Checking the list

Hi All! It's been way to long as usual. I'm getting really tired of hearing myself say that. I really need to fix this..... But time just doesn't seem to slow down! And I'm realizing a full time job, making jewelry, doing photography and seeing friends/family really takes up more time then I even have. Not sure how I squeeze it all in! Good thing I'm single right now. Wait... did I just say that? haha

I thought it's about time to check in and see how I'm doing on my list. It was a big one and I read through it a couple weeks ago and thought I was doing pretty good! Like my good friend Courtney says, she loves lists. The best part about lists is checking them off! Although she is much better at it then me :)

So here goes:

1. empty 2nd bedroom for new roomy (in the process) - DONE! Roomy moved in and things are great :)
2. family photo shoots for friends (3 booked next weekend, 1 the following!) - Shoots all done and edited... phew!
3. edit Jacoby pics (hoping to finish some tonight) - DONE! They turned out as cute as can be. He's such a handsome little man.
4. goodwill run to drop off my car FULL of stuff- DONE! Filled my car to the ceiling! (Literally!!)
5. carve pumpkins with friends - DONE! Had a blast and carved an awesome "O" for the ducks :)
6. post a tutorial on how I made my headboard - eeeks..... slacking on this one. Still need to take time to do this.
7. go on a date? (haha, currently nothing planned) - I guess I can say I went out on a date :)
8. celebrate dad's birthday (which is today!) - Of course I celebrated Dad's b-day! Although I think divulging his age might put me in danger.
9. buy my new iMac! - DONE! Just got it a couple weeks ago and it is GORGEOUS!!! I'm typing on it right now and I can't wait for my new desk to arrive this week.
10. continue to work on health & gym workouts... (lost 14lbs so far... and continuing) - OH YEAH!!! I'm actually at 25lbs now! And still continuing to improve on health. Needing to hit the gym more too :)
11. make some new jewelry - DONE! Made some really cool new jewelry for Christmas and truly enjoyed it this year.
12. work on jewelry website - Arg... didn't quite make this one. Can I have some more time in my days please?
13. work on photography website - See above. Although I'm probably closer at finishing this one.
14. buy a new camera bag (or patiently wait until Christmas) - Patience pays off you know. I got my beautiful camera bag for christmas from Epiphani!
15. build a newsletter - Shoot. Still need to do this as well.
16. build a few giveaways for website launch! - And this.
17. start planning jewelry open house for december - DONE! Had a great party with amazing talented friends that joined me!
18. look into a photo session for myself! - Yes, I've looked into it, but I'm still a long ways off.
19. organize my studio (Tayler has offered to help again.... YAY!) - Well..... it's gotten a little better, but still in the works.
20. go to a movie (feels like forever since I've been) - DONE! Went to a couple movies :)
21. connect with friends I haven't seen in a while - DONE! Got to see a lot of great friends at the end of last year.
22. love on Bentley (ongoing and ongoing and ongoing...) - DONE, DONE and DONE... and of course ongoing. He's the cutest sweetest puppers ever. I am so lucky to have him! He makes me smile everyday.
23. frame a bunch of pictures and build a photo montage in my living room
24. clean my carpets - DONE! Didn't turn out quite like I had wanted... but it's still better then before.
25. make more ducks & beaver jewelry - DONE! Sold more Duck and Beaver jewelry then ever before!
26. make some jewelry to bring in to Avenue 5 - DONE! I can't even tell you how happy I have to check this one off this list. I am now in a gorgeous store downtown and the 2 owners couldn't be nicer!
27. wash my car - Although I don't recall... I'm sure this got done. But, it could really use it again right about now.
28. go to a concert - Does the nutcracker and A Christmas Story play count? Probably not, but equally as fabulous!
29. do a total makeover on my bedroom closet (might have to call Tayler for this one too....) - Still in the works :(

Lazy/Rainy Sunday

So, what better day then today to do a blog post? It's a lazy Sunday, and it's raining. No wait, it's cleared up... no wait, it's raining again. Yep, welcome to the NW!

