Out with the old in with the new

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MEMORIAL DAY, MARATHONS, AND MEAT

Memorial Day weekend couldn't come soon enough! This year has been super stressful at work and everyone needed a break. We were planning on laying low and thats what I did on Saturday...to be honest...if I didn't feel as good as I did I would have thought I was sick. I didn't move until 3 when Abbie came down with some lunch leftover because she figured I had been to lazy to eat. HAHA. This brings me to my next point...I didn't know Memorial Day weekend is a popular weekend for TV show marathons...there was a NCIS one which was the main reason for my lethargy, a Jon and Kate Plus 8 Marathon which made me despise the mother (Kate), among others. I was in heaven! The only thing that got me off the couch was the idea to make cupcakes. Nick's birthday was the perfect excuse. Abbie and I got birthday wrappers an candles and our favorite find of mix...I completely forgot Nick hates cake. They were delicious! We enjoyed Oregon's perfect summer weather with 3 cook outs. I ate more meat this past weekend than I usually eat in a week. Hotdogs, sausages, chicken, more hotdogs, sandwiches, bacon...it is was from a mammal we ate it. It was amazing! We bought some outdoor toys and the three of us played volleyball, and wiffle ball. It was a perfect 3-day weekend!

Invitation Time

The wedding is quickly approaching and after a little glitch with the color of the invitations...They are complete. Nick and I split the task and got them done in about 3 hours! Since you only do this once (hopefully), I think that is pretty good. Although, I have no other experience to compare it with. We had a few mistakes but nothing too stressful and they will be coming to a mailbox near you in about 5 days!

NOTE: Please send back the RSVPS... that's what I am looking forward to most!

DIY Reception Accessories

Trying to keep the costs of the wedding down and getting to show off my creative side, I have done multiple projects for the wedding...from the invitations to the centerpieces. I stumbled onto a "demask" themed reception and loved the way it looked. I began my research for items I could use and was disappointed when I saw the price being charged to some reception accessories. Etsy is one of my favorite sites and even they were on the "Demask" bandwagon and wanted to charge $9 for a table square. This just seems pointless to me. Determined to not take no for an answer I decided to make my own votive wraps and used printshop to create my own template.

Waxing of the Woo-Woo's--Disclaimer: For Women's Eyes Only- -

Note: Names have been changed to protect the identity of those involved.

There comes a time in life where you want to live a little. Some people get tattoos, others get piercings...My friend we will call her,"Abeeb" and I decided to get our woo-woos waxed. She is going on a trip and I wanted to do a wedding trial run. We did some research and with the horror stories (ripping of skin, wax that burns your skin off, and bruising) fresh in our minds we made our appointment at the Wax on Spa in Portland. They have had articles written about them in several magazines and we were willing to pay extra for people who know what they are doing. We decided to wax it all...our reasoning? "When in Rome"...For three weeks we gave ourselves nervous belly thinking about what lies ahead. My personal goal was to make sure I didn't cry. I wasn't going to let myself underestimate the pain involved...it is a form of torture in Africa for god sake! (granted they rip it out by hand...but still).

Finally the day had arrived. We took the recommended dose of Advil, and headed to our appointment early in the hopes of hitting up a bar for an additional layer of courage. We found a small half coffee shop half bar in N. Portland (A rougher area of town). We enjoyed a couple PBR tall boys, while sitting outside on two tin chairs. It had that senile old man vibe to it. We finished our drinks and feeling a little more confident walked the 5 blocks to our fate.

Abeeb went back first...no screams were heard so when they called my name a minute later I felt pretty good about it. They give you a couple pointers to lessen the pain, give ya a "trial" strip and them it begins. Besides the incessant sweating that comes out of nowhere and the feeling of large band aids being yanked off, it wasn't as bad as I had thought...A couple of strips in and I hear it-Abeeb's waxing must not have started yet because i could hear her in the next room now. You could hear the rip followed by a scream and clapping, followed by nervous laughing. This made me laugh. By now I was chatting with the technician and making sure that the rumor we heard (having to get on all fours so they can wax your bum) was fiction. Thank God it was! Note: Reputable salons do not use this practice. (This would have made me feel so violated that a rape kit may have been needed). The waxing of the bum was the easiest part and didn't hurt at all. As Abeeb told her technician when that part was complete..."child's play"..."All finished," said the technician about 30 minutes after the ordeal had started. (They give you some lotion and a hot towel to clean the wax off(the best part), leave you with some care instructions and that's all there is to it). We are going to do it again, but may not go all out, because the pre-pubescent feeling you get afterword is kinda creepy.

