Christmas has come and gone

I can't believe that we have already been in Oregon for over a week. Dan's wedding has passed, Christmas has passed and we have now traveled to Bend for the other half of our break. Christmas was great. We spent Christmas morning with Derek's mom and fam in P-town and then headed out to Hilsboro to see Derek's dad and fam. It was an eventful day full of food, family, love and presents of course! It was a great day. Christmas night was the first bit of down time that Derek and I had since the start of our trip. We got some movies, curled up on the couch and actually got to relax for more than 10 minutes. It was glorious! The next morning (yesterday) we headed over to Bend and here we are, fully soaking up the true meaning of "vacation".

Holiday at last!

I am on Holiday at last! Finally after waiting and waiting and waiting for a break, we have arrived to Portland, Oregon and we have nothing to do! The nothing to do part might last but a few hours, but the fact of the matter is that I don't have to be at work right now. Oh the bliss!! What lies ahead for our splendid vaca you ask? Well...friends, shopping, a wedding, traveling, Christmas, coffee, family, family and more family. It should be good, but I am sure I will be ready to come "home" to Vancouver by the end of it all. Derek's best buddy, Dan, is getting married on Friday and Derek is the best man. It's going to be a great event and this week leading up to it is going to be full and exciting. Okay, well the day has just begun and I think it is time to walk down the block and get some coffee (yes, we are staying at my sisters place in NW Portland surrounded by coffee shops! Couldn't be better) then it will be off to Target and such places to finish our Christmas shopping.

J.I. and I

Eventhough J.I. Packer is a professor at Regent and I often see him wondering the halls. I have never had the honor of serving him coffee. Until last Friday... He came to The Well with a friend to get some coffee. He said he wanted a really strong cup of coffee (thata boy J.I.!!). So I asked him if he wanted a stronger flavour or if he wanted stronger caffiene. I told him that the dark roast has more flavour and the medium roast has more caffiene. He chose the dark. He was curious about why the medium roast has more caffiene. I went on to explain to him that the longer a coffee bean is roasted the more caffiene escapes from it. Despite the stronger taste, the darker it is the less caffiene it has. He was intrigued and said in his cute little old man voice "you learn something new every day". I can forever hold onto the fact that I, just a little barista in Vancouver taught something to J.I. Packer!!!!

Once again, life is busy as can be. At the beginning of the week, I look at my week and think, "oh, yay, it's going to be a nice restful week", then one by one, the days begin to fill with meetings, babysitting, work, friends, etc. It's all good stuff, but man I am feeling like I need a break. Just a week and a half to go until I get my Christmas Break!! Yes, yes, I know we just got back from a mini break to Oregon for Thanksgiving. But trust me, it was not relaxing or restful at all. It consisted of Derek and I driving all over Oregon to see all of our family (and some friends) and trying to get in a good amount of time with them so we didn't feel guilty, eventhough we were only in Oregon for a total of 4 days or whatever. It was craziness! So in a week and a half, Derek will be completely done with this school term, I will be done with work (for 2.5 weeks) and we can actually spend some time together. We will be heading to Oregon again, but we are going to be sure that we lay low for a couple days before we hit the road. Plus, this trip will be a lot longer and chances are it will be a bit more relaxing. AND....Dan's getting married!!!!!

On the road again

Tomorrow morning Derek and I leave for Oregon. I am so excited! I have been pacing around the house this afternoon not knowing what to do with myself because I am just waiting for the time to pass so we can wake up and hit the road. I am excited that we get to celebrate American Thanksgiving this year, it will be good to be home. And the cheap shopping....oh boy!
My best friend in the whole wide world came to visit me the past 3 days. It was a amazing! It was a short trip but so good and it was so nice to be with her and for us to finally get in some quality time together. There is nothing like it. Jess and I have been friends since our freshman year in high school and I am so thankful for her and for our friendship. Anyway, so her and her husband were here and we had a blast. We tried to show them a bot of Vancouver, but it has been so stinkin foggy that you can't see the mountains or the water or anything. We really do live in a beautiful place...you just can't tell right now. So Jess and Justin left today, it was sad to see them go :(

Busy crazy life

So I just realized today that for the next 2 weeks, I don't have a single free night. It is kind of crazy and I feel a little overwhelmed by it, but the excitement overrides that. I have so much to look forward to. Allow me to tell you what I have going on:

Tomorrow/Tuesday: SOS small group (spouses of students) at my house.
Wednesday: RSN (Regent Spouses Network aka SOS) social event
Thursday: Babysit
Friday: Staff dinner at boss's house (good, yummy, FREE food!)
Saturday: Go see the new Herry Potter movie with friends
Sunday: My best friend, Jess, and her husband come into town!!!!!!!!
Monday: Jess and Justin still here.
Tuesday: Pack
Wednesday: In Eugene, Oregon with my sister and her husband (after leaving at 4am and spending the whole day in Portland seeing Derek's fam and getting my hair done!)
Thursday: American Thanksgiving
Friday: Still in Eugene with sister and fam
Saturday: Back in Portland hanging with Dan and Amanda at Mcmennamins (after a day at Derek's dads house having another Thanksgiving feast).
Sunday: Finally home!!!

That's some serious plans, I must say. But as you see, there is plenty to look forward to and I absolutely can't wait! Especially to see my best friend and to have a break from work! I am so ready for some days off.

Yesterday

Wow, I am really getting lax on writing on my blog. Sorry. Life gets busy and I guess "writing on your blog" doesn't become a huge priority. But all is well here, just super busy. I'm tired.

So Yesterday I was supposed to go on a run with my friend Ansley at 4:45pm like usual. I got off work at 3 and then went to my other friend, Lara's, house to see her and her adorable 3 month old daughter, Sienna (check out this link to see the precious lamb). Anyway, after a long day at work I was hungry because I had hardley eaten a thing, and I was shakey from having recent coffee in my system that I consumed in hopes to get rid of an awful headache. Needless to say Iw as not so much in the mood for a run. On my way to Ansley I was thinking how I was going to tell her that I just don't think I could physically get myself running at that particular moment. But as I walked in the door she was ready to go and I so instead, I just warned her of my current state and off we went. We ended up running for almost 35 minutes! A personal best for me. Once I got running, it was amazing how the fresh, cool air cleared my headache and truly refreshed me. Despite the fact that my knees were killing me, it was a great run! Moral of the story: even if you are feeling sick and don't want to get up to exercise or run or whatever, do it anyway, cause you will be so glad you did. Goal: to remember that "refreshing" feeling everytime I try and justify away the fact that I should go for a run.

