Chad, Jessica and Jet

Let's be random, shall we?

2011-12-01T09:28:00.000-08:00

Today, I just feel like posting. So, enjoy that random rantings. Huzzah!

Above photo, Harvest Landing. I have taken the dogs and Jet there in the mornings a few times. GORGEOUS in the fall. WOW! The river is even bluer. But, Jet is a hit or miss with taking the dogs out. Sometimes he has the time of his life. We had a major puddle stomping session the other day. (reminded me of you, Erica, remember?) We were such crazy free-spirits, I only hope someone was watching, because that would have made my day seeing people act like they were in a musical, in real life. But then there are times that don't work out, like when there are tractors at Dorris Ranch, and he's horrified the whole time, and says "TOO LOUD" for an hour straight. But, it's get us outside, and that's good.

Here's Jet being a goof at the mall. In the past month, this guy has gotten 5 times goofier. I would not be surprised if he's the class clown one day. He goes around the house in his Iron Man mask, with a giant sword, and a golf club bag. He sits in laundry baskets. All kinds of random, hilarious stuff. He gets timid around other kids, so I'm taking him to the mall more. He's getting much more confident.

Here's my little ode to fall.

Darn this tree!!! 2 and 1/2 hours of raking yesterday, and that was only half of it. Curses! Plus, it drops sap on our car, so we can't even park in our own driveway. It's gotta go. Sorry tree. You're gorg, but such high-maintenance. You're the trophy tree that's too hot to handle. We're just not ready for you.

OUR EMBARRASSING MOUSE STORY.

I'll try to make it brief. So, to start where I left off. I set a humane trap, and caught a mouse. HURRAH! Chad let it free for me, even though he wanted to keep it. So, we thought we were done. Nope. New mouse doody found. CHARMING! So, I set the humane trap. 3 days. NOTHING! Move the trap, new bait, yadda yadda. NOTHING. Mousy isn't falling for it. I start having dreams about mice invading our house, and other scavenger like creatures ruling over me. Very planet-of-the-apes-esque. So, I set some inhumane traps. After all, they could take over the world! I caught one in a few hours. I set the trap all by my lonesome, and disposed of it too. I couldn't not tell Chad. He was highly disappointed in me, saying it was an innocent creature etc, which I agreed with, but not when we can't catch it any other way. So, we're done. No. Please don't think we're trashy, dirty people. It's our first winter in this house, and we're learning how to keep these buggers out. So, a few nights later, we're putting Jet to bed, and I see a mouse scurry into his closet. Long story short, Chad amazingly caught it in a bowl. That's the above picture. We set it free. It was fun watching it for 5 minutes. So, Chad was happy. We didn't hurt it, it was free. So, the next day I spent hours sanitizing everything. UGH!! Then, I find a fresh turd. ARG!!!!! I want to get rid of these things. I set inhumane traps. 5 minutes before Chad gets home, there is a mouse caught, but only by its leg. Its leg is broken. I feel terrible. This is just what Chad didn't want. I go set it free outside, and it barely hobbles along. I can't kill it. What do I do???!! Chad comes home, I'm crying, and I HAVE to tell him. It may sound crazy that I was crying, but I felt SOOOO TERRIBLE. He goes and rescues the mouse, and makes a little home for it in a plastic container. The next day Chad got a real mouse cage. We had a pet mouse. It was cute, I'll admit, but I haven't posted about it 'til now out of embarrassment. I felt good about saving the poor thing. Chad even called the vet, and researched painkillers for it...lol....such an animal softie. The mouse would either live or die, and there wasn't much we could do. A few days later, I couldn't find him in his cage, so I lifted the lid, and spotted him. I put the lid back on, but couldn't get all the clamps down. It was still really tight, so I didn't worry. The next day, Chad went to clean his cage, and he was gone. LOL!!! Broken leg and all, he made it out of that thing. Obviously, it didn't like our hospitality. Sorry hun. So, after all that work of trying to catch mice humanely, and it TOTALLY backfiring, Chad finally agreed to inhumane traps. We have caught two. None of them looked like "Lucky" (yes, Chad named the mouse (before he escaped)). And we haven't caught any more since. Oi. No planet-of-the-mice dreams lately either.

And, I finally got a picture by this lovely. yay.

Nicole, I need your expertise

2011-11-11T15:21:00.000-08:00

My sister has a degree in interior design, and I really need her help. I put this on the blog because it's the easiest way to share photos and info. So, here's our house. We moved in late last Spring, and it doesn't feel like our style yet, but we're very grateful and definitely enjoying it.

So Nicole, we're just focusing on the living room now, so we don't overwhelm ourselves, but if you have ideas for the other rooms, let me know. If not, no bigs. We moved the piano to the spare room to make way for another chair, and because Chad thinks it looks cluttery. I'm not sure. It is nice to have the piano out of the front room, because that's where we watch tv. If it stayed in the LR, I would paint it.

Here is what things look like now. Nice-ish....but SNOOZAROO! It has no pizazz. There is no fun going on.

Here are our ideas. Chad really wants get new mid-gray to dark gray carpet, that's less shaggy, because this stuff has lots of stains, and Chad hates it now. I'm hesitant about the dark gray. There are stain-proof carpets, but I wonder how stain-proof they really are. We want carpet, but something that can withstand the dogs and Jet.

We move the dog beds to the bedroom at night, and when guests come.

I really want to paint this wall (fireplace wall) charcoal gray. I would LOVE to do chalkboard paint and draw cool frames and stuff in chalk, but then I have an idea for the other walls, and it would be too much.

We don't like the color of the tiles. Dingy. But there is nothing we can do about those. Wish they were white. Ol' well.

Ottoman, ick. We were thinking two small white leather or leatherish ottomans. Again, we like low-maintenance fabrics, and we love to put our feet up. Maybe I could recover this one. Eeks.

View from the front door. Too traditional. We need more fun.

This "media center" is warped and chewed. We want to get a credenza (st. vincent) and paint it a fun color (orange, peacock blue, something fun). We're going to start using our smaller tv.

On these walls (the one with the tv, and the wall perpendicular to it) I was thinking of doing large horizontal stripes, in a light gray. But then I also like the idea of doing horizontal striped curtains, and that's just too over the top.

We love this mirror. We love distressed wood.

So, I invited you to my pinterest...but I don't know how it works. I just want you to see my inspiration boards, so if you need my username and password, let me know. I'm loving charcoal lately. SO PRETTY. I love the mustardy, muted light yellow that's going on right now. I like black and white. Anyway, it's just so much easier if you see my boards.

If anyone else has any ideas, bring 'em on.

Halloween Festivities

2011-11-01T16:48:00.000-07:00

Trunk or Treat.

Jet was the BIG BAD Wolf, Chad was the Woodcutter, and I was Little Red Riding Hood. At first, Jet was just a bad wolf, because he didn't want to wear his tail or hat. I have learned that he doesn't like fur. Whoops, bad costume choice! I worked around it. We tried to sneakily pin his tail on, but he caught us, and said "Tail, Tail, Tail" in a sad voice all the way to the church. Once the games started rolling, he finally just had fun.

Okay, I know Chad's shirt is supposed to be a costume, but I actually really like it.

Detering Orchards. We always went here as a family when I was little, so it was so awesome going with my parents after so many years. LOVED IT!

Kara, I see why you loved this sweater so much. It's so charming. Thank you!

The next night, we carved pumpkins at Chad's parents. For some reason, extracting pumpkin gook was really relaxing this time.

Halloween night was great. I was The World's Greatest Teacher. (I got this awesome vest from my mom-in-law's friend) We were both actually really productive, and it felt like we were playing house. It was so fun. Chad was organizing his tools in the garage, I was baking pumpkins seeds, and doing laundry, Jet was playing with the dogs. Every once in a while there would be a trick-or-treater, and we'd rush to the door to see their costumes. Our twinkly lights were on, resting on the mantel, our pumpkins were lit, the house smelled like yummy dinner and sweets. It was warm and cozy. The combination of all these little things made for the perfect night at home.

It was such a great weekend!

Crazy Animal Lovers, but one is crazier than the other

2011-10-20T16:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I saw a mouse scurry across our kitchen and dining room floor. After the initial freak out, I thought he was actually really cute. Maybe I've watched Ratatouille too many times, I don't know. I've never had that reaction before. But really, it was so small and fluffy and cute, and had a bounce in his step as he scuttled along.

Last night, I told Chad the news, so that he could set a few traps. I'm sure if I set one that I'll snap my fingers off, so it's his job.   In our almost 7 years of marriage, we have had to kill 3 mice, and I have set 1 trap, and it was mega-scary, and I think it was a fluke that I made it out safely.

Well, Chad's animal lovingness has reached new heights. It has soared above the eagle's nests, over the Amazon treetops, and way out of this atmosphere.

He told me that he wants to trap it humanely, and keep it as a pet!!! He thinks it would be so fun to watch it. He said that after awhile, we could set it free in a big field. Then he immediately started researching it online, and found out what we would need, what we could feed it, what treats it likes, and that many other people do this.

Chad, NO!!! Seriously? You expect me to say yes?

He said, "Well, I'm not catching it if I can't keep it."

GASP! NO!!!!!

I can't set a trap for this thing. I feel too guilty. The last time we trapped one, it took it a few minutes to die. It was horrible. It was wheezing, and its eyes were bulging. Ha ha TMI. So, I'll be buying some type of humane trap today, and hopefully I catch it before Chad does.

I just had to share because I know my family will laugh their heads off because this is SO CHAD!

Chad, I love you. But sometimes, I think you're the crazy one.

Redeemed by R.R.

2011-10-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

So, a few months ago I wrote about how I'm a bad cook, mostly saying that I have to rely on good recipes to make good food.

First off, I have redeemed myself....according to myself and Chad.

Second, I have totally misjudged Rachael Ray. When we got married, I got one of her cookbooks, I tried one recipe (mostly because the ingredients were spendy) and it tasted blah. (probably because I really didn't know what I was doing at the time). Then, a foodie friend of mine said she didn't trust Rachael Ray's cooking because of her weird food pairings. Then I watched a few episodes of 30-minute meals, and it always sounded like she had a cold. So, I unofficially decided that she wasn't that great of a cook.

WRONG.

Over the past few months, I have been getting her magazine at the library, picking out the cheapest recipes, and making them. Every single one (I've tried about 15 now) has been delicious. So, delicious, I don't want to stop eating when I'm full. Chad is so impressed too. It's by far the best cooking I've ever done. She just adds a few things that other recipes leave out, and it makes a HUGE difference! I don't have to be scared about trying a new recipe, worried if it will be terrible or not. They're all good!

Sorry Cooking Light, your recipes have failed me too many times. I love that you're healthy, but hubster no likey, and even I admit that I've only eaten 1 delicious recipe out of the 20 that I've tried. (amazing crab cakes) I've learned I'd rather have a recipe be a little bit fattier, and taste great, than light, and taste okay to me, and almost bad to Chad. You just have to eat a little less. Fat isn't bad if it fits within a balanced diet.

Rachael Ray, your food rocks.

Mom, I would LOVE a subscription to Rachael Ray magazine for Christmas, so I don't have to make tons of photocopies before returning it to the library every time.

On the 28th, our ward is having a chili cook-off, and I think I'm going to win. The Bishop will be dethroned from his 3-year chili-king title. I'll let you know if I get a crown. (seriously, it's the perfect mix of sweet and spicy, with tons of fresh ingredients. All Chad's coworkers said it was the best chili they had ever had) We'll see! Last year, I made it, but I got the date wrong, and no one was at the church....lol. The real night, I burned it because I was trying out a new pretty pot. I hate stainless steel....give me Teflon any day.

BRING Home and Garden Tour

2011-09-30T16:17:00.000-07:00

About 2 weeks ago, my mum and I went to a local garden tour hosted by BRING recycling. Here are some highlights.

That's an outdoor shower. After seeing this, Chad desperately wants one, and I too think it would be AWESOME!

Someday I would like a shady, lounging spot, with much foliage abounding.

This is was a cob building.

The gardener used this wood for growing mushrooms.

HONEYBEES. Chad will have honeybees at some point in his life. There is no question. I learned that if you join the local bee club that you can use the honey extratractor thingy for free!!!

I LOVED this idea for succulents etc. It's just plain ol' cinder block, filled with plants that brim over the edge. They used it on the outside of an outdoor building.

This garden also featured a natural house. I don't know the details, but it was cool. I felt like I was in Star Wars IV.

This house was very intriguing. The front walkway was lined with all these funky, recycled art pieces.

But then it got WEIRD. They had a huge shed full of....what should I call it....tacky junk? It was creepy, bridging on inspiration for a horror movie.

My favorite piece was the rake with the barbie heads.

