We're Here...

We did make it in two days. Day one we stopped in Salt Lake City, slept, and then picked up the next day. The worst was between Cedar City and Salt Lake but it wasn't to terribly bad. Saturday was a very long day of driving well under the speed limit. I was going crazy. But then again I wasn't pulling a trailer on icy roads like Jake. So we got here late Saturday. The dogs love the snow. They will burry themselves or tunnel a path in the back yard. Hence the pictures!

This is Sage covered in snow and Belle starting to tunnel. 

This is a cool icicle outside of our bedroom window. We can't reach it to break it off. 

This is Buster and I (with Buster's bear) relaxing and surfing the net! So for the most part, we are loving Washington and the cold. And I got a camera!! YaHOO! So we'll be able to post the amazing city!

The Time Has Come

Well...school is officially over. I will probably go through withdraws in about 3 weeks. When I realize I can pick up a normal book that doesn't speak about serial killers, sex offenders, fetishes, or prostitution, I might go into shock. So now what? Well, since Jake and I plan, re-plan, re-plan some more, we've finally made another plan. It goes likes this...

1. WE'RE LEAVING LAS VEGAS!

We'll be heading up to Washington state. 

We turned down Corvallis, Oregon and Eugene, Oregon after my dad passed away. We'll be in Kennewick, Washington which is very close to Jake's family and the Columbia River! Our big journey will happen this coming Friday, December 19th. This way we'll be able to spend Christmas with the Brashears!

2. I'll be applying to the FBI.

I already applied for the Portland, Oregon area but because I'm not living there I have to apply where I'm living. I'll start this process after the holidays.

3. In my new spare time I will be using my new Bernina!

I'm super excited to get this thing out of the box!! This isn't my model but it gives you an idea of what a Bernina is and what it can do! I can't wait to hook it up to my computer too! Oh how the fun will begin!

4. Get into shape! 

I will spare the pictures but wow...it's about time. 

5. Relax!

I'm totally hitting the spa and then the MOUNTAIN! I'm in much sadness that I'll be missing the great and many snowboard trips with my friends this year. And the snow is actually decent! And then we'll miss night tubing...oh how sad. But it's okay. We'll find more friends to introduce it to.

6. Finally buy a stinkin' camera!

I can't post or scrapbook anything if I don't have a camera.

So those are the plans... and they are easy to accomplish! And as my friends slowly migrate back to Henderson, I will be the one to arrange dinner dates around. We'll be back in the Spring!

4 day weekend

Turkey Day

Of course we forgot to take pictures during our Thanksgiving brunch and dinner, but it was quite the day. We went to dad and Linda's for lunch, read through the Will, rummaged through stuff, and just visited. After we left there stuffed, we went to my mom's for the turkey dinner. She always makes so much food and it's so good you really can't stop eating! We laid around there, visited with my aunt and uncle, and watched Wall-e. It was a packed day of eating, visiting, and eating some more. I'm truly grateful for my family. I'll miss the days where we don't want to make anything for lunch or dinner so we drop in and raid the fridge.

Friday

I had the thought to go shopping but I was way too lazy. I didn't want to battle the crowds, the crazy people, and the long lines. I guess the money saved wasn't worth my time. I love the fun stories though that come from the early morning shoppers! Plus, "I still have 26 more days to shop, why go now!" So, I sat around and did nothing. I played Zelda, I vacuumed the floor, and...I did nothing. It was really nice.

Saturday

I still didn't have the drive to go shopping and I think it's because I didn't have anything in mind of what I was looking for. The great deals are nice, if you need that item. Anyway, Jake and I had put up a couple items on craigslist, so we don't have to haul them up, and people started calling. Around 11 a.m. one guy came and bought our end table and coffee table. We went to my mom's to visit (and to raid the fridge for left overs) for a couple of hours. When we were there someone called and wanted our bed. We arranged to do that later that evening. After mom's we went to dad and Linda's to meet up for BINGO! Linda is a huge bingo player. Dad and Linda would go all the time, so we thought this would be a great way to get her out of the house. She could sit there all weekend and do nothing if we didn't get her out and about. So Tommy, Jake, Linda, and I all decided to go play bingo. Tommy has played once or twice (I think), I've only played once, and Jake had never played. So the fun begins. Tommy and I decided to play two cards, Linda is doing three, and Jake is sticking to one. It was non-stop looking for numbers! With two cards it was chaos! As soon as you were done looking for B12, they had already moved on to the next number! No time to look up, no time to even see if you had a bingo, no time for a drink! Since Jake only had one card he didn't have much pressure. So about two games from the end, Jake takes a drink of pop and then spills it! All over the table, all over his board, and it's running towards Linda's! The game didn't stop. Jake jumped up and grabbed napkins and when he was cleaning it up the judge lady had walked by and told the caller lady to stop the game. She went and brought Jake two new games of bingo. She helped him catch up and we were back in action. As of now we had no luck. Nobody had won. We missed the chance to win the $10,000 pot, the $5000 pot, the $2500, and the $1000 pot. So on our last board and last game, we had to get blackout. Jake needed one number I19. They didn't call it. Someone else got bingo and won $450. BUT there is a second chance for $200. The next number called was I19! The conversation then went like this:

