the taylor life

New Blog!

2009-01-07T21:17:00.000-08:00

Howdy ya'll!

Hope you are all enjoying 2009!

Chris and I have started a new blog because some strange things have been going on with this blog???? Don't worry, I will spare you the IT jargon.

Anyway....the new blog is c-and-m-taylor.blogspot.com.

We don't have anything on the new blog except a picture, but that will change soon.

Love,
C & M

Happy New Year From The Taylors

2009-01-02T14:42:00.000-08:00

Random Pictures --- As of Late

2008-12-30T21:40:00.000-08:00

I woke up early Sunday morning this fall and this is what I found above our house

Monica decorating the Christmas Tree

Another Hot Air Balloon

Taking Diggy for a walk in Newport, we were celebrating our 1 year anniversary.

My action shot of Diggy in the snow

Fourth Street Live in Louisville, KY

These last two pictures are from our visit to the University of Cincinnati. I was really excited to be able to tour this campus and meet with various staff in the School of Design. Out of all the schools I am applying too, this is the most prestigious for Architecture. U of C has been ranked in the top 10 every single year. The architecture at this school is crazy, I felt like I was at a museum. The picture above is the entry to their student recreation center, it was massive, Probably 5 times the size of OSU's and best of all it overlooked the football stadium, so you can work out and watch football.

I included this last one because it reminded me of Monica. This is the 3 story Starbucks on the U of C campus. Cool huh, it also overlooks the football stadium too (this might mean Monica will actually watch a game with me, because she can stay warm)

Mt. Hood Railroad

2008-12-30T21:21:00.000-08:00

To celebrate our anniversary, graduation and the fall term of school being done, I surprised Chris with a trip on the Mt. Hood Railroad

The 4 hour train ride travels from Hood River to the base of Mt. Hood and back. If you haven't been to that part of Oregon you really should, there are lots of orchards and farms, rivers and streams, waterfalls, nature galore.

Along the way we were served a 4 course holiday brunch and champagne, it was really romantic and yummy!

Where do I begin???

2008-12-28T14:14:00.000-08:00

First of all, I (Monica) am officially a graduate again. I finished my double degree program a few weeks ago and couldn't be happier to be done with school for a while. Chris finished his fall term of school as well. It is hard to believe he will have his Master's degree in only two more terms, it seems like he just started. I don't know how he manages to do all that he does, but I have been blessed with an amazing husband.

You would think with school done things would have slowed down for us, but think again. As soon as finals were completed, Chris was on "operation finish grad school applications". For those of you who have applied to grad school, you know what I am talking about. But, I am happy to say he is done with his portfolios, letters of intent, etc. FINALLY!!

On the 13th of December (right after finishing Chris's portfolios), we flew to Kentucky with two missions: 1. Meet with grad schools and 2. Visit family. Chris had never been to that part of the country and wanted to check out some various schools he was interested in before applying. We visited, University of Tennessee, University of Kentucky, and University of Cincinnati. I am glad we took a few days of the trip to visit the different schools, it allowed for us to see the campuses, meet with admissions and more importantly, Chris got to sit down with various people in the Arch. departments to ask questions and tour various classes. It was a neat experience for me, since I was able to see what Chris's life will be like for the next 3-4 years. Let me tell you it is INTENSE.

When campus tours were completed we were off to Evansville, IN for a week to visit my dad's side of the family! We finally were able to sleep in, sit on our butts and watch TV, eat yummy food, and relax! Chris met my gazillion family members (slight over exaggeration), and I visited aunts/uncles/cousins that I haven't seen in over 10 years, my trip was long overdue. Although I have been a little freaked out about the possibility of moving so far away from my parents and sister, this trip eased my fears a bit knowing I have so many family members a short drive away.

After a week in southern Indiana, we were headed back home (kinda). After flying from Louisville to Chicago, we were informed that we missed our flight to Portland. We were extremely lucky to get tickets on the next flight to Portland since there had been people waiting to fly to Portland for 3 days. As were were about to board our flight to Oregon we were informed via loud speaker that the Portland Airport was closed due to ice on the runway. After many moans and groans from frustrated travellers, we were able to board the flight as they would have the runways cleared by the time we arrived. 4 hours later we landed in what looked like Alaska not Oregon, to find that the runways were cleared but there was still too much ice leading from the runway to our gate so we were going to have to wait for the ice to clear. 2 1/2 hours later we arrived at our gate surrounded by pandemonium in the plane! It was bad (I won't even tell you what was being yelled, but I am sure you can imagine).

Thankfully, United comped all of us with a discount on our next flight otherwise there may have been injuries.

After waiting at the airport for 3 hours, my mom picked us up and took us for a crazy ride back to Vancouver. Chris and I couldn't believe the winter wonderland we witnessed. It was amazing trip but we were glad to be home.

This was the view of my parent's driveway on Christmas Eve!

I will post more pictures later!

Family Photo

2008-11-23T11:02:00.000-08:00

Quick Update

2008-11-17T16:25:00.000-08:00

Our past month has looked like this....

Study
Eat (Chris has lost 20 pounds since August, but yes he has been eating)
Basketball game every Thursday
Teach
Attend class
Work
Walk the Dog
Anniversary trip to the coast
Dress up Diggy for Halloween
Finish grad school applications
Show house to potential buyers
Celebrate Thanksgiving early with family in Vancouver
Watch Football

Pretty repetitive, and extremely boring.

Hope everyone is doing well!
More updates to come!

Blog Break!

2008-10-13T10:04:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to fore-warn our faithful readers, that we will be taking a break from blogging for a couple months. This is why.

I am taking 22 credits this term to graduate in December and working 25+ hours a week. On top of that, as I noted in a previous blog we are selling our house. Which means, I am constantly cleaning and packing boxes. http://corvallis.craigslist.org/reo/858715281.html

You think that is bad, wait until you read Chris's craziness....

Chris is finishing his Master's degree, working full-time, teaching at OSU, writing a thesis, finishing his portfolio and applications for grad school, and he is trying to stay on top of his CT Design work.

We keep reminding ourselves, this is just a crazy season in our lives and come Christmas time, our work load will be a little lighter. At least for me.

On a side note: we will be celebrating our 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY, in a couple weeks. Which means, a much needed mini vacation. We can't wait!

Update

2008-09-28T20:33:00.001-07:00

I haven't had a chance to post pictures of our latest happenings, so here they are... Chris and went up to Issaquah last weekend to visit my sister and her husband Robbie. They took us to the Polk County fair where we were introduced to the scone cart (random I know, but they were great), Mutton Bustin', mini Nascar racing (see above), and much more. It is always nice to get out of town and even better when it is visiting family.
Mutton Bustin': Take a wet sheep, add a 5 year old kid and turn them lose. I had no idea what this was before I went, but it was amazingly addicting. I could have watched it for hours. Here is a picture of the USC/OSU game before our camera died.

Lastly, when we first got Diggy, Chris made a rule....ABSOLUTELY NO DOG CLOTHES! I was doing good with the rule until I realized Dollar Tree sold dog rain coats. I admit, I broke down and purchased our little guy, a red rain coat with a blue stripe. How can you say no to $1? Anyway, yesterday we went to Target to find a dog bed and look what CHRIS BOUGHT! A dog letterman jacket. I just rolled my eyes, a dog letterman jacket? I mean, seriously, who does that?

USC Who?

2008-09-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

Oregon State 27
USC 21

Enough Said!

My to do list!

2008-09-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

I have decided I am going to teach myself how to knit! An old room-mate of mine left me tons of yarn and knitting needles, but sadly they have been sitting in my closet for the last 2 years.

Chris has brought to my attention numerous times that I can't sit still for longer than a half hour (actually his words were more like, "You have a serious case of A.D.D...can't you just sit down for 30 minutes?"). I figure knitting could help.

Plus, I have found that playing with yarn has the following benefits:
1. Health: Knitting is known to have great health benefits. Research has shown, knitting has the same effect on stress as yoga (balancing stress levels).
2. Financial savings: Most knitting tools cost less than $20 to start. If you want fancier materials, you will have to pay more. Plus, if you can knit a beanie/scarf/etc, you don't have to pay ten or twenty bucks for them anymore.
3. Creative outlet: Even if you don't think of yourself as a "creative type," you can still express yourself by knitting. Design your own patterns. Choose your own colors. Make your own shapes. You're in control of your knitting.

For Sale!!

2008-09-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

Chris and I have decided after MUCH thought that we will be putting our house up for sale by the end of October.

A scary concept for us with the housing market in the dumps along with the rest of the economy.

The reason:
Chris has decided he will be going to grad school again next year and most all of the universities he is applying to will require us to move. I say most because two of the schools, UofO and Portland State, are close enough that he could commute, but far enough away that he doesn't want to.

