It wasn't supposed to be like this!

Well, I just saw that Andrea wrote in her blog today, so I better get on the ball too! Things have been crazy here, really crazy since school has started. I feel like I just can't catch my breath and that I am always falling behind on things. This morning I was greeted by a sink full of dishes, there are clothes waiting to be ironed and folded all over my bedroom and the painting in the kitchen is only half way finished.  I have projects all over the place that are in various stages of completion and my office, well, it's a wonder the children haven't gone missing in there. It wasn't supposed to be like this. 

Waaaay back when I was in school, I had other ideas of what it would be like to be a mom. I couldn't wait to be a grown-up, with all that free time to do whatever I wanted...it was going to be great! But the sad reality is that by the time all the kids are in bed and I actually have "free time" I am sooo tired I just want to sit on the couch and watch a show...or fall asleep like I did last night.

I'm not even sure where I'm going with this, it's just that I'm so frustrated by all of my obligations and feel like I'm always letting someone down, first and foremost, myself. Dan was raised in a nice house where messes were rare. For the past 13+ years I have tried to live up to that image of a house where "everything is in it's place," but I'm really starting to go a little crazy over the whole thing. I will be the first to admit that I'm not a super tidy person, but I am able to whip things into shape and make them look nice...I just can't seem to keep them that way. I have tried different systems for cleaning, but then I find I get OCD about the whole organizational part of it all which in turn makes a bigger mess than what I had to start with. 

ugg...this is turning into a lame blog post. I guess that's what I get for blogging on a Thursday at 7:30 in the evening after a full day with kids, schedule mess ups and a sore throat. Maybe tonight I will fall asleep in my own bed instead of on the couch. Let's see if a full night's rest will change my perspective...I'm guessing it will.

Keeping Busy

I've been thinking about posting the past couple days, but I've been so busy I just haven't done it.

January is a time for returning to order and reflecting on my goals for the year. Like most of America, I am back in weight loss mode again. I've been working out at the gym on a more regular schedule (something I haven't been doing since my surgeries in October). I feel great when I am done, but it does take a lot of my reserve energy from me.

Out of pure desperation, I have started taking a metabolism booster as it seems I have a very slow metabolism. One night when I was wide awake at 12:30 I asked Dan "do you think those pills have caffeine in them?" Well, sure enough they do! I don't drink coffee on a regular basis, but I can really see why people do...I have gotten so much more done around here since I started taking the metabolism boosters!

For example, on Tuesday after dropping Natalie off at school I made a large dish of enchiladas and a layered bean dip for dinner, then I made bran muffins, 2 loaves of banana bread and rice crispy treats. (trying to clean out the pantry too). Then I took down and sorted all the Christmas decorations, cleaned the kitchen and family rooms and vacuumed downstairs. Just before dinner I made homemade salsa. We had company for dinner, I put the kids in bed afterwards and I was hopping around here, wide awake until after midnight!

Amazing!!! Now I know how the other half live...it's great having so much energy...I hardly know what to do with myself!

Remember this place?

...It seems our old Troutdale home is for sale. It was fun looking at the photos on the realty website. How often do you get a chance to see what someone has done to "your house" after you move out of it? Maybe I am just biased or whatever, but they didn't really do a very good job staging the house to sell it. Here are some things I noticed:

• The clover is back all over the front lawn (don't tell Dan!)
  
• The shrubs in the front need pruning
• roses need to be pruned
• decks need to be stained
• can't even see the gazebo in the back yard as the photo is so dark.
• The photos don't really capture the great qualities of this house. Don't get me started on the ugly chairs!!!
  

It was nice to see that she didn't paint over any of the walls or stenciling that I did. She did add hardwoods which is something I wanted to do, but we never got around to it. I did notice that the curtains were missing in the window near the dining table. After seeing the garage with all the cupboards we installed I was wishing we could have stayed long enough to really enjoy them, but I'm really glad we moved when we did.

