Captain Random's Sketch Pad

Big Changes

2011-11-15T16:01:00.002-05:00

Hard to believe I haven't posted anything since July. My inner life has been a topsy-turvy mess as of late and my outer life has been same old, same old. So I haven't had much to report on. The school year is back in swing (and the semester now almost over), Charles is back to his Toronto commute and I'm still plugging away at Houghton.

But not for long...!!!

I just took a job as Assistant Director of Financial Aid at the University of Rochester. I start December 19th and I'm pretty darn excited. It's been quite a roller coaster. I had applied for a dream job of mine here at Houghton - Director of Major Gifts (basically doing a lot of traveling, a lot of talking to people, and a lot of asking rich(er) people for money for the school). I couldn't honestly imagine a more perfect job for me and my skills and my personality. I got an interview and it went really well. And then I heard nothing. And still nothing. And still nothing. So I gave up on that dream.

Then the Assistant Director job opened at U or R and I applied. And 2 days later I got a call for a phone interview. And I did. And 20 minutes after that I got a call for an in person interview (well, 5 interviews actually, with 13 different people). And I did. And a week after that I got a call to come in and interview with the Dean. And I did.

And the day after that they called and offered me the job!! And it's amazing how things work out. I had done a little research into what the average Assistant Director of Financial Aid makes, and I looked at what it might cost to move to a more expensive area (since Allegany county is the cheapest ever, pretty much) and then I decided what I hoped they would offer me in salary and what the minimum was that I would accept. And then the offer came... and it was more than the max I had envisioned!! God is so good! Plus, this job comes with GREAT benefits, which can be worth way more than the dollars in the paycheck. Especially with how expensive it has become to go to the doctor.

However, in the meantime, (actually, the day I got back from my interview with the Dean), I got an email from the VP of Advancement at Houghton saying I was a finalist for the Major Gifts job and could I interview with both the President of the college as well as himself and a consultant. GAH! And THEN the next day, my supervisor came in and said she was going to take the Director of Financial Aid job here (she was just interim but decided to make it official), and if I stayed I would be promoted to Assistant Director HERE and get her big amazing office. DOUBLE GAH!!!

So many decisions and yet I was in a win-win-win! Life was good - yet still complicated. Do I accept a really stable job with great benefits that I know I'm good at? Do I jump off the deep end into a job I think I'd really love but has a super high burn out rate? Do I stay where I am and take the promotion? Needless to say I didn't sleep a whole lot. I decided not to take the Houghton promotion but still interviewed for the Major Gifts job. And I got really excited by the thought of it and all the opportunities it would afford me, how it would be cool to have a "Director" title, how the pay would be amazing...

But after consulting with some wonderful and wise friends and family about all the aspects of the jobs, from time to benefits, to stability, to burn out rates, etc, I decided to take myself out of the running for the MG job and officially accept the U of R position. And I just mailed in my letter this morning. :)

So then comes the next challenge... moving. I couldn't commute to U of R from Houghton and yet I LOVE our house, the property, our landlords, our friends... and it always seems like JUST when I finally settle and make a really good friend, either they or I move. And thus the pattern continues.

So I started checking out places that (I hope!) are in our price range. A huge salary increase is awesome... but living in a more expensive area and having to now have 2 cars and pay for gas on 2 said cars and all that jazz can use up that increase pretty quickly. Anyhow, number cruncher me figured out our limit and starting scoping out places. We went and checked out a BUNCH of places on Saturday... from apartment buildings (not my cup of tea - especially after the beautiful place we are in now) to city apartments to suburb areas...

We narrowed it down to 3. One was a small little 2 bedroom ranch in Fairport. The backyard was the Erie Canal. It had it's own dock and the landlord had canoes. It was a 10 minute walk to the village of fairport. AND it was on the opposite side of the canal path so you could watch people on it but they weren't running/biking/skating through your back yard. Amazing setting! And a huge benefit to living in Fairport - apparently Fairport electric is dirt cheap.
The second was a super cute 2nd floor apartment in the city - about 1 block from Cobbs Hill Park and the resevoir. It was 2 bedrooms with a finished attic, tons of storage space, off-street parking (huge for the city), half a garage, on site laundry... It had a bay window, was painted great colors... I could really see myself there. And it was only 4 miles from work! Just down the street were pubs, restaurants, shops... all the joys of city life. And all utilities were included but it was, by far, the most expensive.

Then on Sunday I got a call about a 1 bedroom apartment in Avon that I had called about the day before. And in talking to the landlord I discovered that he had a 2 bedroom as well... a HUGE one. Like 1600 square feet huge (which is bigger than our current place). It was right in downtown Avon... walking distance to the shops, restaurants, corn festival, etc. When I was a kid I used to drive down main street and look at all the beautiful houses and I think "i'd love to live in one of these someday." And then I maybe had a chance to.
Charles was sick so I grabbed my friend Heather and we took off to see it. My parents also met us there after church. The place. was. a.mazing. HUGE. Tall ceilings (not like we have now, but still tall), 2 giant bedrooms, the most amazing kitchen I have EVER seen in person (built in wine cabinets, china cabinets, dishwasher (which we've never had), granite counter tops, and just tons and tons of space). It also had bay windows, a huge bathroom, tons of closet space, washer/dryer hookups, tons of parking... It reminded me a lot of the house I first lived in before we moved to Avon. It was amazing. Except one thing. The wall paper was atrocious. All of it. Ugly, ugly, ugly. Totally old fashioned, horrible colors, etc. So I asked the landlord if he'd let us strip it down and paint or re-wallpaper it. He said he didn't know. It was also the cheapest place (still not cheap, mind you, compared to steal we pay in rent now) so I didn't want to put it out completely. However, it was the farthest away from work. 30 minutes in good weather and no traffic. And Avon, although cute, is no Fairport Village. So then the brain starts turning again.

SO MANY COMPLICATIONS! Any of the places would be fine, but what was the BEST for us? I did my typical thinking routine... I made pros and cons lists, I rated them 1-2-3 in every category imaginable and tallied the scores, I made sample budgets for each place... and I didn't get a whole lot of sleep.

And then last night they called and offered us the Fairport place and, just like that, I told him that I wanted to hear from the other place. (At this point I was really favoring the city apartment because the category that Fairport one was the area.) And 10 minutes later the Avon guy called and asked what we were thinking about it. And I just didn't know. And he said that it would be okay to strip and paint a few of the rooms. (So now we'd get a really big, great place with lots of character that we can tailor to our likes and our furniture AND I get to learn some practical skills and put them to use in a way that I can walk into my house and think "Ah - this place is so me!" But then there were the other places that I liked too. And I thought and thought and thought. And I got advice from people who know the city and the area and all that jazz. And I talked to Charles. And I was up all night again thinking about it.

And this morning I just kind of knew. It had to be Avon. I like the town... I grew up near there. I like the neighborhood. I'll get to be close to Tom Wahls. I LOVE the house. I like being close to my family. I may end up HATE living in the city and always be scared of being mugged (I'm a country girl with an overactive imagination so that is not within the realm of impossibility). I don't like to spend money so living in the city may be a huge conflict of interest for me as I'd want to explore all the cool places but not want to spend the money to do it and then I'd always be in an internal battle. And, honestly, to my impatient self, I'd probably rather spend 30 minutes traveling on the highway than 10-15 minutes in stop and go, rush hour traffic in the city. Gosh i could see myself becoming a very angry person very quickly.

So I called the landlord first thing this morning with some last minute questions - got satisfactory answers to all of them - so we are taking it!!! I am very, very excited. I think it's the best option for us on all accounts (financial, location, amenities). AND he is letting us move in mid month rather than the first which means I don't have to find a way to commute to Houghton for 2 weeks while living in Avon. I can live in Houghton and work in Houghton, and then I'll move to Avon and start my job at U or R! It's just so totally and unbelievably perfect. And I was stressing out about how to afford the security deposit and 1st months rent and I think we'll be just fine! AND this also gives us a little leeway in buying the 2nd car (although we WILL need to get one soon, but it's not as much of a rush as I thought it was going to be) which has taken more stress off.

So I have gone from being a GIANT stress ball to only a little stress ball in just a few days. And i'm thrilled. I will have a great job with lots of security and stability and benefits, (everyone I interviewed loved working at UR and so I'm hoping for a lot of job satisfaction as well!), a great place that is not at all disappointing to move into, even after the amazingness of the place we currently live, the timing is working out...

God is just so good. That's all I can really say about that.

And my new job will allow me to be more specialized in what I do (I'm mainly going to be focused on communications - perfect for me) rather than being responsible for so many areas of financial aid that I become a jack of all trades and a master of none. I love the U of R motto (Latin for "Always Better") and how every person I've met there seems to live that out. The only thing I'm not excited about is that I'll lose a nice big office with windows to a cubicle. But hey - maybe this will just give me more motivation for advancement! :)

So that's recent life in a (very long) nutshell. If you made it all the way through, props! And if you think of it, say a prayer for me now and then that I will stay sane through the rest of the transition. We have moved enough times in the last 6 years to know that change is tough, no matter what the distance is. (This will be the shortest distance we've ever moved!)And if you're in the Avon area, stop in and see our new place! (Once we've unpacked, of course!)

The Perfect Weekend

2011-07-05T09:36:00.004-04:00

So, I can't remember if I blogged at all about how awful June was. Believe me, it was awful. One of the worst months in all my 28 years (although, my birthday was really fantastic). So I decided that July was going to be a great month. By Thursday afternoon, June 30th, I was just a wreck. It was a beautiful day and I took the afternoon off. My dad was on vacation too, so I drove up to my parents house and he and I went canoeing on Conesus Lake, which was a lot of fun. Then we met my mom for ice cream at Minnehans, then we went home and made delicious personal pizzas (I had steak with A1, 2 types of cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, onion... so yum!), and then, because I had totally forgotten that my car was due for inspection in June (oops!) my dad and I checked out the brakes and everything to make sure it would pass. THEN, right before I left, my dad was fiddling with my bike and got it started. So I was actually able to ride my bike for the first time. Granted, it was just around the yard (because you never know when it is going to quit so you don't want to go far), but I got to ride it nonetheless. So June was somewhat salvaged. And July has been FANTASTICO so far.

Friday night I played at Fiddlers, and it was a beautiful night so I played out on the deck. I had a pretty decent crowd and one of the guys got my contact info because he wants me to play at his end of the summer party at his cottage. Yay for gigs! And then I stayed awhile hanging with my buddies and talking and just having an overall blast. :)
I did get home late for how early I had to get up... but I dragged my butt out of bed Saturday and got the car inspected. And it PASSED!!! 204,000 miles and still chugging along! Woohoo! I got groceries and headed home to find that my husband and CLEANED THE ENTIRE HOUSE!!! What a man!
That's when the party began. We had 4 college friends plus significant others all over for swimming, cornhole, BBQ (sooo much meat! so good!)... then after we were completely stuffed we went to Houghton and the girls (and got eaten alive by mosquitoes) and the boys played whiffle ball in the dark.
Sunday we actually got to sleep in a bit and then met up with a couple from the previous night for an amazing lunch at Fiddlers. Gosh the food there is so stinkin good I could eat there every meal! :) (although my waist says I better not). Then we met up with another friend and the 5 of us went to Letchworth and then swimming at Wiscoy Falls. I had only ever been in May when the water was FREEZING so going in July was super fun! Then we went back to the house to eat up all the leftovers from the previous night (which was STILL not gone... good gracious our fridge has never been so full). The boys went back to play more whiffle ball (in the dark, of course) and Deanna and I watched a movie. I was zonked and just needed to relax.
We got up really early Monday and said goodbye to Lucas and Deanna and then Ben, Jacoby, Charles and I all drove to Pittsburg for the Pirates/Astros game (via a stop at Chick-fil-a!). It was a hot hot hot day but the game was really fun. I more just like to people watch than anything else, and there were certainly some entertaining people at this game. We met up with Jacoby's sister and one of Charles's Wycliffe buddies AND another college friend as well (who I haven't seen since graduation) so that was loads of fun.
After the game, 5 of us went to a restaurant on the river called "Hofbrauhaus" - an amazing German restaurant - and we indulged in some of the most amazing German food ever. We also got to enjoy the live music. Such a blast! I could have stayed all night.
The entire day had been gorgeous but it was raining when we left the restaurant. And it was pouring by the time we made it to the parking garage. And then it started hailing as we were trying to navigate the craziness of downtown Pittsburg! (so glad it didn't do that during the game. that would have been really awful) and THEN we had to navigate through the flash floods. I mean, there were serious rivers running down the streets. And water was actually shoot up through the manholes covers. I have never seen anything like it. I was driving and it was really nerve-wracking. Fortunately, it only lasted 5 minutes and then the sun came out and it was a beautiful trip the rest of the way home.
My only regret was that we missed the fireworks at Rushford Lake. It's just not the 4th without fireworks. Well, Jacoby saved the day and found that there were fireworks over Chautauqua Lake at 10pm... just at the time that we would be driving through! So we sat on blankets and enjoyed the ring of fire and all the fireworks over the lake.
And then I had to drive the rest of the way home, exhausted, with blurry contacts, and slept like the dead.

