disgusting

so friday when i came home from work
i smelled something bad in my house
i checked mouse trap area
and found no traps snapped
so forgot about it and hurried up
to portland for the weekend

we'll when i came home last night
there was the stench of something dead
where was the problem
i was afraid some dead mouse was in a wall dead
stinking up my house
i looked in again but didn't see anything

well in it finally being warm
in oregon
the smell grew
so with my vacuum i went into the closet area
under my stairs...
upon sucking up droppings
in the dark area
my vacuum got something big...
when i pulled it out
a large rat
(i thought it was a large mouse
but my mother-after describing it to her
and how long the tail was
said it was a rat)

i should have started counting
how many times i said gross
it was SO GROSS!
of course the lil' b
was decomposing
so after some skills
of vacuuming and picking it up
by the suction
then having the brown paper bag
in the perfect place
so when i turned off the hose of the
vacuum
he just fell
SO GROSS!

then i had a bleach fest
GROSS!

this is when i:
a. wish my home teachers lived close by
b. was closer to my male neighbors
c. wish i let my neighbors 5+ cats in
disgusting.

church celebration luau

(i had to get your attention somehow!)aftermath of the haka

so my ward (congregation)
made up of single people 18-30's
had a 25 year celebration luau

since it was formed

i'm on the activities committee for church
so the past 2 days
have been intense prepping

also i accepted the challenge
to learn a tahitian dance
so for a good laugh you can watch my hips shake on the video
you can clearly see that others
are more talented in that aspect


it was fun though...

exhausted

i'm emotionally, physically, mentally
exhausted.
the weekend doesn't seem to
allow for much of a ease either

shout out to dezi da beautiful
for a nice hand written card
that came at the perfect time
dezi's own rendition of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
times and seasons
hit the spot
now i'm carrying it with me everywhere

also another happy surprise
awaiting the weekend
is getting a much needed hug from levi...
he's in town to climb hood and
whatever else suits his fancy
smith rock maybe
after a good beer at deschutes brewery
in the pearl district downtown p-town
then he'll be ready for
to give an exceptional hug
can't wait for the weekend to start
can't wait to get out of work clothes-

i've fallen in love again

with fresh blueberries

egg store

just so you're aware...
i work at the egg store
my good friend/coworker's son, k
let my friend know
that's what i do for a living

another co-worker has chickens
and her two girls collect eggs
and we buy them from her
for a mere $2 bucks
such a deal for happy farm eggs

many times i deliver eggs to my friend
and her son k on my way home from work
since she work part time

it left me slightly pondering
what a good and easy life i'd have
if i just delivered eggs

tempting.

it adds now to the list of being called bagel girl
in grad school
every wednesday
i'd buy bagels for two friends
and deliver them in class
in the mornings
right before i graduated my friend
let me know that was my secret nickname

i should probably just deliver
breakfast foods
and quit my job.
wish someone would pay me
for these services

delivery services
and social work
i'm never going to
pay off my student loans.

ready

tooth glued
new-er hair cut
bags packed
drove back from bend
off to stump town
then to phoenix
ready for a 5 day vacation.
can't wait.

tooth-less country western singer

that's what i looked and felt like yesterday
but today is looking up...
i have my tooth back in
thank you dentist superglue

next is the the hair
i should have been more clear
yesterday
now i'm just wondering
if i should give it a whirl
or go back

i'm leaning to
go back
and get it re-cut

target meltdown

after work today
i made the mistake of
going to target
because a. i threw down too much money
and b. there were child meltdowns
all over the store.

while trying on clothes
that nothing fit
or looked right
i giggled while listening
to a mom try on clothes
with three kids in the dressing room with her
comments like,
"mom you're too old for that"
"thanks son"

or "boys i'm trying on a bathing suit-
nose to the wall!
no peeking!"
there was a lot of giggling
and it was purely entertaining

next i was in the shoe section...
i was trying on a pair of darling shoes
when this 8-ish year old girl
told me that they looked cute
then her mom tried the same pair on
her mom was young-
thank you very much
then the mom was trying to decide
between two pairs
(both that i liked)
and her daughter told her to go
with the pair
i got

it all went downhill from there
the rest of my target experience
was hearing multiple children
in multiple areas
having meltdowns

at first it was entertaining
to hear how their parents were responding
but after the third area
i couldn't handle it anymore
parents weren't the kindest

so this unwed-childless woman
fled the scene
i was grateful for
my stage and situation in life

and no i didn' think...
when i have kids...
they won't...
i know it will happen to me
like everyone else.

