Why I Love Where I Live - 2 October 10, 2008

There are also many benefits to my location. Besides the fluffy stuff, we are close enough to *almost* everyone that we love, that we can see them pretty regularly.

I don’t actually know anyone in Vancouver besides Adrian’s work people and people I’ve met through homeschooling events. But right over the bridge is Doris, one of my best friends. I’ve known her for over 8 years now and she’s my go-to girl when I need parenting advice. Doris is my WWJD WWDD? person. Having her closeby is going to be amazing.

Jenn, my person, is about 2 hours from me, she is also one of my best friends. She’s amazing, she’s always honest, even if it’s not what I want to hear. She’s always there for me, even when I’ve behaved like an idiot. I kinda love Adam too… but don’t tell him that. I’ve seen Jenn 3 or 4 times already since coming back to the NorthWest. YAY!

Mac is my Mac-n-cheese. She’s a keeper too, also one of the bestest. Mac is always good for a debate, a smart-ass remark and a shoulder to lean on.  I love my mac-n-cheese. I find this a great time to address the spelling of her abbreviated name. It’s Mac people, not Mack. She’s not a Mack truck, she’s Mac. There.

My mom is in Seattle, close enough, but not too close. We are getting to be on better terms and I like going up to visit for a couple of days at a time.

These are the people that are closest to me, in more ways than one now.

Then heading south we have Chalaena, my little step-sis in Salem. I haven’t been able to see her yet, but as soon as we head south for a weekend in Roseburg we will definately go see her and my nephews and new little niece.

Then on farther down in Roseburg we have Adrians Mom, my favorite in-law of all time. She’s the best. We’ve seen her about 5 or so, times already. I am so lucky to have her in my life.

I have my Sister in-law Cari down there too. She rocks my socks. I can’t wait to see her more often!

There’s my other family, Amy’s family, Jenny, Brandy, Mariah and the rest of that cooky clan reside there. I love being able to visit with them when I visit the area! Now, if Amy would just move back there we’d be set!

There are lots of others in the area of Seattle, Portland and Roseburg that I haven’t mentioned, but they are just as important in my life and I’m SO f’ing happy to have them all closer.

Ash, Aimee, Katrina, Karen, Noelle, Shanna & the rest of my Portland girls, where the hell are ya!? Let’s get together!

Another cool thing about being back here, John is a great friend of mine and the lead vocals for Quoting Napoleon. Awesome music, made better by amazing vocals. Being here means I get to become a groupie again. YAY! I can’t wait to get to see them play!

I’m probably forgetting to mention people here but please don’t be upset if I didn’t mention you. If you know me, you know I’m a little flakey at times and you should be accepting of that fact.

Of course all of this good stuff means that I am missing my girl in Florida, Brenda, like crazy - I can’t even listen to my Carrie Underwood cd anymore without balling my eyes out.

Stay tuned my friends… I’m on a roll!

Why I Love Where I Live - October 10, 2008

Here in Vancouver, Washington is where I reside now. It’s interesting that before we moved here I never visited this town more than twice. I have driven past it on I5 plenty of times, but that doesn’t count. I lived in Portland, Oregon for about five years and never managed to cross the bridge and see what Vancouver was all about. I love Portland, but I really love it here in Vancouver too. Maybe it’s just that I am so incredibly grateful to be back in the NorthWest and the general Portland area. I’m pretty sure though, that I love this town too.

Being a bit of a gypsy, or nomad or whatever you want to call me it’s hard to know where is the right place and if we’re ready to develop roots. You see, both Adrian and I are people that love a little bit of everything. We love the idea of living on about 15 acres in the middle of nowhere, but we’ve always said we’d want to be close to a big town or smaller city. The thing is that we both also love the idea of the really urban life too, living in the downtown area that’s up and coming, hip and trendy, with the wonderful things the NorthWest is known for. Microbreweries, amazing coffee shops, used book stores and antique shops, I love those things about the downtown areas. I love the idea of walking to these things from my home, saying hello to neighbors and passers-by on the way. Getting back to the 15 acres… we also love the idea of having a sustainable homestead. With a few cattle, chickens, pigs, cock-a-doodle-do and the whole she-bang. I want to be self sustaining! I want to send the kids out to the hen house to collect eggs every morning.

