...with Knees to the Earth

Take it where you can get it....

2011-05-04T09:32:00.000-04:00

As you probably can assume, any pretense of a social life is null and void by this point. However, the other day a little boy from another teacher's class did let me know that I'm not completely decrepit yet...

He overheard me talking with my mentor teacher about her leaving the room and leaving me in charge...

Him: "You're not a teacher...?"
Me: "I'm not?! I wonder why I'm doing so much teaching then..."
Him: "Well, you don't look like a teacher."
Me: "Why not?"
**thinking**
Him: "Well...you're too young, and you dress too nice!"

Like I said, I'll take it where I can get it. Haha. Kids are funny the things that they notice.

On the other hand, in the middle of a math test the other day a little girl raised her hand. I went over to see what she needed. She pointed right at my belly and said, "You has a baby in there?"

Didn't love that so much.

Last week we had a substitute teacher, who just happened to be a 25-year old male. (Now, don't get too excited, he was taken). However, it wasn't so easy to convince the kids of that - they were SURE that he was my husband. So were a couple ladies in the staff lounge....awkward.

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. Yesterday, I got all my "presents." I received a rose (from a little boy that was beaming SO big when he gave it to me, he was very proud of himself), a tulip from a little girl's garden, a dandelion from the playground, a watercolor picture, AND a plastic toy cow. Yes, you heard me right. A plastic toy cow.

I love my job. These kids never cease to make me laugh (except on the few rare occasion they make me want to tear my hair out). Social life be da**ed, at least for now, I'm glad that I love going to work every day :)

They Do Say the Darndest Things!

2011-04-05T14:12:00.000-04:00

Well friends, my absence lately has been well-merited. I've been wrapped up in the world of 2nd graders and grad school, keeping my plate very full. I absolutely love my internship so far. Yes, there have been some very tough parts, and some things that really take getting used to - but I think that I have been placed exactly where I'm supposed to be. My students are so much fun, and so sweet (for the most part!). I'm still learning how to use my stern teacher voice and enact consequences for bad behavior while still showing them that they are cared for and that I want to see them learn - it is an interesting balance to find. Needless to say, I'm having a lot of fun, and a few embarassing moments well. One of the funniest things about students this age is that they seem to have absolutely no filter - they literally say whatever they are thinking...because I find this so humorous, I want to attempt to catologue some of the entertaining (unwittingly so) comments I have heard from the mouths of these kiddos...for posterity's sake I suppose. However, with my increasingly limited time for anything even slightly recreational, I haven't written here since I started my internship and some of my best stories will have slipped through the cracks. I have a tendency to facebook my funny kid stories, rather than blog them, so that my fellow teacher friends can appreciate them. I will share a few here though and hope to add more in the future....

Talking about no filter....

Student R came up to me...
R: "Teacher can I go the bathroom?"
Me: "Ok, you have one minute and I'm timing you" (this is common practice at my school gives them incentive not to be playing around in there)
R: "Can I have 3 minutes, I have to poop!"

While sitting in the teacher's chair and reading to the large group, I suddenly felt something and looked down only to find that a little girl was rubbing her finger on my legs (covered with nylons)....

During a read-aloud, one of my (male) students raised his hand, right in the middle, to ask me,
"Teacher have you seen that one movie about the twilight people who suck your blood? and they glow in the dark! "
Side note: there's another little boy who wears a Twilight t-shirt, often, and I can't help but think that he will regret that when he grows up. Also, for spring break one of the little girls was soooo excited because her family was taking a trip to Forks! I can't help but laugh, because Forks is about the least interesting place in the world, especially to any of us who grew up near it - but, that doesn't seem to stop those vampire-wannabes.

Of course, now that I sit down to write about them, I can't remember all the funny stories. But these kids do make me laugh on a regular basis, so hopefully I'll be able to share more often.

Also, kids love to give gifts...so far I have received: a drawing of a panda, a drawing of an armadillo (apparently, I wouldn't have known until it was explained to me), a bunny sucker, a Spongebob sticker, half a pair of sunglasses (yes, I said half), 4 NutriGrain bars (I finally had to tell the kid to stop bringing me them! poor guy, he loves to share), a grubby handful of sweaty Mike n Ikes, and a snail. Life is good. haha.

Who knew?!

2011-02-23T23:25:00.002-05:00

Apparently it's still winter...

New Home

2011-02-23T10:14:00.000-05:00

View from the dining room window

Here's the lake from a nearby park, bit of a cloudy day...

Hello friends...well, God came through again just as He always does. Contrary to my last post, I am now actually already living in Kent. God provided me with a place to live just as I was about to set into panic mode - gotta love His timing right?! I'm living in Kent, close to Covington and only about 10-15 minutes from the elementary school where I will be working. I am living with the pastor and his wife from the local Vineyard church here - they are great people and completely opened up their home to me, so generously. They are friends of the pastor of my parents' church in Port Angeles, and actually had a brief encounter with my parents (through church-planting) about 20 years ago. Amazing how God works! Needless to say, I've spent the last couple days getting acquainted with this area and getting used to living in someone else's house and adjusting to their schedules. It is a bit of a weird place to be in, but I am very grateful for it. Also, their house is very close to Lake Meridian, so from the upstairs (I'm living in the daylight basement) there's a great view. I took a picture with my phone, so it's not the best quality. (see above - for some reason I'm having trouble with pics on the blog lately, so take them as they are...)

Student-Teaching

2011-02-09T21:32:00.000-05:00

Hey friends, most of you know this already, but I finally got my student-teaching placement! Yay! I'm going to be at Park Orchard Elementary in Kent, WA. You can check the website out here: http://www1.kent.k12.wa.us/ksd/po/PAGES/STAFF/staff_directory.htm
I'm going to be working in a second grade classroom with a teacher who has never had a student-teacher before. I did an interview with her last week and it went very well. She is pretty young and enthusiastic, so I'm excited to work with her. Almost half of her classroom is ELL (English Language Learner) students - a majority of them are Spanish-speakers, so I will be doing some translating. Although the students are learning English, many of the families do not speak English, so hopefully I can bond with the parents through translating. Also, I'm pretty sure that this is why I was placed at this school - because of the Spanish connection, so it's all starting to make sense!

I'm currently in the last week of my job and I need to move into the Kent area ASAP. I went and looked at places to stay on Tuesday. I went to 3 different places and none of them will work out, unfortunately. The parameters of my living needs make it very difficult to find somewhere...but I'm doing my best to have faith that if God wants me at this school, He will find me a place to live! I'm not very good at being patient though...who is?!? If you happen to know anyone that might have somewhere I could stay, here's what I need....

A room in the Kent/Maple Valley/Auburn area.
Month-to-month lease (or possibly a 6 month lease, but even that would be a stretch, because I will probably only be there for 4 months)
No cats! (I'm allergic, and every place I looked at yesterday had cats...:S)
$400 a month or less (I will have no income during student-teaching and will be living just off of my savings/emergency fund)

I have already asked my friends, my church members, 3 churches in the area, and friends of my parents...so if anyone else has any great ideas, please let me know! Thanks :)

What My Phone Has to Say...

2011-01-15T15:46:00.000-05:00

While cleaning out the pictures from my phone memory the other day I came across a few to share....

On Thanksgiving I made my first ever angel food cake from scratch! It turned out excellent. I added my own cranberry glaze, that I made like you would make a normal glaze and then added some cranberry jelly and strained the glaze to get the jelly lumps out. It was pretty.

Around Christmas time, I made snowman mints. Do you believe those are actually mints? Yep, they're awfully cute, but they are also tasty - to me, they tasted like "After-Dinner Mints" (if you've ever had those..they're kind of old-school). My Grandma refused to eat these, or even try one...perhaps they were too cute for her, who knows. I had fun making them...they'd be great for a kids' Christmas party.

Gorgeous morning at John Wayne Marina the other day....this is one of the places I will miss when (if) I move in the next couple of months...speaking of which - my last day of work is a month from yesterday, wow.

My cat (Boo) likes to "help" me with homework...she rubs her head against my laptop. Thanks kitten. She also demands lots of petting...as shown in this picture.

That is all for now....

Happy New Year!

2011-01-10T15:11:00.001-05:00

2 months have passed since my last update...that's funny because one of my goals for my Christmas "break" was to write on this blog when I had "spare time" and fewer responsibilities. However, the urge to write seems to hit me more often when I have other things that I really should be doing..and don't want to. It is as the they say..."my room is never cleaner than when I have a paper to write or an exam to study for."

Turkey Trot in the snow...so cold, my sweat became frost on my headband!

After the Reindeer Run with my medal, it was chilly.

In the last couple of months I have...done a few things. Mainly, I finished up my fall quarter at SPU...it was by far the toughest quarter I've had yet. I enjoyed my break...although, I must say it feels significantly less like a break when you still have to go to work, but it was nice. I did a 5k Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving with my dad...I had a bit of a rough time in that race because it was snowy and I also forgot to tape up my arm beforehand. I did a 10k Reindeer Run right before Christmas and performed much better - even taking 3rd place for my age group!

*An update on my shoulder problems - for those of you who haven't heard, I won't be going for shoulder surgery, as I was originally worried about, for now. I may have to go in for it in the future, but for now, I am simply trying to do some arm strengthening exercises. Apparently, my shoulder bones are too close to my nerves....go figure...Here's something that may make you laugh...my physical therapist recommended that I use the ShakeWeight....yes, you heard me right, that rather obscene-looking device...I now own and use one...laugh away*

Christmas around my house was pretty quiet this year. Fortunately my brother was able to traverse the snow-covered roads and visit from Idaho. That was a blessing...although it turned out I am allergic to his dog and broke out in a terrible rash :( I think I will be more careful before petting unfamiliar dogs in the future - I grew up with a dog that never caused me any allergies, so I must only have trouble with certain breeds.

The biggest news is really that I STILL don't have my student-teaching placement....I will begin my internship in a little less than 2 months and I don't know where I am going! Although I am somewhat comforted to know that about half my cohort is in the same boat as myself...it is still frustrating...especially for a Type A person such as myself. I keep reminding myself that God is trying to teach me patience...something I desperately need to learn...but it's hard! haha.

I have given my notice at my job though...knowing that God WILL provide somewhere for me to student-teach, starting on March 1st. My last day at the church will be...February 14th! Yes that's right, the all-exciting Valentine's day. I figured that would be a good note to go out on...lots of love...or whatever that holiday is really all about. I will be sad to leave this job, I adore the kids here...however, I am ready to move forward in my pursuit of a teaching career and it's really time...They are conducting interviews for my position...and that is a little weird...but I'm sure there's a great person out there to fill my shoes.

If any of you out there are praying people, pray for me in my patience as I wait to find out about my student-teaching placement and along with that, that when I do find out where I'm going, that God would provide somewhere for me to live. Because the internship is 4 months, and I will have no income during that time, it would be virtually impossible to sign a year lease on an apartment...again, I'm trusting that God will provide...but it is definitely more in my nature to worry....

One thing I am sincerely hoping is that if I get placed in the Seattle area (which is highly likely) I will be able to reconnect with Seattle friends...if any of you out there still read this, that means YOU! :) I am also hoping that I will finally be able to actually GO to a church again without working on Sundays...working for a church has been great in many regards, but I miss being in a service and not working a service for sure...

That's all for now...probably until the next time I have a looming deadline....haha. Happy 2011 everyone!

Aren't you a little young for that?

2010-11-08T12:40:00.000-05:00

Yesterday in Sunday school, my little buddy J says to me...
J: "Teacher, I have groin pain!"
Me: "You have what?"
J: "Groin pain."

I ignore this for a while, until it comes up again later...

J: "Teacher, I can't color cuz I have groin pain!"

I look to see him point at his shin....where his "groin pain" was....yep, you guessed it - he meant GROWING pain!

That makes more sense...that guy is never-ending entertainment.

Who is Booty??

2010-11-01T15:10:00.000-04:00

I've been a little lax in my kid-quoting lately...well, I've been posting them on facebook because I know my fellow teachers-to-be appreciate them probably more than any of you...but anyway, here's a few that stuck out/entertained me lately...

At church yesterday (Halloween) I was asking the Sunday school kids what they were going to be for Halloween...

Kid #1: "I'm gonna be Aurora, and (my brother) is gonna be Buzz Lightyear, and Daddy's gonna be Booty!"
Me: "...Booty?!"
Kid #2: "Yeah, Booty!....no wait, WOODY!"

hmmm....

The other day at school I was orally testing some of the students in math when the principal walked by. One of the students cringed and had a terrified look on his face. Knowing that he was a pretty good student and rarely ever gets in trouble, I asked him...

Me: "What's wrong buddy?"
Him: "It's Mrs. B...."
Me: "Yes...so?"
Him: "She FIRED one of the kids at the school!!"

I don't know what that means...but it kind of reminds me of the story about the nasty substitute who was as mean as a witch...can't remember the name at the moment, but I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

Last night (Halloween) I helped my parents hand out candy. We enjoyed messing with the kids by adding rubber rats, dog cookies, and cloves of garlic to the candy....One kid who was probably 8 years old, picked up a dog bone and went to put it in his mouth, until his friend looked at him and said "Man, that is an epic fail." haha. These kids are beyond their years!

Here's a picture from last night...don't mind the demon eyes...that always happens.

Jumbo Jack-o-Lantern Cookies

2010-10-24T19:36:00.000-04:00

**Disclaimer** This is not a light recipe...although I did use "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" margarine sticks instead of real butter...and it turned out just fine.

Also - the pictures are taken with my phone, and aren't the best - but I promise I didn't burn the cookies!

At the church I work for there is a children's choir. Every Tuesday the choir gets together for snack (it's right after school), singing, and games. This quarter, my own classes have unfortunately fallen on Tuesdays and so I can't be there to practice with them....However, I still take turns providing the snacks, and it's my turn for this week.

So, I made these Jumbo Jack-O-Lantern cookies...it was my first try and I think they turned out very well. They taste something like a combination of chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin bread - both great flavors and combine well.

Here's the recipe: This was originally taken (I believe) a couple years ago from a Taste of Home magazine. I have had it in my recipe file but haven't gotten around to trying these until now....

Ingredients:
1 c. butter softened (I used margarine, worked well)
1 c. sugar
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 c. quick-cooking oats (I only had about 3/4 cup, so I added an extra 1/4 cup of flour, and it worked just fine)
1 tsp. B.S. (Baking Soda, I think I'll abbreviate this way from now on)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. canned pumpkin (Now I have extra canned pumpkin, any ideas what I can do with it - besides pie?)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Frosting (I used a basic buttercream for the green and store-bought black (because how do you make black frosting!?), but you can do whatever you want)
-The original recipe used orange frosting, but I found it hard to see on the cookies, and used black for a more traditional jack-o-lantern look.

Directions:
1. Cream butter and sugars. Add egg and vanilla.
2. Combine flour, oats, B.S., Cinnamon & salt, add to the creamed mixture - alternating with pumpkin.
3. Stir in chocolate chips
4). Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto foil-lined cookie sheets.
-Spread the cookies out into oval (pumpkin) shapes, and add an extra teaspoon of dough at the top for a stem.
5). Bake at 350 for 16-19 minutes. Let sit until removable and cool on a rack (if you don't have one, paper towels work great - that's what I do)
6). Frost the "stems" with green frosting and create faces with the black!

These are fun and festive cookies - even coming from someone who's not big into Halloween, I bet the kids will love them!

By the way - these cookies are very large!

Light Pasta Carbonara

2010-10-23T23:30:00.000-04:00

Well friends, as is typical of me when I'm in the midst of a quarter, I don't have much time to blog...however, in those *rare* moments of procrastination I still visit this site and contemplate whether I have enough news-worthy to share. I do have a couple belated happenings recently that I should write about, but I'm feeling uninspired. As I currently struggle with an assignment for my Teaching Science Methods class, I decided to start sharing some of the cooking I've been doing recently....I don't have pictures of these first few, but perhaps I'll start taking them in the future....

As many of you know, in the past couple years I've tried to really tweak (tweek?) my lifestyle to make it more healthy. A large part of that for me has been changing what I eat...I've discovered a love of cooking and playing with recipes to try and make them "lighter". However, I also love to bake...my downfall. These days I mostly bake for different events, or for friends, so as to be a blessing to others - and prevent myself from eating them all!