This may come as a shock to most of our readers, but we didn't want to wait until the last minute hoping the market would change for the better. If we sell quickly, we will rent an apartment in Corvallis until June....at least that's the plan.

Iowa

2008-09-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying....WE LOVE IOWA! I was lucky enough to be able to spend many summers there growing up, since both sets of my grandparents lived there along with too many family members to count. My sister and I spent those summers eating sweet corn, hiking in the woods at my grandparent's cabin, jumping off rocks into the Coralville reservoir, feeding cows, catching kittens at the farm, and soooo much more. So many memories I hope I never forget.

Unfortunately, as I got older and spent my summers on the softball field, an Iowa trip has been WAY overdue. When I was reminded of our annual family reunion, Chris and I decided it was time to go back. Chris didn't know what he was getting himself into.

We spent most of our week in the Corvalville/North Liberty/Iowa City area where the family reunion was and where my grandparents have their cabin. The picture above is of our 1st day at the cabin, my grandparents took us to see one of their outhouses that my grandpa decorated with Chris and Robbie's (my sister's husband) names. That's the way my family welcomes new family members.....haha. I could write a whole blog about the Amana Colonies, but so could Ashton Kutcher since he was raised there. My family headed out to the Colonies for the most amazing food ever! Seriously! The food is served family style, with no menu. You sit, they serve. Eggs, German pancakes, fruit, bacon, bread, etc. Yumm-o! You never know what you are going to get, but you will never be disappointed! Guaranteed.
Isn't this a pretty church?
On our last night, my grandparents took us down to the family farm in Columbus Junction. It was such a great time!
One of the great things about Iowa, is that you don't have to irrigate your crops. That's right NO WATER. Can you believe it? Look how green it is! Chris decided he was a child of the corn.

We had such a great time and we can't wait to go back! Thank you grandma and grandpa for treating us to such a great time!

Kansas/Missouri

2008-09-15T20:08:00.001-07:00

Okay, back to some road trip blogging. I decided to combine Kansas & Missouri since we were in the area for only a day and a half. We decided to include Kansas in our trip because Chris's friend Mike is in Pharmacy School at KU. Chris met Mike back in 2003 when they were working as counselors at Camp Winadu in Pittsfield, Mass. and has been wanting to go visit him for a long time.

We arrived in Lawrence at around 3pm, hung out with Mike and his family for a bit then a couple hours later we were off to Kansas City, Mo for a Royals v. Redsox game. Here we are with George Brett, who happens to be my Dad's favorite player. We cheered for the Red Sox!!!
Chris and Mike tried to rush the field after the Red Sox won The next day we hung out around Lawrence, which by the way was an awesome town. It was kind of like Corvallis, but with 100x more humidity:) We also walked all around the KU campus and checked out the Sports Hall of Fame in the KU basketball arena. Since KU won last year's BBall national Championship we had to check out the basketball court too(actually we broke in since the arena was closed off to be repainted).

Brooke and Ben's Wedding

2008-09-08T20:15:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, the 5 of us ladies crammed into Imelda's car and drove 8 hours to Lake Almanor, CA for our dear friend Brooke Elliot's wedding. It was a long drive, but well worth it! Here we are ready for the rehearsal dinner and some square dancing. It was so much fun!
Here we are, an hour before the wedding. Brooke, as you can see, was such a BEAUTIFUL bride! She is such an amazing woman and friend, Ben is one lucky man!
The wedding was held at her parent's house on the golf course. Here is part of the reception area. The whole event was so pretty, the food was beyond good, and the weather was perfect.
Introducing....Mr. and Mrs. Gerber. Aren't they a cute!

Puppy

2008-09-03T21:21:00.000-07:00

We have officially completed week one with the little guy, and it has been one crazy week. Between two beach trips, being neutered, getting used to a new home, meeting new faces, learning how to sit and fetch, and getting his paws stepped on twice, Diggy has had an exhausting first week. Look at that cute face!
Please disregard the strange look on my face, I was trying to figure the timer on my camera and then it went off. Oops. You can tell I am not a technology person.We are in the process of crate training, so here is a phase one picture....eating in the crate.

I apologize for the lack of quality puppy pictures, but it is hard to get our little guy to stand still, with the exception of sleep time and meal time.

WE ARE PARENTS!

2008-08-24T07:32:00.000-07:00

Meet Sir Digsby (AKA, Dig/Diggy), our new son. We are poodle parents. haha.

We had been looking for toy poodles or poodle breeds since they are hypo-allergenic and have little to no shedding, for Chris. Yesterday, I called Heartland Humane Society on a whim since I stalk their web page on a daily basis, and guess what.....they had a new puppy and he wasn't loaded onto their web page yet. This was a sign.

When we got to the shelter it was love at first sight. He was the cutest 2lb hair ball we have ever seen. We knew he was ours. Or so we thought, but right after we rescued him he was kidnapped by his grandparents and taken to the beach.. we hope to be reunited with our first child soon!

(Kia your nephew can't wait to see you!)

Nebraska

2008-08-22T17:35:00.000-07:00

We had an interesting time in Nebraska. The first time we drove through the state we stopped in Fort Kearney to camp. It was a beautiful night to camp....at first. Having travelled to the Midwest many times, I know that summer weather can change suddenly. Because of this, I suggested to Chris to put the rain fly on our tent before we went to bed. His response, "I don't think we will need it. The sky is clear and it will be nice to see the stars." I agreed. Fast forward to 2AM....DOWNPOUR. We exhaustively and grumpily got out of the tent and put the stupid rain fly on. That wasn't the end of it. Fast forward to 4AM. Groggy, I awoke with a strange sensation...my felt like they were lifting off the ground. Probably, because THEY WERE, and so were Chris's because of the high winds. Our air mattress was catching some serious air. I turned towards Chris with the fear of a tornado nearing thinking he was awake, devising a plan to save us if a tornado was indeed coming. Boy was I wrong, we was sound asleep. How can you sleep through that?

Enough venting about the weather. New subject....the bugs. They were beyond big, I think they were dinosaur bugs. Please see exhibit A below. This thing, whatever it was, was longer than my finger. If I had a saddle, I probably could have taken it for a ride. (slight exaggeration)
After experiencing "rural" Nebraska we decided we should head to the city. Here is a picture of University of Nebraska's football field. This thing made OSU's stadium look like a high school football field. Our last Nebraska site....Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium. Most Beaver fans recognize this, since the OSU baseball team won two national baseball titles here.
We found out this field will be completely demolished in 2 years to make way for a new $140 million dollar stadium across town.

Olympic Park

2008-08-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

One last Utah Blog....Olympic Park Extras..... This park was really neat! This park was created for the 2002 winter Olympics, but they now have a training facility for athletes to train in the summer. Here are pictures of the Aerial training facility Instead of landing on snow they land in the pool. Neat, huh? We were really lucky to be able to watch the Chinese Olympians train while we were there.
These guys were crazy!!
Random pic of Chris attempting to fulfil his bobsledding dreams.
Back to the Olympians. Here is a great picture Chris took of an athlete right before entering the pool.
This was the only female athlete we saw attempt to go off the highest slope. Nice form!

One other side note....Utah's Olympic Park is the only place you can ride on an ACTUAL OLYMPIC BOBSLED TRACK! They have professionals to drive, of course.

UTAH

2008-08-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

I wish we had more time in Utah to site see. We went from place to place to place and we still didn't see everything we wanted, not even close. At least most of the sights were indoors so we could get out of the 105 degree weather.....HOT! We started out in Lehi, at Thanksgiving Point, where they house the largest collection of dinosaur fossils in the world. It was pretty impressive.
Next stop, the Red Butte Gardens. We have a ton of pictures from this place, it was amazing. Acres upon acres of stunning gardens to enjoy. The cool thing about these gardens is that the park is divided into gardens within gardens....sounds strange I know. There is a Japanese garden, rose garden, vegetable garden, butterfly garden, animal garden, children's garden, etc. Plus, the garden is built into a hillside so wild animals mingle through the garden too. Here we are taking a breather and enjoying the views of downtown Salt Lake City. Temple Square. The pictures don't do this place justice, this place was MASSIVE.
Park City, Utah home of the winter Olympics.
Next stop Snowbird Ski Resort.....once again impressive. Now we know why this place was voted top skiing destination last year, you feel like you are in The Alps. Snowbird is really famous for their innovative concepts as well. Above is their newest creation (and only one in the world) it is giant tunnel with a conveyor belt in the middle to transport skiers/snowboarders....who needs a chairlift any more? What do they do with their old chair lift? Another innovation....extend it, so tourists like Chris and I can ride it 10,000 feet up a mountain. It took 30 minutes just to reach the top of the mountain and I at one point I thought I was going to pass out we got so high. I am glad I did it, but I probably won't do it again.

