Lastnight

It was sunday night that our ceiling in our living room began to leak. We were worried and we leaped to our feet to grab buckets and figure out what the problem was. Little did we know it was only the beginning of even bigger problems. After we saw the ceiling leaking we went to the people above us and discovered they were having problems with their sink. We let them know we were feeling it downstairs and the next day a plumber came out. By this time the leaking had calmed down quite a bit and we thought it would be a quick fix. After the plumber left a new leak appeared in a whole nother location. To help you understand the picture better- we had a good 4 or 5 buckets in different places in our living room catching kitchen waste dripping from our ceiling. While the smell wasn't pleasant we still didn't anticipate it to get quite as bad as it did. Lastnight we took a walk to coffee to get out of the house, ditch the smell and get some internet time. We got back around 10pm to a whole new leak. (Thank goodness we got to it when we did.) However, this leak was really pecular in that there were several holes in a straight line. We placed another bucket, called our Land-lord one more time and decided to read in our bedroom for a little while. After I started to get tired we decided to close up the house and get ready for bed. As we go out to the living room to check on the leak Wes discovers that our ceiling is ripping. A good quarter of the living room ceiling was breaking away from the rest of it. As we looked closer we noticed that the paint was the only thing holding it up. Wes reached his arm up to hold it up while I begin to move everything from beneath it. As I am doing this, the ceiling breaks in the middle and collapses on top of our end table. In complete disbelief we try to carry the ceiling out to the sidewalk and it crumbles in our hands. Now, the slow drips have turned into a pretty steady stream and we decide to set an alarm for every two hours to get up and empty the bucket. It was a rough night sleep to say the least and yet this still wasn't the half of it. Wes woke up to a crash at 4am and I soon followed. Another quarter of our living room broke away and now we have half of our living room ceiling gone. I think the best part of this story is what Wes found on the living room floor this morning. As I was getting ready for the day Wes comes into the bathroom with an interesting look on his face. I say "what's wrong?" and he says "There's a dead rat." Yes. There was a dead rat. The

most disgusting part about it was it didn't just die. This rat looks about as old as our house. With eyes rotted out and a hole in it's stomach... we even took a picture just to share with you how disgusting it was. So, today the plumber came back and looked into our big gaping hole of a ceiling and poked his finger right through our pipe. He declared that the people above us had been dumping their grease down their sink and it has built up over time. He replaced the pipe. After the plumber left Wes and I were left to sweep and vacuum up all the rat poop+ceiling crumbs+ insolation fluff. And we rented a carpet cleaner/steamer machine and steamed our carpets. More workers will be coming by tomorrow to rip out the rest of the ceiling and rebuild everything. It was a pretty funny experience- we are thankful that it isn't raining outside and that we aren't very busy with jobs yet. All in all this will make for a good story to tell our kids someday... We do miss our living room though. Forget the shelves falling last week! That pales greatly compared to our current condition. ha ha

Meet Charlotte

Today I met Charlotte. I have fallen in love with her smile. She is so sweet and so cute. I am exited to get to know her better. Isn't she adorable? Today we: played in the sand box, ran around the backyard, had a tea party, scribbled on some paper, watched Dora the Explorer, and went to the park.

For the love of paint--

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."
-Picasso

"Pie, Pie, Me oh my!

... nothing tastes better when salty and dry." Has anyone seen the movie Michael?

The other night Wes and I made an apple pie. Our reason being that our parents left 8 apples in our fridge. So, I asked Wes one fine friday afternoon, "What should we do with all of these apples?" "caramel apples?" Wes replied. "APPLE PIE!" I suggested... and so, friday night we made apple pie. Oh boy is it yummy. We are sending warm apple pie wishes your way... we miss you--





Rachelle LaRose-- Thank you for our dessert plates! We love them and thought of you when we ate our apple pie. :)

A Real Art Student

Yesterday (Saturday) Wes and I woke up at 7:45am to get to our 9 oclock painting class. We left promptly at 8:15 (yes I did get ready in only 30 min.) and got to class 15 minutes early (after getting coffee at a new place we found across the street from our class called coffee house 5). As we entered the classroom I was surprised to see about 30 or so huge eisles, no desks, and 30 tool box things on wheels that you can dump the paint right onto to use for a palette. Wes and I found spots on the floor as we wondered anxiously if we would be accepted into the class off the waitlist. Sure enough we got in and we are so excited to be taking a class together. It will be a great learning experience for the both of us and mostly, I am excited that this is my first art class. I am officially an art student and I can't wait to learn what it truly means to know art. After class, we went right over to the art store recommended by our teacher to get the supplies we would need for class. The art store was so big and so much fun to browse through. walls of canvases and paper, paints and brushes, markers, charcol pencils, sketchbooks, you name it. My favorite investment of all was my bag to hold canvases. Every serious art student should have one in my opinion. And I am so ready to start the journey...

I Got a Job!

This morning I met up with "mom" of the little 3 year old girl (Charlotte) I've been hoping to nanny. The interview went very well. I have my "trial run" on monday and from there we will fill out a nanny contract!!! yesss!