Jake: bingo (just saying it)

Linda: You have to scream it!

Jake: bingo (not screaming it!)

Linda: Scream it! (Hitting Jake in the arm!)

Linda BINGO (screaming it!)

Jake flinched so bad and we all started laughing! If she wouldn't have screamed it they would have gone on and if someone would have won with the next number, Jake would have had to split the pot with them. So...the lucky I19 brought us all a little happier! The family rules are, if you go as a group you split the money. That way everyone has fun and everyone feels like they won. We all walked away $50 happier! 

(the computer camera flips things!)

After that we went back to dad and Linda's to eat and hang out. Jake and I had to go deliver our bed to the guy in Henderson and meet up with some friends for dessert. We made the drop and headed to Town Square. We walked around, chatted and went to Claim Jumper. By time we sat down it had almost been an hour and everyone was hungry. So we ate. After dinner we called it a night and headed home. It was such a good day. We had a lot of fun and loved to be busy with relaxing things! Not school or work!

Sunday

Now it's Sunday...almost time to get back into the daily grind.

Why I'm Not a Vet

Valiant, Arthur, and my dad

I have a new respect for my sister in-law, Megan. Megan is a vet at a pet hospital. She has a lot of letters after her name...I'm not exactly sure what her real job title is. Either way, I could never do her job and this is why...

My dad left behind two Britney Spaniel dogs. They were his hunting dogs. They both are boys. One named Valiant and one named Arthur. He paid a good wad of cash to have full bread, papered, AKC registered, trained dogs. The problem: he wouldn't get them neutered. I think it he thought they would be less of a dog or something. I don't know. So twice a year (normally around mating season) they became territorial. Valiant always had to dominate. Anyway, last Monday, Linda called freaking out and said the dogs were in a big fight and needed to have Jake come and separate them. The problem: We were at UNLV and 45 min. away with no traffic. So Jake went. By time he got there Valiant had Arthur pinned in the corner of his cage. Blood every where. So Jake separated them loaded Arthur up in the truck and went to the vet. Linda had already made an appointment earlier that day to have them neutered on Wednesday. They came back picked up Valiant and took him in. The outcome: Both dogs neutered and Arthur had a tube in his leg to drain out fluid and prevent infection. To let them recover without fights we took Arthur in. He's a good dog. Probably better because he's on drugs! Our job was to clean the area where the tube stuck out. One at the top of his leg and one at the bottom. It was gross. Then we had to squirt some sort of tea-colored liquid behind it! He didn't like it. On Friday he went back in and had the tube removed but now we still have to squirt and clean. For not having a major part of his manhood and being beat up...he's doing pretty good. I'm not sure I could do this as a profession. Jake can't. He nearly passed out on the first day of cleaning. It was pretty gross. So I give Megan a gold star, pat on the back, and more respect for having to deal with things like this everyday! 

Family in PA

There are so many pictures that I'm going to post from our trip to Pennsylvania, for my dad's funeral, but here are just a few.

 Tommy (my brother) and Tommy (his son) outside of the funeral home. 

This is at my dad's cousin John and Ester's house. They live up the hill from Dad's cabin. Tommy wasn't to hip to be next to the stuffed animals. One time he "sneaked up" on the bear, punched it, and ran away! It was so stinkin' funny!

Tommy found a pipe that his little hand could fit into! I just want to squeeze him! We have pictures of my brother when he was this age and they look so much alike!

Then he had to check it out!

This is me and my Dad's Aunt Betty. She told me that I didn't look like a Harris. I'm definitely a Harris. We have the same forehead, nose, cheeks, and chin! I think I'll have to send her this picture! She's the last sibling left from my grandfather's generation. I think she's in her late 80's. I love old people. There's something about them that is so fascinating.