This is all the same house. They're very quirky. I LOVED it, but there was a bit too much going on, and Mumsie and I were getting worried about these people's sanity.

The coolest fire pit ever. Chad said I shouldn't share this pic with anyone, because he didn't want anyone to know where we got the idea when we totally copy them. Sorry hon, had to share, it was my favorite part.

Outdoor oven.

The rainbow of drying clothes.

Guest yurt.

Outdoor cooking yurt thingy. My mom and I didn't get it. Why? It was roasting in there.

U of O Campus

2011-09-12T15:22:00.000-07:00

I always thought I would be weary of the U of O campus forever. On my last day of school there, I skipped back to my car with a gleeful smile because I was finally DONE with that place. Well, after 4 years, the loathing has worn off. It's not that I didn't like the school, or that I didn't think it was beautiful. It was all the walking. Every day, for 2 years straight, I would have to speed-walk for 10 minutes to get to my class. Then I would have to speed-walk another 10 minutes to get to my next class. Then I would have to walk 10 minutes to get to the library, then walk 10 minutes back to my car and rush to work. During all that, add a backpack full of dense textbooks and Norton Anthologies. One January, it rained every day. I didn't own boots. I didn't even own a decent coat. My bottom quarter of my jeans were always soaked. Why didn't I get a bike?

Today, I didn't have a backpack, I didn't have a class to rush to, and I didn't have to navigate through mobs of students. I could just enjoy the place. Enjoy the architecture. Enjoy the fact I wasn't going to have to buy really expensive books soon and stand in an hour long line to purchase them. Hurrah! It's amazing how much prettier a campus is when you're not a student there.

Sweet leather bike seat.

My Adventure Buddy

2011-09-09T16:27:00.000-07:00

We do almost everything together.

Play with the dogs

Watch planes and helicopters

See new things

Look at rainbows after nap time

Experience this beautiful world

Go on bike rides

Chill

Make music and dress up

Paint our nails

Get creative

I love you, Jet. I can't believe I get to be your mom. You're amazing. I love your sweet heart, your happiness, your goofiness, and your adventurous spirit. Thank goodness we get to be together forever, because I couldn't have it any other way. You truly are my most precious jewel.

Blue Wall, Fuschia Legs

2011-09-07T16:23:00.000-07:00

Hurrah for blue walls!

Hurrah for crazy tights!

Hurrah for helpful husband taking pictures!

Hurrah for electricity!

Hurrah for worn paint that reminds us it's okay to be imperfect!

Hurrah for the most random colored convenience store!

This morning I learned that you aren't supposed to blog when you have THE BLAHS. BAD!!! You sound like a whiny fool who's lying in the fetal position moping. Boo hoo, wo is me, wah! So, I didn't blog earlier. I took a NAP! I am smart sometimes. I had a cool dream, I woke up, I felt better, I blogged. Sleep-deprived Jessica is lame.

Your turn. Shout hurrah for something that makes you happy. And, you can do it in your head if you want....but really shouting is better!

Little Adventures

2011-09-06T13:56:00.000-07:00

I am a firm believer in adventure and getting out there and seizing the day. I have learned not to underestimate little adventures. This weekend, we were driving with the dogs in the back of the truck, and Chad wanted to stop at the river for them to cool off. I thought it was silly, since we were going to be home in 20 minutes anyway. But, that short stop turned into a little adventure for our family. The dogs pranced, Jet stomped, and the boys threw rocks. It made the weekend feel so much more complete, even though we were only there 15 minutes. When we went to the lake last month, we were only there 30 minutes, but it added so much to the day. Whenever Jet and I go on bike rides, we're both so much happier. Adventure doesn't only apply to the BIG things like climbing Everest, or wild boar hunting or scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef. Adventure is an enthusiasm for life and wanting to DIVE IN! It doesn't matter what it is.

So often, when we got out with the dogs, we happen upon something adventurous. Sprinklers at the school will start pumping and we'll get drenched, or we'll find a new path, or we'll lie down and just look up at the stars. But, if we hadn't actually left the house, if wouldn't have happened. We're usually only gone 30 minutes. But just in those 30 minutes, we've created a beloved memory. The dogs definitely give us that kick to get out. Big adventures aren't affordable for us right now, and for most people too. That doesn't matter. I'm not going to let the little adventures in front of me go by unrealized just because they're little. Poppycock. Adventures are exhilarating no matter the size.

Happy doggies, happy us.

Blackberry Picking

2011-09-05T14:11:00.000-07:00

Last year, I found the ultimate spot to pick blackberries. There were so many that picking became a part-time job for the month. Chad didn't have employment at the time, so I felt like a squirrel gathering for Winter. Also last year, I didn't take Jet with me, because his walking was still pretty unstable, and I didn't want him to fall in the bushes and turn into a cactus. Um...no thanks.

This year, Jet came with me, and he never stopped eating. He even ate the tart ones. Unfortunately, most of the berries weren't ripe yet, but there were still some goodies.

He turned into The Joker.

This is also where I used to go running with Dakota, and every time I got to this part of the path, my Rocky Montage would come on my ipod. I totally felt like I was training for my match with Drago, but not Mr. T, 'cause he freaks me out.

We met some horses. They're always so friendly.

Then we ran back to the truck with purple lips.

RUBY RED LIPS

2011-09-03T13:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am not in love with myself. AT ALL. But, I'm starting to realize that I'm going to have to recruit some more people if I'm going to get some more interesting photos. I enjoy capturing the things around me, but I think people are more interesting. Especially if there is a story going on. I have all these ideas for photos, but they involve more people. I just take pics of myself because I always seem to be available. Get a life, right? And, I know I won't get annoyed if I ask myself, or take too many shots of the same thing. Plus, myself and I really think alike, so there won't be any artistic differences. And the photographer won't think I'm lame if I want a few more takes if my nose is at a funny angle. So basically, this myself person is really easy to work with.

In middle school, I used to draw a picture of the guy I liked, and then cover his face in kisses...yikes. I only did it a few times. Well, with my lips all ready for making lip prints, I was inspired to reminisce. There's is guy I have a HUGE crush on. Apparently, he looks a lot like Gerard Butler when he gets drawn. Who knew? It kind of looks like Chad, right?

I took me like 2 hours to get the shading right on the upper lip.

Drawing a picture of someone is a great way to show that you're a freaky stalker who has too much time to get shading right in weird places, and make it look like you have a mustache. PS Trisha, I'm sure he kissed your drawn face a bazillion times, but you can't tell because guys don't wear lipstick. Just wanted to let you know, not that you're not already freaked out.

Color, Pattern, Texture

2011-09-02T12:42:00.000-07:00

The Ultimate French Toast

2011-09-01T15:59:00.000-07:00


	This french toast is our go-to meal for special occasions. In this case, it's Chad's birthday. I know some of you may be skeptical of my cooking skills since my "Confessions of a Bad Cook" post, but I promise this is heavenly, because Chad says so. And he's very picky. And, it's Alton Brown's recipe, and it has 5 for 5 stars after 476 reviews. Legit, yes? YES! The process starts overnight. Cut the bread to desired thickness, and leave out on a cooling rack overnight to get stale. STALE bread = GREAT french toast....and bread pudding....and other food where bread is soaked in custard.

The next morning, soak the bread in the custard, 30 seconds per side. That way it really seeps in.

Put it on a cooling rack for 2-3 minutes, so the bread absorbs the custard. We don't want dry bread in the middle....boo! Happy bread.

Slather the griddle with butter, and don't feel guilty, because this is a special occasion!


Brown on both sides (2-3 minutes per side)

Bake in the oven for 5 minutes. This bakes the toast from the inside, baking ALL the custardy yumminess, so you don't get soggy/floppy french toast, just perfectly moist.

While that's baking, whip up some heavy whipping cream. TIP: The colder the cream, the bowl, and the beaters, the faster it will whip. You can even put the bowl and beaters in the freezer before starting the recipe.

Assemble the layers. Toast, syrup, whipped cream. Grate whole nutmeg over the top.

Chow down and bask in your cooking glory because you just made the best French Toast EVER!

Don't forget to buy milk, because you'll want to wash it down, and water just won't cut it. Whoops.

From Blogger to Blogger

2011-08-31T14:47:00.000-07:00

I could really use your help and advice.

As you have noticed, I’ve been posting fairly frequently.

A few months ago, I was thinking about starting a “real” blog. Meaning, a blog that’s not just meant to document what’s going on with our family, but is a creative outlet and a fun/inspirational place for people stop by.

So, I starting blogging more to see how I liked it, and see what sorts of things I could come up with. I have discovered great and not-so-great.

GREAT

I can honestly say that it gets me more excited about life when I blog. I’m always looking for new ideas with writing topics, adventures and photos.

It gives me that kick-in-the-bum to go out and do the things that are just fun. So many times I talk myself out of things because, “It takes to much gasoline,” “Maybe it will be stupid,” “Jet is not going to do well” “I’m too tired,” “It’s silly.” Well, I’m sick of making excuses. I want to get out and LIVE!

I am discovering a love for photography. It inspires me how many ideas an image can capture. Blogging is a way to document my progress, and look at the world in a different way.

It’s fun to share ideas. I love when other people share theirs. Inspiration abounds on blogs, and I would like to be a part of it.

When inspiration comes, it gives you a high. It’s so exciting.

It helps me be a better mom because I have something that’s just mine. So when it’s Jet and Mommy time, I’m good to go.

Maybe it will open up some opportunities later.

NOT SO GREAT

It’s easy to get intimidated by other blogs. There are some amazingly creative minds out there. But then I realize, that’s good, and this is an opportunity to grow and learn.

I’m discovering that there is some drama with blogging. People can be insincere to promote their own blogs. Ew. Or, there’s the whole “who has the most followers” race. Or, it just hurts when you get a mean-hearted comment. But, I don’t want to worry about that drama. The only drama I have ever liked is theater. The other stuff is silly. I just want to love and support people, and be sincere in doing it.

Sometimes inspiration just doesn’t come, and it feels poopy.

I could fail. People could think my blog is lame and it won’t ever go anywhere. But, I will still have grown creatively, and in my photography. So, can I really fail?

I have no idea about how to make my blog page look fresh and hip, or how to make a button, or all that other fancy computer stuff.

OVERALL

I want to do it. I want to do it for myself, to see what I can do. I don’t want it to be consuming, but just something that adds some spice to my life.

What do you think? Please tell. And just be honest. No sugar coating!

I’ve been trying and TRYING to come up with a name I like. What do you think of these? Would the title intrigue you, or would you skip over them?

1) Leap of Joy (Joy is my middle name)

2) Break the Monotony

3) The War On Boring

I love you all. I love reading your blogs. I love blogging. It’s such an awesome way to share our lives.

Chad's Day Off

2011-08-30T21:38:00.000-07:00

The second Chad got home from work I told him I had to hurry and catch the sunset, and rushed out the door to the Youth Farm near our house. The pics were underwhelming, but better than nothing.

Jet should be purple from eating too many grapes.

Family bike ride. (Yeah, I need a new chain...yipes...but such interesting colors.) Of course during the trip, Chad was trying to figure out how we could carry the dogs in another bike trailer. "Chad, they're fine at home."

PS, this isn't the Carrie Bradshaw Bun. This is one really ugly messy bun, that looks more like a pincushion on my head. I don't dress up for my bike. Sorry bike, nothing personal. I like to think you are attracted to the more natural, adventurous type.

Chad picked some blackberries for us. Thanks Hun.

We came across a beehive. Chad took this picture because I wasn't brave enough to let bees land on me while taking the picture. Once again, thanks Hun!

Picnic at the park. Jet's first willow tree experience.

My first BMX excursion, and definitely not the last. Loved it! If you have done even A LITTLE mountain biking and liked it, this is for you. It's unsupervised and unfenced, so you can go for free whenever you want.

That night, we celebrated Chad's birthday early and went to the Electric Station. We splurged. Chad said that all he wanted for his birthday was the best Prime Rib he could get. Um...okay. Such a guy.

The Crab and Artichoke Dip was the best thing I've ever eaten. So creamy, yet still light tasting. Not too salty or overly seasoned, but still so full of flavor. Not too crabby. That's always a plus!

I liked the bathroom stall. I thought I would share it with you. I used that very toilet. Yes, really. It was the middle stall, in case you want to visit it.

This Old Building

2011-08-29T14:48:00.000-07:00

I found this building last year and have loved it ever since. Chad thinks it's creepy, and is happy nobody jumped out from it and captured me. Aw, how sweet. Enjoy.

