Merry Christmas, Everyone

My Favorite Christmas Website

isitchristmas.com

The Other Donut Shop

If you're ever in the Clackamas neighborhood - go ahead and give this place a try.

Xmas in Frisco

I'm really easing my way into blogging, one post every month for the first 18 months, after that you can expect more from me.

I found a cool online radio station for Christmas music. Check out www.somafm.com 's Xmas in Frisco. They play all the Christmas music you could possibly handle, and some you probably can't. Careful if you listen at work they play the vulgar stuff too. Apparently Eazy-E made a Christmas album, which is exactly what you would imagine it to be. 90% of the stuff is okay though, that or I have been seriously desensitized.


I love Christmas, and Brittany would probably not want to skip it so often if I wasn't so hard to buy gifts for. The decorations for the Christmas tree were all Brittany's idea. The tree itself I bought for my work Christmas party and then brought home. My profile pic is from me doing the same thing last year.

The Rice Krispie Treat

I came home from work a few days ago - tired, exhausted and ready to end the day. I walked into our dark apartment and noticed a light coming from the kitchen - the stove light. So I turned the corner and this is what I find...

A hundred times better than flowers! Wyatt really knows me and knows that "I Love You" means much more when said with food. Needless to say - my mood turned for the better and I was one happy woman! I Heart You too Wyatt!

Doughnuts, How do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways

I LOVE doughnuts. Love, love, love them! I really have to control myself sometimes when I'm on my fourth doughnut reaching for number five. Wyatt and I went with some friends (Jen and Clint) to Portland's famous Voodoo Doughnuts this past weekend. Apparently it's number 10 on the list of best doughnuts in the country. Wyatt and I ate the biggest doughnut they had there - which I will with hold the name because this is a family show. Apparently the names of a lot of the doughnuts were pretty bad. I guess I didn't notice because I was so enthralled with all the pretty doughnuts - Wyatt told me after the fact. Despite the poor quality of names - I'd still recommend it.

Yes, that is Captin Crunch on the doughnut!

Ba Humbug

Christmas is not on the top of my list for favorite holidays. I have various reasons for my lack of spirit and I have no idea where it roots from. It's just ho-hum to me. I don't hate it. I just don't LOVE it the way everyone else seems to. And the idea of Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving makes me want to gag myself with a spoon.

Things I do enjoy about Christmas include Nativity Sets, reading the story of the birth of Christ from the Bible, specific Christmas music (not including Feliz Navidad, Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer, ...Two Front Teeth, etc.), and the spirit of giving. So pretty much I don't like the commercialism.

Another thing I enjoy about Christmas - the book Skipping Christmas. Nearly every year for the past six or so I've read the it. It is one of my favorite books. I really like the sarcastic and dry attitude of the main character Luther. I feel that I can really identify with him when it comes to my opinions of Christmas. This year I'll be listening to it on CD and am very excited to hear how it is read.

They made a movie based on the book, "Christmas with the Kranks." I think the director's interpretation was far off and frankly it was a dumb movie. If you've seen it and were turned off by the slap-stick and silly humor - you should give the book a try. The humor is different and you'll get a different vibe. I would never have casted Tim Allen as Luther. I imagined someone more like Micheal Douglas. And as far as Nora - not Jamie Lee Curtis. I'd pick someone like Sally Field. I'm still upset that the movie was such a disappointment to me.

It has been my dream nearly every Christmas to pack things up and go else where for the holiday. I have had the opportunity to do so in the past but I think the opportunity in the future looks dim. I haven't been brave enough to suggest it to Wyatt but I don't think he'll go for the idea. So I guess I won't be skipping Christmas anytime soon...

By the way, if you're interested in learning my opinions about other books I've read, Wyatt and I both have an account at Shelfari.com. You'll have to create an account to view my "Shelf". However, it'd be sort of like a book club and I can view all the books you've read and read your recommendations.

The Many Sides of Wyatt

Rag-a-muffin Wyatt

Punk Rocker Wyatt

Redneck Wyatt

Missionary Wyatt

Sad Wyatt

Turkey Weekend!!!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday!!!! I think it has a lot to do with the food but also the family and the fact that it's a four day weekend! All of this together makes for the best holiday ever! Below are a few pictures of our fun weekend.

