Back from a few trips

I feel like I haven't been home for awhile. Last weekend we got to go to Depoe Bay Oregon which is on the coast with friends. It was to celebrate my best friends big 3-0 birthday. We left on a Friday morning and got home Sunday late afternoon. I unpacked right away, started laundry so I could repack and take off on my flight the next morning to California. It was so wonderful to see all my family, I couldn't believe how big my niece and nephew have gotten! The day after I arrived we all went to Sea World for the day, not too crowded and weather was perfect. Wednesday afternoon we all piled in the cars and headed to the OC courthouse to witness Julie and Michael take the final steps to complete Lexy's adoption. I am so happy I got to be there to see it all, it was really exciting. We celebrated later with a great dinner, and headed back to the house where Michael and I proceeded to play Mario Kart on my Dads new Wii. I think I let him win once. ; ) Then Thanksgiving day was there before we knew it. I woke up early with my Mom and helped her start some of the dishes. My flight was in the early afternoon so I wasn't able to stick around to enjoy the meal with everyone. It was really hard to have everyone in one place and have to say good bye to them all, usually you get to space the good byes out a little. So needless to say, I left with some red puffy eyes. It was the strangest Thanksgiving Joe and I have spent together. I wasn't done traveling yet! Got to spend one night at home and then we took off the next morning to spend the weekend with some friends about an hour away from us. Had a great time and was glad we went, but there is nothing like getting home especially when you are such a home body like I am. Just trying to get back in the swing of things at home and get ready for Joe's parents who will be coming at the end of the month we hope!

You might be wondering why I don't have a bunch of pictures... I somehow was able to leave my camera at home when I left for Cali. I have one sent from my Dad though!

One year ago this week, Joe and I made the decision that we would move to the Pacific North West so he could finish school and try to start another chapter in our lives. We didn’t know when it would happen or how, but we just knew that was our goal. And here we are, in the PNW, Joe is almost done with the first 4 classes! It hasn’t been easy, but we honestly can't complain. Joe has been really busy at work everyday and has still managed to make it to night classes twice a week, start an online class as well, get A's and make beer at home. I don’t have too much to keep me busy here but I try. I go to the local YMCA everyday, except this week because of a cold. I go three times a week to a swimming exercise class then the other two days are in the gym. That’s about all the excitement in my life at the moment, unless you count cleaning the house and all the things that go along with running a home, taking care of two dogs and a husband. I guess it does all keep me pretty busy. I do help with homework too =)

Rusty celebrated his 14th birthday yesterday, and his horrible parents forgot =/ We will make it up to him today!

I'm super excited for my trip to California coming up in a couple weeks; I get to see my parents, my brother, his wife and my niece and nephew!!! Plus all my grandparents and aunts and uncles. I am sad Joe won’t be able to go with me, but he has not been able to get any answer about time off from his boss. I’m praying for a miracle though!

Roloff Farm!

I am sure most of you know who the Roloff family is, they have a show called Little People Big World on TLC.  Well they only live about 20 minutes from our house!  They grow pumkins every year and open their farm up to the public. And as you can see, there was a lot of public.

It didnt take too long to get through the line.

  You can go on a tractor ride to see their property and you even get to visit the old western town Matt built.  We saw pretty much the entire family except for their youngest boy.  I was really excited to get a picture with Jeremy for my cousin Alyssa!  As Joe and I were waiting for our turn to get on the tractor tour, Jeremy stopped and took pictures with everyone who wanted one. Very nice guy!

While waiting in line we also got a glimpse of Zack, who was driving the tractor taking people on tours and Matt driving away on his Mule.

When we stopped in the western town we got to meet Molly and Matt's parents.

Amy was greeting people in the pumpkin patch.

Ohh! We even met the dog, such a sweet heart.

Let's see what else have we been up to lately...

A few weekends ago we celebrated our friend Ben's 30th birthday.  Joe and Ben went out to some private land owned by his in-laws and tried to shoot some clay pigeons before it started to rain on them.  Meanwhile I got to hang out with Vanessa and Molly by the bon fire, sooooo relaxing.

Till it got dark and a bit too cold! Then we all headed in the house for rack of lamb, roasted red potoes and fresh green beans.  For dessert Vanessa made a home made chocolate peanut butter cheese cake!

We stayed the night and Vanessa's mom made us all awesome waffles and sausage in the morning.

On our way home we had to stop and take take in the beautiful place we call home now.

Ocean air

Joe and I decided to take a day trip to the Oregon Coast.