But, seriously, it was just the most perfect weekend and a great start to July. I am feeling entirely optimistic about the rest of the month. (And, it looks like the next week or so is going to be predominately sunny at 80!!! Who can complain about that!)

So now, integration has finished running so I need to get to the copious amounts of emails in my inbox!

Birthday Fun

2011-06-27T13:48:00.002-04:00

So this was my birthday weekend. I did not end up getting my bike for my birthday, but according to the shop on Saturday, it is now running. He called my bike a "nightmare." That's never a good thing. It just needs to run til October and then I can sell it! :)

I did up having a fantastic birthday weekend, regardless, and the weather never really cooperated so having the bike would have been fruitless anyway. We spend Friday night having dinner and watching a movie with some of our favorite friends! Saturday I got up (not early) and cleaned the house and bummed a bit of the day and then I played at Fiddlers on Saturday night. It was a decent crowd and always a good time. Before I played, Charles went with me and we had dinner there. I play there a lot but I'm usually too nervous to eat. But I put that all aside this time and had the Fish and Chips. sooooo yum! So that was fun.

Sunday was the best day. Charles made me a delicious breakfast and then we had lunch at Mias and then I got to shop all afternoon. Granted, I'm not usually a big fan of shopping but I like it once in awhile - especially on my birthday. Charles was very very patient about it and an excellent help. I ended up getting some awesome deals and walked away with a sweet pair of shoes, 2 skirts, earrings, and a new work outfit! SO much fun.

Then we went to my parents house where they made an amazing dinner of steaks on the grill, salt potatoes, sweet rolls (which were to die for) and angel food cake with strawberries. My brother ended up being home, which was excellent, and after dinner my grandparents, my aunt and a bunch of my cousins all came over to hang out for a bit. I love having so much of my family close by.

We ended up getting back pretty late but it was totally, totally worth it! It was a great day and a good start to my 28th year! I hope a lot of my year is full of good food and my family!

Motorcycle Mania

2011-06-21T15:35:00.002-04:00

This past week was one of the worst that I can remember. I was sick at the beginning of the week and then my double boiler exploded and I got 2nd degree burns on my right arm (as well as some small burns on my face, chest and stomach)... it just wasn't the best time of my life.

And then I took my motorcycle safety class this weekend. It was quite the adventure. I had 12 great people in my class. All super nice and encouraging... and believe me, I needed the encouragement sometimes. The classroom part of the class was good. It has been awhile (6 years to be exact) that I sat in a class and took a test. And it went well. My mental capabilities haven't slacked off too much. Of course, I did feel like I had to write everything down in order to remember it. I think I was the only one that took notes. :)

The riding portion of the class was mentally and physically exhausting. I put in 12 hours on the bike in 2 days. I have muscles that hurt that I didn't even know I had. I have to admit that, unfortunately, I'm not a natural. The first day was absolutely terrible. I was ready to quit and I nearly had a meltdown afterward and ruined my dad's Fathers Day dinner. (I didn't ruin it. We ended up having a great time. But it was rough, regardless.) Fortunately, due to the encouragement of people that care about me, I went back on Sunday. I felt just sick with nerves and hardly ate a thing. (Thank goodness for Gatorade.) But Sunday went much, much better. I started figuring it out, not stalling every 2 seconds, and even had some fun! AND I PASSED MY CLASS!!! So I now officially have my motorcycle license. Now I just need to get my bike on the road and I am all set to start my summer!

My birthday is Sunday. I'm going to be 28. Entering the realm of the late 20s. It's hard to even imagine, since I still feel (and look!) like I'm about 23. But 28 it is. It hasn't been too difficult. 27 was a hard birthday for me, for some reason. But I don't really care about 28. I'm mostly looking forward to eating Indian food and maybe buying a new pair of shoes at DSW. That's all I really want for my birthday. 27 has been quite the year - full of fun, and laughs and craziness. I really started liking my job this year. I also started giving piano lessons this year, which I really love. (And, it looks like starting next fall, I may go from 3 to 9 students!! wow!) So I am interested to see what year 28 holds. I'm hoping it holds some repelling with my brother (I'm working my way up to skydiving on my 30th bday) and maybe some travel... who knows. Guess we will find out soon enough!

Summer Happenings

2011-06-08T09:55:00.002-04:00

Well, my last post was of great excitement about my bike. Except the piece of junk bike has only worked for a total of about 15 minutes while in my ownership. So I've been the proud owner of a bike, in the midst of great riding weather, and I can't ride. I am so so so angry about this that I could scream. And have, on random occasion, when it comes to mind.
My sweet dad has tried everything and finally took it to the shop yesterday. :( Shop probably means an expensive fix and I don't have money for an expensive fix. The guy I bought it from said he changed the cdi box so if that is the problem, he is going to be hearing from me.
I just keep asking myself "why why WHY couldn't this have happened when we went and checked out the bike? Did I miss something crucial?" But the bike started right up when we went and looked at it. Maybe this is God trying to teach me a little patience and perseverance. If that's the case, it really sucks and I'm not doing very well at it.

In other news, we have had some fun times recently. Memorial Day weekend was lovely. We played some cornhole, swam, ate delicious food and spent time with family and friends. Our pond is warming up and i'm looking forward to taking a dip in the near future. We went to Lake George this past weekend to celebration the marriage of some college friends and it was a great, great time seeing old friends and meeting new ones. And my blood left a family of mosquitos and black flies very full. Gosh I hate bugs. But it was worth it.

New wheels

2011-05-19T08:28:00.003-04:00

My life took an adventurous turn last weekend. I got a new set of wheels. A very sweet set of wheels. :)
This is very exciting for a number of reasons. 1) It means no more being stuck at home (well, unless it's raining and until October!) 2) It's a means to spending more quality time with my dad and 3) It's just plain stinkin' awesome!!
Here they are...

I need a good name for her - something that exudes fun yet reliability. Any suggestions?? I love that she is red. So feisty! She's 30 years old (gosh! older than me) but runs like a champ (only 8900 miles) and the body is in excellent shape. She runs a little loud, which i like for 2 reasons. 1) to be heard is to be seen and 2) it makes the engine sound louder than it is! hahaha!
She's a 1981 Yamaha SR250. It's a little smaller than I planned to go but, as you can see, it doesn't look like a small bike when I'm on it. And I will feel much more comfortable learning on a bike that I know I can control. I'm very, very happy with my choice.
I've got my insurance, I'm getting my plates tomorrow and then we are ready to hit the road! This weekend is supposed to be fairly nice out so hopefully I can log some decent hours on the bike. I still have a short wish list... like a new helmet, a jacket with a reflective stripe (my dad's suggestion) and a cover.

I think this is going to be a GREAT summer! :)

DC vacation day 5

2011-04-25T10:44:00.002-04:00

Our vacation went way too quickly. Our last day in DC was a lot of fun. It was a beautiful day.... Sunny and temps in the 80s. Gosh ive missed the sun and warmth. We checked out of the hotel in the morning, parked at the metro and then went to the zoo. The zoo is great. And it's free!!! It was a great day. We saw tons and tons of stuff, except all the animals in the Asia section were hiding. We even ran into my co-worker and his family. That was fun. We spent a good 4 hours at the zoo and then, when the sky started to cloud up we decided we better head out and see some other things before the storm hit.

We walked to the white house but, HUGE bummer, they had the whole thing closed off for the Easter Egg Roll today. That was sad. The storm was really moving in at the point. There was some fantastic lightening over the white house. We raced over to the Vietnam memorial, which ws very, very sobering. We thought about doing the national art gallery as well but that was at the total other end of the mall and there are no subways on the west side of the mall. Which is a huge pain. Our feet were killing us, we didn't have a hotel to go back and change so we really didn't want to get soaked and we were both feeling slightly grumpy so we just walked back to the metro. We left the city around 6pm. We managed to miss most of the rain, night construction and traffic. Our initial plan was to drive as far as Lewisburg, but we made such good time that we decided to head all the way home.

Charles drove the last half and I zoned in and out. Today we are having an extremely lazy day. In fact, it's 11am and we are still in bed. I would really like to do something fun on my last day of vacation but there is so much practical stuff to do... Like grocery shopping. And laundry. So we will see what we get around to doing. Maybe nothing. And after all the walking we did over the last few days, I'm ok with that too. :)

I am very much looking forward to another DC trip in the future.

Dc vacation day 4

2011-04-23T23:24:00.003-04:00

Another excellent day today. We got to sleep in a little this morning then after a bowl of lucky charms, headed back into the city for another full day of walking. We started out at the American History museum which was way cooler than I was expecting. We got to see the flag that flew over fort mchenry during the revolutionary war. Very very cool. And I got to see the inaugural ball gowns of the First Ladies. That was cool to me. Not sure Charles enjoyed that part so much.

After that we grabbed a slice of pizza and then spent a very sobering afternoon at the holocaust memorial. We, fortunately, had advanced tickets which were well worth the $2 we paid for them. It was heartbreaking. And the case full of shoes was enough to make you want to throw up. That is one thing that I don't like about history. It reminds me just how little humanity has learned from past mistakes and how wicked we really are.

The sun was out and it was HOT after we got out so we high-tailed it to the. Jefferson memorial for a few pictures and then ran back to the metro station. Unfortunately, there are no metro stops near the Jefferson. Bummer. My feet were shot by that point.

W got back to the hotel, changed into nice clothes, and then met some college friends that live in DC now for a nie dinner at Clydes... A nice place downtown. It was fun to get out of the tourist part and see some more of the city. It really was bustling today. Especially because the capitols just won their hockey game. Everyone was celebrating. I had one super weird experience during dinner where I was talking and all of a sudden the whole room spun around. It was really weird. It just happened once. It's never happened to me before and I hope it never does again. It was very, very odd. Anyhow, after dinner Sean and Jess took us for a ride around more of the city. We stopped in Georgetown for dessert. We were going to get cupcakes but the line was SUPER long. Must be amazing cupcakes. So we walked down the street and got homemade frozen yogurt instead. So good. And it was really fun to see Sean and Jess.

This sounds odd but after walking around in flats for 2 days, my feet were very happy to wear heels again. We did a bit of walking and my feet never hurt. Must be I was made for stilettos. :)
On the way home we stopped by the Iwo Jima memorial, which was amazing, and got a view of Dc at night. All in all, a great day.
I can't believe tomorrow is our last day here. We have a lot on the docket and there is still so much we did not get to do or see. Guess that means we'll just have to come back again!

Dc vacation day 3

2011-04-22T21:48:00.002-04:00

So not 20 minutes after I posted last night about how well the day went, the toilet in our room overflowed and we had to move to a new room. At 11:30 at night. After I was in bed. That was not excellent. But on a bright note, we were both so frustrated and exhausted that we slept great. Morning came way to early for vacation. 6:45 is not a fun wake up time. But we had tickets to the capitol and wanted to make sure we would get a parking spot at the metro. We did. Then we proceeded to buy day passes that we found out we could not use until after 9:30am. What????? Pain in the butt. So we had to spend even MORE money on a single fare ticket. I was not pleased. It was also cold and raining. BUT those were the only negatives to the day.

