Reality is such a buzz kill

It's very easy to get caught up in the excitement of moving across the country for a little bit. That is until, you inquire about registering your car - among other things.


"Hey, there's one thing that's cheaper in Oregon," I said optimistically.


"It's only 54 bucks to register your car and that is good for two years!" I said.


The optimism lasted for about two seconds. Literally. Until I read the second line. I won't bore you with the details, but I will just say that it includes having to send a PACKET to my bank (who owns my car until I pay it off) for them to fill out along with sending the title to the DMV. The process will literally take a month.

So, along with beautiful waterfalls and mountains and unicorns (Scott) - there's the DMV, water and sewer bills, state income taxes and a whole slew of things that we've never had to deal with.

We're getting there. As soon as we can get all of this reality bs out of the way, there will be fun to be had in this magical place they call Oregon.

Heaven on a plate

Meat. I really do not like it. If I go over to some one's house and they're serving meat, I will eat it to be polite. But, I could do without it for the rest of my life and not miss it. It's not for any worthy cause, I just don't really care for the taste.

Loni and Scott are aware of my "dirty little secret" however. Up until a few months ago...I had this serious issue with eating cheeseburgers from of all places, the Golden Arches. That was until I saw the movie Super Size Me and I promise you, it completely turned me off on that type of food.

Foods I could live on...

Basil/tomato/mozzarella - this is THE best combination of ingredients on the planet. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil and balsamic and it's downright heaven. I could eat this every single day.

Pita/pepper slices and hummus - I really dig lemon hummus with the pita and some type veggie hummus or garlic with the peppers.

Portabella Burgers

Black bean/avocado/green and red pepper/jalapeno/tomato/with a little bit of Italian dressing salad...yum.

Annie's Mac and Cheese - any variety will do.

Pad Thai, without the chicken

Sushi...not REAL sushi...I like the avocado/shrimp maki

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If you had to plan your favorite dinners for the next week...what would they be?

Ben Taylor makes a funny

About a year ago, I went to hear Ben Taylor play and you know, it was one of those serious/singer-songwriter/mellow shows and then he busted out this song. Have a listen and a laugh.

Click on "My Wicked Way"

http://www.myspace.com/bentaylorofficial

I immediately wanted the song for my own collection, it's not available for purchase yet...But I'm glad it's online.

A little preview of what's to come...

We returned last night from our whirlwind trip to the Pac Northwest and things are officially in motion. We put a deposit on a little duplex within walking distance to Adam's school...so, that will make it nice and cheap while he's a student. We've resigned ourselves to living in suburbia for a few months.

In addition to touring the school (which was great - phew!), we found a farm for me to ride at and I went out for a lesson one morning. They were all very nice people there, with lots of horses - I think I will be in for some good times there. Here's a view looking out from one of the barns:

The one day we did go exploring, we decided to head out to Hood River through the Columbia Gorge. There was a waterfall like every couple of miles - we did lots of stopping and walking.




No good mountain pictures, as it rained the entire time we were there. We were told by a lot of locals that this is probably the worst time to visit, weatherwise. I didn't really mind it all that much, but may be singing a different tune after a couple of months of it. I'll let ya know.

So, we depart in about three weeks...We've got a place to stay, a barn to ride at, many mountains and rivers to explore...oh, and one of us has a school to attend too. A little scary to move to the other side of the country where I know no one...But, it will be good for me to step out of the old comfort zone for a bit.

I sure hope these pictures will entice you to visit while we're there...we've got an extra bedroom and will be happy to have you.

Random, Random, Random

1. With all of the rain we've gotten (and are still getting!), combined with the snow melt we've had - the American Whitewater page for NH is completely green. Adam and all of his friends are like little kids right now. They are a strange bunch of dudes. Creeks that are usually frozen till spring are suddenly running. Woohoo! Marc and Jen...don't be surprised if I arrive solo this weekend. I can't begrudge him this late white water Christmas gift from Mother Nature.

2. Who has a webcam? I received one as a Christmas present and haven't hooked it up yet. I'm pretty excited that I will be able to see everyone from afar while we are living on the left coast. If you don't have one...get you one! Then we can chat and see each other in our grungy sweats!

