The Gauntlet

Yes...it is past time, way past time that I update this wonderful blog of mine. My parents have a blog now and they have posted more recently than me so I figured it was time to get back to my highly informative and not to be underrated updates. So strap into your seats and enjoy the ride!

So much has happened it would be ridiculous for me to try to attempt to fill in all the gaps. I think my last update was more than a year ago...hang head in shame...so the highlights...well I bought a house. That is a big one. Sept 2008 I signed my life away to usbank...for a reasonable fee over a few decades. Here is she is:Three bedroom, 2.5 bath, garden tub, walk-in closest, gas fireplace and all. I have procrastinated in posting pictures because I wanted to do before and after pictures...but after pictures seem to take a long time...there is always a list...but the outside looks the same, so there ya go.

Since September, myself and the numerous worker bees I call my family, we have painted every room, but the second upstairs bathroom (and the very hard to reach wall in my landing - hence no after pictures, that darn stairwell.) Jadyn's room is, shockingly, pink. (and I don't mean that sarcastically it is actually SHOCKINGLY Pink) Actually, two shades of pink. She loves it. Loves it. We did that before we moved in. Then we put tile in the laundry room (thank you Dad and those fabulous knees and the kitchen floor) painted it...new base boards (in most of the house)...my room is a luscious green *actually called - Bayou Shade* and it is marvelous absolutely marvelous (you better be saying that like the old Pepsi commercials - cause that is how I am writing it...hehe...) And of course, put new flooring in the kitchen/dining area and added a new island cabinet section. Actually the island/cabinets are just floating in the kitchen, you can slide them anywhere and the top they have is my old ikea table top. I am nothing if not resourceful and it provides me another (convenient) place to put stuff in and on. Clearly it is still on the to be completed list. But life is busy and we must work and play and take care of the day to day...so my extras often fall by the way...side. I had a little rhyme going there for a second...go me. I must have a lyrical soul deep down in me somewhere...well I know I have a rambling one...that one is not so deep. Let me refocus.

So here are a couple more pictures...the before pictures...and some kinda after...

Yeah, so this is the kitchen...

This is the kitchen after the new floor.
See my shiny new table back there...so fun!

I threw in this picture of Jadyn chillaxin at the new dining room table...check out those fab pictures behind her...Pictures of Jadyn eating...with various members of the fam...and of course a little African safari thrown in - I love it after all - so appropriate for the eating room!

This lovely shot is the Living Room!OK - this is a different angle of the living room, but you get the idea. Check out those amazing curtains my momma made! She is awesome!

Jadyn's Room! Get ready for it!

Bam! Pink! I made her name pictures and they are above her bed, she takes them down all the time so it is difficult to keep them straight. Well that and I hung them crooked...

So that is a peek at the lovely new abode. It is a different duck, home ownership...when I plugged up the garbage disposal...I couldn't call maintenance...I had to call my dad. He is better than maintenance anyhow, for a lot of reasons but mostly because he taught me a new skill - how to unclog the garbage disposal...and yep, I have already had occasion to practice this said new skill.

Jadyn & Song of the Day

I need to write down what she says as soon as she says it, because she says some great things, but as usual - I am forgetful. Dang...but here are a few things:

1. She is sitting on my exercise ball, and she closes her eyes and says, "I have to do my ohmmms." and she starts chanting...ohmmm...what? Where does she get that from?

2. We are in the car on the way to school/work and she says, "I am tired of school, how about we take a break." Like what Jadyn, a vacation. "Yep, thats a good idea mom, a vacation." Amen baby girl, sounds perfect. But I am a little worried that she is already tired of school and she is only in pre-school - 13 more years to go baby girl!

3. So we are looking at houses and we are driving through this one neighborhood and I show here this yellow house that is for sale and ask her if she likes it, she says no, I like that one...pointing to the one that is painted light pink...of course you like that one...thank goodness she didn't see the purple house.

4. We pull up at home and she releases her seatbelt, reaches around to the front and gives me a huge hug and says, "Mama, I am your snuggle bug." - yes you are indeed my love, yes you are.

I will add more as I remember...and I need to upload some of her artwork...the are hilarious. She makes up all kinds of creatures...her imagination is amazing.

I have to include this picture. She was in my bed and started jumping...even though we have discussed this MANY times...she still choose to hop hop hop...fall out of bed. She got a good knock on the head and a busted nose. Check out that beautiful scab. She was ok, and she hasn't jumped on my bed since...the couch, but not the bed...I need to get her in gymnastics I guess...

Song of the Day - instead I updated the entire playlist! Go me!

OK one more post...

