Today has just been a day to smile. From Lisa taking me out to lunch, to all the email/comments from you guys telling me you are happy I am back, to bringing up Raych’s site and seeing the first post asking where I am and wondering if she needs to worry about me. What can I say? You all rock. I promise to never leave without telling you again. And just so you know, I missed you all, too. Hugs all around.
Contrary to what you may have believed from reading my blog, I am a total country girl. (I know the last entry I posted was all about getting dressed up and going out on the town, but let me tell ya, that is just a small part of the wonder that is Carrie.) I was practically raised on a farm, I never even lived inside city limits until I was almost out of high school, I love camping and I go hunting. Yep, that’s me. I used to be kind of embarrassed about the way my family did things, but the older I get the more I realize it is what has shaped me into the person I have become today. And I don’t care who knows it.
So where was I? Oh yeah. Simeon and I were gone all last week on a big family camping/hunting trip. I totally planned to blog that I was leaving for awhile and not to worry any of you, but I was super busy getting ready to leave and totally spaced it. Sorry. But we are back now and glad for those of you who missed us and wrote me concerned emails. I love you guys! But we totally had a blast. It was great to get away from work and computers and schedules and just relax out in the woods of Northeastern Oregon.
So there was a huge group of us (I think 25 at last count) and a number of kids running around to keep things interesting. Mostly friends and family. We did all the great camping stuff: slept in sleeping bags, cuddled around the camp fire, went hiking, and ate s’mores. Mmmmmmm.
So I checked the weather before we left so I could pack accordingly. That was my first mistake. I failed to take into account the change in elevation from where we were camping and the town I typed into weather.com. Yeah. So when I packed for high 60’s to mid 70’s you better believe I was a little shocked when it snowed. Yeah. Snow. Don’t believe me? I took pictures.
Luckily we know how to do camping right (go back up to the top where I said I was a country girl!). We have HUGE tents that are more like houses. Complete with sleeping bags on cots, carpet on the ground, and a working wood stove. Oh yeah baby. So while it was showing outside, it was 80 degrees in our tent. Being a country girl is not so bad when you look at it that way, huh?
Long and the short of it, we had a great time. Its nice to get back to your roots every now and again. But don’t think for one minute I wasn’t happy to be back to electricity, showers, and my brand-new bed. Somethings you just have to do without for awhile to really appreciate. Like plumbing. Ha!
So there are a ton of pictures in the new galleries. I divided them up, for those of you who weren’t raised in such a country environment and might not be comfortable with some of the pictures. We have the Camping Trip gallery and the Hunting Trip gallery. Oh yeah, and its good to be back. 🙂
Well wonders never cease. Simeon and I had a fabulous time on our date. In fact, it can all be summed up with one word: amazing. Dinner was amazing. Dessert was amazing. The Lion King was AMAZING. I tell ya, it was the Best. Date. EVER.
This was my dinner. Wild Mushroom Ravioli with a Riesling Cream Sauce. I told you I was dying to try it. Oh and it was everything I hoped it would be. Ok, its making me hungry.
Simeon had the Herb Garlic Rubbed Grilled Pork Tenderloin. He even let me try some of it. Oh and that obscured mountain under the pork? Yeah, it’s garlic mashed potatoes. You better believe I snuck bites of that when Sim wasn’t looking!
Then we ordered dessert. Vanilla Creme Brule. I think the vanilla beans were soaked in bourbon or some other fancy-pants thing, but it was SOOOO good. I just love cracking all the burnt sugar and dipping into the creamy custard. Talk about melting in your mouth.
This was the view from the restaurant. We were on the 30th floor and it was gorgeous. Really makes me appreciate how green and lush Portland is, with all the trees and the river twisting throughout the middle of the city.
Then we went to the Lion King. We had great box seats and there were even parts of the play where cast members came into the audience. Simeon mostly went because I wanted to go so badly, but after the first five minutes of him whispering, “Wow” and “Ohmigod!” and “Look at THAT!” I knew he didn’t mind me dragging him along.
All in all, it was a great evening. Happy 3rd Anniversary to us. Now we just have to think of something equally fabulous to do next year….
The few additional pictures we managed to take with our camera phones (like I could carry around my Nikon D70 without anyone noticing!) are in the Date Night gallery. Go on, take a peek. You know you wanna.
In preparation to wrap up our anniversary celebrations, Simeon and I are going out on the town this weekend. We have dinner reservations at Portland City Grill (I can’t wait to try their Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Riesling Cream Sauce…Mmmmm) then we will head off to the Keller Auditorium to see The Lion King. We have fabulous box seats which I bought ages ago (even before tickets even went on sale to the public, as I have a wonderful friend with connections). Then we will wrap up the evening with dessert over at Papa Haydn’s (one of the only restaurants I have ever been in which asks you if you will be having “dinner or dessert this evening” and seats you accordingly).
