For Jackie

So I have been meaning for some time to put some pictures of things around my house to give a sense of what my home here in Bend looks like. Well I kept putting it off, but Jackie really got after me so here are some pictures of a few of my favorite things. The shelf above is in my walk way by the front door. It's an ode to my Grandpa Holman in a lot of ways. The outhouses and car memrobilia remind me of him. The black car is actually one of his old cologne bottles. I took one and my cousin K.C. took the other. I have an obsession with owls so that's where they come in.

This is in my bedroom. I love hats! They are so fun to wear and look cute displayed on a wall.

This is a coffee table my dad made for me last Christmas and I painted it this grey/blue color.

Oh my art deco lamps! Love at first sight! I was so lucky to have my Aunt Sue and Grandma Snell give them to me as a going away present.

I like to display my earring collection on this cute bird cage.

The picture above was also taken in my bedroom, which I find is the most challenging room for me to decorate. But I love the old 1960's keys I found at goodwill mixed with these bohemian pictures I found at a downtown store.

Here is my awesome bed. This picture was actually taken three years ago. I came home one night from work and Bryan had bought me this bedspread set I had my eye on for Christmas. He wrote me the sweetest card that is placed up by the pillows. Oh what a good man I have.

Well that's all I have taken for now. I'll have to take more and post them after the holidays. My favorite room is probably my kitchen and I just realized I have no pictures of what it looks like in there. Hope you enjoyed them Jackie:)

Deserving Bragging Rights

Bryan was a down right amazing husband this past week and I think he needs a little bit of bragging to come his way. (Especially since he currently is sick and going from nights to the swing shift has been hard on his body.) Last week every single morning I woke up to breakfast made by my hubby. How sweet is that! And just so you know his hashbrowns and bacon are right up there with Chick's. (The best diner in Utah; Heber, Utah if you've never been you should go and get a scone and Diet Coke.) I never thought I would wake up to a feast of food for a whole week. Thank you Bryan!!! I love you.

P.S. Everyone at work thanks you for the left overs.

Celebrate Good Times!!! Come on!!!

October 22 was our fourth wedding anniversary. Now that Bryan is working nights we have to get creative with the little time we get to spend together. Yesterday we went to Greg's Grille in the Old Mill to celebrate. We had never been there before and enjoyed the food very much. The restaurant sits along the Deschutes River and has tall windows so you overlook it. The food was so good especially their spinach and artichoke dip! Yummy! We both ordered the prime rib for dinner and it was excellent. What really cracked me up was as we were walking to the car Bryan asked me if I had the car keys and I said no. So he thought he might have left them at the table. Well we were beyond lucky because they sat in our car in the ignition with the car doors unlocked for a couple of hours and nobody stole our Durango. We had a lovely evening that ended with Tiramisu from Trader Joe's. I love Bryan and count myself very lucky to spend the remainder of my days with my guy.

Craftsman Chairs

My Grandma Snell and Aunt Sue were so kind to send my dad back here after a weekend trip to Orem with a couple of their chairs. I was very excited because I love the style and color of wood on the said chairs. The only thing I wanted to change was the fabric on the seat. While I do like the color green, there is very little to none of it in my home. Which is odd now that I think about it, because when I first got married I was drawn to all things green, but that only lasted a year. It went out right along with my Safari style. Still love it, but so not me. So I ran over to Hancock Fabrics cause they were having a huge sale. After about twenty minutes I spotted it. The faux leather fabric in the designer remnants section. I raced up to the register and made my four dollar for two yards purchase. An insane deal! So here is a before and after of my new chairs!

Little Lindsey Visit's!

So I was so excited when Lindsey decided to come visit me! We had so much fun and I never wanted her to leave. It was also her Birthday on he Sunday that she visited. Hopefully Bry and I made her Birthday fun since she was here with us instead of being at home in Orem with her family.



This was actually on the last day of her visit. We went hiking by Todd's Lake. I t was perfect weather, but it was rather crowded because it was Labor Day.



Having fun at the Native American Festival in Sisters. Side note: Bryan wants to live in a teepee now.




So I thought I knew almost all there is to know about Glenda; but I had no idea she had a Babe Ruth obsession. She stocked up on them because Safeway had such a good deal going on. We went to the movie 500 Days of Summer, and I love that movie incase you were curious. Oh and we were wondering what ever happened to R. Kelly?




Taking a waltz by the Deschutes River is always a good way to spend a Friday afternoon don't you think?

Well it was wonderful having Lindsey come visit and I hope she comes up to visit again soon cause I already miss her. I could talk about the visit forever but I don't want to bore everyone and I don't think I have the attention span at the moment either unfortunately. Miss you Glenda.

Sisters Mirror Lake

I'm a little behind on my blogging. A couple of weeks ago Bryan, the dogs and I went backpacking up to Sisters Mirror Lake. It was my first time actually backpacking my stuff in; and I must admit my pack was pretty light compared to Bry's and it was our first time hiking and camping with little Jasper. We had a really fun time. I found it really rewarding to find a spot and set up camp. And it was so pretty. The only downfall was all of those pesky mosquito's. I wish we could go backpacking every weekend. There's nothing better than spending time with my Bry and my pups in the mountains!

Cute Bryan!

