Inspiration

I am so blessed and grateful for the many wonderful things in my life. But I have to admit that my strong desire to start a family (and not being able to yet) and Brian being gone for 2 weeks has left me a bit melancholy. My friend Sarah sent some inspiration my way.......

So here you are now, nowhere to turn
It's just the same old yesterday
And you made a promise to yourself
That you were never gonna be this way

Cause everybody needs somebody sometimes
Yeah, everybody needs somebody sometimes

Don't have to find your own way out
You gotta voice, let it be heard
Just when it feels you're on a dead end road
There's always somewhere left to turn

So don't give up now
You're so close to a brand new day
Well, maybe I been too caught up to see
What you've been going through and all that I can say is

Everybody needs somebody sometimes
Gotta have someone beside you
Yes, ya do, yes, ya do
Everybody, everybody needs somebody sometimes

I know, it's a bit dramatic, but that's me :-) 3 1/2 more days until Brian comes home, I am beyond excited to see him and give him a big hug.

The Beavers pulled a big W on Saturday, it was a great game and perfect weather for a football game. It was sunny, 65, and there was no wind. Sara and I had a great time cheering for the Beavs, we were by far the loudest group in our section.

Tomorrow is Halloween and I am looking forward to passing out candy to the hundreds of kids that will come by. We have the perfect neighborhood for trick or treating as the houses are close together and it's flat. Hopefully I don't run out of candy! Sarah and Travis are coming over to help me pass out candy which will be fun, I told her to bring extra candy as I'm sure we'll need it :-)

I can't wait until I can post some pictures, I realize posts just aren't exciting without a few pictures to spice it up.

Here I come BEAVERS!

Heather was successful, she found some great tickets on Craig's List!! So I'll be cheering on the Beavs from the sidelines, yay :-) The weather is suppose to cooperate too, sunny and 60.

So I am so jealous. My husband gets to go to Disneyland on Sunday..........Disneyland, without me! I tried to say that maybe he shouldn't go since it's so expensive to get in, but who am I kidding, I would go if I was down there so I can't blame him. I just wish I was there and we could go together, maybe one day :-)
One week left until he comes home, I can't wait.

I am of course so happy it is Friday, definitely ready for the weekend. Tomorrow will be packed with game day stuff and then Sara (Brian's twin) is coming over and we'll have a girls night. Probably watch some movies and drink wine, the Holcombs are wine connoisseurs! I'm excited, we'll have a good time.
I need to get some groceries so I'll probably do that on Sunday and then relax. I know, I'm living the crazy bachelorette life with me husband out of town, what can I say?

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend, so glad the week is over!

Tagged and Fires

My cousin Tasha tagged me so here goes!

A. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.
B. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog, for these rules.

1. I am really shy at first, but when I feel comfortable I let loose and love to make people laugh.
2. I absolutely hate confrontation (good thing Brian doesn't)
3. I don't like driving in traffic, and when I say traffic I mean like more than 10 cars on the road, it stresses me out.
4. I get stressed really easily (Brian suggested I read "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff,")
5. I am horrible at making decisions, but I'm working on it and have gotten better.
6. I analyze everything and think that there is always a hidden meaning in things. Maybe that's called paranoid?!

I tag:
Jaime
Emilie
Leslie
Julia
Kristin
Jenny (you need a blog sis!)

So our family friend, Julia, lives down in Southern California and was nearly evacuated due to the out of control fires down there. She has some amazing pictures on her blog showing how close this monster is to her, so scary! Be careful Jewels!
Brian is about an hour away from it which scares me, although he's not scared or worried that it will come close to him since he's in the middle of the city.
Just thinking of all the people who are close to it or have lost their homes is horrible, they are definitely in my thoughts and prayers.

