weekend adventures 48

In light of the fact that none of my friends were getting their ish together for NYE planning, me and Pat decided to jump over the pass and spend the long weekend in Sunriver instead of Portland. Rory decided to come too and brought Harlow, his white lab. I was really hoping/excited for the prospect of snow and I definitely got it!

12/30 - 1/2

friday

We were supposed to leave much earlier but a friends house was having some major floodage issues, so Pat went over to help them out which took up the majority of the day. Also it was pouring, if that was not implied. By the time we made it on the road it was 3:30 or so, not a deal breaker, but a long drive just the same. Apparently we decided to leave on the night where it was blizzarding/super icy up on the pass the drive was long and nerve wracking.  I am not sure what time we actually made it to Pats Dad's place in Sunriver but it was dark and by then we all needed a drink and some food. After dinner it started snowing again at the house (!!) so we went out on the giant porch, wine in hand, to play with pups and take lots of pictures, then it was bedtime. 

[[ the beginning of our snowy drive. friday night puppy play time. ]]

saturday

The morning was slow going but eventually we made it up, got some breakfast, opened a few Christmas presents (I won $10 on my lottery ticket), and then got ready for the day. It was sunny, gorgeous, and snowey outside from the night before, so we got on all of our gear to go for a little hike through the property. Rory did NOT like my Nike snow boots AT ALL. I forget who he kept calling me, but it was definitely some pop "star" I don't listen to. I have to say Rory, my feet were nice and warm, and I think my boots are fly, so there. I took a ton of pictures on our walk, mostly of Harlow who was hilarious hoping around like a bunny and burying her head to look for creatures. 

After some lunch it was most definitely nap time, then lazy time, then dinner time, then party time. 

[[ snowey walk. us. quail prints. boots. lake. ]]

saturday night (new years eve)

We made a champagne run to the local market, got in the snowy hottub with a bottle and started to celebrate the end of 2011. Afterwards I decided to get fancy even if we weren't doing anything much, got all dressed up, and brought up my bag of NYE paraphernalia which I just happened to have already (noise makers, hats, tinsel, the works). After a failed attempt at going out to one of the local bars (which was charging $50 to get in, come on Sunriver, you are nothing fancy), we ended up back at the house counting along with the Times Square countdown, drinking a fancy bottle of champagne, and having a mini dance party. It was pretty fun, but did not feel super festive, so I think next year we are doing it my way again, NYE at The Nines most likely. 

[[ nye polish. ]]

sunday (new years day)

Lets just say that the morning/early afternoon were off to a rough start and I was not exactly feeling top notch. However, I had proclaimed the day before that we were all to go sledding New Years day, so sledding we did. We found a spot up on Mt. Bachelor where other people were sledding, grabbed our gear, and started trekking up the hill, which by the way was pretty gnarly. I wish that my pictures did it justice. From the tip top it was high above everyone else, steep, and you could see the jumps/ramps that had formed as a result of constant sledding. After watching the boys safely make their way down I went for it. Over a jump I went flying past everyone and practically in to the parking lot unscathed. Yes! Lets go again! Pat only made it a few runs on his disk before totally messing up his back and being done for the day. I was doing pretty good and the fresh air was even starting to make me feel better, so after one close call I took a break to watch Rory attempt the hill with Harlow in his lap. This always ended with her bailing and chasing him down the hill instead. Hilarious. I was pretty much done, but Pats Dad was giving me crap so I gave in to go one more time, which was a big mistake. I got to the top of the hill alone, waited for some kids to clear the way, and then went for it, but this time, I did not hit the jump so well. I almost flipped, spun around backwards, and when I got my center back realized there was a kid in my way, I tried to yell at him and turn sideways unknowing that there was another ramp, in front of me. This time I flipped over, mid yell, lost my hat, got lots of snow in my mouth, and smacked the side of my head/ear hard on the ice. Head ringing that was definitely the end of it for me. I never felt right for the rest of the day and my neck definitely took the majority of that beating. Next time we will go for the little hill with nice powder. Lesson learned?

