We're Ba-ack!

Well this post is obviously long over-due. With the extended holiday break and then a mad rush getting things back in order, we've been a bit busy.
Last weekend I drove down to Eugene to be with Nick and Toby. Nick hosted an open house for a new four-plex on Saturday and we spent the rest of the weekend running errands, doing a puzzle, and looking at guns (yes, Nick is trying to talk me into getting a 20 gauge. Didn't see that one coming, huh? ;)
This weekend started off with a fun-filled game night with three of my coworkers and their significant others. All of the girls work together and it was fun to meet each other's partners--and so great to find out how much we each have in common. Fun fact: all of us have lived up here in Oregon for less than a year and a half! How strange is that? One couple moved from Minnesota, another from Florida, and the third couple is from San Diego. We bonded over beer, wine, a group game called "Things" and a little backyard fire.
We haven't quite figured out what we are going to do for the rest of the weekend. Nick and I have a 3-day weekend because of MLK jr. Day. There's a possibility of snow in the next couple days, so I'm thinking it's going to be a cozy weekend spent indoors. I just received my "Joy of Cooking" cookbook in the mail that I ordered with some Christmas money. It has 4500 recipes! I don't think I'll ever need another cookbook. I'm eying the Chicken Cordon Bleu, while Nick (a very predictable fellow) is drooling over the pesto and Chinese Cuisine recipes!Perhaps we (I?) will do some cooking and baking today. Also, I am thinking lots of tea is in order.

Stay tuned for a recap of our winter vacation in California!

End of the Year!

It has been a long time since I've blogged, but I assure you it has been because I have been so busy! Well, now that we are approaching the holiday season, real estate has slowed to a crawling pace and I have some free time! A welcome change-of-pace and a nice way to conclude a crazy year.

Originally I was going to write a month-by-month summary of what we've done, but pictures and collages are so much more fun!




And, of course, a video of Katie being an absolute dead-eye 12-gauge handlin' skeet shooter! Good job!



Unfortunately I've had a major delay in closing my first deal. I should've been receiving a nice check tomorrow, but instead we're closing on 1/16/12, assuming there are no other delays. Although this would've been a great Christmas "bonus," these things occasionally happen, and we are fully dedicated to making the most of our winter break.

In two days, we head down to California for some fun in the December sun! I mean that, too. Each year, we go to Dog Beach in Southern California on or around Christmas day and enjoy the nice weather. If we were to try that up here we would nearly freeze as our weather has been hovering around 35° for the past couple of weeks.

We'll start our trip with 3-4 days in Northern California with my family. We'll do a White Elephant gift exchange on the 23rd and a small Christmas on the 24th. On Christmas day we fly out of Oakland to Long Beach for a week with Katie's family! The time frames work out well because her family is solidly in Southern California whereas mine is disbursed throughout Northern California, Eugene, and Portland. We'll be on-the-go down there pretty much every day. Can't wait!

Ok, I'm out of time for now. I'll update later.

What I Do

I have found it somewhat tricky to describe my job in just a few words. Because the idea of academic coaching is still relatively new, it takes some explaining for people to understand what it is that I really do. Below is a link to a little cartoon that my company put out about my role as a Coach.

Click here for a little tidbit about my job!

Sister Visit!

I know I'm a few weeks late on this, but later is better than never, right?
My sisters and my dad flew out to Portland on the 10th of November. We stopped at Rocky Butte on our way home from the airport for a gorgeous, clear-skied night view of the city and then spent the evening hanging out at home.
On Friday we woke up early and started out on our drive to Eugene--with a nice long pit stop at the Woodburn Outlets, of course! We more than got our fill of clearances, sales and specials going on for Veteran's Day weekend--including 40% off everything at the North Face and Bass Shoes.
When we got to Eugene, we went straight to the Super Walmart (which could easily be its own town) and stocked up on Thanksgiving foods for our feast later that night.

Auntie Linda and Uncle Mike graciously allowed us to stay in their home, as they were out of town for Nick's cousin's wedding. We also got to watch little Bessie all weekend long--and she got SO much attention!

Due to my dad's desire to get a giant turkey (for leftovers, needless to say), there was a slight miscalculation in our schedule and we ended up eating pretty late into the evening! Nevertheless it was delicious, as were the sides that we each prepared. To keep us busy while we were waiting for the turkey to cook, we went in the hot tub, listened to Christmas music and played with the pups.
On Saturday morning we all woke up early for some good ol' fashioned shootin'. We drove further into the boondocks of Eugene and into the little town of Crow. After driving down a pot-hole-ridden road for a bit, we arrived at a nice clearing. We shot Nick's two 9mm handguns, as well as his .22 and his grandpa's .380. We each took turns shooting at our own targets, and it was pretty cool to see how accurate we got (or, er, didn't get ;).

