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

Background

It has been brought to my attention that I should give some background on Nick and I for the past little while since not all who read this are up on what we are up to. Nick graduated from Oregon State from the Construction Engineering Management program in 2005. He has been "playing in the dirt" his whole life and is an absolute natural. He welds like a champ (welds and fabricates anything out of just about anything), runs equipment, runs crews, runs jobs...there really isn't anything he cant do. (Im sure he will blush when he reads this) I have posted some pictures below for a taste of what he does. Currently, he is project engineer on a bridge by-pass in Ontario (eastern) Oregon.

I finished college (for the first time) with a degree in Spanish and History from the University of Oregon. After finding it difficult to land a job, I went back to school and I am 4 weeks from completing an accounting degree with hopes of becoming a CPA. My goal is to have all tests finished by the beginning of January. I am currently an intern for a CPA firm called AKT which is located in Lake Oswego. I am a staff auditor and I love it. Between school and work, I have very little time to go out and have a good time, but I try to fit it in. I look longingly at my up-side-down mountain bike and tell it that some day, we will go get dirty together!

Nick and I just celebrated being together for 3 years. (we have know eachother since 8th grade) Thats us in a nutshell, and this is our blog...

I'll have to ask Nick about this one.

Taking a quick breather

Welding Piling at GP

Just like a sandbox, only bigger!

Finals are OVER

For better or for worse, spring term is over! After a week of vacation, I will have 4 more weeks of school and then I am DONE! After two degrees obtained 2 years ago (wow, has it been that long already?) and this third one almost finished, I am finally ready to be done with school! (You would too after 6 years of college!) But for now, I bid adios to the US for 8 days to go visit beautiful Cancun, Mexico. I checked the weather and it says rain and T storms for the duration. Hopefully the rain stays away long enough for Nick and I to enjoy some sunshine! As we speak, Nick is driving back from Ontario and will arrive shortly. Then it is on to the airport to catch a red-eye flight to North Carolina and then on to Cancun. Hopefully Nick will just sack out when we get on the plane (since flying is not at the top of his *favorite things* list). Have a great week and I will post pictures when I return!

Career

At work, we get professional photos so for kicks, I have posted mine here. For the record, this was my first suit photo and in fact, the second time I wore a suit. Growing up never ceases to amaze me. Before I know it, I will be a CPA!

Heidi's Graduation/Finals/Vacation

On June 7th, the final Kamp (Heids) graduated from high school. I was able to make it to the IHS graduation on Monday the 4th but not to the big ceremony because I had a final review for my tax class before the final. I am glad that I was able to make it to at least one of the ceremonies. We were all very proud of Heidi. She graduated with Honors and the potential to be a full International Baccalaureate Diploma holder. (we will find that out in July). So, with that, we have all 4 graduated high school and now my parents will have to find something to do with their time. Heidi will go on to attend Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA and will play middle on their Division 1 volleyball team! Yeay Heidi. I will get to take her to PA in August and will remain there for a week. I still have to decide if I will go to New York or the Washington DC. I have never been to either so I will be happy with whatever. I do plan on seeing some of my SYA people when I go over!

It is currently finals week. I have finished with 2 finals and I will have 2 more, one tomorrow and the next one will be on Friday. Nick and I will be flying to Cancun for a week of vacations on Friday at 10:50pm. I am so excited. It will be the first time since the beginning of March that Nick and I will have spent more than 3 days together at one time. For those who don't know, Nick is project engineer for a job in Ontario, Oregon that is set to be finished in October 2008. It is a great opportunity but it has been difficult to be apart. I am lucky that we get to see each other each weekend though. I am also lucky that we have a great cabin in McCall Idaho to stay in when I go over there. Anyway, enough about that, I am just excited to go to Cancun because I will get to spend a whole week with Nick! I will post pictures when we return. In the mean time, I need to focus on final exams. Good luck to me!