White Christmas

This is my Christmas at Home in a few Pictures:

A Snowy Barnyard

Barn through the Trees

East Oregonian

The Boys in a Blizzard
(Daniel, Dad, Ben)

Parents in a Drift
(Mom, Dad and Mannie)

Snow Bunnies
(Tim and I)

Warming Up Inside
(Mannie and I)

Snow - the ups and downs

It snowed 4 inches in the Willamette Valley. Apparently this is a crisis. No one knows how to drive, and almost all the schools have been closed for 2-3 days. This is craziness in my mind. The temperatures have been anywhere between 0 and 32 degrees the last few days.

I got an e-mail from my mom yesterday saying "so far the weather here (currently zero degrees, and about one foot of snow) is not hampering too much." Now that's the Oregon I know! Who would have thought that one state could contain such diverse peoples from East to West? Oregon is just like that, though. And I love it.

The snow is beautiful to be sure. And I enjoy laughing at all the people who cannot drive in it. Those people with lift kits on their huge trucks that think they can speed and turn sharply in front of people without any consequences. Dumb. And then there are the poor people walking on the street who can't take a step without thinking they will slip and fall. I witnessed a woman in her 30s or 40s trying to walk down the sidewalk and hopping from not-so-slippery-looking-spot to not-so-slippery-looking-spot. She eventually couldn't find any more not-so-slippery-looking-spots apparently, because she got this trapped look in her eyes and just couldn't move any further. I vacillated between laughing at her and feeling sorry for her.

The downside to the snow is that all my reffing gigs thus far this week have been canceled. Dumb. That was Christmas money!

Oh, and we went to a "Holiday Sweater" party at our friends Kim and Alex's place this weekend... I think Tim won hands down. Bestest Holiday Sweater. See for yourself:

Inauguration Vacation

After thinking about it since November 4th, and constantly searching for affordable airfare, I finally purchased a round-trip ticket from Portland to Philadelphia for Inauguration week 2009. A ticket that had cost $480 on Monday, cost just $280 on Tuesday. It was a sign. *winks* I will be spending five days in DC this January, touring with my cousin Allyson and her husband Tobin and staying with my good friend Anna near Capitol Hill. I couldn't be more thrilled.

The only sad part is that Tim was unable to come. While I REALLY wish he could come with me to experience this once-in-a-lifetime trip, he encouraged me not to pass up this opportunity just because he couldn't come along. What a good hubby.

Anyone know of any great things I MUST do while in DC?

Sophie!

Big news everyone! Tim relented and let me get a kitty! :) I went to the Humane Society on Friday, picked out an adorable kitten named Kylie, and was working through the paperwork in the Cattery to adopt her, when this little gray kitten hopped up on my lap, curled up and started purring. It was done; she had chosen me.

As all the pictures indicate, I'm already quite obsessed with our little 3-month-old baby. Her given name was "Little Girrrrl" which was one too many "r"s for me. Sophie fit much better, and I think she agrees. She seems to be a bit more enamored with Tim than with me for the moment, but I have a feeling she will come around.

Her favorite perch - the back of the couch.

She also loves the windowsill

Napping on my leg - precious.

She wasn't too sure about me when she first came home.

He might look like a tough guy, but he's really just a big softy.

Debt

Did anyone else see this? Opinions vary on whether or not national debt is detrimental to the US as a whole. But with our economy tanking and this year's election drawing to a climactic close, it's certainly noteworthy that more zeros are necessitated to tally our nation's indebtedness to others. It will be interesting to see where our new president takes us, and and how long it will take individual Americans and our nation to dig out of their respective debts. The end of unwise debt, sadly, does not seem to be in sight. And individual Americans are not likely to see $700 billion thrust our way if we fail to manage our money wisely.

Thinking about NOT voting??

Check out this video... (but only if little ones are not around).

Glory Night

Apparently, many-a-year-ago, long before I joined my co-ed soccer team, our team was comprised of many more players. Somewhere along the way there was a nasty breakup between two of the team members, and the ex-girlfriend happened to not get along with the team captain, so she (the ex-girlfriend) took most of the best players and formed her own team in the same league - the Llamas. Over the last couple of years the two teams (The Llamas and The Green Team) have met multiple times but The Green Team has never managed to beat their arch rivals, The Llamas.

