Last Day of Work for the Year

Today was the last day that I had to work for the rest of the year!! Haha. Yes I know, I love the way that it sounds. I was able to take the last day of the year off to celebrate and have fun with my husband. We aren't doing anything exciting or crazy but it will be fun to have a three day weekend with him. We are going to get out of the house early and go grocery shopping and then probably hang out for awhile before heading up to Longview for 5 Guys Burgers. Oh they have the best fries I've ever had I think. Besides that I have know idea. I have a bottle of champagne that I'm going to open up and have when it gets closer to midnight and have a few swigs. Anyway, I hope that everyone has a great New Years Day!!

A Month Early

So I know that New Years resolutions are supposed to be on New Years day but my work couldn't hold back. We wanted to be a week early. My work friends and I have started to begin to work our and eat healthy for the most part. Everyone signed up to myfitnesspal.com and we began. Yesterday was our first real day of doing things. Jessie and I have worked out yesterday and then again today. It was fun and the realization that I have lost pretty much all my muscle, the muscle I did have, is slightly depressing but it's coming back fast. It's nice to have the people that you see everyday to be there always to ask you how you did the day before. It was nice to do it with other friends but I could only continue for a month then gave up hope and stopped. Now it's great because we are all signed on. Everyone has different respects for the change. So hopefully this will work and I will start to lose weight again and finally get down to a good size again. I'm hoping to be a size 8 by the time I'm done. However, I would take a 10. I just want to get healthy and have a better body image. So I will see how it goes. :)

Christmas

Christmas is such a wonderful holiday probably the best holiday that you can have. One for being a child you get to open many presents that you may have been hoping for and the excitement and rush that you get while doing it. Two for an adult seeing others happy and excited for the presents that you got them.

My husband and I have 6 children now that we buy for. 3 adorable children my adopted niece and nephews that I just love to death. Each one got a gigantic Hershey Kiss from Fred Meyer. There expressions were priceless and the hardest one to please was actually more excited I think then I have ever seen him before. They also got for the boys a moster truck and for the girl a very beautiful summer dress.

The other 3 children my real niece and nephews, 2 of which are at the ages that they are beginning to notice and love opening presents and excited about what the get. There is Austin the newborn, Elle is 2 going on 3 in just a few months, and Henry Lee who is 4. Elle and Henry are just cute and amazing to watch when they are excited. They were so enamored by all the present and getting to open them.

For Elle she got from us I believe her first tea set. It came with 6 plates, 4 knifes, 4 spoons, 4 forks, 4 cups, a sugar dish, a cream dish, and of course the teapot. Why there are more plates the exact same size I have no idea. I guess it could hold the treats but you would think they would be differen tmaybe a little bigger, but I guess that is my adulthood talking. She was so excited she needed to open it immediately and start playing with it. The other gift was all the princesses books. She was also excited for those and needed them to be opened so she can play with them and look at them. She was adorable.

Henry Lee helped out Grandpa, or Papa as they call him with taking the presents to the people they belonged to. We got him a package that had 4 motorcycles. He liked them but I think he liked giving out the presents more then that. Which was sweet to watch. At the end once we were done he opened the box that had the motorcycles and played with them with his papa (Grandpa) by the fire. It was really fun to see. Especially since Big Henry actually has 2 motorcycles of his own and Julie has 1. The night was amazing to have and it was spectacular to see the excitement on their little faces.

I'm growing up more as you would have to expect and I'm beginning to think that I'm done with getting Christmas presents. I'm not saying that I don't like them but I love seeing the faces of others when they open there presents and the glow they have after them. Children deserve to have all the happiness in the world and Christmas is the best day to start. However it should be something that is continued throughout the year. Merry Christmas everyone!!!

The Eve Before Christmas Eve

All through the day working like mad.
Handing out cash to people who had none.
Thinking like crazy trying not to forget to wrap that latest fad.
Hoping beyond hoping that I was almost done.