Bad Idea...#1

Don't read your father's journal and think you're not going to cry when he talks about you.

My dad. My Hero.

On Thursday, October 30, I boarded a plane to Eugene, Oregon at 12:30 p.m. The plane landed safely and Jake was waiting to pick me up outside. I turned on my phone and it rang immediately. It was Jake. I was right in the middle of grabbing my bags from the over-head compartments and told him I would be right out. As soon as I hung up, my phone did the little ring that means you missed 13 calls. Then it started ringing again. It was my sister. I answered it. The conversation went something on these lines: 

Mandy: "Did you hear?"

Me: "No, what's up?"

Mandy: "Around 4:00 p.m. Pennsylvania time (1:00 p.m. Nevada time) Dad had a massive heart attack and passed away."

My phone volume was so loud that the guy in front of me turned around. I didn't notice anyone or anything else around me from leaving the aisle way on the plane to meeting Jacob in the front. I was numb. It didn't seem real. It hadn't set in. In my mind I kept thinking this was a dream or a test. A test to see how I would react. It wasn't. After making a million phone calls, Jake and I drove to Portland, flew to Chicago, and then flew to Pennsylvania. I'm tired of flying! So this is what happened: 

My dad was at his cabin with his cousin John. They had plans to go put up his hunting nest in some tree Thursday evening so they could hunt all day Friday and Saturday. He wasn't feeling good but insisted on getting it done. Originally he thought he had indigestion or heart burn. He took a Rolaid. Then he thought it was his gallbladder. John told him to rest. He was stubborn. He put on his boots and went out the door. John followed. As they were walking about 100 yards from the cabin my dad asked to stop and rest for a moment. John knew something was wrong. So when they stopped, my dad bent his knees to sit against the hill and continued to roll all the way back. He died immediately. John called 911 and performed CPR. The paramedics came immediately and took over. Nothing improved. He flat lined.

We were able to go to the place where he died. It was peaceful. It was beautiful. I couldn't imagine a better place to go. He was with the people he loved. He was in a place he loved. He was doing what he loved, hunting. It was so quick, we assume he didn't suffer. Although I don't want to face the fact that he's really gone, I know he is. Gone for a time. He was my dad. I love him and he knew it. I have no regrets. The last time I saw him I gave him a big hug and he told me he was proud of me. He came to soccer games. We went to Disneyland when I graduated high school. We went to the Dale Evans and Roy Rogers museum. He walked me down the aisle when I got married. We worked together. He took me to college and filled my refrigerator. He always encouraged me. He loved my husband. He counseled us. We knew everything. He was smart, educated, and had so much experience. He was funny. We joked and laughed. He taught us to be kind, loving, and giving. Oh, how I could go on. I know we will be together again. It just doesn't seem real.

Winter Love

When it is so cold and I can't manage to get myself warm with out aid of Starbucks, something is wrong! I LOVE the Carmel Apple Ciders! Although I only get them once in awhile, it's the best spent $2.80. I'm now experimenting with my own recipe of Carmel and appel cider - move over Starbucks. (just an FYI - this doesn't help the figure either...)

BFF

There are not many people in the world that they can honestly say that they've been friends with FOREVER. I'm one of the luckiest people to say that there are a group of us that have been friends FOREVER! I started to realize this when I filled out an application that asked for references and years known. Sometimes I have to sit and do the calculations! So I decided to post on my friends. Those that I have known FOREVER.
Britney (Scoble), Me, Melissa (Gibson), Jill (Hales), Amy (Crum), and Sara (Sorensen) - not pictured!

Britney - I have known Britney since Kindergarten. Wow 21 years! We were in the same classes growing up and I pretty much lived at the Scoble's house. We've had sleep-overs, birthday parties, movie dates, played soccer together, and so much more. During High School we hung out on the stairs in the cafeteria every morning. We hung out after school on occasion but it was mainly big events like Reverse dances, soccer games, football games, and birthday parties, but we've always been friends. I remember going toilet papering for the first time with Britney - getting caught and running through the desert! We played board games like they were going out of style! Her mom makes the best crepes, her sisters are hilarious, and her brothers aren't so little anymore! She now has the cutest little girl and is being well taken care of by her husband in Utah!

