Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you, tomorrow

We're picking up our puppy tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm nervous and excited!!!!!!!!!!!!

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The thing everyone else is doing

I've seen this little survey (I am a SUCKER for surveys) on a bunch of blogs I read so I thought I'd go ahead and do it too. Guess I'm a follower! Here it goes.

10 years ago: I was 14! Wow it's hard to remember what was happening 10 years ago. How does one remember ten years ago? One finds one's journal from the summer before high school and DIES laughing at the silly adolescent rantings of a weepy teenager. That was the summer I went to Salt Lake City (now here's the weird part) with my church youth group and no, we weren't Morman! where I had a crush on three boys and dyed my hair blue. I still remember the look on my mother's face when I got off the plane. Sadly, I will not be sharing photos of that. Here's an excerpt from my old journal that I wrote in that summer;
I've never been so scared in my whole life. I'm going to high school in four days. Oh my gosh (yes, it actually says that!) I'm so scared I want to cry. I called Nikki and she's just as scared as me. Thank goodness I have her to help me through all of this. I'm so happy we're sharing a locker!

I was THE DORKIEST 14 year old ever.

5 years ago: I was 19. It was the summer after my freshman year at college. I was massively in love with the Husband (the Boyfriend at that time). It was the only summer of college that I actually went home for the whole three months. The Boyfriend came to Alaska to visit me and we had the greatest week. He gave me a promise ring for my 19th birthday. My dad was nervous. Enough said.

1 year ago: The Husband and I were celebrating one year of marriage, we went to our close friends' wedding (I was a bridesmaid for the first time) and we were both looking for teaching jobs. That part sucked big time.

Yesterday: We got great news-we can adopt the puppy we've been wanting on Monday! So we went out to buy a crate and some other supplies we need for him. We also bought a really cool book called The Dog Lover's Companion to the Pacific Northwest. The afternoon included yummy Jamba Juice, video games (for the Husband) and lots of reading blogs for me. We went to a barbecue for the Younger Brother and sister-in-law (the ones that are moving to Germany, not the ones that are having a baby). Good times with the family.

Five snacks I enjoy: Ice cream (my favorite!), summertime fruit (raspberries, peaches, nectarines, etc.), Jamba Juice, graham crackers with peanut butter, and Nutz Over Chocolate Luna Bars.

Five song I know all the words to: Tonight, Tonight (Smashing Pumpkins), Here Comes the Sun (The Beatles), most Elvis songs (don't ask), Ice Cream (Sarah McLaughlin), and Strong Enough (Sheryl Crow). I swear I know more than that though!

Five things I would do with $100 million: Pay off our mortgage, pay off our student loans, become a stay at home mom, buy my husband the car he wants, and give lots and lots of money to people who need it more than me.

Five places I would escape to: Italy, somewhere tropical like the Bahamas or the Virgin Islands, Utah to visit a close friend, and Arizona to visit my best friend.

Five bad habits: Being bossy, talking in my sleep, being an under-achieving perfectionist, not cooking, and not gardening well.

Five things I like doing: Reading books, reading blogs, watching TV, taking walks, and talking with friends.

Five things I'd never wear: I don't like to say "never" since things can always change, but here are a few things I know I *probably* wouldn't wear-REALLY high high heels (I'd trip), a tuxedo (I don't want to look like a boy), bell bottoms, a sleeveless turtleneck (it doesn't make sense-are you hot or cold?) and a really really short skirt (I don't like my legs that much).

Five TV shows I like: ONLY FIVE???? Right now my five favorites are: Hell's Kitchen, Big Brother (peer pressure, solely peer pressure), Hogan Knows Best, and when they are on, Amazing Race, Gilmore Girls, Scrubs, and Survivior. Yes, I know that's more than five.

Five biggest joys of the moment: We're getting our puppy on Monday! I'm going to be an aunt! My best friend might come to visit in September! I just celebrated two wonderful years of marriage with my kick-ass husband! and I'm not sick anymore! This is something we should all to everyday-ackowledge what is joyful in our lives, don't you think?

Five favorite toys: Do blogs count? Well, if they do, then mine. My apple laptop. My cell phone. My car? That's all I can think of.

That was fun.

