Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! It's hard to believe that it is 2009 already; 2008 flew by for us! Here are some of our 2008 highlights:

• Moving out of our apartment and into the beautiful rental house. God has blessed us greatly with this home and we love living here.

• We joined a new Bible study at our church.

• I had some tests on my gallbladder including one that was radioactive...very expensive experience to tell me my gallbladder is healthy. That was good news, but never resolved what is wrong. :P

• We took a class on wine appreciation. Great class, but I don't think we've had any wine since!

• Ben & Katie got married. Yippee! Also married this year were my cousin Laura and my old boss Alan.
  

• I took a quilting class and have a quilt top finished.

• TJ got laid off, then got a new job doing what he really wants to do. He really loves his new job!

• We had crazy snow and ice the week before and of Christmas and were mostly snowed in!
  

We also hosted several dinners here, were guests at several dinners and went on innumerable adventures!

2009 looks to be an interesting year for us on many levels. In 09 we are looking forward to the births of several of our very close friends children, a visit from my parents, paying off more of our debt and continuing to learn and grow as individuals and a couple. Also in 2009 I will turn 30 and TJ will turn 40!

As the good book says, "in his heart a man plans his course but the Lord determines his steps." We leave our 2009 in the capable hands of our Father to determine what will truly come to pass.

Christmas et al

It's now two days after Christmas and we did something we haven't been able to do for a week and a half...drive my car out of the drive, up the hill and and down the road with absolutely no troubles! It is quite exciting!

Yesterday we went to the mall to use a gift certificate from my parents. I think that 80% of the metro area was at the mall, feeling like we did that one more day stuck in the house would not be fun. We got lunch there at 1:00 and had to wait in long lines and circle the food court for quite a while before we found a place to sit. I bet the mall had the highest sales for December yesterday.

On Christmas day we had friends over for a relaxing afternoon, then went over to their house the day after Christmas for a relaxing evening!

I've been off work now for two weeks and TJ for a week, and it will be quite strange to go back to work next week. I think the most exciting thing I've done since being home has been to clean the kitchen! It is reorganized and sparkling! I got a new cleaning book at our Bible study Christmas party and I love it! I cleaned my counters with a 2 part baking soda, 1 part borax & 1 part hot water mix (though I added more water later) and it really worked! They are very clean now and I wish I could wrap them in plastic to keep them clean forever!

My other project was to try and clean up my computer, especially my pictures. I must have spent three days just sitting here deleting blurry photos, cropping and adjusting picture color. I deleted all my online photo albums and reuploaded with the better sets of pictures. I think this computer is growing closer to dying and have copied all my files to disks just in case.

In the new year I'm considering canceling our home phone line and internet access. It would save us almost $60 a month and between work and free wi-fi spots I think it may be interesting to try for a while. I've been trying to figure out an internet connection that would be cheaper, still run fairly quickly and not need a home phone line but thus far have not found anything. I would miss hanging out on facebook though and the convenience of a home internet connection. We'll see!

Hope you all had good Christmas's! I don't have any new pictures to show at the moment because after days of looking through old photos I'm all photoed out!!

Snow III

Well, it's Monday afternoon and we are officially stuck at home. I am anyway...TJ thinks he can get his truck out now that they've plowed the driveway. He tried yesterday and got stuck about 20 feet away...did manage to back up and park again though. Wish we would have bought a shovel, it really would have helped get the cars out.

But there is really no reason to get them out! Both our jobs are closed and to drive on the roads chains are required...and we don't have chains. We went out this morning to play in the snow. It's about 7 inches on the bottom, covered by a half inch of ice, which is covered by another 4 inches of snow! So when you walk your foot goes through a lot of layers! In some parts of our yard the snow is almost up to my knees!

Here are some of today's photos...

My personal favorite...old garbage cans buried!! I think this is the best photo to show the amount of snow we've received as well.

Getting plowed out.
Snow on top of my car.
Coyote tracks in our yard, left there overnight.
We took Sarah out for a romp in the snow...I think she likes it!
These little birds were not scared by us...they just wanted to find some food.
And of course, no set of snow photos would be complete without a snow angel!