Yesterday I spent the day with a good friend Tayler who was gracious enough to help me purge my 2nd bedroom for a new roomy that's moving in at the end of the month! It was a LOT of work... she is amazing, I don't think I could have done it without her. One HUGE trip to goodwill be taken today, and that is going to be one BIG tax write off next year!

So much is on my mind right now, so many things I want/need to do! I'm feeling like I should make a list so I don't forget anything... In no particular order:

1. empty 2nd bedroom for new roomy (in the process)
2. family photo shoots for friends (3 booked next weekend, 1 the following!)
3. edit Jacoby pics (hoping to finish some tonight)
4. goodwill run to drop off my car FULL of stuff
5. carve pumpkins with friends
6. post a tutorial on how I made my headboard
7. go on a date? (haha, currently nothing planned)
8. celebrate dad's birthday (which is today!)
9. buy my new iMac!
10. continue to work on health & gym workouts... (lost 14lbs so far... and continuing)
11. make some new jewelry
12. work on jewelry website
13. work on photography website
14. buy a new camera bag (or patiently wait until Christmas)
15. build a newsletter
16. build a few giveaways for website launch!
17. start planning jewelry open house for december
18. look into a photo session for myself!
19. organize my studio (Tayler has offered to help again.... YAY!)
20. go to a movie (feels like forever since I've been)
21. connect with friends I haven't seen in a while
22. love on Bentley (ongoing and ongoing and ongoing...)
23. frame a bunch of pictures and build a photo montage in my living room
24. clean my carpets
25. make more ducks & beaver jewelry
26. make some jewelry to bring in to Avenue 5
27. wash my car
28. go to a concert
29. do a total makeover on my bedroom closet (might have to call Tayler for this one too....)

I think that seems like enough to keep me busy for a while!

Here are my dream camera bags... by Kelly Moore. And I can't even begin to decide on what color I want! These are just my favorites. I want one so bad! But my mom thinks I should hold out until Christmas.

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend! Oh, and I see the sun reflecting on the building outside. Gorgeous! Oh wait..... literally in the time it took to write this, it went away. Boo.

XOXO,

Elena

Mmm mmm good!

I just made a wonderful Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp and had to share the recipe! It just came out of the oven, and after about 10 minutes of sitting, I had to dig in! It is a great combination of tart and sweet although I like it a lot because it's not too sweet. I did use more fruit then it called for because I wanted to use up my strawberries, and I had a lot of Rhubarb to use as well.

I signed up at work for a "Harvest Bag" from Sun Gold Farms this summer with a friend of mine. We get fresh veggies/fruits/flowers/herbs every Thursday! It started June 18th and will go through October. The first week our harvest bag included Oregon strawberries (SOO sweet and delicious!) lettuce, pinto beans, rhubarb, onions, kohlrabi, and a calendula plant. My mom also signed up for the same thing through her employer and she wasn't going to use the rhubarb, so I acquired hers as well. Yesterday we received even more rhubarb (and more yummies of course) so I decided I best be gettin' baking with all my fresh rhubarb!  So since I had extra rhubarb and extra strawberries, I added more fruit to the recipe (see below) I think this is one of those things you can't mess up too bad...  It's all personal preference.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries (I used about 4.5 cups)
3 cups diced rhubarb (I used about 5 large stalks)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup rolled oats

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

In a large bowl, mix white sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, strawberries, and rhubarb. Place the mixture in a 9x13 inch baking dish.


Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, brown sugar, butter, and oats until crumbly. You may want to use a pastry blender for this (I just mixed it with my thoroughly washed hands). Crumble on top of the rhubarb and strawberry mixture.


Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until crisp and lightly browned.

 Ta Da!

Enjoy!

xoxo,

Elena

Lots to talk about

Hey Hey! It's been way too long (as usual) which I guess is kind of a good thing because that mean's I've been busy with lots of fun stuff (right?!)  So much has happened since my last post, where do I begin??