Shotgun shooting with our old Singles Ward Thanksgiving morning. Wyatt was soooooooooo excited for this event. He kept hounding me and reminding me that we were late and only had "x" amount of time to shoot guns. I must say, he does look good - kind of like he knows what he's doing.

Last year on Black Friday Wyatt found a really good deal on a shotgun. When he realized I was upset he spent that much money on a gun (we didn't even need) he told me he bought the gun for me. It was a gift. I'm still not sure if it was originally supposed to be for me.... A year later it makes for a funny story. I'm thinking of naming my gun "Homer." Above is a picture of me shooting MY gun for the first time. The main point I want to emphasize here is that Wyatt looks better shooting guns.

Thanksgiving dinner. We had 14 adults and 9 kids. A far cry from what it has been for me in past Thanksgivings growing up (five Nichols kids, mom and depending on the year maybe an in-law or two). Thanksgiving is still fun regardless of the size of the family.

Showing off my first buko pie. Let me explain why this is a big deal. Wyatt had to open four young coconuts for me using the back of a giant knife. I was pretty worried we weren't going to spend Thanksgiving with all ten of his fingers. Lucky for us, the worst that came of it was a kitchen dotted with pieces of coconut husk and shell (they had been flying through the air at one point).
Buko pie comes from the Philippines. When I was there two years ago (with my sister-in-law Judy's family) we went to Los Banos (the city famous for Buko pie) and stocked up on the pies. I then proceeded to snack on the pie for the remainder of my vacation. Unlike a coconut cream pie, it does not have cream and the coconut is not shredded. The pie is made with fresh coconut meat that is just cut into large pieces. Very, very tasty! At least in the Philippines it is... mine was okay.

Our friend Ryan from Seattle came down for the weekend to visit. We went longboarding along the Willamette river Saturday - above is a picture of him and Wyatt throwing rocks. It was fun and very cold!

Christmas Ornaments

I came to the realization a couple months ago that Wyatt and I don't have any ornaments to deck our halls with. So I tweaked some inspiration I got from a book at Barnes & Noble and below is the result... Thanks to my sister for her help!

Twice Tagged (sounds like a James Bond movie)

I was tagged - Twice - with two different formats. So now I'm going to share a really long email on a subject I could talk forever about....me.

Here goes!

A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Server
2. Lifeguard
3. Telemarketer - sold cable packages
4. Operator for Sears

B) Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. Drama Prairie Dog
2. Maverick
3. Emperor's New Groove
4. I don't think there is any movie I'd really watch over and over... I like to watch movies I've never seen...

C) Four Places I have lived:
1. unincorporated Jefferson County (Arvada mailing address), CO
2. Provo, UT
3. Arlington Heights, IL
4. Berlin, Germany (when I was two)

D) Four TV shows that I watch:
1. Arrested Development (on DVD)
2. 30 Rock
3. Chuck
4. Good Eat's (Food Network)


E) Four ("Exotic") places I have been on vacation:
1. Alaska
2. Philippines
3. Europe (France, Scotland, England - this was the second round - first round I was too little to remember)
4. Hawaii (Oahu and Hawaii)

F) People who e-mail me regularly:
1. Mom
2. Travel Zoo's Top 20
3. Wyatt (though we IM more than anything)
4. Spam people

G) Four of my favorite foods:
1. All pastas except spaghetti (too boring for me)
2. Pancakes
3. Cereal
4. Dessert

H) Four things I hate (I added this one from Collete's blog):
1. running out of milk (I panic when the milk jug reaches a quarter full)
2. finding unexpected seeds in my oranges, mandarins, clementines, tangerines....
3. a loud TV
4. any kind of shopping except grocery (probably because I know that I will be able to find EXACTLY what I am looking for)

I) Four places I would rather be right now (with Wyatt):
1. Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries (Wyatt's brother lives there)
2. Katmandu (I've always wanted to go)
3. Any where in the South Pacific, specifically Kiribati (we read a book that took place here - it's hot and sounds like it'd be quite the experience)
4. on an African Safari

Now for Tag Number Two...Seven Random Facts/Habits about me:

1. I hate being cold. I have no desire to travel to Antarctica or Mt. Everest because it seems miserable to me. On the other hand I LOVE hot weather. I love it when it's so hot that I can sleep with my window open and lay on top of my covers. I like to take cold showers on hot days more than hot showers on cold days. And I love warm breezes.

