oregon bound

two giant pieces of big news in the los bryants household...........

1. I was offered and accepted a teaching job at Prairie Mountain School in Eugene, Oregon.

2. Due to giant piece of news #1, WE ARE MOVING BACK TO OREGON!

After two amazing years in Yuma, we are moving back to Oregon this fall. I will be teaching first grade at Prairie Mountain School, ironically the same school that my dad just recently retiring from....I guess I'll be carrying on the "Mr. DeBow legend"!

In so many ways this exciting news is SO bittersweet. We are ecstatic to be moving back home, close to our dear family and friends, while at the same time we are torn about leaving all the things that have made Yuma so special (the new friends we've made, the adorable house we've owned, the wonderful jobs we've worked at, the amazing weather we've enjoyed, etc, etc, etc).

Yuma, thank you for being so wonderful to us. We couldn't have asked for a sweeter adventure. Oregon, watch out, the Los Bryants are coming back expecting more exciting adventures ahead!

thank god for mama

Seriously. Having an amazing mom is one of the best things in the world. Even 2+ years into marriage, Wes has learned that there are some situations in life where I just need to talk to my mommy. Today was one of them.

Unfortuanately, I had a horrible experience at the dermatologist. No major health issues, but simply unfriendliness and insensitivity to my awesome EB.

So what is a girl to do when she is sad and discouraged.....no the answer is not consume a pint of Ben & Jerry's, it's call her mama who lives 1200 miles away. Mamas just somehow magically know how to speak to their babies when something in life has knocked them down.

I hope that when I have kids I can do the exact same for my babies. Speak love, patience, and understanding into their lives when life gives them crap.

Rather than ending the day still discouraged, I was gracefully reminded of the bajillions of things I am SO beyond thankful for...my husband, my family, my health, my friends, my home, my sweet Benny pup, my students, etc., etc., etc. Seriously, I am so beyond blessed.

THANK GOD FOR MY MAMA!

This is one of my all time favorite pictures of my mom. You don't understand, she truly is the BEST!

we're guest bedroom official!

the last two weeks have been oh so busy, but oh so fun. basically, we finally caved in and bought and guest bed and next thing you know we have visitors from Oregon. We had back to back weeks of parental visits. I'm one of those nerdy people who could happily live next-door to my parents for the rest of my life. ironically, somehow I decided to be all "independent" and move 1200 miles away. Anyhow....we had a great two weeks playing tour guide.

here's what our two weeks...

1. we did plenty of hiking

boys making dirty jokes about rock formations...typical!

2. we did touristy things

castle dome mining town

territorial prison

3. bird watching with the bird whisp (aka my mom), of course!

4. principal wally even came by my classroom for a visit! the minute I told my student he was a principal, they were perfectly well behaved and dead silent

thank you mom, dad, wally, and melinda for a wonderful two weeks. WE LOVE YOU!!!!

outdoorsy oregonian

here is my somewhat cheesy "deep thought" of the day: I am SO beyond thankful that I was born and raised to be an active, outdoorsy Oregonian. Since I can remember, my family always hiked, biked, swam, camped, ran, walked, played soccer, basketball, softball, tennis, badminton, fished, etc. etc. etc. 

I feel so blessed that this active lifestyle was instilled in me (and thankfully Wes too) from such a young age, as I realize it has made us who we are today. 

This "deep thought" occurred to me today, as Wes and I were once again driving out into the absolute middle of nowhere to hike around and explore Tumco, a historical gold mining ghost town from the late 1800s. 

I simply love being outdoors and spending the day exploring something new with my handsome h-band. So......as cheesy as it may sound, thank you Mom, Dad, Wally, and Melinda for raising us right!

from the first time i caught a fish (1991)....

to the first time i climbed in a gold mine (2013)

Oh...and here a few more pictures of our Tumco adventures.....

Benny the Jet

first comes love. then comes marriage....then comes the baby in the baby carriage....ugh....I mean....DOG!

That's right! We are officially the happy owners of the the cutest little pup on earth. (Don't worry Kierra, Sugar is in a close 2nd). Ever since moving to Yuma, we've been keeping our eyes peeled on the far too many dogs who arrive at the Humane Society. We visited the Humane Society on various Saturdays (convinced that we'd come home with a dog), but something always would happen (the dog we thought was "oh so cute" in their picture would be too jumpy, too yappy, etc., etc.)

