Post-Holiday

We survived the trip south to see Gabe's family for Christmas. I say "survived" because we got more snow on Christmas Eve morning and I was afraid we might not be able to make it out of town. We did make it out of town, but it took us WAY longer than it should have. It took over 2 hours to get from Portland to Salem. That's a trip that usually takes less than an hour. Driving down I-5 we'd get stuck in a lane because there were these huge piles of snow and ice separating the lanes. We saw cars get airborne when they changed lanes trying to get over those piles of snow. It was a long and bumpy ride. I'm very thankful that I wasn't driving. I had a bad enough headache as it was by the time we arrived.
We had a nice time visiting with Gabe's mom and the Johnson's in Oakridge and then a nice time with Gabe's dad and Joanne in Eugene. We even got to enjoy Tom playing a coffee shop gig. It was nice to see family that we don't get to see nearly often enough.
As for the rest of my week off...I'm taking the time to get things done that I just don't get the chance to take care of when I'm working. For example, the hair cut I finally got today. I got a new book from the library that I can't put down. So, I may not get done as much as I should this week!
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and enjoy what is left of 2008!
-h

Winter Wonderland....

Well, not exactly! When I want snow like this, I know where to go...Mt. Hood. Never have I seen snow like this except on the mountain. We have over a foot of snow here on the valley floor. It's amazing that at an elevation of 50ft we've gotten this much snow. These are some shots I took of the backyard this morning. I'm not sure they really do the magnitude of snow justice. You have to try and walk in it to truly "appreciate" it. We went on a walk this evening and its tough work. Some snow drifts are nearly 2 feet and since none of the roads around us are plowed there isn't much activity. We should have put our snow shoes on! Maybe we'll have to do that to go get some dinner. All we have to eat in the house is left over party food. None of it very good for you!

Amazingly, Gabe did get up and drive to work this morning (after taking nearly 1/2 an hour to get the car de-iced and out of the snow bank that is the drive way). He was there for about 10 minutes when they made the decision to close up and tell people not to come in. Why they couldn't have made that decision earlier is beyond me. He called their emergency line tonight and they've already called off work for tomorrow. Thank goodness. I really was afraid the car would get high centered in some snow and he'd be stuck. We don't have that much ground clearance in the Outback.
So, I'm not sure what our plans are going to be for the rest of the week. We've had to cancel so many holiday plans all ready. I was supposed to meet the girls on Sunday for "brunch" and Christmas gifts. We were supposed to meet Peggy and Paul for dinner on Sunday too. Both were canceled. We rescheduled with Peggy and Paul for tomorrow night but I'm not holding out much hope that things will change much between now and then. Tonight we were supposed to have Christmas dinner with Tricia since the rest of the family is else where this Christmas. We rescheduled for next week since we're still hoping to be able to leave town on Wednesday morning to head to Oakridge/Eugene to see Gabe's family.
I just can't believe that we have this much snow! It's incredible!
-h

When did Oregon get moved to Alaska?

Seriously. We're used to a couple days of snow during the winter. Maybe some icy roads, and even some freezing rain once in a while. At this point it's getting a little ridiculous. Everything around here is covered with 6+inches of snow, a layer of ice, and now more snow is falling. This doesn't seem like the Portland winters I'm used to.

Fortunately the weather isn't keeping everyone in their houses. We had a pretty decent showing at the party last night, especially given the conditions outside.

This was the collection of shoes at the front door. Everybody spontaneously ditched their shoes when they got in the house. I guess it was to keep from tracking snow into the house, or, so they didn't have to wear wet shoes during the party. We all had a good time, and everyone traveled to and from the party safely.

Snow, Snow...go away!

So I'm sitting here in my clean house, with lots of yummy things to eat and drink, with this overwhelming fear that no one is going to come to our cocktail party tonight. It has literally been snowing all day. And since no one in P-town is used to winter weather like this, or really prepared for weather like this, it will probably be a small crowd. (or just me, Gabe and Jupiter) Which really bums me out. We really haven't had time this year to have people over. The summer flew by and so did the fall. I was really looking forward to seeing all of our friends. Can you tell that I'm really wallowing in disappointment?

another snow day?!

