Friday, June 27, 2008

Tagged

I've been tagged, dear friends! By the lovely Cuffington.
And since I feel guilty for having been tagged before and always ignoring it (and also, possibly because I am trying to avoid doing the freelance job I am supposed to be completing today) and since I'm a little loopy on all the Benadryl I've been consuming today (grass allergies are the worst, just the worst), I am going to DO THE MEME!!

What were you doing ten years ago?
I was a high school graduate, getting ready to go off to college and fully prepared to reinvent myself. I aspire to the church of "I will be happier if I only...looked prettier/lost 10 pounds/behaved more mysteriously/got new friends/lived somewhere else/bought a new lip gloss."
Essentially, I find myself believing my life will be infinitely better if I just reinvent myself as someone else.
One of the ways I was preparing to morph into a glamorous, artsy collegiate gal was by changing my name. I hatched a plan to introduce myself as "Jen" rather than the Jenny I'd been my whole life. After all, what kind of glamorous artistic person is named Jenny? Jen was so much more alluring. And it worked.
Was I successful? Well, the name change stuck. No one has since called me Jenny - except for my husband, he always has - I have no idea why, and my dear friend, Emi NG. In my desperate effort to change into something better, I lost many of the qualities that made me, well, me. And it's taken a long time to get some of those back. I'll always have that desire to become something else, but the truth I know is true is that the very best version of me already resides deep inside...the place where there is stillness and sureness. It's allowing her to surface that's tricky.

What are five things on your to-do list today?
*Finish my freelance project
*Rent episodes of Weeds to watch while the Boy is off doing man-like things with his friends for the weekend
*Tidy the place up
*Martini night at Strega
*Attempt to stay cool in the sudden heat wave

Snacks you enjoy?
Starbucks(sorry Catie)doubleshots on ice with soy milk, edamame, salty chips with salsa, frozen Junior Mints, and gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.

Places you've lived?
*La Grande, OR
*Redmond, OR
*Priest River, ID
*Kettle Falls, WA
*Colville, WA
*McMinnville, OR
*Portland, OR
*Corvallis, OR

Not very exciting

What are 5 things you would do if you were a billionaire?
1. Pay off all my debt and the debt of those I love
2. Take a serious sabbatical to a tropical destination
3. Buy a sweet bungalow cottage for the 3 of us
4. Eat a lot of good food at good restaurants
5. Leverage the rest of it for major social and philanthropic entrepreneurial pursuits

People you want to know more about?
My parents, my grandparents, my sisters. The girl I saw 3 days ago that I know I know from somewhere but can't place; almost everyone I come in contact with. Our stories are what make this tapestry so beautiful.

I'll be kind and not tag any of you today..

Friday, June 20, 2008

My Dad


I like him. xoxo

Where The Heart Is


Today, I'd rather be in the big LG. Surrounded by the mountains, and family. A trip to The Hut for a crushed ice polar bear...that's where I want to be.

*photo by Natalie

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Dear Ones....

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)

i fear no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

--ee cummings

Friday, June 13, 2008

Apologies ... and Aprons

Yo Yo, homeys.

Firstly, apologies are in order. Over the past few months I realize I have been grumpy, unstable, and generally, crazy. Mom, I am sorry for freaking out every time I talk to you. Husband, I am sorry for the insanity.

I am attracting negative energy. Thusly, bad things are happening. Like, my mac dying this morning - right when I needed it for a meeting. Like, the cds I burned that should teach me about choosing peacefulness not working in my cd player. Hah! Even karma is against me. My goal today is to NOT ATTRACT THE NEGATIVE ENERGY. Shoo! Stay away!

Here are some pics I took in attempt to show you, a) my skunk hair, and b) my cute apron:





Today, I am washing my counter tops with Dr. Bronners Peppermint cleanser. You should too.
Peace out.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

How Hard Can It Be

I am grumpy about my hair.
And I am so irritated that it sucks *every time* I stay in this stupid town to have it done.

Hello! I am telling you exactly what I want!! Why aren't you listening to me???

I think I am sick. Or having a late-season allergy attack - whatever is going on, it is not pleasant.

Hope your hair is better than mine.
xoxo

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

O.M.G.

