Life in a Loft

A Happy Ending

2011-11-07T11:30:00.000-08:00

What, might you ask, would bring me back to the blogging world after months of absence? Chad. The fish.

I kinda wish/kinda don’t wish that we had video of last night. Of Chad the fish. I would love to show you with pictures, instead of just words, his heroic behavior. But at the same time I am 100% sure that not only would PETA be at our door, but so would child protective services to issue some sort of mandate to never bring human babies into this home.

Last night the live in was kindly changing Chad’s water. A chore that I don’t (surprise, surprise) partake in. He had cleaned the rocks, cleaned the sea glass, cleaned the bowl, filled it back up with fresh water, and was ready to transfer Chad from his holding tank (fyi - a drinking glass for all of our past and future dinner guests) back into this regular bowl.

However, during the transfer, Chad decides to go rogue. Just as the live in was pouring him back in, he literally jumped out. And on to the counter.

And from here…mass chaos and pandemonium ensues.

Chad is flopping in place on the counter for a few seconds before he goes still. During this time the live in is frantically trying to find the net for him. Why he didn’t just use his hands to scoop him up was beyond me…but apparently the live in had a method…which I’ll get to later.

There was a great deal of screaming, and yelling, and running in place by both of us.

And then a few seconds later Chad decides to make another bold move. He made one huge flop off the counter and onto the floor. A jump that in some countries would make him Olympic bound.

Again, mass chaos and pandemonium ensues. This time of the Justin Bieber variety. Scream tears, shouting, tons of running in place.

Chad was pretty easy to pick up with the net at this point, what with him knocking himself out and all. Once he was put back in his tank he just sank. It was very dramatic. But after a few seconds (and a lot of cheering for recovery on our part) he slowly started to breathe again. And after several more seconds (and more insane cheering) he slowly started to swim around. And I am happy to say that a day later he is back to his regular old self.

So, why didn’t the live in just use his hands to grab him? Because, according to him, “the oils from my hands would kill him”. Really?! And a four-foot plummet onto hardwood isn’t going to. He went on to explain that this is precisely how even catch and release fish are killed – from the oils on your hands. I asked how he knew all of this brainy info. Well, because, “I’m a fisherman” he bluntly said. Hmm. Really. Again, I ask, when was the last time you went fishing? He didn’t have an answer to that one…

But apparently it’s going to take a lot more than just wild “parenting” to phase Chad. And for that, we are very grateful. Now if only Chad the boy could bring his football career back to life as well…

Origin Magazine

2011-09-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

It's fun to see your name in a magazine...

check out this month's issue of Origin for a fabulous article

by our favorite, Tiffany, and photos by me (page 41)!

Yah!

Wine Country Weekend

2011-09-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

Last weekend...

yes, still not blogging in real time, thank you...

we met up with a group of our friends for a fun weekend

of relaxation and wine tasting!

We stayed here.

And we would highly recommend it.

My favorite stops? Archery Summit, White Rose, and Domaine Drouhin.

And even though it's only an hour outside of Portland,

it was the perfect escape.

2011-09-05T10:59:00.000-07:00

2011-08-31T22:54:00.000-07:00

Our summer hiatus from TV is over.

We turned our cable back on tonight.

And after about 30 minutes I realized just how far down the

food chain I had slipped...

Me: Troy, I think I have a growth on my neck.

The Live In (head never turns away from TV screen): Mmm, I don't think you do.

Me: Yes. I do. I can feel it.

Me: Come look at it.

TLI: It's fine.

And as I begin to utter my next words, the volume gets raised just loud

enough to drown me out...

The bright side? I can start watching episodes of Bachelor Pad

on an actual TV now.

Fingers Crossed...

2011-08-31T22:30:00.000-07:00

And just in case you thought I was joking about

cleaning out the storage unit in search for the mouse...

I wasn't.

Good news/bad news.

The good news: we cleaned out the storage unit. Like majorly.

The bad news: we didn't find the mouse.

But...fingers crossed...we feel like the mouse has taken up residence somewhere else.

Since cleaning out the storage unit we have yet to see him again.

End of story. (Hopefully.)

Montenegro

2011-08-26T17:05:00.000-07:00

Wow. Been back from our trip to Croatia what,

two months now? And I am still posting pictures?

Way to keep in current.

While we were in Dubrovnik we made a day trip down

to the country of Montenegro.

The beauty of their gulfs and coastlines was the highlight of our trip (as you can see below).
(Not to mention the amazing gyro we devoured for lunch.)
And while we had fun touring around in our rental car (we always do)...
it's no Croatia.
We were happy to cross back over the boarder and
enjoy our last few days in the country we had grown so found of.

We're 9!

2011-08-15T22:40:00.000-07:00

Last week the live in and I turned nine years.

We're so mature now.

Our house is spotless. We cook our own dinners. We put away our laundry.

Right.

To celebrate, we took over our kickball game and surprised our friends

with a few of our favorite things...food carts!

For dinner we had Koi Fusion.

For dessert Fifty Licks.

Wall Stories

2011-08-13T08:25:00.000-07:00

This month my friend Caron launched her company, Wall Stories!

Wall Stories is a collection of durable, changeable wall stickers and growth charts for children.

They were recently featured on Apartment Therapy's Ohdeedoh!

I was lucky enough to do most of the photography/styling for them, so

their big feature was just as exciting for me to see!

Yah for having creative friends! I can't wait to see how her company takes off...

Still need that cat

2011-08-08T10:08:00.000-07:00

Just a little update on our mouse situation:

He’s still there. Tearing it up in our storage unit.

We’ve now set seven traps. All of which claim “guaranteed success”. Yet so far the only thing the traps have successfully caught is the live in’s finger.

In a brave moment the live in actually made eye contact with this elusive creature. His response…”he’s a cute little guy.” Guess what…nobody goes into war thinking that their enemy is the cutest little thing they’ve ever seen. Nobody. The live in needs to start seeing the mouse as his enemy…not a potential pet.

Because even if the live in doesn’t see this as war yet…the mouse certainly does. He made an extremely tactical move last night when he decided to poop on the broken trap that caught the live in’s finger. No joke.

Our next step…literally removing every single item from the storage unit and covering the floor in traps…again, no joke.

Wanted: One Hungry Cat

2011-08-02T21:30:00.000-07:00

If the live in and I were even remotely close to thinking about going back to a regular home…you know, one with a bedroom…the last few days has been enough keep us away for good. It feels like right now this dorm room, err crash pad, err loft is even more than we can handle.

We have a mouse. In our storage unit. The eating my stuff and then pooping all over the place variety. The kind that refuses to be killed. The worst mouse ever.

I hate this mouse.

I honestly don’t understand how a breed of animal dumb enough to get themselves involved in all sorts of risky experimental testing can be so sneaky at the same time? I mean, our storage unit really isn’t that big. And we have three traps set. WITH PEANUT BUTTER. That should be their kryptonite.

Oh I hate this mouse.

The poor live in, I keep making him go downstairs to see if we have a kill…

More Dubrovnik...

2011-07-26T22:34:00.000-07:00

Dubrovnik: Early Hours

2011-07-18T22:48:00.000-07:00

In Dubrovnik I woke up early one morning

(really early for vacay, like 5am!) to head into town

and take some photos before the rest of the city woke up.

The live in, who is famous for wandering around foreign cities alone

in the early morning hours, was by my side.

And as painful as it is, to wake yourself up so early, it's well worth it.

Not only for the gorgeous lighting, and streets all to yourself, but just to

see a city as it prepares for the day is very special too.

And then of course we came back to our hotel

and slept for another couple of hours...it's us we're talking about here.