The rest of our photos are in our online photo albums...

Bible Study Christmas Party

Since TJ is done with school we were able to go to Bible study a few weeks ago, which was also the Christmas party! We got there a bit late due to my work party but had a really nice time once we arrived! These are some photos of the night thanks to the Korn's (thank-you!).

There was a train going round underneath the tree that the kids were loving!


Thought you would enjoy this break from the snow photos!

More Snow!

A pretty view of the tree farm.

I've lived here 5 years now and still am not quite used to how this city deals with snow...or doesn't as the case may be. We've been having snow since last Sunday night and the snow is expected to continue through mid-week next week. On the news channels they call this storm "Arctic Blast 2008" and/or "The Deep Freeze" and as I type one of our local news stations has preempted its normal programming to run the weather report (still snowing) and a story on a stuck train. Not that the weather isn't important, but really, to halt all programming to report for an unknown amount of time that the snow is falling and will continue to fall all night...really not that newsworthy in our opinions.

I guess we should understand why this is big news. We usually get snow during one week of the year. It's big news and then it melts a day or two later and we forget about it. This year it's going on a week and a half! My school is at the 500 foot level (yes, it's all about your altitude) and was canceled (along with almost all the other schools) all week. I went up one day to try to work and barely made it up the hill because the road was not plowed and had a good 6 or more inches of snow on it!

We knew this larger storm was coming this afternoon (5-10 inches followed by freezing rain) so we had planned to go out this morning to get groceries, wood and Christmas presents. TJ woke me up at 9 to say it had started snowing. I quickly got dressed and we dashed (and I mean dashed!) out the door to go get groceries, taking TJ's truck because it has more weight and agressive tires.

Our first obstacle was to get out of our driveway which slopes up at a 45 degree angle, then has this troublesome dip and another hill to cross before reaching the road. If a car is coming and there is snow on the ground you have to roll backwards down to the bottom of the driveway and start the uphill process again. Next obstacle was the hill by the stoplight. Then the curves. Then the hill going down on a curve. Then the hill going up to the next stoplight. We were doing good till the 4th stoplight on a hill turned red. We got stopped but then had a rough time starting again, cab going forward, tires spinning and the bed of the truck skidding back and forth. Mind you trucks and cars with chains and studded tires were passing us as we spun up the rest of the hill. This was the point we decided that Christmas presents were not that important and we would race through groceries/wood and go home!

TJ happy in the snow!

Made it down the large hill and then had to run a red light at the next stoplight because we (along with two other cars) couldn't stop quickly on the somewhat plowed roads. Made it to the grocery store, got groceries and wood, then had the conversation "which way home has the least amount of hills, or at least the least degree of angle on the hill?" Decided on a route, prayed for a safe drive home, then left. Only skidded a few times, mostly as we had to make it up another hill to stop at another stoplight! The rest of the drive home was uneventful much to our great joy.

If you get nothing more out of this post, hear the commonly used word..."hill!" We decided on a few things. 1) Our routes to grocery stores during snow must change. I think had we tried a different route to a different store we would not have had hills, or at least they would have been less steep. 2) We really need chains. When we lived in the city we could just take public transportation, but now we have no choice but to drive! And since only main roads are plowed semi-often and only gravel is used (no salt), the roads stay icy and slick and mostly snowy until it melts. 3) We are very thankful to be home, in one piece, and have no plans to leave any time soon! 4) The Christmas eve service at church will probably be packed since no church will be open tomorrow!

We did go out for a walk tonight, shuffling through a good five inches of snow! It's been snowing now since 9:00 this morning, and it's after 9:00 tonight! That's a lot of snow, unless you live in the midwest. And then you have salt, snow plows, and flat land!!

View from the window, our footprints still fresh...

That's my rant on snow. And for interested parties, the news is still on (an hour now) talking about the weather, now including the fact that flights are canceled. So rather than tonight's CBS movie, we can tune in to learn it is snowing, will continue to snow, a train lost power and is stuck and flights are canceled because of the weather! And the ODOT cameras show snowy roads. At least we didn't want to watch the movie...