So here I am in day 3 of "Snow Day Extravaganza 2008".
Part 3 of the "Arctic Blast" was supposed to hit this morning at about 7am but here it is, after 11, and I have only seen some small snow flurries.
Last night we took another trip to the grocery store to get more baking supplies. I figured if I was going to be here another day...more baking needed to get done. I guess I wasn't the only one with that brilliant idea. The baking isle was empty. I'm not kidding. The shelves were empty! They didn't have the semi-sweet chocolate I needed. They didn't have the white chocolate I needed. They didn't have the marshmallows I needed. It was ridiculous. So I got what I could and I'll try to make it work.
Since I've hardly left the house this week, Gabe and I did go on a quick walk last night. It was quick because after about 10 minutes we couldn't feel our faces. We would have walked faster to get the blood moving, but with the risk of slipping on the ice, that wasn't really an option.
I'm not sure what I'll be doing to keep myself entertained today. Jupiter isn't much for company. All he does is sleep. I'm not really comfortable with all of this time on my hands! I didn't bring home very much work because I didn't know this would be a 5 day weekend. Any suggestions?
-h

Snow Day Part 2

Well, it's not snowing today but we still don't have school. I'm thankful. I was not looking forward to getting there on the ice rink which is still the street outside our house. I almost slipped right outside our house yesterday when I walked 2 blocks to the mailbox. Even with the snow tires, I am a true Oregonian and don't feel confident driving in bad weather. Especially when I can't even walk without slipping and sliding!

I sent Gabe after ingredients for cookies last night. So my plan for the day is to bake, bake, bake. Our holiday cocktail party is Saturday night (weather permitting...there's more snow in the forecast!) and I figured since I'm home all day I may as well get some of that baking done ahead of time. I'm making these and these. I was also planning on taking some treats to work. We'll see if that happens. 

I've been putting all this extra time off to good use!  I'm finishing off a book I've been working on for awhile, working on some scrapbooking and crafts.  Just staying inside trying to stay warm.
-h

Snow Day!

Well, tomorrow is the snow day, but today is the day we got the snow. That make sense? Didn't think so. To be more clear, it snowed today and then got really cold. That means that tomorrow Heidi has a snow day and doesn't have school. Unfortunately I think I'll be headed into work. The forecasts had been around for this storm for so long I fully expected it to not happen. To be on the safe side we took the Outback in yesterday and had our snow tires put on, and I'm glad we did. The snow didn't really get going until mid morning, but it stayed steady for most of the day. Out at Heidi's parents house they had 4" by this evening. All the roads are packed snow and pretty icy now. Should make for a fun commute tomorrow!

For those of you here in Portland, stay warm!

-Gabe

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

Putting up lights on the house, attending my staff Holiday party, cutting down and decorating our Christmas tree...this weekend has been all about the holiday!
We didn't go out to the woods to get our tree this year. Our friends (Josh and Danelle) who we've gone with the last few years, had things come up that prevented them from making the trek out to the woods. So, we just went to a farm out in Oregon City. They had great trees to choose from, but sadly it was raining and muddy so we picked one out pretty quick. And it's a little shorter than I wanted. Oh, well. It still looks nice. Here it is!
Apparently, Jupiter wants to be sent somewhere special for Christmas this year. Any takers?I also wanted to share this picture. We had the most amazing sunset on Friday night. It was the most beautiful I've seen in awhile.
Sadly, the composition of the photo is terribly lacking since Gabe took it right out our front door. But he had to snap it quick before it was gone completely.
To conclude this holiday weekend we'll be watching the movie we traditionally watch on the day we get our Christmas Tree. The classic: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
h

All Done!

I just finished my last project for my class at UP! The project was to read an additional text about reading and/or teaching reading and present to the class. Well, I read the book this weekend...I know I procrastinated...and put my presentation together today.
I'm excited because I will also soon have my Monday nights back. Only 2 more weeks of class!

I am sad that this long and wonderful weekend is almost over. I had the chance to get a lot of things done that I've been wanting to do, but just haven't had the time. None of the grading I brought home was touched, but that's usually how it goes. Who wants to work on their vacation? Well, Gabe's making a batch of beer today. It's been a long time since he's had the time! We've both been busy this fall. I guess I'll get the Christmas cards finished while he's out in the garage. If I get them in the mail tomorrow that would be a record breaking event. The earliest it's ever happened!

