Dear Bend,

     I was a wee lass of 9 and you had only three stop lights when we first met!

My family was living in Big Bear California (Yes, people do live there, they just don't go there to ski!). We sold our car to someone who happened to give us a Bend paper from the ONE DAY a local company ran an add looking for computer programmers. Next thing you know, here we are!

I went from being 9 year old, scabby kneed, public schooled, Catholic tomboy, to being a 26 year old, still accident prone (though not as scabby), home schooled, doesn't care what denomination as long as they have the right core beliefs, sparkle loving young woman!

You went from being a mill town, in the weird hippy northwest, to being a must see, nationally known vacation spot, still with the hippy northwest vibe, only it's cool now! ;-)

I've had some unforgettable moments, both good and bad! From paper routes, first jobs, driving tests, broken hearts, friendships made and broken, amazing scenery, huckleberries, three more fantastic siblings and the dreaded teenage years, you've been with me through it all!

We grew up together you and I, and there is no way I could repay you for the woman you've helped me to become.

Thank you and fare thee well,
KatySue Pillsbury

Doctor Sighting.....

In honor of The Doctor Who blog party week, Natasha Marie wants us to share some Whovian moments we've had!!!

It all started at Munch and movies we were munchin.....

.....and taking pictures of ourselves to pass the time, waiting for the movie to start.....

....when all of the sudden a distinctive sound drifted by on the breeze.....

.....my sister and I laughed, joking that The Doctor must be somewhere near when.....

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~

~

~

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....THERE HE WAS!!!!!!!!

 I sneakily took pictures and stared, but as he looked like he was on a mission, so we didn't want to bother him. We were later informed that this man wasn't The Doctor, he was in fact a principle at  a local high-school, but we know better! ;-)

Starbucks Tuesday!

I'm joining Kellie over at Nothing Less Than Bread for her very first Starbucks Tuesday link up! =)

I had a toasty warm, tall, caramel macchiato! I normally get these iced, but the 35 degree temperature made the iced drink seem less then appealing! 

My Starbucks cup and me, 

What happy friends are we,

I always drink em dry,

Don't even have to try,

My Starbucks cup and me! =)

Doctor Who Blog Party Tag!

1~ If you decide to name your first born child after any Doctor Who character, male or female, who would it be? Sally Sparrow, I fell in love with the name the first time I heard it! 

2~What is your favorite colour of the Doctors shoes?

Red!!!!

3~Look around yourself and name to one thing in your house that is Tardis blue!

Besides the mini Tardis's I own? (Yes, I own more then one.....) I also have a skirt and scarf that are that oh so very lovely shade of blue!

4~If you could pick who would play the 12th Doctor Who would you pick and why?

I feel no further explanation is needed, am I right, or am I right?!?

5~ The Doctor is going back in time again, what era should he pick?

1860's America!

6~Would you really go in the Tardis with the Doctor?

Sure, who wouldn't? I mean, a girl can dream, can't she?

7~Who's your favorite Doctor?

I am a fiercely proud fan of Christopher Eccleston's Doctor 9! He brought an edge to the roll that I really liked and even though this might get me stoned by the 10 fans out there, I feel the chemistry between him and Rose was better! 

8~Would you be afraid to spend Christmas in London?

Nope, in fact it's on my bucket list!

9~Do you look at an ordinary screwdriver and think, this could be a little more sonic?

Why, what a silly question, who doesn't think that? ;-)

10~Angel statues, plastic mannequins, Christmas trees- What ordinary everyday object would you like to see Steven Moffat turn into an object of terror?

Crazy straws and clowns! As they already scare me, it would be nice to have both justification and some company in my fears!

11~The Tardis lands in your garden and the Doctor steps out, what would be the first thing you say?

Probably something brilliant like.....hi..... or maybe even.....hello! If I could speak at all! =P

12~Who is your favorite actor who played the Doctor and why?

What, didn't I already answer this? Hmm, oh well.....

I am a fiercely proud fan of Christopher Eccleston's Doctor 9! He brought an edge to the roll that I really liked and even though this might get me stoned by the 10 fans out there, I feel the chemistry between him and Rose was better! 

13~Have you seen any classic Doctor Who? If so, what episodes?

Not yet, it's on the list, but I want to catch up on the current episodes first!