Carrie Bradshaw Bun

2011-08-28T13:48:00.001-07:00

Hey Nicole, thanks for the props! (My wonderful sister sent me a surprise package yesterday)

Church starts at 9:00am. I woke up, groggily picked up my head to check the time (7:00am, I know I'm lucky) and decided I would rather stay in bed until Jet woke up instead of wash my hair. Well, Jet slept in until 8:00. Washing my hair was not an option. What do you do?

Wear a hat to church? No.
Wear a paper bag over your head? If only I could.
Sport a doo-rag? I dare you.

CARRIE BRADSHAW BUN! No, I don't watch Sex and the City, but I found this tutorial here a few months ago (I don't rat the bun like she does, because I have a big head, and the bigger the bun, the more out of proportion I look. Hello, bobble-head dashboard doll). I love Sydney's blog, The Daybook. You can have dirty hair w/o looking like a greaseball. Hurrah! I'm not going to tell you how many days it's been since I've washed my hair, because you might not want to be my friend anymore, but I PROMISE to wash it tonight!

Here's a messy version from last month.

Night Rider

2011-08-27T14:23:00.000-07:00

Chad gave me the night off yesterday. After a trip to Border's, I still wasn't ready to go home. I was about to cross I-5 when I realized I should get out, walk up the bridge, and take some slow shutter shots (one photo taken over a few seconds, in my case 8) of the cars zooming by. Well, there weren't enough cars to make it look cool (see above photo). Yeah, not so cool. Bummed, I got back into the car. Then I thought, I could take slow shutter photos while I'M DRIVING!!! Ah ha ha. There weren't that many cars out, and I always held the camera to the side of my face, so I was still watching the road. Though, one lady totally glared at me at a stop light. "KIDS, they're gonna kill us all!"

See the dashboard?

Driving through a green light. It turns aqua in these photos.

Going around and around the round-about. About 10 times or so. It was hard not to feel thrilled, even though I was completely aware of my supreme dorkiness.

Gateway St. See the KFC sign? Super 8?

Turning. Don't ask me how it got that crazy, it was a normal turn.

Driving by the hospital.

Okay, this was REALLY fun. The other day, I took pictures while riding my bike, though the photos were really lame. Maybe next time, someone can pull me in a wagon while I take pictures. Or, I've been wanting to learn how to skateboard. I dare not show up at the skate park with roller blades. Uberdork alert! Why aren't roller blades cool right now? I love roller blades. That's it. I'm going to the skate park with my blades, and restarting the trend. I'll take pictures. Promise.

Mrs. Bad Homemaker

2011-08-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

Today, I was Mrs. Bad Homemaker. She visits every once in awhile, especially when I'm tired, and Jet's tired, Chad's been working 12 hours days, I've run out of ideas for seizing life, and I want to ignore my to-do list.

We got McD's for breakfast. We got Tangled at Redbox. We ignored the mess. I ate my sausage mcmuffin while I was driving. Yes, that greaseball really hit the spot. I didn't take a shower. I didn't do my make-up. I wore my favorite t-shirt. I tried not to feel TOO guilty for letting Jet watch too much tv.

Around 11:00am Chad called, aware it was an off day for me, and he said that Jet and he would be going on a Father-Son date that night, and I could do whatever I wanted. I must admit, a tear streamed down my face. I really did need a break, but I didn't want to ask because he's been working so many hours. CuddleMuffin, I LOVE YOU. You're my favorite. FOREVER.

Check out this pillow I scored at St. Vinnie's. $2.99! New, good quality, love the pattern.

I couldn't stand the mess. I ended up cleaning it tonight. Mrs. Bad Homemaker thought I needed a shower, so she left. Thank goodness.

Did that fly call me White Trash?

2011-08-25T07:56:00.001-07:00

We’ve been keeping the backdoor open this summer for the dogs, and occasionally a fly comes in.

I’m sitting on the couch, reading my book, and a fly lands on me. Nasty. Swat it away. Then it buzzes around me head. Ugh. Wave my hand around. Then it lands on my hair. What is it about flies that make you feel like white trash when they land on you?

Is it because of that myth that “every time a fly lands, it poops?”

Is it because flies love poop, and if they like you, then you must remind them of poop?

Is it the way they rub their front legs together, like they’re planning something?

I remember the first day of 8^th grade, a fly was buzzing in the air. Nobody wanted it to land on them, because then it meant you smelt bad and needed to take a shower, and who comes to the first day of school smelling like BO or turds? Will it land on the big nerd in the corner? Will it land on me, making people avoid me the rest of the year? To our surprise, it landed in the popular girl’s hair! HA! Dirty, nasty, poop hair!

Leave me alone fly! I took a shower this morning and I haven’t farted recently. I have nothing to offer you.

Lands on my arm.

Well, I might as well break out the cheesepuffs, get them all over my face and shirt, scratch my bum with my press-on nails through my acid-washed jeans, and try to find the remote to change the channel from WWF to Married With Children. Hey Lazybottom, can you heat up my microwave dinner?

Cinderelly Cinderelly

2011-08-24T13:57:00.000-07:00

I've been cleaning alotta floor lately. A LOT. I am finally done. I'm talking over 350 squares of intense scrubbage, trying to remove grime stuck deep within the crevices of our textured linoleum. The house we bought was a foreclosure, so there weren't any attempts to spruce up the place before selling it. That's been our job.

It took almost 10 hours over the course of several days (so my arms didn't fall off) to finish. During which, I got the song, Honkytonk Badonkadonk stuck in my head because my bum was sticking up in the air most of the time. Loverly. So, I had a lot of time to let my mind drift in between the mental face-offs featuring team "You're never going to finish," versus "You can beat this floor!" My mind wandered onto the idea of this Cinderella inspired photo shoot. Yes, it's corny. "But I'm looking for corny in my life."

Princesses can sleep anywhere, whether it be a mossy glen, or a freshly scrubbed floor.


During the ordeal, I was able to befriend some bubbles with delightful voices.

The before and after. Thank goodness it's over.

Lane County Fair

2011-08-23T13:48:00.000-07:00

I haven't gone to fair in YEARS, but when you have a 2 year old, it's way more fun. We all loved it. They had so much entertainment. It started with a PIG RACE. That's what the huge crowd is for.

Go PIGGY GO! Who doesn't like cheering for an adorable pig?

They had this supreme jungle exhibit. Seriously, realize impressive. They had these bouncy lily pads. There were plenty of exotic animals, some I had never even heard of.

They were soft, and they never even woke up. But then you look at the momma pig that's 20 times their size, and you're really glad you're not taking one home.

Jet was enraptured with milking this goat. Water really comes out the udder. Must admit, he was good at it. Um....weirdish.

BBQ beef brisket sandwich. Only complaint, we should have bought 2. So good.

Sharing Jet's first cotton candy.

Jet loved the percussion station.

At home, Jet and Chad took naps, while I watched my DVRed HGTV shows. Perfect ending.

Hailey's Wedding Weekend

2011-08-22T14:13:00.000-07:00

It started with almost 800 yards of tulle. Then there was sewing, threading, spreading, stretching, stapling, pinning, tying, hoisting and so much more. Thanks to the masterminds of David and Lindsay, the tent was a show stopper.

While the tent was being raised, Lindsay was standing inside. Her hair went right up with it.

S'mores with the fam.

I finally mastered the slow shutter speed on my camera.

Hailey and Jared. Awwwww. I told them to be themselves, they made funny faces, then they laughed how they did it simultaneously.

Grandpa tying Jet's tie. What a precious moment.

Hailey married Jared on Saturday. Twas awesomeness and loveliness. Two wonderful people are now together forever. I was taking pics at the temple, but then I felt dorky cuz obviously the real photographer was getting plenty of gorgeous pics. But, I learned that I should have taken more of the family on the sidelines. Doh! I love taking pictures, but you also want to just be part of the moment, and not be that annoying person saying, "Hey, picture time. Smile." Overall, I wish I had taken more. It might be a little annoying, and you might miss out on a few moments of soaking it all in, but you can do both, and then you have all the wonderful pictures foreva. Lesson learned.

Cousins

Pictures from the luncheon.

I took this pic because I think it's interesting, not because I stalk cute boys and take their pictures. I promise!

This picture is lousy. It was beautiful. Hopefully other family blogs will have better pics of the finished tent.

The photo booth was a huge hit at the reception.

Play with your food

2011-08-18T14:07:00.000-07:00

Recently, my leftovers inspired me to dabble in abstract photography.

Guess what? Those space shots, were pictures of a dirty pan filled with water and bacon grease. MMMmmm yum! I just tinted the heck out of the photos to make them blue and green. The "star" is the light from the range hood. The pink swirly photo is what my bowl looked like after devouring my blueberry oatmeal. Ha.

Speaking of playing with food, check out this art by Vic Muniz. That's Mona Lisa in PB&J. And that last photo is called, Medusa Marinara. Maybe playing with your food isn't such a bad thing. It's easier than getting the paints out. The next time I go out to dinner, I'm leaving an art piece for the server to pick up.

Weekend

2011-08-17T16:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend we did so much yard work that my boogers turned brown from inhaling all the fresh bark. My boogers haven't been brown since the trek...and that was 10 years ago. We did manage to have a little fun in between though.

Banana pancakes for breakfast. And we totally played Jack Johnson's, Banana Pancakes, during the prep. Then we listened to his other tunes. Great laid-back vibe. PERFECT waking up music.

The kitchen is messy, we all have bed head, and the morning sun is shining through the back door, pancakes are in the air, and we all got to sleep in. Loveliness.

"Make your banana pancakes, pretend that it's the weekend now....Mmm."

The Airplane Bike Guy

2011-08-12T15:54:00.000-07:00

If you driven through the Pioneer Parkway/Q St. intersection during the past few years, you have probably come across this guy, and his amazing Airplane Bike. Yesterday, I told myself that I was finally going to talk to him and get some pictures. I told myself to be brave, and just hope that he didn't get offended.

He smiled and told me I could take pictures from whatever angle I wanted. Obviously, many people had asked for pics before. I told him he was famous, and I had wanted to get a picture for a long time.

He explained that the bike used to be green, (which I suddenly remembered) but then he got hit by an older woman, who said that she didn't see him. The tail on his airplane bike put a spiderweb break in her windshield. He said that she didn't even look into oncoming traffic. He wasn't really mad at her, but just mad that the whole thing could have been prevented if she had looked a little closer. It got me thinking, how it's so easy to overlook things when we're busy. Vital things. If we just look a little closer, or slow down a little but, we could prevent so many mess-ups. So many losses.

After the accident, he painted the bike white. I'm impressed by the stripes. Often I drive by and he's touching up any chips. He takes more pride in it than many people take in their cars.

This man, who is most likely homeless, considering the sleeping bag and heavy clothing in his "cargo bin," doesn't hold a sign asking for money. He holds a Little Caesars sign to get paid minimum wage being a live advertisement. What a rarity.

He has four different meters, retro handle bars attached with electrical tape, wings that serve as cupholders, and a spinning windy thing.

I noticed his pedal was missing, and told him that I needed to get him a new pedal. He went into this story how he has the pedal, but he can't find the right tool to take off the pedal bar, in order to get the new pedal on. He said he even broke a tool from Jerry's trying to get it off.

I didn't even notice the flashlights under the wing. Doesn't miss a detail!

Thanks Airplane Guy. You're awesome. Not many people have a personal jet.

I want to help this guy, but what can I do?

Confessions of a bad cook

2011-08-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

This is what he did when I said, "Smile." Funny face classes may be discontinued.

After 6 1/2 years of marriage, Chad thinks I'm a bad cook. The funny thing is, I didn't know he thought I was a bad cook until recently when I admitted that I was, after having tried several flopped recipes. This gave him permission to agree with me, by giving me the "I know" smirk. He never wanted to tell me, because he knows I try hard. Then I realized all the hints I had been missing. For example...

Whenever we have guests over, suddenly he's interested in helping with the food, that way he won't be embarrassed by what I come up with.

So many times he comes home, having already eaten dinner a few hours earlier because "all the guys" (coworkers) ordered food from blah blah blah, and he wanted some too.

Or, "I got food on my way home," that way you wouldn't have to cook dinner.

"Let's go out to eat tonight, that way we don't have to worry about dishes and cleaning up."

It's ALL BEEN A TRICK to get out of eating my food!

I have tried to be a good cook. I have made some delicious things. Truly, I have come so far. I didn't even know how to cook chicken before we got married, except cooking it in the microwave. I never learned to cook, because I always ate the same food practically every day. Then we got hitched and suddenly I was in charge of yummy man food. Before that, my diet consisted of toast, sandwiches, stir-fry, dry cereal, and eggs poached in the microwave. And, I was perfectly happy with it.