Most of these recipes will be ones I've taken from magazines and simply changed a bit...I don't expect a movie deal out of it (...Julie/Julia reference, in case you're confused) but there might be some of you out there looking for lighter recipes, and for that reason, I'll share...

The first is Pasta Carbonara - a traditionally highly fattening dish - made of pasta, cheese, bacon/prosciutto, and egg. Now, I must admit, I've never had the real thing, so my version probably pales in comparison, but for a lightened up version of comfort food pasta, I thought it was pretty good! I got a recipe from a website that I can't seem to find at the moment....and changed it a bit, so here's my version...

Ingredients:
Water (for boiling pasta)
about 4 ounces of whole wheat linguine (or you could use spaghetti I s'pose)
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (The original recipe had 2, but 1 is plenty, even though it doesn't look it initially)
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
5-6 slices turkey bacon (turkey bacon has 65% less fat than pork bacon, and although traditional pasta carbonara calls for prosciutto, turkey bacon allows for that same salty taste without all the fat)
3/4 c. frozen peas (thawed)
1/4 c. white wine (I used cooking wine, but I'm sure real wine would be better)
2 large eggs
1/4 c. Parmesan Cheese (more if desired)
Black Pepper (to taste)

1). Boil water, add pasta. Most whole-wheat pastas cook for 6-8 minutes, read the box.
2). Pour EVOO in medium skillet over medium heat.
3). Add bacon and garlic, cook, stirring frequently, until bacon begins to crisp (adjust heat so garlic doesn't get dark, but lightly browns)
4). Add the peas and reduce heat, or remove pan from heat momentarily.
5). In separate large bowl (yes, large, you'll be adding the rest of the ingredients later) whisk the eggs with the parmesan and pepper.
6). Add the white wine to the skillet, and then the pasta (after draining it, obviously). Increase heat to medium-high.
7). After pasta is heated, remove and discard garlic.
8). Add skillet contents to large bowl with egg/parm/pepper mixture.
9). Fold together well to cook the eggs.

Enjoy!

P.S. Leftovers are decent, although the consistency is hard to recreate. They ended up begin rather clumped noodles when reheated.

Roar!

2010-10-18T14:39:00.000-04:00

This Sunday, I taught my K-1st grade Sunday school class the story of...Daniel in the Lion's Den. A SS classic, it's true. In an effort to jazz it up a bit, we made Lion Cookies! Although they didn't quite turn out as well (looking as much like lions) as the perfectionist in me wanted, they were still pretty darn cute. I even managed to snag a couple pictures with my phone....

The kids got to frost and decorate the cookies...then they were very torn as to whether or not they should eat them!

Awkward Side Effect to Breast Cancer Awareness Month...

2010-10-16T16:06:00.002-04:00

Conversation I had with one of the first grade boys yesterday:

B: "Miss H. what's a breast?"
Me: *stares at this boy for a full minute that felt like forever* "Uhmmmm, where did you hear that buddy?
B: "On the radio they said it was breast wariness month."
Me: "Ohhh....Well.....*long pause, scan brain for politically correct answer* It's a part of the body. You should probably talk to Mommy more about that, ok?"

Fortunately he was satisfied with this answer. That being said, I was not expecting that question and upon further reflection I think I should have gone with a "chicken breast" explanation. However, in the moment, I did my best.

Yikes!

Duh!

2010-08-30T13:42:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, TUMC (the church I work for) hosted an all-church picnic. First of all, can I just say that picnics with old people are never a good idea? The potluck food was a disgusting mix of bean concoctions and mayonnaise-based noodle salads...all of which looked quite repulsive. Second of all, I was in charge of the "games". Well, I don't know if you know this - but old people HATE having fun! That is correct. I set up the games and got all ready...and not a single person would even entertain the thought. They preferred to sit, complain about their aches and pain, and glom more mayonnaise onto their waistlines....

Needless to say, I eventually gave up on getting any real games going and just played frisbee with the kids. We also fed some bread to the ducks and of course, played on the swingset and monkey bars.

While feeding the ducks, I asked my friend Jonah, who is 5 years old, why one of the ducks was white, even though the rest were brown? He said, "Because God painted him white, of course!"

Silly me...I should have known!

His sister and I named the duck Rapunzel...Jonah renamed it Bob the Builder....either way, that duck was the most popular and is probably stuffed with enough bread balls to last it a week.

Roots Rock!

2010-08-09T12:52:00.006-04:00

Well folks, it's true - I am now 25 years old...a true quarter of a century. How did I celebrate my day of birth you ask? I enjoyed a lovely Thai food dinner and cake with my family on Saturday...and then woke up with the sun early early on Sunday morning to run the Roots Rock half-marathon in Port Gamble, WA. Although I was hesistant going into the half-marathon (it's only my second one ever!), I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was my first ever trail run (instead of pavement) and it was so much fun. I was able to run the entire race (last time my dad and I walked a large portion of it). I even passed quite a few people! All in all, it was an incredible experience - I definitely understand the concept of a "runner's high". I hope to keep up my running practice, although it will be difficult with winter coming and the craziness of classes and work...but I'll do my best!

On another note, I had a list of things that I wanted to accomplish by my 25th birthday. Unfortunately, a lot of them required money or a partner to do them with, and as I am currently money-less and partner-less...they did not get accomplished. So instead, I'm adding them to my list of things to DO in my year as a 25 year old...I plan to continue adding to the list and see what I get done before 26.

The one large thing that was on my list that I did accomplish was paying off all my undergraduate student loans...that was huge, and I'm so glad I did it. (Don't even get my started thinking about grad school loans...).

So far, here's my list for this upcoming year:
Skydiving
Being able to do a real pushup (guy pushup) consistently...I have no arm strength!
Shoot a gun
Get a bike
Finish reading the LOTR books (and eventually watch the movies)
Write my book

*there are more, but I can't remember them now! I'll add to this list as they come to me...*

Bears, oh my!

2010-08-09T12:36:00.006-04:00

In keeping with the hiking theme, I have another adventure to share. Last week, my dad and I decided to take on a hike that we had done as a backpacking trip when I was a kid...(I was probably 11 or 12?). We did it a couple summers in a row actually. From what we remembered, it's a gorgeous hike in (all downhill) and a grueling hike out...uphill. However, we decided it was worth a shot.

Starting near the trailhead, there was snow!
Plenty of it. Apparently the snow is a little slow to melt this year...seeing as how it's August and it's still here! We crossed a few slippery snow fields before heading down into the valley - headed to Grand Lake. We were lucky enough to see a grouse, a few marmots, a 4-point buck, and of course plenty of birds and chipmunks.

After lunching at Grand Lake, we decided to trek up a little farther to Moose Lake (only about half a mile beyond Grand Lake). Moose Lake is also beautiful and was so quiet and peaceful. We wandered around the lake for a bit until my dad grabbed my arm and pointed across the lake - a black bear! There she was just hanging out by the water's edge. We stood mesmerized and watched her (I named her Georgina) for a good long while until suddenly, her cub came bounding out of the woods! With that she turned and headed back into the trees. Needless to say, it was an incredible experience...and made the uphill trek out totally worth it!

Missing $1.14

2010-08-02T12:12:00.003-04:00

Last weekend my dad and I decided to attempt a hike in the hills just outside Sequim. It is my first hike in at least a couple of years probably. eek!

Well, things got off to a shaky start. After driving way back into the foothills, we came to a parking lot that (we thought) was for the area we were to begin the hike. However, there was a $5 charge! What?! The information we had about the hike specifically said there was no charge. But we just assumed we had misinformation, so we opened up the wallet...uh oh. We didn't have $5. We had 2 $1s or a $20 bill. Was it worth $20? really? After a bit of debate we ended up leaving $3.86...(the $2 plus all the change scrounged from the ashtray) and a note that said we would pay extra the next time we visited a state park! haha oops!

Needless to say, we paid all the fee that we could manage...and headed up the "trail" in the direction the arrow pointed. However, this didn't seem so much a trail as a road...a mostly deserted, gravel road, but still a road. We kept going, thinking that it would turn into a trail at some point...and eventually it did - after 4 miles!! Well, we added 4 uphill miles to the trip right now to start with.

After we walked up the gravel road and finally made it to the trailhead (where there was another parking lot that didn't require payment!! doh.) We headed into the woods, and up towards old copper and manganese mines - Tubal Cain Mine Trail. That was another almost 4 miles in. However, after we go to the mine area (where there was a bunch of old rusted carts and mining equipment) we seemed to lose the trail! We wandered around a couple different little trails that all seemed to come to dead ends....and finally decided it was time for lunch anyway.

After lunch, still confused and map-less, we wandered back down the trail hoping that we perhaps missed a turn-off. After conversing with two seperate sets of fellow hikers who were equally as lost, we went back in the original direction. Eventually we found the path and it led us across a creek...and then up, up up! Up we hiked, up and up, until we bust out into the sunshine with an incredible view of the mountain peaks, that felt close enough to touch! We continued up for another 6 miles or so, and made it alm0st to the top of Marmot pass before we started to run low on water and decided to head back.

On the way back, we speculated the whole way about how we could possibly snag a ride back to our other parking lot with some fellow hikers. However, unfortunately, at the time we arrived back on the trailhead...there were no fellow hikers to be found! We began the last 4 miles of the journey on the gravel road down the hill...not more than 2 minutes went by before a big truck came speeding down the road. The driver halted (in a large dust cloud) and asked (!) if we needed a ride! WOW. We gladly accepted, although it meant getting awfully snuggly in the cab of this man's truck...however, we were tired...and gravel roads are really not enjoyable like hiking in the forest.

Needless to say, we ended up hiking 19.4 miles that day...and we didn't get a parking ticket, even though we were $1.14 short on payment :S. All in all it was a great day. These pictures really don't do it justice, but I'll post a few anyway because the mountains were so gorgeous!

What do you call a seagull that lives on the bay?

2010-07-26T12:21:00.003-04:00

A Bay-Gull (Bagel)!!

So this morning, I was sitting down at John Wayne Marina, enjoying some solitude and listening to a sermon from John Piper (I highly recommend subscribing to his desiringGod podcast on itunes). As I sat and listened I watched the seagulls meadering about and from time to time, attempting to get food. Now, the way they do this: they pick up a clam (or oyster, or pretty much anything in a shell) and fly up high and then drop that shell on the rocks along the shore, hoping to break it open to eat the meat inside. Unfortunately on this beach, the rocks that can be broken against are not close together. That means that the gulls must have excellent aim in order to truly crack open the shell on the rock. Today, I watched one (who looked younger than the others) try repeatedly with his target practice, never able to hit the rock and crack his breakfast open. After what must have been 5 tries, I watched him take his shell allllll the way up to the road and drop it! Success! The shell cracked on the road and he was finally able to chow down (I'm sure he was famished after the hard work to get his breakfast). All that to say, what a resourceful seagull he was, I named him Chet. He may, or may not, be appearing in my book (ha.ha.ha....someday I WILL write it!).

Doesn't feel like summer 'till you make a trip to the lake...

2010-07-25T13:22:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, my mom and I made the trip out to Lake Sutherland and Lake Crescent to pick up my dad from his worship retreat. Afterwards, we had a nice picnic supper at Lake Crescent and soaked up a little sun. We even put our feet in the icy (and yes, I do mean ICY!) water. I love the lake, it is definitely one of my happy places....now, if only I had a jetski!

So beautiful and peaceful :)

My very white legs and feet were coooold in the water.

Longest Sand Spit in the U.S. is in my backyard!

2010-07-25T13:12:00.006-04:00

Did you know that the Dungeness Spit is the longest sand spit in the U.S.?? I didn't! I've lived in Sequim since 4th grade (although I spent 6 years away and now am back) and I never knew this bit of trivia. Actually, apparently, Good Morning America will be doing a story on it upcoming as well. Well, how did I recently come to aquire this knowledge? For a while now, my dad and I have been looking for new challenges in the world of walking/hiking/running so last Friday we decided to walk to end of the Spit and back. Distance-wise, it is not that far (5 miles each way), however, walking on sand is an entirely different feel than walking on pavement or even dirt road. The walk was very enjoyable and we happened to go in the morning during low-tide and were able to see various seals, deer, sea anemones, dead jellyfish, and all kinds of other creatures. The lighthouse at the end is also very interesting, and is still functional, although mostly unneccesary these days with the high-tech equipment that most boats have. All in all, it was a very enjoyable trip and it's always nice to do a little exploring in your very own town!

This was taken heading down onto the Spit, it's too small to tell (taken with my camera phone) but there are two deer just waiting for us!

The lighthouse, we must be at the end! (actually, the lighthouse was originally built 1/16th mile away from the end of the Spit, but because the Spit is still growing, it is now 1/2 mile from the end, which is now a wildlife refuge).

Dad

If you are a member of the Lighthouse Association, you can sign up to spend a week at the lighthouse as a caretaker. Doesn't that sound fun??? I would love to do that...unfortunately the waiting list spans through 2011 already! Wow. Who knows where I will be by then?!

View from the top of the lighthouse. Wish I had a better camera!

NODM Half-Marathon

2010-07-25T12:40:00.006-04:00

This post is exceedingly late in being written, however, a significant event happened in my life last month and I have yet to fully share it with you all. I walked/ran my first ever half-marathon! Now, as many of you are aware, I am not a runner by any means, never have been. However, over a year ago my dad decided it was time to change his lifestyle, in an effort to get off some medications and other things that were detrimental to his life, largely due in part to being overweight. He began walking 10,000 steps a day and significantly changing his eating habits. Because of his new life choices, he was able to drop 60 pounds and ultimately meet his goal weight - and get off those medications! In support of my dad, and also for my own health, I began walking with him when I moved back to Sequim last September. Together, we have stretched our walking distances farther than we ever imagined. We signed up fot the North Olympic Discovery Marathon (NODM) that took place on June 6th, and set that as our goal. Well that half-marathon has come and gone and it was an incredible experience. Of the 13.1 mile course, we were able to run about 4 of the miles (that's a big accomplishment for us! We had planned to just walk the whole thing...but got caught up in the adrenaline rush and ended up running some!). We finished in exactly 3 hours, which was an excellent time for us as walkers. Now, we are attempting to do another on August 8th in Port Gamble. This will be a challenge for sure, but definitely something we look forward to. So, what am I doing for my 25th birthday? Running/walking a half-marathon...suuuure, why not?

Yikes!

2010-07-10T15:33:00.002-04:00

As I work towards my ultimate goal of being a first grade teacher, and having my own classroom of students, I come across many interesting theories and ideas about teaching. Today, I read this, and it definitely made me stop and think about what kind of teacher I want to be, and the impact that will have on my students and the atmosphere in my classroom...Author/teacher/psychologist Haim Ginnott says this, "As a teacher I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom."

ReNew VBS

2010-07-08T15:30:00.022-04:00

Alright, I am aware that it has been a verrrry long time since I've updated this blog, but to make up for it, I shall today post an extensive amount of pictures from my most recent endeavor with the kiddos...VBS! Vacation Bible School, that is. VBS has been a hugely effort and time consuming project for me over the last couple months, especially since it was the first time I had ever planned something on this scale. After months of prep work, it all came down to reality last week. We ended up with about 30 kids (the perfect size for the amount of volunteers we had!) and the week went smoothly...for the most part. I will explain more in depth the these picture captions, but basically, our theme for the week was ReNew! Through study of the Parable of the Sower, we learned how to grow in our faith, have fun, and change the world all at the same time! Because of the "green" theme, virtually all of the materials we used were recycled or re-purposed. Either way, a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll try and give you a bunch of them here and you can see what I've been up to for the last couple of months...check em out!

We headed into the sanctuary for singing!
Kia from local Nash's Produce came to teach us about eating natural foods instead of those foods filled with chemicals!
An important part of our mornings was tying on our workbelts to get ready for the day.
One day we made natural scupltures out of things we found in creation...wood, rocks, twigs, bark, etc...

Of course we had some yummy snacks....seeds trail mix (went with our theme!)
And what would VBS be without games?
It's harder to keep a seed on a spoon and run a relay race than you may realize!