The drive to Dubrovnik

2011-07-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

From Hvar we took a catamaran back to the mainland where we rented a car
(less than 24 hours prior, thank you very much) and drove along the coast down to Dubrovnik.

The drive was stunning. Absolutely gorgeous. I remember thinking to myself
that if there were a list of ‘best coastal drives in the world’ this would have to be one of them.

Sadly for us today I don’t have a lot of pictures of said drive.
Not only was I the driver but stopping for anything other than food wasn’t
really cool with the rest of the car.

Here is the food…and any scenery that happened to be near the food:

Hvar Island, Croatia: Night Time

2011-07-12T21:27:00.000-07:00

Hvar at night is a special, special place...

Photo #1: If it seems a little crooked, I would agree with you.

Photos #2: One of my absolute favorites from our trip.

Hvar Island, Croatia

2011-07-11T22:07:00.000-07:00

After four nights on Vis we headed to the island of Hvar. Leaving Vis was a bit sad for me. It’s the first time I’ve ever suggested to the live in that we cancel the rest of our trip and just stay put instead.

He was on board, until he learned that our future hotel plans were non-refundable.

Luckily, Hvar did not disappoint.

In fact, it was actually a nice change of pace from sleepy, locals only Vis.

On Hvar we kept to a schedule…sleep in, breakfast, pool, beach, pool, lunch, nap, more beach, more pool, nap by the pool, walk into town, dinner, sleep. So I’d say about 100% of these pictures were taken between the hours of 6pm and 8pm as we made our walk into town every evening for dinner and fun.

Vis Island, Croatia

2011-07-10T17:51:00.000-07:00

If the blog suddenly goes dark, I fail to show up at work, answer my phone,
or even neglect to watch the season finale of (the worst ever) Bachelorette…
it’s because I’ve moved. To Vis.

One of my new favorite places on Earth.

Vis was our first stop in Croatia and couldn’t have been more perfect. It’s authentic, and beautiful, and small, and charming. It’s vineyards reminds me of Italy. It’s insane cleanliness reminds me of Switzerland. It’s gorgeous waters and landscape reminds me of Greece.

While we were in Vis we rented scooters to travel around the island. We were a scooter gang, the live in and I. We explored hidden beaches, old churches, and got lost in the small cobblestoned back alleys of the village. The first day we had the scooters I was a little timid with the idea and took all of the precautions you’d expect…closed toed shoes, long sleeves, using the blinker. But before you knew it we were quickly zipping around in swimsuits and flip flops. We loved scooting.

2011-06-18T22:45:00.000-07:00

We leave (early) tomorrow for our trip!

I'd like to say that at this time we're all packed, and the house is clean,

and we're ready to tuck ourselves in for a good nights sleep...

but that's just not the case.

In fact, it's 10:30pm, the house is a disaster, I have no idea what we've

packed yet, we still need to finish booking our trip...

and the live in just left to go work out.

Awesome.

Actually it's okay.

It gives me some alone time to remove some of his articles of clothing from the suitcase.

He'll thank me later.

I won't be blogging while we're gone but I will be taking down

bits and pieces to share with you when we return.

Which leads me to this...my best piece of travel advice...

always bring a journal. Always.

We're not talking the Dear Diary type.

We carry a pocket size Moleskin journal that literally goes everywhere with us.

And we basically use it like an old school Twitter fead.

It's an amazing way to look back on any trip - big or small.

Here are some entries that still make me laugh:

7/19/06 Rome, Italy:

"Next Halloween costume...

Pope and pregnant nun. Can get great costumes here."

7/20/06 Rome, Italy:

"The famous heat rash of '06 is here. Had to buy a "Brazilian" tee shirt

to cover up my gross chest."

11/13/07 Florence, Italy:

"I am still mad at Troy for being the meanest person ever last night.

At 4am he's up and running around the room because "he

absolutely cannot sleep".

9/3/09 Paris, France:

Troy made a rare entry: "Find big glass building."

12/28/10 Cabrera, DR:

"Troy went swimming in Playa Grande today with

his sunglasses on. He acted surprised when he lost them and then

proceeded to spend the next 10 minutes searching

the ocean for them."

12/28/10 Cabrera, DR:

"Troy said, "if you ever want Harry Potter glasses, I'm

going to tell you no."

Q&A soon...

2011-06-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

I recently received an email from someone asking me to help them plan their first trip out of the country. Holy cats, I think I’ve given you people the wrong impression. Although I would love love luuuuuuuv to set up some sort of free travel site/blog with tips and hints and local spots, I don’t know how worthy my advice might be, especially at the moment. Or maybe it could be more of a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ type of thing?

See, the live in and I leave in about a week for Croatia and London. Here’s what has yet to be done...booking two nights of hotels, a rental car, a way off the freakin island, and all the silly pre-trip errands. Mind you I have lists galore (Big list maker. It’s like my passion.) yet several of these things are not even on the top of the list. Buying new flip flops, why yes, that of course makes top priority. And the worst part? This doesn’t even bother us. We've put far more important things off, for far longer.

But putting our little procrastinator flaw aside, we actually might have a few pieces of advice on travel.

Good advice? Honestly, who knows.

So look for a little Q&A from the live in and I soon…

and if you have a question that you’d like to ask us either leave it in the comments or email me.
Serious or not so serious, we don’t mind.

I know my first question for him will be, “how in the world do you manage to pack more

than any woman I know?”

Happy Birthday, Audrey!

2011-06-07T23:36:00.000-07:00

Audrey turned 1 year old this past weekend!

And I'd like to say that the annoying aunt posts will start to fade away

as her baby years turn into toddler years, but I just don't see that happening.

Here's why:

1. She's a total ham/diva/drama queen and is really one of the few people out there

who appreciates having her photo taken by me.

2. We share a love for cat naps, cucumbers, and punching people in the face.

I just can't turn my back on that.

(Audrey in the middle of eating her birthday cake. And plate.

And pretty much anything else she can get her hands on.)

2011-05-26T21:59:00.000-07:00

Oh, Hollywood.

You have invaded our neighborhood...

but we are loving it.

The movie "Gone" is currently being filmed in Portland,

and so far several scenes have been shot within a block or two from the loft.

Again, the great thing about movies/TV shows here...open sets!

As long as you're not in their shot, you can literally stand as close to the action as you'd like.

The movie stars Amanda Seyfried, who in real life, is teeny tiny pint sized.

And the sister from Dexter, Jennifer Carpenter. Who in real life, is super stretched tall.

Watching them film has been fun,

but what we're most looking forward to is seeing the 'hood on the big screen.

Our building could be having it's 15 minutes of fame soon...

Bath time

2011-05-08T21:11:00.000-07:00

Audrey at bath time.

Some of my all-time favorite photos of her.

Mediterranean Bound

2011-05-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

I told you I had fun travel plans to share…this weekend I’ll be finalizing the details of our trip to Croatia!

I cannot wait.

However in true procrastinator form I’ve nearly waited until

the last minute, once again, to completely book this trip.

I’ve had the air booked for months. Many months. But hotels? Not so much.

And we leave in June.

Fun fact about Croatia. They celebrate a national holiday on the live in’s birthday!

(And, we just happen to be there on his birthday.)

I wonder if he’ll be in a parade or something?

We’re going to visit two islands and the city of Dubrovnik.

We’ll plan to take ferries from the island to island, but cross your fingers that actually works out for us.

Reading their online ferry schedule is a bit challenging to say the least. Right now there isn’t exactly a ferry scheduled to go from island #1 to island #2, but what’s the point of worrying about that little detail just yet.

(Speaking of getting left on a island…did anyone see Sawyer from Lost on this week’s Community? I just love him. I especially love his ability to give people random nicknames.)

I’ll keep you posted on the travel planning as I check off my list…

(Image: Travel Photo Blogging)

2011-05-04T20:34:00.000-07:00

Our last reflection photo.

