Independence Day

I'm going to make a concerted effort to post more often. This is just a quick update to get me back in the groove of the blog world.

Dog Park Adventure Day

It's that time of year again! In all honesty, this Fourth of July wasn't that bad. We hardly heard any explosions and only Sparrow hid in the bathroom. She always has to bark at things, so every once in a while we'd hear a burf from deep inside the apartment but she did really well.

Brandt and I both had Sunday and Monday off and we enjoyed the weekend doing nothing. It was the perfect holiday. We went to the dog park on Monday and Cedric was the happiest curly boy in the whole world. He and Brandt played fetch the entire time and the girls did what they do best: chilled. 

Then we made a pit stop by Sonic. Side note - there aren't that many Sonic's around here, which we both lament. The only one nearby is over by the dog park so it's almost becoming a tradition to stop for a drink after dog park time.

Where did the last five months go?

After the Gala in February I had intended to update the blog. However, in the world of Development, after a fundraiser is often crazy. We check sales, write acknowledgements, make follow up calls, analyze numbers, etc. So February and March came and went. Then I decided April was the time to update the blog. Between going to the gym and working two jobs, it was suddenly May.

After my trip back to Kansas at the end of April/early May, I was definitely going to update this blog with everything we'd been up to. Then as I was volunteering at OMSI's Gala last weekend, my phone freaked out and lost every picture in my camera. Fortunately, I sync my photos with my computer... when I update my blog. So I still have all my pictures, except for the last five months.

I write my blog based on the pictures I have saved, to remind me of what I wanted to share. Now I'm going to make a brief update, as my memory has never been something to brag about.

The Gala

The Gala for work was in mid-February and went fabulously. We raised more money than in any previous Gala and most things went smoothly. No matter how much you plan for an event, something inevitable will go wrong. We only had a few hiccups and those were the kind that the guests don't notice. We received many compliments on how great the evening was and the Development Director did a fabulous job of planning the run-of-show. I was in charge of executing the event and got very nervous right before we started. I think everything hit me that if I screwed up, it could derail the entire event. I had help from a few amazing ladies and we pulled it off. Overall, this huge event was a success and helped fund a good cause.

Before the Gala dinner.

Friends of Trees

I volunteered at Friends of Trees two more times in 2016. The first one was a gift tree planting at the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge. These are unique because people can purchase trees as gifts and offer the recipients the chance to plant them. They're purchased as memorials, celebrations, and more. The planting was split into two shifts and our first shift didn't show up, so my partner and I planted shrubs. It was raining, but it was an Oregon rain. I pulled up my hood and hunkered down in the dirt. It was humid but as the rain drops fell from the brim of my hood and the mulch wafted into my nose, I was content. It was a perfect moment.

Our second shift consisted of two groups. One was planting two trees in memory of a grandfather and grandmother. The second was a large group planting in memory of a young(ish) girl who had passed away. She was somewhere near my age, judging by the picture. It was emotional and difficult to watch. I offered to help as needed but left them to grieve. We counted the number of trees to their memorial tree so that they could come back and visit as it grows. After they left, I helped plant more shrubs and carried tools back to the truck.

Crew from Jackson Bottom Wetlands planting.

My next planting involved a diverse range of ages. from toddlers to adults. One of the toddlers even had his own baby shovel! Our part of the planting went fairly fast so we helped another group. It was a nice sunny day and I had to lose my layers due to the heat. At first I thought it was odd that plantings are from October to April but after my first year, it makes sense. It's the best time for the plants to take root and the rain helps. Even though it can be chilly, planting in the summer would be difficult in the heat.

Other Volunteering

I've also been volunteering at OMSI (science museum in Portland). I help at events, since I work during the week and then I'm at Target on Saturdays. It hasn't been what I expected so I'm trying different events. Last weekend was their Gala and I helped at coat check. I enjoyed seeing their fundraiser and learning what I could from my limited perspective. I can't afford to attend Galas, so popping my head in to fundraisers where I can is how I learn about what other organizations do for theirs.

Moving?

