After more than a year long hiatus i'm back to blogging... just in a different format this time. With less focus on weekly musings, I can get back to the heart of what I set out to do here, document important milestones of my life and more often than not my awesome adventures. Its been awesome running this bad boy since 2010 and continuing to develop it in to something new, but its time for a change, so i've created a blank slate, a brand new space to work with. Check it out. Follow along. Stay tuned for more.
Explore The New JennBlech >
Showing posts with label life.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life.. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Friday, August 28, 2015
here we are...
Oh boy... where do I even begin...
How does one return to blogging after a 5 month hiatus?
First let's establish the reason for my nearly half year departure from something I worked on so meticulously in the past - a wedding. Not just any wedding, my wedding. Yep, that's right, I return to you as someone's wife (which still sounds strange to me after ten freaking years).
Around the time of my last post, wedding planning/designing/crafting, insanity began to shift my life balance in to dangerously stressful territory, so I had to cut something out for my own peace of mind, and unfortunately my blogging platform had to give. Incidentally I have so much to say/post/document, but so little time to play catch up on everything. As I sit here typing this out, my head is filled with our upcoming trip to Europe in just two short weeks... Basically getting things back to normal, i'm afraid, seems damn near impossible.
As much as i've enjoyed working on My Week posts over the past year or so, moving forward I think I am going to have to edit things down a bit more. My plan is to focus more on the the big events, trips, milestones, etc. and less on the every day. Please bare with me as I continue to catch up on those promised posts from the past year (Telluride, San Francisco, John Day, every little wedding detail, birthdays, and soon our honeymoon).
One day in the not so distant future I will be back at it, but for now please allow me to get things in my life back to my version of "normal".
In the meantime, I leave you with our wedding website (that I worked super hard on) to comb through, as well as our awesome preview video!
And one of these days I promise you will see some "new" posts popping up.
♥
How does one return to blogging after a 5 month hiatus?
First let's establish the reason for my nearly half year departure from something I worked on so meticulously in the past - a wedding. Not just any wedding, my wedding. Yep, that's right, I return to you as someone's wife (which still sounds strange to me after ten freaking years).
Around the time of my last post, wedding planning/designing/crafting, insanity began to shift my life balance in to dangerously stressful territory, so I had to cut something out for my own peace of mind, and unfortunately my blogging platform had to give. Incidentally I have so much to say/post/document, but so little time to play catch up on everything. As I sit here typing this out, my head is filled with our upcoming trip to Europe in just two short weeks... Basically getting things back to normal, i'm afraid, seems damn near impossible.
As much as i've enjoyed working on My Week posts over the past year or so, moving forward I think I am going to have to edit things down a bit more. My plan is to focus more on the the big events, trips, milestones, etc. and less on the every day. Please bare with me as I continue to catch up on those promised posts from the past year (Telluride, San Francisco, John Day, every little wedding detail, birthdays, and soon our honeymoon).
One day in the not so distant future I will be back at it, but for now please allow me to get things in my life back to my version of "normal".
In the meantime, I leave you with our wedding website (that I worked super hard on) to comb through, as well as our awesome preview video!
And one of these days I promise you will see some "new" posts popping up.
♥
Thursday, January 1, 2015
happy new year!
Me and Pat decided to stay in this year and welcome 2015 at home together. We still wanted to do something special though, so we "dressed up" (with matching bow ties and fancy hats), made a delicious king crab dinner, and drank some really good bottles of wine. 2015 is going to be a really amazing year for the two of us, I can't wait!
I am working on my 2014 wrap up now, and will be posting it as soon as I finish up our Christmas adventures, but in the meantime, here is a short little video wrap up with some of our favorite moments. :)
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| [[ our fancy new year's eve outfits. ]] |
I am working on my 2014 wrap up now, and will be posting it as soon as I finish up our Christmas adventures, but in the meantime, here is a short little video wrap up with some of our favorite moments. :)
(unfortunately the video doesn't process in to blogger very well, but you can watch a shorter version on my Instagram that is a lot more clear)
Friday, June 13, 2014
bend burning
On Saturday afternoon (6/7) a wildfire was sparked, turning the Bend skyline black with smoke...
A little dramatic, I know, but I couldn't resist an epic headline.
Me and Pat were headed to Brasada for the day when we noticed a plume of smoke creeping up to the sky and partially blocking views of the Sisters Mountains. I assumed controlled burn since those are a common occurrence around here, but Pat quickly pointed out that the smoke was turning black. Once we reached his moms place we had a panoramic view of the disaster, which had already grown significantly and included a second plume of smoke. Throughout the day we sat on the porch watching what they named the Two Bulls Fire from a safe distance. As it turns out, there were two fires that sparked about 15 minutes apart, and now local authorities are throwing phrases around like "man made" and "arson".
