Name: Anna ATWELL

1. Real name: Anna Elyse Atwell
2. Nickname: Annabelle, Banana
3. Status: Engaged
4. Zodiac sign: Cancer
5. Male or female: Female
6. Elementary: St. Pauls (Columbus, Ohio) & St. Marks (Boise, Idaho)
7. Middle School : St. Mark's, Lowell Scott
8. High School: Centennial High School
9. College: University of Idaho, University of Hawaii
10. Hair color: Blonde
11. Long or short: Medium/short right now. I chopped off about 8 inches last summer and now I'm letting it grow again.
12. Loud or Quiet: Quiet voice by nature (I'm told).
14. Phone or Camera: ? My phone is like my security blanket...and it has a camera!
15. Health freak: Used to be but now I go through inspired phases
16. Drink or Smoke: I secretly love cigars. Terrible. I know. And a lavender cosmo with a fine sugar rim is amazing.
17. Do you have a crush on someone: Yep and I think he's caught on.
18. Eat or Drink: Eat eat eat!
19. Piercings: I've had two in my ears and one in my belly button. I only had the belly button for about 4 months before it was lost in the ocean and I never replaced it. The second hole in my ear closed up I think, or I haven't tried it in over a year or two.
20. Tattoos: Nope
21. Music: Ahhh music. I love all music. I especially love music when we it makes us break out into spontaneous dance parties in our living room - be it country, oldies, rap, slow or 80's rock ballads. It is all good.
22. Comedies or Horror: Comedy! Laughing for an hour is WAYYYY better than being scared all night.
FIRSTS:
23. First piercing: My ears at 11 or 12 years old
24. First best friend: Ann Wingert. We were both little blonde girls - Ann and Anna. We pretended to be twins.
25. First award: Probably for girl scouts.
26. First crush: Josh. Red head, freckles and crooked teeth. Love, I tell ya!
27. First Boyfriend/Girlfriend: John I think. Asked me out with a note in the cafeteria. We didn't talk at all and I broke up with him in a note in the same cafeteria 6 days later. First real boyfriend - Nate Price. Poppyseed muffins are the first thing that come to mind. Clarification - it's not the same Nate I'm marrying!
28. First pet: Whiskers the calico cat was around when I was born.
29. First big vacation: Family roadtrip from Columbus Ohio to Disney World in Florida
30. First big birthday: BIG birthday? Not sure I've ever even had a birthday party!
31. First Car: 1982 Volvo. Green, boxy and held together with T-shirts and duck tape.
32. First Favorite Song: Annie's Song by John Denver
33. First phone: At the end of my senior year of high school - graduation gift for college
34. First Surgery: Minor surgery on a scar under my eye when I was about 13
35. First time on an Airplane: I believe it was when we moved from Ohio to Idaho when I was 9
LASTS:
36. Phone Call: On my way to work this morning to my goofy finace, Nate
37. Instant Message: AOL? We use it in my office so it was probably to a co-worker
38. Text Message: To my friend Erin telling her we were stuck in traffic on our way to her house for dinner last night
39. Song you listened to: "Fix You" by ColdPlay - in my headphones right now
40. Time you laughed: when I got to the office
CURRENTLY:
41. Getting on your nerves: Portland weather
42. TV: nothing...
43. Drinking: water
44. Hair: undone but not sticking up
45. Wearing: jeans, flats, blue sweater and white sweater over that
46. Eating: nada
47. With: a room full of co-workers
48. I'm about to: write my heart out in preparation for a conference in Texas
49. Listening to: Coldplay
50. Plans for today: Work hard & late, go to Powells to get Wicked, do some laundry for my trip, hang out with my man, maybe workout
YOUR FUTURE:
51. Want kids: yes!
52. Want to get married: in about 38 days
53. Careers in mind: Anything but Public Relations, stay at home momma, non-profits like the Make-A-Wish Foundation, writer
'54. Place of Residency: Boise or somewhere with 4 seasons and sunshine
55. Car or Truck: Car or small SUV
WHICH IS BETTER:
56. Shorter or taller: Taller
57. Romantic or spontaneous: Spontaneous romance
58. Sensitive or loud: Sensitive
59. Serious relationship or casual dates: Relationship
60. Trouble maker or hesitant: Depends on the day and the weather
61.HAVE YOU EVER:
62. Lost glasses/contacts: Sunglasses
63. Ran away from home: Hahah I thought about it but never seriously
64. Hold a gun/knife for self defense: A knife
65. Killed somebody: Nope
66. Broken someones heart: Yes.
67. Been arrested: Almost for trespassing
68. Cried when someone died: Yes
69. Kissed a stranger: Practically
70. Had someone ask you out and you said no: Sure
71. Laughed until you cried: Yes! I am marrying a pretty funny man
72. Met someone who changed your life: Everyday
73. Fallen in Love: Yes
74. Found out someone was talking about you: Of course
75. Been Cheated on: By 3 different guys that I know of. College was brutal at times.
76. Cheated on anyone: Never.
77. Lost someone special: My grandpa
78. Broken a bone: Fingers and toes?
DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
79. Yourself: Sure do!
80. Miracles: Absolutely
81. Love at first sight: haha maybe lust at first sight. Or intrigue at first sight. Connection at first sight. But real love? No.
82. Heaven: Yes yes yes
83. Santa Claus: There will always be something magic about Santa
84. Holding Hands on the first date: Ok
85. Kiss on the first date: I don't believe I ever have
RANDOMNESS:
86. Righty or Lefty: Righty
87. Last time you saw your Dad: About 1 month ago
88. Do you like the snow: Yes!
89. Whats your favorite season: I don't like a certain season as much as I like SUN. Sun is a treat! Even if it's cold.
90. Can you swim: Yep - I was on swimteam for a few years & have spent plenty of time in lakes. I love the water!
91. Ridden a horse: A couple times. I wish I was a cowgirl.
92. Ridden a bike: So much fun.
93. Photogenic: Ummmm I've grown to be more photogenic but it's by no means consistent
94. Have siblings: 3 brothers, 2 sisters
95. Beach or Mountains: They both take my breath away every time.
96. Hot or Cold: Hot
ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
97. Is there one person you want to be with right now: Yes. And he knows it.
98. Are you seriously happy with where you are in life: Other than my job, yes. But happy to have a job!
99. Do you believe in God: Yes - and that's the reason I am the way I am.

