Driving across the USA

It has been a long time since I have posted anything! We have been all over the place lately, that's for sure!
To start, David finished his accounting internship with Novogradac and was offered a job that would start in January after we both finish school. He will probably stick with the Portland job offer. We are looking at Boise jobs as well. . . so we'll just have to see!
So David finished on the 31st of March so we took off that evening hauling a trailer with all our stuff in it and drove to Mom and Dad's that night. Then the next morning, we took off with Mom and Dad and their crew (Matt, Abby, and Luke) and our trailer off to Idaho. We drove all day and got to Chad and Amber's that night and had fun with playing with their kids all night and we even got to have Will read his book, Bob at Bat to us. Their kids have learned and grown so much in the few months we were away! They are still fun and adorable of course!
We moved into our apartment the next couple days in Rexburg. We love it! It is just part of the college life . . . but we are very excited to now have a dishwasher and a washer and dryer in our apartment! Hooray! No more quarters and now we have a machine to do the dishes for us! We found a good deal on our apartment and we liked what we saw. We were there for a couple days and then we packed the car up with Rachel's stuff and some of our stuff and went down to Salt Lake with Mom and Dad and their crew to catch a few sessions of conference. We had some fun adventures getting tickets and spending some time with Ben and Elizabeth as well.
Then Mom and Dad took off and went home, and David, Rachel, and I took off from SLC on the road to Texas. We drove to Albuquerque and got a good nights rest there and then finished the drive to Dallas to move Rachel in and then to his sister, Rosie's where we have been staying. . . and playing! So there was a ton of driving, but we did the majority of it during the day so we were wide awake and were able to enjoy the drive.
This is my first time in Texas and we have been having a blast just hanging out and relaxing and enjoying Dallas! We will be on our way back to Idaho in just a bit to start a new semester of school on Monday!
I will have to write about our adventures while we have been here in a later post. Just know that we thoroughly enjoyed April 15 this year and we may never have a more relaxing April . . . since David wants to be an accountant so bad!

Tillamook Adventures

Last weekend Mom came and picked me up on her way out to Tillamook to go visit Grandma Honey and Grandpa Bob.  Mom and I had a good time out at the coast with them.  Grandpa Bob took us out to eat which was really nice of him. . . Grandma Honey just absolutely loved that she didn't have to cook or clean up the meal so she was happy.  We went on some nice walks down to the bridge at the end of their road and along different areas of the coast.  We had to dodge the potholes and the cow pies, but we caught some sunny times of the day and got outside.  

In one of the creeks down the hill from their house, there are some beavers that are building a little dam.  We never saw the beavers, but we could see a few tree stumps with their gnaw marks on them  and it was also neat to see a spot where the grass and mud was all slicked into a channel where the beavers would slide in and out of the water.  

When it was rainy, we stayed in.  One of Mom's reasons to go visit was that she wanted to deep clean clean some of their house as part of Grandma Honey's birthday present.  Grandma Honey was so tickled to see Mom scrubbing away.  I helped a little, but Mom did most of the tough work.  I always enjoy watching the raccoons come each night, but this time they came during the day!  It was so fun to watch them and they got pretty brave around me.  It is so fascinating to just sit and watch them every time I get to visit.  Here is a video of one of the little guys!  I got brave and stuck my hand out the window and I almost pulled away when he came up really close to the camera, but he was nice and I tried not to flinch.

The cheese factory is also high on the list of things to experience, but with Grandpa Bob feeding us so well, we only managed to get one ice cream cone while we were there. . . I promise!  I got peaches 'n cream this time, but it was a tough choice between Bubblegum and Chocolate Peanut Butter as runners up. . . . mmm!

For Grandma Honey's Birthday we went to a neat little restaurant in Garibaldi.  It sat right on the edge of a cliff or something that looked over the ocean. . . or it may have been the bay. . . but it was gorgeous.  Grandma Honey got her crab Louis that was huge, but she ate most of it.  She didn't want us to tell her how old she was and was just fine being spoiled and not knowing why!

She was so cute and perky. . . and she was very excited about her perm she was going to get the next day.  Grandpa Bob made sure that we knew that Grandma Honey was "way" older than him. . . but his birthday is in the middle of April so he is not too far behind!  For being 85, or almost there for Grandpa Bob, I have got some pretty neat grandparents!  

So another visit to Tillamook was a success.  Beautiful beaches, good conversations with Grandpa Bob, a yummy ice cream cone, spring cleaning, delicious food, daily raccoon visits, and I even got Mom and Grandpa Bob to watch American Idol with me. . . . well Mom dozed off half way through, but it still counts.  In case anyone was wondering, grandpa Bob's elephant socks are still flopping in great shape. 