We enjoyed the Capitol tour, had a really good lunch (bison burgers and fry bread) at the native American museum, and then spent all afternoon at the air and space museum. I got astronaut ice cream - My favorite!! I'm eating it as I write this and i am extremely happy! We saw everything and did the planetarium, which was very awesome. Then we met up our buddy Sean from college, who now lives in DC, and we went through the Natural History Museum. Again, very awesome! The dinosaurs were my favorite part. Museums make me feel like such a kid. And they make me excited to learn new things. We will probably go back there tomorrow and finish it up. Our feet were just so tired and we were hungry.

We metroed back to the hotel, changed, and went to the mall for dinner. Chick-fil-a was calling our name. I looked around for an Easter dress for awhile but had no luck. And I was sick to death of walking. So we got back and went in the hot tub. AAah. The perfect end to the day. My muscles feel better, I am super relaxed and I plan on sleeping fantastically tonight. Also, we don't have to get up quite so early tomorrow. :) All in all, another excellent day.

Dc vacation day 2

2011-04-21T22:40:00.002-04:00

Today was another fun day. A few small bumps in the road like not being able to turn the shower on ( bad way to start a morning) and the fact that DC traffic sucks. But everything else was great! We stopped for lunch in Gettysburg.... A good meal at an Irish pub. We walked around town, a few memorials, the cemetery, saw the site of the Gettysburg address. The weather was so nice, it was good to spend time outside.

We made it to the hotel after horribly frustrating traffic and our room is so nice. We walked a ways... Thinking we were going to the mall... Which is farther away than I thought. We never did make it. So instead I sat outside in he suun at he hotel and read a bit and then we headed into the city. The plan was to eat dinner but we never did find food. We DID see the Washington monument, WWII memorial, korean war memorial and the Lincoln memorial at night. Breathtaking! I found it fitting that I was at Gettysburg and then got to read the actual address in Washington.

The night ended with a VERY late dinner back at the hotel. I'm now comfy cozy in the king sized bed. :) tomorrow is going to be an early morning as we have to get to the metro station in time to get a parking spot. I can't tell if good friday is a holiday or not. Guess we will find out in the morning. For now, it's bedtime.

DC Vacation Day 1

2011-04-20T20:50:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was technically my first day of vacation and it was HORRIBLE. It seemed that everything went wrong. We couldn't get a new mirror for our car, but waited so long to find out that I didn't make it to my parents until late evening, when I had planned to go spend most of the afternoon with them. Then I decided I was sick of dark roots so got a box of natural blond, which, in the past, made my roots blond. This time it turned them strawberry and kind of brown. I can't decide what color it is, but it's not what I wanted. (It is growing in me. I like it better now than I did yesterday. Still not completely thrilled tho.) Then, there was a huge storm last night and, although I LOVE storms, when I'm already tired and trying to sleep and the dog is freaked out and whining and barking - that is not my favorite. I did watch a funny movie with my dad, read a great book and had some quality time with my mama while she did my hair. So that was good.

Today started out the same. It was raining so we couldn't fix the mirror (I bought glue). Then I wanted to have breakfast with my dad but was feeling stressed about getting everything ready for vacation so took off early and didn't get as much time with him as I wanted.

But after that the day took a turn for the better. It wasn't raining at home so Charles got the mirror put on. Yay! And we cleaned out the car. Double yay! And packed and hit the road early. We had great travel weather and when we stepped out of the car in Lewisburgh, PA, it was 70 degrees and sunny! SUPER SUPER YAY! We made reservations for dinner at the Lewisburgh Hotel. We have been talking about going there since before we got married and just now got around to it. Since it was warm, I got to wear a cute little summer top and open-toed shoes. Gosh how that makes my heart happy!

And dinner was delicious. I had the most amazing cobb salad of my life. Bacon, egg, tomatoes, avocado... so much more. Sooooo good. (And the company was excellent as well!) After dinner, since it was so nice out, we took a stroll down main street, checking out all the other restaurants that we want to eat at (and that we'll probably get around to in 5 years!) and little shops. I could definitely live in Lewisburgh. What a cute, cute town. And i love it when it's all lit up at night. We noticed a little Irish Pub on one corner. We may have to check that out on our way home. We came across a little sweet shop at the end of the street. They were just closing up but told us we could come in. I had $4 cash in my wallet so we decided to split a sundae. A peppermint stick ice cream sundae with oreos, hot fudge and whipped cream. And this thing was HUGE!!! Even splitting it, we couldn't finish it off. We sat on a bench in the park, eating ice cream, watching people, watching the little stream.... It was really fun and relaxing and lovely. Just what I have needed. Charles and I have not been on a real vacation together in 3 years so this is definitely overdue! And so i claim Day 1 of vacation an official success.

I am now all comfy cozy in my yoga pants and a t-shirt. I'm going to sit down with a book and relax tonight. We are going to try to hit up the DC Zoo tomorrow, since it's supposed to be the only day that doesn't call for some rain, so that means we'll probably be getting an earlier start than we had initially anticipated. I really hope the rest of the vacation can emulate today, and not yesterday! Here's to a week full of fun!

Wow

2011-04-12T08:26:00.002-04:00

Have I really not been here since January? I have been a huge bum lately, I suppose. Also, I guess nothing of huge significance has been happening. I have one new joy in my life - it's called Fidders. Or Waterways. Or Success. Or Fionn MacCool's Irish Pub... It has so many names I'm not sure what the official one really is. Anyhow, it's an Irish pub/restaurant/lounge about 20 minutes away. Amazing fish and chips, amazing desserts (especially the Bailey's Cheesecake), great people (the 2 Irish guys that run the place make me very happy) and they have live music every weekend. And I happen to be some of that live music. Yes - I am now a regular musician on the weekends. Once or twice a month I drag my piano (with the help of a co-worker with a big truck) to Fiddlers and play for 2-3 hours. It's a real blast. It's fun because it gets me out of the Houghton/Caneadea bubble. I've met a lot of interesting (to say the least) new people. My brother has been around the last few months so he and I have had a blast hanging out there and even singing some Karaoke.

I am currently looking for a nice keyboard for Fiddlers, so I don't have to drag mine there all the time. It's getting a few dings in it and I just feel bad asking my buddy to get it there and back all the time. And, honestly, I'm just not really sure what to do with myself when I don't have my piano at home.

So anyway, that's something new.

Charles is pretty much done with his spring semester, minus a couple papers. But the commuting is over for now. He may have to go back for a May intensive. That is still to be decided. Although I'd love for him to be able to take a class with this prof, who is supposedly very good and the reason he's taking the class, with gas prices the way they are, I wouldn't complain if it didn't happen.

In some fun, fun news, next week is our Spring break, and staff actually get the whole week off. Charles and I are heading to Washington DC for a few days. (I am oh so very glad that the government did not shut down. That would have put a damper on things.) I have never been to DC but I love museums and zoos and the fact that everything is FREE (minus the food, which I'm sure will cost us a small fortune), is very appealing. We have some fun things planned. A capitol tour, air and space museum, holocaust museum (which will not be fun, I'm sure, but at least very informative)...
Charles and I haven't been on a vacation with just the 2 of us in 3 years. It's about time. We are staying in a cool hotel with a pool and hot tub, which doesn't matter a lick to Charles, but floats my boat just nicely. It will be a few days of plenty of walking and sightseeing, and ending with soaking my poor tired limbs in the hot tub. :) I am really looking forward to getting away. And hopefully the weather will warm up a bit and be very nice. I miss the sun.

Speaking of sun, Sunday was a gloriously warm and sunny day so Charles and took a walk, played catch for the first time this spring, and then I sat on the dock and read a book. A very funny book. And 5 giant carp floated by near the surface, looking like submarines. It was pretty cool. I love spring. It makes me happy.

I'm sensing a pattern - it seems that a lot of things make me happy. :) I am not sure where all this optimism is coming from since it's a dreary and chilly Tuesday morning and I am not still tucked in my bed, sleeping. Hm. Oh well. I'll take it.

I guess that's it for the update. Maybe I will get back on this thing in a couple weeks and post some pictures from our trip. Or tell you that I have a renewed fascination with our nation's history (that would be a real miracle!). In the meantime, it's time for a cup of tea (Tetley - recommended by the Irish), a banana and some work.
Cheerio!

I need a new brain

2011-01-13T08:26:00.002-05:00

Things have been ok lately. I could tell you that we had a good Christmas, that Charles got his papers written and is back to commuting to Toronto for the semester or I started my "new" job and have been going out of my mind but I'm getting the hang of it.
Or I could just tell you about my week. That would be FAR more interesting.
Let's start with Sunday afternoon.
I took off for Geneseo with a 1/4 tank of gas, to go get groceries, spend some time with my mom and fill my gas tank (since it's cheaper in Geneseo). I made it there with an 1/8 of a tank. I spend some great time with my mom in Tim Hortons and headed for home a little after 6pm. Of course, it was Sunday night, so pretty much everything but grocery stores and fast food joints (and WalMart, of course) were closed. I got to the gas station and couldn't get the gas cap off. Now, we have a demented car and I usually have trouble anyway, but Sunday night it was about 10 degrees and the dumb thing was frozen on. So I turned and pulled and the top of the cap came off - but the part that covered the gas tank did not. So then I was stuck with a broken gas cap and no way to get to my gas talk, 40 miles from home and no gas.
I called Charles and he said to just come home. My gas light came on about half way. And, if you know me at all, you know that I never let my tank get to that point. It panics me. So, needless to say, I was panicked. I fully expected to run out of gas in Portageville, where I get no cell service and so I'd be stuck in the dark, on the side of the road, with no gas and no service until someone decided to come out and look for me. But that someone couldn't be Charles because I have our only car.
Fortunately, I made it home. On fumes. But I made it. And Charles took care of it the next day. We now have a new gas cap, but I still can't get the stupid thing off. Apparently there is a block in my brain for that kind of thing.
So that was Sunday.
Monday night I lost my keys. Which I learned Tuesday after work when I got home and the front door was locked (it's never locked) and I had no keys to let myself in. So poor 96 year old Clark had to get out of his chair and let me in. I searched high and low for those keys. They weren't at home. So Wednesday morning I looked at work. They weren't there either.
Wednesday night I got home and remembered "oh yeah, I think I wore my BROWN jacket on Monday" (which I never wear). So I looked in that pocket and, low and behold, there they were. :)
So now we are up to Wednesday night. The night I give piano lessons at 6:45. Well I'm just chilling in my house, not really paying attention to the time, when I realize that it is 7pm. No student. So I start looking around for my phone to see if she called. I can't find my phone. Anywhere. And, I only have one phone so I can't call my phone to locate it. But I search everywhere. I was also pretty positive that I did not leave it at work because I remember ALMOST leaving it and putting it in my coat pocket at the last minute.
(side note - it's amazing how isolated you feel when you live in the middle of nowhere, with no car, and no way to reach anyway or have them reach you.)
I knew Charles would try to call so I emailed him (thank goodness for that form of communication) and told him to skype me. He must have been sitting at his computer because he called right away. I told him my dilemma and he said he'd call my phone. So it was ringing and ringing and ringing but I couldn't hear it. Then I looked out the window and saw a little light flashing in the driveway.
I went out and there was my phone - already covered with an inch of snow and frozen to the ground. It must have fallen out of my pocket when I got out of the truck. But at least I had it! I dug it out to find 8 missed calls (several from my piano student asking that I return her call to verify that I got her message) and a couple others. Thank goodness for that light or I never would have found it. And thank goodness no one ran over it.
So that was Wednesday.
Today I was getting dressed and found that my favorite necklace, that I wear pretty much every day, and my pink earrings (that I wore Saturday) are missing. I looked everywhere. I can't find them.

sigh.