Our First Snow!

Well, today we had our first snow...and most likely our only snow of the season. In true Portland fashion the roads were not plowed or salted and for two to three inches of snow most of the city will be closed tomorrow. TJ won't be going to work and my school was cancelled. Today we drove to the corner store and it took about three tries in TJ's truck to get up and out of our driveway! It's a fascinating world when in snows here. Tomorrow we plan to work on the guest room. Here are some photos from the snowy day...it was sure pretty!

We took the cat out for the first time in snow...I think she may have liked it!

This tree is so pretty generally, and especially when covered with snow.

This is a road near our house...all the roads look like this, even the highways.

A late rose covered in snow...

Our Holiday Party

We had a lovely holiday party today! Our friends came over and spent the afternoon with us. The menu included cookies and hot drinks and lots of good conversation. I tried my hand at jam making too...I think it turned out a bit runny but hopefully still tasty! Everyone got a sample to take home. Here are some photos of our day...

In our craft room.

Our new mantelpiece decor...and yes, those are teeth, many thanks to Ben B! :)The food table.

Katie holding Grady...so cute!

Kris & Andrea, Rubye & Grady

Brian & TJ

The rest of our photos are on our picasa web page. :)

No More School

Well, it's official- TJ is done with school, both now and forevermore. Or at least as far ahead as we can see. He loves his new job, but unfortunately the hours won't accommodate his school schedule.

Now, lest you worry his brain will become dull and rusty, he'll be taking day classes paid for by his employer. He'll also be able to take some online John Deere classes. All in all he is a very happy camper!

In other news...well, there isn't much! We plan to have a "Holiday Open House" this weekend, which means we have two days to get the house clean...nothing like a deadline to get us moving! I'm planning to post photos after the party.

Here is some random TJ and Cheryl trivia for your day: tonight we had beef stroganoff for supper; there was a professional development event at my job today and much of my day was spent sitting in the hallway waiting for people to ask me questions or purchase something...and I was sans book!; TJ changed a transmission today in a self propelled walk behind mower in half an hour, and two weeks ago it took him almost two hours...learning is wonderful! Oh! And today we found out one of our good friends is having a boy- in May. We're quite excited.

That's all for us!

Thanksgiving Holiday

This has been a lovely Thanksgiving holiday weekend. On Thanksgiving we went over to Bryan & Lisa's for a yummy meal and a nice time hanging out. We ate turkey and stuffing and broccoli cheese and green beans and lots of other yummy stuff!

The beautiful Thanksgiving table setting!

Our intrepid hosts, Bryan & Lisa.

My hair is growing out...it's actually longer but my head was down a bit. (This photo is for you, mom.)

Friday I did absolutely nothing while TJ was at work...unless reading and watching the Avatar and Hallmark movies count as something!

Saturday we drove down south of Albany to visit my friend Birdie. She lives in Mexico but is currently in the states with her family getting some feeding therapy for their daughter (see one of my earlier posts). They are staying at her mom's out in the country...it was lovely.
Their friend from Chile was visiting also and made us all a very yummy lunch! We visited all afternoon and played a new game called Go For It. It was a hoot!

Birdie & Son...her kids are absolutely adorable!

Our New Truck

Since we were married 2 years ago we have been a one car family. The first year and a half it was quite easy because we lived right by the commuter train. TJ drove to work and I took the train, because both my jobs I had during that time were right at train stations.

When we moved here last April we learned we were in the public transportation "no service" zone. It's this very rare circle in the metro area that has no transportation service...I think the closest bus is about 7 miles away? It was ok though because TJ's job was right on the way to my work. I adjusted my hours a bit and would drop him off my way to work and pick him up on my way home. It was nice to carpool and have a chance to spend some time together winding down from work.

TJ has a new job now (a wonderfully excellent job I may add) and it is completely impossible to carpool. I am a schemer and can come up with all sorts of fascinating ways to make something work out that otherwise wouldn't, but this is out of my realm! Ben & Katie let us use their truck the first week so TJ could get to work, and today we purchased a truck!!

