Not the cheeeese, the keeeeeys!

So far 2014 has been pretty ding, dang, dong awesome with good changes on the wind :) Adam and I were able to find, apply and rent our first place together! We actually went and signed all five gazillion pages of the rental agreement aaaaaaad got our keys yesterday morning! Afterwards we headed straight to our new home to check in out:) Can you tell that both of us are just a teeny, tiny, bit excited?

Moving plans are in the mix for the weekend, which ironically is Adam's only weekend off in January, so we have both been going through our things and dividing everything into three piles: keep and move to our place, sell or donate, and move to storage unit we will be getting. It's a fairly daunting process, but also kind of fun! It's a strange thing to see your life divided into boxes though. Another interesting part of moving is seeing the items that have made the cut over the years. I still have dolls, stuffed animals and other items from my childhood that have managed to follow me through the years. I'm rather attached to them for sentimental reasons:) I have my room to pack up tonight and tomorrow and then I can start bringing bins over on Friday since I have the day off of work. Yay! We'll be moving the big things on Saturday when we have the truck. It's going to be a busy weekend for sure, but I plan on smiling big the whole time:)

This is a big step for us and for me since this is the first time I have successfully reached this part in a romantic relationship. I'm not sad one bit that I waited to take this important step until my 30's. It never felt right before Adam:) I know that it is going to be work at times, but really isn't this the case when ever you are living with anyone? We are not perfect people, but we do love one another an awful lot. I look forward to the new memories and adventures that Adam and I will have in the coming year and know that we will have no problem facing any challenges head on:)

Late last night after Adam got off of work, we met up at our place (I kind of love the way that sounds:) to do our walk through. Adam brought food cart pizza and I brought two shot glasses, a bottle of Lemoncello (sipping alcohol is slim pickings at my place presently;) a blanket and two pillows. When Adam arrived, we had a little blanket picnic complete with a Lemoncello cheers to keys and pizza in front of the fire that I "started,"(we have a gas fireplace;) It was a perfect way to start our time together in our new place.

Yours, mine, and OURS

I'm pretty sure most of my readers are aware that back in September-October of 2013 Adam and I decided that we were ready to live together :) Since then we have been looking all around Portland for that perfect first apartment, house, loft, etcetera. A few peeked our interest, but nothing was really ticking all of our boxes. That being said, about a week or so ago, Adam and I came across an apartment for rent on Hawthorne via Craigslist, which so happens to be one of our FAVORITE locations in SE Portland.

Naturally, we had to check it out seeing as the price was right, location was prime and the size was plenty for what we were looking for. Exciting thing number one, the property was still available after being on Craigslist for a day! Places are snagged up so fast in SE that if you don't pounce, you miss out big time. I had to work the day of the showing, but I told Adam that I trust his perspective and judgment aaaaaaand also to take lots of pictures! :) The viewing went fantastically and Adam fell in love with the place, but still wanted me to see it first. I made an appointment to view the apartment on Saturday, but insisted that if he liked it that much that we put an application in on it to at least hold it so no one could snatch it up! Nichole showed me the place on Saturday and I instantly knew it had to be our place! We both got applications in and after a looooooong 72 hour wait we got the news yesterday that we were approved! Adam and I are officially moving in together and couldn't be more stoked about it :) The apartment is a one bedroom on the 4th floor (no upstairs neighbors and a view!) and absolutely lovely! It is close to so many of our favorite places including our place, Zack's Shack:) We can start moving in on the 14th so now comes the SUPER fun part....packing, cleaning and moving! Cheers to starting 2014 out with a brand new adventure for Fetrina!

Simply living.

