Xray Chic

Jeff Dunham concert

2011-05-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

Jeff Dunham is such a hilarious comedian. Randy I work with found out he was going to be at the Toyota Center in Tri-Cities and asked if Jeremy and I wanted to go with him and his wife. Jeremy loves watching Jeff and I knew he would say yes.

We bought tickets right away and the concert was only a few days after Jeremy's birthday. What a birthday present!

We all started counting down the days and then suddenly Randy's wife's brother died suddenly and they weren't able to go to the concert. Randy brought over their tickets to see if we could find someone else to go with us so the tickets wouldn't go to waste. At the last minute we were able to get Scott and Tamera.

The night of the concert we left in plenty of time and went to dinner at Red Robin. We had pretty good seats and had a great time. There was lots of laughing that night. We were sad Randy and his wife couldn't join us but were glad we were still able to go.

Aaron's Cardiologist appt

2011-03-02T18:18:00.000-08:00

At Aaron's newborn check, the dr noticed a heart murmur. He wanted to be sure everything was ok and sent us to a pediatric cardiologist in Tri-Cities.

The appt was the same day Jeremy took off for his basketball tournament. So my mom came early to the house to help get everything in the car for our week stay. I felt like I was packing up half my house.

I was hoping Aaron would do great since he was only a week old and I didn't know what all was involved with the appt. First the nurse gave him an EKG test and his whole body was covered with wires. Then it was next door to have an ultrasound. Aaron did such a great job! He held one of my fingers and laid very still on his back. The tech was great and explained everything he was doing and gave us some pictures.

The cardiologist told us the ultrasound looked good and it already seemed like the hole between his ventricles was closing up. She said there were no limitations and that even if the tiny hole never closed, he would be fine. She said to come back in a year for a check up, otherwise we didn't have anything to worry about.

My 28th birthday!

2011-02-10T21:35:00.000-08:00

The day turned out pretty good even though I had to work. Before I even left the house for work my parents called me and my aunt called to wish me Happy Birthday.

Jeremy was able to join me at my doctor's appt where the doctor did an ultrasound. She took some measurements and plus or minus a few ounces, Aaron is about 6 lbs, 14 oz. So by the time he is born he should be a little over 7 lbs. Very good size!

Then it was back to work but at least I could look forward to Jeremy coming to have lunch with me. We ordered from Ala Carte at the hospital and enjoyed our time together.

Work went well the rest of the day and then I was told I had visitors. My mom and Laurine had come to see me. Laurine always makes sure to bring me flowers on my birthday and this year they were beautiful pink carnations. We were able to visit for 20 min or so and then mom had to get back for caregroup.

I was able to get off work an hour early. When I got home Jeremy was acting kind of strange. He kept suggesting I take a hot bath or shower to relax. So I ended up enjoying a hot shower. Then I got in comfy clothes and got myself comfortable in the recliner with a good book until there was a knock at the door.

My parents with Jeremy's help drove down to surprise me. My mom brought a cake, flowers and they brought the new shelves for Aaron's room. We were able to get the shelves hung up and move things onto them. They also had finished a project I asked my dad to work on. They cut out a basketball, baseball, football and soccer ball out of wood and painted them. They look awesome and almost 3D!

My birthday turned out wonderful and very relaxing. What a great way to spend my special day with my husband and parents.

36 week pregnant belly

2011-01-25T21:51:00.000-08:00

Baby Shower

2010-12-28T22:30:00.000-08:00

My mom's best friend Laurine and my sister Jenny helped put on my baby shower. We planned it for right after Christmas when Jenny was still home for the holiday.

Of course the theme of the shower was sports! Laurine had a friend of hers make the the cake and it was so awesome. We had the themed plates and napkins and decorations every where. All the snack food was my favorite things like peanut m&m's and kit kat candy bars.

My sister put together two games for everyone to play. One was guessing the prices of certain baby items. The other game was unscrambling common baby related words.

Then it was time for opening gifts! There were a lot of them and I do love opening gifts! I got a lot of great things. Aaron is going to be so well dressed too.

Mom and I had a fun time washing all the clothes and putting everything away in his room.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-25T22:30:00.000-08:00

This year was different for Christmas. I had to work on Christmas Eve and was on call until midnight that night.

Since I had to work on Christmas Eve, my parents and my sister drove to Hermiston and made our traditional clam chowder and a new tortalini soup at our house. Then my mom and sister brought soup to the hospital for me to eat. We were able to sit and visit for an hour and a half before I was needed again for an x-ray.

Jeremy and I got up Christmas morning, quickly packed and made our way to my parents. Breakfast was already made when we got there and we dug right in. Then we started in on our stockings and gifts. We had a great time taking our time and enjoying the morning. I even filled in for Santa a little bit. However, I was sitting on the floor and had to have help getting up and my legs were numb.

Funny thing is I believe our baby Aaron James who is still in my belly got more Christmas gifts than everyone else!

We had a wonderful meal with steaks that Jeremy cooked and shared it with my mom's cousins. Later we headed over to visit with my g-ma and wish her a Merry Christmas. She was in a great mood, we took great pictures and had a wonderful time.

It was great spending time with family and relaxing. Next year will be so different with the baby and so exciting!

CT Test

2010-12-06T22:29:00.000-08:00

I was trained in CT at work during the month of July. It was great learning a new modality and getting to split my time between CT and x-ray.

There was a new law starting January 1, 2011 that stated if you weren't registered in modalities like CT, you would need to be re-certified every 10 years. Otherwise you would be grandfathered in and wouldn't have to worry about it.

I had to complete my list of exams that were required before I could send my paperwork off to schedule my exam. When the paperwork went through I scheduled my exam for December 6. I wanted it to be over before Christmas so I could enjoy the holiday.

Life was a little stressful with being pregnant and having to force myself to study whenever I had the chance. I really had to discipline myself to focus. Brittany, a fellow coworker and I studied a couple of times and I was feeling pretty good. However the test was way harder then I thought and I just wanted it to be over as soon as it began.

I wasn't feeling very confident when I pressed the submit button but lo and behold I did pass and that was all that mattered. Now I could move on and put the studying behind me. Such a relief!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T18:27:00.000-08:00

This holiday was different this year since I had to work a 12 hour shift. I knew my time was coming since I hadn't worked any holidays the last year.

Jeremy had the day off and had invited his brother to come but he wasn't able to make it due to weather. So my parents drove up from Tri-Cities and came with Jeremy to the hospital to have lunch with me.

The cafeteria had made Prime Rib and so my dad and Jeremy were excited! Guests were able to get quite the meal for only $7.

It was great to spend time with my family even though I had to work. Then I got to go home and spend time with Jeremy and eat leftover turkey, mashed potatoes and all the fixings that my mom had left for us.

Halloween pregnant belly

2010-10-31T21:22:00.000-07:00

1st Anniversary, 10/10/2010

2010-10-10T11:17:00.000-07:00

First anniversary:

- 5 months pregnant

-our anniversary gift to each other was buying a crib for our new baby boy coming

- Oregon Ducks game at WSU

- spent night at Couer d'Alene resort

- spent time with mother-in-law Carla -great laid back anniversary

Jack Johnson Concert

2010-10-02T15:39:00.000-07:00

Back in April of this year, Jenny brought to my attention that Jack Johnson was coming in concert to the Gorge Ampitheater in October. Of course I wanted to go see him!

Jeremy let me know he didn't want to go a couple of weeks before and so I was able to get my friend Tiffany to go. However a week before she found out she had to work that weekend. So I asked my friend Erin and she was delighted. I was so glad I found someone to use that other ticket. I drove down that day to pick Erin up and we met up with my sister and my cousin Lisa from Seattle. We found a great patch of grass up towards the top and spread out our blankets. We discovered the incline made it difficult to sit without sliding down and so we decided to rent some chairs to sit it. Boy did they make a difference!

There were two acts that sang before Jack came on. What a beautiful night to sit out listening to great music and watching the sun go down.

New car

2010-09-21T08:28:00.000-07:00

With a new baby coming, Jeremy and I wanted to get a new car. We knew we couldn't keep his truck because with it only being a single cab he wouldn't be able to take the baby with him.

Jeremy wanted a safe car that we could keep for many years and I wanted an SUV type vehicle so we could have cargo space and sitting room. We put everything together and decided we liked the Chevrolet Traverse.

We ended up going to the Chevrolet dealership in Hermiston to get the best deal. It took them about a month and a half to find the one for us. It was a 2010 white Traverse, used with 9300 miles on it. We put some money down and traded in Jeremy's truck. They really did great working with us and getting the price down where we needed it to be.

We love the new car and we both want to drive it as often as we can!

We are having a BOY!!

2010-09-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

Since I had been getting weekly ultrasounds, Amanda the ultrasound tech said I could bring Jeremy in and she would let us know if the baby was a boy or girl. She would get this look on her face and lean closer to the screen and go "mmmm". I turned away quickly because I didn't want to see anything premature.

We had planned on our regular wednesday and would have Jeremy come in towards the end of Amanda's shift. Instead we decided we wanted to go in a day early and surprise everyone. Almost right away Amanda found what she was looking for and saved the picture. Our baby had their legs wide open and their was a little nub in the middle!! Our baby was a BOY!!!

Amanda said she first saw it at 13 weeks but wanted to keep looking to be absolutely sure. Jeremy had a great time taking pictures and videos and asking Amanda questions.

Afterwards we called my parents to see what they were doing that night and told them we wanted to run to Costco and have dinner with them. We went to Walmart and bought an Oregon Ducks jersey and decided to put it on the dinner table later and see their reaction. We took a picture of the jersey for Jeremy's mom Carla and said her new grandson would wear this next year to a game. I called my sister and she said I told you so since she had said it was going to be a boy. When we put the jersey on the table later, my mom grabbed it and knew immediately what it meant!

Now we could start thinking about decorating, thinking of names and buying baby clothes for a boy!

Shinedown concert

2010-08-27T15:42:00.000-07:00

Concert highlights:

-riding with friends to concert

-eating dinner at Red Lobster and having crab legs

-getting to hear 10 years, Sevendust, Puddle of Mudd and Shinedown perform

-knowing it was the last concert on their tour and they were recording it live

-getting to meet Shinedown and get their autographs

*Favorite moment: Jeremy worrying that the music was too loud for the baby. I then tell Randy next to me who says not to worry that the baby will come into this world "rockin out!!"

Cannon Beach

2010-08-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

Every year going to the beach is such a highlight and something I look forward to. This year we couldn't go as long but it was still well worth it.

Just like last year, Jeremy was up bright and early ready to go. Most mornings I got up with him but it was vacation and that means relaxing and getting extra sleep.
What's great about my family is everyone gets up and randomly decides what they want to do. We either go on our own or ask if someone wants to tag along. There are so many things to do that sometimes it is hard to decide.
We spent time walking down on the beach, reading books, building bonfires and making s'mores, eating pizza from our favorite place, setting up camp on the beach to read, flying kites and sun bathing, collecting sand dollars and driftwood, watching movies, eating ice cream and shopping in downtown.

Another great year at the coast with my family.

Umatilla County Fair

2010-08-10T10:07:00.000-07:00

Highlights from fair week:

Tuesday:

- Rachelle and I work in hospital booth for two hours
- scout out food to eat
- eat hotdog, elephant ear, nachos and kettle popcorn
- walk around a bit to walk off food!

Wednesday:

- hadn't planned on going today
- Jeremy worked at the elephant booth from 11am to 2pm
- Jeremy asked me on a date to go
- got off work and ate dinner Jeremy had made
- went to fair and watched Joe Diffy perform, one of Jeremy's favorites

Friday:

- at work and excited to go to fair and listen to Uncle Kracker
- got off work and had another fantastic meal Jeremy had made
- met up with Rachelle, Jennifer and her boyfriend Chris and Brittany
-watched and sang along with concert
- ran into Ron, Lori, Calvin and Trevor and got to visit
- visited briefly with Roy, a guy Jeremy works with

It was a good year at the fair this year!

Jeremy the softball fanatic!

2010-08-04T14:51:00.000-07:00

Jeremy loves being busy and being involved with sports.

Not long after he was done coaching baseball at the high school in Umatilla, the softball season started for the competitive co-ed team he plays on.

Of course, I went to show support and cheer him on. The schedule ended up being double headers on Monday nights. Gradually I was asked to help keep the book and I really liked doing that. It helped me pay attention more to the game and I got to know more of the players. I had a great time joking around and visiting with everyone.

It was a competitive league they were playing on and sometimes things got a little heated. It was hard for me to understand that since I'm not competitive and really it was just a softball game. Sometimes my thinking didn't go over so well! Haha!

In addition to the league games there were also some competitions on the weekends. One of those was called the Watermelon Festival and it's held in Irrigon, OR every year at the end of July. I was able to be there both Saturday and Sunday to watch the team play and visit with everyone. It was mighty hot and I wasn't the smartest about putting sunblock on and got myself a nice shade of red. Oops!

The team really had a good time even though they only won two games. The rest of the time was spent having our own batting practice, playing volleyball and just sitting around talking and laughing.

The other competition is held in La Grande, OR and it's called Moonlight. The reason for the name being that the games are played all night long regardless of the time. Jeremy was able to ride down there with some teammates. Unfortunately I had to work and was on call and couldn't make the trip down there.

Their first game was at 10pm on that Friday night. They lost that one and then played again the next morning and won that game. The next game wasn't until 3pm on Saturday but they lost that game and ended up being out of the running. They could have come home that night but since Jeremy rode with other people he had to wait until the next day. It worked out fine though since I was on call and wasn't home that much that night anyway.

The softball season has come to a close for the year. We will see what next year brings with the new baby and our schedule.

First prenatal appt

2010-07-30T16:47:00.000-07:00

Our first prenatal appt was on July 30th and I was almost 11 weeks along. I was able to get off work early and Jeremy met me at the hospital. We walked down to my doctors office and got right in.

The doctor did an ultrasound on me and Jeremy got to see the baby for the first time! I heard him gasp a little bit and lean forward to get a closer look. The baby was an inch and a half long and you could see the head and arms and legs. The doctor printed off a picture for us and right away Jeremy took a picture of it with his phone and started sending it to everyone!

So far everything is looking good. Doctor said we were moving right along. I haven't gained any weight yet but I'm sure that will soon change!

We were able to have a question and answer time with the doctor. I had written down a bunch of things I wanted clarification on and it was a big help. We were given some goodies and paperwork to read through. She gave us a big book from the Mayo Clinic all about pregnancy and the babies first year. All my appts were scheduled ahead of time for me and I got some magazines and a packet of paperwork that would be helpful. After that it was off to the lab to have blood drawn.

It was a great first appt and I can't wait to see the changes that will be happening!

Mariners game

2010-07-25T14:50:00.000-07:00

For Father's day, my sister and I bought Mariners tickets for my dad. We let him pick the day and he chose July 25 against the Boston Red Socks.

Since the game was on a Sunday, I already had the day off and Jeremy was able to get the day off work. We left home at 6:30am and got to Seattle at 10:30. We all rode down in one car and dad found a great parking spot and we didn't have to pay!

We decided to buy the cheap hotdogs on the way in this time and we also bought some peanuts and licorce. We saved some money but maybe next time we get the food on the inside where it is so much better!

After getting inside the park, Jeremy and dad decided to go watch batting practice and us girls found our way to our seats. Jenny was able to find us tickets on the third deck in the first row in between first base and right field. They were great seats! You could see everything on the field, the Seattle skyline and the main screen.