Our Wednesday

Hi! So obviously those pictures didn't upload in the correct order but those are the pots we painted and the kitchenaid/bread/shelves falling night and us sitting on our porch. Wes and I are again at Palios for some coffee and internet time. I am actually sipping a pumpkin spice steamer which is by far my favorite drink this month. So- Oh boy was yesterday a busy day... Probably not that busy actually, more like busy for us since neither of us have had school or work since we moved here... YESTERDAY we woke up early and went to Orientation at Portland State University. ALSO we took the bus for the first time ever which was an adventure.

Orientation really was exciting... It was my first time attending orientation for school since I've only been to community colleges thus far. I was encouraged to have so much information provided. First we took a tour of the campus which is gorgeous. Two of the main buildings on campus were previously a high school and elementary school. All of the buildings are old brick buildings and they have a cafe' in the school called "Food for thought" for vegans and vegetarians... only in Oregon. :) I am happy to be a student at PSU. ok, so then we walked all the way to Powell's to read a book that our home group is reading and then from there we had to figure out what bus to take to get back to our place. Soooo we walked to the trimet center- it's raining now and silly me is wearing a t-shirt and forgot a sweater. We figure out our way back... walk to the bus stop and get home safe and sound. THEEEN a couple hours later we hurry over to The Press Club for dinner and from there walk to our first home group.

A home group is basically what they call "small groups" at Imago Dei. They are set up by location so which ever one is closest to you is yours. We looked on the website to see which one was closest to us and emailed them to let them know we were coming. They told us that they were meeting at a different place this week because the regular meeting place was getting a new kitchen. SO! we walked up the street a little ways to what we thought was the back of a store when really it was this quarky little apartment located above the store. You step right off the street into this couple's home. There names were Kallie-marie and David. We walked up the stairs and met an older man named Jim who oddly enough has been working at Borders for 10 years. Needless to say, we had something in common and after about 15 minutes the rest of the group arrived. There were several little kids --so cute-- and about 10 more people. I was very nervous to go and as soon as we got there and realized it was a bunch of really normal people I felt right at home. We both left feeling like we were definitly in the right place. I could easily get to know these people on a deeper level. One of the girls I was talking to told me that she attended PSU for art as well specifically in watercolor and worked at an art store for 2 years. Currently she works with special ed. kids. Another girl in the group is in graphic design, and another girl does something art related too. Overall, everyone was really down to earth and we can't wait to go back next week. I am excited to have such a safe place to meet people and get to them on a deeper level. So that was our wednesday. Today we are going to wash laundry yay- tomorrow is interview day for me... hope everyone is liking the wedding pictures!

Love,

Katie

An Eventful Night...

NOT ONLY did last night document my first night using my Kitchenaid Mixer but also we:

1. Watched Sleepless in Seattle (thanks to Netflix)
2. Made chocolate chip cookies
3. Made beer/brown sugar wheat bread (a experimentation that actually turned out well.)
4. Made pasta and yummy broccoli for dinner

AND

5. Our shelves fell. No, no, mom and dad (and sue & greg) not the 4 bookshelves- but the two perfect shelves in the corner leading to the kitchen that basically made the living room feel complete.

Maybe this series of events doesn't seem to make our night all that eventful but really it was because all of these things happened at the same time. (minus the sleepless in seattle part.) A batch of cookies were in the oven, I had just hung up the phone with my mom. Our broccoli was perfectly steamed and as I start to dish up some plates of food the cookie timer goes off and in that moment the top shelf tumbles and stuff goes everywhere.

ANYWAY Wes thinks that the shelves can be put back up, our cookies turned out great, the bread is edible, sleepless in seattle was much more unrealistic than I remembered, and we had dinner. feeeeew.

On a better note, wedding pictures are up! Go have a look at: http://www.pictage.com/457644

Talk to you again soon-

Katie

another little update.

Wes and I are currently at the Clinton Corner Cafe for the first time. It's a cute little place with an orange front door. Anyway- the weather has still been nice. It rained yesterday for the first time but only for a little bit. Just enough to make you appreciate pajamas in the afternoon but not enough to make you frustrated, you know? Today it looked like it was going to start sprinkling for a bit but now the sun is out and there is a little breeze. It is nice. Yesterday Wes and I went to church and then in the afternoon we went on a walk around the neighborhood so I could get some pictures of cool houses to paint on a canvas that I've been hanging onto for a while. For the first time ever I took a pencil to the canvas first before the paint and my patience is paying off. I am really enjoying taking this one slow and putting lots of thought and detail into the colors etc. It's an addicting one that's for sure, this morning I hopped out of bed and went back to work on the trees and roof tops. I'll have to post a picture once I'm done...

After the long lazy afternoon of painting and reading: The Art of Loving (Thanks Justin!), we decided to head to Palio's to figure out exactly what we needed to do for school. It was so much fun bundling up and walking down the little hill to one of our favorite coffee shops. Today we plan to make cookies and more bread and plant our herbs in the pots we painted. (That's a whole nother blog entry for sure. Our pots turned out so cute!)

