Her name was Lola

A little slice of heaven! Dominique and James threw a baby shower for Sierra today. We all work together and it was fun to hang out with a bunch of the girls (and James) outside of work.

This is Dom. She is HILARIOUS!!
James "Kiss the Cook" Daniel BBQ'n up our lunch.

This is where the slice of heaven comes in. Dom needed someone to make a cake so I said I'd do it and boy oh boy I was in domestic diva heaven!! I love doing stuff like this- it's just so good for my soul. And when it turns out something like I pictured in my head it's even better!

Vanilla cake with homemade blueberry filling and coconut buttercream frosting. VOILA!!

I made the cake stand too. Value Village + E600 epoxy = super fabulous cake stand.

Meet Sierra. She is so great and will be a fantastic mom. I picture her as the one with the little girl that has the most darling outfits on all the time. I made her a... thing with the baby's name on it. I hope she doens't change the baby's name because that thing took like 5 hours to make- but it turned out perfectly.

The cake actually tasted pretty good too.

3 x 30: Snoqualmie Falls

Due to a generous benefactor (who shall remain unnamed for her own protection) I have been given the opportunity to spend $30 three times a month on cultural/tourist activities. This is so that I can get out of my lil shell and really see Seattle and the Northwest (Ooo!! And I just heard yesterday that Wicked is coming in September so hopefully...).

My first adventure was: Snoqualmie Falls
Cost: $0 + $12.00 in gas to get there.
Rating: Might as well. It's a pretty drive going the back way and an easy walk down and back for just about anyone. A little steep but totally do-able.

This is a big beautiful waterfall that lives in the mountain pass on I-90 just before you get into the Seattle area. If you take the country route to get there from my house it's REALLY beautiful countryside. There's a big hotel perched right at the top of the cliff next to the fall- what a view that would be! "I'd like a room over looking a 150' drop please."

Elaina, her sister and their foreign exchange student went on the "hike". It turned out to be a 1/2 mile nature walk not so much a hike.
This is the top lookout next to the parking lot. See the hotel back there? Right behind my head.

Sign? We had to get a closer look- it had to be done.

It was really a pretty day to go, I even locked my keys in my car after we got back to the parking lot. I had to climb through the trunk (which we hadn't closed yet- thank goodness) to get the doors open. That was harder than the "hike".

One Less.

Mission ACCOMPLISHEDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Man it feels SO SO SO great to have my portfolio all done. Like done done. DONE! I just had the last of the pages printed and I slipped them into those plastic sleeves the nano-second the ink was dry and boy oh boy does it feel good or what!!

I think it's awesome to see that after as many years out of college as I was in I actually have something to show for it. I never thought this day would come. I took out 90% of my student work and replaced it with things I designed and actually had installed- and it's all real, not just made up like the school stuff.

This is something that I've had on my To Do list for like... ever and tonight I have one less monkey on my back. Take that monkey boy!!!!!

Cook the world away....

Julie & Julia. Go see it! It was a great movie. Julia Child was 6'2" (says Wiki). Zina and I just got back from the 1pm matenee showing of the film and we loved it.

I love cooking. It is something I hope to be able to do always. I hope to at some point in my life have a fabulous kitchen filled with fabulous things to cook with. I would L.O.V.E to have a stove with a french burner and a marble top somewhere to roll pastries. Hmmmm.... someday!

Heartcha!

I am at a loss.

I miss home. I miss my boyfriend. I miss my family. I miss my friends. I miss familiarity.

I've been here just over 4 months. 4 months and 8 days to be exact. For a while there I felt like this was it. This is where I was going to be from now on but I'm definately not sure about that anymore. As I look back on these 4 months I realize that they have been THE hardest of my life. I am facing 2 of the biggest trials I've ever had right now and I don't like it. I don't like feeling like I'm loosing these battles. This is so hard on my mind and my heart and my soul.

And what makes it harder is feeling like there is no clear solution to these problems. All paths are filled with bumps, hurdles, more pain, more trials, more uphill fighting- which I'm ok with. BUT which on will get me where I want to be? I know we all go through these messy parts of life and that's why I write- I want to hear your survival stories. How did you make hard decisions? How did you know you were headed the right way when you couldn't see the end? What gave you comfort?

I had to get that out. I'm dying over here! I'm a talker not a keep-it-insider and so lets talk.

Wish me luck!!!!

There and Back Again

Well.
I came, I saw, I loved every second of it.
I miss home already. I wish I were still there, I am getting worried about missing the Fall weather and the nieces getting bigger. I miss my man terribly already!

The drive to UT wasn't too bad for the first 10 hours or so. By the end I was getting a bit nuts-O. You would too if you had spent that much time with me alone! But the views were nice.

I stopped in Baker City Oregon at an RV park to take a nap and use the bathroom. Probably the smallest stall I've ever been in.

This is Betty. She's the Beagle/Pug my broski found wandering the streets in Vegas (don't ask me what he's doing taking girls he doesn't know home with him) and brought to Ut to give to my step mom Lori. It was all a big scheme against my dad and they won. Betty (formerly known as Hank) will be calling T-Ville home from now on.