14~Which are the creepiest, scariest, all out meanest badies in the Who-niverse?

I'd have to say the Weeping Angels, or maybe the witches from the Shakespeare episode, or it could be the body snatching aliens from the Human Nature episode!

15~Who is/are your favorite companions and why? 

As I am only up to Martha Jones, I don't have a big pool to pick from, but from the one episode she was in and the clips I've seen, I'm thinking Donna is going to take that particular honor!

16~Did you cry more watching Doomsday or the Angels Take Manhattan?

I will have to get back to you on that one!

17~What is your favorite quote from the show?

I get chills every time I hear The Doctor say this.....

18~Which Doctor would you most like to be the companion of?

Not to come off like a broken record here, but.....

19~Which of the following are you more scared of, the Daleks, Cyber men or Weeping Angels?

Weeping Angels for sure! I would rather be aware of the danger and be able to see it coming!

20~Who are some of your favorite guest stars?

I don't actually recall any of the famous guest stars, my bad, sorry!

21~What was your first experience with the Doctor and who told you about it?

Summer 2011 and my younger sister, Becca! She had been watching it for awhile and while she was on a summer missions trip my Mom and I started watching it and where hooked!

22~The Ninth Doctor said "Fantastic, the Tenth "Allons-y", the Eleventh "Geronimo", what would you like to be the signature of the Twelfth?

It would depend a lot on who they got for the roll, but lets just say they were to get Tom Hiddleston for the roll it would be....."I say, that's new!" 

23~If you were trapped in an episode, which one would it be?

Like, which one is my life most like? Which one would I like to be trapped in? I'm not sure on either count, so I guess it don't matter! =P

24~Which is your favorite episode with each Doctor? (Nine, Ten and Eleven?)

Fathers Day in my favorite with Nine, Blink is my favorite so far with Ten and I will once again have to get back to you about Eleven!

25~After watching a certain Doctor Who episode, were you brave enough to try fish sticks and custard?

Don't think I've seen that particular episode yet, but yes, I wold try it! It's not like I'm going to go out of my way to try the combo, but given the chance, I wouldn't say no!

Awkward and Awesome~Special Edition!

I present to you Awesome and Awkward, the both sides of the coin addition, for those times when I just can't decide!

Awesome.....A new skirt to wear to church!!

Awkward.....Having said skirt in mending pile for over  a month and the only reason it got finished late at night was because I wanted to wear it to church, otherwise it would still be waiting in the dreaded mending pile!!

Awesome.....Christmas music in October!!!

Awkward.....Getting yelled at and beat up by all of your siblings to turn it off! =(

Awesome.....Finally getting your book shelves packed!

Awkward.....Realizing you have nothing to read except the book you kept out to read on the trip!

Awesome.....Rocking out to Call Me Maybe, Taylor the Latte Boy, Pontoon ect ect ect in your car!

Awkward.....Being caught chair dancing and steering wheel drumming by the people in the car next to you at the stop light!

Awesome.....Hay rides in your new, perfect for fall skirt!

Awkward.....If you've ever been on a hayride in a skirt you might already have guessed why this one is awkward.....if not, think about it! ;-)

Awesome.....The band size I normally get for my bra feeling as loose when it's new, as when it needs replacing! Yeah, some tangible evidence of weight loss!

Awkward.....Knowing that this means having to find another affordable bra that comes in my new, even harder to find then my previous band/cup, size combo!

Awesome.....Feeling like brownies and having the perfect fast recipe!

Awkward.....Trying to lose weight, while loving to cook and bake.....

Awesome.....Trying on the PERFECT little black dress while shopping, just on a whim.....

Awkward.....Putting it back because money is tight and you have no place to wear a dress like that anyway! *le sigh*

See? Isn't it purttyful? 

How about all y'all, do you have anything in your life that is both awesome and awkward? If so, I'd love to hear about them! ;-)

Liebster Blog!

I am one lucky gal as I not only got tagged once, but twice by these two lovely ladies!

KELLI

AMANDA

{rules}

1. You must post eleven facts about yourself.

2. You must also answer the eleven questions the awarder has given you and make up eleven questions for your awardees to answer in turn.

3. Tag eleven fellow bloggers

4. Notify them that you've awarded them

5. No tagging back

6. And the eleven blogs you tag must have less than 200 followers.

Eleven incredibly fascinating, little known or unknown facts about me!

