Holidays!

OK so I know it's been a while since I have posted but I haven't had much extra time lately. Both Emma and I until recently have been working a lot of overtime and also mainly getting ready for the wedding. It's actually going to feel strange after we get back and have actual "free" time to do whatever which will be nice. Its hard to believe that we have only 10 days to the wedding!! Seems like it took forever to get here but now its here and we are both very ready to get married, see family and take a vacation!!

This past xmas eve Emma cooked up a great meal for the both of us. It was just us and the boy for a quiet evening at home which was very nice. She started out with making coconut shrimp which were out of this world! New favorite food!! I have had it before but this was the best by far!

Then after a ton of shrimp we had a nice salad with greens, Gouda cheese, caramelized pecans that mom sent, and cooked pears.

After that was the main course! We had rib eye steak in some sort of wine sauce with brussel sprouts, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes. The steak was from a local farm and very tasty.

Then came dessert which is always a treat. Chef Emma made Apple Fritters with vanilla ice cream and a caramel sauce!

Trip to London

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Originally uploaded by ryan_nowell.

So I recently uploaded some pictures from when Lance and I took a trip to London 3 years ago. We had a great time and hopefully we ALL can go back sometime. I would love to show Emma all the places we got to visit. I was only allowed to upload a certain amount so not all the pictures were uploaded. I will send the rest when I get a chance.

Getting Closer!!

OK so I have to say that the wedding has taken over my mind!! All I think about is leaving my work and getting on a plane to go a nice warm place. The time has flown by but now it's creeping along and driving me crazy. I know it will come soon enough but I want it NOW!!!!

Ok now that I have that off my chest. I found this picture the other day searching the web for pictures of Makena cove. This is the entrance to the beach from the street. It's pretty hard to see and when we first got directions we tried 3 times to find it. But now it will be easier. We will be sending out some directions to this beach and the other locations of the night before the wedding and the reception.

Interesting drive this morning.

So this morning was an interesting one for sure. It started out with noticing that the car was frozen when I took Puma out to play. This of course changed my plans to play longer with him and set up a short time before I leave to turn the car on and let it warm up so I could drive. I also decided to leave a bit earlier since the drive might be slower. Sure enough it was.

I turned the corner to get on to the St. John's bridge and I noticed that a lot of cars were backed up and moving slow. Didn't think much of it at first until I got closer and tried to slow down. Yep that's it, tried to slow down!! The front tires hit the ice and locked up. Luckily with my intense parking lot training with John a few years ago in the snow I remembered to let off the brakes and let the tires steer where I needed to go. I managed to stop the car just before the car in front of me. I then looked in the rear view mirror to see if any cars were behind me about to do the same but fortunately nobody had followed. A few seconds into driving across the bridge at about 2 miles an hour, I noticed in the rear view that the cops had blocked the road behind me. I thought....well great timing....about 20 seconds sooner and I wouldn't have the luxury of trying to cross the ice covered monstrosity in front of me.

So I continued, tires spinning and the car sliding to the large curb on the right hand lane. The car in front of me was worse off then me. I noticed that the tires were pretty close to being bald and being a Dodge Neon and having the wind pick up on the bridge wasn’t helping him. I managed to stay far back letting him show me the more icy spots on the road ahead and give me enough warning as to when the traffic would be coming to a stop.

I managed to make it to the top of the curve of the bridge and then it was all down hill!! I thought well I am half way there. This is when it got tricky! I kept pumping the brakes and letting the tires steer me on all while keeping an eye on what the driver was doing in front of me. I stopped for a second to let them get ahead and just then the Neon hit the brakes and slid to the curb scraping the side of his car to slow him down. I decided to drive in the middle of the road to give me more room.

I finally made it to the bottom of the bridge were traffic was backed up each way coming from East and West. Luckily the cops had stopped the traffic waiting for the cars in front of me to finally get off the bridge since we pretty much couldn’t stop. We all made it across the bridge without becoming bumper cars or a jumbled mess of cars.

I found out after I arrived LATE to work that they had just reopened it after putting down a deicer and some gravel.

I wonder what the rest of the weeks travels will be like with the high hovering around freezing!!