Melissa - I've know Melissa since the second grade! We've also been in the same classes and played soccer and ran cross country together (Good 'ol Coach Spitty!). We did some pretty dumb stuff together in high school. I'm pretty sure we should be dead or in jail for reckless driving! Melissa cut and dyed my hair, we did home ear piercings, we went to girls camp together, we tortured her sister and friends, we went swimming and tanning on the trampoline, we had sleep overs, stalked the boys, and hung out all the time. Sonic was a staple in our diet and stay clear of Olean chips! Melissa was the first of our friends to venture out and get married. Now she has a little girl that looks so much like her! On top of all of that, she back living in H-town!

Jill - Jill has this will power like I've never seen. Jill looks amazing. She's lost so much weight (in a healthy and good way) and makes me look lazy and pathetic. Jill and I started hanging out in the second grade. I remember when I was at Jill's house and her brother locked us in her bedroom - so we climbed out the window! There also was a time I jumped from Jills balcony to the basement and landed on the chair - her parents would have killed me! I wasn't the best influence on my friends! Jill used to be in love with N'SYNC. We would go to the store and cut out pictures and post them on her wall. She had a shrine! Hahaha. We've had many discussions on boys!

Amy - Amy and I pretty much dated the same boys. I think I always dated her sloppy seconds! I must have been the rebound! Although it's safe to say, I've never dated her husband and she never dated mine! We didn't really start hanging out until high school but I remember when Amy moved here from New Mexico. I think we were in 7th grade. In high school we just clicked. When I went on my 1st date (with Tim Gansen), we ran into Amy and Matt Harris - this made my date a little less awkward! Amy and I played soccer together, did the Reverse Dance thing together, and sat in seminary together. Amy's Uncle was our seminary teacher - he was pretty cool. Until the invention of the blog, Jill was my "Amy update"! Amy's little girl is so tall and is pretty freakin' smart!

Sara - Sara and I have been friends since High School. I remember Sara in Jr. High but not very much. We did everything together in high school. We went to the dances, played soccer, hung out after school, stalked the boys, did the slumber party thing, and went to Sonic, Taco Bell, and Wendy's all the time! One time, we made up our own game of water polo - it was amazing. We would go watch her brother (and Chet!) play hockey. She learned how to drive the Subi with me as a passenger! We think we are hilarious! We scared her sister and friends so good in the basement - I wish I would have recorded it! Sara made me a blanket one year, we still use it! I sent a singing telegram to Derek (from Sara) and Jeremiah Neil sent one to Sara (from Derek) and they didn't figure it out until that night! Boy that was good! I could seriously go on and on with how much fun we've had and the countless hours of talks! We don't get together that often but we still talk all the time.

The best part about growing up is that I still have these friends. I remember people telling me "when you grown up you won't have the same friends as when you were little". It's good to know they were wrong. Maybe it's because of the Internet - maybe not. There have been the friends that have come and gone but we've really all stuck together. Even those that leave, we still get the updates of what they are doing every once in awhile. So until the next shin-dig. Peace out.

El Torrito

El Torrito has a place in everyone's heart in Henderson. It's this little hole-in-the-wall restaurant that has been around FOREVER. It's cheap, fast, and SO good! Technically, I've only eaten the Bean and Cheese Burrito, but it's amazing! Last time we were together (Jill, Melissa, Amy, and I) was at Melissa's baby shower. So a year of so later, we got together for a nice lunch at El Torrito. We had a lot of fun catching up on babies, boys, and life in general. Thanks to Melissa our photo shoot was a hit too! (I stole all of these pictures from her blog!)Melissa, Amy, Jill, and I waiting for our food!Jill eating her salad!

Melissa snacking on chips!

Me drinking water!

Amy and her not-so-huge belly! You can't even tell she's got a bun in the oven!

Melissa and Amy

Jill and I! (Melissa - I'm not sure the whole chin down and head tilt is doing my round face and knobby nose justice!)

After 2 1/2 hours of gabbing and eating!

Next time we'll have to plan with more people or anyone that comes into town. We definitely need to get together again! It was totally worth it!

