Soccer Coach

I started coaching an Itty Bitty Soccer Team (4 and 5 yr olds) with the YMCA this past week. They are SO cute and it's a lot of fun for me! We only have 3 weeks of practices and then 3 weeks of games, so it's a pretty short season. I am somehow supposed to teach them about defense, positions, throw-ins and goal scoring in 2 hours over the next 2 weeks before games start. They barely got the concept of kicking the ball without falling down this past week, so it should be quite entertaining.

We had a great time hanging out with people from church this past weekend. Kory and I went to the Norris' home to watch the UT/Texas Tech football game Saturday evening and had a delicious Mexican supper with them. They are a lot of fun and it was great to get to know them better. They were so gracious to let us raid their home and watch a game they really cared nothing about.

Sunday, the Cockrums invited us over to have Dawn's famous manicotti and oh my goodness--it was WONDERFUL!! After an awesome dinner, we all watched The Karate Kid together. I had never seen the whole movie, but it is one of Kory's all-time favorites so he was ecstatic for us to watch it! They are an awesome couple and it's hilarious to watch Danny command the kids to drop and give him push-ups so they can go to the neighbor's house.

We haven't been very good about being social and spending time with other adults from church, so hopefully we will do better about that after having so much fun this weekend.

Update

We are going to Seattle in a couple weeks for Jessica and Trent's wedding and I am really excited! I have never been to Washington before and I have heard great things about Seattle. It's Kory's birthday weekend so I am taking Friday and Monday off work and we're spending the whole weekend up there. I'll get to see several friends that I haven't seen in a while also, so it promises to be a GREAT weekend.

I can't believe it is already the middle of September! We moved to Oregon 3 months ago...it has gone by so quickly. It is still warm and dry here almost every day. Everyone keeps telling me the rain and cold weather will be here in October and stay until March, so I'm trying to prepare myself.

Life with no TV or internet at my apartment is still going well. I really don't miss either of them too much. Kory has internet access at his apt, and since you can watch TV shows online, I am really not missing out on anything, but I am saving quite a bit of money every month.

Have you seen the news stories about Steven Anderson? He is a Baptist preacher from Arizona that openly announces he prays Obama will die and go to hell. He preached an entire sermon called "I hate Barack Obama." You should google him or check out some videos of him on YouTube. It is AWFUL! I can't even believe he is a preacher. No wonder people hate Christians so much. I don't care how much you disagree with Obama's politics or decisions or whatever...that is NEVER ok, certainly not for someone who proclaims to live for Christ.

I want to grow a garden.

I recently read an article about how the sales trends of men's underwear is a great indicator of when the recession will end. It was hilarious! This is a legit theory that economists have. There are people tracking these underwear sales to make economic predictions. Just when I think the world we live in can't get any more ridiculous... :)

A couple of my family members/friends are considering making a move to the NW and I'm so excited about the possibility. I love my life here, but having people close to my age to hang out with would most certainly be welcomed.

Anyone who knows me very well will be quite shocked by this next statement. I have been cooking quite a bit lately and I am really enjoying it! Last night, I made California chicken (chicken breast with melted cheese, bacon and avocado on it) and it was quite delicious, if I do say so myself.

I really love staying up late. I am a night owl and I think I always will be. Even if I am tired and have to get up early, I still love being up late. For the first time in many years, I am going to bed semi-early and getting up at 6:30-6:45 each morning. I thought this would help me transition into being more of a morning person and enjoying going to bed early, but I seriously hate it. I think I just feel like I'm missing out on the fun the night has to offer or something. I went to bed at 10:30 last night and was laying in bed seriously wanting to get up, but forcing myself to stay in bed so I could get to sleep. I wonder if I'll ever start enjoying an earlier bed time.

Susan Creek Falls

Here are a few pictures from a waterfall we hiked to last weekend when Kory's parents were here. I forgot my memory card so my camera could only hold a few pictures. It was a beautiful place and, as usual, is much better in person.

Random Thoughts

I LOVE getting in a hot car. I enjoy AC once I've been in for a little bit and don't like to be miserably hot, but I really do love to be warm, all the time. I rarely use my AC at all, but I might have a really high heating bill come winter time.

