May Catch-up AND crossing number 7 off my LIST!

Like I said in the post below, I haven't done great at keeping my blog updated so this is my attempt at getting caught up...well...almost...at least after this post I'll be in JUNE! :) About time right, it's June 20th!

So, after my family left It was my birthday and Q took me out to eat at a pizza place.  We tried someplace new and got to eat outside.  It was perfect!

Top left Pic: Flowers all from our backyard. Bottom left: My birthday Ice cream cake my lovely friends Derrick and Thania brought over!

 My friend, Kylee got us tickets to an Oregon Duck's Baseball game on Mother's day!

 I should mention that a few months back my sister-in-law, Kerrie, told me she found this thing on FB with ZoZobugbaby that they were looking for kid models who could be in the Portland Area one day in May.  At first I didn't want to do it but Q thought it would be fun.  Go figure.  He did win a beauty contest when he was a baby! :)  So we sent in pictures and we got an email back saying that they picked Deci to be one of their models.  We were really excited...well, Deci was a little confused about what a model was but when I told her she gets to try of fun clothes and get her picture made she was really excited.  So, one Saturday in May we traveled up to Vancouver, Washington and had her picture made along with a few other girls.  It was so much fun and seriously I LOVE Zozobugbaby.  If you haven't checked out their website you should go now! :)  I've seen the pictures from that day but I'm not allowed to share them until sometime next Spring.  See, the photo shoot was for Spring/Summer 2013.

I promise to share the photo's when I get the okay.

After the morning of taking pictures we took the girls to the Oregon Zoo in Portland, which just so happens to be #7 on my LIST!  I made a List back in January of a few things I would like to do/visit in 2012 and The Oregon Zoo was on that list!

The Zoo was so much fun....and no, I honestly didn't mean to match the girls.  I didn't even notice until someone at the zoo commented on how cute they looked matching! haha!  I'm so not observant!

Last, but not least, baby Williams #3 is growing.  This was a picture from our 8 week appointment and the picture on the left is at about 9 weeks....I think.  I keep forgetting to keep track of when I take these pictures.  I'm trying to get better.  With the girls I never did the belly shot every few weeks and I regret that now so why not start with baby #3?  From what I hear, they have less pictures of themselves anyways so maybe if I start early...who knows...  Plus with family out of town this will be a way of letting them see the progress.  I'm showing a lot more now by the way!  pictures to come soon! :)

Whew, now we're out of May.  I feel better.

Wednesday's List: Alabama/Oregon (Part 3)

It's Wednesday!  That means it's time for Wednesday's List. Join me and write a post in list form, then leave a comment and let me know you are joining me so I (along with others) can check your list out! I LOVE LIST!

  

The difference between Alabama and Oregon (Part 3)

 (Click HERE to read Part 1 and Here for Part 2)

- The Weather: Yes, again! I know I'm a little annoying but I forgot the most important (besides the rain!) difference about the weather.  Humidity!  I've grew up in the South and just grew to deal with it.  I knew when I went to Florida the humidity was worse and my hair either did better at the beach or worse.  I didn't realize how humid it can be in Alabama until I lived here in Oregon for 6 months and then went back to Alabama for a visit in July.  Walking out of the airport I couldn't breath! It just takes your breath away.

- Recycling.  I know cities in Alabama have great recycling organizations but I've never seem recycling like I have here in Oregon.  I wanted to take a picture of our trash cans (yes cans with an S) because our "trash" can is the smallest.  We have a large recycling can and a yard debris can and also a small box for glass recycling.   Where we lived at in Alabama we only had one trash can and it was for everything.  If we wanted to recycle we had to take it somewhere.  Now, there were cities close by that picked up recycling but from what I remember, you just place a bag out by the road.  When you go in most restaurants here in OR, there is almost always a place to put recycling when you are finished.  Go Green or Go Home! :)

- Land.  I've taken Land forgranted.  When we lived in Alabama we lived on 13 acres on Q's dad's land.  We lived in a trailer beside his dad and his wife Hilde.  Here in OR land is very expensive.  Most people I know don't have a lot of land.  There is a lot of farm land here but most of the people I know here live in a neighborhood with a fenced-in backyard.  Now, I don't know a lot of people here in OR yet but it just seems like it's easier to come across land in AL and it's way cheaper.

