It has been incredibly long since I last posted and much like my blog – my life itself is “behind” on so many things. I hate that feeling and have been trying to overcome it for the past two weeks. I think this weekend finally put me back on top, or at least at a place where I can start from.
First of all, Nick and I made the big announcement that we are pregnant :)
We found out on October 15th and our due date is Jun 17th. My last blog post included a blurb about a girl Mack likes at school and a joke about whether that was a sign of things to come. Ironic now, isn’t it?
Getting caught up.
I was doing so well when I was on the Ayurveda “diet.” I was eating very healthy food and was very conscious of the things I was putting into my body and how those things felt and effected me. This is the whole point of Ayurveda – finding what brings balance for you – and how food effects that balance, whether positively or negatively. Well, with the end of my 6-week no coffee stint, my life slowly (or rather, quickly) slipped into a state of the most poor health I think I’ve ever been in: literally, I was eating better/healthier in college.
Then, I found out I was pregnant. And anything that remained of my healthy lifestyle (ginger tea, spirulina smoothies, etc) was all gone because I wasn’t sure what I could/couldn’t be eating. In a panic of what to eat or do, I made no choice, which is in fact the worst choice because I would just go get whatever popped into my head when I felt hungry. This is not a good way of eating – and it’s not cheap.
I’ve also been working really hard at work and am under some very tight deadlines which has created quite the stressful work situation for me. This doesn’t help you eat better, let me tell you.
All of this came to a head after our whole family had been sick with a cold, the boys ended up with Pneumonia, we missed Thanksgiving, and I started getting migraines combined with morning sickness – repeat.
This weekend was our Christmas party and I wasn’t even excited to plan/prepare for it. I put everything off until the last minute, buying my dress the afternoon of the party. I recognize that this is not who I am and that something is wrong.
I’m out of shape (not in that I’m pregnant, but in that I’m not active), I’m exhausted, and overall just blah. Has to change.
Thank god for good friends who made our party so much fun and brought me back to life! I had a great night and it was so fun to share our exciting news with such a large group of close friends.
I’ve come to the realization that this feeling crappy thing is just a choice. I chose to eat bad, I chose to not take the time for myself that I know I need. So, now I’m back to my guidelines for eating healthy – taking the time to have breakfast in the morning, packing healthy snacks for work and a lunch. Dinner is something I need to get back to—working late has kept me from that and it will have to wait at the moment.
Last night I practiced yoga for the first time in probably two months. I could feel my body resisting every pose at first, but I finally got into it and completed the full hour I intended to put in.
So yes, the changes are brand new. But I need to be accountable for them and share my goals.
Here they are:
One hour of yoga at least three times a week.
Pack a lunch for work every day.
No coffee. (I’ve only had two in the past month, so this shouldn’t be too difficult)
Find a prenatal workout class in Everett. (cross your fingers, it’s still Everett)
Get back to reading and taking time for myself at the end of each day.
Take a lunch break and let it be a break.
Start cooking again – dinner, meals to bring for lunch, etc.
Keep up with the blog and hold myself accountable to these goals.
That’s my start and I know it looks simple – but it has been a challenge the last couple months for me to do even this. Cheer me on guys!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Mashed Potatoes!
This blog is mash up of just about everything going on right now -- briefly.
Whew! Life has been flying right on by! I have so many fun things going on and coming up, I can hardly keep track of the family to-do’s. (Maybe that’s why I forgot to sub out Reggie Bush from my starting line up in fantasy this week…. major failure.) Anywho, Mack is doing great at preschool. He’s making some friends now, mainly his girl friend Madison (a sign?), he also has some guy friends (all with really odd names like Keiondre and such -- I can’t figure them out) which is good. His teacher has told me that he is very compassionate towards the other kids. When a little girl was crying after her mom had dropped her off, Mack went over and gave her a hug and told her “she will be back, they always come back.” So sweet.
Having Mack at preschool has meant several changes around the house as well. For one, the house stays clean! He’s not home pulling out toy after toy all day. Furthermore, Mack comes home with all these new songs and dances that he wants us to sit down in “circle time” with him so that he can “teach us something.” I love it! I figure, the best way to really learn something is to teach it, so he must really be grasping these new concepts he is learning at school. I am very proud of him.
Nick and I have been busy too! Nick’s work continues to keep him working long hours, which secretly -- I think he loves. Nick really thrives off of working hard and being successful in his job, a characteristic I’m not about to knock him for. Love you Nick! Thanks for all you provide for our little family!
Things at my work have been busy as well. It has been busy for a while but I have a whole new plate of responsibilities as tax time approaches. I have been meeting with our CPA a few times over the past couple weeks for hours on end. It really makes me want to pull my hair out. The lady who did my job before me pretty much gave up on getting work done circa 2007. In turn, the books are a mess and there have been a lot of journal entries to correct misposted (or never posted) items. Fun. I am learning a ton though and I have to say that I feel so very accomplished after each little battle I’m able to sit down and tackle. In that sense, I’m loving it. In the continual numbers crunch sense, I’m hating it. The good news is October 1st is just around the corner and my anticipation is to be completely done with all of this come mid October.
Enough about work let’s get to the fun stuff! I’ve been doing fairly good about working out these days. I go home everyday on my lunch break to walk the dogs. I try to do at least one mile but push for 1.5. I know that it’s not a lot, but hey! I have to eat on my lunch break too ya know!
I also started taking Zumba which is just about the most fun thing I have ever done. I don’t always get to make it to the classes but I really love it when I do! I just wish there was more time in the day for all the stuff I want to squeeze in.
Tomorrow is the last day of the six week Ayurveda coffee give up. Granted, there is a lot more to Ayurveda than not drinking coffee, but that is really the most I’ve managed to do. I still want to learn more about this and be better about following the guidelines. I truly appreciate that Ayurveda offers a meat eating option and is very sincere about its approach to the personal choice to become vegetarian. I have to appreciate that there is no slap in the face for eating the foods which in my own personal opinion, I believe we were meant to eat. Had there been some contingency to cut out all meat products I would have thrown away the idea from the start.
And, although I have not been great about eating the ginger mixture before every meal, I have certainly consumed a lot more ginger in the past six weeks than any other point in my life. A little grated into my smoothie each morning, ginger chews in place of chocolate or some other treat I might indulge in, ginger tea in place of coffee. Lots and lots of ginger. I’ve also been more aware of the foods that I am eating. Instead of having cheese and crackers as a snack at work, I’ve cut out the crackers to have just cheese and sliced deli meat (protein!). For dinner, we’ve been including way more vegetables than ever before -- thanks in part to H Mart which sells more vegetables than any story I’ve ever been to before and at great prices.
So what has Ayurveda, the little bit that I’ve committed to, done for me? Lots of things. I am sleeping better at night, my complexion is much clearer, I feel more focused and determined -- more enduring in my tasks. And overall, I feel BETTER. I can’t put it any way other than that. But, I have the energy and joy to be a better mom, a better wife, a better employee. I’m sure that all of these things are not just reliant on Ayurveda or cutting out coffee, but I’m positive that it has been a big part and the introducing factor to the other positive changes in my life. Can’t complain about that!
Things I was excited about last week: MNF at our house, happy hour with Erin (yay for girl time), the Hall of Fame Inaugural Induction Banquet, watching the Newsies with Nick, taking Mack to the Puyallup Fair, and spending the day with my mom on Sunday (shopping and PF Changs)
Things I’m looking forward to this week: MNF at Jersey’s, haircut tomorrow night (finally!), Zumba on Wednesday, the end of the 3rd quarter and being done with taxes!, Kennis being in town!, dinner with our new friends from SCYPN, AND mostly TAKING MONDAY OFF WORK TO SPEND THE DAY IN SEATTLE WITH KENNIS!!! Like pee my pants excited!
Much love guys! I better get to work!
Whew! Life has been flying right on by! I have so many fun things going on and coming up, I can hardly keep track of the family to-do’s. (Maybe that’s why I forgot to sub out Reggie Bush from my starting line up in fantasy this week…. major failure.) Anywho, Mack is doing great at preschool. He’s making some friends now, mainly his girl friend Madison (a sign?), he also has some guy friends (all with really odd names like Keiondre and such -- I can’t figure them out) which is good. His teacher has told me that he is very compassionate towards the other kids. When a little girl was crying after her mom had dropped her off, Mack went over and gave her a hug and told her “she will be back, they always come back.” So sweet.
Having Mack at preschool has meant several changes around the house as well. For one, the house stays clean! He’s not home pulling out toy after toy all day. Furthermore, Mack comes home with all these new songs and dances that he wants us to sit down in “circle time” with him so that he can “teach us something.” I love it! I figure, the best way to really learn something is to teach it, so he must really be grasping these new concepts he is learning at school. I am very proud of him.
Nick and I have been busy too! Nick’s work continues to keep him working long hours, which secretly -- I think he loves. Nick really thrives off of working hard and being successful in his job, a characteristic I’m not about to knock him for. Love you Nick! Thanks for all you provide for our little family!
Things at my work have been busy as well. It has been busy for a while but I have a whole new plate of responsibilities as tax time approaches. I have been meeting with our CPA a few times over the past couple weeks for hours on end. It really makes me want to pull my hair out. The lady who did my job before me pretty much gave up on getting work done circa 2007. In turn, the books are a mess and there have been a lot of journal entries to correct misposted (or never posted) items. Fun. I am learning a ton though and I have to say that I feel so very accomplished after each little battle I’m able to sit down and tackle. In that sense, I’m loving it. In the continual numbers crunch sense, I’m hating it. The good news is October 1st is just around the corner and my anticipation is to be completely done with all of this come mid October.
Enough about work let’s get to the fun stuff! I’ve been doing fairly good about working out these days. I go home everyday on my lunch break to walk the dogs. I try to do at least one mile but push for 1.5. I know that it’s not a lot, but hey! I have to eat on my lunch break too ya know!
I also started taking Zumba which is just about the most fun thing I have ever done. I don’t always get to make it to the classes but I really love it when I do! I just wish there was more time in the day for all the stuff I want to squeeze in.
Tomorrow is the last day of the six week Ayurveda coffee give up. Granted, there is a lot more to Ayurveda than not drinking coffee, but that is really the most I’ve managed to do. I still want to learn more about this and be better about following the guidelines. I truly appreciate that Ayurveda offers a meat eating option and is very sincere about its approach to the personal choice to become vegetarian. I have to appreciate that there is no slap in the face for eating the foods which in my own personal opinion, I believe we were meant to eat. Had there been some contingency to cut out all meat products I would have thrown away the idea from the start.
And, although I have not been great about eating the ginger mixture before every meal, I have certainly consumed a lot more ginger in the past six weeks than any other point in my life. A little grated into my smoothie each morning, ginger chews in place of chocolate or some other treat I might indulge in, ginger tea in place of coffee. Lots and lots of ginger. I’ve also been more aware of the foods that I am eating. Instead of having cheese and crackers as a snack at work, I’ve cut out the crackers to have just cheese and sliced deli meat (protein!). For dinner, we’ve been including way more vegetables than ever before -- thanks in part to H Mart which sells more vegetables than any story I’ve ever been to before and at great prices.
So what has Ayurveda, the little bit that I’ve committed to, done for me? Lots of things. I am sleeping better at night, my complexion is much clearer, I feel more focused and determined -- more enduring in my tasks. And overall, I feel BETTER. I can’t put it any way other than that. But, I have the energy and joy to be a better mom, a better wife, a better employee. I’m sure that all of these things are not just reliant on Ayurveda or cutting out coffee, but I’m positive that it has been a big part and the introducing factor to the other positive changes in my life. Can’t complain about that!
Things I was excited about last week: MNF at our house, happy hour with Erin (yay for girl time), the Hall of Fame Inaugural Induction Banquet, watching the Newsies with Nick, taking Mack to the Puyallup Fair, and spending the day with my mom on Sunday (shopping and PF Changs)
Things I’m looking forward to this week: MNF at Jersey’s, haircut tomorrow night (finally!), Zumba on Wednesday, the end of the 3rd quarter and being done with taxes!, Kennis being in town!, dinner with our new friends from SCYPN, AND mostly TAKING MONDAY OFF WORK TO SPEND THE DAY IN SEATTLE WITH KENNIS!!! Like pee my pants excited!
Much love guys! I better get to work!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Living Well
This is week two of the new preschool routine. I think I’ve pretty much got the hang of getting up early and a good routine for getting Mackenzie ready and off to school. He is actually great! I set him up on the couch with his blanket and some breakfast while he watches Mickey Mouse, we do the Hot Dog Dance and then its time for him to get dressed. AND, believe it or not, I think I’m becoming a morning person. I get so much done while I’m getting ready for work (make myself lunch, throw in a load of laundry, do any dishes leftover, take the dogs out, etc) before I even get Mack up. Combine this with my new lunch routine, I have no chores to do when I get home from work, which means two things: more quality time with the fam and also more time for things like yoga classes!
The main thing I’m still working on is FOOD. Getting up so much earlier, along with being so active so early is really taking its toll on me. Last week I realized I needed to change my diet as well as reintroduce Vitamin B. I’ve been really forcing myself to get a ton of protein into my morning diet. This is hard for me. I usually don’t even eat breakfast, so for me, a kiwi and a yogurt is a lot. The problem with that is that by the time I get to work, I’m starving -- for instance, yesterday I swung by McD’s for an egg mc muffin after dropping Mack off, I could hardly even wait to get it. Disgusting.
This morning, I’ve been proactive with my hunger. I had a hard boiled egg, a kiwi, and yogurt for breakfast. I also had a glass of juice and took some vitamin B. I already feel like I have a foot forward.
Puppy Update: Muffin and Tucker are getting along really well. Muffin is horribly aggressive towards the cat, which Tucker joins right in on… frustrating. But, overall, the new puppy is a great addition to the little clan. We even took her out on the boat over Labor Day weekend -- and caught like a million crab. Only kept 15, only ha! We brought up 29 in one pot alone. Pretty stellar.
Another big update in my life is that I got an unlimited class pass to the Women’s Wellness Center for the month of September. I have gone to yoga twice now. The first class, last Thursday was my first time back to yoga since June 26th! Can you believe it?! I sure can’t believe that much time has gone by. This unlimited pass will definitely be my jump start to a fall fitness routine. I went to yoga last night, which was amazing, really worked my back, hips, and abs! All of my favorites! Tonight I am trying Zumba. Not sure how excited I am… I’ll report back.
Also, I am trying so incredibly hard to get into the Italian class this quarter. This is actually the class I took in Spring quarter but I am hoping that I can audit it and be fresh and ready to go for the second quarter class which will start Winter quarter. Cross your fingers! I have a request out to the professoré, the admissions department, and the advising department. Some one should get back to me! I hope! In the mean time, I have been reviewing my flash cards before work and before my yoga classes (yes, all TWO of them lol). It’s a work in progress. If anyone is looking to give me something AMAZING for Christmas: I WANT THIS. Thanks in advance :)
The main thing I’m still working on is FOOD. Getting up so much earlier, along with being so active so early is really taking its toll on me. Last week I realized I needed to change my diet as well as reintroduce Vitamin B. I’ve been really forcing myself to get a ton of protein into my morning diet. This is hard for me. I usually don’t even eat breakfast, so for me, a kiwi and a yogurt is a lot. The problem with that is that by the time I get to work, I’m starving -- for instance, yesterday I swung by McD’s for an egg mc muffin after dropping Mack off, I could hardly even wait to get it. Disgusting.
This morning, I’ve been proactive with my hunger. I had a hard boiled egg, a kiwi, and yogurt for breakfast. I also had a glass of juice and took some vitamin B. I already feel like I have a foot forward.
