Happy New Year!

It's been awhile! With this post and the new year upon us, we hope to write more on here and keep everyone more informed/ up-to-date on our lives.

So what has happened since the last time we posted?

Well, we voted in a new president! An aweseome one at that! This is a huge stepping stone for the US and it is very exciting to get to be a part of history in the making.

We celebrated Thaksgiving this year at the McArthur's home, just last year we were at the Didriksen's family home in Boise! So it was nice to be with the McArthur clan this year for the feasting activities. of course it is always ahrd to be away from family, especially this Christmas.

This years Christmas for us was spent at the McArthur family household, we had a geat time, even got snowed in! It was saddening not being with the Didriksen side, this was Kyle's first Christmas away from home, so of course calls were made and words of love exchanged, but it's just not the same. With that said, we decided to buy our plane tickets for Boise to celebrate our late Christmas with that side of the family. We leave in 3 weeks! We are both really excited and in need of seeing the family.

Between the holidays we both finished up another semester of school, it was a really good semester for the both of us, we pulled in great grades and managed to stay on top of our homework, in spite of our 40 hr/ wk jobs, taking care of the dog, and trying to have a social life!

All of this to say that we have been extremely blessed. We have great families and wonderful friends, a nice home and beautiful dog, and healthy lives that we try to make the best of every day.

In this new year, we wish everyone health and happiness.

As a couple we hope to continue checking off our list of "100 things to do before I die". Yes, we both have one! And continuously be thankful for what we have been given. As one of Kyle's tattoos say, Live With Passion. A good moto for the rest of us. We hope to live with passion individually and with each other.

Happy Holidays and a very Happy New year to all of you. Thank you for your investment in our lives, we appreciate and love you all.

The Didriksens








Photo By: Bryan Rupp Photography

Larry King and Chris Rock

Probably one of the more entertaining Larry King interviews I have ever seen.

I Just Had To...

Being an International Studies major has it's perks, although I am emphasizing in Middle Eastern Studies and African Studies, I still find myself interested in foreign policy as well. So watching things like this really make me laugh...

Palin On Russia


~Jade

Oh To Be Young and Poor

So, the best part about living pay check to pay check is that we found out PSU is giving Jade a years worth in scholarships/ grants to pay for school! She (I) am taking 20 credits this semester. I know, I know, 20 credits plus full time work with angry children, crazy! But, if I am to get my double major and minor (in foreign language) completed anytime soon, I must take on a large workload.

In other news, house hunting has been going well. We looked at townhouses in Orenco station but decided against them, they were $500k. We figured it made more sense to buy an actual house, with a backyard and more rooms for half the price. Of course we then hope to still negotiate some. Regardless, we can't wait to get out of these apartments and into a house! We hate the thought of renting and just (basically) throwing away money.

Kyle is a year away from his double major as well, so getting that done in 4 years is pretty impressive. Go Kyle. I will take much longer. He also decided to minor with me in French (a language he already knows...kind of). So that will hopefully be easy! I am still learning some Arabic but french is so much more useful in Africa. Plus, I am more likely to visit Europe than the middle East. So we will stick with French for now.

I must say, we are both excited for Fall and the cold, rainy nights it will bring. I love it when the leaves change and you walk outside your door in the morning to see your breathe in the crisp Oregon air. (And when rain goes down your coat collar and into your pants and socks... That's also quite nice. ~Kyle). Cuddling in the evenings with a mug of frothy chai or hot chocolate. Mmmm.

I am excited for the sewing and reupholstering to take place soon. I reupholstered my first chair today! Our classrooms favorite chair was falling apart, and anytime myself or any other teachers sat down, dissolved foam would poof out the tears. So I was assigned the task of redeeming the poor little chair. It looks fabulous, it made me realize how much I enjoy being crafty and then getting to see the finished product. So, I am going to reupholster our rocking chair, then make funky pillows and such for our couches and bed. I also learned to knit at our inservice this past week (who knew you would learn that at a district meeting) and am excited to knit Kyle a scarf he has been wanting. I also intend to teach Kyle, if I can get hime to put his book down.