- Housing.  It's more expensive to buy a house here.  (I'm sure this is connected with the expensive land)  I know at one point I was told that if you bought a house here you would pay 50% less in AL for that same house.  I don't think those statistics are the same now.  It's a little closer now but it shocked me how much houses were here.  The price of living is just higher here on the West coast.  

- The Coast/Beach.  Here in Oregon when you go to the Ocean, you say "I'm going to the coast."  In Alabama you say, "I'm going to the beach."  They are both beautiful.  Both part of my favorite things about the landscape about each state.  Both so VERY different.  In OR I've been to the coast ah, maybe 7 or 8 times and never been swimming in the water or even in my swimsuit for the matter.  It's almost always cold, windy, and sometimes raining.  I tell you though, It's absolutely some of the most amazing views.  I could just explore the Oregon coast all day.  In AL, it's tropical.  White sandy beaches where you wear a swimsuit and lay out on the sand to get a tan or swim in the water....without a wet suit.  It's flat.  It's my favorite vacation spot EVER and I miss it!  In OR, it's rocky and cliffs over the water.  Just totally different but both hold a special place in my heart. 

-BUGS!  I can't believe I almost forgot about bugs and snakes.  I don't see a lot of bugs here in OR but in Alabama, especially in the Summer, you see bugs everywhere!  Also there aren't any poisonous snakes here in Oregon, from what I hear, but I'm not so sure I believe it...  Even so, a snake is a snake.  I hate them all. ;) 
 

(Again, I do understand that some of these differences could be because I lived in a "smaller" town in Alabama and now I live in a "Bigger" city...that's my disclaimer for this post. ha! ;)  

Happy Listing! 

Wednesday's List: Alabama/Oregon (Part 1)

It's Wednesday!  That means it's time for Wednesday's List. Join me and write a post in list form, then leave a comment and let me know you are joining me so I (along with others) can check your list out! I LOVE LIST!

I've been pondering this list for a while.  The difference between Alabama and Oregon.  Believe me the list is quite long so I'm going to break this into 2 parts. So...here goes :)

The Difference between Alabama and Oregon (Part 1)

- The Weather.  Oh, I could say so much about the difference in the weather...but then I'd get all depressed that I'm still having the Winter Blues...so I'll keep it short. It rains a lot here. A LOT...but not a lot all at once.  It drizzles all day long here, where in Alabama it pours for an hour or two then the sun comes back out (most of the time).  The Winter is LONG here and short Summers, BUT when it is Summer here it's WONDERFUL.  Absolutely perfect weather to play outside.  Alabama Summers can be Too hot for most people (I just so happen to love the heat...) and lots of humidity (which I'm loving living without).  Also no Tornado's here and I don't believe I've seen lightening (thunderstorms) since I've been here.

- If someone invites you to their house to eat here in OR usually you will not be offered Coke products...you will have water or wine. (or Coffee)

- Lots and Lots and Lots of Coffee here.  Everyone drinks it...even kids...  Coffee shops are EVERYWHERE.  There are these drive-thru coffee places that are about as small as a walk-in closet.  At our old house in Springfield, OR you could go a mile (or less) in any direction and hit one of these coffee shops. (I just counted 7 that were in a mile of my old house!)  We lived 1 mile away from 2 different star bucks.  Seriously! CRAZY and I LOVE it!

- Kids.  Kids don't wear hair bows here...or not a lot anyways.  Here kids wear layers.  Leggins, skirts, rain boots... RAIN BOOTS are everywhere.  Alabama kids wear dresses.  Frilly dresses and Bows!  I don't see a lot of frilly dresses here in Oregon.  Also it seems in the AL kids wear a lot of initialed clothes, bags...well anything you can initial.  I don't hardly see anything initialed here...especially not clothing.