2. Super powers I wish I had:
a.) The ability to teleport to anywhere in the world. b.)Seeing an article of clothing I like (in a store, on someone else, on the internet, etc.) and having an exact replica show up in my size in my closet (remember? I hate shopping).

3. I love music! I love the way it can express exactly how I am feeling... Sometimes when I find a new song I fall in love with I like to listen to it over and over again. And then I try to hide any evidence that I have listened to it a thousand times. Wyatt knows better, and always asks me "how many times today?" have I listened to my new favorite song. In turn, I love to dance - it makes me happy. Though I've never had any formal dancing lessons and my dancing consists of flaying my arms and legs. Someday I would like to take dance lessons - Latin and Ballroom. But for now I will stick to my karate dancing....

4. I like the smell of fresh cigarette smoke. Gross, I know. But it reminds me of skiing and going to amusement parks. Another favorite....pipe smoke.

5. I LOVE food. I love to cook it, smell it, and eat it. One of my biggest annoyances is an unplanned meal. I hate eating food that was just "thrown together." I only get to eat so many times in one day - so I want to enjoy it. And if I do eat a sub par meal - I regret it and count down the hours to the next meal. Sometimes I lay in bed at night planning out what I am going to eat the next day...

6. I have only two regrets in my life:
a. The time I didn't ditch my classes to hop on a plane to Denver (my home town) to watch my two favorite baseball teams (the Rockies and White Sox) play at Coors Field with my two good friends from Chicago. How many times does a situation like that come up? And really, how important was school?
b. The day my mom got divorced. I was so absorbed in my teenage life that I was oblivious that she had one of the worst days of her life. She came home from the event and it was just me living at home. She was really sad...and I did nothing. I'm sorry momma. I wish I would've given you the comfort you needed....

7. If I were to do it over again....I would've been a Chef, FBI Agent, Engineer, Professional Golfer, Food Critic, Travel Critic, Archaeologist or Ski Bum.

If you've read this post - and you haven't been tagged yet - consider yourself tagged.

Drama Prairie Dog

Props to my friend Tessa who shared this little ditty with me. It kept me laughing at work all day...even when I wasn't watching the video.

The Big Apple

Wyatt is blogging. This is my first post, my maiden voyage if you will... well, thanks for coming.

Ginormous Apple

Which one of these is not like the other one? Okay, cheap thrills, but I was so excited when my selection of apples at the grocery store included the "apples on steroids" variety. I wish the pictures could better relay how BIG this apple really was. I think you'd have to see it in person to get the full effect. But that may never happen because we already ate it....and yes, it was good!

Just to put things into perspective - we chose to model the apples with eggs.

Wyatt modeling your everyday average sized apple.

Wyatt modeling our really big apple.

Yeah, that's right. I just posted about an apple.... Our lives are bursting with excitement!

Halloween

Despite the previous post - all of our creative energy went into making Wyatt's truck's costume and not so much our burrito costumes. We decided to participate in our ward's Trunk-or-Treat activity. We spent last night into the wee hours (okay, it was like 11:30 when we went to bed) cutting up boxes, spray painting and shopping for materials. Below is the result of our labors. Keep in mind, Wyatt is the brains of the operation. I was merely the brawn. Wyatt is the creative one in our relationship and thus it was his idea to create a dragon and his idea on how to execute the project. I cut the boxes...

Costume Number One: Bikers

Costume Number Two: Burritos (I realize Wyatt is merely dressed in a sheet but they still gave us free burritos!)

A picture from last year. Does my marshmallow costume look familiar? It's highly versatile. I'm beginning to remind myself of Troy McClure.

BOO-RITO!

In case you're wondering what we'll be going as for Halloween this year.....

Anything for a free Chipotle Burrito!