Surviving

So far so good. 2 days down 11 to go until I have my hubby back, it can't go fast enough!
Sunday night I went over to my Dad's for dinner, meatloaf was on the menu and it was delicious. I had fun playing with my little sisters, we played with their dolls which I think I enjoyed too much for my age ;-) I chatted with my Dad and Anna and then watched America's Funniest Videos with my Dad. It was a great Sunday evening. Thanks Dad and Anna, love you guys!

Last night I enjoyed watching Dancing with the Stars (we still don't have cable but we get that channel through our bunny ears, yes we are those people) since Brian doesn't really like it. For those that watched, could you believe Marie Osmond fainted, that was crazy! Glad she's okay. By the way, I totally disagreed with the judges on Helio's performance, I thought he did so good.

Jenny's coming into town this weekend and we're gonna get together Friday night which I'm really excited about. I think we might go to Jaime's and hang out with the kids until they go to bed, then have some sister time. I haven't mentioned this to either sister yet, but don't you guys think that sounds like a good idea?

Some of the blogs I stalk do a Thought for Thursday (TFT) post every Thursday (obviously). Nicole posted a link to one and the topic was "The size of our bank accounts", this intrigued me so I clicked on it. Here is a blurb from the post:

"I work my {butt} off and am still totally broke. I like to shop but I am not extravagant and I have cut back significantly. Our house is a tiny shack and we don't take big vacations ect. I see all these huge houses, fancy cars and I wonder...how do people do it? Are we the only ones still living paycheck to paycheck? How do people budget? How do you work all the time and deny yourself and your kids any thing 'extra'? "

I definitely can relate to the feeling of living paycheck to paycheck, although right now it is a choice Brian and I make. We live off Brian's income and almost all of mine goes towards paying off debt, so things are tight. Sometimes we both get tired of scrimping and saving and just want to let loose a little and go out to dinner or buy some new clothes. But then we think about how we are making it easier on ourselves in the future, especially since I will be a stay at home mom. I guess what I am trying to say in a very round about way, is that I liked reading this post because it helped give me motivation. It is hard to get ahead nowadays and not feel like you are constantly trying to get above water. I just have to stay focused and remember the more debt we pay off now, the easier it will be in the future when we have one income. Not to say we won't look forward to payday :-) Our 2 student loans will be the only debt we will have in a few months (as well as our mortgage) and it will be a good feeling. It's a good thing student loans are only like 1-2% interest because I'm pretty sure we will be paying on those for years and years to come. I am glad to say they are worth it though, even if they are a hefty monthly payment.

Speaking of college, there is a chance I'll be going to the Beaver game this weekend! I'm pretty excited, especially since there are only 2 home games left. My sister-in-law Heather is looking for a ticket on Craig's list to see if she can find me a deal, she's really good at that, no pressure though Heather :-)

Sorry for the lack of pictures lately, I'm at work and I think it might be overboard if I brought my camera in and started downloading pictures. I better get back to work, enjoy your Tuesday :-)

2 Weeks

So I have to admit I had fun tricking everyone with my last post. Guess my evil side came out ;-) I'm hoping it's not too far in the future when I will be announcing that we're pregnant, until then I will dream about it.

I'm not looking forward to the next 2 weeks, Brian has a business trip (for those who think I will be alone I have a hand gun sitting by my bed and my husband taught me how to use it!). Yeah, apparently UPS thinks 2 weeks away from your spouse is no big deal, I've gotta talk to them about this. Anyway, since he's taking classes for his MBA he needs to take the laptop, thus I will not have a computer at home. I might still blog from work and families houses though. That's not really my main concern though, I'm not sure how I'm going to deal without him for 2 weeks, yeah I know, I'm a wimp. This will definitely mark the longest we've been apart, which I know for some of you out there is nothing (Jaime, 2 years, you're AMAZING!). If you think about it pray for my safety, I get a little scared when my strong husband isn't there to protect me.

We don't have too much planned this weekend besides packing for Brian, so I'm sure we'll maybe rent a movie and cuddle up on the couch. The weather here is horrible, rainy and windy all day and night, ick. Doesn't help cheer you up if you know what I mean.

