Busy Weekend!!

Oh my goodness, what a busy and incredibly fun weekend!  (I'm counting Friday as part of our weekend!)

Friday was the start of Relay for Life.  For those of you who aren't familiar with the event, it's basically a 24 hour relay-hence the name-walk for cancer awareness and fund raising.  You get a team together, raise money, you can set up a booth/tent for your group or company and the idea is to have at least 1 person walking at all times throughout the 24 hour period representing your team.  So it's like a big camp out.  They do it at a local high school (or at least here they do) and we just do laps around the school track.  It's kind of addicting, walking laps around a track.  I did at least 10 and I just keep saying "That wasn't so bad, just one more."  Then I'd make it around and go "Yeah, I could do one more".  And before you know you've done 10!  HA!  Zoe did surprisingly well in the stroller but when she got kinda antsy and whiny, I took a break and let her run around some in the grass.  The track was too busy to have her walk with me.  She would have gotten run over!  I almost got run over!

I was totally impressed with the setup and the amount of people there!  It was AWESOME!  Tony was covering the event all day so I had told him Zoe and I would meet him that evening so we could do a couple laps and help be a part of the KVAL team.  (They were the main media sponsor).  There was live music, karaoke, food, games, plenty of things to keep you occupied!  

Of course I cried during the survivors' lap around the track.  Some you could see were still battling some form of cancer and of course seeing all the children just made my heart ache.  I can't imagine being a child or having a child go through that. 

There was one gentleman I saw, his name is Aaron.  KVAL did a story on him last year as he was selling advertising space on his Urn to help raise money for medical bills.  He was only given a few months to live, but has survived the last year.  He is now on hospice and said it took everything he had to make it to Relay for Life but was determined to do so.  My heart strings have been pulled by his story and seeing him there with his wife and knowing the struggles they go through.  I feel the strong urge to help them in some capacity, whether it be cooking a meal once a week or doing something for them around the house, or whatever.  I think they just need some love and prayers. 

Anyway, it was just a really neat experience.  I saw a couple friends from Church.  One of them, her mother is currently undergoing chemo.  One of my other friends, her father-in-law just passed away very suddenly (last Saturday in fact) of cancer.  It was great seeing both of them, their strength, and their smiles in these tough times and I'm so glad I could just give them a hug! 

Relay for Life, was an incredibly humbling experience and I would recommend that you all go out and participate.  Tony and I have agreed to go every year.  It doesn't matter if you know someone affected by cancer or not ... They need your support!  This year all I did was show up and walk, but next year I am definitely doing more!  It's just nice to be a part of something positive.  To work together with hundreds if not thousands of people for one cause.  Especially in times like these, where everyone is debating and arguing over every little thing, and not working together to get to the end result.  It's nice to be reminded that when you really want to, you can work together and do something positive.

Here are some pictures from Relay for Life.

I'm sure ... I'm positive, I've seen a picture of Dad Gist with this EXACT look on his face!  :)

Isn't it soo precious how she's totally watching Tony as he drinks his water?

Seriously.  She looks like her daddy.  :)

 

 

 

 

Today, was the annual Taiko Obon Festival.  It's a celebration to honor those who have gone before us, over the year.  They do the Taiko Drums and the traditional dancing and it's really a neat evening, especially during the summer.

We went last year when Zoe was just 4 months old ... And that was much easier!  I only lasted an hour out there with her this year.  (Tony had to work tonight so it was just Zoe and myself).  She didn't want to stay near our blanket ... I'm not saying she had to sit still on the blanket but she didn't even want to stay in the general AREA of our blanket!  The park is busy and she wanted to be on/near the bike path and of course the area that has all the bird/goose/dog poo.  I have no problems with her running around with me where I can see our stuff, etc, but of all the areas, she had to be in this particularly busy and messy spot that just wasn't safe.  People were walking and riding bikes and if she were to fall into a pile of you know what, it would have been disastrous.   Every time I tried to redirect her to a more safe area, she went back to the not so safe area.  So after a while when she started to throw a fit, I decided it was time to leave.  Which was unfortunate because it was really just getting started!!  I did however get some great video of her dancing.  I just need Tony to edit the two videos I have together and then I'll get it posted.  It was super adorable.

