The Scotts

We went shopping!

2012-02-14T15:39:00.005-07:00

Fun! And we even spent money! We often shop around or look at things that we will one day want to buy. But normally we do not buy. But someday soon Tyler will not be a student anymore and he will have a real job where he has to dress like a grown up, so we took a little Friday trip to the outlets with the intention of looking around and grabbing one or two things if we saw anything. That turned into a full blown shopping spree. I think we were both giddy with spending. I have not had so much fun in who knows how long. I think I like buying clothes for Ty more than myself. And don't even let him try and tell you he didn't have the time of his life. We had a fabulous night shopping and buying. And the really awesome part? Tyler looks real good in grown up clothes.

Some of our haul.

Then, naturally, we had to have a fashion show. Tyler really missed his calling in life. He was born to model.

This is what all the models in the store look like. They are VERY happy to be wearing these awesome clothes.

My personal favorite - the killer profile.

I was looking really good too, so I got in on the action.

But seriously - he looks good. Right?

We are so excited to start this next chapter of our lives and leave school and studentdom behind. He is going to make one hot dentist.

And since it is Valentines Day, it seems appropriate to publicly say just how much I love this husband of mine. He is better than I deserve and going to make the most amazing father. I cannot wait to watch my daughter fall madly in love with her dad. I feel so lucky to spend my life with someone as loving, kind, fun, brilliant, adventurous and hilarious.

Happy Valentines Ty, I love you.

Snowshoeing and eating...Our favorite things

2012-02-09T15:57:00.006-07:00

We wanted to get another quick snowshoeing adventure in before I deemed myself too pregnant to hike around in the snow. So we took a little day trip up to St. Helens and hiked into Ape Cave. We had to get crafty with some bungee cords and our backpacks in order to strap our snowshoes on for the hiking in the cave portion. But all in all it worked out pretty well.

It was a little eerie to be the only people around when hiking through a pitch black lava tube, but we loved it.

We didn't bring our still camera so these terrible pictures were taken from our video camera. I need to learn how to take normal looking pictures on it. But regardless of the quality, you get the idea. It was warm and sunny and we loved being outside. There was not nearly as much snow as we were hoping for, but that made the hike easy.

Although we have no photos to document, we ended our day by going to a fabulous restaurant with some friends. I almost died in my plate of home made spinach and artichoke ravioli covered in pesto cream sauce, but not before I inhaled 10 pieces of bread covered in a garlicky butternut squash spread. My friends, go to Iorio. You will not regret it. It was the best food I have had in a very long time, and I don't even really like Italian food.

Winter Wonderland

2012-01-19T10:53:00.006-07:00

We finally got some winter in Portland. It was not exactly the epic winter storm that was predicted, like the one that ended up in Washington, but any time we get flakes of any level in Portland I am impressed. Raechel is in town from Hawaii and it has been awesome to experience snow with her. She got to see snow falling for the first time in her life. So in an attempt to give her the full winter experience we did what we do best - skipped work and school - and headed to Mt. Hood for a little winter adventure.

Besides the fact that it felt like absolute heaven to be outside and working hard, it was a beyond gorgeous day. It felt so good to breathe some cold fresh air into my lazy lungs and get my heart pumping. Plus I got to sample all my sweet new snow gear I got in the spring. And sadly, that is reason enough for me.

This was the most snow Raechel had ever seen. She handled her snow shoes like a pro. I however handled my snow shoes like a 7 month pregnant lady. Slow and steady. And by slow and steady and I mean SLOW. But I loved every second of it.

We hiked to Trillium Lake, which looks a bit different all frozen and snowed over than it does in September when we were there last. It is always a little unsettling for me to walk over the top of a frozen lake. But it was beautiful and we had an amazing time.

Taking a break at the lake.

Me looking incredibly hot at 7 months in all my snow gear. Gotta love that super attractive belly band. This is one of those pictures I know I am going to regret later. Actually, I think I already do.
We had an awesome day. I really miss the snow, believe it or not. I always love getting up into the mountains and enjoying it for a day and then returning to my snow free city. Just one more reason I love Portland. I cannot wait for next weekend when we take on St. Helens.

Vision and Parties

2011-12-20T11:59:00.006-07:00

Graduation celebrations began early (six months almost to the day!) with Tyler going under the knife, or to be more accurate the laser, and getting Lasik. We have always talked about how much we both want to do this, but it was actually made possible by Tyler's amazing mother with a generous graduation gift. There was a good end of year deal going, so we figured this was the perfect time to say goodbye to glasses. I spent the weeks before being nauseatingly nervous for Tyler, while he had nothing but total excitement for the whole affair. That is, right up until the night before when the nerves kicked in.

On the way to the eye center.

The whole experience was really incredible. I was able to stand outside of the glass surgery room and watch the whole thing on a screen. The procedure only took a couple of minutes. I think it was more traumatizing to be standing on the outside watching a giant screen of his eyeball being worked on. It was pretty amazing, and he walked out of the room totally able to see. It really feels like a miracle. Tyler could not be more thrilled. A few days later and I still catch him with a huge grin on his face and when I ask him what he is smiling about he says something along the lines of "Oh, I can just read that street sign," or "I was just getting into bed and trying to pull my glasses off before I remembered that I don't have them anymore." Lucky guy.

Moments before the procedure. You can actually tell he is nervous here. And here is the after shot. My work holiday party was the same evening as his Lasik, so he played body guard and sported his fancy new Ray Bans indoors. I thought it was a good look.

I am really glad we were able to go to my work party this year. It is always fun to have an excuse to get dressed up and go to a party. The food, entertainment and people were all excellent and really got me in the Christmas spirit. Plus, I was loving Ty's new look. And just for posterity's sake, these are the super hot goggles Ty has to wear to bed for a week. We had a weekend full of parties. Saturday night we went to my bosses house for his annual holiday party. He has the most beautiful home, and we always feel special to be included in his personal party. Afterwards we met up with the Smiths at Cool Moon for some amazing ice cream to pay up on a lost bet. We stopped at the big Christmas tree on Jamison Square for a photo shoot on our way home. We are so lucky to have so many amazing friends. It is always a treat to spend time with Stevenson and Marissa. I have been thinking a lot about life after dental school lately and I am excited to be done with school in about every possible way. The only downside will be leaving this city that we have fallen madly in love with and having all of our friends go in different directions. It will be a very bittersweet time in our lives. Our friends have made this experience nothing but positive. We have grown and learned so much from all of them. And just another of me at 26 weeks and counting. I cannot wait to head home and spend a week with my family and friends. I love this time of year and have felt especially grateful this year for my blessings. Namely, my amazing husband that I love more every day. I didn't know it was possible, but somehow I truly do. Also, my fantastic family. I cannot wait to be home with them. My family goes above and beyond at this time of year and I can't imagine Christmas without them. And my wonderful friends, as mentioned above. And especially this little girl that is growing stronger every day. She has already blessed our lives and made us grow together. We cannot wait to meet her. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say, my heart is full and I am grateful for all I have.

A quote on love

2011-12-16T12:33:00.002-07:00

I saw this on a blog today and it spoke to me.

"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are.

Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two."

Louis De Bernieres

Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T10:44:00.009-07:00

We had the most amazing Thanksgiving break. This was the first time in our five plus years of marriage where we stayed home for the whole holiday and did pretty much nothing. It was fabulous. We spent the five days off relaxing with each other, setting up our Christmas decorations and spending time with friends. It was a much needed rest for both Ty and I. We had Thanksgiving dinner with our good friends the Jacksons. It was low key and the food was amazing. We loved it.

We got our black Friday shopping on for the first and probably last time this year. The mall was a nightmare at midnight, mostly because it was overrun with high school students just looking for something to do. The one item we were there for did not pan out so to keep it from being a total waste of time we did manage to get some candles from Bath and Body Works. Worth it? Not even close. We went home and crashed and then I got up again at 4:30 in the morning (WHAT!?!) to go buy a glider at Babies R Us. I hate that store at my best, so at 5:00 AM with a bunch of crazy shoppers I was not a happy camper. I thought for sure no one else

would be there besides me. I am clearly new to this Black Friday business - because it was packed with pregnant mothers, which is a scary thing. But I did manage to get one of the few gliders that were on super sale, so at least it was a success. I was back in bed by 5:30 and slept until almost 11:00. No more Black Friday for me.

It only took Tyler and I about 2 1/2 hours to set this bad boy up. The directions had no words. Pictures only.

I wanted to throw the thing into the fire by the end, but luckily no one was injured and we now have a gigantic rocker. Maybe not my favorite color, but the price highly recommended it.

I also go my craft on with Danielle and Katie. We made ornament wreaths which turned out surprisingly cute in my opinion. I am always proud when I can pull off crafting on any level.

And for the few family members that care, a picture of my ever growing stomach.

This is at 23 weeks.

And just to make this the longest and most random post here are some pictures from the weekend before Thanksgiving. We finally had our much anticipated girls weekend. We had talked about doing this forever and since there will be too many new babies in the spring we had our little "graduation" party early. It was a fabulous night out. I feel so lucky to have such amazing friends. They have made these dental school years so much fun. I don't know what I will do without every single one of them. I try not to think about that yet.

Tyler also played in about 8 hours of Turkey Bowls. He loved every second of it. His class has been playing flag football every weekend in the fall since school began. It was a bitter sweet moment when they completed their final Turkey Bowl. With no real surprise, they won first place.

Tyler's class:

And that sums up the last few weeks. I cannot believe November is already over. I feel like Halloween was yesterday, which means that Christmas will be here in no time. I cannot wait.

Expanding

2011-11-07T09:39:00.009-07:00

So the time has come to announce our big news to the world. After years of just Tyler and I we were finally ready to try out this whole baby thing. We will be having a little girl this coming March! Surprised? Most everyone that we have told has been shocked - which has made the telling lots of fun. We could not be more excited. This pregnancy has been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs but the ups have far outweighed the downs and I plan to continue on that path. We are beyond thrilled that we are going to be getting a beautiful little girl (with lots and lots of hair...right?). We are ready and excited to be parents and to figure this new adventure out together.

Me at 18ish weeks

The first 20 weeks of this pregnancy flew by in a blur. Now that we have begun planning and prepping and getting really excited time has already slowed dramatically down. I have a feeling we will not be so lucky with the speed thing on the last 20 weeks. But we are trying to enjoy every moment of this whole experience. It has already been an amazing, strengthening, bonding and empowering experience and I am sure it will only get better.

Me at 20 weeks and getting bigger by the day!

We have a long way to go still, but half way is feeling pretty good at this point.

The Best Monday

2011-10-19T10:26:00.005-06:00

Last Monday I woke up not feeling well. The alarm when off, I sat up, decided work was not going to make it onto the docket, rolled over and went right back to sleep. Luckily Tyler had no patients scheduled and agreed that there is no better day to blow off than a Monday. We slept until 11:00. I have not done that since high school. I felt much better after my 13 hours of sleep, so we decided to make the most of our day avoiding responsibility. We loaded up our hiking gear, stopped for an awesome lunch at Skyline Drive In for some highly healthy burgers and onion rings and then took at 2 plus hour drive in search of fall colors. We ended up at a beautiful hike near Mt. Hood on the Hood River side. There was not one other human being. We did not pass one person on the road or on the entire hike. It was amazing. We got so lucky and had one of those fall days that are total perfection. Crisp weather, crystal clear blue sky and gorgeous fall leaves.The hike was awesome and mellow and perfect for our lazy day. That is right until the end where it was straight up. But it was worth it since the view was amazing and we could see all 5 volcanoes in the area super well. We are super hard core. Obviously.It is hard to tell but this is Mts. Rainier, St. Helens and Adams all in a row. Very awesome to get a day when you can see them all.We took our time driving home enjoying the fall colors. I wish that fall lasted longer because it just does my soul good. We had an amazing day. I wish all Mondays could be so perfect. To finish off all 8 hour trek we stopped at the same place we had lunch and got a big peanut butter chocolate shake - which was pretty much heaven. We wouldn't want to get fit with all of our hiking, so we figured a thick shake should do the trick. Happy Fall!

Mt. Rainier

2011-10-14T16:05:00.009-06:00

We managed to squeeze in one final camping trip in at the end of September before the weather got too rainy again and Tyler had to be back at school. We have wanted to visit Mt. Rainier since we got to Portland, so we are happy we finally got there. It vastly exceeded our expectations, and we were just sad we only had one night there. The National Park was immaculate. We forgot how awesome National Parks are. We plan to head back with our snowshoes ASAP.
This was one of my favorite hikes we have done in a very long time. While it was pretty steep for my liking, it was absolutely gorgeous with so many scenery changes in only a few miles. We had snow, green fields, wild flowers galore, and rocky volcanic areas.Getting ready to go UP. Fast.We made it to the top where the view was amazing, but it was FREEZING cold.We went crazy over the wild flowers. We took about 10,000 pictures of them. It was by far the most beautiful hike with wild flowers I have ever seen. They were everywhere and made the whole hike smell incredible. We were in awe the whole time.
We love camping and the time it allows us to just sit and talk late into the night. It is so relaxing and revitalizing. It thought about raining on us, but luckily waited until the middle of the night to really get going. Sadly, the rain cut our trip a bit short so instead of hiking on our second day we just visited some cool little pull offs before heading home.
We walked down to one of the washes surrounding the mountain. While very different than the greenery from our hike the day before, it was beautiful in its own way as well. We saw some beautiful waterfalls just off the road.We walked around a few of the many lakes at the base of Rainier. The mosquitoes were awful, so we didn't spend as much time near the water as we wanted to.
We took a little 1/2 mile hike through the Grove of the Patriarchs (or something along those lines) where we saw some pretty serious cedar trees. The smell of the forest during the rain is about the best thing ever. Especially when the trees are cedar. We had a fabulous weekend. Our break could not have gone better. If you ever have a chance to get to Mt. Rainier, we highly recommend you go. It was fantastic.