1: Traffic cones make me hyper ventilate.....I think running over one and getting it stuck in my wheel only five minutes into my second of three driving tests gave me this irrational fear!

2: I tend to obsess about things, if I like something I REALLY like it! Hence the Doctor Who jewelry,  the mini Tardis, my quest to read and watch every version of Beauty and the Beast ever written or filmed and the fascination with all things Irish!

3: I will drink more water through out the day if I am using a cup with a straw, I have no idea why, but that's just the way it is!

4: My face care regimen only has two ingredients, baking soda and Aloe Vera gel! I mix the baking soda and  aloe gel into a paste in a little tupperware and keep that in the shower to wash my face with, then I moisturize with straight aloe gel after!

5: I LOVE brussel sprouts!

6: I would sleep with my window open all year round if I could, I'm a bit of a fresh air freak!

7: Speaking of fresh, I ALWAYS put an A after the E the first time I spell the word fresh! =P

8: If you are near me, I will most likely have tried to see what you smell like.....creepy, yes! Can I help it? Nope! I have tried to stop, but it's automatic and believe me, sometimes it's NOT a good habit to have! =P

9: I would listen to Christmas music starting in October if it wouldn't make everyone around me hate me!

10:When I was growing up I wanted to be a one of the following, a firefighter, a police man, a beautician, a spelunker, a teacher and or a nun.....

11: It took me 10 minutes to come up with this last fact..... ;-)

1. Rain or Shine?

Hmm, can I pick a day that is both? A misty, drizzly yet sunshiny type of day!

2. What was your favorite cartoon / movie growing up?

I saw it once on the Disney channel in the early 90's and was OBSESSED with it! I could catch it on TV once in a blue moon, and when I saw it at Wal-Mart a couple years ago I may have squealed and hugged it to my chest like a dork.....

3. If you could be any character from a book, who would you be?

Hmm, not who I'm most like, but who I would want to be.....I would have to say Anne Shirley or Elizabeth Bennet! 

I have been compared to both of these fine literary gals and wouldn't mind ending up with either of their lives....except for the lack of indoor plumbing, I have become rather attached my my indoor plumbing! =)

4. What is your favorite dessert?

Honey Cinnamon Creme Brulee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The best part? My Mom makes it, so I can have it way more often then if it was at a restaurant!

5. Favorite specialty drink (Starbucks/Biggby/Etc.)

It's normally an iced caramel macchiato, but come Christmas time when Starbucks has eggnog, it's an iced chai eggnog latte....try one and you will both LOVE me and HATE me forever! ;-) 

6. Favorite screen/literary couple?

I'm torn between these two.....

7. What is your favorite restaurant?

Chilies!!! 

We will actually have one near where I live when we get to Tennessee!

8. What is your favorite color and why?

White and as for why, this quote spells out my feelings exactly!

White is not a mere absence of colour; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as fierce as red, as definite as black...God paints in many colours; but He never paints so gorgeously, I had almost said so gaudily, as when He paints in white." -- G. K. Chesterton

9. If you had to eat one food forever, what would it be?

Soup! 

There is almost an unlimited array of kinds and flavors you can have with soup!

10. Mascara or blush?

Erm.... lightly tinted chap stick or lip stain is all the makeup I wear.....

I have been blessed rosey cheeks and long dark lashes (you can hate me a little bit right now if you want, I know some in my family do!) Besides, since I wear glasses, so eye makeup is pretty useless on me!

11. Is your hair color natural? 

Yep! 

I've always wanted to dabble in bright colors, but having dark hair that turns orange when I try and dye it has kind of put the kibosh on any further experimentation's with color! 

I would love to try something like this one day!

Here are the eleven victims...erm...I mean lucky recipients of this tag! My brain power is gone, so I am just going to assign you all the questions I was given!

Van over at Botanical Curator

Say x over at It's a Date

Carrisa over at Musings of an Introvert

Tory over at Splash of Red

Marlene over at The Touch of Whimsy

Stephanie over at Eccentricitee

Tarissa over at In the Bookcase

Jeanine over at Wayfaring Girl

Lauren over at Musings of a Flower Child

Marian over at All that is Gold

Lauren over at Bits and Pieces

Awkward and Awesome

~AWKWARD~

~My new skinny jeans from Old Navy, loved how they looked, but not how they tended to sag and create unsightly wrinkles right under my backside..... so, I spent most of the afternoon hitching my pants back up! I'm hoping washing will tighten and shrink them back up a wee bit!  

