The Parsons' Adventure

Newport Aquarium

2011-06-21T21:17:00.001-07:00

We had a great day exploring the aquarium in Newport today. Afterwards we stopped at Artic Circle for some fries and fry sauce and then checked out South Beach State Park. We'd love to go camping here someday and rent one of their yurts.

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Ollie running away from the ocean!

2011-06-20T21:43:00.001-07:00

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Newport Oregon Trip

2011-06-20T21:39:00.001-07:00

The beach was beautiful today. Very sunny and warm. We walked on the beach for about an hour then came back to our room and watched the sunset. We even saw some whales from our balcony. We are staying at the Hallmark Inn and so far we really like it!

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Zells continued.....

2011-04-02T11:01:00.001-07:00

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Zell's (1300 Morrison Portland)

2011-04-02T10:39:00.001-07:00

We love coming to Zells because they give you homemade scones and jam with your breakfast. Today we went out of our comfort zone and ordered items we wouldnt normally order for breakfast. I got the huevos rancheros and Raj ordered one of the specials-pork tamale scramble with ajvar sauce. They were both delicious! But of course we couldnt leave with out having one of their great cornmeal-buttermilk pancakes too. If you go before 10am you can get a table fairly quickly.

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Biscuits Cafe

2011-03-12T12:09:00.001-08:00

Tried out a new restaurant in Vancouver today. It was pretty good!

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Cincinnati, OH

2011-02-19T14:06:00.001-08:00

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Chicago sign

2011-02-12T21:01:00.001-08:00

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Rick Bayless' Frontara Grill

2011-02-12T21:00:00.001-08:00

We were so excited to try this restaurant! And luckily for us it was as good if not better than all the reviews!

After dinner we went over to his other restaurant called xoco, which is like street food in Mexico and got a churro anchor chocolate. I loved the churro!

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Rick Bayless' Frontara Grill

2011-02-12T20:26:00.001-08:00

We were so excited to try this restaurant! And luckily for us it was as good if not better than all the reviews!

After dinner we went over to his other restaurant called xoco, which is like street food in Mexico and got a churro anchor chocolate. I loved the churro!

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Giordano's

2011-02-12T20:20:00.001-08:00

Great stuffed pizza and spaghetti!

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Museum of science and indusrty

2011-02-12T20:19:00.001-08:00

Sadly we only had about 1 hour and a half to view this huge museum...so we only had time to run through the highlights of it.

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Sears "Willis" tower

2011-02-12T20:16:00.001-08:00

I didn't think I was scared of heights but standing on a see through glass floor 103 stories above the Chicago skyline was almost too much for me!

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Mellunium Park

2011-02-11T20:40:00.001-08:00

It was a very cold but magical night in Chicago!

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Chicago deep dish pizza...

2011-02-11T20:11:00.001-08:00

We ate at Lou Malnati's. It was good!

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Field museum

2011-02-11T20:10:00.001-08:00

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Shedd aquarium

2011-02-11T20:08:00.001-08:00

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Its cold!

2011-02-10T10:02:00.001-08:00

It's warmed up to a balmy 7 degrees...up from 0 this morning.

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Won by 1

2011-02-09T19:15:00.001-08:00

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Pacers Game

2011-02-09T16:31:00.001-08:00

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Downtown Indy

2011-02-08T06:30:00.001-08:00

Last night we drove into downtown Indy after Raj got off work to go out to dinner. We found a great tapas bar called BARcelona. We had some great tapas and sangria. It started snowing while we were downtown and was really beautiful!

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Outside views

2011-02-07T11:47:00.001-08:00

The landscape is beautiful here which has surprised us.

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Raj's "home away from home"

2011-02-07T11:44:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures of Raj's apartment. Its located in south Indy near Greenwood.

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Waffle House

2011-02-07T11:29:00.001-08:00

Can you say gravy!!!

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Trip to Indianapolis

2011-02-07T11:26:00.001-08:00

We flew into Phoenix and then to Indianapolis. Luckily we didn't have any problems with the weather delaying our trip.

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Hayden Parker

2011-01-31T11:21:00.001-08:00

Congrats to Allie and Paul! Hayden was born today 1/31/11 at 12:02am.... two weeks early. He weighed 8.5 lbs and 21 inches long. Here is the first pix Allie sent me. I can't wait to see more! And I can't wait to meet him on May!

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Ollie digging

2011-01-30T08:57:00.001-08:00

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Ollie digging for moles

2011-01-29T10:04:00.001-08:00

I found Ollie this morning very busily working on our mole problem...funny thing though I've never seen a mole mound...just lots of dug tunnels. LOL

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Breakfast at Helser's

2011-01-23T14:26:00.001-08:00

We waited about 40min. To avoid the long wait we'd recommend going between 1 and 3pm. The good food was worth the wait and they give free Kobo's coffee while you wait. Recommend the pancakes, potatoes and eggs, pepper bacon, and potato pancakes with good creme fraiche. Crumpet was ok...little bland. Mexican Coke in bottles and good coffee.

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Backyard Fountain

2009-08-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

Raj and I have been working on the back yard all summer. We have done a lot back there, but it's slow going! We've been removing the walkway that has river rock on it. It takes quite along time to pull all of them up. We didn't want to just throw a way the rock, so we've decided to use the rock's in the flower beds sort of like a dry river bed. We got one bed finished yesterday, we even added a small fountain. Here are some pictures.

Before: What a mess!

After clearing it out, and laying down landscaping fabric:

The water fountain..we buried the cord in the ground inside a pvc pipe.

The finished bed:

We would like to add something at the top of the bed...maybe a large fountain grass...what do you think?

New flower pots and flowers...

2009-05-25T13:45:00.001-07:00

Every year I order flowers from Emmi's pre-school fundraiser. They are great flowers. I love when they arrive. This year,I bought some new pots to sit on the front porch. The flowers are growing well...hope they last all summer long!

Front Yard...It's done!

2009-05-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been trying to clean up our front yard. This included the patio...I originally wanted to take out the existing patio and replace it with slate, however a quick check of the checking account and that idea was out the window! So we decided on leaving the material and add to it. I think it turned out really well. You can definitely tell the "new" pavers from the "old" pavers, but in time I think they will start to age. Here are some pictures of the process:

What it looked like before...YUCK!

After the first round of "round-up" and some flowers added in pots:

Adding to the Patio:

We also trimmed up all the hedges and shrubs and put down barkdust. Here are some pictures of the yard after all our hard work!

No more Gallbladder...

2009-03-30T00:23:00.000-07:00

I just found this post as a draft-so I thought I'd finally post it. Funny how I hardly remember any of this stuff now that it's been a few years since the surgery.
*********************************************************************************
Well, I finally had my gallbladder removed. After living in pain for 3 years...it's all gone. I tried everything to keep my gallbladder, however in the end, I wasn't able to keep it. At first, I felt like a failure for not being able to keep it, or make it better, but now I realize that it wasn't anything I did or didn't do. My gallbladder was simply sick, and had to be taken out.