Another reason for my blog absence has been because Brandt and I were considering moving. We've been in the same apartment for two years and aren't huge fans of it. It's too hot (corner unit, no AC, you've read my complaints) and Brandt doesn't like leashing up the dogs to take them outside. We take turns taking them out but they love to go out and are always wanting to go. Another frustration: they raise our rent every year and we don't receive any upgrades or anything, really. Our lease is due for renewal and since we moved in two years ago, our rent has increased by almost $3,000 per year. For a place we don't much like, we considered picking up and moving out.

The problem is that we have three dogs. Places claim to be pet friendly but they're only friendly to two dogs. The third is the devil and shall not pass. Finding a house, which is what we want so the dogs can have a yard, is damn near impossible. We did our research and couldn't find any place in our budget that would take our three monsters. Some were kind of affordable but they wanted a $900 deposit for the dogs plus $30 per month, per dog for pet rent. Most just said no.

When Brandt did his taxes he complained about the state income tax in Oregon. While we have no sales tax, they try to make up for it in income tax. The state income tax is 9%, while Kansas is 2.7-4.6%. Washington, however, has no income tax but has sales tax. We considered moving to Vancouver. Most of the places I contacted didn't get back to me and I am extremely opposed to driving to/from Vancouver. Why? Portland is surrounded by rivers. We live on the west side of Portland and that's the side of the river that downtown is on. We really never have to cross the river. There are many bridges in Portland and they're quite proud of them. In fact, they just opened a new one next to OMSI that only has the MAX (public transport train), bikes, and pedestrians. Portland also has many nicknames like Rose City and Bridge City, or variations thereof.

Map I found by Will Lund that illustrates Portland bridges among other icons.

This cute map shows the bridges spanning the Willamette and connecting East and West Portland. It's also showing the zoo, rose garden, Timbers stadium (soccer), downtown, OMSI, and more. Even with all of these bridges spanning the river, traffic across them can still be a complete nightmare. Now, what was that about Vancouver? The Columbia River separates Oregon and Washington and there are only two bridges connecting Portland to Vancouver. We're not the first ones to consider moving to Vancouver for the cheaper rent and no income tax and that drive is a nightmare.

We currently live where the star is and I work just north of the Sellwood Bridge (the southernmost bridge). The two circles are the only bridges connecting the cities. The drive would be mind numbing. Well, mine already takes 45 minutes to an hour and is pretty bad. This one could be worse. So we are staying in our small, hot apartment for at least another year.

Back to Kansas

Two of my friends had weddings planned for April 2016. I was hoping that they would be within a week of each other so I could go to both, but I wasn't so fortunate. I made the difficult decision based on location and that I hadn't seen my friends from home in two years. I spent the first day enjoying Wichita with my sister and then we went to Topeka for family time. It was great to see most of my family, especially the kids. Kids grow so fast and they're adorable when they're little so I absorbed everything I could.

The wedding was fun and I loved seeing all of my childhood friends again. Everyone is having kids and I was finally able to meet the ones born recently. I caught up with everyone and it was like I was only living in Wichita or Manhattan again; like no time had passed. I'm not a fan of wine, but the wedding was at a winery so I had a glass. They had blueberry (maybe another berry... mullberry?) wine and it was delicious, so I had a few more glasses after that! Definitely sweet but I don't like how tart most wine is.

Kitty-Sitting

A friend of mine went to her sister's wedding; I think it was right after Christmas. I kitty-sat her four felines, which included feeding, loving, and litter box cleaning. She had puppy-sat for us and I was mostly comfortable with her cats. I'm not a cat person but I love all living things. When I first went over to her apartment, all four cats greeted me with meows of joy and rubbed my legs. I thought, "Oh! They remember me and are excited to see me!" I was wrong. After I fed them, we were no longer best friends. However, I still cuddled with the two that are especially affectionate. I even brought Brandt over to play with them. since he's had a cat and knows what he's doing. I know he misses his little guy and he definitely enjoyed kitty time.

I know I had a lot to more to update about, but without my picture reminders, this is all I've got for now.

Friends of Trees

It's no secret, I love trees. Once I got a stable job out here, I began looking for a volunteer opportunity and I focused on the environment. I came across an amazing organization called Friends of Trees. It is their mission to "bring people together to plant and care for city trees and green spaces in Pacific Northwest communities.: I knew it was the place for me!