Soon it was one with time to go home.
Jumping in the car with the hunger in my mind.
Wondering if I needed to tend my hair with a comb.
Walking in finding a find.

The hour went by too fast to count.
Hopping in the car speeding the way back.
Today taking in the amount.
Finding out there is only three hours a smack.

Soon it's time to count the till.
Excited to know that it almost time to go.
Smiling ear to ear with the thought of a thrill.
The clock strikes five and oh it's time to go.

Have a great and happy eve before Christmas eve!!!

Bad Day

I don't know why when people are having a bad day they take it out on someone else that has nothing to do with the problem. It's rather annoying and makes your day bad as well. I'm having such an instance today. I'm wanting to call a redo and start the day over so I don't make comments or speak my opinion. Wish that could happen, right. Oh well. Maybe it also means that I should go on a date and just be with Bill and talk to no one else. Anyway, hope everyone is having a better day then me.

Well hello there...

Hahaha...yes I know I'm blogging up a storm apparently for the last 3 days but I actually have topics that I want to talk about. Which is a big change then I'm used to. I've been thinking that I need to bake something and buy a camera so that everyone can see what I'm baking. However I need test subjects so that I can bake something and then give it away so that I'm not stuck eating everything that I make. If you are willing to be that test subject then I will gladly bring you some tasty treats.

Decaf Addict for her birthday I made Hot Chocolate Cakes. Oh they were delicious. Bill told me that I needed to make them again. If you have them warm like you are supposed to the middle is gooey and warm and mouth wateringly good. If you have them cold they are like really rich great brownies. Let me know if you want some goodies I will make something and bring it over to you!!!

The Portland Ballet

As I'm watching Center Stage, a great movie, I was thinking that I haven't been to a ballet in so long that I'm beginning to miss watching. When I was younger my mom and grandma would go see the nutcracker as our Christmas tradition and we haven't done that in at least 10 years. So thinking to myself I really want to go to a ballet in Portland.

I got onto there website and they don't have the new schedule out but, I'm thinking that as soon as they post it I'm going to buy tickets. I think that it would be so much fun and a great experience that I haven't had in such a long time besides in watching movies. Just wanted to share my thoughts.

I love dancing and watching it, not that I actually dance in front of people but I'm wishing that I wasn't extremely shy growing up that I continued dancing through the years instead of just the one season. Oh well, Its never to late to start!!

Homemade Tortillas!!

Well it was my first experience of making homemade tortillas for dinner last night!! We didn't have any tortillas and I really didn't want to go out to the store just to get tortillas so I jumped on the internet and found a recipe for them!!!

It was actually fun to make which really I didn't doubt but you never know trying out a new recipe how it's going to turn out. I rolled out the dough and set to work heating them up in the oven. The only unfortunate part was that the heat changes, I'm guessing, broke the pizza stone that I was using to cook the tortillas.

The tortillas turned out great!! They were thick and yummy. One that I will do again in the future!!

Something Different...

I have been thinking the last few days that I need to move on with my life. I've been in the same place for 3 years at least. I think that if we aren't going to have kids right now I need to throw myself completely into something and stop thinking about it completely. I, unfortunately however don't quite know what to do.

I'm trying to end this part of my life. I'm tired of doing the same things day in and day out. It's mundane and boring and I want and am craving something different.

I've thought about certain things -

Going back to school for something, business, camera, design, or like mama griffith and I have been talking about engine courses.

Even a change in jobs (hence the going back to school) not that I don't like my job but it would be something different.

Taking up some craft but I'm not the craftiest kind of person though. Let alone what I would actually do.

If you have any ideas you should let me know!! I'm at a loss.

Been too long.....

A lot has happened since my last post at Halloween.

My camera broke *sigh* no more pictures for now.

