A Little Rant (I can't help myself)

I have a dirty little secret to confess to all of my blog readers.

My neighbor hates me.

Well, I shouldn't say me.

He hates Buoy. So by association he hates me.

I don't know how we got so unlucky, but we live next door to the Grinch and it isn't getting any better.

This morning my alarm went off at 6:15, I climbed out of bed and let my angelic baby Buoy out to go potty.

Every morning he walks down the stairs, tinkles in the dirt, and then comes back upstairs.

Every morning I stand in the doorway keeping an eye on him...ten feet away.

Well this morning at approximately 6:18 the Grinch came outside and walked by Buoy.

As he walked by Buoy, not realizing I was watching, he says in his Grinchiest voice,

"What are you doing out here?!"

Which I responded to with the following, "He's just going to the bathroom!"

Well, I think Buoy could feel the hate and animosity radiating from the Grinch, because he barked.

One lonely but loud bark.

And then I kid you not...

que the 5 second delay...

1,

2,

3,

4,

and 5.

"Ouch! Your dog bit me!"

You've got to be kidding me. I'm standing right here, I saw the whole thing.

So I said to the Grinch, "Are you serious? Did he actually touch your skin?"

To which the Grinch replied, "Well no."

And then proceeded to lecture me on how "this has got to stop, your dog peeing off the leash."

Then the Grinch stormed off.

So, I've been fuming all day. Replaying the incident in my head over and over.

And let me tell you, the Grinch is a drama queen. I try pretty dang hard to be friendly with just about everyone. I don't hate people, but this guy is getting pretty darn close to changing that.

How would you handle this situation? Kill the Grinch with kindness? Maybe it would turn out just like Dr. Seuss planned...

"And what happened, then?

Well, in Whoville they say - that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day."

All I know is you would have to be crazy to think this little bundle of love would cause anyone harm. I mean come on! He's lived next door to Buoy for 2.5 years...he's hardly the neighborhood terrorist.

Alright, I feel better after telling the story. If anyone has advice for dealing with my Grinchy neighbor I'd love to hear it!

This is where I'm at

It's funny how much life can change in the span of one year. This time last year, Jeremy was just getting home from a two month deployment in Mobile, AL. Something to do with an oil spill...you might have heard of it. We had barely lived together two weeks before he was boarding a plane. Airport hellos and goodbyes had been the theme of our relationship for the past 6 years and I can't tell you how hard it hit me when we found out that it was already time for another goodbye. I thought we were done with airports, done with long separations, and finally starting a life together. Physically together, same place, same time.

But life went on. Our Portland friends, who at that time were still "Jeremy's friends", completely opened their arms to me. I remember how much I relied on my "girls' nights" with Dani and Lauren. Looking back I feel so much gratitude for the way they supported me through that time. Two months is nothing in the scheme of things. Jeremy and I had spent much longer apart (try 9 months on a cargo ship in Asia circa 2006). But after building up in my head how perfect life would be after moving in together, I was pretty devastated.

But let me get back on track. I was trying to make a point. We've come a very long way. Now we're engaged. Planning a wedding for next summer. Enjoying our second Oregon fall together. And wait for it...we've become savers. Jeremy and I are saving every penny. It's like suddenly we realized "oh wait, weddings, houses, babies, take a lot of planning!" I guess we always knew that, but we were kind of hoping we could avoid having to do something about it. Let me tell you this is hard for me. I like to shop. We like to eat out. We like to go adventuring. But now that we have these big life goals, that are worth planning and saving for, suddenly life has changed. Yesterday we talked all day about going out for dinner, but when it came time to pick a spot, we unanimously decided to eat in. Look at that! We just saved $40!

Choices like that one have slowly started to catch on. A few months ago I wrote an entry about my wardrobe staples. I heard from a lot of my friends how much they liked reading that entry. So I figure it's time to add a few more "must haves" to the list. But this year splurges are probably not going to look the same. Rather than splurging on a pair of shoes, I'd like to be able to invite a couple more guests to our big day. You get the idea.

So here you go. A few items and pieces of fashion/shopping advice that won't totally break the bank.

1. Here is the most important lesson I can share with you. If you work in an office or you just love shopping at Banana Republic...sign up for Banana Republic emails. I know you probably already receive 8,000,000 emails from online retailers you shopped at once, but BR is worth it. See 'butters, they have something called power lunches. A 3-hour window of opportunity when everything is 40% off. Did you hear me? Everything. Yes, that includes $200 wool suit jackets, $100 wrap dresses, and $70 pencil skirts. Suddenly, items that were once on your dream shopping list are affordable. BR has these sales at least once or twice a month, so bottom line...don't ever buy anything at BR full price. Wait for a power lunch. The offer is good online or in stores.
   You're welcome.
   
