In Which I am a Terrible Blogger

Hi all,

Sorry it's been like, half a year since the last update.  For a while life wasn't super exciting, and then the holidays hit and since 2014 started, it's been just insanity.  I will try to capture the magic and memories from the past half year with this update...mostly by going through my phone and looking at pictures.

Fall semester went well for Zack--he made it on the Dean's List again!  We also celebrated his 25th birthday; I got him a record player...and definitely opened a can of worms with it, because now he talks about getting records all the time!  It's been pretty fun though.  We also went to Amber's 1920's/Downton Abbey party, which was fun!  For Halloween we went down to Lewiston; Kandace's parents have a crazy awesome party every year, and we got to go this year.  It was pretty fun, they decorate all the rooms and have great food and music.  And for our last-minute costumes, I think we looked pretty great.  Zack was The Dude from The Big Lebowski, and I went as Minnie Mouse.

1920s style?

me & birthday girl Amber

being SERIOUS about the 1920s

Penny thinks she's a lap dog because Zack pulls her up onto his lap to scratch her belly

Minnie Mouse top half

not bad for last minute!

Zack as The Dude

at the party

In November, we got to see Glenda, she came out for Thanksgiving and stayed with us for a little bit.  It was nice to have her around and to have some family time; we went to WA for Thanksgiving and brought Penny with us.  Zack's cousin brought his cute fluffy dog and we had a great time playing the dogs and baby Rachel and enjoying the joy being around family brings. 

driving to WA

Thanksgiving in WA with Glenda

chasing Penny around

of course this is the best picture of us from the trip...

For Christmas we stayed in Moscow, which was a nice change from the past few years, where we've been traveling across the country.  It was so great to not have to worry about packing, or airports and jetlag.  And, as fate would have it, of course, our transmission blew out like, the week before Christmas, so we were more or less stranded anyway.  But have Christmas with just us and Penny was very nice.  We got a big tree and used all our childhood ornaments to cover it, and I put up decorations and had music on all the time.  We had steak with mashed potatoes and I made a combination yam/sweet potatoes & apples casserole.  Everything was great, and for dessert we had chocolate mousse!  We had a nice, quiet Christmas the next day.  Penny was overwhelmed and thrilled with all her new toys and goodies we had bought her.  We tried to get her to open some of the things we had wrapped, but she didn't understand it...oh well.  Zack and I exchanged perfect gifts: he got me a beautiful set of brushes from Lancome (including ones I didn't have, but wanted and couldn't justify to buy myself), and I got him a big box set of Neutral Milk Hotel records and goodies.  So he spent the whole day listening to those, and I played with makeup, perfect!  My 26th birthday was great-Zack made me breakfast and I opened up presents, talked with my family and later we went out to dinner.

our beautiful tree

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve dinner

NMH box set

brushes

we got Penny some booties for winter walks...it's hilarious to watch

birthday breakfast

Zack made me German chocolate cake!

pre-birthday dinner

Other highlights from December includes the Digilent party at the new SEL event center.  It was a frustrating evening, because the cab company we were to use completely dropped the ball and was late picking us up in Moscow and also leaving the party.  We spent most of the night angry at them, but I enjoyed getting dressed up and all that.  Also, Amber and I had a girls' day in Spokane and got makeovers at Sephora (we each had vouchers for free ones!), lunch and enjoyed being girly.

Christmas party look

 

um...I couldn't get over Clint's face on the M&Ms at the party

pretty ladies @ the party!

post-makeovers

after mine

I had the lady work on my eyebrows, and help me figure out the gold/purple eye that I tried again for the Christmas party

one night we took Penny out for a winter walk

she has to be in the middle of us at all times possible

Since 2014 hit, work has been insane for me.  With the start of the school year, for about 2 straight weeks I was doing over 120 orders every day.  And handling quotes (the guys who normally do were both out of the country/town for 3-4 weeks) and answering phones and about a zillion other things.  And then once the orders got down to a more "reasonable" number of like, 70 a day (I usually average 20-30 orders an hour), we had one of our biggest boards go out of stock.  It's been like that this whole year, something big will go out of stock, and we'll build up a ton of backorders and then it'll come in, and something ELSE major will go out of stock.  It's been increasingly frustrating at work, there has been drama within other departments and I'm getting fed up with how things are around here.  But I'll deal with it until we leave the area.  So all of a sudden, I blinked and it's now March.  Every day at work for the past two months has been so exhausting and draining for me, and now it's finally starting to kind of slow down.

