Musings from a dreamer, who fell in love with the Pacific Northwest 18 years ago and in 2011 made it her home. I'm raising a Pinkalicious 7-year-old and a 11-year-old with a big heart - and epilepsy. Ditching perfection, celebrating life, finding joy in the journey and reminding myself daily to Let.It.Be.



Friday, May 10, 2013

Good grief

Too many websites, blogs and social media accounts to keep up with. I either need to keep this up or let it die!

For now, I'm choosing to let it live with the best of intentions of keeping it up to date!

Now ... for those of you who know me, you know I have a special place in my heart for Carson Mayse, his brother and his awesome mom, Amy. They came to visit us this week, and I've created a blog detailing their trip.

Check out carsonswish.blogspot.com and learn more about Carson and the Make a Wish Foundation, which made his dream possible.

Goodbye, summer. Hello, school!

Our LAST weekend of Summer 2011 ...

We celebrated our new beginning by visiting the northern coast -- Haystack Rock/Cannon Beach/Ecola State Park (where I first saw the Pacific), Seaside and Astoria, which is celebrating its 200th birthday this year. We're celebrating 16 years from having first arrived in the Beaver State -- in Astoria to be exact. We visited the house we lived in and where David proposed (and I obviously said yes). We also got to FINALLY see the column in all its painted glory -- it was being renovated the summer we lived there, so although we made numerous trips up the hill where it sits and offers a fabulous view of the Columbia, we never REALLY got to see it. Til now. And it was worth the wait.

Stayed in a hotel on the waterfront, where we had a great view of the river and the kids got to play in a swimming pool. Highlight of their trip, I'm sure.

Cannon Beach/Ecola State Park/Haystack Rock is just gorgeous. Best place in Oregon next to Crater Lake. Multnomah Falls comes in a beautiful third!

In regular-life, routine news, Aidan starts school Sept. 7 as a Hoover Huskie. No more black and orange - but we get plenty of that with OSU! He is OUT of school eight full days through the end of the year and numerous half days. Just as bad as Macon. David and I are thinking "kids these days" sure have it easy. On the full days he's out, he'll got to KidSpirit and ride to work with Mom. The kids play just a few buildings away from me, as well as on the quad. The program is through my college, which is also kind of nice. Gives me a firsthand experience of what we do! Really hoping Aidan loves it. I see kids in the program every day at work, and they love to chant and play loud and seem to have a ball. And the staff (mostly volunteer college students) are great.

Still loving my job. Moving to a new office soon. An executive suite next to the dean no less! I honestly am happy right where I'm at, but what the boss wants the boss gets. Better to understand that right from the start. You can see why she and I get along!

Meeting new people at work, too, and hopefully making new friends. Lots of new female communicators new to OSU and also Corvallis, and we're talking about getting together for wine and "therapy" soon. Love that I don't dread going to work and that I don't obsess about it when I'm not there. I may be crazy busy from 8-5, but I'm really quite happy, crazy as that may seem!

Davis is also getting used to a new job of course, and I'm sure he'll be running the whole show in a few years. He should, anyway.

We're SO looking forward to moving into our new house on Elmwood, on Witham Hill. The neighborhood is in a Douglas Fir forest, so there's lots of deer in addition to trees. LOVE it. Across the street is a nice park and walking/bike path, which I'm sure we'll use since we don't have much of a back yard to speak of. At least not yet. Next spring, we'll be busy!! Love the deck, the large windows in the living room that face the trees and most importantly just having our own space again.

Life is so close to perfect. If our family and friends were here, then it would just be heaven! Hope to see everyone soon (I know, not soon enough). Love and miss you all ...