Puppy Update: Muffin and Tucker are getting along really well. Muffin is horribly aggressive towards the cat, which Tucker joins right in on… frustrating. But, overall, the new puppy is a great addition to the little clan. We even took her out on the boat over Labor Day weekend -- and caught like a million crab. Only kept 15, only ha! We brought up 29 in one pot alone. Pretty stellar.
Another big update in my life is that I got an unlimited class pass to the Women’s Wellness Center for the month of September. I have gone to yoga twice now. The first class, last Thursday was my first time back to yoga since June 26th! Can you believe it?! I sure can’t believe that much time has gone by. This unlimited pass will definitely be my jump start to a fall fitness routine. I went to yoga last night, which was amazing, really worked my back, hips, and abs! All of my favorites! Tonight I am trying Zumba. Not sure how excited I am… I’ll report back.
Also, I am trying so incredibly hard to get into the Italian class this quarter. This is actually the class I took in Spring quarter but I am hoping that I can audit it and be fresh and ready to go for the second quarter class which will start Winter quarter. Cross your fingers! I have a request out to the professoré, the admissions department, and the advising department. Some one should get back to me! I hope! In the mean time, I have been reviewing my flash cards before work and before my yoga classes (yes, all TWO of them lol). It’s a work in progress. If anyone is looking to give me something AMAZING for Christmas: I WANT THIS. Thanks in advance :)
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Preschool
On Monday, Mackenzie started preschool. While this something I’ve been looking forward to for him, I have to admit that when the time actually came to drop him off, I had this sinking feeling in my heart as Mack just waved me off and headed over to play with the other kids. There he goes…
Tuesday was the same thing. But Wednesday when I went to give him a hug, he just curled right up into me and didn’t let go. Really quietly, in the most heartbreaking voice he whispers to me “I don’t want to be here” and then crocodile tears fell. WOW this is hard! I took him out into the corridor and we talked for a little bit about how much fun he’s having at school and he just kept saying he wanted to go home and be with me. As much as I love that he misses me, I hated that I had to leave him there, crying. This is the first time I haven’t been able to come to some sort of OK place with him. Sure, he’s had his tantrums and had to cry it out in time outs…but this, this was entirely different. I don’t know how many drop offs like that I can take. Luckily, this morning was much better.
A couple good things have come from Mack being in preschool: the house stays a lot cleaner, and I can go home and have some peace and quiet on my lunch breaks -- much needed “me” time. All this week, I have gone home on my lunch, taken the dogs for a walk, made myself lunch, started dinner in the crock pot, picked up the kitchen, etc. I am really loving this routine, because I feel so much more satisfied with my days by the time I get home from work and also, I don’t have to cook much when I get home, just a couple side dishes.
I guess I lied, Monday we had leftovers from all the food from the weekend (leftovers from Terracotta, leftover cabbage soup, lots of things to use up!). Tuesday, I made Chicken Marsala, using one of the bottles of wine from our Skagit wine tasting extravaganza. We picked up this bottle of Chardonnay at the Tulip Valley Winery for $5 -- without even trying it. I figured for five bucks, it wouldn’t matter - could always just dump it if it was terrible. Turns out, it was great not only in the Marsala sauce, but also just drinking it! Has a lot more pizzazz than what I think of in a Chardonnay. I will post this recipe, its super easy and something I just made up.
Yesterday, I made Bombay Chicken Curry. This is one of my favorite things to make and I tried it a whole different way than usual. I had picked up some coconut oil from the co-op and had wanted to cook something with it -- perfect opportunity! I will post the recipe for this as well.
When I got home from work, Mackenzie and I made mashed sweet potatoes together. He is such a little chef! Loves doing the seasonings and tasting as he goes -- just like mommy :) “This needs something” he tells me…usually just because he wants to shake the salt shaker again. God I love that little monkey.
One of the downers (not entirely) of the preschool thing is the change in routine for me. I’m sure Mack is feeling the same way. As it stands, I’ve been getting up about two hours earlier than I am used to. I shower, get dressed and ready for work, then I wake up Mack and get him set up with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I figure if he’s anything like me, he’ll want to ease into his morning at his own pace. Watching cartoons lets him wake up in peace. So far, that seems to be working out. As for me, I’m exhausted. I know that I cannot get up that early and continue with my regular diet, I just can’t make it through the days. I’ve upped my protein and need to make an extra effort to do so even further and I’ve started taking Vitamin B as a good alternative to caffeinated beverages. I’m still sticking with the no coffee routine. The end date is September 28th.
Here’s the thing. Up until this week, I’ve been fine not drinking coffee. Sure, I’ve wanted it and I’ve missed the taste (which nothing really replaces, certainly not ginger tea) but I haven’t felt like I need it to get through my day. Things have changed. With this preschool schedule I find myself thinking if I could just have a coffee I’d wake up a bit, or if I just stopped in for a quick espresso my sleepy headedness would subside. Alas, this need for coffee is the whole point behind not drinking coffee for the six weeks. So, stick to it I shall. BUT, come September 28th you’ll know where to find me :)
Tuesday was the same thing. But Wednesday when I went to give him a hug, he just curled right up into me and didn’t let go. Really quietly, in the most heartbreaking voice he whispers to me “I don’t want to be here” and then crocodile tears fell. WOW this is hard! I took him out into the corridor and we talked for a little bit about how much fun he’s having at school and he just kept saying he wanted to go home and be with me. As much as I love that he misses me, I hated that I had to leave him there, crying. This is the first time I haven’t been able to come to some sort of OK place with him. Sure, he’s had his tantrums and had to cry it out in time outs…but this, this was entirely different. I don’t know how many drop offs like that I can take. Luckily, this morning was much better.
A couple good things have come from Mack being in preschool: the house stays a lot cleaner, and I can go home and have some peace and quiet on my lunch breaks -- much needed “me” time. All this week, I have gone home on my lunch, taken the dogs for a walk, made myself lunch, started dinner in the crock pot, picked up the kitchen, etc. I am really loving this routine, because I feel so much more satisfied with my days by the time I get home from work and also, I don’t have to cook much when I get home, just a couple side dishes.
I guess I lied, Monday we had leftovers from all the food from the weekend (leftovers from Terracotta, leftover cabbage soup, lots of things to use up!). Tuesday, I made Chicken Marsala, using one of the bottles of wine from our Skagit wine tasting extravaganza. We picked up this bottle of Chardonnay at the Tulip Valley Winery for $5 -- without even trying it. I figured for five bucks, it wouldn’t matter - could always just dump it if it was terrible. Turns out, it was great not only in the Marsala sauce, but also just drinking it! Has a lot more pizzazz than what I think of in a Chardonnay. I will post this recipe, its super easy and something I just made up.
Yesterday, I made Bombay Chicken Curry. This is one of my favorite things to make and I tried it a whole different way than usual. I had picked up some coconut oil from the co-op and had wanted to cook something with it -- perfect opportunity! I will post the recipe for this as well.
When I got home from work, Mackenzie and I made mashed sweet potatoes together. He is such a little chef! Loves doing the seasonings and tasting as he goes -- just like mommy :) “This needs something” he tells me…usually just because he wants to shake the salt shaker again. God I love that little monkey.
One of the downers (not entirely) of the preschool thing is the change in routine for me. I’m sure Mack is feeling the same way. As it stands, I’ve been getting up about two hours earlier than I am used to. I shower, get dressed and ready for work, then I wake up Mack and get him set up with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I figure if he’s anything like me, he’ll want to ease into his morning at his own pace. Watching cartoons lets him wake up in peace. So far, that seems to be working out. As for me, I’m exhausted. I know that I cannot get up that early and continue with my regular diet, I just can’t make it through the days. I’ve upped my protein and need to make an extra effort to do so even further and I’ve started taking Vitamin B as a good alternative to caffeinated beverages. I’m still sticking with the no coffee routine. The end date is September 28th.
Here’s the thing. Up until this week, I’ve been fine not drinking coffee. Sure, I’ve wanted it and I’ve missed the taste (which nothing really replaces, certainly not ginger tea) but I haven’t felt like I need it to get through my day. Things have changed. With this preschool schedule I find myself thinking if I could just have a coffee I’d wake up a bit, or if I just stopped in for a quick espresso my sleepy headedness would subside. Alas, this need for coffee is the whole point behind not drinking coffee for the six weeks. So, stick to it I shall. BUT, come September 28th you’ll know where to find me :)
Monday, August 30, 2010
What a fabulous weekend away with the hubby! For Nick’s birthday this year I decided that we didn’t need anymore “stuff” and that the things we did “need” were things that should never qualify as birthday presents. In that spirit, I settled on a gift of memories, corny as it may sound. Booked a bed and breakfast in the quaint little town of La Conner. My mom agreed to watch Mackenzie for the weekend, and with that, we had an excellent grown ups get away.
Because of the timing of it all, we actually ended up with an extra night to ourselves -- Friday night. We took full advantage of the opportunity and made straight to Terracotta Red, seriously one of our favorite spots here in Everett. As per usual, Nick got the Curry Red and I got the Empress Chow Mein. I am literally craving this meal as I type out the name….
After dinner we watched “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.” This is the first of the movies, in a series of three, which are based on the book series I am 2/3 through. Have to say, the movie was a let down. I’m hoping that the English version (coming out Dec 2011, starring Daniel Craig) will be more true to the story/timeline. It was fun to watch a movie that didn’t have singing and didn’t require me to get up and dance at the end :)
Saturday morning we got ready and set off first thing in the morning (in Bowsher land, first thing in the morning is roughly 10am). First stop: Starbucks! Being true to my no coffee commitment however, I ordered a chai -- still cheating I’m sure-- but a valiant effort. Next stop, naturally, winery no 1. Yes, we got there at 11 am, and yes we did the full tasting. Which, by the way, was free. Actually, of all the wineries we went to over the weekend, I believe we only paid a “tasting fee” at one and that was a wine shop and not a vineyard. Skagit really knows how to please.
Next up was the actual town of La Conner, all the shops, our favorite restaurant Calico Cupboard (the real reason behind any of our trips to LC), and a couple amazing antique shops. We found an awesome wine shop in the “Lime Dock Building” and got to meet an interesting women who works in the shop on the weekends for fun -- she gets paid in wine. Where can I find a job like this?! We even found a decent replacement for Paringa (the sparkling shiraz we served at our wedding), Uncle Dick’s something or other…
We checked into our hotel sometime late afternoon and were greeted by the most amazing cookies ever! Back out to the street to complete the shopping circuit… we landed in a really cool thrift shop full of fun treasures.
Back to the B&B to change and then it was off to dinner. Nell Thorn is a hole in the wall -- literally we were sitting in a cubby hole built up one level. Awesome food, ridiculous live music, loved this place!
Once again, back to the B&B where we picked up chocolat and spent some time enjoying the hot tub and our fun new wine. The movie was great although I couldn’t help but crave some truffles after seeing it…come to think of it.. I’m still craving truffles. Perhaps a trip up to the Enchanted Florist is in order.
Sunday, was serious business. We had brought a list with us of 105 things to do/see in La Conner. We had highlighted 17 of them. Sunday was the day to get things done! I’ll have to post the actual list at some point, because we didn’t get to do everything! Just a summary: Rainbow bridge, Pioneer Park, Swinomish Tribe Totem Pole, 1869 Bell in Sacred Heart, hand carved canoe from Swinomish Tribe, log cabin from 1869…. AND, the Skagit Valley Winery Loop.
THIS my friends, was more driving that we had originally thought. BUT, we set off in good spirits complete with recently purchased “WINE JOURNAL” (literally, we bought it that morning). We hit up Tulip Valley, Eagle Haven, Challenger Ridge, and Carpenter Creek. I loved them all, and yet, Carpenter Creek is worth note. When we walked in the door, they were in the process of bottling a pinot noir. As we did our tasting of there regulars, the wine master came over to us and gave us a pour of the wine they were bottling. This is the first “pre bottled” wine I have ever had. And it was so good. The peppery bit you usually find in a pinot was a “slap in the face” as opposed to the “hint” in most wines from our area. I really loved this, and I can’t wait to pick up a bottle when its ready in 6 months -- yes, I did mark it on google cal. Don’t you worry :)
By the time we got home, we had been to six wineries, two breweries, and one wine shop. Our booty -- six bottles of wine and one growler. This wasn’t meant to be alcoholics gone wild, but that’s what it appears to have become. The fun thing: we get to enjoy the memories all over again when we actually sit down to drink our wine. Excellent. In that case, the weekend was “free” -- that’s how money works right?! I’d like it to be…
Because of the timing of it all, we actually ended up with an extra night to ourselves -- Friday night. We took full advantage of the opportunity and made straight to Terracotta Red, seriously one of our favorite spots here in Everett. As per usual, Nick got the Curry Red and I got the Empress Chow Mein. I am literally craving this meal as I type out the name….
After dinner we watched “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.” This is the first of the movies, in a series of three, which are based on the book series I am 2/3 through. Have to say, the movie was a let down. I’m hoping that the English version (coming out Dec 2011, starring Daniel Craig) will be more true to the story/timeline. It was fun to watch a movie that didn’t have singing and didn’t require me to get up and dance at the end :)
Saturday morning we got ready and set off first thing in the morning (in Bowsher land, first thing in the morning is roughly 10am). First stop: Starbucks! Being true to my no coffee commitment however, I ordered a chai -- still cheating I’m sure-- but a valiant effort. Next stop, naturally, winery no 1. Yes, we got there at 11 am, and yes we did the full tasting. Which, by the way, was free. Actually, of all the wineries we went to over the weekend, I believe we only paid a “tasting fee” at one and that was a wine shop and not a vineyard. Skagit really knows how to please.
Next up was the actual town of La Conner, all the shops, our favorite restaurant Calico Cupboard (the real reason behind any of our trips to LC), and a couple amazing antique shops. We found an awesome wine shop in the “Lime Dock Building” and got to meet an interesting women who works in the shop on the weekends for fun -- she gets paid in wine. Where can I find a job like this?! We even found a decent replacement for Paringa (the sparkling shiraz we served at our wedding), Uncle Dick’s something or other…
We checked into our hotel sometime late afternoon and were greeted by the most amazing cookies ever! Back out to the street to complete the shopping circuit… we landed in a really cool thrift shop full of fun treasures.
Back to the B&B to change and then it was off to dinner. Nell Thorn is a hole in the wall -- literally we were sitting in a cubby hole built up one level. Awesome food, ridiculous live music, loved this place!
Once again, back to the B&B where we picked up chocolat and spent some time enjoying the hot tub and our fun new wine. The movie was great although I couldn’t help but crave some truffles after seeing it…come to think of it.. I’m still craving truffles. Perhaps a trip up to the Enchanted Florist is in order.
Sunday, was serious business. We had brought a list with us of 105 things to do/see in La Conner. We had highlighted 17 of them. Sunday was the day to get things done! I’ll have to post the actual list at some point, because we didn’t get to do everything! Just a summary: Rainbow bridge, Pioneer Park, Swinomish Tribe Totem Pole, 1869 Bell in Sacred Heart, hand carved canoe from Swinomish Tribe, log cabin from 1869…. AND, the Skagit Valley Winery Loop.
THIS my friends, was more driving that we had originally thought. BUT, we set off in good spirits complete with recently purchased “WINE JOURNAL” (literally, we bought it that morning). We hit up Tulip Valley, Eagle Haven, Challenger Ridge, and Carpenter Creek. I loved them all, and yet, Carpenter Creek is worth note. When we walked in the door, they were in the process of bottling a pinot noir. As we did our tasting of there regulars, the wine master came over to us and gave us a pour of the wine they were bottling. This is the first “pre bottled” wine I have ever had. And it was so good. The peppery bit you usually find in a pinot was a “slap in the face” as opposed to the “hint” in most wines from our area. I really loved this, and I can’t wait to pick up a bottle when its ready in 6 months -- yes, I did mark it on google cal. Don’t you worry :)
By the time we got home, we had been to six wineries, two breweries, and one wine shop. Our booty -- six bottles of wine and one growler. This wasn’t meant to be alcoholics gone wild, but that’s what it appears to have become. The fun thing: we get to enjoy the memories all over again when we actually sit down to drink our wine. Excellent. In that case, the weekend was “free” -- that’s how money works right?! I’d like it to be…
It was great to get home and see Mackenzie all wound up! I always love how much energy that kid seems to whip up!