It was a beautiful drive out. It takes about 2 hours to get there, we use to live 3 miles from the ocean, big change for us!

 We went to Tillamook, they make our favorite cheese! It was perfect weather for the trip, sunny and cool. We stopped at the Tillamook cheese factory, got some ice cream and cheese samples and bought cheese curd which you can only get there. Never had that and loved it! After the factory we headed to the beach, it was a little windy!

It was nice to get out somewhere new and explore a little.

Birthday Weekend

Today is my 29th birthday. My 28th year was pretty crazy! So I am excited to see what is to come this year. It has been a quiet day so far, just me and my dogs at home being lazy and waiting for Joe to get off work. I have enjoyed all my phone calls today and all my messages, thank you! I'm excited to out to dinner with Joe tonight to the most descent Mexican restaurant we have found so far. Actually my Dad and I found it when he was here and heard them singing Las Mananitas to someone there for their birthday and I knew I had to come back so they could sing for me on mine! It's a tradition, my Dad has always played that song for my brother and I on our birthdays. I don't think the day would be complete without it!

I had an awesome birthday weekend!

Saturday we got to spend the day with my Aunt Sheryl and friends. We went to a great lunch in Portland then headed over to the Japanese Tea Gardens where we walked around and enjoyed hot tea and cookies overlooking the gardens.

After that we went to do some shopping downtown and I got a beautiful new winter jacket from my Aunt and I can't wait to wear it!

Then we all headed to my aunts friends house. They made a wonderful dinner for us. And we got to see their sweet dog Delilah.

Sunday we had our friends over for dinner. The boys made dinner while the girls got to go to a happy hour and just have some good old girl time! It was so much fun. We made it back to our house and had awesome ribs and home made BBQ mac n' cheese, mmmmm!

Thor had a great time too, he decided it was getting late though and it was time to sleep, our friends son Tabor had so much fun he fell asleep too.

Slide show

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School Days

Joe started school again. He likes his professor and this first class seems like it will be a breeze. He attends twice a week after work, so he has two very long days during the week. He finally will have his first Saturday off in quite awhile this weekend. We are both very excited about that. It's my birthday weekend, yes I said weekend! =) My Aunt Sheryl is coming up to visit some friends in Oregon and we get to have her overnight Saturday and we cant wait! Her birthday is the day after mine so we are both having a birthday weekend. It will be strange to not be around my parents and family for this birthday and especially not my Abuelo who I share a birthday with.

We are starting to really get settled in our new home, only a couple boxes left! Joe and I are getting very antsy for his health insurance to start up since that means we can start trying on the next adventure in our life's!

I have been back for three weeks now from my trip to Cali. I had a great time seeing friends and family while I was there. I attended my friends Liz and Adam's wedding, I worked with both of them at my last job. They are such a great couple and I love them both. The wedding was beautiful and so much fun. Below are all the girls I got to be very close with from work and miss so much all the time.

The happy couple

I hope everyone enjoys the holiday weekend!

Moving right a long

At 2:45pm today Joe received a call we had been waiting and hoping for, it was a job offer! He will be a maintenence supervisor at the Residence Inn near the Portland airport, it is brand new and will open in August but he will get to start work as soon as next Wednesday. The pay amount is what we needed and we couldnt be happier. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!

WooHoo!

So opening the mail yesterday Joe read a letter from Concordia University, he got accepted!! We are still waiting to hear from George Fox University but are leaning towards going with Concordia. Thank you Lord!
Also the job scene is starting to look up a bit, Joe went for an interview this morning for a maintenance supervisor at a new hotel right by the Portland airport. He hit it off really well with the guy who was interviewing him and we should hear back by the end of the week on their decision. We will keep you all posted for sure, thank you for all your prayers. We know this is all in the Lords hands (thank goodness!).

Oops

Well I had some nice pictures to post from this last weekend and somehow managed to erase them from my camera! =( We had a great 4th with our friends at their house in Vancouver Washington where big fireworks are legal there. We sat in their back yard and watched as the neighbors all around put on a spectacular show for us, well maybe it wasn't for us be we sure enjoyed them. It was a really hot weekend and I am glad today has cooled off for us finally.
Joe and I are getting excited for the end of this week to come, Joe's mom Lynn will be up here with her two sisters for her birthday and we cant wait to see her!
This morning while Joe was feeding the dogs he saw a bald eagle standing on a log in the river. I came out to see it and we watched it for awhile until it took off, it was amazing to see.