Rock Climbing

Today we went hiking/climbing with the Husband's little bro and his wife at Exit 38. That's on I-90 just past Issaquah. (Don't you just love the names of cities here in Washington?) Now, I've been sick for four days. Sick like I thought I would never get to eat "real" food again, sick like all I did was lay on the couch and watch terrible daytime television (thank God for cable), sick like I was almost crying. What was I saying? Oh yeah. I was finally feeling better yesterday (Thursday) so good we even went to friends' house to watch BB6. (Anyone?) I ate Mongolian food-not jello and toast! I even had a few bites of the birthday cake they had bought for me. So sweet. And delicious. But I digress. BACK TO TODAY. I decided I was feeling well enough to go out into the great outdoors. Husband kind of had to convince me I wanted to go hiking in the woods but I finally let in. We drove for an hour or so until we reached Exit 38 and started the hike up to the gigantic wall of rocks. When I say hike, I mean the guys BOUNDED UP THE FREAKING TRAIL and sister-in-law and I COMPLETELY LAGGED BEHIND THEM. We were seriously dying. Every once in awhile I think I need to get out and exercise more and today was one of those days. It kicked my butt big time. We told the husbands to go on ahead without us becuase we kept having to stop to rest. In my defense. . .no, I'm just that out of shape. Sad, isn't it? It was basically a crazy uphill battle the whole way. When we finally reached the climbing spot the boys wanted, s-i-l and I passed out from pure pain and suffering. The truth? We sat on pokey rocks and ate Wheat Thins while we discussed our other sister-in-law's pregnancy.

The boys had a really good time climbing, doing all 5.10 climbs. Means nothing to me but maybe DesertJade you know what I'm talking about? Us girls didn't climb because we don't have the gear we need (shoes, helmets, harnesses). I had about fifteen thousand and thirty-two heart attacks as the guys climbed and belayed back down. Seriously, there's a reason I don't watch the Husband do this kind of stuff! They were very safe though-even more safe since "the wives" were present. We got some crazy pics and this will probably be the last time the Husband and little bro will get to go climbing for at least a year together. Little bro and his wife move to Germany on Wednesday!
*Click on the photos to see them even better!*

So tired

Will explain later. It involves hiking and rock climbing. I only did the first one.

Camp of a Different Kind

I'm watching Brat Camp. Anyone seen this? I'm addicted to reality tv and I am already hooked on this show after one episode. I'm ticked off because I had written a long post about this (and other reality television shows) and accidently closed the window it was in. ARG! Well, I'll just leave it at that.
I can tell this show will make me cry at some point. The music is killing me.

Random Thoughts

We were reminiscing and talking last night about how the past two years of marriage have gone by so fast and we've done so much. . .

Me: I hope we have another great 200 years together!
Husband: Yeah, and we'll be super old and crotchety and we go to kiss we'll just crumble into dust like this.
He then kisses me, and makes "crumbling" noises.

BFF

I just got off the phone with my best friend and I am wishing we lived less than four states away from each other. She's so sweet-she called to wish us a Happy Anniversary. She's been living in Arizona for about three years now and she's doing great. She's the sweetest person in the entire world (no, I'm not just saying that because she's my best friend). She was actually voted "Nicest" girl in our senior class-I'm not joking. People thought it was weird we were best friends in high school because she was "so nice" and I was known for being sarcastic and somewhat negative. I just thought we balanced each other out nicely. I like to think she has helped me become more compassionate and I have helped her be more assertive.
We haven't seen each other in over a year now which makes me sad. We talk on the phone quite a bit and we're trying to set up a trip for her to come out to Washington to visit. I really hope she can come visit and finally see our new house and (hopefully) our dog if we have one by then. I'd love a girls' weekend, watching chick flicks, giggling, shopping, eating, and talking like only best girl friends do.

Sposa bagnata, sposa fortunata

Rain on the day you get married brings good luck, or so the Italians say. We were married on Saturday, July 26, 2003. And it rained. All day. Our family members were very stressed out. My day started with my best friend Tammy waking me up with smiles and squeals that it was my wedding day. To tell you the truth, I have no idea what we did that morning. I do, however, remember going to get our hair done. Many hours after that, we went to pick up Tam's dress and headed up to the wedding site. I was PARANOID that I would see the Husband (okay, then fiance) so I made everyone check the building to make sure he wasn't there. I rushed inside and hid until it was time to head up the mountain. I was never nervous but Tammy was. She was writing furiously (maid-of-honor speech) and my mom helped me into my dress. Everyone kept coming into the room we were in and asking if I wanted to move the wedding inside the chalet becuase it was raining. I didn't want it to be inside so I insisted we continue with the ceremony outside. As we drove up the hill, my mom, my dad, Tammy, my flowergirl, and the ringbearer were all together in the van. My mom reached over the seat and held my hand to tell me I looked beautiful. I almost cried at that point but somehow I managed to hold it together.

We made it up the hill and I remember being surprised by how many people were sitting in the white wooden chairs. Everyone got out of the car except my dad and I. He hid me so no one could see and when we heard our guitartist start to play "Here Comes The Sun" by the Beatles, we stepped out and walked down the aisle. This is what it's like to be roalty I thought. The rest is a blur but I do remember everyone was freezing from the wind except for me (adreniline I guess), the rain clouds finally dissipated, and the guests never sat back down (THE ENTIRE CEREMONY!) because we hadn't written "you may now be seated" into the ceremony we wrote! It was great. Every family member and friend I have talked to about the wedding have said it was one of the most meaningful and original ceremonies they'd ever been to. That means a lot to us.

