Nic Notes

2-1-12

2012-02-01T18:57:00.001-08:00

I realize I still have over a year of stuff to catch up, but I am taking a moment on this day, February 1st, 2012...2/1/12...2112...to pay homage to 3 gentlemen I adore.

Alex, Neil and especially Geddy. You bring me such joy :)
RUSH

Birthday October 2010

2011-10-02T17:53:00.001-07:00

with AnneDeb-o
Linderman
Renee
Bacchus likes to hang out under the table while we eat
Mike and Dawn
Mom and Dad
Sisters

USS Benner Reunion

2011-10-02T17:41:00.000-07:00

September 2010 Dad's Navy Reunion

Reunion for anyone who was stationed aboard the USS Benner. This year Mom and Dad hosted it in Portland.

The City of RosesTable for the Lost Solider. Very sad.
Sisters
Joly, Dad and Duji
Carmie and Mom...they put a lot of work into this event
Auntie Carol and Carmie
Cousins Larry and Pam
Blurry family. Stupid camera.

The Ladies
The Gents

RHS 20 Yr Reunion

2011-10-02T17:34:00.003-07:00

August 2010, Reynolds High School Reunion

No, I'm not old enough to have a 20 yr reunion, but for some reason I attended this. About half way through the setting on my camera changed and the photos turned out blurry, so there aren't many posted here.

Cindy, Tina, Cheryl, Newby, Katie, me, Natalie, Lisa
High school boyfriend Robin
Robin and Angie
Sheila and Jafar
with Katie
Katie and Heather were college dorm mates. Katie was there at the beginning of Heather and Adam!
with Heather
Heather and Adam

Fishers' BBQ

2011-10-02T17:29:00.001-07:00

Can't remember if this was August or September 2010. Lisa and Toby Fisher had an end of Summer BBQ.

Grace with Ella in the back
Braden, Ella, Kylie, Grace and Clara
Heather and Emma with Toby in the back
Brent and Tom Workman
Michael, Lisa, me and Heather...old grade school friends and neighbors

Amato Family Picnic 2010

2011-10-02T17:22:00.001-07:00

Davey and Laura
and Jackie
That's us!
Family
Debbi and Brian
Brian's son, Anthony, enjoying watermelon
Auntie-Nette and Auntie Rose
Shaun, Lori and Mike
Dez and Larry
Bob, Jeannie, Jackie and David
David and granddaughters Ashley and Valerie
Jackie and David

San Diego July 2010

2011-10-02T17:13:00.000-07:00

Even though Andrew isn't around anymore, this blog is kind of like a diary of events and photos for me, so I'm including this trip anyway. Also spent time at Oceanside and La Jolla. Really beautiful.
Went to the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institute of Oceanography. They had a really cool exhibit of different seahorses. From super tiny like an inch long to 10 inch long sea dragons like the reddish one below.
Views from his grandparents' home.

This one area of coastline had a bunch of these huge jelly fish that were blood red. So pretty!

Goonies 25th Anniversary

2011-10-02T16:59:00.000-07:00

I can't remember if this was May or June of 2010. Andrew's friend, Brent, was in Astoria for 25th anniversary of "The Goonies". Brent had worked on the movie "The Goonies, the Making of a Cult Classic" with Ron and Pat. All of them were in town with Shaz and her husband Justin (Shaz handles the fan website). Met all of these folks for the first time in Astoria and adore them still. A seriously funny group.

The film makers

The film makers
Dinner on the pier
Shaz with Joey Pants!! (Joe Pantoliano)

Shaz knows the current owner of the Goonies house so she and Justin stayed there

Pat sleeps with his eyes open. Creepy. Even though we were quiet, those open eyes must have seen us.
Shaz and Justin with master photo bomb by Brent
Shaz and Jeff Cohen "Chunk" :)
Group at 80's party
I want to pinch both of their cheeks!

Love them! Came all the way from England!

2010 Agent Awards

2011-10-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

Some pics from last year's spring awards program in Sunriver. Lots of work but lots of fun too.

Kate, Kristl, Lisa, Wendi
With Betty, my first Am Fam boss...God bless her!
They're not a couple, but they make a cute one, don't they?
Tim and Kate...rare photo of the elusive Tim
Gomez and Lisa
Brooks
With Tim
Ryan and Georgianna
Dancing with Wendi
Dana and Jules
Casey and Jaymi, in case you didn't notice the name tags
Wendi and Renee

I'm Baaaaaack

2011-04-17T21:36:00.000-07:00

It's been almost a year since I've last posted. I'll catch up eventually, but tonight I thought I'd post some random pics that were mobile photos on my Facebook. Just random crap. I'll get to the rest of 2010 eventually. Totally rad Pinhead costume on some dude at Halloween. I had to get the scoop on how he did it. He cut nails in half. Then glued the half nail to his head using a regular costume type glue, like for a fake mustache, devil horns, etc. and then put liquid latex over his head. I think the latex will just peel off later. It was phenomenal. I like argyle. Busted my toe slipping down my neighbor's stairs. One of those houses where you have to take off your shoes, so I was in my socks (not the argyle ones). My foot landed on the stair, but then everything except for the 4th and 5th toe slid forward off the stair. It hurt. I feel like I'm in the Emerald City when I wear these. Oz. Not Seattle. Stayed with Scott and Tony after one of my work trips to Denver. Maggie and Guinness were waiting for a blueberry muffin to fall.

The fabulous Scott and Tony. Love them! Tony would probably not be pleased that I've posted a picture of him right after getting out of bed. But she'll just have to deal with it.

Went to High Tea at the Heathman with Dawn and Vicki Voobs. Finger sandwiches, delicious scones and treats. And it was gorgeously decorated for the holidays. Super fun!

Really cute seafoam/aqua Beetle with old wooden sleigh.

View from my room at Skamania Lodge for Dana and Marchelle's holiday party. Always a lovely time.

I drive by this every day to work. One of these days, I'll buy one. I don't think I can find a better price elsewhere. Plus, the zombies will come soon.

Saint Patrick's Day. Wore green especially for Grandpa Mace. It was a lousy morning, don't remember why, but Wendi Lou Who surprised me with a mocha at our meeting. Good friends. Good coffee. Word.

Mark's Visit Home

2010-05-24T21:27:00.000-07:00

Happy hour at Casa del Matador on NW 23rd to celebrate Mark's visit home. He's been in Bogota, Colombia for 3 years as an officer in the Foreign Service and will now be doing a year long assignment in Kabul, Afghanistan. I'm sure I'm getting his actual title wrong, but he will be a director of business development primarily focusing on agriculture. As always, he is an incredibly intelligent, driven and hard working man.

Cheryl and Markme and Mark
Cindy and Mark
Katie and Mark
Lisa and Mark Just like the old days...Mark with all of the girls :)
We miss you and will be praying for a safe and successful year!

Dad's 70th Birthday!

2010-05-24T21:21:00.000-07:00

Celebrated Dad's 70th birthday (and Mother's Day and Mike's birthday) at the View Point Inn in Corbett! It's an old building, in the National Historic Register, that is currently a small inn and restaurant. We had a delicious brunch there. Extremely well fed.

