Random meme

We've moved in. I'm feeling under the weather. Andy is on his way home from a Winterhawks game (they won). I really hope I'm not getting sick, but an extra day off would be nice either way. Here's a meme I found via April. 

What interesting things would we find in your refrigerator right now if we were to open it?

Mini-peppers
Mango-tofu and Coconut-tofu desserts
Lots of beer
3 tubs of cottage cheese
Leftover pizza from last weekend (I should throw that away)

What is your favorite sound in the kitchen?

Our new-to-us 1970s Harvest Gold Frigidaire dishwasher. It has one setting: push to turn on. The thing is a beast and noisy as all get out, but the dishes come out clean in about 40 minutes.

What three ingredients can’t you live without?
Ingredients for baking: butter, almond butter, chocolate chips
Ingredients for cooking: onions, butter, garlic

What was a high point of your last week?

Connecting with a client and revamping her IAP (Individual Action Plan). This lady recently had two of her kids returned home and is trying to close the books on her open CPS case. She was almost terminated from our housing program, but she's turned a new leaf and I hope she can blossom further within the next year.

What was a low point of your last week?  


Hmm... wanting to say eff it on cleaning our apartment, because we knew the property manager would come in anyway and state that "charges for cleaning are mandatory." A word to the wise: clean your oven and clean it often. Don't forget to scrub around the base of your toilet. I'm glad we've graduated from renting and get to pour some money into our home, rather than some other person's pockets.

December meme

1. Best moment of January: the following conversation with Tommy...

In the car on our way to dinner... 

Tommy - "I can't wait until King Jr.'s birthday!" 
Andy and Cara - "Who?" (while thinking he said Ken Griffey Jr.) 
Tommy - "Martin King JUNIOR'S birthday, on Monday!" 
Andy and Cara - "Ohhhh!"
Cara - "Does that mean we get to make him a cake?" 
Tommy - "No, because he already died." 
Andrew - "Do you know why he died?" 
Tommy - "Because somebody didn't like the words he used." 
Andy - "Fair enough!"

2. Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors):

Landing in Maui to 80 degree breezy warm air, meeting up with Jason & Amy at the luggage turnstiles, renting a car at the last moment via our smart phones, and then driving a few miles to the Geste Shrimp Truck to eat the most delicious meal we'd had that day. 

3. Best moment of February: bowling with Andy, my Dad, and Cailyn. 

4. Action. When it comes to aspirations, its not about ideas. It's about making ideas happen. What's your next step? 

I did not follow through with my goal of reading as many books as I wanted for this calendar year. My next step is to give myself a little more time. I still engaged in a lot of reading, but there were large blocks of time where other life issues arose (mom's health, change in jobs for both Andy and I) and took major precedence. With that, I'll keep trying and make reading happen! 



5. Best moment of March: Finding out my mom was going to be okay after a week long stay in the hospital (via the emergency room and ICU). I somehow managed to keep it together 99% of the time, kept dozens informed of her status via phone calls/text messages/Facebook updates, and took care of Tommy for the week, A true hero, he saved his Gammy's life by pestering her to call Aunt Cara. Even now as I read back through my Facebook status updates, a lot of it seems like a very long blur. My mom lost a few days of her life as she was intubated and sedated, but came out stronger and with the knowledge that her time on this earth is not yet up. And for that, I am truly and deeply thankful. 

6. Everything's OK. What was the best moment that could serve as proof that everything is going to be alright? 
To follow up on what I just wrote, the answer would have to be when my mom said it was okay for us to go to Maui. We knew she'd be in good hands with close friends and family nearby, and it was the much needed vacation to a previously stressful two weeks. 

7. Best moment of April: Accepting my new position as a transitional housing case manager! 

8. One Word. Encapsulate the year 2012 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. 

Surprising. When things looked bleak this year, there always seemed to be a silver lining. There was always somebody close by on which I could count. A lot of people came through to help, lend an ear, be a support person, or just be. I am again, quite thankful. 

Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2013 for you? 

Beauty. Not sure why yet, but it's what I foresee. 

9. Best moment of May: Tommy's 6th birthday was quite fun!

Presents!

Another moment - From my Facebook status on May 3, 2012: 14,426 calls later (yes, I calculated), my tenure at 211info is about to come to a close. I'm taking the last 30 minutes to fill out an exit interview worksheet.

10. 5 minutes. Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2012 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2012. 

Any time spent with Andy and the family. Vacations, Tommy's t-ball games, new jobs, weddings, running. It's been a good year!

On our lanai in Maui

Shave ice!

Tommy was a little cold while we watched the Apple Blossom festivities in Wenatchee. 

Aunt Vivian marries Uncle Buddy!

Tommy's first Mariners game 

Orange saltwaters

One of our many nature walks in the Columbia River Gorge

Not Gucci, but still awesome!

Dasya and Tyler got married!

I met Meiko!