I have pretty much come to the conclusion that it is my brain that is missing.
It's a good thing tomorrow is Friday.

Crazy Saturday

2010-12-13T10:16:00.002-05:00

Let me just tell you that this past weekend was a blast. A lot of things did not go according to plan, but it was super fun nonetheless.

Charles and I had a very very nice evening together Friday night. We watched Casablanca - which neither of us had seen before - and we both loved it! The world makes so much more sense to me now!!! :) The funny thing is, Castle this week had a number of references to Casablanca that i didn't get when I saw it the first time. But I watched it again with him on Saturday and it made much more sense!!

Saturday was a crazy, crazy day. I got up at a decent time (mostly due to weird dreams and being extremely cold). We were dog-sitting for our landlords so I got up to take care of the animals and the chickens. In my ventures, I found that our pond was frozen solid so I went out and made my very first snow angel of the season - in the middle of my pond! :)

THEN I found out that my buddy, who was hunting in our woods, shot a deer. So I went up to learn how to gut a deer. It was HIGHLY educational. We even opened the stomach to see what she had been eating. I thought it might gross me out but it didn't really. Should I be worried about that? The worst part was watching Chris drag her out of the woods with her neck flopping all over. I felt kind of bad about that.
Since I was already dressed for winter, I decided I just wanted to play outside. So I played catch with the dogs (out of the pond - it was really fun to watch them slip all around chasing the stick) and made an arsenal of snowballs, and I made a slick track on the pond, where I made a spot that was really icy and then you could slide a really long way!

THEN we went and got our Christmas tree. My buddy let us cut down our own tree from his parents cabin. So we went up there, found a 20 foot tree, cut it down (which was an adventure in itself. The sap was frozen so it took 3 people, a hand saw, a rope and a 4-wheeler to get it down. Then we dragged it back to the truck and cut it down to about 13.5 feet, loaded it into the truck (after cleaning out bloody snow from the back - didn't want that dripping on my carpet) and hauled it home.
The problem with having a spiral staircase is that you can't really bring anything big up the stairs. So Chris and Charles (with only a very little help from me), hauled this monster OVER the balcony. I wish I had pictures or video to show you what this actually entailed. It was pretty wild. In the meantime, I had started making hot chocolate for Hannah and myself and in my rush, turned on the wrong burner and ended up melting the bottom of my cocoa-motion. So then i have plastic on my burner (which I have yet to take care of), my house was full of smoke, it smelled terrible, and we still had to get our monster tree inside. (Keep in mind, it is about 13.5 feet tall and about 6 feet wide. This thing is monsterous. I will get pictures shortly.

We finally got the thing upright (though leaning slightly). Charles headed off for a guys night and I was SUPPOSED to go to Rochester for a Christmas program and then Karaoke with my brother. But I took one look at my house (I had to move all my furniture to get the tree in there, and my floor that was covered in pine needles (which my vacuum cleaner decided it will not pick up), and my melted cocoa-motion, and my hair which was covered in sap and realized that i had to pretty much leave then and I'd never have time to get a shower and make it there in time for the play.
So instead I cleaned up the best I could, re-arranged the furniture, showered, and then went to Hannah's play - which ended up being completely hysterical and I'm so glad I went.
I never really had time to eat food and there was absolutely no food in my house so I stopped at grabbed some wings on my way home from the play.

WOW it was a crazy day. I woke up Sunday (after a plethora of bizarre and emotionally draining dreams which I'm sure were largely due to eating so many hot wings so late at night) and my shoulders and back were so sore. And our tree was still leaning. So yesterday I got some wire and we finally have her standing up straight and decorated and she looks huge and beautiful. And I don't think I'll EVER attempt to get such a big tree again (to the great relief of Charles and Chris) but it's fun to have a forest in my house. I'll telling you, this tree is so big that we could have a family of birds living in it and we'd never know. Every time I look at it I just have to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. I think I'm going to laugh a lot this Christmas Season! :)

So that's my story. I will post pics of our monster tree soon!

Looking forward to the next month

2010-12-10T14:57:00.002-05:00

December is FLYING by.
Charles came home from Toronto on Thursday FOR THE LAST TIME UNTIL JANUARY! Although he will be writing papers, I get to have him home every night for a month. It's going to feel so weird and wonderful at the same time!
I didn't have my usual piano lesson on Wednesday night so I decided to get out the Christmas stuff. I blasted a Holiday station on Pandora and put up our stockings and lights and got out all the Christmas dining stuff... it was a lot of fun. We don't have our tree yet. That will be coming tomorrow, hopefully! And hopefully we can get a GREAT BIG one! (And hopefully I'll be able to find a latter or something so that I can actually decorate my big tree!) That is a lot of "hopefullys" in one paragraph. Wow.

I have a SUPER fun weekend planned. Tonight will be spent with my love. :) Tomorrow afternoon we get the tree and in the evening he is going to Buffalo with the guys and I'm going to head home and go to a Christmas program and then sing some karaoke and hang out with my brother. I'm thinking that Sunday we should be able to decorate the tree. :) Life is grand.

And ext Friday is our 5 year anniversary. And we still like each other - even more than when we first got married! I don't know what Charles has up his sleeve but I think, from all his secrecy, that it is bound to be something spectacular. And I am SO EXCITED. I even have half the day off on Friday to spend time with him!
AND soon it will be Christmas and Christmas vacation and time with Robert and Kate and fam in NC! And then with time with my fam and friends in NY.
PS I got Charles and I the COOLEST stocking stuffers. It's gonna be so fun.

Winter Fun

2010-12-03T08:54:00.003-05:00

Apparently I am just updating by season now. Fall was great fun and now winter is offially here! I came to work on Wednesday and the grass was green and it was raining. By 11am the world was completely white and so, so beautiful! It is snowing right now! I love winter when the trees are covered in white. And Christmas decorations are starting to go up! :) I don't like the cold, but this makes me happy. I can't wait until the steep part of our driveway fills up with snow so that we can start sledding!! That was the most fun part of winter last year and it also got us off our butts and gave us some exercise (which I have been TERRIBLE about the last few months).

Unfortunately, Charles commutes through Buffalo to get to U of T and back and Buffalo is notorious for awful snow. So yesterday it took him nearly 6 hours to get home because so many roads were closed. But at least he wasn't one of those poor people stuck on the Thruway for 25 hours. I would have had a very miserable husband. But he is home now - safe and happy.

The Thanksgiving season went by very very quickly. One of my biggest pet peeves is that our culture bypasses Thanksgiving. We go from "give me candy" to "give me presents" with no time to be thankful in between. It really bugs me. I had a decent break from work and it was one of the most fun breaks I can ever remember! I got to spend a lot of time with my brother, which was great fun. He came to pick me up on Tuesday and we hung out, stayed up late and watched a movie, had breakfast together Wednesday morning then went to have lunch with mom at work and sang Karaoke Wednesday night.... SOOOO much fun! Charles was able to come home Thursday and be with us for TG! We had a small family dinner, just the 5 of us and my cousin Ryan. Very nice and relaxing and fun to be all together. Friday we all headed to PA for my BIG family dinner with the Reynolds side. There were 41 of us and that wasn't even everyone!! It has been years (5, actually) since we had been in PA for Thanksgiving and it was fun to catch up with everyone. The Lodge where we have it is beautiful and there is lots to do - foosball, pool, air hockey (that didn't keep score!)... it was a great time. I went to be super late every night and slept in every morning. I knew it was bad when we got home at 12:30am Sunday morning and thought "wow - it's still early! What can we do?!" Getting up at 7am on Monday was definitely a doozie.

I love when it doesn't really snow until December, and it held off until December 1. So now it's officially the Christmas season. I have my Christmas music playing and I'm dreaming about getting our tree! :) Christmas probably won't be white this year, however, because we are going to NC to spend it with Charles's parents. But we are SO excited because Robert and Kate will be there as well. It will be the first time we have all had a Christmas together. And other friends will be home that we are very, very excited to see! Fun will be had by all! I just have to get through the next couple of weeks.

Work has been interesting this month, to say the absolute least. Some really awful things have happened and some really great things have happened. I'm getting a few new responsibilities which will be scary, but I'm excited about the challenge of learning new things. I'm also moving to a different office - one a little more secluded and out of the way of all the hustle and bustle. I will probably miss the commotion a little bit but it will be nice to have a little more peace and quite to focus on my new responsibilities. If you know me at all you know that my brain is everywhere all the time (SQUIRREL!!!) so focus doesn't always come easily. I think this move will help. So I am quite excited for that.

In the music world, I am gearing up for my COFFEE HOUSE that's happening in Angelica on January 22nd. It will be my first official coffee house and I'm so excited. I'll be playing original songs and covers on both the piano and ukulele. So pumped!!! I have also been rearranging some Christmas music. I have a really cool version of We Three Kings that sounds like a camel plodding along and I stayed up late one night because I found a cool chord progression. I've also been doing some Christmas stuff on the Uke. It definitely gives the music a different feel but my goal is to find ways to play the uke so that everything doesn't sound Hawaiian. I think (I hope!) I'm succeeding.

Charles only has 1 more week of school this term. He will still have to write papers but at least he won't have to commute to Toronto. That is good for me in many ways - one of the smaller ways being that I will be forced to make real meals during the week and not always resort to cereal (although a week of Lucky Charms for 2 meals a day was magically delicious!). I HAVE been trying to eat a salad everyday at lunch.

I guess that's all I have for now! I will leave you with a picture of the my beautiful, white world! I hope your Advent season is full of joy and meaning!

Fall Fun

2010-11-04T09:45:00.003-04:00

Well here is the promised update! Fall has gone by so so quickly. I can't believe that it is November already. The leaves have mostly all gone now so NY is entering its dreary stage. But we had a lovely fall, both in weather and in fun.

Our biggest adventure this fall was heading to a cottage on Limerick Lake, in Canada, with some of Charles's Wycliffe buddies. It was a great time for me because I had never met them before and it was SO nice to meet the people that Charles spends his weekdays with. They are really lovely people and we had a great time chilling at the cottage. It was a long day for us... we drove from NY to Toronto (got stuck in TERRIBLE Toronto traffic) and then headed another 3.5 hours north east to the cottage. We stopped for groceries and meat and made it to the lake in the dark. What no one told us was that there was no road access! So we loaded all our bags and food into BOATS and headed across the lake to the cottage!! It was so remote and beautiful. It wasn't like so many lakes around with row to row houses. You couldn't see any other cottages from the one we were at. There was no indoor plumbing so we had to trek through the dark and cold (and sometimes the rain) out into the woods to the outhouse. Made for a great adventure!
We ate amazing food - steaks, eggs benedict florentine, prime rib, roasted veggies... those Wycliffe people can COOK! Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day so we canoed across the lake, hiked a trail to a marsh, then boated back and ate lunch on the dock. Here are some pics from our trip!

We didn't have any real plans for Halloween this year and Charles was really sick for the few days prior to so we were taking it easy. I was feeling bummed that I couldn't dress up, and it's creepy to go trick or treating when you don't have kids and I really just didn't want to sit around and do nothing! So I decided that, gosh darn it, we were going to have fun anyway! So I went out and bought 3 huge pumpkins (found out later I could have gotten them for free...grrr), invited our buddy Nate over, and we at a great dinner, carved pumpkins, had cider and donuts and watched Young Frankenstein!! It ended up being a really really fun Halloween! And I haven't carved a pumpkin in years and years. I really hate the feeling of pumpkin guts but I got over it! Here are some pics of the fun!

Big Update to Come

2010-11-01T09:55:00.002-04:00

Just letting you know that a good-sized update is coming soon, complete with pictures, regaling our adventures as of late. Included will be our time at a remote cottage (boat only access!) in Canada with some of Charles's Wycliffe friends, my sweet Granda's 85th birthday and some Halloween fun!

In other news, we were given an exercise bike and I am determined to use it. I just need to find a way to get it up the ships ladder to the loft so that I can watch TV while I bike. I hate to admit it, but I think that's the only way that I will ever get on that bike. I have been SUCH a huge bum lately and it's starting to take its toll.

