Summer Adventures Continue!

It's been a busy past couple of weeks, as July winds down and I approach the start of my new job, (in 2 days)!!

Last week Grandma and I spent a week visiting family and friends in Nevada and Southern Oregon. From family BBQs to camping in Tahoe and Shakespeare plays to Father's Day action... it was a long but fun week!

Grandma and I in Lithia Park on our way to Nevada

Grandma Loves Kai

Shannon and I in CC

Dad showing off his new Johnny Cash collection

Tahoe Dog

The action didn't stop as soon as I got home, either! Thursday night I headed over to Alberta for Last Thursday fun with friends. Here... Melissa and Mara!
And on Sunday I got my early birthday present... this KICK ASS new Gary Fisher road bike. Wooooo hooo!

Sunday afternoon I headed to the Gorge for a hike up to Oneanta Falls...

And Coyla-Monster and I took a freezing swim by the waterfall!

Soaking wet little sister!!

That's it for now. I've got one final day off before I start Wednesday at KATU. I had so much fun hanging out today with Erica outside all afternoon... and think I might do the same tomorrow!! Yay!

Love,
Katery

Fun in Oregon Wine Country!

Mike and I decided to take a little day-adventure Tuesday and head over to the Newberg/Dundee area to our favorite winery, Erath! We also picked up a new camera on our way, (early birthday present, I suppose), since both our cameras have been increasingly on the fritz lately. I was thinking, my old camera was a high school graduation present! So, no more double-A batteries for us to charge up the new camera. Woo hoo! Instead, we get to plug it into an AC adapter like the rest of the technologically-savvy world. Anyway, here are a few shots from our trip!

Kai-s in the mirror are closer than they appear...

Mike in the Erath tasting room

Mike and I together... wow, we didn't take it ourselves for once!

The view from the tasting room patio

Relaxation station!
One last shot in the parking lot... :)

And while uploading these pictures, I found a couple others I hadn't uploaded previously from Memorial Day Weekend!

A rooftop BBQ @ Kerry's old place before the Beaver's Game...

Nice views from the rooftop!

At Ade's family baby shower in Portland. Mabel -- 18 months to the day!
Couldn't resist the charm of these poppies during a walk with Melissa around N. Mississippi!

Today I'm packing for a trip to Nevada! Grandma, Kai and I will leave tomorrow morning to drive down Medford/Ashland to stay with my Uncle there, before driving down to Carson on Friday to spend a few days with family and friends in Nevada. On Saturday Kai and I are headed to Tahoe for a friend's family annual BBQ @ Camp Richardson. I'm so excited for that! Sunday will be a great Father's Day celebration with Dad and the girls, and we'll be in Carson 'til Wednesday morning, before heading back to Ashland to catch Much Ado About Nothing at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival on our way home. Many pictures to ensue, I'm sure. Have a lovely week! :)

Love,

Katery

Itching to Sew...

My mom was a fabulous seamstress. She could create a beautiful gown from a complicated wedding dress pattern in under 48 hours. In fact, I watched her do it for 9 years, from when I was 11 until I was 20, as a Rainbow Girl. Before then, Mom made my Easter dress each year, Christmas dresses, Halloween costumes, and back-to-school dresses. As I got older, my need for hand-sewn items evolved a bit, with custom requests for party costumes, dorm-room laundry bags, elbow patches for worn-in jean jackets, then later bridesmaid dresses, and throw pillow cases for my husband's and my living room.

In about two weeks, my family and I mark the first anniversary of the day we suddenly lost Mom. The grieving process sucks, quite frankly, but I'm trying to remember all the wonderful things my Mom did, rather than just think about how much I miss her. I'm trying to focus on all the work and wonderful things she did for me and my family to make all our lives better. One of the best things I'll remember about Mom is her wonderful ability to sew, and it makes me want to learn how to sew, too! In fact, her sewing machine is packed up and waiting for me to take, (when we have more room). I can't wait to own a house and have that extra room for her piano, her sewing machine, and of course a porch for family BBQs, too.