Thanksgiving was great and I think I'll be enjoying the last of the pumpkin pie here in a little while! Hope this weekend was restful and enjoyable for everyone.
-h

We're looking forward to...

going here for Spring Break!
We got our plane tickets earlier this week and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it ever since.
I can't wait!
Good thing I have making pies to keep me here in the moment. Plus, we're heading out with our friends in a few hours for the annual night before Thanksgiving celebration.
-h

not much

is going on around here. Just the same old, same old.
I had a really terrible week. It was horribly terrible. Thank God it's in the past. I don't think it's possible to have one any worse, and if I ever do have one worse, at the end I'll be writing my letter of resignation. It's been a really difficult fall and that somewhat explains my absence on the blogging scene. I've never wanted this blog to be a place where I complain about the difficult parts of my life and since I haven't had much of anything positive to be sharing...I just haven't been sharing. Not that I have anything specific to write about today either. I've just been feeling like I need to get on here and do an update since it's been awhile.

I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving. It's definitely my favorite holiday. What's not to like? All my favorite foods, time to spend with family, and 4 days off. We aren't hosting this year, my mom is, so that makes it even easier! I won't have to do the 5 sink fulls of dishes that end up being created. But I guess I can help my mom with a few! Gabe's mom is coming up and we'll go over to my parents for dinner, taking the pies and green bean casserole with us. If you want the best green bean casserole recipe in existence you should email me. It's 1000 times better than the recipe you find on the fried onion label!

We've spent most of the weekend getting things to make this years holiday card and cocktail party invitations. We also bought the first Christmas gift of the year. We aren't the sort that plan ahead on that, so it's a huge deal that we have a gift purchased before Thanksgiving. Most of my family is not going to be in town for Christmas so we won't be buying the quantity of gifts we have in the past. I'm relieved. I hate shopping...especially at this time of year. Not that I don't love giving gifts but...do we really need more stuff? I'd rather just be able to spend time together. I guess that's why I love Thanksgiving!
-h

Gone Fishin'

So I got up at 4:45 this morning for this little fish? I don't know how the real fisherman do it. Maybe it's that they are out there more, so they catch more stuff.

As you can tell, I was out fishing today. I went out on the Willamette with Josh to do some sturgeon fishing. He wanted to try a new spot that was recommended by a coworker of his. The spot wasn't bad, we just didn't catch any keepers. The biggest fish we caught was in the 2' range, they have to be 42" to keep. Although, I did have fun, and that's what really matters I guess.

-G

Here It Is

Here is the big purchase that Heidi was talking about last week. I finally got it home from work on Friday and just haven't been able to blog about it. It's an engine and wiring harness from a 2003 Subaru Impreza WRX that I'll be swapping into my 1999 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS. When new, my car was rated at 165HP, and now with 147K on the engine, I'm sure it's much less than that. This new engine is rated at 227HP, and only has 45K on it. It's something that I've wanted to do since I bought my car. It'll be combining two of Subaru's best products, the 2.5RS, and their 2.0 liter turbo engine, the EJ20. In the US, the two were never available together. You weren't able to get the turbo engine until the WRX came out in 2002, but that was a heavier, and uglier car. It's going to be a ton of work to get it done, but I'm really looking forward to doing it.

-G

VOTE!!!!

Gabe and I filled out and delivered our mail in ballots on Friday!
Don't forget to vote tomorrow...your vote matters!
-h

The Simpsons...

made an appearance at our house this weekend. We really had a hard time thinking of costumes this year. It definitely wasn't our most creative...but it did take me quite some time to find just the right green dress.

We didn't do much on actual Halloween. I had conferences on Thursday and Friday and was completely exhausted! So we went out to dinner and watched Beetle juice. I'd never seen it! We were terribly not in the spirit and didn't even hand out candy...last year we only had a dozen tick-or-treaters so it doesn't really seem worth it. Last night we went to Aaron and Marie's yearly costume party. As always there were lots of games, and great costumes. Sonya won the best female costume as one of the wicked witch's flying monkeys. She looked great!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween...I guess we'll put our costumes away for another year.
-h
PS...Gabe made a big purchase this weekend that he's really excited about. He'll have to share and tell you all about it later this week. That is if I can get him out of the garage.

Pumpking Launching

It's that time of year again! The time of year to go out to Plumper Pumpkin Patch and launch pumpkins as far as we can using trebuchet's and air cannons. It's always a good time. This year our friend Joe brought out his newly modified cannon. It was a big hit. He had spend the past couple weeks adding a hydraulic cylinder to adjust the elevation of the barrel as well as giving it a full camouflage paint job. It had amazing distance, or height, depending on the barrel's position.