Our new truck is a 1994 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 from Wilsonville Chevrolet. It's very blue, has an extended cab and a cab cover. I told TJ that now we can go camping and not need a tent! He was certainly not as excited about that idea as I was, but I believe knows he is doomed to go camping next summer! :) Tee hee!

In a nutshell the truck buying experience was one of the best we've had. They didn't try to rip us off, they found a good loan after our original loan fell through (who knew they didn't like older trucks!) and overall we were quite impressed.

It's going to be strange being a two car family now. It will sure be nice though not to have to borrow a truck when we need one, and to be able to help people move now...because once you have a truck you will help people move! Since it's an extended cab we'll also be able to transport at least six people, possibly 8 if they squeeze!

Here are a few photos of the new truck...

TJ and Anthony, the car salesman who is also a mechanic.

We praise God for his graciousness to us and for working out the details on this purchase. To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Blessings Overflow...

Just when we thought there couldn't possibly be more blessings coming our way, more came!

1. TJ took his tools into work today to get his area ready for his first day tomorrow, and found out he's starting at $1/hr more than he thought, with an even better chance of a $2 raise on Friday!

2. He also found out that his job will let him take a half hour for lunch and leave a half hour early- so now he can finish school this quarter! He'll leave work at 4:30. School starts at 5:00, so he'll probably still be late, but not horribly late.

3. We will be able to purchase the truck we saw this weekend! Our first bank we thought our loan was approved at denied us because of the age/mileage of the truck, but the dealership found another credit union who approved us with our original terms. We'll pick up the truck on Friday after we get off work!

The only hard thing that we've dealt with lately is my headache. You know the "song that never ends...it just goes on and on my friend." Well, I have the headache that never ends. I think it's been about 6 days now, sometimes better and sometimes much worse, but always there. I've been taking lots of ibuprofen and aspirin, but I think tomorrow I will go drug free and hope that helps? It's not a migraine either, which is odd because my headaches usually are. Ah well, if that's the only negative in our lives I'll take it! :D

Blessings Abound!

Friday we learned TJ got the job of his dreams! But the blessings didn't end there.

Saturday morning we took our car and Ben's truck up to Vancouver. Our friend Donna previously worked with a lady named Deb. Deb is getting married in a few weeks and is working on combining her household with her soon-to-be husband's household. We drove up to bring home a lawn mower & table. We did not end up getting the table, but amazingly, here is what we came home with:

• a self-propelled mower
• two benches for our current table that match it almost perfectly
• two lamps
• plastic shelving we'll use in our basement
• a beautiful rug
• a dirt devil vacuum broom
  
• an antique stool (just like the one I grew up with!)
• wicker drawers
• a indoor/outdoor propane heater (with 4 cans of propane)
• a bag of charcoal for our grill
• three folding chairs
  
• and probably the hugest blessing of all...2 GARBAGE BAGS OF FOOD!!

Now, you may be saying to yourself at this point, "that is a random collection of things!" But almost all of these things were on our list of things to eventually purchase. We like to have people over and never have quite enough seating, so because we have the benches and folding chairs we've expanded our actual chairs by 7! We'll certainly use the heater since this is a rather chilly house, and had been pondering getting a rug in the future. We had been planning to save up for shelving for the basement, and the other items will fit well too.

I have to say though that the food was one of the largest blessings especially coming off these months of layoff. We have been in survival mode and only buying just enough groceries to get us by. I've been using up our "stocked up" supplies and well. Here are the before & after pictures:

BEFORE...


AFTER!

We will eat everything too, it's all so yummy!!!

In the afternoon we found a store that will later help us grow garden starters inside and can help us with some of our outdoor gardening too!

We left the garden place and went down to Wilsonville Chevrolet to browse around their lot and think we may have found a truck. It is a 1994 Chevy 1500 extended cab with a cab cover (I forget the real name) that can also be removed. It was previously owned by only two people and though it has 158,000 miles on it is in good condition. We had been pre-approved a few months ago for the amount through our bank, and are just waiting for the business week to begin to work out the details. They are holding it for us.