I like this one.

If you look closely you can see two reflections...one from the window, and then one from the mirror inside.

Our Walk Home...

2011-05-01T23:17:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night the live in and I spent a great evening with our friends.

Enjoyed a little dinner and symphony.

And while that actually deserves a post of it's very own, I don't think

it would translate well without photos. Sorry.

Let's just say it's the first symphony I've been to that made me blush.

But as we made our way home from the symphony that night this is what we came across:

(I don't think we could have loved Portland any more!)

(A random street band set up outside of Nordstrom's. They were actually really good. Think unpolished Mumford & Sons. Oh, and there was a pirate too.)

(Again?! We couldn't tell what movie they were watching on their laptop, but it must have been a new release because they were both really into it.)

(4th meal at little big burger. My fave.)

The Conversation that Ended an Argument

2011-05-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

While in the middle of a semi-colorful argument last week,

after I had allegedly given him a bad look:

TLI: See! You can't even listen to what I'm saying.

Me: What? I didn't say anything.

TLI: It was your body language.

Me: So, you're a body language expert now?

TLI: Well, I am a Communications major.

He was 100% serious. Utterly ridiculous. I erupted in laughter.

Minneapolis

2011-04-24T21:40:00.000-07:00

Minneapolis was a blast! I miss my friend already.

Here's a few iPhone pics from our weekend.

Note to Portland: adopt the rent-a-bike aka "nice ride" program from Minneapolis.

You won't regret it.

Earth Day

2011-04-19T15:05:00.000-07:00

This Friday we’ll be hopping on a plane to visit one of my very best friends in Minneapolis.

Friday also happens to be Earth Day.

So, and this is a big step for me in travel, in honor of the day I’ve made the executive decision that we’ll be using mobile boarding passes instead of printing them out.

That’s right, two less pieces of paper being used. You’re welcome mother nature.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

I realize thousands of people use mobile boarding passes every week…

but I can just see the live in and I screwing this up somehow.

We already have a reputation for tardiness in getting to the airport.

2011-04-18T16:29:00.000-07:00

I received the below email from a friend today. A good friend. One of my best. I thought I would re-post it because 1. it's pretty darn funny and 2. maybe you were thinking the same thing.

Her email is in the pretty blue font, my comments are in hot pink.

I have been meaning to discuss something with you…in 2009 you had 151 blog posts. In 2010 you had 93. So far this year you have 11…at this rate that would be about 37 posts for the whole year. I calculated your trend and am sorry to report at this rate your blog will not exist by 2012 (I can assure all of you that the blog will exist beyond 2012. I have way too many problems to turn my back on this free form of therapy). Ericaaaaa! This is breaking my heart. But I am not one to sit around and be sad so I have been thinking:
1. You could sell ad space on your blog to generate income and increase your motivation to blog.
2. Ideas for blog topics:
     a. More Chad
          i. The fish (Done! I have the perfect (but let's keep low expectations here people, we are talking about a fish) story.
          ii. The man
     b. http://promediablog.com/blogging-tips-10-most-popular-blog-topics-to-make-money-online/

3. Tell stories beginning with, “Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.”
4. Since you are busy actually living your life, dictate your blog (call it “team bonding”) to the new guy so he has more work.
5. Go on another vacation so you have more adventures to write about. (Okay! Actually pretty soon we'll have something to share about our next adventure.)

In case this is even more serious than I know: http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/writingroadblocks/tp/block.htm

2011-03-21T21:08:00.000-07:00

While I continue to spend the better part of my evening on the phone with our lame

internet provider I thought I'd quickly share my last

photography project with you.

I know, multitasking at it's best.

BTW, it appears that a deadly combination of Apple TV + Instant Netflix + the Emmy award

winning show, Greek, has landed us in internet jail. And with only one season left!

I think engagement sessions have become my new fave. I mean it.

See more images here.

TV Groupie?

2011-03-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

It’s no secret that the TV show Leverage films in Portland.

Mostly in our neighborhood, I think. I’ve seen them filming a few times before…and, I don’t know the proper lingo, but it appears that they have an “open set”…or something like that.

Meaning, you can literally walk/drive/pedal right on by while they are filming.

They rarely close off streets from what we’ve seen.

So, imagine my delight when I was running an errand on Friday, totally minding my own bees wax,

and I find myself driving through (literally) their set.

I don’t watch the show, and couldn’t name one actor on it…until now. Christian Kane.

He walked right in front of my car. We locked eyes. He smiled. I didn’t. Played it cool, you know.

Ladies, he is waaaaaaaaaaay better looking in person than on TV. The hair is a shame, but who cares.

When the live in got home that night I begged him to walk back down to where they were filming. I told him about the connection Christian and I have. He was not amused. But, we did go back down there and he did agree that the whole process is pretty impressive. Aside from the business they took over and transformed into their set, they also take up an entire empty block with tents and trailers and buses and food.

Makes me wanna be a groupie…

A Wednesday Gift

2011-03-16T14:41:00.000-07:00

I adore my friends.

Especially the ones that alert me to news like this!

I am already googling the Portland Timbers schedule to see when they play Kansas City...

Here's to hoping...

Seattle

2011-03-06T20:56:00.000-08:00

This weekend we took a mini road trip

up to Seattle to catch up with some friends.

(One of the live in's BF's from high school, actually. It's always

a true treat to hear stories about the teen version of my husband. I love it.)

Of course, no trip to Seattle is complete without a cruise through

Pike's Place Market...

Just a pic...

2011-03-01T19:51:00.000-08:00

...of us getting ready to meet our friends for the symphony!

One of my favorite things.

At the Cabin

2011-03-01T19:21:00.000-08:00

This weekend we met my parent at their cabin for

some snowmobiling and relaxation.

We couldn't have asked for better snow...

(The teeny black blob in the center is the live in. He refused to slow down long enough for me to take a picture.)

(my Dad!)

A Winter Day Trip

2011-02-13T21:07:00.000-08:00

This weekend was fun.

Today we took a day trip to Cannon Beach.

There is something very sweet about the coast in the Winter.

It's relaxing. And refreshing. And of course, always a little damp.

Weekend

2011-02-07T17:35:00.000-08:00

We spent an extra long weekend in Sunriver with friends.

It's always a fun time.

But, I'm already exhausted thinking about going to work tomorrow...

2011-01-26T12:15:00.000-08:00

I have no problem with the name change.

None.

Chad Trouble

2011-01-21T17:58:00.000-08:00

In fish years, I think Chad must be a teenager right now.

He's moody. And refusing to chat with us.

It's like he thinks we're un-cool.

It's weird.

That's him. The red blob to the right of the plastic sea plant.

He's literally burrowed his head underneath the rocks and refuses to come out.

And we even brought him back some nice sea glass from the Dominican Republic.

I don't get it.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T11:59:00.000-08:00

We're home from the sun and sand.

A first for us - we celebrated the new year on a plane!
We had a live Direct TV feed of the Times Square celebration
and at midnight East Coast time our plane watched
the ball drop and shared in a champagne toast.

It wasn't wild and crazy, but special and sweet just the same.

We made our connection in New York last night...
nothing like a snow covered landing to remind us we're back...and so is Winter.

High Tide {on a different beach}

2010-12-29T16:50:00.000-08:00

Low Tide

2010-12-29T09:03:00.000-08:00

p.s. why the hat? all the time?

I live in fear of the heat rash.

Plus my hair is out of control.

{think Monica from Friends}

Lunch Today {amazing!}

2010-12-28T11:46:00.000-08:00

2010-12-27T12:54:00.000-08:00

2010-12-26T12:09:00.000-08:00

Bedtime

2010-12-26T06:31:00.000-08:00

Last night after I was already in bed and the live was

in the kitchen for his nightly water refill {an annoying habit, by the way}.

