the ballots are in...

and we are both into graduate school--at the same places to boot!  we have known for a couple of weeks that we both got into university of minnesota duluth.  brandon got a sweet financial package (full ride!) and i got an in-state tuition waiver, with the possibility of more funding through a fellowship.  we were all amped up to go to duluth, where neither of us have even been near and try out a new adventure.  i wasn't thrilled with the program, but then again i was accepted into grad school so i was content with that.

and then, we heard from wyoming.  on monday i found out that i was accepted, which lead to an interesting domino effect that tumbled in over the course of 3 minutes.  that's right, i went to the bathroom and when i emerged, brandon told me life just got really crazy.  i'm thinking, "no way, i was hardly out of the room!"  anyhow, the news he got was that he got a full-ride to wyoming (with even more of a living stipend than minnesota offered).  the catch was that they HAD to meet him in person before this offer was "official".  however, we have to let minnesota know our intentions by april 1; this my friends is why brandon will board a plane tomorrow morning, bound for laramie, wyoming.  the geology department is paying for the whole thing (including the last minute airfare from small airport to small airport)! 

after the flight was booked for him, i got a call from the director of the social work program--the director of the whole department!!!  anyhow, she called and let me know i was one of their top 5 students and that they really want me there.  they will cover all my tuition, most of my student fees and insurance, and pay me a monthly stipend (which happens to be more money than i make working two jobs now!).  

so it all comes down to brandon's trip if we go to wyoming.  we were stoked about duluth and the charm of a new city and an unfamiliar part of the country.  however, free has a beautiful ring to it, don't you think?  all we asked for was that we both get into the same place and now the grace is pouring in and we are being so taken care of.  

here are the two places, neither a bad choice i don't think:

duluth waterfront, reminds me of magnolia or ballard in seattle.

and the amazing rocks and mountain ranges that surround laramie

i am especially proud of brandon for the way that these two places are pursuing him.  it is obvious that he is very much wanted by each program!  he knows i think he is brilliant and gifted, but to have people he hasn't even met confirm that makes me happy.  he deserves this big time!

all eyes on the cupped cakes

kemi and sara showed us this crazy video from "it's me or the dog".  maybe we are lucky our australian shepherd doesn't have the blue ghost eyes or we may have this trance in our lives too.  sometimes harvey gets a little too focused on his sharkie toy, but hasn't gone this far yet.  

my bros, the all-stars

as most of you know, i have a lot of younger brothers.  4 to be exact. they are all so different and i am proud of each of them for millions of things.  in particular i am proud of my brothers ross and rodney for sticking out a tough basketball season.  they had a new coach this year that required far more of them than any of us in my family thought fair: 6 to 7 practices a week, late-nights, early-mornings, pre-season games and tournaments.  it has been a grueling year for these guys and i am immensely proud of these two for sticking with the team even when it may not have seemed worth it.  

rodney moved up from jv to varsity mid-season and blew us all away.  we knew he was good on the jv team, but he was just a fantastic on the varsity.  his photo even made the bend bulletin.  and what kind of a proud sister would i be if i didn't post the link to his photos?  here it is, although you will have to push the double arrows to get to the picture of rodney.  the first photo that comes up is off ross (not my brother though), who made the mcdonald's all-american team.  that's right, the little town of sisters had an all-american team-member.  aren't we cool?  mostly just these guys are.  

way to stick it out boys.  it was so fun to be around for all the nail-biter games and to watch you make it this far.  now take the break you so deserve!

this one is for you alex

all-to-often i will look back on conversations with brandon or with friends and realize that we didn't really say anything, just a few meaningless words strewn together to form what i thought was a conversation.  this makes me ill--i want all the words that pour from my mouth and those around me to be weighed and examined before the gush forth.  most importantly, i want the words i say to be true and my language to be void of oppressive tones.  

these public service announcements are clever, and i hope they make an impact.  i cringe when my younger brothers use this phrase.  hopefully hillary duff will be enough to convince them that it is so crude and insulting to say, "that's so gay".  