In case you wondered what a recreation professional does...I will give you a little insight to my summer. Please remember that summer is the most beautiful time of year here and remember that I spend it WORKING. Be jealous be very jealous. So one thing I do is Day Camp, not just Summer break but Spring and Winter breaks also. I also added a Counselor-in-Training program to Summer Camp three years ago - I love to create more work for myself - but it is a great program. I am also responsible for the Free Summer Food Program, providing free breakfast and lunch for Tumwater children. We have a huge event on the 4th of July - Parade, Festival, and Fireworks, and I do a little for that (mostly advertising and set-up). It is hard - as it is usually the week or closely thereafter that summer camp starts, so I stay busy...then I am responsible for the creation and production of our quarterly brochure and the Fall Brochure preparations begin in July, whew! Now for August...I take the lead on our Outdoor Movie Series which are Friday Nights in August. Last one is this Friday - Enchanted - I am really looking forward to it, mostly because after Enchanted - the event will be over for this summer. I make a 'commercial' for each film, this summer I made one...too busy. Then this year we decided to change our fundraising - Glow in the Dark golf tournament to August...and that was just this past Saturday. It worked out, but I was not able to do all the promotion and begging for money that I had done the previous year...so hopefully next year we can move it to September or back to May...please...anyway, just a small little glimpse into my life. And a poor justification for the lack of posting and updating this blog...it's a pretty lousy one, I know. But I have to say - it's a great job. I love it and I love the people I work with, even if I miss summer. Camp ended last Friday and Screen on the Green is over Friday...looking forward to Labor Day, maybe Jadyn and I can get out and enjoy the sunshine a little...can't wait!

Home Sweet Home...Maybe!

Do I want to be rich mom or poor mom? Look out world, most specifically Donald Trump, because I am about to become a real estate mogul. So I have started looking for a house. Well more than started, I actually made an offer on one. It's a short sale (yes, I now know what that means - thanks to my wonderful Real Estate Broker, Phil Harlan - and I can explain it reasonably well - but will refrain as it is not that exciting and actually kind of boring...)anyway the house I offered on also has two other offers, so we'll see. It is the hardest thing to get out of my head...$210,000 for this - in this area - it is actually a great house for the money, you should see some of the stuff I have been looking at - I am kind of a snob...this house is awesome - but do you know what I could buy in Texas for that? But I am not in Kanas anymore, or Texas for my example, and I can not think about that. But I do, I even look at what $70,000 less will get me in Texas, and you know what - I need to stop that. Let me think...living up here in WA, am I going to make $70,000 more dollars in say 30 years than I would living in Texas? It's a close call, but a house here will appreciate so much better, but will I be able to live the minimized life style home buying will require of me? Sure. But it is definitely going to leave a mark! But I am paying more that $1,000 a month to live in this apartment so why not be able to paint my own walls for at least $400 more dollars a month? It's so totally worth it.

I am not a rich girl by any means, but I get compensated fairly for my job, which rocks by the way. I just have a single mother's income...which is sometimes hard, but we have plenty. I celebrated a great deal the day we no longer had to buy diapers, the celebration will also be great the day we only have part time day care...that will save me serious coin. This time next year Jadyn will be in kindergarten...I think it would be nice to be settled somewhere. Yep I just wrote that - kindergarten and me settled. I have lived in Washington almost 7 years and I have lived in 7 different dwellings...commitment problems? Maybe. More likely, no place feels like home. With the purchase of a house it will be home for at least 3.5 years, so it better be something I love. Hopefully this place will work out, because - I think I would love to make a home there. I posted a picture, but nothing else...I don't need anymore competing offers...

Summertime - and We're Living BUSY...

Jadyn, Aaron & Becca (and baby) - Crater Lake

Man, what a long time since I have posted. Well the good news - we've been busy, the bad news - we've been VERY busy. It will take me a long while to update this adequately. May, May is seriously the last time I posted I think...Can I even remember that far back? Four year olds change so much in three months I hardly can believe it. She is officially a little girl no longer a toddler. So onto the skinny...

Memorial Day Weekend:

