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.

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!

Simeon and I could only stay in Bellingham for a couple days, so we stopped in to see Heather and Emery one more time before we had to leave.

As you can see, Mommy and baby are both doing great. They are both trying to adjust to all the new changes in their lives. Heather is trying to accept that she now has TWO children, while Emery is adjusting to life outside the womb. But other than that, they are doing wonderfully.


Soon enough, Lindsay is going to tell Emery all about That-Crazy-Lady-Who-Follows-You-Around-Making-Bright-Lights (that would be me–sorry, but I love photographing babies!) but until then he just flinches with his entire body and then waits to be blinded once again. Sorry, kiddo. It gets easier, I swear.


Then just before we had to leave, Barney and Lindsay came back to the hospital. They had been playing in the park with Memere (Barney’s mom, Dodo). So we were finally able to take a picture with all of the “Washington Branch” of the Boisvert Family. All FOUR of them. Hee heee hee. It still amazes me that they have TWO kids! Jeez.


I will leave you with the full body picture of Emery. You know, just because the feet and hands are the best part. Yummy. I could just eat them to pieces!
There are more pictures in the Emery Isaac II gallery for your viewing pleasure. And if that still isn’t enought, Chloe has tons more. Enjoy!

IT’S A BOY!!! So, for the record, one could say I was right. Hee hee hee.

Announcing Emery Isaac Boisvert! He was born this morning at 9:49am. He was 8lbs 1oz and 20 1/2 inches long.

So, according to Chloe, by having both a daughter and a son, Heather and Barney “have achieved the American Dream.” I am so proud of them. And they are just the cutest little things. I can’t even get over the fact that Miss Lindsay is a big sister!


I went a little baby crazy and took a million pictures of the little guy. You can go see them in the Emery Isaac gallery. But I am warning you, it’s a total punch in the ovaries!

Are you ready for this?? We have pictures of the Finished Product.

Drum roll please…..

So that is the finished living room. How totally Pottery Barn are we? Ok, maybe that is wishful thinking, but I am really excited about it! I love the fact that I no longer have to scrub, in vain, that nasty carpet…at least in my living room/dining room anyway! Yippee!

And there is the dining room. Complete with new area rugs (courtesy of Tuesday Morning, thankyouverymuch). Doesn’t it all just fit now? I know I feel better about it. Now my house is all comfy and cozy, I never want to leave it. Which really makes coming to work on a Monday morning not the most fun thing in the world. Kinda makes the count down to baby time all the more exciting. 😉

There are a few more pictures in the Finished Product gallery. Since the room is so huge and kinda oddly shaped some of them are redundant, but you get the picture. Enjoy!

Wow. This weekend was a total blast from the past. Simeon and I just got back from his 10 Year High School reunion. For those of you who are new here, Simeon and I both attended Seaside High School. Simeon was a senior when I was a freshman, so I am very familiar with the people in his class. I mean, as a freshman, its imperative to know who the seniors are.

(This was Sim’s senior picture from the yearbook.)
So we timidly walked into the awaiting crowd at the Family BBQ on Friday night. Having not seen any of these people in, oh I don’t know, TEN YEARS, it was a lot to take in. But Simeon grabbed my hand and we walked into the crowd and started up conversations with all of Sim’s old classmates. At first it was all the typical small talk (what do you do, where do you live, do you have any kids, etc.) but quickly turned to tales of high school drama and “remember that one time in Mr. Hawes’ class…” and pointing out to spouses who used to date and who slept with who. Before long, it felt just like a high school party, complete with the red cups and the cops showing up.

Then on Saturday, we all dressed up and got together for a nice sit down dinner at the Seaside Elks Lodge. It was decorated like a high school dance, with floating candles in Seaside school colors and a giant balloon arch. Having gotten all the formalities out of the way the night before, everyone let down their guards and worried less about having to impress each other.

After dinner there was a classic slideshow of all the humiliating things any of them had ever done before and allowed to be caught on film. This only fueled the stories and the laughter. Then everyone discussed who changed the most, who hadn’t changed at all, who had the most children, who became a teacher/policeman/doctor, etc.

A few times during the evening, I looked around and felt like I had stepped right back into 1995. I don’t know if it was the non-alcoholic punch or the Boyz II Men and TLC playing in the background, but I kept feeling like I needed to get home in time for curfew! All I can say is the whole thing came out WAY better than I would have imagined. And now I have three years to get ready for MY 10 year reunion. This was just my practice-run after all. 😉


You can see all the pictures from the BBQ on Friday as well as the dinner on Saturday in the photo gallery. If anyone wants any of the pictures, just let me know. (Oh and I apologize for not putting titles and captions on all the pictures, but this is just easier for me. And really, do you care what their names are?? )