Fun: July As We Know It (Take 2)

Oh man, where does time go? And for the record, while July has been a ton of F-U-N, I'm balancing on edge of hibernation again as I head into STILL no job and no finances, but I'm trying my hardest to continue to remain positive and seek out additional jobs (both short and long term) and to again explore other options. I might touch on some of this later but first.....

HOUSEMATE L finally moved out. Luckily I'd prepaid part of rent for July by redoing the front yard in June (my landlords are awesome and any money I spend on the house/yard can be deducted from next month's rent) plus L was here half the month, so July was taken care of. L finally started talking to me after giving the silent treatment for two weeks, but barely and it was still the weirdest move-out I've ever seen. I came home to help her at 5:30pm when she's usually off work and the house was empty of her, lil dog, and her stuff, with a $50 cleaning deposit dropped on my purse that morning and the key under the front mat. Obviously to say she was as ready to be out of here as I was to have her out of here is probably a major understatement, but it still makes me sad that the last weeks were so...interesting.

I've had a couple of other VISITORS:

My gal Cait was in town for mainly work purposes but I was able to snag her for a night and show her around Portland. For all the odd years I've lived here off and on, this was the first time we'd ever been able to hang out in the city together, so I took her downtown to do some of the standard things:

We rode the MAX down which was a true PDX experience with some interesting individuals to chat with us and then we went to Bamboo Sushi on 23d, since C had asked for something local/sustainable but healthy. From there we poked around the stores on 23rd and went into Moonstruck Chocolates, walked down to Powell's, and then met up with regular D at a dive bar back toward NW once he was off work. He did us the honor of surprising us with bouquets that work was going to throw out ("don't get awkward guys, they were just going to throw them out...." :)) and took our picture outside Jeld-Wen:

I love this gal and wish she was around more often!

Second visitor was my MOM, as Dad had come up earlier in the week to pick Granny up and take her to spend a few days at their place. (While he was here we replaced all the florescent kitchen lights, and while I love my father, it again reminded me of where I get several of my traits in life from....) Mom brought Granny back up on Friday afternoon and then stayed until Monday morning. While she was here we had a great impromptu dinner at my aunt's, went Goodwill shopping for more dresses for me (a post in its own....) and she did some alterations, spent lots of time just chatting, did dinner & a movie (I made amazing shrimp fajitas and we saw The Heat...Mom laughed her socks off....hilarious!), and then on Sunday night Mom treated Tall D & I to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory (DELISH!). Was a seriously great visit together and was so glad to have her here!

There have been a couple of outings meeting up with regular D for drinks and just chatting about life. The dude's hilarious and offers a very different perspective on things. There was a breakfast with C and his buddy Adam who is visiting in town and who needed help with outdoor pursuit ideas. But really I've spent several outings also with Tall D....we were going to spend an afternoon shooting so I could practice with the gun he left me in the winter but apparently there is a shortage of bullets (who knew?!!!!), so we went to play disc golf instead. 

We had an evening at the movies watching the Internship (hilarious) over beers, and then last Tuesday regular D, Tall D, PP, Wali-G and I floated the Clackamas River....which was lots of fun but a bit chillier than expected.....

....and somewhere in the process of being in an awkward floating/reclining position, I apparently messed up my back so was out of commission for 2-3 days. The massage therapist earlier this spring had warned me that my butt and leg muscles were uber tight and pulling on my back...and apparently this week they all kicked into overdrive so I spent two days walking around like a hunched old lady! :) Tall D is letting me borrow his foam roller, a long hot soak in the tub, lots of stretching, a couple of 800mg of Motrin, and a gentle hike & swim seem to have done the trick so I'm planning on heading out for an easy jog here in a bit. 

And yep, yesterday there was an easy hike with regular D and two of my friends that don't get out of the city enough (L & K). I offered a week ago to take them up to Twin Lakes and then convinced reg D to come along too (and C & Adam were supposed to come too but bailed). We did the loop backwards this time and ended at the Lower Lake where I was the only one who went for a swim, but man did the water feel great! We got stuck in big time traffic on the way back and then D and I grabbed some Mexican food downtown at one of my favorite joints. 