As has become tradition in our family now, we take a trip together somewhere nice, sometime between my Mom's birthday (May) and my Dad's brithday (June) - these dates nicely coincide with the holidays that celebrate both mom's and dad's so we figure it is density, I mean destiny - so in the past few years, excluding one year I think, we have spent time, in some exotic locale (well within driving distance) together. This year's Destination: Sunriver, OR. (Past trips include and are limited to: Whistler and Yachets which was a Beach house...anyway...) Once again procuring a lovely vacation home we travelled with glee to first shop in Portland and then second vacation in Sunriver. There is lots of golfing in Sunriver, but we didn't do that. Instead we went bike riding, went to visit Crater Lake (which you will see was covered in snow and NOT like the pictures I'd seen, but was nonetheless a lovely (and very long) drive.), some went rafting, we enjoyed an nice winter storm, and visited Sonic. Yes there is a Sonic in Bend - it was wonderful. I would like a route 44 Diet Dr. Pepper - thank you very much. It was funny, it was the grand opening weekend for the Sonic (we don't have these in the Northwest yet - in case you were wondering why Sonic made the list of things we did - and my dad thought we were crazy for going on a special drive just to get a drink - but I am ok with being a little bit crazy. That crushed ice is over the top wonderful - anyway I digress...where was I??? let me end these parenthesis first.) so we definitely had to stop there, but let me just say - it was crowded and had a wait - Sonic, the heartbeat of Bend. Then it was time to go home and we stopped at the Silver Falls State Park which was really cool and did some hiking - at which I sucked at - the straight paths are ok the vertical paths - I need to get my butt in shape. These falls were amazing and worth a trip. Then it was back to Portland for more shopping - have I mentioned our love for tax free shopping - if not you might have discovered our vicious little secret - we love Portland and tax free shopping. Tell the world...but in addition to all the dry goods we bought - I have some great shots of the trip. On the way down, Jenn gave Jadyn the camera to play with I guess. I have about 50 shots of the sky and 10 shots of this red truck, not to mention the countless pictures of Jadyn's feet (she is obsessed with them - or it would seem from the quantity of pictures she took). One morning when she was up at 6:15 and the rest of us (me) were still trying to sleep, Jadyn snuck into my purse, took out the camera and went to the bathroom to take pictures of...you'll never guess...her feet. I was dying. At least the bathroom floor of the vacation house is now immortalized, because I can't delete that picture....sneaky sneaky Jadyn.

Thought I might include a picture of Jadyn's hair in the morning - this is the same morning as the feet shot...love it!

10:30 on my birthday eve - I gotta get to bed, going to a baseball game with 35 kids tomorrow...need my sleep! Much more later?! Or much later...

Oh, and I need to go back to my song of the day or post...really diggin this song...check it out! So Summery, ya'll feel me? (Metro Station - Shake It.) It also reminds me of my favorite new TV show, but I'll save that for another post!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpU78IeTx_c

All Caught Up...Maybe

So that brings me to today...but first - yesterday we took Jadyn to see a movie in the theatre - Nims' Island...it was good, she loves going to the movie...and today is one of those super pretty days...I decided to get a few shots of Jadyn being silly playing...Enjoy. Hopefully I won't have so long between post...Notice Jadyn is rockin her inner Deb - the side pony - classic....

Where did April Go?

So now we are officially in May, I guess it is safe to tell you about all the many things we did in April...

In my life as a recreator I am responsible for the Day Camp programs and we have a Spring Break day camp. That was the first full week of April this year, so needless to say I have had a big chunk o' super-busy time. It just gets busier (worse) from here though...but in between all the work and all the rain, and well - all the snow (because it did snow here in April - so bizarre) we did make time to play...of course. The new ride needed to be unleashed on Washington!

We finally made the trek to visit my sister & bro-in-law at their home in Bellevue. We have been there before, but not when there was stuff in it! Rebecca made some deliciously spicy Chipolte Chicken Cashew number - and I discovered the only kind of rice that I am willing to eat - I guess that is a lie I do eat rice occasionally - but not by choice - this rice was actually tasty. It was so good. Aaron was nice enough to set up the camping tent in the living room so Jadyn could play camping or crocodile or whatever game she created from that vivid imagination of hers. And then we went up Cougar Mountain for a look at the ginormous houses and the beautiful sunset and a panoramic view of the Seattle area...it was very very lovely...

The Saturday after my spring break camp - it was absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous outside - it got up to 85 - so we all went on a picnic...windows down - music playing - picnic overlooking the water - it was fabulous. We went out to the sound to eat and bask in the beautiful rays of sunshine...I got some pictures of the event but not many...see how pretty it was...the next Saturday was when we got the snow - so crazy. After our picnic, Jadyn I just cruised around town, just driving. Went to the car wash and just had a fantastically lazy Saturday - I didn't even clean the house - lazy!

Then I went out of town for a conference the next week. I didn't take any pictures, but it is worth noting that there was a Sonic there (I may have indulged in three - yes 3 Route 44 Diet Dr Peppers - it was divine)...and we did stop in Portland on the way to go shoe shopping at DSW - tax free...wheee!!! I missed Jadyn and she missed me, but my family took good care of her. I was ready to come home and get some Jadyn kisses that is fo' sho'...the Saturday following my return we had another picnic at the park because it was once again - GORGEOUS!!!! But kind of chilly. We went to the park and had KFC and Jadyn played on the playground, she loves the slide - and having Jennifer swing her...before we left we got a couple shots of her, she has moved into 'posing' for pictures...and occasionally I get some really hilarious shots. This one isn't one of the funny ones, I need to get one of the pictures that Jenn took where she is hugging a tree - we are nature lovers here in the Northwest, afterall...plus in that picture you can see her cute dress...my girl LOVES dresses...she would wear one everyday, but we compromise and she wears them all weekend...I guess that about sums up April. Well except for the story about accidentally puncturing my foot with a fork, going to urgent care, getting a booster of tetanus, and soaking my foot three times a day (how else would I be able to find the time to write these informative posts...) but I will keep that story to myself...