Parents visited

So this past week my parents came up to visit and to work. Some friends of ours (Paul and Kristin) are remodeling their basement and needed an electrician to do some work since they decided to do it themselves. I happened to mention that my dad does electrical work and they suggested having him come up to do the work. So they came up last week and dad worked on it until yesterday. All went well except for a few weather issues along the way. The eelctric company was supposed to turn off the power on Monday so dad could hook up the new box but with the weather as bad as it was they were busy taking care of power outages around town. They finally came yesterday and dad was able to hook it all up with no problems. He even helped me....well did the work....on adding a few extra plugs outside in the front yard and helped with moving our light up in the bathroom. It really is amazing how fast he moves. No wonder he wired an entire basement in a few days!!

47 DAYS until the big day!! Can't wait to see everyone and enjoy our time on vacation and of course get married to the best girl in the world. All the plans are coming together. It's the small details that we will have to worry about soon enough.

I am still sick for those who knew. I can't seem to shake this cold or flu that I have. It's just a bad cough but it's enough to make me crazy. At least it came a week early this year instead of like last year when I was sick for Thanksgiving.

Party Time!

So our party this past Sunday went well. Almost everyone that said they would come showed up with goodies in hand. Emma and Amy, who came up to visit early on Saturday were able to get things set up and ready to go without my sick body in the way. Yes I was still feeling ill and had vertigo again which wasn't too fun. It mostly makes you feel like you are car sick or on a ship rolling through the sea. Anyway. The party went really well and it seemed like everyone had a good time. The weather held out and the rain held off but it was a bit cold. Luckily the wood stove worked well and warmed it up some. They all had nice comments about the house and the yard and everything that we worked hard on all year. It was nice to hear after all the work that we did. I guess it's the amount of time that we spent on it and nothing else that made it worth it as well. I am not sure why but I forgot to take any pictures of people that came but it never occurred to me until after the party. Once again Emma and Amy did a nice job with the decorations and I was actually surprised at how well the garage turned out for a party.

Sick and Busy!

Ok so it's been way too long since I updated this. I have been sick for a while and have busy working on the house again. I ended up missing 3 days of work this past week and just started to feel myself yesterday morning.

Emma ended up working yesterday for graduation at her work. Luckily she didn't have to work too long.

Last night we went out to dinner and it wasn't the best experience. A new place near us called Christies just opened and so we decided to check it out. It was a bit odd to say the least. Maybe we are spoiled with going to places that we really like but this place will most likely not be on our "revisit" list. They only had a few entrees to choose from and the food tasted like it came out of a box. I suppose my taste in food has changed with Emma's yummy cooking but oh well. So of course we had to make up for it by visiting one of our favorite breakfast places. It's called the Tin Shed. Food is amazing. I had a "Fetch" which is potato cakes topped with bacon, chives, tomatoes and cheese and a biscuit on the side. So yummmmmmy!!

Well we are getting ready for next weekends big party! It's not that big but any more then a few people is big in our small place. I finished the staining of the fence out back and installed the 3rd light in the bedroom(of course with dads help on the phone). I wanted to make sure I had it all right before I started. I am not a fan of getting shocked or doing it wrong. Had a bit up a scare when I turned the light on and heard a small pop sound. Turns out I might have cut the wire a bit when installing it but it was an easy fix(thanks DAD). Emma has been busy of course cooking up some goodies for the party as well. Not sure what it all is but looks tasty!

Well off to watch the second game of the World Series. Cubbies didn't even come close to making it this year but I still love the game!!!

89 Days from today!

The big day seems to be creeping up on us very quickly. Plans are coming together and RSVP's are streaming in. Saturday we spent a good amount of time signing up for wedding registries and driving around town. It was fun to pick out things that we would want if we had an unlimited budget. Of course most items were "dream" items if we won a shopping spree but it was still fun checking out everything. Emma also updated the Wedding Channel website with address info and times of some of the events.

The weather was a bit on the rainy side even though I don't remember the weather being forcasted that way. But of course that's just the way it can be around here. I tried to finish the staining of the fence but got too wet and besides that, a playoff game was on as well as some football games to be watched. I will have to take a picture of the "new" fence and post it.

We then spent a majority of out time cleaning up the house and cleaning out the garage to get ready for our party at the end of the month. We figure the weather won't be the best and our place is tiny to have lots of people in so the garage and it's cozy fireplace will warm it nicely and add room for people to gather.

Fall is coming!

