Chasing Waterfalls

Last weekend Michael's mom came to see us--which is always a party. We headed to Silverton, OR to see some waterfalls. Gotta love Oregon. The kids were troopers, as were the people carrying kids.

"So, Chloe has to go to the bathroom again, eh?"

First waterfall of the day!

 She was enthusiastically pushing Michael forward most of the trip and laughing at her siblings--who knew hiking could be so hilarious.

 Waterfall, number 2! You can't tell, but we're making our best waterfall faces.

 This picture looks conspicuously like a family photo. Nope, we're not parents (since Moose wouldn't get in the pack). 

Such a cute family! I'm going to miss them so much when I leave Oregon.

 Happy Mother's Day!

Morgan's showing off his missing teeth. He brought a stuffed frog on the trip, for obvious reasons.

This was our last waterfall. It was so loud!

Everyone was so impressed with the falls...

Well, almost every one.

This is when the kiddos sort of hit the wall. Check out Chloe's expression below.

"Pictures? Really?"

Wow! Last weekend is making this one seem pretty anti-climactic. I have grading and cleaning on the horizon--BUT I finished my thesis and sent it off to my committee this week. I'll hold for applause. I still have to defend and such, but it feels good to send it out in the world!

Spokane Surprise

I drove to Spokane without telling Michael (although I told pretty much everyone else I knew, because I was so excited about my sneakiness).He was stoked, although there was a lot of head shaking and a little bit of frantic cleaning. This is the LAST TIME I have to drive to Spokane. Woo! We spent most of the day yesterday talking about how silly it would be to go out for Mexican food on Cinco de Mayo. After about three of these conversations, neither of us could support our cravings and we ended up driving twenty minutes and waiting for an hour to eat out.We hung out by the handicapped wagon, during our wait.
 

Overall, Cinco de Mayo was a raging success, probably because we got nachos, and had a very interesting conversation with a cardboard cutout.

Today, we watched the Bloomsday race, which is HUGE around here. There were 50,000 runners, which is a quarter of the total population. This is a picture from the bottom of Michael's street:

 Everyone in Spokane comes outside for one day, which is great for morale and fitness and such, but also brings the scary old ladies with their scary little dogs out from the gloom of their scary apartments. One old lady continually yelled at people running on the sidewalk "This is a road race, not a sidewalk race." Those vagrants! While another shouted a classic argument, "They should really learn to speak English before they come here to run our race," in reference to the elite runners (who could hear her by the way). Needless to say, awesome people watching. If I'd known I was coming up, we would have entered in the "kinda running, but mostly just wearing running tights" category.

This is a picture of my favorite costume--robots, with batteries on the back. The batteries were erasable, so they would slowly deplete throughout the race. We also really appreciated a couple dressed as swamp things that spent more time crouching in bushes and scaring people than running. In the picture above, just imagine an old lady just off screen, pacing up and down shouting "this is a road race, not a sidewalk race..." to get the full effect.

Moose and I are spectating. He got a lot of attention. I decided we should have dressed him up as some sort of flower, to encourage the runners, or bloomies as their called around here. We'll get em next time, Moose.

In other news, Moose is still adorable, even when he sticks his tongue out at you.

Grey Whale to Red Fox: Morgan is 7

Last weekend Michael's nephew Morgan had a secret agent birthday party, which involved a laser field, disguises, marshmallow guns, and lots of karate-ish dance moves. So fun.

Get it through the target, Clo! 

 What a pro.

 Laser field obstacle course. Much harder for adults, I might add.

 

Ah yes! The classic scrunchy face disguise. 

 

Brynn thought I was teasing her, when I told her it was upside-down. But it was a party full of intrigue, so I can't blame her.

  Happy Birthday Morgan!

Workin' it

In an attempt to be physically fit I've been running (read swinging my arms more than usual when I walk) in my neighborhood, and doing Pinterest workouts (like this one). Because I do not have the money or motivation to purchase free weights right before I move, I've had to come up with a solution.  (Also, I find it mildly offensive that the only weights I need are pink--what if a guy wanted to do some two pound bicep curls? Am I right?)