The grounds are beautiful, and we were blessed with gorgeous weather!
View of the Gorge
Dad doesn't look, act or feel 70. I think 70 must be the new 50!Happy Birthday Mikey!

One last time...Storm and the Balls

2010-05-24T21:14:00.001-07:00

Saw what will probably the last show for a very long time of Storm and the Balls. They played a ton of their old stuff. A really great show even though it was a bit sad.

Thank y0u for reserved front row seating! Cousin Jackie, her beau David and friend Laura:
The only camera we had was my Blackberry, but it was so dark that the slow shutter speed made everything blurry. So let's consider them moody with a rock-n-roll vibe :)Our favorite Ball, Davey Nipples

Prince of Peace Retreat

2010-05-24T20:58:00.000-07:00

Annual Prince of Peace Women's Retreat at Cannon Beach. Lovely weekend with Anne and Deb-o and their church friends. I am an honorary Lutheran during that weekend :) This year's theme was "Who Do You Think You Are" and we did all sorts of exercises and projects looking at what makes us who we are, if we think others see us differently than we see ourselves, the gifts that Christ has given us in our characteristics, etc. We had some free time to walk along the beach, go through the shops and of course visit Bruce's Candy Kitchen.We stayed in the same cute little bungalow as last year. Quaint with original moldings and fireplace (maybe from the 40's?) but updated furniture. I think the wiring needs to be updated though. Anne blew a fuse with her hairdryer and ended up with a hand covered in soot!
We also had time to do some fun crafty things. Girls enjoy that kind of stuff. Made some really cute magnets with Anne's guidance and beaded an awesome green bracelet with Deb-o's beads. All of my other bracelets sucked, but the first one I made was perfect!

It was a wonderful weekend. As Anne would say, it was full of "fun, food and fellowship" :)

D355 Holiday Party

2010-02-20T22:49:00.001-08:00

Dana and Julie had their district holiday party at Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, WA again this year, and it was just as fabulous as last year! Delicious food, fun people, dancing, good times. I'm waiting for Julie's/Marchelle's pics since I only have these 2 so far.

with Lisa and Renee, 2 of the reasons I love going to work!
Lisa and me, our traditional party self portrait!

Deb-o's Wedding

2010-02-20T22:39:00.002-08:00

Finally getting around to posting photos from Debbie and Mike's wedding last December. Really lovely wedding for really lovely people.
Anne, sister of the bride, and Kristin, best friend of the bride
Sexy Crystal and me
Brittany and her dad, the groom
mothers of the groom and bride
Anne and Ron
with Deb-o and our godsons, Nathan and Colin
Deb-o surprised Mike with a UO groom's cake. They ended their honeymoon by flying from Hawaii to the Rose Bowl on the way home!
Besties :)

Early Spring!

2010-02-20T22:39:00.001-08:00

blue sky, sunshine, 60 degrees, FEBRUARY!

got nothin' more to say

2010-02-14T23:19:00.000-08:00

GRRRR

Good Dog!

2010-02-02T18:58:00.000-08:00

Speaking of Christmas, here's a picture of Bacchus in front of Dawn and Mike's enormous tree.He's a happy dog!

Mt Hood

2010-02-02T18:52:00.000-08:00

I love Mt Hood! It's so pretty and is just the most perfect mountain ever! I feel lucky that I get to see it every day going to work.

I took the picture below on Christmas Eve day when I was driving to my parents'. We had a couple of weeks of really cold but blue and sunny weather. It was awesome. The mountain looked way bigger in person so this isn't the best shot, and the stupid sign is in front of it. Plus I was trying to drive and use my Blackberry camera at the same time. (I don't do that anymore since driving and phoning are illegal in Oregon without a hands free device.) But here she is...

Life is too busy to blog

2010-02-01T19:14:00.000-08:00

I'm way behind. Definitely plan on catching up about real stuff but decided to post what's in my head right now, and that's Geddy Lee. I heart him.I know he doesn't have what some would call classic good looks, but I would so marry him. He's an amazing bass player. He rules you.

I'M A HOMEOWNER, B*TCHES!

2009-11-18T19:54:00.001-08:00

feeling Halloween-y

2009-10-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

Found a cool spider web on my back patio. Some really huge spiders have been living back there. The mean looking kind. But the web was pretty.I love Halloween so I made a Halloween wreath! I was going to add some fake webs and spiders to it, but I think I'll leave it as is for now. I kind of like the Goth / Victorian-in-mourning look that it has without the kitschy stuff added.
For some reason, the flash worked best from the side.I cut apart black roses, fake of course, and used the flowers and the leaves and then filled in with black oak leaves. The roses had purple and silver glitter on them already. It was actually pretty easy!

Kathie's Wedding

2009-10-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

Longtime neighbor friend from many moons ago, Kathie Smith, recently got married. It was a really beautiful wedding in Boring on her sister's property.

Kathie and her dad, Ed
view of her dress from the back, it had a vintage look to it, suited her perfectly! bride's parents, Carol and Ed SmithDawn and Mom (Dad already had a ticket to see Crosby Stills & Nash at Edgefield that night)Lenwoo and Karen Dowd...more neighbors from the 1970's!pretty and delicious cakebride's sister, Kim
this photo isn't detailed enough, but they had canvas sheets hanging behind the bar (to hide the catering work) and the canvases were painted different earthy colors...it was a very artistic effect
just a lovely Summer evening wedding for a lovely lady!

Mad for this movie

2009-09-06T18:43:00.000-07:00

Dawn showed me this movie trailer, and we are extremely excited! We love us some Daniel Day-Lewis. Counting down to November 25th...

NINE Movie Trailer Link

Potato Latkes

2009-08-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

After last night's dinner creation, I thought I'd try actual potato latkes. They weren't bad for the first time, but I think they needed more salt and onions. I used potatoes from Dawn and Mike's garden, onions from the farmer's market and Mom's homemade applesauce for dipping.(as well as sour cream from the store.) Really easy to make except the house smells like fried oil now. yuck.

Farmers Find

2009-08-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

Bought these lovely and strange orange calla lilies at the farmer's market. Also bought blackberries, green onions, carrots, nectarines, zucchini, yellow zucchini and beets. But the flowers were the prettiest.

UPDATE
Made 5 loaves of zucchini bread today. Had extra grated zucchini left so improvised fried zucchini pancakes, kind of like potato latkes, for dinner and also had the fresh beets sliced, boiled and with a little salt. Yummy and vegetastic!

Shows

2009-08-18T21:26:00.000-07:00

Haven't been to any musical shows or concerts in a long time, so I was lucky to see a few this Summer:

Crazy Enough
Storm Large's autobiographical show. Went with Dawn and her work friends (strangely the same night that Mom and Dad went with Cousins Pam and Larry.) Brilliant show. Wicked brilliant. James and Storm are musical superheros. I have no idea how she went through her emotional history every freaking night. Heart breaking and uplifting at the same time.