For the last 6 weeks, I have felt horrible. It started with an attack that lasted all weekend, and I never really recovered from it. I went to my Doctor, who ran some blood tests to test my liver function and an ultrasound to see if I had a stone stuck. The blood tests came back with bad news. My liver function tests were all abnormal and my ultrasound results showed the gallbladder full of stones.

I finally went and saw a surgeon for a consult. After the consult, I felt better about making a decision to have it removed. I felt safe with the surgeon, Dr. O'toole, and felt good about getting it taken out. He explained the procedure to me, and any complications that could happen.

I realized that my stones weren't going away...I was actually making more.

My surgery was on Thursday 3-26 at noon. I had to be to swwmc Firstenburg tower at 10:30am for prep. The night before, my father game me a blessing, which helped calm my nerves and I was grateful for that. I didn't get nervous until they wheeled my bed into the O.R. room.

My anesthesiologist explain what he would be doing during the procedure, he was very comforting and joked around with me. I remember him saying in about 26 seconds you will be a sleep...the next thing I remember was him saying, that's it, you are all done. Then I asked him to go and tell my husband that I had woken up. After all, that was my only job according to Raj...just wake up.

I was in the recovery room for just a short while. I remember my eyes watering and my throat being sore and it being hard to talk. Probably because of the breathing tube. They then wheeled my bed down to the day surgery area where Raj met me. He stayed with me there until we decided that I was going to stay the night. I had tried to get up a few times to go to the bathroom, but got really dizzy. My blood pressure dropped and my lips turned blue. I was put on oxygen and the nurses watched my vitals all night. I was glad I decided to stay in the hospital...where else can you have someone wait on you! And they kept my pain very manageable with IV drugs!

All of the staff at the hospital were excellent, the nurses and CNA's, all of them went out of their way to make sure Raj and I were comfortable and happy. We left the hospital Friday around 3pm and went to Kaiser to pick up my prescriptions. I was exhausted by the time I got home.

My mom came over and saw me and brought me some flowers and jell-o. She stayed with me while Raj was at an appointment at Kaiser for himself. I don't know how I would of handled being at home that first night if I wasn't in the hospital. The vicodin they originally game me, didn't control the pain, it took a couple of changes in medicine,but they finally tried percoset, and that seemed to do the trick. Also, it was really hard to get in and out of bed. I'm grateful I had a hospital bed the first night!

On Saturday, my sister Angela stopped by with an electric heating pad and some graham crackers...as per my request! The heating pad has been my savior. It feels so good! Then Mandy stopped by in the afternoon with some homemade soup (Mandy thought it wasn't very good soup, but Raj helped doctor it up, and it was delicious!) and some flowers and some gossip magazines!

Raj's family stopped by on Saturday evening briefly to bring us some groceries, and take some of our laundry...yes, our washer decided to go out on us this week!

On Sunday, a co-worker of mine dropped by some dinner. It was so nice of her to bring it by.

I am recovering from surgery fairly well. I have to admit, I didn't expect it to hurt his much. I thought my incisions would hurt the most and would hurt for a few days...I had no idea I would hurt internally...duh...I just had an organ taken out! What was I thinking!

I am still having trouble with gas. During the surgery, they fill you up with gas so they can see everything, and the gas that is left in you is very painful. It's also hard to twist, bend, sit up, reach... I am frustrated because I am home, and would like to be working on projects, but can't because I can't even bend down to pick up anything! Oh well.

Raj is being wonderful. He's been taking good care of me, helping me to recoup slowly. He has been home on Spring Break this week, and has to go back tomorrow, so tomorrow I'll be all on my own.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-15T13:23:00.001-08:00

Our Valentine's Day was, as you can guess it, full of school. I had a weekend class at Eastern and so Raj went with me and studied. Then we had to take the car to the garage. We ended up going out to dinner at Giovani's out in Beaverton. Delicious as usual. Then we came home and watched a movie called, "The visitor". It was really good.

Here are some pictures of our gifts we gave each other. As you can see, Ollie devoured one of mine!

A final Christmas Gift...

2009-01-10T21:20:00.001-08:00

For Christmas this year, we gave Raj's family some of our time in the form of a day full of helping them make meals ahead and freeze to have available.

We spent last Saturday and Sunday with them taking inventory of what they had, buying a few groceries to complete meals, cooking the meals, and then finally dividing the food in the meal size portions and freezing it. We were exhausted after the two days, but very proud of what we were able to get done. We hope this will help them through out the next month with dinner planning. We all had such a nice time, we are going to try and do it each month this year.

Here are some pictures of the event:

Raj making black beans.

Raj's mom Nancy and Aunt Alice

Raj and Deena

Alice learning how to use the Seal-a-meal.

This is a picture of some of the food we made. All together we made the following: Minestrone soup, Chicken broth, Chili, Brazilian Black beans, a Chicken and rice dish, Spaghetti Sauce, saute' d onions and mushrooms to have a head to make omelets with, Muffins, and cookies.

Reflecting...

2009-01-10T21:00:00.001-08:00

Sometimes you need to take time to reflect on where we once were in order to get over any humps we might be having while trying to achieve our goals. My goal this year is to loose the remaining weight I want to loose. (Which is approx. 50 lbs. I have already lost 70lbs.) The weight isn't coming off as easy as it was in the beginning, so it's time to reflect on my current eating habits, and exercise routines and see what I can change up to help with the goal.

While I was downloading our pictures from New Year's Eve Celebration, I came across pictures from year's pasts New Year's Eve Celebrations. I decided to post them all here so I can be reminded of where I was just a couple years ago.

2006:

2007:

2008:

Happy New Year 2009

2009-01-01T12:17:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick smile box from New Year's Eve. Hope everyone had a safe and fun night.

Make a Smilebox greeting

Happy Birthday

2008-12-30T22:16:00.001-08:00

Today was my sister's 22nd birthday. We went out to lunch at Red Robin and after I got home from work, Raj and I dropped off her birthday present. We sang Happy Birthday and had cake and ice cream.

Happy Birthday Allie!!!!!!!!!!!

Ollie in the Snow

2008-12-21T12:21:00.001-08:00

Here is a quick video of Ollie walking/breaking through the snow and ice in the back yard.

Winter storm 2008

2008-12-21T11:55:00.001-08:00

We got a big snow and ice storm this week. It started out pretty slow, a couple of inches over a 3 day period, but Saturday it snowed all day and we ended up with about 5 more inches of snow. Saturday evening it changed over to freezing rain...Yuck! They are predicting snow Monday and then snow on and off for the next few days....Maybe a white Christmas? Raj and I are staying indoors enjoying our time off work and school for the next couple of days. We will probably go out today and play in the snow a little. We'll post more pictures if we do.