Last night, my 3rd soccer game ever, we faced off against The Llamas for the Civil War 2008.

No-one scored in the first half, though we went back and forth intensely the entire 45 minutes. The Llamas pulled ahead in the second half with two goals scored by men (in co-ed ball, men's goals count for 1, women's count for 2). 2-0 Llamas.

Then, about twenty minutes into the second half a miraculous thing happened. I was at the right place at the right time, Stephanie passed me the ball, and GOOOOOOAAAAAAALL!!!!!!! Game tied. (There may have been mild amounts of screaming, jumping, high-fiving, hugging, squealing, chest bumping etc.) Seeing the ball off your foot into the net is quite the addrenalin rush! Ten minutes later our amazing Norwegian soccer feind Toralf scored a goal from about 35 yards out (wow!), putting us up by one.

In the end, we managed to keep The Llamas from scoring again and won the game 3-2!

But, readers, what's important to note here is not the exciting and historical win for our team... what's important is: KENDRA SCORED HER FIRST GOAL! (just making sure we were clear on that.)

Go Green Team!!

Scars

I had my first adult bike wreck this week. It was all because of my foolishness. I was wearing impractical (yet very attractive) shoes and a pencil skirt, and was riding in a construction zone. Not the smartest thing in the world to do, right? To top it off, I tried to jump up onto a curb while paralleling that curb, something my biking instructor (Tim) told me explicitly not to do. As I was about to attempt the parallel-curb-hop I was thinking, "I really shouldn't do this; Tim said it wasn't a good idea...SHOOT!" CRASH, SKID, BRUISE! Fortunately I fell away from traffic and only sustained scrapes, bruises, a small gash and some road rash on my knee. I felt like such a child, limping back to work and cleaning my owies.

Tim calls my road rash "Reminder Burns". Not to get all philosophical or psychological, but our scars and road rash, whether physical or emotional, do serve as reminders of past mistakes and foolishness. I, for one, will not be attempting the silly sideways curb jump anytime in the near future!

Elsewhere in the life of Kendra ... work is going great! We have hired a person to take over the front desk/general office duties, and I couldn't be more thrilled. I am now moving into my office upstairs! I have several cases of my own, and am retaining several new clients every week. I think it's fun that I have clients from all over the world, not just Mexico. So far I have clients from: Nigeria, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Thailand, The Philippines, Peru, Laos, and Mexico. I love it! Now I'm in the process of turning my new office into a welcoming and professional space. Truth be told, my office needs to be on a home/office makeover show. But I'll see what I can pull out of my bag of tricks without the help of professionals!

Drawing to a Close

There are many indications in the valley that Summer is drawing to a close and Fall is rapidly approaching. This week our dorm-like apartment complex has been overrun by large trucks, U-haul trailers and parents galore. The school year is about to begin.

The Country Club pool closes for the summer today. While Tim's pool staff is thrilled to be done, I am sad to see the fun at the pool and on the tennis court go away. Just another indication that the beautiful Eugene summer will be gone before I know it.

Though the mornings and evenings are getting cooler, the 80 degree weather we had this last week gives me hope that all things summer are not lost. We've squeezed in a few boating trips, a hike up Spencer's Butte, and morning jogs in the last couple of weeks. My biking trips to work in the morning are getting rather chilly, but Tim is riding to the Honors College now too, so we can commiserate. Soon the evening bike rides home will be as cold as the morning.

But there is a lot to look forward to as Fall approaches. Tim won't be working crazy hours as the manager of the Country Club Aquatics. He will have regular hours at his part-time tech job and late hours only a couple days a week at EMT classes. I just started a fall co-ed adult soccer league with practice one night a week and games every Monday. I've never actually played soccer, but this league has been quite fun already. They keep asking me if I played rugby... does that mean I'm too rough? ;)

Eugene Celebration

I just got back from the Eugene Celebration with two of my girlfriends. It's like a big hippie fair, and it was soo fun! I had a very tasty Gyro with falafel, and we got some "drinking chocolate" (YUM!). There was plenty of live music of all sorts to enjoy, and people dancing in the street. If you enjoy people watching like I do, this is the place to be.

We also got free "Women for Obama" symbols painted on our arms. A good day.

Life is Beautiful

Without free time at work, I fear my blog is feeling neglected. There's just so much to do now that I actually have to work at work! There never seems to be time for everything I had planned to accomplish.

