We bought a new (new to us) car! Three cheers for us, hooray! Today hubby and I bought our first car together and we love it. It's a 2006 Toyota matrix hatchback, dark blue, black interior, automatic transmission. It's the newest car either of us have ever driven so we felt really fancy and cool driving it around our neighborhod today. We are really happy with the choice we made, now all we need to do is think of a name for it.
Anyone need a ride?
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
A lot of December
December proved a very eventful month here in Holtontown. Ricky finished up his first term of grad school and managed to get all A's. We were relieved to have made it through and were looking forward to some quality relaxation time together over the holiday. Fortunately and unfortunately, I finally landed a job in the second week of December. It's not ideal. I never ever thought I would be a waitress, not that I look down on that line of work persay, I just always thought I would be horrible at it because I have no upper arm strength, am rather clumsy, and don't enjoy high stress situations. Anyway, since I'd been out of work for almost 4 months, I couldn't very well turn my nose up at some extra income in this city of high price tags. So I started a week of training at the Pasta Warehouse (this is a faux name, so I can rant about work if I need to later on). That week was hellish. Not only was I the only trainee without serving experience, I had to memorize the menu as well as the full bar (which was, for a Mormon girl like me, extremely challenging). I took my serving test and was thrown right into a busy Friday night just before Christmas as my first shift on my own. I survived and brought home decent tips as well.
We flew (drove) south that weekend to visit our dear Eugenian friends for the weekend. The trip was all together too short but lovely and worthwhile all the same. On the way back to Seattle that Sunday afternoon I started having weird stomach pain. To make a long story short, by Wednesday (the 21st) my stomach and mid-back pain had grown so debilitating that I found myself in the doctor's office being diagnosed with a moderately advanced stomach ulcer. It hadn't worn a hole all the way through my stomach yet, but was fairly nasty. I spent the rest of the week resting and taking my medicine--what a Christmas bummer.
We travelled again to Salem for our annual four Christmases that weekend. Shortly after arriving Ricky started having a gastrointestinal nightmare along with a high fever. He spent Christmas eve in bed and hardly ate anything on Christmas day. All in all Christmas with our families was lovely but by the end of the weekend we both felt like we had been through the ringer.
Upon returning to work on Monday I was offered a bit of a promotion. Second week and a promotion? Yeah, I'm cool (just kidding). Anyways, now I am doing book keeping for the restaurant Mon-Fri 9-2 and making slightly more money an hour. I am still picking up serving shifts 1-2 nights a week as well, so I can still make decent tips.
Lastly, we sold my car yesterday. This was a very bittersweet event for me seeing as how it was the first and only car I had personally ever owned. I loved that car and I thanked it for its years of dutiful service. She went to a good home. Now we can get a new car though, one that GOES! Go car, go!
Hopefully we can drive our new car into the new year with happiness and look forward to many great and wonderful things.
Soyons Heureux.
We flew (drove) south that weekend to visit our dear Eugenian friends for the weekend. The trip was all together too short but lovely and worthwhile all the same. On the way back to Seattle that Sunday afternoon I started having weird stomach pain. To make a long story short, by Wednesday (the 21st) my stomach and mid-back pain had grown so debilitating that I found myself in the doctor's office being diagnosed with a moderately advanced stomach ulcer. It hadn't worn a hole all the way through my stomach yet, but was fairly nasty. I spent the rest of the week resting and taking my medicine--what a Christmas bummer.
We travelled again to Salem for our annual four Christmases that weekend. Shortly after arriving Ricky started having a gastrointestinal nightmare along with a high fever. He spent Christmas eve in bed and hardly ate anything on Christmas day. All in all Christmas with our families was lovely but by the end of the weekend we both felt like we had been through the ringer.
Upon returning to work on Monday I was offered a bit of a promotion. Second week and a promotion? Yeah, I'm cool (just kidding). Anyways, now I am doing book keeping for the restaurant Mon-Fri 9-2 and making slightly more money an hour. I am still picking up serving shifts 1-2 nights a week as well, so I can still make decent tips.