Here are some pictures we've taken so far:

A snow day!

2008-12-14T23:58:00.001-08:00

We had our first snow of the winter season today. Some places around town saw as much as 3 inches, however we only got a dusting at our house. None the less, it was beautiful to watch the snow fall; and because it wasn't too bad, I fortunately wasn't called into work!

Raj and I took some time in the morning to organize our gigantic wood pile. We sorted, and stacked, and collected any that was dry to make a fire with. We also took a small stack over to our neighbors for a Christmas gift.

Raj got the pipes covered since it's suppose to be cold all week. I think the high tomorrow is 26 and the low 15!

I started decorating for Christmas. I got the living room done, and the bathroom. Still have the kitchen and the tree to do.

Ollie was so fun to watch outside in the snow. He ran around like a spastic dog. He quickly realized he could eat the snow!He really enjoyed it, but was ready to come in after a bit and got right in bed and curled up in the covers!

And, I got to try out my new snow boots and coat! I found the coat at Goodwill, and the shoes...wallyworld!

What a nice day!

Weekly Ritual...

2008-12-07T19:39:00.001-08:00

Does your family have a restaurant that you go to on a weekly basis? Well, we seem to have one. It's called Don Taco. It's a small Mexican restaurant on 4th Plain and Grand...and it's awesome! I swear there isn't a week that goes by that we don't go there. We love it. All we have to say is, "It's a Don Taco night", and we are off.

Today was one of those days. We've been studying all day, and were starving...not really wanting to make anything, we both looked at each other and decided it was a Don Taco night! I took the camera and took some pictures of our "usual" meal. (And yes, they know us by what we order there...kind of sad!)

Tacos pastor...this is the best place to find these outside of Mexico. Trust me, they are delicioso!

Chicken burrito plate...to die for. There enchilada sauce is awesome!

If you are in a mood for great Mexican food, check them out!

New Job!

2008-12-07T13:14:00.001-08:00

I never thought the opportunity would open, but our current Lead in our department decided last week to step down. After thinking about it all week, I decided I was qualified and would like to do the job. (It also comes with some added benefits, like a set schedule, and a pay raise).

So, Friday at 1:30, I interviewed with my current Supervisor and Manager...which was a little weird, and by 3:00 I found out I had been chosen for the job. I was elated! I am now the new Lead Passenger Service Representative.

I made Raj take a picture of me in the morning before I left for work.

Thanks Allie for helping me pick out my outfit!

(This was taken at 5:50am...still a little tired!) Notice the RED power bag!

Naughty Puppy...

2008-12-07T13:03:00.001-08:00

Last night when I was in bed, I heard Ollie chewing on something. Not wanting to get out of my warm bed, I talked myself into thinking that he was just chewing on his bone...

Well, when I finally got up the next morning, I realized he had been chewing on a book I had just checked out from the library! Ironically it's a book on Nutrition!!

Since he destroyed it hours before I found it, there was no sense in disciplining him...so I quietly cleaned it up. Just hope the library is understanding!!

Halloween Costumes

2008-11-01T15:54:00.001-07:00

Raj and I haven't dressed up for Halloween since we were kids, but some friends asked us to go out on Halloween, so the hunt for a costume began. I thought we should be Popeye and Olive Oyl, however Raj didn't like that one! So I asked him what he wanted to be, and he said Zorro. What was I going to be then??? His Spanish Señorita he replied!

Being the person I am, I couldn't just go out and buy a costume, no, I took on the project of sewing our costumes. I had lots of help along the way, and I think they turned out pretty cute! Here is the journey:

Spanish Señorita :

I found a black dress at Good Will, and bought some red and black material at the fabric store.

I cut the fabric into strips and then surged the edges. Then I cut the dress up.

I then sewed the strips into one piece, these would become the ruffles. I placed one black piece on top. Then I started the ruffling process. Since the strip was really long, the pulling of the thread to make the ruffle, took a long time, but it turned out really cool!

After I made the ruffle, I sewed it on the dress. I made one ruffle for around the bottom, and one for around the top.

Then it was time to add embellishments! I bought little rosettes and hand stitched them along the top ruffle, then put one big rosette on the bottom ruffle, which helped sinch up the slit from the weight of the fabric.

I bought a black wig, and tied it into a bun, then put another big rosette in my hair. And of course, the outfit wouldn't be compete with out a pair of fake eye lashes, fishnet stockings, and high heels! Here is the costume all complete.

Zorro:

Raj's costume was much easier. I bought him a pair of black pants and black turtle neck at Good Will. Then found a cape, hat, sword, and eye mask.

To make the shirt, I cut the "turtle neck" off of the shirt, and made holes in it, then laced leather through it.

The cape was originally for a Dracula costume. So, I had to take the collar off, and cut some of the length off of it. Then I bought some really cool buttons and attached it for the tie.

We finished off the outfit with a cummerbund, and a pair of boots. Since Raj didn't own any boots, I found a pair of "slip on boots" at Value Village.

And here is his costume all complete!

Thanks to everyone who helped us make the outfits!

Fall....

2008-11-01T14:42:00.001-07:00

Fall is my favorite time of the year! For just a small portion of time, we see bright red, yellow, and orange. I absolutely love it! Here is an arrangement I made from cuttings in the yard. It only lasted a few days, but I thought it was really pretty!

Bowling at Big Al's

2008-10-25T11:52:00.001-07:00

Lesley came home for a quick visit last weekend. We decided to go Bowling at Big Al's here in Vancouver. Here are some pictures of the night.

First we played in the Arcade:

Allie took first place...look at that determination!

Then it was on to bowling.

Raj:

Lesley:

Ha, Ha, looks like Les is giving the pins the "birdie"!

Me:

Allie:

And the winners:

Raj won the first game with a score of 136.

And I won the second game with a score of 123.

Happy Birthday Ammon!

2008-08-27T23:30:00.001-07:00

Monday night Mandy and Vince held a party for Ammon's first birthday. It was at our parent's house. All though I took a million shots, here just a few from the night.

Calvin and I helped decorate! Didn't we do a fabulous job?

Mandy always makes the cutest cakes! I think she missed her calling in life! Here is cake #1.

All the kids had fun playing in the pool.

Ammon loved opening his gifts. He's going to be a pro come Christmas!

And this was the kids favorite gift!

Really, how could we resist!

And cake #2. This one was just for Ammon! Again, darling!

After "Happy Birthday", it was time to dig in!

At first he wasn't quite sure what to do with the cake, and approached it very daintily with one finger, but...

once he got a taste of it...

he was all over it!

Look at that determination!

I think the sugar was starting to get to him here!

Mom, are you sure you don't want any???

And here he is after his auntie got him all cleaned up! (He's still smiling!)

