Saturday again, huh?  Hmph.  The days pass too fast these days.  This past week wasn’t too exciting, but here we go.. Oh and just a warning, my sister and I found my “distortion” effect on my phone today, and had a bit too much fun with that. Oye!

Sunday… Apparently my daughter wants to be Tarzan, or maybe Jane??

Monday was a boring, foggy day.  I worked. Boo!  Yeah, I totally took a blurry, crappy picture of the fog on my way to work.  The one on the right I took after I got to work. Haha.

Tuesday?  Another boring day, but dinner was yummy!  Chicken enchiladas with broccoli/cheese on the side.  Weird combo, I know, but broccoli is seriously Ariana’s favorite vegetable ever!!! And, since she was a sick baby who didn’t want to eat, I had to make something that she would eat.

Wednesday?  Continuance on the sick day for Miss Ariana.  Fabulous.  She did manage to find the Cheetos, though.  Oh man, she is a handful, even when sick!

Thurday…. So little happened, the only pic I got was from getting stuck at the railroad crossing on my way to work.  Thankfully, it’s only our public transportation train, so the way was less than 30 seconds.

Friday was “Civil War” day at work, so I willingly sported some of my Ducks gear for the occasion.. Oh, and traffic sucked so bad, I got to take pics of the sunset.

Now Saturday was a good day indeed!  Civil War, hanging out with the family.  We discovered the “distortion” effect on my phone, and laughed ‘till we cried.  The following are just a few of the pics we took… Ohmigosh!! Hahaha…

And then some random Saturday pictures that aren’t so scary!  My sister, me, and the cranky Ariana

I laughed so hard I cried…

Oooooooooooooo!!!!!!!…

Okay okay, enough!!  Have a great week, everyone!! See you here next Saturday for another installment! =)

If you follow me on Twitter or have me as a friend on Facebook, or simply a friend of mine in the flesh, then it is no secret that I am an Oregon Ducks fan.  I take pride in the love that I have for the Ducks.  I cheer them on during every game (sometimes annoyingly so).  I have been to games.  I wear clothing and jewelry sporting their logos.  Simply put, #iLoveMyDucks.

Recently, I was asked why.  Not in a mean or hateful or “oh-my-gosh-why-or-how-could-you-like-football-college-football-and/or-that-team” sort of why.  Just a simple question by someone fascinated with the passion I have for this team.

To be honest, it started, for me, in 6th grade.  I had this teacher who was a total Oregon Beavers fan (for those that are unaware the Ducks and Beavers are HUGE rivals), and boy was he passionate about his team.  I had watched college football with my dad before, and knew about the Duck/Beaver rivalry.  Don’t get me wrong, this man is/was an amazing teacher, I just wanted to go against him.  Seems reasonable, right? 

Thus flourished my love for the Ducks.

It has stuck ever since. (So has mine and the teacher’s personal Duck/Beaver rivalry.  I used to cover his Beaver posters in his classroom with my own Ducks variation)

There have been ups and downs since then, as with anything else in life, including sports teams.  Good seasons, bad seasons, mediocre seasons.  There have been moments that the Ducks have put me on cloud 9, only to have my heart shattered in the same season.

That’s the way it goes.

Despite their victories and losses, I have never faltered from my loyalty to the Oregon Ducks.  They have always been my favorite, and the only team in college football or the NFL that can keep my attention.  Because of my loyalty and passion for the Ducks, my entire family are Ducks fans.  We watch as many games as we can together, we talk highs and lows of the season between games, and are always sporting Ducks gear – year around.

My team.  Forever.

Last year, we made it all the way to the Rose Bowl.  What an accomplishment.  We didn’t gain that title, but we became the champs in our own conference – the Pac10.

This year the Ducks are 12-0.  Now 2-time Pac 10 champions on our way to the BCS national championship game in Arizona on 1/10/2011.  This after an intense start to our 114th Civil War game against the Oregon State Beavers. We pulled out a 37-20 victory. 

I am over the moon!!! Beyond happy and in such awe that my team, the Oregon Ducks, will be contending for their first ever national championship!!

Today is an amazing day to be a Duck!!!

