Busy As A Bee!

It has been quite some time since I last blogged, but in my defense I have been a very busy girl. As previously noted, I quit my job at Alternative Counseling to concentrate on my writing. I have been extremely busy with writing projects for most of the month. I feel like I am really getting the hang of this writing thing and it’s great for the confidence.

Besides writing projects, I have a huge list of things to do around the house. Being that it is summer, most of my home improvement projects consist of yard work. The yard has been neglected for a little over a year, so I am working to make it look pretty. I started the process around the end of May and realized I started a little late in the season, at least with the planting process. These past few days I have been out in the yard every day trying to make it look good. We are having a big bonfire/BBQ/B-day shindig for Kevin, Michael, Martin, and Phil this weekend. Since the party will mostly be outside, I have been motivated to clean up the yard so it looks really great.

Here are some before and after pictures of all the work I have been doing this week. I’m still amazed when I look at the pictures, the changes that some simple weeding will do.





















And finally....if you weed it and prune it.....





Things will grow...

Rattlesnake Ridge Hike

It’s getting nice outside and the urge to be one with nature is strong. I’m not one of those girls who likes to lay out in the sun doing nothing. I’m becoming more and more adventurous and looking to get out and be more active. If nothing else a good hike feels good, whether you feel beat up at the end or not.

Last weekend, May 9th, Kevin, Phil (our newest roommate), and I went on a day hike to Rattlesnake Ridge. We got off to a late start due to other work conflicts and stuff in the morning. I packed us up some lunch, sandwiches, apples, carrots, and almonds. Then we took off, arriving at the trail about 1pm.



The hike was pretty nice, the first half hour or so is relatively easy, just a slight incline with plenty of flat ground to recharge. As we got closer to the top, the incline increased rapidly and I found myself huffing and puffing a bit. Keep in mind that I am out of shape, which is part of the reason for hiking in the first place.



After struggling for the second half of the hike, we made it to the top. I might have been the only one really struggling, but I powered through it and made it to the top.



The view was absolutely gorgeous from the top. I got as close to the edge as I could without freaking out, I have a small fear of heights.





The hike was good for me. Once we got to the top, I had such a great feeling of accomplishment and it felt really good.

Lunch with Grandma

I quit my job for a number of reasons:
1) I was getting bored
2) I wanted to become a writer
3) I wanted to devote more time to projects around the house
Most Importantly
4) I wanted to spend more time with my family.


In November, I packed up my life in Puyallup and moved to Woodinville. My family is in Puyallup and my new life is in Woodinville. They are about a 90 minute drive from one another. Why is this important? My family is important and taking the time to drive 90 minutes is a time consuming process. Add in a full time job, chores around the house, and spending time with your boyfriend and there is little to no time to make that drive.

In January, my grandfather passed away and I knew that I needed to make my grandmother a priory. She is my last living grandparent and I want to cherish the time I have with her. My grandma is a pretty amazing woman. She just turned 83, but doesn’t seem a day past 60. She is healthy, for the most part, and doesn’t need a cane, walker, or wheelchair. She doesn’t walk as fast as she used to, and has always had issues with her feet. She is still pretty active and seems to always be on the go.

She wants to come up to Woodinville to see where I live and visit. I think that would be a blast. Spending a few days with grandma, who could ask for more? She is one of my biggest inspirations. She used to read to me all the time when I was younger, and loved to sit next to her and listen to the stories over and over again. I have always loved books and reading, and thank her for that. She introduced me to my favorite author Mary Higgins Clark by lending me “All Around the Town” and, my personal favorite, “Weep No More My Lady.”


Once I read those two books, I set aside my Judy Blume books and the “Babysitter’s Club” series and turned to mystery and suspense. Now, I am in the process of writing my own mystery novel…all thanks to my wonderful grandmother.


She is also a great inspiration because she is a breast cancer survivor. Through all she has been through, I have never heard her complain. She takes the twists and turns life throws at her and overcomes them. Not only that, she still has many more things she wants to do. Travel and the love for the ocean are two more things I have inherited from my grandma.