Thanksgiving happened!! Wow. It's been to long. Bill and I went out to Portland to see my family which was truly nice to be out there and such a relief to not have to smoke so many turkeys. I got to see my parents, brother, Aunt and sort of Uncle (he is but I just can't seem to call him that yet), and my grandparents. It was great to see all of them even though it was cut short because we both had to work the next day.

A week after Thanksgiving Bill and I were with his co-worker and his wife in their vehicle going up over the pass of the famous highway 26 when suddenly it happened. We were struck by a car and driver that thought I'm sure that he knew how to race and thought he should be on Fast and the Furious. It totaled both cars, ours and his. Bill and I are pretty good for the most part. I have shoulder pain and Bill's back hurts him quite a bit. However we are recovering and we are alive which is always a good thing. The quite ironic thing was that my dad was in New Orleans and my mom was in Hawaii. Odd how it worked out that way. I guess I slightly know what it's like to not live anywhere close to family and something crazy happens. I do think that it is nice that all my family lives in the Portland area. It's nice to know that they are somewhat close by.

Now it's about 5 days till Christmas!! Yay!! I'm excited for it. Bill and I are going out to see my family on Friday after we celebrate Christmas with Bill's parents, sister, brother-in-law, and nieces and nephews. This year will be the last year that we celebrate with presents. We got the idea from my mom who e-mailed me and said not to buy her anything. So we spread the news to everyone and decided that we were only going to buy for the children in the family. Yay!! All the stress that comes from the holidays will be over after this year!! It will all be worth it. Well that's pretty much everything that has happened since Halloween.

Laughing, Laughing, and more Laughing

Halloween was fun this year. We had a party at our house and made everyone that came dress up. Bill and I were an old couple. We were slightly creepy and I asked Bill if he would still love me if I looked like the mask. It was frightening. I hope that I age better then that. I hope everyone had a great Halloween!!

The saddest news of the day...

So for the past 3 years it's been extremely hard for me to watch children be born. In our area they were being born at such a rapid pace that it was like being stuck in the back with a knife every time I heard someone was pregnant. Which is wonderful news and I didn't mind hearing but it has been hard. Bill and I can't have kids the natural easy way that so many people take for granted. Seeing kids being born to others that shouldn't have kids was hard for me to take. I took all my anger and pain out on God and being mad at him asking him why Bill and I can't have any children but someone that is on drugs or who is an abuser can. So I've been in this rut for the last 3 years. Now you might say well why didn't you do something about it adopt or go through testing? Well it's because when I read the bible it always talked about the miracles that God did and helped women in the bible get pregnant. So I just kept hoping and praying that that was going to happen. Unfortunately it hasn't been the case so I just got more angry and depressed as time went by. I've been trying to come to grips with the reality and trying to remember that God has a plan I just can't see it...

So I received the saddest news today so far of my life. Bill and I have been trying to go down to DHS to drop off our packets to start the whole adoption process. We have even bought smoke detectors/co2 detectors for all the bedrooms and the kitchen and all the child protector things for doors and cupboards. Really for the home inspection making sure we are code with what they want so they don't deny us.

Moving on...Each time we went to DHS Pat wasn't there so this time we left a message for her to give us a call so we could set up an appointment to drop it off and talk. We did that last week before we left on vacation. We didn't receive word so we were going to give it until Monday and then call down there but the phone call came today.

I jumped up went to the back room (I was at work) and started talking to her. Stacy apologized for not getting back to us sooner and then apologized for the bad news she was going to give me. She told me that because of cutbacks they were no longer at this time down adoption work and home studies. They didn't have a spare person to be able to do go around and do the home study portion which means Bill and I would have to go through a private adoption agency and she gave me the names and numbers for about 5 of them.

Now that wouldn't be an issue if we had $25,000 lying around to spend on getting a child but unfortunately we don't and to tell you the absolute truth I don't want to spend that much just to get one child. I would rather spend it on the child itself. So at this moment in time it's pretty much done. We can't have kids, we can't adopt kids, we can't do anything but hope something will change. I know that Gods' plan is there and surrounding us but it's hard to hear the news and wonder what God has in store for us.