The map below shows where we were and gives a general idea of where the pumpkins were going. The distance to the landing area of the pumpkins from the trebuchet are about 300 feet away, uphill. The cannon was in the 1000 foot range.


View Larger Map

Enjoyed the show

We went to see the Kings of Leon last night at the Schnitz. We really like their first 2 albums so we bought tickets. Then their 3rd album came out a few weeks ago and it's gotten mediocre (if not poor) reviews. So we went to the concert with low expectations. The two opening bands were ok and the Kings were really good. They only played 3 or 4 songs off the new album so it was fun!

What wasn't fun was getting into bed just before midnight and then getting up to go to work this morning. I'm beginning to think that we might be getting to old for the week-night-concert-scene! Or maybe we'll be the grey hairs who are always in the audience.

I can't believe it's only Wednesday evening! The last few weeks at work have been really tough and I'm completely exhausted by this time in the week. It's going to take everything I have to make it through the last 2 days...
Well, Gabe's falling asleep next to me here on the couch so I'd say it's time these nearly grey hairs get to bed!
-h

Rally Weekend

Well, not a full weekend, but a rally none the less. The annual Mt. Hood Rally was Saturday, and Doug and I placed 7th overall out of 23 cars. Not too shabby. Heidi, my dad and Joanne came up to spectate and hang out for the weekend, which was nice. They finally got to see the car go through a spectator area at speed. Last time I was at a rally we weren't so lucky.

Today, we explored the Parkdale area, buying some apples and pears and the having lunch at the Elliot Glacier Public House. I also drove everyone through one of the stages from yesterdays rally. I explained how I make calls to the driver and what kind of information I give him.


Update, video added!

Another year...

Today is our 4th Anniversary. It's hard to believe that it's been 4 years already! Gabe and I were talking last week about how quickly the years are going by and how happy they've been. We've really been sooo blessed.

The 4th Anniversary gift is a little on the lame side. It's the fruit and flower anniversary. It sounds perfect for us since we both really love plants but I've been working for months to come up with something meaningful. For the last 3 years we've had things monogrammed or engraved and I really wanted to keep that up. I had this wonderful idea to get a flower pot engraved and then pick out a flower to plant. Well, I had very little success finding what I wanted and had to settle on a small flower pot that I was able to have engraved. I found this website that will engrave almost anything. Now we still haven't decided what to plant in it. I guess that might have to be discussed over dinner tonight. Any ideas?

I'm really looking forward to enjoying an evening out with my wonderful husband (and then probably coming home to watch The Office).
-h

So that's where all the leftover containers are...

Gabe came home this evening and announced that he brought home all the leftover containers he's been "collecting" at work. I was working on my mid term exam for my class so without even looking up I just said, "Wonderful...I noticed we were getting low." I guess I didn't really realize just how low that was until he loaded up the dishwasher with them all. This is what I tried to put my dinner dishes into:
That was some collection he was making! Seriously! Where was he putting all of these? I just had to laugh...
Since we got married (and maybe even before) I've "encouraged" Gabe to bring his lunch to work. Being the thrifty spender I am, that shouldn't be a huge surprise. So I guess I shouldn't discourage him, but there's really no reason to keep these at work for so long. Remember he was gone in New Orleans last week so these are all older than that! My question is...where does he keep all these? And why don't his co-workers complain. Maybe they do...not just to me! It's like stinky middle school lockers!
-h

How to catch a mouse

Step one:  Don't use a cat.  They are worthless.  Although they do alert you to the presence of a mouse.  But will do nothing to actually catch the mouse.  Nothing more than keep you awake all night trying to get it out from under your bed.

Step two:  Feed them lots of peanut butter.  Directly off the trap.

Step three:  When you're folding laundry and you see it scurry across your bedroom and into the bathroom, lock it in!  Of course your cat still believes it's hiding in the corner behind the laundry bin.  (see step one)

Step four:  Accidentally let it out of the bathroom to roam the house freely.

Step five:  Trap it in the spare bedroom and hope that he'll actually not just get a free meal off the peanut butter on the trap.

Step six:  Hope for success when you hear the trap finally snap 12 hours later.