Updates and Crazy Eights

The job hunt is still continuing but it's looking a little better every day. I officially applied for a state job, a county job, and the FBI. I'm still going to hit up a couple private entities next week but those three are a good start. The state job would be ideal except getting selected is the hard part. It's a Probation & Parole position. I have a little pull...but not much. My professor put in a good word for me through his buddy (or so he says). The county job is a little more social work-ish. It's a Juvenile Counselor. The down fall is the pay is low (equivalent to a social worker) and I'll have to negotiate and that will more likely decrease my odds. The FBI is always hiring and as long as I can pass all the exams (not too worried about) I'll be fine. The down fall is that it's a long process, my station will be in the Portland area, and I'll have about a 21 week training in Virginia (I think). There is nothing wrong with Portland - just another big city. And yes, Jake would go with me to Virginia. We'll see what happens. I'm still on the hunt. The hiring process is crazy for government jobs in my field. I have to close my myspace (not that we had anything on there of ever used it) but it's against policy to have one. I don't know about Facebook or blogspot. I do know they check out my friends so I might have to get rid of a couple of you...Just kidding! As for everything else we are plugging along.

Here are my Crazy Eights!

8 t.v. shows that I love to watch:

Intervention

Cold Case Files

Forensic Files

Dominick Dunne's Power, Priviledge, and Justice

American Justice

Amazing Race

House Hunters

Home Make Over Shows

8 Favorite Restaurants:

Applebee's

Olive Garden

Fuddruckers

Famous Dave's BBQ

Chili's

Some Bar by my house has really good food!

Red Robbin

El Torrito (I stole this one from you Sara!)

8 Things that happened yesterday:

Cleaned the Stove

Dropped my brother off at his buddies

Ate a bunch of crap

Applied for a job in Eugene, Oregon

Watched t.v

Played the Wii

Did homework

Took the dogs to the park

8 Things I am looking forward to:

Finishing school

Moving out of Vegas

Having kids

Being able to go camping where it's green!

Going fishing with Jake

Selling our land (accepting all offers!)

Going snowboarding

A new year

8 Things I love about Fall:

The weather

Halloween
Football games (even though I think the game is dumb)

Not running my A/C anymore!

Girls on campus having to wear clothes!

Work actually picks up so we're not bored

My dogs don't over heat

It's okay to have open camp fires

8 Things on my wish list:

A house of my own

New hair clippers for the dog (and my husband)

A new bed

A personal trainer

Some new clothes

Lasic eye surgery

A tandem bicycle! Wouldn't that be so fun to own!?

Socks...you can't have too many

8 People to tag:

I don't know 8 people that haven't done this...

Jaimie

Carolyn

Amy

Shanae

Britney

Mom

Beth

Jacque

The Latest

Still no camera, that means there are no pictures. I'm not sure what pictues I would post anyway, but it seems that when you have a camera you always have a reason to take a picture. Well, my latest and greatest activity is...bike riding. I'm addicted. I'm in a groove and it's not as bad as I thought. I ride to work and it only takes me 15 mins., it's down hill, and a straight shot. At 6:30 a.m. it's not too hot either. Lately it's just been a little humid. The ride home is a little more abrassive. At 5:00 p.m. going up hill I feel like I get a great work out in. I haven't busted out my spandex shorts yet (with padding in the bum), but if my butt doesn't stop hurting from the seat...I just might have to. The best part - I'm saving $120-$160 a month for not having to pay gas! But wait theres more! I car pool to school and bus it back to work! YES I RIDE THE BUS! It's actually really fun. The people are super nice and it is almost quicker then driving. It only takes 5 mins. longer. I never in a million years thought that I would ever ride the bus (although I always really wanted to)! The down fall - the bus drivers are a little snooty...but I can deal with that.

We have officially picked a place to live. Eugene, Oregon area. It is 2 hours south of Portland, about an hour away from the beach, and about an hour away from snowboarding. Unfortunately we'll be about 15 hours away from the Harris family but on good days we can fly home for $29. We'll be closer to the Brashear's. It's green. It does rain but not all day like I imagined. We'll be making the trek up in early January (whenever the pass opens). Now the hunt is on for employment and housing! This move was strongly inforced when the State of Nevada did major budget cuts. One of the cuts was the Corrections Area. That means less jobs available. It's just another excuse for us to leave!

Well, that's our life in a nut shell.

It's been long...