If you read this please pray for me and Bill to keep our hopes and strength up.

Saturday

Unfortunately it was cloudy when we went down to the beach. However it was still pretty warm.

Don't worry she isn't been harmed in the making of this picture

By the time we were leaving of course the clouds were opening up and the sun was starting to shine through.

I love that he loves red right now!! It makes him so bright!!

Face Shot!!!

Skipping Rocks at the River

Skipping Rocks at the river today!! It was fun. Since Bill wasn't doing to good instead of swimming like the rest of us he played with Piper and then he started skipping rocks. He is worn out from working in the yard this weekend and cutting down the trees. Poor guy!! The river was so much warmer then last Wednesday when we were up there. It was fun regardless of my sunburn. I just tried to turn away from the sun on my one side so it didn't get even more burnt then it already is. It worked out I think.

Cutting Down Trees

There are about 5 to 7 trees left that we still need to cut down. There's Bill starting up the Chainsaw.

He cut the tree but it snagged on another tree so we had to bring over the tractor to make it go down the right way.

Bills dad came over and helped load up all the tree limbs into his truck to take them across the street.

It's so much more open now it's wonderful. I can't wait until all the other trees come down to see how even more open it is.

Yesterday - Golf

Golfing!! Yep Bill and I went to the driving range yesterday!! I haven't hit a golf ball in about 7 years. I probably looked funny doing it after so long. Amazingly everything started to come back to me. I wasn't very good and I've never been very good but it was still so much fun. I even swung at a ball and didn't hit it. Haha. I laughed at myself for those ones!! Also coming from it is my right shoulder is more burnt then my left one. Oh well it took up an hour of my time with something fun so it was worth it all!!

Fourth of July Weekend

I know that it is a little late because it's the 10th of July but I thought I would share.
Bill had a race out of town so it left "Veronica" and I to have a girls weekend.

We went to a few different bars in the area and had a blast.

For people that know me I even did one song on stage known as karokee (amazing isn't it)!!! However I did it with Veronica and another girl so I wasn't by myself but I did it. It sucked because we didn't know all the words but it was fun!!!

This is my crazy shot!! I really like it because of the background even though Veronica and I don't look the best but I like the colors and the waviness of them.

The Hill

I went on a walk across the street and up the hill from my house!! This is the view that I get from just across the street. I wish that my house was up there instead of down where it is at because it has such a nicer view of the river and the mountains. Although I can still see both from my house so there's no loss where we live. It's really that I wouldn't have the threat of flooding all the time!!

Just up the hill about half way we have this old tracker sitting up there. It looks so old and rustic that I had to take a picture. It looks awesome up there.

I love these types of flowers. They are beautiful.

I had a great walk with my Lucky girl. I rounded a corner, up a little hill, then down the hill, to a flat spot when I started hearing noises that I couldn't explain. It sounded like some sort of animal. Therefore I slightly freaked out and Lucky and I immediately turned around and backed tracked down the hill and came home. I'm slightly nervous of meeting a wild animal up there because there have been reports of mountain lions in the area. Yikes. It definitely wouldn't be fun if I ran into one of those. It was still a nice walk though.

A Perfect Picturesque Picture

I like this picture a lot I took it tonight. I looked out the window towards the river and thought that they looked so cute out there sitting on a log overlooking the river that I had to take a picture.

Yesterday

Yesterday was such a nice night at the coast it was sunny and warm. We had the idea the day before and we bought chicken to cook it on the barbecue. Which we did but we bought extra so that yesterday we could cook it as well. So I had to take a picture of it and share it with everyone. Doesn't it look good!!!!

My blog!!

Well since I can't ever think of anything to write. I decided that my blog will become a picture blog for the most part. I'm going to think of things to do everyday and yep you guessed it, take pictures. I figure that way you still to get hear from me but you also get to participate in my life sort of in a weird way!!! Anyway I hope you enjoy!!

