Changes

I am sorry to report that we did not make it to the top of Saddle Mountain this weekend. It was a three mile hike to the top and we made it just past halfway. It was a beautiful hike and lots of fun, but one of the girls in the youth group wasn't feeling well and we had to keep stopping for her. If we would have had more time, we might have been able to go up farther. The views on the the hike were amazing though, and I want to go back sometime and do the whole trail!

David has an interview for a job in Vancouver today. A friend from our church is a manager at a specialty gas company and David is applying to be a delivery/sales guy. Please say prayers/send happy thoughts/etc on his behalf! (For those of you who may not know, his youth ministry job with Central is ending this weekend after Faith Quest. They let him know about a month ago that financially, the church wouldn't be able to pay him after the summer. We were pretty bummed about it at first, but we plan to stay there and volunteer - we have really enjoyed working with the teens there and I think the group is finally starting to grow.)

David and I are also looking for a new apartment right now. The ghetto just isn't cutting it for us anymore. If you know of a place in the Mt. Tabor/Gateway/Central area that has two bedroom apartments at a decent price - let us know! (Oh yeah, and they have to have a washer and dryer hook-up, dishwasher, deck/patio, and allow small dogs - 'cause we really want to get one!)

I Wanted to Say Something...

I was on the MAX the other night after work and I overheard some teenage girls who were chatting near me. (No, I was not really eavesdropping, but it's hard not to hear what other people are saying when they are standing right next to you in a crowded car.) They looked to be around 14 or 15 (maybe younger...) and they were talking about how their summers had been going. One of them declared that she had made out with SO many guys already since school had been out. She said it was lots of fun. One of the other girls declared that she had probably made out with more boys than the first girl had. The first girl responded that this was probably true, because the second girl "got around" more than she did. The second girl defended herself by claiming that she didn't really f--- many of them, just messed around. The first girl agreed and said that she hadn't f---ed a whole lot either. She added that she wasn't a slut like so-and-so's girlfriend. The third girl was silent during this conversation, and I wondered if maybe she, like me, wished that there was more purpose and worth to each of our lives than her friends seemed to think.

The whole thing made me sad, and I wished I could have said something to them, but I was just a stranger on public transportation who wasn't supposed to be hearing them anyway. Unless of course, their conversation was for the benefit of those who were around them - maybe we should have been impressed by their "scoring" stats. I just felt sorry for them. I don't know what I would have said anyway, but I wish I would have said something...

Weekend Update

Well, I missed hanging out with Suzie and Tasha while they were in town this weekend, but that was because my time had already been booked. (Darn busy summer schedules!) I went to Erin's wedding on Friday evening with Laurie - it was so beautiful! It was held at the Columbia Gorge Hotel and the ceremony and cocktail hour took place on a cliff overlooking the river. Erin was a gorgeous bride and she looked stunning in her dress. (whistle, whistle) It was fun to see Peter and Jessica there, and also to watch all the action on the dance floor during the reception. hee hee

On Saturday I helped out with the youth group rummage sale that was held at our church. The teens made about $1,000! There was quite a collection of junk there though, and it wasn't so fun cleaning up afterwards. During the last hour of the sale, it was declared that everything was free in the hopes that people would start clearing out the merchandise. It worked pretty well - several people walked out with armloads of full bags and boxes. David scored a couple of tools and I got a CD called Ambiance (spa-style relaxing tunes.)

David is gone again. (This is the reoccurring theme of my summer.) He and the youth group are in Astoria this week. They are building a prayer garden at the church where his dad works during the day and seeing all the sights of the city in the evenings. I am joining them on Thursday night when they are going camping at Saddle Mountain. We are supposed to be hiking to the summit on Friday. We'll see who can make it to the top! =)

Sweet Songs from the 80's!

Hey! I just took a fun test with lyrics from sweet 80's songs! If you have some time on your hands, you should check it out!

http://www.yetanotherdot.com/asp/80s.html

Final Score: 56.15
Can you beat me?!

Bundle of Joy

I have some exciting news! I know that you will all share in my joy as I announce that I had a chinchilla sighting last night! David and I were shopping at Lloyd Center after work and I dragged him down to the pet shop for a glimpse of the puppies and other small, furry critters. Lo and behold, there in the front display was a cuddly bunch of four baby chinchillas! I was ecstatic!

