My Post About Being Busy

Good Lord, things have been BUSY. Since I posted that we had found a house, I can't even begin to describe the level of busy-ness I have been operating at. I still could have found time to write, but I honestly was not making it a priority.

My priority has been keeping my sanity.

Part of maintaining my sanity has been "To Do" lists like this one. The week after we moved, I had four pages like this one (front and back). I had to keep everything organized somehow. By now I can't even make a list. It is too overwhelming. Not because there is even MORE stuff to do, but because I already spent all possible energy and used up all of my superwoman brain cells. There is nothing left. I don't know how or when I get a recharge, but I am hoping it is soon...

Here is what we have been up to...

We celebrated Easter. This involved friends and food, presents in Raine's Easter "nest," bubbles, more food (including cupcakes) and more bubbles.

We went back to Illinois for a visit. There was a lot of playing to be had for Raine with his cousins, and then we had our fair share of food and beverages, and lots of time with friends and family.

We packed a lot for our move. We tried to pack a little bit every day. Raine liked to pack and then unpack, pack, unpack, repeat.

We finalized paperwork on the house and made several trips out catch glimpses as it was built.

We had it inspected and then had a new homeowner orientation with the builder.

We signed a lot of paperwork and closed escrow.

Then on Saturday May, 4th, we moved in!!!

We tried our best to help all pets adjust to the new house. This included training Rocco to use a doggie door. We crossed our fingers that he would use it while we were away at work throughout the week, so we wouldn't have to come home to accidents all over the new hardwood floors and carpet. It took about two weeks until I felt completely comfortable leaving him alone. Now he uses that thing like a BOSS.

Hobbes made some surprising trips to the vet, racking up ridiculously large bills. He had two teeth removed and was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism. He has to eat expensive prescription food now, of course.

Rocco also has had to have some extra vet visits and tests. Most notably in just the last week, he has developed what we believe is Lymphangieasia, which is causing protein to leak out of his intestines. He started medicine yesterday and I am working from home this week to monitor him until we can get him back to the vet on Thursday and have his blood checked again to see where we are at. If he has stabilized on the medicine, there is hope we will have him around a couple more years (as we will continue to treat it with a prescription diet). If he does not stabilize, we will have to help him get more comfortable and say goodbye in the next two to three weeks. We are stunned and sad and nervous.

Immediately after we moved, we spent a week cleaning the crap out of our condo. (This included Mother's Day. However, before Raine went to the baby-sitter and cleaning commenced, I did get to have a groovy little breakfast en plein air with my boys at Henry's Hot Breakfast. And hubby gave me roses. Sigh.)

After listing the condo, we waited for six agonizing weeks to get tenants. Just as I was about to lose my shit, we found them. I just gave them the keys Monday. HALLELUJAH.

In between all of this, I have tried to attempt to baby step my way into tackling major changes with my daily job and special projects, including the business I want to start. The short of it is that nothing much has changed. ;) I am still at the same day job and it is still very stressful and even less ideal now that I live 30 minutes away. My plans to amp up posting and content of this blog has failed, but I did finally gather together my goodies for my side project, snail says. It is in early prep stages and I will not be formally launching it, or making any sort of announcement, necessarily, when it is up and running. The plan is to leak it on Pinterest eventually, when I reach a certain point in the content level (which I think is scheduled for late August or September). LOL. I wish I could tell you more, other than ... It will basically chronicle Dan and I's love letters and creative tokens of affection during our courtship, which was ten years ago this month. This is the only time I will likely mention this project because I want it to happen in a space exclusive of this blog, with it's own organic possibilities.

And, the business. It is forming. I have a P.O. box, email address, and company name with a blog/web site and Twitter account. It is in such early stages I hesitate to share details but if your really want a peek, you can get a glimpse here.

OH. AND AS IF THIS ALL WASN'T ENOUGH. I have also poorly attempted to be a super sister and super daughter and help and/or stay on top of (at least) my mom's medical progress. More about that at another time, because there really is no simple way to recap that.

