If I wrote a Christmas letter...

I suppose a Christmas letter is meant to be a reflection on the year gone by and an update for those who were not around everyday. So, with that, here it is in all its glory...2007.

Wow, where to start...2007 was one of the most up and down years in my life and Nick's as well. The new year rang in at Emanual Hospital in North Portland. George was in Tracu and beginning the long road to recovery. It is hard to believe George was so bad off then, since he is now walking with only the aid of a cane. I think that back at the beginning of the year, he was still working on trying to spend an hour or so in the specialized rehabilitation chair. After many surgeries and rehab including time in a live-in rehab center, George is moving forward, walking.

The 7th of January was my first day at AKT where I am now an associate auditor. I began as an intern and in July, when I finally finished school, I became a full time associate. Meanwhile, Nick continued work at Kerr Contractors and in February, he got sent to Ontario, Oregon for a large freeway bridge interchage. He was over in Ontario until December of this year and will probably go back once the weather gets nicer in 2008. It was a challenge getting used to Nick being gone. He drove back most weekends, 6 hours each way! There were a few times that I went over to Ontario and we drove up to McCall for a few days.

In December, Nick and I got married! We celebrated our marriage with a small ceremony in Hood River, Oregon at the Columbia Gorge Hotel. Following the wedding, we went out to McCall for a week of snowshoeing and winter fun with Carly, the woof! We put in an offer for our first house which did not go the way we hoped, but we are going to keep trying and will end up with whatever we are meant to have! Hopefully my next post will include pictures from the wedding and good news about a home purchase! Overall, the year was full of ups and downs, but we have both ended it with smiles and excitement for the year to come.

Nick on a fence in snow

Is that Nick with Carly? Snowshoe!

Kenzie in the snow with carly, snowshoe!

Nick and Kenzie with Carly in snow, Snowshoe!

My best friend! (Other than Nick)

Life is Good

• Getting ready to go to McCall, Idaho
• Taking Carly the woof to McCall
• Family is debating coming
• Nick love's me
• And I him
• Cheers to good food!
• Cheers to good friends!
• Cheers to the most wonderful family!
• Applause for the speaches at our wedding!
• Big smiles all around
• Mooshkerlaroo is HOME

So here's to life, love and happiness! We are just getting started and life will be good! Thank you everyone for everything you have done for us!

We're Married!

The impact of a web search

So last night, I found myself in bed unable to sleep. Ugh. I got my computer and did some work before I lost interest. I began to browse the internet and ended up on the PETA website. There was a tab that said "Companies that do and don't test on animals." I clicked on it and began reading the list of companies that do. Naturally, many of the products are ones that I currently use. Yeah, my Tide detergent, etc etc.

After reading up on animal testing, I decided that once I have gone through the products from companies that do test, I will switch. Further investigation brought up a very good point though, and I am no sure how I feel about this. The companies that test on animals tend to be very large ie Procter & Gamble co. The companies that don't test on animals tend to be small, ie Seventh Generation. Since animal testing requires a large lab and lots of investment, the big companies can afford to maintain them and discover new chemicals, additives, etc by testing on animals. Once they are determined safe, the smaller companies will adopt the use of the ingrediant without ever having to do the dirty work themselves. Interesting. There are always two sides to a story I suppose.

I really don't want to be one of those crazed organic types, crualty free etc...but it is hard not to want to be that way when you start finding out details of things that make our lives what they are today. Shrug. The more you know....right?

Elf yourself

Click the link, its pretty funny!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1161987126

Wedding site

Here is our wedding site.

Thanksgiving

Yo! I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving! Nick and I decided to spend the weekend up in McCall, Idaho at the cabin and we're so glad we did. It gave us a chance to hang out and un-wind. Pretty soon, we will be married and it was really nice to hang out and reflect on everything and just relax.

There was a small amount of snow, so Nick and I drove up to Brundage ski mountain and tried out the snowshoes! It was so much fun, Nick and I are so looking forward to taking them back up with us when we go for a whole week during Christmas time! We are going to take Carly woofy with us when we go! I just ordered her a new collar since she has almost outgrown the one that she has. The new one is a "life is good" collar with daisy's. Naturally, it is pink. Nick and I are going to head over to REI and buy her a nice set of booties so that she can come and play in the snow too! I am thinking about getting her a coat too. I know, I know, she is a dog and has her own coat, however, she is not really that used to being out in the elements and is quite the little indooor woofie. That said, I will probably baby her. Hey, we don't have any kids, so I can totally baby the little woof!