Puppet show!
We even learned all about recycling...
We made recycled instruments
We painted a root system. "God's love takes root in you and me" and "We are nourished by God's love"

We had some kids from various places around the world with us.
We played our instruments during music time
We discussed our Bible story in small groups

I just realized that most of my captions are out of place and attached to the wrong pictures.....not going back in to change them because this is the longest post of all time....sorrrrrrrrry! But, anyway, you get the general idea, the pictures speak for themselves.

We wanted to do some community service, we had planned to repaint the skateboard park, but it rained!So instead, we donned our plastic bag head-coverings and headed out to pick up garbage at a local park.
My buddy Jonah in his paint shirt..it's just a smidge too big ;)

The last day we put on a presentation of The Parable of the Sower for our parents, sang them some songs, showed them what VBS was like, and ate a yummy lunch :)

THE END!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so glad it's over, I'm so glad it went as well as it did. I'm still working on cleaning up...I've got fake flowers galore! Time to focus once again on my own schoolwork...just a few more quarter until I get to student-teach..can't wait!

First, you take the peanut butter...

2010-05-22T16:32:00.003-04:00

Things that happened in the first grade class yesterday...

I overheard this conversation:

Little Girl #1: "Emily! Guess what??"
Little Girl #2: "What?"
#1: "I just got to read with MS. H.!!!!"
#2: "No way, that's so cool!"
#1: "I didn't even have to ask her, just she knew I was an excellent reader so she wanted to hear me read!"
#2: "You're so lucky...sigh"

(Don't worry...I prompty read with girl #2, who is also an excellent reader...haha)

On the playground, one of the little girls comes up to me and says...
Ms. H. what are you gonna have for lunch?
Me: Well, I don't know yet.
Her: Are you gonna go eat in the teacher's special room?
Me: Maybe, I'm not sure yet...
Her: You know what you should do? You should have a PBJ!!!!! Have you ever had one? They're AWESOME.
Me: Oh yes, I've had those, they're pretty good.
Her: They are so good, let me tell you how to make one so you can have one for lunch. First you take the peanut butter....

Thus proceeded and incredibly detailed instruction on making a PBJ. She refused to believe that I had eaten one before...how could I possibly understand the intricacies of this delicacy!?! She is clearly the expert:)

One of the cutest little boys in the world came up to me to ask me a question. However, I happened to be leaning over another student's desk, so when he came up behind me and grabbed my side, it was very ticklish! I proceeded to jump and yelp a little bit....which of course, was the funniest thing in the whole world to this little boy. He was very happy with himself that he scared me and kept trying to get me again later...Fortunately I was prepared and could head those little hands off at the pass....he's gonna be a ladies man in 10 years!

In the middle of "circle time" while all the students were sitting quietly and discussing their non-fiction magazine articles, I looked up. Across the circle from me, one of the troublemakers was sitting with upside-down aviator sunglasses on his face...just chillin. I laughed aloud, until I caught myself. He saw me laugh and then for the rest of the day kept sneaking to put the glasses on whenever I came near his desk...until the teacher took them away.

Kids are so funny. They give me a lot of joy...even the troublemakers!

No big boys allowed

2010-05-18T19:29:00.002-04:00

Today I sat at Panera Bread Co. eating a delicious sandwich and doing some homework, here's a conversation I overhead...

Dad: Ok, let's visit the little boys' room.
Son: Yeah, there it is! *he points*
Dad: Ok, go on in (follows his son)
Son: No dad, this room is ONLY for little boys!

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T17:10:00.002-04:00

In honor of Mother's Day...

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Thanks for callin it how you see it Mom, you're the best.

Does he know what worried means?

2010-05-09T15:52:00.003-04:00

Last week in Sunday school, one of my darling pupils - Jonah - cut his finger open. He threw a huge fit, if you remember, jumping and screaming and flinging blood all about. Today, while making Mother's day cards, he leans over to me and says...

Jonah: Look teacher! My finger is all better!!!
Me: I'm so glad buddy, I was worried about you last week.
Jonah: I know teacher! I was really worried about you too!

Cute.

Also today, he told me that my mom was not as good as his mom (on the mother's day theme) because his mom's name starts with a D, and mine doesn't. I said that my dad's name starts with D, and he said no, cuz that's a mom's name only.....

My poor dad!

:)

Filthy!

2010-05-09T15:50:00.002-04:00

I'm here at my #1-study-location-(Starbucks), and I just overheard this little interaction:

Mom: No, you can't have any coffee.
Little Boy (probably 3 years old): Pleeeeeeeease, Pleeeeeeeeeeease, Pleeeeeeeeease
Mom: Nope.
Boy: But I love coffee!
Mom: Here, smell my coffee cup.
Boy: Ew, it smells dirty!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please Don't Chop My Baby!

2010-05-09T10:50:00.002-04:00

This week while listening to a young boy read, I stopped him briefly to see if he was understanding what he read...We paused at the word "alley." He wasn't sure of the definition, but the boy next to him was, he said "It's kinda like a trailer park!"

hmmm....

Second, the entire group was attempting to define the word "press," here's what they came up with:

...to have a baby
...something you chop onions with

Someone's been watching infomercials I think!

A Mediocre Post, Truth be Told

2010-05-03T14:33:00.002-04:00

The title says it all, I didn't have any great stories this week! That was truly unfortunate. Here's a few mildly amusing stories and one scary one...

The 1st grade students were given a "prize" of gummi bears for completing the longest list of words...One of the girls licked her bears, stuck them together, and said, "Look they're kissing....they're on their honeymoon!"

Another fun day with learning to make inferences. Infer is the big word right now, as the teacher reads a chapter book (gasp! so exciting) the students are supposed to infer what new words mean...Here are their thoughts on the word "infant" -
-a guest
-scared!
-friends
-when you go swimming in a hole...
Don't let these kids babysit!

That's all for funny stories folks, but I did have a sobering moment yesterday. After having taught the preK Sunday school class I was chatting with a mother who came to pick up her child. All of the sudden the worst kind of shrieking started happening behind me....a little 4 year old boys was screaming and crying and flinging his hand around. He turned bright red and just kept screaming. No matter how much coaxing I did, I couldn't get him to stop, calm down, or let me see the wound! All the while he screamed, and flung blood EVERYWHERE, including a generous spattering on my face. For a while he let me hold him but he still wouldn't stop crying or let me see his hand. He wouldn't let me clean it off or even put on a bandaid, he just wanted to scream! Ok, I realize all you parents are just laughing right now because this is probably normal, but it was scary for me! Finally, his mom came but he wouldn't let her see it either! She just held him for what seemed like forever until he let her put a bandaid on. It turned out to be a little scratch that just bled a lot because it was on his finger. Here's the kicker - I have no idea how he hurt himself! All the toys in the room are soft and the room is specifically set up for little kids. I asked his sister who was a witness to all this and she said he cut it on the wall. Huh?!? I looked all around the room to see what he could have cut himself on but it remains a mystery :S Needless to say, it was a rough morning...working with kids is so much fun, but it definitely has its scary moments!

Who You Talkin' To?

2010-04-28T23:25:00.002-04:00

Here's a conversation I had recently with some first-graders...*names have been changed for privacy reasons*

Me: "Betsy!"
Sally: "I'm not Betsy"
Me: "I know that Sally, I wasn't talking to you"
Sally: "Oh, who are you talking to?"
Me: "Betsy."

That Snot'll Kill Ya

2010-04-25T16:12:00.003-04:00

I believe I'll be transforming this blog from a missionary blog to a kid-space, as that seems to be the majority of what I've written lately. I do spend a majority of my time with, learning about, and listening to kids. I've even starting making anecdotal notes in the margins of my fieldnotes to share later....here's one from Friday.

The class just began reading Charlotte's Web when they stumbled upon a word they didn't know...the word was "runt". The teacher asked if anyone knew what runts meant, here are some answers:

Student #1: "to kill someone"
Student #2: "a pig that doesn't listen a lot"
Student #3: "someone that has a runny nose!"

Yes, they did eventually learn the correct definition...

As I write, I'm sitting at Starbucks...there is a mom and her two boys at a table nearby. One of the boys is singing "Down By the Bay, Where the Watermelons Grow...." (classic kids' song!). He has repeated the same two verses (dragon pulling a wagon, and bear combing his hair) about 27 million times in a row. His mom just looked over at me and said "I'm sorry, are you getting any work done??!" I told her not to worry, I plan to be a first grade teacher and I know that song. Then I looked at the boy and said "What about the llama wearing pajamas?" and he was so surprised that he forgot that part! He has now added that to his repertoire. Cute :)

Bathroom Lessons

2010-04-18T14:26:00.003-04:00

Today I learned my lesson about kids and the power of suggestion...

This morning our children's choir was performing a few songs and a skit they had put together. Before they were about to go on stage for the first service they were discussing all the things that could possibly go on (what little adults they are!), the oldest girl (5th grade) jokingly asked what we would do if she peed her pants on stage. I said we would laugh at her. (Don't worry I told her I was kidding...eventually)

BUT, right before they were about to go on stage for the second service, I jokingly asked her if she needed to go to the bathroom. This was a mistake. The littlest girl (preK) and the two boys proceeded to rip off their costumes and run to the bathroom! Of course right as they did this the cue for us to go on stage came. So...I sent the other kids down the aisle and waited for the other three at the restrooms. Needless to say we made a bit of a bedraggled entrance. One of the boys got so nervous he couldn't get his belt fastened! Poor kid!

All that to say, I learned my lesson. The power of suggestion is a strong one, especially when it involved peeing one's pants in public!

Who needs a social life?

2010-04-17T14:46:00.002-04:00

As you may or may not know, the choices I've made regarding working all the time, commuting to Seattle, going to grad school, volunteering at Helen Haller, taking guitar lessons, and trying to work out often, don't leave me a ton of time for a social life. However, I've discovered the solution - my newest bff (best friend forever, for all you old people out there ;)) is one of the first graders in the classroom I volunteer in. Her name is Paola. She and I started our bffship last week during library time because she asked me to read her a book at Quinceaneras (the special 15th birthday celebration of girls in the Hispanic community). This week in class, I got to spend some time with Paola working on her own reading. After that I was the constant object of her affection throughout the day. After a copious amount of hugs and invitations to come play at recess, I knew Paola was my newest best friend. The funniest part of my day though, was at the end of the day, after all the kids were dismissed to go home. Paola grabbed my hand and tried to guide me in the direction she was going. I said, "Alright Paola, have a good weekend, I'll see you next week, ok?" She said, "Aren't you coming to my house? We could play and even read some more." I laughed and explained that I couldn't go home with her but I'd see her soon...her response, "But I thought we were friends!!"

There you have it ladies and gentlemen, who needs a social life when first graders give you all the validation you need??!

;)

Are there frogs in space??!

2010-04-16T20:55:00.001-04:00

Conversation I overheard in the first grade class today:

Boy #1 (reading): Frogs are amphibians and...
Boy #2 (interrupting): What's amphibians?
#1: You know, amphibian, like... "To amphibian, and beyond!"

6 year old evangelist?

2010-04-12T14:21:00.002-04:00

Mormons. We all know them. We've all seen them at our front doors with their ties and bike helmets. They evangelize, it's what they do. But at what age do they begin?! Here's a conversation I had with a first grade little boy on Friday:

W: "Teacher, do you go to the Mormon church?"
Me: "No, actually I don't."
W: "Well, why not?"
Me: "I go to a different church."
W: "But the Mormon church is better, I LOVE it!"
Me: "Oh yeah? Why do you love it?"
W: "You learn about Jesus and stuff..."
*pause*
"Oh! And sometimes you get to go the Bishop's house and he gives you cookies!"

I had two thoughts:
1). Yikes! This kid is really an evangelist. At what age is it appropriate to teach your kids to prosthelytize? Apparently in the Mormon church they come out with tracts in hand. Gotta give them credit for enthusiasm.

2). What does the bishop do after he gives you the cookies? Does this SCARE ANYONE ELSE??!?!?!?!?! Please tell me he doesn't take you in a special back room :S

Math Conondrum (is that how you spell that? I think so...)

2010-04-08T13:30:00.003-04:00

Alright everyone, so this quarter I am teaching a class on Teaching Elementary Mathematics. At the beginning of our first class this Tuesday, the teacher posed this math problem to us. Now, I must admit, I'm a little rusty in my math skills - the last math class I took was my freshman year of college... that would have been, oh, 2003. eek! I struggled to write out an algebraic equation for this problem, and in the end came up with 27/20 of a person, so I know that's not right. Granted, no one else in the class was confident in their answers or knowing how to solve it either. There was one girl at my table who came up with a solution that seems plausible to me, and I'm curious to see what YOU will come up with. I know there aren't a ton of people who read this blog, but we'll see if I get any answers back.

Here it is:
If 2/3 of all the men in a condiminium complex are married to 3/5 of all the women, what fraction of the people living in the complex are married?

Let me know what you get and how you got it! Happy calculating ;)

Hiking!

2010-03-23T15:26:00.006-04:00

This past Sunday I took the youth group on a hike up to Marymere Falls. Unfortunately, in true Washington style it was a drizzly day and we ended up with a group of only 4 of us :( Oh well, us brave ones trudged through the drizzle up to the falls, and it was beautiful! Here are a few pics...(I finally remembered to bring my camera to a youth event, I always seem to forget!)

Marymere Falls (much more majestic in person)

Myself, Hannah, and Emily at the top of the hike

The girls enjoyed the slanted log bridge :)

Little Boys

2010-03-23T15:21:00.002-04:00

These two observations come from my experiences in a first grade classroom yesterday. They can summarized by a combination of these two statements: 1). Kids are funny and 2). Little boys (ok, all boys) are gross.

The teacher was leading a discussion about the differences between inside and outside rules...

Teacher: "What are some inside rules that your mom and dad have at your house?"
Kid A: "No running."
Kid B: "No throwing things."
Kid C: "No coloring on the walls."
Kid D: "No farting on your brothers!"

Gross.

The other interaction I witnessed as a kid who came up the teacher looking absolutely forlorn, this is how that conversation went:

Teacher: "What's wrong? Are you ok?"
Kid: "I need to go to the nurse."
Teacher: "Ok, what's wrong?"
Kid: "Well, I keep burping and it smells really bad."

Little boys...eeshk.

Media Reviews

2010-03-12T12:50:00.003-05:00

First of all, I feel I am obliged to start off with the most current of films: Alice in Wonderland.
Was it weird? YES. Was it creepy? Somewhat. Was it enjoyable? Mostly. Was all of that to be expected? YES. When you take a book based on an acid trip, add Johnny Depp - the only man who can pull off eyeliner and still be attractice, and the direction of Tim Burton - OF COURSE it's gonna be weird! Needless to say, I enjoyed the movie because of, not despite, all of its weirdness. Really, that's all there is to say - watch it for yourself if you really want to know. There is the classic battle between good and evil, and the sending of one to save the rest - does that story remind you of ANYONE ELSE? I'll let you think long and hard on that one...
*The movie was my first move in 3D. Yes I know, I'm way behind, but truly, I don't think I'm a huge fan. First of all, my glasses were way too big and didn't want to stay on my face. Second of all, when I got out of the movie, I was sooooo tired and my eyes definitely did not want to be driving home. Not sure what that was all about, but I'm pretty sure it had to do with the 3D because we saw the movie in the middle of the day.*

Prince Caspian - I finally saw the second Chronicles of Narnia movie. I enjoyed it. The scenery and imagery in those movies is incredible. However, it mostly just makes me want to read the books again. I haven't read them in ages. As with most great books that become movies, the movies are simply too condensed! They leave out the details that make the stories so good in the first place.

Up In the Air - Why the heck did this movie get so many award nominations? I thought it was absolutely terrible. Let's see, there's adultery, lust, suicide, pain, etc. Sometimes I can sit through a movie that's got that bad stuff if, in the end, there is some redemption. This movie never redeemed itself. The end message was all about betrayal and pain instead of love and happiness. Yes, you make a good point that that may be more realistic as to what love is all about. But come on people, I don't go to the movies for the painful reality of life, I have ENOUGH experience with that in my own life! Either way, I don't recommend this movie. You keep waiting for something good to happen, for the main character to make a good choice, and you are thoroughly let down in the end.