I would have to say that this time of year is always nice around these parts! The weather gets cooler and the sun is still out. It hasn't started to rain all the time and the days of hot weather with no AC are gone until next year. The leaves of the trees are starting to change color and litter the streets. Halloween is coming which leads to all the rest of te fun holiday's and with it the yummy treats that are made. This past weekend we went to Sauvie Island to pick up some veggies and fruit from the farm near by called Krugers. It is really a great place. They have everything that you can possibly get and right now tis the season to get pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. We picked up a small one for Emma to cook up a yummy pie with and boy was it!!!


Of course this weekend wasn't with out it's projects and other work around the house. I think I have become partly addicted to working on the weekends. I finally got around to staining and sealing the backyard fence. It was really amazing to see how the color changed as it dried and how it really looked like a brand new fence. Ok that's not that exciting but it was still a cool change.

One more thing. Our friend Pete ran in the Portland Marathon yesterday(26.2 miles). We went down to downtown St. John's to catch him as he went by to get a few pictures but I saw him at the last minute and snapped a few shots. Was really disappointed since I wasn't able to get him coming down the bridge but I didn't see him until it was too late. It was cool to see all the people and all the friends and family cheering them on. I think it would be fun to join in some year but the training will have to start before that happens.

Pete did a great job! Here are his stats. WAY TO GO PETE!!

Place Overall: 2072 out of 7548
Men: 1416 out of 3328

FINISH: 4:03:40 pace: 9:18
10k: 54:40 pace: 8:48
Turn-9.1Mi: 1:22:40 pace: 9:06
Half: 1:55:12 pace: 8:48
20 Mile: 3:00:38 pace: 9:02
35K: 3:18:40 pace: 9:09
Chip Time: 4:03:40
Gun Time: 4:05:12

Trellis

So the final addition to the yard has been added. Worked out really well and was easier then I thought. Would have to say that out of all the projects, this was the first one that didn't have it's problems. We usually had one or two things go wrong that took time to resolve.

So we thought the weather had changed to being much cooler the past few weeks but today we were about 84 which is quit warm since it was in the high 60's recently. We are excited for the weather to change and welcome fall and all the new colors. Of course with it comes rain and mud for the dog to get into but it's always nice to play in.

Vacation slideshow!

Here are some pictures from recent trips. They are all mostly of Emma....but hey I always have the camera and she is much nicer to look at!

I also updated the site a little and added a link to the right of Adbel's son Alex's website for his band. Great music!!

Front Yard Pictures!

Finally got a chance and a break in the weather to take some pictures. Was really nice to be done and enjoy our yard.

Done Done Done

So the yard is finally DONE!!!! We installed the path over the weekend which took longer then we thought but of course nothing is new with that. I also finished up the front gate by building it and then cutting the tops off the posts and installing the final post caps. It went in pretty well with only a few hiccups but all in all it was great to be finally done! When I get a chance I will post some pictures.

Yesterday we had a visitor stroll on in to the back yard. It was a friendly older dog. He had an insteresting ridge along his back and he mostly just walked around and pissed on everything. Puma loved it becuase he turns into a puppy around dogs that come into HIS yard. So of course he wasn't wearing a collar so we closed the gate and tried to figure out what we were going to do. Then Emma had the idea that maybe he just belonged to one of the neighbors down the street so I started to walk down and ask around. One couple didn't know english so I tried to ask them in Spanish and it turned out they don't have a dog so that was easy to figure out.

Then I came across another neighbor outside loading stuff in his truck and he turned out to be the owner. Said he never noticed he was gone. As we walked back he said " Oh you guys are the one with the new yard....looks nice!!" That was nice to hear. He then introduced us to his lost boy, Rudy the Ridgeback!

1 year!!!

So yesterday was the one year anny for us being in our home! Still can't believe it's been that long. Time just really flew by. To think that when we first moved in how different the look and feel of the place was. We were sleeping in the living room on the futon and I was being bit up by flees fromt the dog that used to live there. Of course this was also Pre-Puma so he never had the joy of the itchy bites on HIS legs. our bedroom wasn't finished and liveable for 46 days and the rest of the time until we could sleep in our own bed was spent on the futon in the office.

Then we later adopted our boy. We went from working day to day painting or ripping out walls to walking the dog or taking him to the Dog Park.