Kyle's latest book addiction is The Last Samurai by Helen DeWitt, apparently it's a really funny book. He always comments on how we are going to teach our children to speak French at the age of 2, then Arabic next. Except the child genius in this book knows like 9 different languages. Either way I am completely ok with teaching are children that. It will be fun.

Well, it's off to the library we go. Lately we have found ourselves there several nights a week, we can't get enough books, it's Kyle's candy store.

We will both try to update sooner rather than later, for those of you who actually read this, that is.

~Jade

La Fin Du Monde

Alright, you few denizens who still peep at this blog even though it hasn't been updated in weeks, your wait is over. I have no excuse for not posting until now, you can just mark it in your books that I'm lazy, and somehow manage to whittle away 24 hours every day without really getting anything constructive done.

...

Jade and I have been keeping relatively busy recently, taking photos in the woods in wedding regalia and walks every day with our ADHD canine friend, Cirrus. If you haven't already you should check out the link from the previous post and view the "Trash the Dress" pictures posted on the website. Our friend Bryan and his wife took us out to Silver Falls for the shoot, and we think the photos turned out better than the ones taken at the actual wedding. It actually got to be my choice to get into the water this time, too...

Speaking of weddings, so far this summer we've been to six. Only six, I should say, because out of our friends that number is on the lower end of the spectrum. It's hard to appreciate the collective George Fox mindset toward marriage until your mailbox is assualted by the invitations of thirty different couples, some who you haven't spoken to in months. If we had won the lottery we would have been able to attend them all and bring gifts, but as things were we just ate the free cake and pretended the booze was just hiding somewhere.

At home, though, our dog has grown accustomed to his surroundings, and has let his "household guest" persona drop bit by bit. When he used to listen he now ignores, where he used to walk peacefully he now is more than happy to dislocated your shoulder when running after any other sentient being which crosses his path. Should the good Lord ever shine down His mercy and let this dog absorb some of the training we're attempting, we think Cirrus would be a good contestant for the many weight pulling competitions they hold for dogs of the same breed, though we're not holding our breath.

The biggest portion on our plate as of late, though, has been the upcoming school year. While I did have glorious plans of keeping my current job, which may I remind you pays me strictly in installments of barely containable anguish, school and the hope of new opportunities swayed my decision in the end. Jade and I will both be attending PSU starting this fall; I will be finishing my degree in Economics while Jade continues with her progress the International Studies field. Going to a large univeristy such as PSU does hold it's advantages, as both of us are able to take certain classes at the local community college, making it easier to be on time for class after a full day of work. If everything goes well I could very well be graduating at the conclusion of the 2009 summer term; Jade in 2010.

I guess that's all for now. Look forward to the next post in the not too distant future.

Check it Out!

http://www.bryan-rupp-photography.blogspot.com/


and


http://bryanruppphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/5555763_3HQJb#340366553_A3RdM

Cirrus

Here are some pictures Jade took of our newest addition to the family. Cirrus Didriksen, a 2 year old American/ English Bull dog mix. Cirrus (like the cloud) is a very loyal, yet stubborn boy. He loves to go on runs/ walks and playing ball is his favorite activity. So far there have been no potty accidents or chewing of objects. He's a good dog, and most definitely his daddy's best friend.

First Post Ever

Life into marriage of one month is going pretty well. Both of us are working right now, full time, and preparing for school to start this September. That process has proven to be a difficult one. It takes awhile to figure out financial aid. Although there is a "good" thing in the tedious process, we are young and broke. This means we get (hopefully) lots of financial aid.

We are also in the process of house hunting, foreclosures that is. We are looking into houses solely for the fact that we would like to eventually make a profit and we want a dog. A Pit bull breed. There are very few renters who will allow pits. On top of that, our current rent is more than what our friends and family are paying for their mortgage each month, which is just absurd. So wish us luck.

On top of house hunting we are also beginning car hunting, really what ever is most important and needed first will come first. We don't really have the money to buy a house or get a new (used) car, but Kyle's car is most definitely dying and Jade has enough issues driving it (manual). So, car shopping we begin. Saving one clutch at a time.


Well, until next time...


The Didriksens