We are feeling overwhelmingly blessed at this point. I think the feeling is so hard to describe- it's been a challenging few months as TJ searched for work and we tried to make wise financial decisions. It's sort of like holding our breath for two months and now completely exhaling! I'm sure in time we will balance out. :)

Though this verse is taken a bit out of context, I think it does fit here:
9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:9-11)

Thank-you all for your prayers and words of encouragement! I hope your faith is increased by walking with us through our journey!

And the answer is...

YES!

Here is a recap of our day Friday:

• 7:30 AM: TJ drops me off at work.

• 8:00 AM: TJ calls Stark Street to ask what the verdict is. Manager says TJ is in the top two but the manager has not decided which person to hire yet and asks TJ to call back at 1:00 PM.

• 9:30 AM: I text TJ from work asking if he's heard anything yet. He calls and tells me the latest.

• 1:00 PM: TJ calls the manager back. The manager tells him he's been chosen for the spot...but it isn't final yet. Manager needs to speak with GM & owners to make certain he can still hire someone for this spot and asks TJ to call back at 4:00 PM. TJ calls and updates me.

• 2:30 PM: TJ calls me at work and says he has just heard back from the manager, and in a sad voice tells me he'll still be taking me to work on Monday, then pauses for dramatic effect, and follows with "becuase I don't start till Tuesday!" This is followed by much rejoicing that I imagine half the upper floor at the museum heard along with lots of sighs of relief and prayers of thanks!!

TJ picked me up from work at 3:30 and we went to Ben & Katie's to pick up their truck to use Saturday morning. They are also letting TJ use their truck until we can secure a second vehicle (thank-you Ben & Katie!!) because it will not be possible for us to carpool to the new job.

We feel so blessed to serve such an amazing God who would open this door for us and listen to our prayers. Thank-you to everyone who prayed with us through this journey. Praise God and rejoice with us!!

Here is the link to the location TJ will be working at: http://www.starkstreet.com/pages/maphours/viewlocation/842/stark-street-lawn-garden-sherwood.aspx

Waiting

It is Thursday evening and the theme at our home is "waiting." I know that soon we'll hear whether or not TJ gets the job, but I think this time of waiting is the hardest. There is a verse on waiting I was thinking about and when I went searching for it found lots of "waiting" verses. It reminds me there is a larger picture than whether TJ gets this job or a different one. Here are some verses related to waiting...though you'll have to go to the passage for the full context.

In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. Ps 5:3

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Ps 27:14

We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. Ps 33:20

I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God. Ps 38:15

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. Ps 130:5

Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. Pr 8:34

Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. Is 26:8

But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. Micah 7:7

Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Jude 1:21

Interview...and waiting...

TJ had his interview today at 1:00. It went well and they said he is at the top of the list and should know by the end of this week or beginning of next if he gets it. Just based on the personal reference he got from the father of one of our bible study folks the manager wants to hire him, but he has to sell him now to the GM and two owners. He'd like to hire him based on his experience and knowledge base of course, but character counts for a lot too. TJ was sent out of the interview today with a skills and knowledge test that he'll take back tomorrow, then once they get that the manager will present him as a candidate.

He was so exceptionally nervous going into the interview today, and I was ok, but now I'm completely nervous...he's so close, and yet it could still go either way! I don't think I could want this job for him any more than I do, and I don't think he could want it anymore than he does. Everything he has learned researching the company online, has heard through personal references and heard at his interview just confirm that this is really exactly the kind of job he would love doing and could be happy at long term. The pay is great and they would even pay for him to do further training which would certainly satisfy his desire to keep learning. And the manager sounds like he's looking for people of integrity, which would be great. TJ's had to work with some real bums before (co-workers & bosses) which is hard when he would much rather work with honest hard workers like he is!

Please pray with us that he will get this job, and that the Lord is glorified whether he gets the job or not!