And then, on MLK Day, I just happened to scroll through the Humane Society's website and stumble upon this picture.....

c'mon. who can resist that little face!?!!?!? I e-mailed the Humane Society, put Benny on hold, and we rushed out the Humane Society immediately after work on Tuesday. 

He is just the sweetest little thing. He's the most easy-going dog, but so loving (at least so far). He is already becoming Wes little garage buddy and just loves to follow us around. 

Welcome to the family Benny!

lost in the desert

Yesterday, my adorable husband asked if I'd like to go for a hike. Sure...why not? I love to be outdoors and it sounded like a great way to spend the last day of my wonderfully long 3 week Christmas break. Without any questions asked (as to where we were going, how long it would be, etc), we simply headed out the door and drove off for our little adventure.

What I have learned in 2.5 years of marriage is that I really trust Wes...perhaps occasionally even a bit too much. 

Back to the hike....We headed out into the middle of absolutely nowhere and began hiking around the very large Muggins Mountain. The trail quickly and unexpectedly faded away. Not after long, we were miles away from the car, hiking through canyons and ravines on the complete backside of a ginormous mountain.Frankly, as much as men like Wes hate to admit it, we had no clue where we were or where to go. This was one of the instances when I realize how much I trust Wes. He ALWAYS knows what he's doing and where he's going, right? Wrong. Perhaps, he was a bit too confident in his internet-based info of the area, it was entertaining nonetheless to realize how many times I have simply trusted him and tagged along in his wild adventures. 

We made it out alive. Thankfully, some genius had made rock structures around the entire mountain, so we simply followed her rock formations and footsteps....of course, I'm assuming the genius was female :) We laughed A LOT and learned a few solid lessons along the way (for example, never simply trust the internet about a hike and head out the door). 

the beginning...when we thought there'd actually be a path. LIES!

sun ray ruining our self-time pic

thank god for these rock formations around the entire mountain. genius!

canyon/male model awesomeness

I wasn't joking when I said we were in the middle of stinkin' nowhere

I love you Wesley....even if you get me lost in the middle of the desert. At least we packed water.

love actually is all around

(forewarning: this post may be un poco cheesy, but it is oh so true)

I absolutely love going to weddings. I swear, weddings are the best thing for already married people to attend. They truly remind you as to why you married your spouse in the first place.

 Let me explain.....

Today, my dear friend Amy was getting married after 2+ years of waiting to bring her fiance here to the States from El Salvador and we were invited to join in the exciting event. Literally 15 minutes before we were supposed to arrive at the wedding I was "griping" (actually....more like throwing a giant 5-year old tantrum) about how fat and ugly I looked in my dress (ugh...lady drama). As I whined away, Wes was patiently trying to iron his clothes and continually compliment me and avoid getting sucked into my "negative Nancy" trap.  My not-so-niceness continued, as I yelled, "HURRY UP, WE'RE GONNA BE LATE AND I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR!"

And then.....we went to the wedding. We saw two BEAUTIFUL people who are madly in love gaze into each others eyes, hug, kiss, and proclaim their love for one another in front of their dearest family and friends. It's truly a beautiful thing. And while I am sitting quietly in the third row watching all of this beauty occur in front of my eyes, I daydream about my perfect wedding day, where I did the exact same thing and looked at Wes the exact same way Amy looked at Raul. And suddenly those ugly moments (just like the one 15 minutes prior to the wedding) start to drift away, as I remember that I am lucky enough to have married my best friend who will stick by me through thick and thin. That life with him is better than anything else in the world.

So....to Amy and Raul, I say CONGRATULATIONS and thank you for reminding me of the joys of marriage.

And to Wes, I say...sorry buddy for my ridiculousness this morning. Thanks for sticking by me and making me laugh even when I have my not-so-pretty moments. I love you more and more every day because of it.

Finally, since I am in a major mushy mood and my husband is out for a much-deserved evening with his car buddies, I shall finish the evening with my favorite Christmasy movie of all time, Love Acually, because c'mon people, "If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion... love actually is all around. "