One Year

Today was my one year anniversary working at Huron Healthcare. I am so glad I decided to take this job and even though the learning curve was hard, I have learned a lot. I love that I get to work with clients and work in databases. I enjoy the people I work with and love that I live 7 minutes away. I come home at lunch and take naps! It is a great place to work.

The Artists

Bryce and I had a lot of fun on Saturday being artsy. First, we went to dinner at Montage where they make amazing things out of tin foil with your leftovers. We actually went there on our first date and I was quite please with my giraffe. They also have amazing mac'n'cheese, but don't even think about eating it all because you have to get tin foil creation!

So as we were driving downtown Bryce thought it was a shame to drive to downtown just for dinner, but we already had an activity planned. Well, we got to the restaurant and there was a 45 minute wait so we decided to walk around. We found a place to play pool, which was actually quite fun and I wasn't half bad!

After we went back to Montage and ate delicious mac'n'cheese! They have funny sitting where you share tables so we were highly entertained by two high school girls. Oh, the excitement to be headed to college! And how your mother made you apologize to your teacher for being rude! We had a good laugh.

 So of course, we didn't find our meals and how cute are our kissing swans!

We came back to my place and got out the paint and brushes! We each had a 12x12 canvas to create our masterpieces. I wanted something to put up for Spring and Bryce used a photo from his favorite photographer as inspiration. We spent three hours painting and we were quite focused. I didn't even realize how long or how quiet I had been until I accidentally got paint in Bryce's hair when I was holding up my painting to get a better angle. HAHA!

I think they turned out pretty well!

Dinner and A Movie

I love Friday date nights! Tonight was no exception. I left work feeling energetic because I was ready for the weekend and had taken a great nap during lunch. As I was leaving work, I could smell the Thai restaurant down the street from my work and I was hungry!

Well, Bryce picked me up and suggested we try Curry in A Hurry! He didn't even know I was craving it earlier so of course I said yes. It was pretty good too. I especially liked my fortune "You will step foot on the soil of many countries in your lifetime." SWEET! So far I am at 11 countries but there are still lots to see!

After dinner, we went and saw The Artist at the little Lake Oswego theater. It was such a good movie. It is a silent film and as Bryce said it was "charming" and clever. I was so happy with the quality of entertainment, too. I feel like I need to watch it again because I am sure I missed things especially since the old ladies behind us kept talking! Yes, the dog is cute and I don't know what is going to happen next. How about we watch and find out together!

One Year Anniversary

Exactly one year ago I arrived in Portland to start a new chapter in my life. It has been a crazy year with lots of growth and opportunities. I am very blessed and so grateful that the Lord is so good to me.

Greek Yogurt

I love yogurt! I miss my Austrian 10% fat yogurt, but Greek yogurt has come close. I have only tried a few, but I got The Greek Gods Honey yogurt and was so happy! Today when I went to the store to get more they were all because it was on sale so I had to spend twice as much and get Chobani Vanilla. Uncle Jesse from Full House is in the commercials so the yogurt has to be good, right? WRONG.

The Greek Gods have it!

Also,  my little brother, Hyrum, turned 15 years old today! Happy Birthday! How is that even possible? I left for college when he was 7 and now he is taller than I am. Time flies!

Valentine's Day

I have always loved Valentine's Day! My mom was so good about making us feel special and thoughtful about giving little gifts like socks or soap. I also love holidays and love so it is a beautiful combination. This year was extra exciting spending it with Bryce. He brought me roses!

He then helped me pick out an outfit because I couldn't decide what to wear before he came over. I ended up loving the outfit because it was cute and comfortable!

We then went to a Mediterranean restaurant in SE Portland. We were kind of late because I totally gave him bad directions. My pride of having a good sense of direction has been hit multiple times since moving to Portland, but this was pretty bad. Luckily, it all worked out. The food was so good with really unique flavors. I got pumpkin raviolis with mushrooms. Probably the best raviolis I have ever eaten!

After a nice dinner, we decided we needed some donuts to complete the meal! I got my favorite, bacon maple bar, and Bryce tried a Voodoo man, which has a raspberry filling.

We then rented Breaking Dawn for a good laugh. I can't believe how ridiculous it was. The acting is just terrible and the lines are even worse. Then it was so choppy and all over the place. I have never seen such a miserable bride on her wedding day and such a misery husband on his honeymoon! Then there were the talking wolves, but I will stop there.

Anyways, I gave Bryce a BYU shirt and made him a card and a big cookie! I got the idea from a German/Austrian tradition when I lived there and thought it would be fun.