During the game there was a chance to send pictures to a website and then they would post the ones they received later in the game. I had already taken a picture of Jeremy and I and when the announcement came up, Jenny helped me remember the address. Later our picture was only one of 10 on the big screen. We were famous!!The score was pretty close in the beginning and the Mariners were behind. It wasn't looking very hopeful until a couple of bunts made all the difference and then they ended up coming from behind and winning the game! Go Mariners!!!

After the game we drove back to Jenny's apt and then walked up the street to have pizza outside on the patio with my Aunt B. We had a great time even though we knew we were going to get back late, it was worth it.

The trip was fast and furious but awesome!

Random ultrasounds

2010-07-15T17:14:00.000-07:00

One of the perks about working in my dept at the hospital is being close to the ultrasound techs. My friend Amanda, one of the techs has been giving me impromtu scans!

We usually go a week in between and I just tell Amanda when I really have to go pee and my bladder is full. Rachelle, another tech who works with me usually comes in to watch and has taken a couple of pictures for me.

Its been great to see how much the baby has grown over the weeks especially when not everyone gets that chance and the doctor won't give you that many ultrasounds.

My mom bought a photo album for her purse and I will keep giving up updated pictures so she can whip it out and show off her first grandchild! I'm also going to send pictures to my mother-in-law for her purse and to update the picture in the frame I gave her.

4th of July 2010

2010-07-04T14:49:00.000-07:00

4th of July highlights:

- my favorite holiday

- seeing my family and sister

- driving to Tri-Cities

- eating good food at a bbq

- visiting with friends and telling them I was pregnant

- walking across to neighbors bbq to visit

- surprising family with Jeremy driving up

- walking down to the river for the fireworks

- watching one of the best firework shows in awhile

- watching a fire start right after someone set off illegal fireworks

- spending time with my husband and family

Telling parents about baby

2010-06-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

Now the deliberation began on how and when we would tell our family. I kind of wanted to wait until I was further along and I had been to the doctor but my first appt wasn't for another 6 weeks and that was way too long to wait.

Finally after talking it over we decided that we were too excited and wanted to be able to tell people. Jeremy had a softball tournament coming up that Saturday after finding out and he started cooking up a plan.

He was able to get his mom and stepdad Jerry to come down for the day on Saturday to watch him play softball and then come to the house for dinner after I got off work. My parents made it down to watch a couple of games and then came back that night for dinner.

Since it was the day before Father's Day, we gave the dad's cards and then put the giftbag with the baby bib in front of my dad. One of the best parts was that the moms weren't suspecting anything since the focus was on the dads. My dad opened up the bag and slowly unwrapped the bib from the tissue paper. When he finally saw what it was, he immediately looked up at me and said, "Are you serious?!" Now that got the moms attention and they asked what was going on. I burst out in a huge smile and said, "Yep I am pregnant!"

Carla, my mother-in-law started crying and my mom just turned and stared at me like she didn't believe it was really happening. Jerry looked pretty excited about a new baby in the family too.

Then my dad took a picture of the bib on his cell phone and sent it to my sister. She was really stoked about the baby and becoming an aunt!

The rest of the night flew by with everyone visiting and talking nonstop about the new baby.

I am PREGNANT!!!

2010-06-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

This day started out so normal but ended anything but...

In the afternoon Jeremy and I drove to Umatilla High School together. I was helping my friend Tamera in the concession stand. Tamera is Scott's wife that is one of Jeremy's best friends and who he coachs basketball with. She was almost not going to come because she had a nasty cold and was losing her voice, but she decided at the last minute to come and hang out with me. During the course of the night we talked about all different things. Someone else came to relieve us, but Jeremy and I had come in the same car and I had no way to get home. So we decided I would get a ride with Tam over to her house and we could hang out until the boys came home.

Tam and I continued our chatting at the house and somehow we started talking about the headaches, cramps and need for blizzards I had been having. She knew we had been trying and all of a sudden realized she had an extra pregnancy test she wasn't going to use. It happened to be a day before I was supposed to start my period and I was skeptical that anything would show up that early. She however became very excited and got me a cup to pee in and the test and directed me towards the bathroom. I was watching the test while washing my hands and couldn't believe that faint positive line showing up. I was a little in shock when I walked out of the bathroom to show Tam. She came right over, took one look at the test and started screaming!

She immediately grabbed her purse and said we had to go to Walmart to get another test for me to take since the first one had been from the dollar store. Both of us were so excited and not thinking clearly that she forgot to lock the front door of the house and we both forgot to buckle Alyssa into her carseat. Thank goodness we hadn't even pulled out of the driveway yet!

We get to Walmart and go stand in front of the pregnancy tests. We look at all of them and try to figure out what ones would be good. Randomly Tam asks if I have an extra one at home and in the moment I had forgotten I did. So we get back in the car and head to my house. Thank goodness I had an extra house key in my purse since I had given Jeremy my set of keys so he could drive the car. As I am unlocking the house, I couldn't remember if we set the alarm or not and I didn't have the remote to turn it off. I'm was scared to open the door and finally Tam just pushed it open. No alarm thank goodness!

I run into the bathroom and get the test out. I don't know if it was my nerves or that I hadn't had much to drink that I couldn't get a big enough sample for the test. I thought it would be sufficient until I took the test out to the kitchen and realized it wasn't working no matter how many times I stared at it. I told Tam I don't think I had enough pee and she busted up laughing. So back in the car and headed to Walmart for the second time.

We stand in front of the tests again and deliberate. We don't want to buy too many of them and have them expire. We also don't want to buy the cheapest or most expensive. Finally we decide to get a two pack of the Clear Blue Easy digital tests. We felt it was a special enough occasion to spurlge a little! As we were walking to the register I was trying to conceal the test but to Tam it looked like I was trying to hide it in my jacket sleeve. I didn't want to run into anyone I knew and have them be curious. Also before we had left home I had grabbed a bottle of water and was making sure I had plenty of liquids in me.

On the way back to the house Tam told me she wanted to see the test as soon as possible even if my pants were barely on. So I went straight to the bathroom and had plenty of pee this time!! I barely had one button done and ran out to the living room to give it to Tam. While the test is working it has a flashing hourglass and then will flash the word pregnant or not pregnant. I handed the test off to her and went to the kitchen sink to wash my hands. Before I could even turn the water on she was already yelling, "Oh my gosh!" She came running in to show me that it said pregnant and had flashed that within 2 seconds of me giving it to her. I think I was still in shock but she started jumping up and down and getting very excited. It's almost like I didn't think it was real yet.

Then she got online and started looking up cute ways to tell your husband and family you are pregnant. She suggested I take pictures of the tests so I could have them for memories and boy did I take a lot! Tam told Alyssa what we were so excited about and she kept saying, "Baby in her tummy!" Since it was going to be short notice telling Jeremy we couldn't get too creative. So we headed back to Walmart for the third time.

Perfect timing that Father's Day was that coming sunday and I was able to find Jeremy a card for a father-to-be. Then we found a baby bib that said, "I Love Daddy" and wrapped that up in tissue paper and put it in a gift bag.

If the boys asked why we were in Hermiston, we had to come up with a good reason that they wouldn't suspect. We knew they would be hungry and said we came into town to get food for them and they took right to the idea. We headed back to Tam's with the food and got there before the boys. I was starting to get nervous about telling Jeremy and not giving something away when he walked in.

The boys started eating and I put the card down in front of Jeremy and told him I had found a card for him while at Walmart. He finished eating what he had in his hand while Tam and I were staring him down! Scott thought we were acting funny but didn't know why. Finally he opened the card and read it twice before it registered. All of a sudden he looked up and said, "I'm going to be a dad!" Scott's head shot up and he was totally surprised and said, "Wow, that's cool!" Then Jeremy opened the bib and I showed him the tests I had taken.

He finished eating in a daze and Tam and I got online right away. We first looked up what the approximate due date would be and it said February 20, 2011.

Flowers from our yard

2010-06-05T08:28:00.000-07:00

I love taking pictures of flowers and usually I found my best pictures in my parents yard.

This year I was able to get some great pictures of the new flowers Jeremy and I have in our front yard.

These are random, but wanted to share them.

Trip to Seattle and Mariner's game

2010-06-01T16:34:00.000-07:00

Monday:

-decided to head to my parents and spend the night, already had dinner planned so took it with us and all of us enjoyed bbq chicken, sweet potato fries and grilled asparagus. YUM!

Tuesday:

- took our time waking up and getting ready, sat down to breakfast, finally left around 10am, picked up Jenny's apt keys at her work, chilled out at her apt, drove down to meet her after work, rode the light rail to the Mariner's game, bought hotdogs, fries, licorice and beer, brought luck to the Mariner's with a win for the night.

Wednesday:

- Jeremy and I went to breakfast at the 5 Spot on QueenAnne, walked down QueenAnne to Seattle center, rode the monorail to Westlake Center, met Jenny for a long extended lunch, went shopping at Old Navy, Sephora and H&M, got sunglasses for Jeremy and bought Starbucks to keep us going, Jenny heads back to work and we check in for our Ride the Ducks tour, take the tour and have a blast, meet Jenny again and take a cab back to her apt, head to dinner at Aunt B's, spend about 3 hours there, head back to Jen's apt to hang out and watch tv.

Thursday:

-head to Noah's for bagels and Starbucks for coffee, stop by a gas station to fill up, head home, stop at mom and dad's to visit, finally arrive HOME!!

We had a great time and I can't wait to be able to go again.

Girl time with Carla

2010-05-16T15:36:00.000-07:00

Let me just start off by saying that I love spa days!!!!

I had the opportunity to hang out with my mother-in-law on her birthday and have a spa day with her.

Sunday: Carla's Birthday

- Jerry, Carla and I have appetizers and drinks at the Coeur d'Alene resort

- Carla and I take a long walk by the lake

- Dinner at Cedar's Floating restaurant

- they had a wonderful salad bar

- Carla and I got dessert even though we were stuffed (That's what b-day's are about!!)

Monday: Spa day

- 8:30am, Carla and I are getting more excited as we head to our spa appointment

- get checked in and change into big fluffy robes

- start with a very relaxing mineral bath

- next a 50 minute massage, so amazing!

- last but not least, a pedicure
- Mimosas to sip on during the pedicure

- very pampered legs and feet!

- on to lunch at the resort, great time with Carla talking

- on the way home talked about our next "Spa" adventure!!!

What an awesome power packed two days!

Jeremy's birthday and Daughtry/Lifehouse concert

2010-05-10T16:33:00.000-07:00

From Coeur d'Alene we drove to my parents so they could dote on Jeremy for his birthday. We had him open up his presents before heading to lunch at Inca. Lunch was great as usual and then we topped it off with blizzards from Dairy Queen. Yum!

Then we continued our trip to Yakima for our concert that night. We went right to our hotel and checked in, then relaxed a little before heading to dinner. From there we headed to the concert!!! We had great seats and the concert was amazing!

Cavo was the first group to start and even though we hadn't heard of them, they were pretty good. Next was Lifehouse and they were awesome! Most of the songs were ones we knew of and we could sing along. Last but not least was Daughtry. He put on a great show and even came back for an encore and sang three more songs.

We were really glad that we had a hotel room to go back to instead of having to drive home that night. After waking up, we headed back to my parents to say hi and then continued home.

Mother's Day with Carla

2010-05-09T18:04:00.000-07:00

After our trip to Montana, we decided to stop in Coeur d'Alene and spend Mother's Day with Carla.

Most of the day was spent relaxing and visiting. At one point, we all got talking about when Jeremy and his brother were little and the racing they did. Then the conversation shifted to mopeds and we decided to start Jerry's up and take a couple of rides around the block.

I laughed so hard when I saw big, tall Jeremy on this little moped! Then Jerry got an even smaller bike out and he looked rediculous!! Carla and I took some cute pictures of the "boys" racing and some with Lilly.

They started putting them away when they asked if I wanted to ride one. I had never been on one and thought I might as well do it! Jeremy was a little hesitant but how much trouble could I get myself into when Jerry made we wear a huge helmet. I had a blast and only when up and down the block a couple of times. My turns were not smooth at all and really made me look like a beginner.

Later that night we took Carla out for dinner at a great pizza place. Since it was Mother's Day they gave everyone chocolate covered strawberries for dessert. The guys weren't interested which was fine for Carla and I, since we then ate two a piece!! I know Carla is a kindred spirit when she wore the chocolate just as well as I did!!!

As usual it was great spending time with Jerry and Carla.

Polson, Montana

2010-05-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

I had never been to Polson, Montana located on Flathead Lake where Jeremy had spent so much time when he was little. He had told me all about it and we were planning a trip in July. However, we had to take that trip early due to his grandfather passing away.

We left thursday morning and took our time driving there. We stopped several places to sightsee and had lunch with his mom in Spokane. We checked into the hotel right on the lake and it was beautiful.

The next morning we met Jeremy's aunt Jane and his cousin's wife Heather and their little boy Rylan for breakfast. Afterwards Jeremy and I decided to drive around the lake so I could get the full lake experience while he told me stories about his childhood. We spent a couple of hours driving and really enjoyed it. That night we had dinner at Jeremy's grandma's sister's house. The sister's name was Hattie and she was very sweet. Jane brought over Chinese food and we sat around and talked.

Carla, Jeremy's mom had Saturday off and drove down for the service. She picked up her brother Dean and the four of us met for breakfast. The service was for both Jeremy's dad and grandfather. It was very nicely done and had a 21 gun salute and honor guard for his grandpa. They also had a bagpipe playing and it gets me every time. We went over to Hattie's again and had leftovers for lunch. The rest of the day was spent relaxing.

We had breakfast one more time with Jane and Heather sunday morning and then took off for Coeur d'Alene.

The lake was beautiful and we are trying to plan a trip back later this summer to go camping with the rest of the family.

Mother's Day with Mom, Jenny and I

2010-05-02T15:37:00.000-07:00

Jenny had a chance to be in town the week before Mother's Day and so we decided to celebrate a week early. Mom picked Olive Garden for lunch and we had a wonderful time! We gave her the facial certificate and she loved it!

After lunch we went to see G-ma Doris and got some great pictures with her. It was nice for us three girls to hang out and spend time together. Those times seem few and far between.

I'm glad we could honor mom and thank her for everything she does for us.

Jeremy's schedule

2010-04-24T08:32:00.000-07:00

Sports mean a lot to Jeremy and he loves to be involved in them every chance he gets. He likes to keep a pretty busy schedule making sure that he has something to look forward to.

- pitching coach for Umatilla Boys baseball team

- bowling league (only has two weeks left)

- Men's Golf league, once a week

- Coed competitive softball coming up in May

- probably will help Scott with some summer basketball

I think I need to get myself some more hobbies!

Fixing up the front yard

2010-04-19T17:24:00.000-07:00

Spring has finally sprung!!

Jeremy and I have been waiting for the weather to turn warmer and our tax money to get here. Well...both have arrived and you know what that means, working on the outside of the house. I was put in charge of the front yard and boy did my mom and I have a blast!

We had a great time shopping and buying plants and pots and brick. Mom came down two different days to help work in the yard. I pulled a dead tree out of a circle island in the yard and cut out grass to make the island bigger. I put in brick along the front flower border and around the expanded island as a mowing strip to help cut the grass easier. We planted flowers in pots and placed them on the porch. Then we planted all of our numerous flowers everywhere in the border and island!!! Then we added the finishing touch by putting bark around.

Now everything looks so bright and colorful when you drive up to the house.

Carla's visit

2010-04-08T16:19:00.000-07:00

Carla, my mother-in-law decided to come visit for a day. She had a couple of days off and we hadn't seen her since New Years. She also brought along Lilly, her Chihuahua.