I was born in Roswell, NM. People in Oregon think that is hilarious and several have asked if my family is in the alien souvenir business. Summer in Oregon is so much sunnier and warmer than I expected. I am SO happy about that. I thought it would be cold and rainy and cloudy all summer and I would miss out on my beloved time in the sunshine. I have definitely fallen in love with this place and I can't wait to see how things look in the other seasons. I bet Fall and Spring are both beautiful here! I saw a tree yesterday that looked like it was starting to change colors and it got me really excited for the Fall.

We had another training at work yesterday. Once again, it was really good! I am very pleasantly surprised with the quality of training we receive here. The training was Vicarious Trauma and it was teaching us to take care of ourselves so that we aren't traumatized by the upset/hurting/desperate people we deal with each day.

I read a really sad article yesterday about one of the effects of the recession that you don't usually hear about. Apparently there are a lot more bodies of deceased persons going unclaimed because the family or friends can't afford or don't want to pay for the costs involved in a funeral and/or burial. So these bodies are just at the morgue waiting to be claimed. After a certain amount of time, the state pays to have them cremated. It makes me sad that people can't afford to give a lost loved one the dignity of a burial or funeral or anything. I hate that dying has become a financial burden on Americans. I know that you can gain so much closure and begin the healing process after a funeral/memorial service and I can't imagine knowing your parent/spouse/child's body was lying in the morgue and refusing to go claim the body because of the cost. The whole situation just makes me very, very sad.

Paperwork and Pictures

I got my Oregon driver's license and license plates today, so I think that makes me an official Oregonian. I had to take a driving test also, which was a bit harder than I expected. I did pass on the first time though, so I was happy about that.

We had SO much fun with Kory's parents this past weekend. I am so happy they came to visit! We went white-water rafting on Saturday and it was one of the funnest things I have done in a long time! Ben had a tough time staying in the boat and that made for an entertaining day for everybody. haha Everyone but Kory was thrown from the raft at some point, but Ben definitely got beat up the most as he fell out in some really rough rapids. My arms are sore from rowing and my legs are sore from trying to hold onto the side of the raft, but it was definitely worth it.

I had a tough time coming back from Texas last week. It was just difficult for me when I realized I live 1800 miles away from all our friends and family. Some days the distance isn't a big deal, but it was really hard after getting to hang out with everyone at the wedding. After a couple days, I regained my love for Oregon and I am once again very happy to live here! :) It was perfect that Ben and Jackie arrived this past week, however, and it helped me not to feel so homesick anymore.

Here are a few pictures from Rynn's wedding weekend that I finally got uploaded:

Death by Smoke

I really love the smell of our bathroom at work. Yes, I realize that is an odd statement but whatever the air freshener thing is in there, it smells so great. Sometimes, I go wash my hands just so I can enjoy the smell. My apartment, on the other hand, ALWAYS smells like smoke. I hate it so much! It is overwhelming right when you walk in the front door. Supposedly, no one smokes in the apartments but I don’t believe it. Either way, people are always smoking right outside my front door and the smell gets inside. I currently have 4 candles, 1 Glade plug-in and 3 diffusers in my apartment to try and help with the smell. My lungs are probably turning black every day as I inhale so much second-hand smoke. Ugh.

Fans of The Office will understand this next statement. The party planning committee has formed a clique and I need to be one of them! They are pretty exclusive. Obviously, I need to get some dirt on one of them so I can blackmail them and take over control of the committee.

Why is it that airports have such tiny bathroom stalls? It is almost guaranteed that people will have a suitcase to bring in the stall with them. I hate having to maneuver the suitcase around the door and squeeze in around it.

Somehow I started receiving Teen Vogue in the mail. It is clearly being sent to the wrong address, and I assume it is the previous tenant. I notified the magazine but they keep sending them. I think it’s pretty funny so, of course, I read it each month. I am so not a Vogue girl. There is usually maybe one item in the entire magazine that I don’t think is horrid. I am just not fashionable enough for that magazine.