Christmas and New Years

In a violent blur, both Christmas and New Years have come and gone. But not without lots of ups and downs. For Christmas my Dad, Jackie, and Nana came up and we all stayed at my Aunt Candy's house. To be honest (and Candy, if you are reading this... this is a huge compliment to you, your home, your husband and your dogs), it opened my eyes to something brilliant.

When I was growing up, we leaved near Aunt Candy and her family, but in my memory we didn't spend a whole bunch of time with them. Then we moved away to California. Since being back in Oregon, I haven't spent time there still. But after Christmas, after being away from my family, after missing them so much during this exciting and important period of my life, I REALLY want to spend more time with my aunt and her family and her house and her dogs. (Here come the tears). Anyway, back to Christmas... we opened presents on Christmas eve, and stayed up late (which is huge for me). On Christmas day we went over to Dave's parents' house and spent the day there with Donna, Kent, Annie, Abby, and Paul. It was great fun! After eating way to much and being much too tired, we went back to Aunt Candy's. It was awesome being able to see both families in one go, and spend time with everyone. But boy did it wear me out (and stress me out...) haha.

After Christmas, Dad and Nana drove home, and so did we with Jackie in tow. We came home to find that our rat friend, whom we had found taking in our pantry the week before, had returned and left "dropping" presents in our living room. It had also chewed off/ stolen 2 pairs of shoe laces off of Dave's shoes (which we later discovered, it had used them to build a nest... GROSS). Over the course of the next few days, the Rat War had begun. We set traps, which it was able to avoid. We set out poison, which it ignored. We chased it through our house one night when we came home and found it under the washing machine. We had the handy man fill it's entrance holes with spray foam, which it chewed through. Finally, after laying awake all night listening to it running around our house, and after about 10 e-mails to the landlord, he sent over a friend who was an experienced exterminator. He set 5 traps in our tiny apartment. The next day, after coming home from dinner, we found that the traps had finally worked. And poor Jackie, though all this, ended up sleeping on the floor in our bedroom because it was the only room it hadn't managed to get into.

So, while the Rat War was going on, we celebrated Dave's parents' anniversary with dinner at Big River one night with the whole Spackman crew. We celebrated the coming of a New Year at home with party poppers and champagne. And now, it seems, things are getting back to normal. I have lots of random pictures, so check out Facebook in the next few days. It was fun having Jackie here, but it never lasts long enough.

I think, for the new year, (especially since I'm getting married in September), that it is time to loose some weight. I have a goal, but I donno if anyone wants to hear how outrageous my ambitions for myself are. So far, I'm struggling with eating better and working out... but I am taking my vitamins and getting good sleep (especially now that the rat has... um... perished.) I need some motivation, I am such the fair weather runner... speaking of which I need to charge my ipod... haha.

2011 should prove to be a good year. Lots of planning and projects for the coffee shop, including adding a SECOND espresso machine... we will see how it goes. Wedding planning is coming along nicely. We have our venue all set up, now its on to dress shopping. We might be moving soon, so hopefully there won't be any fleas or rats where ever we end up. But we need more space... we have too much stuff.

Here's to a great 2011!

Looking back. Looking forward.

Over the last year, there has been many struggles for not only me, but also for many of the important people in my life. There have been triumphs too. A year ago I graduated from OSU, with no job and news that my family probably wouldn't be able to help keep me on my feet. I was depressed for some time, and it seemed quite hopeless in our current economic state, until I received a phone call for a job interview at Coffee Culture. I had no idea then what I was getting myself into (more on that later). Once I had a job, the challenge was to stay afloat, without boring myself to death. I eventually had to move into cheaper housing, and really cut back on many things in life. Today, I completely support myself (except for my car insurance, but that is the next thing on my list), although it is no easy task.

In June, Dave left to go on a fishing trip in Alaska. At first, three months wtih my best friend being gone was torture. I learned to be alone, like really alone, something I had a fear of. Again, another part of me that I had an opportunity to improve upon, and I become more self-reliant. When Dave came home two months early, I was here to help him get back on his feet. He moved in with me, and we found that we couldn't be without each other like that again. :)

Working at the coffee shop can be challenging at times. I have made lots of new friends, girls that I spend LOTS of time with. I have also learned a lot about people in general. We get a wide spectrum of people coming to our shop (as reflective of Corvallis itself... we have hippies, cowboys, intellectuals, and people on welfare. You name it, I've seen it). But the time and effort that we put in as a coffee shop to be the best in town, pays off. Most of us are able to do latte art (being able to make shapes and pictures with the steamed milk). We use top of the line syrups and chocolates to ensure the best taste with our espresso roast. We use fair trade coffees and teas. And, most importantly, we keep it classy. No bikinis, no cleavage. Just fast, friendly service. I can say that having a coffee shop of my own someday would be fantastic, but also a lot of hard work. It's never easy though. I have learned a great patience and understanding of others, and I have found that it has paid off. This month, we are actually going to Portland Roasting, who provides us with our coffees, for a cupping and barista training. It's always good for us to be furthering our coffee education, so that we can still be the premier coffee shop of Corvallis. Should be good!

Now, coming into 2010, Dave has graduated from OSU too, and has begun the rough process of trying to find a "real" job. If he lands one, I plan on going with him wherever he goes. Jackie will be graduating from her high school and moving on to college. We have yet to know where she will go to college, but I'm sure she will be offered academic scholarships from multiple places. I am happy with the job I am at now, although the pay is not something I am totally happy with. Hopefully Dave can land a sweet job somewhere, so that I have a chance to search for a new job in a new city. For now, I am putting my life in e hands of the fates, and waiting to see what 2010 has in store for me, Dave and my family. In the meantime, I'll try to keep up on my blogs. :)

Hope everyone has a great 2010!