It was hot in the Caribbean

2011-10-05T15:59:00.005-06:00

It is crazy how fast this summer flew by and how much we did. I have pretty much given up on blogging these days, so I am really putting forth some effort to get these posts up. Because really, our summer was fabulous.

We went on an amazing cruise to Mexico, Belize and Honduras. It was so much fun and I loved spending time with my family more than anything. I have more fun with them than anyone else, so really it could not have been a better week. Even my seasickness cooperated with me and I held it together better than ever. Woot!

Our ship was decently large...err...ridiculously large.

We definitely ate more than 3 meals a day, but truthfully the food was meh. I am grateful I discovered the Indian food bar where I was able to eat all the naan and masala I could get my hands on.

Sadly I still don't have many photos from this trip. A took all of them and I have not gotten them from her yet. So this is just a small sampling of what we did. Tyler went zip-lining with my family in Belize through the rain forest. I stayed with A and helped her watch over C.

We also dressed up for the very fancy-smancy Captain Gala. It is a VERY classy event. Where grown ups pull out their old and undersized prom dresses. People watching at its finest.

There were also some very nice vignettes available at every turn to get your family photo taken by an amateur waiter/photographer. We opted to head out to the deck for our own little photo shoot. Please note Tyler's super hot turquoise Miami Dolphins tie. He took dressing "classy" to a whole new level. He was also wearing white tennis shoes and a brown belt with that black shirt. HOT. I know. My man has STYLE.

I do not get to spend enough time with my siblings. They are my favorite people and my best friends. One solid week with them was much needed.

Our final stop was in Costa Maya, Mexico. We visited some Mayan Ruins. They were incredible.

C baby was such a good little traveler. A might disagree, but I loved having C there to play with all week.

I don't have any pictures yet from Honduras. And had it not been so disgustingly humid I might have wanted to stay there forever. So if you are not bored yet, for a more detailed look at the cruise you can click one of the links below.

Click here to learn about the Honduras Photoshoot of Death or here for more details and better pictures from the whole trip.

Rio Secreto

2011-09-20T14:11:00.002-06:00

So it has been a crazy month of September! One of these days I will get around to blogging about all of it, but for now I am just posting one picture from our cruise. This was our favorite adventure. We put on some sexy wet suits and hard hats and hiked and swam through the most amazing caves I have ever seen. We loved every second of this! It was so beautiful and such a unique experience. The only sad part was the price of purchasing photos. So we only left with one. But a good one if you ask me.

Mt. Hood and Opal Creek

2011-08-29T16:19:00.006-06:00

I have really not been a dedicated blogger lately. I am going to blame that on the fact that the sun is out and not on the fact that I have just been a bit bored with blogging. Ty and I have tried to make the most out of every sunny weekend we can. His 6 week break has begun and after some serious studying we now have his board exams behind us (whew!), our 5 year anniversary done and gone (FIVE?!), and a week long rotation complete. It has been a busy summer but things are mellowing out now and we are prepping for our much awaited (3 years awaited actually) cruise.

But in the mean time here are some photos of a few things we have been up to lately. We did a little camping at Mt. Hood a few weeks ago. It was beyond gorgeous and just what Ty and I both needed. We love pulling out our camping gear and sitting around a fire all night. The Jacksons were kind enough to join us (unfortunately their daughter didn't cooperate in the wee hours of the morning and I am pretty sure Steve will never camp again). After they headed for home and their beds, Ty and I did an awesome little hike with sweeping views of Mt. Hood and amazing wild flower meadows. I was in heaven. I cannot get enough of wild flowers.

This past weekend we revisited Opal Creek after over a year. We have been wanting to swim in the pools and we picked a nice hot day for it. This is about a 7 mile hike, but it is nice and flat and absolutely gorgeous. The water is crystal clear. We could see to the bottom even in the 30 foot range. Tyler did lots of diving and swimming. I waded and photographed. It was a fantastic day.

And now the countdown to cruise time begins.

Summer Shenanagins

2011-08-05T15:13:00.004-06:00

My sweet baby Caroline came to visit me. A came too. So all in all it was a fabulous weekend. We had so much fun playing at the pool, going to the coast, eating, shopping and all things sister weekends entail. To say I am obsessed with C, would be the largest understatement ever.

And can you blame me? She was crazy about the beach. It was the most perfect day I have ever experienced on the Oregon coast. It took C a bit to warm up to the sand, but once she did there was not stopping her. Yummy.

It was awesome to get to be there for C's first ocean expereince. She squealed and laughed the whole time. We basked in the sunshine.
We had a girls lunch at the OG. C and I are BFF now. As long as my mother isn't around she likes me best. But who can compete with grandma anyway? I will gladly take 2nd place.
Family portrait under the Morrison Bridge. {Okay, hurry everyone...make your comments about how we need to have kids stat.} We had a nice little run in with a meth head woman. Fun times. C told her off. Then we enjoyed dinner at Montage.
After hanging with A and C I decided to head home for the weekend. Hopefully I can round up some pictures from that. I love being home. I got to see my parents new gorgeous house, celebrate C's 1st birthday and Danny's 16th {WHAT!?}, and as always I got spoiled by my parents and pretty much never lifted a finger. I also got to go to lunch with these beautiful ladies. It has been over a year since we have all been together. They are 3 of my oldest and best friends. We have been friends since we were little and now we are all growed up and having babies {Carly}. That was a strange moment for me. Realizing that one of my cloest childhood friends is a mother. Wow. Anyway, it was wonderful to see them. I love them dearly. It was a busy week, but a wonderful one.

Costal Daycation

2011-07-19T11:09:00.006-06:00

A few weeks ago we took a spur of the moment daycation to the coast. We have now officially driven the entire Oregon coast and stopped in nearly every (maybe every) town along the way. We love the coast and had such an awesome day just doing whatever we felt like doing. I love a day with no plans. We were prepared for serious hiking, but again we were lazy and ended up just doing some mini hikes and a nice long walk along the beach in Seaside.We had never been to Seaside or Astoria so we spent some time in both locations. I really enjoyed Seaside. Once we got into Astoria we decided to cross the giant bridge over the Columbia to Washington so we could visit "Cape Disappointment." Again, I am not a lover of things over water, so this was a slightly stressful 4 1/2 miles for me. But the view was amazing so I tried to enjoy myself. We stopped at one of the best lighthouses I have seen on the coast. It was beautiful. It was awesome to be able to look out to one side and see the ocean, and out to the other side see the Columbia with the beautiful coastal mountains. Our final stop for the day was at the cleverly named Astoria Column.We climbed the bajillion stairs up to that top platform. The view was incredible.
Here you can see the awesome bridge we took across the Columbia. Those three distinct ridges you can see in the distance to the left in the picture above is our next big hike. I believe it is called Saddle Mountain and I am already afraid. We have found that the coastal mountains are a bit steep. Rather reminiscent of the Wasatch Front...{shudder}It was a beautiful day and so nice to get out and about after a lot of rain. Portland is making me frustrated this summer.

Luckily there is always something to do or see, so we manage to keep busy and ignore the crappy weather.

Summer Time

2011-07-14T09:31:00.007-06:00

We have always wanted to play tennis at the Rose Gardens, so a few weekends ago when the sun was out we headed up to try and snag a court. We took a stroll through the gardens first and were amazed at the flowers. It may have been the best we have ever seen it.

The roses we in full bloom.

After our little walk we found a court and had a fun time remembering how to play tennis after a long time off. We had a pretty shaky start, but loved playing none the less. Plus the courts were beautiful. We only lasted about an hour before it was so hot we gave up and headed for the pool.

The 4th of July is one of my favorite Holidays. It is always hard for me to be away from my family on this day. Growing up I loved going to my annual neighborhood breakfast followed by swimming and movies and fireworks. It was always my favorite day as a kid.

So, in hopes to make it awesome, we spent the 4th of July day in the Gorge. We had lofty plans of big hiking but ended up just doing a mini hike that proved to be incredibly worth it. We drove most of the way which was okay by me. The view from the top on a clear day will show you all 5 of the major volcanoes in the area. It was pretty awesome.

Mt. Hood (below), Mt. Baker (above)

Mt. St Helens, Mt. Rainer, Mt. Adams

As always, the pictures just do not do the scene justice.

We also did our favorite mini hike, Onionta Falls. If you live around here you really have to do it. It is a short little hike where you hike up a river to get to the waterfall. But you have to swim part of it. It was a perfect hike for a sunny holiday.

For evening fun we drove to Lake Oswego for fireworks with the Smiths and the Cornings. It was a beautiful night and the park we were at was only moderately crowded and the fireworks were awesome. It was perfect.

We had a wonderful 4th of July in the Sunshine.

Tyler wore his shirt featuring the Canadian flag, so to counteract his lack of patriotism I painted my nails.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday.

The Great Kayaking Adventure

2011-07-11T12:27:00.006-06:00

One of the highlights of our Whistler trip was when we rented a double kayak and cruised down the River of Golden Dreams. It was {of course} just shockingly beautiful. We started out on the most stunning lake. It was glassy smooth and we were the only people out. It was amazing. We decided to save some money and be our own tour guides. We felt our kayak experience would be sufficient to float down a river without paying $100 extra for someone to do it with us. The winding river proved to be a little difficult to maneuver, but we got the hang of it. There were thousands of lily pads with beautiful yellow flowers blooming throughout a whole section of the river. I had never seen anything like it. Again, so so beautiful. Things began to get a little precarious at this point, when the river narrowed substantially. We spent a large amount of our time with Tyler yelling "Duck!" and I would proceed to lie flat down on the kayak as we crashed from bank to bank into the bushes. I don't know if we have ever laughed so hard before. It must have been quite a sight. Then just when we thought we were getting it together came the only "rapids" of the whole river {if they even qualify as that}. We would have been fine were it not for 1) the gigantic tree that had grown into the river and 2) if one of us {that will go nameless...ahem...Tyler} could remember right from left. Lets just say things didn't go as planned and we paddled ourselves right into that tree and got wedged between the bank and the tree. I knew at that point we were done for. Tyler still believed and did a decent job of getting us untangled. I almost thought we were going to get out unscathed, but just as we freed ourselves we paddled just a little to hard and dipped one little inch of our kayak under the water and BAM. We flipped. Those babies are pretty hard to flip on your own, but when they go they go fast. As we were whisked down the river we both somehow managed to stay by each other and hold on to our paddles. I am still not sure how we kept the paddles. It was definitely not a conscious thing. Anyway, long story short, the kayak finally got stuck in some wood and trees in the middle of the river and Ty was able to get out of the water. I was in a slightly more precarious position. I was holding on to dear life {meaning the kayak} with my feet behind me down river. Finally we both managed to drag ourselves out of the water. Then the real challenge of getting our kayak out and dumped began.Obviously we are brutally strong...err...Okay actually we think we must have had a serious adrenaline rush because that thing weighed A TON. Water is heavy friends. In case you didn't know. But finally after much heaving and hoing we managed to drag the thing out and dump the water. Honestly, I was incredibly impressed that we got it out. As were the staff that owned the kayaks. So a little while later with some very wet clothes and slightly damaged pride we were able to hop back in and finish the river without any more hitches. We were actually able to stay pretty warm while we were paddling, but as soon as we got out of the kayak I started shivering like I never have before. Glacier river water is COLD! After a nice and very hot and very long shower we were able to have some serious laughs about our little mishap. It all happened so fast that I didn't really have time in the moment to feel scared. We did however recognize that it could have been much worse, so we were happy and grateful that it all worked out. I am so glad we were able to finish because it was so incredible. And at least we have a great story to tell right?

Whistler

2011-07-11T11:44:00.007-06:00

We finally made it to Whistler for a few days of outdoor awesomeness. We were extremely lucky with the weather. While it was not as hot as I prefer, we did not get rained on and were able to do everything we wanted to. This place was amazing. Whistler is truly outdoor Disney Land. We are already planning a winter ski trip.

On our first full day we rode the gondola up to the top of the Whistler Mountain, then we took it across to Blackcomb. It was stunning at the top of the mountain, and Tyler could hardly contain himself looking at all of the ski runs. The view from the Gondola crossing from peak to peak was amazing. We were hundreds of feet in the air and could see everything.
After we got to Blackcomb we took a bus over to the only chair lift still operating. Just for the sake of making Tyler want to cry because he did not bring his skis, we took the lift to the top. It was freezing cold, but very fun. There were still quite a few people skiing, and there were big jumps set up so we had fun watching the pros.
The village was adorable and full of exorbitantly priced food and shops. I managed to get myself out with only buying one t-shirt. Proud moment for me.
We also rented mountain bikes and attempted to ride. We tried to get serious and do some medium level trails, but that lasted for about 20 seconds before we realized we were way out of our league and had to stick to the paved, or at least relatively paved paths. We really loved mountain biking and are going to try and pick it up as a new hobby.
We had to ride in our jeans because of a little kayak mishap which we will get to later. Suffice it to say our "outdoor gear" was a little soggy.
Jeans or no jeans we were super hardcore. Obviously. Our Japanese Tourist Meter was hitting a 9 or so right about here.
We took some lovely evening walks.
It was just so nice to be outside for pretty much a straight week. I get so tired of being stuck in an office all day, and Tyler has not really seen the light of day since dental school started, so this trip was just what we both needed.
Beautiful Lost Lake
Mar and Lar cruisin on the bikes.