I love you Nicholas and I hope you had an amazing birthday! I can’t wait for our next adventure together!
I love you Nicholas and I hope you had an amazing birthday! I can’t wait for our next adventure together!
Mack started preschool today, but that's not something I will blog about just yet. I'm still getting used to the idea...wouldn't want to start crying over the keyboard :)
Wedding Weekend
A little over a week has passed since cutting out coffee and I have to say, it’s harder than I thought. I haven’t had any withdrawals or headaches, but I miss the routine of getting a coffee as a break at work, or getting up from my desk and refilling my coffee cup as a break from whatever has been taxing my brain. Without coffee, I find myself getting up from my desk and walking over to the coffee pot, grabbing a cup, and just before I push the button to pour, realizing what I’m doing. After putting my cup back in the cupboard I think, “Now what?” I go back to my desk and go right back to the point I was stuck at which lead me to get up from my desk in the first place. Frustrating.
I’m sticking with it though, for now. As the weather has turned, I find myself longing for the comfort of a hot latte or the coziness of a mocha. If the weather stays like this, I’m definitely not going to make it through the next four and a half weeks. Coffee is a part of fall for me, so, as the season turns, my commitment might be broken :)
As I look back at my last post to try to catch up on where I left off, I realize that so much has happened in the last ten days. One of the biggies being Kyle and Erin’s wedding. What a fun weekend in Leavenworth (really, Plain, but Leavenworth sounds better…). It was so fun staying in the cabin with so many of our friends from college. And better yet, was being in the wedding party. As Nick and I walked up the aisle together to take our places next to the bride and groom, I couldn’t help but feel like it was my own wedding day, all over again… That rush of nervousness and excitement combined into one inexplicable emotion. That feeling when the preacher finishes and you get to walk back down the aisle hand in hand with the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with…. Needless to say, I cried numerous times during the ceremony. I am so happy for Kyle and Erin, so happy for the life they have together. And so happy for the life I have with Nick. So, so many things to be happy about. And what’s better than celebrating that with all of our friends?
I’m sticking with it though, for now. As the weather has turned, I find myself longing for the comfort of a hot latte or the coziness of a mocha. If the weather stays like this, I’m definitely not going to make it through the next four and a half weeks. Coffee is a part of fall for me, so, as the season turns, my commitment might be broken :)
As I look back at my last post to try to catch up on where I left off, I realize that so much has happened in the last ten days. One of the biggies being Kyle and Erin’s wedding. What a fun weekend in Leavenworth (really, Plain, but Leavenworth sounds better…). It was so fun staying in the cabin with so many of our friends from college. And better yet, was being in the wedding party. As Nick and I walked up the aisle together to take our places next to the bride and groom, I couldn’t help but feel like it was my own wedding day, all over again… That rush of nervousness and excitement combined into one inexplicable emotion. That feeling when the preacher finishes and you get to walk back down the aisle hand in hand with the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with…. Needless to say, I cried numerous times during the ceremony. I am so happy for Kyle and Erin, so happy for the life they have together. And so happy for the life I have with Nick. So, so many things to be happy about. And what’s better than celebrating that with all of our friends?
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Ayurveda
Kennis and I have started an Ayurvedic program. You can read more about Ayerveda here. Basically, it is all about eating the right foods, for the right body type, and working to keep yourself in balance. Balance is different for different people, and changes through the seasons.
Kennis shared this blog post with me, and I thought it sounded really interesting and wanted to know more.
Since then, I have stocked up on everything ginger (ginger tea, ginger root, ginger chews….), which is good for my personal type of balance -- I have also cut out coffee (only after ordering a triple tall caramel macchiato as a farewell drink) and have started eating the ginger mixture described in the blog before every meal. I’m replacing coffee with ginger tea and I’m drinking more water than I ever have -- every glass with a squeeze of lemon. I also ordered an Ayurvedic cookbook which has not yet arrived, but promises to point the way to cooking right for my specific dosha. What is a dosha you are wondering? Well, that is your body/mind type. You can take this little quiz to find out your own dosha. We both took the quiz and found it to be shockingly, if not creepily, right on target -- on more things than just what size/body type I am, but how I view tasks, health problems I have had, etc.
I figured I better start explaining some of this since Kennis and I have decided to do the six-week course found on the same site as the quiz. Today will serve as day one, which is meant to be “learning about your dosha.” Since I have already done a little bit of this, I am going to research a bit further into the Vata dosha, which is what I am.
While today is day one, of the course, it is day TWO of not drinking coffee. Of course the day I decided to give up coffee ended up being one of the most ridiculous days of my life (rough night of sleep, waking up at 4am, making an emergency visit to the dentist, having the basement flood with sewage, just a few of the details that was yesterday..). I find myself thinking, I don’t need the coffee, I just really want the coffee….that I miss holding it in my hand. I have a feeling this is what smokers tell themselves when they are trying to quit smoking. Furthermore I find myself thinking, I could just have coffee. It’s not so bad for me, and it’s something I truly enjoy, an important part of my day and life. I have a feeling this is what overweight people tell themselves when they want a donut. So, I need to stick to the plan, and cut out coffee. I should be very upfront and say that I have absolutely no intention of never drinking coffee again. Rather, I intend to make it through the program, see how I feel and go from there. I could definitely stand to cut back on the coffee, but robbing myself of the morning coziness a cup of black coffee brings me, is something I can’t bear the thought of. Yes, I am being serious. I also find that throughout my day I go to get a cup of coffee without even thinking about it… or walking over to the coffee shop and once getting there, realizing that I can’t actually get what I came there for. The addiction, if you choose to call it that, is worse than I thought.
Enough with the coffee, I plan on getting through the six weeks and posting throughout that time as much as I can, sharing with you all the things I am liking, or not, and the things I am learning.
Feel free to join the journey :)
Kennis shared this blog post with me, and I thought it sounded really interesting and wanted to know more.
Since then, I have stocked up on everything ginger (ginger tea, ginger root, ginger chews….), which is good for my personal type of balance -- I have also cut out coffee (only after ordering a triple tall caramel macchiato as a farewell drink) and have started eating the ginger mixture described in the blog before every meal. I’m replacing coffee with ginger tea and I’m drinking more water than I ever have -- every glass with a squeeze of lemon. I also ordered an Ayurvedic cookbook which has not yet arrived, but promises to point the way to cooking right for my specific dosha. What is a dosha you are wondering? Well, that is your body/mind type. You can take this little quiz to find out your own dosha. We both took the quiz and found it to be shockingly, if not creepily, right on target -- on more things than just what size/body type I am, but how I view tasks, health problems I have had, etc.
I figured I better start explaining some of this since Kennis and I have decided to do the six-week course found on the same site as the quiz. Today will serve as day one, which is meant to be “learning about your dosha.” Since I have already done a little bit of this, I am going to research a bit further into the Vata dosha, which is what I am.
While today is day one, of the course, it is day TWO of not drinking coffee. Of course the day I decided to give up coffee ended up being one of the most ridiculous days of my life (rough night of sleep, waking up at 4am, making an emergency visit to the dentist, having the basement flood with sewage, just a few of the details that was yesterday..). I find myself thinking, I don’t need the coffee, I just really want the coffee….that I miss holding it in my hand. I have a feeling this is what smokers tell themselves when they are trying to quit smoking. Furthermore I find myself thinking, I could just have coffee. It’s not so bad for me, and it’s something I truly enjoy, an important part of my day and life. I have a feeling this is what overweight people tell themselves when they want a donut. So, I need to stick to the plan, and cut out coffee. I should be very upfront and say that I have absolutely no intention of never drinking coffee again. Rather, I intend to make it through the program, see how I feel and go from there. I could definitely stand to cut back on the coffee, but robbing myself of the morning coziness a cup of black coffee brings me, is something I can’t bear the thought of. Yes, I am being serious. I also find that throughout my day I go to get a cup of coffee without even thinking about it… or walking over to the coffee shop and once getting there, realizing that I can’t actually get what I came there for. The addiction, if you choose to call it that, is worse than I thought.
Enough with the coffee, I plan on getting through the six weeks and posting throughout that time as much as I can, sharing with you all the things I am liking, or not, and the things I am learning.
Feel free to join the journey :)
Monday, August 16, 2010
Another great weekend!
Weekends are my favorite! A friend of ours responded to my FB status the other day by saying that we only “sleep in Everett.” He put it perfectly! We are hardly ever home these days, always off on some adventure or another. I realized at the end of this weekend (which we spent celebrating my mom’s birthday) that a “regular” weekend for us, is a vacation for most people…something I am blessed to be able to say. We might not have everything we need or want, but gosh, it sure feels like it on weekends like this one. Who needs a house when you’re never home?
Sometimes I strongly consider selling all of our furniture and living on a house boat, or in a teensy trailer along a river somewhere. I know I would be content with that -- for a time. But I know that is not a good life for a three year old who needs space and friends to play. Someday…even if it’s just our weekend beach shack :)
Where to begin with this…
Friday night I took my mom to PF Changs for dinner/drinks before going to see Eat Pray Love. Dinner was great. Really, it was just some appetizers but so filling. I always forget how much I love their lettuce wraps. The manager even came over and asked us why we were so happy, what we were up to, etc. She ended up giving us a gift card to come back again, and wished my mom a happy birthday. Random act of kindness!
The movie was good. I don’t think the transition from book to movie was very smooth, and if I had not read the book, I think I’d be really confused about how a lot of what takes place actually transpired -- like, how she paid for the trip when she had lost/given up everything in her divorce. They also skipped over most of the “depth” of the book, which is what I had fallen in love with. It was of course fun going to the movie, but it was definitely no where near as good as the book. Nothing against Julia Roberts though! She made a great Lis.
Saturday we headed up to Bellingham, hit up some antique shops, boutiques, etc. Very cute town. It worked out that we were in town during the farmer’s market, which was packed with people and fun things to buy. We had lunch in the marina, shockingly similar to the Everett Marina.
Then it was time for ice cream. We went to Mallard’s, which is a place I had stopped in one time with some friends on the way home from Canada. It was nothing like I remembered it, but they still had the same random flavors. I got “rose” ice cream and loved it…my mom, not so impressed stuck with chocolate coconut. Mack had strawberry and ate it while spinning in one of the “modern meets retro” bar stools. Needless to say, he was in heaven.
We decided to wrap up our Bellingham trip with a stop in Fairhaven at Purple Smile, a little wine shop owned by a family friend of Nicks. What a great little place! AND, I definitely want to go back to Fairhaven and spend at least a full day there walking around. Maybe even stay at the little village inn. for a night or two.
Getting back to Everett, we dropped of Mack and my mom and headed to the Seahawks game. Not really in line with it being her birthday, but Eric had given us tickets and its pretty hard to pass up on that! The game was a lot of fun, maybe 80 degrees in the stadium, beers got warm just walking up to our seats. BUT, the sunset was to die for. I don’t think I have ever been to a football game in such nice weather! If I haven’t mentioned it already, I can’t wait for football season. AND, the season of cozy sweaters and autumn tones, chai tea lattes and good books.
Enough of that though; its still summer time. Sunday morning, Nick made us a lovely breakfast including waffles. We ate outside and it was already roasting hot at nine in the morning. We all decided that we’d go out on the boat with Gary and Criss to celebrate their first launch of their “new to them” boat. We got in at the river, just north of Langus Park and went up river to Snohomish. On the way back down the river we stopped at the sand bar and got off for a couple drinks and some swimming. Mackenzie thought this was so cool.
Pulled in at Dagmar’s for a quick lunch break. Then went back up the river, this time taking a left and heading up one of the little tributaries. Being back here, is what I picture the Bayou being like. It’s a little swamping, lots of boats tied up along one side of the river, even some sunken/abandoned ships. Turns out this little fork, takes you back out to the sound, which was perfect. We rounded the tip of Everett Marina and headed back in by going under the train bridge -- while a train was going across it. Perfect timing for that little train lover Mackenzie.
Back at Dagmar’s a forklift was waiting to take the boat out of the water and put it on its little shelf. Amazing.
I am sun burned beyond belief. Literally, I will have to go tanning all this week to cover up these lines in time for Erin’s wedding. Pretty sure this isn’t going to look good in that bridesmaid dress.
Top the night off with BBQ chicken, watermelon, fried plantain chips (courtesy of Marimba’s inspiration), and Pina Colada’s.
I fell asleep before dinner was ready, and didn’t wake up until almost eight. Oops! I guess all that sunshine just wore me out :) I love that Nick let’s me nap or read or whatever when I need that time. Great husband, great daddy.
I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend. Although, I have a feeling that the next two are going to be rivaling this one. This coming weekend is Kyle and Erin’s wedding in Leavenworth, the weekend after is our vacation alone, bed and breakfast in La Conner. Then, its labor day weekend… still don’t have plans for that (other than the Husky game at Greg’s)… The world is our oyster! And I can’t wait!
Sometimes I strongly consider selling all of our furniture and living on a house boat, or in a teensy trailer along a river somewhere. I know I would be content with that -- for a time. But I know that is not a good life for a three year old who needs space and friends to play. Someday…even if it’s just our weekend beach shack :)
Where to begin with this…
Friday night I took my mom to PF Changs for dinner/drinks before going to see Eat Pray Love. Dinner was great. Really, it was just some appetizers but so filling. I always forget how much I love their lettuce wraps. The manager even came over and asked us why we were so happy, what we were up to, etc. She ended up giving us a gift card to come back again, and wished my mom a happy birthday. Random act of kindness!
The movie was good. I don’t think the transition from book to movie was very smooth, and if I had not read the book, I think I’d be really confused about how a lot of what takes place actually transpired -- like, how she paid for the trip when she had lost/given up everything in her divorce. They also skipped over most of the “depth” of the book, which is what I had fallen in love with. It was of course fun going to the movie, but it was definitely no where near as good as the book. Nothing against Julia Roberts though! She made a great Lis.
Saturday we headed up to Bellingham, hit up some antique shops, boutiques, etc. Very cute town. It worked out that we were in town during the farmer’s market, which was packed with people and fun things to buy. We had lunch in the marina, shockingly similar to the Everett Marina.
Then it was time for ice cream. We went to Mallard’s, which is a place I had stopped in one time with some friends on the way home from Canada. It was nothing like I remembered it, but they still had the same random flavors. I got “rose” ice cream and loved it…my mom, not so impressed stuck with chocolate coconut. Mack had strawberry and ate it while spinning in one of the “modern meets retro” bar stools. Needless to say, he was in heaven.
We decided to wrap up our Bellingham trip with a stop in Fairhaven at Purple Smile, a little wine shop owned by a family friend of Nicks. What a great little place! AND, I definitely want to go back to Fairhaven and spend at least a full day there walking around. Maybe even stay at the little village inn. for a night or two.
Getting back to Everett, we dropped of Mack and my mom and headed to the Seahawks game. Not really in line with it being her birthday, but Eric had given us tickets and its pretty hard to pass up on that! The game was a lot of fun, maybe 80 degrees in the stadium, beers got warm just walking up to our seats. BUT, the sunset was to die for. I don’t think I have ever been to a football game in such nice weather! If I haven’t mentioned it already, I can’t wait for football season. AND, the season of cozy sweaters and autumn tones, chai tea lattes and good books.