Christmas came around and we got engaged in our home. It was a bit of a surprise for Emma but she was sort of expecting it to happen soon. Was really a great moment!!

And now time has flown by, our yard has been completely torn up and built back up again and now we only have 4 months until the big day!!

It's been a great year in our first home and we will for sure have many more. What will we be up to in another year? Who knows!!

Fun with Treadmills

Just a little reminder that working out can be fun!

Busy weekend and good news!!

This past weekend went way too fast!! Emma helped a friend with catering so she was gone all Saturday which left the boy and me on our own. I worked on the yard and the fence toppers or whatever you call them. They turned out pretty nice. Cheap too. Could have spent $14 on each but since we built our own it was only$1.62 a piece. Saved $175 but it did take a while to make. I will post a picture when I get them installed.

Since Emma worked so hard over the weekend and made some extra money we decided to go to Costco and see if they had any scanner\printers available. We have been wanting a better printer to print photos and she also wanted to be able to scan in the thousands of recipes that she has collected. We found one that was $50 off and hopefully it works well. Now we just need to invent a touchscreen to access all those recipes in the kitchen!

Also received some news about our neighbors next door. We noticed a while ago that they were going missing one by one. Those pesky kids stopped running around and then no more vehicles were being worked on in the carport. Then one weekend the house had all it’s lights on all day and night. Then one day when Emma was walking Puma she noticed a note on the door from Kermit King stating “If you do not return by 3:30 pm tomorrow then I will assume you have vacated the premises.” Sure enough they were gone for good. I looked over the side and everything was gone. Someone had shown up and started to clean the place out for the next couple of days. Then yesterday morning while I was in the front yard Kermit stopped by to say that he had kicked the tenants out and has already sold the place!!! He said they were supposed to leave a month and half ago but had to go through the legal process to get them to leave. He said the gentleman that purchased the place is single and is looking to buy his first place. We were hoping it would be a younger couple but oh well. At least we won’t be expecting any piss filled condoms in the yard!!!!

San Francisco!!

This past weekend Emma and I went to San Francisco to meet up with the family and see the sites. Here are some pictures of the trip and a few others.

San Francisco

Front yard

Ok so it's not done yet but it might be a while till it is. I was looking up some pictures from last year when we bought the place and it's interesting to see how its changed.

Here are some before, during and after pictures:

Keeping an eye out!

Came across this site (UofA Webcam) the other day and thought it was cool. It's always nice to see what the old home town weather is up to. Some cool time-lapse videos as well. Enjoy!

I promise I will post some pics of the new front yard. Just need to take them!!

Not much going on at the moment besides working all the time and working on the yard. Emma is going to Rhode Island for a memorial and then the weekend after that we are off to San Francisco!! Should be some good times since Emma's family is all going to meet us there.

Oh Don Piano!!

Favorite part is the last one. Oh Don Piano!!! Enjoy

IKEA!!!

So the heat is gone finally!! It's been just a bit too hot to want to do anything around the house or outside. But today it's cooled off to a nice 85 degrees for a high and all is well.

Big news today in Portland. Just down the street near the Airport and next to Cascade Station MAX Station they are breaking ground for a new IKEA!!!! Love that place. This will be great timing for remodeling our kitchen and whatever else we can save up for. It will be completed in about a year and we just can't wait. It's been a long time coming since the closest location was Seattle. Don't get me wrong I love driving up to Seattle and seeing the city and stopping at Ikea, but with this new one being just miles from the house, this will really make it easier.

Crazy weather!!!

Not much going on at the moment. Have been working a lot to make some extra money to pay for all the work we are doing on the front yard. I will post some pictures soon once it's more complete. So far we have the main structure of the fence complete and we just need to finish with the details. We also need to build the gate which should be interesting. Then its on to installing the sod and designing and installing the walkway. Not looking forward to the hot 106 degree temps this weekend but maybe it won't be that hot.

Found this picture this morning and thought it was cool. This was taken on July 17th.

Crazy Life!!

Hello everyone, it’s me Puma!! Just thought I would say hi since I occasionally pop up on this Blog that my dad created. Not much has been going on in my life. I have been busy playing with my cool green ball and waiting for my mom and dad to come home. They did recently decide to let me out in the house while they are gone to work. I really like having the room to walk around all day but at times I get bored. I did enjoy my crate and didn’t mind snoozing all day but that got old after a while. Dad says I am a big boy now and can take the responsibility to take care of the house while they are gone. Sometimes I sleep on their bed during the day and other times I watch TV and bark at the occasional cat that runs on by. I try and keep them out of the yard since mom and dad recently started to plant some nice trees and a few other plant stuff.