They really are the most adorable creatures of ever! David said that he didn't mind if we got one, so now the wheels in my head have been turning. I have already done considerable research about these rodents, but I think I have a little more to do. Anyone have $100 they can spare?

Fun and Games

Update time! What has been happening in Carrie's life? you ask. Well, not a whole lot, so luckily you won't have to read very much. David was gone this last weekend for a youth retreat at the beach. I went downtown to The Bite on Friday evening with Coleen and we met several other friends there. It was super crowded so we ended up sitting in a cramped group on the grass and couldn't really see the bands from where we were. We could hear them though, and I guess that's the important part.

I had to work on Saturday and then I tried to spend the rest of the day indoors because it was so hot! I don't know if I've mentioned this before in my Blog but they are painting our apartments right now and so we've had our windows sealed up. Thankfully, they weren't all sealed up at one time, but it makes airflow difficult when one end of your residence is blocked-up. blah. And with this weather! - it's crazy! David came back on Sunday from Coos Bay and I was happy to have him back at home. We played several rounds of UpWords, Mancala, and Rummikub. I don't care if that makes us sound like an old couple - I love playing games!

TGIF

I have a spring in my step because it's Friday, and that's one of my favorite days of the week! Nevermind the fact that I still have to work tomorrow - it's still the weekend, and that's the important part. On Wednesday, David and I went to a free concert in Washington Park. It was a group called the Buckles and they played country music from the 50's and 60's in their green sparkly jackets. It was fun to see little kids dancing everywhere and some older couples showing off their moves too. Our friend Eric predicted that one of the ladies on the "dance floor" was an ex-cheerleading-coach because she was very intense and had a really unique style. It was funny.

Last night Danny had us over to his place for dinner. He impressed us with his culinary skills, but I had to turn down the Stove Top Stuffing because it is my very least favorite food in the world. (there's something about soggy bread crumbs...) We got to see a lot of his cool photographs and then he and David "entertained" us with several rounds of Dr. Mario on classic Nintendo. whoop whoop

Check One off My List!

I got to experience The Pied Cow for the first time last evening thanks to Niki and Coleen. How did I make it through four years of college in Portland and never stop by the place? Crazy. Well, the dessert and the company were enjoyable, and I look forward to future "girl's nights" and possibly learning to knit. (Coleen promises that I won't get addicted...)

Yamp Camhill

I am back at work today ending another enjoyable weekend. David and I went out to Camp Yamhill on Friday after work for a weekend retreat with our church. We stayed until Sunday afternoon and had a really great time! The weather was beautiful (although a little bit toasty) and the grounds of the camp are always lovely. We got to climb the rock wall on Saturday, and I made it about half way up - scary! Of course David made it to the top in 2 minutes - he's so competitive!

We also went swimming on Saturday since it was so HOT! I tried wading in slowly, but seriously the river felt like it could have ice cubes in it. brrr... So I went off the rope swing instead. I could hardly breathe when I hit the water. It was freezing! We played slip n'slide baseball later that day and ended it with a campfire complete with smores and stove-top popcorn. My wildlife sightings for the weekend included several newts, an abundance of dragonflies and gnats, several small fish, and a dead squirrel on the drive home.

Someone Needs to Get Out More...

Happy Belated B-day to A-Rae! (Who, by the way, totally needs to update her Blog! Hello? We want to know what's going on with you!) To celebrate another year of Amanda's life, Anna organized a suprise get-together at Hoyt Arboretum. I had never been there before, and it looks like a really nice place to go hiking - lots of trails, trees, small woodland creatures, etc. We had a picnic on the top of a hill with a gorgeuos view and then played a bit of badmiton and frisbee. We also stopped by the Rose Garden, but it was after nine so it was a little difficult to see the flowers. They smelled really delicious though, and I told David that he needs to take me there sometime during the day. I feel ashamed to live in Portland and never visit all of the incredible places that the city has to offer. Maybe I should start a list of "must-see" locations!

Wilson-fest 2005

August already! My summer break is almost over! (Yeah, I wish I had a summer break - those were the days! *sigh*) I did take Monday and Tuesday off of work though, and that was nice. David and I went camping with my family in Florence for the weekend. It's an annual event for my relatives to reserve a campsite by the dunes and we always have a great time. This year a couple of the families weren't able to make it, which was a bit disappointing, but I guess that's what happens when a family gets bigger and everyone is going in their own direction. Our fun activities included an afternoon at Honeyman Park (all the younger kids and David were swimming while the rest of us huddled in the sandy wind), foxtail throwing, several rounds of whiffle ball, a rousting game of sardines, making Smores over the campfire, suffering through a game of Risk where my cousin Steve took over the known world, and learning to take an 8 minute shower (you know the coin-operated type - ew.)