As my first steps in spending more time with my family, I took grandma out for Chinese for her birthday. We had a great time. She was really busy that week, her sister was in town from the East Coast, so we didn’t get to spend as much time together as I would have liked. However, I plan on going out there next week and spending some good quality time with her.

I look forward to the time I will spend with my grandmother and the rest of my amazing family.


Grandma and her 11 grandchildren

My Last Week

If it hasn’t become clear yet, I love projects. I love taking ordinary, or ugly, things and making them pretty. Kevin’s house needs a lot of work done to it, because he is really busy and the house is from the late 70s. Actually, the house is as old as I am, both built in 1977. The original owners decided it would be cool to have every piece of wood in the house an ugly “smoker yellow” color. We’re talking every door, closet door, drawer, and cabinet this dingy color.



A few months ago, Kevin and I painted all the doors and drawers in the kitchen white. The color really brightened up the room and I actually like being in there now.

My project over the last week was the dining room/bar. The dining room is basically done; the walls are a nice shade of brown, with a dark brown accent wall. However, the bar area needed some major work. There was that ugly yellowish color all over the doors.



Kevin and I decided we wanted something dark to go with the theme of the room. We went to an actual paint store and talked to a professional. We decided on a cherry stain, but didn’t want to do all the work. We were recommended an awesome paint, which was more of a gel, that would cover anything and look like a stain. The paint took about 8 hours to dry. I did one coat per day to ensure it would dry completely without smudges.



The finished product is absolutely amazing, I love it. Kevin loves it. The roommates love it. I feel really good about this project and I look forward to doing many more. With this house, there are a lot more areas to paint and transform and with this girl it will get done.









Doesn't that just look so much better?

Projects!

As nervous as I am about being jobless, I am excited for all the projects I can finally get done with all my extra time. I have made myself a daily schedule so that I accomplish writing projects as well as other projects around the house. Also, a schedule will keep me responsible and keep me from sitting on the couch day in and day out gaining weight and accomplishing nothing.

At this time, my home projects outweigh my writing projects and I have spent most of my first week jobless working around the house. Monday, I drove down to Portland to check out Kara’s new place and help her move some stuff from her storage unit into the new place. Her place is in a cute triplex, with two bedrooms, one car garage, and small backyard perfect for her and her roommate. Tuesday, I continued helping her move some stuff, hit up Kohl’s (for a great t-shirt sale), and then drove home to WA. I decided to stop at my parent’s house on Tuesday night, spend the night, and take Grandma out to lunch on Wednesday. I got to Graham early enough to go visit grandma on Tuesday night, turns out she had bible study on Wed. and would not be able to go to lunch. I visited with her for about two hours, we had some great conversations and it was nice to be able to chat with her.

It made me realize how much I really miss my family and how much time I need to spend with them, no regrets right? I invited Grandma over to the Rents house for breakfast on Wednesday morning which was nice to continue visiting with her. Thursday I spent some time with Kevin, which was good for us.

Before:


After:



Friday I began some projects I have been meaning to get to. A few months ago, we painted all the cabinets in the kitchen and the walls in the kitchen. I have been meaning to paint the pocket door, which leads to the dining room, and the trim around it and the kitchen ceiling area. There are a few areas on the wall I have been meaning to fix to that have either been smudged or painted with the wrong color. Friday I was able to bust out the painting gear and tackle those projects, and the room looks much better.

I was also able to clean out the refrigerator. Not only was there too much old or unused food items, the shelves were dirty and sticky and gross. It was awesome to be able to get projects done and finally crossed off my list. I look forward to crossing even more things off my list, and blogging about them.

Before:



After:


Next week, Kevin and I are going to North Carolina for Kevin’s work. I will be doing a lot more writing next week and then back to projects around the house again. I think everyone should take a week off work to just stay home and tackle those things on their lists that never seem to get done. Luckily, I’m not going back anytime soon.