I do have to admit one thing. One day I got bored last week while mom and dad were gone. I had been sleeping on their bed and playing with my toys when I got into trouble. I honestly don’t remember doing anything bad because I must have been in a “chewing zone”. I started on the blanket and then moved to the fatter blanket. This was the jackpot. It’s filled with fun fluffy goodness and tastes great!! I tried and tried to pull as much of it out as I could get. Then I spotted the nice clean white sheets! I chewed and chewed until I heard something. It was MOM!!! I thought….boy is she going to be proud of me! So I took the tag off the sheets and ran to the front door to greet her. Turns out I wasn’t thinking straight and this wasn’t something that she wanted to see. She said I was a bad boy. I gave her my wonderful puppy dog eyes and of course she gave in and gave me a big hug!!! What a great mom. I promised not to do it again and I promise I won’t.

Well I have to get back to guarding the house. It’s a crazy world out there!!! Have fun!!

Puma

Not only is Emma a great chef!!!!

But now she can add carpentry to her list of skills. This past weekend Emma got busy working on a planter for some herbs that she started a couple of weeks ago and built a nice planter box for the backyard. I showed her how to use the miter saw and the nail gun and she went to town! The planter box turned out really well and the herbs are now growing really nicely in their new home.

We also started some planting in the front yard but I will post that some other time.

HAPPY 4th!!!!

Brew fans rejoice!!

Portland and certain other Oregon cities (such as Hood River and Bend) are well-known for their beer. It is often said that Portland is the home of the microbrew revolution in the United States. Some illustrate Portlanders' interest in the beverage by an offer made in 1888, when local brewer Henry Weinhard volunteered to pump beer from his brewery into the newly dedicated Skidmore Fountain. However, the renown for quality beer dates to the 1980s, when state law was changed to allow consumption of beer on brewery premises. In short order, microbreweries and brewpubs began to pop up all over the city. Their growth was supported by the abundance of local ingredients, including two-row barley, over a dozen varieties of hops, and the pure water from Bull Run and other drainage basins of nearby Mount Hood.
Today, with 33 breweries within the city limits, Portland is home to more breweries than any other city in the world. The McMenamin brothers alone have over thirty brewpubs, distilleries and wineries scattered throughout the metropolitan area, not including the outlining areas, several in renovated theaters and other old buildings otherwise destined for demolition. Other notable Portland brewers include Widmer Brothers, Bridgeport Brewing Company and the MacTarnahan's Brewing Company. In 1999, author Michael "Beerhunter" Jackson called Portland a candidate for the beer capital of the world because the city boasted more breweries than Cologne, Germany. A popular nickname for the city in beer appreciation circles is "Beervana."
Portland hosts a number of festivals throughout the year in celebration of beer, including the Oregon Brewers Festival. Held each July, it is the largest gathering of independent craft brewers in North America. Other major beer festivals throughout the calendar year are: in April Spring Beer and Wine Festival, in July Portland International Beerfest and in December Holiday Ale Festival.

See ya!!

The other day Emma and I noticed a very large yellow truck parked next door to us at our neighbor’s house. We joked that maybe they were moving and how nice it would be that they would move out. The landlord, Kermit King, mentioned that he was thinking about selling so that really sparked our hopes. Keep in mind this is the family with the condom throwing little hooligans! We got very excited and so I decided to peek around a bit. Turns out lots of empty boxes were stacked outside in the backyard but the moving truck was gone so my hopes had faded until yesterday. Sure enough when we left the house to go out to eat last night, the truck was back and they were moving all there stuff up the ramp and in the truck. WOOOHOOO!!! Maybe we will get some cool neighbors. Maybe they will fix up the place and make it look nicer and less run down. But then again they were really quiet at times and kept to themselves. Here’s hoping for the best!!!

Blazing HOT!!!

