A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer...

When I turned 10, I was allowed to buy my first BB gun. I had wanted one since my brother got his years earlier, but my parents held me off for as long as they could. I don't remember the brand or how much I spent, but I remember looking through the selection at Wal-Mart and making my choice based on the special point scope that came with one. I think it might have been called the Cobra, now that I think about it. Anyway, it was all black and had the air pump and special sight to mount on top and I was set. The best part? It was newer and better than my brother's gun, which I had coveted so much over the years. Mom made all these rules about what we could shoot, and made us take a hunter safety course so we knew how to handle "firearms." The rules were that anything alive we shot we had to either eat or dissect -- not kidding. Neither of those options sounded very appealing, so most of the times we just set up my old Barbies, A & W Rootbeer cans and green army men...

Plenty has happened since my last entry in September...so here's an update: I have a new job! After working in PR for the last year and a half, I landed a job as the Community Editor at the Woodburn Independent newspaper - an Eagle Newspapers company. I've worked there since Jan. 26 and I love it. Hours have been crazy because of the holidays, plus I took time off to go to Kim's wedding, so a lot of work had to be crammed into a couple of days, but I love being able to do my own thing and interview really interesting people. I get to write, take photos, page layout, and everything in between. It's great. Secondly, as I referred to, Kim got married! Bryan, Haley and I drove 1300 miles last weekend to get down to Windsor/Santa Rosa, where we stayed at a sweet condo (compliments of my parents' timeshare) and hung out with Kim and the bridal party for 3 days. Bryan drove the whole way, and on the way there I worked on finishing my articles, and Haley snacked on whatever...

KeriAnn , I'm not ignoring your tag...really...I just realized it was there...you see, I'm not used to checking for comments on my blog because I'm pretty sure there is only one person who reads it once in a while. Anyway, I will now try and fulfill your tag...here are the self-proclaimed rules for this assignment The Rules: 1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts. 2. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves. 3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog (about their 8 things) and post these rules. 4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose people to get tagged and list their names. 5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog. 1. I love potatoes...they are good mashed, baked and fried. I love every kind of potato except when you mix it with the dreaded evils of mayonnaise and eggs to make potato salad. Potato salad is not potatoes, it is a sin against your taste buds and art...

For all of you who missed out on the Salem RiverFest, I am sorry. It was a blast, and it was free, which made it 10 times better, and 10 times more crowded. The PR company I work for volunteered their services to RiverFest, and so I got some perks at the even, like getting to eat a VIP dinner back stage, getting to take pictures on stage during the Jars of Clay concert, and (Bryan's favorite part) getting free pop. Here are some photos of Sunday night, when an estimated 30,000 people showed up to see Jars of Clay and their unbelievably short shorts. Oh yeah, during the day they also had a BMX and skateboarding demo...that's what all the sweet motocross pics are from.

So I haven't had time to update lately, so this is my month of September smooshed into one post. This month has flown by, but I managed to catch a few pictures from the "last bits of Summer" to share with you all. First, Bryan and I spent a few days at Thrill-Ville with our youth group, where they enjoyed the rides and we enjoyed some free ice cream! Next, Bryan and I, accompanied by Kyle and Kari, went up to see if the Mariners could get a win out of the Angels (we were unfortunately dissapointed). We still had a good time in Seattle and the weather was amazing. As you can see from the photo taken from our seats, we were as high as you get at Safeco field! Kari wasn't too excited about the view behind us (glass walls through which you can see very far down), but we just focused on the game...and our family pack hotdogs and drinks! Lastly, we took a final camping trip (with Kyle and Kari) to Florence, where we were again blessed with beautiful weather! We were in a v...

That's right...badminton club. I'm not an official member...yet, but Jason (Bernard), Jason (Braun), and I went to check it out last night, and we had a great time! Yes, this is a ligit badminton club in Salem. Even though the area is a bit sketchy (Waldo Middle School), the people were really nice...and surprisingly old...and good. I never knew old people could be good at sports, but as I tell my dad (who is turning 50 today), there is hope for the future! At least in badminton. The old ladies are the craftiest, because you really don't expect them to be good, but what they lose in agility, they gain in strategy. They all have amazing angles they hit, and some of them (most of them) can smash it harder that 6 foot somethin Jason Braun! The three of us ended up fighting over who would get to be partners with the 65-year-old lady named Sharon with coke bottle glasses and a wicked angle shot. By the end of the two hours, my shoulder had popped more times than in my wh...

So out of the last two weeks, I have worked a whopping 3 days! Now I am back at work and I don't get another non-holiday day off 'till Kim's wedding in January! (bummer). Bryan and I spent last week camping with his family at Lake Tahoe. It was great to just get away and get tan while everyone else back in Oregon got to experience the beauty of humid, cloudy days. On our week-long vacation, I got to visit the most photographed area in the world (Emerald Bay), I got to see ducks and geese on the beach, I got to see a movie about bears, and I also got to see a real mama bear and three cubs! While the mama stared us down from her sunning spot in the forrest , we heard her cubs playing in the trees nearby, so we snuck over to watch them, and to take pictures of them. Bryan was a little scared of the big bear, but she was far enough away. While we were stalking them, my flip flops were crunching so much on the ground, and I was afraid that the bear would hear me coming, so I to...