After she arrived we went to Shari's for breakfast and then back home to visit. We wanted to get out of the house but unfortunately Hermiston is pretty boring! We decided to go to Home Depot and walk around. We looked at fencing, decking, doors, fans, lights, outdoor furniture and plants. We wanted to see if anything sparked our interest for the house.

Then on to Starbuck's for a wake up drink and the bank to deposit our tax return money!

Since Jeremy doesn't care for shopping and getting pedicures, Carla and I dropped him off at the house with Lilly and went and had a spa pedicure! It was great and we were able to spend quality time together.

After eating Subway, we all headed to the bowling alley for my league night. Jeremy was going to go into work that night but decided he needed to spend that time with his mom while she was visiting. We had a great time laughing and when we got home that night, we made popcorn and mango margaritas!! Yum!!

It was a great trip and now I will check when her next days off are and head up to spend girl time with her.

Easter

2010-04-04T18:21:00.000-07:00

This year we went untraditional and had breakfast for dinner. Yum! My parents came over to share the holiday with us this year.

-Belgium waffles
-strawberries and real whipped cream for topping waffles
-hashbrowns
-omelettes with turkey sausage, green pepper, broccoli and cheese
-orange juice

Mom and I added mini chocolate chips to our waffle batter. Made us feel like we were at Ihop!!

Another great holiday!

Green Beer

2010-03-17T15:31:00.000-07:00

St. Patty's Day events 2010:

wear green

work 12 hours

head to Midway with Jeremy for green beer

go to Bowling Alley

back to Midway to meet up with friends

long night of some more green beer, talking and laughing

home at 2:30am!

Erin and Sam

2010-03-16T15:30:00.000-07:00

My friend Erin from high school and her husband Sam made the trip from Tri-Cities to check out our new house and have dinner with us. I took Jeremy to meet them last year and with the wedding and life, our schedules had gotten so busy that we hadn't had time to get together again until now.

We had a wonderful time and dinner turned out great. Everyone oohed and ahhed over dinner and we were even able to sit at our new table. They were given the official tour of the house and then we sat down to chat and laugh.

Next time it is our turn to head their direction.

Thank you Erin and Sam for a great visit!

First ever 200 bowling game!

2010-03-11T19:24:00.000-08:00

Bowling a 200 game had always eluded me somehow...until this night. The closest I had come was a 198.

I tried to not get too excited when I got four strikes in a row. I knew I was doing good when I was either throwing a strike or getting a spare whenever I was up. My score was getting up there but I didn't want to look until I was absolutely sure I was over 200. I had two frames to go and found out I had finally accomplished it! Jeremy told me to finish with gusto and blow the score out of the water. So...I did just that and got a final score of 232!!!

They even announced my name over the intercom and everyone congratulated me. I was so ecstatic that I had them print off that last game so I could keep it.

Now I must continue to strive to get that again....someday....hopefully...

Cousin Tony home!

2010-03-07T21:09:00.000-08:00

My cousin Tony has been in Iraq serving our country for 6 months and was able to come home for his two week leave. I was able to make the trip with my parents who graciously waited till Sunday to drive over to Seattle so I could go with them.

My cousin Lisa (Tony's mom) put on a spectacular party with lots of yummy food. Lots of people stopped by to say hi, some stayed on for most of the day and others were in and out.

I still couldn't believe my cousin has grown up. I remember when he used to stay with us for a couple of weeks during the summer. He followed me around everywhere and held my hand as he fell asleep in the bed right next to me. Oh...those were the days, what fond memories. Now he is this giant 6'3" man with muscles! I guess they do have to grow up someday.

We will continue to pray for you Tony as you finish out your year duty. Love you!

Dining Room Table

2010-03-02T19:23:00.000-08:00

So...Jeremy and I were in Tri-Cities February 9th, the day before my birthday. We were there for a dentist appt and then randomly I decided we should go to Furniture Row to look at dining room tables. Mom was able to come with us and we walked right over to our favorite we had already picked out. None of the other ones held a candle to it. It's a tall square table with eight chairs. Now we can have dinner parties galore!

It took three weeks to get shipped and Jeremy and I were excited to finally pick it up! We started opening boxes once we got home and putting it together.

I LOVE IT!

Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T15:30:00.000-08:00

This year Valentine's Day sure came with a bang!

Mom and dad decided to come down for the afternoon to hang out and work on some things around the house. At one point mom and I had to go to Walmart for something last minute. We brought back coffee drinks for all of us to have.

Event #1:

Dad had poured his drink into another glass with a straw. He had been sipping on the drink carrying it with him from room to room. All of a sudden...the cup slipped out of his fingers and he watched it fall in slow motion to the floor. It landed with a thud, spilling most of its contents on the floor and spraying it on the wall as well. He was horrified and just stood there not knowing what to do until all of a sudden he realized he needed to pick up the cup. I grabbed towels and carpet cleaner right away and started scrubbing. I wasn't worried about it and knew it would come out. There I was on my hands and knees scrubbing the carpet when Jeremy came home from work.

Event #2:

Since Jeremy and I were getting a new dining room table, mom was helping arrange the dining room so the new table would fit. First her and I moved G-ma's china hutch to one side of the room and then decided to move it to the other side instead. It was slow going since I hadn't taken anything out and it was heavy. Jeremy finished helping mom move it into a corner and right at the end, mom's knee slipped and hit the glass. Oops! Right away I was worried she was cut but she said she was fine. The hutch didn't fair so well. The bottom part of the panel of glass had broken, yet nothing broke inside. Phew!

It was a very exciting holiday just for different reasons! Mom and dad ordered new glass for the hutch and we did allow them back to the house, even after all that!

My birthday

2010-02-10T21:08:00.000-08:00

Birthday Highlights:

Surprise morning gift from Jeremy

yummy breakfast at Roy and Venita's in Hermiston

buying songs on itunes with new gift card

watching Jeremy bowl for a charity event

spending time with family

having dinner at my parents

getting a new Laptop computer from Jeremy and my parents

splurging on angel food cake, real whipped topping and strawberries...mmmmmm!!!

Basketball season continues...

2010-01-20T13:16:00.000-08:00

I will say it wasn't the easiest during basketball season. Yes I know that Jeremy told me it was going to be rough and that he would be gone a lot. I tried to completely ready myself, yet I still didn't understand the severity of the situation. He was gone a lot, a lot, a lot.

I tried to go to as many games as work would allow me and cheer him on.

If I was to do over I probably would have not gotten married right before basketball season began. Needless to say I'm glad the season is over and I get to see him more.

New Year's

2010-01-02T11:05:00.000-08:00

This year we made plans to travel to Coeur d'Alene to spend the holiday with Jeremy's mom Carla and Jerry. I already had New Year's Day off and also took New Year's Eve so we could spend a couple of days visiting.

On our way we passed through Tri-Cities and had breakfast with my parents. Once we got there we spent time being lazy and visiting. We had brought our Christmas gift for Jerry and Carla and they had waited to open their gifts until we got there. We had a great time passing gifts around and who wouldn't want to have a second Christmas! One of the greatest gifts we got from Jerry were a pair of lamps for our guest bedroom. They had real wood bases with birch bark shades. They fit in great with Jeremy's wood bed.

The rest of the afternoon was spent visiting, watching tv and playing with Lily their dog until we got ready to head to dinner. Carla had gotten us reservations at a steak place outside of Coeur d'Alene. I had heard Jeremy go on and on about this place and was excited to finally try it out. The food was amazing! I hope we are able to go back soon. After we stuffed ourselves, we headed to a casino where we spent a couple of hours losing money! We made it back to Jerry and Carla's right before midnight. We turned on the tv and watched the ball drop in New York City.

The next morning we headed down to the lake to watch the Polar Bear Plunge. I happened to see an ad on tv for it and thought it would be fun. Carla and I were really excited! We had more fun people watching and were amazed with what people were wearing to jump in the lake. We were freezing all bundled up, I can only imagine how the plungers were feeling.

We left right after they jumped in and headed back to the house. Carla and I got started on making snacks to eat and we turned on the tv to get ready for the Oregon Duck's football game! What a sight we must have looked like when all of us, even Lily the dog had on Oregon gear!

We stayed until the game was over and then took off for home. All in all a great visit just not long enough.

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-12-25T09:15:00.000-08:00

I was so excited for Christmas to come this year! I couldn't wait to start new memories with Jeremy and let him experience how my family spends the holiday. Jeremy wanted my family to come and celebrate at our new house this year. So my sister decided to brave the weather and the pass from Seattle and got quite a few days off. Our plan was to have her drive to my parents and then the three of them drive to our house in Hermiston. They would spend the night at our house and we would all wake up together Christmas morning and spend the day together.

My work schedule worked out great with me having both Christmas Eve and Christmas day off. My sister got into town Christmas Eve morning to my parents and a couple of hours later the three of them packed up and drove down to Hermiston. For our family tradition we always make G-ma Kitty's clam chowder for Christmas Eve dinner. We had to make a minor adjustment because Jeremy doesn't like seafood and so we made the chowder and also stromboli. Us girls started prepping right away for dinner so it could be simmering while we went to Christmas Eve service. The service was great, I always love singing Christmas songs and having candlelight service.

Not long after we got home, our friends Bob and Becky and Bob's brother Don came over to spend the evening with us. Normally we just had our chowder in bowls but my mom surprised us and had bought bread bowls which were a big hit. Everyone got their food together and found a place to sit and enjoy. Afterwards everyone congregated into the living room where Jeremy started up the Wii.

The next few hours were spent sitting around laughing and watching several of us play numerous games. Some of the games we played were bowling, tennis and carnival games. I played tennis and really had to pay attention and focus so I swung the right way to hit the ball. While everyone was sitting around, I passed around slices of my chocolate cake. I had made the "Chocolate Lasagna" cake from Olive Garden. It was a big hit! After our company left we only stayed up a few more hours. We prepped breakfast for the morning and finished any last minute things before heading to bed.

Immediately after waking up, I got my stocking stuff done first and then went to get my sister and mom so they could do theirs. During this time no one is allowed in the living room to spy. Dad came down to get his coffee and was shooed away so Jeremy tried to get the coffee ready and he too was sent to his room. Apparently I hadn't explained well enough to Jeremy all that Christmas morning entailed. I just laughed hysterically hearing my sister yell at him to get to his room and he tried to push it but it didn't work. Finally it was time to start the fun! We emptied our stockings while sipping on coffee. Then we decided to fix breakfast so we could enjoy it before we got too late. Mom had planned quite the spread and everything was wonderful. The gifts came next and of course I was santa. I passed them out until they were gone. Now it was time to relax, get ready for the day and spend time with each other. We looked into seeing a movie at the theater and found a time that worked. Since holidays always seem to be a day of eating, we already were thinking about lunch. We decided to go non traditional and have french dip. After eating everyone passed the time visiting and just being together. Later that night we went to the movie, "Did you hear about the Morgans." It was very funny and a great way to end the day. Soon after my parents and sister gathered up their things and packed them in the car. After they left the house felt so empty. Jeremy had received the movie, "The Hangover" and we popped that in and ended our holiday laughing!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-26T09:13:00.000-08:00

The holidays came quick right after all the hype of the wedding was over with. My mom has always told my sister and I that once we were married, we didn't need to feel obligated to spend all the holidays with them. She knew we would need to spend time with the in-laws and might even want to be by ourselves. That made it nice so we didn't have to stress about where we would spend the holidays.

This year for Thanksgiving Jeremy and I headed over to my parents in Tri-Cities for a quiet, relaxing holiday. My sister decided to stay in Seattle and spend the holiday with family there.

Once we got to my parents I helped my mom finish with last minute dinner preparations. Everything came together really smoothly and in no time we were ready to eat. We also had my mom's twin cousins, John and Larry join us. We all sat around talking and sharing stories and laughing. Then I helped my mom put food away and get leftovers together. Some were given to John and Larry to take home and others were packed up for Jeremy and I to take home later on.

Soon after, John and Larry decided to head home and we decided to go see a movie. My parents and Jeremy and I ended up seeing "Old Dogs" and laughed hysterically. What a great way to end the holiday!

We went home at a decent time because I had to work early the next morning. Even though the holiday wasn't crazy busy with all the family, I liked how nice and laid back it was.

Basketball season begins

2009-11-10T19:19:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year for basketball and Jeremy has been getting very excited. I met him right as he was finishing up with basketball and so didn't fully experience it. Throughout our dating and engagement, he continually told me about how it took up a lot of his time with practice and games and that he was gone a lot. I told him it would be fine and we would work through it.

I will admit I wasn't really looking forward to having him gone so much. I wanted to be able to cheer the girls on at games as much as I could, if my work schedule would allow it.

Thank goodness it only lasts 4 months! We will see how it goes...

Honeymoon in Vegas!!!

2009-10-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

Figuring out where you want to go on your honeymoon can be a very tough choice. Jeremy and I hemmed and hawed for months. I really wanted to go somewhere tropical and warm like Hawaii. I researched and met with a travel agent, but things were too expensive and we didn't have a full week off to enjoy it. Somehow Las Vegas was mentioned and we really started thinking about it. I had never been before and what better time to experience it for the first time then with your new husband!
We planned it out so we didn't fly out until 6:30pm the next night after the wedding so we could relax and not rush around trying to get to an early flight. It was great looking out the window of the plane and seeing the Strip all lit up. We finally arrived at our hotel, The Mirage and got checked in. It was 10:30pm but that's when the Vegas night life begins!!! We dropped our bags off, freshened up and decided to go out on the town.
Before I forget, something that was really cool was that Karen, one of my bridesmaids had given us a $150 gift card to use at the Mirage. We could use it at restaurants and any stores within the hotel. Every morning we slept in and woke up too late to have breakfast. We did decide to make getting coffee from Starbucks a priority! There was a Starbucks in our hotel and so using our card made it that much nicer. We even treated ourselves to a very fancy and expensive dinner with our card.

We went to two shows while we were there, The Blue Man group and The Beatles Love, a Cirque de Soleil show. The Beatles show was in our hotel and we saw that monday night. We had a great view though we both thought it would have been even better closer to the stage. The acrobatics were astounding and we found ourselves singing along to the music the whole time. We actually bought the tickets for the Blue Man group on our flight to Vegas. That show was held at the Venetian and was awesome! I laughed hysterically and the show was very audience interactive. I would have loved to go to another show called The Reve at the Wynn but maybe next time.

Most every night we were out until 2am walking, looking at the sights, people watching or doing some gambling. In the time we were there, we walked from one end of the strip to the other. We went down to the Luxor and walked around inside and then decided to go to the Body Exhibit they were holding there. We ate at Margaritaville where Jeremy ordered a huge thing of ribs and we had delicious drinks. The atmosphere was really fun inside and they had great music playing. We walked through the M&M store and were overwhelmed with all the things and didn't even make it through all four floors. We walked through numerous casinos/hotels that included Caesar's Palace, the Wynn, the Venetian, the Palazzo, the MGM Grand, the Luxor, New York, New York, Paris, Treasure Island, the Riviera, the Flamingo, the Bellagio and Excalibur.

We discovered our favorite gambling machine, Wheel of Fortune at the Wynn. We had a blast sitting there together playing. At one point we had our money up quite a bit and then we decided to take chances and lost it. We didn't care because we were having a good time. We went back to this same machine 3 or 4 times during our week there.