Here I am happily on the ground back at the resort:)

Idaho

2008-08-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

Probably, the least exciting part of our drive was through Southern Idaho (no offense to any readers who like the area). It was brown, it was barren, and it was a little lack luster compared to the rest of our drive. There were are few highlights though.... For all you sports fans, you probably recognized this football field immediately. Though our time in Boise was short we had to make the stop to see the famous "smurf turf" at Boise State University.
The state capitol building.
Chris's new friends.
Twin Falls, ID: Atop the snake river canyon. There is a really cool golf course right behind us at the bottom of the canyon.
Again with the snake river behind us.

Next state: UTAH

Home Sweet Home!

2008-08-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

Man-o-man we had one great trip. We spanned a little more than 5,100 miles and 8 states in three weeks. I will post some pictures soon!

Road Trip Update!

2008-08-10T15:20:00.001-07:00

Monica and I have decided we are road-trippers! It is now day 11 of our vacation and we are loving every minute of our zig zagging excursion. Only 8 days left and so much more to see. We will hopefully post tons of pictures when we return.

Off we go.....

2008-07-30T10:27:00.001-07:00

Into the wild blue yonder. Actually, wild road yonder. Around noon tomorrow Chris and I will be departing for Boise, then Salt Lake, then....many more places.

3 weeks of driving, camping, and site seeing. Over 4, 600 miles. How many more? Who knows the list of things to see keeps growing as I write this.

Things we are most excited for (in no particular order)
1. Red Sox v. Royals Game
2. "Real" Kansas City BBQ
3. Spending time with Family and Friends
4. The Tetons
5. Horseback riding in Yellowstone Canyon
6. The Utah Olympic Park Zip Line (The World's Fastest) I hope I don't chicken out.
7. Spending 3 weeks together without work or school to worry about

We will be sure to post pictures when/if we can.

(PS. Thank you Zoe/David for house sitting and dealing with our house stuff)

DaVinci days

2008-07-20T07:15:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, my parents met Chris and I in town to check out our annual DaVinci day festival. It's an ode to everything art. As you will see below. A famous piece of artwork: The Monica Lisa
In my opinion the parade is the best part of the festival. The kinetic parade is filled with electric, manual, and solar powered vehicles. It is pretty cool to see what people think up. Oh and all of the vehicles are required to travel on land and water (the water parade is today).
The crowd favorite. You can't go wrong with a fire breathing dragon.
This poor guy in the gorilla really got a work out.
Some sidewalk art
This was funny. Corvallis High School made this BUTTerfly. The body/"butt" was created entirely from cigarette butts.

Grace City Church Rendering

2008-07-18T19:02:00.000-07:00

Last week, Monica posted some pictures of our church remodel. Here is a rendering I did so you guys could see the final product.

County Fair

2008-07-18T18:30:00.000-07:00

Chris and I live right down the street from the Linn County fair grounds, so we decided Thursday night would be fair night. Chris found out the fair had free admission before five, so we got off work a little early and walked 3 blocks to the fair. Of course, we had to make an immediate stop for some fair food...we decided to split the chicken burrito. In hindsight I now realize we probably made the healthiest decision, only because I was to lazy to wait in line for the funnel cake. After a brief stop to check out the booths, we headed in to see the 5 o'clock show. It was surprisingly entertaining. The Rhinestone Ropers were a western fan's dream. Not only did they have a horse that did whatever they wanted (including laying on it's back, see above) but they bull whipped, shot guns, lassoed and threw knives.
Here is the dad bull whipping a stick out of a boys mouth, blindfolded.
This was the grand finale.....throwing knives at his wife while she spun on the all-American wheel. What a wife!
Aren't fairs suppose to have pigs, cattle, and other barnyard animals? Well this one had a tiger, alligator, kangaroo, this porcupine and so many more.
Luckily this booth didn't take visa otherwise we may have owned these glasses.

Fab Friday Feature!

2008-07-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

Today's feature: Library Movie Rentals

I have decided the library has the best movie rental system. Not only do they have tons of documentaries (which Chris is beginning to like as well) and have a 2 week rental time, they are FREE. FREE FREE FREE!! Can't beat that price. The Box Sets are free too, actually we are watching CSI as I type this. Plus the 2 week rental means I don't have to rush to watch a movie or worry about late fees. We rent movies at both the Corvallis and Albany libraries and both are great. Check out your library, they probably have a similar policy.

Church Building Phase 1

2008-07-11T19:53:00.001-07:00

Our church has decided that it is time to update the building. Chris helped creating the design plans, which will make a huge change. Here is phase 1: Creating a glass entry way. There will be many more building phases as the year progresses, so I will try and keep you updated.

The Season is Over!

2008-07-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

I volunteered with Albany Little League to help coach the 10-11 year old all-star softball team. Although we didn't finish as well as we should have, 2nd place in districts isn't all bad. Here we are after receiving our second place medals

4th of July Camping

2008-07-07T08:15:00.001-07:00

(Campers not pictured: Kia and Robbie)

Fab Friday Feature

2008-06-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

Today's Feature: The Harvest Box

For more information click here http://denisonfarms.com/harvestbox.html

We are first time harvest box recipients and enjoying every minute of it. We highly recommend you check your local farms to see if they do something similar. It makes it a little harder to do meal plans since you don't know what produce you are getting until you go pick up your box, but the payoff is worth it.

Our Happenings as of Late

2008-06-25T19:53:00.001-07:00

I know I have been doing a really bad job of updating our blog with pictures, so here are a few from our latest adventures. We love the beach.
Waldport at my parents beach house. It was one of those rare beach weekends, the sun actually came out:)
Mac had a good time at the beach too
Opening night at the Corvallis Knights baseball game.
Our first crops of the year. Zucchini
Our apples won't be ready for a while but it is fun to watch them grow.
Our crazy climbing peas that are taking over.

I will post more pictures as soon as I get the time to download them all.

Fab Friday Feature

2008-06-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

Today's Feature: Our favorite Banana Nut Muffin Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour (you can substitute whole wheat flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 overripe bananas
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup apple sauce
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly butter 2 muffin tins.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together like you mean it, for a good 3 minutes. Add the melted butter, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins to fill them about halfway. Give them a rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.

Bake until a toothpick stuck in the muffins comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before turning the muffins out. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy

Mr. Smarty-pants

2008-06-17T08:12:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take a second to brag a little bit about Chris. He has officially finished his first year of grad school with a 4.0. Can you believe it? I am so proud of him!

Fab Friday Feature!

2008-06-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

Today's Fab Feature: My favorite road trip websites

With our upcoming road trip extravaganza I have been searching the internet like crazy for helpful tips and suggestions. The following are my top 5 road trip websites.....

1. www.roadfood.com
This is a great site with restaurant recommendations from locals and other travelers.

2. www.momsminivan.com
For all those mom's out there who are wondering what to do with your kid on a trip, check this out. There are ton's of free templates to download for kids of all ages...even adults(car bingo, road trip scavenger hunts, battleship, etc).

3. www.roadsideamerica.com
Ever wonder where the largest ball of stamps is stored? Did you know that just outside Salt Lake City you can find the largest pit in the world? Well, I didn't until I found this website. It is full of oddball facts and landmarks all over the US and Canada. These random places are perfect for a quick pit stop to get out and stretch your legs.

4. www.roadtripamerica.com
With gas prices rising this is the site for you. It will estimate the cost of your road trip based on miles per gallon, trip length, and the current cost gas. It will also tell you the cheapest places to get gas along the way. Cool huh?

5. www.thebathroomdiaries.com
For all you neat freaks (myself included), this is a great one. It is a forum for truck drivers, locals, and road-trippers to discuss their bathroom experiences at rest areas. Most of them are horror stories about unsanitary conditions, others are recommendations. There are even rankings for the cleanest bathrooms.

Fab Friday Feature!!

2008-06-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

Today's Fab Friday Feature: National Doughnut DayYep, that's right...it's doughnut day. Who knew there was such a holiday, well besides MSN since that's who informed me. Who cares about the nutritional value, it's time to celebrate!

Busy Saturday

2008-06-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

For some reason Chris and I woke up early Saturday, so we decided to take a early morning walk to the park to feed the ducks. As you can tell by the picture, Chris is wide awake and I need my coffee.
I was a little more awake by the time we got to the ducks.
Here are some of the little guys that were lucky enough to have some old hot dog buns for breakfast.
After our walk, I headed into Corvallis to hit the farmer's market and attend Cindy's bridal shower. After the shower Chris, Adam, Imelda and I drove up to Portland to Celebrate a 4- way birthday party for some of our friends. We feasted on Sushi and watched others enjoy their Shabu Shabu at Meiji-En Japanese Restaurant off Broadway.