ABOVE ALL, THOUGH. 

I have been falling in love with our home and our new town, as well as the greater community and county we now live in. I am beside myself with peace and joy having at last found my elusive Oregon roots. They are reaching deep quickly and finding nourishment here. I look forward to what they produce.

Colorado 2012 Part 2: Boulder Boogaloo!

A certain hot chica rockin' a sexy black pencil skirt and white button down blouse picked us up Friday to whisk us away to Boudler. ~LOL...Ally was dressed up because she had an interview for a new job. :) Still, she looked GREAT! We belted ourselves into her jeep and while Raine snored lightly and Dan and Allyson talked in the front seats, I watched the scenery go by in the sunshine with the windows rolled down. Soothing.

That afternoon, we walked down Pearl Street and stopped for a late lunch at The Kitchen, a simple and delicious little restaurant. I think Allyson said it is her favorite. It was basically yummy fresh food with an elegant yet rustic decor...Right up my alley, too. I had little plates (yes!) of hummus, bread, spiced nuts, and sauteed collard greens. Dan (who I just asked what he ordered and he was like, Oh My God I Still Think About That Sandwich!) had their roast koberstein beef sammie with horseradish aioli and caramelized onions. I don't remember what Marc and Ally got (???) but I DO remember the fabulous beer. It is a shame I couldn't finish mine because OH YEAH, I had an 8 month old baby drooling on me and vying for my attention (and for the goods under my shirt). Bless the hubby for holding him as long as he could so that I could shove all that hummus, those nuts, collard greens, and scrumptious bread in my mouth as fast as I could. The beer menu itself was beautiful. Look. Yes. We chose local and Dan ordered Oskar Blues Brewery's G'Knight Imperial Red and I had that gorgeous wheat saison ("Miho") by Funkwerks (photo below). After the Kitchen, we visited Tee & Cakes for some sweet treats. I am becoming a cupcake enthusiast (I think it is because Dan likes to watch Cupcake Wars and it has been growing on me...) So I totally loved stopping in this place. I even wanted to get some of their letterpress stationary or a t-shirt but forgot. I DID get a chocolate bacon cupcake. CHOCOLATE. BACON. CUPCAKE. Seriously. It was wonderful. ;)

Marc and Allyson (who just moved to Boulder from Chicago last fall) found an awesome apartment right downtown in the middle of everything (yet they have an awesome view of the Flat Irons, which are at the base of the Rockies.) It was really awesome to get to stay with them because of their location! Saturday morning, the first farmer's market of the season was right across the street. And when Dan and I needed to push Raine around in his stroller when we couldn't get him to nap that afternoon, we were able to do so on and around Pearl Street, where there are tons of people, shops, and restaurants. (My favorite shops were Cured and Bliss). It definitely had a major Portland/Sedona vibe if I was going to compare it to other cities I have been to; Small and quirky, for sure! It was also really awesome to stay with them because their apartment is THE BOMB and Allyson is THE BOMB HOSTESS. I wish I took more photos of the apartment, but let's just say that it was super spacious and had a bit of a rustic modern look. And she had a jacuzzi bath tub! LOL. Because we were sleep training Raine and sticking to his 7/8 bedtime pretty strictly, we didn't have the luxury of trying other restaurants for dinners. But Allyson was a wonderful little cheffy and whipped up some lovely dinners for us, including bites of sweet potato gnocci, goat cheese ravioli, homemade pesto with bread, potstickers, fruits, and cheeses. She also found Dan a sweet little chocolate stout cake for his birthday. ;) And of course there was no shortage of beer and wine!

Our last day we hit a couple of breweries (Avery and Boulder-Colorado's 1st microbrewery) for much needed Colorado sampling. Dan was pleased to spend his birthday weekend like this! :-) Of course our time together was too short, but I am grateful for that which we had. Whether we were just sitting in the living room or checking out the local breweries, it was wonderful to clink Cheers! with my dear girl (we met when we were FOUR!) and her new awesome hubby. I look forward to many, many years of times like these together. Back and forth, Oregon and Colorado. ;)

Colorado 2012 Part 1b (Besty's Pics!)

