Remembering Rita

Two years.

Time flies, yet sometimes goes so slow.

On August 17, 2007 my Aunt Rita lost her 12 1/2 month battle with Lung Cancer. She was 52.

I did my best not to fall apart when learning of my aunt's cancer. I remember where I was when I heard. I was on a pay phone, in Germany. THOUSANDS of miles away from family. I walked over to my friend and travel companion after hanging up the phone with my mom for a much needed hug. The health care professional in me KNEW the seriousness of this cancer, the statistics, the horror of it. But as it hit home, the dreamer in me hoped and prayed for a miracle.

And I believe I found it.

It was a MIRACLE that she lasted over 12 months with the seriousness of her diagnosis.

It was a MIRACLE watching my extended family come together to take care of her, whatever the cost, time or money. We learned how to love each other more as well.

It was a MIRACLE to see the amazing job Hospice did when the end was near. Rita was comfortable, they were compassionate.

It was a MIRACLE to witness the throngs of people that came to pay their respects, the LONG line of cars in the procession.

But above all, it is a MIRACLE, a GIFT, an HONOR to be a part of this family and to be permitted to share 28 LONG wonderful years loving on my aunt.

It may never seem like enough, but gosh, I was LUCKY.

Cancer may have ended her earthly life, but I know she won the battle.

I love you Aunt Rita. I miss you every day.

One year....

OK so it's a little late, but James and I spent our 1 year wedding anniversary in Glacier National Park in Montana. It was BEAUTIFUL. More on that to come....

It's just so hard to believe it's been a year already! You can read all about it here,
We've be thrown a few loops in the past year.

I hated my initial home health job I was working after the wedding. DESPISED IT. Unethical, questionable illegal practices, not good for my license.

We moved THREE TIMES within 3 months of being married.

James was laid off in January. AND THE SAME DAY, he was also called back up to active duty. Thank God we got out of that one. He's still looking for a job. Keep praying he'll find something soon.

James lost his grandfather rather suddenly to a fall where he bumped his head in April. Two days after falling, he lost consciousness and never regained it.

But through it all, we've remained the best of friends. Yes, we have our disagreements but I can't imagine sharing this adventure we call life with anyone else.

James, thank you for a wonderful first year of marriage.
Thank you for the anniversary trip to Glacier National Park (more to come on that.)
Thank you for loving me.

On our anniversary, I want you to hear the vows I said to you.

I love you more today than I did then.

James, today I join my life to yours.
Not merely as your wife,
But your fun in life,
Your comrade in adventure,
Your accomplice in trouble,
Your ally in conflict,
I will be your strength in need,
Your greatest fan and your sincerest critic.
I will be your lover and companion,
Your partner in parenthood,
But most of all, your friend.
From this day forward
You shall not walk alone
My heart will be your shelter
And my arms will be your home.

Portland Rocks

It just does.
I love it here.
You should come visit.

I've recently been following a blog called Travels With Two. Since I'm pretty much obsessed with traveling, I love it.
One of her popular posts is all about my new hometown.

Check it out here.

Pack your bags.

Strawberry Pickin'

It's the perfect time of year for picking strawberries. Oregon is stocked full of places to pick berries, and James and I headed out to Bushue's Family Farm to pick some delicious berries. We came home with NINE pounds of strawberries and $1/lb. Can't beat that! We of course have big plans for them much like our apple picking adventure in the fall.

The first thing we did was make homemade strawberry daiquiris to drink on this lazy sunday afternoon. Priorities people. Then we started on a strawberry rhubarb crisp that just finished baking in the oven for desert later. Lots more to come come as we still have LOTS of strawberries left over!!







Excuse the last picture that is sideways...blogger wouldn't let me turn it.

The Great Urban Race

This past weekend James and I participated in the Great Urban Race in Portland. You can get more info at www.greaturbanrace.com but it is basically a scavenger hunt around Portland. At 12 noon, we were handed an envelope containing our 12 clues for the day. Some of them were straight forward and others involved solving cryptograms, riddles, or trivia to find the correct location. At each location, a picture was taken to prove we had completed the task.

Some of the best clues involved solving a murder mystery logic puzzle, creating a ransom note style letter with cutout letters and words from newspapers or magazines, and asking 10 random strangers to pose with us at a fountain while we all flexed our muscles. It was so fun! We finished all 12 clues in about 2 hours 15 minutes. We had the option of skipping one clue if we wanted but we chose not to since we were having so much fun. Most of the teams that finished close to the top did in fact skip one of the clues so I'd be interested to see the times of the teams that actually did ALL the clues.

We can't wait to do the race again next year...perhaps with a more outrageous costume. I don't like to stand out, but there was no way we would stand out with the costumes some people had. There were 2 guys covered in blue paint like the guys in arrested development, 2 ladies dressed as minnie mouse, and 2 girls with tutus made of plastic shopping bags. It was fun to see everyone's costumes and I'm sure people were wondering what the hell was going on!

Some pics:

Why?

Why is it that we have 2 of the cutest nieces in the world? Seriously. These girls are C-U-T-E. Pictures of them make me happy...so I thought I'd share some with you.

A Quick Update

Oh boy....

I have failed in my new year resolution to keep this blog more current. Sorry to those who think I haven't been updating it since 1912. :)

2009 has been quite a roller coaster for us here in Portland.
James was laid off at the end of January and is still looking for a job in this stellar economy. He has been on several interviews and we're both hopeful something will come of it soon.

James was also called back up to Active Duty in the Army and ordered to report to SC and then be sent overseas. THANKFULLY, we have gotten that order revoked due to the fact that he is currently enrolled as a full-time student. YAY! We had many stressful weeks trying to prepare for a possible deployment and get our affairs in order. I'm so glad that won't be happening.

We've put the house hunting on hold given the current economy and our single income but we're still renting in a great place though looking to possibly move somewhere a little cheaper.

We've spent many of our weekends hitting the slopes at Mt. Hood with our season passes to the ski resort there. I'm pretty stoked that we live 60 miles from skiing. As of right now, the resort is scheduled to be open until the end of April so we have a few more weeks of skiing ahead of us.

James is turning the big 3-0 on April 2 and we're heading to the Oregon Coast for the weekend. I haven't been to the coast since Sept 2007. I miss it. I love it. We're actually going to the central coast since we haven't spent much time there. We usually head to Cannon Beach on the northern coast (and where we got engaged!) so I'm excited to explore a new area.

So it's not a great update...pretty boring. But I figured my first post in a while shouldn't be something too random!