Even greater than the wedding though, have been the past two years of marriage. I can't eloquently express how much love I have for my husband. To my love-thank you for taking care of me when I am sick, thank you for adopting a cat with me, thank you for supporting every decision I've ever made, thank you for welcoming me into your family, thank you for loving my family, thank you for making me smile when I'm sad, thank you for keeping me warm when I'm cold, thank you for buying a house with me, thank you for helping me pack up my classroom, thank you for fixing things around the house, thank you for taking walks with me at night, thank you for spoiling me with your love, thank you for always driving, thank you for making the best stir-fry, thank you for beings just as excited as I am about being an aunt and uncle in February, thank you for taking care of our lawn, thank you for acting silly with me on road trips, thank you for accepting my city-girl ways but also trying to expand my horizons, thank you for introducing me to tomatoes, thank you for dancing with me in our livingroom, thank you for loving me more than I thought was ever possible. I'm so happy you asked me to marry you at Mary's Peak and I'm so glad I said yes. I love you hon and I can't wait to continue the wonderful journey that is our marriage.

BLECH

We're home and I'm sick.
YUCK! ! !

That's all.

Orey-Gone

I swear some people actually pronounce Oregon like that. "Orey-gone." We made it here last night, pulled into town around 8:00pm-ish. We're staying at McMenamins Grand Lodge in Forest Grove, Oregon. It's so nice here, very cute rooms and lots of delicious food to eat. Positives of the Lodge: The cool artwork everywhere in the building, the big white robes, the amazing food. Negatives of the Lodge: Lots of bars=lots of drunk loud people at night and the silly people playing Disc Golf (quote from the hotel's website: "DISC GOLF AT THE GRAND LODGE 10-holes of fun for pros and families alike." These people are carrying bags with "Disc Golf" embroidered on them. What's inside the bags you ask? FRISBEES BECAUSE THAT'S ALL DISC GOLF IS. PLAYING FRISBEE. Now if you know me, you know I refuse to play frisbee because 1. Dogs enjoy it. 2. You look stupid playing it. 3. I hate having to run and catch things. Yes, I know I am lazy. The rant is over.

This is the Soaking Pool we enjoyed last night. Sarah worried that it was too hot for her growing bean but I think it was fine because we weren't in for long. There was a snafu-fun word-when we first got here. The front desk informed us we only had a room for one night, not the two we had reserved over the phone. Apparently there was some mix-up with their computers. But faithful readers-do not worry! It all got fixed today (guess there was a cancellation) so we are staying put. The even better news is Doug and Sarah got moved upstairs OUT of the basement so the speaker that was blaring Opera music just outside their door at 7:00am this morning will no longer be a nuisance.
The wedding is tonight at 7:00 and I'm looking forward to it. I'll try to take pictures. The Husband keeps asking me if I'm going to continue to keep this blog *secret*. I just don't know.

FREE

We just got home from seeing the sneak preview of


Not really much to say about it except I hope I don't have nightmares about the scary human bags. I am such a wuss, this I know. My sister-in-law's comment was pregnant women shouldn't see it. I could at least say I did not have to worry about falling asleep (yes, it has happened in an action movie) because the first hour was interesting and the second hour consisted of REALLY LOUD chase scenes. Overall, I liked it. Not going on the top ten list or anything though. We got free passes for the movie at the Billy Corgan concert and invited the big bro and sis-in-law to go with us. And tomorrow afternoon the four of us (such a happy little family, aren't we?) are driving down to the boys' hometown of Forest Grove, Oregon for a wedding. Good times and schwety, schwety balls. (Anyone know the reference?) Wish me luck wedding gift shopping tomorrow before we go. Yes, last minute shopping. SO not me but give me a break-I just got home from Alaska! I'm babbaling now so I'm just going to go to bed with Harry.
Potter that is. I don't want the Husband getting jealous.

This is why I am a teacher. . .

It's 1:42pm on a (beautiful, sunny) Thursday and I am IN MY PAJAMAS STILL! My day has consisted of reading blogs (is there a group for people like me? I'm addicted!!), looking at puppies online (we filled out a few applications!), laundry, and watching reruns of Dawson's Creek. There. I admitted it. It was terrible but I watched it anyways.

Life is so very good.

P.S. No people, that is not the only reason I'm a teacher. I also love kids and all that jazz.

Ho-hum

What did I do today?