We are so lucky to have them and so grateful they are always willing to do these outdoorsy style vacations with us. They are the best.We loved Whistler so much. We cannot wait to go back.

Oh Canada!

2011-07-08T11:04:00.004-06:00

We took a full day driving from Washington up to Whistler. It was {hyperbole free} the most beautiful drive I have ever experienced. The Sea to Sky highway that led from Vancouver up through the mountains was almost unbelievable. It felt so good to be in the mountains again. I forget just how much I miss living near them. Anyway, we spent the early after noon in Vancouver. Tyler and I fell in love. It is a gorgeous, clean city full of surprisingly friendly people. I loved the cultural diversity as well. I am sure that the hot sunny day contributed to my insta love.

We spent most of our time in Stanley Park. We walked around and enjoyed the art shows, gardens, totems and city views.

I really enjoyed checking out the totem poles. The stories that went with them were super interesting and the carvings were equally impressive.

The one and only Mar and Lar.

Larry searched long and hard for the perfect spot to get their picture taken that showed the beautiful gardens and city. Who wouldn't want to live here?

After Stanley Park we searched out the Lynn Canyon suspension bridge. Not one of my favorite activities if I am being honest. The bridge was swaying all over the place because there were so many people on it. I got stuck out in the middle between hoards of tourists taking pictures. I was not a happy camper. I would say that generally, I am girl who just prefers to be on solid ground. But I will say that no matter how much I dislike the potential activity, I will always try something once. Regret is not something I do well with, and I usually regret anything I skip out on.

We stopped at several overlooks and two beautiful waterfalls on our drive.

Next stop...the beloved Whistler.

God Bless Canada. My future homeland.{KIDDING MOM!}

[sort of]

We are thinking about becoming Canadian.

2011-07-06T14:53:00.013-06:00

After deciding that Tyler should not get a week off if I don't get a week off, I bailed on work and thanks to the adventure loving Mar and Lar we headed to Canada for an incredible week. I fell in love with Vancouver about 20 seconds after pulling into the city. But we will get to that later. Before we got to Canada we stopped for a few days in Cascades National Park.

This is another somewhat unknown park in the Pacific Northwest and we absolutely loved it. It was beyond gorgeous. All the lakes and rivers are fed by a glacier, so they were an amazing blue/green color.

Just for the record, I would like to dedicate this trip and all the posts relating to it, to my nature loving sister. You're welcome A.

I am so grateful that we have taken the time and had the opportunity to explore the area that we have been living in for the past 3 years. I know we are possibly running out of exploration time, so we are packing in as much as we can in our last year. We have fallen in love with this gorgeous part of the country and I know we will miss it every day when and if we leave. There is nothing more invigorating than a gorgeous hike and visiting places you have never seen before. I am so lucky to have Ty who is even more eager than I am to be outside and to keep active. And he got all of that love of the great outdoors and the extra energy from his awesome mom Mar. She is 60 going on 30 and we love her for it!

We did some amazing hikes. The first was to a beautiful blue lake with a view of Pyramid Peak. It was a pretty solid hike and I was 100% impressed with Lar, who at 71 did the whole hike like a champ. We hiked a total of 8 miles that day. I can only hope I am 1/2 as fit as him when I am 40, let alone 70.

The end of the hike.

A beautiful mountain lake with "log gardens."

Tyler risked his life climbing the side of a mountain to snap some lovely wild flower shots.

Hike number two of the day was to a beautiful overlook of Ross Lake. The sun came out and it was a stunning view of mountain peaks and the river. I was in heaven. I had forgotten what the sun felt like.

Soaking in the sun at the top of the hike.

We stopped at another overlook on our way back to town. A huge bald eagle flew right in front of us while we were standing here. It was pretty awesome.

On our way out of Washington we stopped for a fantastic view of Mt. Baker in the sunshine.

We got a taste of small town America at its finest on this piece of our trip. The highlight was when we stopped and asked a woman and her three legged dog where we could find breakfast. In addition to where we could eat we learned all about the three families that settled the God forsaken town, what they all liked to do, why they set up a winery, and something about how her great great something or other was a lady who sold moonshine instead of working in the whore house because she knew how to make her money standing up. Classy lady. Classy town.

Now, on to Canada.

Just more of the same...doing what we always do.

2011-06-22T10:28:00.005-06:00

While clearing out our camera chip in preparation for the big Canada trip I came across some forgotten photos of some hikes (surprise surprise) that we did awhile back.

Outing A: Punchbowl Falls and Camping

In rebellion of this ridiculous rainy weather Ty and I went hiking and camping and dared Mother Nature to rain us. Luckily she cooperated fairly well and we only got misted on throughout the day (and night).

Punchbowl Falls kicks butt. It is super easy and short but very awesome. Plus the wildflowers were still out thanks to our chilly spring. And that makes me very happy.

The flowers are so beautiful. I just wish they lasted longer!We will have to come back in the hotter months when we can take a little dip in the icy water.Now on to Hike B:
It is hard for me to use appropriate family friendly language when writing and thinking about this hike. Seriously. It is actually hard because there are not words that can describe just how freaking hard this hike was. And how angry we were at this dumb mountain. Perhaps we have become weak since moving to Oregon and being spoiled with the best effort to reward ratio hikes on earth. But I doubt it. This one was a beast. Suffice it to say it was hard. Real hard. It was crazy steep the whole way. And just when you think you are about to DIE at the half way point, it gets much steeper. But by then we had gone to far to turn back. Luckily it was lush and green and gorgeous.
Then just to mock us it started to snow at the top. We were minutes away from the ocean and it was snowing. Seriously? Ridiculous.
But on the upside the view was truly stunning from the top. I was so bitter about how hard this hike was that I was expecting the view to suck and be no where near worth it. The pictures do not do it justice.
We survived! But only barely. My legs protested for days afterwards. This sucker is being added to my list of hikes that I am glad (sort of) that I did once but will NEVER do again. Top of the heap on that list? Mt. Olympus. Lamest hike ever. Sorry Wasatch fronters. It really is.
As usual we love getting outside and hiking. Man oh man do we love Oregon.

Next up...adventures from Canada. Mar and Lar arrive tonight and then the fun begins.

One year and One week

2011-06-17T11:31:00.007-06:00

I am feeling good today. It must be because the sun is out. Summer is really holding out on us in Portland. So a sunny Friday means I am suddenly feeling a cough coming on...I mean chances are the sun won't be back for another week or two, and I am not taking any chances.This morning as I dropped Tyler off at school I passed the big white tents and tables being set up for the dental school graduation. I had a rush of two very different emotions. One, I WISH that was us! And, only ONE year left?? I don't think I am ready for that. It is a strange combination of being so ready to start our lives and be done with studentdom that I could scream, while at the same time knowing I am going to miss this phase of our lives and all of the wonderful people that are a part of it. But ready or not I know it will be here before we know it. I know we will be both cheering and gritting our teeth for what is ahead.
***

One week from today we head off on a much needed vacation. We are going to Whistler, BC and I cannot wait. I am making daily sacrifices to the Sun Gods. I really really need a sunny mountain experience. And some pool time. We are also hoping for a peaceful riot free stop in Vancouver. But either way, I know it is going to be a beautiful and exciting trip.

Here is to looking forward to one week and one year from today.

Rhodie Gardens

2011-05-19T16:03:00.003-06:00

I am fairly certain this is what the Garden of Eden must have looked like:Our annual trip the Rhododendron Gardens was not a disappointment. We love Spring after a long gray winter. We decided to bail on work/school a little early and enjoy the sunshine while we can.

Family Photos...Do we count as a family?

2011-05-16T16:25:00.005-06:00

We had a fun impromptu photo shoot with the talented Kate Maxwell. She is technically a wedding photographer but used us as practice on some new methods she was trying out {Lucky us!}. She is obviously incredibly talented because she managed to get plenty of pictures of me that I don't loathe and even more pictures of Tyler not looking like a serial killer. It was actually almost impossible for me to pick the following pictures as some of my favorites. There were just too many cute ones. So thanks to Katie for doing something no one has ever been able to do before. I was pretty much laughing hysterically the whole time. Partially because Katie is very funny, and partially because I have a hard time taking anything seriously when I should.

This was the last picture of the day. Which resulted in a high five. Feeling good that we survived.

We have not really had our pictures taken since our wedding, so it is fun to have some up to date photos of just the two of us.
Thanks Miss Katie!

Lets take a stroll

2011-05-16T11:45:00.004-06:00

Cleaning out and organizing my college photos took me on a little stroll down memory lane. I just had to post a few pictures of the three ladies that got me through college. Actually I am pretty sure I owe my degree to Erin. I am fairly certain I would not have gotten out of bed once in 3 years if not for her. So, thanks for that. Sadly we are now spread all across the country, but these girls will always have a very special place in my heart. I can't wait for the day when our get togethers can happen more than once a year. This pretty much sums us up. And it seems only right to throw a lawn photo up here. The hours spent out here really are countless. This one is particularly excellent of me. Love you girls.

Oh Happy Day

2011-05-06T13:50:00.006-06:00

Today is a happy day. This day 28 years ago my sister was born. I feel so lucky to have the most amazing sister and best friend. We have done a lot of awesome things together starting from when were were just babies. Like sleeping in curlers every night of our lives until we were 12. Thanks for that mom.

She is my favorite travel buddy, conversationalist, photographer, comedian, friend and so much more. Not living in the same state as her has not really been working out for me. Hopefully we can remedy that sooner than later.

Happy Birthday Sarser.

Love you the most.

Trent came home

2011-04-28T15:08:00.010-06:00

Pregame Hype. Getting Pumped.
If you know my mom you know what was required before Trent could land. Cooking, cleaning, posters, t-shirts, decorations, balloons, more posters...you know - the usual.
Only it was the usual times a jillion.

Just a C shot for posterity. Because I can't handle the cuteness.
Did I mention the balloons, t-shirts and posters? Oh, that was not a joke. Making a fool of yourself is part and parcel to being a member of thisfamily. We had only been there for 30 seconds when A started chanting (also not a joke) "Who do we want?? TRENT!! When do we want him? NOW!" Making spectacles of ourselves is what we do best. Tyler has never been so relieved to miss a family function. Only C got out of the humiliation.But all embarrassment was forgotten when we saw this cute face coming down the terminal.
Two years is too long to not have one of your favorite people around.
Danny grew about 3 feet in two years. Happy!The whole crew.We had the best weekend, just catching up and chatting and eating. Leaving Utah was hard this time around. I am so glad to have Trent back. He is all grown up and totally adorable.
And now I have some competition for C's favorite person on earth.
Actually, no. No I don't.
So glad he is home.
All photos by A.

Spring Cleaning

2011-04-22T09:43:00.002-06:00

Spring cleaning began in full force last night. I always love a good clean out, but this year it is looking like a whole new animal. Tyler and I caught the bug somehow and decided it was time to go through every dresser, closet, drawer, nook and cranny in our house. I had no idea how much stuff we have accumulated over the last 3 years since moving here. When we moved in I thought we had SO much storage and that we could never fill the place up. Now we are bursting at the seams. So, a massive clean out has begun. We spent 5 hours yesterday going through our bedroom (aka...all my crap). And this is what I/Tyler decided I don't need anymore.One bedroom down. Basically this equals me emptying out one of my 3 closets. Yes, three I know. Now, Tyler gets to move some of his stuff into our room for the first time in our marriage. Generous of me, I know. All I can say is that Tyler better get all of this stuff out of my sight before I change my mind. I am tossing about 12 pairs of shoes and 10 bags. I don't do that. This is big.

I am actually excited though to see this pile grow as we go room by room. Hopefully by the end of the weekend our home will be orderly and crap free!

Spring Break is Great

2011-04-12T09:55:00.005-06:00

Spring break was a fantastic and much needed vacation. Ty and I packed our car to the brim for our 1,000 mile road trip. We spent several days driving down the Oregon coast at a very leisurely pace, stopping when we wanted and enjoying the incredibly beautiful drive. It was a mellow trip with next to nothing planned, including where we would stay each night, which is not typical Scott family fashion. But it could not have been a better, more relaxing and enjoyable week. We got extremely lucky and had beautiful weather for the majority of the trip. And thanks to all of our new fancy hiking gear we were totally prepared and almost excited to face the rain. We helped clean the beach with our ward. It was a gorgeous day, and the beach was pretty much spotless when we got there, so the clean up was cut short and we went and got ice cream at the Tillamook Cheese Factory instead. We stopped at some incredible overlooks and lighthouses with gorgeous views. We were really hoping to see some whales, but it was just too windy and the white caps made it impossible to see much of anything. We did manage to spot some seals and sea lions, which almost made up for the lack of whales.

One of our favorite stops was Cape Kiwanda. It was beautiful with a huge sandy beach. We went on an awesome hike with great views.

Tyler loved playing in the tide pools.

Cape Kiwanda was beautiful with its bright bright water and orangey sand.

We stopped at a placed called "Devils Churn" which was pretty much my worst nightmare. Tyler was in heaven and I was terrified and convinced that we were going to get swept out to sea. As you can see in my face in the photo below.

Tyler forced me to get even this close. If we had been standing there about 20 seconds after we moved we would have been soaked by a giant wave and likely sucked out to our death. Dramatic? Maybe. Or maybe not. You weren't there. Very very scary. I just could not capture a big wave on the camera. It was pretty crazy. And pretty awesome. Despite being terrified, I would recommend checking it out if you are ever cruising the Oregon coast.