Happy Birthday Ammon!!!

Visiting Friends

2008-08-24T22:28:00.001-07:00

Today we drove up to Longview to visit with some close friends of Raj's grandparents. Norm and Rene lived next door to Raj's grandparents in their first home in Portland on Fesseden St. in the 50's. They have stayed friends all this time. And Norm and Rene drove down to be with us during Raj's grandfather's funeral this last January. Rene made a wonderful rhubarb pie for us. I'm going to have to get the recipe for it. It was delicious. Here are a couple of pictures from our visit and one video of Norm playing the piano for us.

White Coat Ceremony Video's Cont.

2008-08-24T22:15:00.001-07:00

Raj receiving his White Coat from Dr.Sigrid Roberts, advisor.

White Coat Ceremony Videos

2008-08-24T22:11:00.001-07:00

Carrie receiving her White Coat

White Coat Ceremony:

2008-08-22T00:02:00.001-07:00

Tonight we celebrated Raj's entrance into Pharmacy school during his "White Coat Ceremony." It was at the Forest Grove main campus for Pacific University. After the ceremony, Raj took us to the Health Professions Campus in Hillsboro. This is where he will be spending all of his time over the next 2 years. After viewing the campus, we went out to dinner at one of our favorite Indian restaurants, Chennai Masala. Here are some pictures from the events. (Warning: there are a lot!)

Another Chapter Begins:

2008-08-19T22:09:00.001-07:00

For the last 5 years Raj and I have had one goal. That goal has been to get into Pharmacy School. What a long road it's been, and it's all ending tomorrow. Raj has orientation the next 3 days and then classes will begin on Monday August 25, 2008.

And so another chapter in our lives begins. Getting into Pharmacy School has been our goal for so long, we haven't even had time to contemplate how much work is ahead. I know it will probably the most challenging 3 years of our life, but we are pumped and ready to begin. Not so pumped about the student loans we just took out, but excited for the opportunities this will bring for our family.

Raj, I am very proud of your accomplishments so far, and wish you the best in the upcoming years during grad school. You have a big family to draw from when you find yourself needing help. We are all here to help support you.

Sights and Sounds from the Fair Continued

2008-08-10T23:45:00.000-07:00

And one more...

The Auctioneer:

Sights and Sounds from the Fair

2008-08-09T22:46:00.000-07:00

While we were at the fair, we took some video's of different sounds so Raj's Grandmother would be able to experience the fair.

To view/hear the video, click on the play arrow button.

Chickens:

Baby Chicks:

Roosters:

Goats:

Pigs:

Clark County Fair 2008

2008-08-09T22:41:00.001-07:00

Here are some shots of the Clark County Fair. Nancy, Chuck and Susan came and spent the evening at the fair with me (Deena). We all took the bus up, thank you C-TRAN, which was a very convenient way to get there! We saw lots of animals, and had some great fair food!

The Animals:

The Rides...no we didn't go on them!

My work...(Where's the rest of your bus?)

Lesley made an awesome elephant ear and corn dog!!

Can't wait for next year!

Project #9 Porch Clean Up

2008-08-07T23:08:00.001-07:00

One of our major projects for the summer was to clean up our back porch. We have an awesome covered porch, and unfortunately for the last year or so, it's been uninhabitable! How did it get this way??? Well, a while back we started to clean out the garage....our other messy area, and we piled all kinds of stuff out on the porch while sorting it. Well, then it became fall, and then winter...and the stuff just stayed out there. What a mess!

Here are some pictures of our "Clean Sweep"! (And yes, we are a little embarrassed by the before shots!)

Before:

Sorting into piles:

Cleaning:

Finished!

We love our "new" porch and spend many nights out on the sofa enjoying the cool air.

Emily

2008-08-07T08:44:00.001-07:00

I went to Emily's soccer game at Marshall Park. She is the youngest on the team, but you wouldn't guess it by how tall she is! All of the kids did great, especially considering it was something like 95 degrees that day! At one point, she came out of the game and said, Mommy, don't sign me up for soccer again...in a very dramatic, I'm too hot kind of a tone, and then when her coach called her to come back onto the field, she was up and right back up there playing! She's going to make a great athlete!

Here are a few shots:

Look at that determination!

Great Job Emmi!

Whitecoat Ceremony

2008-07-31T22:39:00.000-07:00

This is the invitation we sent for Raj's Whitecoat Ceremony at Pacific University. To view invitation click below.

Pacific University Whitecoat Ceremony

Soccer Game

2008-07-31T21:17:00.001-07:00

Raj was able to come to our soccer game tonight, and took some pictures of the game. He was watching Ammon, so there aren't that many, but he got some cool shots. We ended up winning, I think it was 6-5, but they were a tough team. Great job ladies!

Couch Slip Cover

2008-07-29T22:31:00.001-07:00

After years of saying I was going to make a slip cover for my creme colored sofa, I finally got one started! At the time we bought the sofa, we thought, we don't have any kids, or pets, so it won't get dirty...well, now we have a dog...so, now in order to keep it somewhat clean, we have been covering it with a sheet. (Not so attractive!)

I've been looking for the right kind of fabric for a while, but couldn't find one I liked for the price I wanted to pay! Well, last night, I found the deal of the century. While looking at Goodwill, I noticed they had a roll of fabric for $10. After inspecting it a little closer, I realized it was upholstery fabric and there were 20 yards of it! Can you believe it, 20 yards for $10? And it was a dark blue...perfect, won't show Ollie's hair or dirt at all! And with a price like that, I won't feel bad if I totally mess the whole thing up...I'll only be out $10!

Before:

My fabric:

Making a Pattern:

Cutting the Pieces out:

Sewing and Pinning:

It's done!

The only thing I have to do, are sew cases for the back pillows that go with the couch. I'm going to make a case with a zipper. And, I have to make another slip cover for the other section of couch. (There are 2 pieces that fit together to make an L shape couch if you want.)

Doggy Physics

2008-07-26T22:54:00.001-07:00

Ollie was helping Raj do his Physics Lab on Friction!

Carrie and Brian Brandon's Wedding

2008-07-23T21:35:00.001-07:00

We attended the wedding of one of Raj's friends and co-workers from Walgreens. Carrie will also be in Raj's Pharmacy class at Pacific University! The wedding ceremony and reception were on the Willamette Star. We set sail at 7:00pm, and got back to the dock around 12:30am. They were married by the Captain of the ship. After the ceremony, they served a nice buffet and had dancing. It was a beautiful night to be out on the river! Here are a few shots from the night.

Our Favorite Quote:

2008-07-15T12:33:00.001-07:00

"One quarter of what you eat keeps you alive; the other three-quarters keeps your doctor alive."

