Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

Last weekend Tyler and I decided that we are lame because we still hadn't been to OMSI, Portland's super awesome science museum. So we finally went, and let me tell you it didn't disappoint! We had a blast once we got over the awkwardness we felt being twenty-somethings there instead of elementary school kids. We toured the submarine first:
That was pretty fun and surprisingly not as claustrophobia inducing as I would have imagined. Next we went into the Egypt exhibit which unfortunately did not allow cameras. So no pictures, but I did see a real mummy! It was so cool to actually see one before my eyes instead of just in textbooks. I felt like Temperance Brennan in the exhibit, trying to decipher what happened to this ancient body.

I also felt at home in the life sciences exhibit which went into detail about the human body and all the cool things it does. They had a giant ear bigger than me that shows how sound waves travel through the ear and to the brain. My camera died at this point, so no pictures either at this point.

Anyway, to all Portlanders who haven't yet been to OMSI, go! We will definitely be returning again.

Improvement #1

Thanks to everyone's fabulous advice, I'm now getting ideas to tackle the lameness that is my living room. I started off by getting rid of the La-Z Boy recliner and moving it upstairs into the office. I wasn't sure how I'd like it, but I think that it definitely opens the room up a bit and helps to not make it feel cramped. Unfortunately, now I have issues with the office that I fear is taking priority over the living room, and I am once again struck with severe decorator's block. How does one exactly decorate an office when there are stacks of paper crap everywhere? It's the one room I don't even try to organize anymore because I get overwhelmed with all that I need to do in there.

But that's beside the point.

Today we put in horizontal blinds to get rid of the awful vertical ones!
The small random corner window still has verticals but that's because they were out of the small size, so we'll have to wait to install those until later. Doesn't it look a million times better!? Up next, curtains!

S.O.S.

Ok dear beloved friends, I need help. I'm lost and confused and my life has no direction until I can resolve this major issue in my life. I am counting on input from all (no matter how few) who read this. I've got a case of decorator's block.

You see, I grew up in a home where every few months, the decorations changed to match the holidays and seasons. We had white walls so that they matched every color from green for St. Patrick's Day, to Red/White/Blue for Independence Day, to orange/brown for autumn. There was no permanent decor in our house, with the exception of a few pictures of us children. I currently have a phobia of white walls because of growing up in such an environment.

But now that I have my own house, I realize that I have absolutely no idea how to decorate it. I refuse to change decorations every month (with the minor exception of Christmas, but come on, who doesn't decorate for Christmas?!) leading me to wonder how to decorate for every day purposes. It's almost a year since we moved into this home, and I still haven't fully decorated it. I keep putting it off, waiting for inspiration, or for that perfect color combination to hit me. Nope, still hasn't happened. So now I turn to you folks to help me out. Here is my current situation:

Problem #1: Brown walls, brown carpet, brown couches. Think it might be a bit too much? I do. But since I can't afford to replace either the carpet or couches, wall color will have to change. Only question is to what? Oh, and forgive me for that awful looking pillow on the loveseat. It is a product of Tyler's 7th grade home ec class and as soon as I have my sewing machine I plan on putting a decent cover over it. But that quilt on the other hand. . . I made that summer of 09 and I'm proud of it!

Problem #2: Vertical blinds. These are the cheap ones you find in apartment complexes so managers can say at least something is there for a little bit of privacy. We hate these, but don't really know what to do with them. Curtains? Regular horizontal blinds? And with the windows so close together, how do I do curtains?
Problem #3: DVD storage. We have none. They are all currently sitting in a box in our office upstairs. Not the most ideal of situations. Ideas on storage that isn't in the walkway?
Problem #4: Our excuse for a coffee table. It is really a huge box with a blanket over it. But we keep trying to figure out if we should get an ottoman or a table. A little extra blanket storage would be nice, but would it be too bulky?

Problem #5 (and probably the biggest one): this wall. I look at it every day and I have no idea what to do with it. I feel like it's super weird to have it right next to the TV, but it's too bare to leave as is. What on earth do I do with this space? I'm going crazy trying to think of something to put here!

