23 July 2010

Help!!...We're house hunting!

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Buying a house is a difficult decision. We don't have too many options right now due to our places of work/study being so far apart and the ridiculously low salary educators make. :( 

We've found one house we really like in Woodburn (see photo below), but we're not sure if Woodburn is the city for us. We've never really imagined ourselves living there and would prefer to be farther north (closer to Portland). However, we're not sure if we can pass up such a great deal?!
MLS#10022002

So help us out...by participating in our poll (top right of our blog!). Buy the newer house in Woodburn that is a great deal? Or wait for a house to go on the market in a more ideal location (it will mostly likely be older and smaller due to our price range). Or a townhouse? Or should we just wait it out in apartment for awhile longer?

Decisions, decisions!!! 

22 July 2010

Summer Reading

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So far this has been such a low key summer it has been amazing. I've had a chance to spend time doing what I love the most reading. My summer reading goal was to keep it extremely relaxed and enjoyable, nothing even remotely serious as I've been lost in science textbooks ALL YEAR long. I do love science and reality, but I needed a little fake, easy-to-read, idealistic-world fiction.

The list so far includes the following:

  • Bite-Size Science - a fun science book as I was still stuck in science teacher mode....
  • Eclipse (okay -so not an outstanding piece of literature, but it was a must re-read before the movie came out!)
  • Breaking Dawn (well once I read Eclipse I HAD to follow it up with a re-reading of the last installment of the saga!)
  • The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (now one of my absolute favorites thanks to my good friend Marla for recommending it. Everyone should read this book.)
  • The Magicians by Lev Grossman (an older more mature version of a hybrid between Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia - interesting but a hard follow up after The Hunger Games. I didn't love it as much as Dan did)
  • Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (2nd Hunger Games book - amazing!)
Currently reading: True Believer by Nicholas Sparks

Like I said....not brilliant pieces of literature (except maybe The Hunger Games), but they've kept me entertained during this lazy summer that I definitely deserved after the last 9 months of teaching. 

To Be Read List:
  • At First Sight - Nicholas Sparks (follow-up to the one I'm currently reading)
  • The Short Second Life of Bre Tanner - Stephanie Meyer (again, must read after seeing Eclipse)
  • The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan (one that I've been meaning to read and a good follow up to the Nicholas Sparks books as they are about a scientific journalist that tries to debunk the mysterious with true science)
  • the last Work and the Glory book - I've been putting it off because I don't want the series to end...
  • Re-read the last Harry Potter book (at least before November when the movie comes out)
  • The Goose Girl - Shannon Hale
  • Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen
I know there are others too - but feel free to let me know if you've had any good summer reads or other recommendations!
     

18 July 2010

Leila + Waterfront park

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Last week we went to the waterfront park downtown because the zoo was super packed. Leila took out my point and shoot and we had fun playing around with it...I didn't think these would be as cute as they are (and I'm pretty sure some of the pics are sorta blurry on the outskirts due to fingerprints!). Leila is just a doll. She's convinced I am everything girly and wants to be a part of it all. Every time she sees me she asks for her nails done (pretty pink!) and if I'm going to cut her hair (I gave her the bangs look awhile ago). She also wants to try all my lotions and perfumes. Love it.

The summer of searching

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This summer is turning out to be a searching summer.

**We are searching for a puppy/dog. We've visited quite a few rescue shelters and frequented many saturday petsmarts - but have not found our new friend. It's a difficult choice. Mainly because of our other search...

**Our biggest search is for a home....a real one. With a big yard (for our friend we hope we find!), hopefully 3+ bedrooms and in an ideal location since our places of work are about 1hr (add 20 for traffic) from each other. We wish we could stay in Wilsonville, but unless we want a shack we'll have to move elsewhere. We are considering ideally Tigard/Tualatin/Lake Oswego, but more likely we can afford something in Canby/Oregon City and even Woodburn. Also...a difficult choice.

**A car is also sorta kinda maybe on our searching list. Eventually it's going to have to happen, but we are trying to put it off as long as possible. Depends on where and when we move.

05 July 2010

24 June 2010

21 June 2010