2. Zara. Maybe I'm crazy, but I swear Zara used to be an "in stores only" opportunity...meaning no online shopping. But just the other day I went on their website and (hallelujah!) you can shop Zara online now. Zara isn't quite H&M affordable, but they are pretty inexpensive and their clothes a) fit well and b) last forever. Sign me up. I ordered this dress a couple of days ago ($79!).

I'm also considering this dress (below), because it screams Kate Middleton to me.
Screams Kate, but costs only $59.90. Perfect.

3. Last but not least, I would like to share this other amazing sale. I don't know how long it will last, so take advantage of this ASAP. Ann Taylor The Loft is having a $35 sale. Dresses, shirts, pants...a lot of their new line is on sale for only $35 (some shirts are even $25!). I found this sweater dress that I'm hoping will be as cute in real life (with black tights and suede boots) as it is online. Original price: $89.50. Sale price: $35.

Check it out.

That's all I have to share for now, but I will continue to fill you in when I find something worth sharing!

I'd love to hear from you guys if you have a minute to comment. Where were your lives one year ago? And how have you changed?

xoxo. Happy Friday.

Engagementmoon

Jeremy and I are definitely blessed. The day after our engagement we boarded a plane to Maui, well Maui by way of a 4 hour layover in San Fransisco. It was my first trip to Hawaii and we had been counting down the days for weeks! 8 days of sunshine, ocean, and engagement excitement.

Maui was everything I had hoped it would be, but I learned a very important lesson while I was there. You could say it was my first lesson in being a fiancé. I'd like to share it with all of you.

 After we landed and had picked up the rental car, Jeremy turned to me and said...

"We should take a picture." To which I responded, "Did you bring your camera?". Which was followed by, "No. Bringing the camera is the girl's job."

News to me. Did you all know the camera is the responsibility of the girl? What's mine is yours sounds great, but if that means the camera is now my responsibility...we aren't going to have many pictures. We spent 8 days in Maui and have exactly 4 pictures to show for it. Fantastic.

Proof we were really there. This was before we set out on the Road to Hana.

Proof I was in the Maui airport and there are tikis in Hawaii. How's my impression?

So there you have it. That's 50% of our trip's photographic evidence. Maybe someday you'll get lucky and I'll share the other two outstanding photos with you.

Maybe.

Aloha.

Life Changing Events

Dear Scuttlebutters,

Most of you who read this have probably already heard the news, but Jeremy and I are engaged! Jeremy proposed on September 16th, so this post is long overdue. But I think it's just now starting to sink in! I can't tell you how overjoyed we are and how blessed we feel by all the warm wishes we've receieved from our friends and family. Thank you all for making us feel so loved!

The proposal was perfect. Spontaneous and in our home. Buoy was there and played a very important part in the whole thing.

 Here we are right after! Luckily, Dani and Jared were there to capture the moment right after it happened. A little blurry and we look a little splotchy, but you get the idea!

Now, without getting to cheesy, I just have to say how totally happy I feel. Jeremy and I met 8 years ago in our high school physics class. There have been plenty of ups and downs along the way, but with a lot of love and blind hope we have managed to grow up and stay together. He's my best friend and I can't wait to make our little family official. You better believe Buoy will be a part of the wedding too :)

So there's the important update! I am very excited fall has returned. October is going to be a wonderful month, I can feel it! There are so many exciting things to do.

1. Return to the Corn Maize on Sauvie Island.

2. Get a very special visit from Jeremy's brother John.

3. Attend a Bridal Expo with Lauren this weekend.

4. Confirm our date and venue! (We're thinking July, ahhhh!)

5. Make a tour of the Fruit Loop out in Hood River with my parents.

6. Dive head first into all sorts of fall cooking...which you all will hopefully benefit from too!

Side note...last night I decided to make homemade chicken soup, stock from scratch, the whole bit. After two hours carefully preparing the soup, right before I was about to laddle the deliciousness into bowls, I dumped practically the whole jar of pepper into the broth. There went the soup and out came the toast for dinner.

Learn from my mistakes people. Double check which side of the pepper (or any other spice for that matter) you open!

Love,

Allison {almost} Maginot