Well yesterday was a record day for Portland. It got up to 101 but felt like 110 without AC in the house. Luckily it wasn't actually that hot in the house but it sure felt like it. We decided to go out to dinner since cooking would have heated it up more and we wanted at least an hour or so of AC to cool off. Turns out eating in Portland and trying to find a place that actually has AC was a bit harder then we thought. We stopped by a few places to eat but with no cool air to be found we continued on. We ended up at the Laughing Planet (http://www.portlandblog.com/05-09/laughing-planet.html) on N Mississippi. The place was pretty cool and the food was cheap and yummy. They serve lots of healthy food and have a nice selection of local brews.

Just before bed I decided to hook up the window air conditioner that come with the house in our bedroom. I had to brace it in the window with the window itself, a towel, and a piece of wood to prop it up. Turns out it really works well. The room really cooled off well and we all slept nicely. Of course its not a permanent thing so it has to be taken down each day but it's going to be much cooler today and the rest of the week and will most likely not need it.

Oregon State won the "College World Series" last night in Omaha against North Carolina (3-2). Didn't watch it but sounds like it was a good game. Go Beavs!!

It's OVER!!!

The trial has finally come to an end and I would have to say that it was a nice change to do something other then work but it was almost like a second job. It really consumes you. After 3 days of trying to decide on a sentence we came to a decision. Don't really want to mention it on this site but you can ask me directly if you like. Just happy it's over and can get back to my normal life.

So last weekend we went to a great ballgame in Seattle. Mariners played the Giants and won. The game was exciting and had lots of hits and home runs. The weather was perfect and was really relaxing. Emma and I went and met up with Kari and Clarissa for dinner afterwards. It was nice to catch up on family stuff and to hang out for the short time that we had.

The next day we of course went to Ikea to return some shelves we bought in September of last year and took the credit to buy some more goodies. Emma picked up lots of containers and other fun stuff for the kitchen. We also bought all the candles we needed for a large candle holder that we bought for our bedroom. I will have to take a picture to show what it looks like and how it looks in our room.

That's all for now. No more bad images and scary stories to listen to!! Why are people so nutty!!!!!

Court Drama

Not sure how really to describe some of the feelings that I was feeling yesterday in court when the verdict was read. We all came to a guilty verdict and which was easy to give taken into account all the facts but it was the moment when we all walked back in to the courtroom that really set the mood. I was really fine and so was everyone else when they came to get us and bring us in but once I sat down in the spot I had spent for the past 3 weeks, my heart started to pound. I could almost hear it myself. The judge went over all the counts and read each one off carefully and that was it. It was over. The defendant didn't say anything or make any quick movements even though there were 3 extra officers in the court for the reading. He didn't even look up at all. We all thought it was over but then we got the rest of our instructions that the sentencing section was about to begin. This meant 2 more days of testimony and the one more time deciding the fate of the defendant. I am not sure what it will entail but we will soon find out.

Update issues

Not sure why but the Blogger website has been having problems so I couldn't update it recently. I wanted to post a quick note that my friend Todd has created a blog of his own. The link is to the right but you can also go here http://toddndave.blogspot.com I grew up with Todd and he is now far far away but we try and keep in touch when we get a moment. But of course I am bad about calling people a times and besides that I work for a living talking on the phone so it can be hard to speak at any length on the phone.

Oh and we managed to pull all the grass out in the front yard. Was much harder then we thought and I would not recommend doing it by hand. We also removed the front walkway that went from the driveway to the front door. We plan on putting in one that goes to the road instead. We will see.

Our guest Pauly and Jury Duty

So this week and next we have a guest in our home. His name is Pauly and his parents Noah and Jen are getting married tomorrow so we are watching him while they are gone. Puma and Pauly really like to play and at first would pick on each other but now they are hanging out like old pals. Of course sleeping on the bed was interesting at first since they both wanted to be as close as they could to Emma and I but they are now sleeping together and sharing the space.

This week I have been in Jury Duty which isn't all that fun but I do get paid for it so that works out. I can't say what it's for but it's supposed to last for 3 weeks. Some details of the case are a bit gritty so to speak but it's not as bad as I thought. It's actually pretty interesting to see the entire process.

Weekend Warrior's

So this weekend is Memorial Day weekend and we are in the mood to work on the front yard. Of course the weather is not working out too well with it raining but I guess it will make it easier for us to pull up the grass and get ready to build our fence.

The little boy is almost back to new. He is still wearing his cone and will get his staples removed sometime next week hopefully. He is not too excited about staying in the house and keeping his actions to a minimum but he will get over it.