TLI: ohhhh shoot!

Me: what?!

TLI: oh nothing.

Me: what happened?!

TLI: I'd rather not say.

Me: I'd rather you did, so spill it.

TLI: well, you know at home how our sink is on the left?

Me: the left of what??

TLI: the kitchen

Me: okay???

TLI: well, I forgot that the sink was on the right here.

Me: and???

TLI: well, it's dark and for the last two nights I've been pouring out my old water on the left.

Me: into WHAT?

TLI: the stove.

Me: ----------------

Enough said.

Feliz Navidad!

2010-12-25T11:47:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from the Dominican Republic!

love, our family of two

A Riddle

2010-12-24T16:31:00.000-08:00

What does $3,600 Dominican Pesos buy you?

Two new tires for your Kia rental car.

A moped ride for your live in {and the blown tire he is carrying}.

An invite into a Dominican home to watch Spanish soap operas and curl each others hair while you wait for your live in to come back from the tire "store".

A chance to meet some of the nicest people in the world.

So yah. An hour out of the airport and I run straight through the largest pothole that has ever

been seen by mankind. I'm not kidding, it was huge.

Don't ask how I didn't see it, but I didn't. And frankly, neither did the live in.

So, realizing immediately that we had a flat, we pull over to the side of the road and park near someones driveway. One flat would have been fine, but two makes for a more dire situation.

The live in, who remained very calm and instantly proved why he's so darn good at his day job, started going to work on replacing one of the tires with the spare.

By this point the family who's driveway we'd be parked in had come out of the house to

take a look at the crazy Americans dressed for 35 degree weather.

With no other ideas about what we were going to do for the 2nd blown tire I make my way up to their house. I take our car rental brochure, which has a picture of a nice damage-free car on the outside, and I point to the tires and then I say "POP".

They got it.

They made a phone call and within minutes a friend rides up on his moped {which is the transportation method of choice for most Dominicans}. He's speaking in Spanish, we're speaking in English, nobody understands anyone, but somehow somehow we figure out a plan. They are pulling tire pumps from out of their house, they are bringing me a chair to sit it, they {a mom, a dad, a 14 year old daughter, a 7 year old daughter, plus the mechanical friend} are all huddled around the car - just hanging out.

After they are sure there is no salvaging the 2nd tire {I told you it was a big pothole} there is a lot of hand motions, and loud talking, and the next thing I know I am waving good bye as the live in rides off on the back of the mechanical friend's moped carrying the flat tire.

I am taken back up to the house to hang out with the girls. They are curling each others hair using hair gel and a twig. They would drench the hair in gel then curl it around the twig- it actually turned out really cute. They showed me baby pictures of the two girls, they talked in Spanish, while I talked in English. And while I was on my way out of the

house to go back to the car to grab my camera - the live in pulls up.

He's smiling. A lot.

I must have been smiling too because when he realized I was only coming out to get my camera he asked if I wanted to stay for a little while longer while he went back to "his homeboys".

I said no, but turned back around to say goodbye to everyone.

There were hugs and kisses and Feliz Navidads all the way around.

The live in exchanged phone numbers and bro-mance handshakes with the mechanical friend and we were off, back to the tire store to replace the spare with a new one.

{Since he could only carry one tire back on the moped}.

The tire "store" was not Les Schwab, let's just be clear. It was the side of the road. Literally. But, as anyone who knows the live in will attest to, they had already become his homeboys.

It never takes long with him.

And as we were driving away we agreed that we wished it wouldn't happened, me driving into the Grand Canyon of potholes, but it a way we were kind of glad it did.

Hands down - the nicest people in the world live here. Hands down.

p.s. It's to die for here - I'll post pictures and more stories as the week goes on.

{Mom, please don't freak out by this story. I promise, everything was fine the entire time.}

Portlandia

2010-12-19T09:27:00.000-08:00

For those of you who haven't seen this yet...

Check

2010-12-10T16:58:00.000-08:00

We decorated our Christmas tree last night!

And...more importantly...I'm able to check a project off of my

massive projects-to-be-completed-by-Christmas list.

I made a felt garland for our tree!

As we were carrying our tree up the elevator of our building someone asked if we would be making a popcorn chain to decorate it with. I really loved this idea, and had I thought I could actually work with popcorn without consuming it all, I may have tried it.

But I really wanted our tree to have a homemade vibe, so I went the felt route.

It turned out cute, it was fun to sew, and it was very inexpensive.

Priorities

2010-12-09T09:20:00.000-08:00

My new swimsuit came in the mail yesterday!

I’ve never bought a new suit in December before, but I must say if feels nice.

Do we have a rental car booked yet? No.

But I have a new swimsuit.

Priorities.

Here's a pic of the house we're renting while in the Dominican Republic:

2010-12-07T22:59:00.000-08:00

I'm watching Sport Center's Top 10 right now.

The announcer said (while reviewing a play):

"That's awesome. And if you don't think so, you need awesome lessons."

Sometimes that's how I want to describe the live in.

The Christmas Tree

2010-12-05T15:46:00.000-08:00

Once again we went on an urban Christmas Tree hunt this year.

Living is this loft has brought us so many unique experiences and memories.

Walking our Christmas Tree home ranks pretty high up there...

We went for a mini tree this year.

I really, really wanted one. I think they are adorable.

2010-11-22T22:38:00.000-08:00

Oh this weather here in Portland is making it real easy for me to get excited about the vacation we have planned next month. Real easy.

Here's a couple photos in case you need a mental escape too...

We're headed to the North Shore of the Dominican Republic. I'll share more details as it gets closer.

Chad: Engaged??

2010-11-17T14:26:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you're all wondering how I'm holding up, given the recent rumors of my boy Chad's alleged engagement.

Truth is, it hurts. What hurts even more? Hearing that the pair allegedly met via twitter. Twitter was our thing, Chad!

And 10 carats? Come on!

My tarot card reader said...

2010-11-16T13:25:00.001-08:00

Has it been awhile? Yes, hi!

In October we went to a fabulous Halloween party, complete with a tarot card reader! I had never done anything like this before and was really excited to have my fortune reveled. Sure it’s a little hocus pocus, but it was a ton of fun. I walked away without any big revelations or surprises, but she did “predict” a few (very vague) events.

It’s become a little bit of a joke amongst my friends…several sentences are now starting with, “well, my tarot card reader said…”!

Except today not one, but two of her predictions came true. Oh my oh my. It’s not really important what the predictions were, it’s nothing juicy or interesting, but what is important is that apparently this woman has an insight into.my.soul. It’s so obvious, guys.

Next up, placing a phone call to my doctor. I wonder if they will make a ‘mentally insane’ note on my chart if I call up and say, “my tarot card reader thinks I have low iron and I’d like to get tested asap, please.”? I’m sure this type of referral will fly with the insurance company…

Adios, Santa Fe

2010-10-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

I’m cutting myself off from posting any more about Santa Fe*. I could go on for days. We truly enjoyed our time there, and for us it was the perfect getaway.

We ate some of the best food we’ve ever had. We spent hours cruising art galleries. We hit the spa. We hit the pool. We saw shooting stars. We relaxed by the fire. We can’t wait to go back…

{Pictures taken at the resort we stayed at...which we loved!

Honestly, it was the most luxurious and well thought out place we've ever stayed at. Ahh...}

*Except for the post I promised about the Mercedes. Can't skip that.

Santa Fe Plaza

2010-10-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from Santa Fe's historic plaza:

The Big Rig

2010-10-08T20:45:00.000-07:00

Before I talk about Santa Fe I should rewind…I forgot I had written this post until the very subject came up tonight...