1.Woke up
2.Took a shower
3.Ate half a bagel and a banana
4. Went shopping at IKEA (didn't buy anything but lunch)
5. Went to Old Navy (bought two skirts-one for the wedding we're going to on Saturday-a pair of courdoroys, and a belt for the Husband)
6.Went to Target (bought a shirt to go with said skirt at the wedding on Saturday)
7. Went to the mall that was swarming with teenagers (bought some shoes to go with the wedding outfit)
8.Decided it was time to go home
9.Read blogs (I CAN'T STOP. . .THIS IS GETTING OUT OF CONTROL!)
10.Craved some sort of snack food (which we have none of right now) and cut up carrots instead. I even ate some.

Can you handle this much excitement people????? I don't think so. Now we're (well, the Husband feel asleep reading Harry Potter) waiting for friends to come over. I hope they want to go out to eat because I don't want to cook. So there.
P.S. The photo is titled; "The Banana Girls"

Un-Be-Freaking-Lievable

Seriously people, this was the best birthday present there has ever been in the world. I saw Billy. I SAW Billy and HEARD Billy, and. . .well. . . I can't give it all away in the first sentence!! Front row baby-up against the baracades is all I have to say. Okay, not ALL I have to say. I'm talking in the security guards' faces. Not only did I stand for five hours last night but we walked a mile back to our hotel at 11:30pm since the monorail was closed (oops guess the round-trip tickets were a stupid idea) after the concert. We had to be in the city (Seattle) this morning for dentist appointments so we just figured we'd spend the night after the concert. I'm glad we did because getting up at 7:00am this morning was extremely difficult and we wouldn't had to get up even earlier had we driven all the way home last night and back in this morning. WHY AM I TALKING ABOUT THE DENTIST WHEN I SHOULD BE DISCUSSING MORE IMPORTANT THINGS IN LIFE, LIKE BILLY?
Our kick a$$ evening started with dinner at a cute little Italian place downtown in the Pioneer Square-ish area. We met up with the older bro and (pregnant) sis which was good fun. She said she's worried that it's (pregnancy/baby) all she talks about but I told her I didn't care-I'm so freaking excited for them! They are going to be great parents for so many reasons. They have such a strong solid marriage that inspires the Husband and I. Their 11th anniversary is in September and I think for them, it made sense they waited this long (not that there's anything wrong with that) to have kids. Did I mention I'm excited? Now we just have to keep them in Washington.
So back to last night. BILLY BILLY BILLY We went out to dinner and then walked down to The Moore Theatre. This was around 6:30pm (the show started at 8:00pm) and the line was around the block. Around two blocks actually. We stood next to the NASTIEST smelling parking lot (how many people pee in there every day?) for about an hour, being entertained by the other people in line. I thought I was a pretty hard-core Billy Corgan fan but these people had tatoos to show their loalty. The Husband said, "When you get a tatoo, that's when I'll know you're serious about this." Joking of course.
Around 7:30pm they let us inside the theater (beautiful place) and we made it to the second row up, on the left side. Perfect if you ask me. The girls in the front row (I call everyone girls, they were in their 20's) started talking and we found out they have been following the tour since San Diego which means they've now seen six of his concerts in a matter of a week or so. Crazy! One of the girls walked into the concert with her camera in the crotch of her jeans since she wasn't sure if they were allowed-nice way to introdue one's self, don't you think? The group of girls were on "the list" to get into the concert and seemed to know the guitarist of one of the opening bands, Doris Henson, from Kansas City. The first opening band was British, called Crimea. I forgot to mention-we were just sitting there, minding our own business when we heard a very loud noise. What was it you ask? The entire front row (about 20 people) POUNDING their way up to the baracades in front of the stage. Apparently the head security guy "casually motioned" it was okay to come forward and people just mobbed. Luckily we saw what happened quick enough and got a spot up front as well.

The opening bands played and Billy didn't come on until 9:45 or so, which the groupies next to us said "is usual." I decided that's what I'll call those girls-groupies. We also met two girls from Alaska (AK Pride baby) which was really fun. They hadn't brought their cameras so I'm going to email some pictures to them today. It was really awesome to experience the show with someone who admires Billy as much as I do. Everytime I turned to Alaska Girl to say, "He is so hot when he smiles!" she was turning to say the same thing to me! Granted, I know many people do not understand my love for Billy but I don't really care. Get over it.
He played about ten songs and came back for an encore when we cheered and stomped so loudly that the floors were shaking. Then (THIS IS THE BEST PART-DON'T SKIP IT!) he spoke to me (okay, to the audience, but it really felt like we were having an intimate conversation) about how he thought he sucked tonight (we assured him he did not infact suck but instead ROCKED) and about how this might be the last time we see him. . .untill he's with The Pumpkins! The crowd went wild with that one-the screaming lasted a few minutes at least. He is just so genuine and I know a lot of people probably think how could I know that? Well I just do, damnit.

