Brad & Tiff's wedding reception

Saturday Rick and I attended the wedding reception of our friends, Brad and Tiffany Schiff. They were lucky enough to elope in Italy back in May, and had a party to celebrate. Their reception was very thoughtful and cool. Brad is our friend that is the stop motion animator that worked on "Coraline" and Tiffany is a stylist and works on magazine shoots. 2 very creative people make for a very creative party!
On our way...


The reception was in a warehouse space in SE Portland, and that was really cool. We loved their party favors, moustaches on a stick! They hired a photographer with a backdrop to take prom-like pictures of everyone with their moustaches. Hopefully I'll get a hold of a scanner soon so I can scan ours.
Rick's moustache

My moustache

Tammi, me and Nicole, looking beautiful with our moustaches.

Brad and Tiff's dog, Jimmy with his moustache as eyebrows

Having fun

The bride and groom, aren't they cute?
Brad had one of his friends make their cake topper

It was an amazing likeness of them and little Jimmy

multi-functional moustache

Brad and Dave

Rick and I being goofy

Thanks again for having us B&T, and congrats! We are so happy for you!

Lame!

So as I said before, Rick's parents are supposed to come pick up the motorhome tomorrow (Saturday). We had the whole motorhome covered in towels to protect everything from the cats claws and general mischievousness. So last night around 10, after moving the cats back inside for good, I was carrying a load of towels into the house. I was wearing flats, not flip flops, but with with the full arms, I must not have been paying attention and instead of stepping square on the step, I stepped on the outside of it and somehow fell off the stairs to my right, twisting my ankle and landing flat on my butt on the concrete. I yelled and Rick came running out and found me with my foot in the air, towels all over me-covered in leaves. I couldn't get up right away because I was in too much pain, so he helped me up and got me inside and we immediately started icing my foot, but a giant lump popped up really quick and it was REALLY painful, with the pain coming in waves, making me cry even, and I have a decent tolerance for pain usually. I pretty much had this same injury to my other (left) foot on St. Patty's day of 2007. That time I went to the doctor, they x-rayed it, said it was a sprain, told me to ice it, wrap it, wear a puffy boot and use crutches. I figure there is no reason to go waste money to have the doctor do/tell me to do the same thing again, when I know it's not broken. So today I couldn't go to work, which really sucks, because we are busy and I am the only one working this week. I can't walk on it at all and it's super swollen and a lovely green/purple color. It's just the worst timing with a wedding tomorrow night (cocktail dress+crutches=not so cute), all the house work and trying to clean the motorhome. Luckily Rick's parents are going to come get the motorhome Wednesday instead of tomorrow which is good. There is no way I could clean it today. So I've been laying on the couch most of the day, crutching around the house, which is still full of house stuff everywhere, so navigating isn't so easy. I went out to take out some mail and in opening the door just a crack, Rocco decided to bolt. I chased after him on the crutches for awhile, but finally realized it was pointless and I couldn't carry him if I tried so again I broke down in tears all upset, and Rick came all the way home to herd him inside, but Rocco decided to come back in about 2 minutes before Rick got home. Such bad luck :( I am ready for things to start looking up and getting to normal around here! Sometimes I feel so plagued! I have felt like this so much ever since Adam died, it is just frustrating! Anyway, I am hoping that I'll be able to put a little pressure on it by Monday so I can work. I haul around tripods with a lot of camera equipment and it is not at all do-able on crutches.
That's about it for now. Obviously no progress with the house while I am completely useless! Hope you all are well!

More progress!

We have the best news! Last night our friend Eric helped to install the toilet in the bathroom and we have a working toilet! Obviously the mold has been gone for a long time, but I haven't wanted to sleep inside because we didn't have a working toilet and I usually get up at least one time in the middle of the night and I really didn't want to go trudging out to the motorhome in the middle of the night etc. Not only that but since we shower, eat and watch TV in the motorhome it just didn't make much sense. We are sadly and happily giving up the motorhome this Saturday. It is sad because our house is still a total disaster and we don't have a working kitchen at all, so I will be sad to see the stove, the kitchen sink, the storage for food and a couch not covered with junk, all go. But it is happy because that means we are closer to being done and we won't be living in a motorhome anymore! I don't know what we would have done without Dick and Peggy's motorhome. It truly has been a life saver. We are so thankful we could use it all this time. Can you believe it's almost been 4 months?!
So...some house pics!
The shower all grouted and finished. We even have a shower head on there now!

The slate floor all grouted and finished. I love it!

Part of our entertainment center decided to fall in the middle of the night the other night. I had a bunch of stuff in it and luckily only about half of it broke, none of which mattered. Rick had just mounted the TV so most luckily it didn't knock it off the wall!

We had to order a new side door and it came in last week so Monday Austin helped us to get it in and frame around it. Here we are with no door, no wall etc.

The door is in, but not drywalled and doesn't have hardware yet so that is next on our list, along with getting our pedestal sink in the bathroom. Hopefully the move back in the house will go smoothly!
Hope you all are well!

My Mom's birthday

My Mom turns the big 6-0 next Sunday, the 21st, so we had a party for her at La Carreta this last weekend. We had a nice turnout and it was a fun time! June is too iffy for having a party outside, and La Carreta ended up working out perfectly!

The gang that came-The Mullises, The Stinsons, the Closes, the Langtrys, the Norris', the Layne's and the Enochs'! And a few of my Mom's weaving friends that I don't know...

The table from the other end

The mariachi band singing to her

My Dad and Mom and her AMAZING carrot cake from Helen Bernhard bakery

Me and the husby
My Mom and I spent 3 long days tiling our shower. It was very slow going but it's done now! Here is a pic of it!

And a close up of the little tile and to show the green color I painted it. The cutout is where the medicine cabinet will go.