 - Speaking of Dresses.  Someone once warned me about this one.  I got my hair cut by a girl about my age just after we moved here.  She was really interested in the South.  She said she really wanted to be a Southerner, wear a sundress, bake a casserole and show up at a picnic. haha! :)  I wondered why people in Oregon don't wear dresses.  Well, this Summer I figured it out.  It's only warm enough to wear dresses for about a  month or two here (for me anyways! ha!).  So, why buy a dress when you can only wear it for one month?  Or maybe for real Oregonians there is another reason...

-  ORGANIC.  Oregonians are all natural.  There are several grocery stores here selling all natural foods.  I know there are people in AL that eat all Natural foods, Organic and Gluten Free but here it's to the extreme! 

- In AL you have Rednecks.  In Oregon you have Hippies.

- I don't have to pump my own gas here in OR!!! It's actually illegal to pump your own gas and I LOVE it!

-  Dogs.  More people here have dogs than in AL it seems..  If you have a dog here it's really a kid.  You can take your dog to work, church, out to eat.  I see more dogs in the strangest places here than ever before.  It seems in AL people don't take their dogs everywhere with them...Dogs are USUALLY just pets...maybe in the backyard or some even in the house.  Some have hunting dogs.  

Well, there you go... just a few differences.  Come back next Wednesday for Part 2.

If you've been to both AL (or the South, really) and OR (or the North West), I would love to hear the differences you noticed. :)

Wednesday's List: Bucket List

It's Wednesday!  That means it's time for Wednesday's List. Join me and write a post in list form, (doesn't have to be bucket list) then leave a comment and let me know you are joining me so I (along with others) can check your list out! I LOVE LIST!

Can I just tell you that I've been wanting to share with you my bucket list for a while,

BUT at the same time I feel that my bucket list isn't yet complete...

I started a bucket list several years ago in a Journal and that Journal is currently boxed up. So I'm going to try and remember as well as I can what was on that original list.  Plus I've added some and taken some off.

My Bucket List:

 (in no particular order)

1. Visit all 50 States in the USA

2. Ride in a Hot Air Balloon

3.  Take my daughters on a foreign mission trip

4. Visit New York City

5. Go on a road trip across the USA

6. Go skiing in "real" snow.  I've only skied down a hill when I was 10 on fake/man-made snow.

7. Run a 10k...or a 1/2 marathon...

8. Adopt a child...or two

9. Go see the Grand Canyon

10. Get a Tattoo

11. Learn to Knit something that's not square or rectangle (not a headband/scarf/ear warmers)

12. Go on an overnight hiking trip

13. Scuba dive with my Dad and Brother somewhere besides my dads pool

14. Volunteer somewhere at least once a year, every year

15. Visit the 7 wonders of the world

16. See my girls give their lives to follow Jesus...to make their life about Him.

17. At some point, live in a State that is closer to family

18. Ride on a Train

19. To be dept free. We only have my student loan left to pay off!

20. Buy and sewing machine and learn to use it.

21. Get another passport (mine expired in 2009)

22. Take Journey to Mexico (Deci went when she was 13 moths old)

23. Have a street party for our neighbors.

24. Memorize a HUGE chunk of Scripture

25. Personally feed a homeless person...not as in spoon feed them but buy them food and hand it to them.

I would like to add that sometimes I feel like we make bucket list and they are very selfish and worldly.  Mine is no different.  When I think of a bucket list I think of things to actually do to cross off...it's hard to cross off "be less selfish" or "learn more about the bible"  or "Be a better Mom." etc... but there are several things that I would like to change about myself before I "kick the bucket"...I'm just not sure that I'll actually be able to do these things and cross them off a list...they are ongoing.  Maybe that's another list post...

Bucket list items that I took off my list:

-bungee jumping
-sky diving
Like I ever really had enough courage to do either of these and now I have 2 kids that would have a hard time living without me if something went terribly wrong...but maybe one day when they are older I can add these back on my list...maybe. ;)

Have you posted a List lately? I would love to read it!
Happy Listing!

Wednesday's List: Funny Stuff about Me

So, I went to Barnes and Noble over the weekend and got this new Journal:

If you know me, you know I LOVE journals and I LOVE list, so this journal is perfect.  