#GoDucks

Often times, Oregon’s weather is a bit……… confusing in the months of September and October.  I can remember years where it has been warm, years where it has been cold and rainy, and then years (like this one) where it is…. all over the place.

This September we went from wet and cold one day to warm and sunny the next.  I’m talking a twenty degree difference in temperature.  While I do enjoy the sun, and I enjoy the rain, the two mixed is just gross.  This is when we get some nasty humidity, and who really likes that stuff?

Luckily, this weekend was nice enough to play in the sun with no humidity to make us feel icky.  We decided to go to my mom’s on Saturday (well it was my brother’s birthday so we had a reason) and Ariana got to play on the trampoline.  She sure does love to jump.  And yes, that is an Oregon Ducks shirt she is wearing.  We are UofO fans for life!!

The last couple days have been gorgeous, but it has come time to say goodbye to the warmer, summer weather.  Next week will be in the 60s, and until fall really hits, I think that is going to be about the norm for dear old Oregon.

It’s that time of the week again, folks! 

Yep, In My Neighborhood Tuesday w/ Eighty MPH Mom! *cheers*

This weeks assignment was:

September 14th:  Interesting Tree – Take a shot of an unusual tree, or an unusual shot of a normal tree!

While this was easy peasy to find (because there are literally millions of trees hanging around Oregon), I went into my photo archive for a pic that I took back in January while doing Project 365.

Copyright www.thejakafiles.com

It’s my love tree! Haha.

Please please PLEASE join us in the fun weekly meme!! I will beg until my face turns blue!  Really, how hard is it to take a walk and find a tree and take a neat shot or find a neat tree and take its pic?? ;)

10 o’clock came too quick last night. I half-assed my way through the shower and fell into a heap on the bed next to a peaceful Ariana. She was laying on her back, arms and legs sprawled out, looking rather comfy in her deep sleep. From where I was laying, I could see and hear each breath she took and each time she exhaled. It was rhythmic and soothing.

A loud slamming door, which sounded like an old beat up truck, startled me awake. I hadn’t realized that I had even drifted off, but the sudden slam from outside my opened window put me into a temporary state of panic.  The engine, very loud, was started and soon drove off.

When I finally realized that I was in bed, in my home, and that the kids and Justin were there and safe, I began to ponder the reason for my panic. What had I been dreaming about?

While I don’t believe I was dreaming, something was most definitely on my mind.  One little person who has filled my heart and thoughts for the past 4 days.  That person is Kyron Horman.

First reported missing on Friday, June 4th, Kyron’s whereabouts remain a mystery.  He vanished from his school in the Portland area on 6/4, and since that evening, 22 agencies (both local and national) have been searching for him.

1,200 tips have come in, and authorities are following up on each and every one of them in hopes they will lead to Kyron’s safe return.  So far, however, it has not.

This is a parent’s worst nightmare.  To be at the bus stop, waiting for your child to get off to tell you about their day, and when they don’t?  My state of panic after being woken last night does not compare to the state of panic his parent’s must be in.

The purpose of this post is simply I need to do something. I need to help.  As a mother, the need to get his name out there, his face out there, comes natural.  I would want anyone and everyone to do the same for me if it were my child.  While I know the chance of my readers seeing or knowing something is slim to none, it’s still worth it to spread the word.

At this time, an Amber Alert has not been issued in the dissapearance of Kyron Horman (his disappearance has not been classified as a kidnapping, nor are there any details of a car that may or may not have kidnapped him), but his story is still getting recognition all over the U.S. With coverage on both ABC News and CBS News.  Someone, somewhere, has to know something.

If you know something or have seen anything, please call the tip line: (503) 261-2847

Want to keep up with the story?  Our own NW Newschannel 8, among other news stations, are keeping us up to date as much as they can.

My heart breaks for this little boy’s family. Last night, as I slept, unsettling dreams of Kyron mixed in with my own children’s dissapearances plagued me.  Not only has this story hit close to home on a geographical level, but on an emotional level as well.  No one can imagine what it must be like to lose a child, much less to actually go through it.

I hope that Kyron is found, safe, and returned to his family. As we round out day 5, one can only hope.