the good, the bad, and

i woke up early this morning and couldn't sleep. it's been a huge week. an emotional roller coaster. real, live ups and downs. lots of 'em. maybe some loop-de-loops too.

and long walks have been the best to clear my mind and help me focus on the tasks at hand so i rolled out of bed and found my sneakers. the hill behind our house was calling my name. it's beautiful and epitomizes the semi-arid desert found in western canada.

so. 

the good - i got a call from citizenship and immigration on thursday informing me that my file is DONE. complete. finished. i was shocked. i wasn't expecting to hear anything until late 2012 so this is huge. next week i'll be read my rights as a permanent resident and then i can get a job.  i can get medical insurance. we could have a kid or buy a house (but don't count on either of those in the near future). we can make real, solid plans for our future. but i need a job and that's intimidating. i haven't worked in two years and have no idea what i want to do, or where to start looking...

and the bad - the church is going through staffing changes. namely, matt's boss is leaving and at some point he'll have a new boss. it's a huge transition for everyone involved and it means uncertainty in our lives only because matt's responsibilities change a bit and our lives are so closely tied to the church that it affects everything.  it is good too, because we're really excited for the boss and his family, yet sad because our friends are leaving. 

see? ups and downs. too many. the upcoming weeks promise a few more, but i really hope the most drastic are over. finalization of residency, finding out exactly what this transition means for matt (and subsequently, me), and finding a job are all still looming, but they are less daunting. at least we know they are coming!  in the mean time, lots and lots of hikes. 

in other news

it was a full weekend. full as in busy, and full as in fulfilling. matt has a great job and we have fabulous friends. it's times like this that really reaffirm our decision to move here. i can't imagine being anywhere else.

today we road tripped to the south end of the lake. all of twenty minutes away. it's a beautiful drive especially on a sunny day and there are slurpees along the way. matt's favorite. i wanted to go to the other winners just to see what i could see. bought a new dress for summer! if only it was warm enough to wear it.

the best honey mustard dressing i've ever had:

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon mustard (i used a honey dijon)
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice.

mix. eat. yum.

c'est fini

thoughts. in no particular order.

- this project made me claustrophobic. step back and put an elbow smudge on the freshly painted wall behind you. touch up smudge, step back and whip your ponytail against the freshly painted wall behind you. rinse and repeat. 

- clean your toilet really well before you start because you're going to make friends with it. like, hug while you paint behind friends. ick. 

- bathrooms, particularly small ones, are hard to photograph. 

- matt was surprised. and he likes it! good thing, because i'm not repainting. ever. 

and this wraps up apartment painting 2012 - the project that i (naively) thought would take three days... and that was two months ago. happy that we did it and happy that it's finished. very happy to be rid of the yellow. 

thought i'd work on the soon-to-be-kitchen shelves while the paint is out. i wanted to work outside on some other projects too, but the weather isn't cooperating. 

the bathroom is thisclose to finished. a couple more coats of white on the trim and we're good. 

side note: don't ever, ever paint your walls or trim yellow. even with a good primer it takes a million coats to cover it. and the woman who lives in your house ten years from now will curse you when she's trying to paint over it. same goes for doors. 

the final frontier

the bathroom is finally meeting the paint brush. 

so excited to really be done with this painting project, like, tomorrow. 

and matt, if you're reading this at work - surprise! the bathroom now matches the kitchen cabinets! 

go jump in the lake

no, really. 

(inspiration found here.)

now where should i put this gem? right now it's on my desk, but my desk is getting crowded. 

also. happy easter!

edited to add a quick 'how i did this' in case you want to diy... i rescued this board from the garbage pile (it used to be part of our tv stand thing-y that still needs modified to be a better tv stand), but you can buy a piece of plywood if you need. i gave it two coats of primer, then two coats of an off-white spray paint, then sanded a bit to bring back the wood grain. measured the board (24"x13" in case you're wondering), decided how big i wanted the letters, picked a font (futura), printed out the words, cut out the letters, traced the letters onto the board, painted the letters, then lightly sanded over letters to make them blend into the "old" wood. then two coats of a matte sealant (also in a spray can). and done. 

i spread it out over two days, with about three hours actually working on it. the cutting out, tracing, and painting the letters took the bulk of the time. i waited about 30 minutes between each coat of primer/paint and then let it set for a few hours before sanding it and painting the letters. just because it was late, i let it set overnight before lightly sanding the letters and applying the sealant. i left it outside for a few hours to make sure the sealant was good and dry (and therefore the smell is gone) before bringing it in. 

voila. 

we've been so jealous of your gorgeous east coast weather this spring, but it's finally looking up here. not hot yet, but decently warm. i'll take it.

and with the moderately warm weather we get yard sales! my sole purchase today was a mustard yellow pyrex mixing bowl. if i collect anything it's those silly bowls. it's the colors that get me.

also with the moderately warm weather we get to grill. and by 'we' i mean matt. i like summer because i get to delegate more of the cooking.

amy was here

holla! 

she came sunday night and stayed 'til tuesday morning and it's the most we've seen each other since my wedding? since we were college roommates? it's been a long time. and it was fabulous to finally catch up. 

we didn't do much outside the house besides shop and eat. she rarely gets inside a store while on tour so it's a luxury to wander around winners for a half hour. and since she's usually eating with host families she doesn't get to choose her meals often. her biggest request - cereal. she said everyone wants to cook a big breakfast and by the time she's done with tour all she wants is cereal. blueberry mini-wheats for the win!