Okay, this post has been kind of depressing so I better stop while I'm ahead! I hope everyone has a great weekend and hopefully I won't be MIA for too long.

A Vent Session and BIG NEWS!!!

Vent Session
Yesterday morning was a nightmare. My alarm did not go off. I normally wake up at 6 am, leave the house a little before 7 am and arrive at my park and ride lot by 7:25 since the bus leaves at 7:30. Well, I woke up and looked at the clock and could not believe my eyes......7:27!!!! I was so hoping I was dreaming, or it was Saturday, but no. Luckily I had taken a bath the night before because I had no time to waste. I threw some clothes on and ran out the door. There was no way I was going to go to the park and ride and wait for a bus, that would take way too long. So I had to hope there was a 2 hour space available right in front of the building. Since I do the park and ride they give us 2 permits a month to use in a 2, 4, 6, or 10 hour space, I was so grateful I had my permit and even more grateful there was a spot right in front of my building! I made it to work by 8:15 am which is record time for me (just glad there were not cops out that morning). I called the Administrative Services place to make sure I could park all day in the 2 hour spot with my permit, they said YES. So I did.
What do you know, I went to leave that night and there's a $20 ticket. Are you kidding me?! I called this morning and the lady was very nice, but could do nothing to help me. She transferred me to her boss and I left a message. My only other option is to send the money with a letter and they will refund it. I'm not gonna hold my breath for that refund, but I WILL fight this thing!

NEWS

Now that I'm done venting, I will share the BIG AND EXTREMELY EXCITING NEWS!!!! Get ready for this: Guess who's pregnant???!!!!!????!!!





Tiff and Eric!!! They're gonna have a baby, after 6 years ( I think it's 6) of being married they are finally going to bring a little baby into the world. Brian and I are so excited for them and can't wait to meet their new addition.

Congratulations Tiff and Eric, we are so happy for you!

Pictures

I decided I needed to take the time and post some recent pictures. When I get home from work the last thing I want to do is sit down in front of the computer, that's what I do ALL DAY LONG. But I do enjoy blogging and like to keep it updated.

Just to recap a bit, Nate and Amy's wedding was in Salem at the Oregon Gardens, it was beautiful, as was the bride......................

The wedding was spectacular as you can see below:
I love this next picture, it's the groomsmen minus one. From left: Brian, Macrus, Jeff Davis, and Sean. All of them are super cool, especially the cute one on the left ;)

Brian, Nate, and Big Daddy Bauer as we call him. We love the Bauer family, they are so genuine and SO FUN to be with!
This is Kristin (Nate's coworker) and Mary, a close family friend of the Bauer's. Mary is so sweet, I just love her!
Here is Dave and Cinnamon...... Schwendiman. That's right, Cinnamon's last name rhymes with her first!!!! We loved teasing her about this when they first started dating, and then when they got engaged we were thrilled. They are expecting a little one in November and we couldn't be more excited for them!
Brian and I right after the ceremony, I was a little cold as you may be able to tel :)

Now we're gonna switch gears to our weekend in Bend for Julie's wedding. Here is Brian and I at the reception:

Tiff and Eric:
Tiff, friend, and Sara (Brian's twin). I had fun doing Sara's hair and makeup before the wedding, she looks gorgeous:

Alright, well that concludes pictures and posting for the night. Have a wonderful evening, it's almost FRIDAY!!!!!

Bend

Bend
So we headed off to Bend on Saturday morning for Julie's wedding. Brian and I decided we want to retire there, we love it. No wonder Jenny lives there ;-) It is just a gorgeous place with a wonderful small town feel, even though it's rapidly growing.

The wedding was very nice, it was held indoors and they stood in front of a warm fire place while they said their vows. We only got a few pictures from our trip because we forgot to charge our battery, doh. It was great spending time with friends we haven't seen all summer and we had so much fun. It was an afternoon wedding so after the reception we went and swam in the hotel pool with everyone. Since we didn't get the memo on swimming, we didn't bring our suits. So we went on a mission to find some cheap ones, however, it was October....in Bend, Oregon. No such luck. We found some clearance items for shorts and tanks and settled for that.

