found

for years now i've been searching for someone. someone who was quite dear to me all throughout my college years. he was my sanity in my senior studio classes, my rock, my source of love and laughter. it was hard, going to art school without the intent of becoming an artist. almost got into a fight with a girl who couldn't believe i didn't want to be an artist. i enjoy being creative and David understood why i was there. we were two birds of a feather.

ever since i joined the Facebook scene i've searched for David. i couldn't believe my eyes when FINALLY i found him! there he was, sitting in a chair with a schnauzer on his lap. that was my David! 

i instantly sent him a message, asking if it was the same David with whom i'd gone through school. it was!! i can hardly believe that all my years of searching are over. i am sooo so happy that they are!

he still lives in the KC area so when we make it back that way, add another person i have to go visit to the list. i hope he and his partner make it out to Portland at some point, too. 

i don't know if he ever knew how much he meant to me. i'm only sorry that after i graduated we didn't stay in better touch. but now, we have all the time in the world to catch up and reconnect. 


my heart has never felt fuller.

the muse

i received an email from a dear friend, lily. she was saying that she missed getting to catch up with what is going on in our lives here. i told her at the time that my muse had simply fluttered away for a bit. not sure where she went, nor when she shall be returning.

lily assured me she meant no pressure and that she was just curious (i lived across the corner from her in my parents house during the summers between freshman and sophomore year). i felt no pressure, in fact i felt the love with which she was writing.

let me tell you of my relationship with lily...

she is the sweetest woman i have had the good fortune to meet. she became a second mother of sorts, i'd wash her car, she'd pay me. she always wanted to see any crafty thing i was working on, giving me praise or pointers. she and her late ex-husband were great friends of my parents. i loved getting to be part of any dinners, parties, anything where we got to spend time with them. he'd give me shit, i'd give it back. she would make sure we were all taken care of, which we were.

any chance i'd get spend time with her in her sewing room i would run to get there. it was such an amazing space. all the fabric, custom cabinetry for the sewing machine, little drawers for embroidery floss...sigh. when they sold the house i was quite saddened (although the couple who moved in have become quite dear to my parents as well as myself).

i am thankful that she's come back into my parents lives again (and consequently into mine).

and we were thankful

yesterday we hosted our annual "stragglers thanksgiving" dinner. last year it was interrupted (happily) by my family visiting and my having to feed us all. man, that was fun.

this year we had our friend michelle and her 15 year old son, gage, over as well as tami (who i work with) and her beau, keith.

i texted mick a few weeks ago asking her what their plans were. she said there was another offer on the table, but that she would check with the kid. he answered with a resounding, "kev and shan's!" i kind of figured that would happen. :)

earlier this week it dawned on me that one of the girls i work with and her boyfriend might not have plans, but want copious amounts of food. they were on and off the fence not sure what they wanted to do, but at 3:00 sent a text saying they were on their way. i also kind of figured that would happen...what, with the lure of a huge home cooked meal?

it was such a lovely day. no crazy rush to get things cooking, just a glance at my time-line on the fridge and i knew i could have a leisurely day cooking. the turkey was 18 lbs. it was one our neighbors had stored in our freezer last year. they'd gotten it for free, but had no space last year to put it in their tiny freezer. we offered up storage, thinking they'd want it for the holidays. nope.

i told brett that we were cooking it and he was surprised we'd not already. a year is my limit on freezing a turkey for someone before it becomes fair game (no pun intended). we'll have them over for soup.

we played a game for a while, in front of the fire, but we ended early because it was kind of boring...why didn't we play quelf?!?

everyone had a good time anyway. it ended up being an earlier night, but that was okay. we all were full. not only our bellies, but our hearts (well mine was).

this morning i woke at the leisurely hour of almost 9:00. i've got plans to make the turkey stock for soup. i may not get out of my jammies, jury is still out on that call.

pulse

i just got home from taking josie on about an hour long walk. we walked over to jill's house to see if she wanted to join us on a walk back to our house before running errands. we knew, when we arrived, the answer would be "later" because jill had paint in her hands and the window trim was all taped and ready.