I just have to thank David for the laughs!

Lately David thinks that I keep setting him up, but I promise. . . he has done this all on his own.  Last night I was making David a taco for dinner with some leftover meat we had and wanted to grate some cheese for it, but I couldn't find the cheese grater.  Our kitchen is not that big and I had looked in the usual cupboards and in the sink, but I didn't see it.  I asked David if he knew since he had used it the day before. . . 

I do need to mention that on Sunday after waking up from our nap I didn't feel like making anything big for dinner and just wanted to have cereal and a bagel.  David was fine with that, but then he went off and made up a little "picnic" for the two of us.  Of all things to have at a picnic, he made up some tacos and orange juice!  But we decided it still counted as a picnic since we did clear a spot and sit on the ground to eat.  It was cute especially since he hasn't cooked anything since we have been here because he works so much of the week and I am the one with the time to make dinner.  We had fun with it and David tried hard to do something a little special.  

Back to my story from before. . . .So I asked David if he knew where the cheese grater was since he had used it the day before when he made tacos.  He came into the kitchen looking saying how I just wasn't looking hard enough and how he knew it couldn't be that hard to find.  He looked in all the same cupboards that I did and I was kind of nervous that he would find it and that I would look like a dork. . . but he didn't find it.  

We then started looking in random places. . . under the table, in the garbage, in the bedroom, bathroom, living room. . . nothing.  I was starting to get worried that maybe someone took it and was thinking if I had noticed anything else was missing.  I was so confused.  Then I thought about something . . . could it be in the fridge?  TA-DA!  There was our cheese grater, sitting on the shelf next to the milk.  

I just had to laugh and give David a hug!   I have been finding things in the fridge that don't need to be refrigerated. . . like our saran wrap, empty cups, the box of Ziploc bags, hot pads and measuring cups.  It is so funny to me and David has no clue how they got there.  It is only me and him around here, and I am 100% sure that I didn't put them there, but he thinks I am out to embarrass him.  I just know that now when I can't find something, I know where to start looking!

A quick update

David and I have been going strong lately and have been really enjoying our time here in Portland. We love the ward we are in and are hoping to be able to move back into it if we come back to Portland after we graduate.

I have been able to get to know some of the ladies in the ward and they have been calling me up to babysit when needed. One time didn't go so well and the little boy was sick and puking as his mom came home. She didn't think he was sick like that and felt really bad for me. I felt bad because she came home to a mess and probably a hungry boy since he emptied all his food out on the floor. She didn't think I poisoned her little boy and wanted me to babysit for her again so that is a plus.

David and I were able to go to a Blazers game paid for by his work. It was a fun game to watch . . . and with it being free, we didn't get to choose where we sat. . . So our seats were just waiting for us on the second to last row at the top of the arena. Not the best view, but it was a fun group! It really made you think twice if you wanted to go get any snacks or go to the bathroom when you had to walk back up all those stairs.

The blazers won and we were cheering them on to get at least 100 points because if they did, then we got a free chalupa at Taco Bell! mmmm. . . the nacho cheese chalupa is my favorite! It's so messy, but it is worth the cheesy mess.

One night we just stayed in and made our very own pizza! Our dough didn't stretch out very round so we just put it on a cookie sheet! We tried to throw it up and spin it around like the Italian pros, but it just wasn't quite working. Our dough ended up doing more flips than anything. We made some pizza sauce and loaded it with pepperoni and cheese and loved it! It was fun and made our place smell so good! I love smelling dinner in the oven when it is just about done.

The biggest and best thing that has happened is that we mad the final payment on our car! We officially own it now and it is all ours! it has been our main focus lately and are very glad to be done making payments on it! Hooray!!!

So all is very well with us and we are only here in Portland til the end of the month before we go back to school in Idaho!

Not Quite the Best Valentine's Day

Valentines Day started out great.  David and I got to sleep in a little longer since he didn't have to go into work as early as usual and I was able to make a good french toast breakfast.  It was realy cheesy. . . but yes I did cut his french toast to say "I love U"  He liked them but was wondering if that was all the french toast he got. . . He's a four or five french toast eater.   I knew that already but needed to make sure he could see the love I cut into it!  

He went to work for the day and had a normal work day.  I on the other hand wasn't quite feeling up to par.  I couldn't keep my french toast down or anything I tried to eat during the day. . . .and I promise I'm not pregnant.  Just a flu bug for the day I think.  So with that. . . I didn't want to ruin the date night with David so I thought I would tough it out.  We had planned to go to Chili's, if we could find it!  So I just went and got some flu medicine and thought I would be able to survive the night.  