The inside has questions like this:

I decided that I would incorporate this onto my blog with Wednesday's List!  On Wednesdays I'll try and post a list post.  Some may be random, some serious, but always in list form.  I would love for any of you to drop in at any time and join me then leave a comment and let me know you did so I can check out your list.  

Today's list: Funny (Random) Stuff About Me:

-I've watched every season of The Biggest Loser and a few months ago I started all over again with Season 1.  I'm currently on season 7.  Who does that?? Who watches reality T.V. shows over and over again? ME! I'm a reality T.V. Junky!

-I DESPISE the rain and I live in Oregon.

-I could possibly have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder... Or maybe I'm just a germaphobe...  I've never been diagnosed but I'm sure my husband would say that I'm OCD about washing dishes and how food gets cooked.

-If there is a box of Little Debbie's or Ice Cream in our house it WILL be gone in 24 hours.  I have no self control when it comes to either of these things.

-I'm not even 30 (but will be in May! eeek!) and I knit and love puzzles. 

-I LOVE change...like in the fact that I love when the seasons change.  I love moving. I love rearranging the furniture.  I can hit the scan button on the car radio and be just fine with the change of songs without ever picking one to listen to fully.  

-We eat pizza almost once a week.  It reminds me of my childhood.

-I can be over sensitive and I can over analyze...

-I love LIST! List of "to do" for the day, Things to do in Oregon in 2012, Crossing number 8 off my list, These are a few of my favorite things 2011, In everything give thanks, Bucket list...

If you join me let me know! Lists coming soon:

-Bucket List

-Differences between Alabama and Oregon

 Happy Listing!

What should have been on my list: Spencer's Butte

I made a list on a post a few months back of places that I wanted to visit in Oregon in 2012.  You can see the list HERE.  I should have added Spencer's Butte to that list.  While our friends Nick and Brandi (A.K.A. Nick Nick and Aunt B) were here from Alabama, we decided to explore something new in Oregon. None of us had ever been here before and I can not wait to go back.  We started off with a nice stroll through the woods.

Holleigh and Alec

Our family. Notice we are using the carrier for Journey.  Best Thrift Store investment yet! $14.99!

 It actually turned out to be a pretty good hike.  We took the easy hike since we had the kids but it still was quite a hike.  It was only a little over a mile but it got pretty steep towards the end. (The other path was 1/2 a mile but straight up.)

 Q and Deci, mainly Deci, decided to take the road less traveled and this is where I called for Alec to take Journey off my back.   When I got up and saw this view I got a little dizzy...plus my legs were like jello at this point from carrying the 25(ish) pounds on my back.

Holleigh

Deci, Q and Luis

 

 We made it to the top and this was our view!

3 Sisters

 Journey was exhausted.

Alec carried Journey back down.  He said at one point her head hit his head. He didn't know what was going on until Brandi told him that Journey had fallen asleep. So funny.  With her Raisin's in her hand. :)

I can not wait to post about the rest of the week with Nick Nick and Aunt B.  (So check back in tomorrow! :)  They are already back in Alabama now and WE MISS THEM SO MUCH!! I can't wait until they come visit again.  I hope you enjoyed pictures of Spencer's Butte and if you ever come visit this will probably be a place we take you.  I completely agree with Q, "One of the 10 top views I've seen in my life!" BEAUTIFUL!

Crossing number 8 off my list!

 I made a list (here) of places I want to go see in Oregon in 2012. Mount Pisgah was #8! 

(Picture Alert by the way!! Breanna has recently introduced me to Picnik.  My sister-in-law, Kerrie told me about it a while back but I just thought editing pictures took too long but I LOVE it now!!! I'm addicted! (I may have gone a little overboard here) If I remember correctly, these are the first pictures I've EVER edited!!  If you haven't checked out Picnik before you should! It's free...but the bad thing is that it will not longer be available after April 19th.)

 

 Mount Pisgah is just a place to hike. There are lots of trails.  We hiked probably 3 miles or so but most of it had gravel.  Deci hiked the whole way.  I was so proud of her.  The view was beautiful!

    

 Check out the moss on this tree!

My favorite picture and favorite edit: 1960's! :)

This was such a fun day! I can't wait to take Alabama visitors here.