Galbladder update:

2008-07-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

Well, since I've stopped taking my birth control pills, I haven't had one gallbladder attack. (It's been almost 2 months). Which is pretty awesome, if you think about. When I decided to stop taking the birth control pills, I was having attacks almost everyday, and was considering having my gallbladder out. I was down to eating almost all Vegan foods. Life was getting pretty miserable! I told my Dr. at my last check up that I had stopped taking the birth control pills, and since then haven't had any attacks. He seemed skeptical. He had never heard that birth control pills could help in the formation of gallstones. But he did say he was curious, and said he'd do some research on it.

Here are a couple of helpful links in case anyone is interested in how birth control pill play a role in forming Gallstones.

National Digestive Diseases Information

National Women's Health Resource Center

About.com: Women's Health

A research paper done on high Estrogen levels in mice and the formation of Gallstones.

Now when I eat foods with fat in them, I get a dull pain in my side, and sometimes my stomach will ache a little. However it never goes into a full blow attack. In any case, the pain I do feel, is a nice gentle reminder of foods I should stay away form! I think I can live with that!

BBQ

2008-07-11T14:25:00.001-07:00

We decided to have ourselves a BBQ tonight after work. Raj marinated some fresh turkey tenderloins, and cooked some corn on the cob. Unfortunately, halfway through the propane ran out. So, we had to take the BBQ inside and finish it in the oven. It turned out fine. Then we sat inside and watched Last Comic Standing and ate our dinner. What a great night!

Project #8 Cleaning the Roof

2008-07-09T23:31:00.000-07:00

Raj got up on the roof this last weekend and cleaned off all the debris from this past year. Including all of the droppings from the walnut tree, maple leaves, and moss. It was quite a job. While he was up there, I took the time to clean out the gutters along the back of the house, and fix some of the gutter guards that had fallen. Here are some pictures.

Before:

During:

View of new grass from roof:

After:

Project #6 Hot tub

2008-07-09T22:46:00.000-07:00

This last weekend, we cleaned up our hot tub. We haven't had it in operation for a few months.

We first emptied it, using our submersible pump. We bought it last year. Before we had it, we had to empty it bucket after bucket. (Took a long time!)

Then we cleaned out the tub from all the "scum". It wasn't as bad as we thought it would be.

After we cleaned it, we filled it up part way, then emptied it out again, and wiped it out.

Then filled it.

Tonight we plugged it in...and...unfortunately, we ran into some problems. The power came on, and the jets started, but then quickly stopped. We tried it over and over again, and then finally we heard it...poof, and then the power light went out, and we smelt an electrical burning smell. So, now we are going to have to call the company and see if we have a warranty left. We bought it 2 years ago at Costco, and they always stand by their products, so if the warranty is out, hopefully Costco will help. At any rate, we are very disappointed!

Project #7 Splitting Fools...

2008-07-08T23:58:00.000-07:00

Well, we did it. We split all of our wood from the Walnut tree, and all of Raj's families wood from their Cherry tree. What a tiring 2 days! We rented a gas powered splitter from HomeDepot at the Airport in Portland. It was $71 for 24 hours. We were hoping we could do it all in one day, but we ended up needing 2 days, so the grand total with gas and insurance was $161. We had to buy a bumper ball for the back of our truck, which cost an extra $6. (This was the first time we've pulled anything in our truck). We also used two gallons of gas during the two days. Oh, and we ended up buying some ear plugs. The machine is very loud. When we got it home, we were surprized to find that it wouldn't fit through our back yard gate. So, we had to split the wood on the driveway, which meant we had to bring the wood from the North side of the back yard, to the south side of the front yard. We are planning on putting the cut wood on the south side of the side yard, so we would of had to moved it anyways, but moving it before it was cut meant it was very heavy! We spent about 3 1/2 hours splitting the wood at our house, and about 10 hours at Raj's families house. We were exhausted and filthy afterwards, but relieved to have it all done!

Here are some pictures of our adventure:

And a few shot's at Raj's families house:

This was just one of the two huge piles of wood they had.

Nice action shot of me throwing a finished piece!

I was 90 degrees today, but this isn't my tan line, that's a dirt line!!!

What a week!

2008-07-06T23:21:00.000-07:00

We have had quite a busy and productive week. We started and finished quite a few projects on our "Summer to do list". I took an extra day off this week, Saturday, and it was nice to sleep in! Tonight we finished cleaning our hot tub, and it's currently filling up. We can't wait to use it. We just have to add the chemicals, and buy a new filter, and then it's ready to use! Tomorrow we are planning on renting a log splitter to split all of the wood from the walnut tree. And if all goes well, we hope to split some of Raj's families wood from their cherry tree. (We'll see how much time we have!)

I'll post pictures of all the projects we got done later this weekend.

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July. We had a nice evening. We enjoyed the firework show put on by the Historic Reserve from our driveway. What a show! Here is a Smilebox slide show of the night.

Just click on the play button below. Once the slide show comes up. Click and hold on the match and drag it over to the fuse to start the show!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Ankle Update

2008-07-04T14:09:00.001-07:00

Well, I finally dragged myself to the Dr. on Wednesday. They took X-ray's and examined it, and thankfully, no broken bones! Dr. said I probably ruptured the ligaments, which is why the swelling hasn't gone down yet. I've injured this ankle before, always pulling the ligaments in it, but Dr. said that the more you do it, the worse it gets. So, he gave ma an awesome brace to wear for the next week. And then I can wear it when I am playing sports. I got one for both ankle's. I had to sit yesterday's game out, and maybe next week as well. But then hopefully after that it will all be healed, and I can continue playing!

Project # 5 Walkway Part 1

2008-07-01T00:11:00.000-07:00

I bought an "All Occasion" lighted arch at Goodwill on Saturday for $12. Raj made fun of me, he couldn't understand why I would want a "wedding" arch in my yard! I thought it would be really cool to put it at the end of our walkway. And the best part about it, is it has 8 different speed/setting you can put the lights on. From dimming on and off, to blinking, to chasing. It's pretty cool. After I set it up, I started cleaning the walkway up. It was full of left over leaves from the fall, yes I know it's summer, and weeds. While I was doing this, I got a little over zealous, and started taking out our horrible ground cover on the hillside. I got about half way done, then decided hey, why not change the shape of the walkway, and so I took out the stones, and rounded the walkway. I got quite a lot done, but there's still more to do!

Here is what I got done:

Oh, and that pretty wood pile behind the arch is where my new fireplace is going. (Thanks Mom and Dad!) I just have to get Raj to split it so we can move all that wood. The wood is from our neighbor's walnut tree they finally took down. I can't tell you how excited we were to have it removed. No more banging of walnuts on our roof above our bedroom! And hopefully the squirrels will move out!

I want to put paver's in the walkway. Right now it has rocks, and it's horrible to walk in. I am always twisting my ankles! It would be a huge project to take on, but something I think would really make the walkway nice. (And a whole lot easier to rake up the maple leaves in the fall!)