On our way out of Eugene we stopped at our favorite coffee shop and enjoyed fresh pastries for breakfast. Then we headed back to Portland and walked around downtown PDX for a bit. It was super cold and rainy-- I think they got a very authentic Portland experience. For dinner we got a growler (how could we not?) and pizza from Signal Pizza--Nick's all-time favorite place in St. John's (ok, maybe it's tied with Plew's Brews).

Sunday, the last day of their trip, we woke up early and drove to Multnomah Falls. There were no crowds because we got there so early, which made for a very pleasant morning. The Fall colors were at their brightest, making the scenery that much more amazing.

It was very hard trying to cram so many sights into a few short days, but I tried my best to show them a little of everything. There are so many places that we did not get to, such as the alphabet district, Hawthorne, and the other side of downtown. I guess they'll just have to come back again soon. :)

Just to Appease my Mother...

...here are some pics from my sisters'/dad's visit to Oregon. Yes, it's a teaser. Many more coming soon.... I'm at work right now and have a long list of students to save and retain!!

My New View!

Not bad, huh?

Another Week

Katie came down this weekend to visit and we both realize that even a 3-day weekend isn't enough time together. We did manage to do a couple of fun things, but again found ourselves out of time too quickly.

On Friday we went out to Steelhead Brewery in downtown Eugene and had the beer sample platter. Well, we also had burgers and clam-chowder, but that's less important (although tasty as well). Their beer is absolutely delectable--a symphony of flavor. They had prime Oatmeal Stouts, Reds, and even an IPA that I really enjoyed (I don't like IPAs)! We had a good time.

On Saturday, we drove out to Crow (about 15 miles from Eugene) to do a little target practicing. We basically got rained out, but not after shooting the glock a few times! It was a nice way to blow off some steam from the week.

Uncle Mike and Auntie Linda had a get-together with Amy, Brandy, Scottie, the kids, "Shawdog" and Rosemarie on Saturday night. We had an interesting spread of food (delicious beef stew, cheesy crab dip, et.al.) and watched the Ducks beat Washington State.

Katie and I took a nice walk on Sunday. We explored Peaceful Valley Road and took Toby. He's been on his best behavior lately. After a few close calls with losing him, we got a training collar. His nose is simply too powerful--he doesn't even hear our calls when he is following a scent or chasing after deer/cats/turkeys, etc. Although it seems cruel, there just isn't a more effective way to teach him the boundaries of his six-acre playground. When he ignores 2-3 of our calls, he gets a vibration. The collar also has a shock feature, but so far he has responded well to the vibration. Katie likens it to a tap on the shoulder.

Having the collar on him has expanded both his and our freedom. We don't leash him outdoors now (unless it is night-time and we can't see him), and he can explore as much as he wants as long as he listens to us when we call him. The difference really is night-and-day.

Back to Sunday. We also got to see Ducks basketball! They went 100-59--absolutely destroyed the other team. Uncle Mike has season tickets and couldn't make it to this game. Their seats are excellent--we will happily put those tickets to good use if they come up in the future, as well!

Sunday evening again came way too quickly. As Katie drove off, it become even more apparent to me that I need to kick some major butt in real estate so we can get her down here.

Cannon Beach

Last weekend Nick and I finally went to the Oregon coast. The drive takes just under 1.5 hours and during this time of year the scenery is full of gorgeous Fall colors. As soon as we arrived at the little town of Cannon Beach, we realized that we had chosen the perfect day to visit. The weather was very mild, the tide was extremely low, and the shore was far from crowded. The main feature of the Cannon Beach shoreline is Haystack Rock. This rock gained a lot of popularity due to its appearance in an 80s movie, The Goonies (a childhood favorite). It was pretty cool to see the giant rock up close after having seen it in a movie many times. Regardless of its added fame from The Goonies, this place stands on its own. The whole experience was almost magical. The weather was beautiful and the surrounding scenery was breathtaking. Words don't do justice in describing the experience, so I will let the pictures and videos do the talking. (videos coming soon!)

After we got our fill of the waves, we walked through the little downtown strip and treated ourselves to a mocha and a couple pastries (ok, so Nick's was a maple bar). It was such a lovely day!