Oh, how much easier it was to have less yard to maintain. Looking around this place, our shrubs need to be pruned and the gardens need to be weeded too. Guess it will have to wait for one more week as we are headed to the coast!

ACHOOOOOOO!

Having 4 acres of grass can really take it's toll on a girl with allergies...especially when it's compounded with a laurel tree in the middle of the yard that is shedding pollen pods all over the ground. I wasn't out much today, but when we ate dinner outside, I had to eat fast and run inside because my eyes were burning so badly. It feels like someone put sand in my eye lids. I can handle the sneezing and itchy mouth, but the itchy eyes make it hard to stay outside for long. After sitting in the AC for about 20 minutes I can once again open my eyes. I try to take natural herbs like stinging nettle for my allergies and that usually does the trick, but I think for the next couple weeks I might be better off indoors...which is really bad news for my garden.

Oweeee

Don't have much to say today...I took a nasty fall down our front steps this afternoon while going to check the mail. Skinned my knees, elbows, palms and tore a 6" gash into my shin. It will most likely turn into a lovely scar. I probably should have stitches, but my neighbor came and put sterri stips on for me...add to that, my allergies kicked in today. I have a long day tomorrow as I will be going to the Enchanted Forest with Natalie's kindergarten class field trip. Zander will be coming along too. I'll be sure to post photos in the next day or so.

ENDORPHINS: Gotta Love em'

Dan has been bugging me to get the the gym. I haven't had much time to work out lately, so when he brought it up again today, I decided just to get it over with. On my way there I decided to just do 30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical and call it good. Start simple, don't kill yourself. This was my intent.

So I hopped on the last available elliptical machine and start moving at a pretty decent clip. Before I knew it 5 minutes had gone by. Thanks to a little help from my friends (Will Smith, Gwen Stefani, Smashmouth, Gloria Estefan, George Thorogood, Alanis Morrisette, Shenia Twain and Journey with a little Billy Joel thrown in for good measure) the minutes were flying by and I was rounding the bend at 30 minutes. That's when the endorphins kicked in. I was starting to feel good. I was thinking crazy thoughts like...let's keep going. I set a goal for myself to burn 400 calories. A nice even number, I thought. Once I got t0 400, those crazy thoughts kept telling me not to stop.

By the time I finished my workout I had burned 560 calories and "ran" over 5 miles...in 60 minutes...ONE HOUR, twice what I planned, but it just felt good to keep going. I used to love running. In high school I lettered 7 times in track/cross country. Then I got burnt out. Mainly due to shin splints that required my legs to be taped up in order to reduce the stress on my shins. It became hard to "run through the pain." I had taken several years off from running in college, then a few years after I was married I started conditioning again to run the Hood to Coast. It didn't take long before my legs started screaming at me. I haven't run outside since.

Now, instead of hitting the pavement, the elliptical is the next best thing. In fact, it was so good, I may have to go back again tomorrow.

What's gotten into my husband?

I'm sure a few of you out there can relate to me when I say my husband is a little distracted lately. He's been calling up all his friends and chatting about the good news...For those of you who haven't heard, the Portland Trail Blazers just won the number one draft pick! It's been a long time coming, but I think this may be what gets me back on the Blazer's bandwagon.

For about 5 or 6 years the Blazers have really not been worth watching, in my opinion. I used to love watching the games back in the day (in the early to mid 90's). They were always in the playoffs and Blazermania was everywhere. But something happened (bad trades etc.) and we ended up with a team of losers, both on the court and off the court. Dan would turn the games on and I wouldn't recognise any of the players. I knew nothing about them, nor did I care to. Eventually I began recognizing some of the players by name as they were in the news a lot. Unfortunately, none of the news stories they were featured in were sports segments.

Back when Clyde, Terry, Jerome, Danny, Buck, Kevin and Cliff were part of our team, they were great. Great players and for the most part, great people. They were fun to get behind and route for. I just hope that having the number one draft pick will get us back to where we were, when watching basketball was fun. One thing is for sure, tickets are already selling like hotcakes. Dan tried to score some season tickets and all the good seats are all but gone.