It's getting Cold!
Fall has definitely arrived in Oregon. It's been very cold and cloudy for the past few weeks, today it's foggy. What I really don't like is that it's dark on my way to work so I feel like I am up way too early. So far there hasn't been too much rain (for Oregon) but this week the forecast is rain, rain, rain, and rain. How depressing. Looks like we have cozy nights by the fireplace ahead of us.....guess it's not so bad :-)

Reading Recommendations?
So I've been reading a ton lately now that I work in Salem. I drive to a Park and Ride lot in Salem and catch a bus into downtown where I work, so on the bus ride I read. I have an hour lunch and I don't know very many people here so I read. On the bus ride back to my car, yep, I read. Obviously this is a good thing, but there's no way I can afford to buy a book a week, so we went and got library cards at the Albany Public Library, since we only had ones for the Corvallis Library. Last time I checked out 2 books by the author of Shopaholic, Sophie Kinsella. If you are looking for a fun read, I totally recommend all her books, they are hilarious. I also of course love Karen Kingsbury which I have mentioned before. If anybody has recommendations for other authors I would love some advice :-)

Enjoy your Tuesday!!!!

Random things on my mind...

Football
Alright, so the game was a blast because I was there with my Dad, Jenny, and Brian. We had a great time together and since our seats were covered we didn't get wet :-) The first half was awesome. The Beavers scored 2 touchdowns while UCLA was slacking big time. The score was 12 to 14, Beavers leading, we were pumped.
Second half starts and it was downhill from there. In the last 8 minutes of the 4th quarter, UCLA scored 4 touchdowns! Ouch. The final score was 14 to 40, UCLA. It was pretty hard to keep routing for the Beavers, but true fans don't abandon their team during the hard times.
There was an article in the paper about our quarterbacks, past and present ones. They say the crowd is awesome when you're doing good, they can feel the love. But when you mess up they are the first to boo you. It made me feel horrible that when our quarterback, or any player for that matter, makes a mistake we do a 180 and instead of encouraging them, we get mad that they aren't perfect. Anyway, there's my take on football since I'm sooo knowledgeable (enter sarcastic smirk here).

Halloween
Brian and I sorted through the garage last night and found a few more Halloween decorations. We attempted to put up orange lights around our living room window, but they looked pink and were crooked and just tacky, so we took them down because we don't want to be THOSE neighbors. Instead we put up those ghost posters in our upstairs window with a strobe light behind it and it looks so good! I will try to capture a picture tonight but I don't think it will do it justice. Sometime this week I'm going to get the house decorated.

Babies
My baby fever is at an all time high right now. Usually I am baby hungry for a week and then the next week I think, "I can wait a few months." But so far I'm going on like 4 weeks of straight baby hunger and I'm just so ready to start a family. Brian is right there with me, although he's not quite as emotional about it as I am, weird I know. He even had a dream we had a baby girl (I dream we have kids all the time), we are both convinced our first will be a girl. But as long as it is healthy we really don't care about the sex. Obviously I am getting way ahead of myself though. I do have to say that my motivation to pay off debt is at an all time high as well. Since I'll be staying at home, the sooner we pay off debt, the sooner we can have kids.
Speaking of paying off debt................................We paid off our car yesterday!!!!!!!!!! We officially have no car payments and I am so proud. We have been working so hard to pay debt off and it felt so good to make that last payment on the car, a victory that makes it worth the sacrifices and keeps me focused on the end goal: Debt-free.

Thanks to everyone for advice on my work problem. I'm killing the bully with kindness and do everything to avoid interaction with her. It makes it hard that she is in the cubicle right next to me, but every time I have a question I go to everyone else I can possibly think of.

That's all for now, have a wonderful day.