You see why it’s hard for us to decide? How do you find something in the middle. People usually can define themselves, put themselves into one of these two boxes - City Girl/Boy or Country Girl/Boy. I want both, dammit! *stomps feet with hands on hips* Why can’t I have both? Uh, I can try. I don’t know how successful I’ll be at that, seems a little far-fetched.

Loving two things at such opposite ends of the spectrum can really bite you in the ass.

So here I am, in this house built in the late 80’s, in a neighborhood where everyone has a pretty fair sized lot, we have about .25 acre to spread out on. The elementary is within walking distance, it’s actually IN my neighborhood. Last night I was sitting in the kitchen, it was incredibly quiet, girls went to bed early and I was on the puter, I heard the strangest sound. It was a marching band, like a high school marching band. A smile graced my face at that sound. Why, you ask? Why would I LIKE to be hearing those sounds at 8pm on a Thursday night, from my kitchen window?

I had to ask myself why as well. Why is it that when I open the drapes in the living room I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. This is not what I thought my dream house/property was. I really thought it was on 15 acres somewhere. Not in suburbia. Not in McNeighborhood. I am so taken by surprise, but have such delight over this.

I think it’s because of my childhood. I think it’s because as a child I always lived in the more run-down looking places. We almost always had a house, but it was never a nicer one with a nice fenced backyard and fresh paint and newer appliances. I think this is the house I dreamed of living in as a child. It’s from the late 80’s and at that point I was around 10-13 or so I suppose. It was new then, it was new when I wanted this kind of lifestyle so badly. The family with the Suburban in the driveway, the Dad tinkering in the garage and Mom puttering in the kitchen and the family dog roaming the fenced back yard and the kids climbing the tree in the yard. Soon there will be kids, many kids I imagine, dressed as pirates and princesses, ghosts and goblins gracing my front doorstep soon. Then there will be Christmas lights glowing throughout the neighborhood. *sigh* Normal Stuff.

The “normal” families had homes like this. When I look down deep, this has got to be the answer to why I am so damned happy in this house. The answer to why I am so damned happy at the sound of a marching band, telling me those normal kids are at the football field just around the corner, close enough to hear their screams of delight for the winning touchdown.

Deep shit.

I think I found it. I think I don’t ever want to move again. I can have a garden, heck, there’s already a greenhouse here. I need another bedroom eventually, but that can wait until later after we buy this place, like normal families buy instead of renting lifelong. After buying it, we’ll remodel and add that bedroom, like normal people do. I’ll even put chickens in my yard to feed that homesteading fire. I can still send the kids out for eggs.

Eventually, I’ll even make it into the gosh-darned phone book. This is my dream for now… and I’m livin’ it Baby.

Over and out.

Too Long, So Long October 9, 2008

Been a long time, I know.

You see, I can’t ever decide what to write, now that we are actually moved and looking at some kind of normal daily routine. I can’t decide if I should just do updates until I’m caught up or what, because that leaves me in a nasty circle that won’t end, I’ll constantly be updating and not talking about current things….

So, I think I decided that you get the most cut-down version of my update. I will hopefully have enough time in the near future to do some posts about this summer and all of the adventures we had - there were many that were wothy of posting and sharing the photo’s.

Here’s the broken down version of the last few months.

June-

packed and moved out of our condo in the 3rd week

Drove cross-country with the boys, O’s and the dog & cat & uhaul trailer.

July-

Arrived in Oregon to find out we really needed to be in Washington

Arrived in Washington around the 1st of July.

Camped out around Vancouver Wa. for a combined total of about 6 weeks (there were about 3 nights in hotels spread out throughout that time)

August-

Moved into a home out in the boonies, that didn’t turn out well.

September-

Started our homeschooling for the year

October-

Moved into a house in town, Vancouver

Finally settling in (WHEEEWW)

Driving to Idaho this month to get our things out of storage and really, actually, finally, physically have our things in our home and finally start to feel at home and like we belong, to STAY.

That’s about how it goes up until this point….

On to the current news.