We got to see a new piece of the coast on this trip. The sand dunes. It made for beautiful beaches and difficult hikes.

I loved all of the lighthouses we were able to see and stop at along the drive.

Our final coastal destination was Bandon. We met up with our friends the Kienes and the Risleys for a few nights. We had a wonderful time hanging out at the beautiful beaches and spending time with friends. The Risleys have serious hookups and the boys were able to golf for free, which I am told is a big deal. They had perfect weather and loved every second of it. The whole gang.Our final stop was a trip over to Medford where we got to stay with the Roas and Tyler got to work in a clinic. I am bummed we didn't take any pictures with the Roas. We love them. Medford is on our list of possible places to go after graduation, so it was nice to get a small taste of what it has to offer. While I didn't fall madly in love with it, I can see that we could fit in there and be happy. Being only just over an hour away from Crater Lake pretty much sealed the deal for Tyler. That and he loved the clinic. It is exciting that we are getting close to decision time.

We had an absolutely perfect break. It was so nice to spend quality one on one time with Tyler. I don't know the last time we had so much fun together. Now we are just looking forward to our next week off! We are running out of time to see all that Oregon and the NW has to offer. We are working our way through our list and hopefully can keep doing so as the weather gets better.

Now off to SLC in TWO days to see Trent!

Crater Lake Part Two

2011-04-07T09:52:00.010-06:00

Our new found hobby of snowshoeing led us back to Crater Lake to experience the beautiful scenery in its winter format. We were uncertain if the weather would cooperate or if we would even be able to drive to the rim, but our good weather luck followed us and it was an amazing day. The road to the rim had been closed for the previous 9 days, but magically opened about 45 minutes after we got there, saving us a very long and difficult hike to see the lake. The rangers told us there was 25 - 30 feet of snow throughout the park...all unpacked and unhiked on since the 9 new feet of snowfall over the past week. Basically that means I have never worked so hard on a hike in my life. Even with snowshoes on, it was slow going and a lot of work. But so beautiful and so worth it. The rangers told us to "follow the road" and that there were road signs along the trail that would keep us on track. Well this was really the only sign we found. Not too useful. So we just tried to steer clear of the edge, pay attention to where we were going, and prayed for no avalanches.The lake was mostly covered in haze when we started, but eventually it started to clear. It was incredibly beautiful. We were so thrilled that we got to see the bright blue lake.

Wizard Island Loving our beautiful day.

Proof that we were exhausted by the end of our trek. But no complaints it was absolutely beautiful. We love Crater Lake and feel lucky to have seen it now in both summer and winter. It is one of the most incredible places we have ever been. This was the perfect end to a much needed vacation.

Outside

2011-04-05T12:23:00.002-06:00

We have been outside a lot lately. Rainy weather can't slow us down. So I have a lot of posts I need to do. I will get working on that. But in the mean time, here is a photo taken by the one and only Kate Maxwell. Go to her blog. She is a beautiful photographer.

And I love this picture of us at St. Helens.

Thanks Katie friend.

T-Minus One Month

2011-03-15T12:21:00.004-06:00

One month from today I will be home in Salt Lake. I will be playing with my favorite baby. I will be checking out two new houses. I will be lunching with my mom and sister. I will be chatting with my Dad. I will be playing late night Nintendo with my baby brother. And I will be waiting at the airport, after two long years (long!), to welcome Trent home...!!!There are really no words to explain how anxious and excited I am to have Trent home. I miss him so much. He is one of my very best friends and I am so ready to have him back in my life and to get to know the new pieces of him.

I think this could be the longest 30 days of my life.

Still Reaching

2011-03-03T14:21:00.005-07:00

So I am in love. With this song and video. I have been playing it all day. Over and over and then over again. You should watch it too. My super talented, beautiful, and wonderful friend and college roomie Cait, has a nearly as talented brother and husband in this little video.

Meet Fictionist.

Cait's brother is the lead singer and her husband is the curly haired one rocking the mustache. Hard to miss.

Isn't this the best?

They have been working like maniacs for years and years and years. They are so insanely talented. And because of that they are currently in a Rolling Stone competition. If they win, good things will happen. And I want them to win because they are some of my favorite people. Plus they are real good. So go to Rolling Stone and "like" them on facebook. Then share the love with everyone you know. You can also check out their website and listen to more great music here. OR! For even more fun and excitement go to Cait and Robbie's blog, Hue and Hum.

I mean who doesn't love discovering new fantastic music?

I am happy because tomorrow is Friday and because I watched this video.

Also, on a totally unrelated note...who is Brad going to pick??

Tea Party

2011-02-28T11:33:00.003-07:00

Since we had such a lovely time last year at the Lavender Tea House, we decided we should make it a birthday tradition and go again. I have always been a tea drinker, thanks to my wonderful Grandmother, so this is my idea of a perfect birthday party. I have the good fortune of sharing a birthday (well, almost) with this beautiful lady. I have always been lucky to share birthday parties with the people I love. My brother and one of my very best friends have birthdays two days after me and we have always celebrated together. I don't think it would feel quite the same if I didn't get to share with someone wonderful, so I am ever so grateful to Marissa for being born two days before me. In honor of my beautiful and classy tea drinking grandmother, I wore her dress. I believe her mother made this for her when she was young. I love that it fits me perfectly.
As I have said before and will say again, I have the best friends a girl could ask for.

Our favorite part about the tea house, besides the ridiculously delicious tea, is the ridiculously awesome hats.
It was a wonderful day. I can't wait for next year.

25 is going to be a good year.

I can feel it.

Mt. St. Helens Winter Style

2011-02-21T12:54:00.005-07:00

Ty and I have loved every excursion to Mt. St. Helen that we have had over the last few years. But we have never tried it in the winter. And we have never had such an unbelievably beautiful day. I mean look at this! This just does not happen. Especially not in the middle of February. We had no business getting so lucky. But we enjoyed every minute of it. Ty needed desperately to get out of the city and have a little adventure, and I being one to never turn down a mini trip obliged in finding us a little cabin. And since Mother Nature knew how important this little get away was to Tyler's sanity, she threw in the perfect weather.
This is what two very happy campers look like.

Out good friends the Groesbecks and the Apkers joined us for the afternoon. We played in the snow and checked out all of the different view points along the road leading to St. Helen. Unfortunately the road was closed off due to snow, so we didn't get to go as far as we wanted. At least not by car. But more on that later.

Rosie and I are gifted dancers. Clearly.

But so is Tyler. Our children will be very talented. Rosie, Me and Katie soaking up the sunshine. Being outside in the cold sunshine is incredibly refreshing. I felt like a new woman after a few hours outside.

Also, note the little plume of smoke behind me. St. Helen still smokes, and it is awesome how well you can see it on a cold day. One of the most beautiful places on earth. I am sure of it.
After we drove around we said goodbye to our friends and they went home to hang at the cabin and be warm. We however have been wanting to try out a new potential hobby. Snowshoeing. We rented some snowshoes and bought an old used pair off CraigsList and hit the trail, so to speak. We had no idea what we were up against as neither of us had ever tried before. But we fell instantly in love. And how could we not on a day like this? We started out with an easy one miler. We were acting like little kids. We were so excited and having s much fun and so happy to be outside hiking again. It has been a long indoor winter. We are so happy to have found a way to keep hiking all winter long. I just don't know why it has taken so long for us to try out snowshoeing.

On day two we decided to give a more valiant effort with a just under 10 miler. Perhaps a little ambitious for our first attempt. We did manage to get totally lost for awhile. It is hard to stick to the proper trail, when there is none. And when the trail markers are barley visible in the snow. But we had a great time blazing our own trail until we finally found where we were supposed to be. Which was traversing up a very very steep mountain. My friends, snowshoeing is hard work. I am sure we burned eleventy million calories trekking up that baby. But the view was spectacular, and the feeling of total isolation was wonderful. We didn't see another human being the entire time we were out. It was silent and cold and so lovely. We did end up bailing out early because some serious clouds started to roll in, and we did not really want to get lost on the ridge of a volcano. Maybe next time.

I feel so lucky to have married someone with an adventurous spirit and a true love of nature. I have always loved being outside and trying new things, but it was not until I married Tyler that I really fell in love with all that the out doors has to offer. There is something very personal and spiritual for me about being out in nature. We have hiked, camped, rafted, traveled, now snowshoed and I have loved every single moment of it. We have really enabled each other to be adventurous and to try new things. I am so glad I have Tyler to share all of these fun experiences with.
And simply for your viewing pleasure:

I saw this on the road as we were driving home and Tyler of course made us go back so we could take a picture. That is a full set up ribs. Picked dry. And bloody. I throw up just a little every time I look at that. But its kind of cool at the same time. But ew.

Valentine

2011-02-15T14:15:00.001-07:00

He is mine.

I am so lucky.

Old People Prom

2011-02-14T10:48:00.004-07:00

Do we qualify as old people? I guess if we are referring to prom (or my YW) then I do qualify as old. However I do not feel old, so I had no problem signing up for a high school reenactment (well not total reenactment - pretty sure booze was not provided in high school) of Prom. We had to scrap the day date of ice blocking due to work and school, but we did have a lovely dinner with our friends. Then we headed up to OHSU for the dance. And surprisingly we had a really good time. Tyler even got his groove on. In public. Which is unheard of. And I loved it. And the really exciting part was our cool friend Kate came and took legit photos for us. If you live in the Portland area and are getting married any time soon, you will want to call her. She is very good.

It was great to have a night out with all our friends. There were not even any babies around to spoil the fun. KIDDING. Sheesh. I LOVE kids. But 100% adult interaction is a rarity around here, and we loved every second of it.

We are so lucky to have so many wonderful friends.

Here, you can meet them:

Steve and Danielle

Stevenson and Marissa

Tyler and Tara

Todd and Rosie

John and Malorie

Our favorite 2010 discovery

2011-01-31T12:35:00.007-07:00

Grace Potter and The Nocturnals.

They barely made it in the 2010 discovery because I think it was about December 30 when we were randomly watching a VH1 concert for the troops (or something very exciting like that) when we heard this very awesome song. We had never seen or heard of the band before but we really loved the band and her voice. Think Stevie Nicks meets Norah Jones with a little more rock and roll. We were in love. So we got online looked them up and magically enough they were coming to Portland on January 28. We promptly drove ourselves to the box office and acquired tickets. $15 a piece, and quite possibly the best $30 we have ever spent.

This concert was insane. It was so good. Grace plays about 20 instruments and has the most incredible voice. They played for 2 1/2 straight hours. No talking, and they didn't even stop playing in between songs. We were beside ourselves. So so good. Tyler has placed it as the second best concert he has ever seen (which is really saying something) and I have it unquestionably at number one.

Please go listen to them on itunes or youtube or something.

And guess what SLC friends!? She is coming to you.

So, if you live in SLC get in your car and drive to The Depot {RIGHT NOW!} and get yourself some tickets. They will be there on Feb 9. Seriously. Go. Now.

Also, I have a crush on the base player. She is awesome.

Here, watch. Then go buy tickets.

And this just does not do justice to her live performance.

My oh my do we love Grace Potter.

A little more Christmas never hurt anyone.

2011-01-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

Plus, I had to get the horrifying Twilight picture off of my front page. Whew!

12 hours is plenty to have that sucker the first thing you look at when you sign in.

***

Sooo...

Here we are rocking our new Jazz gear. Marilee and I found the deal of the century on these hoodies. We love Marilee's heavy obsession with the Jazz. We got to go see them play the Blazers...but we aren't going to talk about the final score. Sore subject. But man do I love my new hoodie. And man do I love that they are back to the classic note. Finally. Can I get an Amen from my fellow Jazz fans out there? We had a wonderful brunch Christmas day with Tyler's family. Marilee has the most beautiful Christmas tree I have ever seen. She has a gift.
Mar and Lar with me and Ty.
We also got to meet our very long time friends new crazy cute baby. World, meet Drew.

While incredibly strange to see these two as parents, they were naturals. It was so great to see them. We miss our Utah friends. It was fabulous to get to see a few of them.

And that rounds up the Christmas photos. For now.

Heaven Help Us

2011-01-18T16:38:00.004-07:00

There really are no words.

*From 'Breaking Dawn' here

Why Non-Mormons Cant Stop Reading Mormon Housewife Blogs

2011-01-18T14:38:00.003-07:00

My friend sent me a link to an interesting article the other day about non-Mormons being "addicted" to so many of the "Mormon Mommy Blogs." Like so many others out there, I am a reader of many of those blogs, and also find my self in the addicted column. I have a real love/hate relationship with many of them, but overall I really do enjoy reading these blogs.

I have always found it fascinating that people not of the LDS faith are such heavy readers of these blogs. Many of the blogs I read have said that the majority of their readers are not of their faith. This article offers an interesting insight into one such reader.

I was planning on writing a post full of deep thoughts about the subject, but my sister beat me to the punch. As usual. And has written more eloquently that I ever would, so go here and read the article, and then go here and read her post. I share all of her same feelings on this matter. And I could not be more grateful to know that being a wife and a mother is the most difficult and most rewarding job there is.

I would love your thoughts on the matter.

I got a peanut butter and jelly best friends/sisters necklace for Christmas

2011-01-03T14:40:00.009-07:00

I bet no one else can say that.

It was wonderful as always to be home for Christmas. I loved spending time with family and catching up with friends. We had a lovely week that went way too fast.
We started the trip out with brunch with some of my college roomies.

