to my bff

25 years ago I met you... kinda
you were in the womb and even if you were already born, I probably couldn't see you because newborns don't really see that far.
I remember your first house
and dancing to 80s tapes hours on end
and printing out long banners on your way cool computer that had super pixelated images
and your dad's firetruck toy
and the stairs.
I thought it was so exciting to walk through your new house as it was being built
and I remember walking up the stairs after it had been framed and seeing your room
little did I know that we would spend many nights there
laughing together
watching movies
and talking about who knows what little girls talk about.
just that alone would be enough to be forever grateful to you,
but the story didn't end there.
we danced
and we danced
and we danced
and we grew together
there were different things too,
there were different schools
and different friends
and different boys
but in the end I always knew you were there
I always knew we could laugh about what we used to think was cool
and remember things about each other that maybe no one else in the world knew
maybe we didn't even remember them about ourselves.
and the story still continues...
to be back together in the same city
and to learn more about you as a woman and a life long friend
is such a beautiful thing
I'm forever grateful for your friendship
for Paula Abdul and too much blush
for tap shoes and being awkward tweens
for long days at competitions
for laughs and memories
for moving into adulthood
for sushi and talks about the bigger things in life
and for whatever the future brings.
You are such a sweet and precious friend
and no one in the world can replace those things.
So happy 25 to us!

pasadena

We're going to Pasadena for a few days in March! Yes... I'm SOOOO excited! I can't wait!

Chinese Gardens

Saturday Don and I went to the Chinese Gardens for the first time. It was a beautiful day and we had so much fun with their 3 kiddos. We ate at an awesome place in Chinatown, Old Town Pizza, and walked a big area of the east and west waterfront that I had never been to before. We had a fun afternoon! We have so much fun playing with the kids but when we get home we always enjoy the silence :)

termination and technology

Donovan is done with his work at APU! Yea! Thank you so much, love. You have provided for our family and I am so grateful. We celebrated at Siam Society, yum! I had beef curry and chocolate cake with cardamom ice cream (oh no, lactose!).

The next day I took a picture of Don because I thought it was pretty funny that Don texted Jon an email from his iPhone while sitting in front of three macs! The third one is the new one Don bought himself last week because he has to return his old one to APU now. We are far too techy!

(I'll add a pic later... it's on Don's phone)

recent fun

Per Ruby's request, here are some random things we've been doing lately (with pics!)...
above is my best Yahtzee score card... ahh!!!
Below is Donovan's meal "The Don" at a breakfast shop in SE Portland. We've been going once a month to try new breakfast spots with Scotty and Steph (my sis)... so fun!

A nutria sighting at the local park (I thought Lewis would like this). It was so used to humans!
Don and I helped the Smith's babysit one day for their church friends, it was really fun! Everyone thought Ella was my baby. Lol.
Earlier this week my dad took me out in his new hotrod to sushi, my fav! We've been going to sushi a lot with him, I guess it's our new little thing. He just got this new hotrod, cute, huh?
Don't forget to check my blog posting below, I did two today.

swim time

As the warm weather approaches I've started thinking about what swimsuit I would feel is age appropriate for someone like me. I want a one piece but I don't want to look like a grandma. I have to give a few places some credit... they are trying to make one pieces for younger people these days, although many still look distorted in the model's teeny bodies with enhanced areas and it's hard to tell what it would really look like on me. So I have gathered my favorites (as I did in 08 for bridesmaid hair ideas) to get a consensus from friends. What do you think? Should I buy my first one piece this year? Which one do you like?






I'm a sucker for the 1950s style swimdress (the red one) but I don't know if it would look good on me and it's the most expensive of all, why does that always happen?

I'm realizing that this is just one of the many "adult" things I am doing for the first time now that I'm 25. I've started a good workout regimen, I'm looking at one pieces, and I got really practical gifts... little reminders that 25 is a little bit different of a year for me.

spring day!