For Zack, he's in his final semester at UI, hooray!  He graduates in May and we are so thrilled!  He has been applying for jobs and thinking about all the possible avenues for the future and we still aren't sure where we'll end up just yet.  Once we have a better idea, we'll be sure to let everyone know.

I'm sure I forgot some things, but that's a rough overview of what's been happening for us.  Also here's a cute picture of Penny in the snow because she's so adorable it hurts.

 

Short Update

Not a whole lot has happened this past month.  For a while the weather was nice, then it turned cold & rainy (50 degrees in mid-June!), and now we are having a record-breaking heat wave.  Zack has been enjoying his new job, more or less.  He's had some run-ins with clouds of mosquitoes (one day he came home & his arms were covered in bites, ugh), a tick here or there and only one major sunburn.  He's actually quite tan!  Work for me has slowed down, as the schools are on break.  August and September will definitely be busy, though.  I got a new chair for work, which I know doesn't sound exciting, but I was pretty pumped for it.  I made Zack come along with me as I tried out a bunch of different types of chairs at Staples & Office Depot.  Then I found the one.  It's a Tempur-pedic (I didn't even know those existed!) and I fell in love on first sit.  So I ordered it the next day and it arrived within a week.  And I put it together all by myself!  And now my back doesn't hurt (as much) after work. :)

A few weekends ago we went camping with Kandace & Gabe on a beach by the river.  We took Penny with us, who proved once again, that she is just an amazing and well-behaved dog.  It was her first experience with water and at first she was a bit nervous.  We think it was because the sand/silt would change as she moved through it.  My favorite thing she did was run alongside the water as waves from a passing boat lapped up on the shore.  She didn't quite know what to make of the waves.  We had a nice time, the weather was beautiful and we had the area all to ourselves.  The river was too cold for swimming, but it was nice to walk around in.  The next morning we woke up and had breakfast at Kandace's parents' place in Lewiston.  Her parents were camping and arrived later in the afternoon.  Then we had dinner with them, as it was Father's Day.  It was nice to be included as part of the family.  (Plus having that cute dog of ours doesn't hurt; they love Penny!)

Here are some pictures from the past month:

I rode in the back w/Penny while we drove around, looking for a campsite

on the way to Albion to visit friends

happily sniffing the air

50's housewife Penny

:)

cautious little pup

panoramic view of where we camped

new chair!

Blur of Updates

I know I've been bad about updating the blog with our life happenings, but the past two months have been absolutely crazy for us. We are just now getting back into the pace of life and catching our breaths. Here are some of the major happenings:

Digilent to National Instruments
I don't know if I've even mentioned it on the blog, but long story short, the company I work for, Digilent, was recently bought by National Instruments.  The deal closed at the end of last year, but changes didn't start happening until April.  Despite all the prep work we supplied NI (mountains of paperwork: benefits, employee stock plan, life insurance, 401(k), etc), they still haven't gotten everything completely figured out and squared away.  It has been very frustrating.  We are supposed to be getting access to their intranet this month, but that's debatable.  I still love my job, though, and am finally feeling confident in my position and have undertaken more responsibilities that will hope my advancement in the company.  Also, I'm getting a new chair soon, so that's great.

Zak's new job
Zak recently started a new job as a laborer for the WSU grounds crew.  He is already enjoying it; he gets to ride on the 4-wheeler, spend time outside, do physical work, and get paid decent money for it.  I am also thrilled because we get to carpool to and from work together!  This job will last until mid-August, and then he will return to his school-year job at UI.   