Hood River

This week's weather forecast is the BEST prediction in weeks! Sunshine all week! And warm weather (in the high 60's) too! To celebrate the occasion Wyatt and I were both "sick" for the afternoon yesterday. To cure our sickness we drove to Hood River to drive the Fruit Loop tour. The tour is a 35 mile loop with over 20 fruit stands on the sides of the road. It was gorgeous! I wish that my pictures did the scenery justice. You'll just have to imagine how pretty it was. Days like yesterday remind me how much I love autumn! And how much I like being "sick". And how much I like being "sick" with Wyatt. And make me think I could live in Oregon after all....

Mt. Hood

Mt. Saint Helens

Me
Road

Fruit

ROCKTOBER!!!!

That's right, the Colorado Rockies are on their way to the World Series! They are, as of 10:40pm PST, the Champions of the National League. Sweet yo! Check it out here. And in case you were wondering, my love for the Rockies doesn't take away from my love for the White Sox. Different Leagues, so it's okay. AND in no way am I supportive of the name "Rocktober" (the media's reference to their journey to the World Series). I think it's dumb.

Portland, Oregon

Having a quite boring and mindless job, I've had a lot of time to surf the internet AND think of the several reasons why I don't like Portland. So I thought I'd share the "Ten Reasons Why I Don't Like Portland" with my readers. But I'm trying to work on being more positive so I had to write the things I like first...

Yea Portland!!!!!
1. Wyatt
2. Wyatt's family
3. picking berries (and other fresh fruit)
4. green trees and beautiful scenery
5. cheap parking!
6. easy access to city and outdoors and the beach
7. NO TAX
8. 150 miles to Seattle
9. don't have to pump my own gas (which is something I really hate doing - don't know why)
10. the Portland Temple
10a. abundance of good deals on Craigslist because everyone is about recycling and reusing

Boo Portland!!!!!!
1. the bottoms of my pants get wet (i said bottoms, not top.....)
2. not a hub city for a major airline - more legs, harder and more expensive to travel anywhere
3. vegetarians (it's just the high abundance of them....)
4. slow drivers
5. slow drivers in the fast lane
6. slow drivers in the fast lane monitoring the speed of other drivers by refusing to move to the right lane because they are, in fact, going the speed limit (even though they are holding up a line of cars behind them)
7. bumper stickers
8. bumper stickers stating their great adoration and over the top love for the democratic party
9. only 3 million people big
10. lack of some of my favorite chain restaurants - Maggiano's, Panera, Corner Bakery, Noodles and Co.
10a. limited amounts of Chipotle
10b. lack of HOT weather in the summer - reaching 85d at best
10c. lack of warm weather in the fall - reaching a high of 60d at best
10d. lack of SUN
10e. high abundance of Fantasy Video, Fantasy Lounge or any other Fantasy something (seriously there is one in every town!)
10f. easy access to a COLD beach (though it is a VERY pretty beach)
10g. weird people in general (just walk downtown and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about)
10h. the deficit between average income and the housing market - there is NO way one could afford a house here! I understand the housing market bit. But the average income?! Come on people! One can't survive on $10-12 an hour.
10i. ZERO dollar theaters - you would think, in Portland, where everyone is all about recycling, there would be one.....
10j. great respect for the earth (that is good) - lack of respect for personal appearance and appearance of own home (this is rare but still enough for it to make it on my list)
10k. wearing sandals with flannels/sweatshirts - i don't even understand this
10l. no good deals at thrift stores because EVERYONE shops there
10m. only professional sport is basketball (where's the baseball and hockey?)
10n. bikers taking up more than their share of the road and not obey the laws like they're supposed to (actually, this doesn't really bug me - but it is number one on Wyatt's list)
10o. rain - not that it rains in general - it's just that the same amount of rain that Chicago gets in one day can be spread out over a week in Portland (i don't think Portland is being very efficient with the weather and how much sun it really could have)

I'm sure I could go on. But I'm trying to be positive, remember? All in all, Portland really isn't a bad place to live. It's just the little things that tend to bug me from time to time. I think I just don't fit in here. I can't relate to the people. And that is why I loved Chicago so much - because I could relate. But I've come to the realization that being in Portland with Wyatt is 100 times better than being somewhere I love without him. Okay, that's not entirely true. I would enjoy that place I love by myself for a few days. Then I would be really unhappy because Wyatt wouldn't be there. So moral of the lesson - move to a place you love - with someone you love - and make sure they love that place too.