Mom and Dad dancing at our wedding... of course, she made that skirt!

My own itch to sew has also been scratched lately by my discovery of Anna Maria Horner fabrics. I've seen her designs used in creations on Etsy, and I'd love to be able to get some of her amazing fabric prints and start making my own creations! Here's a link to her web site: Anna Maria Horner, for those of you, (Karen, Amy), who can sew. And here are some of my favorite pillow-finds, from someone who CAN already sew, the designer behind Persnickety Home Designs on Etsy. :)

Sketchbook Pillows in Blue

Throw Pillow, Sketchbook in Rose
While searching for items made with Anna Maria's fabrics, I found a couple of other fabric designers I'm loving, too. :)

There are a ton of creations on Etsy using Amy Butler fabrics, like these lovely pillows, also from Persnickety Home Designs.

Gothic Rose in Blue Pillows

Royal Garden in Clay Pillows

Finally, I'm finding sweet items on Etsy using fabric designer Heather Bailey's creations.

...like this fabulous apron from RetroMama on Etsy.

New moms -- I'm also LOVING this item from Etsy seller HushBabyCo. It's a sample of all the Heather Bailey fabrics you can custom order in a baby crib bed set. CUTE!! I hope we have a little girl some day so I can make use of all these fabulous, girly fabrics! :)

Anyway, off to the gym now... Later this afternoon I'm getting the Columbine tattoo on my foot touched up. I'm trying to drag Grandma with me to the tattoo parlour to hold my hand. Plus, I think it would be really funny to see her reaction to the artists in there. :)

Kai, plus the edge of the Columbine flower on my foot that's getting worked on today...

Love,

Katery <3

Rose Festival Dragon Boat Racing!

What a busy weekend it was, filled with Dragon Boat Racing down on the Waterfront! On Monday I played catch-up, running errands and hanging with Grandma, but Saturday and Sunday were packed with races!!

I've been a member of the Sundragons Plus racing team for the past three years. The Rose Festival races are the only race where flag-catchers are required; otherwise, boats just cross a finish line at other festivals. Once my team noticed how tall I am, they asked me to flag-catch, and I've been doing it for Rose Festival since!

Here are photo highlights in a slideshow from a fellow Sundragons member. :) These photos are from after the race, going back to the start of the race... I'm wearing a white sweatshirt, black pants, and a black life-vest at the front of the boat. Don't miss the ones of me reaching out to grab that flag!



Erica also took some great shots after the race...

High fives coming up the ramp off the dock...

Number one in the quarter-finals, baby!
Our typical weekend picture... on the Waterfront, this time. :)

So, our team placed third in the semi-finals, and only first or second advanced to the finals. It was a good showing, and since I started three years ago our team moved up from Division II to Division I. We're getting there... perhaps next year we'll make it to the Division I finals!

I also had a little celebrity sighting on Sunday. We took at lunch break at Three Degrees on the Waterfront, (inside the Riverplace Hotel - where Mike and I stayed on our wedding night). Anyway, I'm eating lunch... and notice a guy who looks a LOT like Brenden Fraser sitting one table over. Mike confirmed -- it was him! He's shooting a movie in town with Harrison Ford right now. Uh, hello? Why couldn't Indiana Jones have been sitting next to me? Oh well!

Nights this past weekend were pretty packed, too, with a going away party for a former co-worker at KGW at the VQ Friday night, babysitting Ethan and Ben Sunday night, and a Karaoke Klub reality-show pilot taping on East Burn Saturday night. Hilarity ensued...

How Mike and I felt about the first singer...

Preston and Melissa... also horrified...

Normal, fun picture time. :)

Having fun with my hubby...

Cute pic of Ben and Teresa! Love your necklace, girl! ;)
Normal P-town and Melissa...
Erica and Corey :)

Anyway, that was the weekend! Erica and I also rode the crazy sling-shot ride on the Waterfront Saturday after Dragon Boat racing. What fun times! Now Mike's back to work at Fox this week, as I countdown to my re-employment in TV news. :)

Happy Tuesday!