In other, other news, I have been in such a mood to dance lately. Like swing dance. Really swing dance. I still remember a little bit from when Nate and I took lessons (5 years ago!!) but I need someone to refresh my memory.

In other, other, other news, we are going to KY in 2 weeks for the weekend. Wish we had longer than 2 days, but it will be wonderful to see Robert, Kate and (hopefully) a good portion of the KY gang again. The main purpose of our visit is so that Charles and I can play with the ATS band for the Admissions Preview Weekend. This was one of the things we loved best about KY and I am so so so excited that we get to be a part of it again. We have not played with a band since we left - which was over a year ago - and it's something we both miss so much. Plus, I am looking forward to some much-needed girl time with Kate. I'm a little afraid that I will get down there and not want to come back! However, the commute to Toronto would be a little difficult from KY. :)

Lastly, I have decided that my life needs more fun. And more parties. I miss the KY days where we had parties/get-togethers all the time. I want to have costume parties, poker/game parties and fancy hor d'oeuvre parties, New Years Eve parties, etc. But there are some problems with that. 1) We just don't know as many people here. 2) Many of our friends have kids. And kids aren't so fun to have at parties (sorry, parents. I'm sure when I am a parent in the distant future I will scoff at that statement) and i feel bad asking all my parent friends to find sitters so they can come to my party. 3) Parties cost money, which is something I do not have a lot of, and the little I have I am reluctant to spend.
This year, once we get some snow (which I am hoping will hold off for as long as possible), I am determined to have a sledding party! :) Sledding is just too much fun to do on your own! And plastic saucers are cheap, cheap, cheap! And the hot chocolate afterward makes for a perfect ending!

Well, so much for a quick update. More stories and pics to come!

Time Alone

2010-10-07T09:26:00.002-04:00

When I was in high school and college I could not handle alone time. I wasn't used to it. I loved being around people, and was around people, nearly all the time. I am most definitely an extrovert.
And then I got a job where I had to commute an hour to work (1 way) so I got 2 hours in the car by myself 5 days a week. That was tough.
Then I married a man who, although friendly and outgoing, definitely needed some decent periods of alone time. That was even more tough.
Then we moved to Australia and I didn't work (which I didn't mind) and Charles spent 5-6 days a week at the office. I had no friends my age in the area for the first 6 months and usually did not have the car to travel anywhere so I spent hours a day alone. At first that was really, really tough. I'd find myself calling Charles at the office, or walking there to see him and check my email and try to find some bit of human connection. And then I got more used to it and started to enjoy having time to myself to clean (I actually really enjoy cleaning when I am alone) and exercise and sing and compose (and sleep in!) and mow the lawn...
Then we moved to Asbury and I went back to work in an office with lots of people and where we had lots of friends and it was go go go all the time and I started to feel claustrophobic and could not figure out what was wrong with me. And then I realized that, not only had I gotten used to alone time, I missed it and actually NEEDED it to keep my sanity. Charles, on the other hand, started wanting to spend more and more time with people (of course, I forget to consider the hours he spent alone in the library every day).
Now we are in Houghton and Charles is away a couple days a week and I am stuck in no man's land (beautiful though it is) without a car and I thought I would be bored and miserable. But in fact, although I miss him terribly, I am not bored or miserable. I have been doing so many things that I love to do and the days are flying by. The house is never cleaner than it is Monday night. (I go into super cleaning mode after he leaves). Last week I got home every day and took a 2 hour nap (which came back to bite me in the butt later when I went to bed, but it was still lovely) and I curled up on the couch with my snuggie and hot tea and my nose buried in a book, and this week I have been working on a music project for mom which is fun and challenging and taking up tons of time.
And last week and this week I have baked cookies (which I NEVER do) because 1) it gives me something to do 2) I have no snack food in my house at all and 3) it gives Charles something sweet to come home to each week (besides me, of course!).
Last night I did venture out and watched a movie with my landlord, which was nice. But I enjoyed having the earlier part of the evening to read and bake and start a new book (although I should have been writing music - oops).
I am slowly starting to feel like moving to Toronto would be best. And I don't like being in the middle of nowhere all the time. But I am not ready to leave our property. It is good for my soul. I went for a walk in the woods the other day by myself and explored the creek and walked around the pond and just felt so alive and happy and grateful to be able to live where we live. Nature just moves me and even though it would be exciting to live in a city like Toronto, I would miss my woods and pond and wide open spaces.

So, all that to say, I don't think I'm turning into an introvert or anything but I am learning to appreciate time alone. And I figure, I better get my fill now because someday I'll have kids and this kind of alone time will be non-existent. So I will enjoy it while I have it!

Twilight Zone Experience

2010-09-29T08:35:00.002-04:00

I have been really really really horrible at blogging lately. I guess not a whole lot is going. I have been sick with a wicked cough the past couple weeks (and yes, I know, I need to go see a dr. I have been told this on numerous occasions) so my favorite pastime, playing and singing, is out. I sound like a frog when I sing. Fairly depressing.
So instead I have buried my nose in books. Book after book after book. I guess I'm just in that stage. I can't get enough. Last week I read The Chronicles of Narnia again. I try to read them every year. And like every other year, I was near tears at the end of The Last Battle, and was reminded that the beautiful ending in the book is, in fact, the REAL ending. It is for that very reason that I live. How easily I forget...
Last night was the perfect kind of evening. I came home from giving piano lessons (always great fun), put on my comfiest clothes, ate a squirt of whipped cream out of the can (gross, I know, but it's my favorite) and curled up on the couch with my book and read until I feel asleep. I woke up when my 10pm alarm went off, took out my contacts, brushed my teeth and went straight to bed.
Lovely!
(And I slept all night without coughing!)
So this is when my Twilight Zone experience happened.
I was sleeping, dreaming about being in a church, when I woke up. I laid in bed for a few minutes, thinking about how depressing it is that the days are getting shorter and that it is dark when I wake up. Then I got up, turned on the shower and while I was waiting for the water to warm up, I started thinking to myself that I couldn't remember my alarm clock actually going off. Did it? Hm. I couldn't remember actually turning the alarm off. And it did seem darker than usual. So I went out to look at the clock on the microwave, and the clock was out. So I went and grabbed my phone, and that was out too. Weird. So I went and checked my iPad too. Dead. I unplugged it from the wall and it rebooted and clock read 5:22. My alarm is set for 6:50.
Why did I get up so early? Oh well. So I turned off the shower and crawled back in bed.
Then I woke up again because i really really needed a drink. (I had one next to my bed). So I laid there for a minute, trying to figure out if my 5am wake-up had been real or a dream. I decided it must have been a dream because I was wearing something completely different. It was a little lighter out now so I reached over to grab my phone and check the time. My phone was dead. What the heck?? Not again. Didn't I just dream that? I know it was on when I went to bed because the last thing I did before getting in bed was check the time and make sure the alarm was set. And I had full battery. So then I was really panicked because, what if I slept through my alarm and it's time for me to leave for work and I am still in bed?? At least I had the presence of mind to try to turn my phone on. And on it came. I still have NO clue how it went off.
So my phone turned on and the clock read 6:52am. I woke up at the EXACT moment my alarm would have gone off had my phone been on.
MY MIND IS BLOWN!!!!!

Then, of course, as I was getting ready, I was thinking how crazy it was that I dreamt my phone was off, and then it actually was, and how I woke up at just the right time, but HOW ON EARTH DID MY PHONE TURN OFF? So then my brain started running buck wild (as usual). What if someone came into my house when I was sleeping and turned my phone off so they could rob me and if I woke up, I wouldn't be able to call the police... and they would hear my phone turning on and could either 1) escape or 2) kill me and escape. So then, of course, I had to go upstairs to see if my iPad was still there. Yes it was. No one was in my house last night (HUGE sigh of relief).

I finished getting ready for work, ate a bowl of Count Chocula (don't worry, Charles, you can get another box next week), and was ready when my ride got there.
What a morning.

In other news, I think I may make chocolate chip cookies tonight.
:)

A New Adventure

2010-09-08T08:39:00.003-04:00

It is hard to believe that the summer is over. The college kids are back and Houghton is bustling once again (as much as a town like Houghton can, I suppose). I love that Big Als is open (although it has changed enough that I have not eaten down there yet - the thought of spending $4 on a cheesesteak that is 1/2 the size of what it was last year makes me so sad) and that the food in the cafeteria is no longer camp food (i.e. tater tots, fries, cheeseburgers, etc.). My job makes more sense when there are students around. I am reminded why I sit at a desk for 40+ hours every week.

Other changes are happening. My husband started his PhD orientation yesterday. He is having a great time so far. I know this is going to be a challenging and fulfilling time in his life. I just keep praying that the Lord will continue to provide the way.

And to help fill my time, I started giving piano lessons yesterday. It has been awhile, but I love to give lessons. Always have. And I am teaching a mini-me - Enthusiastic, musical, talkative... :) I can now see what my teachers went through to teach me. (I say that in a positive way.) She is great and I think this is going to be a lot of fun!

I know I am going need to find some things to fill the time when Charles is focusing on studies so I have some new pieces I want to learn, both for piano and uke, I started composing a new piece last night, and I started reading Crime and Punishment (again). I read it in Oz and really liked it. I'm also going to go to the library today and check out a couple other new books! :) I think this time is going to be good for me as well.

Where to even start?

2010-08-25T08:49:00.004-04:00

This summer has been about not blogging, I think. For once in my life, I have not felt the need to share every minute detail of my life with all of cyber-space. Whether it be a privacy thing or a laziness thing, I don't know.

It's hard to believe that this summer is nearly over. About 1 week left, to be exact. I will miss the quiet and the more lax dress code but it will be nice to have Big Als open again and decent food in the cafeteria - not camp food of mac and cheese and hot dogs every day. Yuck. I will miss the summer temps for sure. I haven't been in my pond in a week. That makes me sad. And I have not run in a week either.

BUT I did hike 20 miles in the Adirondacks this weekend. It was not like just walking 20 miles. It was up and up and up until my thighs wanted to explode and then down and down and down until my knees wanted to explode. And it was clambering over boulders and rocks jabbing into my feet and it was freezing and then hot and all the time so amazingly beautiful and fun! It was fun being the only girl camping with 3 guys - hubby, brother and cousin. They were good to me. And I tried not to be too girlie so as not to annoy them too much. We had a great time! We cliff jumped (I jumped off the 20 foot cliff but was too cold and chicken to go off the 30 footer. Maybe next summer) and camped out and cooked brats over the fire and got up at 4am to hike all day (12 hours), climbed the highest peak in NY, ate lunch at the summit, packed up in the rain... pretty much had an awesome 3 days. I couldn't walk for 2 days following the hike but it was worth it!

Here are some pictures of our weekend!

Stages

2010-08-05T08:47:00.002-04:00

I haven't felt much like blogging lately. Life has been particularly difficult the past couple weeks and that kind of kills your motivation to want to write about your life. So instead I have been playing (somewhat) happy music on my ukulele, and if it's not happy, at least I have been cracking myself up. I wrote a song this week called "I Wonder What My Beta Is Thinking" and it's from the perspective of our beta fish - Simeon. Hopefully he is not as depressed as my song would lead you to believe but I did sincerely try to get into his little brain and think about what it would be like to be stuck in a little bowl all day. :) And, just because I am so clever, when I was writing the music, it came out with a very Spanish sounding melody so I decided to run with it and, thanks to Google Translator, I put one of the verses and the bridge in Spanish. It totally cracks me up!

What I have not been doing lately is running. Not at all. It has been hot and muggy and I am a wuss. I have been doing some swimming but the past couple days I have been particularly lazy and have not done that either. I did get in the pond yesterday but I did not leave my raft. Therefore, it cannot count as exercise. HOWEVER, my brother came over this weekend and I got PLENTY of exercise then. You don't sit still when you hang out with N8. So we played tennis then swam and jumped and then ate dinner and then went rollerskating. Needless to say, my legs were aching at the end of the day (as well as me feet which were raw because I (idiot me) played tennis in bare feet. Bad idea. But aching legs or not, we got up Saturday morning and went on a short hike at Letchworth. It was an absolutely perfect day for it. Perfect. And then we stopped by a campground where a buddy of mine was camping with his family and hung out there for a bit. And THEN we went to my cousin's grad party and ate lots (and I mean LOTS) of Mexican food. Definitely undid all that exercise.

