Wrapping Up December: 2016

Ok, so I know it's 4 days into the New Year but......

December was way too busy and waaaaay too much fun to not wrap up 😁 This post is long and picture-heavy, and I have so much to discuss that I'm not even going to waste time on an introduction. Let's go!

That first picture is the garden on December 1st. The marigolds had finally had it, and so had pretty much everything else. I've still got some rosemary and some thyme alive, but that's it. The cold weather we had in Kentucky while the hubby and I were in Oregon even got my parsley. Darn it. 

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my Mom's birthday! My mom is one of the strongest women I know and a huge inspiration in my life. She has overcome so many obstacles in her life and throughout it all, she is one of the most positive people I know. She has fought (and beat!) cancer twice, something unbelievable in its self. After her second round of cancer, her hair has never really gotten back to what it once was. You will never hear her complain about this though. She cheerfully puts on her Oregon Ducks scarf on her head everyday. I must confess, she loves the Ducks so much though, I am not sure it bothers her to wear the Oregon scarf everyday. One of my favorite stories and one of the most recent: Last January (2011) the Oregon Ducks football team made it to the National Championship Game and my parents drove down to Arizona to watch them play. They stopped to visit her cousin in Las Vegas on the way. I am still not exactly sure what happened, but while my mom was visiting her cousin, her leg caught on fire at a bonfire event! She ended up sustaining 3rd degree burns to her leg. I am sure a lot of people would have thrown in the towel at this point, but there was nothing that would stop my mom from going to that National Championship game to cheer on her beloved Ducks and she attended the game just a couple of days after burning her leg. That takes some serious strength! In honor of her birthday, here are some of my favorite photos of her:

My parents and me at my high school graduation. Taken shortly after my mom finished treatment for cancer the first time.

September 2007. Taken right after my mom finished treatment for cancer the second time and one of the first times she was able to drink in months. We had a get together to watch Oregon pummel Michigan in football that day. My dad was actually at the game in Michigan watching them get pummeled. Needless to say, it was a memorable day!

September 2007. One of the many Oregon Ducks football games my mother and I attended together.

November 2007. The 2nd time 'College GameDay' visited Eugene in the '07 football season. This was taken at 6 in the morning!

December 2007. Taken at my brother's graduation from college. My mom was the only person able to hold her liquor out of this group that night :)

November 2008 at an Oregon Football tailgate with our family friends Sean and Scott. My mom is never happier than when tailgating, one of her favorite activities.

February 2009, Super Bowl Sunday. My mom and I cheering on the Steelers, who won that year!

July 2009, Jerame and I's wedding day. Also a day when I have never seen my mom happier! 

February 2010, Super Bowl Sunday. We had had Gizmo for a total of 3 days at this point and this was my mom's first meeting with the new puppy.

July 2011 on my first trip home to Oregon after moving to Kentucky. Taken at a little bar in downtown Albany that my mom introduced me to. We had some delicious drinks that night!

Happy Birthday Mom! I hope you know that I think you are an extraordinary woman :)

Oregon Trip 2011

It has been awhile since my last post but with good reason! I took 9 days off to travel 2700 miles back to Oregon to visit my family and friends. I must say that while the weather was awful, my time spent there was not. I did the worst job taking pictures, I think my camera remained at the bottom of my purse for the entire trip. When I arrived home I discovered I took a whopping total of 16 pictures! Wow, that is a new record of awfulnes! Pictures aside, it was a jam packed trip!
The trip did not have a smooth start. My travel day to Oregon was stressful. My flight schedule was Huntington, WV to Charlotte, NC, have a 3 hour layover, and then a flight from Charlotte to Portland landing in Portland at around 10:30 pm. First off, the flight to Charlotte was diverted due to a tornado warning. We were diverted to an express airport that only flies to Charlotte. Stuck there for almost 2 hours, the airlines loaded people back on the planes with clearance to land in Charlotte and I made it to Charlotte with 10 minutes to make my connecting flight! And on the wrong side of the airport! I sprinted to the other side of the airport and made my flight with no time to spare! While I may have made the plane, my suitcase did not. When I arrived in Portland, I found my suitcase was in Phoenix and went home empty-handed. The suitcase finally showed up at about 8 pm the next day.
The next couple of days were action packed! My first day in Oregon my mom treated me to lunch out and a pedicure at a salon in downtown Albany. The following day, Friday, I spent in Portland. I visited my old workplace and was able to visit with old coworkers, and then went to lunch with my old boss. After spending an afternoon shopping, it was dinner and drinks with one of my little sis's from my sorority, Kristin. It was great catching up! Saturday was my 10 year high school reunion and I am seriously wishing I had taken some pictures! Sunday my parents had a barbeque at their house, which happens to be the only day I took some pictures, shared below.

My brother Jeff, my Dad, my Mom, and me

My brother's girlfriend Katie, Jeff, and me

Dad and me

Mom and me

Good friends Sean and Kim and me. Kim is an old sorority sister of mine and Sean is her fiance, a good friend of Jerame's. Sean and Kim actually are the ones who introduced Jerame and I.

Jeff, Sean, Kim, and me

Kim, Mom, and Me. All alum's of Alpha Chi Omega.

Dad, Mom, and me

On Monday, I headed south to Eugene to visit one of my oldest friends, Megan. I got a tour of the new place she is working at and then we headed to the Duck Store because as I explained to her, it is impossible to find Oregon Ducks stuff in Kentucky. Go figure, lol. After the Duck Store we had dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant, El Torito. I devoured my whole plate along with 2 margaritas and a truckload of chips and salsa.

Me and Megan outside El Torito

The next couple of days were relaxing, without activities planned. There was one beautiful day when I was there, which was Wednesday, the day before I flew back home. Figures! My dad and I were able to make good use of this nice day, taking my parent's dog on a 3-4 mile walk.

My dad and my parent's dog, LB. It was such a gorgeous day, I wish the weather had been this nice the entire trip!

Later that night, my mom treated me to after-dinner drinks at a martini bar in downtown Albany, the Vault. A surprisingly nice bar for the Albany scene!

Me and Mom at the Vault

A picture of our delicious drinks, Pom-Tini's!

It was a great trip and went way to fast! 9 days were gone before I knew it. I love where I live now, but there is nothing like being with family :)