Well, first off... I was in Hawaii in April/May which was amazing!! I loved it there, and I actually contemplated how I could live there! But after some long (non-drinking) thinking, I realized I would probably get horrible island fever... so maybe I should keep Hawaii for a great vacation spot. Maui was incredible, more then I ever could have expected, and I swear I saw almost the whole island! (almost) We did the rode to Hana, went up to Haleakula, snorkeling at Molokini, went to a Luau in Kaanapali, went to the Tedechi Winery, breakfast in Paiia, dinner at Mama's Fish House (probably the most amazing meal I've ever had!) and on and on... Lots of hiking too! It was a very rewarded vacation.

I took SOOOOO many pictures there, I just can't wait to work on them and get them posted for people to see. But realistically, that will be a little bit due to some other priorities.

Some other things that have been happening with me include and engagement shoot for a friend of mine at work. She's getting married in July with a 20/30's theme and had her engagement photo's done by the amazing Courtney Jade with the same theme! Needless to say they turned out AMAZING!! I helped with the shoot a little for posing etc. and took some shots myself. Little I did know the beautiful girl that sits next to me at work is one of the most photogenic girls I've met!! Her wedding is going to be spectacular, which I am helping shoot with Courtney. Here is a pic from her engagement session that speaks for itself.



Next big thing happening is I'm actually helping Courtney shoot a wedding today! (yes, today!) I couldn't sleep this morning, so I thought I would get a blog post in. I am excited because I used to work with the bride, she is such a doll and I work with one of the bridesmaids as well. So it will be a fun wedding to shoot with such gorgeous girls! I am also excited because I did all the bridal jewelry which will be fun to see on and get some snap shots of! (Pics to come later)

Lastly, but probably the biggest is....... I'm bringing a new member of the family home TOMORROW!!! That is actually why I can't sleep. This has been the longest week ever of waiting... But at least I feel more prepared now, and hopefully the transition will go smoothly.

His name is Bentley William (middle name only for show) and he is a Goldendoodle. I think he's the cutest puppy i've ever seen! Take a look!

Wouldn't you be anxious to get this little guy home??

So in a nutshell, that's what's been going on with me! I am hoping to keep my blog posts flowing a little more regular. But forgive me now if Bentley shows up in a few of them.

Hawaii pics coming soon!

XOXO,
Elena

Miss me?

It has been way too long... wow. Over a month?! So sad. But I'm back, and I've been wanting to post things for quite sometime! But every time I log on, I end up staring at the screen. Possibly too much information and I've had a hard time filtering.

So, here's the scoop. Website is still plugging along! And trust me, it will be well worth the wait when it's out and I'm excited to have some giveaways to go along with it!! (Whoo hoo! Free jewelry!) It is looking like it will be April for the launch, possibly May. But I'm really hoping for April. These dang vacations that I wasn't expecting are taking up some of my mind space. Poor me, right?

I know I have told you about Hawaii in my previous post, but I have more to add! More vacation you say? Oh yeah! Soon after I had my Hawaii trip was planned an opportunity came up for Mexico and I had to jump on it!! So in 9 days (me squeeling here) I will be off to Cabo to relax in the sun! All I want to do is lay by the pool with a book in hand and a margarita in arms reach. Aahhhh.... Here is a pick of the pool I will be doing that by!!




Or maybe this one?
Ok, I feel a little guilty showing those... But I couldn't help it!
More big news is that there is an addition to my family! Her name is Rosalie and she is gorgeous! She is very speedy and pale white :) Here she is:

Did you think I was talking about a vampire?

I wish I looked this good from the side :)

She even has a cute little butt!

So I just had to show her off, I love her so much! I guess this is the year to spoil myself! :)

As soon as I get some pictures taken of some of my new jewelry I will post them for you. Hopefully I can find some time when I get back (all refreshed) from vacation and then I can hammer down and focus on my jewelry.

Until then, hope you are all doing well. Before I launch my website and after I will be sending out some fun updates to my mailing list, if you don't want to miss a beat...

***Sign up here!***

Updates, shupdates

Hiya!  It's been way too long since my last post.  I was all good around the holidays (when I was stuck at home of course) but, now that I am back to work... I seemed to have gotten caught up in the hussle and bussle of life!

