your not-so-average cup of Joe

As some of you know, I made a quick trip up to Portland this past weekend to surprise my not-so-little baby brother for his 17th birthday! i remember how hard it was on Joe & I when our older brother Braden moved away, so I can't even imagine how difficult it must be for Joe to be kind of an only child right now. I love my brothers so much and wholeheartedly believe that we shouldn't be without each other especially on our birthdays. It was so much fun being able to surprise Joe, which let me tell you wasn't easy. Due to some super excellent secret keeping by my friends, and some trickery by my parents, Joe was completely shocked!

For those of you who don't have the extreme fortune to have a brother (in my case two), let me tell you- it is one of the most amazing things! And I have even more luck than the average Joe (pun-intended) because I have one on either side of me.

Braden is [to put it lightly] the most free-spirited, creative person I know. He approaches life with a perspective I could only dream of having, and has so many mediums to express his incredible viewpoints. From poetry, to multimedia art, to theater, to having his own radio show, to being in several different music groups, he has been able to share with the world some incredible personal discoveries as well as some over-arching truths about humanity. He's amazing.

Joe, on the other hand, is wise. He is by far the most kind-hearted, sensitive, sassy, and intelligent 17 year-old I know, or have ever met. And I'm not just biased. Joe has this uncanny ability to win everyone he meets over, and whats more, he somehow gets to the core of their being and really understands who they are and where they are coming from. And he is smart! My little broseph Joseph can code with the best of them, build computers from scratch, and I can call him from three states away and he can troubleshoot my computer for me! Amazing! This past year I've been able to watch (figuratively) Joe transition out of an incredibly hard year with grace and poise that most people would kill for.
 It's crazy for me that the little Bud whose diapers I used to change, who I taught how to ride a bike and swim, who used to flying-side-kick me and who I could run blocks around is now over half way out of his teens, and fast approaching college & adult hood. Crazy.

It has been one of the biggest joys of my life to be sandwiched between this two incredible men, and as we always say to each other: At the end of the day and our lives, it's just the three of us against the world! And man, am I lucky to be their sis.

On top of seeing my incredible brother (wish you could have been there Brade!), I also got to take in some of my special home-state that I have been craving since I moved away and see all of my friends. I could write a whole blog about how special Oregon is to me (oh wait, I already did), but instead I'll just post some of the best pictures I took in the day and a half that I was there:

taking stock

Is April seriously half way gone already? We've lived here for four months people! It feels like we've lived here forever, and it also feels like we've lived here for a day. But Arizona is finally starting to feel like home. Here's a little update on our lives down here:

Making: Actually nothing right now! Paul made us a coffee table a few weekends ago that we have to stain but that's about it!
Cooking: Again, not too much.I did make some iced coffee this morning? 
Drinking: ^^ iced coffee can cure almost anything, I think. 
Reading: I'm re-reading this amazing series of books called the All-Souls Trilogy, written by a history professor named Deborah Harkness. She is a fantastic writer and I can't resist a fantasy fiction book with roots in history. They are SO good, and the last of three comes out in two months!
Wanting: a new sleeping bag! We're going camping in a few weeks and realizing that some of the things we left behind in Oregon would come in handy right about now..
Looking: at bear and penny spooning. So freaking cute. 
Playing: seriously anything to keep Bear occupied at this time. He's teething so bad and chewing up everything in sight so we're just trying to divert his attention
Wasting: i don't know right now. Probably money, we had to turn on the AC for a few days this week which sucks, we we're trying to wait until May but it's been ridiculously hot here this week. 
Wishing: for a little rain! just a little and i'll be happy!
Enjoying: this weekend! It's been really relaxing and we definitely needed it after a super stressful work week. 
Waiting: for it to cool down! fingers crossed guys. We have four fans on right now but it's not really doing much!
Liking: penny right now. she's been acting out a ton over the past week or so but today she has been the sweetest. 
Wondering: whose social security number is 000-00-0000. seriously. that would be so nice!
Loving: how our little home is coming together! after four months of DIY projects and little purchases here and there, it's actually starting to look like human adults live here!
Hoping: to see my parents soon. I miss those suckers
Marveling: really at nothing right now but i am loving this new fan we have thats pointed right at me
Needing: duh duh duh. new underwear. probably tmi but whatever. 
Smelling: our scensie! we put in a new smell today: clean linen. yum
Wearing: shorts and a sports bra. too hot to wear anything else. 
Following: lately I've been looking at a ton of home decor blogs. these ladies are so crafty!
Noticing: how when the clock strikes 7 Paul and I are immediately tired. Feeling old because of that!
Knowing: that I'm getting my hair done next week.. I can't even tell you how excited I am! It's been 6 months and these fake blonde locks don't like their owner right now!
Thinking: Wouldn't it be weird if hair actually had feelings? 
Feeling: excited for work this week!
Bookmarking: work clothes. Tryin to figure out what the hell I'm going to wear to work when it is 120 degrees here. No ideas so far..
Opening: bears mouth to find a collection of rocks. what is he thinking?
Giggling: at bears mouth. he's losing all of his teeth right now and looks like he took out his dentures and forgot to put them back in
Feeling: sleepy, hot, excited

some questions & answers

i am the hugest fan of Inside the Actors Studio, as every one who knows me well can attest to. I love hearing how people came to be where they are now. I love how creative people can be (mostly because I am the least creative person ever). But most of all, I love the questionnaire "invented by Bernard Pivot at the Buillon de Culture" [as James Lipton would say]. So in honor of this fantastic series, heres my answers to the questionnaire and I challenge you to think of your answers!

1. What is your favorite word? my favorite word in the whole world is Zarf. I got my dad a rare words book when I was about 14 and zarf was the very last word in the book. It is the actual name for a coffee sleeve!
2. What is your least favorite word? i despise the word "bored"
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Most of all, I think there is nothing better than a fantastic song. And it doesn't have to be one song, but there always seems to be a variety of music that is inspiring
4. What turns you off? Rudeness. 
5. What is your favorite curse word? This is a new one for me, and probably inspired by a certain Wilson but i love saying "HORSESHIT"
6. What sound or noise do you love? The noise of trains! As my mom would say, its the noise of industry!
7. What sound or noise do you hate? When you move a straw around in a to-go cup, it makes this nasty squeaky sound that is just awful
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? I would absolutely love to own my own scuba diving shop. I can't imagine anything better than being in the ocean every day. 
9. What profession would you not like to do? I would hate to be a judge
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? April Fools!