Love Happens - Again, a depressing movie. While I liked this one better than Up In the Air, it still doesn't come with a high recommendation from me. There is so much pain in the movie as the man works through his issues with his wife's death, it seems to be dragging along the entire time. Second of all, the let a parrot go in the mountains in the Northwest. Hello?? There's no way a parrot could survive, that was just stupid!

All About Steve - A dumb movie. I'm disappointed is Sandra Bullock. She is truly one of my favorite actresses. But put this movie side by side with The Proposal and you could barely realize it's the same actress! All About Steve is about how she is a competent and capable woman until one day she gets a crush on a man and becomes a stalker. Not amusing. I'm pretty sure I didn't laugh once in the entire movie! Come on Sandra, you're killing me!

Benjamin's Box - a children's book - now you may wonder why I'm mentioning a children's book, but I have recently been reacquainted with this book and just think it's worth mentioning - especially for Easter! We will be using this book at the church for our Easter event and I think it's a very powerful story for kids. The book essentially tells the story of Easter (Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection) from the perspective of a little boy and the "treasures" he puts in his treasure box. If you have kids or grandkids, or you babsit - it's worth sharing with them.

Lifehouse - new cd Smoke & Mirrors. I love Lifehouse. Some of their music is some of my all-time favorite stuff. This cd is not my favorite, however there is still some quality music on it. There's also some good crying music, which I've unfortunately been doing a lot of lately. Perhaps I'll enjoy the other songs more when I move past this season of life in which I cry often. "From Where You Are" is worth a listen, along with others. Listen to the words...as is my exhortation with all music...some music lyrics really create incredible pictures for you as you listen.

I'm currently reading: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - so far, I'm not wildly impressed. In part, because the book uses a lot of names I can't pronounce and I stumble over them in my head as I read - either that, or I step to contemplate the word and lose my train of thought in the story. And in part, because so far it simply has yet to really capture my attention- however, I'll give it at least a few more chapters. I'm also reading Knowledge of the Holy for the third time. It's good. Read it.

That's where I'll leave you all for today. Most of these have probaly already been viewed by you, I tend to be a little late on the uptake for current media. What can I say, I'm a busy gal! But hey, if anyone has any recommendations for me, I'm all ears. Enjoy your rainy Fridays everyone :)

No, YOUR hair is brown :(

2010-03-12T12:32:00.005-05:00

As this winter quarter winds itself down to a close, I find myself less and less able to complete anything! I have only two assignments and one project left to go, all due by Monday, and yet somehow my brain has already given in and wants to simply plant myself in front of Paula Dean and learn how to make every food covered in butter imaginable. I suppose that is to be expected after an exhausting quarter, but it rather frustrates my type-A personality, that wants to do the best I can all the time! 3 assignments to go, I keep telling myself and yet somehow that is no longer motivating me. Someone come give me a shoulder rub and the will to go on? Alright, enough drama....

First things first, I need some donkey fur. No, I'm not kidding. I'm looking for some donkey fur for an Easter illustration so if anyone has some let me know.

Second, I spoke too soon a few weeks ago when introducing you all to the new man in my life. Alas, as quickly as he came, he is now gone and taken a piece of my heart with him. I won't bore you all with the gory details, but I will state this for the record: He is an incredible person, we had a great friendship that simply didn't work romantically. I sincerely hope we can regain that friendship someday and I wish him the absolute best.

Third, I got a letter from AARP the other day. No, I'm not kidding about this one either. It wasn't just a letter, it was a card, and an invitation to join. REALLY??? I mean, I know my social life is lacking and I may not wear the hippest clothes, but COME ON! I'm 24 years old for Pete's sake (ever wonder who Pete is?), why am I being invited to join AARP? That's what I get for living in Sequim I suppose.

Fourth, next quarter I get to start spending my first significant amounts of time in the classroom. I already volunteer in the elementary science lab currently, but next quarter I need to actually complete 40 hours of observation, and I'm excited! Mrs. Marcy, first grade teacher at Helen Haller, has graciously agreed to allow me in her classroom and I can't wait.
-One the other hand, next quarter will be insane. I'm taking 3 classes. I need to be in Seattle 2 days a week instead of 1. So that means I need to do my 20 hours a week at the church the other 3 days a week....AND find the daylight hours to be in the classroom! YIKES. Someone get me a brown paper bag?

Fifth, I love my job. I absolutely do. I love the kids most of all. However, a week or so ago I had this very disheartening conversation with one of the little boys.

*The girls were teasing him about his very red hair*
Me: "You know Joe, when I was born, I had red hair just like you! And then when I started to grow up, it got blonde like it is now."
Joe: "Really? But now your hair's brown. ??!"

Oh Joe, way to cut me to the quick, and yet do it so innocently. Apparently my hair is now brown. I blame Washington.

Finally, can anyone think of any good kids Easter songs? I've got plenty for Christmas or even Thanksgiving, but can't seem to come up with any for Easter. Help me out folks!

Another blog is in the work shortly - I'm going back to my media reviews for the few pieces of media I've consumed lately. Besides, what else would I be doing right now? Oh yeah...working on that huge presentation? Nah...

Haiti Relief

2010-03-02T17:54:00.002-05:00

So with my youth group here at the church we have been working on putting together emergency relief kits for Haiti. Finally, last weekend we were able to get them all bagged, boxed, and taped up in order to get them sent out. It was a TON of work, but we're very excited to send 6 boxes full of the most basic supplies to those still in need down in Haiti. For those of you who know me well, as you can imagine the missionary heart inside of me is wishing I was able to GO to Haiti and not just mail stuff...alas, at this time in my life it doesn't seem feasible, and yet, I still say, if you need me Lord, let me know!! ;)

The only thing that's getting me through...

2010-03-02T17:52:00.002-05:00

"Cease striving and know that I am God;" Psalm 46:10

Political Satire in the 2nd Grade

2010-01-28T17:45:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, during my volunteering in the elementary school science 2nd grade class, I enjoyed this interaction:

Science Teacher: Now, who can give me an example of something that sinks in water?

Girl: a rock!

Science Teacher: a rock! Do you mean Iraq the country or a rock on the ground?
*class giggles*
Girl: a rock on the ground!

Boy (talking aloud in the back): A rock...Rock....Barack....Barack Obama!!??

Science Teacher (ignoring this): Ok, who has another example of something that sinks in water? Think about it, and tell your neighbor.

Boy (to his neighbor): Barack Obama!! He can sink AND he can FLY!!!!!!!

Now, I am curious as to what sort of political education this boy is receiving either at home, or from the media. At some point we have hero-ized Obama to the point that he has superhuman powers (BEYOND bringing "hope" to the world and solving all the US's healthcare problems). That flying power will come in handy if the country suddenly turns on him I suppose. My only question is, if he can fly, why do we spend so much money on Air Force One?!?!?!

*Side note, I am not against Obama. I do find it inappropriate the way he has been idolized as a savior for our country. I'm also disappointed in his choices as far as stem-cell research goes. But, all in all, I am looking forward to seeing what changes he continues making for our country, and I hope they are positive ones.*

Really Important

2010-01-15T21:01:00.001-05:00

I miss Jennifer Palmer.

Oh that Poly Sci Major...

2010-01-14T13:37:00.002-05:00

For any of you left who don't know, I majored in Political Science and Philosophy in college. I got my Bachelor of Arts in 2007. For the 4 years I spent in college and the 3 years since, I have received nothing but criticism about my choice of majors. Now granted, some of it was merited, as it's true: those are majors that do not directly lead to a job opportunity after college. However, a lot of it has been negative simply because these are subjects that people do not understand or took one class and disliked. The typical response when I tell people what my B.A. is in is: yuck! or why?!?? or I hate philosophy, you're crazy! Now I have come to simply accept that these are token responses from a general percentage of the populous. The other response I seem to get from people who deem themselves incredibly worthy of high praise (like math majors, mechanical engineers, and computer science students) is: "oh that's like getting an English degree, what's the point?! It's so easy!" This is the most infuriating response. And yet, over the years, I have simply come to accept it, and even make a joke out of my response when asked. I now typically respond with a token "I studied Poly Sci and Philosophy, two of the most useless majors...ha...ha...ha" all the while, dying a little bit inside. Because truly, no matter what anyone else tells me, I really enjoyed my undergraduate studies. I still enjoy philosophy and especially philosophical debate and I do not feel that I wasted my time. Yes, I may be on a different path now, but I believe it's all part of God's plan and just figuring out what I truly wanted to do with my life!

All of this to say: Yesterday I had a conversation that wowed me. I as at the elementary school helping out in a second grade classroom when the principal came in. He knows me well enough to say hi usually when he sees me. This time he actually chatted with me for a minute, asked me a couple questions about my studies, etc. For some reason he asked me what I studied in my undergrad, and I gave my now typical sheepish response: "Poltical Science and Philosophy" (and waited anxiously for him to strike me down verbally). He didn't! Instead his response was "Wow, that must have been an incredible classload and how interesting!" (His exact words were more succint and well-crafted than that, but I was so stunned I cannot remember them). I sputtered and I searched for words, as this was an entirely new experience for me! I finally found my vocabulary enough to actually agree with him and say how much I loved the experience.

And that was it! It was a 10 second interaction, and yet it meant the world to me. It was a shock and surprise, and from someone I barely know. In fact, who even knows if the guy was genuine or he was just being polite, but I don't care! For the first time in 7 years someone (outside my normal circle, as there are supportive people who love and care for me, because of me, in spite of my "bad choice" of majors)...but I'm talking about a real-live-human-adult-being-important-person-type who appreciated my efforts. Wow!

Fancy Seeing You Here...

2010-01-07T14:58:00.003-05:00

After so many months of silence I'm back. Unfortunately, this blog will be picture-less for now, as my pictures remain snugly safe in my other computer. However, I have been promising a life-update for a while, so it's time to write it!

First of all, what's new with you? I'd rather hear about your life than mine...seriously.

Second of all, what's new with me? Let me think....well, you already know that I'm in grad school, and LOVING IT. What else?

I just got a new job! No more AutoZone for me! Although a tiny part of me does miss my boys at the Zone, I'm absolutely thrilled with my new job. I am working as the Education Coordinator for Trinity United Methodist Church in Sequim. Now, I know what you're thinking...I'm not a Methodist! I know, and so do they. However, I do have experience and passion in the arenas of both education and Christianity, so I'm in! I will be basically overseeing everything from Sunday school classrooms/curriculum, to the 3-church combined youth group, to the adult classes on every topic under the sun!! It's a big job, and I'm so thankful for a job that will actually challenge and grow me a bit. The only trouble I've had so far is that my predecessor left for vacation leaving me only a sticky note of names and words, that really don't mean too much to me! eek. I've mostly been reading curriculum, chatting with others about the youth group, and trying to get a handle on what I'm supposed to be working on for the past few days. Ummm, did I mention that I have my own office! Yay! It's definitely fun, and it fortunately has a sun-facing window.

What else? Still living with Grandma, and it's going as expected. We still startle each other from time to time, which is always entertaining.

Ohhhh yeah, here's an important one: boyfriend. Yes, you heard me correctly, there's a man in my life. I don't like the word boyfriend, as he is really not a boy (the word implies a child who has holes in his knees and eats a lot of pudding), but it sounds awkward to call him a "manfriend", so I've decided to stick to the Spanish word for boyfriend which is "novio". My novio's name is Rafael. This is the part of the story in which a picture would really be helpful, but alas, it is not to be. Rafael, Rafa for short, is a long-time friend. We met on my first project to Venezuela in 2006. Since then we've kept up a friendship which eventually led us to our current relationship (we have been together since September). One of my favorite things about him: he doesn't like Pho. Really people, what is the big deal about watery beef broth?! A point upon which he and I heartily agree...and I don't know anyone else who does!! Besides the Pho opinion, he makes me laugh. awwwww. Our senses of humor coincide well and that is a very good thing as a majority of our relationship exists on the phone. That's right, you gussed it, this is a LONG DISTANCE relationship. yuuuuuuuck! Yes, my dearest Rafa lives in Sacramento, CA. 14 long hours by car or 2 expensive hours by plane, away from me. :( Hence, a majority of our relationship has been built via talking on the phone and text message....the modern day form of a letter-writing romance perhaps? It's tough, but we have been able to visit each other...not nearly enough.

This brings me to another point. Rafa is trying to move to Washington! Yes, it's true. The poor guy has been unable to get a real job since he graduated from UC Davis. Now we've moved his job-hunting from Sacramento to Seattle/Washington...we'll see how it goes. He has already had 2 interviews here, both who would have loved to hire him, but they simply didn't have any work available. Oh, did I mention that his degree is in Civil Engineering?! I know!!!!! Smarty pants. And you would think that he has a useful degree...he does....just not in this economy. All of that to say, if any of you have any contacts for me/him or hear of anything at all that has to do with Civil Engineering in Washington...let me know! We'd like not only to get him a job for job purposes, but also to see what our relationship would be like if we lived in the same state....

Alright, I believe that's all for now. It should be enough to give you a quick update, explanation, and project for the future. Bubbles and Sparkles! :)

Study, Study, Study...

2009-11-08T16:48:00.005-05:00

yes, that is what my life has become...and I'm LOVING (almost) every minute of it :) Call me a nerd if you want, but I'm really enjoying my class at SPU so far. However, there are a few downsides to being consumed by my studies: lack of time to update this blog (haha), lack of interesting things to post to this blog! (no time for them!), and finally, the fact that you are currently calling me a nerd. All of that being said, I have a new blog. It won't be of interest to most of you, as it is simply the place where I will be posting my reflections and assignments about teaching styles and methods taught in my classes. But I do enjoy feedback and opinions - especially if any of you out there are teachers! Here it is: http://chelsearoseh.wordpress.com/

Btw, I WILL be keeping this blog...as I mentioned, it is under reconstruction, as it has become mainly for personal use, as I am no longer out of the country (this blog originated for my updates from a faraway land). Keep checking back...I have many pictures w/life updates to post one of these days! Until then, to all you fellow nerds out there - may your pencils always stay sharpened, your post-it flags colorful, and your Starbucks cups full ;)

Under Reconstruction

2009-11-04T10:34:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since I wrote and I'd like to come back to it...just give me a while to figure out which direction I'm headed in......! I'm also starting a new blog for my academic work at SPU, that url to come any day now.

The Year of 24

2009-08-18T23:15:00.023-04:00

It's been a bit of a while since I've written....hah.....so I've got quite a few updates for you -

1). I turned 24.....I can't believe it, I'm an old lady :S Lucia flew in from Venezuela and Rafa drove up from California to spend a few days with me. We went camping at Salt Creek and hung out in Sequim for a few days. It was a lot of fun to see them again and just relax and hang out.....Camping was a bit of an adventure as it turned out that I was the most experienced of the 3 of us, but we did a lot of experimenting and laughing and exploring. Honestly, my year of being 23 has been the worst in my life thus far, so I'm hoping and anticipating better things for the year of "24". It got off to an interesting and mildly murky, albeit entertaining start - but I am hoping for good things to come in this next saga of life as a 24 year old.

2). Next week will be my last week at Chase....woooohooo. As many of you know, it has NOT been my favorite job. Although I do like most of the people I work with now, I got off to a rough start at the job and have definitely come to realize that banking is not my cup of tea. However, at the start of this job I committed to myself, and to the company, that I would put in at least a year of my time...and now I'm quitting just one week short of my start date last year - a pretty well-kept commitment, if I do say so myself :)

3). I'm going to grad school at Seattle Pacific University....starting a month from today!!!!!!!!!! I will be pursuing my Master's in Teaching through a 2-year evening class program. I don't think I could possibly be more excited. I may be a little bit behind in finding my career path than most of the people I graduated with, but I just like to think that I was very thorough in making my life decision of a career ;) Also I wouldn't have given up my year in Venezuela for anything, and this year in Lynnwood has definitely served to teach me some lessons and test me in ways I had never imagined. All that to say, I'm a huge nerd and I'm so excited to go back to school - and hopefully this time, end up with a degree that is actually useful! (oh poly sci....you were not so good to me)

4). I'm moving back to Sequim. WHAT? Yes. I'm doing it. Aren't you scared? Well yes, I'm terrified, thanks for asking :) I am moving back to my hometown after 6 years of living on my own. I'm moving in with my Grandma Jean - one of the funniest and sweetest little ladies that I know. She has a spare bedroom with my name on it and she will make for some great company - and will be, BY FAR, the cleanest roommate I've ever had! How will I get to school, you ask? I will be commuting....yes, commuting - it sounds so grown up doesn't it? It may sound crazy but as plans for grad school have progressed and wages/job availability/cost of living has been assessed the price of living with Grandma and commuting far undercuts the cost of living alone in Seattle (not to mention the emotional benefits of living with someone you love and being in a happy, green, beautiful place!). This brings me to the next big thing.....