Once or twice a year I like to do what I call a 'go through/purge' of the many bins of everything teaching and future classroom that I currently have stored in our garage. This usually occurs on reeeeaaaaallly bored days or right before a move, which is what I am anticipating if Adam and I get the apartment that we applied for last week:) Anyhow, these bins hold everything from text books I deemed worth keeping (and spent hundreds of dollars on I might add!), to my own projects and classroom creations, to work samples filled with numerous ideas and lesson plans as well as books upon books ranging from elementary to middle school age appropriate for a decent classroom library. It is an extensive thing to store your future classroom year after year. I have literally been working on this collection since I finished my student teaching back in 2006, which is either VERY impressive or super sad :)
I've never been a fan of clutter, or at least not since I finished high school and moved away to college. I spent those four years moving almost every year to a new residence in Monmouth as well as moving home each summer. Since finishing college, I have moved four or five times as well. There is just no room for me to keep everything, nor do I feel the need to. It feels good to get rid of things that I no longer need or use on a fairly regular basis. I went into my year long Thai teaching adventure determined to live simply. It was a truly wonderful experience that I have tried to continue as best I can as a semi-settled adult in Portland, Oregon.
Going through my teaching bins is a bit more difficult because I have no idea what exactly I am going to want in my future classroom. I am basically guessing on what I will want and or will need when I actually get hired. I've been able to part ways with many items and older books that would no longer be relevant in my classroom library within the last eight years, but I'm certain I will purge more once I'm in my own room. This act of organizing and re-organizing my teaching tools serves another purpose as well...it allows me to smile, feel happy, and remember as well as feel my passion for wanting to become a teacher still alive within me. That, my friends, is a phenomenal feeling.

Ringing in a new fan-FREAKIN-tastic year

 

Last night we bid a fond fare thee well to 2013 and welcomed with open arms a chance for a fresh start with 2014. In general, I loooooove bringing in a new year! Last night was no exception:) Originally, Adam and I had made plans to spend the evening doing something fun out and about with two of our friends, but they had to cancel last minute due to being sick. Never the less, Adam and I were determined to find something to do:)

I was off work a little before 3 p.m. and headed home to meet Adam so we could go check out a few possible rentals around town that we were interested in. We ended up taking a tour of some new places opening up on Hawthorne Street, but they were teeny, thus not for us. By the time we had finished the apartment tour, Adam and I were both famished so we stopped for an early-ish dinner at Hawthorne Hop house. Totally worth it, that place is delish. With plenty of time before we needed to be ready for evening festivities, we were able to head home, relax a bit, let the bunnies run amuck and search Craigslist for other potential living spaces that meet Adam's veeeeerrrry specific check list:) By 9:30 p.m., Adam had asked me at least twenty times where I wanted to spend the evening. In the end, we landed on ringing in the new year at Side Street Bar on Belmont since we love that place and knew they were doing a little something for NYE. Of course when we actually arrived and saw how crazy busy it was, I immediately suggested going across the street to our second fave place on Belmont, Hobnob. It turned out to be the perfect combo of busy, lively, fun atmosphere combined with yummy munchies and tasty drinks:) Adam and I spent the night talking, laughing, reminiscing and sharing what each of us wanted for the new year. It was perfect :) Would it have been nice to ring in the new year with friends? Of course, but cancelled plans will never rain on our parade. Cheers to another year in the books for Fetrina and a brand new, shiny year of awesomeness in store!
Since we didn't manage to get a pic of us celebrating last night, here's our Happy New Year pic from Leavenworth last year:)

Feliz NYE

Happy New Years Eve all!! I'm at work, which isn't all that bad considering this is the first New Years' Eve I have worked in...maybe forever. I was able to get some early (8:15 a.m.) jazzercise in before heading to spend five hours or so with Landon-my work for today:) Not too bad of a gig, starting work at 10:00 a.m. after a great end of 2013 workout, coffee and breakfast sandwich! Besides, tonight is the most important part of New Years' Eve anyways:) I will be off by 3:00 p.m. with plenty of time to get dolled up and fancy for an evening out with Adam, Sean and Tyree celebrating an important/exciting year for them as well as one for Adam and I:) Cheers to fond memories of 2013, love, laughter, good eats and tasty drinks to come!