My two favorite things we did were riding in the gondola at the Venetian and going up in the Eiffel Tower at Paris. The Venetian is so fun to walk through because they have made it look like there is blue sky and clouds above you and you are walking outside, all while inside. The atmosphere is amazing and the music floating through makes you really feel like you are walking down the streets in Italy. The gondolas were very romantic especially when your boatman sang a song in Italian for you as you lazily floated down the river. My next favorite thing was going up in the Eiffel Tower. We went up while it was still light but the sunlight started to fade while we were up there. The best part aside from the view was watching the fountains at the Bellagio dance to music. We got some great pictures! Then to top it off after coming down we went over to the fountains and watched them again and got a completely different experience.

We had a wonderful time but didn't even come close to seeing everything that Vegas had to offer. We will make plans in the future to go back for more!

My Wedding!!!

2009-10-10T08:29:00.000-07:00

The minute I woke up, I immediately started getting excited! Today was my wedding day, the day I have looked forward to forever!

The morning was very laid back and we took our time getting showers done and getting everything ready to take with us. We had to make sure that nothing was forgotten. Jenny and I were a little late getting to our hair appointment and both Karen and Andrea met us there. My hair dresser Becky and a fellow worker were all ready to work on our hair and make us beautiful.

Becky started working on my hair first so she could spend her time getting it perfect. Since Jeremy loves my hair long and straight we decided to leave most of it down with just the sides up. She came up with the idea to tease my hair on top and create a bump that the veil comb could go in so it would stay. It's amazing how much you can get hair to do what you want with tons of hair gel and hairspray. She twisted several bunches of hair back on either side and secured them with bobby pins. The veil fit perfectly and looked great.

After I was done, I began putting my makeup on. Of course the one thing you dread is getting a zit for your wedding day. I had been fighting it for a couple of days and it wasn't quite gone. Becky gave me some special cover-up for it and you couldn't even see it on my chin. After my makeup was on I walked around talking with the girls and taking pictures as they had their hair done. As the morning wore on Jenny noticed I was getting a little bit antsy about the time. It was getting close to 1pm and we still hadn't eaten lunch. Jenny and I took off to get some sandwiches at Subway and then on to the church. I must have been quite the sight sitting in the car at Subway with my veil on waiting for Jenny. People would walk by and do a double take. Haha! I wanted to be at the church between 1 and 1:30pm so I could start getting ready and have time to take care of any last minute things.

The photographer got there around 2pm and started taking pictures of the boys getting ready. I had made sure to have so much time that I was actually getting bored and really antsy! Jeremy had decided early on that he didn't want to see me before the ceremony. This meant that we had to take individual pictures of the guys and girls and the together and family pictures after the ceremony. It was pretty funny to watch how our coordinator scouted out to make sure Jeremy was no where to be seen when it was my turn to take pictures.

When pictures were finished, the wedding party minus Jeremy got situated in our room and waited. We were able to wait in the "cry" room which has windows that are one way so we could see out but people couldn't see in. It was great to look out and see the guests arriving and knowing they couldn't see you. I was very excited and kept pacing back and forth because I wanted to get the show on the road! Everything looked so beautiful and the music was perfect. I'm even getting excited as I am writing this!

When it was just my dad and I left in the room he probably thought I was nuts. I was watching Jeremy escort my mom and his mom down the aisle to seat them. It was the first time I had seen him that day and the first time seeing him in a tux. He looked so cute and I kept jumping up and down wanting to be out there so bad! Finally it was my turn!!! Jenny, our coordinator had come up with the idea for closing the doors behind the bridal party and then opening them back up for me and giving me a grand entrance. I loved the idea and it worked out perfect. I was all smiles walking down the aisle and watching Jeremy's face and seeing his reaction.

The ceremony was beautiful and we both were able to say our lines without messing up and the rings slipped on our fingers without a hitch. I had found our vows online and loved what they said. We had my parents unity candle burning but decided to have communion instead just between Jeremy, me and Dick(the officiant).

After the ceremony we went to sign the marriage license right away. While we were finishing taking pictures, the guests headed into the reception where they were able to go through the tortilla/salsa bar and have special coffees made while waiting for us. Pictures didn't last very long and then we made our grand entrance. We got started right away on going through the buffet line and eating that yummy mexican food!
Next thing on the agenda was dancing, one of my favorite things. Jeremy and I had a great time talking and laughing during our dance. Then my dad and I got up there and had a blast dancing to Creedence Clearwater Revival. Jeremy and his mom also danced and had to stop early because Carla, his mom started tearing up.

The cake and toasts were next and I wasn't sure how we would do the cake feeding since we hadn't talked about it yet. When it was time, Jeremy surprised me and smeared it all over my face! It was pretty funny and he did help me clean it off. My dad and Jeremy both said a little something and thanked everyone for coming. My sister started crying part way through and had to turn around facing the other direction to finish. Ron, Jeremy's best man made up a rhyming poem that was awesome.
After that Jeremy and I walked around to the different tables saying hi and thanking people for coming. Then we got our groove on and started dancing and letting loose. Jeremy had said he might not dance much because it wasn't his thing, however I was very surprised and impressed how often he came out to dance with me. I had a blast doing the Cotton Eyed Joe song and even the YMCA.
As time passed, I started getting excited about what we were leaving the reception in. My family had been very secretive and wouldn't tell us at all. Both of us left to change clothes and get our bags together. When it was time, the guests who were left had sparklers for us to run through and waiting for us was a 1930's vintage limo. Our driver had champagne and old love songs playing for us. The car was great and really fun to ride in. He drove us to our hotel, the Hampton Inn where we were staying the night.

The room was great with a see through fireplace and a jacuzzi tub. The first thing I noticed after walking in was the most gorgeous bouquet of red roses for me! Jeremy had ordered them the day before and made sure they were in the room for me to find. We had a relaxing night of watching tv, opening up cards and....ok I think that is about all you are going to hear about the rest of the night!
It was a wonderful day and everything went exactly as planned. One of the best days of my life!!!

Day before the wedding

2009-10-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

Us girls woke up at a decent time at Karen's and quickly got ready. We decided instead of breakfast to run into Starbucks for coffee and little goodies. I got my favorite Pumpkin Spice Latte and a pumpkin scone to go with it! Yummy!

Then we made our way over to our nail appointment right down the road. Having pedicures was a must for all of us and I was still debating about getting my nails worked on. Pedicures are always a little slice of heaven and I enjoyed every minute of it! It was even better with picking out the best orange color that I loved! As I was nearing completion, I did decide to have my nails cut and painted so they would look good when I had pictures taken of my hands with the ring on it. Andrea and I had our nails worked on together and were able to chat while having them done. After our appointment, we decided to have lunch somewhere and walked a couple of doors down to the Pita Pit.

After we were finished with lunch, we headed to the church to start decorating. We were given clearance to get the decorating done the day before. We were very thankful for that so the next day could be more relaxed. We had a lot of people there helping including my aunt B and uncle Ed, all the bridemaids and my family. Chandra, our flower lady was also able to be there. Jeremy showed up a little later with his brother and not long after that his mom Carla and Jerry.

With so many people helping, we were able to get it done pretty quickly. We had people split up and some stayed in the sanctuary to help and others went to the reception room to decorate. My sister headed to the reception room as my liazon. She knew exactly what I wanted and how I wanted the tables to look. I wasn't too picky and knew they would look good. I bounced back and forth checking in to see how everything was coming along. It didn't take us very long, of course it helped that I didn't have too many decorations and made it pretty simple.

For the sanctuary, my parents had bought an awning for us to get married under. My dad had added extenders to increase the height so Jeremy could fit underneath! Then we found some off-white material and draped it over the awning and pooled it by each side on the floor. We had a little table set up towards the back of the awning where the communion would be held. We put on a tablecloth, had my parents original unity candle with a newly made candle ring of flowers around it and our blue goblet that my mom's friend Melody had etched our names into. We gathered some artificial trees from around the church and placed them around the awning for color. We were able to find a couple of trees with orange leaves that went along with the color scheme. We placed two small pom pom trees in front of each side of the awning and Chandra made them poppy trees by sticking cut off poppy flowers in them. I loved them! Chandra also made two flower arrangements that she hooked onto the front two corners of the awning.

I was especially happy about how the tables for the reception turned out. The church provided white tablecloths and then we rented royal blue overlays. In the middle of the table we put a silver charger plate and a vase with poppies. There were two different vases I picked out that were placed on every other table. I also picked out two different types of filler for the vases. Half had broken green glass and the other half had rounded green stones. Three poppies were put in each vase with green grass for filler. One day while mom and I had been at Paper Factory, we saw these blue mini chinese take out boxes on sale. We loved them and bought a bunch of them. Those boxes were put at everyone's place at the table. We decided to fill them with our favorite candy, so half the box were peanut m&m's and the other half were sour patch kids. My sister made cute tags that read, "These are a few of our favorite things" I wanted the favors to be something the guests could take home and not just toss away in the garbage and I knew no one could throw away candy!

A table was set up off in one corner for the cake. The cake wasn't a big deal to me and I was having a simple two-tiered cake made and then several different kinds of sheetcakes that could be easily cut up for the guests. My mom's friend Melody also etched two other glasses with our names and the date for us to drink during the toasts and they were placed on the table as well. Numerous other tables were put up on one side of the room closest to the kitchen for the food to be set up on. We had our food catered from Fiesta Mexican Restaurant and would also have a lady there making fresh tortillas with a salsa bar.

After everything was checked over, it was time to start the rehearsal. Jenny, our coordinator slowly took us through each step and made sure to answer any questions. We figured out exactly where we were to stand during each part of the ceremony. She even made it easier for us by putting colored dot stickers on the floor that no one else could see! Dan Porter was our music man and the rehearsal gave us a chance to go through it and play the songs at the right points. It was great to hear it all coming together and it made me that much more excited about the next day and the real deal! We went through the ceremony a couple of times until everyone felt comfortable.

Now it was time to eat! We took off for Round Table where we had reserved their party room. We started ordering all different kinds of pizza and breadsticks to be made. While those were getting ready, those who wanted salad went to the salad bar. Once the pizzas started arriving, everyone just sat back and relaxed and visited with each other. We spent a couple of hours there and then people started heading home.

Jeremy headed back to stay the night in Hermiston and I was staying at my parents. As I kissed him goodbye, I told him the next time he would see me I would be walking down the aisle!!

Bachelorette party

2009-10-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

As it got closer to my wedding, my sister planned for me and my bridesmaids to get together and have dinner at Olive Garden. Of course I love that place and couldn't wait. Then afterwards we would head to Karen's house, one of my bridesmaids to watch movies and spend the night.

After the football party Ron and Lori threw us, I started to think about my friends in Tri-Cities I hadn't seen. So I decided to have some of my friends join us at Olive Garden for dinner so I could visit with them. Three of my friends were able to come and we had a great time! The three who came were Erin who I went to high school with, Nicole who I had worked at Kania Clinic with and Lori who I went to x-ray school with. Andrea, another of my bridesmaids wasn't able to make it to dinner because of school but came later to Karen's.

Dinner was great as usual and all my friends got along great and conversation flowed. We sat around and talked wedding details until we were stuffed.

Then Jenny and Karen and I headed over to Karen's house. We weren't there very long and Andrea showed up earlier then expected. We immediately got into our pajamas and Karen made everyone a drink to sip on. We sat around talking and taking some pictures and then we put a movie in. We finished that and decided to head to bed because we had a busy day coming up.

I had a great night spending time with my closest friends and relaxing before the wedding.

Viking's football party

2009-10-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

Jeremy chose his long time friend Ron to be his best man at the wedding. They had worked together at Walmart for many years and Jeremy was practically part of their family.

As the wedding got closer, Ron and his wife Lori decided to throw us a bachelor/bachelorette party! Jeremy's favorite football team are the Minnesota Vikings and it just so happened that they had a game on Monday October 5th, the week of the wedding.

So Ron and Lori got reservations at Midway, one of the local taverns in Hermiston. They posted the event as an open house on Facebook and invited lots of people that knew one of us or both Jeremy and I.

Jeremy skipped bowling that night and Ron came to pick us up. We were both wearing the jerseys that Jeremy bought for us. Ron also gave us hats that said bride and groom and mine even had a veil. We had to get pictures with our hats on before getting in the van, per Lori!

When we got to the tavern, Lori had decorated with streamers in the colors yellow and purple and put up signs all over. She even had placed a special order for cupcakes with thick frosting of yellow and purple and cupcakes in the shape of a football. It happened to be taco night at Midway and we ordered some right away. They started us with some drinks and then we just sat back as the game got started. Some people stayed the whole game and chatted while others came later and said a quick congrats before heading out.

It was a really good game and the Vikings won!! This of course made Jeremy very happy and he was having a great time. I was able to meet lots of his friends and guys that he worked with. Lori and I mostly stood around laughing and watching Ron and Jeremy together. I played pool a couple of times and had my streaks of greatness and then my streaks of nothingness.

Towards the end of the night, it was the four of us and only a couple of friends. Ron and Jeremy played numerous games of pool and it was hilarious to watch them play and their interaction especially after they both had consumed many drinks! Finally it was early in the morning and we left about the time the tavern was closing. We decided we were starving and drove through Jack and the Box for food. Then they came in and got a tour of the house before heading home.

Later Lori gave me a photo/scrapbook filled with pictures and words of advice from everyone who had been at the party. We loved it and what a great way for us to remember that night and the fun we had.

"Heart" concert

2009-09-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

I had been so excited to go to this "Heart" concert since I first heard they were coming to the Tri-Cities. I had seen them the previous year in Seattle when they were on tour with "Journey" and "Cheap Trick."

I knew I was getting a ticket I just didn't know who I would go with. Jeremy would have gone with me if I had asked him but I didn't think it was his kind of concert. I get debating over the next couple of months and then Jeremy mentioned that his mom loved them and maybe I should ask her. I thought that was a great idea and called her up right away. She said she would love to come and would ask for a couple of days off so she could also come down for a visit.

Finally the day came for the concert and I was so excited! Carla came early enough to Hermiston that we were able to sit around and visit before getting in the car and heading to Tri-Cities. Jeremy came with us and hung out with my parents while we were gone.

One of the best parts about the concert was that they were the only ones singing and we didn't have to wait for anyone to open for them. We had great seats and had a fantastic view of the stage. Everyone screamed when they came on stage and I had to try and control myself since I was with my future mother-in-law!!!

I sang to the songs, took lots of pictures and even video of my favorite songs. They sang all my favorite songs and so I was a happy girl. Carla really enjoyed herself and I'm glad we were able to spend that extra time together.

Breakdown

2009-09-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

So here it is the middle of September and the wedding is getting closer and closer. I really tried to keep calm and collected but I started getting stressed out about making sure everything was taken care of. Jeremy kept telling me to not worry about things and just go with the flow. I tried but I got caught up in the moment and started losing it before I could stop myself.

My breakdown came at the end of two very power packed days of appts. I had to get these appts in on my days off which only left mondays and tuesdays. Monday had been crazy with my mom and I scrambling all over town to make it to four different appts. We were literally running all day long and then I rushed back to Hermiston so I could watch Jeremy bowl in his league.

Tuesday proved to be another busy day and this time Jeremy decided to make the trip with me to Tri-Cities. As the day progressed I became more and more stressed and agitated. I wasn't a very nice person and the littlest things were setting me off. The drive home to Hermiston was not good with Jeremy. He tried to talk to me and see what he could do for me but nothing seemed to be helping.

Finally I broke down with him and started crying. I apologized for how I had been acting and for letting everything get to me and being stressed. He assured me he still loved me and we would get through this together. He offered to help me with whatever I needed and suggested I hand off things to people who were more then willing to help me.