Things are looking good, things are going well, A & I are doing great, we are happy, healthy and loved. We are having a great time here and really feel great about being here, in Wa., in this house. We feel grounded.

More to come…. stay tuned!

I have a BIG idea May 19, 2008

I would actually really like to get sponsorship for this idea, but I really don’t know how to go about doing that. I would, ideally, be able to present my idea to companies like The Travel Channel or maybe Discovery Channel or Discovery Kids, you get the picture right? The problem is I am just clueless about this sort of thing. I think that if I could figure out the best way to do this, I could make this idea dream a reality, in a big way and I think it’d be a beautiful thing.

How do you approach a major network with an idea for a show? Please, tell me your ideas!

Busy Busy May 8, 2008

I have a lot going on right now. Today I have to get my kitty back in to the vet. She was fixed the other day and yesterday she ripped out one of her two stitches so today we go  back for a staple in the belly and a cone around the head to prevent further stitch ripping out.

They’ll also be taking a look at her wierd toe that I mentioned before. They were supposed to be fixing it when she was already under anesthesia but when I picked her up I was told “the doctor looked at her toe and the claw it totally fine so he just trimmed it anyway for you”. Right, the only claw that is trimmed is on the opposite leg! lol

Then I’ve got to go by The Body Shop for their sale today, I’m so addicted to their stuff. I only use their make-up, because it’s made with integrity and that is hard to find in make-up. Because of the way it is made and the ingredients (most all natural) they are also a little expensive. Normally these products would be WAY out of my price range, but you can’t beat the quality. So I will stop by their store today and hopefully I’ll be one of the first 50 through the door to get a door prize too. Yay! lol:)

After the mall I have to find some cheap-o decorations and prize gifts for the bridal shower and maybe some funnies for the bachelorrette party too. Which leads me to this question - How do you feel about your husband going out on the town for batchelor parties? Are you confident that he won’t do anything that wouldn’t drive you insane?

So when I’m done shopping today I will be coming home to cook and clean. The cooking part I love, thank God. Ever made dinner around just one ingredient? I happen to have a perfectly ripe avocado and so that means mexican! I’m making chicken enchilada’s tonight, my man is very happy about this. Any great enchilada recipes out there? I usually throw it together, I never really try recipes unless it’s something that I don’t know the basics of. Oh crap, I need to go to the store for lettuce, serrano peppers, olives and onions. Dang it.

So that’s my day in a nutshell, what’s yours lookin’ like?

Also wanted to ask about batchelorrette parties - what suggestions do you have for me? Any cool party idea’s or games?

So much going on! May 5, 2008

There is a lot going on right now and I hardly have time to write!

I’m Maid of Honor in my friend B’s wedding coming up on the 16th, 11 days away. I don’t know what my job duties are supposed to be so I feel like I’m failing her. She does all of the traditional things that I happen to think are a little silly, but it’s her wedding and what she wants - she shall get! I just have a lot to do to keep up!

Then there’s the fact that my girls only have 5 weeks of school left and we have to know where we are going to be and what’s going to happen in the long run becuase the A’s will need to be with us during the summertime. I just recently discovered that Adrian can get grandfathered into his Elevator Mechanics license in Montana for $150! Holy Hell!!! That’s way cheaper and way easier than what we’re looking at now.

At this moment, I’m watching my kitty get tangled up in the string that you tie up the sleeping bags with, it’s hilarious, she got her back legs caught up in it and freaked the heck out! lol

Anyway, everything is up in the air right now and just plain crazy. I’m trying my best to sort it all out. I have the bridal and bachelorette party this Saturday (which I still don’t have a confirmed sitter for AND I just finally realized that I’ll be hung over for mothers day, great) then next Saturday is the wedding, then starting the following Monday I’ll have B’s 4yo daughter for the week while the happy couple go on a Honeymoon Cruise, then in June I’m going to Memphis for a mommy-getaway weekend with some wonderful women I’ve never met in person :D. Then in the first week of July Adrian and I are having our first anniversary and it’s been decided that we are going to Vegas, since we have a free room, $200 in chips and tickets to the Roseanne Barr show, all for free! :D

So, it’s a little bit busy you could say. I need coffee so I can figure out what the hell else I need to do for this wedding coming up. Suggestions appreciated. Holy Hell I just found my checklist here http://www.bridesmaid101.com/maid_of_honor_duties.html . Can I just say, shit, she expects ME to be THIS responsible? Wow.

