On this day in 1974...

...my honey-bunny husband entered this world.

We celebrated by eating way too much Mexican food and then riding our bikes home from the Mexican joint way too late.

Happy #34 babe. 

Jules Designs

So, remember this bag?

Well, now you can buy one.  Jules Designs has officially gone public.

www.julesdesigns.etsy.com

Have a look around Julia's store.  B took the photos with help from the lovely modeling of Julia and Katie.  Enjoy!

Find rock. Will climb.

Another sunny Sunday and we had a hankerin' for some climbin'. Only problem is that the rock climbin' we like to do is a pretty good drive from Beaverton. Not at all helping with the whole, saving-gas-money-so-we-can-make-it-to-New-Mexico situation.

I had heard some people at work talking about this pretty cool crag in.... oh, sorry, can't tell you where it is, certain people at work might slash my tires. Anyway, it's about 20 minutes from our place and we met our friend Erin at the "really cool crag" on Sunday afternoon to put up some climbs.

This is Erin sending the bottom of a really difficult route.  Thanks to my FLAs (freakishly long arms), we didn't have to lead it and I just reached around the rock and put up two more draws for a second anchor.
B about halfway up.  Check out his most excellent heel hook and his impressive guns.
Me, on belay in the sun.  I am a teensy bit sunburned and man, does it feel good!

Oh, did I forget to mention that this rock is down by the tracks?  

Compromise. Really?

Everyone says that marriage is all about compromise.  Give and take.  Pick your battles, they say. You know what I say?  "If you would just stop freaking out for second, everything will work out." 

For B's birthday (#34 on the 17th), we bought a new desk off craigslist.  Which meant that we had to rearrange our office/spare bedroom/gear storage room.  Which meant we started to think about whether or not we wanted to keep certain things.  Like the old, beat-up printer cart that Bryan has had for years.  Or the crazy floor lamp that just "doesn't go."  

And when we got rid of the printer cart, we moved the filing cabinet, which meant we had to move the bookshelf over to where the floor lamp was.  Which meant, naturally, that we had to get rid of the floor lamp.  But what were we to do for light?  Ah, enter the "compromise."

Well, I'm very happy to say that B's awesome lamp is now standing tall, ugly and proud on the dresser in our office/spare bedroom/gear storage room.  It actually looks pretty good in this room.  Yes, I admit it.  See, everything worked out.  B's lamp is happy in its new room.  You didn't think I would actually make him get rid of it did you?

Feeling thankful

... that the Portland weather is dreary, but not dropping inches of water every day on rain soaked fields.

... that my windy days are not tornadoes.

... that my apartment is high on a hill far away from rivers that could jump riverbanks.

... that my family in the midwest is safe and dry tonight.

The longest winter. Ever.

Ok, it's officially getting out of hand. It snowed on Mt. Hood today. It's June and it snowed about a foot on Mt. Hood today and it was 23 degrees at Timberline Lodge. Trucks in eastern Oregon are chaining up to make it through the mountain passes. The high temp in Portland is supposed to only be 57.

I read in the paper last week that Oregon has on average, 9 rainy days in June. It's June 10th. It didn't rain on Sunday. You do the math.

Maybe we'll go skiing on Friday.............

The intruder

I. hate. this. lamp.

Well, hate is really a strong word. I don't like this lamp. This lamp does not like me. No one should like this lamp. My husband on the other hand, loves this lamp. B found it at Goodwill (apparently someone else did not like this lamp) a couple of months ago and it has been sitting, shadeless, in our spare bedroom.

Yesterday, he bought a new lampshade for another lamp in the apartment so this monstrosity could have the other lamp's lampshade and be moved to the table on his side of the bed.

He turned and said to me: "See, it has a shade now."

To which I replied, "That doesn't make it any less ugly."
B came back with, "Someday, this lamp will save your life. Someday, there might be an intruder and this lamp will be the first thing you pick up to defend yourself."

I think the lamp is the intruder.

Anyway, I'm putting it up for a vote. Who likes this lamp?

Wait, let me rephrase. Who likes this lamp enough that you would want to have it sitting on the night stand next to your bed, next to the picture of your gorgeous wife on her wedding day, and across the room from your really beautiful dresser?

Anyone?

Sky Show

The "near-cation"

Anyone heard of the term "near-cation" lately?  Those in the retail world have been throwing it around to try and explain the way people are taking vacations this summer (and how they are spending their money in preparation).  Not surprisingly, the high cost of gas is forcing some of those folks to vacation NEAR their homes this summer.  Thus, the "near-cation."

B and I have apparently been practicing "near-cationers" for awhile now.  We're headed out at the end of June on our real vacation for the summer (off to New Mexico to spend some time with some of my best girls) so we've been trying to keep the small, short weekend adventures close to home (so we can afford the gas for the real vacation). We've spent a lot of time at our local tennis court lately and have been riding circles on the side streets of southwest Beaverton on our bikes.  

Today, the sun finally made an appearance after a long, dreary, gray week.  Sunday = funday.

The Grand Lodge