Things escalated from around 350 acres and the evacuations of all homes and national parks in two areas, to almost 6,200 acres at 0% contained overnight as air support halted for the evening. By Sunday afternoon the fire had grown even larger creeping closer to town, and over 1,000 local residents were placed on evacuation standby. Even though our home is on the other side of Bend, and we personally have only had to deal with some smoke, a little ash, and some seriously compromised air/itchy eyes, the whole situation has been extremely creepy to say the least. Now the fire has reached somewhere around 6,800 acres but firemen have finally gained control of it and seem to be successfully moving it away from town.
Mad props to the fire teams who have been working day and night to get this thing under control.
Here is a Map of the evacuation zones from the Two Bulls Fire for proximity.
I took a series of pictures on Saturday at Brasada, and then got a few closer shots from Pilot Butte by our house in town on Sunday.
If you want to see exactly what we were looking at from Brasada in "real time", Click Here, scroll down to the bottom, click on "Webcam", and select Saturday 6/7/2014 for a time lapse video of exactly what we saw. The video from Sunday 6/8/2014 is pretty interesting also.
For more "real time" views of the fire, check out the following videos:
Eye On Bend Saturday Timelapse (click here for the condensed version)
One Hour of Smoke Timelapse
Fire at Night Timelapse
Aerial Video from Drone 1
Aerial Video from Drone 2
Additionally, there is a ton of amazing imagery that I pulled off of Instagram (#twobullsfire) below, as well as some pretty epic shots from wedding photographer Josh Newton who was shooting at Rock Springs Ranch when the entire wedding party was forced to evacuate the area. Click here to view his website with more images, and here is the full story (though it has blown up so I'm sure you are all sick of it).
Finally, here are some news and mapping sources that I have been using to follow the fire's progress for those interested:
CentralORFire (twitter feed) | CentralORFire Blog
USGS Two Bulls Fire Map Viewer (zoom in on oregon)
KTVZ (local news)
Wildfire News Today (lots of good info & pictures)
The Oregonian
Live Weather Stations 1 & 2 (although things are nice and clear now)
A little dramatic, I know, but I couldn't resist an epic headline.
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| [[ my pano from pilot butte: click to enlarge. ]] |
Me and Pat were headed to Brasada for the day when we noticed a plume of smoke creeping up to the sky and partially blocking views of the Sisters Mountains. I assumed controlled burn since those are a common occurrence around here, but Pat quickly pointed out that the smoke was turning black. Once we reached his moms place we had a panoramic view of the disaster, which had already grown significantly and included a second plume of smoke. Throughout the day we sat on the porch watching what they named the Two Bulls Fire from a safe distance. As it turns out, there were two fires that sparked about 15 minutes apart, and now local authorities are throwing phrases around like "man made" and "arson".
Things escalated from around 350 acres and the evacuations of all homes and national parks in two areas, to almost 6,200 acres at 0% contained overnight as air support halted for the evening. By Sunday afternoon the fire had grown even larger creeping closer to town, and over 1,000 local residents were placed on evacuation standby. Even though our home is on the other side of Bend, and we personally have only had to deal with some smoke, a little ash, and some seriously compromised air/itchy eyes, the whole situation has been extremely creepy to say the least. Now the fire has reached somewhere around 6,800 acres but firemen have finally gained control of it and seem to be successfully moving it away from town.
Mad props to the fire teams who have been working day and night to get this thing under control.
Here is a Map of the evacuation zones from the Two Bulls Fire for proximity.
I took a series of pictures on Saturday at Brasada, and then got a few closer shots from Pilot Butte by our house in town on Sunday.
 |
| [[ progression of the fire saturday afternoon and evening. ]] |
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| [[ progression of the fire sunday morning. driving in to bend. late afternoon shots on pilot butte. ]] |
If you want to see exactly what we were looking at from Brasada in "real time", Click Here, scroll down to the bottom, click on "Webcam", and select Saturday 6/7/2014 for a time lapse video of exactly what we saw. The video from Sunday 6/8/2014 is pretty interesting also.