The Waiting Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

(press the title link)

I heard a wise man once sing, The waiting is the hardest part. Tom Petty, you were right! I heart that guy... anyway! Joe and I are still waiting on call backs and a job offer, trying to keep our hopes high and attitudes positive. It does get hard sometimes but I think so far we have been doing a good job together.

This last weekend we got to help celebrate with our best friends at their baby shower, she is due mid July and we can't wait for the little boy to arrive. We also got to spend fathers day with Joe's Aunt and Uncle who we are staying with, and their daughter and her husband. We had great ribs he made and a really yummy blueberry dessert with ice cream which we all enjoyed in a bit of darkness being that the power decided to go out as we sat down to eat. It was really nice to enjoy that day with family but I think mine and Joe's hearts were in different places missing our Dads.

We are really excited to see Joe's sister Ruthi and her husband Matt tomorrow, bright and early! =) Haven't seen them in over a month now!

Joe has made it to the next round of interviews for George Fox, we are hoping Joe is excepted there to complete his MAT (Masters of Art in Teaching). They have a wonderful program for working adults that is once a week at night and a Saturday about once a month. This program will take a total of 22 months.

Me... what have I been up to? I joined the local YMCA (you want to sing the song don't you! Its OK, go ahead no one can hear you) and have really enjoyed getting to work out there, when I get over there =/ its a bit of a drive for me. Uhm, I have been hanging out with my best friend Vanessa and trying to help here around the house since she is so close to having that baby! I love to take the dogs to the beautiful dog park down the street from us.

Not much else I can think of, sure seems like we have been busy though.

Hope all is well with everyone!!

Here are some fun pictures from our trip to the Zoo a few weeks ago, this polar bear was crackingus up plaing with a bucket.

Finally some updates

We have only been here for two weeks (three weeks now!)so don't be too hard on me for just getting updates and pictures up =)

Here we go...

Well in April, yes April, my brother and his family came out to California for a visit. We all went to Disneyland and had a great time together, with the kids being a little older than the last time we all went it seemed like they were able to enjoy the experience even more. It was a really hot day and we were not ready for the heat, oops!

Lexy drove me around in Autotopia, she was having an awesome time giving me whip lash.

Can you see Lucas? That is who Nana was chasing, he's a quick little guy.

Papa and Lucas

Lucas and Dad having fun in the water playground.

Lucas and Lexy getting soaked. And now the trip to Oregon

Rusty's first smell of Oregon air, he is very happy to be home again.

My parents were able to drive up with Joe and I and stay with us for a week. We loved having them and it was really hard to leave them at the airport when their trip ended. =( We took them to some of the places we enjoy seeing and to the town where Joe grew up. It was so helpful to have them around to unpack, unload and get settled.

Joe took my Dad out on the boat a few times.

Joe has been looking for a job non stop and has applied to a lot of jobs. We have been praying a lot and know that God has a plan for us. It is all exciting and nerve racking at the same time waiting for something to open up. But the Lord has gifted Joe with so many talents and the drive to work hard and provide for his family.

This is one of our wonderful dinners on patio along the river, it is so relaxing and beautiful we are so thankful to Joe's aunt and uncle who are letting us stay with them.

We are really happy about the decision we made to move, even though we miss our family and friends we feel like we have done the right thing.

Oregon or Bust!

Well we made it! Two days of driving, lots of potty breaks for the dogs and us, too much fast food and gas fill ups we finally arrived to West Linn on a Friday evening. THANK YOU LORD!! We have been having wonderful weather, only one gloomy day which we got rid of with a movie at the theatre.

Joe and I have been having a wonderful time with my parents, showing them all around. We took them to The Dalles where Joe grew up, and made some scenic stops along the way for some photo ops. They are getting ready to go back home today, I cant believe this week has gone so fast.

Thank you all who were able to make it to our graduation/going away party, we loved the time we had with you all and cant wait for our first visit back.

I will be posting our pictures from the road trip as soon as I can. We have been pretty busy getting settled and looking for a job for Joe. Please keep that in your prayers we would really appreciate that!

Happy Friday to all

Lot's of people have playlist on their blogs/sites as do I, but I never know the reason they picked those songs. Is it just because they like them, or was there a deeper reason for picking 'that' song? Well I thought I would explain my choices. So I don't know if anyone has heard all the songs on my play list on this blog, but I really enjoy every song on it. Some of the songs I just really enjoy hearing and others have a real meaning to me. Let's see...