Someday we'll make it to Seattle.....

Unicorns

In case you were wondering what those who share my name look like......
Britt Wilson
....I have no comment on the subject.

Momma G

Momma G came to town Sunday for her annual PPI meeting with me. Every October (for the last three years) mom takes each of us kids out to eat and asks us questions about our lives. She does it so she can keep up to date with our happenings, tastes, dislikes, challenges, etc. This year the questions centered around my opinions of my wedding. What I liked best, what I would've changed, what my favorite present was, what my favorite part about being married is, etc. It was a lot of fun having her in town. We didn't do anything super exciting - mostly she just ran around town with me running different errands I needed to do. It was just fun spending time with her. She is one fun lady! We did get to go to the temple together and it was nice to have her there to teach me some new things. She is a smart lady too! And I love the way mom loves to eat! While she was here we made wheat pancakes, tortilla soup, lemon bread and my first ever homemade cinnamon rolls! (I've had them in my mind ever since Collette made them). Thanks for coming to visit - I love you momma!

Swifts

This post is dedicated to Collette. Not because she doesn't like birds but because she reminded me of our experience with birds....

Wyatt and I had the opportunity to witness a natural phenomenon a week and a half ago. Every September since 1982 a group of Vaux Swifts make a stop in Portland during their migration south. It is a special thing to witness because they live in a very specific type of chimney that is slowly becoming extinct over time due to destruction and new construction. Yeah, I thought it was weird too that their "natural habitat" wasn't so natural as it was man made. Anyway, every evening at sundown you can watch these birds gather by the thousands and fly into this chimney. It is quite the event! Hundreds of people gather together and have picnics while they observe the birds. Though Wyatt pointed out - it might be a conspiracy. We think we're watching the birds....but what if in reality the birds came to watch us? It is a very Portland crowd and really is as much fun to watch the people as it is to watch the birds.

Below is the footage from the bird watching event. I was going to try and be artsy and find footage from the movie The Birds but couldn't find anything I wanted. It kind of does have that feel like you're going to be attacked....




I must say I was a bit disappointed with the event. I was really hoping the sky would be black with birds. And even though there were thousands of these birds - that wasn't the case.

Spider Friend

This is Spider Friend. He is the spider that sits outside our front door. At first I wanted to kill him but then Wyatt convinced me that he would eat all the bugs that might otherwise be in our house. And my only rule is to kill spiders/bugs that are IN my house - so I couldn't break my rule. He was in "his" house - outside. So he remains watching guard at our front door. Though I am a bit annoyed. I think he invited all of his spider friends over for a party because there are three or four spiders surrounding the outside of our apartment. I think he took a bit of advantage of our generosity...

When we came home tonight we noticed he was crunched in a ball on the ceiling - and not in his usual middle of his web position. So Wyatt said maybe he was dying and he needed food. So Wyatt smashed a bug with his hand and threw it at Spider Friend's web. And Spider Friend ran from his crunched position to the bug and quickly wrapped it into a bug burrito. So I guess we're feeding Spider Friend now....

Free Movie

So I don't know if this is a Portland only kind of thing but I thought I'd spread the word anyway.

Regal Cinemas (which is affiliated with United Artists) is having a free movie day tomorrow, Thursday, September 27th. Your job is to bring three non perishable items to the theater for your free entry. I don't remember what the food is for though. Now that I think of it, it might be for the Oregon Food Bank. In which case, it wouldn't work for other states. But you should call your local Regal Theater and check it out anyway...

Wyatt and I are going for an extra long lunch tomorrow. Yeepee!

Super Shopper

Wyatt and I went to Albie's (our trendy name for Albertson's) last night. I love grocery shopping when I can get super good deals! Our total bill was $12.05. Here is a break down of what we bought:

5 boxes of Instant Quaker Oatmeal - Variety of Flavors
1 (42oz.) Quaker Old Fashioned Oat Meal
1 (24oz.) Aunt Jamima Syrup
1 box Life cereal
1 box Quaker Granola Bars
2 (46oz.) bottles Juicy Juice - it's 100% juice!
1 Spice Island Chipotle Chile Spice

That means each item came out to be $1 each. Not bad....