Oh yeah, and my cousin Jeni had her new little baby there and I got to hold him. His name is Malachi and he is 7 weeks old - how precious! I got to feed him too and the little oinker ate two whole bottles - whew! I hope that babies aren't contagious because two of my other cousins are pregnant right now too. (hmmm...or do I secretly hope that babies are contagious....? hmmm)

Keep Me Outta' the Gutter!

I almost had a turkey! Can you believe it? I was only one pin away! That's right folks - I'm talking about bowling. A group of my co-workers took a trip over to Hollywood Bowl last night and had some friendly competition on the lanes. It was gals against guys, and we both ended the night with with a win. On the ladies' side: Laurie, Shawn Marie and myself dominated the first game. I got a 137 - my highest score ever! It must have been the luck of my swirled-green 11 pound ball. On the mens' team: Danny, Gabe, and Heavy V beat us in the second round. I had two strikes in the last frame and thought I was going to pull-off the third, but one of the pins refused to submit to my forceful throw. So close...

Sunday Splash!

Oh, I forgot to report about the rest of my weekend - it ended with even more fun. Coleen invited us to go swimming with her after church on Sunday. We went to the Sandy river in Troutdale with Eric, Niki, Jon, and Tabitha. The water was freezing and there were so many people there! It took me a long time to get in the water since I am a big wussy (in a totally cool way of course) but I finally mananged to get out there and have fun. There were kids everywhere just jumping right in without a second thought - I guess they have thicker skin than I do. The river was really broad, but it wasn't very deep. I could walk across the entire thing! The water was all nasty brown and had a funky smell to it - gross huh? Supposedly this is one of the cleaner rivers around - way to go Oregon.

Look at them now!

Another brief weekend. *sigh* David came home on Friday evening and I was glad to have him return after another week of being gone at camp. I don't know how people can maintain long-distance relationships - I was just glad that he was able to call me everyday and that it was only for a week. I just miss him so much when he's gone. Seriously, how do people manage it? Let me know if you have any insights.

On Saturday after work we drove down to Philomath to celebrate with one of my high school friends. She got married in May in Birmingham, and her parents were hosting a wedding celebration for her here in Oregon. It was really great to see a lot of my high school buddies - I hadn't seen some of them in years! It was interesting to also see how different our lives are now that we have gone separate ways.

When looking at the lives of the five of us friends who were at the party this weekend, it is hard to believe that we all came from the same tiny town. The variety includes: My recently married friend who just bought a new house in Alabama, sports a HUGE diamond ring, has an English Bulldog named Sherman, and complains endlessly about people and events from years ago. Another friend who has gone to 3 different colleges (with no degree as of yet to show for it), gets paid big bucks to be a nanny for two girls, writes a column for a local newspaper and lives in Corvallis with a guy with a very jealous girlfriend. Yet another of the friends went to a local community college to study photography, is living in Philomath with her parents, has a 1-year-old daughter, and works part-time at a local thrift shop. Finally, one of the gals is working on her Masters in economics at U of O, works for the state of Oregon in Salem as a legal assistant, and has a very mellow social life. Oh, and of course there is me, and I am the coolest of them all!

Weddings, Babies, and other such nonsense

I swear something exciting happened... I just can't remember what it is right now, so I guess I'll have to write about the mundane stuff until I think of it. Hmmmm... Last weekend was pretty pleasant. On Friday I went to Shaun and Jessica's wedding rehersal. (David was the best man for the second time this summer - sheesh!) Saturday was their wedding which was nice. It was pretty small and simple, but I enjoyed it because it was very sincere and suited them very well. Her dress was very beautiful and Carly and Amber made lovely bridesmaids. David knocked over a candle at the reception and got hot wax all over his suit (and he only had one glass of sparkling wine!) Joey and Crystal stayed with us for the weekend again and we had Jon and Tabitha over to watch a movie with us after the wedding. (Crystal picked "The Pacifier" - what a cheesy flick! And I didn't realize that Vin Diesel was such a lousy actor! I guess it had some funny parts...)