we chatted with jill for a little bit, and jill shared this story:

background: we needed jill to feed the crew last night because we both worked closing shifts

"your dog is a smart dog! i walked in, she didn't bark. we all went downstairs and she sat down. i asked her 'oh, do the cats get fed first?' fed the cats. asked josie, 'bagged food or binned food?' and she sniffed the bag with her nose. then, she went upstairs and sat by the door waiting to go out. she peed and then i asked her, 'do you have to poo?' so she turned around and went poo. "

i'm impressed by josie so often, but this made my heart swell with pride.

after we chatted josie and i walked home. we popped (well, i did) into sweetness bakery to possibly get an iced latte. line was long! (yea!!) so i told kay i would see her later. she reminded me i had zucchini for her. i will take them by when i get jill.

now, i am cooled off, but need to get cleaned up. the air is already getting warm (hence the walk this morning). heat wave 2.0 is approaching.

friends are a'comin

we are having some friends over tonight for a little bbq. really, we originally were just having the friend who will be house/animal sitting while we are in los angeles (where lily, yes, we'll be meeting our new little nephew, eli) over to show him the ropes, but that turned into "hey, we should have other people over to eat too!"

only one couple couldn't make it due to prior engagements, but they were over last night.

kev is such a good sport about stopping and getting groceries on his way home. he works near a haggens market and quite honestly, the produce there is much better quality than the two stores near us. plus, i still don't have a car so it makes it easier on me if he goes and does it on his way home.

speaking of the car, we're still waiting to sign on our re-fi. there were so many people trying to take advantage of the lower rates that the banks are swamped. our broker has the locked in date past the time when we are gone, so we can sign when we get home (unless she emails us and tells us that we can sign this week). i'm not too worried. so i'll drive the subie down (i adore it, vicki!!)

all i have left to do today before everyone gets here is move the furniture back downstairs (when we rock band, we move things around to make space) and finish cleaning up the kitchen.

oh, and sneeze...a lot...blasted allergies.

i took photos of the garden yesterday, but kev took the camera to work and i didn't get them loaded to my computer before he had to leave. i promise to share when i get the camera back!!

the woman i call friend

last week jill asked me when *we were going to paint our upstairs bathroom. she suggested we do it on a monday or tuesday soon, because currently she's only working wed-fri and isn't sure when that might change.

i told her we'd do it next week. today was the day. galveston gray from benjamin moore. we are in love with it! the cabinetry will be going white in the very near future, for which she has also offered her services.

jill is one of my closest friends. with each other we know that all we have to do is ask and we're there. for whatever project either of us have to do. even if that project is simply sitting on the back patio with a gin and tonic.

*we= the two of us, not me and kevin...who hasn't even seen it yet as i write this. i think the photo turned out pretty okay considering i took it with my phone!!

for my knittahs!

i've been remiss. i've failed to keep you all updated on the progress of the dress. it is coming along quite nicely. i did get to try it on at one point, when i'd just finished the top but hadn't started on the skirt yet. it looked great. took a photo with my old phone, but can't get it off that one.

anyway, i took a couple of shots today. the sun was just lovely, a breeze coming in through the window. i'm happy to say i got to work on it almost every day my parents were here.

i kind of changed my deadline from the weddings i have in july to going down to california to meet my nephew. i can hardly wait.

yeah, i might be nuts, but i really think i can make it. the thing that will be hardest is weaving in all those ends and picking up the stitches around the neck and arms.

speaking of my beautiful dress, i think i shall go sit with it for a while. the simpsons are on, the breeze is still coming in through the windows while the sun is shining in the sky.

we've got friends coming over to help eat some of the amazing leftovers we have from the visit in a while, so i have to get a few minutes in...

then it's lakers with the asatos.

it's what you do

i have a friend named amanda. she and i were friends in high school. when she went away to college we tried to keep in touch, but in 1996 we spoke for the last time. it wasn't like we had a fight and we screamed and told one another we hated each other. on the contrary, i still adore her...and i hope the feeling is mutual.