Lastly, we sold my car yesterday. This was a very bittersweet event for me seeing as how it was the first and only car I had personally ever owned. I loved that car and I thanked it for its years of dutiful service. She went to a good home. Now we can get a new car though, one that GOES! Go car, go!
Hopefully we can drive our new car into the new year with happiness and look forward to many great and wonderful things.
Soyons Heureux.
Friday, December 23, 2011
And Those Who Live There Too
As a child I grew up listening to a lot of John Denver. My particular favorites are the Wildlife Series and some of the Christmas albums. There is one track on the John Denver & the Muppets Christmas album in which John tells a story about a Christmas tree named Alfie. The story ends with John Denver asking us to include the wind, water, and woods and those who live there too into our Christmas prayers. This funny little story was very powerful to me for some reason and I did just as Mr. Denver said. From the age of about 6-12 not a day went by that I didn't close my nightly prayers with "please bless the rocks, the wind, the water, the woods, and those who live there." How could my parents not know they were getting an environmentalist for a child?
Our fellow creatures are in trouble, many of them are suffering, please include them in your Christmas prayers this year too. Merry Christmas from John Denver and me.
Our fellow creatures are in trouble, many of them are suffering, please include them in your Christmas prayers this year too. Merry Christmas from John Denver and me.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
O Tannenbaum
We drove out to a country-ish place this past weekend to choose, cut, and bring home a Christmas tree. For all of my fellow Salemites, you may know that the Salem area actually exports Christmas trees to other places. One need not drive more than five minutes to get to a Christmas tree farm in Salem so having to drive 45 minutes to get city-free seemed like a lot of effort. Once we arrived at the tree farm we wandered around until we found our perfect tree. I believe it is a Grand Fir, but it's only 5 ft. tall, so it's just a baby. It smells extremely festive. We lifted our tree into the truck bed and headed back to the city to put it in our house. The hour that we were at the Christmas tree farm was the best I've had in weeks. We were in the country and surrounded by wide open spaces. There were other farms and some scattered deciduous trees but no buildings above a story high interrupted my line of sight. I felt like I could breathe for the first time in who knows how long. I have slowly been adjusting to life in the big city; I no longer feel like I'm suffocating all the time for lack of space but visiting that open space made me realize how constrained I'd been feeling before.
When we brought Ollivander, our tree, home that night I immediately began the festive process. I dug out the box of Christmas decorations, strung the lights, hung the ornaments, and made the house look festive and cozy. Ricky and I are both so on top of things that the tree already has all of it's presents wrapped and underneath of it. I've had the Christmas playlist going for over a week and Christmas cheer abounds within my dwelling, it's almost enough. The joy of this season is almost enough to mask my feelings of lonliness and longing for home, almost enough to make me okay with being here. I feel mostly happy but can still feel a little creature lurking inside of me that's grumbling and murmuring. Luckily, December is when I love Ricky the most. I love him all the time of course, but since we started dating during December, the month makes me feel extra great about our relationship. After this next week we will have survived his first term of graduate school and can then do our best to enjoy this time.
I know that this post doesn't really say much or have a point. I've been looking at my blogger dashboard for weeks and telling myself I should write but have been feeling to starved for inspiration to do so. This lame update will have to suffice for now.
When we brought Ollivander, our tree, home that night I immediately began the festive process. I dug out the box of Christmas decorations, strung the lights, hung the ornaments, and made the house look festive and cozy. Ricky and I are both so on top of things that the tree already has all of it's presents wrapped and underneath of it. I've had the Christmas playlist going for over a week and Christmas cheer abounds within my dwelling, it's almost enough. The joy of this season is almost enough to mask my feelings of lonliness and longing for home, almost enough to make me okay with being here. I feel mostly happy but can still feel a little creature lurking inside of me that's grumbling and murmuring. Luckily, December is when I love Ricky the most. I love him all the time of course, but since we started dating during December, the month makes me feel extra great about our relationship. After this next week we will have survived his first term of graduate school and can then do our best to enjoy this time.