For more "real time" views of the fire, check out the following videos:
Eye On Bend Saturday Timelapse (click here for the condensed version)
One Hour of Smoke Timelapse
Fire at Night Timelapse
Aerial Video from Drone 1
Aerial Video from Drone 2
Additionally, there is a ton of amazing imagery that I pulled off of Instagram (#twobullsfire) below, as well as some pretty epic shots from wedding photographer Josh Newton who was shooting at Rock Springs Ranch when the entire wedding party was forced to evacuate the area. Click here to view his website with more images, and here is the full story (though it has blown up so I'm sure you are all sick of it).
 |
| [[ photos from instagram, credit: trappface. stubobusa. american_sf. aurora_cook. ]] |
 |
| [[ photos from our friends: sara's pic from southwest bend. jenn's pic from north east right by our place. ]] |
Finally, here are some news and mapping sources that I have been using to follow the fire's progress for those interested:
CentralORFire (twitter feed) | CentralORFire Blog
USGS Two Bulls Fire Map Viewer (zoom in on oregon)
KTVZ (local news)
Wildfire News Today (lots of good info & pictures)
The Oregonian
Live Weather Stations 1 & 2 (although things are nice and clear now)
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
pimp my ride
( i couldn't resist that title )
Here is my new car in all of her shiny black glory! It took a lot of pointless dealership runs, test drives, trips to the valley, and a lot of time spent scouring the Auto Trader website, but she is finally mine!
A big thank you to Pat for countless hours spent on the phone getting
the details and negotiating prices for the listings I sent you!!!
Seriously, what would I do without you?!
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| [[ my fancy new car! ]] |
How we got here:
Me and Pat have been on the hunt for a new car ever since the Subaru was pronounced totaled. We started looking around Bend a few weeks ago, test driving and eliminating various models.
We realized fairly quickly (though it took me a little while to accept it) that replacing our car with a new Impreza was just not going to be an option. To go from our 2006 to a newer model we would have to sacrifice the engine, which had been downgraded in power over the years. Since the Sube had already felt sluggish at times, that took them pretty much completely out of the picture. Not to mention that the newer models definitely aren't as good looking as they used to be (in my opinion).
Moving forward, one thing that limited our options significantly was the fact that we wanted an AWD vehicle that didn't feel too big, since I would be the primary driver. We were also interested in certain upgraded features, like heated seats, bluetooth, etc, which ultimately lead us to look at a more luxury class that included these additions as stock. This also confined our search to used models, and lightly used models at that. Once we ruled out Volvo and really started looking in to Audis, specifically the A3 or A4 Avant (hatchback) models, it really felt a bit fleeting for a few weeks. I admit that having my heart set on black on black was not making things any easier either.
We ended up test driving a paper perfect 2011 A4 in Beaverton that was silver with grey interior, but it just didn't feel like my car and at that point we hadn't been scouring the internet for every possible option yet, so we walked away. A few days later a black version popped up in Eugene, so last Thursday after work we set out for the valley in the hopes that we would be coming home with a sweet new ride.
After spending the night in Salem with Tony, we headed for Eugene Friday morning, and six hours later we were driving off the lot in our beautiful "new" BLACK Audi A4 Avant, which is basically a way nicer version of my last car, way more luxury and all, but still sporty and the size is super comparable. Black on black, tinted windows, ALL the extras... this chick couldn't be happier!!!
I let Pat do all of the driving since he was heading to NOLA again for a week Sunday morning, so I didn't officially drive my car until I dropped him off at the airport. I will say, it handles corners like a dream, though I am still getting used to the breaking/acceleration and all of the damn buttons!
We realized fairly quickly (though it took me a little while to accept it) that replacing our car with a new Impreza was just not going to be an option. To go from our 2006 to a newer model we would have to sacrifice the engine, which had been downgraded in power over the years. Since the Sube had already felt sluggish at times, that took them pretty much completely out of the picture. Not to mention that the newer models definitely aren't as good looking as they used to be (in my opinion).
Moving forward, one thing that limited our options significantly was the fact that we wanted an AWD vehicle that didn't feel too big, since I would be the primary driver. We were also interested in certain upgraded features, like heated seats, bluetooth, etc, which ultimately lead us to look at a more luxury class that included these additions as stock. This also confined our search to used models, and lightly used models at that. Once we ruled out Volvo and really started looking in to Audis, specifically the A3 or A4 Avant (hatchback) models, it really felt a bit fleeting for a few weeks. I admit that having my heart set on black on black was not making things any easier either.
We ended up test driving a paper perfect 2011 A4 in Beaverton that was silver with grey interior, but it just didn't feel like my car and at that point we hadn't been scouring the internet for every possible option yet, so we walked away. A few days later a black version popped up in Eugene, so last Thursday after work we set out for the valley in the hopes that we would be coming home with a sweet new ride.
