Me and Chewie

Gabe and Katherine,

Look at who I met!
My niece and nephew recently discovered Star Wars. I ran into a few fans at the bookstore today.

Pumpkin Carving

Here's a quick post with a couple picks of the Jack-O-Lanterns we made this week. I(Wes) made the awesome one. Not my original idea, but it was still fun to make and I really like it. I actually ended up carving the skeleton and cat one too, because Sandy's wimpy wrists got too tired from cutting-what an amateur.HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

NEW CAR!!!

We finally got a new car!!! After a lot of comparisons, we decided on a Kia Forte. I emailed a few dealer, got some great price quotes online and set out on a Sunday morning to wheel-and-deal. Our first stop was a complete nightmare. The second dealer gave us a great price with no hassle so we drove it off the lot that day.

I've been driving it for a few days now and my 45 minute commute to work is becoming a lot more enjoyable thanks to the satellite radio and bluetooth. Now we just need to cross our fingers that Wes' car hangs in there for a few more months.

Weekend Adventures with Mom

Last weekend was such a blast with my Mom. First thing on our agenda, going to the NW Street of Dreams (aka Parade of Homes). This house just sold for 1.7 million dollars. It was ridiculously HUGE. As I was walking around I just kept thinking, who would live here? It's so excessive. It kind of makes you a little sick realizing that people can have that much money to spend on a house just because they can.
We also checked out two downtown Penthouses. They had floor to ceiling windows with great views of downtown. They rented for $5,500 per month...seriously!

Second on our list was going to the Food and Wine Festival. I ate mussels for the first time and they really weren't that bad but they sure do look gross.
Surprisingly the best thing I had at the festival was peanut butter and jelly sandwich but this was not an ordinary PB&J. This one was grilled on challah bread with marionberry jam, hazelnut butter and blue cheese (I absolutely love blue cheese!!!!) I know it sounds weird but even my Mom kind of liked it.

Smarter Than My Phone

I'm LOVING my new Droid X. I don't know how I survived with my old phone. This thing is amazing! Ever since I got it on Friday, its all I can do. I've pretty much spent my whole weekend messing around with it. So far my favorite app is Pandora Internet Radio and the voice search is extremely handy. I'm still trying the figure out a bunch of stuff but I think I'm getting the hang of it. Wes would be proud.
Speaking of Wes, he returns home August 12th and supposedly he is going to be home a bunch until the end of the year. That means Wes and I might actually have a normal life...at least for a little bit.

Highs and Lows

Here are the highs and lows of the week (in no specific order).

High: Wes and I took a little staycation where we enjoyed Portland's downtown nightlife and then camping at the coast.

Low: One our last day, I caught a horrible cold which I have been battling ever since! Don't worry, I'm feeling much better now. I just have a little cough and a runny nose to get rid of.

High: Took some much needed time off work

Low: Most of that time was unpaid sick leave

High: I'm getting an awesome new smart phone

Low: Can't get it until Friday and I have to deal with my old one that doesn't get any reception until then.

High: Wes cleaned the entire house

Low: That cleaning didn't include my messy car.

High: I spent an amazing 2 weeks with Wes.

Low: Wes leaves tomorrow morning :(

Sputnik

R.I.P.
12/26/2008-7/10/2010