This is how we did it. Quaker products and syrup on sale for 10 for $10. Juicy Juice on sale for 4 for $10 (or in our case 2 for $5). And Chipotle spice on sale for ~ $6.50 (regularly $11.00). So that brought things down to be a total of about $21.50. Then we used $7.60 in Manufacture Coupons - and that brought the grand total to be $12.05!!!!

Without all the savings - we would have paid $60.07!

Just to put it into perspective. Costco sells Instant Quaker Oatmeal Variety Packs - 55 packets for $9.99. We bought 52 packets for $5. Half the price!

I'm sure you're wondering what we're going to do with all this oatmeal. Wyatt eats the instant stuff for breakfast every morning. The Old Fashioned oats are for no bake cookies (and other various needs), juice is for Wyatt - he goes through one in about a week, syrup for pancakes and Chipotle spice for cooking. So everything has a need.

This post is dedicated to Jeanna for getting me hooked on coupon shopping and my crave to find good deals on groceries! Muchas Gracias!

Down with BC

I'm sure your first thought (at least one of them) after reading my heading was, "what's wrong with British Columbia?" That was my thought this morning while I was running behind a lady who had this printed on the back of her shirt. “Why was I running this morning?” you ask… Today was Portland’s Race for the Cure and I was one of the thousands of people running the race. The shirt makes sense now, doesn’t it? For a brief moment I thought this woman was trying to use the race as her platform to alert the world of BC’s stench….I know, I am slow. I’m sure by now you’ve been able to piece one and two together and have figured out the real meaning of her shirt. Yes, the “BC” stands for “breast cancer” not the Canadian Providence. But then again, who knows, maybe she really does have something against British Columbia.

Other favorite shirts: “Save Boobs” and “Boobs Gone Bad”.

The race went well. I ran with my friend Afton – who has ran a total of six times this last summer…. I must say, being in the situation she was in – she did GREAT! She ran the whole way! I’m pretty convinced if I were in her shoes, I would pass out by the .5 mile mark. It was a nice steady pace – and if I were to run a marathon I would want to keep a pace like that. Though at some points I itched to go faster… But I knew I wasn’t going to catch the Cure – so really, what was the point? (Wyatt always likes to tease me about “catching the cure” – since I’m racing for it). Actually, it's just fun being in the spirit of things - regardless of how fast I run.

This was my second year doing the race. And it has been a great experience both times. However, I think I’m going to throw in the towel. As much of a good cause that it is – I just like having my Sunday’s feel like a Sunday.

Pretending to run (while everyone else is standing).

That's me in the red (and white long sleeve) shirt - with my hands in the air! Approaching the finish line...

If it were "Parallel Park for the Cure" Wyatt would win for sure! The picture doesn't give his superb parking job justice. With a closer look you could see two inches of space in the front and four in the back! Sure it took about 50 point turns to get it but it turned out to be a fine job! That's right - he's my husband! :)

Meatballs

There has been some requests for the recipe I used to make the meatball sandwiches. And by "requests" I mean "request" - really just one. Thanks Abbie! Though, I don't really know if this is a "great" recipe. When I made them Monday, I just googled "meatball recipe" and found one that fit the ingredients that I had on hand. There probably is a better recipe out there. However, Wyatt really did like them. But keep in mind he "eats to live" where as I "live to eat". So they were good... but you might find better else where.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1626,159174-235199,00.html

If the link doesn't work, let me know and I'll copy and paste the recipe. Also note, I didn't make the sauce homemade. I used good ol' Ragu.

Adjustments I made:
Parmesan cheese instead of Romano
fresh cloved garlic
I added:
aprox. 2 T. of Worcestershire sauce
diced onion
sausage

And I didn't really measure things out...I just sort of dumped it all together.

I toasted the hoggie rolls, placed meatballs and sauce on rolls. And topped with slices of mozzarella cheese.

As far as the recipe for the bowl of carrots...open bag of baby carrots. Dump into bowl.