[[ snow park. pattyface. ]]

monday

We got up early, showered, packed up, ate, and headed out the door for a brief stop in Bend before heading over to Pats moms place to watch the Rose Bowl (Oregon/Wisconsin). Oregon won, meh, whatever, I think they deserved it. It was a really really good game and super close the whole time. We tried to put off leaving for as long as possible, but eventually piled in to the car and took off for Corvallis. I just zoned out this time and cuddled with the puppy, though there were some points where the fog was so thick you literally could not see anything in front of your or even the road. Sketchy. I am glad we made it home ok and as always was super excited to crawl in to my own bed. 

[[ old mill. sunny day. harlow play. the boys. ]]

((( more pictures from the weekend will get their own post(s) tomorrow )))

new year, new hair my first attempt at ombre

Like I mentioned in this Midweek Inspiration post, I have many hair crushes, and my current love affair is with various types of ombre. Not the super dark on top and then super light with no blending, but I love love love it when the color fade is more towards the bottom. I finally decided to bite the bullet, and set up a hair appointment to get my very own.

We were initially running off of this example where it is more of highlights blended underneath. So, after a few hours at the salon I walked out with blonde highlights towards the bottom of my hair which just were not what I was going for. Feeling sorry for myself, I started researching various DIY techniques and came across this tutorial by LLYMLRS, which I found to be the most helpful. Armed with confidence I ran off to the store to pick up a high lighting kit to play with when I got home, but, I totally chickened out and opted not. I woke up the next morning with a "whats the worst that can happen?" attitude and figured why not?! So, into the bathroom I went kit in hand, tutorial on phone, ready for action.

[[ hair trials at the salon. ]]

Because I was so nervous of the end result I snipped a small chunk of my hair to test out in the mixture first which turned out a nice color, but did not really give me a proper indication of time, so I decided to start small with only 10 minutes on the undermost layers of my hair. It soon became pretty apparent to me that I needed to leave the bleach mixture on for a lot longer, more like twenty minutes. I am sure foil, or using more of the mixture at once would have increased the result in less time but I was too nervous to try. After I finally got the undermost layers done, I let more of my hair down and repeated the technique before finally placing a smaller amount of bleach on just the very ends of my hair for some added lightness.

[[ experimenting with the highlighting kit. ]]

It turned out better then I thought it would considering I had never dyed my hair before, and it helped blend in my "highlights" so that they look much less random! The only thing I don't like about it is that since my natural hair contains so many different colors, the transition is not always as noticeable as I would have liked it to be, but for a $12 box of highlighter I can certainly add in some more. I would definitely recommend doing this yourself rather then through a salon unless they specialize in an ombre. I will most likely give it another run sometime in the near future for added effect.

[[ an example of my diyd ombre hair. ]]

It is seriously as easy as the tutorial makes it seem, but if you are nervous then just start on the under layers like I did and work your up to more time and the rest of your hair. I wasted a lot of the solution rinsing it off every ten minutes, but trial and error is key. Just make sure you buy a highlighting kit (not a dye), and follow the kits instructions. 

Ultimately I am really happy with the way it turned out (for now) and proud of myself for finally doing it! Like I said I will most likely give it another try in the future, that is how easy it is.

.

a few christmas extras

To wrap up the last of my Christmas posts,  I thought I would show off some of my favorite new things off of my Christmas list or not.

From Pat
Pat got me everything off of my Christmas list, the silly necklace, a new pair of earrings, and even both of the Gnome Enterprises shirts I asked for. I have to switch out the size on the fox t-shirt, but I cannot wait to wear it! The love bunnies I have already worn several times.