I signed up for Crew Leader training in the Green Spaces Initiative and went to training on Halloween. We met at Forest Park and spent the morning planting as our crews will and then the afternoon we were taught how to lead crews. Crew leaders arrive early to prep and when the other volunteers arrive, we break out into several teams. 

Everyone in the fall training before we got dirty.

It was fun being able to plant native plants in such a beautiful location. I learned a lot of fun facts, like: did you know that a plant's roots continue to grow in the same direction or configuration they started in? They taught us that if a plant's roots start spiraling, like when they grow in a pot, their roots will continue to spiral. This is a problem because the plant won't be able to stabilize itself or get proper nutrients. You can solve the problem by cutting the root just before the spiral starts, it will grow straight.

We learned many other techniques for digging, planting, and best practices while we lead teams. When we went inside the Audobaun Society's building, to begin learning the "classroom stuff," it started pouring outside. I was very thankful we were inside and not slipping around in the park. We'd gotten wet and muddy already but it was raining so hard it was like a waterfall shower head!

My first planting was the second weekend in January. I didn't want to take a weekend off from Target during fourth quarter, AKA the holiday shopping season. My memory was a little rusty but fortunately, we got a refresher before the other volunteers arrived. The location was in the middle of Beaverton, but it's tucked away near the MAX tracks. There were issues with erosion of a creek and they moved it over several feet. The city is in the process of building a walkway and we went in to plant trees and small plants to help prevent any more issues.

My group of volunteers was a 2nd grade cub scout pack and their dads. We then split into smaller groups and I ended up with three pairs of volunteers. The little guys were full of energy at 8 a.m. and had a blast digging the holes for our trees. Green Spaces doesn't normally plant large trees but this was a special project. It took two dads and me to move the trees into the holes once we dug them deep enough.

When we finished with our two trees and moved on to planting plugs along the slope of the creek. 

The terrain was a little rough in places but everyone stayed safe. There was one spot where I stood too long and almost got completely stuck. I'm glad for my boots because I had sunk so far, the mud was almost over them. I was able to pull my feet out without losing my footwear.

The tree the scouts and I planted.

It was a very muddy location!

Planting plugs along the bank will help keep the soil from eroding.

My second planting was at the end of January. It was a completely different area! There was a stream but we weren't near it. They had been working on this site for a while. In the picture below, you can see the ugly brown plants in the distance. They are an invasive, non-native species that completely covered the area before Friends of Trees began working in the area. While there was very little mud the ground is what I describe as "squooshy." It was mushy and my boots mad sucking sounds each time I took a step.

I had another scout troop and they were psyched to start digging. We planted shrubs this time, which was much easier for the kids. Basically, you put the shovel in the ground and wiggle it back and forth to make a pocket. Then you drop the shrub in, ensure the roots are under the ground, and fill in the pocket. It sprinkled a little and started really raining right when we finished cleaning up. 

I liked experiencing the vastly different locations that were both hidden in Beaverton. We only plant native plants and it's rewarding to see the land slowly changing back to what it's supposed to be. It's also rewarding to see the volunteers getting into the activities, especially the little ones.

You can't tell, but the spots without grass
are where we planted our shrubs.

We planted almost all the way down to those houses.

Goodbye 2015

Holiday Season

The end of 2015 was uneventful and that's just what we wanted. We finally spent our first Thanksgiving together without either of us working or in the hospital. Brandt made ham and plethora of other delicious foods and we spent the day together with the dogs.

We had a potluck at work again to celebrate winter holidays. I made adorable, edible spider webs for Halloween so I thought I'd try another creative dessert. I've been wanting to make melting snowman cookies for a while and gave it a try. They were a hit at work and also tasted pretty good.

A friend of mine had an ugly sweater party a few days before Christmas. I love to dress up but didn't need another ugly sweater. I wore the same ugly sweater I had a few years ago and added a twist. I found a sweet hairdo on Pinterest to up my game. I'm definitely going to use this idea again... I just need the right excuse and to figure out what other animals I can make out of my hair.

Christmas was also uneventful and wonderful. We both had the day off and enjoyed more of Brandt's delicious cooking; this time a roast. We watched Elf and A Christmas Story while opening presents from each other and love ones. Brandt's birthday is the next day and we ate the traditional ice cream cake. He even got the day off and did a little shopping with gift card money.