Ok, this isn't a problem, just a shout out to my husband for the flowers. :) Although, there is this window too with those same vertical blinds. . . . curtains? I don't know what to do with this window either.

Well folks, I need help. This is definitely my area of weakness and I feel like I'm out of my league now. Help is greatly appreciated!

Seattle

So I was (finally) uploading pictures from my camera to the computer and ran across this little trip Tyler and I took back in September. For Ty's birthday he got tickets to see a Texas Rangers game (his favorite MLB team) and since the closest MLB stadium in the NW is up in Seattle, we went to one of the Mariners-Rangers game from last season. It was a really fun trip! I loved just going up there for the weekend and spending time with my brother and sis-in-law. Photographic evidence that we have indeed toured Seattle:

Our first stop was a tour on this ship in Bremerton. I don't remember the name. I just remember some old guy kept going on and on giving just Tyler and me a personal tour. It was long and a bit boring for my taste, but Ty enjoyed it. The next morning, we headed into Seattle via ferry and our first stop was Pike's!

Where we saw this little beauty.

Next we took a tram to the Space Needle where we waited forever in line. Side note: the next time you decide to have a family reunion in Seattle, don't entertain the tired children by singing annoying childish songs while you wait in line. It is highly irritating to hear "B-I-N-G-O! B-I-N-G-O! B-I-N-G-O! And BINGO was his name-o!" over and over and over and over again.

This was taken inside the Space Needle where we had to get away from the family reunion people.(But can we just pause a minute and adore how dang good my husband looks? Just look at those blue eyes!)


View from the top of the needle.

Then I had my first ever experience with gelato. And lets just say that I am a goner. Ice cream is nothing compared to gelato!

Then we finally went to the game at Safeco Field.
These were our seats. Awesome. Thanks Mom and Dad!
But lets face it, I'm no baseball fan. I was really excited to go just so I could see this guy play. He was pretty cool to watch. And the Rangers won, so my husband was happy. It was a great trip we took and I'm sure it will be the first of many Seattle trips we'll take as long as we're here in Oregon.

Latest Love

Apples with nutella and peanut butter. Seriously the best combination ever. Just melt nutella and PB in microwave and prepare for a delicious treat. I can't stop eating it, but since I'm eating it with apples, it must be healthy, right? :)

Simple Things

Yesterday was a pretty average day. I didn't have classes or clinical, but I did have a mound of homework and housework to sort through. I ended up not getting around to cleaning the house like I said I would. . . the laundry remains unfolded, the junk mail needs to be sorted through, I still can't see my dining room table for all of the homework/dishes/mail on top of it, I didn't prepare my YW lesson for Sunday, heck I didn't even make my bed.

But then my husband came home. And he didn't care that I hadn't cleaned the house like I said I would. He just took me in his arms and held me. Oh how I love that man! We ate a fabulous dinner together, courtesy of Pioneer Woman, and snuggled up on the couch to watch the latest TV series Netflix hooked us on. The dog joined our snuggling too, and I was snuggled onto my husband, and my dog was snuggled onto me. It was perfect. Soon enough, Tyler fell asleep and so did Chloe, each of them snoring a little bit. It was then that I realized how blessed I am. I don't have a perfect life by any means, but in that moment life was perfect. It's the simple things that bring me great joy. It doesn't matter that I'm not the perfect wife with the super clean perfect house. I'd gladly take another day of spending time with my family over doing housework.

Dear Bathrobe,

I love you so much. Opening you this Christmas gave me instant joy and warmth. You are so cozy, and so soft, and wearing you keeps me warmer than wearing a blanket. Getting out of bed in the mornings isn't quite so bad when I can put on.

But I think it's time we spend some time apart. You see, when I put you on, I never want to take you off. Then I don't get dressed. And then I don't do my hair or makeup. It is currently 4:07 PM and I am still wearing you. I'm putting off my errands because I do not want to lose your soft fluffy touch. This is a problem.

Please don't be offended. We've had some really great times together. But I need to enjoy my winter wardrobe while it's still winter. My sweaters miss me. And frankly, you need to be washed. Maybe once you smell good again we can spend more time together.

Love,
Robyn