Have a great day!

Just an update

A few quick odds and ends to update you on my life: (Thanks Jess Reimer for the idea)

-Last night we went to a costume party at the Reimers. It was a blast! I was Cleopatra and Derek was Doug McKenzie(from 'Strange Brew').
-24 days until Derek and I go to Oregon for American Thanksgiving!
-I am in an "I hate my job" mode...what to do, what to do...
-The girls upstairs are running around right now and it is SO stinkin loud. But they're cute.
-Dan and Amanda are getting married in less than 2 months! Derek is the best man!
-I miss my friends from back home. I miss the poeple who really know me inside and out :( I am ready to go home.

Apparently nothing really exciting is going on. But that's okay. I'll keep you posted...





Here are Derek and I at the end of the evening of our halloween party.







(More pics on my picture blog here)

Past, Present, Future

Man, it's been a long time....

PAST
This past week or so, life has been crazy (hence why I haven't had time to write in my blog). I hav been working of course, then on top of that I have had loads of meeting for work. So some days I will go straight from work to a meeting. Then it seems like we have had something going on every evening for the past couple weeks and as fun as it is, it can be exhausting. Let's see, nothing really exciting has happened. Every week just kind of turns out to be the same. We are just waiting out the time until we get to go home for American Thanksgiving and then again for Christmas. I am praying that the time flies. Last weekend we did have a Pumpkin Carving Party. It was quite fun. My friends are so creative. We had a blast.

PRESENT
Well, I sit here at my desk at 7:30am and I am so excited that it is Friday. I wait for this day all week long and now it is finally here. Just one last 8 hour shift then 2 days of freedom. Kind of sad, but I live for the weekends! Derek and I are going to go out to dinner tonight because we need a date. I can't wait. Luckily this week is Reading Week at Derek's school which means there are no classes so I have been able to sleep in an extra hour and go to work at 8 instead of 7. Oh the beauty of an extra hour of sleep!

FUTURE
The immediate future (as in the weekend) holds for us a Halloween (Costume) party. We are very excited about it, but ot has kind of been a pain coming up with an idea for costumes. The party is tomorrow and we are still not set on an idea. We have to come as someone famous, wether that be an actor, a TV character, a dead theologian, anything. Please email me if you have any brilliant ideas...but shhhh it's a secret. Our goal is to try not to spend too much money for this whole ordeal. Afterall, we are poor. As far as the more distant future, I see babies and a house and me staying home and not having to go to work anymore. Okay okay, it's a ways off...but it'll happen! I hope.

working at a coffee shop

As you know, I work in a coffee shop. For the most part it is good and fun and busy and whatnot. But in working in a coffee shop (as in any customer service job) you get customers who think they are better than you and they aren't afraid to treat you that way. I guess thet think that they are better than me because I work at a coffee shop and they don't. Whatever. I don't really get it and I think it's quite ridiculous. Sometimes I try and be overly nice to these people and other times I try and to be not so nice to them....either way, it's fun. Sometimes I am only nice in hopes that they willl leave me a big tip, but then I get mad when (yes I said when) they don't...ever! Oh the joys of customer service. Audrey and I came to the conclusion today that people are just straight up annoying (sorry). I urge you to please be nice to people in coffee shops, they have to stand on their feet all day long and for all you know the customer they had before you may have treated them like crap and that is the only reason they seem pissy. Maybe you can be the one to brighten their day! I also very highly encourage tip giving. Even if it's just a dime or a quarter, or whatever you can spare. I know it doesn't seem like they did much and they really don't "deserve" a tip, but they work hard and all the more reason to drop a few pennies in the tip jar!

A new week...

Have you ever been so physically and emotionally exhausted that you can hardly stand? That's how last week was for me. It was a short week due to the Thanksgiving weekend which means you have to do 5 days worth of stuff in 4 days. So with working, evening events and meetings last week, I was pooped!! Getting up at 6am every day makes you tired. This past Saturday we went down to Bellingham for the day, we got back around 3ish and as soon as we got home I went to sleep until 6:00. It was an amazing and much needed nap. Then I went ahead and slept 9 hours on top of that. Oh, I love sleep. Why is it so great?!? Anyway, I am stoked that it is the beginning of a new week. I have hope and excitement for it and know it has to be better than last week. At least more restful if nothing else...

Yay for a long weekend!

One thing that I love about Canada is that there is one holiday every month (except one I think), it's pretty great, cause not only do I get a day off, but I get paid for it! Gotta love stat holidays. This coming Monday is Canadian Thanksgiving. Something we experienced last year, but it's still just as odd. The Cramer's are having a big Thanksgiving potluck, so we are going to that and we will have turkey and all the fixins, just like in the states! I love Thanksgiving, and this year we get to celebrate it twice cause we are going home for American Thanksgiving. I am very much looking forward to the long weekend. So much so that tomorrow I am splurging and going to get a pedicure. I deserve it, right? I mean I do work on my feel 40+ hours a week. Well, regardless, it will be great!

Some highlights of the week:
*Worked 3 of 5 days without a lunch break -we've been so busy!
*Drank a little too much with the Raith's on thursday night
*Went running for a record time of 32 minutes (in the rain too!)
*Saw my boss in a towel -not on purpose...awkward
*Had our first SOS (or RSN) meeting -it was so great!
*Derek is sick...again
*The Cramer's got their phone hooked up-finally!
*I get a pedicure tomorrow!!

Tidbits (idea stolen from Cramer and Reimer)

I admit that this is a stolen idea. First from Jess then from Grace. I thought it was cute. And just what you always wanted...more dumb info about me!