Giving Back

I ended my year by giving back a few more times. First, I stopped and made an in-kind donation the week after Christmas. I had a lot of socks I didn't need, a comforter with white in the design that needed to be washed too often because of our dingy dogs, and other items. I was going to take it all to Goodwill, like I always do, but then a coworker mentioned that the homeless shelters always desperately need socks. I hadn't considered that before and took everything they'd accept over there. I also donated a few old pillows as well as toiletries I'd never used and probably never would. The best part about stopping by Transition Projects was when the guy opened the closet to add my donations. The closet was absolutely stuffed. It made me happy to see that they had so much support. I can only hope the closet is that full all year, not just around the holidays.

I also donated blood for the second time since we moved. The Red Cross brings a bus by work a few times a year and has a mini-blood drive. I was in and out in just 30 minutes, when it normally takes an hour. It helps to be the last person of the day! They also had free shirts, which I'm always a fan of.

On my way to work the day before New Year's Eve, OPB (Oregon Public Broadcasting) was running a one-day, year-end donation drive. I'd always meant to donate to KPB when I lived in Kansas and I knew I should quit putting it off. I became a sustaining member and they're going to plant a tree in my name. I was able to support two things I love at once!

Hello 2016

I chose to stay in on New Year's Eve and end the year calmly. Brandt and I played our 3DS's and cuddled with the puppies. I went to bed before midnight and it was another perfect holiday.

2016 began much more eventfully than 2015 ended. We got snow and ice! It was our first winter weather event since we moved out here in 2014. Oregon is woefully unprepared for ice: no salt allowed on the roads and very few snow plows. I spent my first day "back" at work, at home. I worked from the couch with three personal space heaters, AKA the dogs. Cedric loves the snow and I will end this posting with a picture of my snow puppy.

Halloween Shenanigans

OMSI After Dark

I started off my Halloween celebrations by attending OMSI After Dark. It's a monthly 21+ mixer at the science museum and this one was Halloween themed. The first thing I did was get my face painted! The guy used an airbrush, which was a weird experience. It reminded me of the puff test at the eye doctor. Every time he moved to a new section of my face and started the airbrush, I'd jump. I wore my bat costume (made from a hoodie with an umbrella I sewed under the arms). I decided to continue the theme with bat face paint as well.

Along with the Halloween theme, they offered spirits throughout the museum. My friend participated and got the sweet shot glass pictured. She shared some of the drinks with me as we walked around the museum. and we had fun playing in the exhibits. Eventually, it got very crowded and it was difficult to walk around.

Bat costume when I made in in 2013.

Face paint!

We hid in the exhibits to avoid the long lines and enjoyed playing around. We sat and did some weaving for a while and it was more difficult than I thought it would be. I continuously mixed up which thread went where so I moved to an easier pattern.

I found out that this was their most popular After Dark. It was almost double their normal attendance. Knowing that, I may go back for another. I plan to volunteer for OMSI events in the future so I may even be working a few.

Halloween Potluck

Conference room

The next day was our staff Halloween potluck at work. We decorated the front desk and the conference room early in the month. I'm proud of our work! (pictured to the left) Traditionally there was a costume contest and office decoration contest. They also carved Jack-O-Lanterns but this year, we decided to decorate sugar skulls instead. There were just two of us on the committee so we tried to keep it a little more simple and much less messy.

My office

My coworker got sugar skull molds and we made them ourselves. It was quite easy with just sugar, meringue, and water packed into a mold. A few people were sad about the lack of carving but after we started decorating, we all had fun.

Our Marketing Director passed away suddenly in early October. He was a fan of Halloween so we decided to have an 80s themed costume contest this year. Why 80s? Because he was the radio guy in the movie Howard the Duck. I haven't seen it but I'm told his part was a small one. We all miss him dearly and this was a fun way to celebrate his life.

Where's Waldo?

The 80s are back!

Elliot from ET and Mork

My spiderweb dessert

Sugar skulls!

Finally: Halloween!

