One Exciting Week

What a roller coaster of a week! Monday started off with a meeting with a favorite client followed by being thrown under the bus. Wednesday our new niece arrived, Thursday we met her. Thursday afternoon was tough at work though and I went home and cried that night. But Friday morning relief came when I had a job offer from the firm I've been working with 2 days a week. So I gave notice yesterday. My hope is to be taken seriously, as an architect, at the new office. It is small and I'll give more info about them soon. I can tell you I've learned a lot about how businesses are run and what their priorities are and I will pick working with cool, honest people over cool projects any day.

Our New Niece!

Meet Jacqueline Faith Reinhardt! (Pictured with her Uncle Bob and Grandma Debi) Bob is shading her from the bright light. She is 9lb 9oz born last night. Great job Drew and Jen!

random catch up

Here are a couple photos to bring things up to date.

Bob using his new toy to make the melted sugar on top of espresso infused creme brulee.












My new slippers I bought with Birthday money!

Ander Edwin

My dear friend Kristina is a strong woman! She gave birth last week to an 8lb 6oz baby boy. Congrats Kris and Kyle! Here she is all cute at her shower and then at the hospital.

What I learned today...

Check this out when you have the extra 30 seconds, then you too will learn something.

Images of Projects I've worked on

Kroc Center (I only did some site drawings)








WaterPlace (lots of details for lighting, glass, wood and then the individual offices inside.)











All the construction drawings for Travel Salem, Interior Remodel!

Awards

Here is the team I work with (Tuesday-Thursday) and we won a couple awards last night for our most recent projects. Maybe I'll find some images to show you in the next post.

Tea Time

Blooming Jasmine tea I received from Jen for Christmas!

Ringing in the New Year

Our annual game of Risk










A new tradition (for us)
of burning effigies
(Maybe I'll give a brief list later)










Snow!

Christmas Pictures

Our Tree











Christmas Morning at my parents'

Holiday Cards

We only sent out a few cards this year because Bob went and got complicated (they involved seeking out a letterpress and finding an antique typwriter less than 2 weeks before Christmas) but here is a sample.

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Picture om my actual birthday, no candles so we used a match, haha!

I was too full for real dessert :)







And the crepes Bob made for breakfast, Yum!

Warming Trend

It has warmed back up here to our normal 45 and rainy days, but here is a top 10 reasons you know it is colder than normal outside:

10.Your fountain at work freezes and everyone compares pictures
9. You bundle up just to go down the stairs at your office.
8. You park your car in the area of the parking lot where there is no shade.
7. You realize you need more hats and scarves to make your outfits look like they are on purpose and those are accessories.
6. You wear thermals under your work clothes, gym clothes, and at home clothes.
5. You want the pets to sleep with you.
4. Even your unheated garage is a wonderful asset.
3. You have ice forming on the inside of your house windows.
2.You turn down an invite to go out for drinks.
1. You are extra thankful that almost everything can be done online!

What a weekend!

Friday night started with dinner with Portland Peeps (Farm was delicious!) and was followed by surprise tickets to see Spoon! Saturday, I went to a bazaar with Sheila and Cait and then Bob and I went to my work Holiday party. Sunday we went Christmas tree hunting with Cait, Sheila, Tom, Kris, Heidi and Hunter. Then, yes there is more, Tonya picked me up and we headed to Portland for Katie's Cookie exchange. So much food and so many good times!









Me and Gretchen (from work)



















Cait and Hunter in the snow, Lulu with our bounty.


Cookies!!

Mom's b-day

Last weekend we took my mom to Portland for dinner and Christmas lights. Here are images from the night. (It was cold then too! Shiny happy people :)

Freezing!

It is cold here, colder than normal. Here are pics of my fountain at work. Go back and look at last December's and you'll see the frozen fountain there too. The difference is that one had snow then freezing rain and this year we've had neither, just 14 degree nights!

Blessings

So after my downer post, the Ducks win a trip to the Rose Bowl and Bob is offered a class at Willamette. Rose Bowl just means a fun day of watching the game, but Willamette...That means we won't rely solely on my income which takes a load off me.
Maybe part of my not so rosey outlook has to do with my birthday. Which I usually love to celebrate, but don't know what to do this year. Bob has taken care of something on the 11th with some Portland friends, but I don't know if I should have dinner with the fam? Drinks with the neighbors? Dessert with another couple? It is such a busy time for everyone and it is a Tuesday this year (only rain predicted, no snow this year) and the truth is my bestest of friends aren't in Salem, the people I would really want to spend more time with don't live near me and that makes me sad. I miss you friends in MT, MN, CA and WA!

Thankful Thanksgiving but a crappy week

We once again had a relaxing time in Sunriver with my family, followed by an afternoon of games and food with Bob's family. I don't mean to sound like a brat because I have so much to be thankful for, but I've just been feeling a bit down this week. For every thing that makes me happy, there is something to make me sad and once again I'm having the feeling of what can I do to make a difference. Everyday it is the same. Sure I recycle, I sit on committees, I donate to worthy causes, but in the end what have I changed? There are still kids that can't read, people starving, women being raped, drugs being made, wars being fought. Why don't people want to help? Why don't people want change?

Let's start with the most recent item. I did not get the regional position I applied for, it went to an overachieving male architect/attorney, yes both. I don't even know how that is possible since one of the requirements was to be licensed less than 10 years! So maybe my application was a joke. Am I? What do I really know?

Second, I am grateful to be employed. This is a very rough time for architects and I know some that are still out of work, so I hate to say that I am unhappy at my job. I don't trust the people I work with, I cannot call them friends and I don't think they actually care about me either. This week I have been invisible. I am no longer included in meetings, no one asks me to work or help them with something and no one seems to care what I am working on. So I have to wonder if my end is near. Which in case you are wondering, is just about the crappiest thing to feel.

Ah the weight of the world, does no one else feel it? How do you bare it?

Trip to Davis

The first weekend in November, Bob and I headed down to Davis, but not before Bob sprained his ankle playing basketball with my co-workers. This made the trip a bit harder, but we still saw an incredible amount of friends, Bob went to a conference, and I to a yoga class. I didn't take many pictures at all, sorry, but here is one from our hosts whiteboard in the room they let us borrow each time (aren't they funny) and one of Alden and for those of you who really want to see it, Bob's bruised ankle (this was day 3, I think it got worse)!

Beach Trip

Last weekend we had amazing fall weather and I suggested we head to the beach. So we packed up Lulu and a picnic and drover over for a couple hours.