Eventhough Portland is so close, we don't get up there nearly enough. I am glad we were able to catch up with old/new friends:)

Pictures of the Yard for Grandma K

2008-06-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

Chris has informed me that I need to post some more pictures of our yard in bloom for his Grandma in Wyoming, so here they are Grandma K. I took a lot more but for some reason the majority of them were blurry, sorry. One of our apple trees....I think it's a Gala??
Our loney little Hosta.
Pole peas and green onions (really they are onions, not grass)
Bush beans, pole beans, raddishes, and corn.

Fab Friday Feature!!

2008-05-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

Today's feature: Wedding Registry's

Since Chris and I got married I have been to 4 weddings and 5 bridal showers. This weekend my dear friend Cindy has her shower, which makes 6 showers in 6 months. I feel like everyone around me is getting married; love is in the air, along with the pollen.

You may disagree with me, but, I have come to really appreciate wedding registry's. All I have to do is print out the registry or go online and in no time I'm are buying something the couple actually wants/needs. I no longer worry about finding something the couple will like, because they picked it out. On top of that you don't need a gift receipt (unless you are buying at Target, we found this out w/ our wedding).

Fab Friday Feature

2008-05-23T07:42:00.001-07:00

Today's feature: Calculate your Carbon Footprint

A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases we produce. It is measured in units of carbon dioxide.

I truly believe that every American should do this!! Just Google Carbon footprint and there are tons of websites that do all the calculations for you. Choose a site that calculates more than just the state you live in and what kind of car you drive, carbonfootprint.com is a good one, but I am sure there are more.

I view myself as being pretty environmentally friendly. I don't drive a hybrid, but I shop organically and locally whenever possible, try not to by items with packaging, don't fly often, etc. but man my footprint is HUGE (huge being a relative word since sadly mine is about 3x smaller than the US average)

Here are my results:
My carbon footprint 7.01 tonnes.
The average American's footprint 20.4
The average world wide carbon footprint 4 tonnes.

But......
To combat climate change the world wide average needs to be 2 tonnes

Crazy huh!!

Cookies

2008-05-22T19:44:00.001-07:00

On May 2nd I posted a Fab Friday Feature regarding Martha Stewart's Cookie Cookbook. Well, yesterday I attempted to make the chewy gingerbread chocolate chip cookie. Once again her cookies do not disappoint... they are amazing, the best so far actually!!! Just to toot my own horn, please note the similarities between my version and the cookies on the cover. I may be a tad biased, but I think my cookies could be "cover girls".

Friends and Babies!!

2008-05-20T20:19:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Chris and finally got to hang out with our dear friends Michelle and Tyler and their sweet babies Ella and Asher. I was really excited to hang out with people again after being quarantined the week prior. I was also excited about the "girl time" Michelle and I managed to squeeze in before our husbands showed up. Friday also happened to be the hottest day of 2008 so far, I think it reached 97 degrees. Can you say hot, sweaty and sticky? Luckily Michelle whipped out a sprinkler for the kiddos to play in. Asher didn't really like it at first, probably because he kept making it go up his nose, but once he realized he shouldn't touch the sprinkler he warmed up to it.

Ella didn't seem as excited about the sprinkler as she did her huge Disney book. When/if I have a daughter I am definitely buying that book for her. She was loving that thing.

I am thankful for our friends and for their children. They are all such a joy to be around. I can't wait until Chris and I have children of our own to enjoy.....

Don't get too excited....it won't be for a while.

Fab Friday Feature

2008-05-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

Today's Feature: The CityPass

The CityPass saves nearly half the cost of visiting the most popular big city attractions in New York, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Southern California, Atlanta, Chicago, etc.
It includes tickets to the great icons of America and bundles them to cost about half what you'd pay for individual tickets.

The pass lets you avoid ticket lines and contains admission tickets, transportation information, attraction details, and discount and offer coupons. You just march through the doors, the attraction staff removes that ticket, and you're in, saving money and time.

We first found out about the CityPass in San Francisco last year and with our upcoming road trip we are going to get passes in Salt Lake City. The cost = $28 for a two day ticket(a $108 value).

For those of you traveling to a major US city or attraction.....look into this.

Spring has sprung!!

2008-05-13T19:25:00.000-07:00

It's official.....I love to garden. I grew up with a big yard and mom who's an official "master gardener" but I never knew that I loved to garden until Chris and I started our garden a few weeks ago.

A few weeks back I blogged about our 1st true gardening adventures. We were so excited that we had started our garden but our excitement was quickly erased when 4 days after our 80 degree gardening weekend we got snow. As if snow wasn't enough, we then got hail and freezing temperatures for the next week. While most people were enjoying our
crazy weather, all I could think about were our poor
seeds/"babies" a couple inches below the soil. I thought for sure all our plants were going to freeze over and die.
As the weather has slowly began to warm from our freakishly freezing Spring I have been excited beyond belief that ALL of our plants/seeds have survived (with the exception of our poor tomato plant).

**moment of slience for our loss**

Anyway, enough of my patheticness (I don't think that's a word but you catch my drift).

Fab Friday (Monday) Feature

2008-05-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

Since we missed our Fab Friday Feature last week, I decided to post it today to make up for it.

Our Fab choice for last week: OUR MOMS!!!

At last!!!!!!!

2008-05-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning for the first time in a week with no eye problems. WAHOO!!! I am ready to go out and be social again:)

What is wrong with us?

2008-05-06T19:07:00.000-07:00

I woke up Monday morning with an eye infection and Chris woke up this morning to find his lips were swollen. Poor guy, I think he has a bad heat rash on his lips. It looks like he had collagen injections:)

Road Trip!

2008-05-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

Here's the deal. Monica's family has a family reunion every August and she hasn't been able to make it to one in over ten years. So, after much debate we have decided we are going to road trip it. We will be departing August 1st and embarking on an 18 day road trip to places we have been wanting to check out.

Besides driving too many miles to count we will be experiencing some pretty amazing things together. We will also doing many "firsts"
First time Zip lining across a canyon
First time Horseback riding for longer than 10 minutes
First time seeing a Monet painting up close and personal
First time eating "real" BBQ
First time...... I guess we will wait and see.

We have created a "tentitive" road trip map so check it out. Let us know if there are any unknown must sees we should see along the way.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&ie=UTF8&ll=43.897892,-90.615234&spn=31.116091,81.914062&z=4&msid=108312964434737040035.00044c7226b9c8a52e3cb

Fab Friday Feature!!!

2008-05-02T06:48:00.000-07:00

This weeks feature: Martha Stewart's Cookies

Honestly, normally I am not a huge fan of Martha Stewart's recipes. For some reason when I cook them I feel this odd sense that everything needs to be perfect. I know I need to get over it.

Anyway, I went home this past weekend and saw this cookbook on my mom's kitchen counter. Not one to pass up a cookbook, I opened it up. The way this cookie cookbook is set up is genius! It is devided into categories like crunchy, saltie, chewy, etc. So if you are craving something googey, to flip to the googey chapter, check your pantry and choose accordingly. I have tried two of the recipies: Carrot cake cookies (Chewy) and Cornmeal Jam cookies (crunchy). Both were EXCELLENT. My mom said she has made other recipes and ALL of them turned out great.

Since Chris is a major cookie fan I may have to buy a copy for myself:)

April Movie Reviews

2008-04-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

1. Juno:
The Basic Plot: Juno, a high school junior finds herself pregnant unexpectantly. The film follows her quirky life and how she gets through her 9 long months of pregnancy. It's a mix between Napolean Dinomite and 9 months.
Review: This movie is hilarious! It's witty, creative, and engaging throughout. Although there are some awkward scenes, I would highly recommend watching this.
Chris gives it: B (I would have given it an A if there wasn't an awkward sex scene)
Monica gives it: A

2. Charlie Wilson's War:
The Basic Plot: Set in the 1980s, this movie is based on the real life story of Charlie Wilson, a Texas Congressman. Along with the help of his friends, Charlie helps the government of Afghanistan defeat the Russian military.
Review: The fact that this is a true story makes the movie twice as good as it really should be. The story travels a little too fast and would benifit from a little more detail in certain scenes. One of the best parts of the movie is the top notch cast: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
Chris gives it: B
Monica gives it: C (It wasn't great/It wasn't horrible)

3. Delta Farce:
The basic plot: Three (unique) soldiers are on their way to Iraq. A couple hours into the flight they fall asleep and are unknowingly dropped out of the cargo hole. When they wake up they think they are in Iraq but they soon realize they are in Mexico.
Review: I can't believe we actually watched this movie. We had never seen a Larry the Cable Guy movie before, but it was exactly what we expected.
Chris gives it: D (There was an occassional funny scene but overall this movie was a dud)
Monica Gives it: C

4. Cocaine Cowboys:
The basic plot: A documentary following the effects of cocaine on Miami in the early 1980s
Review: Wow. I had no idea this life actually exsisted in America. The violence, drugs, and money, that cocaine created in Miami was staggering. You should definately watch it.
Chris gives it: A
Monica gives it: A

Savage/Phillips Wedding

2008-04-26T17:14:00.001-07:00

Chris and I drove up to Gladstone yesterday for our 4th wedding in the last few months. Becky (the bride) and I have known eachother for over 20 years. We used to annoy our parents with our constant talking and embarrass them by shouting hymns at the top of our lungs in church. Now that we are grown our families rarely get together so it was nice reuniting for such a special day.

