Baby Boy Clothes!

Since my mom found out that she's gonna' be a grandma, she's been collecting baby clothes from our friends and family who are "done" having kids. Here's what she's accumulated so far:



Little Rude's wardrobe is off to a good start!

Also, speaking of baby boys... Eric and Niki Arnette just had their little bundle of joy yesterday. Congrats Arnettes - he's precious!

The Joys of Craigslist

I'm sure there are lots of bargain-savvy folks out there who would agree that Craigslist is one of the best things the Internet has to offer. David and I have personally had a lot of success with the site. (...and no, we did NOT meet through one of their personal ads, but that would make for a more interesting story...)

Just last night, we sold our futon to a nice young couple for $80 cash. The uncomfortable wooden contraption had been taking up too much room in our guest bedroom (to-be nursery) and it was time to get rid of it. The buyers said they were planning to put it in their playroom and David happily helped them load it into the back of their truck after they placed a nice little stack of Jacksons in his palm.

Goodbye space-hogging couch/bed!



Here are a few of our other great Craigslist deals:

- sold hideously huge and very loud stereo speakers (we lived in apt at the time)
- sold our first pet, Rufus the guinea pig (and his supplies) to a preschool teacher
- sold David's three-wheeler and trailer
- sold David's little red Honda something motorcycle
- bought "pocket bike" motorcycle and picked-up in CA (stolen the next day, great)
- bought (and later sold) David's blue Honda something motorcycle
- sold David's 1994 Mazda B3000 pickup
- sold set of studded snow tires
- bought 2002 Mazda Protege (that I tragically totaled a few months later)
- bought 2004 Hyundai Elantra (to replace aforementioned vehicle)
- bought 1997 Ford Escort Wagon (my brother says we've now entered our 40's)
- sold 1987 Acura Integra (see post "Adios Leslie")

Also, I found my previous Credit Union job and David found his Hardwood Store job on the site. We used it when we were house-hunting and checked out several of the places we found (but I can't remember if we actually found our current house through the site, or not.)

Currently, I am perusing Craigslist for cheap baby furniture and a rug for our living room. Such fun!

You Gotta' Try It!

I'm not sure how my life was complete before I was introduced to this game...

Luckily, David and I decided to join Randy and Sarah on that fateful trip to Mt. Hood a couple of years ago, and that's when it all began. Little did we know that crammed together in a freezing cabin, we would crack open the board game that would change our lives. Huddled around a crude wooden table (pulled as close to the giant stone fireplace as possible) we entered a world of far-away and long-ago.

I'm talking about a little game called The Settlers of Catan!



For those unfamiliar with this entertaining treasure, here's a little synopsis...
Each player has a group of settlers that compete (in a friendly way) for domination of the island of Catan (no violence involved here, peeps.) The goal is to be the first to obtain 10 Victory Points through collection of a variety of resources and the development of a civilization - settlements, roads, cities, armies, etc.



You have to watch out for the sneaky robber too! (Every island needs a scoundrel, right?)



It's tough for me to remember a time when we didn't schedule "Settlers Nights" with various combinations of our friends. What did we even do back then?

Well, I gotta' give props to the Germans for this one! I may not like their harsh language or care for their beer, but they got it right when they created this game!

The Countdown Continues

Baby Rude and I are now at 29 weeks which means we only have 11 more to go! Everyone keeps telling me that the third trimester drags on, but I think it's going quickly! This is probably because I feel like there is so much to do before he arrives (and what if he's early?!) We've already started getting some hand-me-down baby clothes from family and friends - such fun! Here's the ole' belly:



Those vertical stripes aren't fooling anyone! =)

No, Really!

I don't think you understand how much I LOVE citrus fruits right now!



I just ate half of a grapefruit and it was basically the flavor of heaven (with added juiciness.)



My other loves include oranges, limes, tangelos, and tangerines! Is that so wrong?

There could be worse things, right?

David and I got back yesterday from Winter Retreat at Camp Yamhill. I've been a counselor at several different camps and retreats but this was my first time to this particular event. I really enjoyed it (despite the chilly weather - they still had piles of snow and lots of frost everywhere, brrrr.)

I was in a cabin with junior-high girls and was really impressed with their level of spiritual maturity. The topic of the weekend was Peace (with God, self, and others) and all our classes and activities revolved around this subject. We had designated times to meet as a small group and I loved the opportunity to get to know these girls more. Sure, sometimes they wanted to chat about boys and teenage drama, but they were also able to really examine their lives and share ways that they planned to seek true Peace in their lives. You go girls!

"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with
everyone." Romans 12:18

Adios Leslie!

I said goodbye to an old friend last night. It was a bittersweet farewell. While we had shared some good times together, it was time for me to move on... and besides, we really needed the cash.