So, just in case you, blog reader, ever thought I was a cool, hip, rad person just picture me doing tricep extensions with my snow boots at midnight while an eastern European woman on youtube tells me that I'm doing a great job.

This does offer an alternative to working on my thesis. Here are some other things I did today to avoid writing:

-blogged
-moved my Summer clothes to the front of the closet
-added two miles to my walk to school
-researched the best hypothetical wireless phone plan for my family
-watched a video of Lindsay and Scott's new baby 1-7 times (ok, that wasn't a waste of time)
-organized my itunes folders
-payed all my bills
-drank a lot of water, so I could take frequent bathroom breaks (this is real)
-watched Ron Artest Meta World Peace throwing elbows
-watched ESPN commentators talk about the incident at length
-got my inbox down to 0 new message and categorized the last month's messages
and finally
-spent twenty minutes coaxing a wasp out of my apartment, which included a broom, a lot of climbing on furniture, and an iron will

THEN, I worked out with my snow boots. Nice day, Sar.

Discovery of a new vegetable

It's broccoli rabe! It's delicious. Probably, not blog-worthy by itself, but certainly blogable if the chef creates a picture pun while the food is cooking.

It's a bouncing Broccoli Rob! Oh, yeah.

Hey! fever

Apparently, I have allergies. This has never happened to me before, but for the past week my eyes have been watering nonstop (honestly, people keep asking if I'm alright) and I've got a scratchy voice going on, which works well for Janis Joplin and Pheobe Buffay impressions.

I'll take the crying and smoker's voice in exchange for Spring though. I took a few pictures on my walk home the other day. Sometimes Oregon is so pretty. Other times it's raining.

In other news, I'm going to a roller derby this weekend. Don't be alarmed if I decide that my years of rollerblading with Rusty was actually part of a journey that will end in me holding some sort of MVP trophy with a roller skate on top.

Art events

Well, I had a hellova week last week that was completely filled with art. Check out the Art History Association page, if you care to partake in the academic glory that was our student symposium. We also hosted Annie Sprinkle, an artist and former pornstar which was oh. so. edgy. Not really, but I did get to go on an ecosexy walking tour around campus, where we were all asked which element of nature is the sexiest. Easy: rocks. Big rocks.

Anyway, my favorite art-themed event was Michael's niece Chloe's birthday party. If you know Jen, Michael's sister, then you won't be surprised that the party was adorable and amazing and fundamentally pin-able. Here's a few pictures of Chloe and fam, partyin.

 Morgan, Pictionary star.

 Note the fruitloop necklaces. So cute.

Happy Birthday Clo!

Well, I officially want Jen to plan my next birthday party. Later that day we went to OMSI, which is a pretty incredible science museum. Gotta love museums where you can touch things without getting in trouble.

I wish I had a video of Brynn climbing into the sand tub. Free solo.

 Turns out the artist is also an architect. I wish I could say that I helped with this, but I actually did the other side, which was mega boring.

I'm going to miss this family so much when I move away from Oregon, that I choose not to think about it. At least I'm good at the drive from Salt Lake to Portland! 

Five dolla

It's Spring--even in Oregon. I sat on my balcony for a few minutes yesterday (I got sunburned, because I was a magical, vampirish shade of white. Now I'm pink.) and it was lovely. Happy Easter.

This weekend, I saw a woman pull a head out of her trunk in the wee hours of the morning.

Back up:

Michael and I made the mistake of talking about our financial future last week--which basically meant that we frowned at each other for a few hours on google chat. This inspired me to cancel my appointment with the fancy salon I was going to go to, and go to a beauty school to get my hair cut instead. I also scheduled the appointment at 8:00am on a Saturday, which is further proof that I'm crazy.

I woke up early (was I nervous?) and ended up in front of the school a half an hour early. I was having a sleepy phone conversation with my mom when a woman got out of her car next to my and pulled a head out of the trunk. I actually made a "graah" noise.

You guessed it, it was a doll head for practicing hair stylin', but seriously, why would it need to be so realistic?

