OREGON COAST

Nathan finished up the quarter and has two weeks off. We decided to take a road trip. We left Tuesday right after his classes and headed to Portland. Ruby came of course and actually did really well in the car. 

We got into Portland and to my sister Darcey and brother in law Jason's place. We talked, ate dinner and played a round of Spot It with Asher too! If you haven't played Spot It, you need to. It's such a simple and fun game. People of just about any age can all play together. Marshall and Ashley Merrill introduced us to it, and we LOVE it. 

Darcey made us raspberry sorbet and we were off to bed. Thanks Asher for letting us use your room. :) 

The next morning after breakfast we started down to Roseburg to visit the Hayes. We stopped in Eugene and let the Rubster play at a dog park. We met a cute old couple there, who was so excited for Nathan to be doing nursing. He had also worked from Batelle at he beginning of time. Haha. We drove past the Oregon football stadium and continued on our way. There were a million sheep and tulips. Here's a stinky picture taken as we're flying down the freeway of some tulips. Haha. 

We made it to cute little Roseburg. The Hayes house is beautiful! It was so good to see them! We chatted with Momma Hayes for a bit and she suggested we take a walk downtown to the antique shops. 

After we got back, we finished helping with dinner. Tacos of course. :) We played hand and foot, did some energy profiling, then off to bed. 

The next morning we drove over to Lincoln City. I totally recommend Sailer Jacks. It's a small motel. It's very clean, we had a balcony too. And pet friendly. There are stairs that go down to the beach. We put our stuff inside then headed down to the beach. 

We planned the drive so we'd arrive during low tide. So we were able to check out the tide pools. It was a lot of fun! Nathan found some cool shells and Ruby sniffed up a storm. 

We had dinner and checked out a thrift store. We walked around for awhile and headed back to our room.

The next morning we ate breakfast in our room while looking out over thre super stormy ocean. We hit up the thrift shops and got a few things. Then we were off to our next stop..Tillamook. 

We couldn't resist the squeaky cheese and ice cream. We felt terrible the rest of the drive. :( not worth it, stomachs wanted to explode. Haha. We stopped in Portland again to say hi to Darcey. And then made it back to the Tri-Cities. 

We had a really good time on our quick trip. We want to go back to Sailer Jacks and stay longer next time. 

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UMMMM....hi

Hey guys. My last post was about Christmas. It's been awhile.

Some big things have happened since then. And a lot of little things too. I don't really know how to go about this, because it's been so long.

Remember in my last post how I talked about wanting a french bulldog? That happened. She's pretty awesome. I found her online, her name was Lilo, 9 months old, and her owners were moving for a new job and wouldn't be at home as much. I contacted them and we emailed back and forth and they said they'd hold her until the weekend when we'd be there.  And as silly as it may seem, we prayed about it. We prayed to make sure that her owners were good people, if she would work well for us, etc. And we felt like it was a good decision, so we drove up to Olympia two days later.

The guy was super nice, and the puppy adorable. So we got her. She came with her AKC papers, vet papers, large metal crate, huge bag of dog food, toys, etc. for less than half of what a 10 week old puppy would be. And she's potty trained. Boom. It really was an answer to prayer.

She's awesome. We renamed her Ruby and have taught her a few tricks. (sit, lay down, and "dance" which so far is just standing up) She hangs out by me most the time, or tries to get in our laps while we work/study. (or gets in our laps successfully and falls asleep) We got her January 18th, it's now March 21st. And she'll be a year next month. Should I throw a birthday party? Just kidding. kind of...?

The view under my desk.

haha.

Another big thing...the loft is 99% approved. I say 99% because we still don't have the papers in hand, but it's going through the process. Nathan's parents have a huge shop beside their house. The process began back when they built the shop and made a bathroom, laundry and separate entrance on the ground floor. There are stairs that go up to the second floor. A kitchen, hopefully half bath, and bedroom will be built and then we'll be good to go! I was told that it should be two months from when we get started building. So..hopefully we can start...two months ago. ;)

We bought new (2 months old) couches off craigslist, again for a ridiculously good price. They had bought them, but then realized they wanted leather, so they just wanted them gone. It's a couch, love seat and a chair. Here's pictures off the website. It came with the pillows which really don't appeal to me, so I'll be recovering those in some fun fabrics. Aren't they gorgeous?