Cheryl's Soup

I believe those who are able to make soup are geniuses- because making soup scares me. But I can make one soup and it is my favorite! Here's my recipe (which may have originally come from one of Adele's magazines?):

1 head bok choy
1 pkg firm tofu
handful mushrooms
fresh ground pepper
2 pkgs ramen noodles (yup, the cheap ones)

Chop up the bok choy and put it in a saucepan with a little water. Add cubed tofu, mushrooms and pepper and bring to a boil. Boil until everything is semi-smushy. Add the ramen noodles (but not the seasoning packet). Once the ramen noodles are cooked (2 minutes?) the soup is ready!

TJ likes this soup too but picks out the tofu and adds the seasoning packet. It is pretty bland but is super easy to digest, and quick to fix when not feeling well. And I think it's tasty!

All I Want for Christmas...

A few days ago we were discussing the upcoming holiday season and I asked TJ what he wanted for Christmas. His reply, "a job!"

Long story short, TJ will have an opportunity to interview with Stark Street Lawn & Garden in Sherwood this coming Tuesday at 1:00 pm! This is truly his dream job and one (barring layoffs) he would stay at practically forever. He would be a mechanic working on small engines. If he could pick one job of the many jobs he has applied for this last month and a half it would be this one, hands down! As an added bonus, this business is a certified John Deere dealership too. :) Please pray with us that the seemingly impossible will happen: he will be hired for this job! As God has provided us with this beautiful home, we pray he will provide TJ this amazing job.

November is Here!

I'm learning the truth that life does begin moving faster the more years we are on the earth. I feel like summer was just here and there was so much to do, and now we're quickly coming to Thanksgiving!

This week Donna & Lisa came over Wednesday. We had spaghetti & garlic bread then Lisa & Donna fixed rice krispie treats while I tried my hand at blueberry muffins. It was fun, though TJ was not thrilled at the disastrous mess in the kitchen he cleaned up Thursday!

I was supposed to go out Thursday night to hang out with the ladies in our Bible study but instead left work early to come home and spend the evening on the couch due to a flair up of my "perfectly healthy" body's digestive troubles. Fortunately the rough day was just that this time - a day - and I made it through the whole day of work Friday, which was good because Friday night we had friends over!

Kris & Andrea & little Rubye and Ben & Katie came over. We had a little potluck and a nice relaxing evening together. Rubye wore a ladybug costume that was quite adorable! We all thanked baby K for waiting to be born another day so we could all hang out! Our Halloween tradition is to watch The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (the gory one with Johnny Depp). Ben & Katie stayed to watch it with us but said at the end that once was enough for them! :D

Today is Satuday and TJ & I are taking a day off...resting, relaxing and enjoying the view from our front window of a wheat field sprouting green. TJ is watching the Gaither's on RVD TV and I'm poking around online. No leads as of today on his job search, and that certainly not from any lack of trying on his part. The Lord knows all we need and just when we need it and we continue to lean upon this truth!

Good News/Bad News

Today was a day with mixed news.

On the down side we found out for sure that TJ won't get his school loans this semester and of course it's too late to drop the class. No idea how we'll pay for it, but one way or another the Lord will provide. Next semester he'll be able to get the loans- assuming with whatever new job he gets he can finish this semester.

On the up side we had a lovely evening at Dinners for 6 at 6! We had dinner with Chris, Myra and Duane. Chris's house was decorated with lot's of "old stuff" as we like to say and when we left she gave us two space heaters (she is moving). This may seem small, but we've been praying for two space heaters! What is giving away something unneeded to one person is God's way of providing for another.

You Know You're From Oregon When...

It's been over 5 years since I moved to Oregon, and over 10 since TJ did. The following list contains cultural markers that show solidarity with "Oregonians." I got this list from a Facebook page and took out the ones that don't seem familiar. Not sure where the list came from originally but it's a hoot! My comments are in italics.

In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark—while only working eight-hour days. This is so true!!

You are not fazed by "Today's forecast: showers followed by rain," and "Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers." All winter. When I worked front desk I never checked the weather but always said people should take an umbrella because it "would rain a bit today but there will be some sunshine too."

You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see through the cloud cover. Also quite true.

You comment, "the mountain is out," when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it. It's so beautiful when the mountain comes out!