Rent
Tied for my all-time favorite Broadway show (with Les Miserables.) I think this was the 3rd time I've seen it, but this tour had the same actors who originated the 2 male lead roles! I had a Ticketmaster gift card from Rob and Lynn since Christmas but hadn't come across anything to use it on. I was so excited when I saw a few months ago that Rent was coming to town! I used the gift card and added an extra $20 and got 2 tickets! I invited Heather to join me now that she's back in town. She had seen it on Broadway and loved it, so I knew she would appreciate it's beauty. And it was indeed beautiful. So amazing. I cry every time I see it and sometimes even when I'm just listening to the music.

Repo! The Genetic Opera
Bizarre. That would be my one word description :) Clinton Street Theater has a weekly showing of this movie along with a shadowcast (just like they do with Rocky Horror Picture Show.) Cousin Tony is in the shadowcast so Cousin Davey and I went to see a performance very late one Friday night. I think we were a good 15-20 yrs older than most of the people there although there were a few our age. I had never heard of the movie before and was expecting to cringe through it since it sounded quite gory (it's set in the future when an evil corporation sells organs to people who need transplants but they'll repossess the organ if you can't pay at any time.) I was totally surprised to find that I really liked the movie! A lot! I loved the music and the dark, gothic setting. And Tony was terrific as violent and psychotic Luigi!

Crazy Enough
Went again! Cousin Jackie was taking Cousins Ashley and Valerie during Ashley's visit home, so I went with them. We had a yummy dinner at PF Chang's first where New Zealand Doug surprised us by joining us! Then we walked to the show and were met with Cousin Jeannie and Bob. The show was even more amazing the 2nd time. I think the change in her relationship this time made it seem more intense. Very sad but very moving.

Life

2009-07-17T00:24:00.000-07:00

Somehow, life happened and got in the way of me reporting on my life. Funny how that happens. But drinking coffee too late in the afternoon has given me the motivation to stay up until 12:30am getting everything up to date!

Tony's Graduation!

2009-07-17T00:02:00.000-07:00

June 2009

I remember Tony being born. I remember him playing with his "loptop" computer. I remember him asking, "what doing Uncle Mike, what doing?" Now he's a high school graduate.
Tony's dad Craig and Tami
Craig's godmother Patty and George In the beautiful garden
Tony's cousins, me and Dawn Tony's great-aunt, my momTony's grandma, my Auntie CarolTony's great-uncle, my dad
Tony's godfather, Goren and Mrs. Sam
Notice the Rocky Horror t-shirt. At the time, he was trying out for the Clinton Street Cabaret which performs along with the movie showing on weekends. As he was opening graduation cards and receiving money, he was excited that he would have cash that he could put toward a corset. Can I tell you how much I love that?! Honestly. Dig it.

He ended up getting the part of Rocky! Yay, Tony! Don't dream it. Be it!

Storm's 40th Birthday Party

2009-07-16T23:53:00.001-07:00

June 2009

Went to surprise party for Storm's 40th. At Mississippi Studios, lots of music, interesting folk. Great time!Cousins Pam, Larry, Patty and George.
We made a new friend, Doug from New Zealand. He's James' brother-in-law and flew in just for the night as a suprise! Literally, stayed less than 24 hrs.
I'm not sure why Mary Poppins was in the bathroom, but I really liked that she was.
Cousin Jackie :)

World Naked Bike Ride

2009-07-16T23:36:00.000-07:00

June 2009

Had never heard of it before. Now I know. Oh. I know. Seeing hundreds of naked bicyclists changes a person.

It was a dark and stormy night. Actually, it wasn't, but doesn't something really dramatic have to start that way? I was out with Lisa and her friends. Driving across the Burnside bridge. We saw a young man riding a bike. Naked. With some twigs in his hair. That's awfully weird, we thought. I think we screamed and laughed and tried but failed to take a photo.

We ended up at Candy in the Pearl. Sometime after midnight, it started. A parade of bicyclists. All of them naked. Some with underwear, but I'm sure that was just because of the bike. Did I mention all of them were naked? The final estimate was 3,000 participants. The theme for this year was "Where the Wild Things Are" so they adorned themselves with woodsy, natural elements. And I've gotta say, I saw no Daniel Craig or Gisele Bundchen in the lot of 'em.

Did they think the twigs would help?

Father's Day

2009-07-16T23:31:00.001-07:00

June 2009

Celebrated Father's Day at Dawn and Mike's.
Dad opening gifts with Bacchus watching.Dawn and a rare photo of Mike. The goofball doesn't like having pictures taken. Ya that's right, I'm calling you a name. And I will continue calling you names until you are more cooperative.
Mom and Dad
Bacchus likes to be involved.
Scratching his leg

Gatchell in Town!

2009-07-16T23:26:00.000-07:00

May 2009

Nichole Gatchell came to town for a visit. I hadn't seen her in several years!!! She looks just the same! And she IS just the same :) We had a great night at Lisa's with Mexican food and margaritas!
Gatchell and CherylKatie and me
Gatchell and Lisa

Agent Awards After Party

2009-07-16T23:20:00.001-07:00

April 2009

We held our annul Agent Awards Program at The Governor Hotel in Downtown Portland. Ended up hanging out at Henry's for most of the night.
surlyLisa, Kate and me
Brooks and Bob
They're trying hard.

Denver

2009-07-16T23:07:00.001-07:00

March 2009

Had to go to Denver for a seminar, so I decided to stay a couple extra days with Scott and Tony.Their adorable 1920's home.
Look at the detail on the brick windowsill!

Tony created the Glamazon...Smirnoff white grape vodka, soda and a splash of cranberry. The Glam became our official drink!
At Hamburger Mary's
The drag show next door
I love my friends and appreciated them opening their home to me!

Ricia's Going-Away Party

2009-07-16T23:01:00.001-07:00

February 2009

Ricia moved back to Colorado :( We took her to Split for a girl's night.

Renee and RiciaRicia and Wendi
Wendi put some Holiday Rock Band Party pictures together for her so she won't forget us!
Lisa and me

Big Sammich Day

2009-07-16T22:41:00.001-07:00

February 2009

Super Bowl Party at Wendi and Chad's....Annual Big Sammich Day! I wish I could post the flier that they created, but I can't get it to work. It explained how this year's Big Sammich Day was sponsored by Summer's Eve...Terrorist Meat would be performing at the Sham-Wow Half Time Show and the Game Beer was sponsored in part by Metamucil.

Game day sponsor
Game beer sponsor
The hostsMicah and Chad
Tyler and me
Wendi and Maranda with Maranda's daughter, Layla
Chad and neighbor Rod
Belisle and Kristin
Uncle Scott
Not sure why there was pirate stuff there, except that pirate stuff always makes a party better.
Maranda and Layla left early. Could she have a cuter smile??!!
The traditional goodbye dance when Layla has to go.The Sham-Wow Half Time Show.
Terrorist Meat
Kate and cool mom Wendi
Big Sammich Day...a success!