righteous fear

for those of you who know me even slightly, my fear of monkeys is pervasive and long-standing.  i  have been thinking about how this phobia will manifest itself while we are in costa rica, what with monkeys abounding in every location.  each time i flip through our guide book i try to desensitize myself to these creatures, hoping i will be able to cope adequately while we are on our trip.  

however, tonight i came home to this story which does nothing to suppress my fears.  specifically the call to 911 included this quote: "he's [the chimp] ripping her apart."  ahh, here comes the panic attack now!

taking flight

this weekend we got out of dodge for a little vacation.  first we headed to the valley to see my grandma who had been in the hospital for about a week.  she suffered from a long list of issues and had to spend time there until they resolved/treated them all.  on tuesday, we went to visit her again and were able to share in the excitement of her preparing to leave the hospital.  she is going to an assisted living home as she isn't quite up to par for living on her own yet, but then again she is 91!  

spending time in dallas also meant we got to see steve and debbie, even if briefly!  they are exceptionally wonderful in their respective aunt and uncle roles and we are always grateful for them. 

after that we headed down i-5 to ashland, where i had arranged for us to stay at the ashland springs hotel.  this historic building has to be one of the most incredible, detailed, amazing places i have ever stayed.  from the moment we walked in i was giddy with excitement and loved nearly every inch of the place.  (there were some over-the-top lamps and mirrors adorned with seashells that i wasn't fond of, but otherwise...).  i found a great rate online for a discount on the posh hotel plus massages for two--my dream vacation.  we had such a wonderful time in ashland and would recommend this hotel to anyone.

here are a few of my favorite details:

they had this bird theme, which i am not sure of the origin, but they took it all out.  not all out in a tacky way, but in a very classy, tasteful way.  such as the adorable version of the do not disturb staple.  i much prefer to be referred to as "nesting".

on each door there was this cute little hand clip.  i so wanted to figure out a way to take ours off and bring it home with me, but the security cameras prevented me from stealing.  this photo doesn't do justice to how cool this hardware was.  

we got a great room on the 8th floor with a ginormous bed, a ton of pillows, and a superb view.  there were very few guests, so it felt like we had the place to ourselves. 

this is us in our hotel room.  brandon wanted to pose like an old-fashioned wedding photo, but i didn't want to be so serious.

here we are in the lobby of the hotel, standing in front of a dried manzanita shrub.  i am not terribly fond of live manzanita: it takes over, scratches as you ride or hike through it, and is horrible to try to cut.  when dried, the bark turns a deep dark brown and the leaves fade to sage green.  

after that we stayed with friends from jackson who have moved to southern oregon.  it was great to see them and catch up on life.  all-in-all, it was a great escape.

photo update

we've been enjoying going to my brothers' basketball games.  this week rodney got to play in both the jv and varsity games.  he did really well and is one of the few guys on his team willing to get in the middle of the pack for the rebound.  

(yes, rodney does have two full arms, but this photo he was moving so quickly it looks like he may be an amputee.)

and harvey has been keeping us busy, insisting we entertain him with constant ball throwing or kicking.  he is puppy through and through...  this week he had his "surgery" so we are supposed to be making him be quiet and still.  those directions haunt me, how on earth can we make that happen?  he bounced back from the anesthesia quicker than any other puppy they had seen at the clinic, according to the vet tech.  we are not surprised--this crooked eared guy doesn't do anything slowly.

last week we took harvey cross-country skiing with us.  we went into tumalo falls, which is about a 5 mile ski round-trip.  that was the only thing that wore harvey out, but he only slept for about an hour and then was up and ready for more games.  

yesterday we drove over to salem to spend the day with my grandma, who is in the hospital.  she is having a variety of problems, most of which point to the fact that she probably shouldn't be living alone any longer.  she is so strong for 91, yet there are too many risks.  they are keeping her in the hospital to figure out why she keeps blacking out and to figure out what they can do for her back.  i am very grateful for my uncles ron and john who are keeping watch of her. 

pilfering from the county library

so i checked out this book, read it slowly (out of style for me) and had to renew online.  my renewed due date was jan 20, on which day i was in bend waiting to meet a friend who is massively pregnant... waiting for her to call... waiting so long i thought surely she was having the baby because why else would she ditch me?  (turns out her 10 minute doctors appointment turned into a 2 hour appointment.)