This is where we chose to set up camp.

Sisters Mirror Lake

Early that morning Bryan got up and got some awesome pictures of fog over the lake.

My new favorite find is this green witch lichen that was all over the trail and hanging from the trees like moss.

Happy Birthday Jasper!!!

DISNEYLAND wOOt!

(Caution: Prepare for the many pictures of sheer fun coming your way. You have been warned.)

Here we all are from left to right that's me, Lindsey and Kyra. We arrived at Disneyland around seven that night. Even though I was tired after a full day of traveling we had so much fun that night! Not to mention it was so fun to see my girls after a year apart.


Oh so happy to be with my girls! This trip was good for the soul. I needed the girl bonding time.


This may be my favorite picture of the whole trip. Lindsey, who is terrified of birds, thought that a bird had pooped on her shoulder. Love her face! It was so funny.


So I love all the lighting at Disneyland. I want their source. This beauty was on the Alice in Wonderland ride. How cute would it be in a babies nursery or whimsical in a backyard.



This cute little boy got in on the picture. He was so cute and just jumped right in. Also young kids would comment on my peace sign shirt while we were waiting in line. I had no idea kids were so into that.

Here we are at the Hollywood backdrop in California Adventure!

This is Lindsey and me churro and Diet Coking it! This happened at least once a day.

Lindsey is a major texter, more so than anyone else I know. Finally I decided to snap a picture of her in the act.


So this is while we were on It's a Small World. Now why do so many people think it's a stupid ride? Relaxing? Yes! Air conditioned? Yes! Catchy song? Yes! I love it!


Here's a little Alice on It's a Small World. They have added a lot of the characters from the movies into the ride. It was adorable to see Aladdin and Jasmine soaring above us! I love Disneyland!

Leaving the park on our last day. Sad moment.

Return to Big Stone Gap

Home to Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved this book, but was so sad to have the series end. I fell in love with the characters. Iva Lou, Pearl, Jack Mac, Theodore, Etta the list goes on and on. She has a real talent for making warm relatable characters.

Puppy Love

So Shanna (my dad's blushing bride) did work on the website Free Kibble. It's very cute and everyone should check it out. Well last Friday she gave me a box of dog cookies. (Mimi's Favorite Mac & Cheese Flavor.) It came in the cutest box and Izzy and Jasper can't get enough of them. But that isn't the best part. For every box you buy they donate one meal to shelter dogs and cats. How amazing is that! I had to find out more. I was so intrigued. So I went to freekibble.com and discovered that it all started with a 12 year old girl from Bend, who wanted dogs and cats to have a decent dinner. Now Free Kibble has 13 shelters across the country on a monthly program! This makes me so happy! I am now going to be an avid customer of Free Kibble. It costs just three dollars for a box of yummy treats to satisfy Izzy and Jasper's tummies. And another dog or cat will benefit with a meal of their own. Sounds like a win/win to me!

Just think about it...

A government big enough to give the people everything they want

is strong enough to take away everything they have.

Thomas Jefferson

Happy Forth of Julie!

So this past Friday my Aunt Julie, her daughter Holli and my Grandma flew into the Portland airport for a visit. When I finished work for the day Bryan and I jumped into the car and met them at the Hilton in downtown Portland. (Above is the view from our room. We were on the 22nd floor!) A few hours later my mom and Uncle Jeff joined us for dinner at Pastini's. While we played catch up Julie and Holli caught up on their zzz's. (Party poopers!) The next day we headed to the book store Powell's. I picked up some good reads. An Adriana Trigiani pick, No Country For Old Men, a biography on Cleopatra and a F. Scott Fitzegerald book that I haven't read yet.

I like this picture because I caught them in there element and it makes me laugh.

Saturday after we made the drive to Bend we had a barbecue for Julie's birthday. It was really fun, except for we didn't see the fireworks that they shoot off the top off Pilot Butte. I think Bryan and I were the only ones disappointed by that though. Sunday Bryan and I took them to McMenamins for breakfast then over to Drake Park and showed them the shops downtown. That afternoon we explored the quaint town of Sisters. It was really funny because there were lesbian couples everywhere and Grandma Holman was stunned! She kept asking me why they were holding hands. I had a good laugh. That evening we drove to the top of Pilot Butte so they could see the 360 degree view of Bend. Mom and Jeff left Monday afternoon. Before they left my mom got she and I a print by Gustave Baumann. He's an artist that she first discovered in Sante Fe, New Mexico. I can't wait to frame it. The print she got me is titled ASPEN - RED RIVER if anyone wants to google him. He's a very unique and talented artist. Anywho, I was disappointed to see them go. It was a real treat to have everyone here because I haven't seen any of them since last September.

Later that afternoon Julie, Holli, Grandma and I visited Tumalo Falls and did a little hiking. That night Bryan barbecued the best pork chops I've ever had. Honestly it was delicious! Unfortunatly Tuesday I returned to work and just spent the night unwinding with them while they prepared for a Wednesday full of traveling back to Utah County. They have returned home now and it's very bittersweet. The house is so quiet as it always is after good company leaves and I'm getting back into the swing of day to day life. I'm so happy that my family came to visit me and it was funner than I had anticipated it to be which is always a sweet treat.