Winterhawks

2009-07-16T22:24:00.000-07:00

January 2009

Went to a Winterhawks game. My first in a very long time. Been way too long! I love hockey!!

me and BrooksThis is Toby. He had his 11th birthday party there. They were in the rows in front of us and hilarious!!! Very weird hearing kids yelling smack at the players :)
This is Toby's younger brother Jordan. SO cute. He was so excited to be there, he did a jumping, bouncy dance for the Winterhawks!
Devin and me

D512 Holiday Party

2009-07-16T22:07:00.000-07:00

January 2009

D512 Holiday Party. Ricia hosted at her home with catered food, lots of drink, Rock Band and spontaneous dancing in the kitchen! Since it was Rock Band themed, we had to dress up.
This picture doesn't do Lisa's outfit justice. She added pink extensions to her hair, much darker eye make up than normal and a hot outfit with skinny jeans and boots. Laube didn't dress up. Lame.
Jim Rabe as Ozzy OsbourneShawn and Katie Benson...so cute!!
That's Wendi of course. She's Cyndi Lauper.
Wendi, Rob and Lynn
I think I rocked the giant 'fro.
Steve and Renee Flaten. Just your average couple. Out on an average night.
Wendi and Ricia dancing!
She's really very shy.
My fake lashes had beads on the tips!

Sunriver Holiday Party

2009-07-16T21:47:00.000-07:00

January 2009

Annual District Manager Holiday Meeting at Sunriver.

Too much fun with Scott and Lisa!
I heart Scott. We missed Tony :(
Robyne making pasta and having fun!
Kidlets: Mia, Abbey, Lulu, Maja, Cora and Ally
Jules and Elliana!
DMs' wives: Cindy, Melinda, Kate and Catarina

Dana with his girly drink and appropriately poised pinky.
These are Lisa's White House Black Market faux leopard print shoes and my French brothel shoes from Ether!
Long story. So Shawn was going to take a picture of Jules, Lisa and me. We weren't ready but Shawn took a picture just to fool with us. I told him to wait, we're not ready! But apparently I was more animated than I thought. Joe used to tell me I looked pissed off during discussions even if I wasn't angry. I see now.
This is how the picture turned out. Makes me look a little bipolar.
Shawn and Mike. We're friendly at Am Fam.

Heather's Visit

2009-07-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

January 2009

The Hensley's were in town for the holidays. The entire Hensley clan went to the Morris's so the kids could play.
Colin and Nathan Morris - Braden, Clara, Grace and Emma HensleyThen Adam took the kids back to Heather's parents' house and us 3 girls were able to have a girly day together! I can't remember the last time it was just the 3 of us! We walked around NW 23rd (I bought some fabulous, inexpensive shoes at Ether that make me think of a French brothel!) Then we went to Lovely Hula Hands for dinner. Wonderful food and really lovely drinks with ingredients like rose water and elderberry. Then Anne and I took Heather back to her parents' about an hour into WA through the icy fog. It was a little dicy but fun!Postnote: Now our girl is back home!!! The Hensley's moved back in June and live just a few blocks away from us :)

D355 Holiday

2009-07-16T21:17:00.000-07:00

January 2009

District 355's Holiday Party was at Skamania Lodge. Beautiful setting for a Winter Holiday party. Great food and dancing!

Dana and Julie Van Brocklin, the hosts!
Marchelle, Brooks and TinaLynn and Rob
Tina, Marchelle, Julie and me
me and Jules after dancing
After party poker in the room

New Year's Eve

2009-07-16T20:51:00.000-07:00

12-31-08
Champagne Ball
Hilton Downtown Portland

A friend of Ashley's puts on the Champagne Ball every New Year's. We volunteered to help set up and check in guests and were able to get in for free! Fun party with live bands, djs, 5 dance floors and a big balloon drop at midnight.

Prefunc in the room.
All of the girls: me, Kathy, Lisa, Ashley and Lynda.
I loved the new dress I bought on sale at White House Black Market. It felt very 50's. And I especially loved the flower I added to the waist.Dancing with Lisa. No clue who the dude was. Didn't even know he was in the picture until later.With Lynda and streamers.I think this is my all time favorite picture of Ashley :)
Some pimp dude.
We got to stand on stage prior to midnight and throw streamers and poppers to the crowd!Midnight!

Christmas!

2009-03-10T21:49:00.001-07:00

I am so horribly behind. The following posts should catch me up through the end of 2008. I'll do the first quarter of 2009 later this week...

Christmas

"Arctic Blast 2008" (named by the media) hit the Metro area and actually beat record snowfall from 40 years ago. In addition to the snow, it was windy which created large drifts. My car (under a carport) was stuck. I was stuck. For 5 days. That's a long time when you live by yourself. Luckily one night early on, Anne's family picked me up on their trek to Fred Meyer. I went back home with them and helped Anne bake cookies the rest of the night. Ron kindly drove me home. It was a very much needed break out of my apartment.

Since the weather shot our normal holiday plans, we decided to go to Dawn and Mike's for both Christmas Eve and Day and just do a sleep over. So Mom and Dad loaded up the Explorer and came to rescue me. We stopped at Albertson's on our way over to Newberg to pick up Dawn's online grocery order. Mind you, we were already packed up with 3 people's luggage and Christmas gifts. There was barely enough room for me in the back seat. And now we added groceries. A lot of groceries.

I posted this pic on Facebook, and Cousin Cindee asked if we always brought our own toilet paper when traveling. I hadn't noticed it was a 12 pack. I was just so freaking glad to be out.This shows how deep the snow was on their deck.
View of the Valley from their deck.Cozy insideBacchus could tell that present was for him!
Food. Christmas Eve is always munchies, fondue, deviled eggs, etc.The massive tree in their newly remodeled foyer A rare photo of the elusive MikeI made this chocolate cake in a fun Bundt-type pan that looks like a forest. It turned out a little dry (it was so gooey, I ended up over baking it) but it was my first cake from scratch!Dad and Mom with lapdog BacchusFood. Christmas Day is ham, scrambled eggs with pepper and cheddar cheese, onion roasted potatoes and Challah bread french toast!It was nice to not worry about the weather once we got there. We could just stay all cozy and festive! We played a ton of games and cards. We ended up staying 2 nights.

Here are Mom and Dad by their tree. They always decorate with the living room colors of burgundy and blue

D509 Holiday Party

2009-03-10T21:34:00.000-07:00

12/13/09

Ryan hosted a holiday party for his agents at the Mill Casino in Coos Bay (his district encompasses Eugene down to Medford and Grants Pass and over to Coos Bay.) Another great party with a little extra excitement, a buffet table on fire. Just down the hall, some decorative greenery caught fire on a chafing dish! The wait staff are also excellent at putting out fires.

Ryan and Melinda Robertson, the hosts
Debbie and Doug Woolsey, Lynn (my boss's wife)
Rob, my boss, spontaneously entertaining
me and Robyne (my boss's daughter)

Hotel Lights Crawl

2009-03-10T21:27:00.000-07:00

12/05/09

After the D501 party, Lisa and I went Downtown to join up with Ashley and her huge Hotel Lights Crawl. It's like a pub crawl, but you visit the bars in some of the big hotel lobbies in Downtown Portland to see how festive they are decorated for the holidays. We met up with everyone at the last stop, Urban Farmer at The Nines (which is a very contemporary styled bar, you don't feel like you're in Portland at all.)

In the e-vite that Ashley sent to everyone, she provided a link to an elf-name generator she found online. You type in your name, and it gives you your new elf name!