On Sunday after church we went to Red Robin for lunch. (David had already left for yet another week of couseling out at Camp Yamhill.) Heidi and Dustin Merritt joined us and Desarae Smith (I think that's how she spells it...) came with her 3-week-old son Ethan. I got to hold him and he was so adorable and tiny. Of course it just made me want to have one of my own, even though he cried almost the entire time I had him. It was because he was hungry though - not because I am a bad baby-holder!

At least it's not a broken heart...

Is it bad luck to break a dish? I ask because our set of 12 glasses has been reduced to a sad 11. I closed our dishwasher door with a bit too much enthusiasm last night and demolished one of our precious tumblers. David assured me that they were just cheap glasses and that we could probably even find one at a garage sale, but I still felt bad. I was responsible for breaking our first dish! (Although, aren't you impressed that we didn't break any dishes at all before our 1 year anniversary? I've been know to drop a few plates and bowls in my years...)

The other blog

I have another blog.
It's name is Xanga.
It is nice.
You can go there if you want.
It is a lot like my blog spot.
They are friends.
Its home is here:
http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=CRudey

Follow-up

Since I promised in my last post...I will let you know how the banana bread turned out (oh, by the way, it had walnuts so it was no ordinary banana bread!) I thought it was pretty decent, David raved that it was delicious (although he ate his warmed in the microwave and spread with butter - NOT the way it is intended to be eaten, mind you) and one of my co-workers proclaimed that it was like a piece of heaven. He/she told me that I should try selling it on the Internet, and then proceeded to eat over half the loaf! Jeepers!

Now for my movie review:

I give National Treasure "one thumb up and one thumb sideways." I had high expectations for this flick and the storyline was pretty decent. It promised action, and I think it delivered. Nicholas Cage and the other dude were great, but the female lead - played by Diane Kruger, was a little weak. I think that if they would have cast Julia Roberts, the film would have been much improved.

The film Something's Gotta Give gets only "one thumb up" from me. It doesn't get the other thumb because it creeped me out that a 60-something playboy was hooking up with ladies younger than 30. bllrrrrlllrrrr! (sound made by sticking out your tongue and shivering) Diane Keaton was really swell and I imagine myself being a bit like her character when I am more "mature." (except for being divorced and sleeping with the aforementioned playa', of course.)

The Paparazzi should have been a clue.

Celebrity sightings! Well, not exactly...but it was cool to see Gayleon (sp?) and Carly on the MAX the other day after work. I also talked to Mary (Randy's girlfriend) on the MAX one morning on the way to work. Perhaps weirdest of all, we saw Chris West at the Salt Lake City airport on our way to Tulsa. Crazy! Why are all these people following me?!

In other important news. I baked some banana bread last night that looks super delicious. I haven't tried it yet, but I will be sure to let you know the results!

OK was better than okay!

I'm back, and let me just say that it is great to be back in Oregon where I can walk outdoors and not immediately be covered in a fine layer of moisture and sweat. That's right folks, Oklahoma was hot and humid! But more about OK in a moment...first an exciting tale of daring and adventure...

I had someone arrested on Friday! As far as my life goes - that is pretty exciting! For reasons of confidentiality I can't really go into details, but someone tried to pull a fast one on me at the CU and I snapped my fingers in his face and proclaimed, "I don't think so busta'!" Well, it wasn't quite that glamorous, but he was taken away in cuffs nonetheless, and it was found that he had fraudulent materials and drugs (gasp!) on him. Phew!

After all that excitement I was certainly ready for a vacation! David and I flew to Oklahoma on Saturday and returned yesterday. It was a really great trip and it was nice to meet a lot of his extended family. We stayed with his second cousins Paul and Tammie who live in a beautiful 4 bedroom, A-frame cabin with their three adorable children (our third cousins?! - I don't know how that works!) The only downside is that they had a clawfoot tub rather than a shower with this hand-held spout thing - it was kinda' weird. Plus we were bathing several times a day because of the sweat-factor.

The 4th of July party his family threw was way totally rockin'! Several of the relatives live on a 40 acre ranch with several ponds, an orchard, horses, etc.; and that is where the extravaganza was held. They had a catered BBQ buffet, a country/rock band that performed through the evening, thousands of dollars worth of fireworks, and several inflatable structures for the kids (and adults) to play on. I climbed all the way to the top of the air-filled rock wall - go me!
By the way, I take back any comments I made about Oklahoma being flat and ugly. The area outside of Tulsa that we visited was really beautiful. It's still flat though.