WANTED: Summer Jobs

Wyatt and I have the opportunity to take advantage of our 'no kid' status next summer and embark on an adventure. However, we're not sure what adventure we are going to embark on. So I thought I'd reach out to my bloggy readers and see if any of you knew of any summer job opportunities for 2010. Yeah, that's right. We're going to throw caution into the wind and be totally irresponsible, impractical, and irrational!

Please contact me if you know of (or know someone who knows of (or know someone who knows someone who knows of (you get the picture...))) a seasonal summer opportunity that includes the following:

an income (even if it is for peanuts)
an job/income for both Wyatt and me
something that includes free room (or inexpensive housing)
something out of the norm and exotic (moving to Utah Valley is not out of the norm - think NYC, San Francisco, Idaho ranch, fishing charter in Alaska, Central America, Europe, Asia, Africa, etc.)

Thanks in advance!

On a different note, Wyatt and I went to Hood River yesterday! I am feeling extremely smug because we were blessed with PERFECT weather (it rained ALL day Friday and today but not a cloud in the sky yesterday)! Happy day! We went to our favorite cookie shop to purchase an array of tasty cookies. Then headed over to another fruit stand for their Edelweiss Festival. I had such a pleasant time. Something about eating German sausage beneath the canopy of fruit trees, feeling the warm glow of the afternoon sun on my skin, and listening to the sounds of the accordion drift through the air. It was quite dreamy. I just love our little tradition of going to Hood River each fall to enjoy the colors and fruits of the season!

apple pick'n

wagon full of apples

engagement picture mockery

Mom is Rad

My mom is rad. Let me explain…

My friend (and old roommate) Liz from Chicago got married in Boise this past weekend. Ever since I received the news that she was getting married I wanted to go. Boise is a mere seven hours away, so I felt like it was doable. However, as the date drew closer, the more I dragged my feet on committing to the occasion. You see, Wyatt has school and work on Fridays. And the wedding was scheduled for Saturday morning…which means I would need to:

a.) have Wyatt drive to Boise with me leaving Portland at 2am (an hour added for time change)
b.) leave Wyatt behind and comfortably drive to Boise on Friday
c.) not go

The answer seems clear, doesn’t it? B. Did I mention how much I hate road trips alone?

So I explained my predicament to my mom and she offered to drive the seven hours with me to Boise. Yipee! So she flew into Portland Thursday night and drove to Boise with me on Friday. That is why my mom is rad. Other details on why she is rad include:

• It was her vacation from work - she could’ve very well spent the time relaxing at home
• She overlooked my tendency to talk about myself nearly the entire trip
• She and Louis (her husband who flew into Boise to meet us) treated me to dinner at the Cracker Barrel (one of my favs! (I think you may have just created a new opinion of me with that bit of information.))
• They treated me to a 3D movie, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatball” (I highly recommend!)
• They let me stay for free in their hotel room
• They did a temple session with me
• They took me to buy a pair of red shoes on Friday night and spent half the day Saturday driving around Boise to try and find a cheaper pair of red shoes…(I settled on a pair of $7 plum pumps instead)
• Tolerated my grumpiness on Saturday after a restless night accompanied by a chorus of snoring…
• They filled my car with gas
• She let me eat half her crispy burrito at Taco Time without batting an eye
• They let me pull the “youngest child card” even though I am 27 years old

It was a fantastic trip! I’m so grateful that my mom is rad and was willing to sacrifice her time for me. (Oh, and it was really good to see Liz too! But you know how weddings go…I didn’t really get to spend much time with her at all.)

Thanks momma! I love you!

Moto Momma

in case you were wondering, that's me on the back of the bike. we traded bikes with Wyatt's dad so I could have a more comfortable ride. Wyatt's real bike is the black one parked next to us.

I got to be Wyatt's Biker Momma last weekend. What a blast! Wyatt and I were both so excited the night before our trip, we had a hard time falling asleep. We took a short tour of Eastern Oregon with Wyatt's Pa, brother, and friend from church. I don't have much to say about the trip, just some singular thoughts:

I like Eastern Oregon, it reminds me of Colorado.

It got pretty steamy in our full moto gear cruising around in the hot, hot sun. I can't complain though, I had some eye witnesses tell me that Portland didn't see the sun until 2pm the whole weekend. I was feeling pretty smug for dodging the clouds. HA!

I like riding on the moto. It's fun to just relax and enjoy the ride.

Sometimes I wish Wyatt wasn't such a stickler about wearing full moto gear so I could feel the wind on my face and fully enjoy the sunshine.

I'm always grateful that Wyatt makes me wear full moto gear because it means he loves me and wants me to be safe. Even if I don't want to follow his rules sometimes...

I'm glad my shower on Friday morning was hot. It made it easier to take a shower Saturday morning knowing that the water was hot...even though the shower tricked me on Saturday morning and it was really FREEZING cold!

I like breakfasts at "taxidermist dinners". The biscuits and gravy, pancakes, and eggs were really good.

I like Wyatt's dad a lot. He makes me smile.

I like going on moto trips with Wyatt when he doesn't have any classes to worry about. I just wish his "summer break" lasted longer than four days.

our first and only camping trip of the year.

i LOVE waking up to clear blue skies!