Isn't it pretty at night!!! I plan on growing a vine of some sort on it, that's why there is a pot next to it. Something with a lot of fragrance. Any ideas?

Ankle

2008-06-29T21:20:00.000-07:00

Well, the ankle is still swollen, but not as bad, and it's bruised a bit. I've spent the last couple of days "nursing" it. I've iced it several times a day, kept it elevated at work, and have been wearing a brace on it. I think I'll probably have to sit the next game out...Darn it! I probably just pulled some tendons or ligaments. I seem to be able to walk better on it today, but I certainly don't have full range of motion in it, or it's normal strength.

Trip to Canada

2008-06-26T21:07:00.000-07:00

We got back from our trip to Canada Tuesday night. Check out Our Trips blog on what we did and pictures! We had a really nice time. And a special thanks to Allie for watching Ollie!

Another Soccer Season

2008-06-26T21:04:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had our second game of our second season. So far, undefeated!! Unfortunately, I rolled my ankle in the game. I had to be helped off the field. I stretched it out, and decided I was ok to go back in. It was a little sore playing on it, but not bad. However, now that I'm home, It's pretty painful, and swollen. Hopefully the ice will help.

Project #4 Compost Bins

2008-06-17T23:06:00.000-07:00

Today we got our compost bin system set up! We have had a small "Earth Machine" composter that Raj's mom gave us (you can see it in the bottom left corner of this picture) when we moved into our house, and have enjoyed the benefits of it each year. However, we have way too much yard debris, and so this year we wanted to incorporate the yard debris and kitchen scraps into a whole composting system. Why pay to have it taken away, and then pay to get compost for gardening later, when you can make it free at home!

Last year we found some free pallets offered on Craigslist. (Don't you love Craigslist!) We had done some reasearch on building a compost bin system, and found out that most people use the pallets for the bins.

Last fall I started clearing out a spot in the back of the yard, leveling it, and getting it ready for the bins. Today, Raj and I actually got the bin system put together. We have one bin which will be like a holding cell for yard debris, and leaves, and coffee grounds (free from Starbucks), and then the other bin will be our compost pile bin. We will layer our compost, much like you would a lasagna. We will layer green, brown, kitchen waste, and coffee grounds (which eliminate any early odor)!

Here are some picture of the progress. We are still working on the area around the garden, that's a whole other project!

Raj helping to clear the spot.

Deena moving debris. (Nice action shot Raj!)

Nailing the two pallets together...I even got to help with this, and I got to saw some of the wood pieces!

Ollie after hearing the power saw for the first time, nothing but ears! Surprisingly he didn't try and attack it like he does the vacuum cleaner! We did find that he likes the get into the new composting area, so we are going to attach some chicken wire to the inside of the compost bins, and put up a small gate so he can't get in. We don't need another $200 vet bill!

This is what was inside of our "earth machine" when we removed it. The top hadn't broken down yet, but underneath, there was nothing but "black gold"!

And one shot of what we accomplished today!

Project #3 Side Yard

2008-06-16T21:58:00.000-07:00

Today I worked on the side yard. It was full of weeds. Last year, we built the "trellis" and tried to grow tomatoes on it. However, for some reason we didn't get any! I think we got one tomato that turned red. It was a very sad year! Yesterday we went up to my sister Mandy's house and she gave us a few raspberry starts. I decided to try them in this spot. Hopefully they grow better than the tomatoes. I started by pulling all of the weeds out, and then amended the soil with peat moss.

Here are some before and after shots.

Oliver

2008-06-11T23:14:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I don't have any pictures of Oliver on our blog. So, here are a few:

Oliver's first picture, taken at the Oregon Humane Society in Portland.

Ollie's graduation photo from puppy training. We took him to CJ's dog training school.

Oliver's first Road trip...Seaside, Oregon.

Oliver napping/hiding in the covers.

Lesley's Graduation

2008-06-10T23:43:00.000-07:00

We just got home from my little sister's high school graduation. It was a lot of fun. The ceremony was pretty much the same as when I graduated but the fireworks show seemed longer.

Here is a movie of Lesley receiving her diploma:

And a couple of shots from the event:

Her cap...She will be attending Utah Valley University in Orem Utah.

Raj and I during the ceremony:

All of my sister's, sporting our Mountain View High School sweatshirts:

Mandy and Ammon:

The firework show:

Mom and Dad...the last child has graduated!

The Graduate...Congrats!!!

To Vegan or not.

2008-06-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

I started reading a book by Dr. McDougall. It's called Digestive Tune-up. His theory is basically most diseases are brought on by what we eat. He suggests that the "Western diet" is killing us. He says Humans weren't meant to eat meat or dairy products and backs this by physical evidence from what are teeth are like, and how our digestive system processes food. Anyways...I don't really believe that we should eat an entire "Vegan" (no meat or dairy) diet, but he makes some really fascinating points. He has a section in the book on the Gallbladder, which is why I started reading his book in the first place. He says that gallstones are formed by excess cholesterol in your body. Plants don't have any cholesterol, therefore to avoid gallstones, you should eat a plant based diet. (Makes sense!) He goes on to say that women shouldn't use birth control because of the high amounts of estrogen which help form cholesterol...wonder why my Dr. couldn't tell me this! He also talks about over all digestive health, and how it can affect your health. I can't believe it, but I think over the years, I've had just about every thing he talks about. From constant constipation, to mid night cramps with diarrhea, to fissures, and GERD, and now gallstones. And if I think back, all of my problems started in College, which is right after I started taking birth control...hmmm...Maybe there's something to be said for what he's taking about. Well, I think I'm going to try eating a vegan diet for one week and see how I feel. If I have no pain after that week, than I'm going to try and eat mainly vegan. Of course, I'm not going to do it all of the time...I'm not going to be that strict in my diet, but no pain is the goal, and if Vegan is the trick, then I'm on board. I've already noticed that milk gives me pain. Every morning after breakfast I experience the same kind of pain/nauseous feeling after eating my cereal. For the last 2 days I've changed from cereal to fruit and nuts, and what do you know, no pain! I still have to do some research on eating Vegan, before I start. I'll keep you posted on what I decide.

Project #2: Front patio

2008-06-09T23:43:00.000-07:00

I started working on the front patio today. We think we want to take up all of the cement stepping stones and replace them with a slate paver. I found one at Home Depot that looked really nice.

Here is what the patio looked like before:

And here are some pictures of the patio after weeding and cleaning it up today:

The current patio doesn't go as far as the grass line, as you can tell in the last photo. We are trying to decide if we should extend the new patio to the grass line, or if we don't what we put in the dirt area. Any suggestions?

Where I once was...