We took off to Chili's and found it first try!  We were glad to finally track it down . . . but we were a little thrown off with the hour wait to get in.  Luckily it was right next to the mall so we took the little vibrating disk thing and cruised through the mall for a bit. . . David made a pit stop at Barnes and Noble and was in heaven!  It was nice for me to be able to just sit and relax while he flipped through some tax and business books.  He was lovin' it and I was surviving.  

We got seated and had our chips and salsa and a cheese dip and they were all really good.  I tried the dips but I couldn't eat a lot of it, but it was nice to just nibble on the chips.  David was right that those chips are some of the best.  

We ordered our food and when it came I just could get myself to eat it.  I got a fajita and it looked great, but I just had to ask for a box to take it home.  I just talked with David while he ate his dinner and I nibbled on the tortilla chips until I felt too nausus and had to make a quick run to the bathroom.  Luckily my body gives me enough notice so there was no mess.  After that I felt great. . . not enough to eat my fajita, but we did go and relax and watch that Benjamin Button movie.  

So our date wasn't quite the best ever. . . but it was memorable for sure!  

I gave David a haircut that he has needed for a while now.  This picture makes him look like he has gained weight but I think he is looking down. . . and his eyebrows do not connect to his hairline. . . I promise I would never let that be!  I don't think that this picture really shows how long it is and I don't have a shot of after, but it is short and that is how I like it!  I love his hair just after it's cut!  He is such a handsome guy and looks so sharp now days! . . . especially since we have been taking advantage of the exercise room at his work.  We sweat like crazy and have run our hearts away for the last three weeks!  So we look good, feel good, and couldn't be happier! 

A Weekend Full of Fun

So last month. . . I know it is old. . . My sister and her husband came to visit us for the weekend and we had a blast.  We went out to dinner to Friday's and John introduced me to the huge . . .and Delicious. . . Jack Daniel's Burger.  It was so good!  I loved it!  Brooks got some yummy mac 'n cheese with some grilled chicken which was really good too.  David thought he would be brave and try something out of his usual.  He got some special burger that was being promoted. . . when our food came he discovered that there was a layer of something chunky and yellowish orange on his burger that looked funny.  He licked it and was disgusted and he looked like he just smelled a poopy diaper or something. . . I wish I had a picture of the face he made because it was the perfect disgusted face!  He scraped this layer of stuff off his burger and put it on a napkin in the middle of our table.  We all tried it and didn't think it was nearly as bad as David did, but couldn't tell what it was either.  It was cheesy, with a twang of something in it and it had the texture of cottage cheese.  It was interesting. . . and it threw David off enough that he is now convinced that trying new things is not worth the risk and he will stick to his burgers with only lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and ketchup. . .  and maybe some bacon if he's in the mood!

We went to the zoo the next day while David was at work.  It was a clear sunny day but it was a little chilly in the shade. . . Not bad for January weather though!    We had fun looking at all the animals and as we were going through, some of the fences seemed a little shorter than what would be needed to keep those animals in.  The tiger's fence and the wolves' were the questionable ones. . . but we only live a couple of miles away and I haven't seen any animals cruising around so I guess they are fine.  I love this picture of the bear. . . I mostly like the paw with all the toes showing.  

This video of the polar bear is pretty goofy.  The bear was just walking in circle around the pillars and as he would come around the corner he would turn around and start backing up.  I don't know if you can tell very well, but as he backs up, he is swaying his head like he's bobbing/dancing to some music.  You can hear Brooks' laugh in the background.  That bear was pretty entertaining!

I love how tigers look with their stripes, but the tiger was just sleeping and we didn't get to see him very well.  I like the stripes on Zebras too and I like how thestripes go all the way up on their mane too.  I think I liked zebra's partly because I learned about them in my animal alphabet book when I was little and I think they are the only animal that I can think of to this day that starts with a 'z'.  I stillremember being completely confused at the fact that zebra started with a 'z' and that xylophone started with an 'x'. . . they sounded the same to me so what difference should it make!?

After the zoo we went to P.F. Chang's and loved it and then browsed around for a while until David was off work.  We were smothered by a tie salesman at Men's Warehouse that was trying way too hard to get his commissions check boosted a little.  John fell in love with some Puma's and felt guilty for not wanting to settle for the cheap brand shoes. . . he was like a little boy trying to convince Brooks how much they meant to him and how he didn't want to get them but that he really did need them.  He ended up getting them and I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to wear them to bed every night because he was so proud of them.  

