Best of 2012!

I'm grateful I have the chance tonight to reflect on 2012.  It will always be an infamous year in everyone's memory with all the hype about the end of the world.  But it didn't end, by our hands or mother nature's, so it's time to ramp up for 2013.  But not before taking a moment to reminisce.

March - Go Cavs!  This was epic.  And although Daniel's bro's team didn't win the last game, watching them win night after night and climb to the finals was more than amazing.  Hopefully they'll get a chance at it again.

June - Graduation and my mom coming to Portland.  First, graduating is the real deal folks.  Whatever you can do to get to that moment, do it.  After I graduated, circumstances led me back to the same job that I had during college and a friend of mine said to me, "So this is what a Math degree gets you huh?"  But that person doesn't understand the pride that I feel from passing Advanced Multivariate Calculus or the feeling in my soul when I turned in my VERY LAST FINAL.  I'm free!!  My degree will always serve me and I am stoked to pay back every penny that I borrowed to get my education.

My mom took this photo.  It is so rad.  There was too much traffic leading up to the Rose Garden Arena so I got out of the car and walked.


My mom came to Portland!  It was like a staycation for me and we had such a great time.  I got to show her so many of the things that I had grown to love in Oregon and she was so enthusiastic to see it all.  One of my favorite things is that she helped me pick out an iron and we had a walk through my neighborhood.  I can't wait until you come to Palm Desert Mom!

August:  A Kahn family trip to Maine for Daniel's cousin's wedding.  The hotel that we stayed at was not even a mile from George Bush Sr.'s home.  That was honestly the best vacation that I have been on.   We all had such a good time and I would love to go back there someday.

September:  Marrying my man.  I could get all gushy on this part but I'll try to restrain myself!  I love everything about being married.  I love having the same last name because it reminds me that we belong to each other.  I love putting a home together and dreaming about the future.  I truly feel that I married my soul mate.  That September day was the most beautiful day of my whole life and I will remember it forever.

November: Becoming Californians.  I do not highly recommend trying to graduate, get married, and move out-of-state in the same year, but somehow we were up for the challenge.  We love it here.  It has a new set of challenges, but it seems to be a place where we can grow both professionally, personally and as a couple.  It is surprising chilly right now, but from what I hear, I'll be begging for this weather come July.  Hopefully a trip to Utah is in the works when it is 115 degrees this summer.

Here are some pictures that I've taken with my phone since we've been here:

Day at the Coast

Today we drove out to Astoria and Cannon Beach, two uber famous filming locations.  Kindergarten Cop was filmed in Astoria and Goonies was filmed in both places.

Feeling like a Fraggle

I've been feeling like I live on Fraggle Rock lately because this is the view from my kitchen window.  They're tearing down the outdated Hawthorne Safeway to build an updated version.  I felt like it deserved the spotlight today because my apartment was shaking so much from the machines, you'd think there was an earthquake.  I like it when they cement though because that's real quiet and you hardly notice they're out there.  The machines kick up a lot of dirt (from the mound of dirt they stockpiled right next to the apartment), and the dirt gets into my windows, into the bathtub and on the kitchen floor.  I just keep telling myself how good it will be when I can just walk around the corner to grocery shop again.

I have finished The Help (such a sweet book!) and I have started reading a new novel.  I ran into it at Powell's Books today and I got so excited because the author, Loretta Stinson, was my advisor when I was thinking about majoring in English at Portland State!  I am excited to see what her novel will be like.  It is called Little Green and it is set here in the Northwest.

Wine Country

Our first trip to Oregon Wine Country!  Had a great lunch at The Dundee Bistro, and tasted a few excellent selections of pinot noir at Domaine Drouhin...not bad for a Monday.