A slew of posts...

I have a bunch of posts that are currently drafts and should be published shortly. I have a lot to say from my previous catch-up attempt, and even more to write about what has happened since.

So, be expecting a slew of posts!

Catch Up

It's strange how I feel how I need to play catch up - even though the only people who read this blog know me in real life - so you know what is going on in my life. However, I suppose if I ever use this blog as a way to look back, it'd be nice not to have too many gaps.

First off, I didn't read my last post, but it looks like it was about me moving. So yea, I moved! The moving process went very well, as far I remember. I moved to Karisa's in one day, with the help of my folks. It was a very exciting time, and I remember enjoying staying with her. All the anticipation to see my own place! Though I wouldn't generally recommend not seeing your apartment before leasing it, it did make the wait to move in very exciting.

The move from her place to mine was even easier, because it was simply upstairs. With the use of a dolly and a rolly chair, we were able to get up 99% with little to no effort at all (elevators rock!). We even managed to get the big heavy stuff up here as well, because they fit in the elevator! Let's see if I can find any pictures of this time.... *goes away from this page to go browse*



The chaos of packing.















My room, clean. I took a bajillion and a half photos of this process, but I doubt anyone wants to see them all! This is the first time that I have looked at these photos in over 3 mos - it is weird now to remember that this was my room for two years! Seems so long ago, already.










Once all of my stuff was out, Rachael and I cleaned the heck out of this place! This was us as we were leaving.
















This is where all my stuff ended up! Took up half of Karisa's living room, but we made it!
















Then with just one more move a week later, everything made it into my place!











I'm not a big fan of how blogger uploads photos (maybe I just don't know what I'm doing - but it puts them in reverse order at the beginning of the document...). So instead of one long catch up post, I will have a few posts (possibly over time) so that I can add photos first (and backwards...) and then just add text throughout.

Until next time! (Since it is 1:45 am, I will do more at a later time...)

I'm MOVING!

I can't believe this time has come, but I am already in the midst of moving!

I've spent the last week packing. A little bit in the evenings after work (though I don't get home until 7:30 or 8:00), and then all of yesterday. I have finished packing the kitchen (except a few appliances), the living room (did that one first, was remarkably easy), the closets, the bathroom, and kind of my room. My room is kind of messy... but in terms of things packed, its actually pretty good to go.

My folks will be coming up in a couple hours to help me move. We're going to take some stuff to value village, then spend a bajillion and a half hours moving my stuff into Karisa's place. My lease doesn't start until a week from Monday, so I'll be sleeping on Karisa's floor until then. That and the fact that she's letting me keep all my stuff in her living room means she's pretty awesome!

Hopefully everything can get moved by 9:00 tonight - when my parents want to head back to Edmonds, and Karisa's mom should arrive up here to help her clean. I'll spend the next couple days cleaning, cleaning and cleaning! Luckily Rachael will be coming up here Sunday and Monday too, so we can work together. There is a LOT to clean.

I've been over to Karisa's new place a couple times (in the same building as my future place), and I LOVE it! It is so much better than the pictures suggest. I cannot wait to put up pictures and show it off, but obviously it won't do it justice. I'll just have to show everyone in person!

I have been taking photos throughout this whole process, so maybe once I'm done I'll put up some "packing/cleaning/moving" pictures.

Anyway, now I have to pack the bag of clothes I will live out of for the next week, and put the rest into some random other suitcase. And pack up my computer. I might also put some of my small topless boxes into big boxes... besides that, there isn't tons to do. Crazy!

Kellogg Trip

For Laura and Anna's last hurrah together while Anna is in the states, we took a traditional adventure out towards Kellogg. Since I quite conveniently just got my new camera the night before, this also served as my first chance to take photos!

We walked through some clear cut woods, stopped for a picnic and walked some more. Our walk was symbolic of life, and every obstacle we had to climb over or around somehow matched up to trials in life. Once our adventure took us to the end of our lives, we headed back towards Flowing Lake. We may have got just a bit lost, but our new route turned out to be pretty cool. First, we arrived on scene only minutes after an accident. Then we found a different part of the lake and helped a couple get their boat into the water. As way to say thank you, they offered to take us around the lake on their boat! We ended our day of adventures with nothing less than Taco Bell in Monroe, of course!

The pictures are a bit out of order - I've decided I really don't like the way blogger uploads photos (backwards, at the front of the post instead of where you are in the post..).




















Anna being attacked by a fly.

New camera!

I kind of think its funny that my most recent post for a month is "continuous updates", which clearly just isn't true!

I realized that since I haven't written in a month, I haven't written anything Anna being in town! Which is just so wrong! This summer has been amazing so far, being able to come down to Edmonds and see Anna! We have mostly just been hanging out around Edmonds, visiting with BBE. Work has been uneventful - its hard to be away from Anna, but it isn't bad in its own right. Maybe I'll write more about how cool it was to see Anna for the first time, how fun the 4th of July was and the good times with Anna.