All in all it was a fun day. Waxing gives you an excuse to pop some pills, drink some beers, scream, laugh and be lazy for an entire day! Well worth the 30 minutes of discomfort. We think everyone should get something waxed...Live a little.

Now if we could only get Nick to wax his "yahoo" with us next time...

The Long Arm of the Law...

Yesterday evening I was heading home, talking with Aubrey and going the speed limit. I noticed a cop behind me but got into the "slow" lane and let him pass me. As the two lanes merged he slammed on his brakes forcing me to get in front of him and proceeded to pull me over. The reason?...I have a suspended license! Yes you read correctly...a suspended license! You are mistaken I told him. He continued to ask me where my Oregon license was..."I don't have one." I replied (yes- I should have one by now, but living here is a temporary situation, and a license will only make the "situation" more permanent). I have a license on file for you he continues..."So you have never gone to the DMV, taken a test, and had your picture taken?"..."Nope" (I can't have a suspended Oregon license...i have never gotten one). "Can I ask why it is suspended?"..."That is the weird part I have never seen the reason listed before. It says "random sampling"."

At this point I don't know what to do. He gives me a ticket for $643 dollars and sends me on my way telling me to go the DMV and get it taken care of. Then I will need to go to court on my assigned date and find out what the judge decides. "OHH GREAT!" This stuff only happens to us!

This a.m. I get up at 6 because I am nervous about the whole thing and call the DMV they inform me that since we didn't change our address with them when we moved, we didn't receive a letter they mailed out asking residents for proof of insurance. Since we didn't respond to the letter...they suspended not only my license, but Nick's as well. So I gave the clerk our policy number proving we had insurance for the month of December and we were cleared.

Move on to this evening...Cop is now in my driveway...yep... once again only happens to us. "ohhh nooo now what?"
"I did some research on my own because the situation was so odd. The state of Oregon made a HUGE mistake and I am here to void your ticket."

"YAY!!"...(insert awkward conversation here)

However, the state of Oregon still has an Oregon ID number on file that can't be removed and I have to keep a letter of clearance on me at all times because if any other cop decides to run my plates I will continue to come up as a suspended driver...so the story continues...

PS...Lent is clearly over-note picture above.

Poor Man's Pasta

There are those times when you do NOT want to go the grocery store, or you know you shouldn't go out for dinner and are forced to use things from your cupboard to make up a meal. This was the situation Nick and I were faced with when I created tonight's new dinner. Nick was in the mood for "chicken enchilada casserole", or "cheesy chicken"...both of which we have never had. "I will see what I can do," I replied.

First things first...I had to defrost some chicken breasts. Next find some pasta. We have had an overabundance of pasta for months...so I haven't bought any for a while...a mistake that would add character to the pasta...Our options for pasta were: Orzo (rice-like noodles)...probably not the best choice. Classic spaghetti...better than the orzo yet not quite right...Classic Kraft Macaroni Noodles and the Special Pokemon(TM)edition in the cupboard...PERRRFECT! Next I had to make it cheesy and casserole-like....

Select the sauce ingredients: A jar of alfredo sauce, milk, butter, parm, salt, pepper...(A good start) ,"need more cheese"...select the unopened, unused Macaroni cheese packet- add to mixture. (Maybe it needs some flavor?) Add some French Onion mix to the "sauce". Now what? Add some green onions, and fresh garlic. (Looks good)...Cook chicken and add cooked pasta and chicken to "sauce". Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Top with fresh diced tomatoes and enjoy.

Enjoy we did... it turned out great. Nick said it tasted like Macaroni Grill. I agree that it tasted like meals I have paid good money for. We joked about having our own Food Network show featuring truly cheap dishes.