A House I Know...

A house I know in Oregon is looking for a new family. It sits on the river in a small town 30 minutes from Salem. It has 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths a double garage and sits on .3 of an acre.

I couldn't believe it!

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain. It hasn't rained here in a long time and everytime we get clouds, they tease us. Well not this time! The three months of dust has now been washed away. This has probably been the hardest thing for us to adjust to. It won't rain for six months at a time, and at first that sounds nice, then you realize everything needs a little rain to wash it off now and then. I wouldn't say the streets are actually cleaner, but they look like it for now!

Catching Up

Since my last post: Jordan and Rosana got a dog, Bob and I celebrated our fifth anniversary, I spent a weekend in Oakland taking a class and Spencer came to visit. What a busy week!

Numero Quatro

So I took my fourth test this morning and finished with a ton of time - either a really good sign or really bad one I guess. I feel better than I did after test 3, but who knows. These NCARB people are tricky. I almost panicked when I got to the center and went to place my stuff in the locker and ugh my lucky locker was already taken! I almost went home then. I'll know in 3 weeks or so. This weekend I am taking a three day class for my 5th and 6th tests which I hope to take one at the end of the month and the other in August.

Blog, Blog, Blog.

Things I could blog about all weekend instead of studying for my next test, but I won't because the next three will be the hardest tests for me.
How to know you are married to a grad student
I'm not the evil developer
Reasons not to backpack through Europe in December
How I would rather spend a sunny Friday instead of at Work
Place I hope to go someday and things I want to see
What I'd like to see fixed in the World, sooner than later
What I want to do when Bob rules the world, or eh has a full-time paying job

Union Valley Reservoir

Just a quick overview of the weekend - Lulu playing Frisbee in the water, Steve relaxing, sunset over the reservoir, Weezy and Lulu trying to chew on the same stick while Keren mediates and Adam chopping firewood.

June

This just about sums up the month, besides finishing the term and test taking, there has been bike fixing (Bob and Pat), hammock sitting, BBQing (Bob, Jordan and David) and Wii playing (Lindsay and David). And for those of you who have been following, yes the adorable family is Josh, Shelley and Alden (9 months old).

Give me a "P"!

I just passed test number 3! I plan on taking three more this month so I hope this string of luck continues. Thanks again for all the love and support during this time, it is greatly appreciated.

In other news, I will have pictures up soon, I downloaded them this morning.

Short one for now

Just a short blog for a couple of reasons. 1. I feel guilty I haven't posted so I must just put something here. 2. I don't have my camera to upload any pictures to actually make the blog interesting and 3. I'm tired.

So now that Bob is done with school it is already harder for me to study, especially on the the weekend. We had a weekend of spending time with friends, of appreciating things here, played soccer, swam in a pool, went to REI, but no studying was done and no prep for the next camping trip was done either. What a busy week that lies ahead.

Whoo Hoo!

I did it. I passed the first two tests I took. It only took them 6 weeks and 5 days to let me know, and now I am letting you all know. Thank you all for your support! I've taken one other exam so far, but do not have the results and I plan on taking three others in July. So by the end of the summer I'll have taken 6 of the 9. The score so far is 2 of 9. I think I was grinning all weekend!

Procrastination at its Best

I am taking an exam Monday and what I am I doing today? Anything to avoid looking at more Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Fire Systems, Day lighting, Acoustics and Elevator systems. By anything I mean in the last 24 hours I have - stood in line for Bagels for 20 minutes, sorted and started the laundry, wrapped a gift, (for a baby shower this afternoon), planned the groceries and meals for the week, written 2 blogs in less than 24 hours, gone swimming, watched a movie and walked the dog...twice. Of course I've checked my email, surfed the web, and talked to my family. Now I guess the only thing left to do is - study.
I still haven't received the results from my first two exams, but since this one is a multiple choices, I should know in less than two weeks - so maybe before I find out about the first two!

(After taking the exam Monday and feeling horrible about it, I have to say that I only procrastinated late Saturday and Sunday. I read and studied the last two weeks and went to two classes in San Francisco. I felt very prepared going into the test and very unprepared coming out.)

Just around the corner from here

I know I still have a topic listed below that I haven't written on, but there are so many problems that I don't know where to start. But here is a topic that I've been thinking about today.

There is a song by the Low Stars called "Just Around the Corner" and I have realized that it is an excellent discription of life. Deep I know. The lyrics are pretty catchy too. So many things seem just out of reach, just through another tunnel, just around the corner. Each test I take for my license is a bend along my road, Bob's PhD, where we live now and where we hope to live one day, the life we want, next month's book club selection - almost everything can so easily be related to being around the corner - and some young pop star had to point that out to me!

