JamalRama

Cowboy

2011-02-09T15:51:00.003-07:00

Cowboy is the toughest. He jumps into rivers when it is 35 degrees outside, he can run 5 miles, and he plays with the big dogs. His best friends are Ranger, a vischla; and Flip, a lab/border collie. These aren't the greatest pics, but enjoy them until I get my real camera out.

TRI

2010-08-01T23:21:00.009-06:00

I am an official triathlete! I had an awesome time at the Blue Lake Triathlon, and I am very proud of my very medium finish time of 1 hour 45 minutes and 31 seconds.

The gear:

Before:
Game Face:

Swim: 1/2 mile in 25 min

Bike: 12 miles in 43 min

Run: 5k in 29 min.

After:

And then I took a two hour nap.

Flower Burst "Cool" Cat

2010-06-30T16:52:00.006-06:00

For Naomi's Birthday we had a little sewing lesson. Naomi wanted to make a stuffed animal. A cat, to be more precise. I have never sewed a stuffed animal before so it was an adventure for both of us. We used the scraps from two shirts, and the stuffing from an Ikea couch cushion. And yes, it was straight from my couch.
Naomi insisted that it be called Flower Burst and after I told Naomi about a million times how cool he was going to turn out, that sort of worked its way into the name as well. I tried to tell her his last name was Leaper, but Naomi knows best so Cat it is.
Naomi did some of the cutting herself, pushed the pedal on the sewing machine for the whole project, and she also sewed the stitching for all four paws all by herself!!

The Great Rearrange

2010-05-19T20:24:00.010-06:00

In order to make my apartment summer ready, and very very hip, I made a little trip to Ikea, HomeGoods, Ross and Target. I also did some extensive spring cleaning. I think the results are very nice.

The bookshelf is newly color coordinated. (middle shelves to be filled in shortly with all the Kurt Vonnegut I've been buying recently.)

Lamp: $13 at Ikea (see similar purple one in room)

The bed has new 400 thread count white sheets, and the pillows add a little color. I also got to finally set up the old alarm clock that I found in my last apartment.

My new mirror. I was also very ex cited to set up my sewing machine!

The bathroom has never looked so good! I think the cubes for the cotton balls and q-tips were one of the pricier items I bought but they were worth every penny!

The furniture has all shifted, and I love it. I feel like my space is so homey. Now you all have to visit!

Vaca with PK

2010-03-22T23:43:00.011-06:00

It has been a fun couple of weeks with Patrick visiting.
First we went to Multnomah falls in the rain.
Before:During:

After:
Later in the trip we made a little spicy pepper jack mac. (see taste for taste)
it was delicioso.
Yes that is grilled asparagus and yes those are ice cold glasses of milk.

Even later I came home from work to a clean apartment and this surprise:
Not to mention a little plate of my favorite sugar cookie bites from paradise bakery. (notice the empty plate)

The trip also included a trail run by the Deschutes River in Bend, watching Naomi perform Speed Boat at her piano recital, and fantastic sushi in Hood River. Let's just say it was a pretty fun time, and PK is a pretty great guy.

SLEEPOVER!

2009-11-18T22:39:00.006-07:00

Sleepover Heaven!!!!
Brooke and I were able to have a couple fun weekends in a row with first Naomi sleeping over, and then Ollie and Asher. It was a little tiring but a LOT fun. We did Sesame Street Tiger Hunt, dress up, movies on the party blanket, and had all out parties. Maybe sometime we can have them all over at the same time!! I love my niece and nephews. (Soon to be nieces!!)

leggo my preggo!

2009-10-27T12:03:00.003-06:00

I made a promise to post some pictures of pregnant Tracy. She is so CUTE! She thinks she is huge, but she has this tiny little regular body, with a baby ball stuck to the front. Adorable. And I can hardly wait till that little bundle of joy graces us with her presence in a few short weeks!

Seattle for a day.

2009-10-13T16:43:00.009-06:00

Mom got us some awesome pants for our birthdays from our favorite store, H&M. What a good mom. We loved them so much, so naturally, when they were a little too snug, we jumped in the car to exchange them. This turned out to be an awesome ( and awesomely frigid) day in Seattle.

Me and Brooke modeling the pants. (post exchange)

The water front.
Brookie Cookie.