imagine my surprise last friday evening when i got a phone call. it wasn't a number i recognized so i allowed it to go to voice mail. let's just say, i've since added the number to my phone. amanda, after 13 years. she was calling to say she was coming into town and even though she knew it was last minute and i might already be busy, she thought she'd call and say hello (the plane was getting ready to take off at this point so she said to call or text if i got the message). as soon as i hung up the phone from voice mail i typed in the text, "i have no plans, you are now my plans! call me when you land."

she had no definite idea where she was going to stay, nor how she would get there once she figured that out. she came here without much planning (hell, she'd bought her ticket that morning at 1:00 am) to help a friend. she called, i asked, she had no clue where, i told her i'd be there in twenty and she'd stay with us, at least the first night.

i warned her that josie would probably bark and be weird, as she often is when meeting new people. yeah, josie proved me wrong. she adored amanda, which honestly now that i think about it, doesn't surprise me at all. in fact, the next day while kev and i were at work, before she hooked up with her other friends, the two of them went on a walk. it made it that much easier to have company over later (it was the night of the fab dinner party) as josie wasn't all stressed because she had too much energy.

it was sweet and funny and not weird at all to be talking with this woman whom i'd last seen on her wedding day in 1996 (the wedding where kev and i had just started dating and her mother asked the two of us if wedding bells were in our future...). she is no longer married to him, but from the sounds of it, it is for the best.

we found out we are both doing the garden bed bottle border, although she is thinking she needs to drill holes in the bottom of the bottles so water doesn't collect and give the mosquitos down in texas a place to breed. i don't think that will be a problem, as the wells aren't all that big and as soon as the sun is out the water starts to evaporate.

anyway, after all those years we found we had grown in very similar ways.

beautiful, no?

i could have laughed all night

we had a little dinner party last night with two other couples. our dear friends jill and mark, and the woman who helped us find this amazing house and her boyfriend, alia and asit. alia hadn't seen the house but once since we'd moved in and asit hadn't ever seen the house. she couldn't wait to see the kitchen and show asit the "man den" in the basement!

last night kev asked if i'd taken a picture of the table. i brushed him off saying, "no...no...i don't need to" but now i wish i had. it was quite lovely. imagine, if you will, an 8 foot long table with a table cloth. candles running the length, with beautiful little purple flowers lying down between them and the plates with the oil and vinegar for the bread. oh, and imagine this table outside on our back patio.

i had so much fun getting that table set up. when they all arrived the oohs and ahhs were at the right times by the girls as they saw what we'd done. the conversation flowed so easily between the six of us. laughter filled the night air. the din of jazz music filled any silences, but honestly...there really weren't any.

when everyone left kevin and i just looked at each other and smiled ear to ear. THAT was a dinner party! our first real grown up dinner party. i was sure my sides would hurt this morning for all the laughing we did...

the power of yoga with friends

i could have easily given simon away this morning. easy. i'm not sure why i woke in such a foul mood, but the foot came down on the wrong side of the bed for sure. on what should have been an amazing and joyous day (see post below) i hit a funk i couldn't shake. i would have hints of beauty, like getting to have lunch with my husband. but then the grey cloud would move back over me.

wednesdays are quickly becoming one of my favorite days. for you see, i get to practice yoga with two amazing women evert week at 6:00. i got there tonight and the frustration of the day melted away with each pose, wobble, and laugh.

then the walk home...lovely.

thank you ladies, i had an amazing time. xo

this day

i am excited for what this very day holds for me. in a name, henry. he and his parents are coming over tonight for dinner. i couldn't be more excited.

his mom sent me an email earlier this week, to talk specifics, and told me she'd made the mistake of telling him that they were going to visit us on sunday. that was wednesday. she asked him later on that day what he wanted to do. his response, "go to Aunt Shanny's and see Simon and Josie and that Chloe cat that runs away."