I love an excuse to get dressed up and this will be just the occasion. I’ll slip into my fancy dress and dust off my sexy heels. Simeon’s even going to wear a tie! This afternoon I plan to call my salon and see about having my hair blown out for the occasion. Ahhh I love when my hair is long and soft and straight. Just makes me feel pretty.
It’s times like this, oddly enough, I actually feel like a grown-up. Not just a little girl playing “house.” It’s getting dressed up, going into the city, celebrating anniversaries, attending the theater, and eating at fancy restaurants. Hmmmmm. Maybe this is the glimpse into womanhood Kiki was talking about. And you know what? I really think I like it.
Fall is here! Today is the autumnal equinox, which basically (without boring you with technical mumbo-jumbo) means day and night are equal today. See? Now you learned something, your day can be done!
So go on; bust out your sweaters, slip on your boots, and enjoy a Pumpkin Spice Chai. ‘Cause you all know that is what I am doing!
Ok, you can go back to whatever it was you were doing now. I am done.
Today is our THIRD anniversary, and to commemorate the occasion my loving husband has more than out done himself. We were in desperate need of a new mattress, so we decided that would be an excellent gift to both of us. We have a way of justifying large purchased by associating them with the nearest holiday or occasion. “Happy early birthday, here is a new TV.” or “Happy Memorial Day! Let’s buy a couch!” So it only made sense that since we were buying a new bed only days before our anniversary that it would be our anniversary present.
In buying our bed, we made the decision to upgrade from a queen to a king. It’s the natural progression of things, really. Simeon would take over half of the bed and I was forced to share my portion with two very greedy and stubborn cats. I insisted that before we had children, who I can anticipate would also want to share our already tiny bed, we needed to take the jump.
Our bed came yesterday and it is quite possibly the largest thing I have ever seen. It’s not much longer than our old bed, and I anticipated the additional space we would need on either side, therefore moving our nightstands out about a foot on either side. I did not, however, realize how TALL this new bed would be. I think our previous bed must have been a midget and we now share our room with the largest of giants. It really is quite large. Once you factor in that it isn’t sagging in the middle, combined with the ever-so-plush pillow top, I practically need a step-stool to get into bed! But ohhh it’s SO worth it. Last night I slept soundly, I awoke with not an ache in my body, and I practically had to drag Simeon out of it come morning! I felt we had made a very wise anniversary purchase.
Well, I have just returned from our anniversary lunch (Olive Garden, thankyouverymuch) in which my husband waltzed out to the car and presented me with quite possibly the cutest pink gift bag. I was shocked (mostly because I am usually the one who sneaks presents when we have decided there will be none). And he was very excited to point out that he, “even bought a card!” I waited until we got to the restaurant to open my present to find that he bought me the new iPod nano. But wait. There is more. That is just the TIP of the iceberg. He also bought me the (iTunes exclusive) complete Harry Potter series and loaded it all onto my new tiny iPod nano. That’s right. The first six book all in one tiny place. Well, 3.5 x 1.6 x 0.27 inches to be more specific. Oh yeah, I am the most spoiled woman. Ever. I really don’t deserve him, but he keeps reminding me of reasons why I cannot possibly imagine life without him. I love you, Pie.
Well wonders never cease. They came back over again on Saturday. I think this is a record or something! It was fabulous. And I enjoyed every second of it.
Emery even opened his eyes long enough for us to have a brief photo session. Doesn’t he have the most adorable little double chin you have ever seen? Awwww!
Oh and look how he has perfected his scowl? Lindsay must have taught him well! Those Boisvert babies sure know how to flash those serious facial expressions. Hee hee!
Then after some serious quality time together, Lindsay finally started referring to our home as “Care-wee’s house.” Then she was just so excited about it, she was running from room to room pointing out “Care-wee’s bed” and “Care-wee’s ‘puter” and “Care-wee’s stairs.” It was absolutely adorable. I could just eat this little girl up!
Barney even broke away from the Guy’s Video Game Day to come up and give Heather a little break. Lindsay picked out “Yummy, Yucky” as the book for story time. It’s full of great information for kids, such as, “Burgers are Yummy! Boogers are Yucky!” If you ever wanna read it, come on over to my house. But I must say, Barney does read it the best.
You can see all the other pictures in the An Awake Emery gallery. Enjoy!
Twice this week I was blessed with a visit from Heather and the kids. It was wonderful. Lindsay is a walking tape recorder and speaking in full sentences, which are (almost) totally understandable. I did need the occasional “Mommy interpretation” from Heather. But for the most part, the kid tells you exactly what she is thinking. Which right now is, “No.”