After spending the night in Salem with Tony, we headed for Eugene Friday morning, and six hours later we were driving off the lot in our beautiful "new" BLACK Audi A4 Avant, which is basically a way nicer version of my last car, way more luxury and all, but still sporty and the size is super comparable. Black on black, tinted windows, ALL the extras... this chick couldn't be happier!!!
I let Pat do all of the driving since he was heading to NOLA again for a week Sunday morning, so I didn't officially drive my car until I dropped him off at the airport. I will say, it handles corners like a dream, though I am still getting used to the breaking/acceleration and all of the damn buttons!
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
perspective & recent events
Last week was a rotten, no good, very bad week (not simply a day, as the story goes, although one day was a major contributor).
Although we now have a major car situation to deal with, and I am still in mourning, this week is already infinitely better because I picked up Pat from the airport late Sunday night and got a long awaited hug before we made our way home and talked about the weeks events. The power of a single hug is truly amazing.
Recently someone posted this little quote on Facebook, and though I normally do not repost these types of things, I found this one relevant to my current situation.
I promise to try my best to think positive. Its true that a car is just a car and I, somewhat miraculously, came out completely unscathed with not even a scratch on me (as did the other driver involved who's truck came away with only a dent). And for that, I am extremely grateful. Keeping things in perspective is absolutely essential.
RIP little black Subaru (2006-2014).
We had many great memories and adventures together, and its going to be really hard to replace you. (Yes, I'm talking to a car... I am a very sentimental person).
Pat was gone again for work, in Canada this time, so we were hardly even able to communicate with each other. I was sick with this horrible rattling cough and sore throat combo that I brought back from New Orleans. Both of my ears were completely plugged and I had so much head congestion from multiple plane rides home that I thought I was going to burst. Work was extremely hectic and demanding (naturally, after being gone for a week). The weather was cold and icy. Oh yea, and I got in a car accident on my way to work when I slipped on some ice and slammed into a truck, totaling my precious little black Subaru. (Me and ice are not friends).
Things were looking pretty down last week.
I'm not going to lie, I cried. A lot.
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| [[ poor little subey - the damage. ]] |
Recently someone posted this little quote on Facebook, and though I normally do not repost these types of things, I found this one relevant to my current situation.
I promise to try my best to think positive. Its true that a car is just a car and I, somewhat miraculously, came out completely unscathed with not even a scratch on me (as did the other driver involved who's truck came away with only a dent). And for that, I am extremely grateful. Keeping things in perspective is absolutely essential.
RIP little black Subaru (2006-2014).
We had many great memories and adventures together, and its going to be really hard to replace you. (Yes, I'm talking to a car... I am a very sentimental person).
 |
| [[ heres a super old school/awkward picture of me & pat shortly after he first got the car. i have no idea what im doing with my hands... ]] |
Thursday, September 19, 2013
san jose :: sneak peak
In lieu of a "My Week" post I am just going to do a picture preview from my most recent trip to Cali since before heading out on Thursday all we did was work and work on our house.
Per usual, here are the pictures that I posted on Instagram while I was away. I will do a full post of our trip within the next couple weeks. After that I will tackle Vegas and Seattle.
Per usual, here are the pictures that I posted on Instagram while I was away. I will do a full post of our trip within the next couple weeks. After that I will tackle Vegas and Seattle.
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| [[ instagram photos: pdx. me and my little at the rehersal dinner. my wedding date. the beautiful bride. santa cruz. photobooth pics from the wedding. ]] |
Friday, September 6, 2013
this one time we bought a house...
Sorry to be so sneaky and weird lately. Most of you already know anyway, but I was waiting to do an official post about it until everything went through. So, here is a story for you about this one time that me and Pat bought a house...
Me and Pat moved over to Central Oregon so that I could start a full time Design position with the resort company I had been freelancing for since 2011. Although we had been discussing the potential of this position for quite some time, it took a while to get the final go ahead, giving me and Pat barely a month get ourselves moved over here. This resulted in us settling in to Pat's parents house at Eagle Crest, which had been on the market (and still is) for quite some time. Thankfully we had such a housing opportunity available to us. Since we never intended for this to be a permanent solution, we began looking at rentals in Bend without much luck.
Flash forward to a few months ago when we realized that with a little help on a downpayment we could actually afford to buy a house instead of renting something. Although the possibility was scary at the time (and still is a little bit), we both knew that we wanted to move in to Bend and stick around, so in June we began looking at homes on the market. After a string of "definitely nots", "these are way over priced", and failed bidding attempts, we were shown a cute two story in an older neighborhood on the North East Side with an amazing backyard. I was immediately intrigued by the unique vibe of the remodeled interior and potential to make the place our own. But we had a few others to look at that day, so after our showings were concluded we grabbed some lunch, (and a beer), and discussed the possibilities. One thing lead to another and we decided that if we were seriously interested we would have to jump quickly since from experience things had been moving extremely fast around here. We called our agent, put in an offer a bit under asking, and to make a long story short, our offer was accepted the next morning.