A-Area Code: 778

B-Birthday: June 21, 1983. I;m only 22. Though I feel 24 or 25 cause that's how old all the girls around me are :)

C-Creative Outlet: Scrapbooking and organizing, and writing in my blog (is that creative?)

D-Drink of Choice: I like coffee and coffee type drinks. I also love love love hard cider (McMenamins has the best!)

E-Eating Currently: Just finished dinner-stir fry-and will soon be having some apple pie.

F-Favorite Food: Chicken Curry!!! My newest found love. Especially from 'Thai Away Home' and sweets. Off the top of my head, the Cramer Banana cookies.

G-Goals: To help Derek accomplish all his and in the meantime become a mom!!

H-Hatred: I'm going with zits and back pains today.

I-Inspiration: Deep and conversations with women and when someone says something nice to you and my best friend Jess Scott!!

J-Job: Manager/Barista, The Well Cafe, Vancouver BC

K-Kids: Just Derek ;)

L-Loves: Planning, my husband, babies, friends, Jesus, fam

M-Movie: I am a chick flick girl through and through, therefore my fave is always changing. And since I am poor, I haven't really seen too many movies lately.

N-Nerd-like Tendencies: writing in my blog, reading other peoples blogs, playing on the internet...pretty sure I am just a big nerd but I haven't realized it and think I am really cool.

O-Obsessive-Compulsive Tendencies: Checking my e-mail every chance possible, getting into a made bed. If I am 2 seconds from crawling into bed, but it is still not made from the morning, I have to make it before I can get in.

P-Favorite Perfume/Cologne: Britney Spears new scent...just kidding!! I love Bath and Body Works Cucumber Melon...oh, so good! That has been my scent for probably 5 or more years now.

Q-Quirk About Yourself: you tell me-cause I can't think of anything

R-Last Road Trip: To and from Warm Beach in Washington State for a Regent retreat last weekend, in the vehicle of the cramers.

S-Smoke: Pretty sure I smoked a cigarette or two when I was in middle school, I tell ya, I'm cool.

T-TV Show: too many-how embarrasing, will name a couple. Law and Order:SVU and Gilmore Girls. I get into shows way too easily. Who gave me cable?!

U-Ultra-sensitivities: So stinkin ticklish, and I cry real easily.

V-Time You Were In Vegas: Never been. Not too bummed.

W-Who Do You Go To For Advice? Derek, Jess Scott, SOS girls.

X-X-rays Taken This Year: None this year

Y-Your Favorite Year of Your Life: Freshman year of college, moving to Eugene, meeting Derek, making some amazing friends, feeling so "free", being tight with the Lord, being carefree, staying up till 4am every night and not caring, gosh it was great!

Z-Zodiac Sign: Technically I am right on the cusp of Gemini and Cancer, but I could care less really.

Thank you for reading "dumb things about Katie" hope you have enjoyed this time and I hope you come again soon.

darn them!

Darn Starbucks for calling a 12oz coffee a "tall"...darn them!!

This past weekend was the Regent Retreat (a retreat held for the students and family's of Derek's grad school). We had a blast! Though it cost a little more than we would have liked to have paid, we had a great time. It was fun not to be new and awkward but to be comfortable and to have friends all over the place. It was a good feeling. And who knew you could have so much fun tossing tiny pigs on the table! Oh, the laughs!

Anyway, the past two days I have work 12 and 14 hour days and I am so tired and my body hurts. even this mornig I woke up with a hobbile headache and a huge knot in my kneck. It's a pain. Tonight after work, Derek and I need to go grocery shopping (long awaited) and then I am hoping to sit and relax and go to bed early. We'll see how this all pans out later. As for now, it is 6:30am and I need to get going to work...

I am sitting here at The Well (at work) waiting for Derek to get out of class. He is out of class at 4:00 (I am off work at 3) and he has another class at 6:30. He has not started the paper and therefore does not want to "waste" time riding the bus home. So I am ever so graciously waiting for an hour for him to be done with class. Audrey doesn't mind though because I am keep her company while she is working.

Our trip on the train went well. The train ride was ever so long, I don't reccomend it if you are only going for a day. My back is still sore from sitting and slouching for 10+ hours (each way). But they do play movies on the train (a fact I was unaware of) and I did get to watch Herbie:Fully Loaded three, yes THREE times! Goodness. The wedding was sweet and it was great to see friends and fam while in Oregon for less than 48 hours.

This weekend we are off once again. We are going to the Regent retreat. Besides the fact that it costs money and too much money, I am very excited. I think this year will be even more fun that last year considering that fact that we know a lot more people and I just think it will be great. But this is hopefully our last weekend away for a while. We're tired.

off again

tomorrow morning Derek and I leave for yet another weekend trip. We are headed back to Oregon to go to Adam and Katy's wedding. My sister is also having a housewarming party so it works out that we will be ther. We are taking the train from bellingham tomorrow morning and it is quite a long ride. About 10 hours. However, it will be a nice break from driving and the train should be fun. It will be crazy though because we arrive to Eugene tomorrow evening around 8pm and we leave Sunday morning at 10am. So we are really only there for Saturday. We have a housewarming party, a wedding and all the stuff in between. My whole family will be in town for my sister, which will be great. But who knows how much time I will get to spend with them. I am thankful that we get to go though and I am really looking forward to it. Won't be quite like Victoria...but who's comparing ;)

Victoria

Victoria was....amazing!!!! I can't even describe how wonderful and beautiful and fun it is. Check out my picture blog within the next day or two for pictures. We had a fantastic and romantic time, I don't think we will ever forget it. Yay for vacations!

See the pics here!