In the mean time here are some pictures.

The pretty lanterns and the stand that they dance around.

Zoe checking out all the people.

She danced up a storm!

A brief moment where she sat still.  :)  There were some people standing behind us and she got a little shy.

I was able to distract her for a few minutes with a snack.

She shared some Cheez-Its with her baby.  Literally she'd put one up to baby's mouth and then eat it. Super cute.

It's a really nice evening-when you can sit and listen to the music and watch the pretty dancing.  And of course it makes me appreciate my Japanese ancestors and heritage.  It also makes me wish I knew more about them (my ancestors-not Japanese people in general).

Tomorrow is Sunday, which means Church (if we get our act together), maybe a little grocery shopping, and doing as little around the house as possible!  I'm saving some of that for Monday when Tony's off and he can help me distract Zoe while I try to clean!  :)




*Via 

For a little laughter:



*Via

Oh and for an off the wall comment:  The light bulb in our fridge broke and without the light, the fridge seems less cold.  I know it's not and I know it's still working, but somehow without the light, it seems different!  :)

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a TLC special event waiting for me on my DVR.  While I hate to see Nick Lachey marry Vanessa Minnillo or any woman for that matter (haha), I must watch just because it has Nick Lachey in it.  :)  Tony is very glad he works late tonight, however it is recorded so I can save it and watch it later on too!  And don't make fun .. I have loved Nick since I was in junior high.  He was my favorite boy band member.  (Good ol' 98 Degrees!)
 

Weekend Wrap-Up

The Gist's are still suffering a bit from this weird cold thing Zoe got.  It's just sort of lingering.  And it's getting old!

Friday, I took Zoe to "school" and then I was able to run some errands.  Including dropping off my resume at a couple places.  Oh, did I mention my temp job ended????  Yes, not very happy.  I guess that's why they call it a temp job.  But still.  It wasn't supposed to be that temporary.

Anyway, the temp agency has a couple more things for me, so we'll see.  I'm a bit scared, because I ended up losing money last time after the cost of daycare.  Instead of it helping us, it put us a bit behind.  UGH.  However, the two new positions are either temp to hire, or temporary until the middle to end of September.  It's a position at the University of Oregon somewhere in a campus housing facility.  So they just need someone during the busy season. 

Friday was also Tony's 29th birthday!  I think he stopped counting a long time ago because he was quite confused when he got his birthday cards that noted the 29 part ... He asked me "Wait.  I'm 29?"  Can we say, D-E-N-I-A-L.  Hahaha.  

After I did a little job hunting, I went to a local thrift store and picked up a couple things of scratch material so I could practice my sewing.  I even found a cute pattern for a little dress for Zoe.  It's really simple so I'm pretty confident I can make it.  I just need to pick out some material.  I ended up getting two patterns of dresses for Zoe.  They're pretty much the same thing .. I'm going to do one hand sewn (that should come out interestingly enough) and then I'm going to save the other one for when I FINALLY get a sewing machine. I am determined to make things and I'd ultimately like to open an Etsy store online.  I also have some knitting projects I'd like to work on.

Last night we were quite pathetic.  After Zoe went to bed Tony and I sat on the couch and I practiced my sewing and then worked on a couple crosswords while Tony did his sudoku puzzles.  I felt very old.  :)

So anyway, while I was at the thrift store, Tony called me and asked me to meet him at Borders where they were doing a story about it closing.  So I went and of course bought some stuff since everything was on clearance.  We typically don't buy books new anymore, thanks to St. Vincent DePaul's and their amazing deals on books.  And yes, I even find newish books there.  So, unless it's something I'm really DYING to have and or it's a great price, I usually wait until I find it at St. Vincent DePaul's.  But the magazines were 40% off so I bought a couple (they were August issues!) and crossword and sudoku books as well as a couple of fun books for Zoe.  Although now that I'm thinking about it, there are a couple cookbooks I should have looked at!