Love,

Katery

Happy First Thursday :)

Tonite is First Thursday in the Pearl, and I'll be out there with jewelry, along with my new booth buddy, Bill, the photographer behind House of Six Cats. We've got two events coming up in June, as well as the Mississippi Street Fair on July 11th.

First Thursday
NW ActivSpace
1720 NW Lovejoy (NW Lovejoy at 17th)
Portland, OR 97209
June 4th, 2009 5 - 10 PM

Hip Happening
Sellwood Masonic Hall
7126 SE Milwaukie Ave
Portland, OR
Saturday June 13th, 11 - 5

I'm quite a fan of Bill's work. I've blogged about it before. Here are some of the items you'll find tonite at First Thursday from House of Six Cats.

Space Needle Coaster Set

Acid Mermaid Rose Nite-lite

Seaside Memory -- Scrabble Tile Necklace

This morning I'm in computer-mode and am running errands before First Thursday. Last night Mike and I took my little sister from Big Brothers Big Sisters, Coyla, out for dinner, ice cream, and to watch So You Think You Can Dance at our place. She's such a cutie! I've been hangin' with her for about three years now. She went from a talkative ten year old, to a precocious 11 and 12 year old, and at 13, I'm finding she's becoming more of a friend than a "little sister". She's also grown about 2 feet in that time. She's nearly as tall as me!

"Little kid" version of Coyla and I at the Oregon Zoo about three years ago...

Coyla-Monster striking a pose at the Zoo back in the day...
A much older version of Coyla exaggerating something to me... and me looking at her like she's crazy last night at dinner...

I can't believe how old she looks!!

Anyway, Coyla and I have decided we'll have some grand adventure this month before I start work at KATU... perhaps the coast, perhaps a trip up north to a water park. We'll see!

Anywho... hope to see people tonite for First Thursday. Have a happy day!

Love,

Katery <3

Ready, Set, GO! It's summer adventure time!!

The weather in Portland has continued to be BEAUTIFUL! As a result, it's been adventure time for Mike and I. We had such a lovely afternoon Sunday with Sarah-mony in the Gorge, that Mike suggested we head back out for a little camping and hiking. So, we did just that... and took off Monday afternoon, (after massages from Sarah -- AWESOME), and went to Ainsworth State Park in the Gorge, near Multnomah Falls. One night of camping was mucho fun-o, as you can see below! :)

Me, doing my "Ranger Kate" dance...

I went down to the car to get something... and came back to a husband with a popped collar, on his cell phone, (douche-bag say what?). I couldn't believe he had reception! He just called to tell his Dad what we were up to, and said the popped collar was protecting him from mosquitos.
A view of our site... and our giant 6-person tent Mike insisted we get, (instead of the 4-person tent I wanted). This is the first time we've used all the camping stuff we registered for as part of our wedding registry last year. He worked weekends last summer! Now it's on, (and our giant tent leaves room for us, our bags, and Kai and her bed, too)!

Pose much? Warming up by the fire. :)

Roasting weenies on the fire! Look at that dog!

After our overnight camping trip, we packed up camp and drove up Highway 30 a bit to hike into Oneonta Gorge again, (same spot, different trail), and hiked up to Triple Falls.

Mike and I snapping a photo on the trail...

Kai and I in front of a "mini" waterfall.

Kai is a hiking machine!

Mike and I checking out the view of Triple Falls.

I also gave Mike a bit of a scare by walking around the Falls and out onto that log. :) Check it out in the video below!! (I'm as tiny as an ant, so look to the right of the log by the trees after Mike pans down)...

Well, that's it for now. Mike and I are about to go pick up my "Little Sister", Coyla, to take her out to sushi for dinner! Have a lovely Wednesday evening! :)

Come see me at First Thurday in the Pearl tomorrow evening, too. I'll be out with other Handmade Northwest Artists at NW 17th and Lovejoy. Hope to see you there!

Love,

Katery <3