5). I bought a car today. What's that you say? YES, I bought a car today. The best part? Through the incredible generosity of my Grandmother and wonderfully supportive parents, and after doing careful searching for just the right car, in just the right price range - I've found it (well, "her"). After driving the car that I purchased when I was 16 years of age (my 1993 Mazda Protege) I am moving up in the world and just purchased a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. It gets great gas mileage, is very reliable, and will be a great commuter car. It's dark blue and has all kinds of fun compartments and ipod hookups and whatnot inside. Power windows and locks (something I've never had!) and, here's the best part, won't break down every couple months!!!!!!!

Alright, so there's the update on my life....I'm going to attach about a million pictures now at the bottom here for your viewing enjoyment.....I'd love to hear what's going on with all of you! Love and Light, Chelsea Rose

Luly and I definitely enjoyed walking out to the tidepools.....Rafa, kept a safe distance from all scary sea-life.
At Salt Creek/Tongue Point there are WWII bunkers
Camping is fun....and sometimes scary.....
Lucia scared the heck out of me by decorating my living room with streamers, balloons and a Feliz Cumpleanos sign for my birthday!!!!!

Sometimes you'd think they're brother and seester
A very important part of camping is sitting...
where did that muppet head come from??

I found a secret passageway!
Firemaking is an important responsibility in camping....

Luly is the best arepa maker!
We decided to make Venezuelan food for my familia - shredding leeks (ajo porro) for Carne Mechada
Homer Depot - Luly's American bf!

Carrie Blake Park
My new car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hurricane Ridge Road
Up on Hurricane Ridge Road

My Happy Place

2009-06-21T23:10:00.005-04:00

Awww beautiful Sequim. I took a long weekend (that felt way too short) last weekend and headed "home" to visit my

parents in my hometown. Amazingly enough, somehow over the past year of living in Lynnwood surrounded by freeways and dirty city buildings I've come to embrace my inner nature girl.. I know! Where the heck did that come from? Well anyway, my jaunt to Sequim was made enjoyable by quality time spent with my family and the serene atmosphere of the little town. I've come to jokingly refer to Sequim as "my happy place" which is ironic if you knew me in high school because I made a beeline out of there as soon as I was able - but now, Sequim has become a port in the storm. Over the past year, the worst of my life, Sequim (due mostly in part to my supportive family) has become a refuge for me, and I was so thankful to get to spend a couple of days there. Outings included breakfast with Grandma at the local Oak Table Cafe (the best breakfast place in the world), long walks with Dad, early Father's day gift-giving, visiting Mom at work and getting pizza at Costco (you laugh, but it's the best pizza), and a day at the lake with Mom. Lake Crescent is about 40 minutes outside of Sequim and is one of the calmest and most beautiful places I've been in my 23 years.

P.S. Yes, I am one goofball in a family full of goofballs, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

TracyShadle

2009-06-07T23:02:00.004-04:00

My roommate is getting married and we threw her a bridal shower last weekend! Here's a few pics.....we're so excited for the future Mrs. Tracy Shadle
Practicing her new wifely skills: baking a cake from scratch.
Snacks!
Being veiled.
friends

Presents!

Ethnic?

2009-06-07T22:55:00.002-04:00

Conversation I had with a customer the other day....

Customer: "Well those earrings are....interesting"

Me: "Thanks! I really like them, I got them when I was in Venezuela."

Customer: "Oh, yeah.....they look....ethnic."

Conversation I had with my neighbor (the one that once asked me if I could fit in my trunk) the other day...

Him: "Oh? That's your truck?"

Me: "Well, it's my dad's, I'm just driving it for now while my car is getting fixed."

Him: "I saw that your car wasn't here last night, even late last night, so I thought you were out of town for the weekend"

Me: "Um, nope...."

Why is he monitoring my car late at night?!?!?!?!

In case you didn't already know...

2009-05-11T01:15:00.003-04:00

So this post has been a long time coming, but I wanted to let you all know that I've been accepted to and made my final decision to attend.....*drumroll* SEATTLE PACIFIC UNIVERSITY (SPU) to get my Masters in Teaching this fall. So that is mostly where all my time and energy has been lately, first applying to, interviewing at, and getting accepted to the program and currently sorting out financial aid information and working on a plan for finding a new job and apartment in September. For my interview at SPU I was asked to give an example of my teaching skills by preparing and presenting a short lesson plan. I chose to teach on 3 of the unique consonant sounds in the Spanish language. It was nerve-wracking, but clearly went well...! Thus I've documented a picture of my first ever lesson plan here for posterity's sake.
Recently I've discovered somewhat close to my house a cute little beach that has become a comforting spot for me, I love to have quiet times there and read my Bible or a good book. Although I was there this morning and had a heart breaking moment in which a couple walked by with their black lab named Jake. For those of you who don't know our family dog's (half lab, half retriever) was named Jake and my beautiful dog passed away the day I returned to the states last July.

What else? A couple weeks ago I was sent downtown with all the other WAMU pee-ons to Chase training in the WaMu tower downtown. The class was insanely boring, of course, but the view was incredible! I was up on the 29th floor, looking down into people apartments, watching dogs pee on balconies and monitoring the ebb and flow of the tide...all the while learning all the important things Chase needs me to know ;)

What would YOU save in a fire?

2009-04-26T23:31:00.006-04:00

Ahh, peaceful, tranquil Sunday morning...no work, no worries.....interrupted by a fire alarm! Fortunately I was already awake, as my body is preprogrammed to awaken at the same precise moment every day. I had just turned on the fan in our living room when I was greeted with a piercing sound that ousted the last cobwebs of sleep from my body. However, as you might know, for some of us it takes awhile in the morning before our brains fully function - I was thought that somehow the fan had triggered something in the speaker for the TV and it was having a bad electrical reaction - causing the shrieking sound. After a moment of pondering this, I realized that indeed that was ridiculous and instead turned for the smoke alarm. Tracy is a heavy sleeper and sleeps with earplugs and I contemplated waking her (on the off chance there actually was an emergency)...however, the piercing noise wound its way past the earplugs and she came confusedly out of her room to meet me under the smoke alarm. I attempted the push the button (it said "push here and hold". This proceeded to add an extra aggravated noise to the already deafening one and did nothing to solve the problem. We stared at each other in confusion for a few moments before realizing that you really do learn something in elementary school - smoke alarm, fire drill means go outside. Now I, as I imagine many of you have, have thought about or played that game where you can only choose one thing to take with you in an emergency - or if your house was on fire. Tracy and I both randomly grabbed things and stumbled out the door....into the dull gray morning, to finally meet our neighbors - in pajamas! We all stood around in confusion grumbling and muttering to each other. Now the important part - what did we grab on the way out of the house? I grabbed a sweatshirt and my phone. Tracy grabbed the security phone number, keys, and her bible. What a holy roommate I have!! I proceeded to call the security people, who told me there was no one on duty (helpful!!). Finally another neighbor called the fire department who did indeed show up on the big red truck in the plastic yellow outfits with axes and hoses in hand. What excitement for a Sunday morning! The best part was meeting all the neighbors in their pajamas and watching a majority of them have a 6:30 A.M. cigarette in the back of someone's pickup....Needless to say, I don't foresee in any building BBQs forthcoming...but you never know.

P.S. The alarm went off because some kids broke the glass on the fire extinguisher. Tracy and I tried to start a mutiny to have them kicked out of the building by chanting and thumping her bible...ok, not really, but we contemplated it.

Washington Beaches and Inappropriate Happenings

2009-04-24T13:38:00.003-04:00

Tuesday was my day off this week and I opted for a little God time and me-time and headed for my newfound favorite spot - the little beach by our house. Taking advantage of the sunshine I propped myself up against some driftwood and opened my bible.

Unfortunately the rest of the world also wanted to enjoy the warmth and beauty of the sunshine. As I read, a young couple walked up with their dog. The girl was walking as if on hot coals, I thought it seemed pretty odd, the guy threw sticks in the water for his dog to fetch, and seemed perfectly at ease. I pondered why she was walking so strangely, until they walked within earshot. She was talking and talking and talking about how Washington beaches are not really beaches (let me guess, she was from California?). They had too many rocks! and too cold! and too wet! and too sandy! (ok, maybe she didn't say that). She stood awkwardly while her boyfriend played with the dog. He kept saying, "calm down! sit down!" etc...but she was irate about the state of Washington beaches, they did not meet her standard. What I really enjoyed was the (obviously a native Washingtonian) boyfriend's utter disregard for her complaints while he jumped around with the dog. Maybe I'm more of a Washingtonian than I realized....

Earlier that day I treated myself to a pedicure at a local nail salon...the ladies who work there are all Chinese and don't speak much English, but they are very sweet and helpful. The lady that was doing my pedicure was wearing a dress...and, as you may know, to do a pedicure you kind of have to straddle the foot stool area. So yes, as you can imagine, I could see all the way up her dress.This brought me to adilemna - do I try and tell her? Do I attempt to bridge the language barrier for her sake? or is it more embarassing if I say something? Then I thought, well she had to know...she had to realize what was happening, if nothing else she would have felt a draft! I eventually came to the conclusion that she did, in fact, know what she was doing, and simply didn't care. After, she was in a salon full of women. Who knows...either way, it was an awkward moment for me, and needless to say I spent the rest of the time texting so as to avoid the awkwardness.

What an exciting life I lead....

2009-04-19T00:58:00.001-04:00

Potato Peels

2009-04-15T17:05:00.003-04:00

Back to the regularly scheduled programming of media reviews.......

I recently finished the book "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society". I give it a thumbs up! This novel consisted in a series of letters between a writer in England and group of people on the island of Guernsey. The group on Guernsey formed due to experiences with the war and became a literary society as a front to keep themselves out of trouble from the invading troops. Through these letters the story of life on Guernsey during the war is told. The characters are colorful and and entertaining. Underlying the whole thing is a love story, which eventually draws the story to a rather predictable close. All in all the front of the story is light hearted amidst telling some painful and some comical realities of wartime on the island.

The Jane Austen Literary Society - (movie) - This was an enjoyable film, although a little depressing at times. I found the main female lead a little bit aggravating in her naivete towards the male lead's obvious attraction to her. It was a little unbelievable, however the witty interaction between the characters discussing the novels of Jane Austen was enjoyable, and did inspire me to re-read some Austen classics...no, I haven't started yet. There are far too many novels on my "to-be-read" list.

Dead Poets Society - ok, I realize this is an old movie, but I hadn't seen it before. It's SO SAD! and yet, inspiring. I must admit this happened to be one of the very few roles I've ever enjoyed Robin Williams in. Usually his performances tend to be crude and obnoxious, but in this he played an English professor who uses unconventional methods to teach his students a love of poetry. While some of the teen boys' behaviors were deplorable, watching an appreciation for fine arts such as drama and poetry blossom in them makes the movie worth watching. As a side note, Ethan Hawke is in this as a young boy, he is odd looking isn't he?

I'm currently reading The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - which so far seems to be a bit wordy and slow, although insightful into the life of a young mute boy on a farm in the 1940s (I think, not quite sure). I'm also reading "The Prodigal God" by Timothy Keller. It's basically a deeper look into the 2 sins of the different brothers in the story of the the prodigal son. I find myself identifying with both the elder-son and younger-son mentalities at different times. Praise the Lord for his GRACE!!

Ideas Needed!

2009-04-07T15:55:00.002-04:00

Well, strike everything I just said. Ok, not everything, just a little. SPU is hosting a make-up interview on Tuesday April 28th, so THAT will be the big day.

Although, I know that it doesn't ACTUALLY matter if I get accepted to SPU, because, either way - I have a school to go to. I haven't decided which of them is my first choice. I really like how the program looks at CityU, but I'll have to learn more about the program at SPU before I make my decision. Then again, if I don't get accepted to SPU then the decision is made for me!

What do I need your help with? I have to give a "mini-lesson" to the interviers and fellow interviewees that shows my competence and countenance as a teacher. YIKES. So, basically I need something impressive that I can teach in a 5-10 minutes session. Anyone else have any great ideas? I shall be thinking about it for the next couple weeks, but welcome your input!

Side note: I'm a good speller, in fact, I may be a great speller. But I ALWAYS always ALWAYS have trouble telling the difference between when to use effect and when to use affect. I can tell the difference when I'm reading, but when I actually go to use them - I'm so confused! It has been explained to me, repeatedly and in a variety of ways, and yet, it does not compute in my head. On the WEST-E exam, there was a question about affect and effect.......I think I got it right, but really who knows?!

Por fin (finally)....deep breath

2009-04-07T12:36:00.003-04:00

an update! Surprisingly enough, they took away our email (today is the first day without it) BUT we can access other sites (not facebook or twitter or gmail...but apparently blogging is ok). So I figured it's high time to give you, my few straggling followers, an update on my life, and perhaps, explain why I have been off the radar for the last couple months...

So....as you know, I've been applying to graduate school (to get my Master's in Teaching!). I took the WEST-B, the Washington Educators Skills Test - Basic, in February. I applied to City University of Seattle and Seattle Pacific University (also in February). In March, I had an interview with CityU and also studied for and took the WEST-E exam (Washington State Educators Skills Test - Endorsement) last weekend. I breathed a sigh of relief, believing that I would have a brief respite from all the stress, application filling-out, interviewing, studying, etc...

I was wrong. Yesterday I got an email from CityU saying that I needed to accept my spot (oh yeah, btw, I got accepted to CityU on the spot at my interview!!) by APRIL 13th. WHAT?!?! I won't even know whether or not I am accepted to SPU by then :S

Then I got home yesterday and there was mail from SPU. Mail stating that they are putting on group interviews for my program on Saturday April 25th.. SATURDAY. Now some of you may not know, but a huge part of all the struggles over dates I've had have been about Saturdays (because WaMu is open on Saturday, but of course, all the tellers want it off). I could not believe my misfortune. I fought and fought and fought to get the Saturdays off to take my exams, and also took a couple vacation days to go see my family before Easter (which includes a Saturday). I've pretty much used up all my Saturdays for the rest of my WaMu career. So.........getting that Saturday off for the interview is a no, non-negotiable. PROBLEM.

That is where I'm at currently, I plan to call SPU today and see if they will grant me another opportunity to come in for an interview. eek! At the interview for CityU they asked me a bunch of questions, of course, but they also made me explain what I would do in various disciplinary situations within the classroom, etc. Then, I had to do a spontaneous writing sample about an educational article. I survived, but it was tough! For SPU, I have to prepare a mini-lesson plan and TEACH IT to my interviewers. SCARY! Well, that is, if they even let me interview.....pray for that!

So, there you have it folks. Absolutely nothing INTERESTING, but a whole heck of a lot of frustrating.

On a positive note, I'm loving the fact that it is still light outside when I get off of work....LOVING IT. Even though I have nothing to do in the evening, it's still great to actually SEE the sun!

Picture Highlights

2009-03-15T16:29:00.010-04:00

I promised that I would put pics up eventually....

2009-03-15T02:23:00.000-04:00

Characters...

2009-03-12T15:43:00.003-04:00

As you can imagine, we get many interesting characters into the bank...Most people are what you and I would deem as "normal" but on occasion we get some more "interesting" people...they fascinate me. Sometimes, they annoy me, but they also fascinate me.

There is one lady, who now makes me cringe with fear every time she comes in. My very first encounter with her involved her having overdrawn her account something absurd like $300...blaming her boss...and then screaming, literally, at me "not to say so loudly that her account is negative!!!!!!!!!!!!". Well, I'm pretty sure after that everyone knew...However, since then, she has become pretty much my bff. Every time she comes in and she is very pleasant and chats with me as if we've been best friends our entire lives. Today, she told me all about her lunch. Yes, she had a sub sandwhich...from Jersey Mikes....with pickles...and now she's so full that she feels pregnant...and "sunshiney", her word not mine.