Rachel the semi-runner
I decided to give the Couch to 5k program another shot, once the ice had gone away.  For the first few weeks, Zak and Penny came along with me, but eventually I went at it on my own.  Not that I didn't want their company, but Zak had several other obligations and priorities, and running by myself with Penny still isn't something I like to do (she's so strong! and there was too much for me to focus on), so I went rogue.  Last week I finished the program!  Today was my first 'free run', and it was my best time yet.  I can now run 2.65 miles in 30 minutes and to me, that is HUGE!  I am going to work on improving my time, and I would love to do a local 5k run by the end of the year.  I have been surprised with how much I've enjoyed getting up early and running through our neighborhood.

First emergency
First off, everything is fine and we are all ok.  On the second day of Zak's 2-week camping trip for school, I got a call from him from the hospital in McCall, ID.  I quickly left work (everyone was so kind and supportive throughout all of this) and Jenna and I drove to pick Zak up.  It was an 8-hour round-trip and I would not have been able to survive that day if my sister wasn't with me.  Zak had an urethral stricture and was prescribed 2 types of antibiotics, Vicodin, and had a catheter in for the next week until his surgery day.  For a week he basically laid or sat on the couch, depending on what was comfortable, and took his pills and tried not to complain too much.  The day Jenna flew back to CA was the same day as Zak's surgery at 6am.  Jenna's flight was at 6:40, so after our farewell, I rushed back to Moscow to wait until the surgery was over.  It was successful and Zak woke up in the recovery room talking about how his head felt like macaroni & cheese.  We actually had a very pleasant experience with everyone at the hospital.  The nurses laughed at Zak's jokes, were funny and personable.  After an hour or two after the surgery, I took him home and took care of him.  He had to have a catheter in until Friday, and once he took that out, everything has been great.  He has a follow-up appointment on Wednesday, but he feels great, so we should be good to go. 

My sincere thanks for our family and friends for all their help and support with this.  Special shout-outs to:
-Reilly parents, who took care of getting the truck fixed (it stopped working 2 days before Zak left), it helped so much to know that was taken care of
-Gabe, for lending us the Jeep for a week
-Jenna, for being incredibly helpful, sweet and supportive.  She is truly the best sister anyone could ask for, and I'm so so glad she's mine :)

Jenna's visit
Jenna spent 2 weeks with us!  It was a great trip, with lots of fun adventures and food.  I was lucky to get several days off, or work 1/2 days when she was here.  I especially loved having our friends meet Jenna, who have heard about her for 2 years but have not met her.  Likewise, she was excited to meet our friends (& their pets); all the times spent together with friends were fun and I'm so happy everyone loved her/she loved them!  She was thrilled to meet Hampton the pig, who is now a PIG (he's so big!) as well.  We played games, had a marathon of Daniel Craig as James Bond, went camping, made food, and rode roller coasters at Silverwood.  It was really fun for me to have her around, because she is such a delight and always willing to help.  After driving almost 9 hours in Gabe's Jeep to get Zak, I collapsed once we got home.  She made us dinner and it was amazing.  Penny loved her, and loved snuggling with her on the couch.  We all loved having her here and can't wait for her next visit!

Wedding season
There are 3 big weddings this summer!  Zak's sister Delaney is getting married in Boston in August and a few days later, my brother Kenny is getting married in California.  We are still trying to finalize flights and trip details, but it's an exciting time!  Our great friends Chad & Bryan will be getting married here at the end of July, and we are both in the wedding party.  I will also be helping Chad's best friend Emily with her wedding at the beginning on September--I am going to be in charge of the food, etc.  We are so excited to be a part of these weddings, as we love all the people involved! 

General/Penny
Penny is about a year old!  We still love the crap out of her and she still loves us!  With all the chaos in our lives lately, she probably has been acting out a little.  We have come home more than once to find a hole (or two) she's dug while waiting for us to return.  We've been told it's probably separation anxiety, so we are taking actions to fix that.  Now that the weather is nice, we leave her out in the yard on a tether.  The cord is long enough that she can rest in the shade by the bushes or the shed and get to her toys, etc.  So far it's been a bit of trial and error; we came home one day to her waiting for us at the gate...which is NOT accessible if she's on the tether.  She had dug it up.  Of course.  We've also come home to her wrapped around the bushes or poles by the patio.  It's funny because she's a very smart dog, but she can't figure out how to unwrap herself?  We have also been working on some new tricks, like balancing a treat on her nose.  She has not gained the composure yet to accomplish that, but she is getting good at waiting until we say a command. 