#1 I just like this romantic song from a movie soundtrack

#2 Another song I just enjoy hearing, its fun

#3 Cute song from Juno

#4 The orchestra in this song is what gets me, the violins make me happy

#5 Just an awesome song

#6 Another song from the movie soundtrack of Juno, it's so cute!

#7 This song pretty much makes me cry everytime I hear it, I walked down the isle with my dad to my husband with this song I think it's one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard

#8 This is one of Joe's favorite songs and we put it on a CD we made for a wedding shower gift, it's a fun song

#9 Joe's Dad introduced this song to me, and I loved it so much my brother sang it at our wedding and Joe's Dad played the guitar and sang also

#10 Read below...

#11 This is the song Joe heard while in Mexico camping with some friends and realized he was in LOVE with me =)

#12 This is a song that definitely makes me cry when I hear it. This was sung at my little cousins funeral, I imagine him dancing in heaven and praising the Lord, I am excited to some day be with him again, there

One of my fav's of all time is my good old Tom Petty singing Free Falling. I have seen him in concert three times now with my Dad, it's kind of become our thing whenever he (Tom, yes we are on a first name basis, hehehe) comes to town. I can listen to that song over and over! I chose it today as the Friday anthem =) I hope every ones day goes well and that the weekend holds relaxation, rest and happiness for you all. Well, go to the play list on the right, its a pink box, can't miss it, skip to number 10 and enjoy.

Ahhhh!

My Grammy and Grandpa

Well things have been pretty hectic again just as we thought it was time for things to settle down. My Grandpa this last Saturday went to the emergency room because he was in a great deal of pain in his arms neck and jaw. Thank God the doctors at Pomona Valley Hospital didn't just give him some pain medication. They decided to keep him for some tests, they ended up deciding to do a angiogram. After the angiogram was done on Monday they found blockages in his heart. Tuesday afternoon he went in for a triple bi pass surgery. He has been doing very well and will hopefully be coming home on Monday. Thank you everyone who has been keeping him and our family in your prayers. The next few months will be important in his recovery. I am so thankful I am living closer to them now and will be able to spend as much time as I want over there helping and visiting. It sure did come in handy this past week to not have a job! I knew God had a plan for me when I lost my job!

Not too much has been going on otherwise with us. We are excited my brother and his family will be visiting in April, I can't wait to see the kids again!

Long time no blog

Well our life has been pretty hectic this past month. We got to visit my brother and his family in Kentucky for a few days. It was so great to see my niece and nephew who have grown so much its crazy! We had a great time together and spent a couple days in Tennessee in a beautiful cabin.

It snowed just enough to stick, Joe and I took a nice hike and walked around the neighborhood.

Our nephew Lucas on a walk, he loved being outside looking around.

Lexy and auntie having fun at the cabin.

Joe and I are settling in at my parents house now, the dogs have made themselves at home already. As things continue to quiet down for us I am sure I will be able to blog a lot more.

The day OCD did something good.

So Joe and I have been robbed.
I have a habit of looking at our accounts online a lot, some might say obsessively =/ but today I am so glad I have OCD! Someone in New York decided we had enough money to share... I was so mad when I found out I wanted to fly there and find that person and take it back, slap them!
I hate dishonesty; I hate stealing.
I want to believe there are still good people in this world, but watching the news and experiencing things like this seems to wear down on that idea a little at a time. Is this Gods way of reminding me to see the good He is doing and done in my life and in the world?

Happy Birthday Mom

Yesterday was my Moms birthday, Joe and I drove down to have dinner with the family to celebrate. I am so glad we were able to make it, before when I would get off work at five it would be impossible to make it in time for dinner with traffic. Another blessing of not working =0
Hope you had a wonderful birthday Mom! We love you so much!!

Getting healthy?

Awhile ago I found a great deal on a little, I mean little, elliptical machine. I have a problem running because I have such flat feet, it can be very painful for me. But I can use an elliptical machine and I just love it! Joe even likes it and has it used a few times himself. The problem though, I'm sure as you can see in the photo is that he is drinking from the wrong type of bottle! ha! Oh well. What can ya do. That did only happen once so far, but we had to take a picture because it was so ironic.

We have a really nice tree in our back yard, I have no idea what kind it is, but I am quite sure that it is a tree ; ) Well this winter it has been dropping leaves all over the place and making a complete mess of our patio! But we are now starting to see it bloom and its beautiful, I love it right now. It still makes a mess but a much prettier mess, if that can make any sense to you.