I've been away for the last month because of school, work, and life. It's been so super busy around here that it's hard to keep up. The only problem...I can't think of one thing we have done. This last summer class was by far my most interesting. It was on Hate Crimes. I've never been on so many hate websites in my life (or ever)! And I learned that people really don't have a good reason to hate. I get a week off and then I'm back to the books. Work is slow, but I have to be there all day - so I just deal with it. As far as the home life...nothing. But yet we are so busy. I'm making a list of things that we'll put in the garage sale before we move away. I figure if we move at the end of December, I'll pack a room a month. It won't be to hard. Since I dropped my camera in the ocean at the family reunion I don't have any amazing pictures to post. OH! Jake's sister and husband came down from Washington to celebrate their anniversary. It was a lot of fun to hang out with them. We would have done more but it was finals week and I had a paper to write. We did go see the pirate show at the Treasure Island. It sucked. Don't bring your kids under 12 because it's not so family oriented. It was good to see them again. I'm reading a good book Jake's parents gave him. It's called Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey. It's really good and I would recommend it. It teaches you the in's and out's of money. How to use it properly and what not. Jake loves it. If anyone wants to borrow it let me know! I'm officially addicted to the Olympics. It motivated me to get back in shape - so the work out program has begun! GO USA!

Randomness!

Our cute nieces and nephew!

Yeah...we're moving to where it's green!

The Goonies House

Megan's freak cat! It has thumbs!! Hurley is really cute and nice though. And yes he's real!

Beach houses near Cannon Beach. These have amazing views!

You have to leave your mark there too!

At the camp fire - with the rotisserie marshmallower John made!

Tattoos from Saturdays' Market. This lady was making bank! We paid her $15 (for both of us) and we were only there for probably 5 minutes. You had to put your name on a list! Crazy busy!

This picture carries a million memories alone! Brian, Jake, and Dad Brashear thought it would be a good idea to fix the pond scum bridge to the dock! Jake held Dad's hand as he reached out and drug it back in. It probably weighed 300 lbs wet! They struggled to pull it out but managed to get it up and functioning. Jake gave us a good laugh when he started gagging when he was splashed with nasty pond water and managed to get it on his shirt! Wonder if the bridge is still up?

Family shots...

Brian, Paige, Dad Brashear, Megan, me, Jake, Katie, and Brandon

Posing by the Underground Tour location. 

Alotto Gelato - SO GOOD!

Amazing beach and mountain view from the road!

Me, Brian, and Brandon - We all married in! No Refunds...?

Before we walked to Haystack Rock (between Megan and I)

Great Eatery...

An intense game of the Simpsons! This is at a huge arcade in Seaside.

The family portrait!

Just before we cheese-out at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. I ate squeaky cheese and pigged out on ice cream! 

Pictures of Nature

this sunset was amazing! I was blown away that the sun went down at 9:15 p.m. It was freezing too!

This was only one of 5 or 6 water falls! It was huge and we hiked to the bridge!

Vacation is over...but not forgotten

So after a week and a half away from Vegas...it's hard to come back. Jake and I flew to Washington and drove with his parents to the Oregon coast for a family vacation. We had a blast! We went to Cannon Beach and saw the anemones and star fish at Haystack Rock. We also went to Seaside to eat, shop, and play in the amazing arcade! We played games at the cottage like bocce (I wasn't so good in grass!), kickball, and frisbee. Not to mention the dice game Greed and the card game Spite and Malice. We went to Astoria, saw the Goonies House, the school from Kindergarden Cop, and one Sea Lion. We ate a ton of good food and they say the Clam Chowder is amazing there - if I wasn't allergic I may have tried it. We watched Brashear home movies, went shopping, had a camp fire (and sang songs!), and ate some more! We celebrated 5 birthdays too. We went into Portland and got to go in the underground tunnels. A must if you're going there. We also went to the Portland's Saturday Market. This was a free loving market. A vast variety of people and junk/crafts for sale. On the way home we stopped by these amazing waterfalls! I'm in love with Oregon. Yep it's official. It's green, the weather is better then HEAT, and I can people watch every where I go! The only problem on the vacation was - I dropped our camera in the ocean! It never worked again after it was dried out so we had to toss it. So thanks to the rest of the family - these pictures are borrowed! 