It’s 11pm on the night of our arrival and we had just gotten to the rental car counter at the Albuquerque airport. Everything was going fine until the rental car representative says, “sorry ma’am (strike one) we’re all out of compact cars (which is what I reserved several months ago) – you can choose between a truck or a suburban.”

Are you kidding me? A truck or a suburban. I drive a Jetta in real life. It’s small, zippy, and doesn’t cost $100 fill up with gas.

A suburban was out of the question. Way too big and not enough rear-view visibility. Plus my last name isn’t Duggar.

So, I asked for a tiny truck. He laughed. I told him I didn’t have a special license or anything, like the one I assume you need to drive a truck. No special license required he said. Hmm. So I called the live in over, who until now had been waiting with the luggage out of line. He agreed – we’d be less likely to do damage in a truck. So, we signed up for a big ol’ American Ford F150.

Honestly, I have to give people who drive this kind of big rig on a daily basis a lot of credit. Not only is it nearly impossible to get in and out of without flashing your Brittany, it’s also extremely difficult to simply drive between the lines. And in New Mexico everyone drives a truck, so the buffer between you and the next ~~car~~ truck is pretty thin.

And I’m not even going to talk about backing up. That’s just a huge liability. Let’s just say it’s not easy.

Parking in town. Also, not easy. All the other little cars got to park close to the square in their tiny little spots. But the big rig had to be parked a few block out with the other 4X4’s. Oh, how did I know we had a 4X4? It was plastered on the side of the big rig for everyone to see. Way to keep it classy, Ford.

We thought about asking our concierge at the resort where a good spot was to go four wheel driving…or asking if anyone needed help moving…

Balloon Fiesta Pictures

2010-10-07T21:04:00.000-07:00

We’re back. And we’re a little sad about that. It was hard to leave the charm of New Mexico behind...

Many of you have asked about New Mexico as a vacation destination…so over the next couple days I’ll do my best to share our experience with you.

We stayed the “night” in Albuquerque prior to going to Balloon Fiesta. I say “night” because we were literally in our hotel a total of 4 hours. Getting about 3 hours of sleep. For Balloon Fiesta people wake up extremely early to catch the early morning events, which start around 6:45am. This in itself was one of the craziest experiences the live in and I have had – waking up at 4:15am and driving in terrible traffic with thousands of other people to see this thing. We felt like those wacky storm chasers you see on TV.

But once you are there it makes perfect sense. I don’t know that I can describe the event with any justice, but I will say it’s one of the most amazing things we’ve ever seen and experienced. Some of my favorite pictures are below. But, what they won’t show you is the crazy energy of the crowd. When the first balloon lit up the dark early morning sky the cheers were goose-bump inducing…

The Road To Taos...

2010-10-05T15:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a little bit of what we saw on the road to Taos...it's a gorgeous drive to say the least.

{I promise to do an entire post just on this car...}

{Our final stop...dinner}

2010-10-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

Today I was obsessed with reflection photos...the live in - not so much. He hates them, actually. Not sure if he is embarrassed by the fact that we are smiling and posing into a mirror/window/door, or what...

This is my fave. I love the colors, and the bus in the background...

Balloon Fiesta

2010-10-02T15:56:00.000-07:00

I am uploading today's photos off of my camera (only one memory card - you know the story) and I wanted to share one with you. I'll have stories and many, many more photos for you when we get back. This truly is such an amazing event...

Chad (the fish)

2010-10-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

Since we’re going to be gone for a few days I decided to drop Chad off at daycare. AKA my work. The car ride in wasn’t so fun for him, but I think all of the attention he’s been getting since arriving has more than made up for it. Chad isn’t so different from his namesake really, they both crave the spotlight.

Am I worried about leaving Chad with 15 or so non semi-aggressive beta fish owners? A teeny bit. The first question one of my co-workers asked me this morning is if I would be upset if Chad died. And if that didn’t give me the warm and fuzzys someone else asked if he would just eat anything they put in his tank. Hmm.

I was also reminded that if we have children I was not allowed to bring them in, drop them off with some food, and come back in 5 days like I am doing with Chad. Yes, I know. This is the very reason we have a semi-aggressive beta. Not a dog. Not a cat.

Really - I think Chad will be just fine. I’ve placed him next to a smokin’ picture of Tim Tebow, left detailed instruction about his care, and even pulled the shades down so he won’t boil to death.

Fingers crossed!

Chad (the boy)

2010-09-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

The great news about having a celebrity crush on Chad is that he always gives you something to talk about...
Check out his little cereal mix up story, here. I have to admit, it made me laugh!

Santa Fe Faves?

2010-09-15T11:51:00.000-07:00

Here’s to hoping the next two weeks fly by. The live in and I have a lovely little getaway planned to Santa Fe that I absolutely can’t wait for.

We also added an extra night to the beginning of our trip to catch Albuquerque’s famous balloon fiesta! (How nerdy, I know.) Which, the live in was a really good sport about – considering we’re missing an Oregon State Football game. But, to be perfectly honest, it was a surprisingly easy conversation to have with him and it took about 15 minutes of him “thinking about it” before he was just as excited as I was. So there you go live in fans. I did not stifle his football season fun by force. He agreed. On his own free will. That’s the power of a good vacation I guess.

Have you been to Santa Fe? Email/comment me with your faves!

{photos from the hotel we're staying at}

WWTBCD?

2010-09-12T18:12:00.001-07:00

This post isn’t really funny. It’s not even that interesting. I just wanted to give a shout out to my girl, The Barefoot Contessa.

On Friday night the live in and I hosted a dinner party.

In true Troy & Erica form we waited until the last minute to pick up the main ingredient for our dinner. The live in and I only know of one place to buy this item and when the live in stopped in on Friday afternoon they were sold out. Major bummer and major problem.

Instead of panicking or turning our frustration into road rage we remained calm and asked…WWTBCD?

Well, we thought, she would pull out her favorite bottle of wine and send Jeffrey to get Thai takeout. And so that’s what we did. Except I sent the live in. Not Jeffrey.

And everyone ate in happiness.

2010-08-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a few pics of our most recent garden harvest. Corn! We ate our first teeny tiny ears on Friday with dinner. So good.

{Peppers getting ready to be roasted for salsa!}

2010-08-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

I went and picked up our passports today from our safe deposit box.
The live in was flipped through his.
He has a stamp from Munich.
He said, "we've never gone through Munich."
I said, "yes, we have."
He said, "oh that's right...that's when I had the gun pulled on me."
And we went about our dinner.

I do love him.

Nature

2010-08-16T21:27:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we:

Camped. Went wine tasting. Met a nice couple from Oklahoma. Picked lavender. Stopped at fruit stands. Went on a hike. Saw a waterfall on our hike. Ate three cucumbers in one sitting. Cooked 100% of our food on the campfire. Saw four people wearing tie-dyed shirts. Stole a shower. Never slept better.

See…

{All photos/fun were taken/had in and around Mt. Hood and Hood River (one of our favorite Oregon spots). Let me know if you'd like more info on any of our stops...}

Our Meal in Photos

2010-07-26T20:51:00.000-07:00

Given our recent bounty of fresh basil we've been making pesto more often. I was having fun with the camera while cooking and here's how it went:

Big Box Small Brains

2010-07-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

The live in and I started our post-college years in retail, and still today find ourselves working in some form of retail. As we see it this gives us full license to be thoroughly unimpressed by today’s customer service standards. This weekend we added another name to our list of companies that we will one day destroy if either of us were to find ourselves sitting in a seat of global power. HOME we might as well be flicking dog poop at our customers DEPOT.