Enough of that though; its still summer time. Sunday morning, Nick made us a lovely breakfast including waffles. We ate outside and it was already roasting hot at nine in the morning. We all decided that we’d go out on the boat with Gary and Criss to celebrate their first launch of their “new to them” boat. We got in at the river, just north of Langus Park and went up river to Snohomish. On the way back down the river we stopped at the sand bar and got off for a couple drinks and some swimming. Mackenzie thought this was so cool.
Pulled in at Dagmar’s for a quick lunch break. Then went back up the river, this time taking a left and heading up one of the little tributaries. Being back here, is what I picture the Bayou being like. It’s a little swamping, lots of boats tied up along one side of the river, even some sunken/abandoned ships. Turns out this little fork, takes you back out to the sound, which was perfect. We rounded the tip of Everett Marina and headed back in by going under the train bridge -- while a train was going across it. Perfect timing for that little train lover Mackenzie.
Back at Dagmar’s a forklift was waiting to take the boat out of the water and put it on its little shelf. Amazing.
I am sun burned beyond belief. Literally, I will have to go tanning all this week to cover up these lines in time for Erin’s wedding. Pretty sure this isn’t going to look good in that bridesmaid dress.
Top the night off with BBQ chicken, watermelon, fried plantain chips (courtesy of Marimba’s inspiration), and Pina Colada’s.
I fell asleep before dinner was ready, and didn’t wake up until almost eight. Oops! I guess all that sunshine just wore me out :) I love that Nick let’s me nap or read or whatever when I need that time. Great husband, great daddy.
I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend. Although, I have a feeling that the next two are going to be rivaling this one. This coming weekend is Kyle and Erin’s wedding in Leavenworth, the weekend after is our vacation alone, bed and breakfast in La Conner. Then, its labor day weekend… still don’t have plans for that (other than the Husky game at Greg’s)… The world is our oyster! And I can’t wait!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
A short one...
I am so happy! I figured it was a good time to put up a post -- share the joy!
First, I am so happy to have Nick home! He was in Utah (of all places, I know…) for most of last week and it is always hard for me while he is gone. I have no clue how military wives can take the months away from their husbands. I could never do it.
Secondly, work is going fantastically well. We have lots of projects again, and things are really coming together. We really have such a great team, and I truly enjoy coming into work each and every day. Not too many people get to say that -- I definitely consider myself lucky. The 27th of this month will be my one year anniversary :)
I am also really excited about a mentorship program that I have been working to set up between SCYPN (Snohomish County Young Professionals Network) and Cocoon House. This is finally a “go.” We are having our first get together next Thursday, starting with a BBQ to get everyone introduced. Basically, the idea is that the SCYPN Advisory Committee will act as mentors (close in age) to the kids at the Monroe facility which serves 18-21 year olds. The gist of the program will be to form positive relationships and positive role models for these young adults. But also, help with getting into college/certificate programs, resume and interview skill building, and all the rest of that stuff that us young professionals may not be “experts” at but certainly have more experience (and current experience) than these kids have. I am VERY excited about this.
This weekend is my mom’s birthday and we are starting off with a fun night out just the two of us on Friday. It is the opening night of Eat Pray Love, perfect timing. I bought the tickets last week and plan on going out for appetizers and such before the movie, dessert afterwards. Saturday we are trekking up to Bellingham to explore the city and do some fun boutique-ing. I’m sure that Nick can hardly wait! Ha!
I have lots more to share but, alas…it will have to wait.
First, I am so happy to have Nick home! He was in Utah (of all places, I know…) for most of last week and it is always hard for me while he is gone. I have no clue how military wives can take the months away from their husbands. I could never do it.
Secondly, work is going fantastically well. We have lots of projects again, and things are really coming together. We really have such a great team, and I truly enjoy coming into work each and every day. Not too many people get to say that -- I definitely consider myself lucky. The 27th of this month will be my one year anniversary :)
I am also really excited about a mentorship program that I have been working to set up between SCYPN (Snohomish County Young Professionals Network) and Cocoon House. This is finally a “go.” We are having our first get together next Thursday, starting with a BBQ to get everyone introduced. Basically, the idea is that the SCYPN Advisory Committee will act as mentors (close in age) to the kids at the Monroe facility which serves 18-21 year olds. The gist of the program will be to form positive relationships and positive role models for these young adults. But also, help with getting into college/certificate programs, resume and interview skill building, and all the rest of that stuff that us young professionals may not be “experts” at but certainly have more experience (and current experience) than these kids have. I am VERY excited about this.
This weekend is my mom’s birthday and we are starting off with a fun night out just the two of us on Friday. It is the opening night of Eat Pray Love, perfect timing. I bought the tickets last week and plan on going out for appetizers and such before the movie, dessert afterwards. Saturday we are trekking up to Bellingham to explore the city and do some fun boutique-ing. I’m sure that Nick can hardly wait! Ha!
I have lots more to share but, alas…it will have to wait.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Weekend Wonders
What a weekend! We sure know how to fit way to much stuff into those two days.
Friday night we decided to do the movies in the park at Silver Lake. Of course, the movie was Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. While this was fun, they kept having problems with playing the movie. First with the screen being set up wrong, then the movie stopped playing twice. We decided to just go home and finish the movie in the comfort of our family room, complete with hot chocolate. Mackenzie was in heaven.
Saturday Nick had softball down by Greenlake, at the Woodland Park Playfields. Although softball started a while back, this is the first game we, including he, as made it to so far. It’s been a busy summer! The game was lots of fun, they blew the other team out of the water.
Mack and I ran the bases of the diamond not being played on, and practiced catching and pitching (he’s got a good arm!!) with his new Aquasox baseball.
After the game, we got tacos and drinks on the lake and enjoyed some time with the team. Then we were off!
We hit up the Fremont Troll, which Mack had never been to. He thought that was a “pretty silly guy.”
Next up was the Ballard Locks, where the salmon were going crazy! Jumping all over the place and seals chasing them around. We actually went and sat at the lower steps, which were partly covered by water, and there was a baby seal sunbathing himself on the bottom step. We were maybe 10-15 feet from a baby seal, very cool. Having randomly decided to swing by the locks, we couldn’t have gone on a more perfect day.
Finished out the night with a movie and cozy time :)
Sunday was the big hike. We had planned on getting up early but completely overslept. My fault!! We ended up leaving the house at a quarter to ten. We started the Iron Goat Trail (just outside Skykomish) at 11:30 and didn’t get back to our car until just after 4:00. We put in about 7 miles, and really wore ourselves out. If you ever do this hike, I highly recommend doing the “lower grade” which has a ton of scenery and view points. This part of the trail is only 2.5 miles and is almost level. On this part of the trail, we came across seven or eight tunnels. Because the trail is literally where the Great Northern Railway originally stood, there are lots of train artifacts along the edges. There are 6.5 miles worth of walls built up to keep the hill side from falling into the track. But the tunnels are the most notable thing. These are dynamite blasted through granite from 1900. There are “newer” tunnels which were completed in the 1920s. Check out the pictures below, but it is definitely something you will have to see (and feel) for yourself. The tunnels are somewhat filled with debris from collapsed bracing, rock slides, and water seeping in from the granite. They are ice cold and dark as night. A little creepy, because several are long enough to not “see the light at the end of the tunnel” and go around corners. I can’t imagine riding a train through that and how scary it would be.
Once we got back to the car, we drove into Leavenworth to visit my sister and get some dinner. We parked the truck and stepped out into 95 degree heat, a good 10 degrees hotter than where we had been hiking. Hit us like a semi truck. We didn’t do anything in Leavenworth other than say hi to Steph and get some yummy dinner at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants (yes, Mexican food in Leavenworth is good). The drive home was pretty brutal, we spent almost an hour driving through Gold Bar. I really hate traffic. Especially when I’m that close to home and just can’t get anywhere.
While Nick and I were completely exhausted from carrying Mack, the stroller, and ourselves across the “upper grade” 3.5 portion of the trail, Mack was as full of energy as ever. As soon as we got home, he wanted to go to “his” park and ride his bike. I just couldn’t believe it! We did end up going to the park and swinging for a bit, but came home immediately and getting Mack ready for bed. As we were tucking Mack in for bed, we asked him if he had a good day. “I had a great day. I’m so happy!”
A perfect ending to a perfect weekend.
This week is going to be madness as well. Swimming tonight with Mack and my mom, I have an all day writing seminar on Wednesday that I’m really excited for, Steph and Hannah coming over to spend the night Wednesday and Thursday, Friday is movie in the park again, Saturday is Erin’s bachelorette party, Sunday is a wedding for one of Nick’s high school friends up in Bellingham. Whew!
Friday night we decided to do the movies in the park at Silver Lake. Of course, the movie was Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. While this was fun, they kept having problems with playing the movie. First with the screen being set up wrong, then the movie stopped playing twice. We decided to just go home and finish the movie in the comfort of our family room, complete with hot chocolate. Mackenzie was in heaven.
Saturday Nick had softball down by Greenlake, at the Woodland Park Playfields. Although softball started a while back, this is the first game we, including he, as made it to so far. It’s been a busy summer! The game was lots of fun, they blew the other team out of the water.
Mack and I ran the bases of the diamond not being played on, and practiced catching and pitching (he’s got a good arm!!) with his new Aquasox baseball.
After the game, we got tacos and drinks on the lake and enjoyed some time with the team. Then we were off!
We hit up the Fremont Troll, which Mack had never been to. He thought that was a “pretty silly guy.”
Next up was the Ballard Locks, where the salmon were going crazy! Jumping all over the place and seals chasing them around. We actually went and sat at the lower steps, which were partly covered by water, and there was a baby seal sunbathing himself on the bottom step. We were maybe 10-15 feet from a baby seal, very cool. Having randomly decided to swing by the locks, we couldn’t have gone on a more perfect day.
Finished out the night with a movie and cozy time :)
Sunday was the big hike. We had planned on getting up early but completely overslept. My fault!! We ended up leaving the house at a quarter to ten. We started the Iron Goat Trail (just outside Skykomish) at 11:30 and didn’t get back to our car until just after 4:00. We put in about 7 miles, and really wore ourselves out. If you ever do this hike, I highly recommend doing the “lower grade” which has a ton of scenery and view points. This part of the trail is only 2.5 miles and is almost level. On this part of the trail, we came across seven or eight tunnels. Because the trail is literally where the Great Northern Railway originally stood, there are lots of train artifacts along the edges. There are 6.5 miles worth of walls built up to keep the hill side from falling into the track. But the tunnels are the most notable thing. These are dynamite blasted through granite from 1900. There are “newer” tunnels which were completed in the 1920s. Check out the pictures below, but it is definitely something you will have to see (and feel) for yourself. The tunnels are somewhat filled with debris from collapsed bracing, rock slides, and water seeping in from the granite. They are ice cold and dark as night. A little creepy, because several are long enough to not “see the light at the end of the tunnel” and go around corners. I can’t imagine riding a train through that and how scary it would be.
Once we got back to the car, we drove into Leavenworth to visit my sister and get some dinner. We parked the truck and stepped out into 95 degree heat, a good 10 degrees hotter than where we had been hiking. Hit us like a semi truck. We didn’t do anything in Leavenworth other than say hi to Steph and get some yummy dinner at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants (yes, Mexican food in Leavenworth is good). The drive home was pretty brutal, we spent almost an hour driving through Gold Bar. I really hate traffic. Especially when I’m that close to home and just can’t get anywhere.
While Nick and I were completely exhausted from carrying Mack, the stroller, and ourselves across the “upper grade” 3.5 portion of the trail, Mack was as full of energy as ever. As soon as we got home, he wanted to go to “his” park and ride his bike. I just couldn’t believe it! We did end up going to the park and swinging for a bit, but came home immediately and getting Mack ready for bed. As we were tucking Mack in for bed, we asked him if he had a good day. “I had a great day. I’m so happy!”
A perfect ending to a perfect weekend.
This week is going to be madness as well. Swimming tonight with Mack and my mom, I have an all day writing seminar on Wednesday that I’m really excited for, Steph and Hannah coming over to spend the night Wednesday and Thursday, Friday is movie in the park again, Saturday is Erin’s bachelorette party, Sunday is a wedding for one of Nick’s high school friends up in Bellingham. Whew!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Warm Fuzzies
Mackenzie turned three! As trite as it sounds, I really can’t believe how old he is and how much time has gone by. He really has turned into a little man, with so much personality and spunk that sometimes I have to stop and remember he is in fact, only three. He has the willpower and particular-ness of an eighty year old man. And I love him so much for that!
Lately, he has been waking up early. Usually I am already awake, but still in bed reading. He will come bounding out of his room, yell “hello?” down the hallway and then run into our room. Nick is already gone for work by this time, which is really too bad, because this time I get to have is Mackenzie at his finest. Mack crawls into bed with me and lies on Nick’s pillow. He’ll tell me about his sleep, the things he dreamt about (he knows I’m going to ask and usually beats me to it now). Then he’ll tell me stories, Goldilocks is a standby favorite, but he makes up his own tales as well. He is so sweet, so mellow at these times, that I just hate that I have to get out of bed and get ready for work. I suppose though, that knowing the time is short and will end makes me cherish it that much more.
For his birthday, Nick and I got him a bike. He looks so cute riding around on it, I’ll have to post some pictures. We took the bike down to Langus Park and he did really well riding along the riverfront path, I think we went about a quarter mile down the path and then turned back. This is short for us, since when we go, we like to do the full circuit which is just over two miles. It was the first time with the bike though, and that’s a long ways for Mack to ride. I’m assuming we’ll get there though! I can hear my dad in my head telling me to only go half as far as my heart’s content…because I have to come back! Those are my memories of Green Lake, which I still couldn’t make the full loop of. Smith Island and Langus Park will be Mackenzie’s Green Lake :)
Nick and I have taken on the project of clearing out the front lawn garden space. It has been a wreck for awhile and we’ve finally got ourselves motivated. We started building a brick wall to act as an end cap for the hill that comes down from our front porch. It’s looking much better already, but we have a ways to go. If anybody doesn’t have a yard, and wants to spend some time working in one, feel free! We could use the extra help. Although, I have to say, that working out in the yard with Nick is some good time together.
Looking at our summer calendar, we’ve decided that it would be fun to go on a camping trip. Really looking at the calendar, we realized that we have plans for every single weekend through the rest of summer, so September will be camping month. I was looking into state parks and wanted to find somewhere new, neither of us had been. Funny, because on the state camps website there was a link to Maryhill….which I just went to a wine tasting of Maryhill Wines…. I figure a camp area that has a winery nearby has to be a good time! After researching a little bit more, the campsite is right on the Columbia, has excellent crabbing (and higher Catch Limits than up here) and there is a replica of Stonehenge. We will definitely be doing this! I can hardly wait.
We’re planning on hiking Iron Goat trail this weekend, which is nine miles long and has an incredible amount of history. We’ll be sure to take lots of pictures. The guidebook, just for this one trail, is 76 pages long, which makes me think this might be a trail we do a couple times.
Much love!
Lately, he has been waking up early. Usually I am already awake, but still in bed reading. He will come bounding out of his room, yell “hello?” down the hallway and then run into our room. Nick is already gone for work by this time, which is really too bad, because this time I get to have is Mackenzie at his finest. Mack crawls into bed with me and lies on Nick’s pillow. He’ll tell me about his sleep, the things he dreamt about (he knows I’m going to ask and usually beats me to it now). Then he’ll tell me stories, Goldilocks is a standby favorite, but he makes up his own tales as well. He is so sweet, so mellow at these times, that I just hate that I have to get out of bed and get ready for work. I suppose though, that knowing the time is short and will end makes me cherish it that much more.
