We are now in Sacramento, California.  I have been non-existent in my writing, which I feel a bit bad about, but we have just had so much on our minds!  We are in the midst of really big decisions and we haven’t come to any conclusions, so it is hard for me to write when I just have no clue as to what is going on!!!  So here are some pictures from our trip in Portland!  Maisie’s favorite yoga pose. Maisie loves to do this with her lips and it looks so ridiculous!!! Almost all of my siblings!  These are all my dad’s children (except Maisie in the sling is his grandchild).  From left to right: Amy, Carley, Eric, me! Maisie’s great grandpa (my grandpa) has always been so playful and fun!  Even at 89 he is so much fun!!  Maisie loved him! Maisie with her great grandparents (grandma and…

(I think I should preface this post by stating that I started my period yeseterday. Yuck. I hadn’t had one for over 19 months and all of a sudden…. I am a woman again… emotional and all.) Home is such a weird word.  What does it really mean?  Is it really “where the heart is” or is it something else?  When I lived in Paris I would refer to home as my apartment or back in the states with family.  Now that I am in the states, I am missing my home in Paris  I am not only referring to my little apartment (although I do think that is part of it), but more to the streets I would walk everyday on my way to meet a friend or get a baguette or buy groceries.  I am referring to the walking down the metro steps to catch a metro to…

So here we are in Portland, Oregon.  I have to say that I have a renewed love for Portland.  I have always had a weirdness of a feeling while visiting Oregon because of my yuck high school years, but I feel like I have grown up a bit and am pretty much over it.  I have really enjoyed Portland for the amazing city it is.  Here are some of the pictures that we have taken while here to give you a little sample of what we are experiencing! I love this picture!  This is at my grandparents home in Cottage Grove, Oregon.  I love their yellow house and have such great memories with them!  My grandpa (seen through the door) is now 89 years old!!!  He is still a lively man and I love him so much! Love those eyes. In this picture you can see Maisie’s first little sharp…

I have tried to think of something creative to write about, but nothing is coming to me.  The only thing that has come to my mind is the fact that my fat itches when I jog on the treadmill.  I wonder why this happens.  My friend Karen explained that it is because that part of my body is now getting circulation, whereas it never used to.  She says that it will go away once my fat is used to the circulation.  I sort of just think that it is jiggling so much and that is what is making it itch.   Whatever it is, I don’t appreciate it.  I also don’t appreciate the way it looks jiggling all around like crazy.  Praise the Lord for women only sections at gyms.  Seriously, I will praise the Lord for that. 

I have to say that one of the biggest things that I hate (yes, hate) about the states is how fear driven we are.  I remember last summer being scared that there was a bear in my garage (in a Northern California neighborhood) because of all the news stories on bear attacks.  This year, I am hearing about child murders and other scary things that just freak me out. I just feel like it is silly sometimes how fearful we are.  Today I was walking around the mall with Maisie in her stroller and went up the escalator in Nordstrom.  Well, this is a very common practice in Paris (unless you want to carry a stroller up a ton of stairs).   So I pretty much feel like a pro at maneuvering the stroller, whether it be going on an escalator, carrying it up and down stairs by myself, or whatever. …