Here was a precious moment from the ceremony.... Please notice the thumbs up from Matt:)

Fab Friday Feature (a day early since I won't have time to post tomorrow)

2008-04-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

6 of Natures Finest Cleaners:

Did you know that you can clean your whole home with just 6 things? Well you can!

1. Baking soda: Acts as a scrub to remove hard water stains; polishes metal; deodorizes pretty much anything it touches (try stashing some in the fridge).
2. Borax: Mixed with three parts water, it makes a paste for cleaning carpet stains; mixed with ¼ part lemon juice, it cleans stainless steel and porcelain. (Note: although borax is a natural substance, you still shouldn’t eat it—and neither should your kids or pets.)
3. Lemon: Deodorizes and cuts grease on counter tops; rubbed on cutting boards, it bleaches stains and disinfects; combined with baking soda, it removes stains from plastic food storage containers.
4. Salt: Another natural scrubber—sprinkle it on cookware or oven surfaces, then rub; add citrus juice to turn it into an effective rust remover.
5. White vinegar: Deodorizes and disinfects; combine with water (and a little liquid soap—I know, it feels like cheating) to clean windows, mirrors and floors; use at full strength in a spray bottle to fight mold and mildew.
6. Olive Oil: Mix two parts oil with one part lemon juice and use as a natural wood polish. (Save the really good stuff for dinner.)

Tagged

2008-04-24T13:43:00.000-07:00

Four Things...

Four jobs we've had:
Chris
1) Student
2) Teacher
3) Business Owner
4) Burger Flipper
Monica
1) Student
2) Teacher
3) Coach
4) Wife

Four movies we've watched more than once:
Chris
1) The Godfather
2) Star Wars (all of them)
3) Back to the Future
4) Dumb and Dumber
Monica
1) Pretty Woman
2) Karate Kid
3) Troop Beverly Hills
4) Jungle Books

Four places we've lived:
Chris
1) Albany
2) Corvallis
3) Eugene
4) Roseburg
Monica
1) Portland
2) Vancouver
3) Corvallis
4) Albany

Four TV Shows we watch:
Chris
1) The Office
2) Lost
3) Forensic Files
4) Extreme Home Makeover
Monica
1) Project Runway
2) House Hunters
3) The Hills
4) Judge Judy

Four places I've been:
Chris
1) New York City
2) San Francisco
3) Waldport
4) Seattle
Monica
1) Yellowstone National Park
2) Hawaii
3) Mt. Rushmore
4) Washington DC

Four people who email us regularly (doesn’t include blogging comments):
Chris
1) Monica
2) Grandparents
3) Clients
4) Work
Monica
1) Chris
2) Grandpa
3) Parents
4) My Advisor

Four of our favorite foods:
Chris
1) Anything Monica cooks
2) Steak
3) Pie
4) Otis Spunkmeyer cookies
Monica
1) Avacados
2) Tomatoes
3) Oatmeal
4) Espresso ice cream

Four places we would like to visit:
Chris
1) Hawaii
2) London
3) NYC in the Winter
4) Pretty much everywhere
Monica
1) Alaska
2) NYC-to visit Sarah
3) Dublin
4) Egypt

Four things we're looking forward to in the coming year:
Chris
1) Traveling
2) Summer Break
3) Camping
4) Finishing our yard
Monica
1) Family Reunion (I haven't been to one in 10 years)
2) Seeing if our garden actually grows
3) Being newlywed
4) The Sunshine

What is with this weather?

2008-04-21T17:35:00.000-07:00

Please tell me why we are still having snow/hail in the middle of April? The hail Saturday was so big it looked like white chocolate chips (the picture shows the crazy hail in our backyard). We've had snow, thunder, rain, hail, wind, and lighning all in a span of one week. I am ready for some SUN:)

Happy Birthday Chris!!!!!!!!

2008-04-19T09:18:00.000-07:00

Happy 27th birthday to the love of my life!

Fab Friday Feature

2008-04-18T10:30:00.000-07:00

Bob's Red Mill Whole Ground Flaxseed Meal

Ground flaxseeds have a nutty taste and are a noted health-giving digestive aid. They are also high in fiber and are powerful natural cholesterol controllers. In a 2 Tablespoon serving size (13 grams) the fiber content is 1.33 grams of Soluble Fiber and 2.67 grams of Insoluble Fiber. Ground Flaxseeds are a good source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids. In a 2 Tablespoon serving, there is 2400 mg of Omega 3.

I know it looks like it would taste horrible, but it hardly has a taste at all (I promise). I put it in my oatmeal, yogurt, cookie dough, salad dressing, basically everything I can.

All of Red Mill's products are made the old fashioned stone ground way and they are yummy. No one will even notice if you put a few tablespoons in your recipes, so go ahead.....try it!

Warning....Best game ever!!!

2008-04-17T14:21:00.000-07:00

I was recently introduced to this amazing game that I can't stop playing. If you are competitive you may not want to try:)

http://www.travelpod.com/traveler-iq

The highs and lows of yard work!

2008-04-13T15:43:00.001-07:00

Since the sun finally showed itself to the Willamette Valley yesterday, Chris and I decided to attack our neglected yard. Man-o-man, for such a small yard we have a lot of work ahead of us. We weeded, sprayed weed killer, planted seeds, scattered grass seed, transplanted a bush, cleaned off our porch and mowed the lawn (well I guess you would call it mowing....see lawn story below). We worked our tails off and have the blisters and splinters to prove it.

Our 5 hours of yard work flew by, but we realize that there is so much MORE to do. Our backyard is going to be our Spring project. We have big plans to have it ready by summer so we can enjoy it while the sun is out.

One of the things we are most excited about is our future garden. Eventhough our lawn is small we are using some of the borders for our organic garden. So far we have planted corn, radishes, green onions, cucumbers, beans, peas, tomatoes, and squash. My Iowa relatives would be so proud of their Oregon girl. We had to start our herbs indoors since it is still a bit too cold, but I will be transplaning those in about a month or two.

We have found that yard work is harder than it looks. When you are new at the yard work thing you kind of have to learn on the fly. There are constant questions, like: when to plant, what kind of fertilizer to use, how much to water, and as we learned yesterday how short to cut the grass. Chris has mowed our lawn before, but for some reason he decided yesterday to mow it at the shortest setting. BAD IDEA!! Basically he mowed our lawn bald. Oh well, grass is like hair...it grows back (hopefully). Let's just hope it grows back FAST!!!!!!

Fab Friday Feature

2008-04-11T11:46:00.001-07:00

Weiman Stainless Steel Wipes:

I used to despise our appliances. I like the way stainless steel looks, but they are SO hard to keep clean! We have tried many cleaners in our six months at the house and all of them failed miserably (and that's an understatement). They left streaks, smudges, fingerprints, smelled horrible, etc.

A couple weeks ago I was reading Real Simple magazine which happened to be the Reader's Choice issue. The issue listed the top cleaning supplies in a number of different categories (which by the way, I have tried some of the other winners and they were all amazing).

When I saw the recommendation for Weiman wipes and realized I had not tried this product before, I figured it was worth a try. I drove to Target bought a canister for a practical $3.99, and rushed home to try them out!

For a neat freak like myself, these were the answer to my prayers:) They worked as advertized and actually smelled nice. Even Chris noticed the difference. If you have stainless steel anything, try these babies out.

The Hills are Alive!!!

2008-04-08T13:13:00.001-07:00

The new season of The Hills has begun....

Why do I continue to subject myself to the ridiculousness of MTV's reality show, The Hills? It is like watching a train wreck and I can't look away?

Fab Friday Feature

2008-04-04T11:03:00.001-07:00

Introducing Fab Friday Features, our new weekly feature blog. Fab Friday posts will be dedicated to great inventions, great products, and items that bring a smile to our faces.

Our 1st Fab Friday Feature: Skype.

I know most of you savvy internet users are probably thinking to yourselves "duh", but we are just catching onto this Fab creation. Here is a run down of Skype for those of you whom are unfamiliar with this thanks to Wikipedia:

Skype is a sofware program created by the Swedish and Danish entrepreneurs Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis. Skype allows users to make telephone calls over the Internet to other Skype users free of charge and to landlines and cell phones for a fee. Additional features include instant messaging, file transfer, short message service, video conferencing and the ability to circumvent firewalls.

Skype is easy to download (it only took 10 minutes from start to finish), and allows you to call any internet user free of charge locally and around the world. For those world travelers out there, Skype is the way to go. The only drawback I have found is you need to have a relatively fast internet connection. Dial-up is a no-go.

