Essence of Hermiston

The essence of a Hermiston summer

Mollie and The Dark Knight

Last night i FINALLY got to go see The Dark Knight! I have been waiting and waiting! Ended up going with Kristen and Randy Coller. Kristen and i came up with the fabulous idea that i should wear a black cape (like a batman cape) to the movie theater to see what reactions we could get.

Well you all know me, i was on board!! (Notice the growling smile below, too many pictures)

We got to the theater and i got dramatic with my cape ( surprise surprise) I start running fast to make it flap behind me like bat wings. Yes to all in question, i am almost 25, and sometimes i act like I'm 5.

We walked up to buy our tickets, me with my cape flapping, and asked the lady selling the tickets if anyone else had ever dressed up like batman coming to this movie thus far. She gave me a strange look and answered "No".

After settling in my seat with my popcorn ( as i was sitting i swirled my cape in the air) i was still drawing stares, but loved every minute!
The movie was FANTASTIC by the way, i would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone!! And i would DEFINITELY recommend seeing it in a batman like cape, it makes all the difference!
After the movie i went over to Tiff and Jacob's to visit and we decided to put a shirt on Duke! Poor Duke but he looked SOO cute!!


Another fabulous night in the Herm draws to a close:)

Yard Sale Pictures!!!!

Well the yard sale is done and over! We were VERY successful with the help of our friends!

Friday Mom and I ran the sale and then Saturday Whitney brought over a bunch of her stuff and her family's stuff and we combined two sales! It turned out to be a VERY fun day! Whitney's dog Honey also helped us out all day. She enjoyed licking all the people who were shopping, stealing stuffed animals off the tables and playing with kids who came by! We had a really fun day!

Whitney and i found a "A+ teacher" sign so we decided we should pose with it


Honey loved waiting for treats from us!

Honey is SO gentle she will even take a piece of chip right out of Whit's mouth! Awww

We worked on our tans


And had fun with VERY random items we were selling

Ranger spent the day sitting in the kitchen window watching, Mom kept checking on her "grandcat" ( you can see his little face in the window)


Then Ranger spotted Honey playing in the yard YIKES!


Meanwhile Honey enjoyed pulling the bull off the yard sale table and playing with it, she's SO cute!

All in all, SUCCESS!!!!!

Mamma Mia!!!

"Mamma mia, here I go again My my, how can I resist you? Mamma mia, does it show again? My my, just how much I've missed you"

Michelle posted a blog on her site about Mamma Mia and it reminded me i wanted to post one as well!
Wednesday night Debbie Simmons, Tiff, my Mom and i all went to see Mamma Mia, and what FUN we had! First of all, my mother LOVES previews, and gets really excited when a movie is previewed that she likes, she then tries to whisper to us all how she's GOING to see that movie. However the whispering is loud and then her and Debbie start laughing and we get shushed. (Love my Mom!!! She makes life so fun)
The movies starts...within the first 10 minutes we are all cracking up hysterically, the laughing only gets louder as the movie continues!

It is TRULY Meryl Streep at her finest

We laughed till tears rolled down our faces, we cried when the movie pulled on our heartstrings, we felt like we were pulled into the movie with the characters!
Highlights were as follows:
*Debbie and Mom singing "Dancing Queen" along with the girls in the movie and dancing in their seats
*PIERCE BROSNAN
*Donna and the Dynamos

*The wedding


As we walked out of the theater we were all singing the songs! Mom and Debbie continued the dance party on into the parking lot and in the car on the way home!! We had a fabulous time...If you are a lover of musicals ( AS I AM) you HAVE to see this movie!

Christianson Yard Sale

Well it's time to see the Christianson's and their personal belongings at their finest! It is yard sale weekend. Mom and i are the lone workers so it should pan out to be an interesting time!! If anyone would like to stop by and visit us and buy buy buy we are open today 8-5 today and tomorrow 7:30-4:30! Come on by!!! I will take pictures as the sale progresses and post tonight:)

Organic Hershey's Dark Chocolate

For those of you who check out Sue's WONDERFUL blog you will see this picture on her page, I had to steal it ( sorry Sue) and put it on MY page as well. THIS picture and warning warrants posts on two pages:)

Sue and Mollie's adventures with chocolate.

Moral of this blog, DON'T under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES buy Hershey's Organic Dark Chocolate or you might find yourself with a face that looks like this


Enough said.

Procrastination, the enemy of EVERYONE!

I am positively the WORST procrastinator EVER! Seriously. I am always saying "i'll do it tomorrow" while it might temporarily feel better about have more time on your hands those 4 words have a way of making me feel horrible about not just doing it today! Why is it so hard sometimes to take a step in the direction you need to go? Whether it be a small household project or the future dreams you have for your future job/life? I read a blog by Nicole Williams ( a FABULOUS career expert and best selling author) about procrastination and i feel complelled to repost it up here! I think it's useful advice for everyone! By the way Nicole Williams website is http://www.nicolewilliams.com/ totally worth checking out!