As you can tell, we've been trying to trap a mouse this weekend.  A few weeks ago Jupiter alerted us to his presence in the heater vent, so he's been hiding in there for awhile.  Well, we had to finally turn the heat on this weekend and he quickly found his way around the traps we had set and into the house.  He's been a difficult guy to catch.  Jupiter tried his hardest but the mouse alluded him, and us, for several days.  Now we'll need to spend our Sunday making sure we've clean up all his wonderful droppings!  I really hate mice!  Why can't they just stay outside where they belong?

The Big Easy

New Orleans, that is. As some of you may know I was down in New Orleans over last weekend and for the first part of this week. The picture above is the Mississippi River with downtown to the right side. The bridges are the Crescent City Connection.

I was down there for work, the American Trucking Association was having their annual conference and exhibition. I was there to work our booth in the exhibition hall. It was a good show, and we got some (hopefully) solid sales leads.

During my free time I got to explore the part of the city I could walk to. Basically that meant I could see the French Quarter, including Bourbon Street. The city is still pretty clearly depressed, lots of boarded up buildings. There is some pretty neat architecture in the area though.

It's always fun to see new places, especially some place with the history that New Orleans does, but I'm also glad to be back home.

Finally...The Office

No, not the funny show that wasn't on tonight for some reason, our remodeled office. This is the last installment of the "back room remodeling" series.

The video speaks for itself.



You can click on it and then click the "watch in high quality" link under the video to see things a bit better if you want.

-G

sick day

I didn't take a single sick day last year and here I am, not even a month into the school year, at home sick.  I woke up early (3am) Sunday with the stomach flu.  I can't remember the last time I had the stomach flu.  I think it must have been when I was a kid.  Anyway, I spent the day resting yesterday but was so weak when Gabe got home (lack of food and fluids) that I decided to call in sick today.  Plus, I still had a mild, low grade fever when I went to bed.

The curse of being a teacher...I had to get plans together this morning.  Gabe took me to school and helped me get things together for my sub this morning.  He's so wonderful.  I think he just felt sorry for me. I must have looked really terrible.  I really hope that he doesn't get sick too!

-h

2nd Annual Oakridge Mountain Bike Trip

We made it! This weekend I went to Oakridge with the guys to hit some trails and show them why the area is one of the best in the nation. One of the goals was to ride the trail that we got snowed out of last year, see here if you need a refresher. The trail is called Moon Point. It starts out with a 10 mile climb on gravel roads (which we did in a truck) and then it's a 5 mile descent from the top. Along the way you can make a side trip to an amazing viewpoint. The view was a bit obstructed by smoke from a nearby forest fire.


The panorama looks a little weird to me, so I might make a new one tomorrow and see if I can clean it up a little.

We also hit the Alpine trail, out of Westfir, which is very well known. It seemed like everyone had a fun time, and there were only minor scrapes to report, so I call it a successful trip.

-G

Alright, changed the panorama to a better version.

-G

Laundry Room

We're pretty much done with both rooms we've been working on, but we're ready to share the laundry room first. We still have some decorating to do in the office area before we are ready to show it off. For a reminder of what it used to look like, check this out. We're definitely glad to have it done. We have more storage, the room is brighter, and the new washer and dryer are amazing. So, check it out and let us know what you think.



-G

Busy, Busy, Busy

There is really no other word that could describe the week we've had.
Tuesday was, the always "wonderful", Back-to-School night. The night is difficult enough being on the spot light in front of a hundred parents. But it was made much worse this year because my classroom was over 90 degrees. My face was literally as red as the ripe tomatoes in my garden. Not to mention that I was also dripping sweat. Not the first impression I really wanted to make. My only consolation is that the parents were almost as miserable as I was. It was a LONG day!
Last night we went to The Raconteurs show at the Roseland. I wasn't thrilled about going to a show on a weeknight but Jack White is one of Gabe's favorite musicians and he was really looking forward to it. The opening band was terrible! It was the only band I've ever sat through and counted the number of songs they played, wondering how many I'd have to suffer through before they left the stage. Thankfully, The Raconteurs did not disappoint us at all. The show was amazing!
Tonight I'm suppose to be grading work...since I haven't done any grading yet in these first weeks of school. Gabe's at a friend's house putting new breaks on his bike. He's got to get it all fixed up and ready for the big boys mountain biking trip next weekend. So instead of doing what I really need to get done, I'm blogging. The procrastination has begun.
BTW-I think I'll try to convince Gabe to do some blogging this weekend since he hasn't been on here in FOREVER! Maybe he'll show you all around the new and improved office and laundry room.
-h

pre-birthday

Well, this is my last day in my 20's. And yes...that is 30 candles! Gabe said his face was burning carrying the cake from the kitchen to the table. Poor guy! Well, at least he'll get to enjoy the burn from that many candles again in 6 months when it's his birthday!