Lately it seems like I am going in a circle, and quite quickly at that, its a good thing I am not the driver. We've now been here 9 months as of today. It is remarkable that I can go from so content here in sunny California, to missing so many things about Oregon. Bob finishes up his term next week and I'll take my 3rd exam and after that I should have details about our next trip, home.

CRs - no pictures

What are CRs, I have been asked. First I have to tell you that I refer to them as that because I hate their name. Cockroaches. Disgusting and prevalent in my new office. I don't care if they are Chinese or German (yes I now know way too much about these insects) they are all gross, just different sizes and colors in my opinion. Don't worry we have now had the office sprayed both inside and out. It is funny how different people react when they see one, since these are at least 2 inches long and still pretty fast, they catch me by surprise and I first make a sort of screaming yelping noise followed by jumping backwards. I can't kill them, they are too large so I usually find something to put over top of them, like a bucket, or I have my co-worker do it. As for the killing, I was leaving it up to the boss so he would know there was a problem, but there has been a dead one in the bathroom for a couple of days now (I guess the spraying worked) and I wonder how long he will stay there. I am certainly not paid enough to remove him, and yes there is another bathroom I use!

The California Sun (as promissed)

We can't complain about the weather, yet. It has been in the 80s and occasionally in the 90s so far. We've used the AC a couple of times, but just until the sun goes down and then we open all the windows and doors. So far the pets don't mind. So what do we do with such nice weather? We wear sunscreen and sit in our hammock (or our friends do) whenever we can.

Memorial Weekend Camping

Here are a few photos from the weekend trip to the Sierra Mountains. The cute town is Downieville and the Yuba River runs through it (this is where Chad and Bob played a quick round of horseshoes). Fraiser Falls was just a couple miles from where we camped. Our campsite was great, the weather was wonderful, and the views were even better.

As promissed - What I miss about Oregon Besides Friends and Family

This is of course after all our friends and family, just to remind you that yes we miss you more than these things.
I miss my house. Being there at the beginning of the month and working in the yard, seeing the garden, and our neighbors made me quite sad.
We are going camping this weekend for the first time since we moved in September and making the reservation has made me miss the cabin and lake, Sunriver, the coast, the Mackenzie River, the Willamette River, and all forks of the Santiam. I miss familiar camping areas and camping with long time friends. I miss playing Uno. I do not miss canoeing.
I miss bottle returns. I don't mean that I miss taking them in or counting them, but getting our deposit back now seems like such a nice treat.
I miss Northern Lights or any other theater that lets you eat and drink while watching a movie for less than $9.25.
I miss numerous restaurants.
I miss slower speed limits and highways with a reasonable number of lanes.
I even miss the rain sometimes.

Posts in the Near Future

What I miss about Oregon besides Friends and Family

The problem with custom homes

CRs the nastiest little critters

The California Sun

Cinco de Softball 2007

Just a few highlights.

Long Weekend

This was a long weekend and I don't me long in the restful, relaxing sort of way. Friday night was Bob's grandpa's birthday, Saturday was a big study day for me followed by soccer and going out with other grad students. Sunday involved more studying, regular household tasks, and a visit from Kris, Heidi, and Hunter on their way to Disneyland. The evening ended with a potluck at a professor's house. And then Monday came and I took my first exam. Ahhh I can breath now. Although I do feel energized and ready to tackle the next couple before I might get any discouraging news!

Here are pictures of Hunter with our animals, the soccer group taking a break, and then the wearing of the Canadian top hat after the potluck.

Lots on my Mind

So today I am moving offices, same job, new space, and seeing my empty desk with only my computer sitting on it has caused me to reflect on several things. First of all, what a week. My friend Jeanne was here visiting until Monday and left us with a lot to think about as she decides what to do and where to live next. The office move has been hectic and will continue on through next week. Family is in town for the weekend and I am taking a test on Monday. It will be my first one and I keep telling myself it is ok to fail, I probably will stress myself out and forget everything, but at the same time I keep saying to myself, "you can do this" and I know I can, but will I?

On a larger note, I have two friends involved in the Invisible Children/Displacement Camps/Child Soldier issues in Uganda. This weekend there is an event to make people more aware of what is happening. It is yet another part of our world that leaves me feeling small and helpless. It is another cause I should be involved in, but cannot seem to find time for. Mother Teresa was a very wise woman and said several things we should all pay more attention to, but one thing in particular struck me, "We can do no great things, only small things with great love." So if you too feel pressured to be more involved, but can't seem to pick the right cause or at least use that as your excuse, we no longer have an excuse. We don't have to be 'the great movement', we just have to do our small part with all of our heart and we can make a difference.

Here is the event I mentioned and there is more information, just look, it is easy to find.

http://www.invisiblechildren.com/displaceMe/
http://www.invisiblechildren.com/theMission/Bracelet_Campaign
http://www.worldvision.org/worldvision/wvususfo.nsf/stable/globalissues_uganda