From Dad
I got my Urbanears headphones in Pool the color I wanted!! They are better than expected! They sound great, are comfy, seem really durable, and have an awesome volume control/pause button right on the tangle free chord which I love. They also have a port where someone else can plug right in for a listen, and they fold up to fit nicely in a small purse. I also got one of the shirts I asked for from MNKR, "Travel More, Work Less", which looks great in person. If only I could wear it to work...

From Mom
The mirror jewelry box I have been coveting is finally mine! I rearranged everything on top of my dresser to make space for it and it looks so pretty holding all of my little nicknacks. I have wanted this for years but never asked for it. I am happy to have one of my very own now. Sorry Meguenther, I am a copy cat. I also got the gloves I asked for, and me and Pat scored some new books from the Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics Collection: The Count of Monte Cristo, Swiss Family Robinson, and a few others. We even got some coffee for our Keurig, and gift cards, (I am using mine to get a hard case/shell for my new computer).

From Leah
I got the most random gifts from Leah, but I love all of them! 1) A Catbird canvas bag. Catbird being the store that I fell in love with when we went shopping in Brooklyn. 2) Sweater shorts... they are shorts... short shorts... made out of sweater material. I have honestly worn them several times already. 3) Toast Coasters. Pretty self explanatory, coasters in the shape of toast, they are the cutest things ever.

From Jenna/Meagan/Stockings
From Jenna, a UO Ducks Tshirt. Rude! Don't be surprised when you get this regifted for your birthday Jenna! HA! This year we decided to draw names for stockings and Meagan (Santa) had mine which contained Hello Kitty socks, a ring, earmuffs, and a pretty beanie. :) I did Jenna's and got her some silly little things from Urban like a super epic twisty straw, party camera, and DIY alphabet banner. Pat had Nic who we got The Abide Guide book, an awesome Hangover bobble head, and a few other things. Pat ended up scoring some Nintendo candy and beer paraphernalia from Johnny, he was a happy camper.


Thank you loves :)

____________________

I have a present for Meguenther, and TiffWill, but we have not gotten together yet to exchange them. They are sitting in my office waiting for a get-together.

I also made hexnut fishtail bracelets for my sisters with suede straps. They turned out pretty good, although I never did figure out a proper way to clasp them. Hopefully they like them, I know my little Meagan did, (no surprise there). I still need to make one for myself to photograph.

_____________________

Finally, here are the extras, some silly photostrips we took with Pocketbooth on Christmas Eve.

[[ photostrips: pat, me, meagan. mom. ]]

saying goodbye to 2011

Like last year, I would like to wrap this one up with a short summary of important things that have happened in 2011. There have been some major changes this past year, one event in particular that took place over the summer in NYC. As with last year there were many happy and a few sad events of the year. I am excited to see what 2012 has to offer me, but first, lets take a look back. (in no particular order).

1) Things at work have been good for me this year. In fact, within the same two week period I was offered a raise, and a recurring freelance gig for a resort company. Although this all happened towards the end of the year, it has made me a happy girl who finally feels like she is making strides to achieve some of her career goals and therefore, it receives first mention. 

2) At the very beginning of June me and Pat FINALLY moved in to our own place once again, after four years of roomates! I absolutely love love love having a place to call our own, to decorate with only our things, and to be nice and neat and ours only. It is something I have been wanting for a long time. Though it is only a rental, it is a nice little house perfect for us right now. I sincerely hope to never go back to our college living situation. I feel our relationship has only grown stronger as a result. ( house tour I / II )

[[ our new house. ]]

3) Though I would have liked to have gone to more concerts, especially with Pat, I did get to see my favorite, Deftones (!) and even scored an autographed vinyl (after standing in the rain for several hours) !!! I bought the tickets for the two of us and literally an hour later Pat found out he had to go on a business trip *whomp whomp*. So, when I saw a posting online about signed vinyls for the first 50 people in line, I came up with a master plan to go for it and get one for him... ok, its kind of for me too. Though this was a lot harder then I thought it would be and I got suuuuper sick as a result, the framed souvenir hanging in our office makes it totally worth it. Not only that, but they played an amazing set including Passenger, which I devoted an entire term to in college for my Expressive Typography class. Hurry up and come back please, we need to see you again, together this time. Me, Pat, and Tony also went up to Portland to see Memphis May Fire, who were awesome live, though playing in a pretty awkward venue. They are pretty small still, so the boys got to talk to them for a while which was cool. Keep up the good work, and come back to Portland soon please, perhaps at the Roseland this time. 