I know that this post doesn't really say much or have a point. I've been looking at my blogger dashboard for weeks and telling myself I should write but have been feeling to starved for inspiration to do so. This lame update will have to suffice for now.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Hoop Jumping
I've let my brain follow a new line of thought this week without trying to interrupt it. When I finally reached a conclusion to this particular thought process I wasn't quite sure what to think of it; it's big, complex, and one of those questions that only spurs more questions without answers. I am going to try to relay this chain of thought now so I'm sorry if it is a little bit confusing.
Warning: this line of thought includes broad generalizations and assumptions.
I've been thinking about the purpose of religion. I find religion to be a powerful and good influence in my life on many levels. I also think that religion has a lot of positive things to offer on a community and even global scale. I won't go into these things now because that isn't really my point, it will suffice to say that religiousity + me = friends. Lately though, I can't help but feel that religion (all kinds, not only mine and not excluding mine) can feel a bit contrived.
For most of Christianity the main goal of a Christian lifestyle seems to be being as Christ-like as is possible in order to return to Heavenly Father after we die. I am completely on board with this goal, in fact I think I am so on board with this goal that I feel a bit suffocated by any additional rules and regulations. To be like Christ or to be a good person is a goal that to many seems both ambiguous and unattainable. This is understandable because those are very big and broad goals. It's a proven fact that people do better at reaching their goals if they set small, realistic goals instead. I'm getting to my point here soon, I promise. I feel sometimes that by following all of the "do this" or "don't do that" guidelines of my religion in particular, I get bogged down and lose sight of the big picture of just being like Christ. I also feel that religions as a whole get preoccupied with whether or not they are jumping through the appropriate hoops because it is easier than coming to terms with the fact that it is really hard to be like Christ. There, I said it.
What does this mean for me?
I really want to let go of some of the little things that I don't feel matter very much. I'm not trying to say that all of the guidelines set in place aren't good or won't help me to be more Christ-like in some ways, sure they will. I'm just saying that my priorities are about how I treat other people and my overall faithfulness and humbleness. I want to be an active force acting like Christ out in the world, not sequestered in my faith-based community being like everyone else there. I want to focus on charity which is the pure love of Christ, that is what really matters.
Please excuse any rambling or non-sensicalness that just occured as I tried to put a thought into words. I wish I had a pensieve like Dumbledor's!
Warning: this line of thought includes broad generalizations and assumptions.
I've been thinking about the purpose of religion. I find religion to be a powerful and good influence in my life on many levels. I also think that religion has a lot of positive things to offer on a community and even global scale. I won't go into these things now because that isn't really my point, it will suffice to say that religiousity + me = friends. Lately though, I can't help but feel that religion (all kinds, not only mine and not excluding mine) can feel a bit contrived.
For most of Christianity the main goal of a Christian lifestyle seems to be being as Christ-like as is possible in order to return to Heavenly Father after we die. I am completely on board with this goal, in fact I think I am so on board with this goal that I feel a bit suffocated by any additional rules and regulations. To be like Christ or to be a good person is a goal that to many seems both ambiguous and unattainable. This is understandable because those are very big and broad goals. It's a proven fact that people do better at reaching their goals if they set small, realistic goals instead. I'm getting to my point here soon, I promise. I feel sometimes that by following all of the "do this" or "don't do that" guidelines of my religion in particular, I get bogged down and lose sight of the big picture of just being like Christ. I also feel that religions as a whole get preoccupied with whether or not they are jumping through the appropriate hoops because it is easier than coming to terms with the fact that it is really hard to be like Christ. There, I said it.
What does this mean for me?
I really want to let go of some of the little things that I don't feel matter very much. I'm not trying to say that all of the guidelines set in place aren't good or won't help me to be more Christ-like in some ways, sure they will. I'm just saying that my priorities are about how I treat other people and my overall faithfulness and humbleness. I want to be an active force acting like Christ out in the world, not sequestered in my faith-based community being like everyone else there. I want to focus on charity which is the pure love of Christ, that is what really matters.
