Life at 514

May 19 2012

Week in a car

by *shi*

This week was one where I have serious empathy for travelers. I am not a good car rider anymore, especially if I am driving alone. I get carsick, hot, tired. So, that made for a rough week.

Tuesday, I worked for a while and then drove the almost-5hours to Bend, Oregon. It is a big golf, resort , recreation area on the Deschutes River. I had a brief meeting on Wednesday morning, but luckily, I had a decent place to stay, and great views during my meeting:

After a four hour meeting on Wednesday, I got to drive home. More long, hot, carsick hours. Those days were both hot!

When I returned home, I had a package from my friend in Syracuse. The contents had me very happy:

You can only get plain Labatt Blue here. I am determined to find it in Oregon though (Light).

Thursday, I was back on the road again– but this time it was just a day trip. Whew!

I am so happy to be home with my doggies, lounging in bed today:

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May 9 2012

Birthday party for Kid1

by *shi*

Last week was filled with birthday party planning. CJW’s daughter turned 17. Last year at this time, she refused to even meet me, much less be around for her birthday. This year, she allowed us to throw her a family party. It was a really nice, and I hope she had a good time. We don’t get to spend a lot of time with the daughters, so I am never sure where we stand. This event was definitely a surprise.

We invited her grandparents (CJW’s fam), plus CJW’s grandma, my parents, her sister, and even her mom. Her mom did not come (which was fine and understandable).

We had an italian meal, which consisted of homemade mac-n-cheese, a cheese tortellin in pesto sauce bake, and an italian sausage and cheese lasagna. Then, we had a chocolate fudge cake filled with strawberries and cream cheese frosting for her. She enjoyed all of her gifts too, from what she said.

We have also found out that we have coyotes and possible cougars in the field behind our house. Crazy! Now I really have to watch the dogs so that they don’t get attacked!

Always an adventure here in the country.

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Apr 30 2012

Nonstop weekend

by *shi*

This weekend was full. I woke up today feeling exhausted from being on the go so much!

Friday started with my mom’s birthday. We took her to dinner with some of her friends. She felt spoiled and said she had a great dinner.

Saturday we worked in the yard. Bushes, shrubs, and trees were trimmed and ripped out.

Saturday night we went to a charity ball at the casino. It was a nice time and the food was great! I love dressing up!

Sunday was more yard work, hauling yard debris, and hanging out with the dogs.

The end of the day consisted of moving out of our bedroom and living room to get ready for new floors. Bye bye dirty carpets!

Today even the dogs felt worn out, and that the weekend is just not long enough!!

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Apr 25 2012

Life keeps on moving…

by *shi*

Life has stayed pretty busy the last few weeks. The weather recently turned better more recently. We have spent time working in the yard, and the house. We need to plan a summer vacation too.

The dogs are enjoying running outside. They come back and are exhausted.

I’ve gone to see Titanic in 3D a few times. I sure love that movie.

We have had a fox join our backyard, and still have a ton of deer. I love watching them:

We had such a nice weekend that I bought a baby pool to soak my feet in. The dogs use it as a watering hole to drink out of too!!

Last week, I was in charge of a resource fair at work. They sent me on my way with a roller briefcase of supplies. Don’t I look more like a flight attendant than social worker?

Gotta love walking downtown in the spring:

Lastly, I love my dogs. They are so much fun and company, even if they prefer their grandpa.

Up this weekend: my mom’s birthday and a charity ball at Wildhorse Casino.

Categories: Animals, Family, Handsome Doggie | No Comments »

Apr 8 2012

Happy Easter

by *shi*

Our Easter was pretty quiet, but lovely!

We had a nice weekend too! We started it off on Friday seeing American Reunion. I loved it & laughed a lot. We also took a drive down an old highway and found snow and a recliner (see below). Saturday, I painted a room. Pics later because it is not done, but it looks fabulous!! Then, we went to Titanic 3D. I cried like a big baby!!!

Today for Easter we had my parents and CJW’s grandma over for a nice dinner. I had fun putting together baskets for C & my parents. My parents both made me baskets too! I ended up with some nice candy, funky socks (my fave!), and a gift certificate for a pedicure! I love my parents. They are do thoughtful !!!