I had been trying to do it all on my own but discovered that it only made things worse. I guess I just needed someone to be stern with me and tell me that this is the way it is going to be! That very next day I wrote out a list of everything that needed to be done or checked on. I called my mom and told her I needed help. She was more then willing to step in and I gave her a list of things to work on. After getting off the phone with her, I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I felt like now I could enjoy the rest of the planning and look forward to my wedding instead of dreading it. Haha!

Bridal Shower

2009-09-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

My sister Jenny who was also my maid of honor, planned my bridal shower for Labor day weekend. She tried to plan it far enough in advance so that people wouldn't be gone for the holiday. The shower was held at my mom's best friends house, Laurine Carey. She was like my second mom growing up and only had boys, so she loved being able to be involved in the wedding planning process.

It just so happened that Jeremy and I had driven in from Denver the day before. When we arrived at my parents, it was pouring rain and we decided to crash there for the night. Jeremy was able to go to my parents church the next day with the family. That was nice since that was where we were getting married.

Since I hadn't been home yet, I left early that afternoon for Hermiston so I could shower and change into my outfit for the bridal shower. Since Jeremy didn't have to dress up and was just going to hang with my dad, he stayed at my parents. Then my friend Tam came to pick me up so I could help her with directions and getting to Laurine's.

There was a big outcome of people and it was great to stand around and talk, especially to those I hadn't seen for awhile. As we got started, they let me know that the theme of the party was recipes. Everyone wrote out some of their favorite recipes and then included some of the ingredients and cookware needed to complete it. It was a great idea and I received lots of excellent recipes and tons of food. I also received non-food items that were more frilly, lacy and scandalous!! Hahaha!

At one point Laurine had me go inside and the ladies got into two different groups and they proceeded to use toilet paper to decorate one lady in their group to look like a bride. I was then supposed to pick my favorite but I liked them both so much that I chose them both.

For food, Laurine had made an orange punch and had nuts and peanut m&m's out to snack on. She also had everyone bring one of their recipes so I had a chance to try it out. It was a great way to see which recipes I really loved and would be making right away.

She decorated her back patio with pots of blue and orange flowers to go with my color scheme. She also made me a beautiful wall hanging with orange poppies! The weather was pleasant enough to have the whole party out on the back patio which was a good thing since Laurine said there wouldn't have been enough room inside for everyone. Haha!

Once the main eating started, I called my dad and Jeremy and had them come over and eat with us. Some of the ladies were able to meet Jeremy for the first time.

I got so many gifts that we had to cram them into several cars. We went back to my parents briefly then my sister, my parents, Jeremy, Tam and I headed to Hermiston. This way they could all help unload the gifts and see how the house unpacking was coming along.

My bridal shower turned out awesome! Thank you so much to my sister and Laurine for all the hard work!

Cross country drive

2009-09-04T08:23:00.000-07:00

So...when I bought Jeremy's plane ticket I only bought a one way. When I bought mine, I got a round trip. This proved to be a problem when we were trying to decide how to get Jeremy back home.

After thinking about it, he decided that the two of us would drive his dad's bronco back home. I will admit I was a little weary of how long it was going to take and how the two of us would be with each other during and after we got back. Long road trips like that can sometimes make or break a relationship and I didn't want it to break us. I was able to call and get my return flight cancelled and now I have a year to use that ticket.

Friday morning, the day we were taking off dawned bright and clear. We got up early and got ready and packed the things into the bronco. Then Jeremy's uncle took us to breakfast and we sat around talking. I guess we were trying to ward off the inevitable but we needed to get on the road. We had made sure to print off a bunch of mapquest directions before we left to make sure we knew where we were going.

After saying goodbye, we headed off on our journey. It didn't take long to get out of Denver and then we were on our way to Wyoming. This was the state we did most of our traveling in and boy was it boring. We wouldn't recommend driving through Wyoming anytime soon. There was a whole lot of nothing and everytime we came over a hill waiting to see some new landscape, we would be disappointed with the same old thing. It seemed to take forever to get through the state and finally it was starting to get dark and we decided to stop and spend the night in a town called Evanston, Wyoming. It was still early in the evening, so we went to dinner and then got a good nights sleep before getting up before dawn to start out again.

As we took off that next morning, we discovered we were only three miles from the border of Utah!! We had been so close to finally being out of the state of Wyoming!! Haha! This was going to be our big travel day and it turned out to be much more interesting with better sights to see. We made a deal that we would get gas whenever the tank got down to half, that way we wouldn't push the envelope. We would fill up on drinks and snacks everytime we filled up and make sure to have at least one good meal.

We had a plan every time we stopped for gas. We would fill the bronco up and then Jeremy would check the transmission fluid and add more if it needed. This plan wasn't decided right away and we had quite a few tense moments. I was the one driving and at first Jeremy assumed I knew what he wanted me to do and of course I didn't. After a few words and hurt feelings, we finally figured it out and had an enjoyable rest of the trip.

We ended up traveling for 12 hours that last day and going through 5 states that day that included Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. It would have been only 4 states but I forgot that I had left my keys with my parents and so didn't have a house key! Oops! It worked out good anyways because we were able to visit with my sister and cousin who were in town for my bridal shower the next day.

Jeremy and I were exhausted from traveling all day and didn't want to drive back to Hermiston, especially when it was pouring rain. So we crashed at my parents and had a leisurely time of waking up and having breakfast. The trip turned out to be a good experience for us and I'm happy to say we survived our first road trip together!!

Trip to Denver

2009-09-01T08:21:00.000-07:00

Well, even though I have always heard about Denver and the Rocky Mountains and have wanted to visit, my trip there in September wasn't what I had in mind.

Saturday, August 29 Jeremy received a call from his step sister in Colorado. She was quite hysterical and Jeremy had to tell her to calm down so he could understand what she was talking about. When he finally found out, the news wasn't good. She told him she was with his dad when he starting not feeling good and having chest pains. He decided he needed to go to the hospital when things took a turn for the worse. He began to go into cardiac arrest and the doctors began CPR on him. They worked on him as long as they could but he didn't make it. Although we are unsure of the whole story and what happened, one thing we do know is that it was his time to go whether we wanted him to or not.

It was awful being on the sidelines and watching how crushed Jeremy was when he found out his dad had just passed away. I tried to comfort him as best as I could but it was hard when I hadn't been able to meet his dad yet. I was going to get that opportunity at our wedding a little more then a month away. I happened to be on call that night and was able to get someone else to cover so I could be with Jeremy.

He became very out of it and was in a sort of daze. He couldn't make any decisions and just wondered around. I immediately decided that we needed to pack our bags and drive to Tri-Cities that night and stay with my parents. Then I could use their computer and find a last minute plane ticket for him. We would also be closer to the airport as well. It all worked out and he was able to fly out the next morning around 11am.

It was heart wrenching saying goodbye to him at the airport. I don't know how a 6 ft 5 in guy can look like a little kid, but he sure did that day. He kept asking me if I would be able to fly down to be with him. I told him I would do my best to get the time off of work and let him know. I had switched shifts with someone and had to work Monday. I went to work and talked to my boss and was able to take the rest of the week off. I found a last minute flight for me too and flew out September 1st to Denver.

I was able to meet a bunch of his family and hang out with them. I helped Jeremy out by going with him and his cousin Paul to get his dad's paperwork and affairs in order. Many of those trips were back and forth between Denver and Limon where his dad had lived which was an hour and 15 min trip each way! There were many frustrating moments because people needed paperwork or information we didn't have. Many times they wouldn't agree to Jeremy being the sole heir and signer for his dad's paperwork. Finally the day before we left we were able to take care of most everything. There is still some things being taken care of by Jeremy's aunt Jane and I'm sure there will still be things to do in the future.

It wasn' t exactly how I wouldv'e planned my trip to Denver being, but I'm so glad I was able to go and be a support for Jeremy. Such a hard thing to have to deal with and even harder with our wedding right around the corner.

Moving!

2009-08-07T08:20:00.000-07:00

So the minute Jeremy and I got back into town from the beach, we headed straight to our realtor's to pick up the house key. We had planned on having my parents available to help move as well as our friend Scott but things didn't quite work out.

Jeremy and I changed into comfortable clothes and decided to start moving my things little by little. The weather was so nice and everything went so smoothly that the two of us were able to get everything moved by ourselves. It took us four trips but it was great to know that it was done.

Now the process of moving boxes out of the garage little by little and putting them away. Organizing...one of my favorite things to do and one of my hobbies!!

Beach time!

2009-08-05T08:19:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh I love going to the beach for vacation! It's so relaxing and laid back. Such a nice change from home and my job. I was also stoked to have Jeremy come along and for him to be able to relax and hang out with my family.

This year my parents had rented two houses next to each other. The first weekend, my mom's best friend Laurine and her husband Dan came and then my aunt and my sister came from Seattle. It was the first time my aunt had been there and she was staying for a whole week. For sleeping arrangements, Jeremy stayed with my parents in one house and my aunt, sister and I stayed in the other.

Jeremy was a little irritated because the one time he got to sleep in and catch up and he kept waking up around 6am! I didn't have a problem getting more sleep and both him and my dad would end up walking down by the beach together. Days were spent walking around downtown Cannon Beach, watching movies, reading books, playing games, playing on the computer, going to the beach, driving to Seaside to look at antiques and go grocery shopping and just plain relaxing.

During the week we kept up on the weather to see if one of the days we could head down to the beach for the day. Wednesday proved to be that day and all of us packed our stuff up to spend the day down there. My sister had even made two wind shields for us to put up that worked great. We even brought down snacks and our food for lunch so the only reason we had to go back to the house was to go to the bathroom. Of course I had my swimsuit on and planned to go in the water at least once if not more. I had already been able to go in a couple of times over the past few days. Jeremy and I went in further then we thought and ended up soaking ourselves with our clothes on and then mom went with me and soaked herself! It was a great day for the beach. The weather was warmer and there was just a slight breeze. We sat around and read, we learned to fly several of dad's kites, we played frisbee, we got in the water, we soaked up some sun and we took pictures. Flying the kites was great, especially the big one. You had to steer it with two hands and sometimes it got a little wild and you had to dig your feet in to stop. Jeremy taught me some good pointers and I was able to fly it by myself without help. One time my sister started taping me flying the kite and I was doing really good. Then all of a sudden there was a gust of wind and I got off balance. I was trying to save the kite from nose driving and was able to, except I lost my footing and fell flat on my backside in the sand!! Of course Jenny got it all on camera!! Such great memories.

We had decided for each of us to have a night to cook dinner and then we would be on our own for breakfast and lunch. This worked out pretty well and we didn't have to stress too much about what to do. My night to cook ended up being Thursday night the day before Jeremy and I had to leave. Earlier in that day, all of us had been downtown and Jeremy asked me on a date to go to dinner, just the two of us. I helped get dinner started and then we took off in the pouring rain to find a place. We ended up at Mo's and had a great view of the ocean from where we were sitting. Then we decided to take a drive instead of heading right back. We stopped at a view point to take pictures and continued to a place called Hug Point. We got out of the car and did a bit of hiking up a hill to get a good view and to take some pictures. Then we walked down to the beach and walked along for quite awhile until we decided we needed to get back before it got too dark. It was fun with just the two of us exploring. When we got back, the rest of the family was watching a movie and they were starting to get worried since we had been gone for over three hours.

The next morning was sad because Jeremy and I had to leave and head home. Its always a bummer to leave the beach. However, I was excited to get back and pick up the key to the new house!!!

The time at the beach was great this year and I'm so glad that Jeremy was able to come and experience it all!!

My own house!!

2009-07-31T15:01:00.000-07:00

While Jeremy and I were dating, we had started looking at houses for sale in Hermiston and Umatilla. We already knew we were getting married and decided we didn't want to keep living in apartments.

First we decided to see about getting a home loan and seeing how much we qualifed for. My mom had always told me growing up that when I decided to buy a house with my husband to make sure we bought it on one income so when children came along, I wouldn't have to work. Jeremy and I talked about it and decided on an average monthly mortagage and a price we wouldn't go above. We were really surprised of how much we could qualify for but with our choice to budget we were able to look at houses between $140,000 to $180,000.

Many nights were spent looking online and printing off our favorites. Then we chose a realtor because of the fact that Jeremy knew him. He was very helpful and let us know this was a great time to buy. We gave him our favorites and he also looked up some others we have missed. He made some phone calls and some appts to see the houses. We spent most of one day driving around taking tours and getting a better idea of what we liked and disliked. One of the first houses we toured, Jeremy fell in love with it. We kept going and looked at our other choices to make sure, but we ended up back at that same house in the end.

The house had been built the prior year but hadn't been lived in yet. It was on the higher end of our budget but we were able to work with the loan people and the seller. Everything was so exciting! We were impatient to get through all the paperwork and find out when the closing date would be. When we finally found out they told us July 24th. We tried to be positive from the beginning but people get telling us that things seem to always come up and the closing date gets pushed back.

Now it was out of our hands and we had to wait a month and a half. We would call occasionally to get an update but there wasn't much else we could do. As it started getting closer we kept calling and probably annoyed the heck out of our realtor and loan guy.

I was also getting really nervous about getting my stuff out of my apartment and finding a place for it. Another stress for me was that we were headed to the beach for a week and the closing date was getting too close to when we were leaving for my taste. Jeremy kept telling me to stay calm and he would get it figured out. I really tried but I couldn't help getting a little stressed. It ended up that our realtor had a shed I was able to move my stuff into until we got back from vacation. Jeremy and I moved most of my things ourselves and had our friend Scott help with the big items.

The Friday before we left to the beach, we got the call that it was the day!! I was able to get off work early and drove straight over to the title company. It was so exciting to be signing papers but after awhile your hand started aching! Haha! After completing the paperwork, we had to drive to Tri-Cities to get a cashiers check for the down payment and closing costs.

Now I felt like we could leave for the coast and have a relaxing time. The only bummer was that we had to wait to pick up our keys until after we got back. Still we had a HOUSE!!!!

Table decorations

2009-07-20T15:30:00.000-07:00

I stayed pretty simple with my table decorations. I didn't want a whole bunch of things on the table that would make it hard for the guests to visit and see each other across the table. We decided to use white tablecloths that the church provided and then we rented royal blue overlays for over the tablecloths.

My mom and I had made an appointment at the place we rented everything from and we left there with a different setup then what I had pictured in my head. I knew we were going to have favor boxes and I had the idea to put them on cake plates in the middle of the tables. That way they were all centralized and it also gave some height to the table. The flowers would be placed in a vase in the middle of the plate, also adding height. So at the appointment we started playing with different ideas and setting things up so I could see it. We decided that the cake plate idea wasn't the best. One reason why was because the guests might not know that they could take the favors. The second reason being that if the favors were taken, the plate would look bare with just the vase of flowers in the middle and nothing else. So we pondered different ideas and came to the decision that we would use two different sizes of vases with three poppies and some grass in it. Even though we placed our order, I left there feeling like I had been talked into something I didn't want.

My mom and I went to a flower appointment with Chandra a week or so later and I told her about my experience. She had worked with them numerous times before and she told me to head back there and pick out what I wanted since it was my wedding. This time we just walked in instead of making an appointment which turned out to be much better. The ladies that had been there before were gone and a women let us look around the room with all their vases. She gave me suggestions but ultimately I picked what I wanted. I stayed with one of the vases and then picked an entirely different one for the second vase. I also picked out two different types of green filler to go in the bottom of the vases.

After the second time, I finally left there feeling satisfied and excited to see it all put together.

Mark and Kate's Wedding

2009-07-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

The month of July brought another wedding in the Willer family. This time it was Mark and Kate getting married.

