I haven't dissapeared off the face of the planet...

Yet anyways.  Pretty much close to.  lol.  So it's been how long since I last blogged?  To long to figure out anyway.  And yep...only blogging 'cus I'm housesitting and have faster internet.  I tell you dial up really is a drag for the internet thing.  Oh well.  Anyway.  My life.  Which is what I got on here to write about and hopefully what anybody reading it wants to read about.  'Cus that's about all you'll get out this brain of mine.  No deep thoughts or anything.  lol.  This is so rambling already.  lol.

Work:  That thing that takes up most of my time.  Last time I wrote we were crazy slow.  Now we're finally busy again and things are breaking left and right.  Makes for a lot of parts runs to Portland.  I've been there for over a year now and it's still working out for me.  Not in love with the job, but not in hate with it either, so it works.  I have a new boss though.  Joe left to start his own business and we have a new shop manager.  His name is Josh and he's pretty nice.  He's still getting the hang of things but he's trying really hard.  The latest catastrophe was our computer that runs our automated scales for selling rock has been screwing up like every day.  Kinda sucks.  lol.  But it'll get solved like every other problem does.  Eventually.

Nick:  Home from school for the summer   Gone on fire right now   How's that for two opposite emoticons in one sentence.  lol.  I miss him, but I'm glad he's working and doing what he loves.

Home/Family:  Same category 'cus same annoyance level.  I'm still at home, but hopefully will be moving out soon into my own place because finally...(next entry)...  Thank goodness I have my other family and home to escape to though!

Car:  I bought a car!  I'm kinda just a little bit excited.  lol.  It's nothing fancy.  Just a cute little Toyota Corolla.  But it's a nice little car and should last me for a while as long as I treat her nice.

Friends:  Everybody I sincerely apologize that I haven't kept in touch or visited half as much as I should.  I know...I suck at that kind of thing.  I love you all so so much!

Fun Times:  I have gotten to do a few fun things.  I went and stayed with Nick for a few days of his spring break over Easter.  We mostly just hung out when he wasn't working, but we did go out to dinner for Easter dinner.  I went to Portland for Cascade's graduation.  And Jason came up from AZ which was way cool!!  It was SO good to get to see him and hang out some, even it wasn't as much as we had planned.  Which a late emergency parts run to Portland was to partly blame for that.  lol.  It was really great to see other friends too that I hadn't seen since I was still in school, but probably the highlight of the weekend was of all things riding the MAX all the way to the end with Jason and then just sitting at Starbucks in Pioneer Square and talking about all the limos going by (it was prom night apparently...lol).  I went camping with Nick's family a couple weeks ago.  Washington chapter of Ford Truck Enthusiasts gettogether.  It was a lot of fun!!  lol.  And it was so pretty up there!  Nick and I were driving around looking at all the million dollar houses up there that are vacation homes and wishing we had that kind of money.  lol.  Rodeo came and went and that was pretty fun.  I road my horse with my sister in the parade again.  And then proceeded to get a major sunburn at the rodeo.  OUCH!  The Fourth was fun!  I went to the smash em bash em derby with my sis and Nick's family.  So barbaric, but so entertaining!  It's great!

Future Plans:  So I've been housesitting since Wednesday and I go home tomorrow.  The crazy thing is I've been here almost a week and I've only gotten online once.  You'd think I'd have been abusing the high speed.  Well I was in Glenwood still most of the weekend hanging out with Liz and Georgie and watching the smoke from the fire (more on that below).  My grandma's coming from VT for a week tomorrow too.  That'll be really nice to see her.  I'm sure we'll go and do some fun stuff while she's here.  I'm trying to plan a definite trip to Portland to see people in the near future.  I've just been busy and reluctant to leave Glenwood in case Nick get's to come home for a couple days.

FIRE!  So there's a pretty big forest fire burning on Mt. Adams right now.  About 7 miles from Glenwood.  Which isn't totally right in my backyard, but it's close enough to my backyard to be worrisome.  It's burned about 8,000 acres of a lot of dead trees.  And dumped tons of smoke into Glenwood Valley.  Fun times for people with allergies.  As of right now I don't think we'll have to start packing, but things could get out of hand at any time.  We'll see.  The funny thing is this is the biggest thing to happen in Glenwood for months.  Everybody was out taking pictures of the smoke cloud and some people even tried to drive up there.  If that's not dumb, what is?