It's a beautiful sunny day and I love it! It inspired me to run 7 miles, go to my fav coffee shop (Chuck's) and work from my new office... the porch! I'm wearing one of my new fun shirts today because I went to an interview for an externship site.
The view

birthday pictures

Thanks for being such a partier Don, even though you were sick :(

"4 candles representing 5 years each, plus the cake which equals five!" -my mom
the spread, yum yum!
Hershey getting a good sniff of the cornbread.  He loves his bread!  And check out what I meant by a "cluster"... that's what's on my plate!

Thanks for giving me life and giving me a feast for my  birthday mom and dad!

birthday

On my birthday I woke up to Snoqualmie pancakes made by my husband yum! My gift to myself that day was to take a break from my private practice stuff and do some things for myself: go for a long run, take a bath, wear fancy clothes. Then Don surprised me with two tickets to go skiing and beautiful flowers when he got home! He was pretty sick all weekend so the fact that he was able to go shopping and celebrate with me in some small ways was a really amazing gift in itself. We did take it slow for much of the weekend though, and fortunately he's feeling somewhat better at this point. I think it's because he's a faithful Neti Pot user now!
Don and I had so much fun at my birthday party. My parents had us over. It was a feast! That alone was such a nice birthday present! My dad made wild sockeye salmon (there was a whole fish there!), a crab cluster for everyone, and prepared the coconut prawns (I got to deep fry them, my specialty). My mom made a huge salad, cornbread, chocolate covered strawberries, and chocolate cake. I was so full! In honor of my 25th birthday I got some real grown up presents. I got an amazing knife from my chef brother-in-law and sis, an air filtration system from my parents, and a coffee gift certificate from my other siblings. And now I am a quarter century.
For V-day I took my honey to the Mac Store to spend his Christmas money and out to Chipotle, his fav. Then he took me to buy some clothes, it was fun! He ended up falling asleep in the car, but in the end he met me in the dressing room and helped me pick out a few things. We compromise, as narcolepsy is not always the most romantic of diseases. I had fun! Afterwards we came home for a big meal and watched depressing love movies on tv... wow, Valentine's day is such an interesting American tradition. You should have seen all of those crazy ladies at Victoria's Secret!
Of course, I had to let Donovan know that I hate sharing my birthday weekend with every other woman in America. We had a dinner gift certificate but we couldn't use it because Don didn't want to weather the storm of Valentine's day couples at the restaurant. Maybe later this weekend we'll get to go. But all in all it was super fun. It reminded me of friends that I've spent past birthdays with (Jeannie, Jackie, Megan, Hee Jung, Lauren, George, and Daniel) and made me miss them. It also reminded me of how they were my family when I didn't get to see my family and how sweet they all were to me every day, not just on my birthday. I miss you all lots. We are getting much closer to being able to visit Pasadena soon, yea!

time to celebrate!

Donovan went to talk with another Filemaker guy in the Portland area this afternoon. Matt, the guy he met today, has presented at the annual developer's conference and Don really respects his work. Presenters are known for being at the top of the field and well seasoned, not just any old joe schmo. It was all really surprising because this morning we were at Kaiser picking up Ritalin for Donovan and Matt called and asked if he wanted to meet him for lunch at 12:30pm. I was a little jealous because they got to have lunch at a nice hotel in downtown Portland. But I do have to remember that there is a bigger picture, and that it is good to have a husband who is internally motivated to do work that just so happens to be in a lucrative field. Maybe someday I'll eat at a downtown hotel for lunch too. Lol.

Donovan had talked to another developer (Kent) in the area last week who has his own business and wanted to hire him as a contractor to help with some of his projects. We were excited at Kent's offer but realized there were a lot of issues with that situation, for example who knows if he would get enough or any hours on the clock in the future if the work slowed down. But we were so happy at the same time because that meant that Don could stay in his field of choice and we could at least keep afloat for a while financially.

I was excited to get Donovan's call a few minutes ago saying that Matt was really impressed with Donovan's work. I'm not surprised because Donovan is an intense researcher and learner and spent about 7 months using every spare moment he had to devote to preparing his demo file to show to potential employers. It feels so rewarding to see other people look at it and be really impressed. I feel so proud when I see him with a smile all over his face and he realizes that people are competing for his time and excited that he is in the Portland area. I know that he is an awesome worker and devotes himself to what he does and is has great communication skills, but when others say that to him I think it is so different than hearing it from me and so rewarding for him.