This was July. Move forward again to the end of August, and after numerous visits, an inspector, some repairs by the owners, a higher than expected appraisal, a ton of insurance mumbo-jumbo, and what seemed like an endless slew of terms and paperwork, we were in the office signing our lives away on our very first home.
Tonight we picked up our keys and its all official! Me and Pat own a home together in Bend!! This is the home that we will start our married lives together (once we get around to that of course) and we couldn't be happier!! In the future you can expect a lot of DIY projects and before and after posts... we have big plans for this place already. Since September is an extremely busy month we plan to move in slowly and will hopefully make the switch over by the first weekend in October.
Wish us luck!
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| [[ signing papers on 8/29/2013. ]] |
Me and Pat moved over to Central Oregon so that I could start a full time Design position with the resort company I had been freelancing for since 2011. Although we had been discussing the potential of this position for quite some time, it took a while to get the final go ahead, giving me and Pat barely a month get ourselves moved over here. This resulted in us settling in to Pat's parents house at Eagle Crest, which had been on the market (and still is) for quite some time. Thankfully we had such a housing opportunity available to us. Since we never intended for this to be a permanent solution, we began looking at rentals in Bend without much luck.
Flash forward to a few months ago when we realized that with a little help on a downpayment we could actually afford to buy a house instead of renting something. Although the possibility was scary at the time (and still is a little bit), we both knew that we wanted to move in to Bend and stick around, so in June we began looking at homes on the market. After a string of "definitely nots", "these are way over priced", and failed bidding attempts, we were shown a cute two story in an older neighborhood on the North East Side with an amazing backyard. I was immediately intrigued by the unique vibe of the remodeled interior and potential to make the place our own. But we had a few others to look at that day, so after our showings were concluded we grabbed some lunch, (and a beer), and discussed the possibilities. One thing lead to another and we decided that if we were seriously interested we would have to jump quickly since from experience things had been moving extremely fast around here. We called our agent, put in an offer a bit under asking, and to make a long story short, our offer was accepted the next morning.
This was July. Move forward again to the end of August, and after numerous visits, an inspector, some repairs by the owners, a higher than expected appraisal, a ton of insurance mumbo-jumbo, and what seemed like an endless slew of terms and paperwork, we were in the office signing our lives away on our very first home.
 |
| [[ picking up keys and enjoying a glass of wine for the first time in our new place. 9/6/2013. ]] |
Tonight we picked up our keys and its all official! Me and Pat own a home together in Bend!! This is the home that we will start our married lives together (once we get around to that of course) and we couldn't be happier!! In the future you can expect a lot of DIY projects and before and after posts... we have big plans for this place already. Since September is an extremely busy month we plan to move in slowly and will hopefully make the switch over by the first weekend in October.
Wish us luck!
Saturday, August 24, 2013
another year older...
I think this might have been the fastest year of my LIFE! So many big, no, pretty huge changes have occurred throughout my 26th year such as: finally leaving Corvallis, completely relocating our entire lives to the fabulous city of Bend with no real plan in mind, starting an actual career with the position I had been freelancing for, and even bigger things that I can't even say yet... Well, I guess, it is my birthday so I can say whatever I want. I will give you a hint, it involves moving in to a house that we might not actually be renting. (More on that soon)!
Checking in on my 30 before 30 List it actually looks like I am moving right along.
I have been reading lots of books (and the birthday present Pat got me should help out with that even more), the format of my blog has changed (even if it is not what I initially intended), wedding plans are in the works, me and Pat have made it to California, Seattle, and Vegas together so far, we got to see Deftones together finally, we moved out of Corvallis, I am really happy with my job and our soon to be living situation, I am working really hard to get myself in to shape, I am actively working on my photography, once we move I will really get cracking on the picture printing, I am doing my best to stay in touch with friends with little meet-ups, and we have been practicing our long boarding skills (not so much this year, but I made a lot of progress last year, we need to get back at it). I still have a long way to go though... I haven't made much progress with painting, and obviously no tattoos yet to speak of... There are others as well, but I have a few more years to go. I think its important to have goals, even if they are not all accomplished in time. :)
Alright, here goes another year. I wonder what 27 will have in store for me... Hopefully many great things, and a slower pace!!