I promise I'm not THAT bad, but I'm not the type that can whip something up. I have to follow recipes, so if the recipe is bad, I'm shot. Plus, I don't like to spend too much moolah on food, so I find cheap recipes. Plus, I try to find healthy recipes. When I cook unhealthy and expensive food, it's really good! I make awesome pulled pork sandwiches.

Jet and I got to work trying a meatloaf recipe the other day. I plopped him on the counter, and we just enjoyed all the wonders that cooking has to offer.

We smelled lemons. He watched me zest it and take a big whiff. Me heart citrus! He still thinks a zester/microplane is a sword though. We grated zucchini. I minced garlic, and let him smell it. It was quite an interesting show with all the food apparatuses and new smells.

I loved it! It was moist, flavorful and fluffy, unlike heavier meatloafs. I made a dressing with lemon and olive oil. I loved it. Chad had to spit it out! Then some new potatoes on the side.

I'm a good cook Chad, you just like unhealthy food too much! You're the problem! Ah HA!

Eugene Annual ReArt Festival

2011-08-08T16:05:00.000-07:00

Ready for an overdose of Eugene? Here we go!

Yesterday was the Annual ReArt Festival. It was my first time. It's pretty much the same as the Saturday Market, even in the same location, but obviously it's centered around things made from previously used materials. These days they call it, "upcycling." It's better to upcycle than recycle, because the crud doesn't have to go through another factory to become usable again. So, that's why people spend tons of hours making potholders out of old t-shirts, hats out of VHS tape, and art out of crap. I'm all for it, and couldn't wait to see what people would come up with.

These peeps re-purposed almost anything to make a light fixture. Loved 'em.

This guy rocks. A toucha creepy crazy, but awesome! Another onlooker considered him a genius. What a great craft for kids! JK...lol

His business card states: Jason Pickering: Sculpture, Painting, CREEPY BABY FACTORY

I appreciated the humor and freakishness. Hey, it's better than the art gallery exhibit dedicated to Blood, a few years back.

Lawn ornaments. You stick 'em in the ground like tiki torches. Me likey. Chad? "Wow, those are ugly! Well, the car one is kinda cool."

Guitars made from old cigar boxes. You can hook them up to an AMP. They're legit.

I was a bit too scared to look any farther inside, mostly because I didn't want invade someone's privacy. Not that THEY would have minded, but I would have.

Here is where we get really Eugene-y. Whoa!

I was trying to take a picture of this sculpture, but then a guy with dreadlocks wearing a mu-mu rode by on his bike. Way more interesting.

Where else can you find a discarded carton of hempmilk? Hey, why didn't you recycle it?! Come on! You could still use that to grow seedlings of weed. ha ha. Did I go too far?

S'more Control

2011-08-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

We were supposed to eat s'mores the other night. I bought fancier chocolate to liven things up. It backfired. I ate all the chocolate before we could eat the s'mores. It was worth it though. Yarm!!! That's a combo of Yum! and Rarrr! Woman must eat deliciousness now and can't be stopped! Gobble gobble......YARM!

Laurie Notaro, wees bees pals

2011-08-03T19:33:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night I went to Laurie Notaro's book reading at Barnes and Noble. Laughed my innards out! No surprise. Laurie entered my life in Winter 2008, where I decided to go to my first book reading because her book titles like "We Thought You Would Be Prettier," and "I Love Everybody (and Other Atrocious Lie) couldn't keep me away.

She introduced me to the world of memoirs. Hers are on the more hilarious side than the nostalgic. She's so honest, I love it. During the reading she admitted that she burped, explaining that she shouldn't have had that soda at dinner, and apologized for the all upcoming burps that would no doubt ensue during the evening.

Laurie is the person who got me interested in writing.

She lives in Eugene peeps. A real, NYTimes bestselling author lives here. We're best pals, and she doesn't even know it....tehe.

I won a Tang Voodoo Donut donut! Wow, I couldn't believe that it tasted good. Yum!

She signed my book, gave me a magnet, and put her glam red lipstick on before getting our pic taken.

Check 'er out, or yous bees crazies.

Gettin' outta dodge

2011-08-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Chad's day off, and I needed to go have some fun, sans (without, in French. Rhymes with Franz. Who doesn't like French words once in awhile?) the Jetmister. Jet was napping, so Chad stayed home, and I jumped in our little 2-door car for an escape.

I played the music loud, I rolled down the windows, I stuck my hand out to feel the pressure of the air, I let my hair fly, and I just relished that wonderful summery moment.

After some thrifting at St. Vinnies, I headed to Clearwater Park. It's a boat ramp/swimming spot in Thurston. They revamped it last year, adding new bathrooms, long paved paths, a canal, and more parking. So, it's much less whitetrashy. The main entrance and water play area are great, and so is the first 1/2 mile of path, but past that you'll meet many mosquitoes anxious to "greet" you. But they stop socializing in Winter and most of Spring. So, go on a bike ride then, but still enjoy the front of the park now.

Can't beat people watching. Girls were catching little fish with nets, kids totting around in their floaties, braves souls swimming across the river, and a couple highschoolers flirting shamelessly. And, I was the creepy lady taking pics of everything....lol!

The "canal"

In the water I went. I didn't even do the squirmy "it's so cold" thing while slowly getting deeper and deeper. I just got in and started floating on my back. AAaaaaaaaw, summer!

After cooling off, I plopped down my Crocodile Hunter towel, and got as comfy as I could on a bed of river rock. Us Oregonians have to pretend the river is the beach sometimes. I'm used to it now. I took out my camera and got creative. I love taking photos. It helps me "see" a place more. I can better recognize the precious experiences of life.

I rode home in my swimsuit, feeling like when I was a kid and I'd wear my swimsuit for 2 or 3 days straight. Gross, I know, but didn't we all? I wore my swimsuit to Wildlife Safari when I was 3. It's just a carefree feeling.

I passed by these fun cars and I had to stop to get a picture. White interior? Nice.

Adam's B-day Partay

2011-08-01T12:24:00.000-07:00

Everything is out of order. I just got the updated blogger and the pics upload differently. I'll get the hang of it.

Sunday night, we celebrated Adam's birthday at my parents' house. Twas a lovely affair involving strawberry freeze, bocce ball, what I'll call stationary dodgeball, Sweet Life Raspberry cheesecake, lots of laughs and enjoying family. For my siblings that live far off, we missed you, alot alot!

"Stationary Dodgeball" started out with a far-flung game of catch with tennis balls. It evolved into trying to hit each other with said balls, then morphed into trying to hit the other team while they stood completely still 35 yards away. Courtney and I had the ladyguts to play too. We both got some good hits on each other.

Here comes the ball. Don't flinch!

This kid doesn't know how to smile. Seriously. He can't do it on command. But, he can RARRR!!!! I heard somewhere that RARR is "I love you" in dinosaur.

My Dad definitely likes the shirt.

Father making freeze in the freeze machine.

A family walk. It's impossible to get a bad picture of Michael! He's so cute!

Dakota had surgery on her leg on Thursday. I've had to stay home with her for the past few days. CABIN FEVER! Jet is learning to be sympathetic, and lies down by her. Really, he's just imitating her, but it looks so sweet. I have to give her her medication in peanut butter. When I was done this morning, Jet wanted to lick the peanut butter off the spoon like Dakota. Yikes. I gave him his own spoon with PB. He needs some more people friends.

Get Your Nerd ON

2011-07-27T16:08:00.000-07:00

Jet has gone BUG CRAZY. Yesterday, he would not get in our truck because he didn't want to stop investigating the ladybugs on the sidewalk. He's always looking for bugs, mostly only finding rocks, and thinking they're little bugs until he looks closer. Yesterday, we found a HUGE dragonfly.

This inspired me to have a photo shoot. Jet loved it. I found the 3D glasses we got from seeing Harry Potter, popped out the lenses, and we had nerd glasses.

His skills in funny-face making are skyrocketing, thanks to my dedicated training.

What's the term for the opposite of a Jesus freak? Cuz, I found one! This was on the way to our bug-hunting trip....so it's not totally random.

Here she is, my friends! I've never seen a red dragonfly.

Ms. Dragonfly loved the camera. She posed for long periods of time, occasionally flying off, only to return and land a few inches away. Paris Hilton bug. "What? You want my picture again? Well....okay. " :: POSE::

She gave me the eye. "You ain't got nuttin' on me."

Here comes my inner-nerd.

I loved looking at this dragonfly. Dragonflies never land long enough to get a good look at, let alone ones this unique. Later, when I downloaded my pics and could zoom in, I was more amazed. Look at those wings, and all the little details! The shine, colors, textures, the delicacy. Whenever I look around, especially when I look closely, the beauty and majesty of this world blows me away. Just the other day, I was looking at the orange I was eating and thought, "Wow, this is so amazing. Look at all the pockets of juice, just within one wedge!" Heavenly Father did not overlook one detail. I'm so grateful.

Fern Ridge Trail, Bite of Eugene, Date Night

2011-07-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

Chad works on Saturdays, so it's not techinically part of the weekend for our family. (He has Sun/Mon off) But this Saturday, I said, "It's Saturday, and I'm going to act like it's a Saturday, darnit! So Jet and I are going on an adventure!" I whipped out my Eugene/Springfield Bike Map, and looked for a path I had never taken.

We biked the Fern Ridge Trail for the first time. It follows Amazon Creek. I started at Bertelsen Nature Park, and followed the trail until Royal Ave. The most beautiful parts were after we passed Beltline and Danebo, where Amazon Creek starts to widen. Bridges, meadows, and herons abound along the whole path. It was the perfect morning getaway and start to my self-proclaimed 3-day weekend.

Jet being goofy.
I only have a few pics of Dakota and me, so I decided we needed more. I love my Koda, Kody-Boat, Miss Princess, Perdy Doggy Poopsums!
That night, Chad got off late, but we went for a night trip to the EWEB fountains. We heard a lot of drum music in the background, and saw festive lights across the river. Curious, we went to Alton Baker.
We caught the tail-end of Bite of Eugene. Local restaurants and caterers have booths with small portions of what they usually serve. It's the perfect way to sample different cuisines and restaurants in very little time. I was so mad we missed it. But, this drum band was playing! Yahoo!
There I was, the lights shining, waving my camera around in the air. The coolest part was that I was in Eugene, and no one thought it was weird. I could have started African dancing in front of the drum band, and no one would have cared. Next time!
Then they brought in the fire dancers.
Jet got kissed on the Lochmead Cow
Later in the weekend, we made a trip to Fern Ridge Reservoir. And, I SWAM!!!! I LOVE swimming in the lake, but we rarely go. I floated like a belly-up fish forever! Heavenly.

I finally finished the alterations on this dress. LOVE IT.

Chad and I tried kumquats for the first time. They're basically mini-oranges, but you eat them whole. Quite the rush, actually. Tang-whabang! They were oddly delicious. Chad thought otherwise.

Summer, we need to talk.

2011-07-22T13:36:00.000-07:00

Dear Summertime,

You should know that I love you. I can't get enough of you. Throughout my life, I've known we've had so much in common. We both love adventure, swimming, long bike rides, skipping rocks, fresh fruits, exploring new places, eating anything that tastes great with a squeeze of lemon on it, and lounging poolside. But, for some reason, you always abandon me after a few short months. Was I not funny enough? Was my felicity annoying?

Do we really need to see other people every year? We go so well together. Every one else loves you too. Are you trying to always leave us wanting more? Are you just a tease, never staying long enough to go on that last little getaway to the beach?

The others pale in comparison. Autumn is lovely for the first month, then she's so gloomy once the leaves fall. Winter always outstays her welcome, thinking we can't get enough. Spring is always stuck in the mud. You're so cheerful, a bit hot-tempered occasionally, but I love it. I won't deny that Winter and Autumn throw some great parties, but parties only last so long, and then they leave us waiting impatiently for you.

I promise we'll have so much fun together. Just stay a little longer this year. Or a few months longer. Mkay? Okay. You're always so agreeable, dahling.

Love always, Jessica

Unfortunately, it's been very cloudy this summer, so not all these photos showcase Miss Summer in her best light.

Is a four leaf clover still lucky if a bug gorged himself on it?

Jet's Mustache Party!

2011-07-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

Jet is officially two years old!

We played, "Pin the Mustache on the Man." I looked for pictures online for the man, and just painted him. When looking for mustache inspiration, I came across so many hilarious mustaches, that I had to make a unique mustache for everyone. I was cracking myself up while trying them all on.

We named the gentleman, Fitzwilliam, after Mr. Darcy.

The mustache selection.

If anyone doesn't want there picture on here, let me know, and I'll take it off. But, these were too awesome not to share!

I think Jet pulls off the mustache very well.

I made Red Velvet Cake. It has a lot of buttermilk in it...which I loved. The cake wasn't too sweet, and was really moist. I don't even like cake that much but I liked this one.