Who else? There is a customer that we allll know that is a substitute teacher. Everytime he comes in he talks about OBAMALAMA. Ok, Obama. He's a staunch democrat (as most teachers, sorry to generalize, but...are). He gets so carried away talking that he forget to fill out his withdrawal slip and you have to practically grab his hand to get him to sign it. He also loves to talk about random things he has read in the news lately. Today, he taught me about how long it would be possible to travel to the planet that apparently has oxygen. He has a plan. However, it involves being able to 1). Have Oxygen, 2) Grow Food 3). Make Water and 4). Procreate - in the space shuttle for a few generations until we make it to the planet...yowza. I'm not gonna lie to you, when I came to work this morning I did not anticipate conversing with a customer about drinking out own urine. Nope...didn't expect it.

Who else?

There is the guy who asked me to star in his film - wait, adult film.

There is the guy who perpetually smells like ketchup. He also likes to check out his behind in the security cameras and say "oh my god, my is my ass really that big?" That is an awkward one.

There's a lady who is pretty much consistently upset about some detail or another. One of her biggest annoyances is that "no one at the bank knows her anymore, and they're always hiring these new kids who don't know anything." For the past 6 months I have been one of "these kids". However, the last two times she has come in I've called her by name and now suddenly, she seems to have forgiven me of my shortcoming of being a "kid who doesn't know anything" and now complains to me ABOUT "these kids". Well...there aren't any new tellers...I really don't know what she's talking about, but oh well...

There's a guy who looks like a ninja turtle. He drives a green truck, that doesn't help. In my head he's turtle man.

There is a man who referrs to himself as "mean and ornery". Is that how you spell ornery? Even his wife calls him that....I don't even know his name.

There is a young asian gangster who tells me about how wasted he gets on the weekends. He's always surprised when I call him by name, even though he comes in everyday. At least 3 times he's said to me "you remember my name?!?!?"

There is a man who comes in and speaks to me in Spanish...he's not a native Speaker by any means...but it's fun to speak to him. The other day I fascinated him by teaching him some colloquial sayings from Venezuela. He even made me write them down on his receipt so he could remember later. He's also the guy who makes me pinky swear and taught me the rule of 72.

Ok, there are a ton more but they aren't coming to mind right now. I'm sure I'll follow up with more soon.....

Ohh Saturday Morning...

2009-03-07T12:14:00.002-05:00

wow, a lady just came in with the WORST morning breath I have ever met. Seriously, do you have to be at the bank SO early on a Saturday that you can't pause to brush your teeth? Also, she had 30k in her account, so I know it's not matter of affording mouth cleansing products. I mean, if you don't have time to brush at least rinse or do something!

I used to think the worst was when I had braces (ok, it was a loooong time ago, 8th grade) and the dental hygenist used to breath into my mouth with her yucky lunch breath (my appointments were always after school)....

now, I think it's a tie. Saturday morning breath....FAIL.

2009-03-06T14:54:00.002-05:00

Just had a check memo that said "crazy ass mofo nojo"

and another one that just said "SNUGGLE!"

well honey....

2009-03-05T13:51:00.003-05:00

Well, so far we still have internet, last I heart it is now not leaving until the end of March...woo!

Cali pics yet to come...also yesterday I took Lucia on her first Seattle ferry ride over to Kingston, that was great fun. We searched for McDreamy but unfortunately he was not on this one :(. We did get to have dinner with my momma, and luly was greatly amused saying "it's like hanging out with TWO Chelseas!"

The point of my post today: Some people put the weirdest things on the "memo" portion of their checks. You're probably one of them. I just got one that said "well honey, sometimes truth IS stranger than fiction"

yes, they wrote out the whole thing in the memo area, on the line and under.

Other ones I've gotten recently include:

Booty Call (eek!)
Breastfeeding (????)
For Depends and Canteloupe (do they go together?)

and various others that aren't coming to mind at the moment, but I'll keep you posted.

Making up for Lost Time

2009-02-28T13:15:00.004-05:00

I have to warn you, next week our internet usage at work stops next week, so as much as the updates on this blog have slowed to a lull, they may stop altogether....but I'll try not to let that happen!

Well, what has happened recently....a LOT. I took the WEST-B exam. (Washinton State Educators Exam - Basic) a week ago today...it was intense. Although I didn't think the exam itself was too difficult, the stress leading up to it was...The exam itself was difficult in spots, simply because it's been a looooooong time since I've taken such an standardized test, and I had to recollect things I learned many moons ago - like how to find the area of a volume a cylinder...!?!?

Also, I turned in my applications to SPU and CityU...I have an interview with CityU at the end of March, eek! If this grad school idea doesn't pan out I have no idea what I willl try next.....:S

I went to California with LUCIA and hung out with RAFA for 4 days. It was sooooo much fun. It was a great break from everyday life and just so nice to be with people I haven't seen in forever. I also got to see Barlow, who I haven't seen in like 2 years...that was fantabulous! :) We did quite an amalgam of things from bowling to mini golf on a water logged course, to making Rafa watch "He's Just Not That Into You" and going to San Francisco....I took about a million, not even exaggerating, pictures, and I would like to promise to upload some asap...but we've seen how well that has turned out in the past. If/when I remember, I'll put up some pics.

I guess I was making up for the last 5 months spent doing nothing except work. teehee.

So anyway, I'm back. I've started writing a book in my head. Perhaps I'll theorize about it more fully at some later date....but until I actually begin putting it down on paper, it will remain blog-free.

Cheers!

Fail.

2009-02-18T16:58:00.003-05:00

Last night I watched The Bachelor and one of the girls was asking him all her important questions about "the little things" that you have to know about someone (in her opinion) before you marry them. One question was about his favorite ice cream.

I never realized it, but I don't really have a favorite ice cream. What does that say about me? I guess I'll never be married then...according to Molly.

Lives in Murderville

2009-02-16T19:33:00.004-05:00

I have been a bit reluctant to write this story as I've been holding out hope that I would have more conclusive evidence with which to present you, but as of yet I have not been told the actual "accident" that occurred in my apartment complex on Saturday so I will recount the story as best I can with no solid conclusions to draw other than from my own experience...Whew, run-on sentence much?

Saturday I left for work around 8:45 and all was clear and normal on the horizon (aka, my parking lot). When I arrived back at the apartment complex at 2:00, the world had changed. Driving up to my building I was suddenly confronted with the sight of at least 6 sheriffs' cars and the fact that my entire parking lot and building were taped off with the yellow "POLICE LINE, DO NOT CROSS" tape....ummmm what?! I thought to myself....Ok, well....what do I do? What is going on?! What could possibly have happened?!? Ok, deep breath. I wanted to go into my apartment, as my plan for the rest of the day was to work on my admittance essays (see previous blog) and study for my exam...however, that was no longer seeming like an option as the DO NOT CROSS line glared suspiciously at me, barracading my little apartment behind it. I looked around for someone to talk to, but although there was an abundance of police vehicles there were no policmen (police people?) in sight. I went up to the apartment office and asked the lady who works there. She told me there had been an "accident" (and yes, she USED THE AIR QUOTES). WHAT?!?!?!? She told me they had been there since morning and weren't letting anyone through. So, I opted to go to the mall...I needed a haircut anyway.

While at the mall I got a haircut from a funny little woman (from Mexico) named Lupita. Now, I made the mistake of mentioning to Lupita that I spoke some Spanish and that was the end of our English conversation. She grilled me about Venezuela, my job, and MOST IMPORTANTLY my boyfriend. Ok, I realize most of you at this point are going...Chels, honey, you don't have one. I know!! But did I mention that all of this occurred on Valentine's day? Lupita was strongly reluctant to believe that I did not, in fact, leave a very forloen boyfriend behind in Venezuela and she continued to chat with me as though I HAD...even though...I hadn't. Who knows. Anyway, this converation led to a general conversation about Latino men...including stories about her husband. Ok, not so bad, fairly interesting, as far as hair stylist conversations go....UNTIL, she began comparing Latino men and American men's LOVEMAKING styles. She didn't seem to notice the look of horror on my face or the fact that I completely stopped responding to her comments and she prattled on for a solid 10 minutes about how Latino men are better in bed. awkward! Fortunately, I don't think anyone around us understood a word of it, unless there were other hidden Spanish speakers, and heck, they probably thought it was entertaining.

Moving on...I wandered the mall for a while, nervous to head back to my home, for fear of what I'd find. By this time of course, all sorts of thoughts had crossed my mind. I won't even delve into a few of them...I finally mustered my meager courage and headed home, timidly parking and walking up to the blaringly yellow line (still there, nothing seemed to have changed, except that now there were two cops in bullet-proof vests and a girl in the back of one of the sheriff's cars), and waved one of the cops over. He came over and told me in no uncertain terms that "looky-lous" were not wanted and I needed to leave. I explained my situation and that I lived above the apartment they were investigating. After checking my ID and and verifying that I do, in fact, reside there he let me go up, with the promise that I would come back in a minute to give a statement. They made me answer questions like "Where were you last night between this time and this time?" "Did you hear any yelling or loud noises" "Where there any people outside this apartment when you got home?" etc....

The cops stayed there the entire rest of the day and into the evening, when they put up some sort of floodlights to shine down into the apartment. At one point I peeked out my window, although I was terrified of being considered a "looky-lou"!! A girl was being put into the cop car by her head (you know what I mean, how cops do). They finally left sometime around 11 at night.

What conclusion can we come to folks? Please you tell me, because the only ones I can think of are not pretty.

Could be a drug bust....but would they be there all day? And why ask me questions about yelling and noises the night before?

Could have been some domestic violence...but wouldn't they just put the guy in the cop car and drive him away?

Could have been a stake-out...oh wait, no. too obvious.

Could have been a rape....
Could have been a murder....

Could have been an "accident"....

dun...dun....dun.....

Isn't it Ironic?

2009-02-16T19:23:00.004-05:00

I am a writer, I always have been, always will be (that's not the ironic part). I love writing and I think I've been blessed with the creativity and skills to be a good writer. I write on this blog infrequently these days, but I also write in a journal and have throughout my life written in many forms. Just the other day my mom discovered an old box of poetry from my younger days...well, we won't examine that too thoroughly, I used to think all poems had to rhyme. eeshk! Not my best work....Here's the ironic thing: I have spent the last month trying to write an entrance exam to get into graduate school. I can't do it! The harder I try the less capable I am of putting thoughts onto paper in any sort of interesting manner. I've written and thrown out my essay 4 different times, each time starting over in a completely different way. The essays lack voice and character and they read more like a medical chart than a captivating piece on my aspirations of becoming an educator. It's ironic that the thing that I'm so good at and love doing is currently the biggest thorn in my side and is what is getting in the way of my reaching my goal. Hm.........

Eavesdropping...

2009-02-16T19:09:00.003-05:00

Yesterday (Sunday) morning I opted for a quiet time and some study time at Starbucks (my valentine's gift was not a box of chocolates or red roses, but rather, a starbucks card! wow, if that doesn't say love, I don't know what does...). I hunkered down with my beloved coffee and arranged my study materials on the table. Little did I know that the three middle-aged gentleman at the table behind mine were chatting...loudly....about things I didn't want to know. They talked about their wives, 2 of them were divorced, and about how they never loved them. Really? Then why did you marry her? One man regaled the others with anecdotes of his new girlfriend (22 years old...that would make her....YOUNGER THAN ME.....yuck!) Do men not understand that that is scummy? and not cool? It doesn't make them more of a dude, it makes them more disgusting. Anyway, I couldn't see any of their faces, but their stories prompted me to get up and move to another table...but as I attempted to exit my chair, I managed to spill the entire contents of my purse, including a bottle of tylenol, over the entire Starbucks floor. As I scrambled to pick up all the contents (and believe me there are a lot! I'm carrying not only the normal purse items, but also work items, studying items, quiet time items, library books, etc....) about 10 people, INCLUDING these men walked by...they walked over my stuff. Not a single person stopped to help me. Not a good samaritan in the bunch...ok, that may be an exageration, but it kind of felt like it. Well, so much for my Starbucks fairytale.......

P.S. What kind of a bank is open on President's day?!?!? I've had a total of maybe 20 customers, and that may be a stretch.

Did you know?!

2009-02-01T01:06:00.003-05:00

So, for a the last week or so there has been a "game" going around facebook in which one person writes a note including 25 unknown/interesting facts about themselves to share....while I'm not really a big fan of forwards and that kind of thing, I recognize that this blog has been a bit vacant recently, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to share some little known (or maybe not, depending on how well I know you) facts about myself with you....

Ok, here are my 25 unknown/uninteresting, oops I mean interesting things about me.....

1). I've been tear-gassed.

2). I have a "condition" known as Grapheme Synesthesia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapheme-color_synesthesia) in which I associate every number is a color. I also do it for people, but with people the colors change. Up until a couple years ago I thought this was normal...since I discovered it's not, I've only known one other person who has it - my mom. Must be genetic....

3). I'm excrutiatingly shy. I know most of you don't believe me, but it's true.

4). I've eaten ostrich. and pheasant. and venison.

5). I've never seen Lord of the Rings. and I plan on keeping it that way.

6). I dislike foods based on texture more than on taste. (I hate mushrooms, seafood, and pretty much anything slimy for that reason)

7). My closet is organized....by color AND categorized into daytime/nicer.

8). My favorite TV show of all time is FRIENDS. I'm pretty sure I have every line memorized. Challenge me sometime....

9). I LOVE WARMTH and SUNSHINE. I would much rather be too hot than too cold. Why do I live in Seattle, you ask? I wonder that as well...but I do love how beautifully green it is in Washington.

10). I want 4 kids. yup, 4. However, that might be a problem (see 11).)

11). As of this month, I've been single for 4, count 'em 4 years.....I'm ok with it, but society is not.

12). I'm currently applying to graduate school to get my Master's in Teaching...it's a stressful process, but if I'm lucky enough to get in, I am so excited to go back to school.

13). I'm an ESTJ personality type. Heavy on the E and the J.

14). I heart Tae Bo. I'm horribly inflexible and weak, but I love love love it.

15). Most of the people I love live far away from me these days :( With a few exceptions...

16). I'm a music junkie. Seriously I'm always looking for new good music. I've recently discovered Wilco and Band of Horses. Also the new singles by Lifehouse and The Fray are worth a listen.

17). I loved snow all my life until this December. Now it is my worst enemy.

18). I've been piranha fishing. and seen an anaconda up close and personal :S

19). I talk in my sleep! Ask me about wrapping presents for "the old jazz band people"

20). I love to play the piano, although I only took lessons for two years, so I'm not that good.

21). I suck at all sports. But I love to swim and play tennis. And I like to go to sporting events on occasion.

22). I did not vote in the McCain/Obama election, nor did I watch the Superbowl.

23). I love learning languages. I speak some Spanish...and I've just started learning Bosnian. Ti su curka! Zravo drugarice. Sta ima? Zaspah....cool, huh?

24). I hate driving, especially if there are people in my car. But really, I hate driving in general.

25). I named our washing machine and my bedroom door.

I'm also realizing that by posting this on my blog, it will re-post to facebook...oops!

Taxes

2009-01-26T14:26:00.001-05:00

Who understands them anyways?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Bank Talk

2009-01-15T15:37:00.002-05:00

Conversation I had today at work...it shocked me, maybe it won't shock you as much.

Me: Hi there, how are you doing today?

3 black teenagers (they didn't all talk at once): Yo chica, we tight. How you be doin? (I'm not in any way exaggerating or being stereotypical, they really said that)

Me: What can I do for you today?

Them: Just deposit that.

Me: So what are you guys out doing today?

Them: We abouts to go smoke dope. You cool with that right?

Me: *ummmmmm* .....uh oh.....please be careful. Have a nice day!

Way to show your uber-conservative, grandmotherly side Chels :)

72

2009-01-13T17:43:00.005-05:00

Today one of the customers at the bank taught me a math formula. The "Rule of 72". Have you heard of it? I never had..but actually, it seems to be a very useful formula. It is used for finding the amount of time it will take to double your money, depending on the going interest rate (for the scenario to work, the interest rate must remain consistent throughout the entirety of the process)

Amount of years it will take to double your money = 72/(% of interest).

Example: A deposit of $1,000 with 3% interest, will take 24 years = 72/3.