2nd Anniversary

Tuesday, the 6th, was our two year anniversary. Wow...2 years. It sure does go by quick. On a side note, it was also the 1 year anniversary of us moving to Vancouver. Besides waking up an hour late, Tuesday was a normal day. Work work work. But when I came home Derek told me to sit and relax and he was going to make dinner. 3 hours later he was done. We got all dressed up and had a nice romantic dinner (he made manicotti-my fave!) accompanied by a taylor made bouquet of flowers, candles and wine. It was great! Though Tuesday was our actual anniversary, we are actually having our big celebration this weekend. We leave today and we are going to Victoria. Just for 2 nights and 3 days, but I cannot wait! We have been planning this and looking forward to it all summer and now it has arrived. We will stay at a cute little Inn, sleep in, see the city and have a nice fancy dinner (compliments of my boss). I hope it will be a relaxing weekend and that Derek and I can just enjoy each other. Yay for anniversaries! Off to Victoria...

Last night

We had a party last, it was pretty stinkin fun if I do say so myself. It was Derek and I and all our close married friends. There was about 14 of us total. I think we had a blast. We hung out and drank a lot and then we played the "newlywed game" that Derek and I created ourselves. It's hilarious to see the couples interact during this. Robert and Michele were the winners by a coin toss. They tied with the Sartors originally. And boy were the prizes great ;) Yeah...we got them from the dollar store. Anything we could find for a buck or less. We had a raffle and that is how we gave the rest of the prizes away. I'd say the party was a hit! Now school will be starting up in a week and it's back to the life of no fun while all our husbands study study study. bleh...

Katrina

The events over the past week that have occured due to Hurricane Katrina have brought up a lot of feelings and emotions in everyone. Words can't explain the sympathy I have or the feeling of helplessness that overwhelms me. I hope we can all keep those people and their families and all the volunteers that are invloved in this horrible disaster, in our prayer and thoughts. Don't let one day or even one hour pass without giving some thought to those who are in trouble and suffering. May God bless them.

Go ducks!

It is so refreshing to be back in Eugene, Oregon. We will be here about 2 1/2 days and it will be the longest time we have spent here in a year. It is so nice to see the University or Oregon stickers and the Duck icons all over. Really brings ya back :) Soon, and very soon, we will be sporting a bumber sticker of our own (and so will the Cramer's!). Go Ducks!

Tomorrow we get to go to a wedding of a friend of ours from undergrad. It will be like a big reunion with friends we haven't seen in a whille. We are very much looking forward to it. It has been a crazy busy trip with not a lot of sleep. So though it is nice to be away and on "holiday" it will be kind of nice to get home and be on a normal sleep schedule again. It's amazing that you actually get less sleep and relaxation when you are on vacation sometimes, it's a little ackwards I think. But, we will be home to Canada Sunday night and it will probably come too soon.

Clothes Swap

Quite possibly the best idea (especially if you are poor and a girl). Gather up your friends, have them bring all the clothes they don't want and then you pile them on the floor and go at it! You walk away with "new" clothes and it's a whole lot of fun doing it. Espcially after it's over and you are all just sitting around chatting or whatnot and randomly you see something you may not have noticed earlier in the pile. It's all very exciting. Oh, and don't forget the alcohol!

Mexican food in Vancouver?

side note: I have decided to change my font back to "normal size" instead of "large size" (sorry Grace) but it's just so big!
I swear there are like 3, maybe 4 mexican restaurants in Vancouver. It is a rarity indeed. However, you can walk down any given street and see about 100 sushi restaurants. Now, if you are into sushi, that's great for you! As for me, I would rather have myself a big burrito...mmmm! The other night Derek and I decided we would splurge and go out to dinner (another rarity). We were both craving mexican food. We looked up the 4 existing local restaurants and decided we would drive by them and see where we wanted to go. We found this great one called Las Margaritas on West 4th. It looked fun, it was packed and the appearance of it was pleasing to the eye. We parked a few blockes away then walked up and decided to check out the menu that was posted outside the door. Our hope was quickly shot when we saw that it ws around $15 a plate. Then you add drinks and tip and tax...you're looking at $45 bucks, at least. That was a no go. We decided instead that we would just walk down 4th and see what else there was. Alas, another mexican place..and it's upstairs..and it had a special going on that night for like $9 a plate. We were in! It was not quite the mexican food experience we had hoped for. Let me set the scene, we walked in, there were 2 employees and about 2 of the tables were full. The place looked old and Sex in the City was on the TV (hmmm?). We decided to give it a try. We ordered drinks (i think my Pina Colada type drink had been sitting in the fridge for a few hours) then we got our food. It was okay, but I could have done way better making it at home. Needless to say, I was kind of disappointed. Our big night out to dinner was a flop. However, the company was pretty good, so I guess I can't complain ;)
If you ever come to Vancouver...go for Sushi...apparently it's pretty good here.

Working at The Well

Working at The Well Cafe is an interesting thing. It has it's ups and downs...that's for sure. Mainly, I would say it is the people. The customers, that is. They really make or break a day for you. And honestly, all it takes is one person to be rude for no apparant reason and you're done for. You might as well go home and start the day over cause the day officially SUCKS! I don't understand those people who are rude for no reason. I imagine they must have had some experiences in life that have made them bitter and they deicde to take it out on the world. Somtimes...it hurts...and really makes me mad. I wish I could depict the stories exactly as I experience them, but writing them would not do them justice. You'll just have to trust me...I see some amazingly crazy people pass my way each and every day. I swear the Lord is testing me in EVERY way.
Honestly though, if it weren't for my great staff (of 3) there would be no reason to get up in the morning. I can't even call them "my staff" cause they are my friends and my source of entertainment that keep me from going insane each day. There's Audrey, Dane, and our new addition Jeff. Jeff hasn't started yet since his wife (ex-manger of the well) had a baby yesterday-yay! But I know he'll add to the team quite nicely. Audrey is my right hand, I am not joking. When we work together, not only does the time fly cause we are having so much fun but we are like a machine and communicate without even talking. She's also crazy and I love her. She is probably one of the funniest most sarcastic people I know and she has a story for everything. It's greatly amusing. Then theres Dane...silly Dane. He's freaking hilarious and I think his goal in life is to make people laugh. We have loved having him around and all I have to say...is our store is better than that other store over there on Dunbar. We ROCK!!! Yay for great people to work with.

Way too long...