So now I have skunk hair. You know, like those women who bleach the top of their head and color what's underneath dark...

That is me.

I mock those women.

But in the last 4 days I've had bleach, color, toner and numerous sittings under the dryer to try and correct the red disaster.

Not only will my hair fall off if I do one more thing to it - but I will poop my pants over the cost of fixing what is not right.

So I am giving up. It needs to rest for several, several weeks and then we will see.

Crap.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

The Shiz

I am always thinking of so many great blog post ideas - like, while I'm in the middle of rooting through a bag of mostly shiznet and then pull out a pair of bee-you-tiful Manolo Blahniks. But by the time I get around a computer, I have lost the great idea. Sometimes, some little remnant remains. Like one sentence that would have gone somewhere in the middle that I'd planned out in my head. But the rest of it is lost.
I apologize about these lost posts. No doubt, this blog would be infinitely more stunning with them.

I missed Friday dump day - so here goes.

*I had a fender bender on Wednesday night that was basically a lose-lose situation. Like, there were only two possible moves to make and someone was going to get hit no matter what. So I chose the least offensive hit. And the girl I bumped (read: early 20's recent college grad with a brand new jetta) was PISSED. She yelled and then lectured, and then yelled some more. What ever. The claims adjuster that I spoke to on the phone was this sweet Indian lady who kept telling me that I needed to "look at the bigger picture in life". Hmmmm....prophetic.

*I haven't had my color done in probably 4 months. And you know, it still looked pretty rockin. I can atribute that to the awesome sylist and colorist I'd been seeing in Portland. But circumstances have changed and jaunts to Portland for hair appointments no longer seem like a good idea. So I saw someone here. And now, my hair is red. I didn't really notice it at the salon - under their light it just looked chestunty with the occasional auburn highlight. When I got up from the chiropractor's table about an hour post-color, and looked in the mirror, I almost fell over. Red, my friends. Bright red. What the shiz.

*It is still cloudy and cold and possibly rainy here. And it is June.

*And to Lala's last point - what the shiz.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Best. Song. Ever.


I bought this cd two summers ago and listed to "Heart of the Matter" for about 4 weeks on repeat.

I rediscovered it when they started playing it on SATC previews.

And now it's on repeat again.

Heavenly


These candles are my absolute favorite. I burn twentyfourseven glam and french market in different rooms. The result is ah-maz-ing.

SATC

I was really, really disappointed by this movie. And I am a *huge* fan of the series...I mean I LOVE it. I have never seen an episode I didn't like.

And I loved the fashion in the movie, and there were moments that I loved but I left the theatre with tears in my eyes because it was SO NOT WHAT I WANTED IT TO BE.

More later.

Lunch Date

I have a lunch date today at my favorite restaurant. Woo-hoo.

Morning Rituals

Since I *quit* my job two months ago - I have developed a rather strict morning ritual that I simply must follow. It is the only way to feel as though a day has begun well.

Here's the list:

1) wake up, feed It, turn on the Today Show
2) do a series of leg pilates while watching the news
3) empty the dishwasher or make the bed
4) make a pot of coffee
5) turn on the computer
6) make breakfast
7) eat breakfast, drink coffee, while reading EVERY BLOG on my favorites list
8) check gmail
9) do a quick clean up/run through

then, and only then, can I shower and begin the day.
What is your morning ritual?

xoxo

Monday, June 2, 2008

The Graduation

Lala graduated from high school this weekend. The Boy and I made the long drive to celebrate with her and the rest of my family....
Mom, Holly, Becca and I got to the high school super early and stood in line to ensure good seatage.

Here I am looking like I have gone insane or had one too many Starbucks.

The Graduate with Steven and his brother (who rode his motorcycle to the ceremony...in a tux).

Emily and the proud mama

The Boy and the Girl

Sisters, Sisters

And here we are again...

And now it gets really exciting. Here I am imparting long boarding advice to Rebecca.

I have skills

So does Becca

We need a nap

Peter chased Bryce around for a good 30 minutes. He loved hiding under his canopy and being "found".

Aunt Sister and the baby

That pretty much sums it up. Congratulations, Emily!!