My bike ride home from work remains one of my favorite parts of the day. There are always people out and about, and I ride across the beautiful Willamette river. Today it was just beginning to sprinkle on me as I rode home and it felt so refreshing. Mmmm, I love Eugene.

I recently found this great park about two blocks from work where I can eat my lunch. The park has both covered and uncovered areas with tables and benches, great for rainy days and sunshine alike. I think my favorite part is that on Tuesday and Thursday the Farmer's Market is hosted in this park, just the next block over. So, there are lots of great vendors selling fresh flowers, fruits, veggies, and home made wares. I love how close work is to this fabulous local market!

My Spanish is improving by leaps and bounds, though I'm still far from satisfied with how far I've come. One of the partners in the firm overheard me speaking to someone on the phone and complimented me on how I was sounding. That was sure a boost to the 'ol confidence!

Aside from work... I recently went to a friend's wedding back home and enjoyed seeing several of my friends from high school. What a fun night!

At Lacy's Wedding with Julie, Adie, Ashley, and Jackie

Tim and I also got to see the progress made in the barnyard at my parents' place. My how far it has come! I'm so proud of all the work my parents have done. I'm excited for the first couple who decides to get married at the Winn Homestead. It's going to be such an amazing venue!

We also made a quick trip to Portland on a Thursday night for my cousin Forrest's wedding. It was great to see my mom's side of the family, if only for a few hours.

At Forrest's wedding with several of the girl cousins!

Last weekend I kayaked the Rogue River with some friends, just relaxing and having fun; then Tim and I went boating with friends, and I got to use my wakeboard for the first time! I also tried wake surfing for a second time and I actually got up and surfed the wake for quite a long distance! For anyone who has not tried it, I highly recommend wake surfing. I think it's my new favorite water sport.

I think that's all for now.

I can never tell what Tim is doing...

We've Only Just Begun

I remember my mom singing that line from The Carpenter's - "We've only just begun......" throughout my childhood and it perfectly describes how I feel this evening.

I've now spent two days at Hecht & Norman learning the ropes, and there is A LOT to learn, as I expected.

So far:

Biking to and from work has been great. I have a fantastic little 15 minute ride each way on the South Bank bike trail to work. It's been super warm on the way home, and I will be dealing with rain when summer ends, but I have vowed to not let the rain or the heat dampen my spirits!

I have learned how to answer and screen calls in Spanish and English based on whether the person's case is one we handle. This task truly scares me. I have only been shadowing for the last two days. Tomorrow I will begin taking calls and attempting to direct these people correctly. Thankfully I’m not allowed to give out legal advice (which I know nothing about)! ☺

I laughed out loud when I heard that the person in charge of installing our new phone system is Bob Vance **Vance Refrigeration, my mind added**! (Those of you who know The Office will appreciate that.)

I attempted to memorize what seems like millions of acronyms, names and numbers of forms, filing systems, what each of our attorneys do and what their quirks and preferences are etc.

Thankfully, tonight I am less overwhelmed than I was last night. This is a good sign. I also consider this feeling of being in over my head a good thing. I have a lot to learn and room to grow here; just where I need to be at 22 going on 23.

In other news, Dean Barnes (Tim’s old youth pastor) was in the area last week and stopped in on Sunday night for a wonderful visit!

Foiled!

My body is trying to sabotage me, but I am determined to beat it into submission.

Come Monday, I'd like to march into Hecht & Norman completely on top of my game in every way possible. My immune system, however, seems to think this week is a good time to let down its guard and allow any number of bugs to attack me. But never you fear, I have no intentions of letting these little buggers win. I've thrown my arsenal of natural defenses toward my immune system, hoping it will utilize all the help I'm sending its way. In the last 20 hours or so I've pulled out all the stops: loads of Airborne, zinc lozenges, Vibe dietary supplement, Waiora Natural Cellular Defense drops (thank you, Livia), and Jamba Juice with the Daily Vitamin boost. Not to mention gallons (it seems) of water, more sleep than normal, and pain pills when I just can't take it anymore.

Am I ridiculous or what?! No one can accuse me of not doing my best to avoid being sick! On the plus side, it seems to be working. With any luck (knock on wood) I will be running full steam long before Monday!

