Fabulous Friends in 2011

I said I'd post a couple of these... so here are pics from NYE dinner at Genoa. Today is full of errand-running, then taking Dad to see The Blazers play tonight at The Rose Garden for Dad's birthday. Woo hoo! :) Last night, an excellent dinner at June.

Otherwise, I'm not feeling so hot... kinda sick... think I'm fighting a cold. Argh.

Love,

Katery

Genoa, December 31st, 2010

Update

Happy 2011! Here's hoping the new year is better than the last. :)

We're off to a great start...

We had a FABULOUS evening NYE... dinner at Genoa in SE Portland and the late show of Pink Martini at the Schnitz. Unfortunately, some evil woman decided to hit Mike while he was trying to take a picture during the show. He turned around as she told him that was "illegal". Mike's response? "It's not illegal, and if you touch me again, I'll have you thrown out of here".

Ugh. One picture? This guy recorded an entire freakin' song! (Awesome).

Anyway, we still had a lovely time being out with Preston, Melissa, Mara and Mitch. (Pictures to follow, as soon as Melissa uploads them). ;)

New Years Day was lazy and wonderful. Well, lazy for me -- productive for Mike. I read "The Help" all day, and he did 10 loads of laundry. Ironic, yes?

Today... a massive clog in the drain system in the condos. Gross. We're not using our kitchen sink until a plumber can come tomorrow and stop the back flow. Oh well.

Off to Spirit of 77 for a little dinner/snack and to watch The Blazers. That's a nice end to a lovely holiday weekend!

Love,

Katery

P.S. The end of 2010 was THE BEST with a quickie trip to Seattle with Kelly. Love her!

4 months to the day!

Well, it's been exactly 4 months since I crashed my bike, and let me tell you what -- I am over this whole recovery-mode thing! I'm still using one crutch, still not quite full-time at work, still in physical therapy, still getting tired easily, still not working out at the gym, still not really dieting well enough to compensate for that, and still spending too much time on the couch.

So, yes, all those things kind of suck. To top it off, I also caught a NASTY cold from my darling husband this week. (Although, he was sick while we were in Reno last week for Breanne's wedding... at least I get to rest easy at home).

Okay, but my point of this blog isn't to just complain, (I feel like I've been doing plenty of that and feeling plenty sorry for myself enough this week). Instead, I'm writing to cheer myself up, and remember all the good things that have been going on the last 4 months.

1. We went to Breanne's fabulous wedding. So much fun, and what a beautiful bride! While we were in town we also got to catch up with some old friends.

2. I got to head up to Tahoe, if only but for a brief few minutes. Portland and Tahoe are my two happy places, and since I live in one, it's always nice to be able to visit the other.

3. I, ummm, didn't die in my bicycle crash,

and I am technically on my way to making a full recovery.

4. After I crashed, I realized how loved by family and friends I truly am. So many cards, flowers, hospital and home visits, meals cooked, etc. The people in my life are freakin' AWESOME!

5. I'm working at a job where my bosses have been nothing but supportive and understanding as I recover. That has certainly taken a ton of stress off my plate.

6. It's the holidays, and I love shopping for people and making my girlfriends and family members jewelry!

7. I have the best husband in the entire world. He always knows what to do and say to make me feel better. He takes such good care of me, and I don't know what I did to deserve such a wonderful guy in my life!

8. I have such a wonderful group of close friends in Portland....

all of whom have really been there for me as I heal.

9. My sister-in-law kicks ASS! She is so wonderful, and I am so lucky I can consider her one of my best friends. Her husband is pretty rad, too. Thank God for those two!

10. Come to think of it... my husband's whole family is pretty sweet. They've all really been there for me over the last few years (and months).

11. My Dad lives close to me in Portland. Thank goodness for that. It is certainly very difficult to watch him go through Alzheimer's, but every moment I get to spend with him is still a blessing. He also remembers that I crashed my bike, opens doors for me, liked pushing me around in my wheel chair, and hands me my crutches. Even in his sickness, he's a great caretaker.

12. We have a wonderful home. It's small but cozy, and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else right now. Good thing, too... since I've spent A LOT of time here lately...

13. My dog completes me. What great company as I get better...

14. I'm so lucky to have an amazing 'lil sis...

who's become a part of our family and who I love so much!

15. I feel blessed that so many people in my family live in Oregon!

I love seeing them on a regular basis.

That's it for tonight. Feeling much better now.

Love,

Katery

Cupcakes make me happy!

Yummmm... after seeing so much candy everywhere for Halloween, I'm craving sugar. So, rather than eating it, I'm getting my sugar fix on Etsy. Cupcakes for everyone!!

See the newest treasury HERE. :)

Check out this awesome little cupcake-bearing ninja.

I don't think he serves any other purpose but to be extremely cute. I love!

These letterpress cards are done so well.... Cute!

Oh my goodness. Who doesn't NEED a cupcake ukelele? This awesome shop doesn't just have cupcake stringed instruments, but a range of foods and fun things. So creative!

Such a sweet little pincushion. Love this one!

