our little laramie abode

i finally got around to taking the pictures of our house.  it is very comfortable, but when i look at it the photos, i realize how much my design eye is lacking.  oh well, we are happy and cozy.

a little art to tie us to the northwest.  the artist is from whidbey island--i treasure her work!

 

we love the light in the living room!

 

 

the intricacy of old houses makes me happy.  gotta dig having a place to put treasured pictures and precious rocks!

 

our sanctuary of a bedroom.

our kooky little kitchen.  surprisingly, i find having the fridge up on this shelf thing is very helpful!  i am using things in the crisper drawer way more often, which means we are actually eating our vegetables before they go bad!

we have the rest of the photos up in our picassa album, which you can link to here.

stolen entertainment

my friend paula (who writes about things that made her smile today) had some of the following on her blog. i feel compelled to give her credit, even though the list is really just open on the web for anyone to find. anyhow, these things not only made me smile, they made me chuckle out loud.  a few even made me laugh out loud. without further building up of said list: 

Random Thoughts from People Age 25-35

★ More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.

★ Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you’re going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you’re crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

★ Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn’t work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ’s. We just figured it out. Today’s kids are soft.

★ There is a great need for sarcasm font.

★ Sometimes, I’ll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

★ I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

★ The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.

★ I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

★ Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

★ Whenever someone says “I’m not book smart, but I’m street smart”, all I hear is “I’m not real smart, but I’m imaginary smart”.

★ How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear what they said?

★ I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

★ Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using ‘as in’ examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss’s last name to an attorney and said “Yes that’s G as in… (10 second lapse)… ummm… Goonies.”

★ MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

★ I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

★ Bad decisions make good stories.

★ Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I’m from, this shouldn’t be a problem…

★ Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don’t want to have to restart my collection.

★ There’s no worse feeling than that millisecond you’re sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

★ I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

★ I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There’s so much pressure. ‘I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren’t watching this. It’s only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?’

★ I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What’d you do after I didn’t answer? Drop the phone and run away?

★ I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

★ I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it’s on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

★ Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

★ I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

★ Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn’t know what do to with it.

★ It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

★ I wonder if cops ever get annoyed at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit?

please share in the comments section the ones that made you chuckle as well because you caught yourself doing or thinking the very same thing!

last few lazy days

we've been enjoying a week of settling in, which means a lot of stir-crazy feelings for me.  i am so used to working, studying, or at the very least doing something every day!  once the house was in order though, there wasn't a whole lot on the agenda for the week.  we managed to fill it with a hike, two mountain bike adventures (to two different riding areas, no less), and a camping trip.  we are loving laramie and quite happy to be here, although our lungs are adjusting a little slowly.  :)

harvey had a little adjusting to do also, as we were accustomed to just letting him outside when we was getting rambunctious or otherwise annoying us.  however, for most of last week we didn't have the freedom to let him out without running the risk of having a pancake for a dog. brandon built a much needed fenced area for locking harvey up.  or for providing him with adequate grounds for romping around in. whichever way you prefer to look at it...  our attitude about it changes frequently.

he also went camping with us in the medicine bow national forest and we chose a nice dispersed campsite away from all other signs of civilization where he could run and jump and chase critters.  he was quite content and so were we.  the picture above is now one of my favorite of harvey and that i have taken yet.  it is out of focus and not perfect, but it captures that moment well.

this lake was so peaceful and seemed like the perfect swimming hole for harvey.  instead it was a quicksand trap along the banks.  with each step he took on what looked like solid, albeit muddy, ground resulted in a thrashing panicked attempt to prevent being sucked in.  i mostly stood by and laughed until i realized i was going to have to share a tent with the muddy mongrel.  oh yeah, that.

this last picture is entirely for kemi.  she bought me that snazzy backpack (which incidentally matches my favorite sandals perfectly). today was the first day of school so i had to get a commemorative photo. it was a good day, although this week i am in one class for 6 hours each day, 5 days in a row.  then the class is over.  whew! talk about a whirlwind and heaps of reading.  i feel content and happy with the program and the route i am taking though.

i'll try to get pictures of our little house up soon.  i have been waiting for the sink to be free of dishes and all of a certain spouses' piles to be put away, but that isn't too realistic.

now that i don't work around food every day i am enjoying being in the kitchen again.  the kitchen aid mixer has actually been utilized every day so let that be an indication of my cooking and baking zealous.  the elevation has made a few of my culinary endeavors less than perfect, but these high plains and i will learn to work together soon.

books, how i love, wait... loathe, thee.

generally i love books.  i love the excitement of opening a new book.  i love relishing in the pride that comes from finishing an especially great one.  i love to have shelves full of books.  

currently, i loathe the mounds of paper and words that now adorn my bookcase and are in route via ups.  $743.22 worth of books i had to buy for the term.  major ouch.  