I was able to take off from work early. I drove straight to my parents and changed clothes and then my dad and I rode together. My sister was the wedding coordinator and my mom and her had already been at the church for most of the day helping.
The wedding and reception was held at the church in Etopia, WA. The colors Kate chose were bright and cheerful and perfect for that time of year during the summer. She chose lime green, orange and yellow and used real oranges, limes and lemons in the decorations. Mark loves this certain drink and they were able to personalize the wrapper on each bottle and every guest had one at their seat. After they were announced, everyone began to line up to go through the buffet line.

After everyone had a chance to eat, people moved outside for the reception. The weather was not too warm with a little breeze. The rest of the night was filled with tons of fun dancing and music. I was having a great time and decided to stay a little longer when the rest of my family headed home. The wedding turned out great and I'm glad I was able to go.

X-ray Reunion

2009-07-11T15:29:00.000-07:00

This year marked the 2nd year of being out of school. Some of the people from class decided to put together a reunion and get as many of us together as possible. We decided that July would work for the majority and a good number turned out.

I drove to Tri-Cities and met Chelsie at her parent's house. We then drove together so that we could chat and catch up with each other. All of us first met up at Red Robin for lunch, then we headed to a bar/restuarant and sat around talking. It was great to visit with people and find out where everyone was working and living. I was able to tell everyone my great news of being engaged. After that for the rest of the night we went around to a couple of bars for drinks and visiting.

Chelsie and I were able to stay at her friend's house and then headed home the next day. The night brought back some great memories and I got some good pictures.

Wedding Flowers

2009-07-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

Flowers make a big statement at a wedding and I wanted mine to be great. Ever since I could remember I have loved Poppies, especially Orange Poppies. I had always dreamed of having them at my wedding.

Chandra, a friend of my sister's who started her own business agreed to do the flowers. I knew that poppies weren't in season and I would have to have artificial ones and I was ok with that. Chandra was able to find flowers that were called real touch and you had to do a double take to make sure they weren't actually real. I decided to get them for my bouquet and for my bridesmaids. The other orange poppies I was able to find at Michael's. We even ordered more of them from the Michael's in Spokane. The flowers from Michael's were used for the boutonnieres, the cake and the table decorations.

For my bouquet, I decided on the real touch poppies and blue hydrangea. For my bridesmaids, all I wanted for them to carry was one single long stemmed poppy with some blue and orange ribbon hanging down. I wanted the orange poppy to "pop" against the blue of their dresses.

We planned to be married under a Hoopah, which in Jewish symbolizes the house and life we will share together. We created our own by buying an awning and our own fabric. We thought the fabric could be draped over the top and pool at the bottom. My dad took off the awning material and raised the whole structure so Jeremy could get under it! We rented two pompom trees and I had the idea of placing extra poppies randomly throughout them. She also created corner arrangements for the hoopah and a candle ring to go around my parents unity candle from their wedding.

I was getting excited to see everything come together on the big day!!!

We have secured the venue!

2009-07-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

Finding a place for us to get married was quite stressful. Every place we looked at was so expensive and there was no way we were going to pay that kind of money. We decided to check with Bethel, my parent's church to see if they had an opening and what we would need to do to secure the date.

There were a few issues that included us not dating for as long as Bethel would have liked and we needed to go through premarital counseling. Bethel would like couples to be together for at least a year before their wedding. The total time Jeremy and I would have been together would have only been 9 months. However, we did have a liazon with Dick Erickson. He was an elder at the church that I had known for many years and we decided to have him marry us. He came to our rescue and talked to some of the other elders and helped us be able to get through the red tape. He offered to counsel us four times over the course of our first year of marriage.

I was excited to use the large sanctuary for the ceremony and then be able to walk down the hall to the fellowship hall for the reception. Using the fellowship hall also gave us the opportunity to use the kitchen and the coffee cafe.

Securing the venue took a lot of stress off my shoulders and started getting me excited for the big day!

4th of July

2009-07-05T14:55:00.000-07:00

Since 4th of July is my favorite holiday, I decided to take the day off of work since it was on a Saturday. Another reason to take the day off was that my sister was visiting that weekend. That week ended up being great because we also got Friday off in observance of the holiday so I only worked two days that week!
I left early that morning and got to my parents in time to leave for the parade. We sat with the same people as usual and had a great time. After we got home, we all relaxed and sat around visiting. Jenny and I were able to get a lot done for the wedding. At one time, both of us were sitting in the living room with each of us on our own computer. Quite the comical picture! As it got later in the afternoon, we finished up getting ready for the bbq.

We had a small amount of people come over for the bbq. We had great food and we all just sat around and talked and relaxed. Halfway through the evening, I went over to the neighbors bbq to visit. I wanted to spend some more time with Robyn, who was heading back with her family to Alaska the next day. When it was time to head down to the river to watch the fireworks, I walked down with my mom and sister. We spread our blanket out and plopped ourselves down. When our neighbors got there, they ended up sitting with us too. The fireworks were great as usual! All in all it was a great holiday.

Found: Wedding Dress!!

2009-06-21T14:54:00.000-07:00

Sunday, the next day after the wedding mom, Laurine and I headed up to Seattle to go wedding dress shopping. I was so excited!!!! Everything happened so suddenly with the planning of this trip and everyone I wanted there was able to come. I had made an appt at David's Bridal for Monday, but then Jenny found a cute little dress shop to go to on Sunday. We figured if I found something I could put it on hold and still go to David's Bridal.

This shop was called Cynderelli's Closet and the women who worked there were awesome. They first started out by taking measurements and getting my likes and dislikes. Then they collected dresses for me to try on and I started the exciting process. Everytime I came out of the dressing room I was able to stand up on a platform in front of a mirror and spin around for my onlookers. My fan club consisted of my mom, my sister, my Aunt Beth, my cousin Lisa and Laurine. For every dress they ooh and ahhed and Laurine took pictures.

The fourth dress I tried on I wasn't sure about when I saw it on the hanger. But I was willing to give it a try knowing I might find something I would never have thought about otherwise. The moment the dress was on, I knew it was the one. It fit like a glove and I felt amazing in it. When I walked out, my family knew right away that it was the dress. They could tell by my smile and body language and they loved the way it looked on me.

I did try some other dresses on but always came back to my favorite and had to try it on again to make sure. God was so good because it was within my price range and I was also able to get my veil there.

Now...you are probably wanting me to describe the dress to you or post a picture but where is the fun in that. I won't be giving out my secrets and you will have to wait with everyone else to see it on me at the wedding!

Kevin and Kim's Wedding

2009-06-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

I was able to get off work early and met my parents at the church in Kennewick. The ceremony was nice with the reception following at the convention center. The decorations were great at the reception and we all sat at tables. We sat around visiting and drinking coffee while we waited for Kevin and Kim to finish taking pictures. Once they arrived we were served our sit down dinner and very shortly after that the cake.

Then the party really started with music and dancing! We had a lot of fun dancing. I danced with some of the kids quite a bit, but boy do they make you tired. I was having such a good time that when my parents decided to head home, I opted to stay for a while longer.

One of the best parts of the wedding was getting to hang out with Robyn, Kevin's sister who was visiting with her family from Alaska. It had been a couple of years since I had seen her.

Traci's Surprise Birthday party

2009-06-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

My cousin Eddie, Traci's husband decided to throw her a surprise birthday party. It was also a time for friends and family to say goodbye to them since they were moving to California that next week. We had known about this party for many months and it was exciting when the day finally came. I was able to get the day off and drove to Tri-Cities to travel over with my parents and my sister.
We got to the party location in plenty of time to help finish setting up. Finally people starting arriving and bringing their food for the potluck. We had everyone sitting down when Traci came in and she was pretty surprised. Eddie had created a powerpoint presentation of her life and we got started on that right away. He had tons of pictures and it was also set to music. He did a wonderful job on it. He had even flown in her best friend from New York!! When Liz walked in, Traci started crying and there wasn't a dry eye in the place.After the powerpoint, everyone migrated into the other room for the potluck dinner. All the food was great and there were so many good things you almost were overwhelmed. After eating people mingled and talked with each other. The a DJ friend of theirs started playing music and got the place hopping! He played some great songs and tons of people were out dancing. Things started fizzling out around10:30 and we started to clean up. With everyone helping it didn't take too long and we were home around 1am.

The party was great and a complete success!!

I'm Engaged!!!

2009-06-10T11:32:00.000-07:00

Wow! Oh my gosh! I can't believe that I am engaged. This is something I have looked forward to all my life and I was finally able to experience it. Jeremy was so sweet with how he asked me.

We had decided to head to Tri-Cities after both of us got off work. On the way there, he said he wanted to go for a walk down at the river and wanted to make sure we had a chance to swing on the swingset down there. I didn't think anything suspicious about wanting to go for a walk and swing. We had been down there before but didn't have a chance to swing.

We decided to go out to dinner instead of cooking and went to one of my favorite places, Inca. After dinner we headed back to my parents and just sat around relaxing and visiting. I asked Jeremy if he wanted to go for that walk and he said it wasn't the right time. We waited another 20 min and that way we would be able to catch a little bit of the sunset.

When we got to the river, we lazily walked holding hands and talked about nothing in particular. We made sure to get on the swing set right away. Of course I had a blast and swung as high as I could and giggled the whole time. He probably thought I was crazy but it was the child in me coming out! We did some more walking and then sat down at a bench. We continued talking mostly about the future and the things we wanted to do. He said he knew that he needed to get the ball rolling and officially ask me but he wanted to make it special. He had said this all before and I didn't think anything of it. He continued talking and said that tonight was that special night. I whipped my head around and all of a sudden he popped the question!!! I said yes and then couldn't catch my breath! I almost cried then I was laughing and couldn't stop smiling.

When we got back to my parents house, the rest of the night was a blur. Laurine, my mom's best friend came over, I ran to some of the neighbor's houses and I was on the phone quite a bit. I called my sister and she was so excited. I also called my aunt and she screamed for 30 seconds. There was so much excitement going on that we didn't leave until 10:30 that night.

The whole night was wonderful and I hope to never forget the details.

Summer Activities

2009-06-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

So, the warmer weather has finally arrived and with it comes summer and plenty of activities to take part in. Jeremy and I were going to take a break from bowling this summer but were talked into the summer league by some good friends of ours. We are having a good time and having fun.

Jeremy decided to be part of a softball team. The games are on Monday nights and its fun to go sit with his best friend Scott's wife Tamara while watching the boys play. Jeremy is a great player and can really hit the ball!

Summer basketball has also started and Jeremy is busy with that a couple of nights a week. Those participating are girls from Umatilla High School and 8th graders going into high school this fall. He absolutely loves coaching basketball and is awesome at it. I am excited to be a part of it and being a support with going to any game I can. Just earlier this week, I was able to help carpool some of the girls to play some games outside of Pendleton.

Who said just because summer is here that you get to sit around and relax! Haha! Both Jeremy and I like staying busy and getting to spend time with friends while having fun.

Meeting mom

2009-05-15T08:50:00.000-07:00

So earlier this week, I was able to meet Jeremy's mom Carla for the first time. She lives in Idaho and came down for an overnight stay. She came to visit with him and also to meet me. I was a little nervous, but once I started talking with her all the nervousness went away. She was very easy to talk with and we had a great time. We talked a little bit at Jeremy's and then decided to go to lunch. We had already driven through Hermiston without picking a place and just decided to continue on to Tri-Cities early. Our plan was to head to Tri-Cities later that afternoon and have dinner with my parents. When I called to say that we were on the way there my mom freaked out because she hadn't had a chance to run her errands yet. She was going to meet us for lunch but said she would see us at home so she could get her stuff done. After lunch we headed to my parents house and my dad happened to be home for lunch. He was able to meet her and we sat around and talked until my mom got home. The afternoon was pretty lazy which was nice. I helped my mom get dinner prepped so we could relax. Then my mom and his mom sat out on the swing and visited while Jeremy and I went to get coffee for everyone. Dinner was wonderful and afterwards we played a couple of games of Farkel. All in all, the visit was great and I'm glad she was also able to meet my parents. I had to go to work the next day but Jeremy and his mom were able to visit before he headed to work. He told me later that they talked about me and my parents and she said how much she liked us!! Hopefully Jeremy and I can make a trip sometime this summer to Idaho to visit her.

I'm Vice President!

2009-05-09T08:21:00.000-07:00

Thursday night was the last night for my bowling league. To end our season we decided to have some fun. We did something called Blind Scotch Doubles. All of our names were put into a hat and then they were chosen at random. All of us had partners and one person would throw the first ball; if they got a strike then great, but if they didn't get them all down the other partner would try and get a spare. My partner and I didn't do the best. I couldn't bowl for the life of me that night, but at least I had fun! After we were done, awards and money were handed out. My partner and I got last place but still got $7 each. We didn't get any awards but our team had a lot of fun! Then we nominated and voted on new officers for the next year. I was nominated for Vice President and got it!! Haha! Actually Jeremy had the job the last year but he has too many other things going on and won't be able to bowl next year, so I took his place. I thought I was getting some time to relax on Thursday nights but we start Summerbowl next week. I have to keep up on my game!

Chillin with the parents

2009-05-01T16:53:00.000-07:00

Since dating Jeremy, we have started a tradition of hanging out with my parents on Tuesday nights. Sometimes we have met them somewhere for dinner and have enjoyed just sitting around talking. Mostly though I help my mom fix something for dinner and then we end up either playing a game or sitting around playing mom's Nintendo DS.

A couple weeks ago, Jeremy and I helped mom and dad clean up the patio and we had our dinner out there. It was beautiful weather and it was great to just sit and relax and visit. We also built a fire and made s'mores! I'm sure we will have many more times like that to come.

We did even plan that sometimes mom and dad would come down to Hermiston and we could go out to eat or make something at the apt. However, Jeremy likes going to Tri-Cities because it's his one night a week he can get out of Hermiston and I don't blame him for wanting to do that. All of us have gotten into the habit of seeing each other on Tuesdays and so nothing is ever planned with anyone else! We all look forward to our time together.

I've decided that soon we need to go down on a Wednesday and go out to Inca's for dinner. I know, another day of the week! It has to be that night though because they have their special 1/2 price fajitas from 6:30 to 8:30. Dad and I used to go there all the time for that and I miss it so I thought it would be a good idea to head back.

We will see what other ideas we can come up with for our future date nights!!

Bowling

2009-04-20T15:55:00.000-07:00

Since January of this year, I have been in two different bowling leagues. One of them is Sunday night and the other is Thursday night. I have had a great time on them and love the people I get to visit with and have fun with. It's a highlight of my week especially if work has been yucky. I am in it for the fun and don't get too upset when the ball doesn't go where I want it to. I am constantly improving and increasing my average!

When I first started I think my family thought I was a bit crazy for liking bowling so much to be involved in leagues. However, the tables have changed and my mom is hooked. Haha! She has been driving down on Thursday nights to watch Jeremy and me bowl. Sometimes she brings her best friend and sometimes my dad. It's great to have someone rooting for us and its like having our very own cheering squad. She also discovered the pizza at the alley is awesome and sometimes I wonder if she is only coming for the pizza and we are a side note!!

We only have a couple of weeks left until we are finished. I'm glad for the break but can only enjoy it for a little bit. Jeremy and I decided to be on a friends team for the summer bowling league. We chose Thursday night so if we had plans on a Sunday night we wouldn't have to rush to league. It should be a great time especially with the team we will be with. Who knew bowling would become such a big part of my life. It has turned out to be a great hobby and its been great to meet so many new people.