Okay, I'm getting the the BEST BEST part. So after his speech to the crowd about how much he loves and appreciated me (errrr.....us I mean) he WALKED OFF THE STAGE ONTO SOME LARGE SPEAKERS RIGHT IN FRONT OF US AND SHOOK HANDS WITH PEOPLE IN THE FRONT ROW-------------------INCLUDING ME! Needless to say, I just about passed out from pure love and adoration. I was violently shaking and yes, tears did in fact well up in my eyes. It was one of the best experiences in my life.

Random Thoughts

I'm feeling brave-I'm finally posting comments on other people's blogs that I've been reading for months. It's so weird how you start to feel like you know people when you've never even seen them in "real life."

Anyone have any thoughts on making your blog public? Meaning, telling people you actually "know" about it? Not entirely sure how I feel about the idea. So far, the Husband is the only one who knows I've got one. Hmmmmm something to ponder.

100 Things. . .Finally Done!

I actually finished my "100 Things" believe it or not.

Are blogs selfish/self-centered? A little. Oh well. I've seen some people do this on their blogs so here I go.

100 things about me

1. I've been married for almost 2 years.
2. My husband is unbelievable. I know everyone says that about their husband but I am serious. He is amazing.
3. I'm a vegetarian.
4. I wanted to be a pilot when I was a kid.
5. I've never had a dog.
6. I have the best family ever.
7. I have the best family-in-law ever.
8. Office Space is one of my favorite movies.
9. I hope to change #5 in July sometime.
10. I'm a member of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). No, you don't have to be a mother to belong.
11. I only started eating tomatoes in college.
13. I don't really like vegetarian pizza.
14. I did ballet, tap, jazz, and modern dance for thirteen years.
15. I played the piano and the violin when I was a kid.
16. My brother offered to beat up a boyfriend who was mean to me once.
17. I love to read.
18. I use to get sick on Halloween, every other year, when I was younger.
19. I hated school lunch in elementary school.
20. I got glasses on the last day of third grade and didn't get contacts until my sophomore year in college.
21. I can't swim and my husband's a lifeguard.
22. In college I bought a Nissan Sentra that was a stick shift even though I didn't really know how to drive it.
23. I got in a *minor* car accident in above Nissan which totaled my car. I have pain almost everyday from my injury.
24. I love to eat ice cream.
25. My dad was 40 when I was born.
26. My mom was 25.
27. I eat a lot of pasta.
28. I have a grey cat.
29. I love the ocean.
30. My best friend in high school lived with my family during our senior year.
31. I met my husband on the first day I moved into my dorm, September 22, 1999.
32. I don't really like playing sports.
33. My cousin was born a month after me and we lived together the first two years of our lives. We thought we were siblings, not cousins.
34. I am an anxious person.
35. One of my (eight-year-old) students said to me, "You should go into comedy."
36. If I wasn't a girl, my parents would have kept having kids.
37. I loved Reading Rainbow and 3-2-1 Contact when I was a kid.
38. I don't drink.
39. I've been in an ambulance once. I passed out in a store, fell face-forward on the floor, broke my front tooth out and got a concussion. I had a headache for a week and when I returned to school, my friends had decorated my locker with giant signs. It was sweet.
40. I love tank tops. It's ridiculous.
41. I get carsick and seasick.
42. I make up stories in my head about people I see.
43. Seeing roadkill makes me want to cry.
44. I hate outhouses.
45. My husband wants me to write more on my blog profile.
46. I don't really like the word blog.
47. I always have a Luna or granola bar with me incase my blood sugar level gets too low.
48. We had forget-me-nots (Alaska's state flower) on our wedding cake.
49. I'm usually the passenger in the car and that's fine for me. I do, however, drive us to work and home at the end of the day.
50. My parents had to go to a parent/teacher conference in first grade because I was a "Social butterfly" and causing too many distractions.
51. If I wasn't a teacher I would work with monkeys or make scrapbooks.
52. I helped wire the surround sound system in our new house. . . and hated it.
53. My brother gave me chicken pox for Christmas one year.
54. I use to think there were little men under the streets controlling the traffic lights.
55. I hate scary movies.
56. I hated climbing ropes in gym class.
57. I've been to Hawaii 5 times. Please don't hate me. Two times were as a babysitter.
58. I think 2 or 3 kids would be great.
59. I can't sing but I still like to.
60. I was born in Sacramento, California.
61. I like cows.
62. I got my belly button pierced when I was 18. I've never taken the barbell out except for an x-ray once.
63. I do not think fruits belong in deserts.
64. When I was in elementary school I took "weird" things for lunch, like salads and cooked artichokes.
65. I love Original Veggie Burgers and hate Boca Burgers.
66. I was in a baby pagent when I was little and refused get off the stage.
67. I'm terrified of bees, spiders, and most bugs.
68. My first airplane ride was when I was 11 months old, moving from Cali to AK.
69. All four of my grandparents are alive.
70. My great-grandmother on my Dad's side of the family lived to be 103 years old.
71. I've never riden on a motorcycle.
72. I got my ears pierced when I was in second grade. I also got a (bad) perm.
73. I worked in retail for about six months at a children's clothing store.
74. I hate going to the dentist.
75. I have three crowns in my mouth.
76. I begged my mother for a NKOTB bedspread when I was about 10.
77. I am Italian and Danish and probably something else too.
78. I knew my brother had tatoos long before my parents did.
79. My husband taught me how to drive stick shift.
80. My cat's name (at my parents' house) is Cinderella. Come on-I was in second grade.
81. I was in plays when I was a kid. I wanted to be an actress when I grew up. I outgrew this at about age 10.
82. I can't whistle.
83. My favorite band is The Smashing Pumpkins. Yes, I know they no longer exist.
84. I like to walk but not run.
85. I don't really like to talk in front of large groups of adults. Kids, I'm fine.
86. I've never been out of the country. Oh wait-I visited Canada for a day once. I went bowling.
87. My husband and I were engaged for a long time-almost two years.
88. My grandmother came to American from Italy when she was a child.
89. I've never gambled. Actually, do slot machines count? If they do, then I suppose I have.
90. I'm going to be an aunt sometime in February.
91. I like to get take-out for dinner.
92. I'm addicted to reading people's blogs.
93. My favorite things to do when I was a kid were read and dance.
94. We always had our Easter Egg Hunts in the snow when I was growing up.
95. I've lived in 15 different houses/apartments in four states.
96. I enjoy writing letters.
97. I use to babysit a lot in highschool and the summers of college.
98. I like lists. Grocery lists, to do lists, any kind of lists.
99. I'm not very good at gardening but I am trying.
100. I'm happy.