You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or people from California. Someone told me that when I moved here b/c it was a "light mist" and I had an umbrella.

You often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day. Did it today!

You blame everything that's not right on ex-Californians. Californians, of course, are the reason everything is wrong in Oregon (because they moved here and drove up home prices). Us Ohio folks don't matter b/c we were not rich when we got here. :D

You go to a coffee bar and see two guys get into a fight over who makes the best India Pale Ale. Lot's of breweries and coffee places!

You know what is in between the East Side and the West Side, and how to pronounce it. It's a river...the Willamette, pronounced Will-am-it, not Willa-met. I was teased greatly for getting that one wrong.

A tree or mudslide has ever damaged your house or car. A few weeks ago a house slid down a hill into a street. And this was surprising but not utterly shocking.

You live equidistant to a symphony hall, a winery, and a volcano. Pretty much anywhere around here that would be true.

You complain about Californians as you sell your house to one for twice as much as you originally paid. The flip side no one talks about!

You consider something a "hill" (not a mountain) if it doesn't have snow on it or has not recently erupted, regardless of its altitude. We have a view of the hills from our windows...which in Ohio would be huge mountains! All perspective I guess.

You know a bride & groom that registered at REI. Craig & Donna!!

Every day is casual Friday. Pretty much, though it depends where you work.

Know at least eight people who work for Intel or Nike, or used to work for Tektronix. Yup, just within our circle of friends!

You think downtown is "scary" because you were panhandled there....once... TJ would agree with this!

You know that Burgerville has the best hamburgers...ever. My favorite is the Tillamook Cheeseburger...mmmmm!

You have only used 5 main freeways/highways: I-5, 217, 205, 26, and 84. Yup!

You know that Kindergarten Cop and The Goonies were filmed in Astoria and Cannon Beach, respectively. The big rock in the Goonies is from Cannon Beach...it's huge!!

You think that the Beach is the best place to go for vacation, or just for a day off. But definitely not to swim or lay out. Brrrr!

You take pride in Lewis and Clark and know who Sacagawea is. Certainly can't live here long without hearing about them.

You never go to the Tigard theater anymore since they built Bridgeport. Yeaaa Bridgeport!

You went to Washington Square....just to eat lunch at Panda Express...or Scoozi. We used to meet a group for lunch at the food court every Sunday after church.

You love the smell of rain. We do...but did before we moved here. Lot's more chances to smell it here though.

You are the only person in the line at the grocery store who asks for paper, not plastic (because while paper "kills trees" it is recyclable, and plastic bags will sit in our landfills for the next millennia). Very cultural!!

You dress in layers (tank top, t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, jacket, etc). I am learning to do this.

You know the exact day you had school off because it snowed like....one inch. No joke there...even half an inch will shut the city down. If you hear rumors of snow you watch closely, and if you see snow you get home as quick as possible and stay there till it has melted off the roads- and no, no salt is used on the roads.

You have been to camp 18...or just driven by it. They have cool old stuff there, and a really neat wood cabin (huge) building and a very cute gift shop. It used to be an old logging camp.

You are sad during christmas because it never snows in the valley. It doesn't!

You know where the valley is. We live in the valley.

You go out of state and wait in your car for someone to pump your gas. I did that on a trip into Washington and was very frustrated by their poor service! Oops!

Your state and local legislatures are republican but your state executives and national representatives are democrat. Pretty much.

You are more concerned about packing a sweatshirt or a jacket when going to the beach than packing a bathing suit. Never pack a bathing suit unless your hotel has one. Definitely have a sweatshirt though!!

The red nose on the 'made in oregon sign' starts your holiday season. Actually right on...it's in the papers and on the news too.

You drive on 'the banfield'. I don't anymore, but I did!

You know The Shane Companies radio commercial word for word -- "...Across the freeway from the washington square mall...open monday through friday til 8, saturday and sunday til 5...also available on shaneco.com." Every radio station. Every day.

You've witnessed 300 nude bicyclists just cruising around downtown like its no big deal. Never seen it (thank goodness!) but wouldn't be all that surprised if we did.