If you find yourself with no choice but to visit this big box small brains retailer here are my tips for survival:

1. It’s important that you understand the rigorous training these employees have been through. Shock collar treatment. If you are in aisle 4 and need help in aisle 5, they physically cannot cross that invisible line. Don’t even ask.

2. Always carry a tape measure on your waist, especially the ladies. Street cred is very important here. If you roll in without a tape measure you will never been taken seriously, thus you will never be helped.

3. If you need an item, but don’t see the quantity you need on the shelves never ask if there is any more in the back. Sure their computer system says they have 16 on hand and there are only 2 on the shelves, but since there is absolutely no chance they’d have them in back stock - don’t even ask this very stupid question. It will only produce a lecture on how sometimes the computer system can inaccurately reflect their inventory. And if you do get this lecture be grateful for the education, because retail is such an obscure and hard to get profession there are few people in America who actually understand the basic principal of on-hand inventory.

4. Never, and this is the most important tip, ever go to the HOME it’s 2010 and we’re still sexist DEPOT for an item that will eventually be used for a purpose in which it wasn’t originally intended for. In addition to the training I mentioned in tip #1, their associates also go through extensive anti-MacGyver training. He’s their anti-Christ. Their Sadam. Their Jacob (go Team Edward). If you find yourself with no alternative but to go, at the very least refrain from sharing your true intended purpose for the supply. This share will only generate a “we have nothing like that here” reply. Doesn’t matter how many associated you may ask, their anti-MacGyver training will always kick in.

5. When exiting the HOME mother loving DEPOT and the manager asks if you found everything you needed, simply lie and give a ‘yes’ answer. Answering ‘no’ will only produce another lecture on point #3*. This lecture, however, will be much shorter as their managers don’t receive shock collar training. They will run like the wind to the point furthest from yours.

Conversely, we are adding Ace Hardware to our list of companies that we will one day acquire and then give major raises and Mini Coopers to all of their employees. They truly are the helpful place...

*To my credit, I did refrain from accusing Bob The Builder of internal theft. A variance of 14 pieces might throw up a red flag to me, but apparently this $2.7 billion dollar company just has a really crappy computer system.

Corn Watch: 2010

2010-07-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

During the work week I normally do the watering of the garden. It’s a five minute walk from my office (where I either pass the smokers or the runners on my way – neither group makes me feel good). On the weekends, the live in joins.

This should fall under ‘quality time together’, but today’s garden visit falls under straight up babysitting.

Since the live in was the one who physically planted the corn, he has labeled it as “his”. Never mind that in the time it took him to plant the corn, I planted every single other vegetable we’re growing and haven’t once called it “mine”. Regardless, he’s adopted the corn as his own and is extremely proud of how well it’s doing.

He’s also extremely proud of how well his corn is doing versus other gardeners’. A good portion of today’s visit was spent perusing other plots, trash talking their corn, and comparing size. Boys.

When not judging other gardener’s vegetables he’s attempting to steal them. Squash was today’s target. We didn’t plant any squash. But the plot next to ours did. Big mistake on their part.

I held him off for today, as there were several other people visiting their gardens (aka witnesses to his crime), and it didn’t appear that the squash owners had even had a chance to pick any yet. I'm pretty sure they'd notice if their first pick all of a sudden went missing. However, my babysitting like skills will only last for so long, and I guarantee he’ll snag one eventually.

Apparently community garden and communal garden are interchangeable for him.

The Garden

2010-07-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from our garden. We’re currently enjoying sugar snap peas, cucumbers, and fresh herbs. (Although we’re both anxiously awaiting the corn’s big reveal the most.)

Pasta

2010-07-16T14:08:00.000-07:00

Although I am currently livid with the live in, I will put that aside and give him due props for the recent string of dates he’s organized.

This week we took a cooking class – pasta was the subject. And it was divine. Seriously, so much fun.

This was our first cooking class, however, and prepared we were not. Or…I was not. We arrived at 6:30pm, which is my feeding time, to an empty kitchen. Major red flag. I immediately turned to the live in and said (in a voice that was apparently loud enough for everyone to hear) “well, I certainly don’t see anything to eat!” To which captain obvious replied, “That’s because you have to make it.” And I get that, I really do, but come on how about a few appetizers to start?!

And… maybe they were, maybe they weren’t - but I got the strong impression that everyone else in the class was eyeing my hair. And not in a ‘oh how fabulous and luscious (thanks to the deep conditioner my stylist comped me!) it is’ way but in a ‘oh how out of control and so not tied back it is’ way. I didn’t have a hair tie with me either. Sorry. But it’s not like they had hair nets on either.

All of that aside, it took my fellow classmates about 3 minutes to see past my mangy hair and onto the finer qualities I brought to the table. Like my live in. And my first class ability to dump three ingredients into a food processor and press, “on”.

The group was actually a ton of fun. It was four other couples, and one single dude. I’m sure he read in some Portland Singles magazine that cooking classes would be an excellent place to meet the ladies. That’s too bad for him.

I wish I had pictures for you but I pulled out my camera only to realize the battery was 100% dead. The head instructor did look just like the boy from Ratatouille. And so naturally I told him this…in the middle of him explaining a recipe. Couldn’t tell if he was amused or insulted. But given the spectacle I created once several of the other girls saw the resemblance and immediately started agreeing and pointing and nodding their heads…I would guess insulted. But he did look just like him.

By the end of the evening we had learned to make 4 new pasta dishes, plus pasta from scratch. We are totally in love with fresh pasta now. On the verge of becoming pasta snobs, actually. So obviously we bought a pasta press or cutter, or whatever you call it. Probably just another kitchen gadget that will eventually find a home in our storage unit, but for now we’re looking forward to razzle dazzling our friends with a pasta dinner party or two…

My DVR

2010-07-13T14:16:00.000-07:00

Tonight’s The Bachelorette…well, it is for me anyways. I have my own special version of DVR right now…it’s called the internet. The live in and I are currently on summer break from cable, which means I have to wait until the next day to watch most TV shows, as that’s when they are available online. And this summer just happens to be when the two best TV shows on earth are airing. Fancy timing for a TV hiatus.

Obviously, we’re talking about "The Bachelorette" and "Chad Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch". All other shows are pretty lame during the summer and skipping them has definitely been worth the dough we’re saving on cable. Luckily, the live in was able to “barrow” a cord from work so that we can hook the computer up to the TV. Nothing better than 42 inches of Chad. And, God bless VH1 (and VH1.com of course). Am I right? Genius. Genius. Genius.

Really, Chad?

2010-07-13T13:50:00.000-07:00

Yo. Sorry to pull a hit and run so to speak. Time has once again slipped away from me.

I know I have a few fellow Beta fish owners out there so I wanted to run this little scenario past to you to see if Chad (the fish, not my boy) is acting normal or if we’ve managed to find ourselves caring for a special needs semi-aggressive Beta.

Last night the live in and I were eating dinner at our kitchen island, which is also the island Chad resides on. He had zipped by a few times to say hey! and to beg for dinner (again). Next thing we know he’s convulsing in the corner of the fish bowl, acting like he’s having full on seizures. He never acts like this. He was literally head-butting the side of the bowl so loudly that the sound could be heard from most parts of the loft.

We thought we were seconds away from a belly up type situation.

Of course the live in moved in close, trying to sooth Chad with the silky sound of his voice. But in doing so he realized that there was the teeniest tiniest little bug on the side of the fish bowl. We’re talking smaller than a grain of rice here, friends.

Chad was after the freakin bug. Are you kidding me? Really? REALLY, Chad?

The live in wiped the bug off the bowl and Chad turned the aggression down a couple notches. He’s now back to his regular semi-aggressive state.

But we fed him again after that, obviously. No one likes a skinny fish.