My Mom and I laid the tile on the bathroom floor last night, so tomorrow night we'll get the shower bull nose tile up and start some grouting. I am keeping my fingers crossed for a functioning bathroom by Monday. We have to be out of the motorhome by next weekend so that doesn't give us a lot of leeway, but I am really hoping it will work out.
I finished the semester with all A's! How about that? It's my first time getting all A's in college so I am very proud of myself. Even though it was an easier semester than most, I was in the middle of all the upheaval with the house so I figure it evens out!
I wish I had some time to relax this summer but with this house I am sure summer will fly by and I won't know where it went.
Pictures of the floor to come!

Birthdays

This last Saturday we celebrated 2 birthdays, Amy and Alison!
I met up with the ladies early for dinner at MacTarnahans and a trip to St. Cupcake!
The first birthday girl, Amy and I at MacTarnahans

Shannon and I

Amy and her butterfly cards and beer stickers!

Rick stopped in to say hi and bring me a present...a new pair of jeans for having such a bad day (this was the day I had the meltdown over texturing)
Brianne and Rick-which is hilarious because one of Brianne's old co-workers saw this picture on Facebook and asked Brianne who her new "friend" was. Um, that man is married!!!

My cute friends-Shannon, me, Amers and Brianne! Love you girls!

Our collective cupcakes. Mine were carrot, chocolate and coconut. Deeee-lish!

Later we met up with a different crowd to celebrate Alison's 31st birthday at Crush.
Misty, looking cute

And later we headed to Chopsticks for some sweet karaoke
David and Dylan

David, Jen and Dylan and Rick

All the ladies...
Amber, Misty, Rachel, Jen, Alison (the bday girl) and me

Rachel, Jen and me

And lastly, one of Mr. Rocco in a box!

My Mom is on her way over to help me start tiling the shower! Hooray!

Drywalling...

Rick, Dan and Austin got most of the dry wall up in the kitchen and the bathroom with just one hitch. We found out we have to get a new side door leading out to the deck, and because we need it to swing out instead of in, we had to special order it, which could take 3 weeks :( So we can't do any drywalling on that wall until the door is installed. We did get the rest of the drywall everywhere else up. Rick wanted to hire someone to do all the taping and mudding because all his friends said it was the hardest part and no one wanted to help. However, several of my girlfriends said they'd done it and encouraged me to do it myself. After doing it, I am convinced it is something women should do, or only very patient, or artistic people. It wasn't at all difficult, but it took a lot of patience and trying to get things very exact. I didn't mind it at all though, and actually rather liked it!
The kitchen wall, behind where our sink will go, all drywalled.

Looking fancy while mudding the kitchen

The bathroom all drywalled, taped and mudded

It turned out that the texturing was more difficult for me than the mudding. The gun we used sprayed the texture out really chunky and I had a major breakdown in the middle of texturing the bathroom...Rick had to finish it for me because I was so frustrated. Turns out the texture in the can is a lot more expensive, but WAY better.
The bathroom textured. The cutout is where the medicine cabinet will go.

Rick after texturing

Me in our bathroom with WALLS! You can see my happiness!

The bathroom all primed! Getting closer!

And now the bathroom is even painted! I still have the trim to do, and the ceiling so stay tuned for more pics! My Mom is coming over tomorrow and we'll start the tile in the shower. We might just have a functioning bathroom by the end of the weekend. Here's to hoping...
In other news, my last final is tonight! I am SO excited for 3 whole months of no school. As of this evening I will be a senior in college. After 3 years of hard work, it will feel good to be able to say that. Some days it honestly felt like I'd never get there! Work has really picked up and I've been busy with that, so that will be great to help pay for all this house repair work.
My Grandma had a scare last weekend, she has pneumonia and spend Sunday in the emergency room. After some IV fluids she felt better. She was just really dehydrated and wasn't eating enough either. She is 91, but that was a big scare for me, because I can't imagine my life without her!
Anyways, all else is well. I'll get more house pics up soon!

Eva's First Birthday!

Jen and Dylan's baby, Eva turned one on May 25th, and we celebrated this last Sunday. I have never seen a one year old so engaged in their birthday party! Eva was so entertaining and cute, it was a good time, and I enjoyed myself as the unofficial photographer!
Jen and Eva, with Jen's Grandma looking on.

Big girl!

Misty's boys, Brady and Bryse, looking adorable in matching orange

Misty and Amber outside enjoying the sunshine

Eva, opening presents. She obviously loves her new clothes. Isn't that hilarious?

Amber's boys: Kash...

and Jaxson

All the kids running amuck outside later

David and darling Ada

Eva's cake

The birthday princess and her crown

Eva and her parents

Another cute one of Miss Ada

Dylan, Jen and Eva

Amber and her twinners

It was a fun party, and fun to see all the kiddos, as usual.
Things are good here! Class is over, and finals are this week. Luckily my finals are going to be super easy, so I am looking forward to being free as of Wednesday night! I also decided to not take summer school so I will be free for three whole months! I can't wait to catch up on sleep, reading, movies...oh wait, I have a house in total disarray that needs WAY too much attention to even think about leisure!
The house is going pretty good. Rick, Austin and Dan did all the dry walling last weekend, and my Mom and I did the taping Monday. I did all the bathroom mudding this week. Tonight I will do the texturing and I am hoping to have it all painted and the tub tiled by the end of the weekend! Lofty goals. We can't finish the kitchen, because we need a new side door and it's on back order 3 weeks :( So we can't finish framing and dry walling until that's in. I am hoping we can have the bathroom in working order so we can move back inside and give up the motorhome even though we won't have a functioning kitchen. Hopefully that will work out ok.
I'll get pics of the drywalled walls up real soon!