aaaaahhhhhhhh.....

That is the sound of pure relaxation. The sound of me sitting on my couch after working 52 hours in the last 4 days. I have been looking forward to this moment all weekend. The next 3 days I have off at Starbucks and happily I don't have to be at the country club until 3:00. For the next 3 days I will not be forced to wake up at 4:30am. I will be going to the pool, waking up whenever I want, possibly visiting Kelli & the kids, and doing what ever my little heart desires. Vintage Rabbit? Finish the craft I started back in March!? Go for a run? Catch up on some phone calls? Start a new book? I feel like I'm going on vacation!

Speaking of vacation, my last day at the country club is July 4th. Joe & I have been talking about going on a little trip for awhile now. It has just been so hard b/c I never have 2 consecutive days off. With only working at Starbucks here soon, the future is bright :) We are considering Glacier, Oregon Coast, or Mount Rainer. I can't wait!!

PS: the picture is a glimpse of Priest Lake. We took a quick little day trip there on my day off last week. I will post pictures soon. :)

Work Overload!!!

Let me tell you about my day yesterday...
7I came home on my lunch break and cried. I cried b/c I just couldn't take it any more. All morning I worked the window in drive through and listened to how people were going to spend their day. I heard it all...going to the lake, going to the pool, cooking out, graduation parties, and a lot of our customers were headed to the Indian Trail Community Yard Sales. 80 plus yard sales, walking distance from our apartment...the exact way I would have spent my day if I didn't have to work 13 hours.

It's funny b/c I felt like a little kid who cries when they don't get their way. You know, that kid that cries when he can't do something he really wants to do. As we grow up, we mature and realize we can't always get what we want. And normally, if we don't get our way, we don't cry! Well, not today. Today, I just couldn't take it anymore. For the past 10 years I've had to work weekends, so I'm used to not getting to do what I'd like to do (i.e. yard sales, flea markets, cookouts with the fam...) But, today I just couldn't hold the tears back. I just needed some Tab time. For the past week, I've been averaging anywhere from 13-15 hour work days. My schedule has been: work at Starbucks early am (between 5-6:30), get off anywhere from 12:30-3 and then usually have ONE hour in between jobs and then work at the golf club until 8-9:30pm. I'm sorry, but that is one long day! All I want to do when I get home is have a bite to eat, get off my feet and go to bed....and then get up in the morning and do the same thing all over again, day after day. Bless Joe's heart for putting up with me! He's such a sweetheart... he'll cook me dinner and he puts up with my cranky butt when I'm so overtired it's not even funny.

So, long story short, I've been a working machine. I've had no time for myself, no time for Joe. Heck, it's sometimes hard to find time to shower. (I'm a clean person...I shower! but sometimes I'm just sooo exhausted!) So, yesterday I decided to put my two weeks in at the Golf Club yesterday. It was really tough for me to do. I've never had to quit anything before. I guess I quit my last job, but that was different. They had a years notice and it was b/c I was moving out of state, not b/c I didn't like my job and I couldn't handle all the hours. I know Spokane Country Club will easily find a replacement, but a part of me feels like a failure, like I've disappointed them. But, then I have to remind myself, I've been working 65-68 hours a week...and that's crazy! I needed to stop worrying about everyone else and take care of myself! I've learned how important that "me time" really is. And if you don't have it, you start to lose yourself.

So, here is to Summer

A summer I will get to Enjoy:

1.Yard Sales 2.Day trips

3. Cookouts & Cornhole

4.Priest Lake 5.Glacier 6.Running once again

7.Sunsets on our balcony

8.Cocktails by the pool

9.Strawberry pickin' 10.Flea market shoppin'

11.and hopefully a visit from the Fam!

Graduation

{L to R, B to F}

Ryan, Corey, Quentin, Felicia, Mom, & I

3/26/2010 ~ Quentin's Birthday

My sister finally sent me these pictures we all took together when I was visiting back in March. Even when I was living back home it was rare that the six of us would be all together under one roof. Of course we would all get together for Birthday's, but rarely would we think to take a family picture. It put me on a little search of family pictures that we have taken, and the only ones I found on my computer are from our graduations.

So as school is letting out and Graduations are taking place, although no one is graduating this year, what a perfect time to post some of these pictures!

May 2009 ~Corey's Graduation

June 2007 ~Felicia's Graduation

(sorry Felicia, these are the only pictures I have of your graduation!?)

June 2006 ~Ryan's Graduation

June 2001 ~my Graduation!

Mom, Ryan, Felicia, Quentin, me, Corey, Grandma, & Melissa

I included these last three, because if you think family pictures are hard to come by, pictures of just my mom & I are even harder! Mostly because she doesn't like taking pictures. My mom is so amazing and such a hard worker! I called her the other day to see how she was doing and she said she has worked the last 56 days in a row without a single day off. It just breaks me heart. I want her to be happy and enjoy her life!