We then proceeded to spend every possible second with family, and more specifically C. Man do we love her. I am over chubby babies. I am into little happy stick babies like C.

See? Even Ty loves her. Thanks to C I think we might actually have kids someday.

We got to talk to Trent on Christmas. He gets home on April 15. We are SO excited.

My best girls. Minus Muv. Sarsers.
Me and Danny at delicious Kyoto.
A&B.
We had a fabulous trip and can't wait to go back.

Christmas Parties and Things of Note

2010-12-20T15:07:00.005-07:00

We had some fancy holiday parties to attend this year. So we had to get all gussied up for the occasion. I like to get gussied. So does Tyler. See the photos below as proof. Tyler practised his GQ model poses.
He looked quite festive in his holiday red. As an updo was most appropriate, I taught myself how to do a french twist for the occasion. And bought myself some green holiday shoes.
These I love.
The low point of the season has been me losing my very favorite pair of gold leaf earrings. The ones I am wearing in the photos above. I retraced all my steps and even called Fred Meyer in hopes I had lost it there and someone had turned it in. No such luck. I prayed for a Christmas miracle and got none.

At least I still have my party shoes.
And my trip home to Utah. I cannot wait.

I especially cannot wait to play with this little nugget.

Merry Christmas!

Thankful

2010-12-06T10:26:00.006-07:00

We are Thankful for Thanksgiving and Pictures!

And you!

It was a hectic Thanksgiving week in my little apartment, but I was so thankful to have my family in Portland. It was B and C's first time here so that made it extra exciting. I was really missing my family so it was so nice to have time with them. I think until I live in a much larger house we will not be cooking Thanksgiving dinner again. We will be getting take out as originally planned before I lost my mind and thought that cooking for 9 sounded like a good idea.

We took B on the standard gorge tour. It was a beautiful day. You can tell that he loved it.

This is my sisters beautiful family. A,B and C.

The highlight for me was finally getting to play with Caroline. Suffice it to say I am obsessed with her. And can you blame me? (Minus that BYU beanie. B's only flaw.)

Could you die over this face? I could. And do. Daily.

My awesome family minus Trent. Only a few more months until he is home from Paraguay. I.Cant.Wait.

Now I am thankful that Christmas is just around the corner and I get to see them again.

Another one bites the dust

2010-11-22T15:23:00.003-07:00

Another half marathon down. I have to admit, this race was not the same inspiring, thrilling experience that my first race was. I had a hard time mentally getting into this one. I am so happy I had 3 awesome friends to run it with. That sure helped my cause. We had a fantastic weekend in Eugene and really got incredibly lucky with weather. It was cold, but sunny and beautiful instead of gray and pouring like it was supposed to. A not so small tender mercy. The course was beautiful and the race went really well. I got a new PR at 2:07:57. So that was exciting. Marissa and I stuck together the whole race which I was so happy about. But we all finished within a few minutes of each other. I am so glad we found a race that we could all do together. It was awesome. Feeling surprisingly good after the race.
We got some lovely roses out of the deal from our husbands. And some chocolate milk...which at the time was even better than the roses.

We spent the afternoon lounging at the Smith Compound. We napped and chatted and shot some guns. Just a typical afternoon.
I seriously love these girls and am so happy they kicked my butt into gear and got me into another race.

the M word.

2010-11-18T14:41:00.003-07:00

I have been chatting a lot lately with my friend at work about marriage and why and how it works for some people and not for others. I have been so discouraged by so many media stories of spouses cheating and leaving their families for things that are so fleeting and often immoral. I have seen interviews and talk shows and read articles about how difficult marriage is and how unlikely you are to succeed. I have seen heartache of friends and family that I can't even imagine. I have really begun to realize how grateful I am for my religion that has taught me how to have a happy and successful marriage and family life. That is not to say that I don't mess things up by my poor or selfish choices on a regular basis, but no matter what dumb thing I do (or on a rare occasion Tyler does) I always know that it is fixable and manageable. And while I have to agree that marriage can be hard work, I really don't see it that way. Marriage is uplifting and fulfilling and one of the only things that brings me happiness every single day. I have a partner in crime for the rest of my life and beyond. How can I view that as hard work? My marriage gives me power and confidence to improve myself, my life and my happiness. Why would we marry if not to make life better and more successful? I read an article today that was so refreshing. Basically it said to take some responsibility for your own relationship and happiness. Everything is two sided and you have as much a part to play in your happiness as your partner does. I don't want to sound insensitive, because I know there are extenuating circumstances which may not apply to that sentence. I also know that I have a long way to go on that path. I am really skilled at playing the victim in every possible scenario, but I am working on it. Guess whose decision it is to be selfish and to feel sorry for myself? Its mine. At least I recognize that right? So to wrap it up, I am grateful that there are people out there who view marriage as I do. That it is not a burden, it is not a temporary relationship and it is not one sided. And boy am I grateful to have a wonderful husband who sees the world very similarly to me and is willing to enjoy the wild ride of life when we don't see eye to eye. And somehow we always seem to make it work, and even come out better in the end.

Read the article here. Its nice and short. And as I said, refreshing.

Play Like Paul

2010-11-10T15:39:00.006-07:00

That is the motto in our house. Truly. It has been for a long time. Ever since Tyler coached my little brothers little league basketball team. And that was a long time ago friends. So it is just important to note that we have been on the Paul train since the beginning. I mean, I do wear his jersey. However, that being said, we are normally shouting things like "Throw it DOWN Paul!" and "Do NOT bring that weak stuff into Paul's house! You will get BLOCKED fool!" Rarely, actually never, have we shouted at Paul to launch any fading 3 pointers in the final moments of any game. Until now. I actually think Tyler might love Paul more than me...or at least equal to me. But I am okay with that because I feel the same. Now I just want to know if Paul was just having a magical night or if he is seriously going to be able to hit a 3 like Korver (I miss Korver by the way). Either way last night was ridiculous. And we loved every minute of it.

Also can I just say how much I love Matt Harpring? Major improvement in my book. I feel like I say this at the beginning of every season, but...here we go again!

Go ahead, watch the joy here:

Mostly for me, and not for you.

2010-11-09T15:32:00.012-07:00

So I found the rest of my pictures from our trip up to Washington and just for the sake of documenting the trip I want to throw the rest of the pictures up. Lake Crescent was stunning, and my favorite few days of the trip. But before we get to that, here are the photos from "The Hike of Death." As you can see from the photo below it was actually called Klahane Ridge, but that is not an appropriate title if you ask me. This ridiculous hike was straight up the mountain. I have never seen or experienced anything like it. I sort of thought my lungs were going to explode. We started down by the road you can see. From the road to where this picture was taken was 1 1/2 miles. Not long enough to be that high up a mountain. This picture is my attempt to show how steep this sucker was...which is clearly impossible to show because this looks doable. Luckily it was a perfect day and so beautiful that I felt as if I was sucked into a scene from The Sound of Music, so I sang my favorites from the movie and eventually made it to the top.

We had incredible views of the surrounding mountain ranges and glaciers.

Marilee is one tough lady. Larry pulled the smart move and stayed back at the bottom and napped and ate candy. Go Utes!Tyler resting among the wildflowers. Again...can you see the steepness?
The were so many wild flowers covering the mountain. It was so beautiful. I wanted to pick myself a bouquet, but settled for some photos instead.

Somehow we made it back down the mountain alive. And despite how dang hard it was we had a great time. But now, on to Lake Crescent.

Lake Crescent was without a doubt one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Not to mention ridiculously relaxing. We had a lovely little cottage to stay in and a huge fancy dinner. We rented a row boat and spent an hour on the lake. Then we sat on the dock, and took pictures all evening after which we decided to go for a late night swim. For some reason I could not resist. I loved every second of this place. Tyler exercised his better judgement and sat this one out as the designated photographer.
Some early morning shots before we left.

Before we headed home we did a little hike to this lovely fall.

I am slightly obsessed with wild mushrooms for some reason. I think it goes back to my love for Ferngully. So naturally I was very excited to see these awesome babies on our hike.

And this is just Marilee being Marilee. She hiked down a serious ledge to get to that rock. You would think that after getting the worlds worst black eye she would be a bit more hesitant to do such things, but no. And that is why we love her. Just us taking the ferry to Seattle for our last night before heading home.

We had a fantastic 1,000 mile road trip. Now on to planning for next year!

My niece is really really cute

2010-11-08T17:35:00.003-07:00

And she is coming to my house in 16 days! Which also means I am cooking my first full fledged Thanksgiving dinner.

Yikes.

Numero Cinco

2010-11-01T11:16:00.001-06:00

Saturday is going to be a scary day at our house. I think Tyler may need a paperbag to make it though the whole game. But for now, we are happy to see ourselves in that number 5 spot!

Go Utes!

Chi Town

2010-10-29T11:26:00.005-06:00

I spent the last five days in Chicago on a business trip. I can honestly say it is the most tired I have ever been in my life. I worked 76 hours in 5 days. But I had an awesome time thanks to the fantastic people I worked with and got to know, and the amazing event I got to host. Plus Chicago is pretty cool too.

Chicago is a beautiful city. Especially at night. I loved the tiny bit that I got to see. I am now an excellent drink orderer. Virgin Style. I got a lot of practice in. Let me tell you. Open bars all week long equate to a great deal of drinking.

Doesn't that look delightful? Sometimes late at night when you are deliriously tired, strange things happen.
I only got to go out one night, but I fell in love with Chicago. I cannot wait to go back on vacation when I can actually explore the city. I think I like it more than New York, even from the small bit that I saw.

This is the awesome team I worked with.

We had a beautiful cocktail reception at the Art Institute.

It was a crazy, busy and fabulous time. My work really knows how to throw an extravagant party. It was very cool to be a part of it. Now if only I could get a job in the communications department...aka the party planners of my company...

Witchy Women

2010-10-22T14:28:00.003-06:00

A little pre Halloween party. Witches are cool.

Sunny weekends make me happy

2010-10-19T16:54:00.007-06:00

There is nothing better than having two of your very best and oldest friends in town for a few days. We were so lucky to have perfect fall weather. So in celebration we headed to the coast. Aubri felt inspired. Titanic style. I know I have been to Cannon Beach about 1000 times, but I still love it.

Partially I love it because it is stunning...
And partially I love it because of the best little ice cream shop.
But mostly because of the ice cream.
We also spent some time at the Portland Nursery for apple and pear tasting. Yet another beautiful day. I love Portland when the weather is nice to me.

And just for fun...here is a photo of a guy doing pull ups on the railroad tracks at Multnomah Falls.

Not sure about him.

It was so wonderful to have Aubri and Carly in town. We had an awesome weekend and we got to see many old Olympus friends that have gathered in the pacific northwest {because this is where the cool kids live...just saying}.

I am more comfortable and more myself with these girls than anyone else on earth {okay okay, maybe Tyelr beats them, but only by a hair}. I am so blessed to have friends who have shared in literally every piece of my life with me. Love you both! Come back soon.

Punkins and Fall Drives

2010-10-12T10:46:00.008-06:00

One of my favorite Portland activities in the fall is going to the pumpkin patch and picking out our perfect pumpkins. We have now officially made Plumper a tradition with three years in a row under our belts. I love this little farm. And we scored again with absolutely perfect weather. I took a stab at the pumpkin hurling this year. No success.
Next year. I will get it next year.Tyler made friends with the pumpkin cannon guy and got to launch the cannon. Suffice it to say he was very happy.Natalie was in town for a few weeks and it was so good to see her. We have missed her and Duane since they moved to the far off land of New Mexico. Natalie is a truly inspirational and wonderful person.
We love you Plumper. See you next year.

After being cooped up with rainy weather all day Saturday we decided we needed to get out of the house. After church on Sunday we jumped in the car and went in search of fall colors. The drive turned into a trek through the gorge. It is our favorite drive, especially in the fall. We were a few weeks early for any major fall foliage, but it was a beautiful evening and it felt so good to be outside. Vista House
Tyler snapped a few somewhat embarassing photos of me, but the colors turned out cool, so here they are. Happy Fall.

FNL Friday

2010-10-08T16:20:00.001-06:00

I am so happy it is finally Friday. I am really looking forward to hanging out with all of my favorite new friends.

Enjoy your weekend!

Hello Fall, I've Missed You

2010-10-06T12:57:00.004-06:00

I am happy to say I have finally quit hanging on to summer like my life depended on it.

I am in love with Fall. I knew that, but I had forgotten.

Our trip to the pumpkin patch is what kicked off my reminder, but today I finally re-embraced Fall.

The list is fraught with reasons for loving this time of year... boots, scarves, sweaters, crispy weather, pale blue skies, not to mention the fantastico tv shows.

Have you ever noticed how light is different in the fall? When the leaves start to change, so does the sun and the sky. I am not sure how to explain it, but I love it. Not to mention that when the temperature drops, and the crisp air comes out I can convince myself that I need a pumpkin spiced steamer daily.

I also purchased a vanilla pumpkin candle at Pike's Market a few weeks ago. I am fairly certain heaven will smell like pumpkins and vanilla.

I am wearing my saucy purple tights today and feeling very fallish.

And on a separate note, please tell me that you all love fall television as much as I do. Please? Tyler and I rush home, grab out sweats, throw together a pathetic dinner (leaving all dishes for tomorrow, or the day after that...and so on and so on) so that we can get in at least 3-4 TV shows before bed. I used to train for my half marathon, but that was before our DVR became laden with hours of television that we are yet to conquer. Our newest addiction? Friday Night Lights. Not sure how we missed this the first time around, but we are making up for it now. Last night we watched 3 in a row, and tonight I hope to do the same. And then the same again the next day.