i've been telling chloe her hide and seek friend is coming over today. she just chirped at me.

i'm very happy that they are helping josie become more comfortable around kids, too. henry is the best kid around her. he is respectful of her space, if she walks away and we tell him she needs her space, he gives it to her. josie is slowly warming up to him. although i do remember when she first met him as a baby, she wiggled soooo much. stuck out just the tip of her tongue and gave him a little kiss on his arm. when he was able to move around on his own and it became overwhelming for her.

so, we'll see what this glorious day holds for us all. it is a beautifully sunny day here in portland. i am going to clean the hell out of the house this morning and then bake some lemon cheesecake bars, do some weeding in the yard and garden, and hopefully get a little time in there to work on the dress. the back is almost all done (splitting for the shoulders/neck, knitting up the last two rows. i've started on the front left already, because i am running out of needles to hold stitches. i know i could use yarn, but the needles are so much easier to trnansfer off of.

okay, not going to start rambling about that now. for now, i must go dust!!

my friend ms. crenshaw

years ago, while i was still working on the sales floor full time, i met a woman named ms. crenshaw. she'd come in several days during the month and we'd hit it off really well. finally she asked me, "how can i ask you to go out for a drink, without making you think i'm a lesbian?" i replied, "like that."

shortly after she moved away for grad school. we attempted to be pen pals. with each letter, i felt like a true friendship was being nurtured.

i was right.

she's now back in portland. i couldn't be happier! she is funny and amazing and beautiful. her almost husband is, too! i'm so thrilled to have my ms. crenshaw back in town. i'm also glad that the four of us can go out, have a couple of laughs (and drinks) and get along so well.

ms. crenshaw, your almost husband couldn't be more perfect for you (and vice versa). i'm honored to be invited to your very intimate wedding.

honored.

roller derby

i'm kind of excited. i'm going to the roller derby tonight. i've never been. it should be jam packed with heated moments, elbows being thrown, and girls will be hitting the floor.

when i told my friend yes! get me a ticket! i failed to remember kev would be off work in time to go to the match (is that what they're called?). i quickly got online this morning and snagged him one. i'm really glad he's going to go with us.

okay, knitting to commence before i go watch the fury.

impromptu

earlier today i asked a dear friend if she'd like to come over for dinner. she said she would, but she couldn't be over until close to 8:30. i told her this was fine with me (i had leftover pot roast for lunch and am just now starting to feel slightly hungered).

i am happy that she had the time. we've not connected in a while. it will be lovely to sit, listen to music, perhaps knit (if she brings it).

i will make chicken burritos, a staple in our house so we always have the ingredients. she's going to text me when she's heading this way so i can start cooking. nothing like having a home cooked meal waiting for you on your arrival.

i love impromptu evenings.

the best thing? i'm off work tomorrow and she's got a light load tomorrow.

utopia

my house feels perfect right this very second. the tantalizing scents of the pot roast are emanating from the kitchen. the critters are fed. the house is cleaned up. jill and mark are heading over shortly.

what more could i ask for?

i'm living in my personal utopia.


and i am thankful for it.

my henry

When we first moved to Portland we knew a couple of people already (well, the girls were "my" friends so I knew people) but Kev missed his buddies. It was shortly after he started at the soul sucking job (ssj) that he met Bran. The four of us, including his wife Jess, finally hung out and an instant friendship was born. Two years ago Henry was born. He is a joy. He is fun. He is love. He is...you get the picture.

I guess since their last visit he's been talking about Simon, Josie and Chloe. We couldn't make it to his birthday party yesterday so they all came over this morning for brunch. Chloe and Henry played Hide and Seek. Chloe is the most excellent hider. Simon just hung on the couch and Henry would sit for a bit with him, giving him pat pats (pics once okayed with Jess). Josie hung around a bit more this time, too.

