16. I am thankful for tennis -- Tennis is one of my best memories from high school.  Life as a teenager would have been much less exciting without the road trips, tournaments, practices, etc.  Tennis also earned me a scholarship in College, and a volunteer opportunity at a local high school.  And it's fun to beat Dustin at something, too!
17. I am thankful for February-September -- Wanna know why?  It means NO FOOTBALL!  Don't get me wrong... I have nothing against football.  I just like spending time with my husband when life doesn't revolve around kick-offs, fantasy football points and staring at a TV all day on weekends.
18. I am thankful for yarn -- I LOVE to crochet.  It's a stress-reliever.  I might not be very good at crocheting, I might not make fabulous creations, and I might not even finish half of them... but it gives me something fun and engaging to do.
19. I am thankful for Fall -- There is nothing better than a beautiful fall morning with colorful leaves, a sunny sky and apple cider.  *sigh*
20. I am thankful for inside jokes -- there's just something about being able to say or do something with a certain friend that makes absolutely NO sense to anyone else in the world.
21. I am thankful for Chiropractors and Massage Therapists -- Do I even need to say why?
22. I am thankful for make-up -- Nobody needs to see this grumpy face on an early Monday morning without make-up!  ;)  Besides... it makes me feel pretty and that's all that counts!
23. I am thankful for nail polish -- the world can ALWAYS use a little more color and there can never be enough glitter!
24. I am thankful for reality TV -- Boo and hiss all you want... If you've ever been bored and in need of some entertainment you know that reality TV hits the spot!
25. I am thankful for photographs -- Some of my most valued possessions are pictures.  They help us capture special moments, create and preserve memories and traditions.
26. I am thankful for music -- Listening, playing, singing... I love it all!  It happens when your dad and sister are both music teachers.
27. I am thankful for family recipes -- Yummy, yummy, yummy...
28. I am thankful for pillows -- There is nothing better than laying down on a nice, cool, fluffy pillow after an exhausting day.
29. I am thankful for my super-human powers -- Unfortunately their only use is to find things that Dustin loses.
30. I am thankful for Keicia -- Yes, I know that she is part of the 'Friend' category... but she more than deserves her own number!  She has been my best friend for YEARS; she has been my counselor, my 'sister', my photographer, my roommate, my travel companion, my co-worker, my classmate, my cheerleader, my maid of honor, my personal shopper and my biggest form of support over the years.  I don't know what I'd do without her!

So there you have it... my 'thirty days of thankfulness' in about thirty minutes!  I encourage you all to take some time and think of the things that you are thankful for.  Count your blessings!

A good friend of mine once bought me a journal and told me to write down something every day that made me happy.  She called it my 'Joy Journal'.  It helped me see the bright side of every day... even the bad ones!  So even if you don't think you have much to be thankful for... find the silver lining in every day.  You'll learn that you have more to be thankful for than you once thought!

Bend Ale Trail...

For those of you who don't know, Dustin is a self-proclaimed Beer Enthusiast... AKA Beer Snob.  He loves beer, learning about beer, trying beer and collecting bottles.  Because of this love of beer, a couple years ago Dustin and his good friends decided that they wanted to start an annual beer trip.  Last year they went to the Rogue Brewery in Newport, Oregon.  This year's trip was centered around Bend,  Oregon's 'Ale Trail of Beer'.  Visit Bend put together an 'Atlas' with a map of ten local breweries for beer enthusiasts to find and enjoy.

The Atlas, shown above, can be found at any of the ten breweries and the Visit Bend center downtown.  Inside the atlas there is a passport with the logos of the ten different breweries and a space for a stamp once you locate the brewery.  Fortunately, a map of the breweries was included.  Unfortunately, the map was NOT entirely accurate or to scale.

On Day one, we started off at 10 Barrel, then stopped at Good Life Brewing and Cascade Lakes Brewing.  We managed to make it to Deschutes Brewery in time for their tour... which included a [not so thrilling] step-by-step process of brewing: including where the beer is made, how they do it, what goes in it, where it gets bottled, etc.  After Deschutes we found ourselves at another 3 Breweries [Crux, Boneyard and Brew Works] before meeting Dustin's Aunt and Uncle for dinner.  After dinner we spent a good portion of the night trying to keep track of Adrian who does a miraculous [and inconvenient] disappearing act.

Waiting for the Brewery Tour to begin!