Wii

2009-04-17T16:21:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of my roommates Tyson came over and Jeremy was over. We also decided to turn on the Wii and have some head to head competitions. That was quite interesting at times! The boys really got into the games, while Andrea and I preferred to just sit back and watch while drinking wine!! Hehe The boys playing tennis

Tyson boxing

Andrea and Tyson bowling

We played all sorts of games like tennis, bowling, golf and boxing. The bowling is more my style, but I did try tennis and boxing. Jeremy is a whiz at the tennis and he tried to coach me but I think I am a lost cause and he was getting a little irritated at me. Oh well! Thank goodness he didn't watch me box cause that was hilarious and quite the workout!

Andrea and I were able to get some good pictures of the boys in action. I even have a great one of Jeremy all tuckered out at the end of the night. He just wore himself out!All tuckered out!

All in all it was a great night and we had lots of fun.Jeremy and me

Andrea and me

Easter

2009-04-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

Family Picture

Lately, the last couple of years have been out of the norm for Easter plans. Last year I had to work on Easter and mom and dad and Jen came down to Hermiston. They brought dinner with them and we just sat around and visited. This year, I was hoping Jeremy could spend the holiday with my family. However he had to work but was at least able to get away to go to church. So I ended up going to church with him that morning and then heading up to Tri-Cities for the rest of the day. My sister was in town and I wanted to be able to be with her and my parents. Our family actually got invited to dinner which was nice that my mom didn't have to cook and we didn't have to clean up! It was a very relaxing time. Then my sister headed home back to Seattle and I headed back to Hermiston because I had bowling league.

Mom and Dad

Jenny and Me

One of the best things that happened that day was when I got to league that night. I let Jeremy know when I got home but he was at Walmart and decided to just meet me at the bowling alley. When I got there, I noticed something on the chair next to him. He had bought me a stuffed Easter bunny and around its neck was a beautiful necklace!!! It was a circle with the word Faith etched into it and a cross hanging in the middle. It is absolutely beautiful and I love it!! I showed it off to everyone I could!!!

All in all, it turned out to be a pretty good holiday!

Jeremy

2009-04-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a long time since I have posted and I apologize. I have been a little preoccupied this past month with a new relationship.

Jeremy and I met through a mutual friend and through both of us bowling. We started out as friends and would talk on the phone or text each other. We even met a couple of times for breakfast. Gradually we started getting closer and closer and before we knew it the rest was history! Haha!

I am very happy and he is awesome! I can't believe it has already been a month. I feel like we have been together for so much longer. I am so comfortable with him and we have so much fun together. He always can make me laugh and I love getting his hugs.

My parents really like him, which is a big bonus for me! Tuesday nights have been our "date" night with my parents. We are planning it so sometimes my parents drive down here and then we drive up there. Sometimes we go out to eat and other times mom has cooked and then we have sat around the table playing Farkel or Chicken Foot. It's been nice for all of us to be together and relax.

Right now Jeremy is working two jobs. He is a supervisor out at the Walmart Distribution Center and he works part time at Fastenal. He does work seven days a week, but we still see plenty of each other. On Sunday, he is able to get a couple of hours off work to go to church where I meet up with him. Then usually on Mondays or Tuesdays we can have lunch together. Then of course we always keep in touch with texting as much as we can!

Things are going great right now and I can't wait to see what the future will bring!

Wii and Guitar Hero

2009-02-07T16:21:00.000-08:00

So, last Friday night I had been toying with the idea of going to a movie. My friend Rachelle and I kept going back and forth on different movies, however we don't share the same taste and decided to scrap the idea. I told her I just wanted to get into comfortable clothes, get some food and then go back to her house and stay inside. We decided to play video games! Haha! Yes, I know two grown women playing video games! We had such a blast though! I brought a new game for the Wii and she bought two new games for the Wii at Walmart. U should have seen us standing in front of the tv with our controllers. We were contorting our bodies and our arms were all over the place to get whatever character on the tv to do what we wanted. We got to laughing hysterically and at one point I lost it laughing and ended up falling to the floor, where Rachelle soon followed. I had tears in my eyes and several times almost peed my pants! We ended up playing carnival games, bowling, playing olympic events and playing guitar hero! We will plan other nights like this, guaranteed!

Seattle and the Adele Concert!

2009-02-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

At the end of January, I was able to make a trip up to Seattle to visit my sister Jenny and go to a concert. We had been planning for this concert for three months. Jenny loves Adele, a new up and coming singer from the UK. I hadn't really heard about her until I realized some of her songs were on the radio and then I loved her. Jenny's birthday was in November and so I decided to look up tour dates. I was in luck, Adele was playing in Seattle on January 26th. I bought tickets right away. I didn't want to send them to her and so I waited until she came home for Thanksgiving. Then I took her out to dinner and the look on her face when she opened them was priceless.

So finally the time came to head up there. Besides the fact that the weather wasn't the best and I had been up all night on call, I made it to Seattle in one piece after drinking tons of coffee and calling Jenny tons of times to help me stay focused on driving. We had a nice relaxing day shopping, having chop suey with family, going to church and chilling at Jenny's apt. The next day I walked downtown to meet her for lunch and she ended up having the rest of the day off. We hit up a couple of stores and then went for happy hour at Umi Saki House. I had never been there, but will definently go back!

Lunch at Beecher's at Pike Place Market

Yummy food at Umi Saki House

Monday night was the concert and we decided to drive the car up to the concert. We got there at a good time and were able to get a good spot next to the wall. James Morrison opened and I only knew one song of his. However, I loved him and went out that next week and bought a cd of his. Adele was so great to see in concert. She has such an amazing voice for someone so young. I was able to get some good pictures and record some songs. The concert wasn't nearly long enough and before we knew it, it was over. I would definently go see her again in concert!James Morrison

Adele!

New Year's Eve

2008-12-31T09:15:00.000-08:00

I was excited this year for New Years Eve. My friend Rachelle and I had decided to go to the bowling alley for their Monte Carlo night. We didn't feel like going out with all the crowds and we know we always have fun bowling. Dinner was included and they made some excellent prime rib. We were put into groups and then they started explaining what we would be doing. I had never done Monte Carlo before and to tell you the truth was lost most of the night! They had a paper that described the ways you could win, but it was hard to figure out. They had colored pins and you could win money if knocked down certain pins or left certain ones standing up. They had an MC who walked around teasing with people and helped let you know if you had a chance at winning money on your lane. It wasn't what I had expected, but Rachelle and I made the best of it. I did end up winning $10 though! Of course, they made a big deal about it turning midnight and passed out noisemakers. We had thought we would go out after bowling, but both of us were really tired and just wanted to sleep!

Right before midnight

We did make the holiday more exciting before the evening even started. We had been talking about this for a couple of weeks and just spontaneously decided to go through with it and not tell anyone until afterwards. After Rachelle got off work at 4:30, we drove down to Tri-Cities and had our noses pierced!!! I watched Rachelle get hers done first and still went through with mine. There was only a little sting and my eye watered up briefly, but other then that it was fine. The next couple of days my nose was pretty sore. I still love it everytime I see it and when it sparkles throughout the day. I told my sister about it and sent her a picture. She loved it and couldn't wait to see it in person. I decided not to tell my parents and waited for them to notice it. They were pretty cool with it, so I was glad about that. Most people didn't notice it and we were so bummed. People thought we already had one since a lot of people have them nowadays. Now I'm so used to it that someone will mention it to me and I will almost forget that I have one! When my dad noticed it, he asked why I did it and I said I wanted to. It was as simple as that, just because! Isn't it so cute!!!

Christmas

2008-12-27T08:35:00.000-08:00

Christmas was a little different this year for me. I didn't have to physically go into work, but I was on call. Starting at 7am that morning until 3:30pm, I was on backup for the tech who was working. When they got off I was on call the rest of the day until 7am the next morning. Needless to say, I couldn't go anywhere for the holiday. It actually worked out just fine because the weather had been awful and tons of snow had been dumped making traveling anywhere iffy.

My parents and I talked about it and came up with a plan. They came down Christmas Eve and we made the tradional Clam Chowder. They spent the night and we fixed breakfast in the morning. We took some to Andrea, who had to work that day. We opened gifts, spent time relaxing and then they left about 1pm to head back home.

Christmas Eve Clam Chowder dinner

Random pic of mom and I

My dad and I in our black hats

I only got called in about 3 times which wasn't too bad. When Andrea got home from work, we were able to eat our snack foods we had bought. Then we took our time opening our gifts to each other and didn't get interrupted by me having to go to the hospital. Even though I rather would have traveled somewhere and had all the family together, the holiday wasn't too bad.Sparkling cider

New Jewelry

New earrings

Moving to a new apt

2008-12-15T08:11:00.000-08:00

Towards the end of last year, my friend Andrea and I had been talking about moving into a two bedroom apt together. She is wanting to go back to school and it would save both of us money. I talked to my apt manager right away to put the bug in her ear. We were thinking it might be another 3 or 4 months before one came available. However, we were able to move into one in the middle of December! It came open so suddenly, that I didn't get myself ready and had to pack at the last minute. Of course, it didn't help that I got bronchitis during that time and had to put packing on hold. We were so glad we were able to get moved in before Christmas and somewhat get things organized. The apt has been wonderful! It's great having two bedrooms and two bathrooms. We decided that I would pay a bigger half of the rent to help her save more money. So because of that, I got the bigger bedroom with two closets and an attached bathroom! She said she didn't have enough clothes to fill up two closets, I don't seem to have a problem! Haha! Even though we both were used to living on our own, it's great knowing someone else is home. We also made sure to talk about our schedules before the move. We both knew we were involved in different things and have different friends. So sometimes we only see each other at work in passing when we have plans for after work and don't see each other. She is an early to bed person and I love being up late so sometimes we don't see each other a lot at night. There are some differences, but we have a lot in common and have had some great heart to heart talks. So far everything is going great!

Kania Clinic

2008-11-30T16:25:00.000-08:00

I decided at the beginning of November of 2008 that I was going to put my notice in at the Kania Clinic in Tri-Cities. I had been working there since January and mainly did it to help pay off my school loan as quickly as possible. I was getting towards the end of my loan and decided that driving back and forth to only work four days a month wasn't worth it anymore. I hadn't been there a long time, but I really liked the people there and was going to miss them. I was looking forward to being able to have that extra day to get things done. Now I have three days off in a row!Natalie, Me and Sally

Sally, Nicole and Me

Me and Sally

Halloween

2008-10-31T15:53:00.000-07:00

This year I was looking forward to Halloween because a bunch of friends and I were going to dress up and go out. It had been so long since I had dressed up. Rachelle and I had been planning this for months before and kept picking up little things here and there for our costumes. I was able to get off an hour and a half early from work that night. Thank goodness since I used all that extra time working on my hair and makeup. We had practiced my makeup several time before, but it was always someone else doing it for me. I was a little nervous, but so happy with the results and how it turned out.

Trying out different eye makeup ideas. I didn't go with this look.

The finished look!
Celeste(Vampire), Barbara(Marilyn Monroe) and Me(Goddess)
Rachelle(School girl) and Me
Lucy(Catwomen) and Me

We all met up at a place called the Pheasant in Hermiston that had a live band and dancing. We all just sat around and talked and laughed and took lots of pics. Then when a good song came on, we were out on the dance floor!

It was great to act like a kid again and go crazy with your costume and makeup. We are already planning for next year and maybe a party instead.

Portland with Andrea

2008-10-14T15:24:00.000-07:00

My friend Andrea, from the hospital had been planning for a couple of months to take a trip down to Portland. We wanted to go to the zoo and also to the Roloff farm, the family from the show "Little People, Big World" on TLC. So we decided to head down Oct. 12 and stay for a couple of days. I had been telling my friend Chelsie, who lives in Portland about the trip and she was so excited and was able to join us.

We took off early Sunday morning and went straight to Chelsie's apt to pick her up. We went right to the zoo and spent a couple of hours walking around and taking pics. Then we headed down to the Roloff farm. Andrea and I were so excited because we have watched the show and were hoping to see the family and maybe get some pics. Chelsie had never seen the show and thought we were hilarious how excited we were getting. We spent a couple of hours there and had a blast! We were able to get some pics with Zach, Matt, Matt's parents and Molly. Then we got pics of Jeremy and Jacob from a distance. The only person we didn't see was the mom, Amy because she was at a speaking engagement. We were also able to go on a tour of their property and see everything they talk about on the show. After we met up with Colby, who Chelsie and I went to school with for dinner and bowling.

On Monday, Andrea and I met up with Brad (ex-boyfriend) at Bridgeport, a really cool shopping center. We had breakfast and just walked around going in and out of stores. Then Andrea and I headed to IKEA!!! I love that store and was excited to take her because she had never been there before. We took our time walking through and each bought a little of this and that. After getting back to Chelsie's, we changed into some more dressy clothes and went to dinner reservations at The Melting Pot. After dinner, we picked up our bags and stayed at Brad's that night.

The next day Andrea and I had planned to go to OMSI, but it didn't work out. Instead we waited for Brad to get back from the gym and then the three of us went to breakfast and a movie.

The night we stayed with Brad, I was able to sit down with him and talk over things. It had been almost two months since seeing him and we both knew things were on the way out. We had a great talk and decided to remain friends. I think the distance was a big problem and we just were headed in different directions in our lives. We text each other occasionally and keep in touch. All together, the trip was a blast and Andrea and I already want to plan another one somewhere!!

Norwegians

2008-10-06T14:14:00.000-07:00

After a very long nine years, Kristen and her husband Rune and their three children were coming from Norway for a visit. This trip had been planned for almost a year and we were so excited to finally have them come in the flesh!

I was able to be there when they flew into Pasco and spend a couple of hours with them before I had to head back home to work the next day. Then they came to visit me and see my apt a couple of days later. I was able to make it to church the next Sunday and then we went and had our family picture taken. We were also able to go out to the Country Mercantile in Pasco and the kids picked out pumpkins to carve. We had dinner at Chinese Gardens, which was so good and I don't remember the last time I was even there. We had a bonfire with s'mores and put candles in the pumpkins. Of course we also had to spend a day shopping! We started out with the guys with us, but eventually it was too much for them and we ladies forged ahead.

Even though I was only able to spend a couple of days with them, I had a great time. Them and my parents continued on to Cannon Beach for a night and then to Seattle for their last weekend. Now I believe the next time we will see them is when we make the trip back to Norway! It's been 16 years since I have been there and I would love to go back and experience it again.

Seattle

2008-09-27T12:52:00.000-07:00

I finally made the trip up to Seattle at the end of September to visit my sister and family. It had been way too long and I don't want to let that happen again.

I got there around lunch time on Sunday and Jen had made an appointment for me to get a makeover at Bare Essentials! It was great! I loved it so much that I decided to buy everything they used on me. What an awesome investment and I still love the new makeup. That night we went to church and then met up with my cousin Lisa and my aunt Beth for dinner.

On Monday, Jen had to go to work. I got ready and walked down to have lunch with her. We ate in Post Alley near Pike Place Market. Then I hung out downtown shopping and walking around until Jen got off work. We went to Anthropologie and it is now one of my favorite places! Jen got a new lampshade and I tried on fun dresses. We then went and saw the movie, "The Women" and ate popcorn and candy for dinner! Hehe!

On Tuesday, I went downtown again to meet Jen for lunch. This time I walked back up to the apt and up QueenAnne hill! I must have been nuts! I was so out of breath, sweating and sore after that climb. I got my exercise for the next month after that! We made it a lazy night and just hung out at the apt downloading music to each others ipods. My sisters neighbor, Margaret came for a visit and we had lots of laughs.

The next morning Jen and I headed to our customary breakfast at Noah's Bagels. Then I dropped her off at work and headed back to Tri-Cities. I helped my parents with last minute things to get ready for our company from Norway to fly in that night!