My parents came over to celebrate. We enjoyed many of my favorite things. Gabe got ribs from Gartner's (one of my favorites!) and made my favorite cake...carrot with cream cheese frosting. We also made this ice cream and will be enjoying it later this evening since it's still 90 degrees outside. I'm excited to try out my Wii Fit. (Thanks Mom, Dad, Becky, Tricia and Jory) That is as soon as Gabe gets the Wii working again. (It's a long story that I'm not going to get into. I just hope he gets it working soon!)

I won't be doing much in the way of celebrating tomorrow since I have to go to work and then to class. But Gabe did promise me a few "treats". He said he'd make me breakfast in the morning and we're going to go get sushi before I have to head off to class. The best birthday treat of all is the completion of our huge backroom project! I'm thrilled to be done and can't wait to have our evenings and weekends back. Pictures and/or video will be up at some point this week. We can't wait to show it off!
-h

Gabe's Little Helper

And by little...boy, do I mean little. Both in size and quantity of help given. Jupiter is the weirdest cat I've ever met. He seriously can't be without us. All week when we've been working he has to be right with us. Sometimes getting into the most annoying places. Like today, as the paint around the window was drying, he decided he wants to see out the window. I never saw him up there and I didn't notice until I went to do the second coat. Then I saw all these little foot prints. I checked the paws of my suspect and there was white paint on him. Mystery solved.

We've been working hard all week (and weekend) and I'm sad that we still don't have a finished project. Why do projects always take so much longer than planned? I'm going to quit promising pictures of the finished product since it's just not happening.

We've earned a little time to rest. Now it's time to make some dinner and watch season 3 of The Office.

-h

long weekend & back to work

We spent the long (but never long enough) Labor Day weekend with Gabe's mom at the Inn at Spanish Head in Lincoln City. I had some finishing touches to make on my classroom before we took off and traffic heading out of town was terrible. We just spent Friday evening relaxing and chatting. Saturday we drove further south to say hello to Gabe's dad and Joanne, had some lunch in Newport, walked on the beach and watched a movie. Overall, it was just a time to relax.

On Sunday we visited the very busy Oregon Coast Aquarium. It had been years since any of us had visited, so we had a good time. My favorite part were the Puffins. They were being fed and playing in the water...so cute! More time was spent on the beach...games were played...and homework was done. (Yes, I had to go to class last night so I had to get my reading done over the weekend. Yuck!) It was a nice time.

School's started! I had my first day with my new 7th graders today. It was a fun day. They're all so excited and nervous this first day. But I'm exhausted! Summer always makes me forget what it feels like to be on my feet for 8 hours. We're still working on getting furniture put together, and this weekend will work on the wood trim around the windows and floorboards in the back room. I'd love to have pictures of the complete project up this weekend...but we'll see.
-h

Taking a break

We spent the weekend camping up at Walupt Lake Washington. For the last few years we've been able to take off for the weekend with Jen, Craig, Alexis and Eric. (and a few more if folks can make it)
Other than the mosquitoes trying to eat us alive, we had a really fun time and it was great to get away from the project here at home. We played games, relaxed in the water, sat around the camp fire, and enjoyed the company of our friends.


The break was well deserved.
WARNING: project update to follow...
The rooms were textured on Wednesday by Gabe and Josh. On Thursday and Friday (before we took off) we got the walls all primed and ready for paint. This evening when we got back from a quick visit with my brother-in-law and Sawyer who are in town for the weekend, we put the first coat of paint on the office and started to paint the laundry room. I say started because we decided we didn't like the color. It's just an off white, but it has a pink hue to it, and we don't like it. So, Gabe is off to pick another shade of off-white. You wouldn't think it would be too difficult to pick out a "white" color but they have like 100 of them to choose from!

Well, I'm officially back to work tomorrow. I don't really know what I was thinking, but I also start a 3 credit class at University of Portland tomorrow. It's going to be a busy fall.
-h

Big Setback...

