Memorial Day

THE BIG THREE-OH!

We love photo booths!

So, Mandy and Bree turned 30 together - a mere 18 days apart, according to her blog.  They are best friends and they are fashionistas and they are fabulous!  The party was at DOA and I was more than honored to be a part of it.  I must say that I'm not quite 30 and I'm not looking forward to it but seeing these ladies not only accept and embrace being 30 - but celebrate the bejeezus out of it - is quite inspiring!  The party was complete with sparkly unicorn/narwhal crowns, cake, gold, glitter, and pop music on the juke box.  There's not much else to say, the photos speak for themselves.  fun x infinity.

Thanks, Mandy and Bree and happy 30th birthdays!!!

mandy's blog

Stress

I am so stressed - and I do not deal with stress well.  When my calendar is full I get so overwhelmed.  I feel like my to-do list is just hanging over my head, always there, always worried about it.  It's like I cant relax until something is done.

On Sunday, the tenants in our house are moving out so I have to do their walk through, get the keys and stuff like that.  Then on Tuesday, the new tenants are moving in.  Oh yeah, I guess that means on Monday I'll probably be cleaning my house from top to bottom and mowing the lawn.  (FUN!)

When Dan started playing music for a living we decided to move out of our house.  At first, we were going to buy a duplex with our friend, Ben.  When that fell through, we had already rented out our house.  So, to safe cash, we have college students in our home and we are renting.  Luckily, Dan and I don't get attached to places so I don't feel like strangers are living in MY home or anything like that.

I am a finisher.  Few projects get left un-done around here.  I have been known to stay up into the wee hours of the morning to finish a painting or sewing project.  It's totally not normal.  I guess I need to learn time management.  Now I'm going to catch up with my cousin whom I haven't seen in over a week.  And try to breathe.  Have a great (relaxing) Memorial Weekend!

Blast from the Past

I am at the airport, waiting to head home. It was a short trip to California but we had a blast!!!
So I posted on facebook that I was in california and low and behold, my friend, Chelsea, from high school lives nearby.  She was so sweet to drive up and see me.  I haven't seen her in NINE YEARS!  We went out for lunch.  First of all, she drives THE SAME CAR and looks EXACTLY the same.  I literally said, "Whoa. Time warp." when I got in the car.  Secondly, she's had the same boyfriend for almost 10 years and they're getting married in a couple weeks and he is a traveling musician, too. We have much more in common than our memories of high school dances and driving around town causing mischief eleven years ago.

Me and Chelsea - 2011.

I have been looking for a support system for people who get what it's like for their husband to be gone a couple weeks at a time.  I am so glad I got to reconnect with Chelsea!  We plan to stay in touch and I really hope we do.

Sophomore year. Me, Julie, Chelsea, Sara - 1999.

Livin the Dream

 

I'm in California!!!! 

In a previous post, I explained the many ways my life changed over the past year.  One major change was that Dan started touring "full-time".  Since I work from home, the idea was that I could/would/should travel with him.  Things like convenience, money, obligations got in the way and I've really only traveled with him 3 times in the past year.  I really miss him when he's gone.  So, I talked to my boss about working on the road and at first he was apprehensive but after some thought decided to let me.  This past weekend I ran the worlds biggest car & truck sale.  It's a job that just kind of fell in my lap.  My boss and I do advertising with the car dealers year round and when I got hired the event coordinator of the sale was leaving so they were, "you wanna do it?" and I was like, "sure."  After that event was the perfect time to fly down and meet up with the guys.  So, here I am!

The band is recording an E.P. with Colby Wedgeworth.  I missed all the studio stuff so now we're just in Colby's house and they're doing guitar stuff -digitally, I guess.  I dont understand it all.  I'm just loving being in a new setting and seeing Dan.  The weather is GORGEOUS.  I didnt bring my good camera but I plan on taking better pictures than these (these are ALL camera-phone pictures! - LAME.)  Anyway, I hope it's sunny wherever you are, too!  

[Photo of the Day. 05/23/11].  Getting dinner with my sweetie last night.

 Hitting up the hottub at 8am!

 Breakfast at Whole Foods, pre-recording.

 While the boys are upstairs recording I get to cuddle with the cutest dog ever!

 This is Wilson.  Isn't he so precious?

Hanging in the studio!