[[ deftones concert w megan. ]]

4) At the end of June me and Pat took our first vacation together just the two of us and it was amazing! We went to New York City to visit my older sister Leah and explore together. We did so many things the week we were there and ate so so well it was sad to say goodbye when it was all over with. We went to MoMA, The Met, The American Museum of Natural History, Grand Central Terminal, a million restaurants and bars, Brooklyn for some shopping, ghetto Brooklyn for some awesome fireworks and the greatest sunset I have ever seen, a couple toy stores, a Yankees game in the Bronx, became quite familiar with the subway, explored all around Central Park including the Boathouse and Belvedere Castle, got a personal convertible tour by Adil through the city, walked Highline Park, shopped in Soho, and spent over five hours in the most amazing beer garden that Pat instantly fell in love with. Oh New York, how I long to see you again. To look at all of our NYC pictures click on Key Posts where everything is separated by day. 

[[ the city. convertible tour. kiss. frida at moma. brooklyn rooftop. the view. beer garden. yankee game. highline park w leah. sunset. all of us. pat at the met. ]]

5) There were two marriages this year. On February 12th everyone came together for Tiff and Jason's wedding at the base of Mt. Hood. I was lucky enough to be one of her bridesmaids and had so much fun being a part of everything and partying with all of my long lost design friends at the reception!! I am super happy I took a million pictures! And I must say, the bride looked stunning the entire day, and the groom not too shabby himself. This was definitely one of the best parts about 2011 for me. July 23rd me and Pat also attended our friend Sam's wedding in Washington. My favorite part of all was him adorning a thong over his tux when it came time to throw the brides garter. Awkward. 

[[ tiff & jasons wedding: the group. me/pat. tiff/pat. me/tiff. ladies. me/megan. ]]

6) Weddings were not the only parties we went to this year. We had an awesome NYE party at The Nines hotel in Portland. For Colleens birthday we had a Robot Party where you guessed it, everyone came dressed as a famous or made up robot. Me and Pat's costumes turned out pretty awesome, even though people were calling me Gaga Robot. Colleen was Rosie from The Jetsons and hers was the best! In the summer we all met up at Colleens cabin for Morgan's birthday and to see Fran who was visiting from California. I kidnapped Pat for his birthday and threw him a mini surprise party at Ground Kontrol in Portland, and we all met up and went roller skating for Panda's birthday. Finally there were two Halloween celebrations, one downtown with my design friends (I went as a nerd), and the second at a house party with Pats friends (me, Pat, and Tony were the Mario Brothers and Princess Peach). 

[[ nye party. robot party. cabin. pats surprise party. roller skating. halloween nerds. mario brothers. for halloween. ]]

7) This year I turned 25, making me a quarter of a century old! That is a big one and it really weirded me out at first. Pat even got me something I have been wanting since high school, my very own longboard! Thanks babe. Me and Pat also celebrated our 6th anniversary in Newport to get a new picture with Wally the Walrus, whom we have been visiting since year 1. I cannot believe it has already been over 6 years already! We were babies when we first started dating, but have grown tremendously as a couple. I love this man soooo much. :)

[[ anniversary picture w wally. ]]

8) Most significantly for us as a couple, while in New York exploring Belvedere Castle Pat got down on one knee and proposed to me!!! We are now officially engaged! (To no ones surprise I might add, my mothers response was, "Its about time, and I am saying that to you, not him!"). Pat was a good boy and even asked my dads permission before hand, which I absolutely appreciate. I cannot believe I did not figure it out since he was acting so weird up until then! He even said he had been carrying the ring around every day which would have scared the crap out of me. Click on the this --> link <-- for the proposal details. 