For his birthday, Nick and I got him a bike. He looks so cute riding around on it, I’ll have to post some pictures. We took the bike down to Langus Park and he did really well riding along the riverfront path, I think we went about a quarter mile down the path and then turned back. This is short for us, since when we go, we like to do the full circuit which is just over two miles. It was the first time with the bike though, and that’s a long ways for Mack to ride. I’m assuming we’ll get there though! I can hear my dad in my head telling me to only go half as far as my heart’s content…because I have to come back! Those are my memories of Green Lake, which I still couldn’t make the full loop of. Smith Island and Langus Park will be Mackenzie’s Green Lake :)
Nick and I have taken on the project of clearing out the front lawn garden space. It has been a wreck for awhile and we’ve finally got ourselves motivated. We started building a brick wall to act as an end cap for the hill that comes down from our front porch. It’s looking much better already, but we have a ways to go. If anybody doesn’t have a yard, and wants to spend some time working in one, feel free! We could use the extra help. Although, I have to say, that working out in the yard with Nick is some good time together.
Looking at our summer calendar, we’ve decided that it would be fun to go on a camping trip. Really looking at the calendar, we realized that we have plans for every single weekend through the rest of summer, so September will be camping month. I was looking into state parks and wanted to find somewhere new, neither of us had been. Funny, because on the state camps website there was a link to Maryhill….which I just went to a wine tasting of Maryhill Wines…. I figure a camp area that has a winery nearby has to be a good time! After researching a little bit more, the campsite is right on the Columbia, has excellent crabbing (and higher Catch Limits than up here) and there is a replica of Stonehenge. We will definitely be doing this! I can hardly wait.
We’re planning on hiking Iron Goat trail this weekend, which is nine miles long and has an incredible amount of history. We’ll be sure to take lots of pictures. The guidebook, just for this one trail, is 76 pages long, which makes me think this might be a trail we do a couple times.
Much love!
Monday, July 19, 2010
A piece of my mind...
Respect. It’s something that we all want. The thing is, respect -- true, uncompromising respect-- is not an entitlement. It’s something that you have to earn. You don’t earn respect by being the loudest person at the table, or the person with the most “things” or the best “things” or the newest “things” OR for that matter, friends with the people with these things, or the child of the people with these things. I’m sick of people thinking they can talk their way into, or buy their way into respect.
Do something.
I’ll respect you a hell of a lot more if you at the very least tried something, even if you fail, than if you do nothing. Where does this idea that we can do nothing, be nothing, and yet have everything come from? Who sponsored this? And who is supporting it?
I just have absolutely no desire to hear another person tell me another story that is supposed to impress me, until I’ve seen the hard work and dedication go into what they want me to get excited about.
Isn’t the whole point that the reward is that much sweeter after you’ve earned it? Maybe its just me…. but I’m ready to see some earning take place.
Do something.
I’ll respect you a hell of a lot more if you at the very least tried something, even if you fail, than if you do nothing. Where does this idea that we can do nothing, be nothing, and yet have everything come from? Who sponsored this? And who is supporting it?
I just have absolutely no desire to hear another person tell me another story that is supposed to impress me, until I’ve seen the hard work and dedication go into what they want me to get excited about.
Isn’t the whole point that the reward is that much sweeter after you’ve earned it? Maybe its just me…. but I’m ready to see some earning take place.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
The sun has finally decided to shine on Puget Sound, Everett, and ME :)
I’m happy as a clam. Loving the time with my little family, wonderful husband and fascinating kiddo! If you don’t get to spend times with kids, I’m pretty sure you have some unclassified deficiency; perhaps it’s like the vitamin D deficiency so many people don’t believe in/understand until we are in the middle of June and its still raining and their lives are miserable for no good reason. You don’t know what you’re missing until you’ve experienced it.
Don’t worry, you can always hang out with us and the Mack man to get your fix! Speaking of whom: that little monkey is bound to be in the spotlight for something in his grown up life. Whatever it ends up to be, he is just such an audience pleaser, and pleased by the audience as well. Cracks me up.
Anyway, that was my mommy rant. Moving on. I started reading The Girl Who Played With Fire. I am very excited because its been put in my path in so many random ways: first a recommendation by Amazon, second a friends recommendation, then, it being placed front and center on the shelf of the five day old coffee/book shop I’ve since become a frequenter of. Its meant to be for me to read this book! Since then, I’ve had countless people tell me how I need to read, “oh you already are, oh, you will love it” etc. Basically, if I end up not liking this book, I better not tell a single soul.
Work is going well, have I mentioned lately that I love my job? I really do. We’ve had some crazy stuff happen lately, but I think its only re-enforced the strong team ethic we have here. With some exceptions.
I thought I’d take a minute to be super girly and share some of my current favorite things. Other than my book which I’ve already mentioned.
The first thing, I stole from miss Stephanie. Covergirl (who I’m not a big fan of…) has these new little marker looking things that are lip stain. No gloss, no sticky, just color. It lasts really well and doesn’t get on my coffee cup (I HATE that!)!! Its called CG outlast lip stain and I got #415, whatever that means, I think it said plum.
Next up is John Frieda’s Root Awakening Smoothing Crème. Kennis, you need this. It smells like eucalyptus and peppermint and when you put it in your hair it sort of numbs/cools your scalp. I put it on before I straighten my hair even though you are supposed to use it in wet hair.
I’m also really enjoying fitness magazine. I used to get this sent to the condo and when we moved, something got messed up and I started getting some other women’s workout mag which was just trash. I just started getting Fitness delivered again, and it really inspires me to get off my butt (seriously, I usually can’t finish the magazine because I want to try something out or at least get out of the house).
I’m also loving water aerobics. If I could, I would put a pool in my backyard and get some of those foam weights and do the exercises every morning before work. I really feel the difference in my core and my legs, both of which are things I need to be working on -- hey Mackenzie.
Finally, this is a favorite that I’ve had for a while and should have shared long ago. If you go into Aveda and ask to have your chakras defined they will sit you down in a chair and have you close your eyes. Then, they will pass seven different scents in front of you, while coaching you through a few different breathing exercises. After that you tell them which two scents stood out to you the most, or were the most appealing. Then you can open your eyes and they will tell you which scents you chose and which chakra they correspond with. When I did it, the one I ended up getting is for the root chakra and smells very earthy (think patchouli...). Anyway, I got the spray and then they teach you a breathing exercise to do each time you use the spray. It’s an aromatherapy, and unspoken mantra. Very cool. It was really interesting to me because I don’t generally like that type of smell but at the time, I was working at Starbucks downtown still (Christmas time) and my life was incredibly hectic with the ever changing schedule and the frustration of commuting for a job so purposeless. The root chakra, and in effect the need to be grounded, was really identified in my choosing that Chakra 1 scent.
The funny thing is that if I get it out now, I am totally turned off by the scent and can’t stand the smell. My life is much more established, and grounded. The root chakra is not needing that focus as much these days. I’d really like to go back to Aveda and see what scent I pick out this time. I’ll keep you posted.
I hope you can enjoy at least some of my favorite things. They make me happy in the littlest of ways and I hope they do the same for you.
I’m happy as a clam. Loving the time with my little family, wonderful husband and fascinating kiddo! If you don’t get to spend times with kids, I’m pretty sure you have some unclassified deficiency; perhaps it’s like the vitamin D deficiency so many people don’t believe in/understand until we are in the middle of June and its still raining and their lives are miserable for no good reason. You don’t know what you’re missing until you’ve experienced it.
Don’t worry, you can always hang out with us and the Mack man to get your fix! Speaking of whom: that little monkey is bound to be in the spotlight for something in his grown up life. Whatever it ends up to be, he is just such an audience pleaser, and pleased by the audience as well. Cracks me up.
Anyway, that was my mommy rant. Moving on. I started reading The Girl Who Played With Fire. I am very excited because its been put in my path in so many random ways: first a recommendation by Amazon, second a friends recommendation, then, it being placed front and center on the shelf of the five day old coffee/book shop I’ve since become a frequenter of. Its meant to be for me to read this book! Since then, I’ve had countless people tell me how I need to read, “oh you already are, oh, you will love it” etc. Basically, if I end up not liking this book, I better not tell a single soul.
Work is going well, have I mentioned lately that I love my job? I really do. We’ve had some crazy stuff happen lately, but I think its only re-enforced the strong team ethic we have here. With some exceptions.
I thought I’d take a minute to be super girly and share some of my current favorite things. Other than my book which I’ve already mentioned.
The first thing, I stole from miss Stephanie. Covergirl (who I’m not a big fan of…) has these new little marker looking things that are lip stain. No gloss, no sticky, just color. It lasts really well and doesn’t get on my coffee cup (I HATE that!)!! Its called CG outlast lip stain and I got #415, whatever that means, I think it said plum.
Next up is John Frieda’s Root Awakening Smoothing Crème. Kennis, you need this. It smells like eucalyptus and peppermint and when you put it in your hair it sort of numbs/cools your scalp. I put it on before I straighten my hair even though you are supposed to use it in wet hair.
I’m also really enjoying fitness magazine. I used to get this sent to the condo and when we moved, something got messed up and I started getting some other women’s workout mag which was just trash. I just started getting Fitness delivered again, and it really inspires me to get off my butt (seriously, I usually can’t finish the magazine because I want to try something out or at least get out of the house).
I’m also loving water aerobics. If I could, I would put a pool in my backyard and get some of those foam weights and do the exercises every morning before work. I really feel the difference in my core and my legs, both of which are things I need to be working on -- hey Mackenzie.
Finally, this is a favorite that I’ve had for a while and should have shared long ago. If you go into Aveda and ask to have your chakras defined they will sit you down in a chair and have you close your eyes. Then, they will pass seven different scents in front of you, while coaching you through a few different breathing exercises. After that you tell them which two scents stood out to you the most, or were the most appealing. Then you can open your eyes and they will tell you which scents you chose and which chakra they correspond with. When I did it, the one I ended up getting is for the root chakra and smells very earthy (think patchouli...). Anyway, I got the spray and then they teach you a breathing exercise to do each time you use the spray. It’s an aromatherapy, and unspoken mantra. Very cool. It was really interesting to me because I don’t generally like that type of smell but at the time, I was working at Starbucks downtown still (Christmas time) and my life was incredibly hectic with the ever changing schedule and the frustration of commuting for a job so purposeless. The root chakra, and in effect the need to be grounded, was really identified in my choosing that Chakra 1 scent.
The funny thing is that if I get it out now, I am totally turned off by the scent and can’t stand the smell. My life is much more established, and grounded. The root chakra is not needing that focus as much these days. I’d really like to go back to Aveda and see what scent I pick out this time. I’ll keep you posted.
I hope you can enjoy at least some of my favorite things. They make me happy in the littlest of ways and I hope they do the same for you.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Anger Revisited
At Saturday morning yoga (a few classes back….gosh, I’ve been pondering this awhile), our instructor had a lot of little tidbits that touched me, but this one little phrase really got to me: “if you’re holding in any anger, frustrations, anxieties, just push that out and recycle that energy in to the earth, recycle that energy, renew that energy and transform that energy. Push it into the earth”
I can’t help but like this. Over the course of my, albeit short-so-far life, I’ve had several things happen to me, or that I’ve done, that have left me angry, frustrated, anxious. And I know it is not just me, think of all the things that we hold on to as we go through life. We hear the advice over and over again that we should “let go” and that it takes so much energy to hold a grudge, to keep being angry. But this, this is something entirely different.
The mantra is telling us to embrace that energy, but instead of holding onto the anger and letting it corrode our souls, we are to harness it and put it to use. I know for me, that when I am angry, I need to work out that anger in a very physical way. Cleaning the kitchen, the bathrooms, this type of activity. I always considered this as an “avoidance” technique, and that I was just giving myself time to cool off, time to think things over and collect myself. I think this is actually the first step in re-routing the energy of anger and frustrations.
Since I already work with volunteer groups, I’ve decided that the next time I feel frustrated with something/someone or myself that I will knuckle down, dig deeper into myself and apply that energy towards the causes that are important to me. It’s a win- win because it does give me that time to clear my head and rationalize my thoughts, but it also recycles the energy I’d be wasting in frustration or anger and allows me to do something not only productive, but something good.
I can’t help but like this. Over the course of my, albeit short-so-far life, I’ve had several things happen to me, or that I’ve done, that have left me angry, frustrated, anxious. And I know it is not just me, think of all the things that we hold on to as we go through life. We hear the advice over and over again that we should “let go” and that it takes so much energy to hold a grudge, to keep being angry. But this, this is something entirely different.
The mantra is telling us to embrace that energy, but instead of holding onto the anger and letting it corrode our souls, we are to harness it and put it to use. I know for me, that when I am angry, I need to work out that anger in a very physical way. Cleaning the kitchen, the bathrooms, this type of activity. I always considered this as an “avoidance” technique, and that I was just giving myself time to cool off, time to think things over and collect myself. I think this is actually the first step in re-routing the energy of anger and frustrations.
Since I already work with volunteer groups, I’ve decided that the next time I feel frustrated with something/someone or myself that I will knuckle down, dig deeper into myself and apply that energy towards the causes that are important to me. It’s a win- win because it does give me that time to clear my head and rationalize my thoughts, but it also recycles the energy I’d be wasting in frustration or anger and allows me to do something not only productive, but something good.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
My Son, The Tomato
The other night I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of the pouring down rain. My first immediate thought was, “my poor tomatoes.” Mackenzie and I have been growing tomatoes from seed since the beginning of March. We finally planted them in the garden outside (waiting of course, until after Mother’s Day, the supposed trick to growing strong tomatoes). And here it was pouring down rain, probably beating our tomatoes down to nothing. Sure, there’s a little framework covering them, that will at some point, hopefully, act as a stake for the larger tomato plants I’m hoping we’ll get. I laid there in bed, literally, forcing myself not to go out in the middle of that rain and pluck up the tomatoes and bring them back inside to safety. But here’s the thing, their planted. It’s a done deal. And I have to trust that Mackenzie and I grew strong enough starts to get through not only this rainfall, but the next, and the next….
I laid there for a long time, and my thoughts turned to Mackenzie. He’s much like the tomatoes out in the garden, although right now, he’s more like the little seedlings that we had growing in the house, in a container, protected and nurtured. Thing is, Nick and I are doing the same thing with Mackenzie that Mack and I had done with the tomatoes. We are caring for him, holding him up, literally acting just as the stakes for the tomatoes. And at some point, we are going to plant him outside, of course I mean to say that at some point, he’ll be on his own. At first, we’ll put him in the ground with a little stick to prop him up. This is probably elementary school, when there are teachers and we’re still very involved in his life, choosing his afterschool activities etc. Next, he won’t need those stakes, but he’ll still have the larger support, high school, he’ll have a lot more freedom to grow and reach out, but still within the general confines of that A-frame (high school) trellis. He will have his own personality, which may at times become unruly and need to be trimmed back, that trellis acting as a guideline for both him and for us as parents to gage his growth by.
Next, he won’t need that trellis anymore, he will have strong roots, a strong stalk and lots and lots of branches to support his own weight. Of course, just like Mackenzie will, a tomato can never really be without a support, but it gets lesser as the season goes on, and much often is just there and not really carrying the weight.
But here’s the real similarity. Just like I had to trust that my tomatoes would make it through that storm, we’re going to have to trust that Mack will make it through his, and not just when he moves out, but all along, and really as soon as he starts school. We can’t be plucking him out of his dirt every time the rain comes, to bring him back inside to safety. The stake, that final stake is always there to support him, but even so, that doesn’t make the rain stop, it doesn’t keep the storms from coming. That’s the biggest thing that I learned from my midnight tomato soliloquy; everything that Nick and I are doing now, is the caring, the nurturing, the preparation of strong and healthy roots, so that once he is out in the world and growing on his own we can trust him to remain strong in his roots. Even though the rain will come, and sometimes not enough rain, that he will still survive and succeed, and just like a tomato produce (not children necessarily, but have a life which brings forth). The key is that his roots are strong, who he becomes above those roots is up to him and what path life takes him down….I don’t get to decide what my tomato plant grows to be. I know it will bear tomatoes, and not apples, but I don’t know how many leaves it will have, how far it will spread, the exact point it will decide to fruit….