The River Adventure

Picture this...the day is a Wednesday. The temperature is around 100 degrees. You can feel the sweat dripping down your forehead and back. What do you do with your day?

Well, you need to cool down!!! The river is the perfect place to go with your family and friends.

It's beautiful and the water is refreshing but you have to jump in otherwise you will lose your nerve because its still cold from the winter.

It was around 65 degrees. The weather around 100. It felt refreshing to say the least!!

The only thing that would have been better is if the sun was beaming down on us. Oh well, it was still so nice and cool on the warm day and made the hot day worth it.

The 90 degree day on the Coast!!!

It was an awesome day!! I just wish that I was able to spend more time outside. It was beautiful and sunny and of course you guessed it around 90 degrees.

I love to wave jump and it was the perfect day to do it. It was cold but warm enough that you could stay in the water for a long time. Of course your feet eventually go numb but it sure was worth it.

This is my favorite picture that I took. I captured the essence of what we were doing.

The water sifting away from beneath us.

This is a great picture as well. It was so beautiful and sunny that it just made all the pictures look fabulous!!

My Front Yard

The kitten in the jungle of the back yard.

Isn't it a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Bought the beautiful hanging plants at Dennis' Seven Dee's. I love the color of them!!

Planted wonderful flowers around the Lilac Tree. Red and Yellow.

Got the new tree in. I know the tree is leaning but don't worry we will put some stakes in to straighten it out. There are also some great flowers around the tree as well. Purple, Red, Pinks, and White. They are beautiful.

We had fun this weekend making our yard look actually reasonable and that the people that live there actually like there house and yard. Slowly making improvements to our house. It feels really nice to do it.

Wheeler Number 2

This is my favorite picture by far!!!!! I have this one on my wall in my living room. I love that the log at the bottom looks like it is just floating or suspended or drawn into the picture. I can't describe it but it turned out awesome.

It was the best sunset that we have had in the longest time or for this year for that matter!!

All the pictures turned out amazing.

This Last Weekend

This last weekend was so much fun it was my ex-boyfriend's wedding. Now I have to tell you I didn't really go out with him. He is old enough to be my father. I have known him since I was about 7 years old and he has been my "boyfriend" until I got married. Apparently I flirted with him all the time therefore he instantly became my boyfriend and every one knew it. So I went "out" with him for about 12 years until I got married.

He is the greatest, most generous guy (other then my husband) that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. It was the best thing, seeing him get married to a very wonderfully nice woman.

I wouldn't have missed it for the world!!

They had the best wedding cake. Well, it wasn't really a wedding cake it was a tiered display of Cupcake Johns cupcakes. They were the most wonderfullest, scrumptious cupcakes that I have ever had in my life. They were amazing. I wish I had taken some pictures of them they were wonderfully crafted and tasted amazing.

They had the wedding at their home in Washington. The last time I saw the house it wasn't finished at all. There was just the framing up no drywall or insulation or really much of anything. They house know is amazingly beautiful and they did such an awesome job with it.

The best part of the wedding was the fact that the ceremony was about 2-3 minutes long if that.

The minister said we are gather here today to witness Don and Cathy become joined together.
Don do you take Cathy.
Cathy do you take Don.
Repeat after me...all those words. (About 4 sentences)
Rings (without words just put on)
Kiss.
Done.

It was awesome!! I loved the shortness. It was the best day that I've had in awhile!!!

Spring Is Here

Cherry Blossom Tree
It is my favorite tree that we have around the house. I love to take off the blossoms and put them into my bible to press them where I really like a specific verse. They come out beautiful!!

Look its all beautiful and everything!!!

This is my Lilac Tree!!! My mom gave it to me a few years ago and it has tripled in size. It has grown so much this spring that I believe it is finally taller then me. Its beautiful and smells wonderful!!