I ended up sitting in a room full of people who were working on their doll heads, coloring their hair and cutting it. I was the only live doll. It was pretty much grown up American Girls. Also, I know some people go to beauty school to learn about...beauty(?), but it seemed to me that the conversation focused on how hot Tina's dad was (which Tina was oddly fine with) and how Easter sucks because they all have to eat dinner with their families, but ham is delicious. In my opinion, he really wasn't that hot, I would love to eat dinner with my family, and ham shmam. This might seem like it wasn't so bad, but the girl took--count it--TWO AND A HALF HOURS to cut my hair. She did a good job, I'm overall happy with my choice, but geez. I guess the doll heads are more patient.

I didn't want to try anything to crazy, with Suzy Student cutting my hair, but check me out:

 Ok, this is not a good picture, especially if it's supposed to show off my hair, but I feel the need to share it anyway. I was trying out a "oh you just happened upon me while standing it the kitchen giving a ghost a high-five" pose. 

Those online modeling classes are really paying off.

Hey, guess what's officially on the calendar? I'm going to get my cap and gown this week. It will have a hood--like a death eater. Awesome.

Hurry Up Already

C'mon Spring! All we need are more days like today.

PS-It started hailing about four minutes later.

And All That Jazz

My parents and I went to the Jazz/Trailblazer game in Portland and we didn't get beaten up! My mom did put her sweat shirt over her jersey before going to the bathroom by herself to avoid being jumped. They won the game in the last minute which was pretty awesome. Paul Milsap agreed to be my boyfriend which was more awesome.

But, it can be argued that the extreme awkwardness of the photo below could be the most impressive part of the night. Nice lean in, Sar.

Here are a few more normal photos:

This recycling business does not happen in the Energy Solutions Arena, now does it?

You might think that they're smiling, but they're actually terrified, 

because they're being heckled.

That's better. 

Thanks for coming to see me, parents!

Newport News

My parents are in Eugene! This means that my apartment seems 3x as small and my fridge has 3x more food than usual. We had some plans for today, including a winery visit and a hike, but since it has been raining so much lately, both of those events would have turned into just walking around in the mud. So we went to the Aquarium in Newport with Michael's cute sister and her family.

I will never get tired of those kiddo's enthusiastic greetings. Reason to have children and puppies: they are always stoked when they see you.

My poor camera spent most of the trip wheezing and sputtering, but it took a few pictures.

 

(He's being crabby. Get it?)

I framed this picture very strategically, so you could not see the fashion-forward haircut that her siblings gave her earlier this week. She sure is cute though.

Icecream whenever you want

A few days ago I posted "The best thing about being a grown-up is the ability to buy yourself ice cream whenever you want," on facebook.

I've been thinking about this a little bit, and I think it happens to be genius (both the concept and my identification of it). A few days ago I took the bus to school, instead of my usual walk. Due to a detour and a crazy bus driver, it was taking about twice as long as usual, when the bus just broke down. Ka-blam. Broke down. I hopped off, trying to pretend that I'd decided to walk in the first place, when I found myself in front of a frozen yogurt shop. So, I went in and got something mango-y and chocolate-y and my day was much better.

Speaking of yogurt shops: were there a lot of people dreaming about opening frozen yogurt shops in the 90s? Because there sure are a lot around these days. If you don't believe me, visit Holladay, Utah.

You might be thinking that one cannot simply get ice cream whenever they want to, because they'll go bankrupt and end up on the street, with a ice cream-induced weight problem. Maybe so, but I maintain that it's still the best part about life.

(Who knew searching for "ice cream on the streets" would return something relevant?)

I've been a bit frazzled lately with finals and the large anvil hanging over my head that is my thesis. Mostly, I've been thinking about all the worst parts of being a grown up, but! soon I will leave my office and go get me some ice cream.

In other news, my camera is officially kaput, which means my blog will be super boring until I buy a new one or begin practicing camera-less photography. Somehow, I don't think you want to see my Rayographs, though.

PS- My parents are coming at the end of the week!

