make da meat!

The boys went hunting again this year up in BC (this little chicklet didn't get to make the trip par lack of employment... UGH, as if just the mere fact of being unemployed wasn't enough, you miss out on trips to BC to go moose hunting with your dad, brother and old neighbor Meyer! The TOTAL DOMINATION job is around the corner! I just know it, I just know it!!)

MOVING ON :)

So what do you do with two GIANT moose? Why bring them home in the back of the truck and cut them up into yummy meaty pieces in the shop of course! Mom and Bradley did the majority of the hamburger-ing after the boys had quartered all the pieces up, but this particular scene Dad and I are dabbling in the grinding process and our batch Dad decided to mix with, wait for it... look left, look right... BACON!

wow.

i happen to know everything there is to know about maple syrup.

(trust me, you HAVE permission to view! you only need to be logged in to facebook. we don't even have to be friends!)

little 90 SECOND VIDEO rush of "amy" for an internship application. wish more job apps allowed for some liveliness and a little less 'use all the language from how to score a job to create a resume with key words to get through the selective computers and screening committee' -ness.

and after spending a summer in Montana, putting together a little video for my boss in IT at MSU was a snap! Gotta love the Riverdance jams. Slow at first but worth the wait!

aw these guys are jus da CUUUUUUTEST!

Compliments of Montana Zoo! Ian emailed me this link knowing that I would pretty much flip because after my little behind the doors tour of the zoo for my send off from Billings, I've been pretty obsessed.

How could you not after a cute little face like that is imprinted in your memory!? These are the same little dickens that you see sliding down the snow :)

And this moment also ranks up there on the pretty awesome's in my life :) Shoot, how about ALL OF THESE!!! Roll please...

blue steel?!

yes, that's a tree.

better yet was the three to four feet that were sticking out the back window on the way back from La Grande to Portland :) would you believe me if I told you there were TWO of them in there?!

Now that I've scored a bit more time shall we explain how those two trees ended up back there in the first place?

Look right, look left, THAT GUY :) Last minute decision to go home for a couple days to see Mom and Dad for Thanksgiving always leads to some play up in the woods in the Jeep and a check in on the 'dozer.

Clearly we weren't the only ones happy to be up there. I think we

paused for two seconds at a photo op and were greeted by this guy saying, "Hey guys, why'd you stop?" Seriously, he knows how to work those ears to get anything.

And when I say anything I mean anything, he even got some of this tastylicious spread! Dad was feeling mighty proud of his turkey presentation and after some selective taste testing to make sure the turkey was in fact 'edible' he exclaimed, "WOOO! Look at that! Have you ever seen Turkey presented so well!?" Stuffed ourselves silly, nibbled on the pumpkin pie and read till there were three happily snoring Clergets all snug in their beds.

Tummy full, it was off to Sun Valley to spend a few days with this guy and his family :) roads were deec considering on the way to La Grande I spent more than two hours sitting in stopped traffic and saw 7 different accidents, one right before mi eyes mate!

Anywho, Sun Valley ROCKED. Minus the unfortunate BSU loss :( but beers were good, snow was falling and everyone loves an art walk with friends and family! Thanks Berrys!

I kidnapped Dave and we headed back up North to the Homestead, quick stop in for a town tour where I introduced him to the local law enforcement. WHO WAS CLEARLY YOUNGER THAN BOTH OF US. You know when you're getting old when the cop that pulls you over could be your younger sibling. YIKES. Dad calls, "where are you?" Head home, lights off, bottom of the drive, I spot one set of tire tracks in our new two feet of snow, headin off into the trees to our rightand as soon as I spotted Buster ahead I KNEW IT. They were hiding in the trees ready to ambush. I frantically reached to shut off my lights so we could go incognito and hide because I knew we were going to be in a dirty game of hide and seek; Just as I was about to whisper to Dave what the hell was going on...

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

Streak of red light FLYS by shredding snow leaving a solid 20/30 rooster tail in our direction! I squeal for life and laugh my butt off and smile at Dave because well, Welcome Home. :)

*Special thanks to The Dan Clerget Memorial Forest for the donation of Christmas Trees in the making of this adventure. *

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!

Raaaaa - Smith Rock, Bend OR

Raaaaa - Smith Rock, Bend OR, originally uploaded by ames.michelle.

ode to mi madre!

PHASE ONE: BEND.