Leslie wasn't my First Car. No, that title goes to my little white 1980 Nissan 200SX. It looked similar to the car pictured here - stylin'!



Nevertheless, Leslie and I had been together since I was a senior in high school (which was, like, ages ago!) and she was something special. Allow me to share some fond memories from our years together...

- Leslie was always reliable in taking me to early morning dance team practice and delivering me home after late-night shifts at McDonald's.
- We took friends with us on many trips in the summer to swim in the Calapooia, and she never complained when we got her seats wet with nasty river water.
- It was together that we traveled to Cascade to brave the mysterious world of college and learned to navigate in the "big city."
- She endured some gear-grinding (and possibly some cursing) when I let my roommate use Leslie to learn how to drive a stick-shift.
- We were pulled over only once, when Leslie's right headlight went out. We were left with a warning and I didn't hold it against her.
- One time driving to my parent's house, Leslie started making some weird noises but I didn't stop to check it out. When I got home I discovered I had been dragging her muffler on the ground for much of the trip. I felt bad about that one, but made it up to her with a shiny new muffler.
- Leslie wasn't really high-maintenance, but I did put some of my Mech Tech skills to use (thanks dad, for making me take that class) when we replaced her alternator and performed various maintenance tune-ups.
- When David and I got married in 2004, he welcomed Leslie into our family too, and he's the one who actually christened her with the name. I guess I didn't really call her anything before that - how heartless of me!
- Old Leslie and I endured rush-hour commuting, traveling in the rain and shine (mostly rain), honking at crazy Portland drivers (until her horn stopped working), passing numerous DEQ tests, and various other grand adventures.

Towards the end of our time together, Leslie and I started to grow apart. I was spending more time with Mr. Bigs (our Hyundai) and Leslie was often left alone in front of our house. While I felt bad about this, what could I do? She just wasn't needed anymore... We decided that it was time for her to find a home where she could be truly appreciated.

Several people come look at her but none of them seemed quite right. Finally, a young guy named Shaun came to check her out and he knew at first sight that she was the one for him. He didn't even take her for a test-drive before he asked us if he could take her home. It just seemed right. We watched, with great hope for their future, as they drove away together into the night.



I hope he'll love her as much as I did...

One of my Nerdy Hobbies!

I'm not a complete super-nerd, but I enjoy some activities that push me towards the nerdy end of the scale. I'll admit to taking pleasure in things like: reading for hours on end, scrapbooking, filing receipts and paying bills, making lists, and doing Sudoku puzzles (I like to call it Su-DORK-u!) One hobby that David and I both enjoy is Geocaching. Now, if you know what geocaching is, you totally understand why we love it... but if you're out of the loop, allow me to tell you a bit about it.

Geocaching is like treasure-hunting for grown-ups! It combines hiking/exploring with sluething and discovery. All you need is a GPS unit and access to this website: Basically, participants hide a "cache" and then record details for others to find it. The details might be the exact coordinates where the cache is hidden (longitude and latitude to plug into your GPS) or there may be a series of clues or discoveries you must make to find this information. Some caches just contain a logbook so you can sign that you found it, while others are larger and contain little trinkets that you can trade. (i.e. - I'll leave a friendship bracelet and take a pin shaped like the state of Kansas - score!)

One of the best parts about geocaching is that you can do it almost anywhere. They have caches in downtown metropolitan areas, around most neighborhood, way out in the country, and even the Canadians have caught-on to the craze! We bring our GPS when we go camping or hiking, when we go visit friends out of state, or basically any time we travel.

Photo taken while hunting for a cache in a downtown PDX park:


Taking a break while finding caches in the PDX Rose Garden:


You should check it out, and maybe you'll get hooked like we did!

Farewell Second Trimester!

Hello third trimester! I am happy to be in the downhill stretch of my pregnancy now, although, to be honest, I think it has actually gone by pretty quickly. I guess moving my due date up two weeks helped also (April 10th y'all!) I'm still feeling great and don't have any big complaints. Baby boy is healthy and still growing on track which is a wonderful blessing. He is an active little fella' too! As I type, he is alternating between kicking and pushing my lower left abdomen - I love it!

What Next?

As most of my faithful readers probably know, (hello? mom? are you the only one out there?) our beloved Cascade College will be closing after this Spring Semester 2009. If you are not in the loop with all things Cascade-related, there is information about the closure on our website: http://www.cascade.edu/news.asp?newsid=317&cat=0.

Now that the shock and frustration related to this decision have started to fade for me, I am faced with the fact that I am going to have to eventually move-on. I feel like I have a lot invested in Cascade - 4 years (and so many great memories) as a student, and now over 3 years as an employee. I love this place and I am not ready to say goodbye! Granted, I was expecting to take a 3 month hiatus for maternity leave starting sometime in April, but I planned to have a job to return to! Now EVERYTHING is up in the air!

