spring time

the spring time in oregon is beautiful. i now see that the harsh rainy winter is all so the spring can be full of gorgeous flowers and green hills. with the sun going down some time around 8:30, it makes for some warm summer evenings. last night we went down to the pool at 6:30 and 85 degrees to soak up the last warm rays from the suns long day. i have a new appreciation for the sun and all its glory. the way it can bring life and beauty to the earth. or warm the air for everyone to enjoy. i hear the birds chirping and the cool breeze rustling the trees and it makes me think of what heaven must be like. beautiful and relaxing. no worries about the future or stress about the past. just living in the moment and appreciating everything we have been given.

i often think about how my life has turned out, and as i look back, i think i wouldn't have changed a thing. everything i went through has made me who i am today. my family, my friends, and those who touched my life along the way, i thank you for it all. through everything i faced, it seems so trivial compared to the big picture. I am grateful for and humbled by it all.

moving

I tell you what about stress, i am getting to know the sight of it very well. this weekend is our time to say goodbye to our beloved apartment and move on to bigger and better things(also know as brooke and ryans). as i pack up all of our belongings, i find myself thinking we have way to much stuff. i am constantly saying "there it is, i have been looking for that!" as it had fallen into the black hole of a closet or behind a dresser. but i as i come across the old dusty remote we had been missing, i wonder do we really need it. the good thing about packing is it makes me make a decision. do i really need this enough that i want to pack it up and have to unpack it again in the fall? or is it unnecessary to have and we can part with it right here and now. what a difficult decision, and not best made when it is 10 at night and you are exhausted and just now beginning the packing for the night. i feel when justin isn't here to stop me, i throw out a lot more than i originally planned and just call it consolidating. but as more and more stuff is put into boxes the reality becomes more real. the routine i loved is disrupted. i cant wait until this is all done and i can begin again.

"eating in the woods"

so this weekend was super fun. justin and i with our best friends went camping up at silver falls in salem, or. after much convincing of justin that we needed to go, we had such a blast. there would have been no hesitation had i clarified that what we meant by camping was really just "eating in the woods." with a very comfortable air mattress, bbq grill, breakfast complete with eggs, sausage, bacon, and pancakes, and enough food to feed an army of 15 for a week, it was a very relaxing time. even though saturday was the only day it has rained in 2 weeks (figures any time you plan something outside the rain will come), it made the whole experience even more fun (and see just how handy brian was with his makeshift tarp). on saturday we enjoyed a beautiful 5 mile hike/walk that encountered 7 waterfalls along the way. and i'm not talking about wimpy 10 foot falls either, i mean real big 190 ft. drops. it honestly felt like we had left oregon behind and were in some remote tropical island. it was a nice and much needed escape. by the end of the weekend we were all thinking we really have been blessed with great friends and a wonderful place full of adventure.

home sweet home

oh how i wish this week would last forever! on monday justin starts work in portland, and the long summer begins. it almost sems like a dream untill it starts. like how could i live two hours away and only see him on weekends? it seems so silly! but just as soon as it begins, it will end.

one down, two to go

as justin finishes the last final of his first year of law school, we both sigh in relief. I finally get my husband back, well at least for now. starting may 14th, he will be working in portland at dunn, karney...johnson...smith...rogers... or something like that (i know the first two are right, but its a guess after that). as i head down to california to finish up my bachelors (oh to be done!!) we spend another summer commuting for weekends to be with each other. what a bitter sweet feeling. i couldnt be more proud of him to have gotten such a good job doing what he really wanted, but living away from him as he does it is a difficult thing for me. i have to keep reminding myself i can do anything for three months. but knowing this is the last time we will have to do this is a relief.

i couldn't be more proud of the man i married. he has turned out to be quite the catch. all the qualities i loved in him when we met have only magnified. everyday he amazes me more and i find myself wondering how did i get so lucky. my family is even better than i could ever had imagined.

peer presure

So i never thought i would be one to blog. it has never been my thing to be all out there. but as every one is moving away, keeping in touch will become more difficult. not only do we have to start sending christmas cards, but a blog is only in order. so here it is. time to blog it up! and if this is the only one that ever makes it to the page, at least i got this far.