Under Construction

I figured I would take some of my free time to do a blog makeover. Trying a lot of new things to figure out what I like so you may see a lot of changes here over the next few days. Also, one of my New Year's resolutions is to take more pictures (even of the mundane things in life) and to document through blogging WEEKLY. This will by no means be loads of fun and interest for anyone who follows my blog, but will allow me to look back at my blog years down the road and feel like I didn't miss out on documenting any memories. Happy New Year everyone! Have fun and be safe :)

Back to Oregon

We helped Janell pack the best that we could, but by Monday morning (day of departure) it was clear that not everything was going to fit! Thankfully she has wonderful friends who offered to store items until she can come back and take another car load. This is what our vehicle looked like...

from the back

middle

front

Amanda's cocoon. She swore she was fine and didn't mind the tight space

We ate here twice on the drive home. I never knew what the big deal was about In N Out Burger, but I admit, it's pretty darn good!

We didn't leave Janell's place until 12:30 that afternoon. Luckily roads were clear and traffic wasn't too bad. I crawled into bed at 5 am Tuesday morning. I don't see any 16 hour road trips in my near future. At least not where we drive all through the night!

California Family

Another "must" on my list (I guess the only other one besides Disneyland) was being able to visit my cousin Karen and her family. Janell was so blessed to have family living near her in California. I appreciated her sacrificing packing and moving time to allow us to visit The Jones'.

with my cousin Karen's adorable kids Naomi and Elijah

we got there just as they woke up from naps

Janell will miss her snuggle buddy

Naomi and I played a lot of hide and seek while we were there

I just realized I did not get a picture of my cousin Karen! She was taking pictures as well and I know we got one of us all with her camera. I will have to add one of those photos to this post later on. Hope you all enjoy seeing family this Christmas season!

My California Adventure

I realize it seems crazy that I am blogging the day before Christmas Eve. Especially since Greg and I have a family get together in Portland tonight and I haven't even packed. I figure I am going to be so busy the next few days that by the time I have a chance to blog I will have SO much to write about I may as well write an update before more blog worthy things happen.

On December 13th my cousin Amanda and I flew to southern California to spend the week with my cousin Janell who would then be moving back to Oregon a few days later. We had offered to help her pack and be road trip buddies on the long drive home, as long as we got to go to Disneyland. It was a fantastic trip and it was great to be able to relax, and also enjoy the near 70 degree weather!

on the tram heading to the park!

I had never been to Disney over Christmastime, but it is beautifully decorated

The Haunted Mansion was in the theme of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Even the entire ride was changed inside. We had to ride it twice to take in the whole thing :)

I loved the fun Christmas decor throughout the park

What is it about a castle that makes me feel like a five year old little girl?

with Janell in front of the castle

I was a nerd and wanted to document all the "Christmasy" things. Thanks for posing with me Amanda!

Thunder Mountain

Okay, so Amanda and I seriously debated on going on Splash Mountain. It was only 66 degrees out and we knew would be at the park for 9 more hours at that point, possibly soaking wet... but we couldn't resist! Naturally we were sat in the very front of the ride, and we did get SOAKED. But it was worth it!

They had a cute Christmas parade that night.

Don't worry, we know the guy in the back HA! We didn't know he was creeping in our pic at the time though.

Waiting for the fireworks

I tried to capture the fake snow... even though I am an Oregonian and have experienced real snow, this was kinda magical :)

Probably the best firework show I have ever seen.

in front of It's a Small World

this ride was also changed for Christmas

the song throughout the ride was a medley of It's a Small World and We Wish You a Merry Christmas

The last time I had been to Disney with my cousins was twenty years ago. We had such a good time together!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Lights

Greg and I decided not to get a tree this year because we don't have the room in our apartment. After making that decision I am regretting it. I have my other Christmas decorations up, but it's just not the same without a tree. I even stopped by a tree lot today to get a tiny 3 footer, but it was $22!!! I think we got our 6ft tree for $25 last year.

Anyway, I needed my Christmas tree fix so when I was in Monmouth for class on Tuesday I had to document the decorated tree on campus :) I had a bit of a moment realizing this would be the last time I would be around to see the tree on campus. Can't believe my time at WOU is almost over...

And of course on my way home through Corvallis I had to drive through the PEPSI Co Christmas lights :) So for all you OSU grads, here is a little bit of Corvallis Christmas for ya!

I remember the first Christmas Greg and I were dating he drove me through to see the lights at Pepsi and I loved it. Driving through by myself on my way home from a class, not as memorable, but still fun.

 Christmas would not be Christmas without light up Disney characters lol ;)

Hmm, maybe since we aren't getting a tree I can make up for it with Christmas lights inside :)

Cirque du Soleil

The past week or so, the Cirque du Soleil Michael Jackson Immortal Tour group has been staying at the Hilton Garden Inn. Greg has been working long hours, but had great stories to tell about the incredible people he was interacting with while at work. I went to drop off lunch for him one day and some of the performers were practicing in the hallway!

I think Greg may have mentioned something about going to the show early on, but neither of us had much of an interest in spending money to go see it. The day of the performance Greg called me and said "The Cirque du Soleil group left the hotel free tickets to the show... wanna go?" Well, free is a very good price and even though it would be a late night on a weekday (I am so lame) I decided it would be a fun date night :) We rode the city bus with some of Greg's coworkers to Matthew Knight Arena at the UofO.

Our seats were AMAZING. And so was the show! I don't know how much I would have loved it if I had paid over $100 for it or if it was a regular Cirque du Soleil theme though. I am not a Michael Jackson fanatic, but I do enjoy his music. I think 50 different Michael Jackson songs were played, and the show was put on in such a way that it seemed more like a musical.

While Greg and I did not yell out "We love you Michael!", cry buckets of tears throughout the show, or wear Michael Jackson themed clothing, we had a really great time. I definitely recommend the show to anyone who is considering purchasing tickets.

Born in the Wrong Era?

My cousin Janell is in town visiting from California and I have been wanting to spend a lot of time with her while she's here. Her family went to help friends set up for an estate sale the other night so I tagged along. The woman who lived in the home was somewhat of a hoarder, but she held onto many of her fashionable clothing items from the 50's and 60's. Naturally, my cousins and I took the opportunity to try some things on.

Amanda holding up a cute dress and matching sweater

Mrs. Chase (owner of clothes) was very petite and I had to really suck it in to fit into some of the items!)

Thinking you could find similar things in Anthropology these days? Funny how things come back in style!

Green party dress.... I was tempted to take it, but couldn't think of an occasion to wear it.

She also had some gorgeous hats! They wouldn't fit my fat head though.

Kind of regretting not taking this awesome shirt, even had the extreme pointed collar from the seventies.

 We had so much fun looking around. We were there to "help" but did more playing than helping I think. My cousins were very close to the family and were allowed to pick out some pieces of jewelry. They found some gorgeous broaches as well as necklaces to take. Janell also found a fur collar... she surprisingly pulled it off beautifully. She's convinced she was born in the wrong era. Looking through all the clothes, hats, and gloves felt very MadMen. Makes me second guess getting rid of clothes, but I seriously doubt my style will ever be sought after 50 years later ha ha.