I think sometimes parents, and I’m not speaking as a parent now, but as a child and an individual, I think sometimes they get so caught up in supporting their child, that they keep the seedling inside for too long, the tomato never really grows beyond that original planter because it’s never given the opportunity to do so. Its potential is never fully realized, never becomes self sufficient, because it has had its water and nutrients brought to it for so long that it doesn’t know how to glean from the soil, to establish roots to reach out and obtain the things that it needs. Just waits for someone to come along with a hose, or a water bucket and provide for it. You see this with people all the time. Grown adults who rely on anyone and everyone but themselves.
Of course there are kids who are raised the hard way, their seeds are put directly into the bare soil. There is no incubation period where the seed can emerge in safety and security of a greenhouse container. Some, if not most, of these seeds die of very quickly. Anyone who has planted seeds outside has seen this. But do we recognize it in people, sure. We say, they had a hard up-bringing; they were left to fend for themselves, etc. We almost apologize for their behavior because of the challenges they faced at the start. The interesting thing is that the seeds who are planted in the bare soil, and who manage to stay alive, are often the strongest, because they have survived through so much. We see this all the time, saying “he’s a self made man” and the like. So the opportunity to fail then, and the rising above that, is a key to success.
So, while I intend to grow my kid with the best support system that we can give him, I’m also expecting that any mistakes we make (and god knows we will), or areas we fail him in, that he can overcome. The only thing I know is that I need to let him have to opportunity to fail. The weakest plants are the ones who have everything given to them, then when that giving is no longer available (with the plant, someone goes on vacation or forgets to water it…) (With a child, adolescent, adult….the provider can no longer provide, or some other change of course..). These are the plants, and the people, that fail immediately, because they don’t know how to be on their own, don’t know how to provide for themselves, hold themselves up. They’ve never been given the option and so, those muscles have never been flexed.
In my counseling training with DVS, “advocacy based,” we learned that doing something for someone is the same as telling them “you can’t do this yourself.”
Of everything else, I need to make sure that Mackenzie knows “he can do this himself.” Even if that means he has to go through hardships, sometimes unnecessary, I need him to know that he can do it alone (he will always have our support, but we won’t always be there for support) I hope you can see what I am saying…and what the difference is here.
And while most of you don’t have kids; the idea still applies, think of the people we do this for, its our friends, its our family… who do you need to give the opportunity to fail? I honestly think that giving the space for that is one of the greatest acts of love….
Just think about it.
I laid there for a long time, and my thoughts turned to Mackenzie. He’s much like the tomatoes out in the garden, although right now, he’s more like the little seedlings that we had growing in the house, in a container, protected and nurtured. Thing is, Nick and I are doing the same thing with Mackenzie that Mack and I had done with the tomatoes. We are caring for him, holding him up, literally acting just as the stakes for the tomatoes. And at some point, we are going to plant him outside, of course I mean to say that at some point, he’ll be on his own. At first, we’ll put him in the ground with a little stick to prop him up. This is probably elementary school, when there are teachers and we’re still very involved in his life, choosing his afterschool activities etc. Next, he won’t need those stakes, but he’ll still have the larger support, high school, he’ll have a lot more freedom to grow and reach out, but still within the general confines of that A-frame (high school) trellis. He will have his own personality, which may at times become unruly and need to be trimmed back, that trellis acting as a guideline for both him and for us as parents to gage his growth by.
Next, he won’t need that trellis anymore, he will have strong roots, a strong stalk and lots and lots of branches to support his own weight. Of course, just like Mackenzie will, a tomato can never really be without a support, but it gets lesser as the season goes on, and much often is just there and not really carrying the weight.
But here’s the real similarity. Just like I had to trust that my tomatoes would make it through that storm, we’re going to have to trust that Mack will make it through his, and not just when he moves out, but all along, and really as soon as he starts school. We can’t be plucking him out of his dirt every time the rain comes, to bring him back inside to safety. The stake, that final stake is always there to support him, but even so, that doesn’t make the rain stop, it doesn’t keep the storms from coming. That’s the biggest thing that I learned from my midnight tomato soliloquy; everything that Nick and I are doing now, is the caring, the nurturing, the preparation of strong and healthy roots, so that once he is out in the world and growing on his own we can trust him to remain strong in his roots. Even though the rain will come, and sometimes not enough rain, that he will still survive and succeed, and just like a tomato produce (not children necessarily, but have a life which brings forth). The key is that his roots are strong, who he becomes above those roots is up to him and what path life takes him down….I don’t get to decide what my tomato plant grows to be. I know it will bear tomatoes, and not apples, but I don’t know how many leaves it will have, how far it will spread, the exact point it will decide to fruit….
I think sometimes parents, and I’m not speaking as a parent now, but as a child and an individual, I think sometimes they get so caught up in supporting their child, that they keep the seedling inside for too long, the tomato never really grows beyond that original planter because it’s never given the opportunity to do so. Its potential is never fully realized, never becomes self sufficient, because it has had its water and nutrients brought to it for so long that it doesn’t know how to glean from the soil, to establish roots to reach out and obtain the things that it needs. Just waits for someone to come along with a hose, or a water bucket and provide for it. You see this with people all the time. Grown adults who rely on anyone and everyone but themselves.
Of course there are kids who are raised the hard way, their seeds are put directly into the bare soil. There is no incubation period where the seed can emerge in safety and security of a greenhouse container. Some, if not most, of these seeds die of very quickly. Anyone who has planted seeds outside has seen this. But do we recognize it in people, sure. We say, they had a hard up-bringing; they were left to fend for themselves, etc. We almost apologize for their behavior because of the challenges they faced at the start. The interesting thing is that the seeds who are planted in the bare soil, and who manage to stay alive, are often the strongest, because they have survived through so much. We see this all the time, saying “he’s a self made man” and the like. So the opportunity to fail then, and the rising above that, is a key to success.
So, while I intend to grow my kid with the best support system that we can give him, I’m also expecting that any mistakes we make (and god knows we will), or areas we fail him in, that he can overcome. The only thing I know is that I need to let him have to opportunity to fail. The weakest plants are the ones who have everything given to them, then when that giving is no longer available (with the plant, someone goes on vacation or forgets to water it…) (With a child, adolescent, adult….the provider can no longer provide, or some other change of course..). These are the plants, and the people, that fail immediately, because they don’t know how to be on their own, don’t know how to provide for themselves, hold themselves up. They’ve never been given the option and so, those muscles have never been flexed.
In my counseling training with DVS, “advocacy based,” we learned that doing something for someone is the same as telling them “you can’t do this yourself.”
Of everything else, I need to make sure that Mackenzie knows “he can do this himself.” Even if that means he has to go through hardships, sometimes unnecessary, I need him to know that he can do it alone (he will always have our support, but we won’t always be there for support) I hope you can see what I am saying…and what the difference is here.
And while most of you don’t have kids; the idea still applies, think of the people we do this for, its our friends, its our family… who do you need to give the opportunity to fail? I honestly think that giving the space for that is one of the greatest acts of love….
Just think about it.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Let's Play Ketchup!
Let’s catch up a bit here. I’m obviously terrible about the weekly, let alone daily, posting that I had intended to be doing. I can’t feel terrible about it, since I’ve been out there living, to busy to write it all down. But now’s the time, to get it out on paper, reflect a bit myself, and share a piece of my life with you.
Where to start?
Italian is over, I finished the class with a 4.0 and am eagerly awaiting the next quarter (which I’ve discovered has been pushed back a bit). I guess I’ll be going back to Rosetta Stone for a bit and also, back to SCYPN, whose meetings coincide with Italian section meetings.
Ah, SCYPN. A truly interesting catch-all of young professionals here in Snohomish County. I’ve somewhat stepped back from my position on the AC, given the time constraints and the fact that I have a job (hello! young professional here!) and all the meetings now take place somewhere between 9-5. Anyway, I’ve been working to coordinate the SCYPN members with volunteer groups and non-for-profits here locally to give SCYPN more of a back-bone and also to keep people in contact whether or not we have a speaker/network event going on. I feel like this is a multi-tasking purpose in that A) committing to the volunteer portion of SCYPN requires much more leadership than just dropping in at the networking events, B) we’re giving back and building up the community in which we’re all working and C) we get more visibility for our group and the groups we’re volunteering with.
Right now, the big push is to get a continued relationship with Cocoon House here in Everett. I’ve personally started working with Cocoon House and am helping with the auction coming up in October. I’m very excited about this group. I went to what they call “Butterfly Graduation” a few weekends back and was really inspired by the product of all the work that Cocoon House does. You can read about the graduation here: http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100614/NEWS01/706149955/0/news01
Other than that, my goal right now is to be a “better person.” Better in so many different ways. A big one: being a better friend. Which for me right now, means making friends; and then being a friend. This is something that doesn’t come naturally for me and is something that I find to be quite the challenge. I’m great at talking to people in groups and meeting people, but not great at keeping up with their lives, staying in touch, etc. Kindness: Seeing the good in people, not pointing out flaws (which I do to myself also), etc. I’ve never been great at this, and its so easy to just stop trying when I have a husband and son at home, two people who love me, no questions asked. I find myself thinking that is enough. And while they are great, I don’t think that really is enough. Everyone needs friends.
Other aspects of being a “better person” include making more time for my family, seems ironic following what I just said, but its true. Coming home from work and cleaning the house, or watching tv, is not family time. While it might count for something, it too, is not enough.
The final aspect of the whole thing is being healthy; working out, eating better, sleeping through the night…
To accomplish all this, I’ve made a point of reconnecting with old friends, and reaching out and allowing myself to make new friends. I’ve also spent a significant amount of time researching the parks department and various activities for me and the fam to do together (which won’t spend every last cent that we’ve got!)
Here’s what I’ve got going on. We’ve started taking Mackenzie to the swimming pool. Again, this is playing double duty since it is a bit of a workout, and its great family time. Plus, let me tell you, if you spend two hours in the pool with a three year old, you will definitely sleep through the night!
I also signed Mackenzie up for SOCCER!! Yay! I’m a little jealous because Nick will be the one going with him, but still very cool.
I’m also set up to do water aerobics, yoga (two different classes actually), along with my lunch break workouts at the gym.
So, I’m getting there…but, as always, it’s a work in progress!
Stay tuned! I’ve got another post in the works, which will be “My son, the tomato” (don’t act like you’re not excited!!)
Where to start?
Italian is over, I finished the class with a 4.0 and am eagerly awaiting the next quarter (which I’ve discovered has been pushed back a bit). I guess I’ll be going back to Rosetta Stone for a bit and also, back to SCYPN, whose meetings coincide with Italian section meetings.
Ah, SCYPN. A truly interesting catch-all of young professionals here in Snohomish County. I’ve somewhat stepped back from my position on the AC, given the time constraints and the fact that I have a job (hello! young professional here!) and all the meetings now take place somewhere between 9-5. Anyway, I’ve been working to coordinate the SCYPN members with volunteer groups and non-for-profits here locally to give SCYPN more of a back-bone and also to keep people in contact whether or not we have a speaker/network event going on. I feel like this is a multi-tasking purpose in that A) committing to the volunteer portion of SCYPN requires much more leadership than just dropping in at the networking events, B) we’re giving back and building up the community in which we’re all working and C) we get more visibility for our group and the groups we’re volunteering with.
Right now, the big push is to get a continued relationship with Cocoon House here in Everett. I’ve personally started working with Cocoon House and am helping with the auction coming up in October. I’m very excited about this group. I went to what they call “Butterfly Graduation” a few weekends back and was really inspired by the product of all the work that Cocoon House does. You can read about the graduation here: http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100614/NEWS01/706149955/0/news01
Other than that, my goal right now is to be a “better person.” Better in so many different ways. A big one: being a better friend. Which for me right now, means making friends; and then being a friend. This is something that doesn’t come naturally for me and is something that I find to be quite the challenge. I’m great at talking to people in groups and meeting people, but not great at keeping up with their lives, staying in touch, etc. Kindness: Seeing the good in people, not pointing out flaws (which I do to myself also), etc. I’ve never been great at this, and its so easy to just stop trying when I have a husband and son at home, two people who love me, no questions asked. I find myself thinking that is enough. And while they are great, I don’t think that really is enough. Everyone needs friends.
Other aspects of being a “better person” include making more time for my family, seems ironic following what I just said, but its true. Coming home from work and cleaning the house, or watching tv, is not family time. While it might count for something, it too, is not enough.
The final aspect of the whole thing is being healthy; working out, eating better, sleeping through the night…
To accomplish all this, I’ve made a point of reconnecting with old friends, and reaching out and allowing myself to make new friends. I’ve also spent a significant amount of time researching the parks department and various activities for me and the fam to do together (which won’t spend every last cent that we’ve got!)
Here’s what I’ve got going on. We’ve started taking Mackenzie to the swimming pool. Again, this is playing double duty since it is a bit of a workout, and its great family time. Plus, let me tell you, if you spend two hours in the pool with a three year old, you will definitely sleep through the night!
I also signed Mackenzie up for SOCCER!! Yay! I’m a little jealous because Nick will be the one going with him, but still very cool.
I’m also set up to do water aerobics, yoga (two different classes actually), along with my lunch break workouts at the gym.
So, I’m getting there…but, as always, it’s a work in progress!
Stay tuned! I’ve got another post in the works, which will be “My son, the tomato” (don’t act like you’re not excited!!)
Friday, April 23, 2010
I'm not sure what this is...but I sat down to write and this is what happened...
“I think you're only as good as the people around you. If I've learned anything in life, it's that you really need to surround yourself with quality people.” This was a random comment in the newspaper a few days ago. I saved it for myself because I really, really believe this. The hard part is that are so many people that are necessarily in your life and you don’t get a choice, whether they are quality or not. I know that sounds judgemental but here’s the thing. You don’t get to choose everyone that you have in your life, you just don’t. So why not make the most of the people you do choose, and surround yourself with the absolute best. And try yourself to be that absolute best in return. I have a small pocket of people I would actually consider my friends, and lots of people that I know. The thing is, I know I can rely on every single one of these close friendships, and hopefully, they know that’d I’d do or give anything for them. I also take this quote this way: you can’t really have quality people in your life, if you’re not a quality person yourself. What is quality? Well, for different people, and at different stages in life, this means different things. So answer for yourself. I know what it means for me, and for the relationships I surround myself with. I also know that its hard to let go of relationships that are toxic, and it hurts even as I type that out to think of the friendships that I’ve been toxic in, or that have been toxic for me…. I think everyone has these experiences. It is freeing however, once its over, to know exactly where you stand with the people who are still in your life and to have close, intimate, and strengthening relationships. I am so appreciative of my friends, for putting up with me, growing with me, growing themselves and teaching me as they do….
Together we learn, together we figure out our bumpy path in this life. You help me, I help you, sometimes we sit at the bottom of a deep dark hole we have fallen in together; it’s the people who can get out of that dark crevice with you that are the people worth holding on to. And its these people that I have the closest relationships with today.
I’ve found that some people just like falling down with you, and if you try to get back up, they don’t want to. And they not only don’t want to get up themselves, they want to pull you back in with them.
Wow, I guess I needed to get that out, because that is really not where I wanted to go with this…but here we have arrived. The point is, I liked this quote and it got me thinking? Any thoughts?
Together we learn, together we figure out our bumpy path in this life. You help me, I help you, sometimes we sit at the bottom of a deep dark hole we have fallen in together; it’s the people who can get out of that dark crevice with you that are the people worth holding on to. And its these people that I have the closest relationships with today.