Ashley and me (Bouncy Bing a Ling and Blissful Angel Pants)Ashley and Gavin
Lisa and me

D501 Holiday Party

2009-03-10T21:19:00.000-07:00

12/05/09

Calvin held a holiday party at Rheinlander for his agents. The food was super yummy, and the company was awesome. I used to work in that district so it's always nice to see those folks! Kristi put a lot of work into making it a lovely party.

Matt and Kristi CraigI think we had the best table...

Dave and Heidi SnyderMillie and Jeanne SreenanKazem and Lisa

Life is Golden Promotion

2009-03-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

12/02/08

We held the wrap-up event for one of our campaigns at work. It was at Tualatin Country Club and it had just been decorated for the holidays.
I love how they put cotton batting on the tree limbs to look like snow!
The agents earned raffle tickets for some fun items! We gave away a ton of stuff...Wii's, wine, Coach handbag, diamond earrings, PSP2, gift cards for REI, Visa, Ticketmaster...and 2 scooters! It was a lot of fun!Tracy, Lisa, BJ and meme, Lisa and Wendi :)Krissy, Ronell and Ryan
Krissy, Angelica, me, Brooks, Lisa and Tracy

Girlie Weekend

2008-11-24T22:36:00.000-08:00

I am horribly behind, so here are several posts from the past month or so...

Went to the Coast a few weekends back with Lisa, Katie and Cheryl and stayed at Cheryl's beach house. It was such a nice break! All of us needed some time away from our normal lives. We did a lot of: catching up, eating, drinking, laughing, crying. It was perfect Girl Time.
They will hate me for posting these pictures, but Cheryl has the only decent one of us, and she hasn't been able to email it yet. So there. Here we are in all our natural "beauty" and glory. PJ's and all...

Halloween Night

2008-11-24T21:57:00.000-08:00

Went to the Morris family's for the annual Halloween dinner of Halloweenies (a special Jolin recipe) and Jell-O jigglers! Then took Colin and Nathan trick-or-treating with Anne, Ron, Debbie and Papa Jolin. It was the perfect night...was supposed to rain, but didn't at all...and wasn't freezing cold like past years.

I love these boys! They are so cute.
Then went to Ashley's to dress up and went to a party downtown at the Lotus. Ashley made a very classy Holly Golightly! We met Lynda and her friend there.

Halloween Time

2008-11-24T20:56:00.000-08:00

I love this holiday and time of year! I went for a walk one day with Kristi during lunch and decided to bring my camera to capture the beautiful leaves. We had been having some unusually good late Fall weather, and "they" (the people who know) were saying that the leaves were more colorful this year due to the great Summer we had and the dry Fall days and cool Fall evenings.

The night before Halloween, I went on a Halloweener Cruise on the Portland Spirit with Cousin Jackie and her friend Laura to see Cousins Davey and Storm perform. Really fun! Lots of crazy costumes which I didn't think to take pictures of : ( For my costume, I wanted to go dark but wanted to wear my blue wig. Friend Lynda discovered on line (God bless the internet) that there is a subculture of Goth, called Candy Goth, that adds bright color and a happy disposition. Done deal!Jackie/Naughty Nurse..Laura/Gypsy...me/Candy GothSiblings (my cousins) Davey and JackieStorm and Davey We had 1 buffet ticket between the 3 of us, and the ticket only allowed 1 trip through the buffet. So we were good girls and followed the rules and loaded up the ONE plate with various salads, veggies, fruit, cheese and hot dogs for each of us. I felt a bit like a pig carrying that plate.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-11-24T20:38:00.000-08:00

Went to Plumper Pumpkin Patch with the Morris family. It's was wonderful! A really beautiful and perfect Fall day. This was my first visit to this particular patch, and it was a neat one...an old farm house, hay maze, farm animals, corrugated pipe slides (which we all slid down!) and a hay ride with an extraordinary view!

On the way...Plumper Pumpkin Patch View from the hay ride
Lone oakDeb-o the Corn QueenAnne of the Sunflowers
that's me

We Like to Party

2008-10-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a celebration for a myriad of significant events:
-The Lewis & Clark law boys graduated cum laude, passed the Bar and were all sworn in
-Wendi's agency had a huge month of business
-I turned 36 (yikes)

So Wendi and Chad hosted a party, Terrorist Meat performed via Rock Band 2, food was eaten, beverages were imbibed, poker was played, fun was had by all! Thank you Wendi and Chad!!!

Terrorist Meat in all their gloryChad "Mat Bastardson" vocals
Tyler "t-WreXXX" percussionNick "Niquor" guitar
Micah "herbi" bassVegetarian Misty "Betty Trouble" delightfully posing under the Terrorist Meat poster
Wendi and MarandaMe with my birthday gift...a sparkly Pimp Stein! Yes, I drank Bloody Marys out of it all night Wendi and Uncle Scott (brother)
Maranda and Mike

The Old Country

2008-10-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad took a trip to Italy and were able to visit the village where my great-grandparents were from (my mom's paternal grandparents, the Antrosios.) With the help of some Italian speaking friends, they had contacted a distant cousin, Massimiliano, and he arranged for a reunion party!

Here's Auntie Carol with Mom and Dad over looking Ottiglio.They also visited Lucca, Florence, Assisi, Umbertide and Cinque Terra. They brought back for me a beautiful, hand painted tile tray and my favorite Piemontese hazelnut nougat candy!

She's Crafty

2008-10-13T19:41:00.000-07:00

Time to do some updating in the abode.

First up, a project originated by my friend, Anne. I used some of her supplies and then made a trip to the local craft store for some fun velvet leaves, paper flowers, and tiny pearls and rhinestones and came up with this. I heart Paris.I also finally installed a little chandelier I found in Multnomah Village over the Summer. It took some effort finding the right kind of molly and drilling the right size hole all while being covered in a light shower of drywall dust. I know my dad would have gladly helped, but I had some weird determination to do it myself.
And then I bought new sheets which I am now in love with. I've tried higher thread count sheets which can be nice, but these trump them all. They are cotton jersey so it's just like being surrounded in an old, soft t-shirt. I highly recommend them!

Brian and Xani's Wedding

2008-09-07T19:43:00.000-07:00

Cousin Brian married Xani after 12 years together! They had a small wedding last Sunday, and then the rest of us joined them on Labor Day for their big reception. It was held on the Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler. (click on photo to go to website)Since Mom and Dad were in Italy and sadly missed the event, Dawn and I decided to make it a Girl's Night Out. We drove to Hood River and stayed at the Columbia Gorge Hotel. Beautiful! It was built in 1921, and Presidents and film stars have stayed there. The fixtures are still old, but if you can appreciate the quaintness, it's worth visiting. And the breakfast is to die for! (click on photo to go to website)We drank champagne on the terrace of the Valentino Lounge (named after silent film star Rudolph Valentino) which had a stunning view of the Gorge. Then we went to the Sternwheeler to meet up with everyone for the reception.