2008-06-09T23:05:00.000-07:00

Last night I was digging around in the garage looking for the famous "Clothes to fit into" box. I was hoping I would find a dress that would fit that I could wear to an upcoming wedding we are going to in Canada. Well, I found a dress, and it fit, but it's a little too casual, so I guess I'm just going to have to go shopping for one! Anyways, inside the box was a pair of my old capri pants. And...are you ready for this...they were size 28. These pants are significant because they are the largest size I ever was. So, naturally, I put them on, and boy was it an ego booster! They just fell right off. I had to take a "Jenny Craig" shot! I have decided to take the capri's to Spankies and try and sell them. I've already sold some of my old clothing and made $35! I really don't need to hang on to them anymore. And if I am ever feeling down, I can just look at these pictures and it will remind me of where I started and how far I've come.

Grass Update

2008-06-09T22:55:00.001-07:00

Well, we are at our 2 week date since planting seed. The grass looks pretty good. There are patches where the grass is growing really well, and some not so well. I can tell I am going to have to lay seed one more time before I get nice even coverage, but I will probably wait to do that until fall, I don't know, we'll see. I walked on it a little bit today, but it still seems a little tender, so I'm going to wait to let Oliver on it until next week. He's dyeing to get out in the back yard!

Here are some updated pictures:

Project #1: The hedge

2008-06-09T22:35:00.000-07:00

Today I started on my project list for the summer. Today's project was the hedge in the front yard. The hedge should have been trimmed last fall, however it wasn't. Consequently it was looking wild! Unfortunately the battery in the trimmer ran out of juice, so I actually didn't finish the entire hedge.I still have to do the part by the driveway. I'll try and finish it this week. (It's supposed to be nice weather!)

Here are some before shots.

And some after shots.

Now that's one good look'n hedge!!!

Soccer Game

2008-06-06T08:46:00.000-07:00

Last night we played a game against on of the best beginner's team. Unfortunately we only had 1 sub, so it make it really tough. We played well, but they ended up winning 3-1. I definitely was exhausted by the end of the game. I need to work on my endurance! I can tell you one thing, it sure it's fun when you don't have adequate subs! My parents ended up coming to the game, and took some pictures and video. Once they give me a copy of them, I'll post them.

Petunia

2008-06-03T23:16:00.001-07:00

I bought a bunch of flower starts from a plant sale that my sister has at her work every year. And today I noticed this lovely stripped petunia had bloomed! I just thought it was so pretty. Enjoy!

The Grass

2008-06-03T23:07:00.000-07:00

Update on the back yard grass:

Yesterday morning I got up and watered the grass seedlings, and what do you know, it ends up pouring from the afternoon into the night! Oh, well, I guess the seeds really needed it, because when I went out there today, I could finally see some grass starting to grow. Yeah!!!

Here are a few shots...You have to look closely!

I'm Done!!!

2008-06-03T23:01:00.000-07:00

I am done with school for the summer! Yesterday I took my Calculus final. It went well. I am so excited, I won't have to take another math class again! Done, Done, Done!!!

So, now that it's finally summer, I have all sorts of projects planned. The back yard, and porch, and garage are a total mess! So, I've decided to clean things up a bit and hopefully in the process get rid of some junk! I'll be posting pictures and writing about my progress in the upcoming weeks.

Oh, and I bought a nice 4 piece furniture set off of Craigslist from a couple out in Lake Oswego. It was $110 for the set. It's a brown wicker outdoor furniture set with iron work on it. We are going to use it on our porch. There is a love seat, chair, coffee table, and an end table that they were using as a stereo cabinet. (They were using it indoors.) I'll take some pictures and post it once I get it set up.

Another win!

2008-05-30T17:07:00.000-07:00

Well, we had another game last night, and we did really well. It was a shut out. They stopped keeping score at 6-0, but I think we ended up with at least 9 goals total. We seem to be playing together really well. I scored two. I've decided to play next season as well. So, we are trying to think of a name for our team..."It's a start" is kind of lame.

Oh, and so far, the grass hasn't started sprouting yet. Hopefully this weekend we will start to see some progress! I'm going to fertilize my flowers this weekend as well. I'll take some pics and post them this weekend. And I want to get the garden seeds planted.

Only 1 more test in Calculus, which I'm going to take on Monday, and then I'm done for the summer! I can't wait. I have all kinds of projects I have hopes of accomplishing this summer!

Memorial Day Weekend

2008-05-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

I had one goal for Memorial Day Weekend. I wanted to finish a project I started last summer...Leveling the back yard. At all started when we saw some free dirt on craigslist. Since our back yard was really bumpy, and hard to walk on, we decided to go and pick it up. So we loaded the "free" dirt into our truck and took it home. The next day, Raj woke up with horrible pain in his SI Joint. So our "free dirt" turned into multiple trips to the Chiropracter! Now that Raj was unavailble to help unload the truck. I spent the summer loading it into wheel barrows, and bringing it into the backyard, which meant I had to go through the garage, up three steps, and then dump it in the yard. Let me say it wasn't easy. I probably put on 20 wheel barrows full of dirt. I tried to level it, but soon it became fall, and then winter and so it sat. Then spring came, and so did the weeds! We had a jungle out there! So, I borrowed my parent's tiller, and Raj and I went to work on it. I took some pictures of the process. Hopefully the grass will grow!
Before we started:

Close up:

After tilling:

After Leveling:

Finally Spreading Seed and Fertalizer:

Once the grass grows in, I'll post some before and after shots!

No pain...so far!

2008-05-27T22:51:00.000-07:00

Well, I decided to go off Birth Control to see if it would help with the gallstone attacks. I've been reading a lot online regarding high estrogen levels and how it can affect gallstones. When I was diagnosed with Gallstones, I asked my GP and my OB both if they thought birth control pills would cause/aggravate gallstones, both said no. However after doing more research, I think the high estrogen levels play a roll. Raj found some info out about the type of birth control I was taking. They said, if you take it continuously, which I was doing to help control Migraine headaches, that it can aggravate gallstones. So, I decided to stop the birth control. And after taking it for 10 years...it's been a little hard to get used to. I keep thinking I've forgotten to do something! Besides that, it's been fine. And I'm happy to report, for the first time in about 1 month and a half, I haven't had any pain! So, I'm crossing my fingers that it lasts!

T-Ball Game

2008-05-23T22:50:00.001-07:00

We went to a T-Ball game for our nephews Joey and Stefan. They are on the same team. It was up in Ridgefield, Wa. We had a nice time watching the boys play. They did a great job! Here are some photos of the event.

