this warm weather today revved me up. i got into spring cleaning mode! which is good, because that is exactly what i need to do before jonathan comes on tuesday. plus i am hoping to find paul's wedding ring, which went missing in february. we think it was dropped outside in the snow, and it's probably long gone, but i still have a tiny bit of hope that it's just hiding behind a piece of furniture in the house.

i went so far as to actually alphabetize some of my major receipts from the past year. that might have been a little overboard, but after going through having stuff stolen last summer, i though it would be good to document some of our big purchase possessions in case anything were to happen. plus i have been known to return items after buying them, so it'll be nice to have things organized.

it is so warm here in madison. and there was a nice breeze today. i took out all the insulation i put two months ago around the cracks in the windows and opened them all up. it felt so good to sit inside and have a breeze through the house. plus, i think the house was warmer than it has been since october! (we generally kept our heat at 58/62 throughout the winter for night/day).

i am crossing my fingers that plane ticket prices will come down in the next couple of weeks for msn-pdx. it's hard to know when to buy tickets or not, and farecast is not supporting madison yet....boo.

i half-embarassed myself by wearing a tshirt, my ISU shorts (embroidered on the butt), and red crocs today, but oh well. since it's warm i should start actually making an effort to look cute again. that hasn't happened in months. ;o) I have so many great skirts (at least 20) that should not be neglected. now if only my work wasn't so darn cold....offices always seem to be temperatured to men in suits.

my hair is finally long enough for a full-fledged swinging ponytail, and is definitely way past my shoulders now. it really is amazing how hair grows in 6 months. i'm happy to have long hair again, because i've missed braiding, but i have to admit....i do kinda miss having short hair.

this blog is in need of a major makeover. not sure when that will happen, but hopefully a renewal will come. maybe when i step out of my winter funk i've been in. it's been a difficult winter, but luckily spring is finally here in wisconsin and it's warmed up. plus a trip to portland two weeks ago partially rejuvenated me. i'm already feeling a little better. i'm really looking forward to spring. i need to see some green around me. i need my usual energy back.

so don't cringe, but i am watching miss america live right now. it's a secret pleasure. pageants are so ridiculous, but also so entertaining. the original reality tv show. oregon isn't in the final 15, but there are some other girls who seem cool. maybe i like it because the whole point is to judge other people in a split second (that's the whole point right?), which we are not supposed to do in day to day life. i mostly judge the ladies on how sincere or fake their smile is and their posture. or maybe i enjoy it because i know it's something i would never do. i am also secretly loving america's next top model. would you have guessed?

i am so bummed. i waited too long to buy the decemberits/my brightest diamond tickets and they are absolutely completely sold out in madison and milwaukie. the chicago shows are still available, but they're on weeknights and are expensive. i knew about this concert months ago and just spaced out buying tickets until this week. i need to track down 2 extra tickets somehow.

so two weeks ago i was in portland for 5 and a half days. good times. i mostly spent time with my family, kate, nicole and baby cohen. i was excited to see everyone. it was super warm and while there was still snow in wisconsin on the ground in portland everything seemed to be green and blooming. i (of course) spent time shopping at nordstrom rack, and goodwill, ross and marshalls. found a neat chocolate brown queen duvet cover, an excellent new leather wallet, and some clothes. i love shopping, but i haven't found my shopping niche in madison yet.

some of the highlights of my portland trip include: spending lots of time with nicole and baby cohen, seeing lots of my mom's family when we had our easter dinner a month early, and heading to bagby hot springs with kate! bagby was awesome. after an hour's drive into the mt. hood forest, a 1 mile hike into the national forest with green everywhere (oh how i miss ferns, moss and lichen!), and pleasantly soaking our bodies in 8 foot long hollowed out tree trunks/wooden bathtubs. what an experience. i may post photos once i go through my trip pix.

this weekend is clean clean clean time. paul's brother jonathan is spending part of his spring break with us and coming in on tuesday. a good incentive for me to actually do a spring cleaning around here. our house is slowly coming together, but i still have boxes of junk that need a place. and i really want to get our master bedroom organized so we can start sewing and doing crafty stuff.

with spring also comes....biking! i hope to start biking to work once the weather clears up a bit and i do a bike checkup. i definitely need some exercise.

with warmer weather also comes the use of our back deck. the ice finally melted two days ago, so now all we need is to get some patio furniture and/or put the hammock up to enjoy our backyard. this is pretty exciting since we haven't had a chance to use our back deck since we moved into our house in october.

ok time to sign off.

yay miss t. congrats.