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| [[ a picture of me from today with my free boneyard birthday hat. ]] |
Checking in on my 30 before 30 List it actually looks like I am moving right along.
I have been reading lots of books (and the birthday present Pat got me should help out with that even more), the format of my blog has changed (even if it is not what I initially intended), wedding plans are in the works, me and Pat have made it to California, Seattle, and Vegas together so far, we got to see Deftones together finally, we moved out of Corvallis, I am really happy with my job and our soon to be living situation, I am working really hard to get myself in to shape, I am actively working on my photography, once we move I will really get cracking on the picture printing, I am doing my best to stay in touch with friends with little meet-ups, and we have been practicing our long boarding skills (not so much this year, but I made a lot of progress last year, we need to get back at it). I still have a long way to go though... I haven't made much progress with painting, and obviously no tattoos yet to speak of... There are others as well, but I have a few more years to go. I think its important to have goals, even if they are not all accomplished in time. :)
Alright, here goes another year. I wonder what 27 will have in store for me... Hopefully many great things, and a slower pace!!
Thursday, July 25, 2013
my week in pictures 15
monday 7/15 - sunday 7/21
According to my pictures it might not look like we did much this week, but to the contrary, we were spending most of our time after work and over the weekend looking at more and more houses. I also had to play photographer for a little work event. On Sunday we took a break from everything and grabbed breakfast at The Vic. before meeting up with an old friend from high school and her fiance for a river float through town. I wish I had taken some pictures of this portion of our weekend!
According to my pictures it might not look like we did much this week, but to the contrary, we were spending most of our time after work and over the weekend looking at more and more houses. I also had to play photographer for a little work event. On Sunday we took a break from everything and grabbed breakfast at The Vic. before meeting up with an old friend from high school and her fiance for a river float through town. I wish I had taken some pictures of this portion of our weekend!
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| [[ looking at more and more houses. contemplation dinner. ec hootenanny. outfit. routine. saturday hunting. sunday breakfast. floating through town. ]] |
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
vegas :: sneak peak
You know the drill... it is going to take me a while to get through all of the pictures I took in Seattle and Vegas (it has to be creeping on 2,000 now...), but in the meantime here is a little sneak peak of our Las Vegas adventures, as posted on Instagram.
I will say right now that Las Vegas is insane. We had a very epic/exciting/interesting/plastic/hot/casinofilled/latenight/exhausting/sensoryoverloaded/sequinfilled/vodkaridden adventure that was over in a flash.
I will say right now that Las Vegas is insane. We had a very epic/exciting/interesting/plastic/hot/casinofilled/latenight/exhausting/sensoryoverloaded/sequinfilled/vodkaridden adventure that was over in a flash.
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| [[ instagram photos: our hotel room view. posing in the elevator on night one. breakfast in the eiffel tower. exploring the strip. my chocolate milkshake at 3:30am. the city view from the palms moon bar. ]] |
Thursday, April 25, 2013
seattle :: sneak peak
I have a lot of big plans over the next few weeks so it will probably take me a while to get to editing all of the pictures that we took from our Seattle trip last weekend (over 1,000 by the way, I am out of control), but in the meantime, here is a little sneaky peak of our adventures! It was an amazing experience by the way. I am really glad that I did some research on restaurants and bars ahead of time because we found some really awesome places with very friendly people to interact with.
If you follow me on Instagram then you have already seen all of these pics, but I don't want to give anything new away just yet. :)
If you follow me on Instagram then you have already seen all of these pics, but I don't want to give anything new away just yet. :)
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| [[ instagram photos: a very serious biscuit bartenders with major flair. pikes at night. gasworks park. a view of the entire cityscape. my beautiful bouquet. ]] |
Monday, April 1, 2013
a non april fools announcement
One of the main reasons that I started this blog back in September 2010, is because I was not being challenged creatively at work and needed a new outlet to help keep me inspired. Over time I continued to evolve this blog to have more regular features such as Weekend Adventures and Midweek Inspiration posts, but as my career picked up and me and Pat began traveling more, I started to loose track and have to cut some things out. Lately I find myself referring to this ongoing project as more of a chore than a creative outlet, and so I have concluded that it is time for a change.
In order to keep up with blogging, and life, I am going to switch things up for a while. Instead of posting five days a week, I am going to start posting "My Week In Pictures" from the week before once a week. I will still continue to do the occasional secondary post or Photo Adventure post, but am hoping that this will be a nice compromise so that I can actually enjoy the process once again.
Quality over quantity. You know, that whole thing.
And just for funsies... All The Single Ladies...