Add in another afternoon berry picking to right my head after not getting two other job leads, which followed with another Thursday afternoon/evening with Granny--we baked zuchinni nut muffins & marionberry pie, and then I fixed dinner and we sat out on the upper deck. Two days of grading also were had, an evening looking over additional jobs, more reading in Eat, Pray, Love and I started another hilarious book, and tomorrow my cousin will come over for coffee in the morning and then my gal R is taking me out for lunch in Multnomah Village. 

I have two other potential August housemates that I'm interviewing on Monday. Both are males who just need a space for a month and I'm potentially thinking about renting out both rooms if all parties are willing. We'll see what comes of the interviews and other details. (Housemate M intends to come back for a few days during the end of this month, so I'd planned on having his bed available...and Mom & Dad will probably want a place to crash at some point in the month....) But if I rent to both of them, then rent will be paid in full for August and at least one utility bill which cuts down on how much I'd have to acquire elsewhere.

Which brings me full circle back to....I'm still applying for jobs. I will be applying for temp jobs, part-time jobs, and humbling jobs here this week. I'm also reconsidering taking a couple of classes again. Ironically I discovered two weeks ago that in order to renew my teaching license I have to take two classes, which means that if I would have followed through with my idea to start the bio and chem sequence in spring that I was registered for a) I could already renew my license and b) I would have had extra money to cover expenses this summer. I just continue to hesitate...I hate the idea of shelling out more cash that might not be able to be paid back...that's why I transitioned to focus just on getting a job to pay off my debts...except no job is happening...which always leads me back to school...? Big question mark. 

...and for the first time in months, I'm also debating going back to church. I'm not ready to start talking to the Big Man just yet, but I think being surrounded in His family and feeling the energy in church might be very, very good for me....

...anyway this next week should hold more internalizing, more searching, more applying, maybe registering, hopefully new housemates secured, and hopefully a day hike (or two) or a backpack trip to be had, and cooking baking with Granny...all before we start the celebration for Granny's 102nd birthday with the annual tea party next weekend! (How are we already almost to August?!)

Hope y'all have been well!

A Wonderful Parental Visit

Sometimes I think I take for granted just how amazing my parents are and how blessed I've been to have them. As they creep toward 70, I notice them slowing down and having more health issues, but I'm always amazed at how much they continue to give and give and give. In the moments when I've asked Dad how he's able to give non-stop to others, he always says that the greatest joy he gets is by serving others. If only I could adopt his same attitude to the manner of which he has it!

My parents arrived about 6:30pm last night (Monday) and before the sun gave way, Dad unloaded all his "goodies" and we got under way. I'd spent the day pulling weeds, planting a few flowers, cutting back bushes, and organizing the yard/patio a bit. So Dad and I walked the yard and I pointed out the areas for spraying, and Dad got to work with the first application. I can't remember the last time I've used a weed-eater and I'm not going to lie, it was pretty fun edging the lawn and chopping down the grass that the mower hasn't been able to get to in the two years I've lived here! 

Once I got my section of the yard duty done for the night, I headed in to get started on dinner. I threw together a salad and got the seasonings started for the boil, while Mom helped prep the veggies and helped peel the shrimp. While I'd definitely increase the spices next time (I should know at this point to double every spice recipe!), it was a ton of fun creating a different type of meal for my parents and everyone was satisfied with the shrimp, corn, and red potatoes. (Have I mentioned Mom is gluten-intolerant and pre-diabetic and Dad can't eat high-oxalate foods? I don't eat most meat and M doesn't eat tomatoes.... Hahaha) Between the boil and the salad, there was something for everyone and with only enough left overs for the dogs to get a couple potatoes and Lady got two shrimp ;)

After dinner (at 9pm), the evening entertainment was watching Dad (with a lil help from M) hang my sign in the living room. My father is a perfectionist, so it was going to be done right, although he did compromise on a few matters (and learned that I'm missing some tools that he wished I had) :)

The day itself had been H-O-T (87 with no breeze) so after we sat around enjoying my living room for a bit, we were all pretty ready to get into bed.