last child in the woods

so i just started this book yesterday

and am loving it...

it's reaffirming of wanting my future children

to play outside

to wonder

to love cardboard boxes

to dig

to imagine

to pretend

to explore open places

to have a refuge

and see beauty in nature

one quote from a fifth grade girl in the book...

"When I'm in the woods, I feel like I'm in my mother's shoes."

she goes on to say:

"It's so peaceful out there and the air smells good. I mean, it's polluted, but not as much as the city air. For me, it's completely different there. It's like you're free when you go out there. It's your own time. Sometimes I go there when I'm mad - and then, just with the peacefulness, I'm better. I can come back home happy and my mom doesn't even know why."

more quotes to come...

no wonder i felt like i should leave the song,

"Pave paradise, put up a parking lot," when the cattail area

near my house got developed.

it was the place of memories

of tadpole catching,

snake catching,

an exploratory place

of wonder

and bliss.

i think adults, youth and kids need

time in nature

it's peaceful,

healing,

quiet,

beautiful...

the list goes on.

and my thoughts and ponderings

will continue...

be ready.

gone

my music is gone
it was driving "the favorite" crazy
and others probably too
she said...

it may return some day
with it on pause...
no energy to do such a thing tonight

i'm still recovering from saturday...
pictures to come

smith rock trip: take three: alder creek

saturday hike

pictographs...

not that impressive

but we did find them after a long search

and someone telling us where they were
kirstin is trying to demonstrate
summer time bliss
well maybe spreading good energy
so we can actually have
summer-like weather soon

we made it to the deschutes river!

beautiful...

ta-daa...

beauty

thanks for being in the photo buddy...

remember i like rocks...

suffer through the pics...

it's my blog and i like photos & rock

look at those layers!

amazingly beautiful

chaco-licious

it was my first hike in the chacos this season

+ in & out of water

= rubbed raw feet

i'm healing them still

i've never seen one of these guys with grey hair.

have you?

i like to call this

east side w/a branch of west side

no moss on the tree except for this lil section

the end to the smith rock adventure

back in the saddle

so after a quick trip to redmond
for work in about 24 hours
i was a little weary

but after a few hours
it was so nice outside
so i got my bike out
for the first time since probably the fall
pumped the tires
and went on a little ride
tried to go to hollywood video
realized they're all gone
biked up some hills
found a red box
maybe bought a mambo

and home.

it was great to be on my bike again.
i've missed it.
i even have new wheels from the end of last summer
nice ex
funny though how they're the color he liked
not what i wanted.
reminds me of my bike i got in middle school
all i wanted was a forest green bike
what did i get for Christmas?
a weird purpley-pinkish bike
that my dad thought was a better color.
hmmm...

luckily my faithful schwinn moab 3
that i bought in flag back in 2000
when i was living in the grand canyon
does me just right
front shocks-
i don't even want to try a full suspension
i'd probably like it
and don't have the money for it

simple pleasures.
easy does it.

smith rock:take two: hike

darcy & ellen
probably tired of watching people climb
and just want to hike!

not montana silly
oregon, central oregon

starting up the hill

climbers on monkey face

see them beautiful cascades in the background!

monkey face...

you can sleep in the mouth

if you can climb to it

almost to the top of the hill!

three fingered jack in the background

at the top!

kirstin, darcy, ellen, lesley &me

poser

who can't aim right

i love rock

new facebook profile?

can't get enough of this amazing rock!

the desert is still in my heart

smith rock: take one

the sublime area

happy couple climbers...

one newbie (kelley)

one more advanced (cody)

another happenin' duo

katie and greg

go katie!

kirstin happily back on the rock againme...

ungraceful

obviously haven't done this in awhile...

but yet got to the top

2 climbs then a hike...

hike next up...