Leavin on a Jet Plane

Finally, it's almost here. Our much anticipated trip to AZ for Christmas. I am so excited to see our family again, especially Zach, it's just been too long. However, I still have two more days of work before we leave. Luckily, I had plenty of work to keep me busy yesterday, but I finished it. So I don't have a whole lot to do today and tomorrow. Ahhh, anticipation makes time go so slowly. Merry Christmas all!! I'll post pics when we get back :-)

Christmas Party :-)

So we had our company Christmas Party last Saturday at the Embassy Suites Hotel in down town Portland. It was phenominal!!! We had a gourmet meal, free rooms, drinks, and lots and lots of presents. I have never worked for a company that truly rewards it's employees with such a lavish event. Here are some pictures!!

Brandy (left, owner) and her sister Shannon

Me singing ,This one's for you Mom :-)

Chuck ( Right) and Dave (Vice Pres.)

Aaron and me :-)

The amazing spread

Michele (Tigard manager) and Willis

Aren't we cute LOL!

Gina and Chuck

Char and Scott

Dave and Tracy

Just Chatting

Dan and Chelsey

Kathy B and Keith

Cindy and Shannon

Terry and Kathy P

The spread take 2

Ooh, Presys

The whole gang!

It was a wonderful night and I'm looking forward to next years party!!!

Our Niece Ayana

So we saw the first pictures of our niece today. It's so amazing to see her face and her features at only 5 months in utero. God has blessed our family once again with this beautiful baby girl. Check out Leah's blog for the sonogram pictures (they're amazing).

Here is the link to Leah's blog. http://brierrose.blogspot.com/

Happy Thanksgiving

This year it was just Aaron, Me, and the fur babies. So I did what any other insane first time Thanksgiving Dinner Preparer would do and cooked. :-) Okay, so I went a little overbored. I must say, everything turned out perfect, no burning, over or undercooking, or any major disastors. We had quite the menu... Turkey, of course, with gravy, mashed potatoes, roasted fall veggies (acorn squash, brussel sprouts, and onions), green beans, cranberry relish, cranberry sauce, and all finished off with the pumpkin pie! It was so yummy and we have a ton of leftovers. Enjoy the pictures :-)

On a serious note, I have so much to be thankful for. God has richly blessed me and my family, pets included :-). I hope you take time to thank God for His Grace and remember everything you have been blessed with.

Just Some Fun!!!

I stumbled on the pseudonym game and had to fill it in. It may be more than you want to know about me but I found it funny :-) Enjoy!!!

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
Katie Escort

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Vanilla Sugar

3. YOUR “FLY GIRL” NAME: (first initial of first name, first 3 letters of last name)
L-Mar

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Blue Cockatoo

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Elizabeth Orlando

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)
Mar-La

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
The Sage Smoothie

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
James Roger

9. STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)
Tangerine Sesame

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names)
Anne David

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
Morgan Milan

12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)
Winter Rose

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
Cherry Caprisie

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
Soyogurt Evergreen

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather + “Tour”),
The Fashion Overcast Tour

So much has happened!

So I got the job!!! For those of you who don't know, I am now the manager of the Carpet Place Foster Store. I found out on Monday and I am so thankful for the opportunity God has given me. After a long uphill struggle God has blessed me with a job that I love and that utilises my degree. Thank you God for this job :-)

Here's the gang from back row to front and right to left.

Brandy (Owner), Kathy P, Michele (Tigard Manager), Cindy, Dave (VP)

Kathy B (Financial Manager), Me ;-),

Charlene (Outside Sales), Chuck, and Chelsey

A Very Nice Weekend (Posted a Little Late)

So, October 4th my mom and dad came up from AZ to spend the weekend with us. It was such a great trip. It was a weekend full of dreams fullfilled. First, my mom got to see Multnomah Falls. She has always wanted to see them. Then my dad got to see the famous Spruce Goose at the McMinville Air Museum. He, also, had always wanted to see it. Here are some pics from their visit.

Mt. Tabor Park with the babies!

Multnomah Falls

Mom and me.

Dad and me.

Mt Hood

Chasing the sun down the Columbia River Gorge

Laurlehurst Park

The Spruce Goose

Spoiled? Of Course Not...

Gico's brand new cage! Yes it's huge.



He loves peaches and necterines!



On the Happy Hut!

Max's favorite spot on a hot day!

Little Miss Leila with yogurt all over her face!

The toy that was once shaped like a cat. Max tore the legs and tail off one by one. Now the head is completely gone and they're just have of the body left!

We love our babies, and yes they are spoiled! :-)

Mt St Helens Excursian

So we decided to take a nice little trip to Mt St Helens in the hopes of hiking around the area and seeing the gorgeous scenery. We also thought it would be nice to take the fur babies with us and have a mommy, daddy, and doggies day. After a 2 hourish drive we made it to the base of the mountain. Unfortuanately no animals are allowed on the trails so that kind of put a damper on things. We then decided to drive back down the road to see if we could find a nice spot to each lunch and let the puppers run around. Just a few miles down there was a dirt road that we parked at and had a nice little picnic. Here are the pics and vidoes. Enjoy!

Dancing!

And now for silly animal tricks! :-)

Fruits of Our Labor

Well, after a year of working on our garden we have been reaping the harvest of our work. In other words, we have enough tomatos and basil to feed Rome! Take a look :-)

Bath Time

One of Gico's favorite things is to take a bath on his cage. He loves it! Here's a video of him doing just that!

More Giconi

Here is a video of the baby to share with you all! He just had his bath, so he's a bit scraggly :-)

And now for the update! Gico is becoming more and more comfortable everyday and he is learning so many new things. His latest accomplishment is learning association noises. For example, when I give him a kiss he makes a kissing noise. When we come home or get ready to leave he imitates the sound of the door squeeking. He's still trying to talk with little success and he makes the custest chirping noises when he's sleepy. He is also becoming extremely protective of me; a trait we're trying to break him of. He doesn't understand that my makeup brushes aren't attacking me and so he charges after them. It's pretty funny, but I don't want to encourage aggressive behavior. We are also working on his clingyness. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm very flattered that he's bonding so closly to me. However, he is getting to a point of being too clingly. So we are working with "velcro bird", as I call him, on staying on play pen and playing while I'm in the room. He's doing better, but he still wants to be on me whenever possible. Most of all he's a sweet and smart little boy!

Ausi Birds

Our family friend, Marra, has a friend who lives in Perth, Australia at the edge of a wild life preserve. She sent some beautiful pictures of wild cockatoos and parrots that flock in her back yard. Enjoy!

Green Parrot

Galah Cockatoos! (They have these guys at the store Gico came from. They're very sweet and cuddly. I just love playing with them!)

Black Cockatoo!

What can I say, I'm a sucker for birds, especially toos!