Eugene

We moved to Eugene on a Monday night. Nick started Law School Wednesday morning. I'd say its been a crazy two weeks, but we're grateful to be here.Here are my initial impressions about Eugene, Oregon.

-If you are not a Ducks fan, you should probably do one of two things. 1) Move to another city, or 2) Punch yourself in the face. People here are crazy about U of O. I would compare how U of O fans feel about their school to how Mormons feel about their testimonies - being a fan is a religious act for many Duck supporters. Today I went to the grocery store and everyone was decked out in Duck gear. I also went to the grocery store yesterday aaaaaaaand everyone was still decked out in Duck gear. It doesn't have to be game day for someone to show some quacky pride.

-Speaking of pride, Nick went to a famous donut place called VooDoo Donuts today where you can order what's called a "gay bar." He claims he was afraid to ask what kind of a donut warrants the name "gay bar," and I'm grateful for that.

-A man told Nick the other day that ten years ago it rained day and night for 43 straight days in Eugene. I don't want to jinx us, but it hasn't rained since we got here. Its even been in the 90's which is extremely pleasant when you live on the 2nd floor and you have no A/C.

-We are the only Mormon people in our complex. Its a nice/weird change coming from Provo. I sometimes forget that not every young person I see is married and I am utterly offended when I see people in booty shorts! Just kidding, there is a lot more going on in Eugene than booty shorts. After our first few days here, I commented to Nick that there were a lot of homeless people in Eugene. After two weeks here I realize that those people were not homeless, but simply loving life in their own way. (Nick says everyone in his law class has a ponytail or an earring or both.)

-And while I'm on the subject, Nick is loving law school (thank goodness!). He's busy and I'm starting to understand why the Law Wives Club joke about being widows and single moms. There are 9 Mormon guys in Nick's class of 183 people. I think about 5 or 6 of them are married, which is nice because we've been able to make a few friends here. And when I say we, I'm mostly talking about myself since Nick has no social life. Luckily, Nick has been able to make a few good buddies too.

-I can now get to these locations without getting lost:
Albertsons
Pottery Barn
TJ Maxx
Goodwill
Home Depot
BJ's
Target
Costco
I'm hoping to add 2 destinations to the list each week. There are SO MANY one-way streets here. It gives me an anxiety attack each time I turn down a new street. I'm hoping that someday I will be able to navigate my way around this beautiful place.

-It is so green here. We are heading to the coast on Monday and I'm excited to see that as well. I'm amazed at how much I'm loving the lushness of Oregon despite being an avid bug/animal hater.

-People love babies here. Every time I go to the grocery store people obsess over the Ev Machine. People open doors, carry my groceries for me, and offer to push my cart (seriously!) wherever I go. I think its safe to say that no matter who you are (tree-hugger, hippie, druggie, homeless) you can love a baby. One man even commented that my baby would be the cutest baby he'd ever seen, IF she had a Duck hat on. No surprise there.

I hate to argue with my grocery store friend, but seriously, she is the cutest baby I've ever seen.

Our apartment looks less like Storage Wars and more like a home. But its still ugly. I think I just have to force myself to give it time. We really do love it here however. It already feels like home, which is surprising because I don't know how to get anywhere and we have nothing on our walls, etc. I think it has something to do with the fact that we're all starting to get into a routine. Evie still hates napping, but she'll come around someday. I'm mostly grateful that she is sleeping through the night like a champ. (8-5!)

Other news in the Snick Household includes:

-Evie HATING rice cereal. I'm going to be making baby food for her, so I'm thinking about mixing part sweet peas with rice cereal to make it more appetizing, even though I'd like to wait until 5 or 6 months before giving her solids. Nick thinks I'm one of those weird creepy "organic" moms, which is partially true. I don't want to give my child preservatives in a jar. Once he heard it was much cheaper to make your own baby food, he jumped on board though. Plus I want to fit in here, so I've decided to grow my leg hair out and replace my wardrobe with tie-dye t-shirts in addition to mixing my own baby food.

-Ev had to go back to the doctor this week and she weighs 13 lb. 11 oz! Her chub is so delicious.

-Nick rides his bike to and from school everyday. Not to offend his masculinity or anything, but its freaking adorable to see him with his sack lunch and school supplies riding away. Oh, and he eats nothing but raw meat for lunch because he's that manly.

-We like our ward. A good mix of old, young, and in between.

-Ev Machine and I are driving up to Portland on Tuesday to spend most of the week with the Portland Zoo. We can't wait to see our cousins!