National TV debut

Alright, this is too funny, but remember how I said I was an extra in TNT's Leverage? Well the new season premiered tonight and you can see me in the background, for about two seconds! Yep, those two seconds are my claim to fame. So if you have TV, the scene is at the very beginning when the main characters reunite at the theatre. Oh geez...

Seaside

After four long days of work last week (three for me), Tay and I decided enough was enough! Work is sooo over rated, and we agreed it was time for another vacation. So we packed up the cav and headed out to the coast.

Although we weren't able to stay long, it is just nice to get away don't you think? To be able to wake up whenever you feel like it, sleep whenever you feel like and just do what you want to do without feeling like you have to do this or have to do that.

Seaside is beautiful. The green hills are captivating and the ocean is mesmerizing. The little town is quaint. I felt as though it were a very mini San Francisco, complete with lots of little shops, eateries and a fun night life.

The longer we live here, the more there is to do. Everyone is always telling us: "Oh, you guys have to go here. Oh be sure to see ___. You have to hike ___. Don't forget to camp at ___." I swear we could do something new and fun every weekend for several years and still have more places to discover and explore. Yep, we don't mind claiming Portland as home... not one bit.

It is nice to get away and spend time together.

Swimwear

Clients often want to see the body composition of talent they're interested in, so I decided it was time to make sure I had swim shots as part of my portfolio. We shot on a beautiful Saturday down by the water front, and I have to say I rather enjoyed myself, surprisingly.

Since I have been married to Tay, I am definitely more confident. This growth in confidence not only involves the way I look, but even more so about my potential and my abilities in everything whether that sports, a new hobby or my professional career. I guess that is a sign you are with the right person huh? I am grateful to have Tay's love and companionship.

And the more I model, the more I learn to accentuate and concentrate on my strengths and not get too down on myself about the areas I need to improve in.

Fresh Air, Freedom and Fun

"Fresh air, freedom and fun" is the motto for good ole' Evanston, WY. This is the theme of all the commercials and to be honest, it is not too far off! Don't make fun. Evanston is pretty alright. And nothin compares to an Evanston sunset. Oh how I miss them.

Our vacation back to Wyoming and Utah was great. And as always, it is a blessing being able to spend time with family and friends. Don't be mistaken, we LOVE Portland. But it is sometimes hard being far away. Anyways, we went camping up in Logan canyon, hiking, lots of golfing (so happy Tay was able to curb some of his golfing craving), crawdad fishing at the Bear River and of course: FIREWORKS!

If we had the choice to be anywhere for the 4th of July, it would definitely be Evanston (unless we had a boat, then it would be wakeboarding for sure). Downtown Evanston was like a war zone with thick smoke blanketing the houses and colorful explosions surrounding us from every direction. And when we got back to the house, we were pleasantly surprised to find my mom had some leftover water dynamite. Tay and Johnny had too much fun fusing them together and watching them blow up in the bucket of water... just two little boys having a swell time. Vacations go by too fast don't they :(

Behold cutie putootie scouter mcChowder trying to cool down
on our hike down from White Pine Lake. Teri and I enjoyed this hike while the boys went golfing.

My newphew Michael and my niece Ashlynn riding the train at the fair.

Ashlynn is quite the socialite and made the cutest little friend named Cameron. He's half poly, half Caucasian. So cute! I wanted to steal him.

Tay's a regular crawdad fisherman.

I'm a big kid now

This little house is feeling more and more like ours everyday. The more work we put into it, the better we feel. It really is rewarding learning new things, working together, putting our personal touch on the place and seeing the results!

Tay finished the hardwoods, and they look amazing! When I tell people about the stuff we are doing and have done around the house, they are surprised to hear Tay is doing most of this work on his own and not hiring a contractor. What can I say, he is a renaissance man; i.e. "he has an extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge base." And what he doesn't know how to do, he learns.

Here's a before pic of the living room (ew poo walls and although you can't tell, the floors were all sorts of dinged up):

And after, tada! There are so many amazing colors in the doug fir, and we are so happy not to have the poo walls anymore!

Because there is a lot we want to do, I often feel like it is is just go-go-go for us. Tay is doing a great job chippin' away at the old cinder block though. He's:

- Installed a garage door opener
- Installed a new bathroom fan and completed the duct work for that

- Refinished the hardwoods

- Installed a garbage disposal

- Fixed the back door that was nearly falling off the hinges

- Set up our living room

- Cleaned and organized the garage

- Designed the interior of our living room. Tay is quite the decorator. He's picked out pretty much everything in our living room from the photos, to our tables, to the rugs, to the lighting and couch set. He's good at it, and I am grateful!