Saturday Zoe and I went to the Bite of Eugene.  Tony was there-but working.  He did a little package on it for work.  It's pretty neat-not as neat as the Bite of Portland or Bite of Minneapolis.  (I think it was the Bite of Minneapolis that I went to when I visited many years ago ...)  Anyway, local restaurants and bakeries gathered at Alton Baker Park and for $1 or $2 you could get a "bite" of their dishes.  Then if you liked it, you could get more.  I don't remember the Bite of Portland being quite like that, but maybe it was.  Anyway, it's a good idea, especially for people like me who are weary of trying new things! 

I failed to get any really great pictures-I left my camera at home.  I did snap a couple of pictures with my phone.

Zoe looks a bit like a ragamuffin in this first photo.  I'm not sure what's going on with her hair.  Normally I put it up when we go out, but for some reason I didn't that day.  It was kind of windy, so I blame the wind.  :)  But really it looks like she just rolled out of bed and I promise you she didn't.  

 

This last one is just funny because I have no idea what she was so excited about.  She was just stomping around in the grass and thought it was the best thing ever!   

We went to a great Church event Saturday night with great music and Zoe really enjoyed it.  Although towards the end she did get a little antsy.  Sunday I was starting to feel not so great (Monday it hit me full force) so we stayed home and tackled the laundry while Tony went to work.

Oh and yes, Zoe loves to help me with laundry.  I let her push the buttons on the machine and she helps me take the stuff out of the drier and she hands me stuff to fold.  She's a great little helper!

Zoe's vocabulary consists of : hi, bye, Bubby, (or sometimes Bobby), doggy, mommy, daddy, uh oh, thank you, (it kinda sounds like dank you), excuse me, baby, nummy (yummy), Sky, and whoa. 

I'm really working hard on getting her to say cup or milk or water.  Cup is probably more feasible, but still.  :)

Hopefully we can get some new videos soon.  She does so many cute things! 

Zoe Cooking and Talking!

Zoe had just gotten out of the bath and I hadn't yet put on her PJ's so this is a slightly naked video!  Haha! :)

Sky?!

Zoe has discovered another new word.

Sky.

However, not the big blue sky up in the air.

There is a little girl at "school" named Sky.  So today I went and picked her up and everything she pointed to was "SKY!".  Just like last week everything was "DOGGY!"  Her teacher said Sky calls everyone "Adam" so anyway, they're learning names!  Haha!

In case you couldn't tell by the last video of Zoe playing with her baby, she LOVES babies.  And she's so cute with them.  She's so gentle and loving with them (most of the time).  Zoe will hold her baby, kind of like she's burping them, and she'll pat them on the back like I do with her.  She's also started rubbing her doll's back, like she's soothing them.  It's really sweet.  I need to catch more video of that.

Food has been a struggle.  Sometimes she eats really well.  Other times she hardly eats anything.  The last couple of days they've been having a hard time getting her to eat lunch.  She usually eats her snacks okay.  I've found it hard to get her to eat dinner too.  But she doesn't seem to be fussy like she's hungry all the time ... So we'll just take it in stride and see how it goes.  Maybe it's a slow growth period! 

Did I tell you she finally went up a shoe size?!  Yes, we are finally in a size 4!!  Which means, I had to buy her new shoes!  :)  I have a whole bunch of really great shoes in size 6 and 7 that a family friend gave us and I'm dying for her to grow into them!  They are so pretty! 

Also, next month I plan on enrolling Zoe and I in this "mommy and me" swimming class.  I say "mommy and me" because Tony does not swim.  I however would live in the water if you let me.  Or at least in Phoenix in the summer!  As a little girl we spent HOURS in the pool during the summer!  I LOVED it.  The lessons are for just half an hour, 2 times a week, for 3 weeks.  It's for babies 6 months-3 years I think.  Zoe LOVES the water and I think she'll really enjoy it.  THINK being the key word.  This could go really horribly.  But I'm hopeful.

Sleep!

I captured a couple photos of Zoe sleeping ..

We got home from 'school' on Thursday and Zoe and I laid down on the couch and she just passed out.  

Then one day over the weekend, Tony let me sleep in, so I got up and found the two of them on the couch asleep.

Zoe loves to sleep .. Just like her daddy!

Videos!

 A somewhat boring 4th of July video.



Zoe playing with her baby.