This weekend is the bridal shower and Batchelorette party. I am very excited about it! It will be nice to see everyone! The wedding is so close. I have so much to do in preparation...well, okay, not a ton, but you know, the last minute things like making the list for Jessica so that she can deal with the pictures...and sending in $$ for the flowers, and getting my girls stuff, and and and... yikes!!!

Pennsylvania, the gorge and Carly

Look into my eyes, you are getting sleepy...sleepy...
Tuff stuff to wrangle a woofie!

The staircase leading to nowhere

Freedom!

Nick by rocks with water

Kenzie by rocks with water

Making a mess

Nicks creation

Nick heidi (with no shorts, ha ha) and kenzie

Stinky sausages.

Fire torpedo one...

Nick, bumming change...in the quad.

Much needed update

Well, here I am watching the Ducks vs Arizona game, and what a sad moment to be a Duck. *Sniff* I was so excited for the game and with the loss of Dixon and the Duck's complete inability to play without him, I am sad to say, things are not looking good for the Ducks. But hey, 2:10 on the clock and stranger things have happened, I mean, remember the Boise game at the Fiesta Bowl? Talk about WOW! Game of the decade.

I have not done an update for a long time. Nick and I are working on preparations for the wedding. We finally registered. I was so excited to find out that REI has a registry...so we registered there as well as at Macy's. Since Nick and I have most of the items that new couples need, we registered for the things that you usually wouldn't get like serve-wear and the like. I almost feel bad registering because Nick and I are not really the types who need people to buy us things but I know that people will want to buy things and registering gives a direction for people to go in.

We went up to the Columbia Gorge Hotel to see the place where we would get married. It made the whole day more real. I was so happy with the location and so was Nick. The hotel overlooks the columbia gorge up on a cliff. It is really amazing. We get married in front of a big fire place in a room that is somewhat 1920's decorated. All of the guests (we are having it small, less than 50) sit in arm chairs. Amanda helped my pick out the song that we will walk down the isle to. She has been so wonderful through this process. After the ceremony, we will have a cocktail hour with some little food items. Following cocktail hour, we will have a full sit down dinner. I am really excited! I let Nick pick out the cake...I got to make so many of the choices that it only made sense. We get the honeymoon suite for the night too! Hurray!

Update on the Ducks, they lost. Bummer

Nick and I went to Pennsyvania a few weekends ago to visit Heidi. We watched them play Navy and American. They lost both games but it was really nice to see Heidi and they played amazing against Navy. We went on some very long walks through the countryside during the middle of the fall with all the leaves changing with Mike Segal, the dad of one of Heidi's teammates. It was awesome to see so many amazing sites on the walks. Heidi took Nick and I to the craft center where she taught us to use a pottery wheel. Nick was really good at it and made a bowl that Heidi is going to fire and paint for him. I, unfortunately, did not manage to make anything but a big mess. We both had a great time! We stayed in the same place where I stayed with my parents when I went to drop Heidi off in August called the Pinapple Inn. It is a bed and breakfast with the sweetest people who run it. They gave Nick and I an ornament of a bride and groom when they found out that we were getting married! All of the parents of the players were so wonderful, they were so happy for Nick and I getting married.

This weekend, I am headed down to Eugene and so is Nick. We are going to put together a slide-show for the wedding and spend time with our parents as well as my favorite part...CARLY the WOOFIE!!!! Hurray!!!!!!!

Till next time!

Getting Married

Nick and I will get married December 15, 2007. I am very excited, I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend.

Boot camp and other things...

Since no one probably knows anything about ADAPT and I mentioned the boot camp that I am doing, I will lead you to their web page HERE. Check it out! The title line says, are you ready for the challenge of your life? Yeah, I have a feeling I am going to be sorakis kenzimus. Ouch! To be updated...

I went down to Eugene on Tuesday night and got to see my parents and Carly Le Woof! She is AWESOME! We took all kinds of pictures, but they are all on Heids' camera that has now been gifted to my parents. I will try to get some.

I am going to McCall this weekend. There are supposed to be snow flurries on Friday and I really hope they materialize because I LOVE snow, Nick LOVES snow, and I want to light a fire and cuddle up! I love doing that more than anything. Keep you posted!!!