And the list goes on. What do I do then you might ask. Well I pretty much sit around and sip grape juice, while I read and enjoy the weather in our yard ;) jk! Nah, I do lots of cleaning (pretty sure I am OCD cause I know I am way too anal sometimes). Oh, I just canned 30+ cans of strawberries (thanks to Melinda for teaching me), that was fun. And Tay said I do a pretty good job as his assistant ;)

There is always something to be done, but it is all good. Hopefully we can get lots done before we go pick up our little puppy in few weeks!

Lights, camera, action

The other day while I was out at Nike someone asked me if I had been in any commercials. The makeup artist was like: "Oh, just ignore him. He says that to everyone." The guy said: "No, I am serious, I think I saw you on channel 8." So I responded: "Yeah, high speed Internet?!"

Not sure how long the commercial has been running, but here it is.

They grow up so fast...

Tay made this comment the other day and oh how true it is! It seems like just yesterday we took the trip from Layton, UT, with Jordan and all his belongings crammed into the Cavy. And here we are, our little boy graduated and moved out of the house ;) Tay said: "we've already raised a teenager, so we can pretty much do anything!" Just kidding. But seriously, Jordan lived with us about 4 1/2 months or so and the time just flew bye.

I took Jordan to the airport this morning and I felt very sad watching him go. I wish he could have stayed here, found a sweet-ace job and attended the Portland Art Institute. If money weren't a issue, maybe that could have been reality. Such is life though right. We love him so very much and hope that whereever he is he finds success and happiness.

Having Jordan live with us these last few months was great, and I think Heavenly Father planned it that way. For a few months, I was working full time from home, which allowed me to me to be here for Jordan and also Jordan was here for me. It was nice having someone else to play with during busy season too. Jordan has a magnetic personality, so having him in our home was truly a blessing.

Can you tell I miss him already? Aaaahh, I get attached so easy! I am going to miss:

• Tay and Jordan teasing each other and having fun together. They both have very dynamic personalities that are very different but the same in a lot of ways. I loved watching the brotherly love exude through out the house!
• Jordan being my model coach. He was just as excited as me to watch Make Me a Super Model and America's Next Top Model. He would give me pointers on my runway walk and tell me what I should and shouldn't be doing. Guess I will just have to put him on speed dial!
• Watching Jordan play soccer. The more he played the better he became. I love playing soccer with Tay and Jordan because it just adds a real nice layer to our relationship. Jordan gets these lightening quick bursts every now and then, and we will miss his presence on the field.
• Giving Jordan a daily chore list. Yeah, I can be kinda bossy sometimes so I probably enjoyed this a bit more than Jordan. (Don't worry, I didn't overload him, I hope!) Jordan's help around the house was great! Between moving and mowing this beast of a yard, we could always count on him to lend a helping hand and demonstrate his strength in a variety of tasks. And he really is strong!

There's more I could say, but I won't. Jordan we love you mucho!! Know you always have a home here.

Tay's award

So here are some pics of my big sexy boy receiving his award at the annual Oregon Society of Certified Public Accountant (ORCPA) dinner. As the highest score on the CPA exam for 2008, Tay went on stage while the host narrated a little bit about who Taylor is and advice Tay offers to those working toward finishing the exam.

Of course I am so proud of him. Heavenly Father has truly blessed him with so many wonderful gifts and abilities. The longer we are together, the more apparent that becomes. And he always works so hard to put those talents and abilities to good use, constantly striving to improve and use them to the fullest. I am sure Heavenly Father is very pleased with his efforts.

Unbeknownst to us, there is actually a pretty "lucrative" award for the highest scorer in the nation. Tay said: "Had I known about that, I would have studied harder." I've said it once, I will say it again: he is a big smarty pants!

Oh, two of the top three (actually there are was a tie for third highest scorer) highest scorers were from BYU! Represent, what!

Mallard remodeling: before and after pics

Master before. Bright red walls.

Master after. Clear blue sky with turquoise accent.

Second bedroom before, pee yellow.

Second bedroom after, Kansas Grain.

Mike working his duct work magic.

Tool man Taylor laying the tile.

U-g-l-y, you aint got no alibi. You ugly, yeah yeah you ugly. Notice the color discoloration and interesting choice of flooring.

Cabinets were re-painted a dolphin gray with an Irish cream accent.








A beautiful light gray tile with brown specs, laid in a custom pattern by Tay and Mike.

We repainted the living room Kansas Grain with a light yellow accent, but are currently in the process of redoing the Doug Fir floors in the living room, which are coming out beautifully. Tay is such a handy man. More plans include: laying carpet upstairs and possibly creating a new laundry room. Another day, another project :)