THIS. This was the biggest shock of the whole trip. This little doll face had changed SO much since the last time I'd seen her. She was barely standing up, not talking, had that wispy straight baby hair when I left in April and now look. She's talking, has curly hair, teeth and is so so big! I just couldn't believe it when I walked in the back yard and saw her.

Here Jesse is putting his darlings' squeaker shoes on her 'extra wide' feet. She loved loved them! She spent 10 mins. running up and down the sidewalk listening to her feet squeak.

Then I went to Wyoming. That place has quickly found a soft spot in my heart.

It was Steevo's annual "Family Reunion"... (I've been told not to disclose the location of said reunion for fear that it will become overrun with city folk and tourists). Let's just say it was way up in the mts and there were signs warning about bears.

I had a glorious time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The smell of warm air and pine, the smell of sage brush remind me of when I was a kid and we'd go camping a lot with my dad and Lori. Those were THE best times. The cold air in the mornings and being too hot in the middle of the day, being filthy dirty and not caring (not that as a small kid I cared if I had dirt under my nails). Trying to widdle something but loosing interest. Oh, I love the mountains!!!!!!!!!!

I'd have stayed another month if I could.

This is Scott risking his life by waking up his little bro, Steevo the first morning we were there. I think he would have been better off waking up a sleeping grizzly.

Some of the crew on the first morning. Dorothy, Cameron, Mikelle and Logan.

This is Scott.

This is Annesley. One of the most darling easy going kids I've met. She loved everyone.

Here's a shot of the mts where we were staying. We rode horses, played catch, fished, played cards, took the canoe on the lake and river, rode the 4-wheeler, froze, baked, got rained, snowed and hailed on, fed chipmunks, ate great food and sat around the camp fire till late.

This is Leonard, Steevo's dad on Harley.

Steevo and his dad took me on a great ride up to Natural Bridge. It was A-MAZE-ING! Beautiful place... a little saddle sore after but totally worth it.

Natural Bridge. The river goes in that archway and comes out the other side. It's huge!

Here we are down under the arch.

Here's the view from on top of the arch looking back toward camp.

So, for Steevo's birthday I gave him that dark riding coat. He's wanted one for a while and with the help of his mom I surprised him (his bday isn't till October but that's in the middle of hunting season so I thought I'd give it to him early). Now he's one step closer to becoming a true mountain man. What a seriously HOT mountain man he'd be.

This is Fisher.

Typical camping things: Chop firewood, smell like smoke, eat food with dirt on it.

We played a lot of "500". Hit the ball, catch the ball, score points, fall into gopher holes etc., it was a lot of fun!!

The pictures don't really do it justice (of course) but the mountains here are staggeringly enormous! They take your breath away.

I made it down to the lake early one morning and caught this pic before the wind started to blow.

Logan and A.

The annual Scott and Steevo canoe fishing trip (+ one girlfriend this time). It was fun. More fun that I'd thought it would be. I've been fishing before but never really enjoyed it. This time was much more successful. I even caught a fish of my own. I was so excited that I just keep reeling it in and reeling it in till the hook came out because I'd reeled it in too far. I was too busy being stunned that I'd actually set a hook and caught a fish. But hey, at least I caught one.

S and S don't like White Fish and this is their way of getting them off the line.

Steevo and his "Brookie".

Here I am with the worlds smallest rainbow trout on the line.

This is Fisher with his fish.

That's Scott and Logan.

Steevo and I took the 4 wheeler WAY up in the mts. I was watching a pair of deer eye me as they made their way through this meadow all the while checking my back for bears. We were so far up there it was kinda spooky.

Almost to the top.

At the top looking down over the campground. What a view!!! And the mountains don't look too bad either. ;) I just adore him!!!

I had a great time. Thanks to Steevo and his family being so welcoming and loving! I am already heartsick for another visit.

Headed for the hills....

My public.
I'm headed to Utah as soon as I can possibly do it. I'm currently trying to get 2 shifts covered at work so I can leave as soon as Saturday morning. I'd LOVE to be able to get out of here Saturday morning.
I will be passing through to go camping at this spot. I'm in desperate need of a break from "Hi there! How are ya'll doing? I'm Shelby I'll be taking care of you tonight, can I get anyone an iced tea, pepsi, margarita or glass of wine". Don't get me wrong I'm REALLY thankful for my job and I like my job. I've been blessed to make enough dough to cover the bills but it's tiring to do that 6 days a week.

So.

I'm going camping where it doesn't matter if there's a bug in my food or if my fork falls on the ground. This is Steevo's family reunion that has happened like EVERY year of his entire life and even before then from what I understand. I can't wait.

I'm planning to have a cooler packed with goods to avoid fries and burritos, I've got two Harry Potter books on CD to keep me entertained and a lead foot so I should be good to go for 12 hours of driving.

If this is my last post because I got eaten by a Grizzly bear please know that I love you all!!!

Toodles!