Sadly, we didn't take a picture together! I don't know what has happened to me, but I have become terrible at taking pictures. Maybe if I got a new camera that would help:)

Party with Friends

On Sunday, my friends, John and Adam, invited me and Bryce over for a birthday dinner. They made a strawberry bacon mushroom salad, yams, and BBQ brisket sandwiches. It was amazing! The best part came when we did the candles for the birthday cake. They put all the candles in the middle of the cake telling me it was a "27 candle" thing that no one told me about. It got really exciting when we realized they were trick candles. After they sang to me, I tried to blow the candles out, but it was more like a blow torch. The flame was at least six inches high and would re-ignite after blowing as hard as I could. Adam tried to help me and John tried too, but finally we just had to throw them in the sink! It was a blast and I hope that is a sign for how this year is going to go!

Red & Pink

So this post is close to a month old, but I had guilt posting about Valentine's in January! I just cannot help myself with decorations, I was very excited for Valentine's Day fun. I already had some amazing stuff for the kitchen, but needed a few things for the mantle and really wanted to make a pink blanket. I just wanted my house to be full of pink, white, and red!

KITCHEN

I love this little pitcher and matching cups! My mom got them for me back in college and every year I am so excited to pull them out!

 

 I think my mom also got me the matching pink towel!

 

I wanted to tie in more of the conversational hearts so made this little vase thing. It is just fun and pink!

 

LIVING ROOM

So the living room was lots of fun. I went shopping with my friend, Adeline, and we had the most incredible luck finding amazing stuff. First, we found the cute LOVE plate and heart candles, which aren't in the mantel, but next to the TV. Then we found the little love birds at Target along with the heart wreath.

The best part was when Bryce saw the love birds, he told me he was the white one and I should think of him when I saw it. HAHA!

So this is the pink blanket! That I actually cannot claim I made, but has the most incredible story! So Adeline is amazing at sewing so I convinced her to help me with making a blanket. 

 

We went to the fabric story and found this amazing pink and brown fabric. It is super soft! So it is kind of expensive, but was 30% off and so we got 5 yards cut. We get up the cashier and my bill comes out to $80. Ok, so this was going to be one expensive blanket!

Anyways, we asked if that was the sale price and the cashier told us the fabric wasn't on sale. We were a little confused because they had a sign that it was. She told us we read the sign wrong and that it wasn't on sale. So Adeline went and took a picture of the sign and showed her how it looked like from the sign. The cashier then said it was for some different fabric. So the manager came over and we told her how it the fabric wasn't labeled very clearly and she told us that it wasn't on sale.

Well at this point, Adeline asked if I wanted the fabric. NO I DID NOT! If they are going to be that rude about it, I don't want their expensive fabric. So we left annoyed that they had such terrible customer service. I mean they could of at least told us that the sign was poorly place and would be confusing!

So Adeline said she was going to write the company and let them know because this wasn't her first negative experience at the store. The next day, she got on the company's website and tried to write an email using the customer service site, but it wasn't working so since she is smart she decided to try her luck at some spamming techniques. She got the names of the CEO, COO, CFO, the chairman, and the customer service manager and tried typical email addresses (firstname.lastname@company.com). Well 2 of the emails got failed delivery, but 3 got sent!

She wrote an email describing our experience and how she does lots of sewing and is the bread and butter of their company. From now on, she would go out of her way to avoid the store. Well, half an hour later she got an email from one of the executive secretaries asking to schedule a call and that action was being taken to review the store by the regional manager. The next day, Adeline talked to corporate and by the end of the call they arranged to send us the fabric for FREE!

I just love this story so much! 

Also, Adeline did all the sewing and pretty much everything, but she still let me have the blanket! She is awesome!

Happy Birthday

So some people don't love birthdays, but I am not one of them! I am not a huge fan of the older part, but maybe I am getting wiser? I have been telling my coworkers for weeks that my birthday was coming up. I figure they could join the celebration, too! So it ended up being a pretty great day.

I got ready and luckily was able to find an outfit that was kind of cute even though it wasn't new. Then I got to work and found my desk looking like this....

My coworkers had decorated and bought me flowers! They are pretty awesome! The day went pretty fast and smoothly, which was really nice because my brain wasn't up for too much thinking. For lunch, my coworkers and I went to Bridge City Cafe. I just had to have some of their cookies because they are so yummy. I also got a turkey cranberry sandwich that totally hit the spot!

I left all the Posted Notes on my desk because they made me happy. Also, I loved all the texts, calls, Facebook messages, and emails throughout the day! I have pretty great friends and family who were so thoughtful with the messages and singing! Thanks everyone for making my day special and thinking of me! I feel so loved!

Once I got home from work, I skyped with my nephews who were adorable as they sang me happy birthday. Then Bryce came over and was so great for bringing me flowers! He also gave me a pair of earrings, which I can't wait to find an outfit to wear with them, and a sweet card.

Happy Tulips!

 

He then took me out to dinner at the Screen Door restaurant. It was some good southern style cooking! I got the fried chicken and we ate way too much! We came back to my place and had a hilarious time trying to take a picture, but a few attempts we got a good one.

Happy Birthday!