And I have done nothing since then. Not a blasted thing.

Here are a few pics of our fun in the pond. That was a good day.

So much has happened...

2010-07-16T10:16:00.002-04:00

I can't believe that I have not posted since early June. So much has happened in the last month and a half. I will try to give a brief summary of our crazy lives.

1) Right after my last post, I went to CA with my family for my cousin's wedding! We had such a blast and it was great to catch up with family that we never get to see. It was also fun spending time on the beach, in the hot tub, eating good food and dancing the night away with my brother! We also found out that my other cousin is pregnant so that was very exciting as well!!

2) Charles and I traveled to NC for a wedding of an Asbury friend. We stayed with Robert and Kate and Kate and I had wonderful bonding time by the pool while the guys explored their old stomping grounds. The wedding was beautiful but so very hot!

3) 2 days after our NC adventure, I traveled with my wonderful friend and admissions counselor to Alive - a 4 day Christian music festival. It was hot and dirty and we got to talk to hundreds of sweaty teenagers and it was awesome!! We had so many crazy adventures (I need to write a whole post just about the craziness) from getting lost on crazy dirt roads, going on a hunt for pizza at 11pm, having a room key that takes 2 people to get the door open...
We had so so so much fun!

4) I turned 27 and, unfortunately, have not yet completed anything on my 27 in 27 list. I need to get on that. I have, however, started studying for my motorcycle permit test.

5) We have been swimming in the pond, jumping in the pond, and basically having loads of fun in the pond every day!

7) I have applied for a bajillion jobs (or so it feels like) in Toronto, been offered a job in Toronto and turned down said job in Toronto. The last couple days have been full of emotional turmoil as we have prayed and prayed about whether or not to leave everything in Houghton (house and job) to move to Toronto and try and live off of a PT salary. Our own feelings and the confirmation of other praying people, led us to make the decision to just wait for God to bring the right job for me, rather than just jump at the first opportunity that came about. But I must admit, this morning when I made the call, it was awful hard to turn the job down. I have never turned down a job before and it seemed stupid to take and stupid to leave it. Haha. But I'm praying this seemingly lose-lose situation will turn into a win-win, as we trust God to meet our needs in His time.

So that has been that. Lots and lots of busyness that I don't see calming down anytime in the near future. Charles received all his orientation info in the mail this week which is so very, very exciting! Looking forward to this next adventure.

Let me just tell you...

2010-06-02T22:23:00.002-04:00

... a little bit of what has been going on since my last post. We ran and were successful. Then craziness started happening. I took the next day off after the race and rode the motorcycle with my dad and played mini-golf and ate ice cream with Charles. Then we had dinner at Sinbads with friends from Houghton. Good times. We drove up to Rochester to eat Ethiopian food but the place was closed.
Tuesday I went back to work and then had to drive BACK to Rochester Tuesday night to take Charles to the train station. That was quite the adventure. All the power went out and the train was an hour late. But Charles made it to Chicago okay.
I stayed at my parents house that night, was going to sleep in a bit since we didn't get home til 1am, but was wide awake at 5:45 am so I decided to just go home and get ready for work. So I jumped in the car, in my pajamas, and headed for home.
This is where things got interesting.
Half way home my check engine light came on. I made it to Nunda, stopped at the gas station and made sure my gas cap was on okay. It was. So I figured I'd better check the oil because the last time the light came on, our oil was really low.
So there I was, 6:30am, at the gas station in my pjs, trying to pop my hood and I could not get it open. Fortunately, a guy came over and helped me. Then I couldn't find the dumb dipstick thing. Usually it is on the side or in the front near where you put the oil in. Well, ours is hiding in the back and I couldn't find it. So the nice guy came over again and basically checked my oil for me. (It was so early and I just felt so helpless.) Well, turns out I was down 2 quarts. So I bought oil, filled up and went on my merry way.
Then I almost hit a deer.
But I did not and I managed to make it to home and back to work with no further trouble.
I had a wonderfully relaxing week of running (just short distances - it was really hot last week) and swimming and reading and playing the CELLO that I just acquired for the summer! :)
I spent most of the weekend with my parents and did a lot of motorcycle riding, which was fun. My dad and I went to a hot air balloon rally in Letchworth but it was windy and none of the balloons were taking off. Then about 15 minutes after we left, the wind died down and they all took off.
Go figure.
Anyway, the week was lovely. Charles had a good time in Chicago, which was good.
This week I only worked 2 days, since Monday was a holiday, and now I am all packed and ready to leave for San Diego in the morning with my family. It's gonna be some good times! :) I am so excited to see my aunt and uncle and cousins again! And have some fun in the sun!

1st official 5K

2010-05-24T09:13:00.010-04:00

After 2 months of training, Charles and I ran our first 5K (3.11 miles) yesterday. We got up bright and early and headed to Rochester at 7am (so early!!) for our race that started at 8am. I know that, in the scheme of things, 5K is not far but considering that 2 months ago I couldn't run a tenth of a mile, that is HUGE progress.
Not only was it our first race but it also marked the first time that I have actually fulfilled a physical fitness goal. Usually they are like New Years resolutions - over in a couple of weeks.
But with Charles's company and encouragement, we stuck with it the entire time and our hard work paid off!

We ran at the Rochester Lilac Festival with about 1500 other people. I had never even been to a race before so I had no idea what to expect.
It. Was. Awesome.
Running with so many other people really gets your adrenaline pumping. I kept a good steady pace and didn't have to walk at all. :) The last stretch was all uphill and I was able to give a good hard push at the end. I don't think I have ever focused so hard in my whole life... I just kept looking at the finish line and thinking "breath in 3, breath out 3, in 3, out 3"... and I kept running faster and faster until I heard the beep that let me know I had crossed the finish line!
Charles was a huge encouragement. I never realized what an adrenaline junkie I married - he was ready to sprint the whole thing but stayed at my pace and encouraged me the whole time. It made such a difference! The course had way more hills that we had run before but we were able to do it.

We ran through a residential area and people were standing out in their driveways, ringing cowbells and cheering us on. And the most amazing part was the home stretch. The street was lined with people cheering and clapping and yelling for us to push to the end, and they had music pumping letting us know that we were almost there. It was just what I needed to give that final sprint to the finish.

After the race we walked around a bit for a cool down, had some post-race refreshments and then went back to watch the finish for the 10K. Having just run and realizing what a difference the crowd makes at the end made watching the end of the 10K that much more exciting. It was so cool to cheer on people who were looking like they were ready to give up on the final hill, or give an extra yell for the people who gave one big push at the end and were sprinting ahead of everyone else, or the mom pushing 2 kids in a stroller up hill after 6.2 miles, or the 85 year old man - it was really emotional. And it made me want to work hard to run the 10K next year!

It was nuts watching the first people to finish. They ran the 10K in the same time I ran the 5K. The ran 6.2 5 minute miles. I can't even imagine.

We spent the rest of the morning walking through the exhibits, eating delicious food and still made it home by 1pm to shower and nap! :) What a lovely, lovely day.

We are hoping to run another race in a month or so. And this time Charles and I have agreed that we will each run at our own pace - that way he can try to meet his time goals and I can set my own since I cannot keep up with him! (That man can really move when he wants to!) But I cannot tell you how special it was that he chose to stay with me the whole time and that we finished our first race together. It is something I will remember for the rest of my life!

So after that moment of sappy-ness, here are some pictures of our great morning!

Picking up our race packets Saturday afternoon - our 1st numbers!

In the car Sunday morning - nervous and excited!

Me excited, Charles more tired than excited at this point!

Before we start! Feeling warmed up and ready to go!

And we're off - about 1/2 way back!

Charles just across the finish line.

Both across and so happy! (He crossed less than 2 seconds before me!)

Celebrating!

With our faithful supporters!

After the race, relaxing and watching the 10Kers!

Weekend Update with Cherith Meeks

2010-05-18T08:04:00.002-04:00

This weekend was just lovely. Absolutely lovely. And absolutely too short. I had a great time with my family and hubby and I went a little wacko and spent way more money than I am comfortable with (in retrospect!).
Friday night was a chill night. Got home from work, whipped up some spaghetti with tomato and artichokes, and then we watched Corpse Bride.

Saturday was going to be cleaning day but that got pushed to Sunday. (In the words of Scarlett O'Hara, "Why do today what I can put off 'til tomorrow?") My sentiments exactly. So we got up and went for our run, which ended up being a big disappointment. My body (and my will power) just would not cooperate so we ended up running only about 3/4 of our time. Blah.
Then we got cleaned up and, after devouring an amazing lunch that my sweet hubby made, decided to go to Rochester. I still needed to find pink shoes for this wedding in a couple weeks and Charles needed a haircut. So I went to DSW (and found a TOTALLY AWESOME pair of fushia sandals) while Charles had his curly locks hacked off. (He looks great, btw.)
Then we decided to make the hike over to Eastview Mall. Just because it's an amazing mall and we haven't been there in ages.

It's a good thing. When I have so many great stores I kinda go haywire.
I ended up buying a super cute outfit (a short olive green "safari" looking dress with a big brown belt and brown leggings) that was on sale (of course!) and a new strapless bra (since all my others are so stretched out that they fall down - never a good thing) and then I felt guilty for spending money while Charles so patiently waited for me so I told him he could get something too. So he walked out of Bostonian with a beautiful pair of leather-soled dress shoes. They are very sharp. He was been looking fairly ridiculous wearing them around the house with shorts trying to break them in but they will look just super with dress pants.

So anyhow, after our wonderful shopping excursion we met up with my parents for dinner at Aladdins - this amazing Greek restaurant in Pittsford - to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. Go Parents! :)
They had put in reservations an hour before and we still ended up waiting over 1/2 hour for our table. But it was well worth the wait. The food was amazing and cheap (2 drinks, 2 full meals and 2 desserts for $30!) and beautifully situated on the Erie Canal. We had seats out on the balcony where we could watch the boats go by. Quite nice.
I had this HUGE gyro salad (probably my whole day's worth of veggies on one plate) with tahini dressing and a side of pita. For dessert mom and I split a piece of rich dark chocolate torte and a piece of this raspberry cheesecake-type torte with huge chucks of white chocolate. To die for.

Then after we said "adieu" to the folks we went to the grocery store before heading home. And, of course, it made logical sense to shop at the Pittsford Wegmans since it was right on the way.

That place is dangerous. I always spend far too much money there but leave oh so happy! :) Our little splurge (or at least one of them) was freshly baked bagels. oh so yum!

We made it home really late and pretty much just crashed.

Sunday was another full day. We slept til 10 (oh I love being young with no children) then got up, I got dinner in the crockpot and ate breakfast and cleaned the house, ran a quick mile (Charles ran a REALLY fast mile. I couldn't keep up), showered, had our neighbors over for dinner of roast and veggies and then walked 3 miles to Oramel for ice cream. :) I love walking for ice cream. You have something to look forward to and you don't feel so guilty for eating it because you worked hard to get there.
Anyway, we were 1 mile into our return trip when my parents showed up at our house. They didn't have a lot of time so they came and got me so I could visit with them and their guests for a few minutes.

And then it was Monday. Blah.

On a bright side to Monday, I had a great, great run. It was such a relief after the disaster of a run that took place on Saturday. But today I ran 3 miles for the first time and felt great! (I felt bad for Charles who ran with a side cramp the whole time - but he never quit. What a trooper. He is so much tougher than me.) The weather was great - not too chilly, not too windy, not sunny... and I found a new route that I really enjoy.
So I am feeling much more optimistic about our race on Sunday. I think I'll be able to do it. :)
I'm going to try to run every day this week, rather than just 3 days, but alternate my 3 mile runs with just a mile or 2 on the "off" days, and then rest on Saturday. The weather is supposed to be nice and warm all week - although it is raining today. But a short run in the rain is sounding kind of inviting for some reason.