Later, David, Connor, Colby and Jet had sword and mallet fights with some of his new toys.

Jet really swatted Connor. Yikes.

Jet goes to college

2011-07-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, Jet got accepted to college, so we went to tour the campus. Ya know, to make him feel comfortable there, get to know the place. It was pretty much deserted, so I just let him roam and followed his lead.

Really, I just wanted to take the dogs some place new. They help me discover new spots because it's easy to get bored of going to the same few parks.

So, we went to LCC. It was so FUN! They've made a few upgrades since I was there. The track looks great, and they have AstroTurf fields. They had new buildings, water features, sculptures, and more. And, no one was around to make us feel weird for going to LCC for a family outing.

Jet was running almost the entire time. I have never seen him run so much. Perhaps the track inspired him. Grandpa Durfee has taken him to a few track meets.

Here is the new sculpture. It has all these interesting carvings in it, and it has sentences etched into the outside, but I didn't have enough time to read what it said. I know I saw the word "heart" and "comforted," so it's some type of feel-good, warm fuzzies, inspirational sculpture.
For a bit, I pretended I was in Chicago at "The Bean" sculpture. But, I think this one is prettier!

They had poured new concrete, and it had all this recycled glass in it. Aawww, how cute, that's just SO Eugene.

Hey LCC, why couldn't all this cool stuff be here when I was here? Well, at least you inspired my idea for our next date night. We'll pick up yummy noshes at Market of Choice: paninis, brie, sparkling beverages, and go eat here. Can't wait.
These are officially my adventure shoes. Whenever I'm in them, I seem to be doing something thrilling, even if only slightly thrilling. Well, except for when I'm scooping dog doo. Ah, the glamors.

When husband golfs

2011-07-12T10:06:00.000-07:00

What do you do when husband goes on a golf trip for his day off?

You try to have as much fun as he is! It's almost like a competition! "What? You're going to leave me so you can go golf? Puh! Who needs you? I can have fun without you!"

You spoil yourself with a trip to Target, looking for a new nail polish color, and end up finding two that are perfect. Then you happen upon some glorious earrings that are the exact color you're painting your bathroom, and remind you of Monet's painting, "The Bark at Giverny." (Bark as in Boat, not tree bark) You can't live without these earrings, and besides, husband abandoned you for golf, so you deserve them. You know you'll wear them all summer.
See? They're amazing. They'll go with everything.

You have some extra time, so you take the dogs out to a new trail. Jet and the dogs go under the locked gate, and you go over. It's just there so vehicles can't enter.

Along the entire path is this wild type of oregano, that also smells minty. The scent lingers in the air, almost overpowering at times.

You come across the ugliest and biggest slug you've ever seen. Once Jet notices it, he freaks out. Only bugs that he can squash with his shoes are fun, not these. I'm trying to teach him to not step on bugs, but the second he sees them, SPLAT! BoyS!

That night, I had a date with my Mum to watch The Next Food Network Star. It was delightful, Mumsie. Thanks for asking me out. : )

Graffiti

2011-07-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

I was looking for a new place to take the dogs out, and I passed by a train with the coolest graffiti on it. I consider some graffiti to be really interesting. Yeah, I know, I'm probably advertising gang signs or secret plots to rob Springfield's Main Strip, but it's pretty. There was enough room for the dogs to play, sort of. I admit, it was a dumb idea to let my dogs play around train tracks, and my almost two-year-old, but the aqua-blue spray paint and nostalgic train was beckoning, and I had my camera with me. It wasn't until we were almost done that I found the NO TRESPASSING sign. Oooops. They really should have made it more conspicuous. But, it was posted on this small building, so maybe it just meant not to go inside that. I decided it to was best to vamoose. So, I had Jet say his goodbyes to the trains, and off we went. I have discovered that if he says bye to whatever we're leaving, then he goes without a fight, for the most part. It has worked wonders in stores. "We need to go, Jet, say bye bye to the basketball." "Bye Bye basketball." And we're off. AMAZING.

Nice mo-hawk and scowl, dude. Then Jet says, "Mom, is a FAUX-hawk, and it's just the wind. I didn't even have to style it, my hair just does it from sheer awesomeness." I say, "Okay Bud, but only while we're in the Springfield slums."

It was fun, but I was glad to escape without getting in trouble, or having one of us get squashed by a sweet little choo choo train. It was our wee adventure for the day.

Best Dressed

2011-07-07T12:42:00.000-07:00

I know a lady who has had the same outfit for 10 years, and wears it to church every other Sunday. It still looks new. The world would scorn on her, saying she’s outdated and needs a makeover, but I think she’s sensational. I think it takes discipline, humility, and a strong sense of self to do what she has done. I think she looks beautiful, and should be commended.

This is coming from a person who among her top 5 shows is What Not to Wear, the show that tells you your appearance plays a major role in how you’re perceived by everyone else, and how you perceive yourself. I think that is true, in part. I love to see the makeoveries come out so confident and see how much kinder the world is to them, how much brighter their future looks, and how they’ve learned they need to take care of themselves because they’re worth it.

But this woman has surpassed all that. She doesn’t need anyone to tell her she is beautiful or important, she already knows she is, and a new dress isn’t going to make any difference. Her and her husband have led a frugal life full of service, and I can think of no luxuries they have. She has always wanted a motorboat, but even after being married almost 50 years, they still cannot afford it. It seems a pretty reasonable life goal, to have a boat. If someone really wants a boat in this life, they should be able to get eventually. She pines for it in a humorous way, knowing it’s not that big of a deal.

Personally, I still love getting a new dress on occasion, but I admire this woman for truly understanding what is important in life, and what isn’t. She’s among the best dressed ladies I’ve ever seen.

Project Amazing Summer: Initiated

2011-07-06T14:05:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the bomb diggity bombspice (this is Busy Bee Lauren Lingo, check her out in my links).

It was perfect. You know how I was talking how things never turn out as great as I hope? Well, this turned out betta!

It started off with a little grocery trip to get root beer float makings.

Buckin' Root Beer has a kick in the aftertaste, but it's not a very tasty one. Just so ya know.

Then Chad and I stayed up watching Just Go With It. Loved it, but we were kinda loopy at the time, so it may have contributed to the funniness...but maybe not. And, I actually stayed awake....props 4 me.

4th of July was amazeballs.

After a relaxed morning, we went on a picnic to eat my homemade, off-the-cuff, wraps. Delish.

Afterwards, we went to my parents', where I challenged my Mum to a game of PIG. We were both majorly rusty, and laughed at how many times we missed. Later, after I had warmed up, Chad challenged me to a game. You could call it a...uh......hmmmmm.....what's the word.....oh yeah, SMACKDOWN! Yessiree, I beat Chad Durfee at PIG, fair and square. Well, he didn't take any 3-point shots, but still. It was legit, because I made a hook shot.

Then, ice cream cones!
At the Durfee's, we did BBQ and fireworks.

Connor is so much fun! He comes up with the funniest stuff. I love this guy.

Jet looks atypically bored, it cracks me up. Colby just got done with a bike ride, hence the helmet.
Lindsay has all the crazy pics of us playing catch with sparklers, holding them between our bum cheeks, putting sparklers in Connor's helmet, David having sparklers poking out his shoes, and whatever other random stuff we could come up with.

In the morning, I told myself that I must ride a bike while holding a sparkler before the day was over, so I did.

Escaping the Humdrum

2011-07-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

I always feel as if I’m going to plan these awesome date nights, where we’re both laughing ridiculously because we’re so stinkin’ funny, or we’ll be brought to new intellectual and emotional heights from a great concert or art gallery, or we’ll do something so crazy that we’ll never forget it and everyone will die when they hear the story.

Well, these thoughts seem stay in my imagination. The other day I told Chad about this great date night idea where we dress like gangsters, foiled teeth and all, and drive around town at night, blaring our music, sagging our jeans, and glaring at people through our sunglasses. He just laughed and said, “Um, okay.” “Chad, doesn’t that sound like so much fun?” I thought it did, but then I remembered how silly it would be to get a babysitter just for that. So I said, “Well, we could just do that on the way to something else.” Who was I fooling? I may be that cool in my mind, but I rarely bring my inspired ideas to fruition, partly because I know they’re kinda lame. Yeah, whatev.

Similarly, I always think we’re going to have these great summers where we do all those charming summery things like have water balloon fights, eat corn off the grill, jump in the lake, float the river, go to block-parties, fly kites, roast s’mores with the family whose laughing cheesily like on the back of a board game box. Then the summer goes by and I say, “Summer is over? What did we even do?” Even with all the best intentions, I can’t ever seem to have as much fun as I had hoped.

Feeling befuddled last night I asked Chad, “Am I boring?” thinking that I could be the very cause of my problem. He said, “No, I’m boring.” And I said, “Yeah, maybe you are. Well, no, you’re actually really fun most of the time.” He acted slighted by the fact that I could even consider him to be boring, even though he just said he was. I don’t think he’s boring, or that I’m boring, it’s just that life gets in the way. We have errands to run, appointments to make, chores to do, and all that running around makes us just want to sit down and watch a movie, where I’ll probably fall asleep in the first 30 minutes, sorry Chad, you know it’s gonna happen.

Thinking back, this lack of summer fulfillment has bitten me before. Well, I will not have it. Not this summer, by golly!

Here are the things I must do this summer or I will hate myself, run away, and live in a hole the rest of my life knowing that things will be more exciting there.

Okay.

1) Go on many bike-rides with Jet. Maybe I’ll attach funny flags to our bikes and see how many people wave or stare confusedly.

2) Swim in the lake. Chad won’t want to, but at least he can watch Jet for me while I pretend to be Danielle from Ever After. I’ve never seen someone look so blissful in dirty water.

3) Read some novels, not just non-fiction.

4) Go to an Ems game

5) Host poker night with mocktails

6) Take one trip to the coast, to a town we haven't been.

7) Run in the sprinkler with Jet

8) Have a hot dog feed with unique and delicious toppings. Guacamole, tomatoes, and sour cream…..YUM.

9) Sign up for redbox and watch the great movies of the past, like Singin’ in the Rain and The Shawshank Redemption. I might have to drink some caffeinated soda to stay awake, or get up and do push-ups every few minutes.

10) Hike one new trail, I’m thinking Brice Creek (thanks Jenni)

11) Roast S’mores, maybe try new recipes, different crackers, unique chocolate. Wait, I did that last year….and loved it. S’mores with toasted coconut? HEAVEN.

Well, there is a start. I know I can think of better ones, but I need to at least put these on the calendar. Any other ideas?

A little cheering up

2011-06-17T14:53:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I woke up in a blue mood. I don't know why. It was really odd actually, and I couldn't escape it. Everything I thought about was negative. Looking back, it also affected my body. I was slow and hunched over. I would cry at almost anything. Yeah....so not me! Naturally, this mood affected Jet too, and he wasn't too happy either. Well, after a long, depressing day, Chad gave me an empathetic pep talk, and I decided Jet and I deserved a blackberry milkshake. So we went, and it made all the difference. Yep, that's all it took for us to snap back into our normal selves. Why didn't we do it earlier?! Oh the wonders of sugar. I love sugar!
Jet got ice cream all over his face. We had straw fights (like swords, but with straws), and I taught him how to take turns, since we only had one shake. "Okay, now it's mommy's turn." I take a long sip, during which he says, "Turn, turn, turn," the entire time, indicating that it's "Jet's turn." It was so cute.

Here are some pics from my parenting class. There were mostly boys. Jet is the oldest by a month, and the other kids are only a few months younger than that.

A few nights ago I went to Borders. Chad owed me some free time, and a bookstore sounded like the perfect place to go. I encountered these interesting books in the children's section. They are stories about people with one personality trait. I read Mr. Nobody, Mr. Worry, and Little Miss Giggles. There are over 100 books/personality traits. I couldn't help but think, which one am I? Which one are you?
I was there too! A little worse for wear by the end of the day, but enjoying myself fully.
Jet likes sharing cereal with the dogs.
A few weeks ago, we took Jet to the hospital two nights in a row. His temperature got up to 104.7. YIKES! The next day, he was throwing up and his fever was high again. It ended up being a virus, and he's 100% better. But man, those were some long nights. I got really good at making him take medicine at the right times to keep his temp. down. It made all the difference.
I lost it when I saw this sign. I know what they're trying to say, and what they mean to say, and I know they're probably trying to say it in the least amount of words but this sign really means 1 of 2 things.

1) If you are workroom staff, you must be soiled (have poopy pants) to enter.

