30 before 30

30 is rapidly approaching. i'm not looking forward to it, not because i mind getting older, but because that age really conflicts with the way i see myself. although i'm the oldest child, i've always been the youngest in every other aspect: the youngest person in my class (i skipped a grade), the youngest person in my profession, and so on.

the beautifully honest meg posted 25 before 25, inspired by carolyn's 30 before 30: each provide lists of to-dos before they reach their respective birthdays. what better way to show that you like someone's idea than to unabashedly COPY it?? here it goes. my 30 things to do before i turn 30.

1. make a bebe with the hubs.

2. take a long overdue honeymoon. the hubs can come too.

3. finish decorating every room in the house.

4. find a job i love, not just tolerate.

5. work on getting my dogs to socialize better with other dogs. ugh.

6. get back in shape. again, ugh.

7. go camping at least 5 times over the summer.

8. learn to ride the hubs' motorcycle.

9. pay off my student loans!!

10. do something drastic with my hair

11. make something of rr.

12. feel better physically. although it might be out of my control.

13. cook at home 3 nights a week or more.

14. see bonnie raitt in concert.

15. pursue open mic nights.

16. travel to montenegro.

17. finish writing ONE song that i'm really proud of.

18. be a bridesmaid.

19. complete THE fit test.

20. stop biting my nails. for good.

21. read the hubs' favorite series of novels.

22. teach someone. anything.

23. participate in my local farmer's market.

24. host board game party at least once every six months.

25. volunteer more.

26. learn to love the northwest weather. or tolerate.

27. ski more. dirt bike more. quad more. be outside MORE.

28. perfect the retro apron sewing pattern.

29. build our portfolio. money money money - MONEY!

30. ditch the diet soda. or not drink 2L per day.

i think a good 20 of the 30 are doable. the other 10 - well, you gotta have something to reach for!

i rule school

be ready to be shocked: i actually followed through with my little listy-list yesterday. i took a nap (the puppies cuddled up with me - amazing!), shopped online (may have found the light fixture for the new room), worked out (thank you stair stepper and medicine ball), did more chores, and worked on a necklace that i am very proud of. i rule.

feeling trapped

last night was not my best. the hubs is out of town, i have a depressed dog, i am so unchallenged at work, i'm feeling creatively stumped, and the rain won't let up. where do you go when you can feel the clouds rolling in? i followed the sage advice of my sage mother and distracted myself by cleaning the house. "it always feels better, more manageable when things are clean," she says. and she was right. i felt a bit better as i fell asleep last night.

but then i woke up, and guess what? its raining today. again. and it will be all week. and for a girl used to the so cal weather and the infinite outdoor opportunities, the rain feels like a prison sentence. but now i'm just being dramatic, because a prison sentence it is not. nor can i allow it to become one, or to dictate my state of mind. so, i'm coming up with a list of all the things i can do indoors in the hours after work but before bed. and tv is not allowed.

i can read.

i can sew.

i can work on rikki road jewelry projects.

i can nap. doesn't get much better than a mid-day doze.

i can take a bath in the big jacuzzi tub.

i can do a little julia childs in the kitchen.

i can blog. but will you read??

i can shop online for my guest-bedroom shabby-chic remodel.

i can play fetch with the puppies in the long hallway.

i can workout.

i can songwrite.

so many things i CAN do. but i probably won't. because my motivation is laaaaaacking, friends.

afternoon adventure

when i get off work this afternoon, i think i'm going to throw the puppies in the car and take them here. its a local fish hatchery, located on beautiful and historic property along the columbia river gorge. i need the drive - i need to sing at the top of my lungs with the windows rolled down and feel that sense of letting go!

need a laugh?

super hilarious post here . . . involving a grown woman in a bib . . .

frye boots

i absolutely looooove these bitchin' teal buckle boots by frye. although they are more than half off right now at piperlime, they are still $240, which is more than i can afford on my government salary. sigh.

day of smiles

so many things to smile about today - so take that grumpy bastards! the sun came out after a stormy morning. the cherry blossoms are out! and i just couldn't help but laugh at the mess the puppies made of themselves this afternoon. the romped and rolled in the post-rain sogginess, and i didn't mind the mess for a second.

my favorite things

when the hubs and i bought our house, we both had wonderful treasures we'd accumulated over the years, and were so excited to FINALLY have a home to decorate. i'm going to post some of my favorite things over the next month or so.

to begin, here is my favorite rug. the hubs bought this authentic, hand-woven silk rug while working in the middle east. i wish the picture did it justice.

meet me

i realize my profile is rather enigmatic, so i'm dedicating this post to getting to know me a little better. and i'm doing it uncle buck style . . . remember the scene where miles (the young mccaulay culkin) peppers uncle buck with questions? no? check it out here . . .

anyhow, here we go:

Miles: Where do you live?

in rainy portland, oregon.

Miles: You have a house?

yep. i'm really lucky - the hubs and I have a beautiful 4 bedroom craftsman.

Miles: Own or rent?

own, baby, own. but we bought before the market crashed. shit.

Miles: What do you do for a living?

i work for the government. my job was exciting, once-upon-a-time. now, I'd rather have a root canal than go to work. the hubs works for the same organization, but he has a super-sexy-I'd-tell-you-but-I'd-have-to-kill-you job.

Miles: Where's your office?

downtown.

Miles: How come?

because the government is too cheap to put it somewhere else, somewhere safe.

Miles: Where's your wife?

i'll replace this with husband. he's prepping for a trip to the Olympic Training Center.

Miles: How come?

because he's groovy. and in excellent shape.

Miles: You have kids?

not of the human variety. yet. but we have the two best dogs. ever.

Miles: How come?

we want to be married a bit longer before we add the littles to the clan.

Miles: Are you my Dad's brother?

what's your record for consecutive questions asked??

Miles: 38.

i'm no one's brother. but i'm sister to two . . .

Miles: You have much more hair in your nose than my Dad.

well, thank you. if that's true, i imagine your dad waxes his nose.

Miles: I'm a kid - that's my job.

not so much

a little note to the mommy i saw at the grocery store this week:

i know you want to be trendy when it comes to naming your kids. i don't blame you, even though i'm more of a traditional baby-name kind of girl. i'll admit - i think it is kind of cute when all the names in a family start with a certain letter (think the Duggars - all Js). theme names can even be tolerable (faith and hope), although i wouldn't encourage it in humans (i did want to name my puppies salt and pepper, the hubs intervened. thank goodness). but naming your kids rhymey-rhyme names is just awful.

as we each pondered our cereal selections, i heard you call out to your oldest - jaden - and inadvertently rolled my eyes because that name is just everywhere (sorry to the moms of jaden, but its true). when you told jaden to be good, like his brother caden, i had to stifle a giggle. but when you cooed at fussy toddler aaden, my jaw almost hit the floor. i quickly put my honey bunches of oats in my cart and started to head out of the aisle. that's when i noticed that you are pregnant.

please, grocery-store mommy, pick a good solid name for baby number four. here are a few suggestions: john, samuel, benjamin. despite my recommendations, though, i fear the pattern will continue. what's it going to be? braden? hayden? heck, why not zaden or naden or paden?