And so, I realize it's November 1st. That means exactly 3 months since I crashed my bike. My recovery is moving along. I've been back at work, working up to full-time for the past month now. Last week I had a couple of eight hour days, but I also started physical therapy. That was great last week; however, over the weekend I've been getting more and more sore... to the point that I can't even walk today. Mmmm... I think it's time for a phone call to see what's going on. Ouch!

Anyway, I also had a doctor appointment last week, and got new ex-rays showing the femur fracture in my left leg and how it's healing. It's crazy to think about all this metal being in my leg... a large plate down the side and 13 screws. Eeek. Best not to think about it, I suppose...

So, due to all this healing, we had a really mellow Halloween. My brother and his new girlfriend were in town to visit Dad, so we showed them around a little. Otherwise, skipped out on Halloween parties Saturday, and we just stayed home and watched scary movies last night. One group of trick-or-treaters came to the door... so those kids scored a boat-load of candy. I guess I'll save that cute flapper costume I got for this year... for next year!

That's it for now. Happy November 1st!

Love,

Katery

Just a hello!

Nothing to pimp, promote, treasurize, or favorite this evening. Just a quick hi from Katery-land!

Things are going much better in life these days... the post bicycle crash recovery is coming right along. I've switched to A crutch, not 2, at work this week, so that's been good. I've got an ortho surgeon appointment next week, and hope to go to work full-time after that -- so starting next Thursday! I'm sleeping much better at night and am getting around with less pain all the time.

I'm looking forward to fun things in coming weeks... a karaoke party, yummy dinners trying new restaurants around town, being a flapper for Halloween, etc., etc., etc. In November Mike and I will also be headed down to Reno for Bre-child and Dave's wedding. Fun-ness!

Tonight Mike and I had a lovely dinner at home, (yummy pork chops, potatoes au gratin, and arugula salad)... then headed out to the mall for a couple errands and over to what's sure to be a new East side favorite... Spirit of 77. Great bar. Good times. Go Blazers! Can't wait for basketball season to officially get underway. Woo hoo!!

And from my phone... Kai got a new bed... as we work to get the condo back to normal, no more hospital bed in the living room... we've been rearranging like crazy...

And just to prove I'm getting back to a somewhat normal routine...

a good hair day, snapped on my way to work last week! Thank God. ;)

That's it for tonight... bed time!

Love,

Katery

Etsy Featured Shop: ORGLAMIX

As duly noted, I've had time to play around on Etsy, and I've discovered quite a few new fabulous sellers. The one I'm most excited about right now is Orglamix -- organic, vegan makeup. I have friends who swear by Bare Minerals makeup, but I've never really wanted to shell out quite that much cash for foundation... I prefer MAC red lipstick and bright eye shadows.

Now I feel like I've hit the jackpot with this new discovery -- vegan makeup in beautiful colors... that lasts, without all the chemical crap in it.

A few of my favorites...

Beautiful eye colors!

Green Chakra...

Marshmallow

And great starter kits available for different skin tones...

Love this... each week a new color discounted for just $2.50! This week was Sky.

Even better than a color of the week.. how about colors of the month? For just $40 a year, get 3 different shades sent to you each month!

So to start, I'm trying some eye shadow, foundation, and got this awesome

organic brush kit for $20.

Like what you see? Follow Orglamix on Facebook by clicking here.

In the meantime, I got outta the house for quite a while today... took Dad out for lunch, a haircut, and a sunny drive through the Gorge.

View from the Vista House from cell phone cam...

Tomorrow will be packed with Coyla-time, a soak at Kennedy school with the girls, and then wine night at the condo.

Off to bed. Here's to hoping I sleep better tonight than I have been... argh.

Love,

Katery

I swear...

...I do more than just create Treasuries on Etsy. In fact, I do a lot more than that!

This week has been my busiest post-bicycle crash week yet. I went back to work, albeit part-time at first. 20 hours of calling and working with potential students as an admissions counselor for The Art Institute of Portland. It was really nice to be getting back to normal... and being around all my friends at work was wonderful! Now that I've switched to crutches, I look forward to ditching those, too, and walking on my own. The healing process is a slow one... but I'm moving forward and have 100% recovery to look forward to!

So, aside from working, catching up with friends for happy hour, and spending quality time with my hubby and Kai, yes, I've been excessively creating treasuries on Etsy, browsing through favorite shops, dreaming of the day I'll be able to buy a kick ass pair of boots again, and playing Scrabble online with my sister.

Today in the mail I received this fabulous ring set that I ordered on Etsy last week.

Sweet! Best friends... peanut butter and jelly!

So, it inspired this treasury...

I gotta say... this one makes me crave a PB&J sandwich like nothin' else!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4ca6c7b963448eef9220a1c7/its-peanut-butter-and-jelly-time-btches?index=0

This treasury makes me think of all the fabulous homemade jelly and jam I've got in the fridge right now. Thanks Carl, Kelly, and Catherine for all the sweet goodness!

Anyway, it's just about bedtime for me. Off to visit Dad tomorrow, then a housewarming party for Steve and Julie... and afternoon girl time with Coyla, Sarah, Mara and Melissa on Sunday.

Love,

Katery