Well I will post some pictures of our progress on the yard when it stops raining and hopefully it will be a fun weekend.

Rockhound

Well I just wanted to post a quick note. Puma ended up not getting the rock out of his stomach so he went in to surgery yesterday. The doctor said that it was a 90% chance that it wasn't coming out on it's own and that it could have long term affects if it stays in too long. He says that he has done this many times and specializes in this sort of surgery. So everything went well and now he has a long recovery to come. They removed the rock and stapled him back up but now he is one unhappy boy. I am hoping last night was the worst of it because he pretty much cried all night and can't lay down so he tried his hardest to sit up and fall asleep(photo explains). Today he finally waged his tail at me after going outside so a little of him is there behind all the effects of the drugs. Needless to say that any rocks that are in the yard are going to go!! Not sure if he will do it again but I don't want to increase his odds. Not the best birthday present for Emma and I!

Playing with rocks!!

Ok so yesterday I was in the backyard with the pup and he was playing with a rock that he likes to role around in his mouth. He looked up at me and POOF, it was gone. Yep that's right, down the hatch it went! It's a pretty good size rock but at least it's a river rock so it's smooth. I called the vet right away and they said to wait it out and see if it passes. He seems to be doing ok for now but if it doesn't come out then he may have to have it removed. Crazy kid!!

So yesterday I took off work to go in Jury Duty for the second time. I originally went in a week ago and they had about 200 people fill out a long set of questions and then took our picture. They called us back in groups of 8 to be interviewed. They started us out in a group and then individually spoke to us later on. I was picked to be on the panel of 50 and then once they decide to pick the 15, 12 jurors and 3 alternates, they will call me and let me know. I doubt I will get picked but who knows. The trial is supposed to start on the 30th of this month and last for 3 weeks. It's a murder trial so that will not be too fun but interesting for sure. Some of the people that were in my group drove me a bit nuts since I was the only one who brought anything to read and they had to make small talk. Hopefully I won't get stuck with any of them if I am on the jury!

The rings and other news!

Ok so it's been a while since the last post. I have been a bit busy at work and at home.

So the plans are still coming along for the wedding. Emma sent out the "Save the Date" cards which she worked very hard on. It was a long process but fun as well. I couldn't help much since I don't have too much creativity but I did get to help on the design. But all of the credit goes to Emma. She just loves doing that stuff even though she has very little time to work on them. Of course she already has plans for the invitations so that should be fun.

Sunday we purchased our rings for the wedding!!! It was a lot of fun checking out all the designs and styles that were available. The pictures above are pretty close to what we picked. Emma found just the right wrap or whatever it's called for her ring to go with her engagement ring. It turned out really nice. Too bad we have to wait so long to wear them but time is flying by. Some of the arrangements have been set up including location, who is going to marry us, an idea of who we want for the photographer and who will cater the festivities. I will post more about that once it's more final.

This weekend Emma's mom and Abdel are coming to visit!!!! Should be a great time. It will be nice for them to see the us and the house and to show them around the wonderful city of Portland!! Emma has all the places picked out on where we should go and what we they should see. Plus this Sunday is Mother's Day which worked out nicely. I don't want to jinx it too much but the weather has been really great lately so hopefully it will continue for the visit.

Mom and dad are at the Grand Canyon this week. They are taking a fun mule ride down into the canyon for the day and then back up. Should be a good time and maybe after they return I can get some pictures to post of the trip.

Well that's it for now. I will try and take some pictures of the visit and post them when I get a chance. Oh and thanks for all the comments that everyone has been posting. It's nice to know I am posting stuff that does get read. At least I hope it's a bit interesting. I will try and post more often.

Neighborly Introductions

So we have finally met some of our neighbors. Since the weather is warmer more people are out and about which has led to a few interesting introductions.

We were working on our fence to take it down on our own since we couldn't find someone to show up and take it for free and that's when the introductions began. Tom came over to ask what we were doing with the fencing and we said we were going to sell it. He asked how much we wanted for it and we asked for $200. He said he would think about it and get back to me. Shortly after that he came back as I was digging out the first post, and said "If you stop what you are doing now, I will give you $125 and pull out the rest of the posts". Needless to say the shovel dropped from my hand to shake his and say "It's a DEAL!" He pulled all the posts yesterday and the day before and took all the rest of the fencing as well. He introduced me to our other neighbor who we had never even seen once. He never leaves the house and Tom says he spends most of his time in the garage smoking and drinking....NICE!! He was nice but I forgot his name which won't matter much since I don't plan on venturing into his haven.