Journey Concert

2008-09-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

In Northbend

As I was looking back through my old posts, I realized that I never shared about the awesome concert I went to in September with my friend Rachelle. About 4 months before the concert, I heard something on the radio that caught my ear. I decided to look it up and found out that Journey, Cheap Trick and Heart were going to be performing together in Seattle. I had to jump at the chance to see them and my friend Rachelle from work was just as excited as I was. I was able to get that Friday and Saturday off from work, however I was nice enough to keep my call Saturday night.

We took off Friday morning and headed straight to North Bend to go shopping at the outlet mall. We took our sweet time going from store to store and had a great time. Then we headed to the hotel to check in and fix ourselves up for the concert. We took off later then what we wanted and boy was that a mistake. We got stuck in traffic for over an hour and were late getting into the concert. Thank goodness we didn't know Cheap Trick very well and that was what we missed out on. We got right in and decided to buy our souvenir shirts before there was a long line. I don't know if we had great seats or if it was the amphitheater. Rachelle and I had a blast! We took total advantage of jumping and screaming and singing at the top of our lungs! Both Heart and Journey were awesome! The new lead singer for Journey did a great job and had so much energy.

At the concert!

We were told we couldn't bring in cameras and so these pics are taken with my cell phone. The close-ups are from two big screens on either side of the stage.

Lori's Wedding

2008-09-03T21:13:00.000-07:00

I left the family vacation a day early so I could head back to Tri-Cities and go to a wedding. The wedding was for my friend Lori who I went through the x-ray program with. I was very excited to go because people from school were going to be there and a lot of them I hadn't seen since we had graduated a year ago.

Since I was on the Oregon coast, I was able to get a ride back with my friend Chelsie who lives in the Portland area. We got into town pretty early and had lunch with Leah and Jesse and then met up with another friend at the mall. Then we headed back to Chelsie's parents house to get dressed. You should have seen four girls all trying to get ready at the same time!

I think one of the funniest things that happened was the thunderstorm we got caught in. Right when we got there, we heard this huge clap of thunder. Not soon after we sat down, it started raining and then pouring huge elephant sized drops. They passed out umbrellas and people went running for cover. All of us from school huddled together under the umbrellas and waited out the storm. Mind you this was no normal storm with the amount of water that fell from the sky and the thunder that shook the ground. All of us were pretty much soaked and every time someone turned slightly, water would go down someones back! We had a great time laughing and finally not caring how wet we were. They announced that they would wait 20 min to see if the storm would pass otherwise they would go ahead with the wedding, rain or shine!! Thankfully it did stop and ended up turning out beautiful.

It was so great to see everyone from class. About half of the class made it, which was about 14 people. Lori was so excited to see all of us and gave us all hugs over and over again. We were able to catch up to see if everyone had jobs, did they like where they worked and where they were living. We all called it an early night, but not without promising to keep in touch. Chelsie, Jesse and I headed back to Chelsie's parents and ended up playing Rockband and having a blast! Haha!Leah, Chelsie and Cecelia blowing bubbles

Chelsea and Leah

Chelsie and I

Jesse and I

Who needs a wedding ring!

Cannon Beach

2008-08-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

This year my family was able to rent a beach house for the first time. Cannon Beach is our favorite place and it didn't let us down this year. The week wasn't even over with and my dad was already planning for the next year and saying that we needed to schedule 10 days instead of only 7! The week started out great for me because Brad was able to come for the first couple of days and spend time with me and my family. My parents came and picked me up in Hermiston and then we met Brad in Portland for lunch. I rode with Brad the rest of the way to the beach. Jenny arrived about an hour after us. Our friends from church, Dick and Jeanne were also at the beach and we all decided to go to dinner that night. Then we built a bonfire down on the beach so Brad could experience it. The next morning Brad and I went for a walk/jog down to Haystack Rock. It was low tide and we were able to walk around and see the starfish and rock close up. A couple of hours later we decided to rent beach bikes and had a great time. Wow! What a leg workout you get. After returning them and telling the guy where we went, he informed us that we had just biked a total of 7 miles! Oh my! Now I know why I was hurting so much. Then it was downtown for some shopping. Before Brad left we had to go down to the beach one more time. Jenny and mom sat watching while Brad, Dad and I threw around a frisbee. It was sad to see Brad go, but I know he had a great time. The next day, the temperature got up to 80 degrees and we spent 3 hours down on the beach. Dad and I got a little toasty but it was well worth it. The rest of the time was spent shopping, eating ice cream, reading books, eating s'mores, playing games, going antiquing, building bonfires and just relaxing. Sounds like heaven, don't you think!! I had to leave Friday, a day early to attend a wedding in Tri-Cities. Brad came up with a plan for us to spend some more time together as well as get me to Portland to ride home with my friend Chelsie. He came and picked me up Thursday after getting off work and we spent the day together just relaxing and watching movies. Then Chelsie and I left early Friday morning for Tri-Cities. Vacation was wonderful this year and I'm so glad I was able to get time off and go.

Boat Races

2008-08-20T19:34:00.000-07:00

This year I decided that I wanted to go to the boat races. I had been to them before, but never the whole weekend. Rachelle, a friend from work had never been and so we decided to go all out and experience it. We bought tickets with special seating and had a blast. Some guys from the surgery department at the hospital where I work had tickets in the same area as us. It was fun to hang out with them and I learned a lot about the races and the boats from them too. Of course one of my favorite parts is the airshow with the jets that fly over! The temperature was fairly nice and wasn't as extremely hot as it has been in the past. We did still get burned because apparently I think I am too cool for sunblock! Haha! Sunday was a pretty warm day and we were even able to dunk in the river once. All in all the weekend was a winner!

Boat races, the beach, a wedding...

2008-08-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know that there hasn't been any recent blogs lately and I apologize. I have had one great event after another and so there hasn't been much time. I need to get the pictures off my camera and then you can read all about it. I went to the boat races in Tri-Cities with a friend at the end of July. Then the first week in August I joined my family in Cannon Beach. Then I ended that great week with attending a wedding in Tri-Cities. So, aren't you excited to see what is in store for you soon!

Clean Car

2008-07-30T11:15:00.001-07:00

I have been meaning to clean my car, but had to wait until I was at my parents so I had an available driveway and hose. It looked like I drove through a dust storm and the windows were awful. So bad in fact that when Brad and I were at Multnomah Falls, he made a comment about how you could hardly see out of them. Then before I left he got a water bottle and cleaned all my windows for me for safety reasons. How sweet was that!

Even though it was 105 degrees outside, I put on my swimsuit and went out to wash the car. My parents neighbor Mark happened to stop by in the middle of it and wanted to help. He was so eager, how could I say "No!" Haha! He just went to town on my car. I did help in case you were wondering. I didn't just sit back in the shade and eat bonbons! We washed the car, scrubbed the tires, scrubbed the mats, vacuumed, degreased the engine, buffed my headlight covers and made the interior shine!

Wow! The car looks amazing! It sure doesn't look like its 11 years old. He said to let him know whenever I was wanting to sell it and we would do that whole deep clean thing again. That should help the resell value! So I know this was random, but I forgot how great it felt to have a clean car and plan on keeping it up as best I can.

Portland Again

2008-07-30T11:15:00.000-07:00

When we all got into town, we headed straight for Chelsie's and dropped extra cars off. We hopped into Brad's car and ended up eating at Chipolte's! Yum! I love that place now. We sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Afterwards, Brad dropped us off at Chelsie's and headed on home. Chels and I just hung out at the apt and after getting into comfy clothes, we put a movie in.

I was able to get some good catch-up sleep that night after my weekend of working. The next day I just hung around the apt and Chelsie decided to come home for lunch. Then Brad came and picked me up to be with him while he had the oil changed in his car. After that was done, we drove back to his condo to pick up his Honda SUV. We then drove about 20 or so min to McMinnville to drop it off while it had some work done. On the way back we picked up some dinner and then I helped him at his condo to finish up paperwork for his new job.

Tuesday I was able to drive to where Chels works and meet her for lunch. After getting back to the apt I was only there for about an hour when Brad came to pick me up. We drove in my car to go pick up his Honda before they closed. After finally getting back to Chelsie's with some traffic delays, Anali came over and the three of us headed to the mall! It was good to see Anali again since I hadn't seen her since last Sept not too long after we graduated. We only made it to 4 stores, but I had much success that night! Both Chels and I were keyed up after getting home and so we hung up picture frames, put pics in them, tried on clothes and listened to music.

Wednesday morning was pretty laid back and I drove again to meet Chels for lunch. This time we had lunch with some of her friends from work and had a great time! When I got back to the apt, I packed up my stuff and put it in the car. Then I left to go meet Brad at Multnomah Falls. He couldn't believe that I had never been there yet. I guess I had just never made time and just kept driving by it looking at it from a distance. We were able to get some good pics and decided that next time we would hike up to the top.

Then it was time to head back to Hermiston and get ready for work. I had to do some grocery shopping and so my friend Andrea was able to go with me and make it a much better experience.

The second trip to Portland was great and I'm already thinking about the next time! Haha

My favorite holiday 4th of July!

2008-07-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

This year when I found out that 4th of July was on a Friday, I was so excited! The 4th is my favorite holiday of the year and one of my really good friends was getting married on the 5th. So with both of those in the same weekend, that was cause enough to take the weekend off! I also couldn't wait because Jenny and Brad were coming for the weekend and we were throwing a big bbq!

I'm a sucker for certain traditions and 4th of July is one of those times. The whole fam got up and headed downtown to watch the parade. Every year we park and sit in the same spot with the same people. It's great to see how much the kids have grown and get caught up on the past year. The parade sure isn't like they used to be, but I have a blast waving and getting candy thrown at me. It actually seemed to last longer this year then in past years which was cool.

Since the bbq didn't start until 6pm I decided to take advantage of the extra time and was able to visit with two of my friends. I had lunch with Karen and got to check out her new patio. Then I was able to swing by Erin's and chat with her a bit. There was still plenty of time before the bbq and so I helped my mom finish with some of the food prep. Brad didn't get here until about 6:30 and he was able to meet friends and of course my "second moms"! Then the best part of the night, walking down to the river for the fireworks. With him being from England, he hadn't really done much on 4th of July in the past. He loved the fireworks and thought they were great!

Saturday was more of a laid back day which was nice. While Brad was here, he was staying at a friends house. His friend had just bought a new house in Pasco and Brad was also helping move some stuff in. I went over there for breakfast and hung out talking for a couple of hours. He washed his car and I went home to chill and get ready for my friends wedding. I had to be there early to help greet and take gifts. So he came and picked me up and sat reading a book until it was time to be seated. The wedding was beautiful and the weather was great since it was an outdoor wedding. Our table at the reception was so much fun and we had a great time talking and laughing. Then we got out on the dance floor and the rest was history. We were out there the rest of the night being goofy and having fun.

Brad came to pick me up on Sunday morning and we headed off to church. It was so great to be back and he really enjoyed it. Then we went to his friends house so he could pack up his things. We ended up at my parents house for a leftovers bbq and conversation. Brad and I took off for Hermiston so I could switch clothes out and he could see my apt. My friend Chelsie had been in Tri-Cities over the weekend too and met us at my apt. Then the three of us carpooled together to Portland. Yes, I know another trip so soon but I have such a great time when I am there!

All in all, it was such a great weekend with my sister and Brad and all the events that went on!

Portland

2008-07-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

For the week of June 23rd, I was able to head down to Portland for a visit. When I was first planning the trip, I was going down to visit one of my best friends Chelsie. We were so excited because I hadn't seen her apartment yet and we hadn't had many chances to hang out together since getting done with school. Now since meeting Brad, I also was able to spend time with him as well. I was really excited to see him since it had been about three weeks.

I met Chelsie for lunch on Monday and then did a little shopping until she got off work. Then we met up with Brad for dinner and a movie. Afterwards he came over to Chelsie's to hang out for a couple of hours.

Tuesday I met Chels for lunch and then for dinner we headed to The Melting Pot! Oh my gosh that place was amazing and we had so much fun. When we finally stuffed ourselves and couldn't fit in anymore yumminess, we went back to her apt and did face masks and watched a movie.

Wednesday was lunch again with Chels and later that night Brad picked me up and we brought dinner back to his condo and watched a movie.

Thursday we went hiking at Silver Falls Park. It was a beautiful trail with lots of great waterfalls and we hiked about 4 miles round trip! I didn't get back to Hermiston until almost 10pm, but the trip was well worth it.

Update

2008-07-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to say that I am still here and alive. I know its been almost a month since I last posted. I'm sorry! I have no good excuse. I have been pretty busy with work, taking trips to Portland and celebrating my favorite holiday, 4th of July! So, I have my list of posts I have to catch up on and will start working on that. Can I make a half year resolution to keep up better on my posts!

My New Glasses

2008-06-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Recently I was able to get back to the eye doctor after a couple of years off. I was excited to have my own insurance and was looking forward to updating my old glasses. I realized I had my old glasses for 7 years! Even after that long my prescription had barely changed, I just wasn't fond of the frames and wanted to find some cute, funky ones that I would want to wear more. Then I could give my contacts more of a rest. It did take me some time to find the perfect pair. The lady just kept bringing me more and more to try on. I finally did narrow it down to two of them and ended up going with the ones I have now. It was very stressful to decide on them without help from family! Haha! I couldn't wait to try them on and get others opinions. So far so good! Everyone loves them as do I! I am going to post some pictures of them and would love to get your opinion. Now the only thing is that the frames I got are light brown and are still on back order. They put my lenses in a reddish colored frame until the others come in. I am actually starting to like the red color and will have to see when the others come in and which ones I want to keep. So be prepared to see me more with my glasses on! I feel like I need to be at the library!

Kania Clinic

2008-06-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Back in May, those of us working at the Kania Clinics in Tri-Cities were informed that the clinics were being sold. Kennewick General Hospital was buying the Kennewick clinic and Lourdes Hospital was buying the Pasco clinic. They made sure to let us know that we would all be able to stay on as employees we just had to choose which clinic and reapply to that specific one. I decided to go with the Pasco Clinic since it was closer to me.

After I had the chance to sit down with someone and discuss my options, we came to the conclusion that I would be considered per diem since I was only available 3 days a week. That was a little shock at first because I had been used to getting 16 hours every week. The more I thought about it though, I decided that this would be a good idea and give me more time to relax. I haven't done the best with letting myself slow down and enjoy my days off in between jobs.

I have to admit, it has been really nice to have all this extra time off. It also gives me a chance to be able to take more trips to visit friends and family since I can't on the weekends. So here was an update for you and right now, life is going great

My Apartment

2008-06-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

I have been in my apartment in Hermiston since the beginning of the year and have slowly been updating it. It has been so much fun to buy new things and give it more of a sophisticated look. My first apartment in Yakima was kind of a collection of mismatched items from my mom, my grandma and things I had been gathering since I was 17. It did look pretty good for my first place, but the look needed to change and become more streamlined. When you see the pictures, you will notice that my main colors are red, black and white. Those colors flow from the dining room, living room, kitchen to my bedroom. What can I say, I love the colors!! You also might notice in some of the pictures, my little splashes of green here and there.These are my new dining room chairs from IKEA. Now more then two people can sit at the table.
My new couch and end table. With a color name like Salsa Red, who wouldn't want this couch! Also check out the new rug! My new bed! As my friend Jaimi said, "the bed looks very regal!" I totally agree.The new dresser with a mirror. So many more drawers! I had a great time reorganizing, except I still can't remember which drawer has what in it!