My Ginormous little Heidi

Hey wait, this isnt Heidi, Oh well! Carly is super cute!

Blocking like a hugeanormeous!
Kaboom!

On a personal note, I have signed up for ADAPT bootcamp starting October 8 and going until November 2. It goes 5 days per week from 7pm-8pm and I am so stoked to get my butt back into shape! Hurray for Bootcamp! I will keep you updated. Maybe I can get a sixpack by then to make my Heidi jealous...?? Probably not! But heres to hoping!

A Day in the Life of Nick

This is what Nick does during the day...

Playing in the Dirt...

Horseback Riding

Not sure why I look so mad since I was so happy to be back on a horse! I missed riding so much! This was the first time that I have ridden Western saddle. I have only ridden english in the past.
I went riding in the vinyards!

Pictures of CARLY!

We snuck her into bed and she LOVED the blankets. When my mom saw, she was not happy, but we claimed that she was too little, she didnt know that she was on the bed...of course, later that day..."Carly...where did Carly go?" Search of the house reveals, Carly in Heidi's room, gazing at the bed...it's easy to teach a good dog bad tricks!
Nick and Carly

I think Nick is in love!

Fun with Jess, Amanda and Cocktail Dresses in the Pearl!

I love having girlfriends!!!

Climbing mount Columbia sportswear
Smiles! Jessica and I in front of the very cool wall!

Jessica's jumping and I'm...blowing away?

Yes, we are jumping in heals. It seemed like a great idea at the time. Success! No broken ankles!

Proof!

Shawna, Amanda, Jessica, Me!

The room was dripping with Lightbulbs.

The brick wall. From Sleeveless to Sleeves!

This is my favorite!

The wall behind us is so very cool!

Claire Danes

Okay, so I have gotten the, "has anyone ever told you that you look like Claire Danes" from time to time in my life. Lately, I get it ALOT! The most recent was today at lunch. A man made it a point to stop by my table and ask me if anyone has ever told me that I look an awful lot like Claire Danes. Here is a picture of Claire and me, tiny, I will get a different one that is better. I think she is beautiful, but I dont see it. Click the picture and it shows a little bigger.

Met the Agent

I met with the real estate broker yesterday and talked about what Nick and I are looking for in a home. I got the first round of homes to take a look at today in my email. This process is overwhelming but it should be fun! Hurray for beginning the process!

Looking to Buy

Nick and I have been thinking about buying a home for quite some time now. The market was very high for the longest time but now it seems that prices are dropping and that it might be a decent time to buy. I am meeting with a real estate broker (who comes highly recommended) on Monday and that same day, I will meet with a mortgage financing guy. I am so excited to start this process. Now that I have gotten this ball rolling, I just have to convince Nick to ask the all important question! :0

Heidi is doing well over on the east coast. She was selected to be one of 5 freshman given a digital camera for the year and to document her first year at school. The project is called Year in the Life and you can check it out by clicking on the link. Trust me, it is a worthwhile read and it will make you laugh out loud!

My company is trying to sponsor a hood to coast team for next August and so long as we get accepted, I will be on it! I am very excited. The event is a running relay from Mt. Hood to the Oregon Coast. It should be a really fun and entertaining experience since you have three 6ish mile legs and naturally, some of them are in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere!

Dad's new puppy

So my dad officially got a new puppy and I am absolutely positive that he is the most adorable puppy owner on the planet. I will call him on the phone and he will sit there and growl on the phone to get "Carly" to growl back. It is really quite funny!

So a bit of background on the name Carly. My little sister has a friend named Carly and she just so happens to have two dogs, one named Heidi and the other McKenzie. It only seemed right to name the new addition Carly. Plus, when she came home, my nephew Tanner kept calling her Carly, solidifying the name.

I am sure that when I go down to see Carly, I will get the wants. However, I do know better than to make a poor puparoo hang out in an apartment. Hopefully apartment living will be shortlived.

Work continues to be busy and spending time with friends takes up most of my free time (ie, the time I should be studying!) I have girls classic move night every Tuesday which is a fun break from the week and a great time to get together with the girls! This past Tuesday we watched "Rear Window" a mystery. It was really quite entertaining. Next week we will start Gone with the Wind. It is neat because we eat food that takes some theme from the movie.

Labor Day, Etc.