Brian and Xani are sailing enthusiasts, and they arrived via sailboat. Classy entrance!Cousins: Jackie, Dawn, Davey, Brian, me and CraigCousin Debbi and Auntie-nette
Cousins Vicki, Lindsey, Mike and KristinCousins Jackie, Storm and Davey
We went for a cruise along the Gorge while having appetizers and cocktails. The weather was just perfect! Then we came back and docked for dinner. After some people left for an early night, we went back out on the river for dancing! Dawn was a good sport and danced with me. I dig dancing.
The first dance was Bee Gees "How Deep is Your Love." It seemed like everyone on the ship knew the words!
Auntie-nette danced all night!It was a really neat idea for a reception, and it turned out so well! Everyone had a great time. Really lovely.

Being Green

2008-08-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

Kermit had it right. Being green may not be easy, but it can be great! I went to the Beaverton Farmer's Market on Saturday. It's one of the larger ones on this side of town. I was able to buy a ton of fresh produce for $20 total: carrots, cucumbers, zucchini, peaches, beets, dill, basil, bibb lettuce, bell peppers and flowers!!!
I've never seen purple bell peppers before. They're so pretty! They tasted a little bitter. More like a green pepper than a red or orange one.I think these are mums and dahlias. I got a deal since I was there during the last hour, and they were trying to unload their merchandise.It felt good to support local farmers. On top of that, you know exactly where the food is coming from, it's food that has been grown organically so pesticides and contaminants were not added into the environment and less fossil fuels were burned by purchasing locally and avoiding transportation across the country or even across the world. Better for the environment and better for your tummy!2Pac had it right too, "Let's change the way we eat, let's change the way we live and let's change the way we treat each other." I'm pretty confident he was talking about racial and social issues, but it applies to everything and all of us. Maybe if we put a little more thought into our actions, we might make healthier choices: for our bodies, our relationships, our society, our planet. By no means am I living a perfectly green life. Going to a farmer's market is my baby step to being green.

Dallas

2008-08-26T21:16:00.000-07:00

I spent last week visiting my cousin Cindee and her family in Dallas. They have a VERY beautiful home. She has decorated it so lovely! I didn't want to do any touristy things, so we were able to just hang out with the kids most of the time: Nicholas, Cassandra and Julia.
Is this not a gorgeous picture??!!!Cassandra has a very big personality in a little body.One afternoon I watched them at Boomerang. It's a kids play place that has about 10 huge inflatables for the kids to play on (bouncy rooms, slides, etc.) On the picture below, I asked them to smile, but they decided to snuggle on their own...I joined Cindee's Mothers and Others group for Bunco one night and a water park with the kids. Cindee and I also took advantage of Dallas' Restaurant Week. We were able to dine at Del Frisco's for only $35 for a 3 course meal that would normally cost much more. I had asparagus soup, a pepper crusted filet, garlic mashed potatoes, mushrooms, vegetable ratatouille and chocolate mousse. The entire meal was delicious, but the best part was the filet, and I'm not even that much of a red meat eater!

I was able to see Marco for a bit when he got back from work. They are a really beautiful family. Inside and out.
**Let's hear it for Cory who gave me the travel voucher so I could go there for FREE!!!! Thank you Cory!!!

Pretty pretty flowers!

2008-08-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

Dawn sent me flowers just because! And the timing was perfect because I was just about ready to collapse from working 2 weeks straight.
It was a very contemporary arrangement with orchids, twiggy branches, a rose with petals that went from pink to yellow and an asymmetrical chartreuse ribbon. Tres chic!

It SUCKS

2008-08-06T21:30:00.000-07:00

...breaking up.

So I haven't written anything about it. His pictures just mysteriously disappeared from my blog. I've heard it takes half as long as you were together to get over it. I've also heard it takes 6 months. We were together for 2 years. I think I'll take the 6 months over 1 year. It's been 2 months. I'm not there yet, but I'm OK. Sometimes OK is good. Sometimes OK is lousy.

That's about as much as I'm going to write. But there are a couple of songs that speak to me at this particular time. So I'm going to put them here instead. Click on the title if you'd like to hear the songs.

BETTER IN TIME - Leona Lewis

It’s been the longest winter without you
I didn’t know where to turn to
See somehow I can’t forget you
After all that we’ve been through

Going coming, thought I heard a knock
Who’s there, no one
Thinking that I deserve it
Now I realize that I really didn’t know
If you didn’t notice, you mean everything
Quickly I’m learning to love again
Im gon’ be OK

Chorus
Thought I couldn’t live without you
It’s gonna hurt when it heals too
It’ll all get better in time
And even though I really love you
I'm gonna smile 'cuz I deserve to
It’ll all get better in time

I couldn’t turn on the TV
Without something there to remind me
Was it all that easy
To just put aside your feelings

If I’m dreaming don’t wanna laugh
Hurt my feelings but that’s the path
I believe in
And I know that time will heal it
If you didn’t notice, boy you meant everything
Quickly I’m learning to love again
Im gon’ be OK

Chorus

Since there’s no more you and me
It’s time I let you go
So I can be free
And live my life how it should be
No matter how hard it is I’ll be fine without you
Yes I will

Chorus x 2

MANY SHADES OF BLACK - The Raconteurs

Go ahead, Go ahead
And smash it on the floor
Take whatever's left
And take it with you out the door

See if I cry
See if I shed a single sorry tear
I can’t say that it’s been that great
No, in fact it’s been a wasted worried year

Chorus
Everybody sees
And everyone agrees
That you and I are wrong
And it’s been that way too long

Take it as it comes
And be thankful when its done
Theres so many ways to act
And theres many shades of black
Theres so many shades of black
Theres so many shades of black

Let it out (let it all out) let it all out
Say whats on your mind
You can kick and scream
And shout and say things
That are so unkind.

Yeah, see if I care
And see if I stand firm or if I fall
Cause in the back of my mind
And on the tip of my tongue
Is the answer to it all

Chorus X 2

ANGELS - Robbie Williams

I sit and wait
does an angel contemplate my fate 
and do they know 
the places where we go 
when we´re gray and old 
´cos I´ve been told 
that salvation lets their wings unfold 
so when I’m lying in my bed 
thoughts running through my head 
and I feel that love is dead 
I’m loving angels instead 


Chorus
and through it all she offers me protection 
a lot of love and affection 
whether I’m right or wrong 
and down the waterfall 
wherever it may take me 
I know that life wont break me 
when I come to call she wont forsake me 
I’m loving angels instead 

when I’m feeling weak 
and my pain walks down a one way street 
I look above 
and I know ill always be blessed with love 
and as the feeling grows 
she breathes flesh to my bones 
and when love is dead 
I’m loving angels instead 

Chorus

Xani's Bridal Shower

2008-08-06T21:13:00.000-07:00

08/03/08
After 12 years of dating, Cousin Brian and Xani are getting married! Mom, Cousin Debbi and Cousin Annie hosted a really lovely shower. There was a ton of good food: 4 Bean Salad, Tricolor Pasta Salad, Mediterranean Potato Salad, Chicken Salad with Peanut Sauce, Broccoli and Pine Nut Salad, Fruit Salad with a really tasty Citrus Dressing and several different loaves of bread from Grand Central. YUM!Mom picked up beautiful flowers from the Farmer's Market to go with Xani's colors.Auntie Rose, Auntie-Nette and Josie the Barber.