I’ve found that some people just like falling down with you, and if you try to get back up, they don’t want to. And they not only don’t want to get up themselves, they want to pull you back in with them.
Wow, I guess I needed to get that out, because that is really not where I wanted to go with this…but here we have arrived. The point is, I liked this quote and it got me thinking? Any thoughts?
Friday, April 9, 2010
Easta Fiesta
This weekend was absolutely fantastic! It started off not so great, being that I left work sick on Friday. I literally have not missed work once since I’ve started here, for anything other than my grandma passing away. So it was a big deal to me to leave early. I went home and took a nap, knowing that I really needed to be getting ready for MUSE, whose concert I have been waiting for over four months! Nick came home and woke me, we’re going. So off we went, myself looking a mess, Nick looking schnazzy.
Muse was amazing. The whole band, but really just the lead is so incredibly talented. I sat most of the show, but was glued to the stage.
The next morning we were off on our Easter extravaganza. My parents came over in the morning and we did Mack’s basket and just a couple eggs. Then we headed down to the Lynnwood Fire Department for this:
“Bunny Blast, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Lynnwood Fire Station 15, 18800 44th Ave. W., Lynnwood. For ages 7 and under. Free with canned food donation. Features professional pictures with the Easter Bunny, Easter-themed craft activities, face painting, balloon clowns, fire truck tours, stories and more”
What was actually there: All the fire trucks lined up outside, no body around. Mackenzie runs up to the first fireman we see, so excited, and he literally says, “can I help you?”
SOOO, apparently NOTHING was going on at the fire station other than them dropping the bunny off at FRED MEYERS. lame.
We went to Fred Meyers and there was a single police car, a bum clown making balloon animals and a line of children. I’m sorry but no. Thanks a lot Everett Harold. Mack still wanted to go so we parked the car, got a balloon, and sat in the police car. We also went inside and there was actually an Easter Bunny to take pictures with, so it all worked out. Definitely not as cool as the fire trucks would have been, but hey, he’s two and he was happy.
Next it was off to Country Village in Bothell for their EGGStraveganza (get it?). The kids get an egg at each store and cross it off on their map until they’ve gone to each store. When they turn in their map, they get a final prize. We had a yummy breakfast and Mackenzie (mom and grandma too!) got to ride the little train around the village. This was great! I love this place so much! I could spend an entire weekend shopping there, that and Cranberry Cottage, which is down the road just a bit.
Sunday was nuts! My mom took Mackenzie to church in his little Easter suit. The rest of us prepared for Easta Fiesta! I had been asked to bring a dessert. Hmm…what can I make for a dessert that is Mexican themed?? I don’t know how to make slash want to eat flan…. dulci di leche? Not really…
ah ha! Piñata! So we got a piñata shaped like a peep. Lunch, Dinner, munchies at Gary and Criss’ house were fabulous. That woman can cook! And I LOVE their new house. Owen brought Margaritas, we brought coronas, and key limes. We flew a kite over the house, Nick successfully flying the kite INTO the power lines where it was so tangled that even after the string broke, the kite continued to fly from the line connected to the power lines. awesome.
We played down at the beach for a little bit, found a couple crabs (no, not Dungeness, not yet!), played some soccer, etc etc. The day was fully focused on Mackenzie, him being the ONLY little kid in the entire family, he gets pretty spoiled. J
Dyed Easter eggs (with the help of about twenty adults), did an Easter egg hunt in the house, set up his new train set, ate tons of candy. He was in heaven. Always fun to have a house full of love around you, even if it is crazy, chaotic, and literally insane. When we got home, Mack read his new book from sissy and was OUT. Gotta love that too.
Things I am working on: BALANCE. Work got a little crazy a couple weeks ago, money has been short, and I haven’t been making it to the gym on my lunch, or going to yoga after work. School started and I’m studying lots, but need to be a mom and a wife when I am home, I need to be an office assistant when I am at work…bah! Not to mention the countless other things I want to do, and can’t seem to fit in. I also feel I’ve been so distant from my friends lately. boo L
Muse was amazing. The whole band, but really just the lead is so incredibly talented. I sat most of the show, but was glued to the stage.
The next morning we were off on our Easter extravaganza. My parents came over in the morning and we did Mack’s basket and just a couple eggs. Then we headed down to the Lynnwood Fire Department for this:
“Bunny Blast, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Lynnwood Fire Station 15, 18800 44th Ave. W., Lynnwood. For ages 7 and under. Free with canned food donation. Features professional pictures with the Easter Bunny, Easter-themed craft activities, face painting, balloon clowns, fire truck tours, stories and more”
What was actually there: All the fire trucks lined up outside, no body around. Mackenzie runs up to the first fireman we see, so excited, and he literally says, “can I help you?”
SOOO, apparently NOTHING was going on at the fire station other than them dropping the bunny off at FRED MEYERS. lame.
We went to Fred Meyers and there was a single police car, a bum clown making balloon animals and a line of children. I’m sorry but no. Thanks a lot Everett Harold. Mack still wanted to go so we parked the car, got a balloon, and sat in the police car. We also went inside and there was actually an Easter Bunny to take pictures with, so it all worked out. Definitely not as cool as the fire trucks would have been, but hey, he’s two and he was happy.
Next it was off to Country Village in Bothell for their EGGStraveganza (get it?). The kids get an egg at each store and cross it off on their map until they’ve gone to each store. When they turn in their map, they get a final prize. We had a yummy breakfast and Mackenzie (mom and grandma too!) got to ride the little train around the village. This was great! I love this place so much! I could spend an entire weekend shopping there, that and Cranberry Cottage, which is down the road just a bit.
Sunday was nuts! My mom took Mackenzie to church in his little Easter suit. The rest of us prepared for Easta Fiesta! I had been asked to bring a dessert. Hmm…what can I make for a dessert that is Mexican themed?? I don’t know how to make slash want to eat flan…. dulci di leche? Not really…
ah ha! Piñata! So we got a piñata shaped like a peep. Lunch, Dinner, munchies at Gary and Criss’ house were fabulous. That woman can cook! And I LOVE their new house. Owen brought Margaritas, we brought coronas, and key limes. We flew a kite over the house, Nick successfully flying the kite INTO the power lines where it was so tangled that even after the string broke, the kite continued to fly from the line connected to the power lines. awesome.
We played down at the beach for a little bit, found a couple crabs (no, not Dungeness, not yet!), played some soccer, etc etc. The day was fully focused on Mackenzie, him being the ONLY little kid in the entire family, he gets pretty spoiled. J
Dyed Easter eggs (with the help of about twenty adults), did an Easter egg hunt in the house, set up his new train set, ate tons of candy. He was in heaven. Always fun to have a house full of love around you, even if it is crazy, chaotic, and literally insane. When we got home, Mack read his new book from sissy and was OUT. Gotta love that too.
Things I am working on: BALANCE. Work got a little crazy a couple weeks ago, money has been short, and I haven’t been making it to the gym on my lunch, or going to yoga after work. School started and I’m studying lots, but need to be a mom and a wife when I am home, I need to be an office assistant when I am at work…bah! Not to mention the countless other things I want to do, and can’t seem to fit in. I also feel I’ve been so distant from my friends lately. boo L
Monday, April 5, 2010
Salute! Ching Ching!
First night of Italian was amazing! The first hour my professore spoke nothing but Italian, and it was so fun listening to him ramble on. Mamma mia! There was a girl in our class who was just not getting it and he kept yelling this to her when he was frustrated. He kept saying ripetete! Repeat after me! Then he was going on and on about saying chi (key) instead of chi (cheee). “Chianti wine, CHIANTI CHIANTI CHIANTI!!!” Then mimicking “cheers” and glasses clinking he says “salute! Ching ching” The entire class, now very in tuned with “ripetete!” repeats “salute! Ching ching!” Professore stops. And I kid you not, the first words in English for the night are “no. it is just salute. Ching ching is the glasses clinking.” I almost died. It was so funny. Maybe you had to be there, but it was a great moment.
If you can’t tell, I am LOVING the class and the professore. I went straight home and made spaghetti (literal translation, many little strings) and had a glass of wine, unfortunately not chianti.
I am desperately searching for a good book. Any suggestions? I don’t know what I’m in the mood for, and nothing has really piqued my interest lately.
An update on the website biz. I am still trying to work with the guy for the clean/sober housing site. We still have that crappy flyer looking thing up on the site, which I honestly hate to even have my name on but it’s what he wanted and he had someone else design it. Other than that, he is the hardest person to connect with. We have the format and pictures all in place and no text to go with it. He keeps telling me he will try to work on it, but I hear nothing on a regular basis. I’ve somewhat given up. He’ll get to me when he wants it, there is only so much I can “make up.”
I am in contact with another design firm here in Everett, to help on a contractual basis when their firm is busy. This might end up being a great way to get some advice and learning opportunities. We’ll see what happens.
Arriverderci!
If you can’t tell, I am LOVING the class and the professore. I went straight home and made spaghetti (literal translation, many little strings) and had a glass of wine, unfortunately not chianti.
I am desperately searching for a good book. Any suggestions? I don’t know what I’m in the mood for, and nothing has really piqued my interest lately.
An update on the website biz. I am still trying to work with the guy for the clean/sober housing site. We still have that crappy flyer looking thing up on the site, which I honestly hate to even have my name on but it’s what he wanted and he had someone else design it. Other than that, he is the hardest person to connect with. We have the format and pictures all in place and no text to go with it. He keeps telling me he will try to work on it, but I hear nothing on a regular basis. I’ve somewhat given up. He’ll get to me when he wants it, there is only so much I can “make up.”
I am in contact with another design firm here in Everett, to help on a contractual basis when their firm is busy. This might end up being a great way to get some advice and learning opportunities. We’ll see what happens.
Arriverderci!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Life then and now
Isn’t it amazing how caught up in our own things that we get? I had a great happy hour date with a friend last night and it was fun to just connect and look back at our college years. Being girls we got to talking and I was amazed at the stories and the similarities between the two of us, before we were even really close. We were literally dealing with a lot of the same issues and completely unaware of it. The thing is, I have always felt like EVERYONE knew everything about everyone else, and maybe that was true for some things (hello sorority!!) but the fact is that people really are just living their own lives and pretty oblivious. So get over the stupid stuff, everyone else has.
It was a good little chat. Also good to look back and see how much all of us have changed and grown up.
Here is my first recipe posting, as promised!
Caribbean Pork with Spicy Peach Glaze
Disclaimer: With this recipe and all others to follow you should know that I don’t believe in measuring. Cooking should be fun and should be an experiment. Every time I make this and anything else, it comes out just a little different then before. That being said, there won’t be any measurements in my recipes. So have fun and cook for your own personal tastes.
You will need: Boneless pork ( I like to buy the kind for skewers or stew so that I don’t have to cut anything up but you can also use shoulder if you don’t mind the bones), two or three peaches, an onion, curry, red chili pepper, black pepper, ginger, brown sugar and an orange.
Just put the pork in a crock pot (you can also do this on the stove top if you need it quick), sprinkle with black pepper and salt, add a little curry, ginger and red chili pepper, chopped onion and about a coffee cups worth of water. Follow the instructions for your crock pot for the timing. I usually turn mine on for about four hours on medium. When the pork is done and you are ready for dinner you can start making the sauce. Make some rice now if you want it to be done in time! I always forget to do that! Anyway, the sauce. In a kettle, put your peeled and sliced peaches, black pepper, curry powder, grated ginger if you have it, otherwise the powder is fine, red chili pepper, and brown sugar in and cook on high until this is thick, almost like a jam. I taste this as its cooking add more curry, red pepper or brown sugar as needed. At the very last minute squeeze in the juice of the whole orange.
Plating: Make a neat pile of rice and top with your pork. Pour just a touch of the peach sauce over the top. Done and done. Trust me, this is good. I make ours pretty spicy but you could leave the red pepper out altogether if you need. Goes well with a deep red wine, try Fetzer, Cabernet Sauvignon.
Enjoy!
It was a good little chat. Also good to look back and see how much all of us have changed and grown up.
Here is my first recipe posting, as promised!
Caribbean Pork with Spicy Peach Glaze
Disclaimer: With this recipe and all others to follow you should know that I don’t believe in measuring. Cooking should be fun and should be an experiment. Every time I make this and anything else, it comes out just a little different then before. That being said, there won’t be any measurements in my recipes. So have fun and cook for your own personal tastes.
You will need: Boneless pork ( I like to buy the kind for skewers or stew so that I don’t have to cut anything up but you can also use shoulder if you don’t mind the bones), two or three peaches, an onion, curry, red chili pepper, black pepper, ginger, brown sugar and an orange.
Just put the pork in a crock pot (you can also do this on the stove top if you need it quick), sprinkle with black pepper and salt, add a little curry, ginger and red chili pepper, chopped onion and about a coffee cups worth of water. Follow the instructions for your crock pot for the timing. I usually turn mine on for about four hours on medium. When the pork is done and you are ready for dinner you can start making the sauce. Make some rice now if you want it to be done in time! I always forget to do that! Anyway, the sauce. In a kettle, put your peeled and sliced peaches, black pepper, curry powder, grated ginger if you have it, otherwise the powder is fine, red chili pepper, and brown sugar in and cook on high until this is thick, almost like a jam. I taste this as its cooking add more curry, red pepper or brown sugar as needed. At the very last minute squeeze in the juice of the whole orange.
Plating: Make a neat pile of rice and top with your pork. Pour just a touch of the peach sauce over the top. Done and done. Trust me, this is good. I make ours pretty spicy but you could leave the red pepper out altogether if you need. Goes well with a deep red wine, try Fetzer, Cabernet Sauvignon.
Enjoy!
Monday, March 29, 2010
And I'm Back!
Its been quite awhile since I lasted posted anything, so I’ll start with a recap. The weekend after Valentines we went to Portland/Vancouver and stayed with the VP of Sales for Nick’s company, his wife and Deepak (Nick’s boss in Arlington) and his wife. We did the whole tourist thing and just explored the wineries and McMenamins around the area, went to several bars/clubs, played a lot of beer pong. It was a fun weekend for sure.
We closed two big clients here at work and that was really exciting. It was especially nice getting acknowledged for the website and the proposals I have been putting together, everyone here came to thank me for getting us these jobs. (And…while I know that it wasn’t just me, and that it has A TON to do with the experience of these guys, it was nice to get such a high compliment, I’ll take it!)
That weekend, we met back up with the crew from Portland and did a repeat, but this time in Downtown Seattle. We had a blast! I love this group, no drama, just as much fun as you can pack into a night. We started at Joeys on Lake Union and progressed to Pioneer Square, where Carol and I had our cards read. The lady had about ten different types of cards, tarot, angel, life, etc. It was very interesting what she had to say and hit home to both of us. I don’t really believe in this stuff, but its always nice to hear a good fortune.
I hired a house cleaner for the first time and it was so great coming home from being out and about to a perfectly clean house. Might be the best money I’ve ever spent. They are set up to come once a month and keep me from pulling my hair out :)
I was being really good about doing my lunch time workouts and going to yoga, until two things happened. One, work got crazy busy and I stopped taking lunch breaks altogether, two, I didn’t have the money to renew my class pass. Not to worry, I’m back on track and starting yoga again this week.
Also, I learned how to do payroll and all the taxes, so I am officially the accountant here at work. Cherri is gone gone gone (except for her midnight sneak into the office, which is a whole separate story, and weirds me out beyond belief).