Unlucky

Unlucky. Truly there really isn't a better word to describe our family. It's only Tuesday and I'm already posting!! Only this is to inform everyone that we are rather unlucky and if you are hoping for any bit of luck - stay clear! It starts out with an accident, being locked out of the house, and then a giant miscalculation of funds in the budget. First things first, Jake called me today and all I could hear was, "Ma'am I am SO sorry. Are you okay?" repeated like 3 times. Then he realizes I picked up the phone and tells me that he's been in an accident and he'll call me back. All I could think of was that it was his fault and we'll be sued because that's what people do in America. Well, it turns out that Yes it was fault but as of right now we're not being sued. The lady t-boned Jake as he was making a left hand turn. Lesson for everyone - when you're crossing traffic and cars that are backed up let you squeeze through, the right lane might not stop. Not only that if a guy on a bike decides to cross the entry of where you're turning into he might just jump off his bike and toss it in front of your car - causing you to stop and the lady in the van to slam into the side of your car. Welcome to Las Vegas. P.S. both passengers doors are not able to open and I now sit in the back. Bad luck - 1 Brashear's - 0. So after zooming over to my dad's house to eat dinner we came home stuffed and ready to relax. Only to realize that I had taken the house key off of the key chain and we were locked out. Nobody in the family has a spare. So, we hop the fence, take a piece of firewood from the pit, reach through the dog door, and swing it up to hit the lock. After a few tries...Success! Hopefully the neighbor rats didn't watch - but most likely the did. Bad luck - 2 Brashear's - 0. Lastly when we opened the mail we realize that insurance, registration, increase of rent, and now a $500 deductible is due. On top of the regular bills. This somehow = low funds! Which is always a nice feeling right? Right. Bad luck - 3 Brashear's -0.

On a more positive note, we are truly blessed and have a million things to not go unnoticed but sometimes - just sometimes - it feels like life just SUCKS. Well, now that everyone knows that we are normal and have rough moments, we'll be back in action soon. In fact, this week can only get better! We're leaving town on Saturday.

Toyota Prius, Chauffeurs, and Bocce

So last weekend we had volunteered to help a company called Las Vegas Parking at an event. Long story LONGER, Absolute Vodka was sponsoring a "Green - love a tree" concert featuring Gnarls Barkley. LV Parking was to drive concert goers to their destination in the environment friendly Toyota Prius.

So we got to the Mandalay Bay around 8:00 p.m. and assumed the concert was out around 10-ish, boy we were wrong. It didn't get out until 12:00 a.m.! Not only that, we found out that Tim McGraw's concert was going on at the same time. So we sat there for 4 hours dinking around in our fabulous Hybrids. Not that I would buy one but I did think they were pretty snazzy. The pros were: 1) the start and park were a button, much like on your computer. 2) it was very quiet. 3) it could put off some cool air quick. 4) you could monitor when you were using battery and gas. 5) it would show you how many mpg you were averaging. BUT the down falls were...well, down falls. 1) the seats were very uncomfortable for long periods of time (more then an hour!) 2) One girls screen didn't work so she couldn't control the stereo or see any of the cool features - when the computer crashes it's going to cost a pretty penny! 3) There wasn't much room in the back seat - less then in the Civic. 4) and if you gas it a lot you're going to end up spending the same amount of money in gas! - making the "gas saving" hybrid pointless. Well back to us waiting. Finally when the concerts got out we loaded up people who wanted a free ride and off we went. I had a full car (2 couples) and Jake only had 1 couple. Neither were from the Absolute Vodka concert (the reason why we were there) and then after our pitch of "remember to choose Absolute because the want to help the environment" we asked were they were heading. If you were able to get lucky (which not 1 of the 25 cars were) you could convince them to go to Skin the strip joint and earn $50 a head (possibly making $200)! Not everyday do I encourage strip joint attendance! Well no bite, we dropped them off at their hotel and headed back to the Mandalay Bay. I made $15 and Jake made $5. Before I got back, I got a phone call saying everyone was gone just cruise the strip. So a night that was supposed to be full of tips ended up being a night of joy riding in a rental car. Still fun! Jake and I hadn't eaten any thing all day so we spent half of our winnings on Jack in the Box! However we did make $15 an hour playing and we got to keep these ridiculously funny hats!!

BOCCE BALL (this weekend)

Every couple of weeks a big group of people from work and many friends get together to play Bocce at the park. More or less it's a safer, cheaper way for many of them to get drunk and hang out. It's $5 a person to play. The winner gets the pot. We do a full blown bracket. It's single elimination. Last time Jake had already made plans so I went by myself. I partnered up with a drunk Indian named Denny. We won! We split the pot and walked away with $70 each. I ended up buying a text book, Denny bought booze. This weekend I wasn't sure if I was going to go. I had told a couple people at work that if they needed a designated driver I would pick them up and drop them off for $20. At 3:00 p.m. they called and said they would pay. I guess we were going. Jake came this time and I made sure he was in it to win! I had a title to keep! We picked up Sean and Cheryl wearing our dorky chauffeur hats and headed to the park. Because it was so hot not as many people came but the pot was still $90. Jake and I barely squeaked our way to the championship round. All to throw it away! We got skunked. 5-0! I was totally bummed. I hate losing but worse I hate loosing to drunks! I encourage heavy drinking when I can earn a little cash off of people! It was still pretty fun and even though we were the only sober ones we still made out ahead with $30 from being a chauffeur! After the games we went over to a co-workers house and played pool and the Wii. Once again Jake and I lost $4 to a pool game but won it back on a double or nothin' bet. After Jake became the bar tender, I lost at boxing, and we ate some nasty pizza, we called it a night. Cheryl fell asleep on the ride home, Sean requested Del Taco and ate some stinky fish tacos, and Jake and I finally arrived home around 1:30 a.m. We slept most of Sunday away!