In order to keep up with blogging, and life, I am going to switch things up for a while. Instead of posting five days a week, I am going to start posting "My Week In Pictures" from the week before once a week. I will still continue to do the occasional secondary post or Photo Adventure post, but am hoping that this will be a nice compromise so that I can actually enjoy the process once again.
Quality over quantity. You know, that whole thing.
And just for funsies... All The Single Ladies...
Friday, March 22, 2013
to chief from mylanta part II
Tonight our friends Rory and Alena are coming to visit for the weekend! Me and Pat are both super excited, and judging from this text that I received a few weeks ago, I am guessing that they are too. Bring on the festivities! Here was Alena's first masterpiece back in February.
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| [[ my second chalk drawing from alena at block 15. ]] |
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
greetings from the air
I get to pick up Pat from the airport today! I am super excited to see him and am extremely thankful that he doesn't have to travel for work all the time anymore. I am also thankful that I woke up feeling much better this morning than I did yesterday. It looks like my sickness is over just in time.
Earlier this week Pat texted me this gorgeous picture. He had to fly Redmond - Seattle - Phoenix - Huston, and snapped this shot of Mt. Rainier in Washington from his plane ride over. Such a clear picture!
Earlier this week Pat texted me this gorgeous picture. He had to fly Redmond - Seattle - Phoenix - Huston, and snapped this shot of Mt. Rainier in Washington from his plane ride over. Such a clear picture!
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| [[ mt. rainier from pats plane ride to huston. ]] |
Thursday, February 14, 2013
happy valentime's
Today is Valentine's Day, Pat is in Huston for work, and I am sick, working from home, and watching old 30 Rock episodes... yep, it is about the same as last year. I think I have a curse. Oh well, better luck next year. Happy Valentime's!
Friday, February 1, 2013
to chief from mylanta
Our friends Tony and Megan are coming to visit this weekend, and I am super excited! I am also excited because we are going to be hiking Smith Rock tomorrow, which is somewhere I have been wanting to explore for a long time.
And speaking of my friends, I got a text message with this picture today from my friend Alena who is back in Corvallis. It made me smile, so I thought I would share it. Don't worry Mylanta, I miss you too. Come visit! All the cool kids are doing it.
And speaking of my friends, I got a text message with this picture today from my friend Alena who is back in Corvallis. It made me smile, so I thought I would share it. Don't worry Mylanta, I miss you too. Come visit! All the cool kids are doing it.
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| [[ chalk art text from alena at block 15. ]] |
Friday, January 25, 2013
fire on the mountain
Hooray Friday!! I have successfully made it through my second full week at work and everything is going really well so far. Tomorrow me and Pat are meeting up with an old friend from Ashland who I haven't seen in years and years to take our first stab at the Bend Ale Trail. Cheers to the weekend, and wish us luck.
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| [[ our beautiful sunset over mt. jefferson. ]] |
Thursday, January 17, 2013
moving in
We moved over the pass on January 2nd, and have been doing a lot since then that I am excited to post about, but I have to go back in time to get things up to speed first. I will start with our moving weekend and work my way up from there.
In the morning of the second, the movers showed up, and within a few hours everything we owned, aside from one suitcase with some necessities, was gone. It was a really weird feeling having strangers take away all of our things, and as always, I was sad to see our house empty knowing that we would never live there again. As soon as our things were gone, me, Pat, and Rory, who had graciously offered to help us move, stuffed ourselves in the car which was packed with as much as we could fit. I was literally smushed in the backseat and surrounded by blankets which actually made it a pretty comfortable drive.
We just happened to be moving on the weekend that it had dumped a ton of snow, so the pass was really really icy and it took us a while to get to our place. We even passed a truck that lost control and was only saved from going over the cliff because of the bumper of packed snow on the side of the road... sketchy. This definitely made me feel better about hiring movers to do the heavy lifting and transporting. Rory's friend came over, and we all ate some dinner, hottubbed, and drank some champagne that my Mom bought me and Pat in honor of our big move. I should mention that while we are looking for places in Bend, me and Pat are living in Redmond in a home that is up for sale owned by his parents. Hopefully in the Springtime we will be able to find a place of our own.
The rest of the weekend was simply spent unpacking and trying to get everything in order as much as possible before we went back to Corvallis to clean our old place, have a going away party, and then make our final trip over the pass to our new home (which I discussed in my "Goodbye Corvallis" post).
In the morning of the second, the movers showed up, and within a few hours everything we owned, aside from one suitcase with some necessities, was gone. It was a really weird feeling having strangers take away all of our things, and as always, I was sad to see our house empty knowing that we would never live there again. As soon as our things were gone, me, Pat, and Rory, who had graciously offered to help us move, stuffed ourselves in the car which was packed with as much as we could fit. I was literally smushed in the backseat and surrounded by blankets which actually made it a pretty comfortable drive.
