the procrastination skirt

I have so much to do before we move, so much to pack, organize, and sell. None of which I could start because I have been working so many hours, camping, and scrambling to finish my portfolio. Well, I finished my portfolio on Saturday, so you would think Sunday would be a great time to start organizing, right? WRONG!  I started to clean my study, but then I took out my sewing machine and on a whim decided to make a skirt- without a pattern.

I know this was a stupid impulse, especially because once I start a project I have to finish it. So I basically locked myself in my study for four hours, sewing away. But here's my justification: I have 100 yards of fabric that stupid Joann's won't let me return- their internet shopping experience is totally 90's. Anyway, this giant bolt of fabric has been nagging at me- just screaming "Caitlin, look how much money you wasted!" So I decided I needed to start turning that naggy fabric into something worthwhile.

I did a sloppy job, mostly because halfway through I thought, "what I was thinking, getting started on this!?" So then I decided to just hurry and try and finish so I could resume cleaning the study. Despite that, I still wore it for my fourth of July outfit....

                    front                                          back....notice the fancy bow?

Now what to do with the rest of the fabric?

awesome find!

At church this afternoon I found these gems in the discard bin...

These are cool for the following reasons: 

A) Look at the colors!! 

B) I love the typography and cover design- so not your typical 'church pamphlet' 

C) They're old General Conference addresses from the 60's and 70's, can't find those on your iPod! Furthermore, you can't even find addresses before 1974 on lds.org, and I picked up ones from 1968, '69, '70, and '73!

Awessoooomee!

happy birthday to moi

I had a wonderful relaxing birthday. I awoke at 11:30 to a fresh green smoothie and a tofu scramble prepared by Dan. We ate out in the sunshine, then laid out in the grass for some reading. We then enjoyed a couple's massage, a nice stroll to sushi, and then caught Woody Allen's latest flick Midnight in Paris. Loved it.

Then we headed to Divine Cupcake for some Vegan and GF tasties. 

mint choco and raspberry

After birthday wishes, we blew through two boxes of sparklers.

Can't wait for Dan's in 7 days!

camping

My hope was to be able to squeeze some camping in before we left Oregon and luckily I can cross that off my list.

Camping excursion 1- Coastal Camping

This past weekend we headed to the coast with some architecture buddies (and their four legged companions) for some beach camping and surfing. We had a great time, but let me tell you- surfing in a full wetsuit with booties gloves and a hood is sooooo much more tiring than just a rash guard. Like so tiring that I thought I might just give up and drown if a wave overtook me- this coming from someone who swam competitively for 12 years. Anyway it was worth it, and at a one point a seal popped up to play with us. 

driving

loading April into our car

nick, kaitlin, and little april

destination

joe and zula

buddies atop the dunes

camping between the dunes 

sunset

Camping Excursion 2- Girl's Camp
Girl's Camp is a week-long camp put on by my church. It's a chance for the girls ages 12-17 to learn survival skills, appreciate nature, grow spiritually, and make friends. Because I never had the chance to go to Girl's Camp (I became Mormon when I was 18) I was really excited to be a part of it. It was great fun, so much so that I neglected to take any photos! Instead, here is a picture of my camp necklace with all the beads I acquired from completing different tasks.

 

Despite the fun days, the evenings were a little less fun- pesky raccoons outside my tent, mounting their attack, kept me from sleeping much. I was so exhausted when I got home that I threw down my stuff, hopped in the shower and passed out for five hours.

I wish we could stay in Oregon a bit longer. 

I just got the best news- Chris is coming to visit! My brother is coming for the Oregon Country Fair and for Dan's birthday, and it's going to be amaaazing.

and the winner is...

Thanks for voting in my "which photo will get me a job" survey. The winner is option B (cropped)!

need your input

You are probably thinking, 'gee caitie hasn't posted in a few days, she must be having sooooo much fun on vacation." I am sorry to disappoint you, but I am actually as busy as I was this past semester. My days start at 6:00 am with some Bikram yoga, then I rush off to work until 6:00 p.m, throw in a 3-hour drawing class on Tuesday and Thursday. Then I come home  to eat dinner and work on my portfolio until around 2 a.m. Repeat.  I leave for girl's camp next week, so I am scrambling to get a bunch of stuff done, namely my aforementioned portfolio. I am trying to finish it by the end of the week, but I am reworking some projects so it's taking a while and causing me a great deal of stress....annnnyway I didn't step away from my hectic schedule just to complain via my blog, I actually want your opinion on which headshot I should use for my portfolio.

So option A: this says, "Hey, I am happy but professional too (hence the glasses)!"

and option B says: "I am professional but happy too (hence the smirk)!"

I lean towards 'B', Dan leans toward 'A' which way do you lean? Vote on the side bar or leave a comment. Thanks!

Happy Father's Day

In honor of father's day, here are some facts about my pa.

• He is a human encyclopedia
• He is the freecell master (you know that computer card game that shoots cards at you when you win)
• He can sail, fly planes, heli-ski, play the piano, and surf
• He used to tell the best bedtime stories
• He likes ska music as much as I do
• He has been my biggest architecture school fan
• He is the most hardworking and loving dad.

activities with the parents

I didn't document all the happenings of my parents' visit, but here's a few...

The Saturday Market!

A visit to Clear Lake- a petrified forest lies underneath the water surface, but unfortunately we couldn't really see it because of the time of day, so we just rowed around a pretty normal lake

I was only able to row for 5 minutes, my Dad told me I was going in circles and wouldn't let me continue. Boooo!

 We went on lots of nature walks...here is the Octopus Tree

and an oak savannah

 and the Portland Japanese Gardens

Congraduations

The night before graduation, the arch. department hosted a lil' reception, so I got to show my family my thesis project. On a side note, my project got mentioned in the Salem newspaper- which you can read here- wooo!

The day of graduation, I watched three YouTube videos in order to figure out the hood, and it still took a team.

Our ceremony took place on Hayward Field, home of the Track Olympic Trials

gettin' my diploma

officially an Architecture Master!

 With my Pa

With my Ma

 With Papa Chris and Baba Judy

 With Dan's fam

 hank & will

 my thesis professor- peter

 good ol' howard

 will, will, jeff

Graduation felt great, and I had a wonderful and restful visit with the family. Unfortunately though, things will only get busier these next few weeks.