Another introduction happened when we were getting rid of all the bark chips in the front yard. An old man...and I mean old, stopped his car across the street and walked right up to shake my grimy hand, "I'm Kermit King" he said. We introduced ourselves and he stated that he was the landlord for our neighbors next door. He wanted to let us know that if we ever had an problems with them we could contact him to let him know. Of course I didn't mention the many items that get thrown into our yard nor the incident of the urine filled condoms that were thrown into the yard and into our house!!! Yes one of them made it into our window when it was open!! I had a talk with the father of the little hooligans and he said they were sorry and even later on wrote us letters to again say they were sorry.

Finally Tom got to talking, which he does very well, and ended up inviting us to the Big Pig Roast this summer. He said they have been doing it for 3 years now and it's supposed to be the best Pig Roast in all the land! He told me all about how they cook the pig and what is all involved. This will surely introduce us to more neighbors and all of Tom's biker friends!

That's all for now. Pictures to come soon of the front yard transformation from "Front Yard State Prison" to "Country Garden Pathways".

One exceptional day!!!

Today is the big day! Dad is retiring!!! After 40 years of working his tail off at a job he loves(most of the time…well part of the time), he has finally reached this day that we all have been waiting for.

Many years my father worked away from home, missing time with his family that he loves so much to provide a life that we all could enjoy and be proud of. Even though he was gone some of the time he always managed to be home on important days or occasions in our life. He taught me to be the man that I am today as well as teach me the meaning of a job well done. I would have to say that my father for sure is a one of a kind. Not many people these days can say they worked for one company for as long as he did and with as much pride as he put into his daily grind.

I was fortunate enough to be able to spend a day with him at work one day on a trip down to Nogales. I had always wondered what it was like and had an idea of his daily activities from his stories but on this one day I got to experience it all. I remember it very clearly since it is just one of those days that a person really can’t forget. How excited he was as well as I, that I was going to finally be able to ride along and see what it was like. This was just an ordinary day for him but not for me. Pictures in my head finally had concrete images of the engine and the tracks and even the smell of it all. He explained to me how everything worked and I even got to sit in his seat for just a short while and even blow the horn as we crossed the tracks through town on the way to our destination. Once in Nogales we had time to waste while we waited for the train from across the border to arrive so we walked into Mexico to peruse the goods that wonderful Nogales has to offer. It wasn’t a glamorous setting but it was still fun. We made our return trip back home with stories of my father’s daily adventures on the railroad. As he mentioned to me that there are times when cars and trucks try to beat the train to get across and come very close to being hit, right around the next corner, a Semi was in view going across the tracks unaware of our presence until dad hit the horn to warn them of their impending doom. Nothing happened this time but I could only imagine what it would have been like to hit it. He also described a certain section of the tracks known as “Hamburger Alley”. This was an area where cattle chose to cross the tracks and many a time they would lose the race to get out of the way. It was gross and a bit hard to stomach as we cruised on by one unfortunate bovine from the previous day’s journey. But once again this was just one day of the many that he would spend in his 40 years on the tracks.

He makes me proud to be the person that I have become. He makes me proud to be a Nowell. He makes me proud to be his son. I can only hope that I can be half the person that he is and always will be. Congrats DAD! We all love you so much it hurts and are so proud of you and the wonderful life you have provided for your family. Here’s to your last day on the railroad!! And like you said, “Tomorrow is the first day of vacation for the rest of my life!”

Bedroom Adventure!

So we finally finished our bedroom. It was a long process but the result turned out pretty well. Our recent change was the crown molding which turned out to be easier then we thought. The first picture is the final look of the closet, lights, and crown molding and the next picture is just before we demolished the wall and began the construction. Our next project is to continue the crown molding around the rest of the house starting with the office and then the living room.

The people that were supposed to come and take the chainlink fence out front and back never showed. I guess we will post again and get someone else to take it. I suppose that if we can't find anyone to take it for free we will dig it up and sell it instead. Wouldn't think that giving something like that away for free would be so hard!! Especially with so many people that write just hours after I post it to Craigslist.