Hello! It has been a while since I last posted. I have been busy busy and so has Nick. We went to McCall, Idaho for the long weekend which was much needed! We rode the four wheelers up the mountain and got a great view of the lake below, it was beautiful. Of course, the daredevil in me decided to drive too fast and I almost went over going around a corner! Nick was not too happy about that!

Heidi has been making quite an impact on the Bucknell volleyball team, and as a Freshman no less! Here is a link to the volleyball site. Her name shows up in almost all the articles! VOLLEYBALL

Heids and I are planning a trip to Europe come May/June 2008. We plan to backpack and ride the train all over! We are both very excited! Let us know if there is somewhere you have been that you really enjoyed!

Changes

Well, Heidi is officially over on the east coast, all settled into her new life at Bucknell University. She has been practicing really hard with daily tripples and eating, sleeping, breathing volleyball. She has her first tournament this coming weekend and my parents are going to fly out there to watch because it is at the airforce academy in Colorado Springs, CO. I wish that I could go but alas, I will be here taking the first of 4 sections of the CPA examination.

My dad has decided to get a dog. I think it is a great idea since all 4 of us kids have grown up and moved out and now it is just my dad and mom all alone. They are getting a little girl boarder collie who gets to come home at the beginning of September!

In other animal news, I am thinking about getting a kitty. I want a dog but since I am gone all the time and would feel really guilty about leaving a dog alone, I think I will get a cat. I would like to get a Maine Coon and would prefer to rescue one from the shelter. If it is already litter box trained, that would be prrrrrfect!

Nick is still over yonder in Ontario. George just drove over there for a few weeks and the two of them are going to go to McCall for the weekend. I feel really guilty admitting it but I am so relieved to have my own space for a few weeks. I dont want to be a bitter individual, nor do I want to come accross as ungrateful or depressed, however, there are times when I want my own space and because of my living situation, I never get it. Nick and I have been going back and forth about purchasing a home, purchasing land, purchasing something. I know that he wants to buy something but at times I am convinced that it is never going to happen. It takes everything I have to stop and convince myself not to be so pessimistic. I know. Terrible.

Life

I know, pictures are sorely needed! I have so many taken but Nick has them on his camera and I have not managed to get them from him before he leaves for Ontario each Sunday. Nothing particularly interesting has been happening, allowing me to slack off on updating this blog. Nick is still in Ontario and I am still here in Portland. I started as an official full time employee at AKT on August 1 and I now have a salaried position with benefits and everything! I have been working on various audits which has been fun and exciting. Tomorrow, our Niche (I am in the LEAD Niche which included everything that doesnt fit into other niches such as construction and telecommunications) is going on an outing on the Portland Spirit boat on the Willamette River. It should be fun to spend some time with everyone away from work. On Sunday, we have our annual Family Reunion at Leaburg dam. I will be sure to provide an update. On Monday, I leave for Lewisburg, PA to drop Heids off at school. Until those updates, I hope all is well with everyone and I will be sure to post some pictures soon!

Finished with school

So I am oficially done with school and although it has yet to sink in, I am more than thrilled. I suppose I am not totally out of the study portion of my life since I still have the CPA exam to take, but at least I am done with school. I start the review course for the CPA exam this Saturday and I will probably take the first part August 24, barring any unforeseen issues with me sitting.

So the past week has been busy and I have had very little time to update. Nick came home on July 3 late at night and spent the 4th with me which was really nice. We got to sleep in and relax all morning long. At 6pm we went to a park on the river and met up with Amanda, Jessica, Kara, Travis, and a bunch of Amanda and Jessica's friends. We bbq'ed, played games, and Nick and I threw the football until both of our arms were tired. At 10, we watched fireworks.

This past weekend, we went to a wedding for our friends Eric and Rachel. The got married at Otter Crest on a cliff above the ocean. It was beautiful and the weather was great. (Otter Crest is just north of Newport, Oregon). Nick and I along with a bunch of friends camped at a campsite right down the road from the wedding venue. It was great to catch up with all the friends we haven't seen much since leaving Corvallis last June.

In other news, my little sister Heidi just found out that she was awarded the full International Baccalaureate diploma which is a very big deal! We are all very proud of her! Nick is considering returning to school to obtain his masters degree, but we are still in the early stages of talking about it. I am very supportive of the idea! Anyway, that is a quick overview of the past weeks events!