"I'm hoping my publisher isn't reading this week but I totally get the procrastination problem—I have a book due at the end of the summer and as I start every month, week, day I think…tomorrow. What I need to tell you (and remind myself) is this: Procrastination is a bitch. It has this way of taunting you with hopes of what your life could look like if only you'd get your butt in gear. It sucks the life out of what's actually going well, sitting on the edge of what you have accomplished, reminding you of what you haven't. The irony of procrastination is that the anticipation—the pain of avoiding what we have to get done—is so much worse than the reality of jumping in. So what's our solution? As Nike so eloquently put it: "Just Do It." This week, let's collectively take one single step in the direction of our dreams and do the thing we've been putting off. Get out of your head and no more "tomorrows"—decide you're going to be a big girl and get started today."

...and that's what WORKS,

Quote for a Monday

Quote of the day for Monday


Always question. Always analyze. But in the end, suspend judgment until you've been there. Live it to learn it.

-- Mark McClinchie

A walk down memory lane

The Directions:

1. Leave a comment on my blog. In the comment, recall one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.

This is SUCH a great idea! Got the idea from Angela's blog:) Have a blessed weekend!!

The Growling Smile

The Classic Mollie Growl (above)

If you've been around me for any period of time in my life you will have seen my "growling" face. (Tiff knows the growling face all too well). After I've smiled nicely for a few pictures, the corners of my mouth sometimes will sag into what appears to be a growl. Or i will pull the corners of my mouth tight and show all my teeth. Either way it's portrayed, it's a growl. It has ruined many a picture and prompted many a "MOLLIE STOP GROWLING" from friends and family alike. Because I'm one of those people who can laugh at myself, I'm going to post up a number of memorable growling faces from over the years.

Growling can appear in other situations besides just multiple picture taking ventures. When I'm awkward and uncomfortable in conversation i might make the growling smile ( not on purpose) also when I've had a few too many glasses of wine, you might see the growl. Next time you hang out with me, be on the lookout, you might be able to witness the famous growling smile.

The Too Many Pictures Growl


Another too many pictures growl


Tired of fishing growl

An actual growl apparently? (my old job at school)

Classic Mollie Growl

Awkward social situation growl

Too many glasses of wine growl


Too many pictures growl

Do you like my clothes? Do you want them for....free?!

You guys check this blog out! It's amazingly cool!!!
~Mollie

Do you like my clothes? Do you want them for....free?!

Books-My Refreshment for the Soul

There is a temperate zone in the mind, between luxurious indolence and exacting work; and it is to this region, just between laziness and labor, that summer reading belongs. ~Henry Ward Beecher

In the past week and a half i have renewed a stagnant friendship with my books. My collection of books is like a time honored friendship. Always there. Even when I've neglected to roam the shelves and visit them, they are constantly vigilant; waiting for me to grab one. I LOVE to read, I've always been an avid reader ever since i was a little girl.
I was that child who went to the library during the long summers in Wisconsin and checked out 50 books. The most delightful phrase that had ever graced my young ears was "No, there is NO limit to the number of books you can check out". I would carry bags and bags of books home and sit for hours and hours reading. I got so caught up in my stories i would completely tune out the outside world. My parents would come and talk to me, the dog would run by barking, i heard nothing. I was deeply involved in the exciting lives of the characters in my book! As the years of my life have unfolded i haven't had the leisure time i had in my youth to just sit and soak in a good book; and i miss it. So last week i went with my neighbor Miss Nichols to the HHS library and she loaded me up with about 20 new books ( along with about 10 from her personal collection). I'm in heaven. I just stacked my new books on my table and every time I look at them i get excited to read them! Some might call me crazy for loving reading SO much, but i tell you what, to have a love of reading opens up a multitude of new worlds. I have an active imagination and an expansive vocabulary because of my books. So today, like yesterday, when i get off work i will spend at least 3 hours immersed in my current novel "Plain Truth" by Jodi Picoult. It is INCREDIBLE and thus far has completely intrigued me. I read many different kinds of books and authors but rarely have i run across an author who can so completely draw me in. If you HAVEN'T read a Jodi Picoult novel, do yourself a favor and pick up "Plain Truth".

"Moving seamlessly from psychological drama to courtroom suspense, Plain Truth is a fascinating portrait of Amish life rarely witnessed by those outside the faith. When a young Amish teen hides a pregnancy, gives birth in secret, and then flatly denies it all when the baby's body is found, urban defense attorney Ellie Hathaway decides to defend her. But she finds herself caught in a clash of cultures with a people whose channels of justice are markedly different from her own… and discovers a place where circumstances are not always what they seem."