End of an Era

April 18, 2009 marked my final day at Alternative Counseling. It was bittersweet ending to a yearlong job. I spent my last week a little differently than I had imagined. I wanted to do a bunch of things to make sure everyone would be okay without me, I know a bit conceited but I did a lot of minuscule mundane things every day. Instead, I spend a few days out sick with the flu. Let me lay out the week for you (those who even care). Monday, I had the day off so I cleaned the house. Tuesday, I went to work had some great groups (Tuesday groups were my favorite). Wednesday, I woke up sick and spent the day on the couch. Thursday, I woke up (TMI alert) puking out both ends. Friday, I felt a lot better so I went back to work. Saturday, was my last day and I went in for the last time.

Friday, when I finally made it back into work, I was thrown a not-so-surprise going away party. It was fun and I barely did anything all day. The boss brought in a ton of food, including some smoked salmon that he cooked up the night before. I told him to bring in a bunch of fruits and vegetables since junk food made me a bit queasy. I got an awesome bouquet of flowers from the boss, featuring a few of my favorites. I felt as if I really would be missed and I felt a little tug on my heartstrings with the goodbyes I received.

Saturday was an amazing day at work, and probably the most fun I have had in a long time, thanks to my Saturday morning crazy group. We laughed and joked and teased each other all through the group process, which lasted almost the full two hours. I gave a fun speech thanking everyone for helping me make my time as their counselor a great learning experience. I wished them all well and gave them my support through the rest of the counseling process. I never laughed so hard as I did with that group.

I was excited to leave, but sad at the same time. I learned a lot during my time there about life, laws, people in general, how to communicate more effectively, and most importantly I learned a lot about myself. I felt good leaving though, as if I was moving in the right direction. I was scared and nervous, but I know I am doing the right thing and I look forward to what the future holds for me.

Vegas: The Final Chapter

On our last day in Vegas, Kevin and I went out to Lake Las Vegas for some fun in the sun. It is one of Kevin’s favorite places to go and I had never been. We perused the Ritz Carlton and talked about how we needed to stay there next time we flew down. We journeyed along the Lake and walked together hand in hand (I was feeling mushy there for a minute). We checked out the casino, signed up for their player’s club card, and earned $5 in free slot play. Neither of us won very big that day. We continued our journey, checked out a few other Hotels along the lake.



Then, we saw these fliers for condos for sale for way cheap. Some of these places were $600,000, but the prices had dropped down to $150,000, which was a steal. We decided to drive around and look for some open houses, or just see what was out there. We only caught the tail end of one condo viewing so we checked it out, it was pretty spectacular. We discussed the pros and cons of having a condo out in Lake Las Vegas and if it would even be worth it. It probably won’t happen, but it’s one of those things that is great to talk about the “what ifs.”

After looking at way too expensive condos, we headed back to the Ritz Carlton area for some Gelato. We strolled along the water while we eat our tasty treats. There was a rental stand where you can rent paddle boats or motor boats and tour the Lake. Next time we are down there with Trenton that is something we really want to do.





I noticed there were fish in the water and I wanted to try to catch one. After much thought and consideration, I decided my Gelato would make some great bait and when they come close to the surface I would simply grab one. Sounded like a pretty awesome idea at that time. Kevin told me he would give me $1,000 if I caught a fish with my bare hands. Challenge accepted, was my response. I lay out on rocks, got some Gelato on my spoon, and stuck it in the water waiting for the fish to respond. A few venture close, but they were too far under the water. After a few minutes, the Gelato melted and I got bored. Kevin took pictures and was highly amused by my efforts.



After that, we headed on home where I took an awesome nap before heading out to another of Kevin’s friends’ home. We had an awesome feast of a dinner which consisted of chicken, steak, corn on the cob, melt-in-your-mouth cornbread, salad, chips, and strawberry shortcake for dessert.

Great trip, great people, great memories, and great guy. Who could ask for anything more?