Amato Family Picnic

2008-08-06T21:01:00.000-07:00

07/27/08

Our annual Amato Family Picnic with Grandma Antrosio's side of the family. This year was at Creston Park. Nice to see the family, but I didn't think to take my camera out until the end after a lot of folks had left. We had about 40 people there. Auntie Rose was doing really well even though she hates using her walker. Auntie-Nette was as spry as ever! Cousin Tony was up from CA and just keeps getting taller. Pretty soon he won't look like he belongs in our family. (Again, I should have had my camera out.)
Everyone brought salads and desserts to share : ) I tried a new recipe that my mom gave me, a really good Taco Salad:

SALAD
1 head lettuce, chopped
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
Mix above ingredients together in bowl.

DRESSING
1 bottle Catalina dressing
1 packet taco seasoning
Mix above 2 ingredients together. Then add dressing to salad.

Very easy and actually pretty good for you!

King Estate Winery

2008-07-17T19:34:00.000-07:00

This week, Rob took the DM's and their spouses to Eugene and King Estate Winery. What a beautiful place. It's kind of in the middle of nowhere, but there are some outstanding views. And the winery itself is stunning.

We had a lovely dinner. I enjoyed their Domaine Pinot Gris. Quite nice on a Summer evening.

King Estate Winery

Girls at the Beach

2008-07-17T19:14:00.000-07:00

After BBQing at my parents' on the 4th of July, I spent the weekend on the Coast with Ashley and Jess. We stayed at Ashley's family condo in Gearhart. A really quaint little town! Very relaxing time. We hooked up with Anne, Ron, Colin and Nathan who were already there for the holiday. We also randomly bumped into an old friend, Jeff Young, in the middle of a cross walk!Ashley brought some champagne and opened it with a knife! I don't know what that's called, but it's pretty cool.We sat at the beach, drank our champagne and pondered life. It was delightful! The evening ended with a viewing of "The Goonies", appropriate since it was filmed in Astoria and Cannon Beach!

Apartment Garden

2008-06-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

I finally bought some plants for my deck so I can go out there and enjoy it. This is the first time I've tried osteospermum (Cape Daisy or African Daisy.) Look how each of the petals are spooned! They make me think of a cartoon alien or bug antenae.
Mom and Dad picked up some hanging lotus for me. They look like flames! The hummingbirds love them.
Kristi helped me find a little recliner so I can comfortably read out there. I'm excited to try it out. (It's way too hot this weekend.)Here's my view of the wetlands behind me. It's nice listening to the creek and all of the birds. There was a wood pecker somewhere in there this morning. I'm surprised at how loudly its hammering is amplified!

Father's Day

2008-06-29T12:15:00.000-07:00

Went to Dawn's and Mike's to celebrate Father's Day. Dad got some James Brown and Lynyrd Skynyrd, and we all had lemon meringue pie. YUM! Really pretty day.

Boys + Reptiles = FUN

2008-06-18T22:49:00.000-07:00

06/07/08

Went to my Godsons' birthday party! Colin is 7 and Nathan is 5. Their mom Anne hired the Oregon Reptile Man. The best birthday party ever! He brought all sorts of snakes, lizards and a baby alligator. All of the kids were totally into it. They did exactly what he said...stay still, stay seated, keep your hands in your lap. But there were a lot of animals they were able to touch. My favorite was the yellow python! It was really beautiful. Oregon Reptile Man, you're the shiz niz!

Animals are COOL!

2008-06-18T21:59:00.000-07:00

06/02/08

Went to Bandon for a District Manager Meeting. Walked 18 one day so I could at least see the beautiful course. And it is beautiful! We also happened to have a caddie from South Africa who had an equally beautiful accent.

But since I'm not a golfer, I went to the West Coast Game Park Safari on another day with Ricia, one of the DM's who also doesn't golf. It was SO NEAT! They have deer, goats and peacocks roaming around where you walk. They are very friendly but usually walk away once they realize you don't have food. All of the animals are there because they need to be, either from being hurt and rehabilitated or unable to survive in the wild. I recommend it for anyone, including those with toddlers. http://www.gameparksafari.com/

About some of the pictures:
- The possum was born with bad eyes, so she couldn't make it on her own. I felt so sorry for her!
- The monkey didn't like me. He bent over in that weird pose, biting onto the cage and grabbing it and shaking it.
- Rare 4 horned sheep from South America
- We were able to hold and feed black leopard cubs!!!!!!!!

Sex and Lumber City

2008-06-18T21:45:00.001-07:00

05/30/08

Went to Coos Bay with Wendi for a girly weekend and the "Sex and the City" movie! Got all gussied up in our best effort to create Carrie-worthy ensembles and met her friends at the only uppity bar in town. Wendi and I (ok, maybe just me) were worried we'd need to get to the movie early since it was opening weekend. The other girls insisted there wouldn't be a problem. Since this was the main reason I went there for the weekend, I did NOT want to miss the movie. I think I put a damper on their drinking. Especially when Wendi kicked them out of the second stop to drink at the bowling alley. Alas, we ALMOST missed it...as you can see by the picture of the "standing room only" theatre.

It's a par-tay x 3!

2008-06-18T21:36:00.000-07:00

05/04/08

Went to Dawn's and Mike's today to celebrate in myriad...Dad's Birthday, Mother's Day and Mike's Birthday. Weather was gorgeous! Sat outside in the sun with their beautiful view of the valley and wine country. Had macaroni salad which felt very Summery!

Mom's Birthday

2008-04-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

Went to Dawn's and Mike's house to celebrate Mom's birthday. Dawn made Mom's favorite chocolate cake with chocolate whipped cream frosting. Dee-lish. Beautiful weather, relaxing day, got to play with Bacchus.

Flowers & Friends

2008-04-06T17:33:00.000-07:00

Flowers
It's snowing cherry blossom petals!

Friends
Went out for drinks with Lisa Friday night. I've known her since Kindergarten! She's back in Portland now so it's been nice to see her again. She's a mom of twins and definitely deserves to get out for an adult evening. Amen.

Saturday night was Chad J. Barker's birthday party and an evening of Rock Band. Terrorist Meat provided an inspiring performance. Wendi provided a fabulous taco bar and bowls of jungle juice. The Super Bowl Big Sammich Day jumbo marshmallow fight seems to have started a tradition because we had another one. You would think that marshmallows would be safe, but 10 year old Kalea has a wicked arm. I see MLB in his future.

Ours is not to ask why...

2008-04-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

Why doesn't Jesse Ventura cut his hair?

Why is James Carville a nut job?

Why is our weather so bi-polar lately?

Why is there such little new music that is inspiring?

Easter

2008-04-01T20:47:00.001-07:00

03/23/08
Went to Mass with the family and then to Mom and Dad's for a delicious dinner. The weather was miserable all day which is a little disappointing for Easter, but it was still a nice day.

Spring!