Try it out, like I said it's free so you can't beat the price. Our user name is thetaylors9, so hit us up (DavidAbes1 especially).

Roger's Wedding

2008-03-31T15:56:00.000-07:00

The back of her dress was amazing

Mr. Sweet-tooth was so excited about the cookies:)

Final Four!!!

2008-03-30T17:48:00.000-07:00

For once I (Chris) got every final four team right in my pool.

That's Right....

I'm the MAN

March Movie Reviews

2008-03-29T17:09:00.000-07:00

1. Dan in Real Life:
The Basic Plot: It follows the life of a single dad w/ three girls.
The Review: We are big Steve Carell fans, but Chris was disappointed it wasn't funnier. I think my view is a little tainted because I was completely exhausted when we watched the film.
Chris gives it: B
Monica gives it: B

2. Drillbit Taylor:
The Basic Plot: Three high school "nerds" hire a body guard to protect them from bullies.
The Review: Oddly, I really enjoyed the movie. We laughed constantly (not just giggled, but hard belly laughs). There were a few parts Chris thinks could have been omitted, but we would definately watch it again.
Chris gives it: B
Monica gives it: A

3. Sideways:
The basic plot: Two friends travel through wine country (one: a groom-to-be / the other: the Bestman). The Bestman spends most of the time drinking away his sorrows, while the groom is on the prowl for one last "friend" before marriage.
Review: I have to admit....I was underwhelmed. I was excited when I saw the movie at the Corvallis Library, since I remembered it has won a few Oscars. It was really funny at times, but for the most part depressing.
Chris gives it: D or an E (He didn't like cheating, drinking, and nudity)
Monica Gives it: C

4. The Brave One:
The basic plot: After her boyfriend is beaten to death, Jodie Foster devotes her life to helping others and finding her boyfriend's killers.
Review: This movie is very intense throughout, and the acting is fantastic with many big names in Hollywood. We like intense, action packed movies so this was right up our alley.
Chris gives it: B
Monica gives it: B

5. Dirty Dancing Havana Nights:
The basic plot: Same as the original, only in Cuba.
Review: It was really bad! I am surprised we watched the whole thing. The acting was bad, the plot was bad, and they brought back Patrick Swazye which is bad on a whole other level
Chris gives it: D
Monica gives it: F

6. Horton Hears a Who:
Basic Plot: Horton the elephant, finds a spec that turns out to be an entire world called Whoville. Knowing he holds this small world in his hands, Horton knows he needs to find a safe place to keep it.....but it turns out to be harder than he thought.
Review: It is a great family film. I took my Boss' kids to see it and they all loved it. It was funny, witty, and creative.....just like the book.
Monica gives it: A

Home "Improvements??"

2008-03-27T20:23:00.001-07:00

Like I said in our last post, the Taylor's have not been having a "normal" break from school. Between work and home improvements we haven't had the Spring Break most college students would want; but we aren't your normal college students.

We have been chomping at the bit to paint, but painting takes time, which we normally dont have. It has been awesome adding our fun little touches to the house, fun being a relative term in this case (fun to me, lets get this over with to Chris).

You know paint is a funny thing, for less than $30 you can completely change the way a room looks and feels. Since Chris knows I have been waiting paitiently for 6 months, he let me pick out ALL of the colors. Of course I asked for his imput, but he let me make the final choice. A HUGE deal in our house, since he is a designer by trade. I loved moving furniture around and creating new spaces in the house. Here is our new entry way with a bench to hide our shoes under:) We painted our entry and Dining Room "Chai Spice", which was a very scary color to Chris at first but now he loves it.

We have painted 4 rooms (hopefully 2.5 more by the end of the break), gone through two large rolls of painters tape, 4 gallons of paint, and managed to only ruin one pair of paint splattered sweats each. Below is our guest bedroom and bathroom, so you are all welcome to come stay with us and see the colors for yourselves. Can't wait to do our bedroom next:)

Crazy Weekend!!!

2008-03-23T18:59:00.000-07:00

So much for relaxing.....In the last 48 hours we drove to Independence for a wedding, drove to the coast for Easter to say goodbye to our grandparents, and did some fun stuff to the house. I will put the pictures up as soon as I download them to my computer.

Oh, and I am sick of the weather. It was so windy at the beach that the rain was coming down horizontally??? It was strange! I am ready for a tropical vacation.

Who's Ready for..........

2008-03-20T15:17:00.000-07:00

We're done!!

2008-03-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

I am off to take my last final right now and Chris turned in his last paper yesterday, so you know what that means.............No school for 11 days!!!! We can't wait to have the time off.

That's Fierce!!!

2008-03-13T20:42:00.001-07:00

Ok. Let me (Monica) tell you about a little thing that I would like to call my OBSESSION. It's called: Project Runway. I won't let Chris change our cable provider because Comcast is the only one that comes with Bravo TV, without charging a rediculous fee. I am really sad that the season is over, but it is nice to have my Wednesday nights back again. Melisa, my most fashionable friend came over the other night to watch the season finale with me, and wow what a show!!! She was disappointed that her boyfriend Rami didn't win, but I didn't care too much because I think they were all great.

The show has really brought out a new creative side in me. I find myself being more aware of how others dress, what colors look good together, the latest trends, etc. I think Chris likes it too because I have been dressing up a lot more too:) In a world full of reality shows, I get sick of turning on the TV and watching people make fools of themselves over and over. Like that stupid show, I can't remember the name, but it hooks people up to lie detectors to see if they lie or tell the truth. Anyway, I hate that show!!! It really makes me appreciate shows like Project Runway that actually benefits all of its contestants in a positive way.

Christian Siriano was decided the winner this season, which really wasn't very surprising. He was in the top two in every single challenge except for one. Pretty impressive for a 21 year old. I love this picture of him because it really captures him as seen on the show: an eccentric, over the top, funny, and creative designer. Click on the link to see his collection for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHbtvaBJm04

New Car!!

2008-03-13T20:25:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know Chris, you know he takes his time to decide on things. We have been talking about getting a new car for months now, actually almost a year now. It finally got to the point where I threw my hands up and told Chris I wasn't going to any more dealerships and I also decided we were not allowed to have anymore "car talks". Man did that really work!!! Within two weeks of laying down the car laws, Chris came home with paperwork saying we owned a new car. We had to wait for a day for it to show up since he knew I really wanted a Black car, and the closest one was in another state. Oh well, a day seemed like nothing compared to the year we had to wait:) I love how great Chris was throughout the waiting process, I love that he waited until he knew he found the BEST deal (believe me we have been in two states searching), I love that he is teaching me to not be so impulsive all the time because somethings are really worth the wait. I appreciate him and his ability to bargain hunt..even if it is a new car:)

Should we or Shouldn't we??

2008-02-20T10:41:00.001-08:00

In two weeks Chris and I, along with my parents and grandparents are heading up to Issaquah to visit my sister and her husband. Everyone is excited to see their new condo, Kia's new car, and celebrate her 25th birthday. Since, we are rarely able to make the trip north, Chris and I have been talking about what we want to see and do when we get up there. I haven't mentioned it to Chris yet, but I was thinking about proposing a trip to the Issaquah landmark, XXX. Yes, I said XXX. You are probably thinking the same thing everyone thinks when those letters are mentioned (my grandparents were especially hesitant when we went there the 1st time....which has been our only time). XXX is probably one of the most recognizable Issaquah sights. It is one of those great old fashion diners that you rarely see anymore. They have won tons of awards for their homemade rootbeer and burgers.

When everyone was in Issaquah for Kia's wedding last August we finally made our 1st trip to the XXX burger stand. The food was great and we were able to see what XXX really stood for. It referred to their triple extra large portions. We were all starving when we got there and made the big mistake of ordering our own meals (If you go, no matter how hungry you are SHARE with someone).
Below is the biggest eater in the family, my cousin Glen. He can throw down with the best of them, don't let his small frame fool you. He ordered the largest burger (triple patty) burger, XXX offers. If that wasn't enough, he ordered it with fries and a large chocolate shake to wash it down. I am breaking out in a sweat with just the thought of that mammoth slab of food. Please notice, Sophia my cousin examining her burger with pure disgust, and Robbie my brother in law staring at Glen in awe.
The next shot is probably a classic XXX post meal face. The poor guy drank is shake, but as you can see couldn't finish the bun and the last few fries. Not pictured: His 3 hour food enduced coma as soon as we got back to the hotel.

Needless to say, it was a meal no one in the family will forget. I think we ALL learned our lesson on portion size and sharing that day.

Check it off the list!!!!!

2008-02-16T20:09:00.000-08:00

I admit it....I am a habitual list maker. I occasionally find myself writing a list just so I can cross things off of it (I know I am pathetic). Being first time home owners and newlyweds has caused my list writing to become very necessary, there are so unexpected things we find ourselves needing or needing to get rid of. These past few weeks have been great because I got to cross lots of things off my list with the help of Chris.