On another note, did you guys catch Clyde on Dancing with the Stars? Let's just hope he doesn't trade in his basketball shoes in for dancing shoes. The guy was bad. And I mean bad in the original translation...not a good dancer at all. I have never seen such "white" dance moves from a black guy...especially one who's nicknamed Clyde the Glide! I am a HUGE fan of his, but he totally was not into this show. Most of the time he looked like he was thinking "get me out of here...I don't want to be doing this."

I was actually rooting for Joey to win, cause he made me laugh. He seems to have such a good sense of humor, but Apollo was just as good a dancer. It was exciting to watch both of them. Now that all my favorite reality shows have ended, there is only one more cliff-hanger left...tonight will be the 2-hour season finally of LOST (only the best show on tv right now!). I can't believe how good the show has gotten over the past 3 months. So many questions have been answered, yet so many mysteries remain. I have never anticipated a show like I do this one. The character development, the story line and the writing are brilliant. I could go on and on. There were a lot of "spoilers" on 2 Peas (scrapbooking message board) today and I just had to get off the computer before I was tempted to look. If you are as crazy about this show as I am you will be glad to know that their contracts were renewed through 2010!!!

Well, I have Zander's preschool program tonight, but you can bet Dan and I will be racing home to put the kid's in bed so we can watch our show!

By the way, my dad had a doctor's appointment today and his PSA levels are still going down slightly. Not to where they should be, but the doctor was pleased that they are going in the right direction. Thanks for all who continue to pray. His next appointment with his surgeon will be in July.

You DON'T have mail!

As soon as I got down to the mailboxes this afternoon, my gut told me something was wrong. Our neighbor's mailbox was left open. This may not seem strange unless you know that theirs can only be opened with a key...or a crow bar. Immediately, I checked our mail box and once I saw there was no mail in ours, I knew it was stolen. Yup! we are now victims of mail theft. Oh boy, now some yahoo has our mail and because we have no idea what was stolen, we have to call our bank, credit card companies and probably utilities tomorrow to give them the heads up. I hope all they got was a big pile of junk mail.

I called the P.O., but they were less than helpful. Then I called the Clackamas County Sheriff's dept and was on hold for 25 minutes...I didn't have all day to wait, so I just hung up. Man, I am starting to miss Multnomah county where the police/sheriff dept actually answer the phone when you call. I finally got on the Clackamas County website and searched around a bit until I found a criminal report form which I will need to fill out and send in tomorrow. I called some more neighbors and found out that they didn't get their mail either, so I'm guessing our whole road got hit. I hope those lame-Os get caught. I'm sure they are looking to steal someone's identity so they can get some sweet moola to make/buy meth with...nice hu!

Old Shoes, New Shoes

I remember the last time I got a pair of new running shoes like it was yesterday. I had just spent a girl's only weekend at my friend Bekki's beach house near Canon Beach. At the time three of our friends had new babies along for the weekend and I was feeling a little bummed out. It seemed like all my friends were having babies, some on their second already. I felt left out and it really hit home that weekend being surrounded by my friends and their babies. On the way back to Porland, we all stopped at the outlet mall in Seaside and I got a pair of Nikes at the Nike outlet. I loved how they fit and they were quite stylish too. (Even back then I knew a good shopping trip could cheer me up!)

Later that night I took a pregnancy test and that is when I learned I was pregnant with Natalie! Those shoes are now 7 years old and so today I decided it was time to get a new pair. Dan and I dropped Natalie and Zander off at a playdate and then drove to north Portland to the Nike outlet. I fell in love with a very cute pair of pink, grey and silver running shoes, but there was not one shoe in my size. I tried on 4 other pair and finally thought the black pair fit the best so I got them...I changed them up a bit by adding pink laces! Cute, don't ya think?