A Productive Tag

This should be super fun! This actually makes you walk away from the computer, do something productive, and then post it! So how crafty are you? Well here's how it works. Paige tagged me and now I have to make a skirt! I'm really excited because now I'll have something new to wear and NOBODY will have the same one! There is a group online that has a sew along challenge/project and when you are done you post your pictures in a Flickr group. This tag is to join that group! Check out how you can do it here and then explore this site! Well the rules go something like this:

Link the person who tagged you

Agree make a skirt!

And no tag can be complete without listing 5 random things about yourself!

Then tag three other people.

Paige tagged me and now I'm going to attempt this project!

As for my randomness...

1 - Even though it's summer and swimsuit season - I have not found the motivation to do an ounce of exercise. And that is why I have a flabby gut right now.

2 - I don't eat anything else after dinner or 7 p.m. - no snack, no munching, nothing.

3 - Every time I try to read a book (other then a school book) I fall asleep! Shouldn't it be the other way around?

4 - I enjoyed having 2 jobs. I like to work at places that I think would be fun - no pressure and no real responsibility. I like to learn the ins and outs of places I frequent often. I really think it would be fun to work at a grocery store, a Walgreens or CVS, and at Target. At one time in my life I actually applied for all of them and was never hired.

5 - I'm in charge of picking up the dog poo. I made a deal with Jake that if we got a dog door then I would pick up the poo. He quickly agreed because he has the worst gag reflexes. I wanted the door because I'm lazy and don't want to keep getting up to take them out! Probably another reason I have a flabby gut!

I'm actually tagging everyone that has access to a sewing machine! But especially Jaimie Mills, Mandy Pavlovich, and Sara Patchett. I know Jacque and Beth could bust this out in an hour too! I'm sure Mandy Frehner can sew (didn't your mom sew alot?) Anyway, everyone should give it a try!

The Search Is On

Well with nothing else to do at work today, I started the official "career" search. I wasn't planning this until September but it doesn't hurt to start looking now. On top of that, every time we make plans to move somewhere or pick a school to attend, it falls through. Sometimes I pretend that we'll be moving somewhere where I don't want to be just so it doesn't happen! Moving is the great debate in our house right now. I want to move north, Jake wants to move east. Because I graduated first, I get to pick the place where we live. There are conditions though. The conditions are:

1) it has to have a grad school close - a decent one.

2) a law school - just in case!

3) Four seasons

4) it needs to be close to a ocean/lake/river but close enough for me to snowboard during the winter.

5) a yard for my dogs - this scratches out New York City :)

6) a place where there won't be a street light shinning in my window!

7) a place where we can actually see stars!

So this cancels out Las Vegas, Reno (UNLV has the only law school in Nevada), most of Arizona (even though our property is there), I don't want to afford California, and I wouldn't last in Utah. So Oregon!! Washington!! Colorado!! Those are my three picks. I don't really want to live in a big city either, maybe something on the out-skirts. Even with all of my wants, I will saturate the market with my resume and pick from what I'm offered. After a couple of years living where I want and Jake gets settled in his career - I guess we'll move to where he wants! BUT we'll see! Wish me luck!

Day #4

Well...last but not least we went to Central Park. We ended up walking around the entire place! It took forever and we were spent. I don't think that my legs have ever walked that much. It was a busy park too! We thought that maybe it was because it was a holiday.

Maybe this is why New York does not have an obesity problem. This is part of Central Park where walkers, runners, bikers, and roller bladders are free to roam. I wish I would have been prepared to run! It would have been a blast. It was really busy.

This is another squirrelly picture of me standing by one of the lakes in Central Park.

Has anyone seen Enchanted? This is the bridge! That's such a good movie.

We took a break half way. The grass was soft! Nothing like Nevada grass - if you still have some that is real.

Em and Jay laying down in Central Park.