Skype, Chad, and Friends

2010-07-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

A major thank you to everyone who welcomed me back via blog comments, emails, and Facebook messages. I have a feeling I have the best friends in the world.

Big plans for the holiday weekend? We are headed to the dirty south for some sun, and some Audrey time. She’s a funny little gal. And although she and I Skype a lot, I’m excited to see her chubby thighs in person. I’ve asked my sister several times if I could babysit via Skype, you know for some quality Audrey / Erica bonding time…she said no. I think I’ll ask in another month or two when she’s really sleep deprived and see if the outcome is different.

While we are gone our semi-aggressive Beta fish, named Chad Ochocinco, will be fending for himself. Honestly, I think this bothers the live in more so than Chad. The live in adores Chad. Last night he and I got home very late in the day (actually, into the next day) and the live in proceeds to feed Chad. But apparently Chad had already peaced out for the day because he was refusing to eat. This deeply concerned the live in, who then proceeds to talk Chad (the fish) into eating his dinner. And although I think its bizarre behavior for a grown man to be coaxing a fish to eat his dinner at 1am, it worked. Obviously they have a connection beyond my comprehension. I hope they both survive the weekend apart.

But really, I hope Chad doesn’t die while we’re gone. It’s always 50/50 with fish…

Back

2010-07-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

Dear Some of My Favorite People,

You should know…you have a friend in the live in. Lately he’s become concerned about your feelings. He believes that my blogging hiatus could be confusing to some, and that you deserve a little better. Or at the very least you deserve a break up note.

I’m not ready to fully break up with blogging, but I did enjoy our time apart. And just like in any relationship, there are some changes that need to take place as I go forward.

I’ve deleted the tracker I had on the blog. It only made me upset. I’d see that people I know in real life check the blog often, yet in person they can be so distant with me. I never understood. If you care enough about my life to read my personal blog, treat me like a friend. If you don’t care about me, but want to use the blog as a stalking method…well, that’s a little icky. But, at least now I’ll never know.

Also, I have a feeling the blog might turn a little, um…dull, going forward. Prepare yourselves for lots of posts regarding our garden, our summer plans, and our fish. Sounds riveting, I know. But, honestly, looking back some of my favorite posts are those that serve as a little diary to me. Having a place like this to document the meaningless, becomes pretty meaningful actually.

That being said…I’m back. Ready to fill the interweb. But I’ll do that later…lunch is here.

Love,
erica

Happy Friday!

2010-05-21T18:42:00.000-07:00

Coming out of my blogging hiatus to share this photo with you...no better way to start off your weekend than with some newborn goodness...

{photo by me}

Score!

2010-05-02T22:01:00.000-07:00

Warning: this could be the world’s most boring post. I do realize that.

But, check out my weekend find! One of our neighborhood restaurants is changing hands and had a sale to get rid of almost all of the old goods. I walked home with ten champagne glasses for $5.00! I can’t wait to break them out at our next party…

Loft Window Ideas

2010-04-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

One of the first things the live in and I fell in love with about our loft is the windows. They are big, and just about span the length of our two exterior walls. We’re talking lots of windows.

Although we currently have shades on all of our windows I’ve recently become obsessed with how to update them. Our shades are made of a similar material to that of a window screen – when they are closed we can still see out and they let filtered light in. This is great in some ways, but right now I’d like something that can shield a little more of the sunlight. So, last week we had a very nice lady come out to the loft and give us a couple of estimates for new window coverings. Turns out we have miles of windows to cover and the cost ranged from $8,000 all the way up to $12,000 depending on the style. Yikes!

Obviously this is well out of the budget, so I’m back to square one. Today I came across these cute pompom fringe curtains and I’m thinking they could do the trick. I wouldn’t use sheer fabric, but something a little more solid, placed over our current roller shades. We’ll see. If you have any great {not too expensive} suggestions, let me know…

Coming Home

2010-04-28T16:32:00.001-07:00

Heeyo. I’m in the Denver airport waiting for my flight back to Portland. I’ve been here the past few days for work and while it’s been a fun trip, I’m ready to go back home.

In other world news: I bought a fanny pack today. I’ll post a picture when I get back home. On Monday I told my friends that I wished I had one. On Wednesday I stumbled upon the perfect fanny pack. It’s unreal.

All this sitting in the airport makes me want to plan a trip. Any great Summer vacations planned?

This...

2010-04-24T21:28:00.000-07:00

…is how those of us who live without a backyard / patio / balcony BBQ. We roll our beloved Weber Q out from our storage unit, wheel it into the elevator, and out into our building’s common area. {If we’re getting fancy, it’s an atrium.} It’s a process the live in has down.

p.s. I’m planning a small atrium party this summer…I’ll post my ideas soon…

2010-04-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day!

{Musee d'Orsay & Polar Bear love.}

Under the Big Top

2010-04-21T21:18:00.000-07:00

This week the live in and I had a fun night under the big top at Cirque du Soleil’s Kooza. Such a good show! If you’re in the Portland area, go check it out…just watch your popcorn. Mine got eaten by a clown...

Market Baskets

2010-04-21T14:31:00.000-07:00

Good news: the live in and I got into the community garden at work. We’ll be helping build raise beds this weekend, and I am secretly hoping I meet a few new gardening buddies as well. The live in thinks I’m crazy for wanting to be BFF with people I haven’t even met yet, but I can already tell there’ll be a garden party or two in our future.

I’m thinking these market baskets are a must have. What better way to bring home our future crop {assuming we can actually grow something}?

{via Creature Comforts}

Proud

2010-04-20T16:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

If you get a chance to be a mentor – take it. Mentorship comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes and can be as simple as being a friend to someone who needs one. I’ve informally become a career mentor to someone I met while I was visiting OSU a few months ago and today I got the warm and fuzzy feeling parents rave about. I strongly encouraged her to take a less-than-glamorous class this term, and today she emailed and was so excited to tell me that she got a 100% on her midterm. It’s her new favorite class. I almost cried in my cube while reading her email she was so excited. So, long story short, be a mentor – it’s good for both of you.

love,
erica

Bird Mobile

2010-04-18T22:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend was my sister’s baby shower and the big reveal of the secret project I’ve been working so hard on. I made a mobile for her nursery! {Check out Spool for the bird pattern.} It was a lot of fun to make and I’m so happy with how it turned out. I will say, finding “cute” branches to use while living downtown isn’t exactly an easy task.

I can’t wait to see it up above her crib…

Venting

2010-04-15T17:12:00.000-07:00

What were you in high school? Popular? Nerdy? A jock? I would consider my high school self a mix of all “groups”. Kind of eclectic. Definitely unique.

The good thing about being unique is that as you move into college and eventually beyond college your character allows you to develop into the person you want to be. Not the person you think will be popular, not the person all the other girls want to be like, but the person that is right for you. Then you find that your uniqueness might actually work for you. It allows you to think outside of the box. It allows you to try new things, and create a style of your very own.

Then one day you realize that not everyone puts “unique” down on their list of self characteristics. I doubt they put “copy cat” down either, but you know what I mean. Sure we all borrow ideas from each other. And we definitely all have people we hold as role models. But, a little credit to the original source goes a long way. My mom, like so many other mothers I am sure, told me more than once that imitation should be the sincerest form of flattery. Clearly its not and she was just saying this to try and make me feel better about whatever high school drama-of- the-moment I was currently hurdling.

Ten years out of high school and I still don’t like to be copied. It’s icky. It makes me want to wear solid black every day and paint my house solid white and never share any of my ideas. Probably not the mentality someone ten years out of high school should be having, but my point is imitation hurts my feelings.

I’m not going to wear solid black, I’m not going to paint my house solid white, and I will continue sharing my ideas. If you like them, just tell me so. If you want to use them, be my guest.