anyhow, i ran out of errands to do so harvey and i were sitting in the car outside the library for a good 25 minutes, just chilling.  i finally got out, put harvey on the leash, and we walked to the front of the library.  i dropped the book in, read the instructions that say "deposit two at a time", and thought to myself "what if you only have one book?  then what are you to do?" and chuckled to myself.  i opened the slot a second time to make sure that the book dropped in all the way (an obsessive habit that i thought would pay off, but turns out it isn't worth the extra second and a half).

anyhow, all this story climaxes when i start to get emails last week from the library saying that the book is now overdue and would i please be a good library patron and bring it back to them ASAP.  what?!?  i am not a book thief!  i got two of these emails and then called to inform them of the vivid memory i have of returning the book and that i KNOW it is there.  they said they would check and let me know.  just now i get an email that it is not on their shelves and would i please search my house and car again.  ahh!  a perfect library record ruined.  and i am pretty certain that all of this is coming back around to bite me because i was critical of my friend megan's library patronage and misuse this summer, ridiculing her for accruing over $15 in fines.  

the book was the tree of yoga, which was supposed to teach me let things go and to seek harmony within myself.  i am unsure that iyengar (the author) knew the feeling that plagues me of having a tainted library record, otherwise i am sure he would have dedicated a chapter to forgiving yourself, and the library.

quick confession

we haven't posted much, because there hasn't been much worthy of sharing.  life feels like work, work, work, time with harvey, maybe time with each other, and then comes wednesday. wednesday is our one full day off together and so far each week we have carved out time to go to breakfast.  it is a new tradition that we are treasuring.  there is so much less pressure on breakfast--the food is cheaper, the dress is more casual, the talk is more lighthearted and silly. plus, if the food wasn't that great or the server treated us less than cordially, we have a whole day to redeem our date instead of a date night ruined.  

my job at the nordic center has a rhythm to it that is comforting, although the afternoons tend to pick up too much speed.  my coworkers are mostly all laid-back and sarcasm abounds so i am content.  i even get paid to ski every now and again.

a few weeks ago there was a little boy who kept peeking his head around the door into the "kitchen".  i caught him and told him he better watch out or i would put him to work.  this lead to an extended conversation on the merits of each gift he received for christmas, his favorite television shows and movies, and stories about his dog.  with each topic, he would become more and more excited. harrison is his name and he is about 4 years old. he promised to come back and visit me on the weekends and since then he has made good on his promise, coming to see me three weekends in a row. according to his mom, during the week all he talks about is going to the ski place so he can see the "burrito girl" (such a prestigious title, i know).  

today his heartfelt confession took the cake: he came up and ordered hot cocoa with his dad.  i poured the chocolate and turned to him and said, "would you like whip cream?".  his response, which came pouring out at rapid speed was, "i love you!"  with that he ran off with his hands over his mouth and left his father and i standing at the counter laughing. looks like next weekend when he comes to visit i might have some explaining to do about my heart belonging to another equally adorable and sweet guy.  

what's your name?

perhaps my most favorite of all times in life is the pause after a family meal, in the time after having eating a delicious feast but before the first person breaks away to start the dishes.  during those time is when the best family stories tend to emerge as we all sit around with full bellies.

one of the (infinite) joys of getting married is that you get to inherit a whole families collection of stories and cherished memories.  this is a facet of marriage i didn't see coming, but that i adore.  my favorite overstreet family story took place years before brandon was even in the world, and yet the story is repeated and known by everyone down the line.  brandon's brother justin's middle name is trevor and like most kids, he only heard "justin trevor" when he was in trouble.  when justin was young and the family cat would get into its own share of trouble, justin would apparently say "kitty trevor" associating trevor with misbehavior.  i always chuckle at the remembrance of this story.

brandon and i have decided to carry on the trevor tradition and have bestowed that as a middle name for harvey.  we have no reason to give him a middle name other than that we need something to say sternly when he is making bad choices.  if you hear us stammer "harvey trevor!" you should know that we are having puppy problems.  although we may find it hard to throw out the trevor piece without a smile emerging at the corner of our lips as we think of justin.