Make a Smilebox postcard

Gallbladder Saga continues

2008-05-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

Well, just when I thought I had this whole gallbladder thing in check, it flairs up again. What a pain! I woke up Wednesday morning around 5am with an attack. It lasted a couple of hours, and then was gone. I went about my day, with no more problems. Sunday comes around, Raj and I had lunch together at the house, and then I rushed back to work to finish my day. Almost immediately upon returning to work, I started to get an attack. I sat at my desk for a little while, finally a Supervisor walked by and noticed I was in distress, and asked if he could do anything. I said, just give me 10 mins and come and check on me. Well, by the time he'd returned, I had already called Raj to come and get me. I thought I needed to go to the hospital, because my head was feeling numb. Everyone at work was great. Raj got there and helped me through the attack, and then I ended up staying at work and finishing my day. I was totally exhausted from the attack. After work, I went up to my families house to give my mom her Mother's Day gift. While driving up there, I started to get another attack. I was over very quickly. Then I had one more that evening. Yesterday, I had one during my math test. Luckily I was on the last problem! I quickly finished the test and left. Today I had lots of plans of working outside and planting my new flowers in pots, but it's raining! And my gallbladder is bugging me today. It hasn't gone into a full attack, just nagging. Which takes all my energy away. I am now seriously thinking about getting my gallbladder removed. A scary thought, but really I can't live like this. So, we'll see.

Second Game

2008-05-10T11:06:00.001-07:00

Well, I had my second soccer game. I was pretty excited about it. All the nervous bugs were gone from game number one. However, the first ball I touched, I pulled my quad muscle. Man it hurt. I stayed in for about 4 mins, then went out and stretched it. I finally decided, I was already hurt, so I might as well keep playing the best I could. It was pretty hard, I could run ok, but to kick the ball, was difficult, especially if I wanted any power in it. It was my left leg, which is my kicking leg. So, by the end of the game, I could barely walk. That night, I had to ice it. I took a bath and massaged it and ended up taking a muscle relaxer. The next day it was a little better. Each day it's gotten better, but I still can't full stretch it.

We ended up loosing the game. But it was still fun. I actually made a goal, but they didn't count it. The ball did a full rotation past the line, and then the goalie grabbed it. The ref wasn't paying attention, and didn't see it go in, so didn't count it. It really sucked! Mandy made a pretty sweat goal, and Allie did an awesome job playing goalie!

I'm going to miss our next game because it starts at 6:40pm and I don't get off work until 7:15. It's probably a good thing that I'll miss it because I am going to need the time to recover. I don't want to push it.

It's really sad because I am out of shape, and I can't seem to help it from getting injured. My body isn't use to strenuous activity. I will say that my breathing after the game was much better than the first game. I wasn't hacking. I'm going to have to stretch really good for the next game I play in. Hopefully that will help!

It's a start...

2008-05-01T22:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight was my first soccer game in 10 years. Wow! I had a really great time, but it was a bit frustrating. For some reason my legs couldn't catch up with what my brain wanted to do. I guess that's what happens when you get out of shape!

I think I played well considering, and I even scored the first goal! I had a fall 1 min left in the game. I fell right on my right knee. Man did it hurt! Probably going to be a big goose egg on it tomorrow. My asthma is bothering me a little tonight, hopefully it will settle down by tomorrow.

Anyways, should be a fun season!

A new challenge...Soccer

2008-04-25T22:12:00.000-07:00

My sister Mandy has been asking me to join an indoor soccer league. She first asked me last summer. And even though I really wanted to do it, I felt that physically I wouldn't be able to do it. Well, that was 50 lbs ago. So, she just called and asked me if I'd be interested in joining a beginner's team. She said most of the people on it have never played soccer before, or very little. So, I've decided I'm going to go for it. I think it's really what I need to give my work out routine a little jump start. They play on Thursday nights up in Salmon Creek at the indoor arena. I'm a little nervous just because I haven't played in about 10 years, but very excited for it.

Car Accident continued...

2008-04-25T22:09:00.000-07:00

We were finally able to get a hold of the insurance agent to get our car fixed. We took the car to Alpine Auto off of Highway 99. We are hoping they will do a great job on the repairs. They said we probably won't have to car back before Wednesday. We also got a loaner car. It's an Altima. I've never had a car that you physically Do NOT need a key to start. I'm not kidding. You put your foot on the break, press a button, and the car starts. It's pretty darn cool. (A little hard to get used to, but cool.)

Trust your gut...

2008-04-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

You know that feeling you get inside when something doesn't quite seem right? Well, last night Raj and I both got the feeling, and we both ignored it, which turned out to be a really bad thing.

I was invited to a pampered chef party at my Sister Angela's house. I was excited to go, because I like their stuff, and had never been to a party. On my way there, I got a weird feeling. I thought about it on the way up there, and determined that it was probably just nervousness about meeting new people at the party. Later that night, I found out that Raj had the same kind of feeling. He thought maybe I'd get into a car accident or something since it was a really rainy, windy night.

The party was really fun, and everyone had a great time. I was the last one there, because I was giving Joey (my nephew) his birthday gift. My sister got a call from one of the ladies that was at the party. She said when she got home, she noticed glass on her bumper and wondered if she had hit a car backing out her the driveway. Well, it just so happened that I parked my car on the street, mainly because my sister has a flag lot, and it's hard to back out of, at least for me. So, we go out to investigate the car, and find my driver side window completely broken! The lady backed into the car, hit my mirror, and the mirror smashed into the window and left a huge hole in the window. The entire window was shattered! After my sister and her husband tried to patch the hole up with a plastic bag, and tape, and got soaked in the process, we determined that I couldn't drive it home, it was just too unsafe, especially with the weather, so we parked the car in my sister's garage...luckily she can actually use her garage for what it's intended for...parking a car...and she took me home.

So, now I am with out my car. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to get a hold of her Insurance agent and get the car fixed. I tried twice today to reach him, but failed.

In the beginning...

2008-04-19T23:03:00.000-07:00

We have decided to start a blog to capture our daily adventures.

A little about ourselves:

Raj is a Pharmacy Tech at Walgreens. He is also in school. He is finishing 3 classes for pre-requisites for Pharmacy school. We found out in March that he got into Pharmacy school and will start in August at Pacific University in Oregon! Hooray! This has been a goal of ours for about 5 years.

Deena works full time in Customer Service for C-TRAN. She is also attending college in hopes of someday being able to check "college degree", instead of "some college", on applications and surveys. She has decided to go to Eastern Oregon and major in Health Promotion and Business using their online degree program. One day she hopes to go into Sonography.

We have been married for almost 7 years. We got married in Hawaii, on a small beach over-looking Waikiki. We enjoy taking trips whenever we can find time off of school and work, and try to take at least 1 trip a year.

Last May we adopted a dog from the Oregon Humane Society. His name is Oliver, but we usually call him Ollie. He is a beagle-dachshund mix. He was about a year old when we got him. We have really enjoyed having Ollie as part of our family, and look forward everyday to see what he will do next. He's a very smart puppy and keeps us entertained!

We live in Vancouver, Washington in a house we bought in 2004.