A sad day for Oregon

Like many of you, I have been following the coverage of the three missing climbers on Mt. Hood. For over a week now, I kept hoping for the climbers to be found. (Click on the top photo for a link to rescue photos). Every day, I watch the news and read the updates on-line and today it seems that all hope is lost for these last two climbers to be found alive.

I guess one of the reasons I find this story so compelling is that Dan is also a climber of mountains. He has climbed to the summit of Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, some of the Sisters as well as Mt. Hood. Each time I get nervous and he reassures me he will be careful. I tell him don't do anything too crazy and that I love him. I imagine the wives of these 3 climbers must have similar conversations with their husbands before each climb. I bet the climbers didn't think this would be one of their last conversations with their wives. My heart goes out to the wives and family members of the 3 climbers and the loss they must feel. In all of this tragedy, it is comforting to know that the men were Christians.

I thought I would share some photos Dan brought back from his time climbing Mt. Hood... don't think he would ever climb in December though.

Dan's Climb up Mt. Hood:

Here is Dan getting hooked up to the rope.
(I'm sure there is a more manly term for this.)

Almost there. Look how high up they are!

When I saw this, I could have passed out. A few years later,
just weeks before Dan was going to hike Mt. Hood again,
climbers got stuck in a deep crevasse just like this one. After
hearing this on the news, he decided not to climb...thank God!

Here is Dan with our good friend Chris at the summit of Mt. Hood. (Oops...I stand corrected. This is the summit of Mt. St. Helens. I was wondering why the change of clothes!)
(BTW, nice hair! This was during his long hair phase)

Majestic Mt. Hood: A stunning view from 11,239 feet up;
the highest point in Oregon.

Ode to my Camera

Born on December 24, 2003, Candice Camera was a loyal companion. She was always there for me in good times and bad. Candice captured moments in time like no other. At the time of her arrival, she was one of the best around. She was very good with people and loved traveling and sunset walks on the beach.

As an avid collector of pixels (she had 4 megapixels) she could often be found staring at the 3 most beautiful children on the planet. She looked in to the eyes of these children day after day, never complaining or growing weary. This was her greatest purpose and she did it gladly. Even when she was dropped she would dust herself off and be good as new...that is, until the fateful day that changed her forever.

On December 3, 2006, Candice endured a near fatal accident that would render her almost useless. It was a busy day for Candice as she spent hours digitizing images of little girls giggling and playing, looking about as cute as can be in their party dresses. Finally after a full day, she was resting momentarily when suddenly, she was bumped off the edge of the table. Candice fell through the air and came crashing to the floor with a terrible thud. Typically she could recover, and although she tried, poor Candice had landed on her frontal lense with zoom fully extended. She could no longer retract and focusing was a thing of the past. Candice was examined by professionals, but they all said the same thing "man, she's toast."

It is with great sadness that I must bid farewell to my beloved Candice Camera. I will miss her, but her memory will live on in the thousands of thumbnails I have saved in iPhoto. Good-bye Candice...sniff, sniff...Good-bye...

Photo of Candice Camera courtesy of Camilia Camera (Aaron and Tami's camera they left here the other night). As you can see, her lense is forever extended.

My 100th Post

It didn't take me too long to get to 100 posts...I guess that means I must like to write. This has been good therapy for me and it is great to look back at all the pictures and memories over the past 3 months. I hope all of you who read my blog have enjoyed hearing about what the Ernst family is doing. I have really had fun sharing with you.

Out of all 100 posts so far, I think one of my favorites to write was way back at the begining called "Welcome to the Country." It was good for me to journal about all the changes that occured since the move to our new place. I've also enjoyed posting recipes every Friday. Have you guys tried any of them? What do you think? Let me know how they turned out for you.

On another note...doesn't that cupcake look yummy! So glad it is a virtual cupcake and I can just enjoy it without eating it!

Thanks for stopping by Ernstopia.