[[ engaged at belvedere castle. ]]

9) Sunday September 18th marked the one year anniversary of Johni's passing. We watched some movies that reminded us of her like Tangled and Alice in Wonderland, and made some corn bread. It was a hard day, as I knew it would be, but the saying is true, time does heal, and I am starting to laugh when I think of her more than I cry.

10) Finally, on Saturday December 3rd, me, my little sister Meagan, my mom, and step dad Dean went in to visit his sick father. I had a feeling at the time that it would be the last time I saw him, so I wrote a little post to summarize my feelings. I was happy when I found out that he actually got to hear my words as read by my mother on a later visit. When I saw an incoming call from my mom towards the end of my work day last week I knew what it was about. On the afternoon of Wednesday December 28th Dan Tabert passed away. Just a few days after Christmas, and a few days before the New Year. All of his children and his wife had been with him all morning, so it seemed only fitting that when they said goodbye once again and left for lunch he decided it was time to go. I am really happy that me and Meagan got to see him when we did just before his health took a final turn for the worst. I will always remember that surprisingly strong hug goodbye he gave each of us before we left the room. :)

Goodbye 2011. Hello 2012. 

new year, new resolutions

Goodbye 2011. Hello 2012. 

[[ check out this awesome super old picture i found of me and my grandparents on nye. ]]

Last year I posted some New Years Resolutions, and I have to say I did not even come close on a lot of these. Although I was able to accomplish some (1/4/7/8/10), I outright failed a few (2/5), and a couple are still works in progress (3/6/9). With that in mind some of my new resolutions will be overlaps from last year.


new years resolutions // 2012

1. Save $$$ money! 
Open a savings account and start putting it away for future vacations, and for a wedding someday.

2. Go on trips together
Last summer we went to NYC, I would like to be able to go on more real trips like this with Pat to various states, or maybe even to some new countries. This goes along with saving money.

3. Wake up earlier !!!!!
This is one I did not succeed with last time at all, I seriously need ten more minutes in the morning and I will be good to go. Hopefully I can get it together this time.

4. Finish the Wicked series
I know it doesn't sound like much but I have been putting off finishing the book me and Johni were on for over a year now. Since the author just came out with a final novel, I figure I should probably wrap the series up once and for all.

5. Try a spinning class, or two, or three, or fifty 


6. Start printing out all of my pictures
Make my NYC album, and one with pictures from college.

7. Work on website/Flickr account


8. Take a trip down to the desert


9. Etsy shop by Christmas


10. Paint a Johni Tree

what are you doing new years eve?

Me, Pat, and Rory are getting ready to head over the pass for a long weekend and to ring in the new year. Fingers crossed for snow!!!

I found this earlier and thought it appropriate. Wouldn't you say?
Sorry if its cliche, but I love them both too. :)

Happy New Year!!

remakes

At least ten years ago when we all first moved in together me, my sister, and step siblings took a series of black and white pictures for my parents that they still have framed and hanging up in the main hallway of our house. Me and Leah have been talking about recreating them for years, but finally got it together and took them for Christmas this year. Of course, we had a few new additions to include as well.

Here is how they turned out! (extremely photo heavy)

[[ pictures of: me/meagan/leah/nic/johnny/jenna/dest/pat/adil. ]]

And here are a couple outtakes before I made them black and white so you can see how silly we looked with all of the different colors we were wearing! Notice Meagan always looks good though... she is an alien.

[[ outtakes. ]]

Finally, if you need some reference I am including some of the old pictures. Keep in mind that these were quick shots taken on our phones stealthily and definitely have some glare to them since they were in frames, but they should help you get the idea. 

[[ some of the originals for reference. ]]