I had to share just a few of some of the photos Sarah sent us...She got so many great ones! Especially some of Raine and I together, which just about made me cry because I don't have very many of us. I'm always the one with the camera! See the rest of the photos here.

Colorado 2012 Part 1a

Our trip to Colorado was awesome. We certainly weren't there long enough. We spent April 4th and 5th with Sarah and family and the 6th and 7th with Allyson and Marc. I would have loved a week with them each!!! The night before we left, I watched an episode of House Hunters (my new addiction) and watched a woman find her first home in Boulder. It gave me a sneak peak of where we were headed and I had to snort at the irony because I was just saying to myself and the Internets that moving there could be possibly of interest...

I don't know how this happened, but this is my only picture of the 3 of them! I hope Sarah has some....

Sarah, Lily, and Anna picked us up at the Denver airport Wednesday morning and shuttled us in their Ford F 150 to their home in Castle Rock. The extended cab enabled Raine to sit in his car seat all nice and cozy between those two beautiful girls. LOL. He was super fussy after all of our traveling but one look at them and he was smitten! HELLO Besty 2.0 and Besty 3.0! They talked and played with him, and when he started to get fussy again, they even sang him to sleep. ;-) Be still. My beating. Heart.

The girls gave Raine a present and they all played together for a while. And honestly, I can't tell you much more than that because I was exhausted! I booked a 6:00 a.m. flight out of Portland in order to give us the whole day with our friends but I didn't think about the fact that we would have to leave for the airport at 4 a.m. and wake up at 3:30 a.m. Ugh. Of course, Besty was more than happy to let me take a nap while she watched Raine. ;) SWEET!

A musical turtle!

Wearing the gift wrap ribbon from his gift. :)

Everyone chillaxin' in the living room. Dan on his iPhone and Lily on the iPad. Raine & Anna playing side by side. :)

After Ryan got home from work and I woke up from my nap, we all talked and/or played and we gave them gifts. For the girls, a cool little booklet of iron-on decals, and for Ryan and Sarah, a 22 of Ink Heart (a Cascadian Dark Ale) by Portland's Laurelwood Brewery. (I picked the Ink Heart because it is a limited edition and it had a red heart on the label and it is Sarah and Ryan's 10th anniversary this month! I know...Super fancy gift, huh? LOL.) We enjoyed dinner together and then Sarah surprised Dan with a mini carrot cake (and chocolate cupcakes for the rest of us) for dessert! After the kids went to bed we watched Survivor and ruminated about how each of us would do if we were competing on the island. It is hard to say, but I'm going to wager that I would be the one to win out of the four of us (yes, the more quiet, weaker one...) because absolutely NO ONE would suspect it. Ha!

Thursday was super awesome because the weather was so nice (SUN. LIGHT. ALL. THE. TIME.) When Ryan discovered a fellow golf enthusiast in Dan, he rearranged his work day to make a tee time at Red Hawk Ridge Golf Course. Us girls sat outside and talked and then headed for a nearby park where Raine enjoyed an afternoon snack en plein air, and his first swing and-with help from the girls-his first slide! So fun! He loved it!

He got to slide twice with Lily and Anna each!

Mmmmm....Carrots!

We did more playing and relaxing at the house and enjoyed another great dinner by Sarah. The following morning the girls had more time with Raine and we played outside in the sun while we waited for Allyson to pick us up. It was so neat to sit Raine down in the grass for the first time! Is that silly? I just loved it. Lathering him up with sun tan lotion, putting shorts on his pudgy little legs...All he needed was sunglasses! ;) (Can you tell I'm ready for summer?) He really liked it, though. He especially liked all of the attention from Besties 1, 2, and 3. Ha ha. By the time we got him belted into Allyson's jeep, he was wiped out!

Morning cuddles with Anna and Skittles the kitty cat (Anna "tucked" Raine in <3)

Lily, the best hoola-hooper in all the land!