The Past and The Present...Intertwined?

I just think this picture is beautiful....sometimes i wish i could live part of my life in black and white.

It's been a whirlwind of a last week! Started teaching at summer school, crazy but i'm enjoying it! I have my regular kids i'm helping with packets and the rest of the time i get to relax at my nice air conditioned desk and kick back. If i hadn't gone to college i would MOST DEFINITELY have been an administrative assistant. I love organizing a desk, taking phone calls, dealing with people coming in, crowd control, writing memos...yeah i know i'm a nerd but i love that stuff. ( I also spend about 2 hours when i take trips to Office Max and Staples, i have an obsession with office supplies). Moral of that last thought, i'm enjoying my desk work immensely. I will be VERY glad to get back to my substitute teaching salary but for now, life is good!
Last week i got back in touch with an old flame...and it's really thrown me for a loop. We are just corresponding now through email and talking over the phone, but he has made comments about rekindling our relationship, and how it's something he has thought about for a LONG time and finally decided to act on it. It's really made me think...when you have a relationship with someone, it never really leaves your life. Yes for awhile it's temporarily absent, but at that moment when that person comes racing back INTO your life, it's as if nothing has changed. I feel like there hasn't been 8 years between the last time i saw him (even though there has), and it's such a weird feeling. I'm trying to stay grounded, but this guy is the guy who is a whirlwind of fun, vivacious life and exciting energy. His spontaneity is contagious and also can be overwhelming and dangerous. He's a live on the edge man ( unfortunately the kind i like). I'm trying not to over analyze ( one of my MAIN undesirable characteristics) and to just have fun, but it's tough. So for now, things remain neutral, we shall see how long that lasts.
I'm praying for wisdom. And that my overanxious emotional heart stays grounded. (Not an easy feat) :)

George W's War

I must preface this blog entry by saying that i only will post political bulletins on my page if they are of the utmost importance to me, or if it's something i really feel is important for everyone to read. I myself am very wrapped up in the world of politics, but i understand everyone might not share that same opinion. However sometimes i run across articles (like the Obama one i posted below or this one) that i feel are very important to share! This rocked my day!

George W.'s War

By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Friday, June 20, 2008 4:20 PM PT

No one likes war. War is a horrific affair, bloody and expensive. Sending our men and women into battle to perhaps die or be maimed is an unconscionable thought. Yet some wars need to be waged, and someone needs to lead. The citizenry and Congress are often ambivalent or largely opposed to any given war. It's up to our leader to convince them. That's why we call the leader, "Commander in Chief."

George W.'s war was no different. There was lots of resistance to it. Many in Congress were vehemently against the idea. The Commander in Chief had to lobby for legislative approval.

Along with supporters, George W. used the force of his convictions, the power of his title and every ounce of moral persuasion he could muster to rally support. He had to assure Congress and the public that the war was morally justified, winnable and affordable. Congress eventually came around and voted overwhelmingly to wage war.

George W. then lobbied foreign governments for support. But in the end, only one European nation helped us. The rest of the world sat on its hands and watched.

After a few quick victories, things started to go bad. There were many dark days when all the news was discouraging. Casualties began to mount. It became obvious that our forces were too small. Congress began to drag its feet about funding the effort.

Many who had voted to support the war just a few years earlier were beginning to speak against it and accuse the Commander in Chief of misleading them. Many critics began to call him incompetent, an idiot and even a liar. Journalists joined the negative chorus with a vengeance.

As the war entered its fourth year, the public began to grow weary of the conflict and the casualties. George W.'s popularity plummeted. Yet through it all, he stood firm, supporting the troops and endorsing the struggle.

Without his unwavering support, the war would have surely ended, then and there, in overwhelming and total defeat.

At this darkest of times, he began to make some changes. More troops were added and trained. Some advisers were shuffled, and new generals installed.

Then, unexpectedly and gradually, things began to improve. Now it was the enemy that appeared to be growing weary of the lengthy conflict and losing support. Victories began to come, and hope returned.

Many critics in Congress and the press said the improvements were just George W.'s good luck. The progress, they said, would be temporary. He knew, however, that in warfare good fortune counts.

Then, in the unlikeliest of circumstances and perhaps the most historic example of military luck, the enemy blundered and was resoundingly defeated.

After six long years of war, the Commander in Chief basked in a most hard-fought victory.

So on that historic day, Oct. 19, 1781, in a place called Yorktown, a satisfied George Washington sat upon his beautiful white horse and accepted the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, effectively ending the Revolutionary War.

