Let's get WICKED!!!

My Mom took me to see WICKED in March just after my birthday. We'd both read the book and realized we should have reread them before! Regardless of it was a very fun(ny) afternoon/evening :) I love hanging out with my Mom!!

The beginning screen! No pictures were allowed during and I didn't risk it since I got in trouble just for taking this picture!!

Mom and I walking around before WICKED

Spring Program 2012...and a handmade skirt!!!

This year our school's spring program was a 50's theme!!! I decided to make and wear a poodle skirt which would help me check off number 13 on my 30 before 30 list!!

It started out in March with Sabrina and I sewing the skirts with my Mom's help!!! That being said - I sewed my whole skirt by myself. I did copy what my Mom was helping Sabrina do, though. I'd never done a waistband or a zipper so I needed some guidance!!!

Cutting out my circle skirt!

Friends don't let friends sew alone!!

Moving on to the main event...

Sabrina and I in our skirts!!!

3 of my favorite friends at work!!

Alisha, Katie, myself, and Sarbina!!

in one little week...

...I'll be 29!!

And {for the record} in 21 days I'll have already been in Hawaii for 8 hours :-)

Not that I like countdown's or anything...

I'm kind of excited to be 29. Well, maybe I'm just excited for my birthday. It is my favorite holiday.

But it all seriousness, I am pretty excited for 29. I feel like it is going to be a good year. We have a few vacations planned {Hawaii and the Midwest for family vacations} as well as some plans for weekends at the beach and other area's around the Pacific Northwest. Hopefully with a few baseball and football games thrown in and I'm secretly hoping that we'll have some visitors - of the friend kind.

Jason will also be 30 this summer ~ plans are in the beginning stages of how to celebrate his big day!!

As I'm going to into this last week of 28 it's been an okay year. I'm kind of ready to leave it behind and bring on 29!!!

first 30/30 check off & a country concert!!

For weeks I was gung-ho about making my 30 before 30 list...and then once I and posted it I kind of forgot about it. Last weekend I finally did copy the list onto my iPhone so I have it with me where ever I go!

Last night I had a "pay it forward" kind of moment. A few friends and myself had planned to go to a $10 country concert and 2 of the people that were going to go bailed the day of. I tried to see if any of my other friends wanted the tickets but wasn't able to find anyone. So I decided on the way there that this would be my first "pay it forward" moment!! I was going to donate the tickets to someone and not let them pay me for them. Of course, I didn't have any stinking PIF cards but none-the-less I was excited about it {and I have witnesses if there is question}...

We got to the venue and I went to get the tickets and explained the situation to the staff. They wanted to get my cell number so that the person could pay me back but I insisted that I wanted to "pay it forward" and to tell the person they gave the tickets to to PIF and do something nice for someone else!!

While I don't know how the situation turned out I am hoping that 2 people enjoyed a super fun concert on my behalf and will actually go out there and PAY IT FORWARD!!!
Here's a few pictures from the concert :) From the first row!!!

Cloverdale

Marlee

The Farm

Craig Campbell

Lee Brice

Let's go fly a kite...

We headed to Long Beach, WA this last weekend with my parents, my second cousin's, and my great aunt and uncle. We had such a nice time. It was relaxing, full of good weather, family time, good food, fun games, and great conversations.

The family is from my Dad's side - they are my Dad's cousin's and aunt and uncle. I've certainly seen them many times but it has been at wedding and big family functions. It was SO nice to get to know them in a smaller setting. We all stayed at a house together that was about a 2 minute walk from the beach!!!

There aren't any pictures of the family...which is weird but I guess we were just so immersed in each other. There are plently of pictures of me & my kite and the beach though!!!

I pretty much love my rainbow kite. It got it in Long Beach, WA a few years back. I'm sad to report it is starting to tatter on the tail but I'm hoping some stiching will fix that!!

It is also a very nice treat to go to the beach in February and have it NOT rain!!!

chop, chop, chop...

This post is about a month delayed - I kind of forgot about it. I was flipping back through pictures and realized I'd never blogged about it.

For Christmas my parents got us a basic knife skills class at Sur la Table. We definitely were excited, though I have to admit, in the end, a bit disappointed.