It's 4:35 on Friday and my husband is suppose to be home.
But he's not...he's still at work.
He's already been at work 5 1/2 extra hours today and there's no sign that he'll be home any time soon.
Plus, to make things worse, he'll be working tomorrow too. Probably most of the day.
He says "the good news is, I probably won't have to work Sunday too!" Is that really suppose to be good news?

Why am I taking the time to vent this?
Because we still have major work to do on our house and he's spending the weekend at work.
Maybe this is hitting me hard today because I've been working on taping the drywall seams and covering screws today in my house that is....86 degrees. I've already soaked through a shirt and I'm done for today. I'm frustrated! I'm hungry! I'm hot!
-h

Insulation & Drywall

Insulation?----Done

Drywall?----Almost done
Gabe's had some much needed help with drywall this week. His friend Ross came over Saturday and put in at least 7 hours helping Gabe pick up the drywall and install the ceiling. It was a good thing Gabe had his help because when I tried to help on Sunday, that didn't last long. I'm just not strong enough...

Gabe's also been working hard this week in the evening when he gets home. On Tuesday his friend Josh came over after dinner to help. I am very thankful for the extra helping hands because I'm not any help on this part of the project. Plus, the times I've tried to help Gabe end up with frustration and short words spoken. I don't think doing projects like this together is very good for our marriage.
This picture says it all:

This is Gabe wishing I'd never asked him to start this project.
He also wishes he would have said "no".

Just to show you the chaos this project is causing to our house hold. Here's what my laundry room looks like...

This isn't even the worst room. You should see the dinning room, spare bedroom and garage. That's where we have everything from the office and laundry room stored right now. Wish us luck. I really want to be painting finished walls this weekend...Monday at the latest. I am back to work next week going to meetings for the committee I'm a member of. So there goes my painting time. Oh, well. It will get done...right? (can you read the doubt in that?)
-h

Let there be light!

Gabe has been working hard in the evenings this week. By no means is he an experienced electrician and so all this rewiring takes him a little more time than he wants it to. So far he hasn't shocked himself or burnt the house down, I'd say he's doing a great job!
This is the most current state of our project in the back room. It's coming along slowly and we'll be working hard this weekend to put up the drywall when Gabe's done with the electrical. I can't wait for this project to be finished. But we're not even half way done!





And this is Gabe's helper. At least Jupiter thinks he's been a big help. Actually, he just gets in the way. Last week his favorite past time was to play in the insulation. This week Gabe's been shutting him out of the backroom and Jupiter doesn't like that very well. He misses his Gabe and will wait right outside the door until his Gabe is done. It's pretty cute.

Home Improvement

Is still in process.
Since moving into our house almost 3 years ago, a remodel of our backroom has been needed. Our house was built in the 30's and the backroom was added at some point after that. We think it might have even been a porch at some point perhaps. Well, between poor construction (no drywall, only wood panels, cardboard for insulation, poor electrical wiring with no overhead lighting) and bad water damage from a leaky roof, we've been wanting to make some updates.
Here's some pictures to show you where we started from and why we've been wanting to remodel.



Well, the demolition is done and Gabe started on some rewiring and electrical work yesterday. We have about 20 bags of insulation in our back yard to get rid of and I'm spending today removing nails and staples from the ceiling. Here's some photos from the demolition process.



I'm getting very concerned this project won't be done in the last 3 weeks of my summer vacation and we only have 2 weekends! I'm feeling a little stressed!
-h

Just Married

Alexis & Eric

August 1, 2008

Congratulations to our friends Alexis and Eric. They were married yesterday and we wish them all the best now, and for the many years to come. Fortunately, the rain stopped in the afternoon...just in time for the ceremony and celebration.
I love weddings! They always get me all sentimental and remind me how happy I am being married to Gabe. Plus, they're also just so dang fun!
We were so glad to share this wonderful day with our friends.
-h