And then to top off the evening, we had dinner with our neighbors again (at their house this time) and had great food and AMAZING dessert. Their rhubarb has all come in so we had fresh rhubarb cobbler. Wow. And I now have a pile of rhubarb on my counter so I can make a strawberry-rhubarb pie.
Can't wait for that!

So that was my weekend. Exciting for me to relive, probably terribly boring for you to read.
I will try to post some pictures soon - maybe of my new shoes! (Or maybe of the shoes I had the self-control NOT to buy but that I want so so so so so so much.)

I better get to work now.
Ciao!

27 in 27

2010-05-12T16:32:00.002-04:00

I decided that I wanted to make a list - because i love lists - of 27 things that I would like to do/accomplish while I'm 27. That is happening in a month and half so I thought I had better get thinking about it. It took me awhile to come up with 27 things but I finally have it!
Here it is!
1. Go tent camping
2. Run a 10K
3. Submit a sacred piece of work for publishing
4. Submit a classical piece of work for publishing
5. Join a book club
6. Give up all refined sugar for 30 days
7. Go to a professional orchestra concert or Broadway show
8. Learn how to swim properly
9. Visit another country (I guess Canada counts - but I would like it to be elsewhere)
10. Compose an accapella classical choral piece
11. Busk on a street corner
12. Go on a real vacation (not just drive to see family)
13. Spend our credit card points on something fun
14. Lose 1 inch off my butt and thighs
15. Get my motorcycle permit
16. Lead worship somewhere
17. Learn to play the cello
18. Play piano/uke at a coffee house
19. Read a minimum of 2 books a month
20. Put one of my songs on YouTube
21. Catch-gut-cook and eat a fish
22. Make a new friend
23. Get dressed up and go ballroom dancing with Charles
24. Fly in an airplane
25. Bake 2 meals a month with no recipe (experiment)
26. Learn a Bach Prelude and Fugue
27. Learn how to salsa dance

So there you have it! We'll see how it goes. It should keep me pretty busy.

NYC

2010-05-10T08:28:00.002-04:00

I had the pleasure of traveling to NYC this weekend for a Financial Aid presentation. I traveled with one of the admissions counselors who I had met before but didn't really know at all.
And she is wonderful. I discovered a kindred spirit. We love the same foods, movies, books... we both love to travel (as the International Admissions rep she gets to do much more of that than I), etc. We talked and talked and talked. I think in 2 days together and 10 hours in the car there was maybe 5 minutes of silence total.
We really enjoyed our adventures together.
We had a chance to venture into Manhattan after the fair (our fair was in Harlem - not as scary as everyone made me think it was going to be) and went, on my boss's recommendation, to Dylan's Candy Bar - a 3 story candy shop which was amazingly heavenly. I had a mini sundae (the regular sundaes were $10 and 6 scoops of ice cream - holy cow!) with cheesecake oreo ice cream, strawberries and whipped cream. Yum, yum, yum!
And, because we were in NYC we had to to the urban thing and get drinks (and paninis) at Starbucks.
Overall the driving was fine. Traffic was pretty good and Kate is a great city driver. Driving in on Friday night, our hotel was right across from a soccer stadium and Mexico just happened to be playing Italy that night so it took us 1.5 hours to go the last mile. By the time we got to the hotel we were starving and VERY glad to be out of the car.
So that's that. I will probably put up another post later about some things that happened (like how I saw someone being arrested) with pictures but right now I have to get to work and my office is freezing and it's getting hard to type.
:)

Open Mic

2010-05-07T09:31:00.002-04:00

I decided I want to make a list of 27 things I want to do when I'm 27. Unfortunately, as of yet I have not been able to come up with 27 things. I think that's pretty pathetic.
When I figure out the list, I will post it.
But I will tell you that one of those things is playing at a coffee house and I got my first glimpse of that last night.

A cafe in Angelica, about 20 minutes away, had an open mic night last night. I've never done one, mostly because I haven't played a portable instrument until recently. So Charles and I decided to go. The people were really nice and, since it was the first one of the summer, there were only 3 people there to perform. I figured I'd only get to play one song but I ended up getting to play 6! I was able to sing some of my original stuff as well as my favorite covers. I played some Loggins and Messina, Zee Avi, and Ingrid Michaelson. Wonderful, happy music! :) Everyone seemed to really enjoy it.
I always feel a little silly taking in my uke and playing after some amazing classical guitarist on a 12-string but then Charles reminds me that what I lack in skill I make up for in eccentricity and personality! And the uke just suits my style! :) So I'm so glad I did it and I definitely plan to go back and do it again. When I wasn't playing, it was really fun to sit and listen to some of the other musicians. They were just fantastic and were fun and laid back and it was just a great time. Next month I will be in California but Charles is planning to go back. I'm glad he enjoys stuff like that.

In other news, I am going to Harlem tonight for a Financial Aid presentation tomorrow. I have only been to NYC once and never to Harlem so I think this will be quite an experience. We are hoping to spend a couple hours in the city tomorrow after the fair and I have specific instructions to find "Dylan's Candy Bar!" Should be a great time!

But lots to do before then so have a great weekend, all! :)

A post mostly about running but other updates as well.

2010-04-29T08:15:00.004-04:00

Life is going quickly and busily.
Work has been nuts. I have a list a mile long but they are all projects that take hours to get through. I shouldn't even be blogging now but I just have to get the thoughts out quick!

Still no update on our future. This living in limbo is sometimes really difficult for me - I'm frustrated that the job hunt is not going well, I'm frustrated at the thought of moving to another tiny crap apartment (but at least it would be in Toronto - that part is wicked cool), I'm frustrated that we still haven't heard from U of T... I could go on.

BUT over top of all that frustration I am thankful - thankful that Charles gets to pursue his dreams, thankful that I have the chance now to live in an amazing place with great neighbors, thankful that I have this year to be near my family again. God has truly been very, very good to us. And I just have to keep reminding myself that, just as he has always led the way and provided throughout the craziness of our last 5 years, he is not going to stop now. PTL!

Now for the running part. I'm sorry I talk about this so much - it's just the most exciting thing happening in my life these days.

I have found that running really helps my stress levels. It feels so good to go out and push myself and I find my energy levels higher and my stress levels lower. It's something I really look forward to 3 days a week. Last week Charles was in KY all week and although I was lazy and bugged out on aerobics all week, I did my runs faithfully - including my first solid run (no periods of walking other than the 5 minute warm up and 5 minute cool down). I feel like my lungs (which is what I struggle with the most) are finally starting to figure out what they are supposed to do and the running is getting easier and easier, even though the distances are increasing. I went to PA with my fam this weekend and we went to a park Saturday morning so I could run. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm) and the path ran right along the Susqehanna River - it was just amazing. I actually got a decent radio station on my phone and that helped pump me up. The path had a few small hills as well, which added a nice challenge. The best part was that every tenth of a mile was marked out. That really made the time and distance fly by and also helped me get an idea of how fast I was running because, up to this point, there really was no way to tell. We have always run on time rather than distance. Well, I learned that I run between a 9:48 and 10 minute mile. I know that that is pretty slow but for someone only running for 6 weeks, I was really happy with that. :) Lastly, my parents went to the park and walked around while I ran. It was good to have someone see me run. I have always felt self-conscious when I run because I know I walk kind of like a duck and I have worked hard to train myself to not run like that. However, I can't see myself when I run so I have no idea if I look funny or not. Well, mom saw me (and she would be really honest with me if I looked ridiculous) and said that I have really good form when I run. Yay!

This week is the first week of no walking - ever again! :) The first day went great. 25 minutes (and 2.5 miles!) went by quickly and I felt pretty darn good. Having Charles back to run and chat with made an enormous difference. :) I was just thinking last night about the first time we ran - only 60 second spurts and talking was out of the question, I was so out of breath. I still don't converse easily while running but my breathing techniques are definitely improving and things are getting much easier. And it's hard to believe that after 6 weeks I can run 2.5 miles and when I started, a tenth of a mile was a stretch. I think seeing results and having a routine makes me keep on going.

I can't remember if I posted this or not but, when we started, my goal was to run a 5K. (Which I will be able to do in 2 just weeks from now!) I decided that once I conquer the 5K, I want to continue on to the 10K. Really, I had no desire to do any distance farther than that. I figured if I could run about 5-6 miles a day, 3-4 times a week, I'd be doing pretty darn well. I had to bribe Charles to start the 5K training with me and one day, during a really good run when the endorphines were pumping, I asked if he would go all the way to the 10K with me and, to my great surprise and delight, he said yes! :)
THEN, to my ultimate surprise, when we were running on Tuesday, he said that he'd like to go BEYOND the 10K and just keep on training and try to run the half marathon in Disney this January.

WHOA! I can't even envision myself ever being able to run that far. However, with a good training schedule and a good training partner, I have confidence now that it can be done. And even on the days that we really hate running (like the cold autumn and winter days that are going to come), we will have DISNEY to look forward to.

Now, this is all a big dream at this point. We still can only run 2.5 miles (I could probably run 3 if I tried, but my C25K coach, Robert, (from my podcasts), said not to push ahead of schedule and we have NO idea what our living or financial situation is going to be come January. I could be in a new job where I have no vacation and most likely we'll be paying a fortune in tuition and will be completely broke. But it's a good dream to have and it gives us something to work toward.

I've already propositioned my parents to maybe come with us. That way we will have some support on the sidelines and someone to take our picture as we cross the finish line. Also, then my dad and I can ride some of the more wild rides while Charles and my mom stick to some of the tamer ones! :) So we will see how all this pans out. I'm excited at the prospect of it.

Well, that's all. I have 8 hours of work ahead and then I get to run. :)

Have a nice day, all!

Girls Night

2010-04-21T13:17:00.002-04:00

My mama came out and stayed with me last night and we had a GREAT time. It's fun to have a mom who is also your best friend. We think a lot alike and have similar tastes and interests so we just have a lot of fun together and last night was no exception.

Mom came after work and I had a nice dinner ready for Thai Chicken Saute. And then mom brought us dark chocolate bars to snack on after dinner while we made a 2-layer coconut cake (which was amazing). We ate cake and drank tea and watched a movie and then got up and had oatmeal, went to the Amish store, sat outside on the balcony in the sun and ate delicious salads and drank root beer floats and watched the logger truck unload logs and chatted to our hearts content.

It was just very lovely.
I'm so blessed to have such a great mom! :)

Flying solo for the week

2010-04-19T08:59:00.000-04:00

This week is Belfast's spring break so there is very little chance that Charles is going to get called to sub this week. Therefore, he decided to take his own spring break and head down to KY for the week for some much-needed guy time. I miss him already.

I'm really glad he gets to go but I sure wish I had some more vacation time to go with him. However, I have a relaxing and fun time planned.
I have snagged a new running partner for the week - my friend Jenn - so that I still keep up the incentive to run. Jenn just ran her first half marathon so I am quite a ways behind (understatement of the century), but she said she was cool with running the measly 2 miles that I am on. (Tomorrow is my first solid run with no periods of walking in between - and it's 20 minutes - yikes!) Mom is coming over one night for a fun girls night and sleepover, so that will be a great time, and I'm going with my fam to Pennsylvania for the weekend, which will also be fun. But I have to admit, being stuck in Houghton without a spouse or a car really isn't the most fun thought in the world. Fortunately, I have great neighbors and I'll probably hang out with them a bit - maybe play some scrabble or something. And I have to work late one night so that will give me something to do. But I'm sure the time will fly by and I'll find plenty of things to do to entertain myself. Maybe I'll actually play the piano again - it has been about 2 months, I think.