Anyway.  That's about all I can think of to say to update people on my life.  It's kinda sad how I've cover 4 months in a few paragraphs.  Must be getting good at paraphrasing.  Anyway.  It's super hot in the upstairs of this house and I'm about stifled to death, so I'm going to go downstairs where it's cooler and maybe get some sleep.  Have to leave early tomorrow morning for a parts run to Portland.  lol.  Such is my life.

Housesitting again...

This getting to be a habit with me...only blogging when I'm housesitting.  I haven't figured out whether it's a good or a bad habit.  lol.  Well it's probably partly becuase the people I'm housesitting for have DSL.  At home we only have dial-up and I can't stand more than an hour of that before it starts to drive me crazy.  To impatient I guess.  I wonder if I was one of those kids that always went for the instant gratification.  lol.  Anyway.

Not much is happening.  Same as always.  Work and try not to go crazy from cabin fever.  And trying not to go crazy at work.  We aren't doing anything right now and things are so slow that I just sit and wait for the phone to ring 'cus I have nothing else to do.  Like tomorrow I'm going to be at work all by myself 'cus everybody's laid off or taking the day off.  Joe was going to lay me off too, but decided he couldn't totally lay me off (mostly 'cus I think I wants to be able to have me there when he wants the day off...lol).  So I'm still working but if I want a day or even a week off it's no biggie as long as Joe didn't already make plans to take any of those days off.  So I'm going to try and take off most of the days that Nick's home for spring break.

I can't believe it's halfway through March already.  The first day of spring is next week.  In a couple months I'll have been at this position with the company for a year.  Which is the longest Joe's kept anybody in my spot he points out frequently.  lol.  It's not that he's hard to work with...I don't think so anyway.  lol.

It's been raining this week and it's supposed to rain all weekend.  Hope it doesn't start flooding to much.

I'm going on a girl's night with Nick's sis and maybe my sis tomorrow night.  Yay!!!  I'm excited!!!  We always have fun.  My sis and I just had a girl's night last weekend actually.  We went shopping and out to eat and to a movie.  The movie Jumper.  She picked but wasn't all that impressed with it.  I liked it though.  It was pretty good.  Not sure what we're going to see tomorrow.  Maybe 10,000 BC.  But we're going to go out to eat and hang out and other girly stuff.  lol.

Anyway.  I apologize if this has been totally boring.  There's not much happening right now and I'm kinda to tired to jazz up what is happening.  lol.  I should go to bed soon.  Ok, I'll go.  Night all.

Another Monday rolls around...

Wow...it's been like a month and a half since I last blogged.  And it's not like I've been super busy or anything...I guess I just haven't made the time.  There's a lot of things I should make more time for.  But I always seem to come up with excuses.

So this month and half have been relativly uneventful.  The most eventful thing has been the crazy weather we had this winter.  For like 3 weeks it was so FREAKIN' cold!  As in got below zero degrees every night, was still below zero degrees when I left for work in the morning, and never got above freezing the whole day.  And then came the snow.  We haven't had this much snow in several years.  Usually it snows and then rains and all goes away and so on and so forth.  But this year it would snow a foot each time and then stay.  And it did this several times.  I think it's finally deciding it's spring though now...the sun's been out every day for a couple weeks now.  Which means everything's melting and turnnig from white to gray.  But soon it will be green. YAY!  I like spring.  I just hope it doesn't start raining tons before the snow is all gone 'cus we really don't need it to flood right now.  But the extra snowpack will be nice this summer.  Maybe we won't have as much of a drought.

My life's been uneventful as I already said.  Work to much.  Don't go to Portland to see friends or see Nick near enough.  Went snowmobiling with Nick and some friends once.  That rocked!  I'm totally into it now.  Although not as into it as to do crazy stuff like Nick where I might hurt myself.  lol.  Went skiing with my family a couple times.  The snow's been really good this year.  Nick's been home a couple times.  Like I said...not near enough.  Went to Portland a couple times.  Hung out with my girls.  Again like I said...not near enough.

Last week and this week I'm housesitting for some people while they're in Hawaii.  It's been super nice.  Sleep in...at least more than I do when I'm leaving for work from hom.  Walk to work since the house is right next door to the shop.  Have a lot of "me" time, although that does get lonely after a while.  Veg in front of the TV or the computer.  'Cus they have cable and DSL.  Schweet!