2) This workroom is soiled, so only the staff can come in here. (soiled workroom. staff only)

What we've been up to

2011-05-12T08:08:00.000-07:00

Over the past few months we've

-Been in the process of buying a house....we get the keys tomorrow! Woohee!
-Jet and I go on a walk with the doggies every day.
-Chad's job has been going great. The hours are long, but we're adjusting. I don't think I ever said that he's a car salesman. He really likes it. He likes it a lot more than teaching....lol. I would like to say that he is honest, and free from hair shellac, a cheesy smile and a plaid sportscoat.
-I've been practicing writing and studying analyzing literature. I love reading books about people who love books, and books about reading books. LOL. I love writing books too. My mind feels invigorated and sharpened.
-I performed my Lounge Singer act in the Ward Talent show. It gave me an excuse to wear my red sequin dress, and sing corny songs like I always do when I'm getting ready in the morning.
-I took a parenting class with Jet. I'm armed with much more info about how to raise a great little boy. But, I still have to keep reviewing the information. It's not natural yet. I'm enjoying teaching Jet, and being his mom. He's such a sweetheart, and loves to laugh. He's also goofy, like Chad and me. I love it!
-We saw WICKED!!! Amazing! I knew the music, but didn't know the plot. It was such a profound story about what/who is considered good and what/who is considered wicked. I almost teared up when the "witch" was flying. It was just such an powerful theatrical moment!

A couple months ago, Jet and I got in the snow before it melted. All he wanted to do was play basketball. The boy is obsessed.
Jet and I go out with the dogs every day. I love that he gets outside every day, and we just explore. He knows how to just enjoy being outside, instead of just being on a playground.

When it's sunny, we like to sit outside and feed the dogs some Cheerios. It's a hoot how they scramble to get 1 cheerio.

I only turned my back for a little while, but it was long enough for him to get this STUCK around his head. Grandpa had to SAW IT OFF! Traumatizing.
Grandma Stephens took us to see the ducks and chicks at Wilco. The baby poofums!
Chad was trying to convince me to get a duck. Um Chad, we have bird hunting dogs. Not a good idea.
Lovin' the flowers. I'm over winter.

On Chad's days off, we always go on a family walk. It's the best way to get away from the world and slow down.

I love my family!

Enjoying the weather, and life

2011-02-04T13:40:00.000-08:00

It has felt more like April than January lately.....whoops, FEBRUARY. Lovin' it.

So...my last post I was a bit melancholy, and looking on the negative side of things. I feel so much better. Thank you for all your support. I just haven't felt like myself for the past few weeks...but now I feel like I'm back and better than ever. I forgot how to enjoy the life that I have. Instead, I had been thinking about the life I didn't have. My life is wonderful, and fabulous, and full of love. I just needed to remember that. I may not have a career, technically, but I do have a career in being a great mom, wife and person. I recently signed up for a parenting class. I'm SOOOO excited because it's a class specifically for raising 1 year olds.

Also, I'm sorry if my last post offended anyone. I could see how it could have made other people feel bad, and I'm sorry if it did.

So, here are some pics of our little adventure yesterday. We had this park all to ourselves. It was warm and dry enough to really enjoy.

This is one of the first times he had gone down a slide by himself. He was so proud that he clapped for himself.

I found a fun feature on my camera, so I was able to get this action shot of Trigger. It cracks me up. He loves to jump and bound.
My artsy photo. I'm really enjoying photography because it's something I can do WITH Jet. I can take pics of him, I can take walks with him while taking photos of what we come across. It allows us to both be engaged in something. Ever notice that a swing is shaped like a smile? Gol, that's corny.
Then I went and talked to this charming donkey. He was most friendly, and then all his pals started traipsing over to say hi too. They were all so fuzzy and poofy. Goodness, they made me so cheery. I still have a childlike love for seeing animals.

We all had a ball, including the dogs, who found a creek to go swimming in. They got baths later.

Being a mom

2011-01-30T14:49:00.000-08:00

This whole, being a mom stuff, really throws me for a loop sometimes.

I love being a mom. Honestly, it is awesome. But, sometimes I feel like a big dork for just staying at home with my child all day. Is that really what I do? I feel dorky, because on some days, I don’t even have anything to do, but I have to do SOMETHING so I can keep my sanity. So, I just go to a store because I have a coupon for something free and I need to kill some time. Kill time? That’s embarrassing to me. Life shouldn’t be about killing time….but there are times when you just can’t stay at home anymore, and what can you do with a 1 ½ year old?. I feel like a bad mormon mom. Do other moms feel this way?

I love staying home with my son. But, sometimes I wish I could have it all. I just want a little career. I just want to be a part-time lit. professor, or be a writer, or something on the side that makes me feel a little more significant in the world, so that I feel like I’m contributing to more people than just my little family. But then I know that I would be more stressed and tired, and I would feel guilty for not being there all the time.

My life feels so silly at times. But, maybe I should relish the silliness. What I do is IMPORTANT, even if I don’t feel like I make much of a difference. My wonderful little boy is loved every day. He laughs all the time, he’s happy, he’s healthy, and he’s safe. He’s quite the perfect little guy… he’s actually one of my best friends.

So maybe, instead of feeling like a dork when I go out to just “kill time” and do something totally frivolous to get a break, I can just enjoy it, and just be happy that I have the time to do fun, insignificant things with my little boy; like, letting him run loose at Oakway Mall’s courtyard, and seeing him love every minute of it. That’s how these photos came to be after all.

Does this make me look fat?

2010-11-23T16:19:00.001-08:00

After 5 years of secrecy, Chad admitted something terrible to me.

Chad: Your pink robe is the ugliest thing you could possibly wear.

Jessica: What? Since when do you think that?

Chad: I’ve always thought that, I just never said anything.

Jessica: What?!!! I wear that thing ALL the time, how could you not tell me?

I was shocked. Why didn’t he ever say anything? I always put the pink robe on after I get out of bed.

He normally has no problem telling me his opinion, and we are always 100% honest with each other…well 95%. For example, I want him to tell me if he doesn’t like my shirt, or that I have a bugger in my nose. It doesn’t hurt my feelings; I want to know. (Exceptions are allowed during pregnancy….please lie your bum off and tell me how great I look)

‘Course, last month was a bit over the line. While we were playing Scattergories with the family he tells me I have a big zit on my face. “Wow, you have a big one comin’ there,” he says pointing at my cheek. Jess: “Oh yeah, like I didn’t notice. Thanks for pointing it out to everyone.” So then everyone has to be nice and pretend they never saw it. But who misses a volcano? Yeah, NOoooooooo one.

I later told him that if I perchance to have a landmark on my face, that I am already well aware of it, and he doesn’t have to inform me of its omnipresence. I KNOW IT’S THERE. I KNOW that YOU know it’s there. Let’s just pretend that zits are cool, okay?

Anyway, back to the robe.

Chad then elaborates on how awful the robe is, explaining that it looks like matted pink dog hair, and that I shouldn’t even give it to Goodwill because no one else should ever have to own the thing.

Sniffle. But……my robe!

So, I’ve taken to wearing PJ bottoms and a sweatshirt in the morning, and I try to only wear the robe when he’s not home. It’s so warm and soft. I know it's not the most flattering thing, but it's not as if I need to wear something glam to go with my raccoon-mascara morning face.

Wait a second. I just remembered that Chad has always wanted me to sew him footie pajamas with a bum flap. If he can wear that, I can wear the robe. I just need to figure out a pattern for the darn thing.

A farewell to the leaves

2010-11-21T16:55:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, Jet and I went on an adventure to try to capture a rainbow of leaves. The leaves this year are more incredible to me than ever before. They're magnificent. I wanted to photograph ALL the colors of I could find, from cherry red, to burnt red, to rust, to amber, to hazelnut brown etc. So, I strapped Jet in the jogging stroller, and took my average ol' camera, and every time I saw an intense color, I stopped jogging and shot a few photos before Jet got squirmy, and then I jogged to the next one. I was quite impressed with myself at my ability to combine arts, mom-son bonding, exercise, and nature appreciation. I felt so invigorated when I was done because I was able to use my physical energy and creative energy. Uh-oh, I'm starting to sound like a new-age weirdypants. But, it was such a fun activity to do together. I think I'll do it again, but with another mission, maybe....textures, fungi, rust. We'll see.

POP!

I love how the leaves look like rose petals. (If I had a better camera, I would have made the big leaf clearer)

Getting rusty.

Barely hanging on

Surprisingly, one of my favorites is this pic of the brown leaves. I never realized what a warm, rich shade of brown newly dead leaves are. Newly dead? Ha, oxymoron.

Now, almost all the leaves are gone, and most of the colors around are flat gray and muted brown. Gee....winter is ugly without any snow. But, I'm sure there is plenty of beauty I haven't noticed.

Garage Life

2010-11-18T12:07:00.000-08:00

Yes, I use that paw-print pillow. Yes, I know it's ugly. But I love it because I love reading in bed. It's so much better than propping up stacks of pillows. See those books on the table waiting for me? Bliss.

I just wanted to document our time in the garage, and show Hailey what her salon looks like these days. And, a big shout-out to the Durfees. Thank you so much for letting us live here!

Garage is a misnomer. We really live in a room within a garage. The room has heat, nice walls that have been painted a lovely shade of red, and carpet.

When we moved in, I told myself I wasn’t going to really decorate because I didn’t want the Durfees to think that we were getting all cozy and making ourselves at home, planning on outstaying our welcome for far too long. But, design got the better of me, and I couldn’t help myself. I had inspiration, and it’s just part of what I do as a person. I can’t not do it. Even if I only owned a mattress and dresser, and had no money, I would make a collage out of recycled newspaper and put it on the wall. I have to make things for the space I’m living in.

So, I made some bird wall decals from butcher paper that Chad’s lovely mother brought home for me from her work. Lindsay has a projector, so I borrowed that too. I traced the birds, cut ‘em out, and taped ‘em up. FREE. Hurrah.

The window in the garage isn’t double-paned, so I made curtains out of fleece blankets to help hold in heat. Hailey, I know these are your blankets. When I’m done, I just have to unstitch one line, and they are back to their old selves. (I used velcro for tiebacks. Tehe. I didn't want to sew anything)

Then I hung Hailey’s lamp. LOL. Hailey, I couldn’t help it. It’s the coolest, and it was just sitting there. I replaced the bulb for you : ) Using lamps changes the ambience in a room SO MUCH. It’s so much more relaxing than one big blaring light.

See that white thing in the bottom left corner? Jet's changing station!

In the real garage area, we have our dressers, pantry, and fridge. Jet loves to play with cans. He also loves to feed the dogs by hand. It’s kinda gross, I know, but he LOVES it. What’s the worst is that he loves to play in their water bowl. I have found him sitting in their water bowl with all his clothes on, or stomping in it with his shoes. He loves to put their food in the water too. He loves to dump their water out. Darn water bowl. I try to put their bowls out of reach when he’s out here, but sometimes I forget and I pay for it later.

After living here, and living in our last place (the single-wide) I have learned that we don’t need much to be comfortable. In fact, I like the simple/cheap life. During most of last year in LaPine, we found a big, new house to rent. But, it was too big. We barely spent time in the living room. We used the guest room a few times to host family. I hated our heating bill, and vacuuming. It was a beautiful house, but we didn’t need it. After that place, we moved to a single-wide trailer with lots of character. LOVED IT. I actually would love to have a murphy bed! Those are the kind that you push up into the wall. I’ve seen murphy beds that the “wall” (the part under the bed when the bed is down, and the wall when the bed is “put away”) has a table you can pull down. Ingenious! It’s a murphy table.

I have liked the smaller and older places we’ve lived in much better. I only want the amount of space I need otherwise it just feels empty. Then you feel like you need to buy more furniture to fill the place. Then you move to a smaller place, and you have all this superfluous crud. I can understand wanting to have a lot of room for the kids to play, but a 1 year old doesn’t need much. Plus, I like being able to spend our money on other things.

I think our society places way too much importance on houses. It doesn’t have to be this gorgeous, immaculate place to be a dream home. I think as long as its clean, kept-up, and designed how you like, then it can feel great and be a dream home for your family.

Spidey hangouts

2010-11-02T12:33:00.000-07:00

The other morning, the fog was thick, and the frost was just starting to melt. I took the dogs on a morning walk along our usual forested path. Every single spiderweb had been frosted, their outlines popping against the background. Simultaneously, I felt amazed and eeksy. There were spiderwebs everywhere, scattered around every few feet. I couldn’t believe it. I had been there so many times, and had only noticed a few before. Now they surrounded me. Luckily, most of the webs seemed abandoned; probably because they smelled my sweet blood and were chasing after me. I eat way too many sweets.

Well, that day, I didn’t have my camera. So, I’ve been taking it with me in the mornings, trying to recapture all that wonder. But, there hasn’t been such a day since. These pics were the closest I could get, and I’m already behind since Halloween is over.