I Hate the Lakers

I've had a bit of a day today. I gave myself a deadline to produce some pages for my thesis. What an awesome idea, Sarah. Way to be self-disciplined. I really admire you, you said to yourself. I went past that deadline a few days ago, so I've been scrambling to catch up before my students attack me with papers to grade.

This has lead to a lot of time in my office and at my kitchen table. Hey, at least I get to use sticky notes fairly often. During this thesis-fest, my biggest consolation (besides, perhaps, video chats with Moose) has been the Utah Jazz. I love those guys, and my league pass. Thanks for winning for me, guys.

I'm going to go see them play in Portland (who knows who will be on their team by that point) in a few weeks with my parents. I've never been the odd-man-out in the crowd before, but I'll be wearing my Matt Harpring jersey, so he'll come protect me if I get attacked by angry hipsters. Ooooh, Portland joke.

Also, here's a little something I whipped up after finishing tonight.

It's Kobe. He's crying into his mask.

Bwahahahaha.

Master Sarah

Well, I've had a particularly depressing day, since I decided to search for jobs. Gah. It seems that I am no more qualified for 99% of jobs than I was before graduate school. This is a pretty standard joke in my life, but I'm now thinking that I may actually be less qualified than I used to be. I suppose that's what happens when you spend two years in the library drinking tea out of a thermos and buying progressively larger scarves.

Check me out, right now:

 Anybody ever notice the percentage of people who get picked for What Not to Wear that are graduate students? Well, it's about 50%, and the rest are retired strippers.

Don't worry though, I'm applying for Ph.D. programs next year, then I'll be really valuable to employers. I'm playing with a few jokes here, let me know what you think.

-"Hi, I'm Dr. Sarah and I'll be taking care of you tonight. Can I get you some drinks?"
-Maybe I'll change the language to reflect my advanced degrees, "Ah yes, hello. I'm Dr. Sarah (holds for applause). I'm pleased to be here today to present my semiotic analysis of your menu. (pulls out laser pointer) Please hold your questions."
-Craigslist ad: Do you like pictures of naked people? Well, I can tell you about the social and historical environment from whence they came! $10/hour.
-At least I'll be able to to be on ProActive infomercials: "I'm Dr. Sarah and I am indeed wearing a white lab coat..." (Flashing below screen: Holds a Ph.D in Art History).

Goodness. Anyway, I'll get a job and stuff. I'm actually very much looking forward to a year off, even if that includes a job that doesn't have anything to do with large scarves, where no one will call my Master Sarah. Wait! Maybe I could train young children to use light sabers. "Light Saber 1010, with Master Sarah." Some days I have so much trouble focusing on my graduate work that I end up doing things that aren't particularly relevant, like yoga in my office, or taking frequent trips to the free candy dish in the offices downstairs. Sometimes, I even end up online talking to myself. Can you imagine?

Ah, crap.

Green Eugene

Michael and I went to some fancy coffee place this morning ("Did you see that roaster, Sarah?"), went on a beautiful hike, ate sushi and shopped for some niece and nephew birthday presents. This is about four more things than I usually do each day, so go team.

 

We did the Fall Creek Trail, which is about a half an hour outside of Eugene. It's hilarious how quickly Oregon turns into little towns full of horses and Republicans right after you turn off of I-5. It was so GREEN and the water was beautiful and clear. I can't believe that it was that beautiful right now--what is it like in the spring?

Here are some pictures, and to prove my point I'm not going to edit any of them.

 Casual Hiker: one hand remains in pocket at all times

 The water was amazing. That color!

  Moose forgot that he doesn't like water and did some quality fetching.

 Awwww, look at that puppy dog.

 You may notice that this picture is not in focus; Michael took it.

If the state of Oregon wants to borrow this picture for their travel brochures, they may.

 

Did I mention that the sun came out at the end of the hike? The sun never comes out.

Anyway, we had a stellar day. It's sort of amazing how fortifying it is when people come visit me--especially when they're furry and like to cuddle. Hope you all have a lovely weekend.