DONE!

Yum

We looked in the garden this morning and these are what we found. We planted them about a month ago and they really bloomed while we were out of town!

30,000 feet

We’re flying home to Seattle. Didn’t I just leave “home”? I don’t really know which place to call home. I think both are really.
The trip was great. Not only did we get to spend time with family and friends but we also got to go to some pretty amazing places. Here’s a short list of what we did while we were in Alaska.

1. Drove to Fairbanks to visit Craig and Joy
2. Kayaked on Eklutna Lake
3. Visited Hilltop Ski Area, where we were married
4. Helped put on a BBQ for 30+people at my parentals’ house
5. Celebrated four birthdays
6. Found out we are going to be an aunt and an uncle
7. Read lots of books (Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris, The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks, We Are All Fine Here by Mary Guterson , My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult, part of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend by the Monks of New Skete)
8. Watched a few movies (Hitch, The Stepford Wives, Madagascar)
9. Saw friends we hadn’t seen in over a year and ½
10. Compared blood pressures with my Dad (Don’t ask)
11. Went to Benihana’s for the first time
12. T installed a new screen door for my parents, as well as a new clothes dryer. He also fixed my mom’s AC in her car
13. FREAKED OUT over the way a certain kid has changed since I last saw her (this could be an entirely separate and probably lengthy post)

I’m stopping at 13 because that’s a number I like.

We had a good trip. I’m sad to see it’s over but I’m also excited to:
*Sleep in my own bed tonight
*See my cat
*Look at the condition my yard is in
*Pay bills (I know, it’s sick-but I’m freaking out that they’ll be late, so not really excited as much as needing to do it)
*Read more about getting a puppy
*Gush with my pregnant sister-in-law over the fact she’s pregnant
*Go to the Billy Corgan concert on Monday
*Drive to Oregon on Friday
*Attend a wedding on Saturday

We’re descending. Gotta jet. Ha ha ha. Life is good.

Conversations

We visited our wedding site today-our 2nd anniversary is 10 days away and we thought it would be fun to visit the place it all "started". . .

Me: (Speaking to the people setting up for a wedding that was going to take place today who couldn't hear me) Oh you will never forget your wedding day!

My Wonderful Husband: Unless you get amnesia.

Oh Baby

Oh


My


God. . .





I'M GOING TO BE AN AUNT!