~Not running for a week, because you wake up at the time you normally run and it's PITCH black and almost freezing outside, so you snuggle back down and promise you'll run later in the day..... yeah, like that's going to happen!

~My oh, so very helpful virus protection company automatically taking $80 out of my account a MONTH  early for my own good, so I will never be without protection....erm, couldn't they have taken it out 24 hours before it lapsed and done that?

~You don't realize how much stuff your family really has until you only have three already busy weeks in which to pack it all up!

~AWESOME~

~WE HAVE A HOUSE!!! Not only do we have a house, we have a house that is within walking distance of the town square, the collage, the library, 5-10 churches and the hospital.....though upon further reflection, if we need the hospital walking will not be the mode of transport we choose to get there!.....

The moving truck is set to come on November 2, so yes, we only have three weeks and some change to pack up our house! Oh, and did I mention my Mom and I are both working until the last possible day? This should prove to be a rather interesting three weeks.....

~Once Upon a Time has started up again and so far it hasn't disappointed! Belle and Mr.Gold have gotten screen time (Of course I'm loving every second of it!) and you find out more about why Regina is like she is, the Enchanted forest still exists, Regina can't do magic, wait yes she can!!! But it has left us with some questions.....

Who is Dr. Whale? (The good ol' internet is surprisingly void of good theories on this one!)

How will Mary Margret and Emma get back to the "real world"?

What happened to August? 

Who was the man who got the note at the beginning of episode 2? (I'm going with Balefire myself)

And last but not least, does Rumpelstiltskin's voice sound less creepy/more normal to anyone else this season?

~This hot chocolate! 

If I can make it a little more chocolaty I just may have found the perfect hot cocoa! Thick and creamy, but not tounge coating and smooth even when it's cooled down. As my exasperated family will tell you, I am PICKY when it comes to hot cocoa and this was pretty excellent. I added a small bit or cornstarch as a thickener and a dash of chili powder for some spice, sounds weird, but trust me, it works! =)

Doctor Who Blog Party!

LOOK!!!! 
I may not be able to join in much as I will be getting ready to move the first week of November, but I will definitely be following along and hopefully I can join in a wee bit! =)

Click on the above picture to find out more about this event!

The Adventures of Tilly the Tardis.....

Is it sacrilege to give the my mini Tardis a name? It might be, but I just can't seem to shake the notion that her name is Tilly.....

So here you have it folks, the summer adventures of Tilly!

Who knows where she'll turn up next! ;-)

Movies in the Park

What do you do when the movies in the park selection is blah? Or, you live in a town that doesn't have this particular activity?

You can sigh and hope next years movie selections don't have ones you've seen recently or that make you lose IQ points just thinking about them?.....

You can cross you fingers that next year some local business (or you could win the lottery) will buy a giant inflatable screen and start showing movies.....

Or......

.....you can pack up the car and set up your own movie night at the park of your choosing!

The screen may be a wee bit smaller, but it's much less crowded, your chairs can be any height you want, no worries about blocking the people behind you and you can choose whatever movie you want!

After doing this for most of the Fridays in August and September, I finally remembered to take pics at the last one!

We ate home made BBQ chicken pizza and watched part the 10th Kingdom.

WHAT?! You've never heard of the 10th Kingdom?

It's a miniseries that was on TV in 2000. I found it on Netlfix a few years ago and fell in love. It's a quirky, hilarious, romantic and magical. The trolls and Wolfie (he is the BEST character)  are a hoot and it's become one of my favorite movies!

I leave the decision of appropriateness of it for everyone to make for their own families. I definitely think it's okay for teens and older, but for younger kids an adult previewing it might not be a bad idea as there is some fantasy violence and innuendos.

I was trying to convince a friend of the awesomeness of it when we where at a local tea house and the guy behind the counter came slinking over and said he couldn't help over hearing, but he loved the movie and wasn't it amazing? He'd never met anyone else who had seen it and was glad to find another fan, so we compared favorite parts and my friend promised to check it out!

So, you don't need to take my word for it, tea guy thinks it's awesome too, and anyone who works at a tea  shop is automatically cool, right? ;-)