Locked out at midnight

Well the wonderful exterminator came last night and sprayed to help take care of my bug problem. However i had to stay out of the house until about 10:30 to let the fumes dissipate. I went over to Jacob and Tiff's with Ranger and had a wonderful evening. After having a lovely night of relaxing, having ice cream, talking a walk and watching The Bachelorette with the Neighbors' i headed home to my humble abode to assess the insect situation. When i had left at around 7:00 I left my keys in the house not thinking the exterminator would lock the house when he was done. However, when i arrived home at 11:45 pm the bottom door lock was locked. I called my neighbor who had a key, woke her up, however she couldn't locate her key. I then proceeded to call and wake my parents up, to ask for advice. I tried to deftly use a bobby pin like i was some sort of spy/assassin breaking in, however i do not possess such lock picking skills as i found out. I searched every place my Dad thought he might have an extra key ( mind you this is all in pitch black, the back porch light wasn't on, so the only light I had was from my cell phone). Someone borrowed or stole our ladder in the garage so instead i had to stack a plastic lawn chair with a wooden foot stool on top of it precariously to pull the screen off the window and boost the window open while then shimmying inside.


It was quite the ordeal. Didn't have a problem with bugs last night, for heaven's sake i hope they are gone tonight!

Here is the open window right after i crawled in it. Sheesh. Only Mollie.

Something to Consider

Read Below and ask yourselves, is this REALLY someone we can see as the President of our great nation? Below are a few lines from Obama's books: In his words
From Dreams of My Father: "I ceased to advertise my mother's race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites."
From Dreams of My Father : "I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mother's race."
From Dreams of My Father: "There was something about him that made me wary, a little too sure of himself, maybe. And white."
From Dreams of My Father: "It remained necessary to prove which side you were on, to show your loyalty to the black masses, to strike out and name names."
From Dreams of My Father: "I never emulate white men and brown men whose fates didn't speak to my own. It was into my father's image, the black man, son of Africa , that I'd packed all the attributes I sought in myself , the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, DuBois and Mandela."
And this alarming statement...
From Audacity of Hope: "I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction."

Ants, Earwigs and Centipedes OH MY!

GROSS my house is INFESTED! Not cool. I've discovered I'm sharing my living quarters with a wide variety of four legged to 8 legged insects. I'm not enjoying it. I must say that living on my own for the past 3 years since I've been at school and now living by myself here in Hermiston, i have mastered numerous insect and repair tasks that most women would get a man to do (tasks that i myself would ABSOLUTELY ask my Dad or Brother to do if they were in town). For example. In Monmouth i learned how to change a doorknob. I learned this after my door jammed at 1:00 am after a date when i had run some trash out to the dumpster. I had to actually pull the screen off my front window, break the lock on the window and shimmy back inside; yes the neighbors had a nice show that evening. Anyway, replaced the whole doorknob myself. I also had to deal with a bag of potatoes gone bad under my sink. And when i say gone bad, i mean there were fly larvae hatching every hour from on top of it. The potatoes and bag had actually attached themselves to the side of my wall under the sink. It took almost all of my energy and anti barfing mechanisms to clean that mess up. I've snaked drains, dealt with fleas invading my bed and apartment from my cat, fixed screens, repaired my car, done minor electrical work, installed a wall unit AC...there has been a lot of valuable information harvested. When i get married some day my Husband is going to acquire a multi faceted woman. HOWEVER walking out to the kitchen every night and stepping on massive piles of earwigs..NOT OK...ok maybe massive piles is embellishing a bit but it's bad, and they are all over the house. After the first night i discovered it, about a week ago, i googled earwigs to learn more about them. I learned they are nocturnal and kind of tough to get rid of. I called an exterminator who is coming Monday ( i think i might tackle him and his equipment with a hug when he gets here) but until then every night at about 10:30 when they all come out of their cavernous homes in the walls of my house, i have my vacuum out and i vacuum them ALL up. The house is cleaner than it's been in a long time, well as clean as it can be with all the bugs. It just dawned on me though that all those earwigs i vacuum up every night are just hanging out in my vacuum cannister. Wow. Really don't want to empty that bad boy. I've been hanging out a lot at Tiff and Jacobs in the evenings to avoid my infested house.
Monday.
Salvation day.

Tuesday Pizza Day

I worked hard all day today cleaning and unpacking. I'm starving. And ants have invaded my house, no food I had in my pantry is safe. I just ordered pizza and breadsticks. I'm very excited. I don't let myself have pizza very often....But when i do......WHOA BABY! I'm going to go sit outside in the parking lot of Pizza Hut ( YES i ordered from the greasy hut) and salivate imagining how good it will taste while they bake it.
It's Tuesday. It's pizza day. Sometimes ya just gotta indulge.