Summer!!

Yes!  FINALLY!  Summer has arrived!

The last few days have been PERFECT Oregon weather ... The reason we moved up here to begin with!  Sunny, warm, not too hot, not too cold.  Just PERFECT!!!

I just finished my 3rd week at my new job.  This week was the first week I was on my own, although my co-workers and bosses are AMAZING so I've never felt like I couldn't go to them with questions.  But I can say with confidence that as each day passes, I've had to ask less and less questions.  Go me!  Today I felt really great and really comfortable at work.  Not as nervous.

One of the things I love about my job is that there's like no drama at work.  I haven't heard anyone talking bad about anyone else.  I haven't heard any drama stories.  Everyone seems to just do their job, ask for help when they need it, and just go about their business.  That is RARE.  We all have our own cubicles and assigned tasks and we're all so busy we pretty stay in our cubicles and just work.  But that's not to say you won't see some of us get up and pace the office a little when we're on the phone with a customer that is a little bit frustrating or time consuming!

Oh so have I explained my new job at all?

I work for HSI, the headquarters here in Eugene.  I have an awesome shift, 6:30 AM-3:30 PM.  Anyway, HSI is basically the parent company for the 7 brands we offer (I only deal with 2) and we produce/create/sell first aid, CPR/AED, first responder, etc training materials; student and instructor materials.  It's the largest privately owned company that sells these emergency responder training products.  We also have international offices in New Zealand, Japan, and Greece/Cypress.  Our biggest competitors are American Heart Association (who is actually who I have my certification with-oops!) and American Red Cross.  

I work in customer service.  I mostly take inbound calls, place orders, etc.  So far about 99% of the customers I've dealt with have been insanely nice.  At first, when I heard it was a customer service position taking inbound calls, I kind of cringed.  BUT, it's not like people call and complain about their bills or whatever.  They're either ordering products or have a question about products or how to add new instructors to their training center etc.  Very few of them call to complain.  So that's helpful.

And really, a job that pays me to talk?!  Isn't that perfect?!  :)  Yes, I think something in communications might be appropriate for me! Haha!

Anyway, 3 days a week (although the first 2 weeks I didn't really have to) I walk/take the bus home.  And it's kind of ridiculous.  I pay $1.50 for a very short, 2-3 minute bus ride.  But it does save me some time.  I do plan on buying a bike next paycheck.  It's just a bit too far to walk, but kind of short to just take the bus.  I walk about a mile to the bus from work.  Take the bus another 3 miles, and then walk another mile.  So, it's perfect for a bike ride!  I can probably bike home in the time it takes me to do my walk/bus ride/walk.  And I'm really excited about that!!  I LOVE riding bikes.  I was always riding my bike as a kid.  Also, a pretty decent form of exercise and that won't take away my time from Zoe.

Speaking of Zoe ... This blog is supposed to be about her, right?!  She is doing really well!  She LOVES "school".  (That's what we call it instead of daycare.)  Anyway, every day I go to pick her up, there's this one teacher, she's a little older, probably could be my mom or Zoe's grandma, and she always says to me "Your daughter is so sweet."  or "Your daughter is so cute." and today it was "Your daughter is just the best."  I'm pretty sure they like her over there.

Zoe is always laughing or playing when I get there.  I really think she's learning a lot and enjoying being around other kids and different adults-other then just mom and dad!

  So anyway, here are some new pictures.

"Mom, don't take my picture yet!"

"Okay, now I'm ready!"

"I'm pretty sure these keys have something to do with this door ... "

LUNCH!!

Next is 4th of July:

The weather was great and Tony and I were both off (by some miracle!) and so we went and had lunch at this local market and ate outside.  Then we went to the park which is always loads of fun and particularly busy on the 4th of July.  Lots of people having picnics!

The super small slide made Tony look a little big.  :)

Swings!!!

Tony decided the 4th of July wouldn't be the same without hamburgers.  (I tried to talk him out of it but I caved.)

We had sparklers leftover from last year ... They were lame last year and lame this year.  Tony and I are convinced they aren't like the ones we had when were kids.  

This is a totally cliche "Tony Photo".

I'll have videos uploaded here in a bit too.