Whoa...it sure has been a little while. I am so sorry to those of you who sit at your computer daily waiting for my next entry. Finally you get some excitement! Lucky you. Anyway, all is going well here during our first Canadian summer. We have been very much enjoying the sunshine and the beauty here. Today we went to China Town with our new southern friends, Chad and Ansley. It wasn't all it's hyped up to be, but we had a good time. Plus it was a beautiful day, so you can't go wrong.

What else is new? Well, I did go to L.A. last weekend for my sisters graduation from her Masters. I had a blast with the family. We were only there a couple days, but we did a lot of eating out, a little laying by the pool and a lot of time laughing and enjoying each other. It was a mini family vacation that I am sure to remember. Annie graduated from Azusa Pacific with her Masters in Psychology. Her and her husband have just recently moved back to Oregon and are now living in Eugene where Tony will attend University of Oregon and get his masters in Psychology.

As far as Derek and I, we are still puttin along. Derek is currently finishing up some papers fro summer school and I am just working my little tail off and enjoying the beauty of Vancouver. We've really been enjoying our friends a lot and have actually found lots of open times where we are all in town on the same days. It's been fantasic. Well, that's the little update. Sorry I don't have a more exciting life. But hey...what can I say?

By the way...I hope you have all had a chance to read Harry Potter 6 or least started reading the series. Since I finished reading the 6th book, I have become completely addicted and maybe a tad bit obsessed. I am rereading the book and once I get all my other books in the series back (they are loaned out at the moment) then I will reread the entire series. Oh man, I get excited just thinking about it....

HARRY POTTER!!!

Today is the day, it has finally come. July 16th, the day that Harry Potter and Half Blood Prince (the 6th book in the series) is released. Months ago I would have thought that at this very moment I would be curled up on my couch reading the long awaited book. But, just weeks ago Derek and I realised that if we bought the book in Canada it would not match all of our other books. So alas, we are waiting until next weekend where we are going to Seattle for a wedding. We will then get the book and dive right in. Though the next week will be tough and it will be hard to avert my eyes from online articles and news broadcasts about the much anticipated book, I know it will be worth it to have my fresh American Harry Potter book. Despite the controversy that is going on, I really don't care. the controversy is that the U.S. version is not printed on recycled paprer whereas the canadian version is on 100% recycled paper. But what can you do? I must have my U.S. copy of the book. For the last couple of months Derek and I have been rereading all of the books in order to prepare for today's release of the 6th. But instead of reading them, we have been getting them on tape from the library and have very much enjoyed listening to them together. We are still working on finishing up the 5th book on tape. So all in all it is a good thing that we still have one more week, cause we still have a little ways to go. Though it is fun to listen to it (actually it is amazing!) it takes a bit longer to get through because we have to coordinate our schedules and set aside "Harry Potter" time. But, if you get a chance, I highly reccommend listening to them on tape-or CD. They are perfect for road trips and you can check them out from the library. The guy who reads the books is positively wonderful. He is a delight to listen to, he does all the voices and has won numerous awards for his work reading the series. It's great! I hope that everyone now has their copy of the 6th book in hand and is enjoying it greatly. And, if you are still yet to get into the Harry Potter craze, I very much urge you to give it a try. Pick up the first book and just start reading, it is an easy read, very fun and interesting and is good for the imagination. You will soon know what all the fuss is about and once you get through the first 5, you will be on your way out to pick up your copy of the 6th. If you begin reading and you are not as into it as you thought you would be, then at least give it to the end of the 3rd book and if by that point you are still not convinced, then I guess it's just not for you. Which is sad and depressing, but I guess could just be the case. Hopefully you have not gone and seen the movies before you have read the books, it's just not the same to see the movies first. The 3rd movie sucks anwyay. Okay Harry Potter fans, what are you doing reading my blog when you should be reading your new book. Off you go...

Babies everywhere

Everywhere I go...babies, babies and preganant women. There must be something in the water here. One of my friends here just had a baby 2 days ago. A baby boy named Noah. So precious. It was long awaited (well 9 months) and now he's here. It's a pretty crazy and incredible thought that he is now out in the world experiencing life for the first time. There are a few more friends who should be giving birth within the next couple months. So litterally, there will be new born babies all over the place. With their new proud, glowing (yet tired) parents. I love it all. It's fun to oooh and aaaah over them but then know that at the end of the day you get to go home and sleep the whole night through. One day that will be us though and that is fine by me. I think it all seems fun and exciting.

Enjoy the sun Vancouver (yes it finally is here)!! Pray it lasts.

Long time

Wow, I have just noticed that it has been a while since I have written anything on here. What a slacker I am. This full time job thing sure keep ya busy, eh? That and the fact that my husband and I are now having to share a computer. All those things take a toll. So first off, let me just tell you how wonderful the summer here in Vancouver has been. Oh wait, did I say summer? Cause I think it must be fall eventhough the calendar says July. Yeah, it has been pretty crappy. Rainy and not too warm. Our first summer in Vancouver has so far sucked! I just want to go to the beach and get a tan. Is that so much to ask? We did have one nice day on Saturday, that was fun. My mom and Helen were here so the whole day was a huge blessing. We had a great time.
So, I am coming to a realization in my life that I am not getting any younger and really need to start focusing more onmy health. I need to eat at least a little healthier and need to do a little more physical activity. My question for you is this...how? How can I eat healthier but still be on this tight budget and cook in my tiny kitchen? And how can I get myself up off my butt and be motivated to workout when I have to be fully self motivated (no one will run with me)? That's my challenge for you all...to help me ;) Any encouragement, words of advice or nice healthy recipes would be greatly appreciated.
Okay, I have to work in just 8 hours so I guess I should at least start thinking about getting to bed (I guess I shouldn't have drunk that coffee). Goodnight world.

A quick thought

You know you are getting older when, eventhough it's your birthday, you are still ironing your husbands shirt while he plays video games. Hmmm...