It was gorgeous out, so I took advantage of it with a sundress. The dogs enjoyed the attention too. Their grandparents sure love them!

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Apr 4 2012

It is the little things

by *shi*

I don’t have a very exciting life at the moment. I am finding pleasures in small things.

1. My new hairstyle. It is Hello Kitty meets Lady Gaga? I love that my hair is long enough to wrap into a bow! People look at it strangely, but I love it!

2. It was 60 and sunny yesterday. Today was 36 on my way to work, with some cold rain. I have shivered all day. The view of the mountains sure is pretty with the fresh snow. I love it!

3. I am looking forward to Easter. I like seeing my family for holidays. It is nice to have them with both parents again! More on this later!

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Apr 2 2012

weekend getaway

by *shi*

We FINALLY had a weekend getaway. It was so long overdue. It had been since our honeymoon in NOVEMBER since we have gotten away. CJW is working 6 days a week a lot of time. It has really sucked. Getting away was heaven, but we so need to do it more.

We went to Ikea to get some ideas, and pick out a few things for the house. We have a couple of projects that are about to start: new floors, painting rooms, some new decor….We had fun looking around and getting inspired.

We also did some clothes shopping. We got CJW a few things: dress pants, sport coat, and some dress shirts. He liked them, and I hope he follows through with wearing them! I think some times he gets stuck in small town living, and forgets that he can go beyond baseball caps, jeans, and plaid shirts…He also had a really good time and agreed that we need to get out of town more. I hope he follows through with this idea, because it really is important to me. Small town living is hard and I do not enjoy it AT ALL. I HATE where I live…Getting out of town makes me feel like I can breathe again. I hope we can go away again soon. Even just one night away is nice.

I went to Victoria’s Secret and some other stores to get some spring clothes and accessories. I got a few pairs of shoes too! There was a line outside around the building at Voodoo Donuts, so I did not get to go there. We need to spend more time downtown next time and try all the cute bistros and cafes. Unfortunately, it was cold (42) and rainy a lot of the time we were there. It was no condusive to wandering around. Hopefully next time!

Coming home was a bit of a bummer. The drive way nice because we did the scenic highway, with all of the waterfalls. I love it! It was not fun to come home though, with the realization that the next day was Monday. It has been a rough 4-5 weeks at work. Spring time is always hard in the mental health field, but this year has been the worst I have ever seen. My staff is burnt out, and honestly, I am too….Luckily, my boss sees my potential for growth and has me on some new projects, which I love!

Categories: Escapism, Relationships, Travel | No Comments »

Mar 19 2012

farewell

by *shi*

Last week was nightmarish. Since I am a supervisor to two teams, I have gotten to know most all of the clients we serve–at least by name. Last Wednesday, I got a frantic call from one of my staff who had been called to the hospital. One of our clients choked at dinner, and collapsed during efforts to help her. At the hospital, they worked for almost an hour to revive her, but were unable to. I walked in just as she had died….we stayed with her until the appropriate people came to make the arrangements.

It sent our little mental health clinic into a spiral… Not only did we have to process the death and sadness, but one of our co-workers was moving to Portland that same week. People were very sad to see her go and took it hard that she was leaving. After a horrible night on Wednesday, and a sad day on Thursday, we needed something cheerful.

We had a going away dinner for the co-worker. We went out, had some fun, and hung out together. Mostly it was just some of us girls, but we really had a nice time. It was nice to do something together that was positive and filled with laughs. Everyone really needed that!

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Mar 18 2012

Happy Birthday, Fuzzer

by *shi*

We celebrated Fuzzy’s 4th birthday this weekend. He is a St. Patrick’s Day baby–or somewhere right around there. No one knows for sure…

His birthday started off on a bad note when he got back from the groomer’s. Since he had been sprayed by the skunk, we requested a batha nd a hair trim ASAP. Well, he was shaved. All over. LOL. He looks silly, but still cute as ever. We had a small, family dinner for him. It was a fun way to get the group together!