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| [[ our empty house: livingroom. kitchen. office. bedroom. spareroom. closet. livingroom/kitchen. hallway. ]] |
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| [[ the stuffed moving truck. me packed in to the subaru and ready to go. ]] |
We just happened to be moving on the weekend that it had dumped a ton of snow, so the pass was really really icy and it took us a while to get to our place. We even passed a truck that lost control and was only saved from going over the cliff because of the bumper of packed snow on the side of the road... sketchy. This definitely made me feel better about hiring movers to do the heavy lifting and transporting. Rory's friend came over, and we all ate some dinner, hottubbed, and drank some champagne that my Mom bought me and Pat in honor of our big move. I should mention that while we are looking for places in Bend, me and Pat are living in Redmond in a home that is up for sale owned by his parents. Hopefully in the Springtime we will be able to find a place of our own.
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| [[ the first night: me and rory being weirdos. champagne toast to our new house (after the hottub, yes, we have a hottub). ]] |
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| [[ brrr. the view out our diningroom window. ]] |
The rest of the weekend was simply spent unpacking and trying to get everything in order as much as possible before we went back to Corvallis to clean our old place, have a going away party, and then make our final trip over the pass to our new home (which I discussed in my "Goodbye Corvallis" post).
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
goodbye corvallis
As I have mentioned a few times before, at the end of December me and Pat were making preparations to move and saying goodbye to good friends, and the town of Corvallis. A place that I had reluctantly grown to love. Even a year prior I had been aching to get out of our small college town and start a life with Pat somewhere new, and although I was ready for a new career, when it came down to the prospect of actually leaving, I was a little sad to leave it all behind.
The two of us had really begun our relationship there, we had shared four residences over almost seven years there, we had both struggled with and graduated from college there, and made a ton of great friends and amazing memories along the way. So in the end, I was sad to see Corvallis go, but excited about the prospect of starting over together in a new place that we really really love. As we drove away from our long term home town for the last time, I was very reflective on each of the places I had lived, and who I was at that time. Although I am ready to collect new memories and residences in Bend, Corvallis Oregon will always hold a special place in my heart, so I owed it a little goodbye post.
Here are a few pictures from our last few outings right before moving.
I wish I would have taken some pictures of our going away party, because we had a really good turnout, but I was so exhausted from packing and cleaning that I forgot. Thank you again to everyone who came out.
Places I am going to miss/remember fondly:
Block15, Cloud & Kellys, Fairbanks, Snugbar, Murphey's, Bar 101, Aomatsu, Reeser Stadium, Monroe St., The Elements Building, the Waterfront downtown and my favorite place to sit, Francesco's, Sharon's, Tommy's, University Hero, McMenamins, American Dream, Crow Bar, and The Crow's Nest, the 35th street house, the entire OSU Campus, and yes, even though very reluctantly, I have to make mention of The Peacock and La Conga (whatever its called now) because no matter how horrible they are, I have many great memories at both.
The two of us had really begun our relationship there, we had shared four residences over almost seven years there, we had both struggled with and graduated from college there, and made a ton of great friends and amazing memories along the way. So in the end, I was sad to see Corvallis go, but excited about the prospect of starting over together in a new place that we really really love. As we drove away from our long term home town for the last time, I was very reflective on each of the places I had lived, and who I was at that time. Although I am ready to collect new memories and residences in Bend, Corvallis Oregon will always hold a special place in my heart, so I owed it a little goodbye post.
Here are a few pictures from our last few outings right before moving.
I wish I would have taken some pictures of our going away party, because we had a really good turnout, but I was so exhausted from packing and cleaning that I forgot. Thank you again to everyone who came out.
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| [[ cloud & kelly's. ]] |
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| [[ sada sushi. ]] |
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| [[ snugbar. ]] |
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| [[ murphey's. ]] |
Places I am going to miss/remember fondly:
Block15, Cloud & Kellys, Fairbanks, Snugbar, Murphey's, Bar 101, Aomatsu, Reeser Stadium, Monroe St., The Elements Building, the Waterfront downtown and my favorite place to sit, Francesco's, Sharon's, Tommy's, University Hero, McMenamins, American Dream, Crow Bar, and The Crow's Nest, the 35th street house, the entire OSU Campus, and yes, even though very reluctantly, I have to make mention of The Peacock and La Conga (whatever its called now) because no matter how horrible they are, I have many great memories at both.
Goodbye for now.
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