Today is a pretty special day for another reason as well. New Years' Eve 1983 is the night my parents said "I do" to one another! That's right, today marks 30 years of marriage for my parents and I couldn't be more happy (or proud) of them:) I know it hasn't been all rainbows and butterflies over the past 30 years with five kids, too many pups to count, along with various other animals and many moves, but I can honestly say that my parents have put some great work in. They have managed to stay true to their vows and be there for one another in good times and in bad. I feel that they are stronger because of it. I have watched them grow together as the years passed and now that almost all the kids are gone and moved away, I am seeing them learn to be just them, together again:) It makes my heart happy to see them traveling together and investing in not only their kids, whom I know they love to the ends of the Earth, but also in one another. I don't worry about them being happy together for another 30 years.
So on this day I want to wish my parents the very happiest of happiest anniversaries with many more to come in the future! I love you, I'm proud of you and I want to thank you for setting such a good example for me to follow when it comes what it takes to make a successful marriage go the long haul.

Last Monday of 2013

Well Mondays, I can honestly say that I won't miss you and I'm super excited to be more than half way through the last one of this year. 2013 has been an amazing year in so many ways, but it was also a year of endings (most were for the better) as well as another year without a teaching job for yours truly. *Insert sigh here. However, I have high hopes for 2014. Optimism and a hopeful mentality are my saving sanity and keep me going, but I'm certain they will most likely be my downfall as well:)

The final days of 2013 have been both relaxing and full of big decisions. Adam and I both had Friday off of work including the weekend to spend together, a luxury we haven't had much during this last month of 2013. Back in September, we decided that we were ready to move in together and began looking for a place to call our own around SE Portland, which is where we love the most :) We found an amazing loft space on Belmont and have been first on a waiting list, but after a few months with nothing popping available figured we should branch out to find other equally impressive spaces. I would absolutely love to start 2014 together under one roof (I think we both would), but we may have to hold tight a little longer to find our perfect place. Adam is putting his 30 day notice in at his current apartment and will either move in with me or into a new place for us, so I guess I will be starting 2014 with him no matter what:) Positive note!

Adam and I have also been vacation planning for a 10 day trip in April and will hopefully have our trip settled and booked within the first few weeks of the new year :) We are sticking with our original song, "Aruba, Jamaica, oooooooh I wanna take you! To Bermuda, Bahamas come on pretty mama!" But since the timeshare isn't available for April in Aruba, we have almost come to an agreement on taking a trip to the Bahamas instead:) I'm equally happy with either outcome, naturally.

I'm officially excited for the start of 2014, but you better believe I intend to party out 2013 like a champ with the man who makes my days happier and two fantastic friends!!

Let the holiday parties commence!

IT'S CHRISTMAS EVE!!! Today has been pretty relaxing thus far I have to say:) I was up around 8:30 a.m. to make it to jazzercise class at 9:30, which was awesome! Now I don't have to feel as guilty for all the yummy holiday food I will be consuming this evening at the Gessler residence for our Christmas Eve get together and tomorrow when Adam and I have brunch with my parents and then dinner with his parents. Adam slept in because, well, he deserves it after the crappy work/sleep schedule he has had to endure this month. I am in full party swing! Bring on the eggnog, beers, wine, delicious finger foods, and what not! No jazzing for me tomorrow, but I can make it up on Thursday so I intend to enjoy myself at each of our parties, within reason of course, I don't want to be a glutton for punishment when I doooooo head back to jazzercise:)

The Beavers' play in their bowl game against Boise this evening at 5:00 p.m. so we will of course have to watch at least the first half before heading to Bridget and Brandon's around 6:30ish. I am really hoping they get ta win tonight! I know that's what Adam wants for Christmas:) As do many of our friends...GO BEAVS!!

 I am so excited to spend the next two days with both our families! We are lucky that we don't have to travel too much in order to do both. Even though many of our siblings are in different places, at least we can give both sets of parents some QT time :) I hope that all of you enjoy the time with your family and have a VERY happy (as Harry Potter would say) Christmas! I'm off to make some key lime cheesecakes to bring to Adam's parents tomorrow:)