I could have cropped Dakota out of this photo, but I like to know that she was there. If it weren't for the dogs, I wouldn't have even been out there in the first place.

Pumpkin Patch, Chad's job

2010-10-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

Chad got a job! Hurrah! It wasn't what we were expecting, but it could end up being a really great opportunity. We'll see. Only time will tell.

But, onto more fun things. We went to the pumpkin patch at Herrick Farms. FAB!! Free hayrides until 6:00pm. We ended up only buying a small pumpkin for $1. I felt kind of bad, as if we were cheating them, but um....we'll buy more in a few years...promise!

LOVE this picture. I'm trying to improve my photography. Lizzy explained that the best time to take photos are dawn and dusk, so we went at dusk, and I love the golden lighting. All warm and fuzzy and MMMmmmmmness. Thanks Lizzy!

So the hayride. The wagon is pulled by a really loud tractor. Jet had a panic attack. Is it bad that we thought it was a bit funny? He was just so freaked out.

Isn't that the cutest pic?
Fire and ice

Do you like our red ball motif?

Jet loves to pick up things that are way too heavy for him, especially balls (like my dad's 5 lb. exercise ball). He didn't manage to get this one off the ground though : )

I love my callings!

2010-10-10T17:08:00.001-07:00

I am so grateful to be able to serve in the gospel. I have been so blessed. The past several callings I've had, I have learned so much from. A few years ago I gave a talk about service, and I learned that when we give service, the person doing the serving is blessed more than the person receiving the service. After my past few years of service, I know that is true.

Two years ago, I was called to be the Primary Chorister. I was excited but nervous, because I had never felt comfortable in front of a group of children. I felt fine teaching adults, but teaching children was very new to me. I remember it took me so long to prepare, and when I first started out, sometimes I would be so nervous that my voice would shake...totally embarrassing, but the Junior Primary couldn't tell the difference : ) I remember I would be so anxious about having everything in order and ready to go. I would literally write out everything I was going to say, sing, and do. When I came home from church, I would be exhausted, because I was concentrating so hard. After a month, I wasn't nervous anymore. After a few months, preparation became a lot faster. After a few more months, I could wing things so well, it was really fun, and I could communicate with the children better. I better understood how to captivate them. I was released when we moved to LaPine, and by then, I was so comfortable in front of the children, and more confident in myself as a teacher. Such a blessing for myself, and my family.

In LaPine I was called to the YW's. This calling really changed my life. The YW president was truly one of the most amazing women I have ever met, and I feel privileged to have been her friend. I miss her terribly. I have never seen someone serve others so much. She was ALWAYS lending a helping hand, even though her husband had to work out of town, 4 out of the 7 days a week, and she had 4 children. She was full of love, and was so selfless. We were able to show the young women how much we loved them. We all bonded together. I felt like I was in YW again, but better. Everyone supported each other. We laughed all the time. It was wonderful to live the gospel together. They reawakened my youthful self. I learned how important it is to love those that we serve. If we do this, those people will respond. They will recognize that someone cares for them, and their hearts are likely to be softened toward us, and more importantly, the gospel.

I recently was called as a Primary teacher for the 5-year-olds. This is actually the same calling I had after Chad and I got married, and let me tell you, I was terrible! I didn't know how to keep the kids from misbehaving, I didn't know what types of things kept their attention besides coloring (which doesn't keep their attention that long anyway), and I didn't know really anything about teaching children. Now, after having my calling as Primary Chorister, I am SOOOO much better. The children and I had so much fun today, and they learned a lot. I was SO happy. I have learned how to keep them on task, I have learned what types of activities keep them engaged, and I have learned how to show my love for them. I am so grateful for these blessings, because I have so much more confidence in my abilities to teach Jet, and my other future children. Before, I was scared out of my mind, and lacked confidence in my abilities. I also feel confident in being able to teach in general, like teaching piano lessons, which I will likely do sometime in my life, and instead of being scared about it, I know that I can be a really great teacher.

The truth is, even if I didn't receive any blessings, I would still serve happily. I just wanted to share my gratitude for my opportunities to grow.

DUMPSTER DIVING

2010-10-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

It’s official. I went dumpster diving. I found food from a dumpster, and I ate it.

It was late at night; Chad and I were a bit loopy at the time, after having run through sprinklers at a nearby middle school. We were driving home, and I begged him to stop by the back of a certain bakery so I could simply peek in their dumpster. I tiptoed out of the car, opened the lid, and it was empty. Bummer. I went to the next dumpster, and there it was, gleaming like gold. Bagels. Bags of bagels in their original wrapping, right on top. I grabbed them, laughing giddily, and ran back to the car with a devious smile on my face. Ah ha ha, FREE FOOD, that someone was just going to throw away, and I rescued it! I felt such a sense of victory. Since I was on a roll, we then drove past a place with tons of mint growing, (I had scouted it out a few days prior) and with my new expertise, I jumped out of the car, snagged a few lengthy sprigs, and that was that. We came home, and reveled in our loot. Well, at least I did. Chad thought I was uh…psycho…but he doesn’t care, as long as I’m happy. And, I was beaming. I checked the bags, and some were expired, and some weren’t. I chucked the expired ones ofcourse. The next day, I made bagel chips. A few weeks later, I found more, and have since had many bagel sandwiches and bagel mcmuffins.

I’m a 25-year-old bad lady, people!

Let me explain myself. It’s not as bad as you think.

A few months ago I read a book called, The Art of Eating In. LOVED IT! It’s a memoir about a woman in New York who doesn’t eat out for 2 years. No fast food, no restaurants, no pre-maid meals from the grocery store. This is apparently EXTREME NY living. She ends up learning all kinds of things, how to make no-knead bread in a dutch oven, how to forage for wild greens, how to run an underground supper club, how to cook great food in a flash, and how to dumpster dive.

To learn how to dive in the dumpster (not that it’s hard, but there are tips), she went along with a freegan group. The term, freegan, comes from a combination of the word, “free,” because they take food and items from the dumpster, and “vegan.” Not all freegans are vegans, but in general, that is the case. Why do they do dumpster dive? A few reasons. They are anti-consumerism. It’s green. They are using things that have already been made and discarded, instead of buying new. They’re saving things from going in landfills.

Here is why it’s not so gross. Think of all those big grocers out there. They guarantee freshness. In fact, I was just in Safeway the other day and they had tons of big signs in the produce section saying if you buy any produce that isn’t as fresh as you like, you can return it. With their high prices, it’s practically like buying insurance for your food. Well, what happens to an apple with a bruise? It goes in the dumpster. It’s not a bad or moldy apple, but it’s not perfect. What about those sealed salad mixes that have a few wilted leaves? Dumpster. What about 2-day-old bagels? Dumpster. They aren’t moldy, they just don’t have fresh legs. You could say they’re in their late 30’s, but they’re certainly not ready to bite the dust. It’s kind of sad actually. Think of all that food that could go to needy people. The author could understand why freegans do what they do, but she only went dumpster diving once.

So, I’ve been checking around town trying to find grocers that don’t have locked dumpsters. Can you picture me driving around the back of grocery stores, checking out their garbage situation? Unfortunately, all the best candidates like Albertsons and Market of Choice have garbage compactors. Which makes sense. So, you have to find the small establishments. I’ve only found one place that doesn’t lock their dumpster. And, I’ve only gone twice. I really just wanted to try it out, but I may go again. But, maybe I shouldn’t since it’s illegal. Tehe.

But don’t worry, if you ever come to my house (aka, my in-law’s garage) I won’t feed you food from a dumpster. PROMISE.

i ate play-doh

2010-09-29T21:55:00.000-07:00

Every summer, I have to go to the Oregon Coast; it’s a right of passage for summer, like eating grilled corn on the cob, and begging for floss afterwards.

Along with the coast tradition, I have recently added an appendage that states, “If we go to Florence (Oregon Coast, not Italy..herumph, I wish), I MUST get ice cream at BJ’s.” This is perfectly official, since it’s in writing now. Really, any excuse to get ice cream, right? A trip to the doctor equates to: a dr. visit with ice cream afterwards. Dentist? Milkshake afterward. Choir concert or other performance? Soft serve, to soothe those exhausted vocal chords, ofcourse.

So, we’re driving along the main drag in Florence, and I’m anxiously looking toward the east side of the road, looking for the beloved BJ’s sign.

Play dough ice cream?

Completely intrigued. I wasn’t even one of those kids that ate play-doh, but I knew that trying a sample was a must. I was imagining it would be this curious mix between salty and sweet, with a thick, doughy texture, maybe in a bright blue or red. What do you think it would be like?

Verdict: Although I commend their creativity and ingenious advertising, I was bummed-out. In summation, their version of play dough ice cream is: vanilla ice cream with pieces of sugar cookie dough throughout. They dyed the cookie dough bright colors, rolled it out about a ¼ inch thick, and cut it into pieces, and then added it to vanilla ice cream. Okay, I guess sugar cookie dough is kind of like play dough…but…if my play-doh tasted like sugar cookies, I would have just eaten the darn stuff, and not honed my inner-Michelangelo.

But, they did have some other interesting flavors like

Ginger (with chunks of candied ginger)

Lemon Chiffon

Licorice

This summer, Chad and I made homemade ice cream a few times.

We made, vanilla, fresh mint, (foraged from a neighbor’s yard) strawberry, and toasted coconut.

Breaking the Silence

2010-09-27T16:55:00.001-07:00

I don’t even know where to start.

At the end of June, our litle family moved into Chad’s parents’ garage. It’s not your typical garage, it’s really nice! It’s Hailey’s salon, and while she is on her mission, the Durfee’s graciously opened it up to us…and even our dogs.

You see, Chad’s job at LaPine High School got cut to part-time, and we couldn’t afford to stay there. Chad has been looking for employment ever since, and hasn’t had any luck. He almost got hired at a really good teaching job in Texas, but they told him they would hire him next year if there was an opening, and if he were still interested. There just isn’t anything out there. He has a great background too, so it’s really frustrating. 3 years banking experience, (tons of awards from it) fluent in Spanish, Bachelor’s in History and Spanish, Masters in Education, and 2 years teaching experience, and great references.

This has actually been out first “real” summer together. We have always both been working and/or going to school. So, it’s been really nice to have some time together. We have definitely grown closer as a family, and closer to our Heavenly Father. With this extra time, we’ve been able to establish firmer habits of scripture study, prayer, and FHE. Our priorities are better. We’re more united in our goals for our family. Our faith has been strengthened.

I know everything will work together for our good, as the scriptures say, but sometimes I can’t help but wonder how it’s all going to pan out. I have faith that He’ll bless us with employment, but, I know whatever happens is His will. Maybe it’s His will to make us wait a LONG TIME. But, I have to keep reminding myself that Heavenly Father knows what is best for us. We are doing all we can to find employment, and to be righteous.

Even without having an income, we are REALLY blessed. All our needs are met thanks to our family and our savings. We have been blessed spiritually too. But, it’s tough being in a holding pattern. We want to move forward with our life, but, it’s not in our hands.

So many things I used to think about, seem silly now. Not silly exactly, but, just less important. I have such a desire to become a better person, to serve others, and to learn the doctrines of the gospel through and through. For example, it doesn’t really matter what my bedroom looks like, as long as it’s clean. Who cares what I’m wearing, as long as I’m modest and presentable. Crafty projects are fun, but I’d rather find someone I can help. And movies? Are they getting worse, or were they always so lame? Ofcourse, there are some really good ones, but they are few and far between. I’d rather have my 2 hours, than watch a mediocre movie.

So, that’s where we’re at right now. Some days are great, and some days aren’t as great, but we are learning, and trying our best.

Jet's 1st Birthday

2010-07-21T21:30:00.000-07:00

Jet didn't need any help diving into the cake.

He practically ate the whole thing.
He's learning to clap.

We got him a BIG WHALE pool for his birthday.
Wearing Grandma's reading glasses.

My mom made him a Jet cake. Isn't it awesome?

I love this little boy SO much!

He's so happy and easy goin'. He likes to be out and about. He loves playing with balls, big or small. He likes being outside. He LOVES to babble and talk. He LOVES the stairs. I could go on and on. I can't believe I have such a perfect little boy. He's the best. There are so many small moments, every single day, that are so precious and dear. I love you, Jet!

Utah trip with the youth

2010-07-15T09:29:00.000-07:00

At the end of June, I went with our youth on a big, week long road trip to Utah...with Jet. It was wonderful. We have such an amazing group of young folk...I love them dearly, and miss them. I think we always brought out the best in eachother.