Most nights she sleeps with us, sometimes she leaves in the middle of the night to go to her bed.  I usually go to bed earlier and will read until I get tired.  It's very cute because she will watch me pull and rearranged the blankets and wait until I get into bed and then she hops up on and cuddles with me.  She loves to sit/lay next to me, but it's better if she can have most of her butt on me in someway.  It's really silly, but sweet.  She is getting really good at jumping to catch the Frisbee, it's so fun to watch her!  It doesn't seem like her leg is bugging her at all.  She runs, jumps, plays just fine.  She's a very happy, loving dog.

Other general updates...we are currently working on some ideas for the yard.  A few weeks ago I acquired some heirloom tomato seedlings.  I was on a run and there was a sign saying they were free, so I ran home with two of them...and then drove back to get a few more.  They are in a big pot inside, but we are about to transplant them to the window box by our bedroom.  I have seeds for squash, cucumber and lettuce, and while I have hopes for all of them to do well, I'm most concerned about the tomatoes.  I have some flower seeds that I'd like to plant in a different section of that yard.  Zak wants to build a little stone patio, we have started to look around to get ideas on what will work the best.

I apologize for the lack of pictures.  I have a bunch from Jenna's visit, but they are also on Facebook, so you can view them there.  I think that's everything for now! 

Spring Is Coming!

It's hard to believe it's already March!  The time is flying by.  Our lives have been very busy these past few months.  Now that Zack is into his final push with school (estimated graduation date: spring 2014), his workload has increased a considerable amount.  But he's doing well, surviving and enjoying his classes for the most part.  He has spring break coming up and couldn't be happier about it!  It'll be nice for him to unwind and relax for a week.

Finally got a new computer! The MacBook he got in '06 is still working, but he really needed a better one...so we used his educational bonds to make it happen!

We have now had Penny for 3+ months and are finally settling into routines and the like.  She is getting bigger, healthier and smarter.  We are constantly amazed and amused by the things she does.  It's been really exciting and fun for us to teach her things.  She knows the words 'treat', 'chewie' (those rawhide sticks), 'potty', 'food', 'bed/gotobed'.  She's gotten good at sitting, then laying down for a treat.  When we play catch, I tell her to 'drop' the ball, then have her sit and then I throw the ball down the hall.  If we want her to catch something in her mouth, we say 'catch' before throwing it into the air.  She's pretty accurate when there is food involved!

playing in the yard

'look what I found!'

Zack sent some pictures to me at work to cheer me up

 

Yes, we are becoming those kind of people, who talk about their dog often.  And take lots of pictures.  We are aware of that.

I went on my first walk with Penny a few weekends ago.  Previously, Zack had taken her when he got home from school.  By the time I got home from work, it was too cold or dark to go on a walk.  I had a great time!  She was so happy to be walking with BOTH of us outside, I bet it was like a dream for her.  We've also been able to play out in the yard with her more.  She's getting good at catch, her favorite toy is green rubber circle thing Zack got for her.  It's great because it rolls really well, which makes her chase it around the yard frantically.  And then she'll walk back to us, trying to swing it up on her head.  It's seriously so cute.

napping in the sun

'LET'S GO, DAD!!'

look how curious the puppy is!

I've been having some success with my new food/exercising routine!  I've lost a few pounds in the past few weeks and that feels really good.  It's nice to have success, because it keeps me excited and motivated that I might be able to do this!  I've been having lots of fun cooking new recipes or experimenting with some of our favorites.  I thought eating healthier would be harder, but it's actually gone really well!  I've been creative with different smoothies, snacks and meals for us.  It's been so much fun for me, turns out I'm pretty good at cooking.  Something that I want to work on is making some of my favorite recipes a bit healthier.  I've had success with recipes from the internet, but I'm curious how adapting some of my family's recipes would go.  For the record, my version of healthy isn't exclusive, per say, I know I could be doing even more to be super healthy.  But for now it's a start and I fully believe that gradually change will be more beneficial to us in the long run.