Why don't they teach this in schools?!

Media Update...

2009-01-13T14:47:00.003-05:00

It's been a while, I can't even remember the last items that I reviewed, however I'll try and give an opinion on a the most recent I've enjoyed:

1). ERAGON, (book), by Christopher Paolini
My Rating: 6.3.
While I do realize that one must take into account the fact that I am not a fantasy reader (I've never read nor watched the Lord of the Rings), I decided to read this book to see what the craze was all about. I did enjoy the book, parts of it much more than others. At times I felt that book seemed to lag, and there was much repetition of Eragon and his traveling party being attacked, and later rescued. What I did, however, enjoy was the colorful descriptions of the fantasy world of Agalaesia (can't quite remember the spelling) in which humans, elves, dwarves all exist as well as an evil king and his amalgam of evil creatures. The descriptive writing created a world equal or better than what I can imagine is portrayed in the Lord of the Rings movies. All in all, I was very impressed to learn that the writer wrote the book at the ripe old age of 16. wow! Recommend? Yes, read it...but make sure you have time on your hands, it's a thick one.

*Side Note* A quote from Eragon that I found intriguing and worth thinking about:
Saphira (the dragon) to Eragon: "The worth is in the act. Your worth halts when you surrender the will to change and experience life."
--Eragaon, pg. 93. Christopher Paolioni

2). That 70s Show, Season 2 & 3 (tv show).
My Rating 7.0.
This show is just good old classic fun. Comprised mostly of teenage boys mocking each other and fighting over girls, it's pretty basic entertainment, and yet you find yourself endeared to the characters, despite their ridiculousness. Recommended? For a light hearted mood...yep, watch it.

3). ALIAS Season 3 -
My Rating 9.2
Yep, you already know I love this show, but I do have to say that seasons 1 and 3 are my favorites. Season 2 seems to lag a little in story line, 3 picks up and is probably the best season. Full of danger, love, betrayal, ass-kicking...it comes highly recommended by yours truly.

4). Monk Season 1 - I finally finished it! It took me a long time...
My Rating 7.0
I think I actually rated this once before but that was before I had watched it in its entirety. I enjoyed the show although it also, was a bit slow at times. It is by no means an action packed detective show, like most, however for the logical thinker it is enjoyable...and so far I have figured out most of the cases before Monk did. woo hoo! Maybe I should be a detective. While most people watching the show can be annoyed with his neurosis I found it mildly comforting as they seem to be simply magnifications of my own "obsessions"...like cleaning. Perhaps I've just divulged more of myself than you needed to know...oops! :)

I know that I have read and watched more than these 4 items in the last couple of weeks but those titles and subject seem to escape me at the moment...I'm currently in the midst of watched the second season of HEROES and reading...*drumroll please* TWILIGHT. You heard my correctly. While my inital opinion is to be skeptical of the craze over this pre-teen book about vampires, set in a town close to where I grew up (and which I know to be the most boring place on earth) I decided that I had to at least see what all the hype is about...so, an update to come soon....

Until then....thanks for reading! Merry rainy day from my work computer to yours ;)

Quote for Thought

2009-01-10T14:57:00.001-05:00

He who will not reason is a bigot; he who cannot is a fool; and he who dares not is a slave.
- Sir William Drummond

I recognize...

2009-01-08T15:00:00.003-05:00

the fact that I haven't written in a loooooong time. With the craziness of the snow piles, Christmas, New Years, stressing out about grad school applications, and hating my job...blogging may perhaps have gotten lost in the process. Let me sum up...

Christmas - was great! I was pretty worried that I wouldn't make it home, due to blizzards and icy roads, but my beautiful mother came to my rescue on Christmas Eve and actually drove over to get me in her car (much safer than my own) and my father and grandmother drove me home on Christmas day. Christmas itself was a quiet event, spent with my parents, brother (home FINALLY from a harrowing flight experience trying to get out of Idaho and into SeaTac), and Grandmother. We opened presents, chatted, built a gingerbread house and ate lots of delicious food (and way too many sweets!) Fortunately for me this year, Christmas was really only one day (not two weeks like it is in college!) so I didn't have too much time to overload on holidays desserts.

New Years - also fun. I went to a get-together with a group of college friends in the UDistrict. We had a lovely dinner made by Morgan and an evening full of chatting and home-made charades....quite entertaining! We capped off the evening with a speedy rush up Queen Anne hill to watch the fireworks off the Space Needle and toast with champagne. Unforunately because it was raining and FREEZING, we didn't stay long...but all in all, it was a good night...and I stayed up later than I have in a reallllly long time...I'm such an old woman!

Pics to come someday when I'm at my actual computer....

2008-12-29T15:52:00.001-05:00

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
- Aristotle

SnowStuckStoryUpdates...

2008-12-21T23:35:00.003-05:00

(pics taken BEFORE it snowed alllll day today)

Well, public transportation has served me well thus far (other than adding a few hours to my commute)....

On the second evening I took the bus home the driver let us on for free! (well other than attempting to steal the Christmas present I had in my arms...) so that was nice. There was a crazy man on the bus talking to himself, and another kid sitting near him that was apparently insulted by whatever talking-to-himself man was saying, because they almost came to blows and there was a lot of raised discussion, including several verses of "You BETTER not be talkin' to me!"...fortunately one got off the bus before it escalated much more. However, one has to wonder...how can you get so mad at a man who is clearly talking to himself? No matter what he's saying....hmmmm....
Unfortunately, on my way down the hill to my apt (walking) I slipped on the lovely ice and that was NOT fun, I have purple spots on my hips to prove it...I'm an old woman, get me a walker!

The next morning began my jaunt (which isn't jaunty at all) up the hill in the snow barefoot (ok not barefoot, just making sure you're paying attention...lol) and suddenly at my side appeared a woman! LITERALLY, I did not see her prior and then all of the sudden she was there, and chatting with me! We chatted politely about the weather, the hike up the hill, and the usefulness of the bus. Then standing at the busstop, she suddenly got a worried look on her face and said something along the lines of "Honey, you know, if you need a real coat (mind you, I was wearing a Columbia ski jacket) they are giving away coats and warm things for people who need them at the Westgate Chapel."......Me:...."oh....well....uh.....thank....you....."....I was amazed. Apparently, I'm not only poor, now I look like a poor person! Ohhhh, what a blow to the good ol' self esteem, and also comical....for what it's worth, I'm not yet in need of charity and am surviving just fine, although certainly not living a life of luxury, I have more than a lot of people in this world (just not compared to spoiled Americans).

On Saturday, Alma and I met up on the bus and headed to work, before which we stopped at Home Depot to look for some liquid de-icer to unfreeze my car doors (oh yeah, i left my car at work for a few days because the doors froze shut)....unfortunately the woman at Home Depot gruffly informed us that the entire state is sold out....duh (implied). Then she took us a to large man named "Moose" who sold me on denaturalized alcohol...which would supposedly melt the ice, over a period of a couple hours (and I really hope not take the paint off my car!). Needless to say we were late to work....bah!

On my break I headed back into the cold and put the alcohol on my car doors....and then headed back inside and proceeded to attempt to thaw my feet, with the help of a space heater and loving coworker...working all day with cold feet - ouch! This was the day that my beloved younger brother was meant to arrive from Moscow (Idaho, not Russia)...so my parents were on their way over to pick him up from SeaTac and were nice enough to meet me after work to put chains on my car. Unfortunately they were over an hour late, so I sat and waited for them.....yowza, cold! They headed off to pick up the brother and I puttered home on my chains at 20 miles an hour....but I made it home! (Finally around 4 in the afternoon).

A few short hours later, my parents discovered my brother's flight was delayed...and then delayed...and then cancelled...then transferred....Needless to say, he DID get as far as Boise, and then spent the night in the airport. Around midnight my parents finally ended up at my apartment, as they were stuck in Seattle waiting for my brother. They spent a very uncomfortable night worried about my brother all alone (on his first ever solo flying experience) and sleeping on a very small and hard futon....with the piddly amount of spare blankets and sheets I own for warmth! This morning my brother finally got a flight into SeaTac on standby - praise the Lord! My parents were able to go get him and made it home safely to Sequim by this evening. Once all this was accomplished I think I was finally able to let all the stress of this past week go (at least to some extent) and spent a large part of the day asleep....I really needed it! I didn't get much else done today, but I can rest a little easier now, knowing that the most important people in my life are safe and sound. My hope is to make it to Sequim to be with them for Christmas...but even if I can't, at least I know they are all there :)

Tomorrow morning I'm headed back the the bus....we shall see what interesting stories await me......It hasn't stopped snowing today....at all, except for maybe a half hour this morning......

To all of you out there who are struggling with flights or in airports or simply trying to get home for Christmas, I empathize with you and wish you the best of luck in your (mis)adventures!

P.S. Who ever wrote "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...." - IDIOT!

El Mano? A salute to Public Transportation...

2008-12-19T20:05:00.005-05:00

So, for those of you who don't know - current Washington weather has been crazy snowy! Due to scarily icy road conditions, I took the bus to work this morning. As we all know (well those of us who live in Seattle and have, at some point in our college lives, taken the bus on a regular basis) - there are always weird adventures on the bus! Public transportation...makes me laugh. So this morning I sat down on the bus, hoping for a chance to thaw a little as well as talk to my mom on the phone. That was not in my cards however as I ended up sitting next to the ONLY chatty person on the bus! He was a small Vietnamese man...well, I don't know that for sure...but I thought he was Vietnamese because he kept talking about Vietnamese people at his job, and making it sound like he was one of them...but then something confused me! On his hand he had a tattoo...and it distinctly said "El Mano". Well, in Spanish the word for hand is "La Mano"...so this greatly confused me. If he had a tattoo on his hand that said "The Hand", how ridiculous would that be? On the other hand (haha, pun intended) it DIDN'T say The Hand...it said something else...but what?!? What does El Mano mean? Anyone know? And what language is it? Was it some sort of inside joke?...Anyway, needless to say it made the the trip interesting between contemplating what El Mano meant and attempting to listen to his muttering conversation about everything from the weather (obviously) to HIS SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER (yes, he told me his social security number...ummm what?!?!) to his job and everything in between. So I say thank you Public Transportation, you are always good for an ironic chuckle.

2008-12-19T17:48:00.001-05:00

Talking much about oneself can also be a means to conceal oneself.
- Friedrich Nietzsche

Don't we all know people like that?

It's all about the witty banter...

2008-12-18T14:38:00.005-05:00

We Are Marshall - My rating 8.5
I'll just admit it right now, I'm a total sucker for sports movies (whether it's Remember the Titans or Rookie of the Year), they pretty much always make me cry...as did this one! I enjoyed the movie immensely, despite the crying, and felt like it was a little more realistic than a lots of sports movies (in which the main goal is generally to win some sort of championship). This movie has heart! I also thought it was very refreshing to see Matthew Mcconaughey in a movie where he DIDN'T play a man-slut or an irresponsible young man. I thought he did a surprisingly good job playing a serious part and actually playing it well. Definitely one to watch...

Tales of Beedle the Bard (book)- My rating 6.0
For those of you who don't know this is somewhat of an addendum to the Harry Potter series...it is referenced in the final book of the series. It is a book of short stories that is supposedly to the wizarding community what fairytales are to the "muggle" community. Essentially, these are short stories, each with an identifiable moral at the end. I really enjoy J.K. Rowling's writing style and so even though parts of this book were a little slow, I thought it was interesting (although nothing compared to the actual novels). Worth a read for any true J.K. Rowling fan.

Monk - Season One - My rating 7.0
I actually haven't finished this yet, but from what I have watched so far it's a show that I like. The one thing I don't like about the show is Monk's sidekick/nurse. She is really annoying. Monk, however, is a very entertaining character. Despite his neurosis (which I find oddly comforting in a way, perhaps because I have similar, albeit less obvious, tendencies) I think he's a great character. Reccomend watching...

Frasier - Season One - My rating 8.0
I never realized that I would like this show! I always thought it was dull from the bits and pieces I've seen over the years, but upon undertaking to watch the entirety of it, I've discovered that the witty banter and unique characters on the show hold fast my attention.

Facedown (book)- by Matt Redman. My Rating - 9.8 (yes you heard me right).
Never on this blog has any book/magazine/movie/tv show gotten such a high rating! This book was an incredibly insightful look at worship. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who desires to deepen their love and respect of The Almighty God. All throughout the book I marked passages that either provoked great images or emotions for me that I will share with you all eventually. Definitely worth the read.

By the way - one of my co-workers, having noted what a bookworm I've become gave me a Barnes and Noble gift card for Christmas (secret santa) - what a perfect gift!

Scrumdiddliumptious

2008-12-17T19:11:00.003-05:00

I'm currently reading Tales of Beedle the Bard (by J.K. Rowling, it is something of an addendum to the Harry Potter tales...although more of a concordance, if you will, than a novel...) So far I have learned a few new words due to it (I always enjoy adding to my vocabulary, nerd alert!!)

palatial: [puh-ley-shuhl]
–adjective 1. of, pertaining to, or resembling a palace: a palatial home.
2. befitting or suitable for a palace; stately; magnificent: a palatial tapestry.

mien - [meen]
–noun air, bearing, or demeanor, as showing character, feeling, etc.: a man of noble mien.

sagacity - [suh-gas-i-tee]
–noun acuteness of mental discernment and soundness of judgment.
(this one I had heard before in the form of sagacious but was unclear on the exact meaning)

simulacrum - [sim-yuh-ley-kruhm]
–noun, plural
1. a slight, unreal, or superficial likeness or semblance.
2. an effigy, image, or representation: a simulacrum of Aphrodite.

There you have it folks, new knowledge for the day.

P.S. It's SNOWING AGAIN, and I'm dreading my drive home. eek!

Adventures on Ice

2008-12-17T12:19:00.002-05:00

So apparently Lynnwood is the snow pocket of western Washington. At my apartment, and for about 4 surrounding blocks, there is a thick blanket of snow (which is now mainly ice on the roads!), however the further you drive in any direction the less and less snow there is. It has been 2 years since I dealt (sp? doesn't look right) with snow, and to tell you the truth...I'm not a fan, and I had no idea! Remember when you were a kid and snow was an excuse for a snow day from school, a world full of entertainment, and a tasty snack? lol. No longer...now a "snow day" includes a precarious trek driving on the ice to work. The last couple of days my tires have started sliding all on their own twice....suffice it to say...I'm beginning to strongly believe I belong in a warmer climate, so far, all signs point to yes......!

Getting hit on accidently...

2008-12-15T14:26:00.002-05:00

Awkward moment that happened at work the other day....

Me: Hi, how are you doing today? What can I help you with?

(40+ year old) Man: Hey, I'm good just doing a deposit...It's cold outside, etc etc.

*Man's phone rings*

Man (to person on phone): (IN SPANISH) Hey man, I can't talk right now I'm chatting with the pretty girl at the bank...

Me (in my head...): wow, awkward. He has no idea that I know what he just said.

Me (out loud): (IN SPANISH) Hey guess what? I understand you...I speak Spanish.

*awkward pause...at least 30 seconds, he just stares at me*

Finally he says: Well....I didn't say anything that isn't true! You are a beautiful girl....

Awkward...so much awkward. I proceeded to chat with him in Spanish for the rest of the transaction.

I'm a little behind...

2008-12-08T12:48:00.008-05:00

on my media ratings! So I'll attempt to sum up that last couple things I've read/watched...

When Harry Met Sally - My rating: 9.2
I realize this isn't a new one, but I had a very limited movie viewing permission as a child and haven't seen a majority of movies that everyone else has. I really enjoyed this movie, and it was quite entertaining to see Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal - the younger years, poofy hair styles high-waisted pants.

Shrek the Third - My rating 6.1
While I thoroughly enjoyed the first and was more or less amused by the second, the third edition of this beloved story felt a little flat. However, with the same beloved characters it was a necessary watch and was enjoyable seeing the happy couple with their new brood (oops, spoiler!). All in all, pretty typical for a third in a series (especially if it wasn't originally a series)...

Entourage (TV show) - My rating 0.2.
Really, that was my rating. I watched half of the first episode and turned it off and returned it to the library. Definitely not worth watching. It's a show all about 4 guys who live together and all they care about it money and getting laid. The language is vulgar and offensive, as is the theme....would definitely not recommend it.