The ladies
Boise, Idaho Temple

Outside Bountiful Temple

This was one of the first times that Jet was in the grass....he didn't like it at first, so you can see how he's trying to lift his legs up...so cute.
I hadn't ever seen the replica of the temple in the Visitor's Center. It was awesome. We were able to do some work in the temple that day. I had never been inside before....exciting!
I hiked Ensign Peak with Jet in my arms the whole way...I felt studly.
We saw many of the prophet's grave sites. Being there, you realize how short life is, and how much service these men were able to do within their lifetimes. It also reminded me of what is important in life, and what isn't. What's important, is how we serve each other, and how much we become like Christ.
Jet and I got to go to In-n-Out burger for the first time.
The new, Draper, Utah Temple....I think that's how it's spelled.
We did LOTS of driving. 12 hours the first day, and lots in between. We were doing whatever we could to keep Jet entertained. He became particularly fond of this straw. It was hilarious. All the youth just loved him, and were so helpful. All things considered, (lack of naps, lots of driving etc.) he did GREAT! It still wasn't easy, but it was fun to have him there and laugh at all the funny things he would do, and experience everything with him.

He has a "peg leg". Instead of crawling on his knees, his left foot always touches the ground, but he still uses his right knee normally.
Manti Pageant. I think this is my favorite temple. But, going to a performance that starts at 9:30, with a baby that won't go to sleep (and hasn't slept all day), isn't the funnest. I was exhausted.

This is the Place State Park.

Monday: Drive to Utah, stop at Boise Temple for lunch
Tuesday: Visit Bountiful Temple, Temple Square day, temple work, touring, Legacy Theater to see Joseph Smith movie (Nate was awesome, no surprise), BBQ with Bountiful Ward and games
Wednesday: Hike Ensign Peak, visit graves of the prophets, Draper Temple, Jordan River Temple, In-N-Out Burger, drive to Manti Pageant and watch
Thursday: Drive back to Salt Lake, tour BYU campus, Provo Temple, This is the Place State Park, 19th century pioneer etiquette classes and dinner, youth dance, tour outside of Brigham Young's house
Friday: Shopping, Lagoon Amusement Park (so much fun, especially when you go on a big roller coasters with a 65-year-old)
Saturday: Drive home, try to remain sane when Jet only takes one short nap, and I'm exhausted.

It was awesome.

Um...hi

2010-07-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

So yeah....haven't posted in awhile.

This post actually happened a few months ago and I wrote a blog for it, but it didn't get posted cuz computer probs...so here it is. I need to post things in order so it all makes sense when I get the ol' bloggy printed into a book for memory's sake.

Original Title: We moved...and Chad’s crazy

We had to move last weekend because the house we were renting is being foreclosed on, on June 2^nd, and the lametastic owner gave us a 30-day no cause notice, that expired May 5^th. Are you kidding me? We’re good residents! I was so tempted to leave the place in shambles, and paint atrocious murals with my fingers and flick my boogers on all the lightswitches. But, we had a deposit to get back, so we have to play nice. But…we did have a few items that we needed to get rid of, so we buried them in the holes that the dogs dug in the backyard. Tehe, our little secret. Yes, we’re naughty, but I couldn’t help it. ::grin:: There were just a few items. It will be like a time capsule…we’re just doing our family history!

We moved into a trailer. When I first saw it, I tried to hide the worry and slight disgust from my face, (I’m a very animated person, so, I really doubt that my eyes didn’t bug out at first glance, but luckily, I was wearing sunglasses….PHEW!) because the owner was standing right there. But, I was wanting a cheap place cuz we were only going to be there a few months anyway.

It turned out, I LOVED the place. It had a log cabin feel, a back deck, secluded, the backyard went straight to the river, a big bay window. But, we couldn’t drink the water, even with a filter cuz it tasted like metal and turned everything orange….and orange is just out of style.

On move-in day, Chad went all “psychotic, LaPine redneck” on me.

He hung his camo shotgun up right above the couch, before I even got to the house. When I walk through the door….”OH MY GOSH. You are such a dorkwad. You had to put your shotgun on the wall?”

Chad: (Big guilty grin on his face) Well, I knew you probably wouldn’t let me do it if I asked. I thought it was just so, LaPine, that I just had to do it.

Jess: Okay, luckily, I think it’s really funny…in a sporting-a-mullet-for-a-few-weeks kind of way. Mullet footnote: (David Bowie’s mullet in Labyrinth is amazing, yes?….John Stamos’s on Full House? Thank goodness it only stayed for Season 1. Differing opinions?)

When it’s time to start unpacking, Chad puts everything on the back burner….so he can organize his tools!!!! Nevermind that we haven’t unpacked the food or the toilet paper, he just HAS TO situate his tools on his stupid pegboard, while I do the important things like take care of Jet, and try to unpack the stuff that we’re actually going to need within the next 24 hours. I mention this to him, but he says he will feel SOOO much better once this is done.

Once Chad is done, he plays show-and-tell. “Look hun, doesn’t it look great?”

Jess: Wow….it looks awesome! (thinking: yes, it looks schnazzy, but I would rather know where the tools called, fork, spoon, and knife are, as opposed to pliers and screwdrivers. Okay, at least now he can start helping with other stuff.)

Chad: Now I’m going to the store, and we’re going to grill steaks to celebrate our move-in.

Jess: Chad, we have other stuff to get done first and we already have leftovers for dinner, plus, it will take you forever to go to the store.

Chad: No, we have to celebrate.

Jess: Chad, you’re just trying to come up with an excuse to grill steaks. (Steaks do NOT thrill me. Steaks are guy food.)

Long story short, Chad goes to the store.

Exhausted from moving all day, we grill the steaks and make mashed potatoes and gravy. We sit down, and have a nice (manly) dinner. I’m finally able to relax, and I admit to him….”This is nice.” Chad says, “I knew it would be.” Having a good, sit-down meal together was SO relaxing. We crawl into bed, pooped, share some funny experiences from the day, as usual, and crash. Although he has some serious move-in priority problems, he always makes things interesting, and that’s one of my favorite things about him. Love you Chad, even though you have issues. Tehe.

Guns, tools, steak. Oi yoi yoi.

What's your frickin opinion?

2010-04-19T13:37:00.000-07:00

ONLINE DISCUSSION

So....I'm interested in your views on the word, frickin/friggin/fricking...etc.

Does it really bother you? Why?

Do you think it's not a big deal? Why?

I'm really curious to hear what people have to say. No judgin' from me, I'm just wondering what the current views are out there. Please let me know. It will be fun!

Our love fern is blooming.

2010-04-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

Chad got me this plant for Valentine’s Day 2009….maybe 2008….eeek. Anywho….the leaves are shaped like hearts, and it had 2 red flowers on it at the time. In the past, I had told him to never buy me flowers unless they still had roots and were potted. I just feel bad buying flowers that die 1 ½ weeks later…..well….unless they’re peonies…..too cute to resist.

Not long after he gifted me with our first plant, it became our love fern. And not long after that, the flowers died. Uh-oh. How seriously am I supposed to take this “love fern” as being a symbol of our love? Then the stems and leaves started growing down, and in opposite directions. So, there were basically about 10 stems with 1 leaf per stem, and they were all coming out of the center, almost horizontally like spokes on a bike. UGLY. Chad accused me of neglecting it….which WAS NOT the case. But, for some reason, it was morphing itself into really extreme modern art…..you know….the kind of art that’s so weird and creepy, you want to look away, but yet still stare in a state of boggle-ment/boggledness, and then snigger, and then laugh REALLY hard when you get home? Like that sculpture in “The Break-up” of that little man with a faucet/spigot for a winky. It was THAT ugly. It was the ugliest, living plant I’d ever seen.

Well….this winter, it started growing new leaves….and they were growing toward the ceiling, and not the wall. It has grown more than 10 new leaves this winter. And…..AND…….a flower is growing. A bright, red, cheery flower. And, the plant is pretty. It has filled-out. It’s balanced.

But….this “love fern” has not mirrored our marriage whatsoever. According to this fern, last year, Chad must have beat me to an ugly “tripped-down-the-stairs-too-many-times” type of woman, and I must have locked myself in the bathroom whenever he came home raging drunk. Though, I do admit, I did lock myself in our bedroom a few weeks ago, when Chad was high on sugar and he was talking about testing his new ultimate-fighting skills (that he’d learned on youtube) on me, and was also getting mad at me for not testing our dogs’ electric collar on myself after he had. Apparently, that makes me a woose….but I didn’t give in. I did let him in the door when he promised to not even pretend to hurt me. For a minute, I was honestly scared….though I know he would NEVER do ANYTHING EVER to hurt me.

So…. The notion that ”love ferns” are a symbol of your relationship, is mondo crud.

The Escape Artist

2010-04-10T14:44:00.000-07:00

Look at that cute doggie! He really is cute….the little troublemaker. We got, Trigger, in October, to keep Dakota company. They are great pals, keep each other busy, and he’s a very friendly dog. But, he has issues. EXTREME issues.

I have recently come to question my disbelief in reincarnation, because this lil guy is Houdini incarnate!

Context: He gets severe separation anxiety when we leave, causing him to chew on everything valuable that we own. So, after giving him WAY too many chances to be a good doggie while we’re away, we decide that he’ll have to stay in the kennel when we leave if we want to keep any of our belongings.

Escape #1

Large, metal frame kennel. We come home, Trigger is not in the kennel because he bent the metal bars with his teeth, and escaped out of a TINY opening.

Escape #2

Large, metal frame kennel with the THICKEST metal bars available. The employees at the pet store had definite faith that this kennel would hold him, but we asked that we be able to return it if he got out. After the 3^rd time he was left in this kennel, he was able to bend the metal enough to get out, tearing the carpet, and chewing a bedspread along with it. I yelled when I got home, angry at Trigger’s very existence! The kennel was returned.

Escape #3

Idea: Leave Trigger outside when we leave, even though it’s cold. He digs a hole under the fence, and gets to the neighbor’s yard, from where he can escape into the neighborhood. They call the cops on us because our dog is in their yard. Are you kidding me? We have different dogs come into our yard every other day. But….water off the back….water off the back.

Escape #4

Idea: Leave Trigger in the garage while we leave. After a few successful tries, we’re very happy. ‘Course, all the recycling that was in the garage is chewed and scattered all over the place, but that’s better than our furniture.

But, Trigger discovers how to open the garage door. Seriously….he figured out the button. Fiend! The first time we came home and the garage door was open, we thought it was a fluke…but then it happened 2 more consecutive times.

CURRENT OPTION

We built a box around the garage door button, so only WE could reach the button. We have left Trigger 3 times since, and he has not opened the garage. But, he did get into Chad’s Argentina souvenirs from his mission, and chewed them up. Chad says, “Darn….I’ll just have to go to Argentina again to get more souvenirs.” Ugh! This psychotic dog does not entitle you to take a $2000 trip, CHADLY! Otherwise, every time I came home I could say, uh-oh, there goes our couch, better buy a new one…..uh-oh, there go my shoes, better go the Nike Store. Illogical dorkus! Dakota, actually did chew a hole in my running shoes 2 years ago….but I kept wearing them anyway…flustered every time I felt a rock in them, and hoped no one would ever notice my toe sticking out.

So, now that Trigger can escape our yard (we have a laughable fence…but, Dakota still stays in the yard)…we can’t leave him outside unless he’s on a tie-out. SUPER DUPER HASSLE.

Escape #5

So….after a while, he breaks his collar, and escapes…..and goes for a LONG prance around the neighborhood.

Escape #6

Then, we put him in Dakota’s old harness. After a few successful tries…..I look in the backyard…..and he’s gone, but the harness is still attached to the tie-out. WHAT??? We still don’t know how he got out of the harness. It’s completely in tact. He did it twice, and then we got a new collar.

If you ever come hang out at our pad, please do not laugh at out living room furniture. Everything has been chewed besides the piano and the metal lamps. Our couch has about 15 holes in it.

Chad: We can patch it. I think it would look cool, all rustic.

Jess: I seriously can’t stand hand sewing, and you have NO IDEA how long it will take. It will take ages! If you sewed, you would understand.

Chad: I’ll help you.

Jess: You’re the one that LOVES the dogs so much, how about you patch it yourself? I’ll teach you.

Chad: No. I think it would be fun to do together.

Jess: (Knowing he’s full of it, rolls her eyes and leaves. He’s really saying, “There is no way I’m doing all that by myself.”)

The holes are currently patched with clear packaging tape. I feel so white trash. Especially when you move on the couch, and the tape makes all these loud, crinkly noises. “Hey, could you rewind that part? I had to move cuz my foot was asleep, and I couldn’t hear over the crinkly tape!” GHETTO.

Just FYI, Trigger only chews when we leave him in the house, alone. So....the couch has been the same for the past 6 months.