Jason and I thought that we were going to learn how to chop different types of veggies and use lots of different types of knives. One of our real reasons for taking the class was to use lots of knives

There was about 16 - 18 people in our class and our Chef was pretty interested in showing us his skills and not as much about our skills, at least that is how I felt. He only talked to me once in 2 hours.

We did learn how to chop some fruits a veggies but for 3 of the 6 items we chopped we did the exact same technique...

While I did learn how to {awesomely} cut an onion a few different ways - I don't feel like I left with much else. And we only go to try one knife...major bummer.

We did end up getting a nice 10% of coupon and I found some awesome things in the clearance section and got a REALLY awesome new pan for about 65% off when all discounts were said and done.

While I would like to take more cooking classes - we won't be taking then at Sur la Table.

the year that was twenty-eleven.

2011 was definitely a mixed review year...more on that later. 2011 brought us closer together, enabled us to talk about things we previously didn't, and build a stronger foundation that we previously had. And for that, I am grateful.

January
Last January didn't seem to be too busy. We started the year off with snowshoeing and unfortunately, it was only 1/2 times we yet. We had Jason's work 'holiday' party. I really like that they are always in January. It gives us some breathing room. We stayed out at The Edgefield and had a good time. I also started one of my favorite home decor items - fun frames.

February
February was much busier than January. We had our first "family of 6" vacation to the Washington Coast. We've always gotten lucky with weather at it was again sunny - which meant I got to fly my kite :) We learned a little bit more about our awesome camera, most of which I have already forgotten. And we had a good night playing Bunco with my work friends. Oh, and my husband did a very nice job on 'heart day' this year!! Good work Jason.

March
Looking back March was a good month. Most obviously because I turned 28 :) I love my birthday. I love it so much I made a rainbow cake for myself. We had our first trip to Elements Glass for which we visited on 2 other occasions in 2011. And I got the BEST sub notes ever...herding cats anyone?!?! Oh, I also got to do a little country line dance with my coworkers.

April
April had me traveling to Chicago for my best friends' bridal shower and my first trip to Sprinkles cupcakes. We saw comedian Lewis Black in Portland. We made a lot of plans for the backyard - many which never happened. Jason and I are not gardeners.

May
May is a hard month. The school year is almost over...almost. But not quite. Oh, not quite. In May we celebrated Mother's Day and took my Mom to do blown glass Easter eggs. I also got one of my most favorite things - a GIANT teddy bear. Love.

June
Sabrina and I ended the year by going to a concert...and sitting in the second row. Love. I ended my second school year at Baller. We lowered the roof on our deck and built a storage shed. This was probably one of the last times - besides the new grass - that I went in the backyard.

July
My hubby turned 29. I went to Phoenix for a week to visit Rachel and made a few trips to Sprinkles Cupcakes. My best friend got married. July was FULL of family and friends.

August
In August I spent 3 hot days with my best friend Sabrina at an outdoor country music festival. Dirt, beer, and music. Jason and I ventured to New England for 8 nights to tour and see my friend May get married. We got there just in time for Hurricane Irene - which was no where near as bad as we I thought it was going to be.

September
We started September in New England still, giving ourselves just a day in between New England and the first day of school. This is my 3rd year at Baller - fingers crossed. We had a bridal shower for my sister in law.

October
One of the biggest events of October was my brother and his wife throwing a wedding weekend. It was so much fun to see so many family and friends. We also headed to Seattle for a weekend of COUGAR football and a pumpkin patch. We also made our 3rd - and best - trip to Elements Glass.

November
I made a diaper cake for a baby shower, and a few crafts for Christmas. We spent Thanksgiving in Vancouver this year since Jason was first up. And after spending MUCH of the school year sick I was glad to finally be rid of it...or so I thought.

December
I had a pretty chill Christmas break - getting sick on day #2 helped that. We finally figured out it was reoccurring sinus stuff, fun. I promise. We had 5 different Christmas celebrations and were the givers and receivers of many nice gifts. We spent NYE with Jason's best friends from high school.

These are definitely short snippets of what we did in 2011. And don't forget to head over to my homemaking blog madebyACE to see what I've been making!! I'm going to try again to take a picture every day this year. I was doing SSOO good last year until we went on vacation but now I have APPS on my phone to help me through that!!