We cleaned our garage
Broke down tons of boxes around the house, and filled our three recyle bins to the max
Pulled weeds
Bought fire extinguishers
Got all of our donation items together
Cleaned out and organized the office closet
Started having weekly date nights: Last week we cooked a romantic meal together; this week we went to a movie.

It's Snowing!!!!

2008-01-27T10:07:00.001-08:00

There is something about snow that makes me feel like a kid inside. Chris and I woke up to giant snow flakes falling outside and so we jumped out of bed, put on our rarely used snow gear and went for a walk around the neighborhood.

The only thing that would have made our walk better would have been MORE SNOW!!!!!

Our house in the snow:))))

Dress Up!!!

2008-01-27T10:01:00.001-08:00

Our friend Michelle turned 30 yesterday, and her husband threw a costume party for her to celebrate. It was lots of fun dressing up, but Jason and the Tarter's had by far the funniest costumes there.

AHHHHHH!!!

2008-01-18T13:45:00.000-08:00

Finally a weekend with no school or work to do.......FINALLY!!!!

Sushi night @ the Taylors

2008-01-06T22:53:00.000-08:00

Chris and I have been talking about having a Sushi night since we got engaged! We have this great Sushi set we bought in San Francisco's Chinatown right after he proposed (awwwww). So tonight I finally bit the bullet and attempted to conquer the art of Sushi.

Overall, I would say it was a success!!! Since Chris was a vegetarian for the first 16 years of his life and is still a little weary of seafood, so I played it safe and made it with veggies only. It was super easy, and we will definitely do it again!!!!

Yummy!!!!

Wrestling 101

2008-01-05T10:59:00.000-08:00

Wrestling. A sport most people have never seen, let alone want to. My new found infatuation with the sport most likely stems from my Iowa heritage where wrestling is as necessary as breathing. For those of you unfamiliar with the sport, Iowa Hawkeye wrestling is legendary.

As a former Beaver athlete, I never watched a single match in my time on campus. I don't know if it was the idea of grown men in tights or that these men in tights were rolling around on a germ infested mat?

Well, last year I went to my first meet with my grandparents (from Iowa) and fell in love with the sport. It was amazing and brutal at the same time. The hardest thing about the sport of wrestling as a spectator is the point system. It is more confusing than any other sport! You get points for take downs, near falls, escapes, reversals and penalties. A match automatically ends with a pin, and if that isn't confusing enough, each maneuver is scored differently. The point system is best described as follows:

1) Takedown - (2 points) You score two points for taking your opponent down to the mat and controlling him/her.
2) Escape - (1 point) You score one point for getting away or getting to a neutral position when your opponent has you down on the mat.
3) Reversal - (2 points) You score two points when your opponent has you down on the mat and you come from underneath and gain control of your opponent.
4) Near Fall (Back Points) - (2 or 3 points) You get near fall points when you almost but not quite get your opponent pinned. A near fall (near pin) is when...
both shoulders are held for two seconds within four inches of the mat, or...
one shoulder touches the mat and the other shoulder is at a 45 degree angle coming down to the mat, or...
the wrestler is held in a high bridge or back on both elbows.
If a near fall lasts for two seconds, you get 2 points. If a near fall lasts for 5 seconds, you get 3 points.
5) Penalty Points - (1 or 2 points) Your opponent is awarded points if you commit the following infractions.
Illegal Holds - There are several holds that the referee will penalize you for without warning. (There are other holds called "potentially dangerous holds" which the referee might make you let go of but will not penalize you for).
Technical Violations
Going off the mat to avoid wrestling ("fleeing the mat.")
Grabbing clothing, the mat, or the headgear
Incorrect starting position or false start (You get two cautions before points are awarded).
Locked or overlapped hands: If you are down on the mat in control of your opponent, you cannot lock or overlap your hands, fingers or arms around your opponent's body or both legs unless you have your opponent in a near pin, or your opponent stands up and has all his/her weight on two feet.
Leaving the mat during the match without the referee's permission
Figure 4 head scissors from the neutral position.
Unnecessary roughness
Unsportsmanlike conduct
Flagrant Misconduct (ejection, the match is over)
Stalling

See what I mean.....most you didn't even read that, and for those of you who did you probably didn't understand it.

Last night my mom (from Iowa) came down for the meet v. Nebraska. Nebraska wasted no time in dominating the match. Did I mention that Nebraska has only one wrestler that isn't nationally ranked? Their 125lb competitor was last year's national champion, talk about intimidation. Anyway, it was a fun night, even though we lost.

Kodak Moments

2008-01-05T10:55:00.000-08:00

And that was an ode to our beautiful faces!!!!!

Old Year Resolutions

2007-12-19T15:54:00.000-08:00

Every year, I try hard to think of a good resolution to start the new year off right. The problem with my New Year's resolutions are they don't last long. So this time I have a plan. I am going to create a list of things I would like to accomplish in 2008 now, then they aren't really New Year's Resolutions. Here is my list:

1. Paint the interior of our house.
2. Travel to at least 3 new places
3. Attend my family reunion in August (I haven't been to one in 5 years)
4. Plant an herb garden
5. Volunteer

I may be expanding on my list, but this is good enough for now.

I can show you the world

2007-12-12T21:16:00.000-08:00

We had our first married sleep-over with David and Zoe last weekend and it could have been the last......

I think Chris had one too many cookies and in his sugar enduced coma he decided it was time to break out all of his 1990s CDs and reminisce. He couldn't just listen to the words, he had to act them out as well.

Zoe and I couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably at his rediculousness!! David on the other hand just sat on the couch and stared at Chris in disbelief. Instead of our laughter deterring his acting skills, it strangely made him continue.

The highlight of the evening was when Chris whipped out his Aladdin soundtrack (yes, I said Aladdin) and acted out "I Can Show You the World" while serranading us. It was a performance for the ages!!! Here are some pictures of his acting highlights, please note that in the picture below he even had a prop....because what would "I Can Show You the World" be without a magic carpet under your knees?

Now you can understand why our friends may
never return to the Taylor's residence....and I don't blame them:)

The Taylor's have been busy!!!

2007-12-05T12:16:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone! Sorry I have been slacking on the blogs lately! I have been busy adjusting to married life, which has exceeded ALL of my expectations. Monica Taylor still doesn't roll off the tongue as well as it should, but I am slowly catching on.

We have been having a blast since the wedding. First of all our honeymoon was great!! It was so nice to for once not be on a schedule and just relax with my husband. I will put some pictures up of the trip soon.

After the honeymoon was over, it was back to work and back to reality. One of the many highlights in our first month of wedded bliss was December 1st for two reasons.....First: our friends Jared and Michelle got married. Here we are at the McMinnville Grand ballroom with them:) She was unbelievably stunning in her gown, and Jared looked just as handsome. After all the planning I was so happy to see her vision come to life! P.S Sorry about our matching outfits, it wasn't planned. We got ready in different places and when we met at the wedding we were twins, oops.

The second great thing about December 1st, was that the Mighty Beavers brought down the Ducks in Eugene for the first time in 14 years. It a sweet overtime victory. Thanks to Adam, Dank, and Bridget we had a lot of laughs along the way as well.

I also wanted to include a picture from our 1st annual Hoffman Boys verses Girls Golf Tournament. Even though the girls were complete underdogs (meaning Kia had never golfed, my mom was spastic, and I can only drive the ball well) we only lost by 5 strokes. It was a miracle, even the guys were stunned. Maybe with some practice we will only lose by 4 next year (wishful thinking).

WooHoo We're Married

2007-11-20T09:55:00.000-08:00

It's the final countdown!!!

2007-10-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

So we are getting down to the wire and it is starting to get chaotic!! It is really exciting that we will officially be the Taylor's in less than a week!!! Thank you to all of our family and friends for putting up with my bride antics:)

2007-10-08T11:07:00.000-07:00

So Zoe tagged me, days ago and now I have to write eight interesting facts about myself. I have to post these rules first.

The Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules. (If you don’t have a blog, email me)
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Ok, my facts:

Fact #1: I am getting married and I can't wait!!:) Enough said

Fact #2: I am not a picky eater. There are only 5 things I have tried that I will not eat again (unless by accident). These are the foods I despise: hot dogs, blue cheese, tuna fish (from the can), salmon, and canned beets.

Fact #3: I love shoes!!! Flats, tenni's, stilettos, boots...I don't discriminate. A girls can't have too many pairs, in my opinion.

Fact #4: I have closet OCD! I am obsessed with clean closets. I can't sleep at night if my closet is messy or things aren't folded right. I have taken over every closet in the house and it drives me crazy when something is out of place. Poor Chris, he has to put up with me yelling at him when he doesn't fold his jeans right. Good thing he is patient with me!!