In the morning we were up and at 'em. Dad finished spraying round two on the weeds, while I ran up to my aunt's to borrow the tiny tiller. Both beds were tilled by 10am:

Then Dad couldn't help himself and he had to mow my lawn, while we waited for Mom to get back from the fabric store and I worked on planting my starts in the boxes. Dad and I ran the tiller back up to my aunt's and visited for a few. Then we came back and both devised a potential plan for how to replace a section of my falling down fence (on the cheap and mainly reusing various wood) and discussed moving some of the bushes out front. And then Mom got home and whipped up some awesome new burlap curtains for my off-the-kitchen area:

  

They look great! (Another pinterest-to-real life idea!) Then the two of them loaded up and I cut some peonies for my mother. (I'd also gifted her a potted pansy set for this upcoming Mother's Day (using a gift card my parents ironically had given me!))

Then I had them pose for a picture: 

Seriously, seriously blessed.

Looking forward to them coming back in a couple weeks for the next visit!

Cooking for Guests & Good Food

So one thing that I have learned this summer is that I enjoy cooking or just plain having the opportunity to get creative in the kitchen. I'm sure if I had to do it every day I wouldn't enjoy it quite as much, but I'm loving it when I get the opportunity to fix something of substance for those I care about and while Mom was here I was able to do plenty of caring & food prep:

Night one I made pretty much this same salmon dinner and night two we went to the family BBQ for which I made two salads: kale/avocado salad and a black bean salad.

For lunch the next day I made this from our left overs:

Salmon melts with celery & mayo & shredded cheese...and more of the left over black bean salad.

And then dinner of the final day I made this:

Black rice, stir fry, corn-on-the-cob, and scrambled eggs w/ feta (for protein).

I definitely enjoy a much more simple meal and I'm noticing that my meals are becoming more protein based and less carb based throughout the day. Beyond that I'm tending to eat one solid meal and then have smoothies and fresh fruits/veggies throughout the day.

Katie had gone to culinary school for a year so she was really into trying out many of the different eating establishments, plus at least half her trip we were away from the house. Thus all I made for Katie were two cups of coffee and then hastily thrown together french toast for breakfast this morning. (Have I mentioned I love french toast?!) The following is the awesomeness of what I/we indulged in during her visit:

Amazing french toast at Jam in SE

Coffee from the local coffee cart back home & many Starbucks in PDX

Tuna Sandwich w/ side salad at McMenamins in Roseburg

Asian Salad Wrap w/ Fries at Applebees in Bend

Oatmeal Pancakes w/ Fruit at McKays Cottage in Bend

Banana Nut French Toast + egg at Stepping Stone Cafe in NW

Salmon cakes, bruschetta, fish tacos, & chips w/ dip at Jake's Crawfish downtown

Berry smoothie & Oregon salad at Burgerville 

Falafael gyro at the down town foodcarts

Tomorrow evening I've got a gal pal coming over for dinner and chatting, so I'm looking forward to cooking for her (and not eating out!!)---I'll have to see exactly what I can whip up! (Maybe I'll actually have to check-out some of those Pinterest inspirations.)

I'm linking up with Townsend House's What Am I Eating Series.

Half-Oregon Tour

Katie's here from Georgia and we've been busy doing a driving tour of Oregon. Ironically, I thought she was to fly in mid-afternoon on Friday but when I woke up early that morning (dehydrated and with a headache after a totally fun night of bowling and brews with my cousin and Tall D's two apartment mates), I re-checked her itinerary and discovered her flight landed mid-morning. Ensue throwing items into bags, fixing coffee, loading up the car, watering the plants/feeding animals....and then heading for the airport! :)

Picked Miss Katie up and then we headed to SE PDX for breakfast at Jam (amazing french toast--delicious!) before heading south on the interstate. After a quick stop at the North Face Outlet and Freddies, we kept driving until we arrived at my hometown on the coast. A quick trip to pick up new running goods and then we headed to my alma mater for the civil war football game with the cross-town rivals. We won by a large margin and after the game Katie and I headed onto the field to say quick hellos to hometown friends and love on Tall D's godkid. On the field I also ran into an old buddy of mine--someone I haven't talked to since I married and it was great to be able to smooth over some rippled water...and hopefully he and I will be able to restore an old friendship.