And for my last thought, I only have one week until the much anticipated arrival of two of my best friends. 4 days of solid fun. Let the countdown begin.

A little coastal fun. Phase 2.

2010-10-05T12:43:00.006-06:00

While the weather was not perfection, the beaches were. I loved Ruby and Rialto Beach. They are absolutely beautiful. We got a bit wet, but still enjoyed exploring the coastline.

Ruby Beach

Rialto Beach

I loved the pebble beaches. There were the most amazing brightly colored, smooth stones. These were some of our favorites that we gathered from the beach.

I love how unique the Oregon/Washington coastline is. So unlike any other place I have been before. And the beaches in ONP were not a disappointment.

Olympic National Park. Phase 1. Lake Quinault.

2010-10-04T12:37:00.007-06:00

If you live in the Pacific Northwest I consider it a crime against nature if you do not make the trip to Washington to explore Olympic National Park. It is a secret gem, with no crowds and limitless beauty. I am amazed at how few people know about it. I feel like our mouths hung open in awe for 5 straight days. Over the next few posts I will try to give a small taste of how awesome it is, so maybe you will take advantage and go!

Basically our days were full of big trees, moss, lakes, coast line, big trees, big trees and moss. Oh, and big trees and moss.

And while photos just do not come close to doing justice, here are a few from day one.

Tyler enjoying the large trees.Standing between a fallen tree that has been cut in half. We snapped a few photos at sunset of the beautiful Lake Quinault.

And just for posterity, I wanted to well document the monumental shiner Marilee got river rafting. Lets just say her face collided with Tyler's helmet as we went over a 10 foot waterfall. Ouch. This lovely thing got progressively worse with every day. This photo is weak sauce compared to what it turned into. Talk about a killer battle wound. She is one tough chick.

Haleiwa...and a lot of photos

2010-10-01T13:21:00.007-06:00

We spent the vast majority of our time here on Keiki BeachDoing thisor eating thisand this

(both of which are pure happiness)

I have few true loves in life, but this burger is one of them.

When we were not at Keike we were here, at the beach right behind Ty's house.

This is my happy place.

Made better by spending the whole week with Raechel and her boyfriend Cody and my favorite dog on earth, Jake.

The week was perfection.

We did nothing but lay on the beach, play in the waves and eat.

And go to bed at 8:30 every night.

I love walking the beach at sunset. And there are some phenomenal sunsets in Haleiwa.

I love the harbor in Haleiwa. It is so picturesque. Especially at sunset.
Also, there are hundreds of cats roaming the piers...so that is always an adventure.
Rainbow Bridge.

Where Tyler used to jump off and swim as a kid.

We spent our evening eating copious amounts of food.

We were SO happy that Raech was in town. We love her and miss her already.

It was wonderful to visit Ty's family.

We always go way too long between visits. We are always so well taken care of.

It was bliss.

We love Hawaii.

Lets just get this one over with...

2010-09-28T15:31:00.009-06:00

I have so many pictures I want to post from our weeks of travel, but I figure I will just get this Twilight one out of the way. Let me just start by saying that Forks is a colossal dump. Most of it looked like this (only add a lot more crap scattered around the front lawn):

But nevertheless, we were very happy to pull into our hotel after a very long day hiking in the pouring rain (photos to come...let me tell you, Olympic National Park is insanely awesome, even in the rain). Our first stop was lunch at a very classy pizza joint. They surprisingly had the best breaksticks I have ever had in my life. Rosemary breadsticks actually. Dreamy.

Take a look at the special Twilight menu. While I was happy (and slightly horrified) to be romping through Twi land, I just could not bring myself to order the "bella-sagna" or "edbread." Just couldn't do it.

We had a spectacular stop at the Forks visitors center. They have made more than the most of transforming their dumpy town into the Forks we all know and love.

You guys! This is Bella's truck!!

And for the raging deal of only $40 per person you can take a 3 hour tour on this short bus to see everything Twilight in Forks and La Push. Only $40! What a steal. OR...you could do what we did and see it all in about 20 minutes for free. Its up to you really.

Tyler could barely contain his excitement. And I mean BARELY. He was about to meet all my best buddies....

I am super tight with Jacob and Bella and Edward...and all the Cullens. See? Super tight.

The highlight of Tyler's trip was when he was forced into Dr. Cullen's lab jacket, handed a clip board and asked to check Bella's heart. It was also the highlight of my trip.

After hanging with the stars, we went and checked out Bella's house. Does anyone remember it being blue? Or has it had a face lift? It actually looks nothing like the house in the movie. Especially if you could see the street it is on. Definitely not the same street.

Every single store and restaurant had something about Twilight sparkling in the window or hanging from the doors. It was a little pathetic and a little awesome.

This is the super awesome store where I got my super awesome Twilight sweatpants. Dazzled by Twilight is the hippest store in Forks. And for a mere $69 plus tax you could buy a Twilight hoodie. And I would say that 99% of visitors did just that. I was the 1% that just could not cough up that much for an Edward face on my back.

So all joking aside - the very best moment of the Twilight party was pulling into our hotel after dinner and parking next to this minivan:

We were seriously really sad about missing all of the festivities for Bella's birthday. They wrapped up hours before we rolled into town. I wanted to see all those crazy fans so badly. So when we got to park next to a mom twihard? I was very very happy. I kept saying to Tyler "This is a joke right? This must be one of those tour cars right?" He assured me it was not. This is a true twihard vehicle. Awesome.After our evening in Forks, we said goodbye to the vampires and moved on to the werewolf portion of our trip. On to La Push.

The Quileute reservation in La Push made Forks look like Hollywood. It was really sad actually. So I didn't even bother taking pictures of that. But I did love the stunning beaches. La Push gets two thumbs up for its super beautiful hiking and coast line.

Tyler loved wading through the tide pools. He found some pretty awesome starfish and other creatures.

On the way out of town we stopped by Jacob's place, but he was not home. Bummer.

While the whole trip really was a lot of fun, the best part was just getting to spend some quality time with Edward.

Thinking way too much while driving...

2010-09-09T10:51:00.003-06:00

While at church last night with my awesome young women I was thinking about what a big responsibility it is to "lead" youth. They are incredible young women and I have a part to play, no matter how small, in their future. I want to be an influence for good, and an example that they can follow. It has made me very conscience of my actions and words and even my thoughts. And as I was driving home mulling this over, the face of my wonderful husband popped into my head and I thought "I should tell them to marry someone stinking brilliant like Tyler" {that is a direct quote from my mind, just so you know}. I feel so very blessed and lucky to be married to Tyler. To say I am proud of him doesn't really do him justice. I honestly think he is the most brilliant, talented, focused man alive {not to mention smokin hot}. He has worked like a crazy person these last few months to prepare for his first round of dental boards and yesterday we got his results. Not only did he pass, but he dominated. Not that I am surprised, but I just continue to drip with totally biased pride. As I continued my drive home last night I kept thinking about my young women, and my husband and I thought about how I was never the girl who dreamed about her wedding and being married. I wanted to get married, eventually, but not until I did a million things and was much much older. Well obviously that didn't exactly go according to plan. And I am so grateful. I am so grateful that I have a loving Father in Heaven that has a hand in my life, and helps to steer me in the right direction. Tyler, and marriage, is the greatest blessing in my life. Plus, did I mention that he is smokin hot?

Tyler in his baseball gear. One of my favorite looks he sports.

So congratulations to my most brilliant husband! I can't wait to see all the incredible things he does in his life. They will be great in number.

So bored at work today...

2010-08-26T14:14:00.001-06:00

But so enjoying watching this for the bajillionth time.

It just never gets old.

Weddings and Friends and More From Home

2010-08-24T09:55:00.005-06:00

There comes a time in life when you say to yourself (or at least I do) I have been to enough weddings. No more weddings for me! I have found myself saying that lately. And then I went to Rickie's wedding and had to take back every single bad thing I had ever said about a wedding. Her wedding was absolute perfection. In every possible way. Beside the fact that she was quite possibly the most beautiful bride (which we all expected) I had ever seen, and despite the fact that every single detail was, as mentioned, absolute perfection (also as expected) - the highlight was seeing all of my dearest friends who I miss so much. The whole evening was full of catching up with friends- that in some cases I have not seen in years, in other cases just months -but with all of them it felt as if no time at all had passed. I am incredibly blessed to have so many wonderful friends that have been through so much with me. And there is nothing better than seeing one of your oldest and dearest friends so very happy. Rickie was glowing. Check out that dress. Gorgeous doesn't even cut it.
At the end of the night we let off hundreds of lit up balloons in memory of Rickie's beautiful cousin Sophie. It was a beautiful sight.
I doubt there are many people who can say their best friends at 12 are still their best friends at 24. These are incredible women who have done incredibly wonderful and incredibly hard things in their lives. I feel honored to know them and call them my friends.
Love you girls and miss you!

(Missing a few ladies in this last picture, but we got a good chunk of them)

I had an amazing week in Utah. I came home to Portland feeling so blessed to have so many incredible women (and a few good men) in my life. I have the most amazing family. I could not have gotten better in laws (lets not even mention how spoiled I get when I go home!) who love me and treat me as one of their own, and as said in above post...I have some pretty cool friends. And that doesn't even touch on the amazing people in my life outside of Utah (am I overdoing this sentimental post? I think we are getting real close).

So to conclude, thank you to all of the wonderful people in my life, who make me so happy every day. I love you!

I am madly in love

2010-08-17T11:48:00.007-06:00

with Sweet Caroline. Madly. I had the best week in Utah. I got to see some of my oldest and very best friends, including one of those best friends wedding. It was beautiful and wonderful and I will give that its very own post later.
The highlight of the trip however, was spending time with my new most beautiful niece and my amazing sister and family. My whole family cannot get enough of this little girl. Seriously. There are no words. But luckily she likes me best. She told me.

I could seriously eat her in one bite.

I cannot wait {hopefully} until I am back home and can spend more time with my mom and sister. I love them. They are my best friends. I miss them.

My sister bought a very large number of little baby knit hats. We had a hat fashion show with C. She did not love it quite as much as we did.

I loved helping my sister and pretty much dominated all C time all week. It was fun playing stand in mom for a few days, but it was definitely nice to hand her back to mom for the long nights. C and I were both exhausted just from the day hours.

After spending too much time inside we decided to take a drive up Little Cottonwood to see the Albion Basin. I know we were a few weeks late this year, but the wild flowers were still absolutely beautiful. We let C bask in the sun for a little while to help clear up her final bit of jaundice.Andrea is an awesome mom. I feel so lucky to have been able to share in the first few weeks of Caroline's life. She is a beautiful little girl, with such a great temperament. I can't wait to see everyone again in November!

A little pre Salt Lake Hike

2010-08-09T11:03:00.005-06:00

When my little brother was in town, we wanted to show him what an awesome place the Northwest is, so we made the drive up to Mt. St. Helens for a day of hiking. Our six mile jaunt turned into more of a ten mile haul, but we still loved it. The landscape was incredible, original, and lovely. It was so much fun having Danny with us, and I was impressed that he was able to keep up with us {okay, thats a lie. I was impressed that I could keep up with him!...sort of}. There were some rather precarious moments on this intensely steep hike. Crossing the suspension bridge, while very safe, was rather terrifying for me. Don't let my smile fool you. The hundreds of foot drop into the raging river below is not exactly my cup of tea. Me over water of any kind just doesn't really do it for me.

The entire hike was very steep, and falling would have been very bad. The way in was nice and easy and downhill. The way out was a little less enjoyable.

Handsome young man, no?

This bridge would qualify as one of the more precarious moments in the hike. This whole part when we walked down by the river was part of the 'missing our turn and forging our own path' section of the hike. A Tyler Scott special. Who needs trails anyways right?
After our awesome hike we drove over to Ape Cave, an old lava flow. We hiked the 1 1/2 miles through the pitch blackness. It was very cool and very cold.

We give St. Helens two thumbs way up. These were only two of the cool things we did that day. We just wish we could have had another day full of exploring. One more check off our Oregon to do list!

This Weekend...

2010-08-06T12:13:00.004-06:00

I get to spend the whole weekend with my awesome brother. We are going on some sweet hikes. He is cool and fun.

Then I get to go home and play with Caroline. Pretty much can't wait to snoogle this:

More hiking!

2010-08-02T10:37:00.006-06:00

Tyler and I are really trying to get out every chance we get. On one of our random excusions through the gorge we stumbled upon another awesome hike. Well, I am not sure you can exactly call it a hike, as it was less than a mile long, but it quickly became a new favorite. You bascially walk up a river to a big waterfall. It involves climbing over a rather large and precarious log jam and then wading up to your waist through the pools of the river that lead to the fall. Next time we will go on a sunnier day so we will be more willing to really go for a swim. It was beautiful though and we will definitely be heading back soon.

Caroline

2010-08-02T10:31:00.004-06:00

Sweet Caroline finally joined us on July 29 at 10:00 PM. She was 8 pounds and 4 ounces of pure cuteness. We love her to death already. I cannot wait to meet her in person. One week from tomorrow! She is a beauty just like her mother.

Some Must Push and Some Must Pull

2010-07-27T12:06:00.008-06:00

Trek, as expected, was absolutely incredible. Who would have thought that pushing/pulling a handcart could be so much fun? We felt the spirit of the Lord so strong each day as we walked, struggled and had fun. It was awesome to be around the selfless people that put this whole thing together and to see how amazing and strong (both physically and spiritually) the youth of my church are. It was almost overwhelming at times to be surrounded by so much goodness.