However, before I do that I'm going to make a more recent post because I got a camera for my birthday which is very exciting in its own right, but also means that I can start to include pictures on here! Yay!

Continuous updates!

I find it very easy to update whenever E goes down. I don't want to call anyone, because I want to stay quiet and I often talk loud while on the phone. I might watch something, but am not feeling particularly inspired to watch any one thing. Therefore, I'm just sitting here browsing on the internet so may as well blog!

Around 11:30pm last night I woke up to E in my face crying. She was saying she wanted her Mama and Papa. I was very sleepy, so I just let her lay with me for about 5 minutes which calmed her down to almost sleeping again. Before she actually could fall asleep, I took her to her room. I don't think she came out again, but she might have. I was pretty sleepy. I kind of feel like she did and I just put her back in her room right away. That second time may have been a dream though...

E woke up earlier than I was hoping - 6:30 am. It wasn't too bad, I mean that is what I am used to for work! I just normally sleep in an extra couple hours on the weekend. I had her lay on the couch with me for a few minutes so I didn't have to get up right away. :) We had a kind of lazy morning until snack, just a few hours playing with toys, reading, and watching a few more minutes of the movie (not much, I swear!). After snack, we went to the park and played with an older girl who had a dog and a hamster. E loved it!

This afternoon we are going to go do an art project, which means I'm going to have to drive! It should be ok though, because it is a route I know so well. :) I'm thinking we will drive to my place, park at our house and see Max and say hi to my folks, then go over to Janet's!

They left me money to go shop and told me I'll probably need to... but I'm not sure I will! I feel bad leaving them with a kind of empty kitchen, but there is plenty for a good snack and dinner today, and breakfast, snack and lunch tomorrow! That'll make life easier (for me)! :)

A trip to the park!

E had a good long nap and when she woke up we headed down to the park! We stayed there for about 2.5 hrs, which was great! It was long enough to just feel like we were relaxing, in no rush, with all the time in the world. However, with a change right before heading out, it also meant that we didn't have to worry about a diaper change in public (unless there was a #2, so I had supplies just in case). We brought a snack with us (a banana and some carrots and hummus) so we could have a little picnic. We played on the playground, rolled down the hill, ran around in the grass, and drew on each others' arms in dirt. The last might not be the most normal activity, but she loved it and arms are washable so I let it become a really fun game. It was dry dirt and it was applied with a small stick, so it was not as messy as it sounds.

I realized that I'm kind of awkward with other caretakers at a park. They assume I'm a mom (which is logical, better to assume an aunt/nanny a mom, than to assume a mom to be an aunt or a nanny!!) - so I have to find the right time to fit in "I'm her aunt". Also it requires smalltalk which I often try to avoid. That said, it was fun and there was a nice mother there who is going to look into E's preschool for her own child next year!

The walk home from the park was a big trickier - she would stop occasionally, tried to put her souvenir rock in her mouth, didn't always want to have her hand held. I threatened our evening movie (a reward that she only got if she had a good day and obeyed). That worked and we were able to get home much quicker from then on. After dinner we did watch a bit of a movie, and we also talked to Anna for a bit. Overall, it was a good evening. I'm exhausted though! I've gotten very used to a particular routine, which does not involve going out places, talking to people or keeping a youngin' happy, healthy, safe and mannered.

I'm trying to keep her diet balanced. She is used to a really good variety. When explaining the routine, Brad said it doesn't matter too much what she eats as long as it isn't all carbs, all dairy, etc. When I came over this morning he told me really not to worry about it, saying he wants it to be easy for me. I still want to give her a really good healthy balance, but it can be hard!

Lunch: some beans (soupish) with half a wheat tortilla, some cottage cheese... she ate a lot less than I thought she would, so after half the tortilla she wasn't too hungry for more beans or cottage cheese - the main points of the lunch!

Snack: a small banana and some carrots and hummus ...

Dinner: a pita with cheese, hummus and lettuce, and a small side of beans.... the beans are repetitive but I wanted her to get her protein! Also, the hummus was repetitive too... Considering my love for hummus, I wouldn't be surprised if we eat it all this weekend!

Anyway, my goal was to cut out carbs because I knew she had those for breakfast and morning snack. I think tomorrow I'll keep the carbs out of the first half of the day so that we can do nice and easy pasta for dinner. :)

Ok... I need to go to bed! I apologize that this place is just where I spew my thoughts, and don't necessarily tell anything that would be interesting to read. I realized that what really keeps me writing is not the thought that one or two friends may read (in fact I often forget this), but instead the thought that in a few years I can look back on my life at this time. It makes for a rather boring blog. Sorry!