Florence, Oregon

I whisked Tim away for an afternoon trip to Florence, Oregon today after church. It was nice to get away together - just the two of us. Our lives have been so hectic lately with me on two weeks of vacation by myself and Tim working very hard at the Eugene Country Club.

We enjoyed Mo's clam chowder and walking along the boardwalk in Florence.

Then drove out to the Sea Lion Caves.

Sea Lions galore! Man they sound funny.

And on our way back home we stopped in at Three Rivers Casino, but after spending a dollar on a game we had no idea how to play, we decided to take some "free" soda, walk around and gawk at all the people playing their money away and head home with our money still in our pockets. It was a splendid and relaxing afternoon.

Heceta Head Lighthouse - purports to be the most photographed lighthouse in the world... and I helped it along.

In other news:

- I turned in my two weeks notice at work on Friday! That's a first for me, so it was a pretty exciting day!

- We saw The Dark Night when it released at midnight on Thursday, and I was not as impressed with it as I had hoped to be. I will not include any spoilers in this post, but suffice it to say that the philosophical/ethical content and superb acting were all there... it was the length of the film and how much Christopher Nolan tried to cram into it that ruined the experience for me. But then again, maybe if I hadn't been so exhausted I could have enjoyed it more.

It's the Little Things

That saying about "the little things in life" being "what really matters" ... it's true.

I'm discovering this more and more. A few examples:

- Yesterday I was amused by the man in the cooler at Albertson's. He got a chuckle out of startling me, and I enjoyed his accent as we chatted about the pros and cons of his job ("it's great in the summer, but in the winter it's not so fun.")

- The last couple of days, my mom's blog about the Winn Homestead project my parents are doing "back home" has brought me joy and pride. Check it out, you'll see why.

- Last night Tim and I played "keep-away" and "sharks and minnows" with a friend and some little kids in the Country Club pool while Tim "supervised" his staff. I had so much fun pretending to be a 10-year-old again, playing water games in the summertime.

- Even my morning surprise - no water in our apartment - is amusing to me now. I had to pack up and go to my gym to shower in their locker rooms before work! I was not amused at the time, but it is pretty funny now.

- And today my after-work activities have me all excited: reffing two YMCA women's league games, watching Burn Notice, and going to see The Dark Knight at midnight with 3 other couples!

It's decided. The little things in life make everything worthwhile!

Vacation Week II

So, it's back to the daily grind after my second week of vacation perfection. I arrived back in Eugene around 1:00 yesterday afternoon, and it was good to be home even though I had enjoyed my two weeks immensely.

A few highlights from my trip to California:

- A guided tour (thank you, Aaron) around Berkeley, including UC Berkeley where Aaron is attending Law School, during which I witnessed Code Pink's protest of the US Marine Corps recruiting office.

- Traveling by BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), Emery-Go-Round, and foot (more than 20 miles walked in the 4 days I was there.)

- Shopping with Amber all afternoon in San Francisco, and finding my new favorite store: H&M.

Amber and I in front of a bell in Dolores park - and at Aaron's apartment

- Touring Pixar with Reid! I loved all the life-sized characters, and the WALL-E paraphernalia (even though I have yet to see the movie).

- Meeting a TV celebrity at Victoria's going away party that Amber and Aaron threw. Anyone else watch Beauty and the Geek and know who Ankur is from Season 2?

I didn't know he was fake kissing me until I saw this picture later...
Seems kinda backwards - the celebrity "adoring" the fan... ;)

- Touring San Francisco with Aaron, and actually getting him to take pictures with me!

Arm wrestling at the Musee Mecanique - Aaron and I with the San Francisco skyline.

Aaron and I in front of Alcatraz - hanging off a Cable Car

- FOOD! Pie in the Sky Pizza, Senegalese, Indian, Thai, and good 'ol American BBQ potluck.

At Bissap Baobab - yummy Senegalese food

First Anniversary

Tim and I celebrated our First Anniversary today. It was nice to be home between my two vacation trips, and we kept it pretty low-key. We played a lot of tennis, ate a lot of good food (at the Country Club and Ambrosia), and generally enjoyed each other's company.

It's hard to believe that one year has passed since we said our vows, but really a lot has happened in the last year. We have both grown a lot in our own self-discovery and our relationship to one another. It's been a wild ride of a year, and we are both (obviously) looking forward to many many more!