couch

loveseat

chair

And while we're at it, I'll throw in the the rug I got during an online Rugs USA sale.

umm..love it. it's 8x11

These babies are just sitting in storage. Needless to say, I'm excited to move it. :)

And one last big thing..we're pregnant. Just kidding. Sorry. I feel like everyone exploded with babies all the sudden. Not our time yet. Actually, it's kind of sad..the company that I was working for is closing shop. So I will loose my main source of income. That being said, I have contacted the other companies I do freelance for and let them know that I have more available hours. I have already seen an increase in work from them. That I'm grateful for. If you or anyone you know needs a graphic designer, let me know! I'm looking to pick up some more freelance, but have decided, for the time being, not to get another full time job. I've also picked up my photography "business" so let me know if I can take photos for you!

I have also JUST opened an etsy shop (click here) (yes it is named after my dog. haha) and am planning on opening another one with a friend soon. I also plan on starting my food/vegan cooking blog as soon as we're in the new place. So I'm hoping all my random jobs and hobbies will be able to fill in the gaps..mostly because I have been really spoiled and have absolutely loved the flexibility as a freelancer and a work at home wizard. ;) Time will tell.

A quick update on Nathan and then you can stop reading my ramblings...
With transferring schools, he's had to retake pre-reqs but he's almost done! He still has a 4.0 (he's amazing) and will be applying to the WSU-Tri-Cities Bachelors of Nursing program to start in January. This means he'll have the summer-ish/fall off and be able to switch to full time again in his job. As of now...the plan is for him to work for a few years as a nurse after graduation in order to gain experience. Then he will go on to more school to become a Nurse Practitioner or a Nurse Anesthetist. Again, time will tell.

Our life is good, the Lord loves us, and we are trekking on. We sooo miss our friends we've left in other states, but still so much feel like we are supposed to be here. So here we are.

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CHRISTMAS PART II

We came home from 80 degrees...to this..

The Yakima river froze over! 

But I love the snow and cold around Christmas. And Christmas in Richland was so much fun! Erin and Lil got here the same day we got home from California. It was so much fun to have them here for so long! We also got to celebrate 3 birthdays and an anniversary over the break. I guess when your family is so big it's bound to happen.

First, we did our annual gingerbread house building with the Wallace family. We used a kit, but added on a deck of graham crackers. I think it turned out pretty cute. 

We used Life cereal for our roof and Cheerios for our path.

The wreaths are Ritz crackers with candies!

Then it was Arlo's birthday, he turned the big three! We went over to his house for for pumpkin pie (w/o the crust) and played games. Nathan and Arlo built a train track, and Nyssa and I made a new fairy for her fairy house. Oh, and I got a makeover from Nyssa. 

In awe over his pie

Christmas Eve was spent with most of the family here, even the Wallace family came over. Forrest got into town and Carson, Trish and Jamison got in too. It was a lot of fun. We had appetizers, played games, watched a few short videos to remind us of the real meaning of Christmas, and enjoyed being together. 

Christmas Day was so much fun! I woke up at 6:45 wide awake. We had two kids in the house and I didn't hear a peep! I stayed in bed and tried to be patient. I couldn't. So Nathan texted his mom, and they were up! So we drove over there and watched them finish opening their presents. And then they opened the presents from us. We opened a few of our presents, and the ones from them. I surprised Nathan. He loves ultimate frisbee. They have started a professional ultimate league. One of the teams is in Seattle, The Rainmakers. This is his favorite team. So I got him a t shirt and shorts with their logo on it. He was totally not expecting it and it was so fun to give! After the presents were opened, we sat around and talked. Then I got a text from Carson saying everyone was up.

We drove back down to the Sant house and watched the kids open their presents. The kids were so cute. The parents...not as cute, but still fun. ;) Nathan got me the sweetest gift. First, short background story. I LOVE french bulldogs. End of story. Nathan got me a glass jar. On the outside of the jar, he had made a label. It was a french bulldog fund. Inside the jar was already $182.04. He had saved money, cashed in ALL our change and put it in the jar. How awesome?! That is one of my 2014 goals. I mean look how ridiculously cute they are!