Halloween was just a few days later and I went all out this year! Brandt and I were going to go as Kevin and Russel from UP (the bird and the boy). I cut out feathers from fabric and sewed them to a pair of spandex. I mixed the colors in a similar fashion to Kevin's feathers. Then I added some teal feathers as sleeves. I was going to make Brandt's costume but ran out of time. He isn't a big fan of parties so wasn't upset that he didn't have a costume to wear.

I really wanted to paint my face this year and I found a great YouTube video to show me how. It took much longer than I thought but I'm happy with how it turned out. I also painted whiskers and a nose on my friend's face before we left for our first party. We went up to Vancouver and enjoyed drinks, food, and a trivia game with friends. We also went to a party with some of our Target coworkers afterward. The costumes that night were fairly impressive. Others had face paint, there was a great Cruella DeVille, and my favorite was Meg from Family Guy.

My finished face paint

One of the best drinks ever!
Plus, it's candy corn colored.

Full costume

Had to add a photo of Dave being creepy

Hello October!

October is finally here! We started the month off by supporting the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. A few friends, Cedric, and I walked about three miles in support of raising awareness of suicide. It is an epidemic in Oregon and part of the mission of Lines for Life, where I work. Cedric did well and loved everyone he saw. He didn't even act tired after all that walking.

That night, we went out to celebrate a friend's birthday and my birthday. We went to Ground Kontrol: a sweet bar in downtown Portland with vintage video games. Plus, the entire second floor has pinball games. We collected all the quarters in our apartment and headed our for a night of fun. We played four person Pacman, raced in an arcade version of Mario Kart, and played crazy versions of pinball. The tables were all lit from within and a little trippy. One of my favorite parts was the bathroom; crazy, I know. The floor is tiled Pacman and it's lit only with black lights surrounding the sink. There are some pictures below that I've borrowed from the internet. None of the pictures I took turned out share-worthy.

We had a small celebration at home on my actual birthday. I opened presents from family and Brandt. He got me a new bag that I absolutely love. The white Yoshi bag he gave me when we started dating is looking pretty sad from five years of use. Now I have a nice dark bag that can withstand the travels to and from work.

After starting off the month that way, we've been taking it easy. I've spent most of my spare time making my Halloween costume. If you know me, or have been reading this blog since at least last October, you know I love Halloween. There will be a very picture heavy post after Halloween!

The only other interesting thing to happen so far this month happened while I was working at Target. I had an 8 a.m. shift and was only semi-conscious most of the day. I was working in Seasonal with all of my favorite Halloween things. As I was putting away abandoned items, I saw a Toothless dragon doll on the floor. I didn't pick it up and figured I'd get it on my next round of pickups. I had completely forgotten about it when I was at the service desk sorting items until a lady and her two boys approached. The six year old had lost his Toothless doll. I told them where I saw it and they were going to look for it. I was still re-tagging items when they returned without the toy. I felt terrible for not picking up the you and went back to help them look. The poor thing was nowhere to be seen. I got her name and number to put in the lost and found book.

Just a few minutes before my shift ended, I was walking past a shelf and saw the small black dragon. It was nowhere near where I'd seen it but I was excited I found it! I called the mom and she was thrilled the toy had been located. I left a little note on the toy, as a little way to make up for not rescuing the dragon in the first place.

Celebrating Love

My trip to Kansas City was instigated my by lovely friend, Sarah, getting married. After sleeping in to recover from family day, I went downstairs to hang out with the bride and my other friends while they were getting ready. It was wonderful to see my friends from college! It doesn't matter how far away we live or how long we go between talking, we pick up right where we left off.

The wedding was beautiful and the reception was a blast. I was at the table with my bridesmaids friends and their significant others, as well a few other college friends. The new couple was gorgeous! We had Joe's BBQ, which was amazing since my sandwich from the day before was inedible.

My friend's husband is in the Air Force, stationed in Japan. It was fun to see my married friends try to play wing man for my single friends. I'm not a talented dancer so I abstained but my friend's husband eventually dragged me onto the dance floor. There was a photo booth and the shenanigans were only increased because of it.

Less than a day with my college friends was tough. I wish I could have seen them longer and had more time to talk, with the bride especially. The new couple will be living in Japan for the next year and I hope to go visit.