All my life when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I never had an answer I just always knew that I wanted to be artistic. The problem is, I'm not. I was never particularly good at drawing, or ceramics, or painting, or singing, or writing or even doing artsy things with hair thus making it very difficult to be any sort of artist.

Today I had a paint party with my cousin Grace and best friend Janelle and realized that I don't entirely suck. I may not be able to sell any thing I ever make but painting made me feel amazing. Not only was it a fun and silly group activity but I think I could really get lost in it if I just set aside a little time for myself once in a while. I know I have started a thousand little hobbies and none of them ever last more then a month but this one I really loved. I think I could get used to this. If you have not yet tried it and are looking for something new, I totally recommend it.

Quartely update

Well it has been just shy of 90 days since I have put my thoughts out there for the world to read and that is just too dang long. I find I have been sucked in to the dull repetitiveness of life. Work, eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep. It is time I spice things up a bit.

I have been going to church regularly since I moved home in July. I enjoy the church I go to and the people I have met. I have even started going to bible study on Sunday nights which I think is very good for me. I went to church almost every single Sunday for 14 years but I never had a relationship with God. I had a relationship with my wonderful Grandfather and that is why I went, to be with him. I originally started going back to church for a very similar reason, his name is Zach, but over the last few months I have been very curious and just want to learn. I don't want to be preached at, I just want to be taught. All in all I think it is going well. Aside from being completely lost when its all thou, thy, thee, I do believe I absorb a little each week.

I am also on my way to buying a house. Ok, I'm on my way to SAVING to buy a house. My unfortunate debt to the individual I hit in my car accident last year has finally been paid off. $2000 down the drain to stupidity and carelessness and in return a valuable lesson 'Just let Zach drive'. Now that that painful lesson is behind me I can focus my attention, and money, on the future. I moved back to Kennewick with the intention to find a reasonably priced apartment to rent and during my grueling search I found that the best priced apartment was $535 and that would still require me to use a common washer/dryer. I think not. It was then that I began thinking it may be wise to buy a house. I have talked to a few realtors briefly, usually just the ones that come in for a haircut and allow me to interrogate them while they're in my chair, and they have told me that it is quite possible for me to qualify for a loan. The search is on. I am surviving my mothers house day by day thinking of a house that will soon be all mine for me to paint and decorate and do with what ever I please. :)

I have decided I am becoming a cow. It has been almost 2 years since I have been in a regular work out routine and it is far past time for me to get this flabby tush back into shape. I looked into LifeQuest which I liked but I hear that Gold's Gym is once again returning to the tri-cities and I may be able to score a free membership out of them. So until I have that information I am holding off on paying any join up fees but you better believe I already bought myself a new pair of work out shoes.

That is all for now. Nothing too deep just a little update.

Oh...one more thing, To my friend Jennie, who recently lost her father, I am deeply sorry for your loss and I hope you know you are in my prayers. You are an amazingly strong woman and though we aren't the closest of friends, know if you ever need anything I'm here.

In a blurrr

Life has been a whirl wind over the last month. Moving home and re staking my claim at the menZone as manager has taken its toll. I am exhausted. I have been eating sleeping and pooping menZone even on my days off. I am living at home with my dearest mother whom I can not live with simply because our similarities clash like a horrific thunder storm. As you can imagine my energy is zapped between work and home. I am in the process of trying to find a place of my own to live where my long time companion, Tika, can join me. Thank you Hanford for hiring so many out of towners to suck dry the apartment supply.

It came to my attention just a few minutes ago that I really don't write any more. I used to write whenever an internal conflict surfaced, and there have been plenty in the last year, but I don't seem to do that anymore. I realized this as I was reading my friend, Jen's, blog. She is the most wonderful writer and, though I'm no where near as good, it made me realize how much I miss it. She was talking about the power of music. Be it to heal a heart or bring a specific situation into new light. Maybe it just gets you in the right mood before you go to work and I couldn't agree more with her ideas. For me, the same goes with writing. I can pour every drop of my soul onto the figurative piece of paper, as everything seems to be electronic now, and it is some of the best therapy I could ever get. So thank you, Jen, for making me remember how much I love to write and here is to 'picking up a pencil' (or just flipping open the laptop) in the very near future.

Happy reading everyone...I hope.

Goodbye Horizon, Hello Happiness...ish

Someone decided to be funny and put this on all the computer screens in our crew room. I laughed. :)

Coming into Seattle.

I'd tell you what mountain this is, but I have no clue.

The only thing I liked about doing a morning flight was the sunrise.

Well I hope you can tell what mountain this is.

My run at Horizon is officially over. I started back at MenZone last week. Its going pretty good so far. I have hit a few snags but overall I think the owners are pleased with my performance and I've come up with some really good ideas. Poor Zach has been in the shop every other day doing maintenance that should have been done months ago. Gotta love him for that. But its all getting done and the girls seem really happy about that. There is one thing to check off the list....about a hundred left to go.

Happy Birthday America

Sucker is not so happy when I dress him up all pretty in glow-y things

Goodbye Portland

It is official, my time in Portland is over. I was pretty excited about moving home, and I'm still happy I did, but I didn't think I would be so sad leaving Portland.

Zach and I went to Portland on Friday and started packing. Saturday we loaded it all up, cleaned the apartment and hit the road. He had a secret little treat in store for me though.

As we were leaving town we stopped for gas and some Jack 'n the Box and I noticed him surfing the web on his phone, I tried to lean over to see
what he was looking at but he hid it from me. I have never been good at just letting a surprise happen to me so I started guessing. I was really stumped for a while but there could only be so many places to go on the way out of Portland....

As nerdy as it may sound, I am a total Twilight junkie. Laugh and tease all you want but I love it. Yes, the movie was terrible and the books are for teenagers but I just eat it up. I realized he was taking me to the place they filmed the prom in Twilight. As much as Zach hates Twilight I knew he didn't take me there for that specific reason but all the same it is where we were going. It is called The Viewpoint Inn. Super cute little cottage looking place with an AMAZING view. We didn't go inside, I think there was some sort of party going on, but I did get to take a couple pictures of the outside.

Then we continued down the historic highway to this little spot. I always notice it from the main freeway at night when I'm driving into Portland, it looks like a UFO. Turns out its not a UFO at all, it was originally built as a rest stop and observatory on the old highway. It was closed by the time we got there but we could still peak in the windows and read the articles on the wall. It was built in 1918 costing upwards of $100,000 and it shows in the marble floors and the beautiful windows and the super secret elevator hidden in the floor. I didn't get a picture of it but it was totally secret squirrel. It is

completely flush with the floor. If I hadn't seen it going down I wouldn't have known it was there.

Anyways, the views from this place are amazing. Zach was not making it any easier for me to leave Portland. Note to self: If I ever live in Portland again and have to move away, do it in the winter when its ugly and cloudy and miserably wet.

It was a nice way to leave Portland though. Now I have to get into the swing of things in tri-cities. I need to figure out the living situation quick, one month of living with my mom is about all I, or Zach, can take. I start back at the salon on
Wednesday. Lots to do. Time to get busy.

Getting Big

Such a tiny happy little man. I could hold him for hours and he wouldn't make a peep. Now? Not so much. I'm not exactly his favorite person. Actually I'm pretty sure he hates me. Ok maybe not but he is definitely not fond of me. I blame it on the distance and I'll be fixing that soon and then I will be the favorite auntie, I hope.

Zach on the other hand has a way with him. I will be holding him and he will be screaming at me and Zach will walk over, growl in his ear and he will go completely mute.

See that face? This is what he gives me when I try to make him happy. He looks at me like I'm crazy.