Please excuse any rambling or non-sensicalness that just occured as I tried to put a thought into words. I wish I had a pensieve like Dumbledor's!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Brain Rot (fall 2011)
This week has been a pretty big struggle for me. Nothing particularly terrible happened, in that respect things have been quite normal but I've been experiencing internal turmoil like nobody's business. I'm feeling really down and out. Despite my persistence at excercise and eating healthily this past couple of weeks, I can't help feeling like I'm slipping into a bit of a pit that I can't climb out of. I feel like I have one hand on the brim of a big black hole with no footholds to be found.
This past September was the first since I was five during which I did not start another year of school. Instead I watched my husband start graduate school while I tried to find a job. At first I was a bit relieved to have a break and to have the freedom to do what I wanted. The novelty of that wore off in about two weeks.
I feel like my brain is starting to rot. I change my mind, I don't want to grow up and get a real job, I want to go back to school! I always knew that I wanted to go back to school but I had thought I'd be fine waiting until Ricky finished. WRONG. I'm not fine. I think I would be okay if I was doing a job where I could use the knowledge and skills I learned in school; that would feel good. When I did my internship with WREN last year I learned a ton, so I know I could learn in a good job as well. Unfortunately good jobs in my field are hard to come by these days (all jobs are hard to come by, obviously). Since I'm not using the things I've learned to retain my knowledge or gaining new knowledge I am really frightened that I'm going to be completely dumb in a few more months and that my whole education will have been a waste. Part of my brain knows this isn't true but it isn't quite strong enough to quell the scaredy part. I might consider finding a year-long masters program up here for next year if I can't find a useful job pretty soon. I don't really know what to do, it's hard to decide with my brain rotting away like the pumpkins on my porch.
I decided to let out a little bit of anxiety and frustration by making a delicous autumn-inspired meal last night. After we ran our errands for the day I took up residence in the kitchen and made an awesome chili, fluffy corn, buttermilk, and chive popovers, followed by apple-cider doughnuts. I was really proud of myself for making such delicious doughnuts on my first try--now I don't have to wait until next year to go to Baumman Farms pumpkin patch to get them.
Luckily I have a husband who will stop at nothing to cheer me up, not even dancing to silly songs with me in the kitchen. Oh, and my Ducks just beat Stanford, heck yes.
This past September was the first since I was five during which I did not start another year of school. Instead I watched my husband start graduate school while I tried to find a job. At first I was a bit relieved to have a break and to have the freedom to do what I wanted. The novelty of that wore off in about two weeks.
I feel like my brain is starting to rot. I change my mind, I don't want to grow up and get a real job, I want to go back to school! I always knew that I wanted to go back to school but I had thought I'd be fine waiting until Ricky finished. WRONG. I'm not fine. I think I would be okay if I was doing a job where I could use the knowledge and skills I learned in school; that would feel good. When I did my internship with WREN last year I learned a ton, so I know I could learn in a good job as well. Unfortunately good jobs in my field are hard to come by these days (all jobs are hard to come by, obviously). Since I'm not using the things I've learned to retain my knowledge or gaining new knowledge I am really frightened that I'm going to be completely dumb in a few more months and that my whole education will have been a waste. Part of my brain knows this isn't true but it isn't quite strong enough to quell the scaredy part. I might consider finding a year-long masters program up here for next year if I can't find a useful job pretty soon. I don't really know what to do, it's hard to decide with my brain rotting away like the pumpkins on my porch.
I decided to let out a little bit of anxiety and frustration by making a delicous autumn-inspired meal last night. After we ran our errands for the day I took up residence in the kitchen and made an awesome chili, fluffy corn, buttermilk, and chive popovers, followed by apple-cider doughnuts. I was really proud of myself for making such delicious doughnuts on my first try--now I don't have to wait until next year to go to Baumman Farms pumpkin patch to get them.
