California

Two weekends ago I flew to California to spend time with Hilary and it was a blast! Who wouldn't love reverting back to their boy crazy, party hopping, homework procrastinating, late night eating, dancing on tables, life of the party, college selves for a weekend?!  

(...Just be thankful those ways are only brought back on very seldom and special occasions with certain best friends!)

Don't be alarmed by the total vanity and conceit of this post. And yes, I do realize that EVERY picture is of Hilary and me, but who doesn't love two cuties FINALLY reunited?! 

 Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica, CA

I know it's lame to post pictures of food, but this was DIVINE! And I'm only doing this for your benefit. Next time you go to Cheesecake Factory order this: 

Appetizer: Ahi tartare

Entree: Herb Crusted Salmon and Shrimp Scampi

Cheesecake: White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle  

And to clarify, I did not eat this all, we shared. So lucky me only got about 1,000 calories as opposed to 2,000 :) 

 Golden Gate Bridge

Hilary, I am so thankful for you in my life. It's crazy how we've managed to become such good friends over the years despite our being separated by hundreds and thousands of miles at times. 

...maybe it's our shared love for using a spatula as a microphone, or eating bajios queso, or our love of men, and blonde hair thats kept us together. Or maybe it's our love for telling people "dance class is canceled"...maybe...

I love you so much!! Can't wait to continue through the years and have new adventures!!

XOXO

sweet tooth

Call it what you will, but the other day we were really in the mood for some "fall treats." So, why not satisfy all of our cravings... right?

2 Pumpkin pies
2 batches of chocolate chip cookies
13 caramel apples  ...

--Is that even normal??--

pumpkin patch

Pumpkins, horses, apple cider, fresh produce, hay ride, and rain! That's what our day consisted of at the pumpkin patch a few weeks ago. So fun!

I love Fall!!!

This will look pathetic to most of you, BUT, I am just getting started with my seasonal decorations! For now, this is about as festive as our little apartment gets. But it is something none the less!

We have been enjoying this time of year (as you can see from the checklist on our refrigerator). We just can't get enough of the smells, the leaves, the colors, the hot cocoa, the scarves, the jackets, the winter boots, the music, the goodies...everything is perfect!

never too cold

Who says October is too cold to wakeboard? Okay, you're right, I DO! But cold water and chilling winds do not even phase Brolin and Tyler when it comes to wakeboarding. (Or maybe that's only because of the dry suit and fleece onsie they both wore!)

Having the boat has been a blast! Sadly, I think the "warm" days have ended, but we definitely had some good runs.

Brolin knew the only way I was getting on that boat was if I had me some hot cocoa. Not only did I get my hot cocoa, but I got a biscotti to go with it! Needless to say, Tash and I were perfectly content.

We are so thankful for the beautiful place we live! Oregon is so amazing with it's beauty and pretty colors!!!

An Angel Sent From Heaven

We have had a crazy past few weeks, and it has put the blogging on the back burner. Many of you know that Brolin's little brother, Joshua, passed away a few weeks ago. We so appreciate the love we have been shown and are thankful for the experiences we go through to become stronger in this life.

The day we heard the news, I wrote some of my thoughts and feelings. I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to post it, but after reading it over with Brolin, we thought it was something we would like to share. We love our little Joshy and we know he is in a better place. Our hopes, in sharing this, are that you will be as touched as we are by this experience.


Thursday, September 20, 2012
Today has been a long, emotional, tiring, and painful, day; yet it has somehow managed to bring feelings of peace, hope, faith, and love. Let me explain...

Around 3:30 this morning, Brolin and I, received a phone call we had both been dreading. Brolin's sweet, little brother Joshua, had passed away. It's hard to really describe that moment and what we were feeling. We had been anticipating it for a while now, but in the back of our minds we never really thought it could actually happen. 

Joshy was born like any other little boy. He smiled. He ran. He laughed. He climbed. He was happy. During the first year of his life, Joshua had a seizure, that lasted for four days. The effects were gradual, leaving him with nerve damage, affecting his speech, and slowing the development of his motor skills. I've talked with Brolin and his family about how they felt during this time, but even still I can only try to imagine what they were going through. 

Unknown to his family at the time, this seizure would be the first of thousands that Josh would experience during the 16 1/2 years of his life. Each one affecting his body more and more. 