That night we all went out to eat with my cousin Dustin and his girlfriend at Macaroni Grill. . .oohhh that place was good too!  We loved the food and thanks to my sister-in-law, Elizabeth, we were able to use our gift card we got for Christmas!   We were goofy and having good times while we were there and we were all soooo full!  

As we were coming home, we realized that the power was out around my block.  It was so windy!  That was kind of scary because I noticed because the stop lights for the intersection were out.  I hope everyone didn't just assume they had a green light!  We got home and pulled out all the candles we had and luckily Brooks had some matches!  We played Balderdash and were getting pretty creative.  We came up with some interesting explanations about who people were, what certain acronyms stood for, what random movies were about, crazy laws around the world, and definitions to weird words. . . and I ended up pulling ahead of John and winning!  

We went to bed but left one light switch flipped on so we could tell if the power came back on.  Just as we were getting to sleep the light turned on and I think it scared Brooks and John a little!  It was good that it came on so all the stuff in the fridge and freezer didn't go bad, and so we could save the leftovers in the fridge too . . . we really didn't want to lose those!

On Sunday we took a day trip out to Tillamook.  It was nice to see Grandma Honey and Grandpa Bob!  We ate lunch with them and then went out to Rockaway beach.  We couldn't believe it, but it was so nice out there!  We had clear skies and absolutely no wind!  We really couldn't ever remember any time during all of the summers that we spent on that beach where the weather was ever that nice!  It was awesome!  The water was probably still numbingly cold, but we didn't swim.  Brooks and John wanted to try out some of the kites that they got from their wedding, but there wasn't enough wind.  John said it would have been fine if he could run 15 miles an hour and keep the kite up.  Maybe next time!

We just built a sand castle instead.  Grandma Honey and Grandpa Bob approved!  It was pretty neat!  You can tell how deep our moat is since we are standing in it. . . Brooks even put an alligator in there to protect the castle, but John killed it.  John said this was a secret. . . but he made an underground railroad. . . I bet he was thinking along the lines of it being Martin Luther King day and Harriet Tubman and her history leading the black people out of slavery. . . very thoughtful John!

David enjoyed the sun as he laid out on a blanket and read a nice book on the beach. . . Financial Accounting!  He said it was a good book but I don't know who would really consider that a beach read.  That is my nerdy little husband alright!

He got up to take a picture with me. . . Man I can't believe how beautiful it was that day!  This picture makes our majestic castle look more like a pansy of a mountain. . . sheesh!

We went to Grandma Honey and Grandpa Bob's place and had some yummy Tillamook Ice Cream!  We also got to play the Farming Game with Grandpa Bob!  It is such a classic memory to always play that game with him. . . and I think that he always won when I was little so I was ready to show him up this time.  We taught John and David how to play and Grandma Honey kept our water glasses full for us!  When the time was up we all got one more turn to try and get some more money to win.  It was all really close until John had his last roll!  He nailed his harvest on his fruit that he had and it wasn't even worth counting up anything we had.  I'd say it was just beginners luck, but then again. . . I also say whatever works is fine by me!

Right before we left the raccoons came to visit!  I always love to watch them eat the dog food that we put out on the porch for them.  They just grab the little pieces with their hands and scrunch up their noses as they chew on them.  They are so cute. . . but I know they can be vicious!  I am just glad that they keep coming back every night!  

We played some games that night and all wanted to win!  We had fun and enjoyed the weekend with them!  I think they might come again and see a Blazers game with us.  Thanks for the visit and fun weekend Brooks and John!

The hunt for Chili's

So ever since we have been here in Portland, David has wanted to take me to Chile's since I have never been and we have had two gift cards.  We have tried on three different nights to try to track one down but have had no success.  Apparantly they have all gone out of business around here.  We looked on the internet and there are four or five of them posted there and also in the phone books so we will take down directions and out we go.  Each time so far, we look and look and drive in circles of where our directions tell us it should be and then finally give up and just go somewhere on our way home instead.  One night we were out to eat with my sister, Brooks and her husband, John, and my cousin and we saw one just across the parking lot!  We got excited and I tried to remember the drive home so that maybe I would be able to drive back out there sometime with David.  So last weekend we were determined to find it again.  We drove somewhat in the right direction, but we still couldn't find it.  We saw Chipotle's and Panera Bread and got a little sidetracked and we got a burrito and a sandwich and just shared those with each other instead.  So tomorrow for Valentine's Day we are going to try again. . . frustration on V-Day is not quite the date I am hoping for.  Hopefully we make it and I get to try these yummy chips and salsa that David tells me about. . . We'll see!