2008-03-16T16:53:00.000-07:00

Went grocery shopping today, and finally took a picture of the beautiful cherry trees that are starting to bloom! So PRETTY! Got the added bonus of hearing a Rush block on the radio: "Freewill," "Red Barchetta," "Limelight" and "Closer to the Heart." Happy drive!

Treats or Not?

2008-03-14T20:08:00.000-07:00

TODAY
Don't know if it's because of the stormy weather or PMS or because it's a weekend, but on the way home from work tonight, I rented 2 movies, treated myself to flowers AND ice cream. The movies appear to be girly..."The Jane Austen Book Club" and "Paris, Je T'Aime." The flowers are coral colored mini gerbera daisies. They're happy flowers. They are Spring! And they were a total impulse buy. (I put them in Grandma Antrosio's half-pint cream bottle. CUTE!) The ice cream is Haagen-Dasz white chocolate with a raspberry swirl and chocolate truffle pieces. I've never tried it before, so we'll see if it's as lovely as it sounds. Sweets are my weakness :( I think perhaps I over did it with treating myself today. Probably not in keeping with the spirit of Lent either. BOO. Bad Nicole.

Update
"The Jane Austen Book Club" - great movie! Definitely girly. Several women form a book club, and as they read, you see how their lives mirror the themes of the books. Really good.

"Paris, Je T'Aime" - WTF. That is all I have to say.

Road Trip

2008-03-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

02/29/08
I saw Joe!!!!!! At the last minute, he was approved for leave so he could fly to his parents' and drive his car back down to the base. My generous boss said he didn't care, so I flew to Boise and met Joe there. We stayed one night at his parents' house in Eastern Oregon (his dad was unfortunately out of town, but it was a treat to see Betsy) and then loaded up the X-tizzle with everything he had in storage and headed off.

We drove through Idaho (yawn,) Utah and then Arizona. A lot of Utah was in the dark, including Salt Lake City. But Southern Utah surprised us with some pretty scenery. An even greater surprise was the fantastic '80s butt-rock radio station we found! I never expected to discover such a glorious thing in Utah. I may have disturbed Joe a bit with my enthusiasm. It was loaded with happy, hilarious hair-band music from my high school days including a rarely played Def Leppard song from Hysteria called "Women" and my favorite Tesla song "Love Song." So good! That's one redeemable quality about Utah.

Arizona was quite pretty. I think I would miss the green over a long period, but the landscape was so different, it was really enjoyable. Beautiful red rocks and bizarre looking cacti. Arizona was a quick drive so I didn't have time to visit Cousin Carrie or Friend Bruce. Hopefully at a later visit. Luckily, we were able to make a quick stop at the Grand Canyon before it got too dark. Neither of us had been there before, so that was a fun little perk. Well, not little. Ginormous is more like it. Very cool. Literally. It was freezing up there. Had to be 10-20 degrees. Fa-reezing! We ran out of the car, snapped a few quick pics and ran back into the car. By then, our hands were numb.

I've never been on a military base before, so Fort Huachuca was pretty interesting. A lot bigger than I imagined. A lot of stores and places to get food, gas, schools and Army housing. If I tell you any more, I'll have to kill you. It is surrounded by some beautiful mountains...there's nothing worse than flat, boring land...and it's so close to the border, one of the mountains is actually in Mexico.

It was a perfectly lovely time with Jojo after not seeing him for a month!

Photos
- Joe and Henry the parrot
- Pretty red rocks with interesting striations
- Driving
- 3 of Grand Canyon
- Joe playing bass again
- Joe's barracks

Naked Lady Party

2008-02-28T20:48:00.000-08:00

01/22/08
It's not what you think. Kristi hosted a snappy little clothes swapping party. Everyone brings clothes that they no longer wear, sorts them by type in different rooms and then tours the rooms and picks out clothes that other people are getting rid of. I was able to clean out my closet and get rid of 4 bags of clothes! I only brought home 4 items that I really like and know I'll wear (including an Ann Taylor skirt with the tags still on!) All of the remaining clothes are donated to a women in transition program. What a great idea!

Several items are deemed "hot items" that will most likely be coveted by multiple people. If you are interested in a hot item, you try it on for everyone and explain why you love it so. Then everyone anonymously votes for the person they feel the item suits best. I was lucky enough to get the camouflage patterned camisole with black lace trim. My pitch was that my boyfriend is in the Army, and I could wear it when I visit him. Indeed, the camo cami is now mine, and I am looking forward to wearing it!

Eugene Oscar Weekend

2008-02-25T21:25:00.000-08:00

02/03/08
To keep me from moping after Joe left, Wendi took me to Eugene for an Oscar movie weekend. We stayed at the condo of her friend, Coos Bay Jennifer. Fabulous condo!!! Renovated from an old school. Oh so chic modern furnishings : ) Friday night was "Michael Clayton" starring Wendi's other husband, George Clooney. Great movie. Complete departure for him. Wonderful supporting actors. Saturday day was "No Country For Old Men" which I had already seen (intense and again, really excellent acting...creepiest bad guy EVER) so while they saw that, I went to see "There Will Be Blood" starring Dawn's other husband, Daniel Day-Lewis. What a pretty man. Although not in this movie. Really fine acting. Definitely deserved his Oscar win! And you wonder why we love him so. Saturday night was "Juno" and I had the sense that the entire theatre really dug it. Thankfully we ended our movie marathon with a hopeful and uplifting movie unlike the other three. Did I mention how dark they were? Anyway, great weekend! All of the movies were fantastic! Great meal at Marche' and fun shopping at Provisions. The perfect weekend to keep me distracted. Very little moping!

Pics:
- Wendi being melodramatic
- The fabulous condo
- Coos Bay Jennifer and husband Steve

Sunriver Holiday Party

2008-02-25T21:12:00.000-08:00

01/26/08
Had our annual District Manager Holiday Party at Sunriver Resort. Lovely weekend, lots of food, visit to the spa, snow, fun! Then drove from there to EO to see Joe's parents and put his stuff into storage. Then drove back to Portland. A little dicy driving in the snow, especially during the brief white out! But my Subaru, Yelena Giselle Henri, was a champ!

Pics:
- Boss Rob and Lynn Q
- Sunriver
- Henry the Bird at Joe's parents'

Rock Band Party

2008-02-25T20:56:00.000-08:00

01/19/08
Wendi and Chad J. Barker had us over before Joe re-enlisted. But instead of our usual Guitar Hero party, we played on Chad's new Rock Band that he got for Christmas. I thought Guitar Hero was the bomb dizzle, but this is even better! Four people can play at once: guitar, bass, drums and singer. The drums were my favorite, although I can't get past the Easy level. There's even a bass pedal! Wendi's friend and coworker Maranda came with her beau Mike. Tons of fun! We stayed the night and were even able to use the guest bathroom since Porch Cat was no longer living in it. Poor Porch Cat. He's friendly and sociable. Too bad he's covered in sores.

Happy New Year!

2008-02-25T18:23:00.000-08:00

01/01/08
Inaugural Post
Party at Anne and Ron's. Good food. Strong drinks. 2008's a BIG year...I can feel it!

Pics:
- Crystal and Amy
- Anne Marie and me
- Jojo imbibing (he jests, he's really a very sober looking drunk)