P.S. I got a digital camera, so my photo page will hopefully have more pictures on it now. Be sure to check it out www.kbpics.blogspot.com

Hanging in Oregon

Here I am, at my parents house in Bend, Oregon and for the first time in a few days I get to actually sit down and have nothing to do. Feels good. After I got off work on Friday we drove straight down to Portland where we arrived around 10:30pm, we got to see our niece, Sophia (yes she was still awake) and we got to see our new nephew again who has grown about double in size since the last time we were there about a month ago. It was amazing. Anyway, Saturday morning we woke up and drove down to Eugene, we had not been to Eugene since the day we left over 9 months ago. Oh how we miss it. Our first stop when we got into town was, of course, ROMA!!! Derek was in heaven. It was nice to be back on the U of O campus where the sun was actually shining...for about 10 minutes. For lunch we met some friends at the North Bank McMenammins where we both had the ever famous 'Wilbur Burger' and Derek had a Terminator Stout. Again...in heaven. That evening we went to the wedding that we had actually come down for. Our friends Ben and Deanna got married. It was a sweet wedding and we litterally got to see ALL of our Eugene friends while we were at the reception. It was awesome and socially draining. We loved every minute of it. We couldn't quite get enough so after that we went again to McMennamins (this time it was the one on 19th) with about 8 of our friends. We got to catch up more personally and it was glorious. Needless to say, we were exhausted. We set it up, so we were able to stay out in Cook's Cottage at Camp Harlow. This morning we got up and went to breakfast (it just so happens to be counselor training right now) and again we got to see all of our camp buddies and close friends. Breakfast lasted a little longer than anticipated but we eventually got out of there, hopped in the car once again and headed to Bend. But first we stopped at Roma once again for some coffee for the road. Side note-we checked out 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' on CD to listen to in the car and we have pretty much listened to it every chance we have gotten. Needless to say, we are flying right through it and hope to move on to 'Order of the Phoenix' soon. We got here to Bend around noonish and just knowing that we will not have to be getting in the car again anytime in the next 12 hours felt good. It is Father's Day so we have just been spending time with the fam. We went to a BBQ and it began to get a little chilly so we went inside and not even 2 minutes after we moved inside it began to hail like I have never seen before. It was coming down like pouring rain and lasted for about 20 minutes. It was insane. It is the middle of June and it's hailing. Who would've thought? I kind of enjoyed it. So, I am back at my parents and we are just resting and waititng for mom to finish her big surprise Father's Day gift for my dad. And in about 2 or so hours we will get to see our good buddy David Beach, so excited! On Tuesday (my big 22nd!) we head back over to Portland where we will get to see Derek's fam again and then Wednesday we head back home to Vancouver where we get to breathe :)

Craziness

Isn't life just crazy? I have to say so. Especially when summer hits, lives just fill up and more and more things are filling the day planner. I thought summer was supposed to be a relaxing time of peace and quiet. I guess we just take advantage of our so called "peace and quiet" and we fill our schedules with trips, guests and fun activities. Therefore ultimately summer is just as busy, if not more busy, than any other part of the year. It's all craziness I tell ya, just craziness. Take time to stop and enjoy what we all hope will be a beautiful summer. Congrats to all my graduating friends from U of O and of course OSU too. I am so happy for you all!

Stupid moment

So last week I was making....something with ground beef. I had let the ground beef thaw that day but it did not thaw all the way so I put it in the microwave for a couple minutes to defrost. Anyway, when it was done I took 1/2 of the ground beef to cook with and put the other 1/2 of the beef back in the freezer...though I thought. A few days later, litterally a few days, I went to cook something in the microwave and it turns out that I had put the other 1/2 of the beef into the microwave instead of the freezer. Needless to say we had to throw that out and it did not smell too good in the microwave. Silly me!

P.S. Derek got a job...woohooo...but he works all day Saturdays, so we had to change our coffee shop hunt to Sunday afternoons. We went to a place called Higher Grounds on Sunday and it was alright. Cute little place, okay atmosphere, small seating area. But they serve Cuppa Joe coffee, so that's always good. :)

For the love of a coffee shop

Derek and I have a thing, you know, a thing that we like to do, that makes us us. I think that thing is coffee shops. To us, there is nothing better than a good coffee shop (and yes, there are bad coffee shops). Whether we bring a book to read, do the daily crossword puzzle or just sit and chat, we absolutley love it! We have been to loads of coffee shops in our day and have begun the search for the good ones here in Vancouver. We have seen all the ones in our surrounding area and neighborhood so this morning we headed East and traveled all the way over to Commercial Drive where we went to one of the many JJ Bean Coffee Shops. One thing I love about Vancouver Coffee Shops is that a lot of them have big front windows that completely open up like garage doors. So though you are enjoying your coffee with a roof over your head, you are practically sitting outside. And on a day like today when it is 25 degress out (that's about 75 degrees for you Americans), it is so incredible. Gosh, such a passion for coffee shops. Derek and I could Coffee shop hop all day long and be totally satisfied. We are going to begin exploring a new coffee shop every Saturday morning and I will let you know what we find. This morning was JJ Bean on Commercial Drive, next Saturday...only time will tell.

As you see, coffee is not only important to us, it is a way of life and we are so happy to live in a world full of it! Get into it if you aren't already and I encourage you to find the best coffee shops in your town ;)

It's begun

I am officially in week two of my new manger position at The Well. Besides a few fun and not so exciting dramatic events last week, all is going well. This week things are going much more smooth and I am actually enjoying it. It really doesn't feel much different or anything, I just have to be a little more responsible and I can no longer say "oh, just ask Lara". But the hardest things for me has been having to work at 7am 3-4 times a week. I just can't seem to get myself to bed early enough in order to actually get a good amount of sleep. Needless to say, I am dragging and I am pretty tired. Things will get better and I will get used to the schedule and the most important thing is that I do my job well. So watch out world...I'm in charge!!! ;)

P.S. I am sad to report that Jennifer Garner and the movie crew has moved onto a different location to continue shooting and I was never fortunate enough to actually see her. My life is over.