First, I have to comment about Twilight.  If you've read my previous posts, you can tell I'm a fan of Twilight.  BUT....... little did I know HOW big of a fan I was!  Since my last post, I have continued on to read Eclipse and am about to finish Breaking Dawn tonight.  Warning... don't click on the links if you haven't read the books (and are planning to) there are spoilers.  Anyway, I have about 90 pages left tonight to read, and then my deep depression will begin.  I have enjoyed reading these books SOOO much, I can't even put into words actually how much I loved them.  I have a great group of girls at work that have also been enjoying them, so it's a blast to talk Twilight with them :)  I am counting down the days until the Movie comes out on DVD, which is March 21st by the way!  And yes, you can move me into the crazy-obsessed-Twilight-addict category now.   And by the way, I did love the movie.  Despite what some may say... It doesn't even touch the book, but I still think it was a great movie!

Website news.  I'm still working on my new website.  A little slower then I was anticipating.  I probably won't have it up by the end of the month, but I am still going to push for as close to that as possible!  I am waiting on a new flash and flash accessories for my camera, that I think will be a huge life savor for picture taking.  Oh, and I also just bought a new lens that I'm pretty stoked about.  It's a Nikon 85mm f/1.8D lens. (if you know photography) if you don't... it's a beautiful lens for portraits!  

Let's see, what else am I leaving out...  OH YES.  I can't believe I almost forgot!  I am going to Hawaii!!  I am SO ecstatic and I've never been, from what I've heard I know I will absolutely fall in love with it.  I'm really looking forward to a vacation with my mom and dad.  I realized I was 14 the last time we had an actual real family vacation (and that was half my life ago)!  We are planning on taking my grammy's ashes with us too and letting her feel the wonder of Hawaii.  She would love it there.  So my countdown begins, as of right now I have 93 days, 11 hours, 44 minutes and 32 seconds, no, 31,  30...   I'm really looking forward to getting a little sun on this skin.  Lord knows I need it!

I guess I should wrap it up, this turned into a long post and I just thought it was going to be a few sentences.  Oops.  I hope you all are having a fabulous 2009!  More to come very soon. XOXO

Irresistible!

Are you ready for something delicious?? I came across a cookie recipe yesterday (I should really say my mom found if for me) and they are THE best cookies I've ever had! We were at Crate and Barrel and wanted to buy a box of the Barefoot Contessa Chocolate Chunk Cookies in a pre-made mix... But at $9.95, I thought I would probably rather make them from scratch. So my mom found the recipe for me online!! Well, I don't think delicious or irresistible do these cookies justice. I can't believe how good they are. I should have known from the first nibble of cookie dough.

I just thought I would share the recipe with you. It is way to good to keep all to myself! You'll thank me later... (at least I hope you will)

Chocolate Chunk Cookies (Makes 36-40 cookies)

1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 1/4 pounds semisweet chocolate chunks

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter and two sugars until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, and mix well. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and add to the butter with the mixer on low speed, mixing only until combined. Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chunks.

Drop the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using a 1 3/4-inch-diameter ice cream scoop or a rounded tablespoon. Dampen your hands and flatten the dough slightly. Bake for exactly 15 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone). Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Can you say Dee-lish?


But wait..... I must tell you what I did to the recipe. First of all I didn't have chocolate chunks, so I used chocolate chips (1.5 bags of them!) and then, in my opinion what made them so delicious was a half bag of peanut butter chips!!! Can you say YUM? If I make them again though, I would use 1 bag chocolate chips and 1 bag peanut butter chips. I just didn't have a full bag of PB chips, so I had to make due.... 

If anyone ends up making these, I would love to hear what you think about them!
Enjoy!!

Vampire Love...

So, I'm just going to come out and say it... Twilight it the best book i've read. I absolutely love it! I actually just finished it, and got a little depressed because it's done... but at least I have 3 more books to read! So now I understand what all the fuss was before the movie came out, because it truly is pretty fabulous. Literally the second I was done with Twilight I ran out telling my boyfriend we had to go buy the second one stat! Well, within the hour I was at Barnes and Noble buying "New Moon".  I started reading it late last night... and 180 pages later and 3:00 in the morning I had to pry it out of my hands so I could get some sleep!  Believe me, I didn't want to stop.  