i had to purchase a DSM (diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders)--which makes me equally giddy and anxious.  this it the holy word of both social work and psychology, to be revered as sacred and only read by those qualified enough to apply the diagnosis.  having it as required reading suggests that i am on the path to being in the fold of those who are permitted to do so.  

slow going, but they have arrived

so three months late i finally got all the photos from our trip to costa rica up on the web--whew.  there were a lot of them so i only had the patience to put them up on facebook.  anyone can access the albums at the following links:

Album 1

Album 2

glad to have that off my plate!

way past over the line

i love harvey, i mean love harvey.  like i spend most of my tips on treats and toys and other things i think he will enjoy.  i try to make a point each day of doing something i know he will dig (trip to the dog park, a walk, a swim, a frisbee session, etc.).  admittedly, i verge on obsessive.  i begrudgingly confess that i have become one of those "dog people".  i never thought that possible, but alas, here i am all goggly-eyed over this mutt.  

i do have a line, and recently i discovered a distinct point on that line: too far!  check this bumper sticker out.  doesn't it induce gag-reflex?  it does for me.  

in case it is too small, it reads: "i [heart] my granddog".  fear not dear parents, you will not find one of these in your christmas stocking, no matter how much you like harvey.  

(credit to wil for sharing this initially.)

have house, will travel

i have been looking forward to our move and all that comes with this new chapter of graduate school and the pursuit of our goals.  never-the-less, i have had the nagging, snarky voice in the back of my head that frets about where we will live.  i was worried about housing and finding a home that wasn't right by the freeway or railroad tracks, a house that we could see ourselves in for two years, a place that had character (in a good way), and that let little harvey be there too. oh, and being close to campus was important to!  whew, that is a tall order, no wonder i was stressed!

well, brandon, being the regular hero that he is, found us a charming little house in laramie.  it might not look like much to others, but after living in a dilapidated cabin in jackson and a garage-turned-apartment here in bend, we have a whole different set of standards.  

beautiful hardwood floors throughout, great light, and special details only found in older homes--these are the things we love about the place.  do not worry dear reader about the single-pane, wood-frame windows and the impact they will have on our heating bill as all, that's right, all utilities are included!  

this funky little oven/fridge nook makes me giddy.  it is so random and unconventional, but i can't wait to put our magnets and pictures of rowan (& others) on the fridge so i can think of him and smile as i cook.

the other selling points: there is a basement apartment below (separate entrance) and the folks that live there own the mexican restaurant in town.  woohoo for free tamales!  the house on one side of us is owned by the people that have the yoga studio, and the other neighbors are the founders of wyoming public radio.  three of my favorite things surround us: mexican food, yoga, and NPR.  is this a slice of heaven right here, 7 walkable-blocks from campus?  i do think it is!

thank goodness for brandon, my house-finding hero!  we leave in two weeks and i am so happy to know where we are headed to.

when you're a celebrity

this weekend an unusual death occurred at scout lake, a place where brandon and i have spent a lot of time learning/perfecting our kayaking rolls and flat-water cartwheels. this is a small lake full of logs that people are always swimming out to, clambering around on like a jungle gym, and proving their brute strength by wrestling on the slippery tree remnants. last night an 18 year old boy drowned in this apparently safe, hazard-free lake. from the accounts given he was attempting to swim to a log and something happened (a cramp maybe?) that caused him to give up and attempt to swim back. he didn't make it to shore and his friends didn't get to him in time. as hard as it is to believe, the young man drowned in 12 feet of water.

now to make an incredibly awkward segue (is that an oxymoron by the way?) to the above title...

brandon was working with our kayak school out at scout lake today as we often do on the first day of camp. there he was approached by the news crews and interviewed. i can't upload the video to our blog, but here is a link to the video and his interview. they cut him off at a strange place in his dialogue that doesn't make a lot of sense, but he still looks handsome and knowledgeable about river safety.

go forth and be safe on the water.

deschutes county credit

it takes a while to get to the good snake story (don't worry mom, there is a happy ending and it is worth hearing about snakes for a while), but dwight totally gives credit to central oregon. and for those of us in the know, that specifically means sisters. wohoo for "the office" and our hometown being connected! if you are in a real hurry, speed up to 3:58 as the best part of the clip begins there.

whatcha got cookin'?

been making gluten-free goodness in the form of chocolate chocolate-chip with walnut cookies. these didn't last but a few days and were a great consolatory gift for a friend that is going through a rough break up.  nothing like cookies to mend one's heart.

brandon caught a huge salmon that we cooked up with rob & becky--so fresh and delicious!

mmm, doesn't that salmon look scrumptious there on our counter?  

and last, but certainly most important, was that sara "mia" was here!  she came and we kayaked and we biked and we kayaked some more.  it was one of the most fun weekends i have ever had--unfortunately we did little to document it.  she is so brave and always willing to try anything once so we capitalized on that and introduced here to four new ways to recreate.