Enjoy!

Bowl of Carrots

I get home from work an hour earlier than Wyatt does. So today, I thought I'd be ambitious and decided to make meatball sub sandwiches for dinner. I made the meatballs from scratch and had them ready on the cookie sheet to be baked. I also defrosted the rolls and put the sauce on the stove to simmer. As I was heading out the door for my run I assigned Wyatt the task of coming up with a nutritional side dish to go with our meal (and to put the meatballs in the oven). I explained there was some fruit to be cut up, or frozen or canned veggies he could warm up, or whatever he wanted - as long as it was nutritional. I get home from running, take a shower and sit up to the table for dinner - to find that for a side dish, Wyatt has decided to serve.......carrots. Not cooked carrots. Raw carrots. I couldn't help but laugh. I just think it's so funny that he was able to find the least labor induced side dish that still followed my exact instructions. It just shows the difference between a man and a woman's way of doing things: simple vs. complex.

As a side note, he also set the table and put together the finishing touches and helped clean up! Thanks babe!

Client Liason

For those of you who are wondering what exactly Wyatt does as the bread winner - I have dedicated this post to Wyatt's current job - The Client Liaison. Wyatt works for a small law firm called Vial & Fotheringham where they practice "HOA Law". Basically, the firm sues developers on behalf of the HOA's (Home Owners Associations) for construction defect. They also work with Property Management companies to "chase after" home owners who are delinquent on paying their HOA dues. "Where does Wyatt com in?" you ask... He is the marketing guy. He writes the newsletters, delivers cookies to clients (property management companies - you know, to butter them up) and plans forums - to educated home owners, property managers and HOA board memebers on the in's and out's of the rules and laws of HOA's. If you ask me, if I had to work in a law firm, I'd rather have Wyatt's job than the job of the attorneys.

So this weekend we went to Bend, OR. Wyatt had planned a forum there and so we made a mini trip of it. However, I must confess, it wasn't much of a "vacation" for Wyatt. He was hard at work setting the conference room up and getting things ready for and during the forum. And being the nice wife that I am (I have to give myself props!) I helped too. This was the first time I got to see Wyatt hard at work (in reference to the forums). It was a lot of fun to see all his ideas and hard work come to life. The forums are a new theme every year. Last year was a western theme. This time round it was Polynesian and the next round of forums will be Pirate themed. So now, one might understand a little better on why I always say, "I want Wyatt's job".

Setting up the forum the night before.

Our hotel and the location of the forum was right on the Deschutes River. Which looks more like a "Colorado" river (a small stream) than like an "Oregon" river. If you look over Wyatt's shoulder and my head - that is where the forum took place.

Wyatt has always told me how much Bend reminds him of Colorado. And how much he thinks I'll "really like" it. He was right. Bend is a tad bit more green but it does have a strong Colorado look to it. Especially this picture. When I think of Colorado I always think of the mountains - and this picture resembles what you'd see looking west from Denver. And yes, it was sunny and perfect in Bend while Portland was cloudy and rainy. I just don't know if I would be able to handle the idea of living so far away from a big city...

I had to include at least one normal picture of us.....

S.A.D.

I've self diagnosed myself with S.A.D. Seasonal Affective Disorder. In a nut shell it is when someone is used to one type of weather (such as sun, rain, wind, hurricanes, etc.) and then go through with drawls when they don't receive this specific type of weather on a regular basis. It's a real thing - my psychology graduate co-worker told me about it....

It was cloudy yesterday and I was in the bluest of the blue funks. I would say I was more depressed than grumpy. I just felt blue. I've noticed this to be a frequent event. When it's cloudy, I get sad....or if you will, S.A.D. Of course, I might be using the weather as a scape goat - I'm sure there are better reasons to explain my grumpy moods. However, it's a great excuse for when I have run out of excuses for my behavior. I like to use it one Wyatt. He in turn rolls his eyes at me. Regardless, I'm sticking to my self diagnoses. And I will continue to obsessively visit weather.com daily to count how many big ball of sunshines we'll get for the next ten day forecast.