I don't know if it's they way she writes or the story itself. But I really do think it was a beautifully written love story and had me consumed every minute of the day! When I first started reading Twilight, I was in the middle of all the hustle and bustle of the holidays with jewelry so I was really too exhausted at night to read. Well, I picked it up the other day and literally couldn't put it down. I read until the wee hours in the morning and then the next day I started it and wouldn't put it down until I read it all. I don't think my boyfriend knew what came over me!  Well, now that I've started the 2nd book, it's the same thing.  I will try to keep my reading to evening time though... so I can still get some things done around the house.

I am now dying to see the movie Twilight.  Since it's been out I've heard reviews on it, the only bad thing I've heard is that it's not as close to the book as people would have liked... which is weird because all the previews i've seen look pretty close to the movie.  I have to wait until Sunday night... and if you know me, that's really hard!  I really want to see it TODAY, actually yesterday...  But I have to wait until all the little elves have left my house.

So for those of you who like a good book (or series) you should really read the Twilight Books.  There are 4 of them.  Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse & Breaking Dawn.  Stephanie Meyer is the author and it's interesting to read her story on how Twilight came about, (read here).  She is SO talented!  I am a BIG Harry Potter fan, and I didn't think I would find something I liked better... yes I said better!!  For those of you who know me, I've been larger then a Harry Potter fan over the years.  So this is pretty big that I found something I like more and have found a love affair at the same time!  I can't even put into words how I feel about Edward, Stephanie does such a perfect job.  I can't wait to get back to my book tonight.

Did I mention how excited I am to see the movie?

Welcome to 2009!

Wow, can you believe it's 2009 already?  I remember last new years like it was yesterday.  Time flies way too fast!  And you know what?  What they say is true, the older you are, the faster time seems to fly.  My Grammy told me that, and she was a very wise woman.  I am happy to be welcoming 2009 with open arms.  Time for new adventures and to look forward.  I lost my last grandma in 2008 which is still very hard for me, but I'm glad she is happy and healthy where she is now.

So here is my little New Years card for all of you out there.

And now the count down begins... I told myself (and many of you) that I would love to get my website up by the end of this month! So here it is January already! But I think I will be ready, although as much time as I've had off (since the 19th) I still wish I had more. Isn't that the way it always is? I've really been enjoying my time off... not getting as much done as I would have liked, but I have been relaxing and that's the important part to me right now. What good is vacation if you don't take some time out for yourself??

I hope 2009 is filled with good health, hope, love, prosperity and everything that brings you happiness!!

XOXO, Elena

Snow makes me smart!

So... I'm totally snowed it.  I've actually never seen so much snow in the city before!  There has been white on the ground for 7 days straight.  Craziness.  I love it though!  Especially since I am on vacation until Jan 5th now.  So I really don't have anywhere to be... except my parents on Christmas Eve of course.  So, I've been doodling on the computer all day, trying to design a little flyer for Christmas, and I stumbled across this tutorial on how to make a Christmas bulb in Illustrator...  look at what I was able to make!  I'm really proud of myself, I love the way it turned out.

Of course the color changed a little bit, going to RGB.  But I still think it looks pretty.  I think I will look for more tutorials.  Who knew the snow would make me smarter?  Man, it's really coming down out there!!

To much of a good thing...

I do love my pumpkin this time of year, but I'm almost pumpkined out and it's not even Thanksgiving yet!  Tonight I have made Pumpkin Creme Brulee, Pumpkin Bread/Muffins and Pumpkin Pie which is now in the oven.  Whew...... I'm exhausted, but thoroughly looking forward to tomorrows feast, cooked by yours truly...Muah! Like I mentioned in my previous post, I'm cooking thanksgiving dinner for my parents and boyfriend tomorrow and am very excited about it.  So I thought I better get a head start on things tonight.  So at least dessert is out of the way.  I decided last minute that I wanted to try and make Pumpkin Creme Brulee...  It turned out delicious!!  I love it.  If you're interested, here is the recipe. The pumpkin pie I think is just for the sake of having pumpkin pie (and my boyfriend could live on the stuff) and the pumpkin muffins are for my stuffing tomorrow!  Yummmm....