Vacation Week I

Not to brag, but I just had the best week of vacation a girl could ask for. My train was two hours late, but after 8 hours sitting next to a very large wheezing lady, I arrieved in Seattle!

I stayed with Tobin and Allyson Sunday night through Thursday morning, then spent Thursday through Sunday afternoon with Julie before I caught the train back home!

Highlights from the trip:

- Professional massages with Allyson.

- Lunch at Agua Verde (best Mexican food I’ve ever had, seriously), and kayaking at Agua Verde on a beautiful, sunny 80 degree day.

Kayaking between Lake Washington and Lake Union

- Cooking and eating yummy food out of Simply in Season.

- The Ballard Locks - we watched the boats go through the locks, saw trains and airplanes, watched the fish climb their ladder and had a picnic in the grassy area.

The Kids at the Ballard Locks

- Shopping all afternoon in downtown Seattle with my bestfriend Julie.

At Pikes Place in Seattle

- The Farmer's Market in the community where Tobin and Allyson live.

- Seeing a Bear in Leavenworth!


- Relaxing and recreating on Lake Chelan (soaked in the sun, swam in the beautifully clear lake, rode in the boat, learned to wake surf, played games, ate yummy food, and enjoyed the fireworks show).

Julie and I tubing - before we broke the handles

Learning to Wake Surf

- Chopstix - a dueling piano bar in Belltown (Seattle).

At Chopstix

- Church with Allyson ad Tobin at Wallingford United Methodist Church (the first time in quite a long time that I have felt more positive leaving church than I did going in).

Here is part of the liturgy I loved so much.

Prayer for Our Giving:
“O God, through the offering of these gifts may we become a more open people…
open-minded in hearing your word and wisdom,
open-hearted in healing a broken world,
open-handed in heeding your call for charity and enacted love.
With thanks for all good gifts,
We present a portion of our substance and the whole of ourselves. Amen.”

and...

Prayer of Confession:
“Creating and Sustaining God, your great commandment in Christ is that we love one another as Christ has loved us. We confess that we fail to embrace your liberating love. We divide where you would unite. We exclude where you would embrace. We choke the breath from your Word when its truth does not accommodate our fears. Forgive our hardness of heart. Mend our broken human family. Breathe into us the living Word of all-inclusive love. We ask in the name of your Child, our Brother, Jesus, the Healer of our souls. Amen.”

The church also had “Summer Choir” which invited anyone who desired to join, to go to the front, pick up the piece of music, divide into sections, and sing for the congregation. As Winn girls, Allyson and I naturally went forward to join. What a fun and interactive way to worship!

I arrived back in Eugene tonight, and it was great to see Tim again. We’re not as good at long distance as we once were.

Two Weeks of Vacation!

Starting Friday I have two weeks of paid vacation! The only downside is that Tim will not be able to take time off, which has changed my plans slightly. We had planned to go camping with his family in North Idaho, but that will not be happening now. Tim and I are leaving for a wedding tomorrow evening (Tim is the best man), and we will return Sunday in time for me to catch the train to Seattle. I am still visiting my cousin Allyson for a few days, and Julie and I will still spend the days around the fourth of July together in Seattle and on Lake Chelan. Then I will return to Eugene for our first anniversary (where did the time go?) on the 7th. But rather than go to North Idaho during my second week of vacation, I will be taking the train (15 hours overnight each way) to Berkeley to visit Aaron and Amber! I will also hopefully meet up with Reid while I'm in the Bay area and get to tour Pixar, where he is interning this summer! Needless to say, I am very very excited about the next two weeks. I am feeling the need for a significant amount of time off, and this is the perfect remedy!

I will post pictures after my fabulous two week hiatus.

Graduation Weekend & Father's Day!

Tim Graduated from the UofO with a B.S. in Business Administration (minor in Economics)

With my family - I just love them!

With Tim's family - I love them too... but I look like a midget!

We also celebrated Father's day with my dad while he was in Eugene. The weather was beautiful all weekend, and we got to play tennis (dad's gift from Tim and I was a new racket, something he hadn't bought in something like 25 years)! And we went out for lunch, took naps, played cards, watched a movie... just had a great relaxing day together. (see more pictures of the weekend here.)

I'm thankful for the wonderful people in my life!