It felt odd to be on the 'adult' side of things. It was a strange realization that I was no longer one of the kids, but a wonderful realization that I was happy to be where I was. I got to know some amazing people, and got to spend time with people that I already admired so much. Plus...being an 'adult' has its bonuses. Such as getting to sit on a camp chair instead of a bucket or on the ground. Unfortunately the toilet situation was the same for all.
*

On the last morning we sat and listened to the youth share their feelings, testimonies and experiences from trek. I could not believe how strong and faithful they all are. They are proud to be Latter Day Saints. They are incredible. I love my church so much, and feel so lucky to be able to work with the youth. They inspire me to be a better person and to be stronger in my faith. Plus they are adorable.

So all in all - the whole weekend was amazing. The beautiful Raleigh Hills Young Women. These ladies are incredible. I feel very lucky to get to spend time with them each week. They are smart, fun, and so faithful.

My new friend, Miss Darcy Rhodes. We are pioneer soul sisters.
This little guy was created not by the 15 year old boys, but by the adults. It just goes to show that boys never really do grow up.
The trail was beautiful and rugged. I loved the scenery we got to travel through. It was not easy terrain. I was so impressed with how tough everyone was. I had a really hard go on the last 3 miles of the day. I had to do some serious off roading in a beautiful land rover instead of walking. Its a hard knock life. I know. I know. Sigh. The father figures serenading the group.

We rested where we could.

Some of the lovely ladies in my ward.

Jessica, Colleen, Stefani and me.

I am so glad I got to be one of the lucky few adults (am I really an adult??) to go on this adventure. I loved (nearly) every second of it. And I am truly blessed to get to work and play with such amazing girls. I love my Raleigh Hills Young Women!

And as a side note, my big acting debut took place on trek. Jim Bridger, the hottest mountain man of all tried to get me to marry him. That would just never do, so I lied and told him I was already married. Then, in order to avoid his retaliation I ended up marrying the tall dark and handsome (at least that is how I picture him being) George Peacock (true Pioneer story people). Maybe if you are all REALLY lucky I will post the video footage. Maybe.

A pioneer woman am I

2010-07-21T17:00:00.001-06:00

Well folks, I am off to trek through the Oregon wilderness and get in touch with my pioneer roots. It's going to be a long few days full of hopefully more good than bad. The highpoint I am sure will be my debut acting gig as Mary Lowry. I will be acting out a scene where I refuse to marry the big mountain man causing all sorts of trouble. Its going to be epic. To say I am horrified doesn't quite cover it.But other than the acting scene, I am actually looking forward to the experience.

So with that,

God be with you till we meet again.

Razzles and Television

2010-07-20T11:07:00.005-06:00

Berry season is once again upon us in Oregon. We love to get out on Saturday mornings and pick berries that last all year long. Our first picking of the summer was all about raspberries. We made it home with about 7 pounds of delicious razzles. But after one batch of jam we realize it is not going to be even close to enough. Tyler is a master berry picker. I refuse to go without him. He filled that whole bucket in the time I got 1/4 of mine done. It is his special talent. We love Oregon's fresh berries!And in much more exciting news...we cannot wait for Sunday when our favorite show is FINALLY back on television. If you do not watch it you need to start. Mad Men is back on July 25. Hallelujah.

Buckets of Fun

2010-07-12T12:26:00.004-06:00

So I am going on trek in a few week with the youth in my church. We get to dress up like pioneers and follow the Oregon trail complete with hand carts and the whole shebang. I think it is going to be a pretty strenuous outing, but I know it is going to be super fun and spiritual, plus I love hanging out with my Young Women so I am excited to be a part of it. I am one of the lucky few adults from my church who were asked to participate. That all being said...I learned yesterday at our big prep meeting that this was going to be our toilet for a large portion of the trip:

Ummm wha? Let me tell you that I am not a champion squatter. TMI? Maybe. But let me also tell you that champion or not, I will be venturing into the woods over using this baby.

No doubt.

Mt. Hood

2010-07-09T11:01:00.011-06:00

Ty and I spent the 4th of July weekend testing out our new camping gear on Mt. Hood. We had an awesome time exploring the trails on and around the huge volcano.

First on the list of things to do? Immediately get up to Timberline to see the one and only Overlook Hotel from The Shining. Finally! I can check that off my bucket list. What a relief.

One more childhood dream fullfilled.

The clouds around Mt. Hood were not particularly cooperative. This was the best shot we got. It was a beautiful day, but the clouds just wouldn't burn off.

We spent the afternoon hiking Tom, Dick and Harry Mountain. Classy name huh? Suffice it to say that Tyler spent a good part of the hike finding 'clever' (and mature) alterations to that name. Half way through the hike we came to this beautiful lake. Hiking in Oregon is just the best. The hikes are so easy and the rewards at the top and along the way are so awesome. It will be hard to transition back to Utah hikes. I would rather die than hike that dumb Mt. Olympus again. Worst hike ever. Especially now that I have new and higher expectations to hiking.
Anywho...we loved the Mountain lake. So much that I had to do a high kick on a log. Woo!

The trail was beautiful and the weather was not too hot, so we had a great hike. It did take well over a mile before my heart rate finally slowed down and I was able to breathe normally. I am no longer able to hike at any level of elevation. My Utah lungs are no more.

Sad day. Photos from the top.

There was an incredible view of the Cascade Mountain Range. It is awesome to look out and see the massive volcano peaks in every direction. Oregon is cool. We had one awesome camp site. Dinner was complete with our favorite Jewish hot dogs and some incredibly delicious kabobs. The temperature dropped radically when the sun went down (hence the awesome Utes beanie). We got into the mid 30's...which is not my kind of weather. Lucky for me Tyler can make a mean fire and we survived the cold with huge flames, hot chocolate and about 9,000 smores.

When the sun peaked through and the clouds blew over for about 3 minutes Tyler jumped in the car and frantically drove to a spot where we could snap a few photos of the mountain. We were sad it wasn't super clear because we really wanted the full effect of camping at the base of a volcano, but we still had a fabulous weekend and can't wait for our next camping adventure.

A little of this and a little of that

2010-07-08T10:25:00.010-06:00

Ty and I have been fighting the crappy weather and doing our best to be outside as much as possible. We have been hiking and camping and wandering the rose garden. It has been a busy past month at our house with finals, make up finals (now that the collarbone is in working order), trips, work and everything else that life throws at us. So here is a quick catch up on a few things we have been doing.

I got to go home to Utah for my beautiful friend Nicole's wedding. I also got to hang out with my family, go to my sister's baby shower, and fall in love with Utah summers all over again (that dry dry summer heat is as good as it gets).

My brother Danny is super awesome and was willing to fill in for Tyler and be my date to Nicole's wedding dinner. We had a ridiculously fun time. Lucky for me I have very cool brothers (cute ones too).It was so much fun to be a part of Nicole's wedding. It is always awesome to see the people you love so happy, and doing great things with their lives. It was a beautiful wedding at Tuscany.
The wedding also served as a mini high school reunion. It was surprisingly fun to see so many old friends from high school, and to catch up with a few friends that I see a little more often.
After my quick weekend home Ty and I spent some time playing with our camera at the rose garden. We don't really know how to use it yet, but we are still having lots of fun pretending. We also went on a beautiful little hike that I cannot for the life of me remember what or where it is. Well, I am pretty sure it is somewhere in the gorge. That should clear things up right? Well, where ever it is it was awesome and we loved it. The wildflowers are slowly starting to come out, which is always my favorite thing.

More to come soon from our 4th of July weekend at Mt. Hood.

In other news:

Carlos Boozer is no longer with the Jazz. Lets all shout Good Riddance! to him.

Also, we are now counting down the days, not the months or weeks until we get a new little baby in our family and I become an official Aunt. Excited does not even come a little bit close to what my whole family is feeling. Yay.

Alex and Twitch? Yes please.

2010-07-02T10:00:00.005-06:00

This made my whole week. This is why I watch this show. And this is the type of routine that makes me miss dance so much I can hardly stand it.

(PS...I don't know how ot make this video fit on my screen better, so just go watch it on youtube)

I am in love with Alex. Well, with his dancing at least.

13.1 miles and never better

2010-06-14T12:53:00.003-06:00

I have now officially run my first race. I am happy to report that it was even more amazing and fun than I could have hoped for. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and the route was awesome. Helvetia is lovely. I was not totally sure how it was all going to go, but every one of my expectations was exceeded. I felt great for the whole run. The last mile was tough, but I will attribute that to chugging a cup of water down the wrong tube and nearly coughing to death. It was a rush to feel so great and to be doing something I had never done before. I can't wait for October when I am going to do my next run with a whole group of friends. Races are addicting. It was just one giant endorphin high and I seriously have never felt better than running down that sunny road with the most gorgeous views. I wish I could do it again this weekend. I finished in 2 hours and 14 minutes. I know that is slow, but it was a vast improvement from what I was expecting. I had been training at a slow pace and expecting to finish in about 2 hours 45 minutes. I am really going to work on increasing my speed for the next round. Goal? Under 2 hours. We will see how I do. Thanks to Brit for being the best running partner ever. We are superstars. Shortly after finishing the race. Feeling good with our medals and flowers.

Now, I just have to ponder if a full marathon sounds fun or awful. I am not totally sure yet. I had such a great time with the half that it would be a shame to go and ruin it with a full. For now, I am happy with what I did and looking forward to more sunny runs!

Twi Happiness (this post is for Mal, because I know how jealous she is going to be when she reads this)

2010-06-09T10:06:00.007-06:00

Okay friends. Get this. I am going on the trip of a life time. My wildest dreams are about to come true. This September I am going to FORKS WASHINGTON! Now this would be cause for much jumping, yelling and rejoicing, but it gets better. Much better. Not only am I going to Forks, but I am going to Forks on Bella's Birthday!!! Breath. Just Breath. Then if that is not enough we are finishing up our trip in Port Angeles!!! I think I can die happy now.

This is as close to Port Angeles as I have ever been. But not for long! So the real reason we are going to Forks/Port Angeles is for an awesome trip to Olympic National Park. It is going to be amazing and I cannot wait. It is just a super bonus that we are going to Twilight land on Bella's birthday. The lady who was helping us get a hotel room told us that everyone dresses up like vampires and werewolves and it is pretty crazy. So when I said I can die happy I wasn't totally kidding. It is going to be one amazing people watching/photo opportunity. Now I just need to go out and by me and my mother in law some awesome twilight shirts so we can fit in.

M.I.S.S.I.O.N.S are Long

2010-06-02T09:31:00.007-06:00

There have been very few times in my life where I have ached from missing someone so much. It has happened occasionally throughout the years when I think of my grandmother. It has happened occasionally when I think of home or family and it happens every now and then when I see pictures of my brother on his mission. It may sound silly, but I miss him like crazy. I am incredibly proud of him, but I still am counting down the days until he comes home. At least I know he is having an amazing, life changing experience and loving every second of it. Neither of us would change a thing. But...yes, I still miss him like crazy. I am thinking about putting a call into the church offices to discuss the length of missions and the possibility of adding a weekly phone call. That would really be great for me.

He is one studly (and starting to be a bit chubby) missionary. I know he has officially got the missionary mindset because he keeps talking about coming home and getting married and going to BYU and things like that. I'm sure it will pass. I mean, who wants to go to BYU right? {shudder}

Opal Creek and Bustin Out of Portland

2010-06-01T15:49:00.005-06:00

We decided it was high time to get out of the city and breath some fresh mountain air. We loaded up the car as if we were going to be gone for the whole weekend and headed out for the Opal Creek hike. I was beginning to feel claustrophobic with all the gray and rain, so a mini road trip was exactly what we both needed. We had an awesome 2 hour drive to somewhere...I have no idea where we were...but it was beautiful! I love nothing more than driving with Ty, listening to our favorite beats (including but not limited to Will Smith and Lady Gaga), and heading somewhere we have never been before. The gray clouds eventually blew over and we got some sunshine on our hike. There is something therapeutic for me about hiking. I love the smell and the crispness in the air. If I had not already run 9.5 miles that morning, I think I would have been in heaven. But other than hobbling along a little slower than usual, the hike was awesome.

The hike followed an old mining trail. There were pieces of the USS Oregon that had been hauled up there and used in the mill. The remains were scattered along the trail. It took all of Tyler's grown up will power to not climb in and explore the open mine tunnels.

Here is part of the beautiful Opal Creek. At different points along the path the river opens up into these big swimming holes. The water is so amazingly clear.
We are very excited for the warmer months, which I am beginning to think might not ever arrive, so we can go back to this beautiful place and swim.

I am so grateful to be married to Ty. I love that he is an adventurer at heart and that we can have so much fun doing new things together. I am one lucky girl.

Wet Dog

2010-05-27T10:55:00.005-06:00

Hey Portland. Lets give up the rain and the gray, what do you say? As much as I love running in the pouring rain...some SUN would be lovely considering it is nearly JUNE! Good grief.

Upon finishing our run last night we looked a little something like this:

It started pouring about 2 miles into our 6. And by pouring I mean I rang water out of my underwear when I got home. While this was fun and entertaining once, it would be greatly appreciated if we could not do that again. I think for the first time in 2 years I am cursing this city and its temperate weather.