The pumpkin bread recipe that I have is pretty fabulous.  It's the best pumpkin bread and people love it.  For all you pumpkin lovers, here it is...

3 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. allspice

4 eggs

1/2 cup water

1 cup vegetable oil (or substitute applesauce for lower fat)

2 cups canned pumpkin puree

(optional) 1 cup pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, sugar and spices and mix.  In separate bowl, mix eggs, water, oil and pumpkin.  Add dry mixture and stir until smooth.  Add nuts.  Pour into two (greased) 9x5 bread pans.  Bake one hour or until done (toothpick will come out clean).  Be careful not to over bake and dry out.

Enjoy!!

Excited about the Holidays

Can I just say how excited I am about the Holidays?  I love this time of year... Being thankful and thinking about all the delicious foods we get to eat on Thanksgiving... and then my favorite part, decorating for Christmas!  I just finished with my hardwood floors in my house (pics to come soon) and I can't wait to have a beautiful tree up!  

I got a little anxious today thinking about buying some new decorations for my house.  After all, a little paint and new floors and I feel like I just moved into a new place!  Which makes it that much more fun to decorate this year.

I also took it upon myself to host Thanksgiving this year!!  Wait... before you think, oh my gosh... Thats a lot of work! There will only be 4 of us.  My parents, boyfriend and myself.  I'm really excited to be able to cook for a small group (especially since this is my first thanksgiving) and be able to do something a little gourmet.  I've been having so much fun looking for good recipes this week, I can't tell you what though, because it's a surprise for my parents and my mom is an avid reader of my blog (I love her for that) I know I at least have 1 loyal reader :)

So now it's Holiday Craft Fair time... As we speak I am preparing for my 2nd annual Open House that will be on December 7th.  If you are interested in attending please email me for more info. My friend Allison will also be joining me from Milina Co. with their fabulous hand made soaps, body scrubs, lotions and more! I'm very excited to have her there with me.  The following week I also get to participate in my employers craft fair (along with Allison), which we've both been doing for the past few years and always have fun at. 

Here are some of the wonderful things that Milina Co. has to offer. (If only you had a scratch and sniff screen!)






The White Tea Ginger soap is to die for!! I can't get enough of that and the Clementine which is also my boyfriends favorite. I can't wait to try the Pink Grapefruit.

Milina Co. has more scents then what are listed above, I just wanted to show some of my favorites and one's that I've been eyeing :) You can also order directly from their website, I promise you won't be disappointed!

I guess I need to wrap this up. I hope everyone finds their perfect Turkey (or Meat of your choice) for the upcoming Holiday. Don't forget to think about what your thankful for. My list is so big, and for that I am SO thankful!

Communication

So, here I go again.... it's been almost 2 weeks since my last post!  Oops.  Although I'm sure none of you were holding you're breath... then again, who knows!  So it's 10:54 and my book and nice comfy bed are waiting for me upstairs, but I just can't seem to make it up there.  And I don't know why, but I really felt my blog calling.

Big news today,  I sunk down and joined Facebook.  I had already hopped on the Myspace band wagon a couple years ago, and to tell the truth... I actually joined to promote the business, but it's been really nice getting to reunite with old friends.  I really though Facebook and Myspace were the same thing... so I never even thought about it.  But apparently not.  Some now say Facebook is the way to go.  It is a lot cleaner (which I do like) because MySpace can get a little overwhelming and busy.  So one of my co-workers mentioned that she joined today and actually liked it, so I thought... why not.  And I already have over 17 friends in less then an hour :)  I feel special.  The best part is.... I found an old friend of mine from High School and I've been trying to find her for about 2 years!!  So I'm pretty excited to hear back from her.

Anyway, sorry about the not to exciting post.  I think posts are much more fun with pictures.  Wait, I got one for you.  In honor of Twilight coming out....  Which I haven't read yet.  But am really wanting to before I see the movie.  So I guess I won't be rushing out this weekend to join the crazy lines...
 
Ok, I think it's officially time for bed.  This is making me want to go read so I can finish my book to read Twilight!