Cheers mum! Since emails chock full of pictures have had a tendency to come back to me I thought I'd just send you a little link that would give you a quick gander at the past month or so :) no awesome cup cakes just yet, and oddly enough not a single picture from the city of Portland. For all you know, I could be living, well, ANYWHERE! But I'm in Portland :) I swear.

This baby is out at a place called Smith Rock :) I thought it was just going to be a little climbing area - HA! It was gorgeous. We hiked up and over it, giving us killer views like this:

and this...

At one point we came across this baby...

and Melinda was about half way up when we talked her out of it and convinced her to tackle this rock instead...

and by "this rock" i mean THIS rock...

hehe :)

so off to the races harry. and by races I mean a pumpkin patch to feast on some kettle corn and take corny pictures, the kind where you put your head through the wall and you are the face of a vegetable. Pretty awesome. Sorry I don't have them here! What I DO have though is a shot from our next day adventure trying to find a set of waterfalls on the back roads!

I'm guessing you expected nothing less from your daughter?

How about from both of us?!

(many thanks Melinda for taking the pictures and tolerating this!)

David's snowman boxers and my unused swimsuit just seemed too perfect not to seize the opportunity when we hit the snow that day :) hope you enjoyed!

just too fun :)

keepin' it real

-Monika Kochhar in Real Simple Magazine-

Sometimes I think Americans
invented the exclamation mark — it’s their state of mind.

a daily haiku... mmmmmmmmm :)

The pull of your lips
lifts me up out of the bed
and draws me to you.

-tkg-

"_______________"

no can say he has LIVED till he's loved
well go out and love someone.
i do, her.
have you told her?
nooo, no you know me, i'm too shy, i... HERE! I could cable her.
i don't know what heavens for.
you've got to declare yourself openly. otherwise, you'll stay right where you are!

...i am a plain simple man, i have plain simple feelings, i use plain simple words.. And I simply have to let you know... that plainly... that i.... that slainly... i pimply want... ooooo....

__________________________________________________________________

oh please, if we're going to spend the rest of our lives together you must learn not to interrupt.
the rest of our lives?
yes.
you mean marriage?
of course!
you've got a nerve.
i've got several... hmm, no, I function normally.
do you realize what you've said?
i sure do! its pounded into my brain often enough, asleep and awake, in the drousy fantasy moment of every lonely dawn... oh go on, what's your answer?
you take my breath away!
oh, its just the sudden realization you see here, at the fact that... that.... that i love you.

Lawrence Le Shan

Don’t worry about what the world wants from you, worry about what makes you come more alive. Because what the world needs are people who are more alive.

i LOVE the scribbles!!!!!

white russians.

inspiration for the change? white russians!

What a drink! I love them! I can't believe I've forgotten how much I love them. Like these hats...

ummmm, blogger just moved up EIGHT, at least eight, notches in my freakin' book. the options are now ENDLESS! for a person who has zero ability to make a decision and is starving for a creative outlet, this is awesome. and dangerous. :) and i know i said it was white russians that did the trick but you know how things change. and aren't we glad! something had to inspire something though. what do you think?! you likes? you hates? i know its not very bright bright cheery but I kind of like it for now... perhaps something rad and pink/orange in a couple weeks but it was pooooooouring here today so hey, this is what you get. and i've been chillin java style for about five-six hours so that MAY have something to do with da colors. the alternative is a sherbet explosion. can't seem to get what I want though.

mmmm MMMM!

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals "Low Road" from Grace Potter and the Nocturnals on Vimeo.

you know it!

I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!

WOO! it just came in the mail!

this book is full of rad. it speaks in a way that makes you want to... never stop feeling.

ever.

the language is so rich. his story, his point of view... AH. AH!!!! YAY!

its FULL of emotion, each word effortlessly selected yet powerfully placed. but its not so heavy you get tired. its inspiring. and invigorating as hell, and im in absolute awe. 933 pages isn't intimidating. its sorrowful really, i don't want it to end. time to pick up where we left off!

thanks, dave!!!! :)

cue montell jordan....

... this is how we doooo ehhhht...

besides the win-loss count on meals choices, shuffle board in elementary schools, 3 hour new york times sesh's, late night crepe's, "sex at midnight" martini's, deeee-licious beers, tongue raping by way of wine, water droppin hoppin', (gotta add dancin and accents in public to this list...), yummy yummy croissants, warehouse admiring... we really just hung out and had an awesome time!