I've started praying, brainstorming, researching, and dreaming about what might be next for me. Will I be an astronaut, a racecar driver, or a professional chef? I certainly have big-time skills in all those areas, but not a lot of experience. Maybe I should stick with something in the business field...

Here are some options I am considering for my home-based business:

- Selling cosmetics. Forget Avon and Mary Kay, I'm going to develop my own line of make-up for "the woman who only takes 2 minutes each morning to put on powder and mascara." I'll name it Rudimentary Beauty and it will feature (you guessed it!) only powder and mascara products. I'm sold already!



- Professional book reviewing. I really know how to read books, and generally I can offer my opinion of them afterwards. My prices will be competitive, but I will have some limitations to the projects I will accept: only fiction novels, must be fewer than 500 pages (pictures are a bonus), love stories or drama preferred, nothing related to war or violence, and can only make me cry a maximum of three times in its entirety. Oh, and if it sucks, I don't have to finish it. Also, I will not be writing actual reviews, I will just tell my clients what I think - it's more personal that way. As a bonus, I can do the dirty-work and actually select the book I read for you - AT NO ADDITIONAL COST!



- Organization wizardry. I don't do windows, but I'm pretty good at tidying/straightening-up/putting things away. Got a stack of papers? I can put them in folders for you (maybe with labels, maybe even sorted.) Got stuff on your floor (like toys, clothes, etc. - NOT dog messes, baby messes, and the like)? I can pick those things up and put them somewhere else for you (maybe someplace you'll be able to find them later.) Sound too good to be true? Well, for the right price, it could be a reality - especially if you have chocolate chip cookies I can eat while I work!



Well, that's all I've come up with so far. Please let me know if you can think of other ways I can turn my talents into profits. Oh, and if you need any of the above services - don't hesitate to give me your credit card information and we can discuss it further!

Baby Season

There must have been something in the water or some strange planetary alignment at the end of Summer 2008, because it seems like there are a whole lot of babies due to be born in the next couple of months. With a quick count on my fingers, I can think of 6 friends who are expecting between February and April of this year - it's madness. Baby madness. ... and I love it!

I went to a baby shower for one of those friends this past weekend and it was so wonderful to be surrounded by receiving blankets, cozy little outfits, and tiny socks. Granted, all these gifts were pink, but it still made me wistfully imagine how fun it will be to dress our snuggly little guy in such presh items - in manly colors like blue and green and yellow, of course. =)



We have our next doctor appointment this Wednesday and we'll hopefully be able to confirm our due date. We were pretty sure about April 22nd but then baby Rude decided to be larger than normal (growth spurt?) so they moved us up to April 10th. We'll find out how we've been progressing this past month and get a better idea about when he might make his appearance. I'll keep you posted!

Running on Fumes...

Does anyone else ever feel like this little guy?



Yeah... I'm glad it's Friday! Happy Weekend to you all!

It's a Jungle in Here!

I still feel like there is a LOT to do in preparation for the arrival of our little bundle of joy in April. I'm trying to research and read everything I can about pregnancy, labor and delivery (oh dear), caring for babies, etc. Boy, there is a lot of info out there!

One of the exciting (and low-pressure) decisions we got to make as we embark on this journey toward parenthood is the nursery theme. We considered several options before deciding on Baby Jungle Animals. Who doesn't love a chubby little elephant or snuggly monkey? My mom found us a cute crib set and we're trying to find creative (read: thrifty) ways to coordinate the rest of the room.

Wouldn't you sleep well surrounded by these precious jungle friends?



My mom (being the crafty-type) is crocheting a set of animals to match the ones on the blanket. How awesome is that?!

My Christmas Belly!

On Christmas Day I was in my 24th week of pregnancy (or maybe my 25th or 26th - depending on which due date I use to calculate it...) and we snapped a pic to capture my growth. I'm about to the point where I'm going to give Santa some competition, but I'm not sure it's ever going to shake when I laugh "like a bowl full of jelly."





Perhaps the growth has less to do with little Rude and is correlated more closely to the amount of Christmas candy I consumed this year...

The Rudes enjoyed a low-key Christmas at home this year. David woke me up at 9:00 on Christmas morning and asked if I was EVER going to get up so we could see what Santa brought us. Although we forgot to leave him cookies and milk this year (oops), the fat man was kind enough to fill our stockings and leave a few things for us under the tree.

How did Santa know we needed a wall sconce for our dining room?



A hand-carved spoon from Wales.



David tries on some baby booties made by his sister.



To keep him busy while the "grown-ups" opened presents, Santa left a nice pig ear for Tucker to chew on. I won't include any pictures, because honestly, it's kinda' gross.

Thanks for letting us celebrate your birthday Jesus. (although it's strange that we gather around a dead tree and eat things out of old socks to do so...)