Lots of babies!

Babies, babies, babies....  It's that time of year again!! Lots of babies everywhere you look.  One of my good friends Edra, had a little boy 6 weeks ago, my cousin just had her baby last night (can't wait to see him!)  And then another good friend of mine is due in October, which I'm going to her baby shower and I'm SO excited to see her!! Anyways, for my good friend Edra, I gave her a photo session with my friend Courtney Jade (the photographer I mentioned below) for a baby gift. Courtney is pretty fabulous and little Jacob is too cute, needless to say the pictures were amazing! I love giving this gift, it's such an amazing way to capture the first months of a childs life, because we all know... they change SO fast! So, along with the CD of all the pictures in B&W and color, I had some pictures framed for her.





I think they are so precious!! And I'm so excited for them. They will make such amazing parents :) I can't wait until he can call me "Auntie Lena"

Dang!

I received some disappointed news tonight, and I thought I would write about it. I thought I would be ok, but I am feeling I really want to write about it. (kind of joking, kind of not)

So, I just found out that they are pushing the next Harry Potter movie back until July 2009!!! Hello?!? It was originally supposed to be released November 20th. I was getting excited because that's right around the corner. Now I have to wait almost another year?? Geesh!

I'm in the process of reading all the books. I'm on the 5th book right now, Order of the Phoenix. I don't know why... but this book is taking me the longest to get through. I flew through the first 4, but this one is taking a while. It's 870 pages, which is officially the largest book I have ever read! (go me!) It's not because I'm not enjoying it either... I'm a super big fan. Maybe it's because I've been super busy this summer and just haven't been able to find the time to read? anyways, I was hoping to get the Order of the Phoenix finished this month and get the 6th book (the Half Blood Prince) read by November. But I guess I have a little more time now! I'm super bummed.

Until next summer Harry...

Back from NY, and so much to say!

So!! I'm back from New York and I had the time of my life! I was there with 2 other co-workers for the first 5 days and then met up with a friend of mine for the rest of my time. The weather was beautiful, perfect weather for outside walking and shopping. We saw lots of great stuff, NY is so great for that. Including other inspiring sights. Where to begin... Well first a cute picture of Amanda and myself, stopping for a bite to eat in Soho.

Walking around New York is always full of surprises, whether it's what people are wearing or who you'll end up meeting! In my case, I was lucky enough to meet Elmo! I had to stop and get a picture... it's not everyday you see a sesame street character out and about.

One of my favorite things about New York, besides all the fabulous shopping is the wonderful food! We were lucky enough to come across some great places to eat while we were there. My favorite had to have been a place called Agave it was actually the first restaurant to come up in New York City search!! But a friend of my co-workers recommended it also. So we had to try it out. The margaritas were to die for! And the fish tacos were out of this world!! But still, it got better, they had a Mexican chocolate fondue and when we heard that, it was all over.... Pictures of course don't do it justice. And the fruit was beautiful. That was the best fondue I've ever had! Take a look...mmmmmmmmm

Of course after eating all sorts of yummy foods, we had to walk a lot for work which helped us not feel so guilty. One of our stops included the Quicksilver store, which had great displays of all their boards and these awesome wooden chairs! I wanted to take them home.

When it was time for my co-workers to go home, I headed up to North Manhattan where my friend Holly lives and goes to school. We had too much fun, her roommate Liz was a kick in the pants and we all had smiles on our faces the whole time. I of course got lots of shopping in, and got to eat at more great places! We went to Cuban the first night, which was VERY yummy! But I think the best part was the pitchers of Mojito's that they have! Poor sap in the back, must have had a full time job of muddling mint! Our appetizer was also a big hit, I had no clue what I was ordering, but was pleasantly surprised when I got it. Have you ever had corn on the cob like this?

Another fun thing I got to see was the famous Restaurant where Seinfeld was filmed...but come to find out, they only shot the outside and used a studio for the inside.. But still fun to see!