Weekend Activities and Nick in the Paper

This past weekend, Nick and I went to Eugene. I drove down on Friday afternoon with my friend Jen (she was going to meet Kacy, her boyfriend who works with Nick and continue down to Medford for a wedding). Nick drove from Ontario and met up with me down there. Nick and I went to BJ's with Jen, Kacy, my sisters Ali and Heidi, Ali's husband Brandon and thier son Tanner. Dinner was lots of fun. We all shared two Pazookies at then end. After dinner, Jen and Kacy left for Medford and the rest of us went bowling. I have pictures wich I will post when I get Nick's camera back (he took it to Ontario before I could download them!). Nick and Brandon engaged in some friendly competition and I think that Bradon won with a very impressive score. Heidi managed to get exactly 100! Tanner had a great time but managed to smash is fingers between two balls at one point. Of course, not five minutes after he recovered from the tears, he was back to doing the same thing that got them smashed in the first place! How quickly 4 year olds forget! The next day, Nick and I went over what my parents wanted to do with thier backyard. Nick will do the demolition and site prep work for the project when it gets underway.

Back in Portland that same day, Nick and I went to dinner at Pastini's with Derrick and Tammy and then went mini-golfing in Wilsonville. (I have pictures of that too, on Nick's camera). We had a lot of fun but didn't keep score so I'm not sure who won.

Nick is back in Ontario and I am back to school. I have 10 days remaining and then I am done! I wish I could say that Nick had 10 days remaining in Ontario. I am ever hopeful that he will be pulled back to a job that they get here in town. Here's to hoping! If not, it is a great oportunity for him to learn and grow as a project engineer and someday, project manager! This is an old link but when they began the Ontario job, he was featured in the newspaper. You can find the article here.

Back to Real Life

I dont have much to report except to say that Nick and I are officially back to real life. As I posted last time, we went and saw STOMP with Heidi and it was absolutely amazing! On Monday, Nick drove back to Ontario at 3:00am! I slept until 7:00am and then went to work. While I am finishing up this condensed 4 week term, I work from 7 or 8am until 11:30. I drive to PSU and have classes from 12pm-5pm. I will be completely done with school come July 19th and I am so excited! My first midterm is on Thursday and we just started the term Monday! That seems so soon! Nick reported that things are going well in Ontario other than missing me. I have no pictures to post from STOMP, but I will take pictures this weekend when we go down to Eugene.

Cancun

Nick and I went to Cancun for a week of vacation, just the two of us. We left the 16th at night and took a red-eye from Portland to North Carolina and then on to Cancun. We stayed at the Royal Islander, a resort that is primarily a timeshare establishment. It was amazing. The resort was right on the beach and our room had some amazing views. Our room had room for 6 people to sleep but Nick and I had it all to ourselves! There was a kitchen and everything. All of the weather websites I checked before leaving said that I was supposed to rain the whole week but we had absolutely amazing weather the whole time, it only drizzled a few times. We had a fantastic week. We took sailing lessons (for free at our resort), laid on the beach and by the pool, got side by side massages on a fourth floor patio above the ocean at sunset, ate lobster tail/ahi tuna/steak etc., and went on an excursion to the tallest Mayan temple (in the city Coba) as well as to the jungle where we explored the Cenotes (caves). We both relaxed, sleped in, and enjoyed the absolutely amazing service of the resort employees. It was a great trip that was much needed! We highly recommend Cancun. It has the reputation for being a place to go and party (which we are not interested in) but there is much more to Cancun and we would recommend it to those like us who just needed some R&R.

We got back on Saturday 23rd and now it is back to real life again. How sad. Today I went to volunteer at Art in the Park in Lake Oswego checking ID's in the Beer and Wine tent for my accounting firm, AKT. Nick relaxed at home and spent some time with his dad (George). Tonight, we are going to see the broadway production STOMP at the Keller Auditorium. My little sister Heidi is coming up to see it with Nick and I. Tomorrow, Nick is driving back to Ontario to go back to work and I will start my last 4 weeks of school ever! I have 2 courses to finish, Auditing and Accounting Law.

Inside one of the Cenotes (Caves)

Swimming in a Cenote

At the top of the Temple in Coba

The Temple in Coba

In front of the Restaurant Captains Cove

At a Cafe with the best Capuccino ever

A large truck (Nick style!)

On the Beach
Shopping