My 11th Alanis Morissette concert!

The Palouse and Blue Mountains in Walla Walla, WA. 

11. Best moment of June: my birthday was pretty good. I was more ready to turn 31 than I was 29, that's for sure!  Andy and I also took a 14 mile bike ride out to Vancouver Lake and got back into hiking and running. 

Fill in the Blank

Hello friends and happy Saturday! I'm trying to drag myself into the bedroom to put on my running clothes, but baking chocolate chip banana bread sounds much more appealing. We'll see which agenda items wins! For now, here's a little ditty borrowed from April.

1.  The last thing I ate was...  cheap sushi from Sushi Tsunami. It's time for breakfast!

2.  The last time I went to the beach was... Ocean Shores, Washington back in July. 

Andy doing his best impression of his brother Jason's smile. 

Thumbs up for the beach!

Which way should we go?

Camp fire story time!

Junior Ranger sign

Camping essentials

Our home away from home. 

3.  My last vacation was...  our camping trip to Ocean Shores. Thankfully, we're getting out of town next week for our annual Walla Walla wine excursion with the in-laws. 

4. The last place I drove was...  here in Vancouver after dinner. We drove the thrift store circuit which tends to be a ritual after dining out. 

5. The last song I listened to was... "Wild West Hero" by Electric Light Orchestra. Andy's choice for our Saturday morning tunes. 

6. The last thing I watched on TV was... Dawson's Creek, baby! I've made it to season 3, episode 3 entitled "None of the Above." Dawson makes a moral decision to return the stolen copy of the PSAT exam. I was surprised when Dawson believed it to be Pacey that stole the exam; my money was on Joey. Turns out (*SPOILER ALERT*), it was Andie!

7.  The last time I said "I love you" was... to Andy, last night before falling asleep. 

Day in the Life 10/8/11

Aiko and Suki, on a lazy Saturday morning.

Andy works every other weekend which falls on this weekend, so you won't see him in many of the photos. Yesterday, my sister had to work and my mom was attending a conference, so I took my nephew Tommy for the day. We took a trip over to the Portland Children's Museum for a few hours of fun. I tried to document as much of the day, which often led to narrating in my head as I took photos. Anywho, this first attempt was fun and I'd definitely do this again.

Good morning! It's 8:30am and this smile is forced.

These kitties are messy and love to "score" points by dropping toys in the food dish.

A little breakfast

I think it's time to reorganize the fridge.

Yes! Beaches is on tv!

Dressed and hair is suitable for leaving the house.

A quick good morning message to Andy B!

Sunshine on the car.

We just spent $721 for car repairs last week and I'm happy to report that out lil' TDI is running smoothly.

Duck lips in the car.

Pulling into my mom's driveway.

Tommy is there to greet me at the door!

We go to the backyard to check on our garden.

More cherry tomatoes! I need to harvest these fellas.

A long view of the garden and some lovely autumn sunshine.

I tried to get a photo of my cute outfit, but Tommy is sneaking up the kitty.

Cute cowgirl boots

My sister, Cailyn, getting Tommy ready.

Hello, Portland!

We had a nice break from the rain; looking south at the skyline.

Heading into the West Hills tunnel.

Time check!

We've arrived!

The first of many photos of Tommy in action at the museum.

Magnets, hard hats, and buildings, oh my!

The water room

Mega Light Bright!

Rolling out the clay.

The museum had a special LEGO castle exhibit that Tommy loved!

He's been in love with castles for about two years.

You can't really tell, but I put on a fake horse/jousting costume and I was able to snap a quick photo.

This floor is awesome! I imagine this floor existed when OMSI occupied the space, back in the 1970s/80s.

Tommy, in action.

Tommy loved playing in the bistro/grocery store. He was listening to to-go orders on the telephone. He even charged me $5 for a slice of pie!

Ninja Tommy, post-lunch.

One last stop at the dig pit.

Back at home around 3:00pm. I'm checking Facebook, while Tommy is catching up on a little Sponge Bob.

He napped in the car for about 15 minutes, but only because "the song on the radio was boring."

A little afternoon hot chocolate for Aunt Cara.

And a late lunch of salad and leftover spagooder!

Tommy napped a bit from 3:30-4:45pm, and then he won at the Game of Life, which we played before uncle Andy came home around 6pm.

Uncle Andy is home from work  and so we head back to my mom's house around 6:30pm.

Uncle Andy has joined us!

8pm Football! Washington State v. UCLA. Go Cougars! You will only hear me say this if the UW Huskies are not playing.

Cailyn, post-pizza dinner (which I forgot to document along with post-dinner UNO playing). We hung out at my mom's house until about 10:30pm, socializing with her BFFs from high school who were visiting from Northern California.

Back at home, Andy is playing Angry Birds around 11pm.

I think I'll peruse this book for a few minutes. We turned out the lights just after 11:30pm; Andy had another early work day starting at 5:45am!