Fact #5: I am a coffee connoisseur and proud of it. My favorites in Corvallis are Red Horse, Starbucks (because they have the gingerbread latte), and Coffee Culture. No offense to other coffee establishments in town, but I a girl is allowed to have an preference.

Fact #6: I love reality TV (I stole this fact from Zoe, but I figured it was ok because we usually partake in our love of reality shows together). Here are my favorites in no particular order: The Hills, Newport Harbor, Survivor, Project Runway, and Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader Tryouts!!

Fact #7: I am a sports fanatic!!! My favorite team by far is the Boston Red Sox!!! I also love march madness basketball, and college football. I have no problem spending a Saturday watching nothing but ESPN!

Fact #8: It is almost impossible for me to find jeans that fit. I have the long leg problem, so most all pairs of jeans I try on look like I am preparing for a flood, therefore I hate jean shopping. I wish I had my own personal jean tailor to add an extra 6 inches to every pair of jean I own!!

All right...8...and now: Sarah, Melisa, Kia, Lorie, Abby, Catherine, Amanda, and Ashley

It's been a while

2007-10-05T08:50:00.000-07:00

So much has been happening since I last blogged, it's hard to decide where to begin.

Let's see....

1st, Chris and I are settled into our new place finally!! By settled, I mean the necessities are out of boxes and the house looks presentable:). It is really weird marrying a man that is a designer. Most women assume they will be able to decorate their house how ever they want upon marriage, but that's not the case in our house. Chris has taken over! He is constantly surprising me with new art, candles, etc. It is really cute that he has such an interest in turning our house into a home. I love that he does so much, but makes sure I approve. I have some moving pictures above, sorry they are so small. I will update the pictures as soon as I can.

2nd, School sucks!! Actually, it's not the school, it's starting school while planning a wedding and moving:). We are so blessed to have all of these great opportunities, so don't get me wrong we are excited to be back in school. We will just appreciate school more when all of the other stuff is over and done with.

3rd, we are getting married in less than a month now!! Wow, can you believe it? It is coming up sooooo fast!! We cannot wait to take the leap into marriage, I can't wait to marry my best friend. With less than a month left, wedding planning is in full effect! I have been completely booked with wedding appointments, there are so many things to do! If I had to do it all over again, Chris and I would have gone to Vegas and been back already:)!! I am sure when our big day is over and we are looking back at all the pictures, it will all be worth it and I will probably regret making that Vegas comment.

4th, Does anyone know a good hair person in the Corvallis/Albany area? I need to book someone, my hair dresser will be out of town on November 3rd! Let me know...Thanks:)

Bridal Shower

2007-09-11T08:14:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to write a quick thanks to Michelle, Melisa and Zoe for throwing me a great bridal shower last weekend!!! Thank you also to everyone for coming and making the day so special!!! You ladies are great!!!

We are officially moved!!!

2007-09-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

Well kinda...

Thanks to some great friends we got most of our stuff moved into the new place.

If you need anything over the next week, I will be unpacking boxes!!!

Thank the Lord!!!

2007-08-28T12:22:00.000-07:00

Chris and I have been stressed to the max lately trying to figure out life!!! It has been really hard juggling jobs, the old house, moving, friends, school stuff, etc. We actually had to start having morning coffee dates just so we could see each other (I know it is pathetic).

With the old house drama behind us, we were juggling back and forth with the idea of renting or buying? We thought a lot about it and decided we need to buy. Chris jumped right on it and found us another place only a couple days later, as stated in the title of this blog...THANK THE LORD. Since it is a new place, we should be able to close on it soon. We are crossing our fingers that we will get the keys Friday, so we will have the 3 day weekend to move all of my stuff.

Thanks for all of your prayers and advice.

Don't worry I will keep everyone updated

I hate houses!!!

2007-08-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

So as most of you know, Chris and I have been on the look for our first place for the last few months. After a lot of searching long and hard we found a great place that exceeded our expectations for "first time home buyers." We had both been eagerly awaiting moving in and Chris was suppose to sign the papers to make it officially ours today, until we found out some interesting information......

It had $ 21, 000 worth of water damage that we never knew about.

You may be thinking we are idiots, but they hid it so well that our inspector didn't even know. Thank the lord Chris found out about this before we got the keys and signed for it.

Now I just hope we can find another place, and find one fast because my lease runs out in 2 weeks.

As you can see, life is a little crazy for us right now.

The Enghusen Wedding

2007-08-15T11:18:00.001-07:00

Vacation, Here I Come!!!!

2007-08-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

I cannot tell you how exciting I am for a 10 day vacation, it has been WAY too long since I last got a break. I promise to post picturess as soon as I return next week. I will talk to everyone when I get home.

Kia's Shower #1

2007-07-29T19:25:00.001-07:00

There aren't too many times I enjoy getting up before 7 am to drive to Seattle, but today I didn't mind. My mom and I headed out the door bright and early, stopped for coffee of course, and headed up to Seattle for Kia's first bridal shower. Allie, Robbie's sister and a bridesmaid, did a great job of hosting the big day. It was really nice to meet Robbie's big fat greek family (all 500 of them) and have a laugh or two. Here are some of the more memorable moments

Here is the winning dress in the toilet paper contest, honestly

how do you beat that?

The Bride and her Maid

Kia's soon to be mother in law in her tp gown, please notice

the 100 carat diamond the ladies created for her

Our dress was by far the worst, I have no future in dress making

My mom, Kia, and I with some of Robbie's family

I was helping Kia practice her vows, since I was almost as

tall as Robbie in those heels

The priceless face she made after seeing her first naughy item of the afternoon

Mother of the bride

It was a fabulous day, especially since the rain stayed away.
Her big day is now less than two weeks away.

What a man, What a man.....

2007-07-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

If you are a fan of Extreme Home Makeover make sure to tune into the show in September to see a Corvallis family featured. Chris and his buddy David found a way to volunteer here are some pics (thanks Brooke).

The "Date"

2007-07-13T16:52:00.000-07:00

I was asked out on a date by a beautiful woman last weekend. Now don't go thinking that.....I was asked on a date by my room-mate.
Place: Beckenridge Vineyard in Dallas, Oregon
Event :the Bradley wedding.
Melisa and I had such a fun time celebrating Cami and Brad's big day!! Great food, wine, and company. It inspired me to get back on the ball with my own wedding stuff.

Here are a couple pictures:

Imelda, Melisa and myself. I look sweaty for a reason....it was like 100 degrees.

The three of us with the beautiful bride.

4th of July 2007

2007-07-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

Chris and I celebrated the 4th this year with a whole bunch of events....

10:30 am Independence Day Parade
1:00 pm Transformers Movie (which I highly recommend)
3:30 pm Shopping in Albany
7:00 pm BBQ with the David, David, and Zoe
10:00 pm Fireworks and a round of 10,000 (a dice game, which I also highly recommend)

Our Corvallis Family

We had a great time. I hope everyone enjoyed their Independence Day just as much.

Do I have to call him MASTER now?

2007-06-29T11:32:00.000-07:00

Good news....

Chris got accepted into the Master's program at OSU yesterday. Even better....we don't have to pay for it!! He has been working so hard lately, and he deserves to get this recognition for it.

We are going to be busy REALLY busy newlyweds: both back in school and working full time. I know we are crazy, but it will be worth it in the long run.

Going to the Chapel and I'm Gonna Get Married

2007-06-28T15:05:00.000-07:00

The Proposal Location

We're Engaged....Yay

As most of you reading this already know, Chris and I are getting hitched. He popped the question in San Francisco on a dream day in a breathtaking setting. It was truly unforgettable.

Check out our wedding web page at the knot.com for more information:
theknot.com/ourwedding/MonicaHoffman&ChrisTaylor

Happy Birthday to me!!!

2006-11-02T13:20:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, some friends and I took a trip to the beach to celebrate my birthday. We had such a great time!

The weather was perfect, which is some what a rarity at the oregon coast. We had no wind and blue skies until Sunday when we woke up to some light rain.

The highlight of the weekend was watching the Beavers bring down the "Mighty Men of Troy." It got a little tight at the end but the Beavs were able to come out victorious!!!! Go Beavs.

Thank you mom and dad for letting everyone stay at the house!! Thank you to Melisa, Melissa, and Zoe for all of your hard work. Thank you to everyone for coming!!! I am blessed to have you all in my lives.

Guess Who's 50????

2006-11-02T11:35:00.001-08:00

One of the most important people in my life recently turned 50....my dad!! It was a great celebration!!! My mom suprised the whole family by flying from Iowa my dad's best friend from high school and his wife, Russ and Audrey. He was so shocked...it was great.

Lots of people came out to celebrate the event, my mom had a huge party with way too much food, we had a great time.

Thank you to everyone for making the day so special!!!