Mon Ami

Four years ago I met a confident, opinionated, beautiful girl named Solenne.  She is 100% French and speaks English (very well!) with a cute accent.  We didn't spend much time together during the year that I lived in France but when we did I always felt her authenticity and huge heart shining brightly!  She was single when I met her but shortly after this photo was taken, I moved back to the U.S. and Solenne met Gilles.  They were married within a year and they moved to Quebec!  She's not working in Canada so she decided to take a vacation to the Pacific Northwest and visit her friend, Daispring, who lives in Portland.  It's funny how you can miss somone that you've only met several times and haven't seen in four years.  It was such a fun day.  Sam and Dewey came with us.  We ate delicious food and basked in the sun and the bustling city.  She was just as sweet as I remember her and she had an extra glow about her due to the fact that she's 4 months pregnant! I had a wonderful time showing her some of the American books I grew up with like Dr. Seuss and Curious George. She bought a few for her little baby, who will likely be bilingual (lucky!).  I don't know when we'll see her again but I would LOVE to see French-speaking Canada and now I have an open invite and place to stay!

[Above:  Me and Solenne at Camp Champfleuri in Spring of 2007] 

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[Below: Ordering Lunch, Dining Al Fresco, Record Store, Walking, Market, Pub, Donuts - 2011]

Ordering Calzone.

Daispring and Solenne gnosh streetside.

Dan in a record store.

Walking the streets.

Dan and Dewey explore the public market.

Dewey and Sam at The Horse Brass.

Dan's ENORMOUS donut!

Getting Easier

Exactly one year ago my life flipped up-side-down.  My husband made a major career change that now involves him traveling the United States for days or weeks at a time.  Since the summer of 2009 (through March of 2010) we had been trying to buy a duplex to move into with a friend.  Since we were pre approved and looking at houses, Dan and I rented out our own house to some college students.  Our house is less than half a mile from a university so it was something we'd always talked about doing.  We got the lease signed in January and in March our dreams of buying a duplex all fell through.  This gave us about 6 weeks to find a new place to live because I wasn't about to nullify a contract and leave four college girls homeless.  So, we found a place to rent and moved some of our things into a little place by Wright Park.  Then, there was the stuff with my parents which I wont get into for their sake. 

So, to recap:  involuntary moving, new job, new financial situation, husband gone, family problems = Last May was the worst month EVER.  Since Dan had just started his new job playing music their first tour was almost 4 weeks.  I thought I was going to die.  I was stressed out, sad, living in an apartment that I hated, our circle of friends had changed, I was a landlord... and... my husband was gone.  I was a complete wreck.  If you knew me then or met me then, I am sorry.  It was a bad time. 

I feel like I had six good months of mourning; I was mourning the death of my old life and the crumbling of an institution that I had previously regarded so highly.  Dan could see that I was miserable and began a hunt for a new place to live.  We got out of our one year lease after six months and moved downtown to the loft we're in now.  That was metaphorical rebirth for me, and for Dan, going from a little basement apartment to a bright, downtown loft.  We moved in October of last year, Dan went on a short tour and then he was home for 7 weeks.  All the holidays, the decorating of our new place, he was here for that and I loved it. 

Then when he went out in January it wasn't so hard.  February was good, too.  April was the easiest of all and now in May and June I get to go with him.  In short, we're FINALLY getting the hang of it and I'm FINALLY happy with this new life.  I didn't choose it.  It all just got thrown at me with no warning.  I am proud of the way I handled it... well, I did the best I could.  It's not over but I'm in a much better place.  Life is all about changes and readjusting and moving forward. 

When Dan is home I take full advantage of every second with him, and he with me.  It's not easy when he's gone but it's also not as terrible as it was a year ago.  I am so thankful for his patience and unconditional love, for leaving me notes, calling me every night before bed, and buying me little presents on the road.  When he's home, we just chill out.  These are some photos from the past few days.  They insinuate serious boredom but to me they're beautiful!

Mother's Day 2011

My mom's had a rough year - we all have - and we wanted to make her mother's day extra special.  Karli goes to Eastern Washington University and wasn't planning on coming home but she changed her mind at the ninth hour.  On Friday, she drove her new (1994) Nissan Altima (with Oregon plates) from Cheney to Tacoma and then I drove us to the Couve.  We had a fun weekend with lots of laughter and lots of shopping.  Then on Sunday, Andrea came over and made one of the best breakfasts EVER!  Eggs Benedict and mimosas.  She even made hollandaise sauce from scratch (twice). 

Grabbing for foods!

Look who decided to grace us with his presence!  This is the youngest, Bryce, who lives at home and works nights.  I literally saw him for 5 minutes all weekend.