That’s the brief overview, and now onto the real blog which is about my weekend! Friday night was the Chocolate Lover’s Gala! Such a great night, I don’t have the actual amount raised yet, but I know it was upwards of sixty thousand. Amazing. One of my cakes sold for $600, couldn’t be happier, unless I had baked the cake myself in which case I’d be beaming with pride. As it stands, I’m pretty thrilled. The dessert dash itself raised $6600, for forty cakes which were all donated. I met a fabulous older gay man, who I plan to be friends with from here on out. He did all the decorating for the event but was my right hand during the auction itself. I love him.
The other good news from Friday is that the Silvertips won 4-0.
Moving on to Saturday, Nick’s parents came over in the morning and we took Nick’s new company truck to pick up an antique buffet/sideboard (I’ll post some pics). When we saw the sideboard, I wasn’t entirely thrilled that it would be coming to our house, but once we got it home and started cleaning it up with HAROLDS, the piece is actually stunning and looks almost new. Literally a miracle worker that Harolds is.
While us girls were cleaning the furniture, the guys started in on clearing out the basement (which I had spent all of the previous weekend cleaning out). They took a BUNCH of stuff to Goodwill and I couldn’t be happier, more appreciative of Nick for getting that done. BONUS, we found Nick’s BRIO train set and added it to Mackenzie’s: he is in heaven.
We decided it would be fun to BBQ at Gary and Criss’ new house. Obviously we had to take the train set with us, but when we got there Nick and Mackenzie played soccer on the huge lawn. We went down onto the beach for the first time and it’s a great space. The sea wall is made of drift wood and looks like a giant fort. We turned over rocks in search of crabbies as Mack calls them, and I was instantly transported back to being seven and doing this exact same thing on Dyes Inlet. God, I miss that house….. and my family :(
Criss made us a fabulous dinner and we ended up playing Settlers of Catan well into the evening. All in all a great day.
Sunday we were supposed to go down to Nick’s softball game, but right as we were getting to the exit we got a message that the game had been rained out. No problemo, we went to see the trains down at interbay (Magnolia) and ended up at Pike Place market. After riding the pig, getting fruit rolls, coffee, bread from le Panier, spices from Market Spice, we headed back home. I finally planted my tomato seeds inside and did a little weeding, until I got rained on. Made some chicken curry with the Bombay Curry that we had bought earlier that day and it turned out so delicious. Mack played with his trains more and is overjoyed by all the new train cars. I just love how excited he gets about these things. After much jumping on the bed, playing “slip” with dad (literally, Nick makes him slip on the blanket over and over again), Mack was so worn out he could hardly make sense of it being bedtime. So were mom and dad. Bedtime for everyone.
I should also mention somewhere in here that I signed up for Italian at EverttCC and will be starting class on Thursday. Here’s to me finally finishing school! So very very excited. (also excited that my instructor sent me an email in Italian welcoming me to the class, I already love him)
Basically, life is pretty darn great, even though money is a little tight. We are getting back on track and excited to start saving this spring/summer for eventually being able to buy a house.
I know I promised some recipes and I still plan on doing that! Don’t give up on me yet!
Much love to all of you :)
We closed two big clients here at work and that was really exciting. It was especially nice getting acknowledged for the website and the proposals I have been putting together, everyone here came to thank me for getting us these jobs. (And…while I know that it wasn’t just me, and that it has A TON to do with the experience of these guys, it was nice to get such a high compliment, I’ll take it!)
That weekend, we met back up with the crew from Portland and did a repeat, but this time in Downtown Seattle. We had a blast! I love this group, no drama, just as much fun as you can pack into a night. We started at Joeys on Lake Union and progressed to Pioneer Square, where Carol and I had our cards read. The lady had about ten different types of cards, tarot, angel, life, etc. It was very interesting what she had to say and hit home to both of us. I don’t really believe in this stuff, but its always nice to hear a good fortune.
I hired a house cleaner for the first time and it was so great coming home from being out and about to a perfectly clean house. Might be the best money I’ve ever spent. They are set up to come once a month and keep me from pulling my hair out :)
I was being really good about doing my lunch time workouts and going to yoga, until two things happened. One, work got crazy busy and I stopped taking lunch breaks altogether, two, I didn’t have the money to renew my class pass. Not to worry, I’m back on track and starting yoga again this week.
Also, I learned how to do payroll and all the taxes, so I am officially the accountant here at work. Cherri is gone gone gone (except for her midnight sneak into the office, which is a whole separate story, and weirds me out beyond belief).
That’s the brief overview, and now onto the real blog which is about my weekend! Friday night was the Chocolate Lover’s Gala! Such a great night, I don’t have the actual amount raised yet, but I know it was upwards of sixty thousand. Amazing. One of my cakes sold for $600, couldn’t be happier, unless I had baked the cake myself in which case I’d be beaming with pride. As it stands, I’m pretty thrilled. The dessert dash itself raised $6600, for forty cakes which were all donated. I met a fabulous older gay man, who I plan to be friends with from here on out. He did all the decorating for the event but was my right hand during the auction itself. I love him.
The other good news from Friday is that the Silvertips won 4-0.
Moving on to Saturday, Nick’s parents came over in the morning and we took Nick’s new company truck to pick up an antique buffet/sideboard (I’ll post some pics). When we saw the sideboard, I wasn’t entirely thrilled that it would be coming to our house, but once we got it home and started cleaning it up with HAROLDS, the piece is actually stunning and looks almost new. Literally a miracle worker that Harolds is.
While us girls were cleaning the furniture, the guys started in on clearing out the basement (which I had spent all of the previous weekend cleaning out). They took a BUNCH of stuff to Goodwill and I couldn’t be happier, more appreciative of Nick for getting that done. BONUS, we found Nick’s BRIO train set and added it to Mackenzie’s: he is in heaven.
We decided it would be fun to BBQ at Gary and Criss’ new house. Obviously we had to take the train set with us, but when we got there Nick and Mackenzie played soccer on the huge lawn. We went down onto the beach for the first time and it’s a great space. The sea wall is made of drift wood and looks like a giant fort. We turned over rocks in search of crabbies as Mack calls them, and I was instantly transported back to being seven and doing this exact same thing on Dyes Inlet. God, I miss that house….. and my family :(
Criss made us a fabulous dinner and we ended up playing Settlers of Catan well into the evening. All in all a great day.
Sunday we were supposed to go down to Nick’s softball game, but right as we were getting to the exit we got a message that the game had been rained out. No problemo, we went to see the trains down at interbay (Magnolia) and ended up at Pike Place market. After riding the pig, getting fruit rolls, coffee, bread from le Panier, spices from Market Spice, we headed back home. I finally planted my tomato seeds inside and did a little weeding, until I got rained on. Made some chicken curry with the Bombay Curry that we had bought earlier that day and it turned out so delicious. Mack played with his trains more and is overjoyed by all the new train cars. I just love how excited he gets about these things. After much jumping on the bed, playing “slip” with dad (literally, Nick makes him slip on the blanket over and over again), Mack was so worn out he could hardly make sense of it being bedtime. So were mom and dad. Bedtime for everyone.
I should also mention somewhere in here that I signed up for Italian at EverttCC and will be starting class on Thursday. Here’s to me finally finishing school! So very very excited. (also excited that my instructor sent me an email in Italian welcoming me to the class, I already love him)
Basically, life is pretty darn great, even though money is a little tight. We are getting back on track and excited to start saving this spring/summer for eventually being able to buy a house.
I know I promised some recipes and I still plan on doing that! Don’t give up on me yet!
Much love to all of you :)
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Valentines Weekend
This past weekend was Valentines day. Ours was a little different, but we had a great weekend. For starters, we had planned on having Valentines dinner and all that next weekend, so that we could help Nick’s parents move this weekend, then they changed it to the following weekend and thus began the crazy turn of events. We had already planned on having my mom watch Mackenzie for the weekend (while we were helping move) so it ended up that we had time to ourselves and no real Valentines plans. That’s OK because we made the most of our free time (starting with our trip to Seattle to see Avatar as I’ve already mentioned). On Friday night we went out to a local bar that features a pretty decent selection of beer and has a really cool wine-on-tap bar. I guess they use nitrogen and it keeps it fresh and also gives the tap the pressure it needs to serve the wine up. Pretty neat. They also had live music and lots of board games. This is definitely becoming one of my favorite spots here in Everett and the hummus is delish!
After that we watched the incredibly boring Opening Ceremonies. I’m sorry, even if Beijing hadn’t been the show to beat, that would have still been a terrible ceremony. I did like the whales, but the whole idea was just appallingly slow to develop and I’d dare say….over-played? We get it that there are native tribes, and that there was ice, then melting, blah blah blah. Is that all Canada has to show for itself?
Okay enough of my soap box. On Saturday Nick and I went on a coffee date in the morning and met up with my mom and Mackenzie at Starbucks. Its becoming a habit of Mackenzie and I to get hot chocolate and a red cupcake when we are there (God only knows what we’ll do when its not cupcake season). After that it was off to a birthday party for some friends of ours son. Xander was turning two, so it was nice for Mackenzie to get to play with some kids his age (yes, he did get to have a second cupcake for the day) and they even played pin the tale (-shaped sticker) on the donkey. Good times.
We decided to do a little shopping and I got some great deals on some clothes for work and a new husky sweatshirt!! After the shopping we went back home and did some cleaning. I completely did over the guest bedroom downstairs, I had had enough! When we were all worn out and sick of the cleaning efforts, Nick and I got ready (somewhat) and went out to dinner, Terracotta Red followed by drinks at Prohibition. Lovely, lovely. I had the empress chowmein once again, and at Prohibition I got a fun drink that “tasted like a bubble bath.” Seriously, it was frothy and peachy deliciousness. MMMmmm.
Sunday was a LAZZZZZzzzy start. Literally, we got up, lounged around, took showers, and none of us were ready to go anywhere until one. Not my intentions at all, but I enjoyed it all the same. We did some family style grocery shopping, which is the ONLY way Nick and I go grocery shopping, but grandma came along for the trip. We also drove by the house that Gary and Criss are moving to on the first. It is an extremely bright teal, but an amazing location on the beach just north of Everett. Sweet.
At home we cleaned some more and then we rented the movie Couples Retreat. I have to tell you that I was really hoping to get some bucket margaritas going on, but I couldn’t find the bucket mix anywhere, so we ended up having wine and valentine cookies during the movie. Good, but not the same.
So it was a good weekend. We haven’t really hung out with any of our friends for a few days, but it has been nice getting to enjoy our house and be there as a family, we don’t have that always.
This week I am working on getting my procurement letters out to collect some cakes for the dessert dash. I’m also meeting with my website client to get going on the content of his site, I have the format and design done, which is exciting. If I didn’t tell you, the site is for a clean and sober housing group. I really like the guy but our schedules are pretty different, which makes things a bit tougher.
I’m trying to get another design project going though as well. I’d like to have a strong portfolio before I really start any advertising. I also want to get a better grasp on techniques and time involvement. I did get asked by SCYPN to help out with the “user-side” of development, a HUGE compliment since they actually have a web design firm who JUST did their site, but they want a little more user friendliness. So that’s cool.
I’ve been good about going to the gym on my lunch breaks and even though I don’t feel very good today, I put in 100% effort and got a really good workout in. Crazy girls at the gym though, whoa baby! Drama, drama. I feel like after listening to that for thirty minutes, I may as well have watched three months of reality tv. I’m going to have to stop going on Tuesdays. This is the second time I’ve sat through their crazy chatter.
That or bring my i-pod.
This weekend we will be in Portland and Vancouver. On Monday Nick is leaving me to spend a week in Anchorage. Boo! This is not cool because A) he will be gone for a week and it seems like he just got back from Ohio and B) Kennis is in Anchorage and I’m the one who should be going! Dang it!
On a side note, I’ve decided to start sharing the things that I am making for dinner, since sometimes people ask me how I make things or for different recipes. I’ll try to put some links in as well, so if you read something you like and then want to find it again, you can do so easily. Last night I made Caribbean Pork with Spicey Peach Sauce and Rice. I’ll get the recipe up tonight. And who knows whats for dinner tonight. Maybe pork chops?? We’ll see.
After that we watched the incredibly boring Opening Ceremonies. I’m sorry, even if Beijing hadn’t been the show to beat, that would have still been a terrible ceremony. I did like the whales, but the whole idea was just appallingly slow to develop and I’d dare say….over-played? We get it that there are native tribes, and that there was ice, then melting, blah blah blah. Is that all Canada has to show for itself?
Okay enough of my soap box. On Saturday Nick and I went on a coffee date in the morning and met up with my mom and Mackenzie at Starbucks. Its becoming a habit of Mackenzie and I to get hot chocolate and a red cupcake when we are there (God only knows what we’ll do when its not cupcake season). After that it was off to a birthday party for some friends of ours son. Xander was turning two, so it was nice for Mackenzie to get to play with some kids his age (yes, he did get to have a second cupcake for the day) and they even played pin the tale (-shaped sticker) on the donkey. Good times.
We decided to do a little shopping and I got some great deals on some clothes for work and a new husky sweatshirt!! After the shopping we went back home and did some cleaning. I completely did over the guest bedroom downstairs, I had had enough! When we were all worn out and sick of the cleaning efforts, Nick and I got ready (somewhat) and went out to dinner, Terracotta Red followed by drinks at Prohibition. Lovely, lovely. I had the empress chowmein once again, and at Prohibition I got a fun drink that “tasted like a bubble bath.” Seriously, it was frothy and peachy deliciousness. MMMmmm.
Sunday was a LAZZZZZzzzy start. Literally, we got up, lounged around, took showers, and none of us were ready to go anywhere until one. Not my intentions at all, but I enjoyed it all the same. We did some family style grocery shopping, which is the ONLY way Nick and I go grocery shopping, but grandma came along for the trip. We also drove by the house that Gary and Criss are moving to on the first. It is an extremely bright teal, but an amazing location on the beach just north of Everett. Sweet.
At home we cleaned some more and then we rented the movie Couples Retreat. I have to tell you that I was really hoping to get some bucket margaritas going on, but I couldn’t find the bucket mix anywhere, so we ended up having wine and valentine cookies during the movie. Good, but not the same.
So it was a good weekend. We haven’t really hung out with any of our friends for a few days, but it has been nice getting to enjoy our house and be there as a family, we don’t have that always.
This week I am working on getting my procurement letters out to collect some cakes for the dessert dash. I’m also meeting with my website client to get going on the content of his site, I have the format and design done, which is exciting. If I didn’t tell you, the site is for a clean and sober housing group. I really like the guy but our schedules are pretty different, which makes things a bit tougher.
I’m trying to get another design project going though as well. I’d like to have a strong portfolio before I really start any advertising. I also want to get a better grasp on techniques and time involvement. I did get asked by SCYPN to help out with the “user-side” of development, a HUGE compliment since they actually have a web design firm who JUST did their site, but they want a little more user friendliness. So that’s cool.
I’ve been good about going to the gym on my lunch breaks and even though I don’t feel very good today, I put in 100% effort and got a really good workout in. Crazy girls at the gym though, whoa baby! Drama, drama. I feel like after listening to that for thirty minutes, I may as well have watched three months of reality tv. I’m going to have to stop going on Tuesdays. This is the second time I’ve sat through their crazy chatter.
That or bring my i-pod.
This weekend we will be in Portland and Vancouver. On Monday Nick is leaving me to spend a week in Anchorage. Boo! This is not cool because A) he will be gone for a week and it seems like he just got back from Ohio and B) Kennis is in Anchorage and I’m the one who should be going! Dang it!
On a side note, I’ve decided to start sharing the things that I am making for dinner, since sometimes people ask me how I make things or for different recipes. I’ll try to put some links in as well, so if you read something you like and then want to find it again, you can do so easily. Last night I made Caribbean Pork with Spicey Peach Sauce and Rice. I’ll get the recipe up tonight. And who knows whats for dinner tonight. Maybe pork chops?? We’ll see.
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