Zack and I had a pretty low-key Valentine's Day.  Our lives have been so hectic and we've been working hard to budget better that we decided to put our money and energy into future trips (like going to see Zack's favorite band, Neutral Milk Hotel, in Boise next month).  I was just thrilled to have the night together, as neither of us had to work that night.  Zack got me some very pretty red roses and a sweet card, which is all I wanted.  I got him some chocolate and a leather wallet I meant to get for him for Christmas but it completely slipped my mind.  We got bagels and spent the night together, relaxing.

my gift to Zack

pretty roses

:)

I don't think we have ever been this consistently busy.  There were a few weeks where we only had a few hours together and poor Penny hardly got to be with both of us at the same time.  We've had to really work together to make sure everything gets taken care of.  Adding Penny into the mix has been slightly more difficult, as we can't leave her in her crate all day nor outside just yet.  But we've made it work.  And it sounds silly, but planning to spend time together on the weekends, making just 'us' time has really helped our lives stay balanced and happy.  But it might be good practice for the summer, as I've been preparing to have Zack gone all summer.  Since we still aren't sure what he'll be doing and where he'll be, I'm just preparing to be all by myself. 

Speaking of, Zack has had some interviews for the jobs he's been applying for.  There have been so many jobs and interviews and places running around in my head that I can't keep them straight.  He knows what he's doing and I know he'll find something.  He's smart and talented and interested in this stuff, so he'll be great, even if his experience isn't as high as other candidates.  I know he'll find something! Once we hear back and make the decision, we'll be sure to inform everyone.  I know it's been hard to not have any stable answer about summer plans, but it's just as difficult for us.  We really hope that both of us will be able to attend the weddings this summer. 

Zack's hair has gotten really long; it's the longest I've ever seen it in real life.  I'm surprised how much I like it.  He's been growing it out for awhile, since he'll have to eventually cut it for work.  It's really nice, thick and shiny.  One day he asked me to try to put it in a ponytail.  This happened:

GIANT HAIR

right before I gathered his hair up

almost all of it

twinsies

 
Overall, we are still enjoying life and making it happen!  Here are some more pictures!

Zack took some picture with Penny & sent them to me while I was at work...they're too funny together.

'Can I have that please?'

'I want that ball, Dad!!'

this one cracks me up, her cute little facing looking at him!

Every time we go anywhere, she automatically sits in the driver's seat like she will drive us around. It's hysterical.

pretty normal

Sometimes she looks at me with such disdain I can't help but laugh; you'd think I never gave her ANY attention or any bonus little treats! Heaven forbid I want 20 minutes to read!

we like trying to get her to walk on her hind legs. it's so goofy

now she's a fan of Zack's guitar playing (when we first got her, it freaked her out)

This is a common sight around the house. She will slip her paw under the door if I'm in the second bedroom exercising or we put her in the hallway while we eat.  It's so funny to see her little paw, and then when we touch it, she gets so excited ('OMG HUMAN INTERACTION!')

we went shooting one day, I like this picture because it makes me seem pretty cool

She adores me, she is always licking ... everywhere on me. She gives me hugs, which are my favorite.

She loves being picked up and cuddled

goofing around at Hasting's one day

Rugby attire + goofy attitude

Penny-back ride

Penny's friend, Bella (the neighbor's dog). They freak out when they're both outside at the same time, it's so silly. We love that she has 'dog friends'.

 

So we put this Spongebob blanket I got a decade ago in her crate (it's soft, thought she'd like it). Little did we know she'd been eating it. Zack found evidence while on 'doodie duty'. Goodbye, Spongebob blanket!

I had flour on my hands when she came into the kitchen, so I chased her around and got her 'floured'.