1 Free Day April 16, 2008

What would you do with ONE FREE DAY? A kid-free day is what I mean. I don’t have kids this week and I’ve had something to do pretty much every day, but tomorrow is completely open, I mean, I have to pack for my trip but that should be pretty quick.

 So please, tell me what you would do?

Travel April 16, 2008

Yep, I’m traveling again. Friday I head out to Portland where my good friend Doris will pick me up from the Max station. I’ll stay the night at her house and then head to Seattle the next day. I’ll be in Seattle where I will get to see more good friends, Mac whom I’ve known for a long time. I’ll be meeting newer friends who are already dear to my heart like Mama Hobbit, and many more I hope!

Then I’ll fly to Boise to see my girls, I miss them soooooo much. I’ll also get to see Becca, that rocks.

I’m visiting in Boise for about 6 days and I’m so excited to get to see my girls, awesome stuff. I can’t wait.

Can you believe I’m at home all alone, no kids, all week. So Monday I did absolutely nothing but play on the computer and watch a couple of movies, I refused to do housework. Tuesday in the morning I watched a movie and cleaned the kitchen, then I ran off to look for the perfect Matron of Honor’s dress. Boy was that fun, not. Ok, it was fun playing dress up and just plain getting to do something with Brenda without kids, that was the best part. But I discovered I had just plain UGLY legs, that just do NOT need to be seen while standing up for Brenda on a stage. Uh-UH. So we settled on a very plain long black dress that won’t show leg, plus I got it at a thrift store for $5, so that’s cool!

What’s not cool is that I paid $3.49 for gas yesterday. WTF? Seriously, that’s f’d up. I know, I chose to buy a gas guzzler at the wrong time, but it’s what we needed. I just can’t believe that price though, absolutely rediculous.

And with that, I’m off to make something to eat and then search for some paperwork Adrian needs then off to the dealership to yell at them for the damned squeeling belt that was supposed to have been fixed already.

Happy HUMP Day!

Poor Kitty! April 16, 2008

I have a kitty, she has 7 toes on both front paws. I happen to think it’s pretty damn cool. The only problem is this morning I noticed that one of her claws that does not retracts, because of where it’s located, is a little wonky. I can’t find the sharp pointy end of the claw. It appears as though it’s grown right into the pad and it looks like there is a scabby and painful area that I just can’t get to. I feel so badly for 7toes.

I guess I’m going to have to take her to the vet and get it taken care of. I’m just afraid for her. My poor Polydactyl Kitty.

 

 

Happy Birthday Oriana April 9, 2008

She’s my youngest and today she is 6. I feel like I’ve lost all my baby’s to growing children. It’s a beautiful thing but it’s also sad- I’m mourning having babies. Make sense?

I know, be grateful all of your kids are potty-trained, be happy they aren’t 2 anymore, don’t you enjoy the freedom of knowing that you can tell them “leave me alone” - and they do it?

Nope. I want it back. Ok, yeah, I like the freedom. When I’m not feeling good they know it and they take care of me, which is so damned sweet. They are such GOOD children. In this day and age where kids are being taught little respect for others and for adults in particular, I’m proud of all of my children. They are amazing. They are beautiful creatures and I’m so blessed to be the one that they call Mom.

Yesterday Oriana called me Leigh. See there’s something funny that happens to A and I when the boys are around. The girls call A Daddy and the boys call me Leigh. So the girls think that they’ll try out calling me Leigh. I’m not Leigh to them, dammit. I’m just about any variation of Mom (other than Mothertrucker) to them but I am NOT Leigh. Would that bother you if your kids called you by your first name instead of Mommy?

Oh, Yes we got the Suburban! Yay! Horrible horrible awful nasty interest rate (thanks to our great credit) but we got it. I am ever-so thankful too. It’s glorious.

Another busy day here. Drama club dress rehearsal and birthday to-do’s. Yippieeee.

Happy Hump Day everyone. Make it a great day.