Saturday morning K and I were treated to breakfast goodies provided by Dad, before swinging through a coffee stand on our way out to the beach and a quick tour of the local coastal areas:

Katie's first time in the Pacific

Ships in one of the local harbors

We got to see one of my favorite off-shore reefs that is home to a whole host of barking sea lions and seals year round:

After a quick return to load the Sorento and wish my parents well, we hit the road toward Central Oregon:

Umpqua River--which I've decided I definitely need to explore further

And then we made it to Crater Lake:

We'd talked about camping, but I was worried that Miss K might get too cold at night, so after snapping numerous photos and a LONG trip to the gift shop, we headed for Bend in Central Oregon. We rented a hotel room, walked to dinner and large beers at Applebees, and then glorious showers later...we hopped into our beds...and I relished in finding Stella happily getting her groove back via a little help from Taye Diggs and TBS. 

This morning we checked out and hit up McKay Cottage for a delicious breakfast, mimosas, and coffee on the lawn. We made a stop for photos at Odgen Bridge (overlooking a 300ft drop to the Crooked River) and Smith Rock State Park:

Back in the car, we continued on our loop toward Portland with a stop at Mt Hood's Timberline Lodge:

The view from the Lodge.

Looking up at Mt Hood.

Katie got to deposit one of her trackables in the geocache.

And then after all that, we headed for home....with a quick stop downtown for happy hour at one of my favorite places: Jake's Crawfish (amazing happy hour food & drinks!) and a quick trip through Powell's (used & new bookstore that takes up an entire city block downtown). I made K promise to keep me empty handed, and she did a great job of holding me to that while only picking up a needed vet tech dictionary for her program.

Back at the house, unloaded the car, took care of my thirsty critters, did some laundry, and then we called it a night fairly early. In a lot of ways it's been really great to have a visitor--given me an excuse to explore and share more of this beautiful state. I'd never been to Crater Lake nor up to Mt Hood, and I found other areas of Oregon that I'd seriously love to explore further (hiking the Umpqua trail by chance?!) There are other areas I'd love to show her, but there isn't enough time and by now we're both pretty tired! Two more days together to take care of some general needs and explore/share Portland....and then Miss Katie will be already leaving! SO GLAD TO HAVE HER HERE!

A Lil' Bit of Life: Snapshot (1)

YARD WORK
---I cleaned the gutters a week ago: truly an easy process but one that I've put off doing several times. Being that close to the roof made me realize that it's probably closer than I & the landlords thought to needing to be replaced.

---Tall D and Wali G power-washed my deck and patio this week, and let me tell you, they look amazing! I no longer need to repaint the metal work around the patio cause it's glistening and the paint on the house even looks a million times better. The picnic table got a deep cleanse too and tonight it got sanded.

---Apparently the end of July marks the end of season for patio goods---we're just getting into the really good weather in Oregon and already the patio goods are gone! I also can't find battery operated Christmas lights to string through my arbor for the life of me.... But I DID snag some metal tiki torches, a fire pit for the upper deck, and new chairs for the upper deck. The finishing touch items are just hard to come by is all....I've been envisioning lights & paper lanterns for party mode.

---All this yard work makes me excited to see the yard start to come together. I'm thinking it'll be better to focus on finalizing the back and then head to the front (although I'm sure the neighbors are ready for me to finally tackle the front...aka rip out tons more bushes.) Next major backyard projects: fence extension, reseeding the yard, and new wood chips/mulch.

FOOD STUFFS
---For some reason I've had bananas ripen like crazy and I signed myself up for bringing mini-banana muffins  for a family event tomorrow, so tonight marked the third batch of banana muffins I've made this week! My aunt found a "zuke bat" for me, so I hope to shred that and get baking on some zucchini muffins/bread etc.

---While not exactly what I had in mind, today while at Costco I saw a good deal on fish (salmon & tilapia) so I bought, cut into servings, and bagged for the freezer.

---Part of my goal for this summer is to straighten out the "pantry" and food storage. I'm hoping to organize all my dried beans/grains/etc into glass containers...project started this last week but I'm going to need to save, wash, & use some empty glass containers :)

SOCIAL
BOOK CLUB--Truly book club deserves it's own separate post but not likely it's going to happen....but this month's book club felt like one of the best yet. All of the gals were much more comfortable with each other (including our two newbies), much REAL conversation was shared, the food was delish (simple garden salad, sandwiches made from broiled french bread w/ pesto, mozzarella & tomatoes, coconut cream pie & skinny cow ice creams for dessert!), and it truly just felt legit. We talked about life, we talked about the book (Wild by Cheryl Strayed), and we talked about how the two did and didn't go together. We laughed, there were tears, and frustration was present. I loved every second of it and left feeling so fulfilled!