Four Weddings and a Funeral (movie) - My rating 3.5
Normally I adore movies with Hugh Grant, one of my favorite "chick flick" actors. However, I found the liberal use of the "F-word" offensive and while the movie was cute, and a typical love story...I did not find it as endearing as I normally would with this type of movie. Wouldn't recommend it.

The Alchemy - (book) My rating 6.0
Typical Christian romance novel. There are two people who obviously (from the start of the book) meant to be together, but before they can, they have to go through many trials and find God. Recommended for easy reading.

The Tapestry - (book) My rating 6.3.
Ditto to previous (The Alchemy). This was actually the final book in a series of 4, I liked the first and fourth better than the middle two books. However, it was a typical Christian love story. Recommended for easy reading.

ALIAS (Season Two) - My rating 9.0.
Ok, not really fair to re-rate this one. It wasn't a first time watching, however, I thoroughly enjoy this show (and I don't normally enjoy anything that involves fighting/punching/blood/etc...) and would highly recommend it for its entertainment value. Totally worth watching.

Desperate Housewives (Season 4) - My rating 6.0
I really enjoyed the first season of this show (which was nothing like I expected it to be...) I was kind of anticipating (and wary of) a show solely about women cheating on their husbands. However, the show is much different than that. The first two seasons were good, but now into the 3rd and 4th season they seem to be grasping for straws to keep story lines going...like tornadoes, and more arson (there is a LOT of arson in this show! weird.) Anyway, would recommend watching the other seasons first.

Father of the Bride (movie) - My rating 7.5
Another typical chick flick that was enjoyably cheerful. Recommended for an light evening movie viewing.

A Hundred Million Suns - Snow Patrol (music!) - My rating 9.2
I have loved Snow Patrol for a few years now, and have even been to one of their concerts. This newest album keeps true to their music style and is great for listening to, as well as thinking about the lyrics (another hobby of mine). If Snow Patrol had one fault in their music it would simply be that a lot of their music tends to sounds similar, however - it's great, so I guess that just makes it all great! Highly Recommended.

Gossip in the Grain - Ray LaMontagne - (music) - My Rating 9.2
Equally as good as the Snow Patrol album, but different in style. Very good for quiet music and also singing in your car. I really enjoy his sound, and how different it is. Highly Recommended.

Currently watching:
Monk (first season)

Reading:

The Kite Runner (haven't actually started yet, but it's next on the list)

Facedown - (still!) It's an incredible book, but I only read like a couple pages at a time. It's really one to just think about while reading it.

Listening to: The Decemberists and The Shins (enjoying both!, review yet to come)...

What I want for Christmas....

2008-12-08T12:47:00.001-05:00

17 Cent Karma

2008-12-07T11:18:00.004-05:00

Today (I started writing this yesterday) I had an event which, if I believed in karma, would have been very karmic. I was at the grocery store getting ready to purchase my items, and there was a girl (ok, woman) in front of me who was short 17 cents. Now (and this speaks to what has come of our culture) I didn't have any cash, and neither did the checker, to give her. She just kind of stood there looking sad and helpless and holding out the cash that she did have...Before I even realized what I was doing I offered to buy something for her....She was very shocked (as were the checker and bag boy) but accepted and I purchased her taco seasoning.....Not a big deal right? I know you all would have done the same, it seems like a pretty common, and small, blessing to be able to give someone. Then as I walked out to my car and unloaded my groceries, a man pulled into the spot next to me and got out. He offered to take back my cart! Also not unusual, but still a small blessing. The two events seemed to balance each other out in my mind - and I blame it on the Holidays. People are in such a better mood at Christmas......Which is why the Salvation Army people are out at Christmas...speaking of which, I haven't seen any of those yet...odd. I'm sure now I will.....Holiday blessings to all of you!

Turkey Day Pics

2008-11-30T13:57:00.006-05:00

Just a couple actual Thanksgiving pictures....didn't get any great whole family shots, but here's a few cute ones...

Mom working on a cat puzzle....all the women in my family are great puzzlers :)

Dad carving the bird!

Mom and I being silly with the Indian Corn. Sexy right?

Turkey Day

2008-11-28T12:27:00.006-05:00

Mine was...so good! And it went by so fast :( My day was filled with turkey, pie and lots of entertainment. My parents and grandma made the trek over from Sequim to my apartment here in Lynnwood and we spent a cozy day eating treats and catching up. 3 highlights of my day included: watching my dad listen to his ipod for the first time (with my music...all kinds, English, Spanish, Rap, Rock, Shawn McDonald, James Blunt, Hairspray soundtrack, etc, etc, etc). Putting the Christmas lights, and my few meager decorations on my tree. And finally, playing Catchphrase with my family was one of the funniest things I've done in a long time. All in all it was a great day of relaxation and laughter....here's hoping yours was as well :) God Bless...and in true cat lady style, I hope this makes you laugh as much as it did me...

in other news...

2008-11-25T14:18:00.004-05:00

can you tell it's a quiet day at work today? Oops, hope I didn't just jinx myself :S

Anyway, in other news, I need a new picture of me for this blog. However, there are two problems with that 1). I do not have any stunning (lol!) and/or very current photos of myself that portray my blog personality. what the heck? Yeah, I don't know what it is either...and 2) More importantly, I don't know how to change it! In order to get a picture on there in the first place I remember it being quite an ordeal and Andy was definitely involved in helping my technologically illiterate self. So I suppose for now, it is simply a thought...or perhaps a cry for help? Or simply a time waster here at work...more to come later....

hmm...

2008-11-25T14:18:00.001-05:00

Competence, like truth, beauty and contact lenses, is in the eye of the beholder.
- Laurence J. Peter

THE SHACK

2008-11-25T12:30:00.002-05:00

dun dun dun...do I dare review the book that has been made so much of, as of late? I dare...

Book Review: The Shack
by: William P. Young

My Rating: 7.3

I liked it! However, I really had to push my way through to the end before reflecting back on the book to realize that I did like it. Haha. It was a parable to what it looks like to walk with God and interact with Him, especially as He is the Trinity. I can see where people could easily reject some of the ideas mentioned, on their face, if they were not careful to read each line of text and truly understand what it is that William Young in attempting to portray with his use of a black woman (God), asian woman (Holy Spirit) and Arab Carpenter (Jesus...a little more obvious) -it is NOT that He is condoning the idea of God as a woman, but rather that God is an asexual being, and simply chose to portray God as a woman in this novel in an attempt to broaden peoples' perspectives on the idea of God and shatter images of Him as an old man with white beard who sits on His throne. For taking that chance I applaud the author. I also enjoy the use of the interaction between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit throughout the book. In today's culture there is so much debate surrounding the idea of the Trinity and what that truly means, I enjoyed Young's perspective of a simply love between three people that is unequaled in the human universe, due to its purity. The thing that impacted me the most reading this book was the incredible imagery that is used towards the end of the book in one of Mack's (main character) interactions with the spiritual realm and the healing that comes from it. More than anything, this book made me think. I'm not one to easily take things on their face as accurate (especially when it comes to controversial biblical topics) and so I didn't with this book either, and in doing so it made me contemplate what I truly believed about the Trinity, the gender of God, humans interactions with God, etc...All in all, it's certainly worth reading, provided that you go into it recognizing that it is, in fact, a piece of fiction and an analogy, not absolute truth!

I'd say...read it! And then tell me what you think :)

Lars and the Real Girl

2008-11-25T12:07:00.002-05:00

Movie Review #2 -

Lars and the Real Girl
My Rating: 8.0

I'm not a movie person, but if I was this is my type of movie. It's a little off kilter as far as movies go, but I found it enjoyable as well as really was able to take on the plight of the people in the story. It felt significantly more real-life than many "romantic comdedies" (and I wouldn't even necessarily categorize this one as a romantic comedy, not typical by any means). I enjoyed a movie without violence, swearing and very little sexual innuendo for the firs time in a long time! It seems that very few movies are made without those things anymore. Anyway, I won't spoil it for you, but I'd highly recommend this movie if you're looking for something a little different, a little bit confusing at first, and yet heart warming in outcome.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

2008-11-20T14:38:00.003-05:00

Movie Review!

Rating: 4.0

I'm switching to Movie Review (only for the day). I'm not a big movie watcher in general. Right Ivan? Haha...I much prefer half-hour TV shows (even if I watch 4 in a row) rather than 2 hour movie. What does that say about me? I'm not sure...Maybe I am truly shaped by a culture that doesn't even have the patience to watch a 2 hour movie anymore...Although, the fact that cinema is one of the biggest sources of entertainment for Americans would be a testament that instead I am the anomaly. Anyway, beyond all that speculation, I DID watch a movie yesterday, admittedly while baking cookies and washing dishes...however, I did.

I watched the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - a book I also read not that long ago (but prior to the beginning of my book reviews). I enjoyed the book and was surprised at the depth to which it actually goes, farther than what one would assume to be a Teen-girl book. It explores the themes of true love and support between friends and what that looks like (as well as other more surfacy topics).

I was sorely disappointed in the movie. As with most books-made-movies the story fell drastically short of what the original book story portrayed. Not only were the story of the individual girls changed (especially Lena! her story was NOTHING like the one in the book) but I felt like so much of the emotion and dpeth portrayed in the book was gone - leaving simply a teen-flick dealing mostly with teen crushes. I was sorely disappointed...

I'd recommend the book before the movie of course. I'd give the book a 7.0 for such as easy read....enjoy!

The Cat Lady

2008-11-20T14:27:00.002-05:00

It's official...I AM THE CAT LADY. My friends oh-so-lovingly dubbed me with this title a while back due to 2 things: 1). I absolutely adore cats, oftentimes more than people (not saying I should, just stating the facts) and 2). I'm pretty much the only single person left in the world (ok, just my world in which anyone my age is married, engaged, and thinking about children). I am doomed to be the "cat lady" to grow up an old maid who has hundreds of cats, who (eventually when I die) eat my decaying body because no one finds me in my lonely apartment where I live alone.

Ok...maybe that's a bit extreme, but - I had my first true experience of being a cat lady yesterday. It was my day off, so I went for a run. On my way back, I walked into our apartment complex (a very long and uphill drive way). Close to the front a cat ran up to me! It was all gray, and - get this - it was wearing a gray sweater! How weird? A cat in a sweater. Don't get it. Anyway, I stopped to pet it for a moment, although being wary (as I am allergic to cats, lol - which will make being a cat lady difficult) not to fluff up the fur too much. I planned to progress up to my apartment, but this sweater-wearing-cat followed me! It jumped at me and tried to grab my ipod cord! It rubbed against my legs and feet and purred...awwwwwww. It followed me all the way to my apartment. I think it was hungry, but I don't exactly have a supply of cat food on hand - I gave it CheezIts....heehee. My cat at home loves pretzels, so it was worth a shot! Unfortunately "sweater cat" as I have so named her in my head, wasn't interested, and scampered away to find another single lonely lady with better snacks. lol.

Needless to say...there are 4 cheezits outside my door. and I've had a look into my future....eek!

Bones

2008-11-18T12:14:00.005-05:00

Book Review Tres:

The Lovely Bones by Alice Siebold

My Rating: 5.0

I listened to this story on tape...well cd, rather than reading. Does that have some effect on my enjoyment of the story...unlikely. Although, by the end I did find myself wishing it was over so that I could move on to something else I wanted to listen to.

This story was another recommended to me by Amazon, and I must say I'm starting to be wary of "their" judgement! This book was entitled The Lovely Bones...clearly, before even beginning to read one can assume it will surround a murder. However, I was a little shocked by the introductory chapters in which *spoiler alert* young Suzie Salmon is brutally raped and murdered, and described in detail. Something I really didn't need to hear...although I suppose the story would lose some of its grip without it. From there...the story proceeds to tell of Suzie Salmon watching the story unfold of her family and friends' lives and how the each cope with the sorrow of losing her in their own way. Essentially, her family is torn apart as her father tries to get revenge on the man he believes to have killed her and ends up badly beaten and with permanent injuries. Her mom has an affair WITH THE DETECTIVE ON SUZIE'S CASE, and then moves across the country because she can no longer stand to be a part of her own family or face her own children, still living. The alcohlic Grandmother comes to live with the family, and the youngest child learns to live in the shadow of his dead sister and without true love from a parent (father) who cannot love his living children due to the memory of his dead one and a mother who deserted him for a tepid affair and a job at a winery. Throughout the story, not only are the family and friends being watched, but also the killer...the reader finds themself simply wanting to reach out and tell everyone that he's RIGHT THERE. But you can't! And neither can Suzie, secluded in "her heaven"...an interesting portrayal of heaven, to be sure...without God, I'd venture it pretty inaccurate. Haha. Anyway, throughout the book, one would think that the finale would reveal a capture of this man, some justice served after the many rapes and deaths (Suzie was not his only victim) that he caused. Instead, rather, the culmination of the story comes with an "out of body" experience in which Suzie is able to switch souls with a friend of hers still on earth for a short time and have sex with the boy she loved....(when she died at age 14...could she truly love him? She barely knew him)...Rather than take her time on earth to point out her killer's wareabouts or spend time with her family who would have desperately needed to see her. She chooses to have sex and then return to her heaven. What?!?!?!*Spoiler alert* the killer dies...by icicle. Yes, by icicle. Accidental death. Odd.

The one thing I did like about this story was that it was very atypical. It seemed that no matter what the reader would expect...it didn't happen, this did make it seem more realistic. Although, isn't it hard to live in a world knowing that innocent girls' deaths are never avenged? that mother's have affairs out of sadness? and that children are never properly loved due to pain that never goes away? Isn't it pure irony that because one child was so loved, and she is gone, others that would have been equally as loved miss that opportunity?

I'd recommend this book more highly than the previous (Max Tivoli)...as it gives more of an opportunity for deeper perception and thought into our society and the levels of ache that sin has brought us to. However, if you're looking for a pleasure read murder/mystery type book, this is not it!! Beware...

Finally...I'm currently reading THE SHACK. I know, it's supposed to be a big deal right? So far I'm not as thoroughly impressed as everyone seems to make out that I will be...but I'm going to finish it before I completely tear it apart...wait for it ;)

Confessions

2008-11-14T12:07:00.004-05:00

Book Review Numero Dos!

Book: The Confessions of Max Tivoli
Genre: Fiction
My Rating: 4.5 (on a scale of 1-10)

This book was interesting. It was well written - I appreciated the wide vocabulary of the author (Andrew Sean Geer) and the writing style, although at times it seems overly drawn out. It was written in a fairly eloquent way, however because of that, often tended towards wordiness. The story itself was sad and left the reader (well, this reader, haha) with a melancholy feeling. The storyline follows a man named Max Tivoli (who later goes by the name Asgar Van Daler). This man *spoiler alert* is a man who is born as a old man and ages oppositely throughout his life. Make sense? No? Yeah...didn't make sense to me at first either. Literally he is born as an old man...and gets progressively younger throughout the book. When he is 17 he falls in love with a 14 year old girl...although it seems much creepier than that because his interaction with her is one of an old man (even though he is 17, to the world he is 70) and a young girl. More or less the rest of the story follows this young man's desire for the girl (Alice) and how his "age disorder" affects his lust (I would say love...at one point *spoiler alert* he does marry her and they don't stay together). Max Tivoli lives a backwards life in which his family is embarassed of him, his father leaves him, he is obsessed with a teenage girl, his wife leaves him, and in the end he ends his own life - rather than degenerate into an infant for the final years of his life. What are Max Tivoli's confessions? The confessions of his life, what it really was, and who he really was. Virtually no one, save his only friend Hughie and his mother, ever knew you Max really was, or believe who he was. This book is bitter (and not sweet at all!). It was an interesting read, but I have to admit that I kept hoping Max would be able to tell the truth to the only person he loved and they would live happily ever after...too much Disney in my life I guess, ;)

I'd recommend it only if you unlimited reading time on your hands..otherwise, look for something a little more worth your time and with a better message to it's reading.

also...

2008-11-03T20:41:00.004-05:00

as an aside to the post I just posted....I've started getting tons of books from the library - from whatever Amazon recommends for me. However, I'm also open to any of your suggestions (you people, I value your opinions much higher than the computer generated list Amazon provides for me)! So...suggest away :)