I've been kinda trying to be on a diet and excersize every day.  I eat a lot less when I'm on my own I've discovered.  lol.  I've been walking to the lake every day after work 'cus it's been so nice and sunny.  The two cats and a dog have finally decided that they like me and I'll do until their real family gets back.

On the downside...I locked myself out to the house the other day becuase they have these doors that still open from the inside even when they're locked.  Got in though thank goodness. 

There's been other people here with me the last 3 nights though...and that's been kinda wierd.  The people's daughter and the daughter's two kids are staying here becuase the daughter was fighting with her husband and they needed a place to get away for a little bit.  It's been fine, I don't mind at all, it's just kinda weird.  lol.

I went and saw a movie on Saturday night.  That movie Juno, about the girl that's pregnant at 16 and trying to find adoptive parents and deal with being pregnant and still go on with life.  It was really different...but really good!  It was shot differently and had random interjectory things stuck into the movie.  Kinda a new style kinda movie.  The acting was good, especially by the main character, she did a great job.  There was some humor in it that made me laugh out loud, but also was a thought provoking movie.  There was some crude language and stuff, but most of it was part of the character.  It was a good movie about life and love.  I liked it.

I'm going to La Grande this weekend to visit Nick with his family.  We're leaving Friday, which is my last day housesitting.  All I want is for it to be Friday...or at least Thursday afternoon.  Because I'm really not feeling the going to work thing this week.  I really just want to veg and be lazy all week.  Becuase I know the week is going to drag by sooooooooooooooooo slllllllloooooooowwwwwlllllllllyyyyyyyyyy and then the weekend is gong to go by way to fast.

And today at work sucked Everything was going cafunked, especially the fax machine.  Gag.  I didn't feel like trying to fix any of it.  Usually I don't mind work or going to work...but today...wow, I really didn't feel like dealing with it all.  Oh well, it's over.  I only have tomorrow to look forward to.  Of not wanting to be there again.  lol.  Oh joy in heaven.  *rolls eyes*  Ok.  I'll stop whining.  I'm lucky that I have a job and all that.

Right now I'm just sitting here writing this really long drawn out, boring blog that really isn't worth posting, let alone reading becuase there's nothing interesting or thoughtful in it...but oh well.  It's my life.  And it wouldn't be complete without rambling blogs that my friends still read becuase they love me.  I love you guys too!

Expectations

So last night at dinner my dad asked all us kids what our expectations were for him as a father.  It was like his "homework" for a men's Bible study that he's part of.  And I couldn't really give him an answer.  I'm not really sure why either.  What I said was that I try not to have expectations of people so that I'm not dissapointed when they don't meet those expectations.  Which I know isn't entirely true or healthy, although in a way I try to make myself be like that to avoid being hurt.  Everyone has some kind of expectations of everybody, and I'm no different.  I guess Dad is just Dad and that's the way he is.  I've spent 22 years growing up with him being the way he is.  What he is as a dad has probably shaped what my expectations of fathers are.

Mom seemed to think I should have lots of answers becuase I took that Christian family class at college.  I guess she has a point...I mean, I did learn about what a family should be like and came up with some of my own ideas of what I want my family to be like.  But none of it was really set in stone, becuase people change and people aren't perfect.  It was also hard to come up with expectations for my future husband and father of my children becuase I was dating Nick then, and it was hard not to shape those ideals around what he already was and is.

So while this was thought provoking, I still don't know what my expectations for my Dad as a father are.  So I guess I'll go watch the snow melting outside the window some more.

Hum dee dum...After holiday effects

Howdy peeps...hope life is going well.  It's going ok for me, although I'm still not feeling the getting back into work after vacation thing, even though I've been back to work since the middle of last week.