ZOO--I have been wanting to go to the zoo since before we moved back to Oregon and today was FINALLY the day! I met my sister, her teen boys, her grandbaby, and my brother there and we wandered around enjoying the different amazing creatures. Honestly, until today I never knew that there are sub-species of zebras and giraffes! How did I not know this?! :) It was so much fun to just walk around and take in all the animals. :)


FAMILY HAPPENINGS--Tomorrow we'll be celebrating Granny's 101st birthday with her usual tea party with us females in the family...and then Tall D & I agreed to host a family BBQ at my house in the evening so that the males can participate in celebrating Granny too. Will be a full day and pictures are sure to come! :) Should Sunday decide to be over 80, we're also trying to float the river!

VISITORS
---Tall D's buddy from the Army is here visiting from Wisconsin, so we've spent time together showing him around, taking him to happy hours, playing Frisbee Golf, and I was able to take him to a work meeting with me to connect him to a new sustainable ag non-profit being developed for veterans. We'll see....but there's a chance Wali-G just might stay and become an Oregon transplant. ;)
---My gal from Texas was in town this last week also, so I was able to join her and some of her other PDX crew for happy hour. It was the first time her bf had been to the city and it was great seeing it through his eyes. She's registered for a half in November in SA....and I'm contemplating attempting to train to make that goal but we'll see. (It's a lot of money to fly for a half, when I could do one here!!)

OTHER GOALS & HAPPENINGS
TRAVEL---Booked my ticket to Savannah to see my best girl D and several of my milspouse friends (Heather, Katie, & maybe a few others). I'm hopeful to do one or two overnight trips elsewhere to check out nearby areas---I've been wanting to enjoy more of Charleston for one and there are a couple other people I know in SC. D is stoked to have a beach mate (yea for Southern beaches!) and she's guaranteed me that a week with her lil man might cure me of any baby mania starting to take hold of me. ;) 
---I'm also in email exchanges with a friend of my SIL who is a missionary/health worker in Africa. On my list of goals this year is to finally make it to Africa!
---Roadtrip is coming soon!

JOB/HOUSEMATE SEARCH
---BIG interview on Monday; still need to prepare some. Job is somewhat out of my league but I also know I have the skill set to do it....SO here's hoping it goes well. If this one doesn't pan out, I'm submitting my resume & cover letter for a part-time position on a different campus that just opened and there's scheduled to be a FT opening on my campus for a different position. I have faith that all will be provided in due time.
---Had a phone chat with a potential renter. He doesn't sound like the right fit but he may be an option. Timing wise I don't think it'll pan out and something tells me to just be patient. I've only had a few hits to my own ad, but I've emailed a few other individuals who had their own ads looking for rooms....we'll see... If I could get by without a renter, at this stage in my life, that might be better. I partly feel bad because I have the space...and partly worry that I'll need the rent money eventually.

DOGS
---I've always wanted a BIG, fluffy dog. If I tell you where I got this idea, you can't laugh at me....ahem, the LL Bean catalog. HOWEVER, at happy hour with Texan friends the other day, the bf mentioned a relative who used to breed Great Pyrenees. (Read: DREAM DOG). Then, while in Lowes the other day, there was a Great Pyrenees puppy that I was loving on....and the owner told me she was a rescue and that there is a PNW Great Pyrenees rescue group. So, yes, I have two adorable dogs that I love like none other....but I'm drooling over these rescue Pyr's online these days too! :) I'm just trying to figure out if three dogs really is too many, if my landlords could ok a 3rd dog, and if it'd throw off the balance of what already exists here. Regardless, owning a rescue Pyr just got officially added to my lifetime goals.

BIRTHDAY PLANNING
For the number 30, I'm attempting to tell my PDX friends to block out the day for me. I thought about a wine tour (too expensive and I'm still so-so toward wine these days....) or a spa day (expensive and only a handful of ladies). Tall D has been pretty set on helping me celebrate as he knows how important to me it is to have this birthday be memorable and meaningful (ahem, Tall D, if you're reading....might you make me a carrot cake?!) :) I'm thinking about this (or a float).... and this with a backyard BBQ in there somewhere. That way people can participate in whatever and there's something for everyone...plus a whole lot of fun! :)

And other than all that, I've just been working, working, working....and grading. ;)