Along with all the heart-ache for his family, and the constant pain that Josh felt, it was still obvious that he was a happy person. He could sense the love that surrounded him. (I could definitely feel the love from him!)  I've known Josh for five years now, and it's crazy how much love I have for that sweet, and perfect, little boy. You couldn't help but look at him and smile. He was a perfect angel sent from Heaven to brighten the lives of those he met.

It takes an incredibly strong person to do what Josh did; to go through life like this and to find strength in the hardest times. Josh truly understood what this life is all about. He taught people to love, to never judge, to be happy, and so much more. 

We have felt a lot of sadness today. And we have felt glimpses of hope and happiness. Josh is in a better place and he is free from the pain and limitations of his physical body here on this earth. knowing all that, it still feels impossible to hide the emotions we are feeling. BUT, I am so thankful to know that there is a life after this, and that families can be reunited for all eternity. It's amazing the love that I feel from family and the strength we can receive from each other. I'm realizing more and more that faith in God's plan is essential to our progression. It has brought me happiness more times then I can count. 

We'd like to thank everyone for the love and prayers that have been offered. Brolin and I are touched by the support we have felt. We don't expect the sorrow to just disappear, but we have faith and hope that happiness will always outweigh that sorrow. Things happen for a reason, and life goes on. So be happy and enjoy every moment you are given!!! :)

 We Love you Josh!

the latest (+ recipe)

As you can see, I'm not so good at keeping up with the blogging, so once again, I am writing a post combining all the latest happenings around our place.

First, I have to share these pictures of the adorable Elli. Our friends just got her and we can't get enough of her. She's so much fun and so well behaved!

We've been wakeboarding quite a lot lately because Brolin brought back his parents boat. We try to go as much as we can with friends.

This weekend I did some canning for the first time ever! We picked peaches with out friend Natasha and her son Forest and they were SOOOO YUMMY! We ended up eating so many that by the time we started canning, I didn't have as many as I was hoping for. Tomorrow we are going to pick some more so hopefully this time I'll up with more jars. :)

And last, I have to share these recipes because we tried them the other night and we were pretty pleased.

Caution: these are not the healthiest of recipes, BUT, you have to splurge sometimes right?!

Click here for an easy Chicken Cordon Bleu and here for a tasty veggie mixture. The veggies were my favorite part, but next time I think I'll leave out the "cook in bacon grease" step. Just to make me feel a little better about my health!

A plus mes amis!

busy, busy

I'm a little behind on the updating, but it's only because we've been having so much dang fun lately! A couple weekends ago we headed up to North Fork with friends for the day! We swam around, jumped off rocks, had a picnic and soaked up some sun!

It's hard to see, but in this picture Brolin's jumping off that cement point!

That same weekend, Brolin did a 6-mile longboarding push race and he got 10th place!!! I had to work, but him and our friend Stacy went and had a good time.(You can't see him in this picture because he's on the other side, but it's the only one of the race!)

To top off the weekend we went to a huge beach party Saturday night out in Lincoln City.

This past week we did some wakeboarding and rafting as well.

So, like I said, we've been pretty busy (playing)! Brol's still working hard in school and I'm still workin' away being his little suga mamma. ;) Until next time!

updates (and recipe!)

Life is pretty perfect right now. It's SO awesome living with your best friend and having a blast. We love being married!

Brolin is having a "guys trip" at Lake Billy Chinook this weekend, so it's a good time for me to do some updating. (Don't worry though, I have my pint of Ben & Jerry's Half Baked to keep me company!)

A few weekends ago, we ran into Kelton and Mackenzie at a party and it was SO great catching up with them. (They've both worked with Brolin in the past and have become good friends of ours.)

  

Had this DELISH Citrus Salmon for dinner with a tasty red cabbage salad (recipe to come!).

Joined our spinning instructor and some friends for a Saturday morning run at the McDonald Forest in Corvallis. It was a 4 mile trail with 1500ft of elevation and a beautiful view.

Longboarding around the Hoopla Festival in Salem.

And my favorite part about this blog post....FLOWERS! When I came home from work I found these beauties on the kitchen counter. There's nothin' better than fresh flowers in the summertime.