BYU Comes To Portland

I got back from my trip just in time to see BYU play the University of Portland. Joining the WCC was definitely one of the reasons that I was good with moving to Portland! I felt like I was a true blue fan again getting to go to TWO basketball games in one week! Not quite the Marriott Center, but we got second row seats, which was fun to be so close to the action. Plus, more than half of the crowds were BYU fans. Go Cougars!

BYU Recruiting Trip

Last week, I got to go back to BYU to help my company with recruiting. It was so much fun! We left Wednesday afternoon and I slept the whole plane ride. (I can't think of anything better than getting paid to sleep....and it keeps happening!) Anyways, we arrived in Salt Lake around 5pm and drove down to Provo. We checked into the Marriott Hotel and relaxed until we went to dinner at a restaurant called Communal. It is just right downtown Provo and not a chain so I was excited! We pretty much tried everything on the menu and left way too full.

We got back to the hotel and I pretty much turned around and left to hang out with Landon and Shelley. We had a fun time talking and laughing and staying up much too late for the early morning ahead.

Thursday, I woke up with a cold. Awesome. So got ready and we went to campus for the career fair. We set up our little booth and then they had yummy Kneaders with BYU chocolate milk for breakfast! So then the career fair started and our location wasn't the best, but once it got going it was so fun to talk to people and be back at BYU. Oh BYU students. The best part was when I saw Bryce's brother! Anyways, it was a long day of being on my feet and talking feeling sick, but 3pm finally came. Celeste and Shelley then came and said hello before I went back to the hotel. Love my family!

Back at the hotel, we went through the resumes. It is so interesting to be on the other side of things of recruiting. I can't believe how many people have terrible resumes and don't know how to act in a professional setting.

Anyways, while going through the resumes, I noticed some really tall guys wearing Gonzaga clothing. So after the official resume business was complete, I lingered in the little lobby area until a player walked by and asked him if he was a player on the basketball team, which he confirmed. Then I asked him what number he was and he replied #15. So another guy joined him and we talked for a little bit and I really wanted to get a picture with them, but then I had to expose my true colors (GO BYU!). They were a little less excited to talk to me, but I had moment if only I had gotten the picture!

So later that evening, we had an information session for people who wanted to know more about our company. It was so fun to talk about the company and I got to share my experience and provide the little advice I have learned. We also served JDawgs, which are so good! Anyways, we had leftovers so my coworkers dropped me off at the Marriott Center for the basketball game with 7 JDawgs. I bought a ticket and then I gave the hot dogs away to some starving students.

I asked these two guys if they wanted some JDawgs and they were very excited and then wanted to know why I had them. I told them it was from a recruiting event and then they asked if I had any internships for finance majors. Nope. Anyways, one the guys was really funny and kept talking to me. My favorite part was when we started talking about diamond rings and he told me how he friend's mom has a 8.5 carat diamond ring. I totally knew who she was....I wouldn't miss something like that ring! She was the Bishop's wife in my sugarhouse ward. Haha!

So for the game, I met up with Lauren and Adrian just like the good old days! We went and saw Celeste who was running the projector for the white sheet introduction...nothing like high tech intimidation!

It was just so great to be back in the Marriott Center cheering on the team. It was so loud and a great game to be at especially with the flash mob!

After the victory, I got back to the hotel and had to still log my time for work. I went to the lobby to use the internet and while there the Gonzaga team arrived back at the hotel. They were pretty somber, but I listened to the coaches talk about the game and how BYU plays a weird zone coverage. I liked getting the inside information!

Anyways, Friday morning I slept in to try and give my body a fighting chance against the cold, but to no avail. I then got up and got ready because Joni was coming to pick me up. We went to Springville where her roommate did my hair. After I went to BYU and saw Landon at the library and then went to the BYU Bookstore to get some much needed BYU gear! Then Joni and I went to the creamery for chocolate milk, but we then had to go and jump start Landon's truck. After we went shopping for a little bit, but didn't find anything.

Friday night I met up with Adrian, Lauren, and Holly for dinner at Texas Roadhouse. The rolls and ribs are so good there, but the wait is kind of ridiculous. Anyways, we ate lots and then went and got free frozen yogurt because the team scored over 80 points! Of course, everyone else in Provo had the same idea, but it worked out nicely because we ran into Heather! I got to see her cute little baby too. We ate our yogurt in the car and enjoyed lots of people watching in the parking lot. So fun!

I then went and saw Celeste for a little bit. We had some fun sister time together and then I went and spent the night with Joni. It worked out so great because she had an extra bed!

Saturday morning, I woke up early and went over to Landon and Shelley's for breakfast. Dave and Celeste were there too! We had such a feast with waffles, buttermilk syrup, bacon, Ranch eggs, fruit, and BYU Chocolate milk. It was amazing!

After, we hung out until Celeste had to go to work and I needed to get ready. It was then time to head to the airport and luckily all worked out with Dave taking me. I got there 45 minutes before my flight so no waiting and slept the whole way back.