Space Needle.

At the top.

Then, we RUSHED back to the car to try not to be late for the fantastic party that Lisa had put together for my, Nikki's, and Brooke's birthdays. We were a little late. Luckily they weren't too mad at us, and the food was delicious!!

What a beautiful spread. And pumpkin cake, my favorite!

Silly girls.

This just so happens to be my SECOND plate.

The cranium with Brian and Lisa afterward was a little less stunning since me and Brooke lost by a mile, but it was an amazing day. Thanks again Lisa!

19!

2009-10-06T11:46:00.010-06:00

Brooke was so surprised! Everyone hid in my bedroom, and when Brooke arrived home from work, I chit chatted with her for a bit about this and that. She had brought home some doughnuts, not knowing there were three pies, nineteen candles, and three quarts of ice cream hidden away in the kitchen. Everything was working out perfectly. Silence from the back room, and Brooke suspected nothing. Someone knocked on the door: who would come late to a surprise party!? I thought fast, and shuffled Brooke away from the front door, pulling her to the closed door of our room. I flung it open. SURPRISE! come the shout from the room full of Brooke's friends and family. It was a success. She was very surprised. The rest of the night was full of pie, dancing, (would it be a Harrison party without it?) fun, and awesome music thanks to Hacksaw's Hissy fit playlist! We even created a home made strobe light thanks to youtube.

The Pie.

The Presents.

The Dancing.

The Elaine.

The Friends.

The Family.

Thanks UPS!

2009-09-26T21:25:00.003-06:00

I got a huge surprise in the mail today. Ok, so it wasn't really a surprise since it was like six years in the making, but I was so happy to see that document envelope perched on my mailbox (because it didn't fit inside) I seriously got nerd chills and a little bit of a flutter in my stomach. AND this creates the perfect opportunity for some congratulations that didn't make it to me since the end was a little anti-climatic and got a little intermingled with the move to P-town. So BE PROUD, cause I am.

Ode to Portland

2009-09-23T17:01:00.004-06:00

I love your trails, your hills, your trees
I love your sun, your rain, your breeze.

Your bike lanes are spacious, your city alive.
Your people are friendly, and here they thrive.

I will never leave you for somewhere less cool
You smash all competition in a fair duel.

Portland, I love you, and here I will stay
You're better than Salt Lake, San Fran, and L.A.

Have you met the Oregon Coast?

2009-08-22T16:30:00.014-06:00

The coast. This may have been one of the best vacations I've ever had. The funny thing is, I've been unemployed for two months, so how can a vacation in the middle of a vacation be more relaxing? The answer is you don't have to feel stressed about cramming in all that fun. I read my book, laid on the beach, went crabbing, and ate delicious food, without the pressures of returning to work. Fabulous.
Highlights of the trip: nephews. How do I have such cute and fun nephews! Food. We made Carbonara which was delicious, and ate at Grateful Bread, where Asher and Ollie made the wisest choices, veggie quesadilla. Soooooo yummy. Sorry I ate all your food kiddies! The weather. Sometimes I feel bad even hoping for sunny weather when I go to the Oregon coast, but we got it, and enjoyed it. The fire. Two nights of s'mores and the uncrowded calm of the coast. So fun.
Thanks Williams for such an awesome time!

New Favorite Nephew!

2009-07-09T19:00:00.004-06:00

I have been thoroughly reminded of how much fun I have been having up here hanging out with Naomi, Ollie, and Asher. Today Asher, Ollie, Lisa, Brooke and I went swimming. Asher was freezing as we walked home, and as soon as we were inside Lisa wrapped him up in a giant towel to warm him up before he changed. He came and sat by me and I added a big warm blanket to get him really comfortable. (I know what it feels like to be freezing my buns off!) We just laid there for awhile until I hear a tiny little voice. It said "Aunt Jamie... I really love you. I love you when you are here, and I love you when you are gone. I love you all the time!" Anyone who knows how sweet and tiny his little voice is can imagine what an awesome thing to hear that was, especially unsolicited. I love you too Ash!

2009-03-29T20:57:00.002-06:00

Hello Honey!

Meet Tidy Whitey, the newest addition to my little family. He's clean, fun, and oh so adorable!

the birth of a blog

2009-02-27T10:56:00.003-07:00

I caved.