The Christmas Tree

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. 

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??

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...

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

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

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

The Big Rig

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

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...

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}

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

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)

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)

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?

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?

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.