Day Two

Yesterday was day two of our trip. We spent the morning enjoying the continental breakfast and free internet access in our hotel room until Craig and Joy came to show us their house. They live about one hour outside the city of Fairbanks. It's out there. Far. The dirt road to their house was full of potholes and fun to ride on-like a rollercoaster. They're building their own house which I'm very impressed by. These people are amazing. They've lived here for five years with AN OUTHOUSE. If you know me, you know I CANNOT handle not having a real bathroom. I just can't. I'm way too citified. And I'm not sure that's actually a word. It was very peaceful up at their place although the wind got a little out of control.
Craig drove us up the mountain near where they live in his (cute) Jeep Wrangler to see the amazing view. Four-wheel drive is awesome. The funniest part? His dog, Grimm, RAN the entire way up the mountain with us, just galloping behind the Jeep the whole way. He is an adorable dog and so willing to please. He's just a puppy, about seven months old but he is very well trained. They don't even have to put a leash on him, he just stays nearby them. When we were visiting the Pipeline, some people walked over to him and while they were petting him and commenting on how cute he was, they asked what kind of dog he was. When Joy told them he was a pitbull, they made some stupid comment like, "Oh, really?" like they were disappointed that such a well-behaved dog could also be a pitbull. Arg. Grimm's excellent behavior and willingness to learn makes me hopeful that when we get a dog we'll be able to train him/her too.
Our drive back to Anchorage was smoky for the first 45 minutes or so, the smoke from the forest fires nearby had blown into town and created the most bizarre haze I'd ever seen. It was really thick, like something you'd see in a movie. We got back in six hours (two cops sighted during entire 360 mile trip) and ate copious amounts of snacks along the way. At one point we had to stop and get gas and I realized I'd been sitting for over 4 hours. You know what that does to a person's butt? Kills it. Makes it fall asleep. We listened to more of Harry Potter 4 and some music too. You know you've married the right person when he lets you sing (loudly and poorly) along with dorky songs like Blister in the Sun.
This morning I met up with my childhood best friend, Britt. She's the greatest-so sweet and the kind of friend that I can go a year without seeing and it's never awkward between us. This is the friend that I use to play "kitties" with-we sat in laundry baskets and made her little red-headed sister put Cheerios in tupperware containers for us to eat. Needless to say, we were cool. Just today we were talking about how kids today (yes we think we are so old) are growing up so much faster than we did in the 80s. We played with dolls until an embarrassing age (no I'm not telling) and designed our dream houses with pictures we cut out of the JCPenny catalogs. We played on a soccer team and discussed what life would be like when we lived next door to each other, our kids playing with each other. We had that round necklace that said, "Best Friends" that had a crack down the middle and we each wore half. I think my half was Be Fri. I guess I'm feeling all reminiscent. Being in Anchorage does that to me.
Now that I've done my babbling for the day, I'm off to go help my mom buy a new dryer and start cooking for the BBQ on Wednesday. Wednesday's forecast? Rain. God Bless Alaska.

Day One

Little did I know our hotel here in Fairbanks would have FREE wi-fi! We are loving it-it's much faster than the stuff my parents have back in Anchortown.

We left later this morning than we had planned but still made it here by 2:30pm. Other than being stuck in construction for 45 minutes, our 6 1/2 hour drive was just fine and dandy. I took lots of pictures that I promise I will post when we get back to Anchorage since we left the cable to hook the camera to the computer at home. Unfortunately we haven't seen any wildlife yet but we have seen beautiful scenery. Alaska is so amazingly gorgeous it's sometimes unbelievable it's real. I only slept for about 30 minutes the whole ride, which is not much for me. T likes to be the driver so I gladly ride along passenger style. We enjoyed the ride together, listening to the first 12 chapters of Harry Potter 4 (I haven't read it or #5 so I'm trying to catch up) along with listening to music loud enough to do some serious damage to our ears and singing so horribly that we would get booed off the stage if we had been playing Karaoke Revolution. A ridiculous amount of Hot Tamales were also consumed.

We visited with our friends who live here and met their new puppy. He's a pitbull and he's the most well behaved seven-month old puppy I've ever met! We had dinner with them, then went to see the Pipeline, visited PioneerPark (formally known as AlaskaLand) and listened to and watched lightning and thunder while we ran for cover from the POURING rain. I am talking crazy rain here, not just rain but a torrential downpour.

Tomorrow we're visiting our friends' property and checking out how much they've built of their new house. Sometime in the afternoon/evening we will make the trip home. Yet another great thing about the constant sunshine here-we can drive late at night and not be in the dark!

Our trip up today made me think of the road trip we did Spring 2003-visiting friends and family in Utah, Colorado, California and seeing the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas for the first time. Let's just say we're much more Grand Canyon people than Las Vegas people. Slight difference between our trip today and our trip two years ago-the earlier one was over 3,000 miles, today's was only 360 or so. If I have to be in any car for 300 or 3,000 miles, the person I want to be with is T.

Road Trip!

