My favorite holiday 4th of July!

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

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

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

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

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

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!

Jennifer's Bridal Shower

Jennifer(in purple) next to her gifts.

Coming up here pretty soon, one of my really good friends is getting married on July 5th. Her bridal shower was held at the end of April on a Saturday. Normally that wouldn't work for me since I work on Saturday's, however, someone was nice enough to help me out and worked 5 hours for me so I could make the quick trip down to Tri-cities. The shower was beautiful and the food was great. I was able to see a lot of old friends that had moved away after graduation, so it was nice to catch up with them. Even though it was a quick trip, it was well worth it. My friend was so happy to see me and that I was able to make it. I can't believe that all of a sudden the wedding is going to be here! I'm so excited for her and can see how happy she is. I know this is late and so soon you will be getting to see some wedding pictures!! Some friends with her mom in the white shirt.