Day two we were on a mission to complete the Ale Trail.  Only three breweries stood in our way: Silver Moon, Bend Brewing Co., and McMenamin's... which we didn't think would take too long.  Dustin refused to even sample the beer at McMenamin's, so that stop would have been super fast except for the fact that their building was like a giant maze.  We finally found someone to stamp our maps and we were on our way to Silver Moon.  Again, thanks to the poor map, we *thought* we were much closer than we actually were. And after walking for about 15 minutes in freezing cold weather, with snow threatening to fall, we finally found Silver Moon.  After a couple samplers and a quick [lies: it took them 40minutes to prepare and serve nachos and a quesadilla] bite to eat we were on our way to Bend Brewing Co.  After our final stop we went back to Dave & Susan's house for one of the best home cooked meals I've had in a long time!

Day three our only task was to find the Visit Bend office and redeem our passports for the 'Silly Pint Glass'.  Whoever thought it would be a good idea to make a pint glass out of silicone would be a pretty interesting person to meet.  I just hope Dustin keeps it out of reach from Porter's tail when he decides to use it!

After this year's Beer Trip, I've got my fix of boys and their beer for the next year, at least!  I'll be interested to see where next year's trip takes them!  [and maybe they won't insist on taking me, too!]

Enjoy the many, many, many pictures of beer, beer and more beer!

 

 

Our [not so] Suprise Trip to California!!!

Let's get one thing straight right off the bat:  Dustin, dear darling husband o-mine, SUCKS at keeping secrets!  For months, my friend Catherine (aka Cate) and I had been planning a surprise trip to California to see our long-time friend, Mandy, for her birthday.  We bought our plane tickets, had been deflecting any inquiries about when we would get to see her next, made fake plans to ward off any suspicions, made arrangements with her family, and were on our way.  Mandy had NO idea................................. until Dustin posted "I hope you're having fun on your trip to California.  Love and miss you!" on my Facebook page.  Fail.

BUT luckily, that didn't stop the fun.

Cate and I flew into LA and spent the night there.  Our hotel was within walking distance of Universal Studios and Universal City Walk, so after a well deserved nap, we hit up City Walk!

After wandering up and down [and eating some yum-tastic frozen yogurt] we landed in a dueling piano bar.  It was the first time I'd been to one, and I certainly hope it isn't the last.  All of the musicians were great and highly entertaining [especially when you tip them, OR when a spider happens to run across the keys] and so were our fellow audience members.  Imagine, if you will, three grown men singing along to 'Like a Virgin'... then add alcohol.  Pretty funny experience!

The next morning we got up bright and early and rented a car to drive to Fresno!  Unfortunately, car rental companies don't care if you're going to be 25 in THREE DAYS.... they still make you pay the extra fees for being in the 21-24 age group.  But that didn't stop us from getting the car and heading up the highway.

After a lot of channel surfing on the radio [unless you're fluent in Spanish, good luck finding a solid station driving along that highway!] and countless lane changes and honking horns we stopped off for some lunch.... just to make Dustin jealous.  And who doesn't love a little In-n-Out?

Because our surprise had been leaked, we quickly met up with Mandy and her Mother instead of waiting around to make a grand entrance.  That night we had dinner with the Birthday Girl and made plans for the rest of our stay.  The following night we went to Bullfrogs Bar & Grill where I was in for a fabulous night of people watching and water drinking [I am an extremely talented DD, if you didn't already know].

Over the next several days we spent time with Aiden... because he's the center of attention... always, we went shopping at the biggest Forever 21 store I've ever seen, roamed a couple malls, went to a few movies and had some amazing food with great company.

Our long trip didn't seem long at all until the day we had to fly out.  Nothing can prepare you for an early flight followed by a 4 hour layover, followed by a final flight on a rickety old 'Idaho Vandals' painted plane.  I'm just glad that our plane touch ground safely in our intended location and not somewhere along the highway.

All in all I'm so happy that Cate and I were able to take a mini vacation and spend time with Mandy and her family.  We've been friends since we were in diapers... literally... and it's fun to get together and relive old memories and make new ones together.  I'm so glad that we have been able to keep in touch all these years!

Visit around age 15

Age 20

Age 25!

Published?!? Scary, but true!

That's right folks!  If you happen to be in the Tri-Cities you can track down a Kid's Play magazine, open it up and find my name below a featured article!

Earlier this year a friend approached me asking if I would write an article about Preschool for the magazine that she owns/edits.  At first I was extremely flattered.  That feeling quickly turned to terror, then excitement, then back to terror....... all in about 5 minutes.

Kid's Play: Tri-City Family Magazine is a wonderful publication that always has great content specific to the needs of parents and families in the Tri-City area.  Their stories are always thoughtful and entertaining and the magazine contains a large community calendar of events that kids would be thrilled to attend.  Somehow it was a bit surreal that I was being asked to be a part of it.