I hope everyone had a great holiday season.  Mine was just stupendous!  lol.  I love Christmas so much.  I might just possible be my favorite time of the year.  I love Christmas music.  I love the smell of the Christmas tree and all the pretty lights.  I love spending time with those that I'm close to.  I love having time to be lazy and do nothing or do whatever I want to do.  I love Christmas Eve service when we light all the candles at church and just sing by candlelight.  I love watching my little brother and sister get so excited with their stockings and presents and listening to everybody laugh together.  I love the snow and how pretty it is (but not how slippery it is...lol).  I love the cold crispness in the air, but also love being able to come into my warm house and sit in front of our wood stove.  I love the food, but shouldn't love the food so much...lol.  I love having homemade doughnuts every Christmas morning.  I love going skiing...although sad day, my family went and I didn't get to go becuase I was working.  Oh well.  The season's not over.  Oh there's so much I love about Christmas time.  *Smile*

So my Christmas vacation started on Friday before Christmas.  I didn't have to work between Christmas and New Year's which was totally nice.  Nick came home that day to, so I was itching to get done with my work and out the door to go over to his house.  lol.  That was the day my family went skiing without me...boy was I cranky about that...well not really cranky...lol.  Spending time with my family and with Nick and his family was really nice.  I even saw Stacie for a little while at the beginning of her Christmas break when she was home for a few days. 

We had our Christmas dinner on Sunday with the Rolphs, some close friends of ours.  Mom didn't want to have a big dinner to clean up on Christmas day when she was trying to pack to leave, so we just did it earlier.  We actually only spent about half of our day relaxing on Christmas Day.  The other half was spent packing.  My family left for Vermont to visit my extended family the day after Christmas.  When they bought tickets I thought I would have to be working, so I didn't get a ticket and by the time I found out I wasn't working, it was to late to get a ticket.  So I just went back to La Grande with Nick and stayed for few days with him.  Which honestly, I liked better...and no offense to my family...I just get really bored when I go with them to Vermont.  But I drove my family to the airport in the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday...gag.  I hate getting up early.  lol. 

Nick and I went snowmobiling for most of the day and it was a lot of fun, until we stopped to take pictures and then his snowmobile wouldn't start up again.  So we walked back to his house and got his truck and had to push/pull/lift the snowmobile into the back of his truck so we could get it home.  That didn't totally ruin snowmobiling for me though, I definatly like it.  I like riding with Nick more than driving by myself though.  I guess I just trust his driving more than mine, especially going fast, which I like.  lol.  It's hard work though.  I was really sore that night.  lol.

We had to go back to La Grande on Thursday morning though, 'cus he had to work that night.  It was fun spending time with him.  I cleaned his house and took him dinner at work...lol...he told me I couldn't leave after that.  lol.  When he wasn't working we chilled and watched movies.  He worked on his snowmobile some, still doesn't know what's wrong with it.  Bummer.  We went sledding with some of his friends from school one day, although for the snow that was there the sleds we had really sucked and the ride down wasn't really worth the walk up.  Mostly just 'cus I'm lazy.  lol.  New Year's Eve we thought we might go up on the mountain and have a bonfire with some of his friends, but nothing happened so we just stayed at the house and watched the ball drop in New York on the TV and watched the fireworks somebody was shooting off like a block away.  It snowed most of the weekend, but thankfully the roads over the pass were clear so I was able to get home on New Year's Day.  I really didn't want to come back.  Being away from Nick and missing him sucks hardcore.  My house was so quiet to when I got back 'cus my family wasn't back yet that I spent most of the next three days at work and then at Nick's house with his family, watching Smallville with his sister (we're so ADDICTED to that show!...lol).  I always complain about my family being to loud, but when they weren't there the house was to quiet.  lol.  My mom found that pretty funny.

I went to Portland Friday night and stayed the night with Stacie and then picked my family up from the airport on Saturday.  I must have been super tired 'cus I conked out watching a movie (which I almost never do, especially when I've never seen it) and slept hard through the night and most of the next morning.  lol.  It's good to have my family home, although I'm already complaining about the noise.  lol.  Guess that's what I get.  lol.  Some of them are sick though and I really hope I don't get it.  Joe's going to be gone most of this week to Disneyland and I don't want to be miserable at work.  Yuck.  We'll see if it's a quiet week or one of catastophe's that I can't fix and Joe won't be here to fix.  lol.  So far it's been busy and hectic since we got back after New Year's.

Anyway.  I'm just sitting here at work kinda bored 'cus nobody's here...they all went to work on a piece of broken machinary and other stuff at one of our jobs.  I cleaned some already and then thought I'd ramble out an update  for ya'll.  Even though it wasn't like super exciting or anything.  It was nice.  And I could've written way more, but you would have had to be there to get it.  lol.  So I hope everybody had a good holiday season and all that jazz.  Later peeps.