Emery, hovering around the one-month marker, is still consuming the majority of his time with sleeping. He did stir a couple times and I think I even saw his eyes for a few seconds, however not long enough to snap a photo. Heather let me hold him, even though Lindsay wasn’t so sure this was such a great idea (her mother is not suppose to just hand over her little brother like that!) and I got to breathe in all his wonderfulness. He is such an angel.
On Lindsay’s second visit to our house, which she refers to as “Simeon and Frodo’s house,” she warmed up considerably. After I heated up a cheese quesadilla for her, she rubbed her hand against my arm and said, “I love you too, also.” My heart just melted. Everyone at the dinner table said “Ohhh” and “Awww” and Lindsay just ate it up. She is quite the crowd pleaser!
It was fabulous getting to spend time with them. I hate more than anything the distance that seperates me from my best friend and her family. I guess I just have to make due with what little time I get and rely on photos and blogs to keep us as close as possible. What else can a girl be expected to do?
So that, my dear Heather, is the reason why I take so many pictures when you are here. I resisted the urge to upload the entire memory card and settled for my favorites (Heather accused me of putting up too many pictures, while she prefers to just tease you all with a few). You can see them in the Lindsay & Emery visit gallery. Enjoy!
And you wanna know why? Cause it provided me a place to vent, to rant, and to whine. And in turn you all showered me with welcomed kindness. I truly appreciate each and every one of you and your words of encouragement, be they in the comments or private emails or baby smiles just for me. I have a smile on my face right now that will last for days.
To further continue the happiness, last night Sim and I invited a couple people over to watch the season premiere of Gilmore Girls ( I love that show) and prepared comfort foods for dinner: pot roast, potatoes, and pumpkin pie. Mmmmmm. Happiness. We even had a surprise visit from Heather (possibly fueled by my begging for my friends?), Miss Lindsay and Little Emery. It was wonderful. I got to play with Lindsay (pictures to follow) and cuddle with Emery. Well, that is after Lindsay allowed me to touch her little brother. I breathed in all his baby smells and let him snuggle into my chest (maybe that will jump-start my uterus, ya think?). And (AND!!) they even promised to come back tonight. You better believe that is gonna add to the smile on my face.
Plus tonight is our weekly Friends dinner night. There is absolutely nothing better than surrounding yourself with people you love and having them love you back. I realize now (thanks for all the advice, guys) that everyone just shows their love in different ways. I will try not to push away the people who do it differently than myself. Once again, thank you for your emails, your comments, the “virtual” roses, the baby smiles, the laughs, and the hugs. Oh god the hugs! You guys are the best, and I heart you all.
Do you ever have days where you just feel like you don’t matter? Like you don’t have any real friends? Like people take you for granted and just don’t want the same thing from you as you do from them?
Ughhh. I have been feeling that way lately. Every time I log into my admin to blog, I just keep thinking about all these sad, pathetic, and often mean, things I want to say, so I log out, opting to say nothing instead. But I decided today it is obviously something I MUST put out there, to vent, if you will, or I may never blog anything happy or fun again.
I really value my friends. I think they are an essential part of life. We need them for fun, for support, for strength, for advice, and for smiles. But lately I have been feeling kind of neglected. I realize everyone is busy and has their own lives, but I wonder why so many of my friends don’t feel the need to call, or email, or drop by, or even IM. I don’t think I’m being clingy or desperate or insecure. I just wonder why, what comes so easy to me, is so hard for other people.
I like to think I am pretty generous. I have weekly dinners in which all my friends are invited to come over. No one needs to bring anything but themselves. When I see something in the store that makes me think of a friend of mine, I instantly buy it and give it with a card reading, “Just because.” I send greeting cards. I write thoughtful emails of, “Just thinking of you” or “Just making sure you are ok.” But I don’t think I have ever really gotten anything like that in return. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t do these things expecting anything back or to make someone feel obligated. I just don’t understand how I could never have received any of these thing. It mystifies me.
*Sigh* I guess that is just the way things are. People will be who they are and that is that. I really should learn to lower my standards so I am not constantly disappointed in life, right? I mean, am I asking too much here? I was always raised to treat people as I would like to be treated. So does that mean they are treating me how they want to be treated? I just don’t understand….
**UPDATED** I just got an forward from my friend Lisa P that actually brought a smile to my face and lifted me out of my self-pity. Here are some of the highlights:
I like you because of who you are to me. A true friend…
A good friend will come bail you out of jail, but a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, “We screwed up! But I am proud to be your friend!”…
You are my friend and I am honored.