2/26/2006 ~my 23rd Birthday

2/26/2008 ~my 25th Birthday

3/26/2010

xoxo Love you mom!

I need your help.

Farm Chicks here I come!

(lol, looks like a picture your mom would take on your first day of school!)

are we there yet?

I didn't really take any pictures, b/c I was so busy looking.

Like my Huge bag?

I didn't even fill it with anything...

Everything I bought was too BIG!

I always do this...buy something just b/c I love it and then I get it home and realize I really don't have a spot for it.

So this is where I need your help! Let me know which option is your favorite!

OPTION 1:

This one was Joe's idea and to be honest I wasn't thrilled about it. I liked the idea, b/c I'm not in love with our current TV stand, so I gave it a try for a few days, and it just never grew on me. Of course the pictures would have to get re-hung probably else where (our current stand is much shorter).

OPTION 2:

I really want to put this piece in our dining room, I think b/c it is my least favorite room and it needs something interesting. For those of you who have never been in our apartment (which is probably most of you), our dining room is right when you walk in, on the left. So the above picture is taken in our walkway. All we have in there is my wine cabinet and a square dining room set that Joe's sister gave us. So anyway, my barn door has always hung where you see it in the picture. If it were to stay here, I would definately have to hang it higher.

OPTION 3:

Not necessarily this high, but here is a slighly different option. Same idea, but really high. (instead of being propped up, it would get hung on the wall) This option actually adds a lot of hight to the room.

OPTION 4:

Yes, that is a Gate. (another purchase from Farm Chicks). I thought it would be cool if I hung it somewhere with pictures clothes-pinned to it. Once again, I don't really have a place for it right now! Possibly here? The only thing is I would hang it so I could set things on the top shelf.

OPTION 5:

This picture actually hangs in our closet. It's not my favorite picture so that's why I like it hidden. But, I like the idea of the black frame to offset the painted white cubbies.

OPTION 6:

I thought my options were done with five, but then I noticed this picture hanging above our couch. I gave it a try, and I actually like it. But now there is a blank wall above our couch that I have nothing to replace it with.

So what do you think?

OPTION 1,2,3,4,5 or 6 ?

Chaps

Cowgirl & Cowboy go to Chaps

This past Thursday Joe & I had another day off together. I have been bugging him for a long time to take me to Chaps, a cute little vintage inspired cafe. I think I first came across Chaps when I was reading up on Farm Chicks last year. I saw a picture of the inside and fell in love with it. Ever since, I've wanted to check it out for myself.

Here is the entrance. Chaps hanging on the wall to your right...

...and horse paintings hung on walls that were covered with scraps of old wall paper, sheets of music, recipe cards, and pages from vintage books.

We were seated in the corner, right next to picture of "Chief Joe", no joke.

Old wood flooring hung on the walls? or is that old house siding? Which ever, I love it. And I love the gold crown molding. Not sure if I would ever have it in my house, but it looks great with the black ceiling.

Our water came in jars! So cute!

cowboy is getting hungry!

ye-haw, lunch is served!

Mac-n-cheese & Chicken Quesadilla

Whenever a restaurant offers Mac-n-cheese on their menu, you know it's going to be good! Everything was Awesome! including their fresh salsa! yum

Sandpoint, Idaho

Joe & I both had a day off last week (which doesn't happen very often), so we decided to take a little day trip...

On our way to Sandpoint, ID: 1.5 hours from Spokane

Beautiful Pacific Northwest

Postcard I bought to send my Mom.

The reason I wanted to make the trip!

I found a piece very similar to this at Marketplace Antiques that I fell in LOVE with! (I took these pictures off of ebay) A vintage POST OFFICE mailbox; hundreds of little doors on one side and open cubbies on the other. What a perfect room divider this would make! Both sides are equally as interesting. The one I saw at Martketplace was a little deeper so you could use the top as a shelf if you wanted to. I want it! I can't stop thinking about it. Unfortunately, it's quite pricey and quite honestly we don't have room in our apartment for it.

...of course I could always find a spot for it! ;)

Instead I bought an old tackle box. I love organizing things and I figured it would be great for my craft room. For now though, it works as Joe's catch-all.

Off to the Beach to enjoy the Sunny day...

Who needs to go to NY to see the Statue of Liberty?

Sittin' in the sand, soaking up the rays

Lunch time...pizza and a pitcher of beer

Dessert anyone? We decided to try this little cafe right next to Marketplace Antiques. Everything on their menu is Homemade and they're known for their huge selection of pies. Yummy!

To end the day: Sunset from our apartment balcony