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!