A movie

So, the cool thing is that they are filming a movie just 2 blocks from my house, litterally. It is starring Jennifer Garner and it's called Catch and Release. Now, the crappy thing is, that everyone has seen Jennifer Garner just hanging out on the set, everyone except me that is. I have walked by, driven by and basically becomea crazy stalker, but nothing. Afterall, I am the one who lives right by this set, why can't I have some excitement here! Anyway, I will keep you posted. I think they are going to be here for about a month. It is all quite excititng actually. I guess there are some good things about living in Vancouver afterall.

Kingdom of Heaven

Last night Derek and I went out and saw 'Kingdom of Heaven' starring Orlando Bloom and directed by Ridley Scott. We both really enjoyed it and would highly reccomend it to anyone, except maybe small children. Orlando Bloom, playing the role of Balian, is an amazing actor in this film and Ridley Scott is brilliant (however, look for Gladiator-like tendencies). Set during the crusades of the 12th Century, it is a battle for Jerusalem and of Religion. The fight it on! There is deffinitly a good amount of violence, but nothing that closing the eyes for a few seconds can't fix. Anyway, get out and see this movie. It's great!
P.S. Grace, is this font size better?

Our Trip to Oregon

This past weekend Derek and I decided to take a little adventure down to Portland, Oregon. We went mainly to visit our new little nephew Alejandro. What a beautiful baby boy he is, a full head of dark dark brown hair, perfectly round little face and cute and tiny as can be. Barely 3 weeks old, you truly realize what a precious gift from God children are. We also got to spend lots of good time with our 2.5 year old niece, Sophia, who is having a difficult time sharing mommy and daddy with baby brother. We got to give her some much needed extra attention and see how much she has grown up. It amazes me that I can sit down and actually have a full and real conversation with this girl. She is amazing and so stinkin smart. Overall, the time with the fam was great and we really loved being there. It made us wish we were closer to home (not that 6 hours is much of a drive to get home, but still).
While in Portland though, we were able to do what seemed like a million things. We rolled into town Thursday evening and Derek and I went to McMennamins where he met with Dan and I met with Jess. We went our own ways and took the time to catch up with our best friends. It was wonderful to see Jess, I hadn't seen her since Christmas and it is always wonderful and a blessing to be with her. There is no one else in the world that I can talk to so easily and comfortabley. It was just wonderful to see our friends. The next morning, Friday, we spent with Sophia at the park giving mommy a break and a chance to get out of the house. That afternoon Derek and I went to TARGET, it was glorious, we love it and always make sure we make at least one visit while in the states. I love Target and must say that they are doing a pretty good job keeping up with the current fasions. Makes my heart happy :)
Friday night was a big event and something Derek and I had been looking forward to for weeks. Meeting Dan's new girlfriend, Amanda. The four of us had dinner at her house and later went out for some dessert. It was so great to finally meet this mystery girl who we had been hearing about for months. She is a sweet and wonderful person and I am so excited to get to know her more and more. Dan is truly in love and it is so neat to see the guy so happy and satisfied. Seeing your friends happy brings a joy like none other, and that's what it was. Dan's life is completely different than what we all would have thought it to have been a year ago. The U of O architecture grad moved to Portland to pursue architecture and wound up finding a great job in the city. However, just a few months into this new career, he decides that he hates it and wants to pursue his real passion, middle schoolers. dan has since decided to go back to school and become a Middle School Social Studies teacher. He will begin classes at Portland State in just a month or so. He will still work for the firm until he is done with his Masters though. So between that and this new wonderful girlfriend, things are just way different for Mr. Dan. We are so happy for him and proud of him. Enough about Dan.
Saturday morning we met with my sister, Mandy, at World Cup Coffee. We sat for a couple hours and just chatted. It is always such a great thing to get together with her. The conversation is always good and she is one of those people that is just real. Straight from there we went around the corner to have our hair done at the Hair Lounge, which is where Derek's brother-in-law works. Like always, we are so impressed with him. Derek decided to go with non-haor look and chop it all off. While I decided just to go a bit lighter blonde. Good times. Then we went downtown and met our good pal Adam. We walked around, got smoothies and just had a fun time catching up. We miss you Adam! ( in case you can't tell, I am rushing through this day because I think this entry is already on the lenghtly side). From there we went back to Derek's sisters house and later went out to dinner with Derek's dad and stepmom. We went to this little itlian place called Piazzo Italia. OH MY!! So good and truly authentic Italian. We had a great time and ended up staying there for about 3 hours. Phew..Saturday is over.
On Sunday Derek and I met Dan at his Church, Imago Dei. We had been looking forward to going to this church for a long time and it exceeded our expectations. It was just incredible. Everything about it. Plus, we ran into a couple unexpected friends. A big shout out to Katy Latterty...so good to see you! And Derek ran into his buddy Josiah, who was his Crusader about 5 years ago at Camp Harlow. That was just crazy. After church we went out to lunch at a little pizza place and then had coffee at a fun coffee shop, called Crema. The rest of the day we spent preparing a yummy dinner and spending time with Derek's mom (it was Mother's day afterall)and family.
Okay, that's about it, we drove home Monday morning, listened to Harry Potter on CD during the drive and got home safe and sound. Sorry that I didn't elaborate much on some parts of the trip, but you get the idea. We did have a wonderful time and we miss Oregon very very much. But we will be back in a month for Ben and Deanna's wedding and I can't wait!!!

One school year down

So as of last Friday Derek has officially completed his first year of Grad school at Regent. I just cannot believe that one school year is already complete. I still feel like we just moved here. Derek will still take a couple classes in spring and summer, but it will not be as intense as the past 8 months. At this rate, in order for Derek to complete his MCS, he should be done December 2006. He is estimating 2.5 school years. Derek is currently going to be looking for a summer job and he will look forward to serving on Student council next school year, helping out with the student forums.

Sunshine

Why is it that sunshine is THE most wonderful thing?! I mean really, it makes everyone happier, the days are longer, there are more people outside. It is just down right stinkin amazing! It also makes the lazy people want to get up off their butts and get outside and do something. It truly is great. I have found myself walking to places that aren't even that close and just yearning to be outside after just 5 minutes in my darn little dark basement suite. Especially in Vancouver when you are surrounded by beauty such as mountains and oceans and even the view of downtown is breath taking. When the sun comes out, everything is beautiful (except maybe the pre-tanned legs and thighs that are out there). I just had to comment on the sun, because we are being very spoiled by it here up north. I mean it is getting into the 20's here (celcius that is). The best part is, is that is is only April and we still have the rest of Spring and a whole summer ahead of us. Gee...it's fantabulous!! Enjoy the sun...wherever you are.