painting the bathroom red

But it wasn't intentional.
Why am I such a klutz?
I was cleaning the bathroom yesterday, my least favorite chore, and my true clumsy nature once again reared its ugly head. As I wiped off the dust that had collected on the shelf above the toilet, I knocked my brand new bottle of RED fingernail polish off the shelf. The bottle hit the tile floor and shattered. Sending red fingernail polish all over the bathroom and my pants. I had to stand there a moment in complete and utter shock. Luckily, since I was in the middle of cleaning the bathroom, I had some towels close at hand. The red stain came of the tile pretty easily, with the help of some fingernail polish remover. It was the grout that I couldn't repair. So, I figured I'd better call Gabe at work and fess up to the disaster I created in the bathroom. I broke down in tears at my clumsiness and stupidity while he tried to assure me it would be ok. The worst case would be taking the grout out and putting new grout back in. But we just remodeled the bathroom last summer, I was really angry about that possible option. Especially since we're making very slow progress on our current remodel project as it is.
Being the hero that he his, Gabe brought home some acetone from work and had the grout looking as good as new in the time it took me to get dinner started. Once again Gabe comes to the rescue and cleans up one of my amazing messes. What would I do without him?

Keeping Busy

Between a hike in the gorge, picking berries, making freezer jam, enjoying the German beers at the Portland International Brewfest, BBQs with friends, and me spending a few days at the beach with my mom and sisters, we've started a huge project at our house. We've begun the remodel of our office and laundry room.
It's been a busy week. I've been meaning to get on here and post some pictures but it's not easy since our computer isn't hooked up right now. So here are a few from the highlights of our week and we'll share more once the remodel project is further along. Right now we're a little stalled on the project. In taking down the wood panels that used to make up the ceiling and walls in the back of the house, Gabe discovered some insulation that needed further investigation. We should have results from the asbestos test tomorrow and should be back to work soon. That is if the test comes back saying we have a green light to continue.
-h

Night Out

I've really been feeling my old age starting to settle in lately.  After all, I will be 30 in just 2 short months.  Nothing has made me feel my age more than our night out last night.  We got tickets to see Wolf Parade, one of my favorite bands, at the Crystal Ballroom.  When Gabe and I first started dating, we were going to concerts and shows at least once a week and many of them were at the Crystal so we have had a lot of good times there.  I was really looking forward to seeing one of my favorite bands at a venue where we've had a lot of memories.

Well, we got downtown about the time the doors opened and we were seriously the oldest people in line.  I'm not kidding!  We were surrounded by kids between the age of 14 and 17, all drinking Monsters.  When we got up to the third floor ballroom we were 2 of the only 1/2 dozen people in the over 21 side of the room.  So, I'm sitting on a bench in the Crystal wondering where the last 5 years have gone.  How have I gotten so old?  My feelings of old age didn't go away when the opening band started at 9 o'clock and Wolf Parade didn't go on until 10:15.  We did this kind of thing all the time 5 years ago but now I think it's catching up with me.  

Even with all of my depressing reflections about my upcoming milestone, the show was great.  The opening band, Listening Party, was ok.  Wolf Parade put on a good show, playing a lot of songs off their first album and an equal amount from their new album.  I prefer the old one so I was happy they played quite a few from that album.  Being the old geezers we are, we left about 11:30ish when the crowd was cheering for an encore.  I didn't have to be up at 6am to go to work today, but I decided for Gabe's sanity that we'd better head home at that point.  I'm sure today he's really feeling 24 again!

-h

Long Beach

Washington that is...not California.
Gabe and I wanted to get some camping in this summer but haven't put much time or energy into planning anything. We decided, oh...about Wednesday, that this weekend maybe the only chance we have this summer. I started to do some investigating. We really wanted to head to the coast to escape the 90+ degree heat. The only problem is that Oregon State campgrounds at the coast fill up before you can even blink. I'm not sure when reserving a campsite a year in advance became the norm around here. How can anyone do anything spur of the moment anymore?
Well, we decided to look at exploring somewhere new. That's how we ended up camped on the Long Beach Peninsula this weekend. And it really is the longest beach in the United States, at 28 miles of sand. It was a really fun place to explore. We didn't spend too much time actually on the beach because it was really windy. After all, how can you spend a day at a beach in the Northwest without being blown around? But we did hike some of the Discovery Trail that commemorates the end of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and their arrival at the Pacific. We visited the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, stopped by the Cranberry Museum, walked out to the North Head lighthouse (where 2 deer walked out of the woods and on to the trail right in front of us...so close I could have touched one of them), and we explored Cape Disappointment State Park and the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.
Throw a few campfires in there, and it was a perfect weekend. Here are a couple pictures.

Gabe standing with the bronze statue of William Clark on the Discovery Trail

-h