Merry Christmas 2014??

Friday was our anniversary, but Nathan was a sicky pants. So we got a blizzard and watched a show on Discovery channel about parasites. Romantic...I know. Saturday we celebrated Jamison's 4th birthday and Zachary's 22nd. Wow. My baby brother is 22? ...how?

4 candles. He's SO big!!

We had pizza, cake and dirt dessert. Everyone was gone by Sunday when we got home from church. It was so much fun to have everyone home! 

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CHRISTMAS PART I

Christmas this year was perfect. I think I say that every year, probably because it is perfect every year. :) Because we wanted to be able to spend part of Christmas with Nathan's family in California, we went for an early Christmas this year. We were in California Dec 13-18th and it was wonderful. Friday, Saturday and Sunday we were with Nathan's Dad and family. So much fun! Friday we hung out, played games and laughed a ton. Saturday we went on an 8 mile hike by Lake Poway. It was Mt. Woodsen, up to Potato Chip Rock. It was a lot harder than I expected it to be, but it was a lot of fun and I was proud of all of us for doing it! 

Jordan, Maddie, me & Nathan on the Potato Chip. 

I did it!

Very cool rocks and views.

We had Christmas later that night, we played games, exchanged gifts, ate good food and had a great time. Seriously so much fun! We played some heated rounds of Spot It. (One of our new favorite games)

Sunday we went to church with Grandma Silvija and Grandpa Ron then over to their house. Monday we drove along the coast and ended up at the dog beach. It was great, and Sergeant had a good time too. Made me want to have a dog, and live on the beach. We had lunch at Chipotle, one of Nathan's favorite places. Silvija brought her camera and she took some great photos of us and the gorgeous sunset in Carlsbad that night. 

This was THE most beautiful sunset I've ever seen. And as beautiful as this photo is, it doesn't capture it. 

Tuesday was great too! We drove down to San Diego and did a session there. If you live anywhere near San Diego, go to that temple! It's gorgeous inside and outside! When we came out, the Christmas lights were up, and it was so so pretty!

My toes are levitating from my sandals. Weird.

I always wish we could stay longer, and maybe next time we will. We had a wonderful trip!

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RIGHT NOW

I've been neglecting the blog...so here's what I'm doing right now...

DIGGING: Wood burning and etching, and I want to everything I own that's wood.

DRINKING: Apple Cider, and it's delicious.

EATING: Nothing.

LISTENING: Justing Timberlake's new album. Can't fight it, I love him.

WEARING: Track pants and my new $7 fleece pullover from Old Navy.

READING: I just finished the Divergent series.

FEELING: Excited about a few things I'm currently working on.

WEATHER: It's pretty clear, looks sunny, but I'm pretty sure it's cold outside.

WANTING: My hair to be long again. But I know when it's long again, I'll want it short again.

NEEDING: To repaint my toenails.

WISHING: I had a french bulldog.

THINKING: I should probably shower...

ENJOYING: The holidays coming fast!

LOVING: My fuzzy socks.

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HALLOWEEN

Halloween for us was simple but perfect. We carved pumpkins Sunday night at the Wallace house. Karissa carved a Pokemon, Joshua carved an Apple logo, Nathan carved Harry Potter and I carved Voldemort. Lenise cooked our pumpkin seeds. We laughed and talked and goofed off. It was really fun. Then on Halloween, our church building had a Trunk or Treat. We dressed our car up as a shark, Nathan was a surfer and I was a lifeguard. We also dressed up Bella as a hotdog. The kids LOVED Bella's costume. I was a little sad because Bella's costume took 5 minutes and we spent over an hour on our car. Mostly because it was breezy and our fin and teeth kept blowing everywhere. But it was still so fun to watch the little kids get excited to pet the dog, and realize our car was a shark. Here are some photos from our Halloween. 

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FAMILY PHOTOS

I just wanted to share my family photos. We were all together when Zachary got home from his mission. It had been several years when that last happened, our family now has 27! Holy cow. We used the couch that was part of the decor at my wedding reception, so it was fun to use it again. We used a tripod for part, and I took the rest. It was crazy, but I think they turned out great! 

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