So, Donovan said that Matt and Kent talked together and they want to set up a way to "share" Donovan. By share they mean setting up a pay system through one person's business (like Kent's for example, his business is called 3rd Rock) and then having all three companies collaboratively give him projects to work on and share his clock hours between the businesses. It's really exciting because Donovan will get to work with people he has admired for the last year, and get to know how different businesses work. Of course, we are still trying to figure out how we will get benefits (as he will be a contractor still and I am be self-employed), but that is such a small worry for me right now compared to how excited I am for Donovan.

Isn't he so great?! I'm so glad other people are getting to see his work finally. Don said that Matt was really impressed with his work just as Kent was and said "this is big league stuff." How great!

evergreen

So we're looking for churches still and I think we found one that we both want to commit to.... we're still talking about it. What I like about it is that it is small, they aren't into production but about growing as a community and keeping things simple, and that they are authentic people who really try to get to know new people. Of course, I really miss Mountainside, our money group, the kids there, Josh, and being supported by people in that community, especially regarding my work as a therapist. Yet, this place has a lot of things that I didn't know could exist in churches. They even have a community mental health clinic, although small, it is impressive that they are making that happen as a small church body and recognizing the mental health needs of the city and church.
The funny thing is, the church meets in two well known pubs in the Portland area. They are looking to expand to yet another site (3 church bodies now, to keep the communities small enough so everyone knows everyone's name) and the newer one is going to be out closer to where we live, which is great. Although, it is fun to be in the Pearl district once a week and stop for coffee (on the weeks we have the funds to). I think it's more important for me to have a place that I don't have to commute really far to get to though... driving a long way to church doesn't seem authentic to me (a long drive to church to see people that you never see the rest of the week??).
Today we talked about bodies and what we learn about our bodies from the culture and from churches/scripture/God. I felt really free to exercise because it is good for me, and to eat well because it is caring for this body that belongs to God, and to want those things not because I will be accepted by the world but rather because I am already accepted and because I want to live long and continue to grow and share God's love with others.

dog sitting

Today I dog sat for my sister while she and her husband are out of town. I'm coming over tomorrow too.

Hershey loves to cuddle and play ball and go for walks, but he just turned 9, omg... I can't believe it! I remember when he was just weeks old and as small as a little teddy bear. He is so quirky. Today he was begging, as usual, and tooted and it came out really loud and he was surprised to hear it and turned around. Sometimes I wonder what's going on in his head. Like was he thinking "who was that?!" I like to think he was.

He's lost a lot of hearing in his old age. But one thing is for sure he still has a passion for eating, peeing on every bush he sees, going on walks, and sleeping. It's just that he does quite a bit more sleeping these days.

Yahtzee

Big news, guys. I played Yahtzee on Sunday while the fam was watching the Superbowl with my mom, sis, and brother in law. You all know that there is a big rivalry in my family and I've always called myself #2... my oldest sister has held the highest score for all of our family's history... her current high score is 470 (about). This requires three Yahtzees in one game, a bonus on top and some excellent scoring all around. Well, great news, I had an awesome game on Sunday and got 529! Holy cow! One of my lifetime achievements (breaking 500) is achieved! Who says being underemployed can't be fulfilling and entertaining?

Although, it kinda takes away the excitement of playing this week, what are the chances that I beat that?!

good news

The superbowl was entertaining for the first time (not just the commercials, the game), and I really watched. More good news: I consumed many good tasting things. Bacon wrapped dates, hummus and hot bread, yummy chocolate chip peanut butter cookies, and my fav... ribs. Thanks fam.

In other news, emails from friends in Pasadena have made me long for those friendships and feel whatever feeling of "homesickness" you can have when that isn't really home. It's made me really second-guess moving here and my ability to hear God's direction. Right now I'm just looking to others wisdom right now and trusting that when they say employment and a future is in store for us in Portland, that it really is.

My new resolution is to go to bed by 10:30pm now. So I better make that happen tonight.