Luckily I have a husband who will stop at nothing to cheer me up, not even dancing to silly songs with me in the kitchen. Oh, and my Ducks just beat Stanford, heck yes.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Green Thumb
Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow
Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow
Do you or I or anyone know
How oats, peas, beans, or barley grow?
When I was in elementary school I thought that this was by far the MOST irritating song ever to be invented. A great friend and I would, upon hearing it, plug our ears and moan and groan. Even now if one or the other of us sings even a few notes of it to the other we laugh and say "no, no, no!"
Oddly enough I ended up choosing a course of study in a field that ties in very closely with how plants grow, and where, and when. I have been yearning for a garden of my own for several years now and although Seattle has dealt me a few disappointing cards so far, it did turn over a bit of Earth for me to steward.
Yesterday I went out to the garden and started to work. It was brisk to say the least, the sun was shining, the sky was brilliantly clear, and it was as cold as hell (hell to me would be cold, I suffer in cold). Dressed in my puffy down coat, sweatpants, Toms, and my new pink gardening gloves I weeded until I was sure I had eradicated those nasty buggers. I then proceeded to plant tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils. Since it isn't veggie season (at least not of any veggie I like) I thought that I could at least plant some flowers. I dug each hole with care, sprinkled in some fertilizer (chicken poo from our neighbors coop), gently placed the bulb in, and covered it over with soil. I had been having a lame and irksome week that was not turning out how I had planned but this activity provided a way for me to feel grounded, rooted if you will, for the first time in 6 weeks. As I gently avoided Wormy Wormington and Wormina Wormwood with my spade I felt connected to the earth and the process of growth and renewal. I talked to the bulbs as I placed them in the ground and encouraged them to weather the winter and grow in the spring. I hoped and wished for each new bulb and I simultaneously wished the same wish for myself each time. I know that I will get to the point of thriving, but first I have to just hold on until the stormy weather passes over me.
I know how oats, peas, beans, and barley grow. They grow with water, soil, sunshine, and worms. But they also grow with hope, prayerfulness, faith, and roots that reach down into the earth with strength and humility.
For my Leah.
Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow
Do you or I or anyone know
How oats, peas, beans, or barley grow?
When I was in elementary school I thought that this was by far the MOST irritating song ever to be invented. A great friend and I would, upon hearing it, plug our ears and moan and groan. Even now if one or the other of us sings even a few notes of it to the other we laugh and say "no, no, no!"
Oddly enough I ended up choosing a course of study in a field that ties in very closely with how plants grow, and where, and when. I have been yearning for a garden of my own for several years now and although Seattle has dealt me a few disappointing cards so far, it did turn over a bit of Earth for me to steward.
Yesterday I went out to the garden and started to work. It was brisk to say the least, the sun was shining, the sky was brilliantly clear, and it was as cold as hell (hell to me would be cold, I suffer in cold). Dressed in my puffy down coat, sweatpants, Toms, and my new pink gardening gloves I weeded until I was sure I had eradicated those nasty buggers. I then proceeded to plant tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils. Since it isn't veggie season (at least not of any veggie I like) I thought that I could at least plant some flowers. I dug each hole with care, sprinkled in some fertilizer (chicken poo from our neighbors coop), gently placed the bulb in, and covered it over with soil. I had been having a lame and irksome week that was not turning out how I had planned but this activity provided a way for me to feel grounded, rooted if you will, for the first time in 6 weeks. As I gently avoided Wormy Wormington and Wormina Wormwood with my spade I felt connected to the earth and the process of growth and renewal. I talked to the bulbs as I placed them in the ground and encouraged them to weather the winter and grow in the spring. I hoped and wished for each new bulb and I simultaneously wished the same wish for myself each time. I know that I will get to the point of thriving, but first I have to just hold on until the stormy weather passes over me.
I know how oats, peas, beans, and barley grow. They grow with water, soil, sunshine, and worms. But they also grow with hope, prayerfulness, faith, and roots that reach down into the earth with strength and humility.
For my Leah.
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