While he did energize me and I was not tired at all while he was here, I'm going to take a nap. Late night last night and tonight we go meet a puppy...

today

The house is almost ready. Our friends will be showing up between an hour from now and 6:00. It all started out as me wanting to show my friend how to knit a hat. Then I figured I had a few other friends who should meet, I think the group will meld well. But after I got to thinking about the ladies I was inviting, I got to remembering who their significant others were...gamers.

It seemed only fitting that I suggest a knitting/gaming party. Almost all the couples can make it (and those who can't are missed!!).

I made brownies this morning. Fudgey Wudgey Blueberry Brownies. They are fabulous from what my friend tells me. She'll have to tell me if I did okay. I probably will only allow myself one bite of one because of my cocoa allergy (for those who don't know, man...it's ugly). If they turn out as good as proclaimed, I'll share the link. :)

I'm pretty excited about the day. I hope it's a success.

Off to set the lighting.

happy holidays

Happy Holidays from our family to yours!

This year has been an amazing one. We celebrated being in our wonderful new house a whole year! We planted our first garden ever and were rather successful. We traveled a bit to see family and friends. We renovated the kitchen. We had family and friends travel to see us.

Throughout this year our family and friends (who face it, are our family) have shown us love and support in many ways. We appreciate and love every single one of you. Thank you from the bottoms of our hearts.

We hope that this holiday season finds you surrounded by loved ones, sharing the memories of the year gone by, and making new ones for the year to come.

Now can someone answer this question: what is egg nog and why do people think it tastes good?

the perfect day

I woke without an alarm. Kevin had gotten up and fed the animals, which allowed me to have a bit of a lie in. It was wonderful to get up at 8:00. I had a single slice of toast with one cup of coffee shortly after getting up. Josie by my side. I pulled on my yoga wear and headed to to pick up Jill.

I got to see the beautiful curtains she made for us, giddy with the anticipation of hanging them after class. Practice was exactly what we needed, calm and relaxing leaving us to feel as though we were floating on air. Diana (our teacher) proclaimed she was going to have lunch with us. Jill and I were honored. I had an amazing meal with two fantastic women. Meanwhile, I got a text message from our furniture building neighbor that said "table is ready and why haven't we picked it up yet?!" Brett (neighbor) is a smart ass. I tell him we'll be home to get it shortly. He responds that he's not there, but will be in an hour.

So we installed the curtains in the bedroom and kitchen while waiting. The maple of our headboard against the copper faux silk is beautiful. And the sage color of the kitchen curtains is almost an exact match to the Kauai accent wall while the butter yellow of those same curtains pulls out the yellow in the tiles. Jill is amazing. I will share the photos after the family have gotten their first look at them in person. I love surprises. :) Well, I love surprising people.

Finally we headed to Brett's to pick up the table and Chickie. We are all three blown away. I was blown away, it felt like Kev and Jill were as well. Stunning was the first word that came to my lips. Then I just pet it. I am going to share a little peak of it. I just can't stop myself.

Can't wait to see the whole thing, can you?

my morning

We made plans to have brunch at our house today with our friends, Jessica, Brandon and their son Henry. Henry loves him some kitties. We have Simon, Udder Kitty, and Josie (who is also "a Nani dog"- they have a bit black lab at home.)

Chloe (aka Udder Kitty) really wasn't too excited for the quickness of Mr. Henry. But he wanted to find "Udder Kitty" the whole time. She was intrigued and would pop out of hiding to watch him, but would hide if he started moving.

Josie was a bit skittish by the fastness of him, but pretty much would just wander away from him if he got too near. Never making a peep, just moving. Henry is a great listener and would let Josie be when we told him she didn't want pat pats.

Simon and he cozied up on the couch for a split second before Henry was up and moving again.

The thing about Henry is, he doesn't wear me out. I enjoy every second of him. And Jess and Bran are really amazing parents (as I always knew they would be). One of my favorite things Jess does now and again, is she sends camera phone pics every so often.

This is on their drive home from our house...

He was on the go the whole time they were here. I'm sure his feet were smelling goo-ood.

And don't worry, he's got his own site and his Mom doesn't mind I post his photo.