T and I are leaving at an un-godly (should godly be capitalized? Oh well) hour to drive from Anchortown to visit friends in Fairbanks. The rumors we've been hearing is the trip will be 358 miles and take approximately 7 hours. 7 HOURS?
T's best childhood friend now lives in Fairbanks and is building a house with his super cool wife so we're going up there to check it out. I'm sure I will have lots of pictures to post when I get back-hopefully some of Denali along the way-let's hope the clouds don't get in the way of the view. I'm not really looking forward to the SEVEN HOUR drive. . . T and my bro are fixing the air conditioning in the car as I type. I know, air conditioning in Alaska sounds crazy, right? Well it has been "hot" here, up to 78 degrees which is AWESOME in my book. I'm enjoying it-even sunburned my shoulders yesterday while I was reading in the backyard. Oops. Guess I should have put on the sunscreen earlier.
Yesterday was great-we got to see a few friends we haven't visited with for a year and a half. Both families we visited with have children-it's amazing how fast the kiddos have grown up. The two little ones I use to nanny for are now 8 years old (Happy Birthday B!) and almost 12! They seem so drastically different since I haven't been around for so long. Sigh. I feel old.
Stil thinking about dogs. . .T and I just got home from the bookstore down the road, and what were we doing? Looking through dog books! I'm getting very excited-it's something to look forward to when we get home in a week.
I'll post again when we get back into town, sometime Monday I think. I better go pack and get my butt to bed. There have been talks about leaving as early as 6:00am. Yuck.

24

Not only did I get to celebrate 24 years on this crazy planet we like to call earth yesterday, but I also got some very fun gifts from my family. Ma and Pa gave me the tote in the picture but in brown-check out www.queenbee-creations.com-love them! My bro and his girl presented me with a giftcard to Old Navy, and of course I already knew what my honey gave me-two tickets to see Billy Corgan in concert in Seattle. Oh and good old Grandma and Grandpa sent a check, which, let's face it, you can never go wrong with. Dinner was great, although it involved WAY TOO SPICY enchiladas that had to be controlled with sour cream. We went to a fun restaurant that you can eat your food while you watch a movie, or eat in the restaurant part, which we did. I also talked to a few friends on the phone last night, catching up while we're here in town, and I'm trying to set up a time to meet with everyone. Cupcakes were delicious after dinner and we sat around just talking. All in all, a delightful way to spend my 24th. Now I just have to get my body adjusted to this insane sunshine-it's killing me.

AK-49

We were in Girdwood for the weekend, a small ski resort town, enjoying some hippie time at the Girdwood Forest Fair. There's a lot of booths, selling an inordinate amount of jewelry, pottery, and wood stuff. There's also an extreme amount of food to eat, enough to make you sick. My mom kept saying, "I've never been in the beer garden! This year I'm going to go in the beer garden!" Did she? No. As we walked past it, the people inside looked sad and depressed. After commenting how they looking like animals caged up at a zoo, she walked on and that was that. Yes, I know, every exciting stuff here.
I told T the way you can tell if someone is a real hippie is if they are wearing shoes or not. If they aren't wearing shoes in ALASKA, they're a hippie. We stayed at the same cabin we have rented for years which was fun. There was a little journal for the guests to write in at the cabin and the group that was there before us had seen two bears on the back deck! We were disappointed to go home at the end of the weekend having not encountered any bears, or moose for that matter.
We enjoyed "The Bourne Identity" and "The Bourne Supremacy", ate too much kettle corn, and tried to sleep despite the crazy sunshine ALL DAY AND NIGHT. T even tacked up some sheets and blankets over our window to block out the light, which helped a lot. The picture in the post is something T took off the back porch at the cabin in Girdwood this weekend. That is in fact snow!
Now we're back in Anchor-town. The 4th of July wasn't too exciting here but that was alright with us. It was my Mamasita's birthday so we celebrated with a B-B-Q and rootbeer floats. Yes, we're pretty damn hardcore. As for fireworks. . . well as T says, "What fireworks?" The city of Anchorage always does a "big" display on the evening of the 4th, well at midnight so it's technically the 5th of July, and it's STILL light out then so its not all that spectacular. So, we went to bed and slept through them. I know, we're probably huge disappointments to most, but we're alright with that too.
All T and I can talk about lately is getting a dog. I think a puppy will be our 2-year-anniversary present to each other. Right now we're reading How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend by The Monks of New Skete. It's excellent and I've already learned a lot about training a dog that I didn't know. Go figure, considering I've never had one! No one is really surprised since we bought our house in March, I figure it was a puppy or a kid and for now, a puppy is the choice we've made.
By the way, I'm 24 today. I've heard rumors there will be dinner and an ice-cream cake involved. I'm happy.

Not much time to post

Not much time here, on the way out the door. Just have to say the flight sucked and we got into Anchorage at 2:30AM and didn't get to bed for another hour/hour and 1/2. SOOOOOO TIRED. . . will type more later. Think we won't have all the internets for about three days so I might go into withdrawl. Wish me luck. I'm pretty much talking soley to my one (I think one) reader, DesertJade. Thanks!