One more move in Portland

We're moving again! For the record, I've been living in Portland almost 20 months and this is will be my 4th residence:
Beaverton
West Hills/Portland
Lake Oswego
and the latest place is at the Southwest Waterfront/Portland

This will be Nate's 4th residence here also!
Beaverton
Downtown/Cultural District
Lake Oswego

It is time to stay put for awhile, that's for sure. I told Nate I would not be moving anywhere else unless a)We left Portland or b)We had a baby. So hopefully, we'll be hanging out at this place for awhile.

It's a cute little townhouse with a garage on the Southwest waterfront, on the very outskirts of downtown, so we will have a free street car right outside, and we'll never have to actually drive on the busy downtown streets to get to our place. Downtown starts across the street :) And Nate can walk along the river to his office - a 10 minute walk. I'll have an opposite direction commute so traffic won't be bad.

There are tons of shops, restaurants, and salons along the waterfront right outside our door. It's right next to the marina, so we can join the Dragon Boating, rowing teams, go fishing, launch kayaks, take a dinner cruise, or play in the grass by the river from our backyard!

We are so excited!!! I circled the townhomes in red & I'll add more pics of the inside after everything is all moved in.

Snowed In

Portland is hilarious! It started snowing on Sunday, so I had Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday off work! The traffic crews weren't prepared and couldn't clear the roads. I live at the top of a massive hilltop neighborhood called "Mountain Park," so the only way to go anywhere was to go downhill. My tires are bald and the store was out of chains, so when I tried to go somewhere, I slid through two stop signs. In Nate's car we slid down a hill and had to pull the emergency break but still came within INCHES of hitting two cars. So I was literally snowed in for three days. The first day was fun to be home, the second day I was a little restless, and by the third day, I was anxious to get some fresh air! Nate only had Monday and Wednesday off because he takes the bus to work anyways. Today it is sunny, the roads are slushy, but there are still only about 4 people in my office. Portland has been making me laugh all week. Here are some pics from our snow days (I'm wearing about 3 pairs of pants to make up for my lack of ski pants)!

I love this guy :)

November 7, 2008

Someone showed this to me . . . you're supposed to BOLD the things you've done & leave the rest regular. I wonder how it'll change over the years!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (does the recorder in middle school count?)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (and Disneyworld)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped (no intention to either)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (from the beach?)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked (multiple time actually . . . no worries, I wouldn't anymore)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (gotta live a litttttle)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant (coffee?)
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing (I definitely will before we leave Oregon)
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (what about having a job in a start-up business?)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving (twice!)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (and sea urchin. and tentacles. and a whole crab (legs & claws & all). and blow fish. and so many other things I have no idea what they were. I love my job)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London (what about at the unknown soldier's tomb?)
77. Broken a bone (fingers & toes are bones too :) )
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (I did the design/layout!)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Received a speeding ticket
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (what if you hit the brakes before you hit them . . . )
90. Sat on a jury (no but I'm marrying a lawyer, so technically I get to sit in every day)
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Lived in three or more states

I guess you can't win them all. I have much more livin' to do!

FREEEEEEEEEEEEDOM

What have we been up to lately? Plenty! Mostly procrastinating on wedding plans. After working all day & getting home late at night, the last thing either of us want to do is pick & choose centerpieces or try to wade through a load of cheezy DJs. And the weather has been SO GOOD I can't stand sitting inside instead of playing outside. I added that Wedding Tracker below to help us get motivated. We're under 6 months now! Time to get crackin! We both work best under pressure, so here we go!

Besides that, we've been keeping ourselves busy with FREEEEEEEEEEEEDOM and all the stuff we've been wanting to do in Portland since moving here. Nate had law school classes & then 12+ hours per summer day of studying for the bar exam, so this has really been the first full month he (we've) been stress-free from school & studying, which has made such a difference! We entertained a few weekend visitors and got to see a traveling Broadway show - "Phantom of the Opera" which was incredible! It was like watching a David Copperfield show mixed with the best concert EVER. We got all dressed up & enjoyed ourselves as a mini-celebration for having an open, study-free Saturday night! We've also explored Portland a little more, set up our apartment, finally hiked up Multnomah Falls with some friends, and hit up a pumpkin patch (complete with caramel apples & hay rides). We went to a silent auction/award dinner last weekend where I successfully & unknowingly bid against Nate's boss on a weekend at Surftides Inn in Lincoln City - the hotel we stayed at when we got engaged. Opps. But we get to go back & re-live our fun weekend there!!! Can't wait to go back :)

Handsome guy opening my door on our way to Phantom of the Opera

A fun night out with friends on the "east side."

Pumpkin patch corn!

Our Big Day

Wedding Ticker from WhenIsMyWedding.com