Pioneer Woman and ME

2010-05-26T11:06:00.010-06:00

Yesterday I was perusing Pioneer Woman looking for a nice wholesome treat to make for bookclub and I caught the cooking fever. Yes the fever. All of the food on her blog looked so amazing and I suddenly wanted nothing more than to spend my entire day cooking things I had never cooked before. So I left work at 3:00 and went to the grocery store. I had the best afternoon up to my elbows in food. Cooking really can be awesome. I was especially loving the colors of the vegetables going into my salad.

Many hours and a few too many dollars later I had created a very beautiful macaroni and cheese complete with one pound of freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese. Swoon. Some crispy mozzarella sticks. {And did I mention that these things are fried? And did I mention that when I tried to fry something a few days ago it melted into little pieces and was a complete and total disaster? I feel so accomplished.}And one of the most beautiful salads I think I have ever eaten. Behold: The Asian Noodle Salad. The dressing called for things like fresh ginger, garlic, lime, cilantro and jalepeno. Have you ever heard of anything better than that combo?While I was busy in the kitchen Tyler took the camera out and spent some time in the rain with the Azaleas. At least there is one good thing that can come of all the gray and rain. I think I am starting to wither and die from lack of sunshine.

After hours of cooking and lots of eating I headed to bookclub for lots of talking and lots more eating. Everyone contributed some home cooked goodness. It was a beautiful spread. It made me weepy. Here is just a smattering of what we feasted on:

Home baked "goldfish" by Malorie. Why would anyone ever buy goldfish again? Now that I know you can make them and have them in star shape!? Brilliant. And delicious.Hummus delight by Lindsay. Someday I hope to master the art of hummus like Lindsay.Tabbouleh by Katie. There was a bit of a Mediterranean flavor to many of the snacks. This is one little number I will definitely be making soon. And my lovely salad. While it looks a little messy, it was delightful. I loved it. And I made enough to eat it for the next 9 weeks. So come on over and get some.

A special thank you to Malorie for hosting a wonderful bookclub. I just don't know what I would do without the group of amazing women I am lucky enough to call my friends. And they even like to read! Yay.

And an extra special thanks to Pioneer Woman and her gift for cooking and explaining it in a way that even dummies like me can understand.

Just a picture

2010-05-25T12:17:00.004-06:00

I have no comment about last nights season premiere of The Bachelorette. Other than to say I was amazed at how bad Ali looked. I found that odd. Anyway...if you want to read a recap go to A's blog here. But in the mean time I could not help but post this picture. Holy. Moly. Laugh out loud fun. For more laugh out loud fun watch this!

God Bless Television

2010-05-24T14:36:00.004-06:00

I am going to be up way past bed time tonight watching this:

And this:

Happy to see Dancing With The Stars ending and Sad to be seeing The Bachelorette starting. But happy/sad in that I will most definitely be watching sort of way. Right? I know you are all there with me. Right?

New York!

2010-05-24T12:12:00.010-06:00

We stayed in a lovely hotel in Times Square. It was large and beautiful and classy. We didn't really know what to do with ourselves. Thanks to my "work connections" (I am VERY important if you didn't know) we were able to secure an awesome room.

They even treated us to this delicious cheese plate. Thank you business connection. We did a lot of eating. Mostly of desserts. One day when moderately lost we stumbled upon Magnolia Bakery. We thanked our lucky stars then promptly purchased a box full of the worlds best cupcakes. See that top row? To DIE for.
So very happy.

Due to the a very much pregnant lady traveling with us we did the thing most tourists do and bought a city tour bus pass. It was one of those double decker hop on hop off things. And it turned out to be the best thing we did. Limited walking/ maximum ground coverage. It was awesome.

Times Square

We saw two fabulous Broadway shows: Mary Poppins and The Adams Family. Both were incredible.

New York stinks. Like it actually smells really really really bad. And it is packed with a million people. Times Square is for sure the worst. That place is quite horrible. Luckily it is also packed with Broadway shows and shopping which helped redeem its crappiness.

The Met was incredible. Our favorite part was finding the cafe.

Have you ever seen those people that refuse to smile in pictures? They are standing in front of something {Met, Eiffel Tower, Colosseum, etc...} incredible and this is what you get: We love to see those kind of people.

We however, like to smile in our photos.

A very glam shot of Andrea.

This is as close as we got to the Statue of Liberty. And I am A-Ok with that. Do you see those choppy waves? No thank you. My sea sickness and Andrea's pregnantness was a very convenient excuse for staying on the mainland...shopping however, was the real motive.

All of these lovely photos were taken by Sarser

(except for the ones she is in. I took those)

New York came and went far too quickly. But we had a fabulous time. There is nothing like a long weekend with your two favorite girls. Andrea -being 30 weeks pregnant- gets a gold star for trekking around this huge city. Thank you mom for the most amazing trip! We love you!

Dreay Friday

2010-05-21T09:35:00.006-06:00

Today is already looking a bit precarious. It is pouring rain, I have a pounding headache, my contacts feel like they have dirt on them (but they don't), I left my cell phone at home, our computer cord snapped in half somehow, and my boss appears to be having mental breakdown number two in two days. And it is only 8:36 AM. Not good.

I am going to blame this wholly on the tsunami television program I watched last night. Far reach you think? I don't know. I watched the most horrific show on the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Most of you probably know my fear of tsunamis is completely out of control...but I have been doing well lately. I go to the beach. I have camped on the beach. I ran on the beach a few weeks ago with only minimal nerves. But I have now seriously digressed. Tyler thought that by making me watch this episode I would learn the warning signs of a tsunami and that this would calm my nervous heart and I would be able to be a happy beach goer from then on. Wrong. I think my poor start to the weekend is fates way of telling me to stay out of the way of tsunamis in any form (television or physical) because it really messes with my mental state.

Plus after nearly having a heart attack from that show we switched over to watching a show about 9/11. I went to bed with thoughts of death and destruction. Probably not wise. I will now focus my afternoon on harnessing all the positive energy out in the world and releasing my tsunami stress hang over from last night. I think this may involve leaving work early and going and sitting in my hot tub in the rain. Hmmm. Yes, that should definitely help.

This is a lovely little flower in New York to help me harness the positive. Out with the bad...in with the good!

A new view (for me) on womanhood

2010-05-20T13:01:00.008-06:00

Seeing as I am surrounded by a myriad of pregnant, recently pregnant or soon to be pregnant women I get to participate in a lot of baby, birth and pregnancy talk. Some of it I tune out, because I am just not there yet, some of it I laugh at, some of it I try to remember for my future life as a mother. I have a lot of wonderful women in my life to learn from and I am ever so grateful for that.

Today my sister, who is having a baby girl in July and is also planning on a natural childbirth, shared with me a birth story of an old friend of hers. It is an amazing and spiritual picture of her natural childbirth experience. It made me think about birth in a way I had not before.

I know that deciding how to deliver your children is very personal. I am so grateful we live in a time where we as women have the opportunity to choose, and that if we choose to go the natural route, that we have incredible medical professionals available if needed. While I have not had any children myself, I feel certain that childbirth is a unique and life changing expereince no matter the method of delivery.

With that in mind, if you would like to read Rebecca's experience please click here. The part that I loved are the last two paragraphs before the first photograph {whew! Did you get that?} If this story is not an empowering and moving passage about the beauty {and challenges} of womanhood, I am afraid I do not know what is.

**Becky has asked that none of her pictures or her story be copied, or posted on the internet. If you for any reason choose to share her story please only link to her page.**

Drama, Drama, Drama

2010-05-10T17:05:00.004-06:00

After nearly 6 years without any major medical conditions, accidents, or trauma I suppose I should have known that we were due. I would like to think that I have a sixth sense when it comes to these sort of things. I was late to Tyler's softball game on Friday night and I kept thinking "Please do not let him get hurt while I am not there!" Impressive? You might think so, except this is the mantra I chant nearly every time I go anywhere without Tyler. I suppose I owe this to knowing him through the injury ridden years.

Well to make a long story short Tyler flew threw the air with the greatest of ease to catch a line drive to center field. And after catching the ball in what was serious style, he landed full force on his right shoulder. We called it a 'stinger', something that would surely wear off. I even made him drive the car home after I locked us out of said car {we are not even getting into that part of the story but thanks to Stevenson for rescuing us}. After several hours of pain, we finally got his jersey off to discover that his shoulder was actually not attached to the clavicle. Beautiful sight. So after a lovely trip to the ER {complete with cocktails of sprite and cranberry juice} we were given the verdict. Broken clavicle. Dislocated shoulder. Excellent.

Truth be told it could have been much worse and he should, SHOULD, heal up on his own. He should be back to using his arm in basic ways in a few weeks. So we are focusing on healing now.
After vast amounts of disappointment upon realizing the many things he would not be able to participate in, including but definitely not limited to, an awesome hike we were planning for Saturday - I decided we needed to do something very exciting. So...we went here:

If you have not been, you should. It will be in my heaven.
Tyler was deliriously happy despite the slinged arm. He is munching on The Babs. Bacon, apple, blue cheese, and swiss on Rye. It is incredible.
The Gabby. Four cheeses topped with avocado. I am dying just writing about it.

I love the hippie bus fully equipped with tables for the whole family.
We wiped this frown upside down. Grilled Cheese Grill. Go. Now.

Now I just have to figure out how we are going to get Tyler though the rest of the week. While he is busy struggling to get dressed on his own, I will be partying it up in NYC. And while I am terribly excited, I feel like an awful wife. Take care of him friends, will you?

If...

2010-05-10T14:48:00.004-06:00

If I had not married the sweet faced man that I did, I think I would have chosen this one:

Who wouldn't want to wake up to this each morning?
Although I have to give Nash full credit for playing with a totally gnarly eye. Lets be honest and remember that no one on the Jazz would have done the same {except for maybe Paul, or Wesley who is the new Paul}.

Things of late

2010-04-26T12:49:00.007-06:00

Tyler had a birthday.

He had a hard time with his candles {weak lungs}.

It was a very festive event.
Then we had a baby shower for these lovey ladies. Our child count is raising dramatically. No thanks to me and Tyler mind you.

Malorie then had a birthday at the food carts. I ate a lot. Including two pizzas.

Addy practiced her scrunch face...which she has clearly mastered.
Locke tried out his first cigarette {okay okay this was totally my idea. Katie just indulges us}.

We did some babysitting. Macy got stuck in a chair. We are obviously going to be great parents.

Then we hit up the rhododendron gardens. They are beautiful. I practiced taking photos with my new awesome camera and realized that I have a lot to learn. And I mean a lot.

The flowers were so lovely we wanted to eat them. So I did.

Oh, I also got some grown up jellies, and while it goes without saying, I am madly in love with them. I owe these babies to the shopping extraordinaire: Mrs. Jackson {who never ceases to find the very best things at the very best prices}. She is a pro. Seriously.

And that about sums it up.

Back in the saddle again

2010-04-21T15:06:00.010-06:00

I have once again "committed" to a life of exercise and healthy living. This is obviously not new to me, or probably to you, since (I hope its not just me) we all go through these phases of devout dedication to a new and healthier 'me' and then slip back into our old ways of TV watching with the ice cream carton on our laps when we could be out shedding the pounds instead of eating them up by the spoonful. The past 4 months have been that way for me (meaning the ice cream/couch/TV combo), and luckily for me I have had the very convenient excuse of foot surgery to fall back on. Naturally one cannot do ANYTHING but eat ice cream and watch TV if they have an injured foot.

Somehow I have finally managed to snap myself out of my laziness and just to guarantee that I last longer than 4 days on the exercise program I went out and signed myself up for a 1/2 marathon on June 12. Wha? This gives me 7 weeks to get ready to run 13 plus miles. This all sounded like a very good idea right up until the second after I clicked the submit button sending off my $65 {which is enough to guarantee that I show up and run...even if it means I am crawling across the finish line}. A flood of terror thereafter ensued.

But now that my initial nauseous wave of nerves has blown over I think I am actually excited. I have always wanted to give this a try. I love to run when I can actually talk myself into getting out my door. And there is not a more beautiful place to run than Oregon. I am already looking forward to this accomplishment, and for me it will be a huge one. I have only been at this a week and a half but already I can feel my energy rising and can see an improvement in the distance I can go. Granted I can also feel my body screaming in resistance to the sudden upheaval of my lazier days. I also seem to have the body of a 75 year old woman. Between my still not 100% healed foot (I want to smash my doctor for telling me everything would be back to normal and good to go after 2 months), my highly braced knee that likes to pop out of the socket, my other aching foot that the same doctor claims is totally fine, and a newly strained calf muscle I am a bit of a mess. But I just tell myself that these are the left over joys of too many years of dance now mixed with running 18 miles last week after nearly 6 months of total inactivity. Apparently its all or nothing with me. My new mantra? Achy body equals progress. That's what I tell myself at least.

So here is to hoping that by announcing to the blogosphere that I am doing this run and I am going to do it well, that I will actually follow through. I am now committed. I am reluctantly excited. Wish me luck. I am going to need it.

Here is an artistic flowery shot to fulfill my need for photos with every post.

Some photos I found whilst digging through the archives...

2010-04-19T13:06:00.005-06:00

These little babies took me for a trip down collegiate memory lane. Three of my favorite friends/roomies and I took a quick trip to San Francisco many years ago. It was one of my favorite trips. I love these girls. And I miss them. Life after college took us all to very different places, but I am ever grateful to still have all of them in my life. Even if it is not as much as I wish.

Good News!

2010-04-08T10:26:00.004-06:00

Hibiscus Iced Tea is back at Peets!

I have missed it through the winter months.
Hooray for Spring.

Also, I am now the proud owner of a Nikon D40, thanks to Sarser dear. I am a picture taking maniac...and I love it.