K by Kayla.: September 2013

As I sit here, in bed, on this rainy Sunday I reminisce about the past week and a half.

My weeks have been very busy on my current project. Working 11 hours a day, maybe more depending on code deployments and migrations. Getting calls at random hours of the night to begin testing. The reason is because out project go-live date is October 1st!

I know for a fact that I will continue traveling to Portland until October 25th. We have been requested to stay through November 22 (which I'm thankful it's not over Thanksgiving week). I will be speaking with my boss tomorrow morning to discuss the extension and the travel.

This weekend, Heidi and I were supposed to go to Seattle for a weekend getaway. Unfortunately there were going to be record rains for this time of year so we canceled the trip and stayed in Portland for the weekend. So, instead, we drove the short distance to Woodburn, OR to visit the large outlet mall there. I ended up purchasing a new piece of luggage because of all the shopping I've done while I've been here. I wouldn't have been able to fit all of my items into my suitcase so there was a need for a new one :)

Tonight, Heidi and I are going to the restaurant Touche in downtown Portland. I'm excited to try this new spot and to do a little more exploring of what Portland has to offer me.

Found a chocolate store at Woodburn Outlet, and this Tiger Tail was delicious!

Last night I enjoyed the many Snapchats my great friend Kyle sent me :) His sister got married yesterday and during the celebration there may have been a few too many beverages! I had to capture this gem of Kyle and his mother Ann. His caption cracks me up!

And to close this blog post with the most joyous thing in my life, my sweet, active, and on-the-go niece.

When I arrived back in Pierre on August 29from Portland, I decided I would drive back to Wisconsin for the holiday weekend, leaving on Saturday morning. I had been feeling bad for my pet, Pip, because she had been all alone the entire time I have been traveling for work. I did have my neighbor checking in on her so she had food and water, a clean litter box, and to get some affection. However, ten minutes each day is not enough for her. She needs much more attention and love than that. So the main reason I planned my trip to Wisconsin was to drop her off with my Mom. I know my Mom would give her the attention and affection she needs.

While deciding to go back to Wisconsin for Labor Day weekend, I was able to persuade Heidi to come on the trip with me! She ended up bringing her cat, Kahleesi, as well because she also believes her cat needed some extra love for the weekend. We road tripped to Eau Claire on Saturday morning and arrived around 3 pm. We rested and met up with some of my best guy friends to start Saturday’s festivities. We pre-gamed a little bit at Lincoln’s house and then made our way downtown where we met up with some other close girlfriends of mine, Koreen and Kelsey! I was excited to take Heidi around a real party town and to bar hop at some of my favorite spots in EC. She enjoyed herself quite a bit.

On Sunday we went to my Uncle Wally’s new house out in Prescott, WI. The house is beautiful and on so many acres. It is a very beautiful property. We were there for a few hours and drove back to EC to lay low for the rest of the evening. Chas ended up coming over to hang out for the evening and until Monday afternoon until Heidi and I packed up and drove back to Pierre. It was a great weekend that I got to spend with family and friends. I enjoy those weekends so much and I’ll treasure them, always.

I was able to work remote the week of Labor Day so, NO TRAVELING FOR ABOUT 5 DAYS! Sunday, September 8, I flew back to Portland and started my week working 7-7 until Friday.Friday evening, I flew out to LAS VEGAS to spend the weekend with my Uncle Travis, Aunt Ruth, and cousins; Rachel (11) and Katelin (13). It was amazing to spend the weekend with them. Friday when I flew in I was able to stay up past 12:30 am chit chatting away with my Aunt whom I haven’t seen in about 3 years! We could talk forever, honestly. Saturday I got up early to watch my cousin Katelin play soccer and then ran errands and another soccer game for Rachel at 1 pm, but it ended up getting canceled because of the weather. I was sad I didn’t get to see her play the sport she loves the most but it gave my Aunt and I time to run additional errands to prep for the big fight, Mayweather vs. Canelo.

My Uncle had invited a bunch of people to watch the fight at his house. He wanted to buy tickets for us to go see it live but tickets were OUTRAGEOUS, $3500 outrageous. So we rented it on PPV instead. I was reallllllly hoping to see a knockout but not one all night. I was a little disappointed. Overall it was a great fight and we all enjoyed ourselves, drinking and over eating. It was a lot of fun. I ended up going to bed around midnight again and tried sleeping in today (Sunday). I had a great breakfast made by Rachel, my little cousin. She made Belgium waffles!! We watched some football and than made my way to the airport.

Let me tell you something. It is the hardest when you leave family. I was talking with my Aunt about how friends come and go and family is always there for you. It is 100% true. I’ve had plenty of friends come and go. They come for a reason or they come for a season, but you ALWAYS have family. Family is forever.

Labor Day weekend:
Yum! These sunglasses taste so good!

The next few weeks are going to be pretty crazy for me. I will be working 7-7, Monday –Saturday. I will update as much as possible but my life will be pretty boring for the next three weeks, UNLESS a certain person comes to see me :) So... if something exciting happens, I’ll definitely be writing about it. Don’t give up on me yet!