My friends, thanks for letting me vent. These feelings have nothing to do with my blogging friends, but more so a situation from my personal life.

2010-04-12T21:38:00.000-07:00

Hope you all had a great weekend!

The live in and I are fully relaxed after a little getaway this weekend. Complete with massages, marinated olives, and Salsa Verde Doritos! Nothing better. Actually, the only thing better was watching the live in’s face when I told him what standard protocol was for clothing during the massage. Not to worry, after about ten minutes of robe-only time he was extremely comfortable and made himself quite at home in the spa.

2010-04-04T21:18:00.000-07:00

I’ve started working on my project for my sister’s baby. It’s a surprise – so I’ll share the details with you in a few weeks. I’m using my mom’s old sewing machine and couldn’t help but take a few photos of it {and its lovely carrying case}. I have no idea what year it was made...

As far as my sewing goes…at the rate I’m going I’ll have it completed by the time her daughter turns one...

Glam Shots

2010-04-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

Before we start…I have to disclose something {remember, I have that disorder that causes me to share meaningless details}. My co-worker is my acting DJ and regularly supplies me with new CD’s for my listening enjoyment / education. We’ve covered such topics as the difference between Sting and The Police, greatest rock bands of the 80’s, and so on. Today I shared that I had never heard a Justin Bieber song. Within minutes he had a CD made for me and…this is the full disclose part…the CD is currently on full blast as I write this post. I feel like I’m in a Disney after school special.

Alright, back to my late 20’s and my live in…

The guy has been driving me crazy lately. About a month ago he let me know that his office had hired a photographer to take professional head shots of him and his co-workers. AKA glam shots.

Obviously, the live in is not shy in front of a camera and regularly seeks special attention so this event had been circled on his calendar for weeks. Several days before the glam shots he started to quiz me. Should I get a hair cut? Should I shave? When should I shave? How should I smile? Should I pose? I answered his questions the best I could, and truly tried to seem interested. However, the day of the glam shot he was out of control. Acting like a male super-model. Demanding outfit advice and requiring some side coaching on how to smile while still keeping your eyes open.

I left for work and at the end of the day returned home to find the bathroom of a teenage girl. Turns out he had come back home mid-day to take a shower and “freshen up” before the glam shots. He’d also been asked to retrieve several outfits for the glam shots; you know to mix things up a bit. Please keep in mind that we are talking about suits here, people. And these were head shots for a bank. Total nerd stuff, and not exactly Esquire.

When he returned home my first question to him was this… “Did you go spay tanning?” I kid you not, he looked like he did. But, that look was carefully achieved by layers and layers of makeup applied before the glam shots by their makeup person. For the 30-45 seconds that followed he went on about “his makeup artist” and how she told him he needs eyeliner to open up his eyes because they are just so stunning. I quickly shut this down.

Fast-forward two weeks later. The office received some of the photos back from the photographer and oh the furry of the live in on that poor photographer. The photos were terrible of everyone, and clearly the guy makes his living by dealing drugs or delivering newspapers because his photos were b-a-d. But, at the end of the day the photos will be used in banking publications and not framed above our fireplace so what’s the big deal really?

The live in thought differently, however, and has now taken creative liberties and is directing the photographer on re-cropping, and editing to enhance his photos. I think he’s finally selected a photo, but if I get sent another copy to look at I am going to block him from my email account.

As for Justin Bieber, maybe if I was 15…

Happy Good Friday, and happy Easter weekend.

2010-03-26T23:03:00.000-07:00

Happy weekend! This tree is one of our new favorite things in the neighborhood. Actually, it's two trees growing together. The color combo is stunning...even better in real life, of course.

Priorities.

2010-03-26T14:22:00.000-07:00

I feel like lately the majority of my posts have started out with an apology for my absenteeism. So, to mix things up, I don’t have any apologies today. I’ll simply say, I would have rather been blogging. I promise you.

I hate blogging out of sequence; it feels like ridiculous time travel. But, this story is from last week.

Anyhoo, one evening last week I had a sudden and immediate need for two things: Doritos and Sour Patch Kids. I feel like the word “craving” doesn’t properly describe my immediate food needs. A craving sounds like something that might just pass with time, or it could even be confused with hunger in general. This was a need, and virtually impossible to ignore. After seven years the live in knows the drill. From the time the need is communicated we’ve got about 10 minutes to get the goods before things turn really ugly.

He grabs some cash, shoves it in my pocket, and we make the three block walk to Safeway.

Once inside I head straight for the snack aisle and he wanders off down another aisle. I grab the Doritos {Cool Ranch – they were out of my fav, Salsa Verde} and then grab the Kids, and head back to find the live in. And I found him…with a shopping cart full of fruit, and milk, and other day to day needs. I looked in my pocket – he had grabbed $7.00. I looked down at the Doritos - $2.49. I looked down at the Sour Patch Kids - $2.49 {of course I got the extra-large size}. I did the math. I looked at his groceries. I was mad.

He ushers me over to the self-check out aisle and basically says let’s see how much everything adds up to. Not embarrassing at all, by the way. So I ring up the Doritos – my first priority. Then my Kids. Then his three precious oranges. We were already over our $7.00 budget. He tells me to take off one of the oranges. Again, not embarrassing at all. {Deleting produce items at the self-check out isn’t exactly easy either.} We were still over the limit. So – and this still hurts – he tells me to take off the Kids. I delete it, he grabs the smaller pack instead, and we make our budget. Keep in mind he still had bananas, milk, and one orange he had to go return to the shelves.

I am pretty sure the Safeway employee who was manning the self-check out station was judging our nutritional priorities when she saw the Doritos and Kids make the cut, but the milk and fruit had to be returned.

Oh well…she probably wouldn’t understand the live in and all of his fine qualities either…

This!

2010-03-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

This is why I love living in Portland. Absolutely love it. This gentleman was spotted outside our loft window and I had to snap a picture.

Loft Bedroom: After

2010-03-18T21:17:00.000-07:00

Done! Yah! Like I said, it’s just a minor facelift but I still love the change.

I decided to keep our lamps and shades…mainly because I couldn’t find replacements I liked better, but also because the new ones I came across were out of the budget…by miles.

I’m pretty proud of the artwork grouping above our bed {although it’s tough to see details in this picture}. I’d also like to make mention that I put up the frames all by myself…not an easy task, especially when eyeballing for levelness and using a meat tenderizer for a hammer.

1.2.3.

2010-03-18T10:35:00.001-07:00

A few things:

1. Sorry for the lack of blogging lately. Real life has gotten a little busy. I do have lots of stories for you, so hopefully over the next few days I can share some.

2. I am almost ready to take my “after” picture of our bedroom. I just need to patch up all of the old {and some new} nail holes in the wall, and steam the bedding. Yes, I am going to steam the bedding – its linen and it looks terrible wrinkled. The live in does not support this behavior but I holding strong that the 10 minute investment will be worth it.

3. I applied for a plot in the new community garden at work. It’d be an urbanites dream, so I am crossing my fingers it works out. If we get it, we can start planting in May…

Loft Bedroom: Before

2010-03-10T21:09:00.000-08:00

This is a really bad photo, but you get the idea...

Refresh

2010-03-10T13:11:00.000-08:00

I’m in the middle of gathering ideas and inspiration for a very minor update to our “bedroom” area of the loft. It’s looking a little tired and needs a fresh look. We love the wall color and our bedside tables but everything else needs a little refresh. {I’ll post a “before” picture for you tonight so you can see what I am talking about.} I’ve already ordered bedding from a few different sources, but I’m hoping to do everything else on a…(shied the eyes if you’re sensitive)…budget.

During my search I can across this loft. I die! Oh what I could do with some serious space like that...