I agreed to write the article, so long as Jennifer kept her options open in case I completely tanked and the article was a flop.  Thankfully, she liked my ideas and was very encouraging throughout the process.  I don't think I've ever spent so much time reading and re-reading my own writing, or re-working paragraphs and ideas.  My senior research project in college maybe came close, but it's a toss up.

Here is the cover of the current issue in which my article can be found:

See that big, bold print "PRE-SCHOOL: How to Prep for that Big First Day!" -- that's my article!

I have nothing but good things to say about Jennifer and the magazine that she has produced over the past 2 years.  If you live in the Tri-Cities and haven't stumbled across the magazine yet, keep your eyes open.  Kid's Play can be found in hundreds of locations, probably ones you frequent.  You're sure to be impressed, and left anxiously awaiting the next issue.

Visit their website or facebook page for more information!

Who knows... maybe this will be the first of many publications in my future.  We'll see!

Mini Vaca: Food, Family, and Dworshak

After a crazy, crazy, crazy [did I mention crazy?] spring Dustin and I were finally able to take some time off from work and hit the road.  Our destination?  Not a graduation, not a birthday, not a wedding.... a family CAMPING trip!

Now, I haven't been camping [other than an overnight trip] in about 12 years, give or take?  So it was easy to say that I was excited.  But I was even more excited about the company.  Dustin's cousin JT (along with his gorgeous wife, Kim, and beautiful children, Jake and Jenna) and Aunt Deb and Uncle Greg made the trip up from California, and the rest of the family made the time to make it happen (whether they lived in town, across the river, 30 minutes or 3 hours away).  It had been a few years since we had seen them, and all been together at one time, so this trip was long over due!

In no particular order, our vacation included:

FAZZARI'S pizza (okay, this one is first because it's the best pizza on the planet)

Rafting

Camping

The Candy Bowl

Cake

Puppy Surfing

Cupcakes

UFC fights

Broken flip flops

Lost driver's license, which led to...

A trip to the DMV

Pictures

Almost getting lost

Olympics

Mandarin Pine

Seeing FRIENDS!

Boats and Wave Runners

El Sombrero

Ping Pong

Campfires and S'MORES

LOTS of laundry
Swimming

Poopy Pants (don't worry, this was Max, not one of the adults)

Sleeping under the stars

Bandaids

Lost keys

Manis and Pedis

A Zebra!

Golf

Wrong roads

Glow sticks (an exploding one in the bunch, too)

Sunscreen

Bugspray

Tattoos! (Miss Jenna, 8 years old, was our pro tattoo artist)

The ER (twice...)
Volleyball

Finding a great book

Holey Board

...did I mention food?

And FAMILY  :)

All in all it was a great trip and I can't wait until we can all get together again!

My First [and possibly last] Rag Quilt

A friend of mine recently sold me one of her old sewing machines.  I was SO excited as I imagined all the wonderful things I would create.  No more shopping for clothes or blankets and decor... I could make my own!  [insert reality check]  After buying fabric for my first project I anxiously returned home and began cutting and laying out the pieces for my first home made dress!  A couple hours and a few curse words later I wadded up my failed attempt and shoved it in the guest room closet never to be seen again.  I also packed up the sewing machine and decided to put off any other projects for a while until the sewing machine decided to be cooperative. 

Eventually, the fabric store [and pinterest] got the best of me.  It sucked me in and made me buy lots and lots of beautiful black and white fabric for a rag quilt.  [See original post and tutorial here]

 

To begin the process, all fabric must be cut into squares.  Looking back, I REALLY wish I would have bought the pre-cut squares.  It would have made the process much, much, much faster!

Once all the squares were cut, the batting was cut to size, and I called a truce with my sewing machine.

Tada!!!  Beautiful fabric squares, complete with batting and stitching.

Laying out all of the squares was pretty fun.  Porter didn't appreciate his kitchen being bombarded by fabric squares that he was forbidden to touch.

Above is my completed layout.  I did make a couple last minute changes... but nothing too drastic. 

Then all the squares get sewn together row by row.

  

Once all the rows are completed, they must be sewn together, too. Then magically, your fabric, squares, batting, rows and sections form a rag quilt.... almost.

After you THINK that your rag quilt is done, it's really not.  You must take your quilt and cut little slits in all of the seams.  This is the [un]fun part that takes a really long time, BUT it is also the part that makes the quilt turn out beautifully and raggy(?) in the end.

After cutting all the edges and seams the quilt must be washed and dried a few times to get the desired effect on all the seams.  Once my quilt was COMPLETELY done [several weeks after I started] it didn't seem so terrible, and it actually turned out pretty well.  But next time I will 1) definitely buy pre-cut squares and 2) use bigger squares so that there are less pieces!  Thankfully, Porter and I still like it, just the way it is!