It has been a very long time since we have both had so much freetime. Speaking of freetime, the job search is coming along nicely. Wes has an interview with A Brilliant Nanny tomorrow (the same agency I interviewed with) and I will soon be having an interview with a family. If I get the job I will be nannying a cute little 3 year old girl named Charolette. Isn't that so cute?

I will post some pictures up soon of our apartment so everyone can see. Speaking of pictures, wedding pictures are almost done (I'm 100% possitive this time Mom) They will be up on pictage sometime today or tomorrow from both photographers and the CD will be sent off to us tomorrow. We are very excited about this! ok... time to go...

-Katie

Pictures of the Tortellini Soup night...

I'm sorry for the pictures being so small... It was the only way I could get them to load faster. :) That's what I get for getting a 10megapixel camera (right dad?) haha anyway, as you can see we had a lot of fun making our soup... I was amazed at how bugs bunny-like our carrots were and Wes cried for the first time while cutting onions. I hope you have fun making this soup too! (Thank You Ashley for our amaazing soup bowls. They were perfect!)

Tortellini Soup

Wes and I had absolutely some of the yummiest soup last night. It's called Tortellini soup- it's filling but not as heavy as say tortellini with marinara sauce. And! It's lowfat! (yessss!) Here's the recipe:

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 medium stalk celery, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 medium carrot, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
6 cups water
2 extra- large vegetarian vegetable bouillon cubes
2 1/2 cups dried cheese filled tortellini (10 oz)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon pepper
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired

1. In 4-quart Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add celery, carrot, onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender.

2. Stir in water and bouillon cubes. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; stir in tortellini. Cover; simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tortellini are tender.

3. Stir in parsley, nutmeg and pepper. Sprinkle individual servings with cheese if desired.


I promise you, if you are in the mood for soup this will hit the spot. Only takes 30-40 min. total for prep and cook time. Let me know if you try it!

Love,
Katie

Portland, OR

We made it! We have now been in Portland for one whole week and have loved every minute of it. I will now attempt to try and document all the things worth documenting...

First night- arrived at 8:30pm and were relieved to see that we could not only stand up in our basement- apartment but also that our place is actually pretty spacious. Went to dinner at the Avignon Bar down the street and I tried Gazpacho for the first time.

Saturday- unpacked all day and ate dinner at the horse brass pub with cousin Caleb. I believe it was this night that Greg had a craving for donuts so of course we went to VooDoo donuts downtown, oh but this was after we stopped to watch bazillions of swifts fly into a chimney of a high school (not just any high school but the high school that The Simpsons is based after). Back to the donuts- VooDoo donuts was the farthest thing from your ordinary donut shop. It is already dark out and we park some place downtown and venture off to try and find this mysterious donut shop. After crossing the busy streets and passing the interesting people we arrive to a janky-whole-in-the-wall place jam packed full of people and blaring music. In the corner is a spinning display of just some of the crazy concoctions they offer. For example Greg ordered a "old dirty bastard" which really meant " a chocolate and peanut butter covered donut with oreo cookies on top." As you can see this night was definitly worth documenting.

Sunday- went to church together at Omago Dei and loved it. (Hope I spelt it right) I cannot wait to meet people here and get involved in some of the things they have to offer. Also, went to Powell's books the biggest hugest bookstore in the US (I think thats right) ...

Monday- highlight of the day was going to the kennedy school theater- get this! it's a 21 and over movie theater they serve beer and wine as well as your ordinary theater foods but also!! They serve pizza by the slice and deliver it to you at your seat once it is prepared and guess what else!! The chairs are couches.. it's like sitting in your living room with end tables and comfy couches and a glass of your favorite beverage but your in a theater. The best part of the whole thing is that your movie ticket is only three dollars. amaaaazing.

tuesday- My parents left and reality began to sank in that we were not going back to California.

Wednesday- Wes' parents left and again we realized we were here to stay. Exciting! Also, I had a job interview with a nanny agency here.

thursday- Wes and I woke up to our first day "alone" in Portland. Highlights of the day: going to Ben and Jerry's, picking out herbs for our herb garden, picking classes for school (finally), and going to Caleb's show at the Laurelthirst Pub. (Scott and Bekah we are definitly taking you there!!!! Scott you would absolutely love it.)

A couple other things: The weather has been amazing. No rain yet but it's starting to feel like any day now it might let loose. We have amazing neighbors. We live on a court, that has annual block parties and little kids running about. There is a really cute black lab that lives across the street named Cooper and 3 cats that live next store. The couple with the 3 cats next door is really nice. The guys name is David and he is an allergist his wife is the 2nd to the top at a big art school here (forget what it's called) so I will definitely be talking to her about art stuff. We have two great grocery stores within walking distance as well as coffee shops on every corner.

I guess you could say we are loving every bit of Portland. The more we discover the more we love it here. We will keep you posted as to how things go once school starts and jobs come our way.

Love from,
Katie