I also got to take some time to meet up with another wonderful friend of mine Miss Kathleen Montelone. You might know her from Grease, You're the one that I want! She was also just recently in 27 dresses as a bridesmaid in the LA wedding (if you've seen it, you'll know what I'm talking about) Ok, I found a picture... she's the one to the right of the bride! Puckering up :) She's just too cute!

Kathleen and I had a great time catching up. We walked around the West village and grabbed brunch at yet another great restaurant called Morandi. It was a cute little Italian eatery with outdoor seating and I had the hardest time deciding what to eat!

While we were in the West Village, I really wanted to stop by Magnolia Bakery for a cupcake! I knew it was popular and delicious... but I had no clue the line would be this long! So I snuck through the line and got pictures of the cupcakes in the window. That would have to be good enough for now. I just couldn't see spending and hour (or more) in line for a cupcake. Maybe I'll try next time. They did look yummy though!

Here are a few more pictures from my trip.. Liz, Holly's roommate made these homemade gooey cinnamon buns, they were the best cinnamon rolls I've ever had! Needless to say, those were a big hit! Little did I know how spoiled I would get while I was there. How good do these look?

And look at all the beautiful flowers!

And of course... On my last day in NY, I had to pay a tribute to Sex and the City by having a delicious Cosmo and I really lucked out! Because it truly was fabulous.

And me... drinking my yummy drink. Until next time NY.

Off to NY!

So, I'm off to NY tomorrow morning and I'm super excited! The weather is in the 70-80's which thankfully is not too hot. Although we did get kind of spoiled here in lovely Portland this weekend with the weather... so I'm almost sad to leave. But I said almost... I'm heading there for work and then I added on some personal time at the end to spend with a friend that lives there. So I'll be there Monday through the following Monday, getting in terribly late. Bless my boyfriend for coming to get me at 11:00pm. And that's hoping my plane is on time!! Anyways, just thought I would write a quick note before I head out for the week. Hopefully I will have some great pics to put up when I get back!

Ne..ed Sleee...p!

So, it's 2:55am and I can't sleep, so here I am on the computer browsing around. How frustrating is this! I've been up since 2:00. And I'm really tired! The same thing happened to me last night. Could this possibly be because I'm so excited for the new Sex and the City movie to come out tomorrow?? Maybe...probably not, but just thought I would throw it out there. I'm pretty darn excited about this movie...in fact, I bought my tickets yesterday on Fandango for tomorrow at 4:00! I actually don't think I've ever been so excited for a movie to come out (also haven't ever bought tickets in advance). The girls in this look even more fabulous then they did in the shows, and all the clothing looks AMAZING! Wow, that just perked me right up! Oh wait... that's the opposite of what I was trying to do! Aren't I typing this because I can't sleep?? Ok....Nighty Night.

Tributes to a Super Guy!

So, have any of you had a guy down the hall that was a " Super Guy?" And by Super Guy, I mean... the super nice guy who might be a little newer to the company (or not) and always says hi, takes time to smile, super easy to work with, a smart ass from time to time but makes you laugh, and just all around a great guy? Well, I do. I won't mention names because he knows who he is. And I just wanted to give a shout out for him. I've been having a rough week dealing with some personal issues and he has been great to chat with and has given me some great advise. And for that, I thank him!! So, for those super guys down the hall, I give a big thumbs up! Or maybe 8 thumbs ups!

Pretty bird...pretty bird...

Never thought I would be a bird watcher... But yesterday I had the opportunity to go with the Portland Audubon Society on a half-day birding expedition. This was due to a recent donation from my company Columbia Sportswear! We packed our lunches met for a brief meeting to talk about what we might see, then it was off to Jackson Bottom Wetlands in Hillsboro, OR. It was a nice sunny day, almost too hot! There was no breeze, so I actually felt myself cooking at one point. But there was water, and thankfully plenty of shady spots to stop and observe the beauiful outdoors. Below in these pictures are a few of the birds that we saw, along with some of the other animals. Although I didn't happen to see the cute bunny rabbit. The songs these birds sing are so amazing, I really wish I could have recorded that! A lot of times you can't see the birds, but you can tell what kind of birds are by the sound they make... So, that's my quick note about birdies. Thanks to my company, I now now know a little more about different species of birds!