Apartment #24

I was sitting in our apartment the other day and studied all the furniture we own. And I realized that 85% of it was donated, driven from far distances and assembled by someone other than Wyatt and me. And I thought about how fortunate and blessed we are because of all of these people who gave service for the Wilson Family cause. So I am giving a public acknowledgement to all you who contributed to our new home together - THANK YOU!

I thought it'd be fun for our readers to see our apartment. It's always fun for me to see the setting/backdrop of a friend or family member, so I can picture them in that setting during stories they relay to me. So for that purpose and for fun - I filmed a tour of our first apartment together. I know most of you have seen it before, but that was when it was in a state of disaster. We're "moved in" now - excluding pictures on the wall. That's still on our list of things to do....

Modern Day Spinach

I had my blood tested two weeks ago. My doctor thought I might be anemic and wanted to see what my blood had to say on the matter. The test results came out negative for the whole anemic thing. They also checked my iron levels which landed in the normal range (10-200), however, I checked in on the low end at 35. So she told me to take 325mg of iron a day and they'd retest my blood in three months. It is amazing how much energy I have now - even after only two weeks! It's almost like I'm a new woman! Before the iron pills, I would black out every time I'd get up out of my seat. I'd be tired ALL the time and fall asleep each time I laid down - couch or bed. And I'd be tired after only 2 miles of running - compared to the 4 miles I used to run in Chicago. It was a frustrating situation because I'd get on average 8 hours of sleep a night and I couldn't understand how I'd still be tired. Now, I feel like I have so much energy! No more black outs, sometimes it takes me a while to fall asleep at night AND I've been able to increase my run to be more than my recent 2 miles. I just feel like a giant ball of energy! I never knew increasing the amount of iron in my diet would have such a significant change. I've thought about my situation and I can't imagine what it'd be like if my worst days were really my best. I'm thankful that I've been blessed my whole life with such good health.

Loose Screws

It's April 2007 and my car is making noises. Irritating rattling noises. I've been able to pin down the location of the nuisance to the rear driver's side speaker - it has a loose screw. It is a Saturday and Wyatt is gone executing a forum he has planned for work. I embrace my time alone and decide to experiment with my fix-it handy side. So I tackle the loose screw myself. Not an easy job.... I have to take out my back seats and the back panels only to find that not only do I have a loose screw, but I also am missing some screws. Again, only to find out - I don't have the right size screws. I then drive my half dismantled car to Home Depot to purchase the matching screw. I fix the speakers and try my hardest to reassemble my car. Nothing is fitting into place exactly the way it was. Three hours later - I'm finished with my project. I pat myself on my back and compliment my ability to extinguish the annoying rattling noise.

September 8, 2007 - My car has been making an irritating high squeak noise - similar to cutting glass. This has been going on since we returned from our honeymoon in July. Coincidentally, it is coming from the rear driver's side - again. Wyatt decides to take his turn at tackling the squeak. (Actually, I delegated it to him because I am still exhausted from my project in April). He dismantles everything, fixes the squeak, and has my car back together in one piece under an hour and a half (remember - it took me over three hours). When done, he strolls through the front door and announces that from now on, he will be the one who fixes the cars in our family. Apparently (and I never saw proof of this), I had left a socket stuck to a nut under the paneling and I fitted my speakers with the wrong size screw. That is why my car has been squeaking for the last two and a half months. So I am resigning from auto repair exploration and am letting Wyatt take his throne. I'll just stay in the kitchen...barefoot and pregnant.

Season One

Like most of my journal attempts, I usually start out strong, and slowly - more often quickly - my interest fades into nothing. So maybe I'll find some happy medium between ER and Joey (the part 2 of Friends that didn't even make it through one season) and enjoy blogging enough to make it to season three. Actually, I'm going for something more like Arrested Development - it lasted two and a half seasons. Half-way through season three the network told the show to call it quits and to do so fast. Regardless, it has been recorded in our book as one of the funniest shows ever. I'm sure a lot of that can be contributed to the fact that it didn't drag out into 27 seasons and was cut off while the writers were still fresh with witty material. It went out with a bang. I'm sure if ER ended now, no one would care, if anyone even noticed. So, here's to Season One of El Guapon and La Flaca! May we be forced to jump ship early!