3. Speaking of grungy sweats, I'm still in mine. Working from home ain't that bad. Especially when the weather outside is gross!

4. An update on the NH Food Bank: As I suspected, most people are good. Portland Glass stepped up and fixed all of the broken windows.

5. Cody, I received the Arcade Fire CD you sent to me. I keep forgetting to thank you...So, thank you. Rock on! Hope you're having fun in the 'boat.

I hope you all have a great weekend...I sure am planning on it...!

What it's all about

The NH Food Bank is in urgent need of some items. I'm guessing if this organization needs some help, so does your local Food Bank.

Something Hillary Clinton said when she was in the state campaigning this last week, really rang true for me...I'm paraphrasing here, but she said something like...

This is what it's all about: taking care of each other.

Adam and I gave a little less to each other for Christmas this year and made a $50.00 donation to the NH Food Bank. According to their web site this translates to 200 meals - wow! A little can go a long way.

Anyway, some a-holes smashed out the windows of the refrigerated vehicles that the NH Food Bank uses to transport food to the local food pantries last evening. The Director of the Food Bank made a plea on my local radio station this morning looking for local companies who do windshield repair to help them out so that food can still get to people that rely on it. Or for cash donations to fix them.

To combat the evil that occurred there last night, if you can, drop some food off at your local pantry or make a small cash donation. What may seem like a small thing to you, may mean that a kid has some food on the table this evening when she otherwise may not have.

Another Election

Now, this is a race! Too bad I didn't know about this one yesterday - the polls are closed. But, take a look.

The Mount Washington Observatory recently retired their 12+ year old resident cat, Nin. They ran a cute contest in conjunction with Conway Humane Society for their new resident mascot.

http://www.mountwashington.org/events/topcat/vote.php

It's Here. Finally.

Today is Primary Day in NH.

Soon our phones will stop ringing and we won't be receiving oodles of mail about how this and that person will "change" our world.

So. We'll see.

I'll be casting my ballot this evening. I wish I could do it during the day, but I promised Adam I would wait for him. The lines are supposed to be really damn long. Ah, well. That's a good thing, I suppose. Plus, it's supposed to be a nice, mild day today. Good standing in line weather! A sweet little treat for the dead of winter.

Why I should *never* be a mother

I just ate two reduced fat Oreos for breakfast. The reduced fat part makes me feel a little better about myself, and it is almost 10:00...So, it's more of a mid-morning snack rather than breakfast.

See? I'm trying to justify eating Oreos for breakfast. Don't ever let me have kids.

Happy New Year!

Here's a shot of Mt. Wash from Bretton Woods parking lot...Taken the day after Christmas.

The last couple of weeks were filled with family, eating - LOTS of eating, and even some outdoor activities. We spent Christmas eve over at Scott and Loni's. These two know how to throw a party...Christmas cookie decorating and all. It was a lot of fun having the little cuz's together. I'll have to leave it to their parents to post their mugs though, as I forgot the camera at home that night.

Christmas morning, Adam, Kobe and I packed up the truck and headed north to spend a couple of days with Adam's family. We both had the day after Christmas off and headed to Bretton Woods for some boarding. Conditions were...not so perfect...But it was OK with us, as it was the first time out for the year. Oh, lesson learned on this day? I cannot snowboard with a buzz. Not a good situation. I took a pretty bad fall and we decided to head into the lodge for a little break after...Well, a couple of Tuckerman's later (they have them on DRAFT at the mountain - dangerous) we were back on the slopes...I had to call it a day after attempting to get down the mountain. There was a lot of laughing and A LOT of falling on that run.

New Year's Eve Day we got in an afternoon of snowboarding, it was a powder day - yahoo! New Year's Eve we built a fire in the backyard and the three of us sat around it reminiscing about the craziness of 2007. Well, two of us did, the other 1/3 spent the time standing guard for some reason...Maybe he knew something we didn't...Creeeepy.

New Year's Day I experienced my first "Icicle Run" on the Winni River in Tilton...Nah, I didn't paddle it - but I got in some good hiking and took some shots. Enjoy...

That's Kobe peeking his head out behind one of the kayaks.
May 2008 bring you safe journey's and much love and happiness!