Just call me miss manager

Well, this afternoon I finally accepted the manager position at the coffee shop. I think it will be good. Yes we will be poor, but hey, what's new? All in all, it is slightly better money than what I am making now between all my jobs so I guess that's good. The ability to pay rent with just one pay check will be amazing (I get paid bi-monthly). The dream of having a savings account is slowly fading but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do, eh? Now, if Derek could find a part-time job, life would incredible. Keep your fingers and toes crossed and pray pray pray! My new job will officially start on May 16th and in the meantime I will be training and phasing out my nanny job. I will admit that I am slightly nervous just because there will be a lot to remember. But I think after a little bit of time, it will become second nature. We'll see. Wish me luck as I take on my next adventure!!!!

Photo page

So I decided to start a different blog to post only pictures on. The link is www.kbpics.blogspot.com or you can go to my profile and at the bottom of my profile you can click on the link "Katie's Photos" and it will take you right there. I will try to put some updated pics there but I don't have a lot since we don't have a digital camera. I will do my best. Enjoy!

Auntie...again!

Well, today at 1:46pm Derek and I became Aunt and Uncle...again. But we gained our first ever nephew. Derek's sister had her 2nd child today and we welcome Alejandro Luis Hernandez into the world. He weighed in at 8lbs. 8oz. and is 21 inches long. No complications and right on time. We plan to go see our new nephew in a couple weeks when we venture down to Portland for a visit. Can't wait!

To be or not to be...?

I was recently offered a promotion at work. They have asked me to be the manager of The Well (the coffee shop I work at). This is very exciting and kind of what I have been waiting for since I started working there. Though this job was offered a couple of weeks ago, I have not officially accepted the job yet. Allow me to explain why. This job would be awesome in so many ways, let me list the pros:
-It is at Regent, so I would be involved in the student life and get to see Derek
-Everyday you meet some great people
-It is super fun and every day is different
-I love coffee!
-Derek gets free coffee too!
-I would get to be in charge and involved in decision-making processes
-Derek and I have all the same Holidays
-I get 10 paid vacation days
-It’s laid back and easy (could be a Con too)
There is ONE thing that is not so good. The money. It is a small company so I understand that they can't afford to pay me much, but the amount that I am being offered would be hard to live on especially since we are a one-income family. Derek goes to school and I work. So whatever I make, is all we make. And not only that, but Vancouver is not a cheap place to live by any means. So all in all, it is a tough decision. I really want this job and know that I would do it well and it is just amazing to have the privilege to work at Derek’s school. If anything, that is what makes it all worth while. So a decision is to be made soon and I will keep you updated on the choice I make. Prayer and any thoughts would be wonderful and greatly appriciated.

Give

I have been reading a book called “Blue Like Jazz” by Donald Miller. Don writes about his thoughts on Christian Spirituality and his life experiences with that. This has been a book that I have enjoyed reading. It’s a great book to pick up as you climb into bed. Not something that has really broken down any walls, but definitely a book that makes you think about life a little bit. I sat down this morning with my cup of coffee to relax and read a chapter or two; I opened the book and the next chapter was entitled none other than “Money”. I struggle with money because I don’t have much of it and I am very protective of the amount I do have. Here I thought Don would probably talk about money is dumb and that living in this world, money is just something we all have to deal with. By no means did it cross my mind that he might talk about tithing. In the Bible it tells us that we are to give 10% of our income to God. This is tithing. I have always known this but have never actually done it. I have given a few dollars here and there to whatever church I was attending at the time but I have never given 10%. I always thought this would be something I would do when I was “grown-up” and making much more money. After all, giving 10% every month would leave me with even less money than I have now. Needless to say, I was convicted by this chapter and I admit that I felt/feel guilty.

When Derek and I got married we decided that we would tithe by supporting a child through Compassion International. While this has been great and we love doing it, it is not 10% of our income. If we made $280 a month, it would be, but luckily we make a tad bit more than that. Here is my dilemma in all of this. Though Derek and I attend a church, we are not actually members of this church. So is this who we would give our 10% to? Or would we give it to a charity? Support more children through Compassion? Or does it really matter who or how we give it? Is the important thing just to give? Though I admit that giving 10% will be hard, I think part of the problem has been that I have never actually been a member of a church and therefore have not felt compelled to give them my money. Is that awful? So I want to think about all of this and I hope to come to a conclusion and hope to be more faithful in my relationship with the Lord. Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks.

Just a little update

For those of you who don't know...here is a little update on my life. Currently, Derek and I are living in Vancouver, British Columbia and have been here since September 2004. We are here because Derek is pursuing his dream and is attending Regent College. Regent is a Graduate School of Christian Studies. Derek is going for a Masters in Christian Studies right now and it should take just over 2 years to complete. What will we do after that? God only knows and we are trusting in him to help us decide that. While here, I am just working and making sure the bills are paid. Right now I work at a Coffee Shop as a Barista. I work at the coffee shop located in Regent...which is great because it is only one bulding. So I get to meet all the students and see Derek too. I am also a nanny part time for twin boys, age 4. We have also met some incredible people here and are just loving that. It has been such a blessing to us to get know such wonderful people and it has made living in Canada just that much more bareable (love you guys!). Well, that is the short version of what we are up to. But now you know...in case you didn't ;) More to come...

What's a Blog?

You might be asking "whats a blog", well believe it or not it is short for WEB LOG (is that one word or two?) Anyway, apparently it's the new thing and so I just HAD to have one. Am I behind in the times? Has everyone had one of these for years and I am just now learning of them. Anyhoo, I am here to blog away and to keep y'all updated on me, my husband, my life, my friends, oh canada and whatever else I feel like updating you on. Afterall it is my blog. Yippeee!