Anyway, for other updates, this was a weekend of junk food and concerts. I can't believe how terrible I ate. Saturday we went for a run (which went wonderfully!) and then decided to split Chinese for lunch. Then our lovely friends called to see if we wanted to join them at 3 Bums for dinner. And of course, we did! We haven't seen these friends in eons, it seems, and wouldn't turn down a chance to hang out - especially over pizza and wings. So that is what we had for dinner. Then we came home and had pecan pie and ice cream with our neighbors.

Sunday was a LITTLE better - my dad's amazing chili and leftover stir fry. BUT my mom made brownies topped with cherry vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. And there was the downfall. :)

So, needless to say, I'm headed back to the gym today and I bought healthy food for me to eat this week. No more junk - I am undoing all my hard work and California is coming quickly!

As far as the concerts, we had a friend from KY stay with us Friday night and we dragged her to the College Choir concert. Normally choral music isn't my thing but the HC College Choir is just unbelievable. Dr. Johnson picks out the most amazing music and they perform it SO SO well. And it's not just your typical 'stand in one place and sing all night' type of gig. It's more like a show and an amazing auditory experience. He chose a lot of minimalistic music this season, which is my favorite, and a lot of music which is just very, very interesting to listen to. I need to buy their CD.

Saturday night we went to the orchestra concert. I love orchestra music. Unfortunately, the HC Orchestra has really gone downhill from when I was here. Some things were almost painful to listen to. But I did really enjoy the premier of Dr. Hijleh's new piece. (He was my composition prof at Houghton.)

So that was that. A nice, relaxing weekend. And now it's Monday and back to work.

Weirdness

2010-04-16T08:51:00.003-04:00

Last night there was a little bit of weirdness around our place. It was probably nothing but it was a bit strange, nonetheless.

It involved a random lady (who no one knows) in a golf cart riding around our driveway all evening. But whenever I went to talk to her to see if there was anything I could help her with, she took off and then would come back an hour or so later. And then she brought a guy with her and rode around, stopped and pointed to our house and said something that I couldn't hear before they took off. You don't just ride your cart around people's private driveways. That is kind of weird.

And, of course, I have an over-active imagination so although it wasn't like it creeped me out or anything, my psyche went nuts last night and I had terrible, paranoid dreams all night. And then when I woke up, I laid there, paranoid, for hours (or at least it felt like hours) before I fell back asleep just to have another bad dream.

All because of that dumb lady on the golf cart. Lady, if I ever find out who you are, I'm gonna come ride my bike around YOUR driveway and see how you like it.

C25K and Marriage

2010-04-14T08:17:00.005-04:00

Charles and I are still going strong on the C25K and I have been encouraged at our progress (or my progress, rather, since running is easier for Charles. But we are both learning new things). So far we have met every challenge. I was nervous about this week because our total running time went from 9 to 16 minutes but I did fine and actually enjoyed myself. My biggest difficulty with running is with my lung capacity. My muscles are fine but I get out of breath SO quickly. But I am definitely getting better and I am learning some breathing techniques that have really helped. Yesterday we were actually able to chat a little bit while we were running, which is a really good sign. The first time we ran, even though it was only in 60 second spurts, I was way too out of breath to talk. And now, even though I can't do much of it, talking while running for 5 minutes is much easier.

So tomorrow we start week 5 and by the end of this week we should (theoretically) be able to run 20 minutes straight.

But my biggest props goes to my Charles. I don't think I would have stuck with it this consistently or liked it this much (yes, I am actually enjoying it) if it weren't for him. Although he hates running (hopefully not so much anymore) and I had to bribe him a little bit to start, he has been a rock! He never complains (unless it's really cold), is great running company, and is great at keeping a steady pace, which I really need. Our legs are close in length so I can keep even stride with him which helps me out a lot. (All my years of marching band and walking in synch are paying off!)
Maybe it's the endorphins, or maybe it's the fact that we are working together to be fit and healthy, but I swear I fall a little bit more in love with Charles with each run. And it's not because he is getting even hotter (which is true, however) ;) but there is a bonding that happens when you face (and conquer) new challenges together. :) I couldn't ask for a better running, or life, partner! I am smitten.

When I began this journey 1 month ago, I thought I'd hate it but was pretty much doing it to look good for California. I had no idea it would help me feel so good about myself and be so good for my marriage!

So that's that. 4 weeks down, 5 weeks to go. Almost half-way there. And I am loving it!

Not this time...

2010-04-13T08:02:00.002-04:00

With everything up in the air for our future and school and all that jazz, I decided I better keep my options open. So when my dream job opened up in Toronto, I knew it was a long shot but I applied for it anyway.

Like I said, I knew it was a long shot but it's amazing how disappointed you can get when something you don't expect to happen doesn't happen.

But I'm trying to be hopeful and remember that the Lord has a plan for my life - plans to prosper me, plans to give me hope and a future. (That's a promise, right?) After finding a job that I'd love love love, I'm really hoping that future doesn't include having to spend 6 years working in a so-so job that pays the bills but that I don't really love. I've done that long enough.

So prayers for our (and my) future would be much appreciated. Especially today. It's hard to be positive when you just feel a little bit sad.

A Bit of Easter Sacrilege

2010-04-05T19:28:00.002-04:00

Well, don't the the title turn you off to this post. I suppose it's not really sacrilege - it's more just fun than anything else!
In the car on the way to our Good Friday service, I was talking to Charles about some of my favorite Easter hymns. I started singing one of my favorites - "Low in the grave He lay..." Charles interrupted and said "ha, it sounded like you said "Low in the gravy lay..."

And that's when it all happened. My mind started working a hundred miles an hour and Charles got into it and helped me out with some of the words. So, in case you don't know the tune, it's a great Easter song with a low and melancholy tune for the verse and then the chorus is fast and upbeat. Here are the original lyrics:

Low in the grave He lay
Jesus, my Savior
Waiting the coming day
Jesus, My Lord

Up from the grave He arose with a mighty triumph o'er his foes!
He arose the victor from the dark domain
And He lives forever with his saints to reign!!
He arose! He aroes! Halleluia, Christ arose!

So now hopefully you have the turn in your head. Here is our (somewhat tainted) version.

Low in the gravy lay
Bits of meat and splendor
Awaiting Thanksgiving Day
To partake in flavor

Up from the gravy and rolls, with a mouth full of mashed potatoes
We asked for seconds on the collard greens
But nothing was left except for corn and beans
Oh my woes! My belly grows! I'm so full I can't see my toes!

:)

Easter and Family

2010-04-05T08:30:00.002-04:00

Charles and I went and spent Easter with my family. It was a fun and mostly relaxing weekend. Being that I had been pretty sick, we went pretty easy most days. I am finally starting to feel totally normal again.

We left on the beautiful Friday afternoon! It was so fun to pull out some of my summer clothes (and get to wear some of the new clothes I bought for California!). The weather was amazing! I can't remember the last time we had such wonderful weather for Easter.
Some of our adventures included:
Friday
Going to Hillside to visit mom (who was working) and some of our old co-workers! It is always good to see them again!
Shopping at the Pittsford Wegmans (my absolute favorite store in the world!)
Good Friday service at church
Watched "Empire of the Sun" with my parents. (Christian Bale's first movie.)
Saturday
Went shopping at Old Navy for their big sale
Had an amazing lunch and a great time playing games with Adam and Monica
Dinner at Mia's, walked around Geneseo, dessert at the local coffeehouse
Rented "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs"
Sunday
Church with the fam (and Nate's girlfriend, Rachel)
Picnic lunch and some hiking and frisbee at Mendon Ponds
Colored eggs
Easter dinner with the Clements family (the whole family)

The weekend went by so quickly but it was oh so fun. Every time we do something with my family, I become more and more grateful for them. Something that means a lot to me is that, when my family gets together for a holiday, we don't just get together and eat (although we do plenty of that). My family makes an effort to put the focus on WHY we are gathering... not just the gathering. So for Christmas, rather than just opening presents, we always read the Christmas story and sing carols together. For Thanksgiving we talk about things we are thankful for. Every Easter morning the phone rings from multiple aunts and uncles and grandparents with greetings of "The Lord is Risen! He is Risen indeed!" At Easter dinner, the kids find the hidden eggs, but rather than candy in them, they have symbols of the Easter Story and then we read the Easter Story together and open our eggs! We eat resurrection roles and talk about the joy of the resurrection as we enjoy the sweet goodness of the "empty" rolls!

It is my deepest joy to grow up in such a fun family with such a rich Christian heritage. And it is my prayer that Charles and I will continue on that tradition with our own children, when that time is right! I have been so shaped by my family experiences and I want my children to enjoy that same privilege.

Shopping extravaganza!

2010-03-29T09:50:00.004-04:00

I am not normally a big shopper. I don't like to spend money, I hate mall air and I can rarely find things that fit right and are in my price range.

But this weekend was all about shopping. With the wedding in Cali coming up in June, I wanted to give myself plenty of time to find just the right outfit. It is californi, after all.
So Saturday I got up, ran my C25K regime (on a cold but sunny day), showered and headed off to the Rochester area. I stopped at Walmart and picked up a couple pairs of leggings. I have never done the legging thing but I have a cute mini-skirt that really just needs something under it. For my own comfort. I wasn't sure how it would work, but I got home and was pleasantly surprised! I really like the look! Then I had lunch with my mom at her house and then we went to the city. We started off at the mall. There were a gazillion dresses on sale that fit but there was always something wrong - too short, too teeny-bopper, too expensive...
I returned the dress I bought last weekend because, even though it was cute and the colors were perfect, it just didn't fit me like I wanted.
I put a dress on hold at The Limited and finally decided it was the best. So I went back to get it. I liked it but I didn't like the material. For a formal-ish wedding, it just seemed too business-like for me. But I figured I could return it if I didn't find something else between now and June. And by that time, I was pretty sick of shopping. We even went to the Dress Barn and found out that they don't even carry dresses in my size. Great.)

AS I was leaving the store, I saw a dress in the window that, for some reason, I hadn't tried on. It had all the features of the one I bought that I liked but it was a better material (silk!), a funkier design, and a little "softer" looking in the skirt. My mom had left at this point and my dad was there and he's not a big shopper so I didn't want to be a pain, but he liked the dress in the window better, too, and encouraged me to try it on.

And I loved it.

So not 5 minutes after FINALLY buying a dress, after a whole day's worth of shopping, I went back in and exchanged it. And I am so glad I did!

Then I had a great rest of the evening with my dad! We had Moes for dinner and then we went grocery shopping at the new Wegmans. I know that doesn't sound like fun, but it was! My dad made all the labels for the veggies and helped me look for stuff... and then, when we got home, we went next door and visited Granda and Nanny for a bit before I headed back to Houghton.

Well, I expected that to be all of my shopping for the weekend.
But nope.

On Sunday morning, I bribed Charles to start running with me. He had one condition - he wanted new sneakers. He got new sneakers in KY (which was a while back) but there is a huge hole in the toe. He is probably due for some new ones and I desperately want a running partner. So what the heck. I said yes.

Sunday was ALSO my Nanny's (as in grandma) birthday party. And my cousin, and my other cousin, and then my other cousin! So since we'd be in the area, I thought we'd go. Family gatherings on mom's side are fun but chaotic. We got there 1/2 hour "late" but still waited a 1/2 hour to eat. :) But it was worth it. The food was abundant and so good (my cousin made these cream cheese, oreo and white chocolate dessert things. They were amazing. I was SO glad it was Sunday and I could eat them!) and the fellowship was wonderful, as always. Granda told some stories about growing up in Ireland. I love to hear those stories.

So after we ate (alot!) and sang Happy Birthday 4 times, Charles and I headed BACK up to Rochester to do some shoe shopping.

I bought running shoes last week but after actually running in them, they really hurt my feet. So I returned them on Saturday but didn't have time to look for new ones. Yesterday I found a pair I liked almost right away. I'm going to try them out today so hopefully I will still like them after I run! :) I got them on the recommendation of a friend and runner! And the best part, they were only half as much as the original shoes that I bought!

Charles also found good sneakers for cheap and mom was able to sew his old ones so he has a back-up pair, if needed.

And since we "saved" so much money, I went ahead and got a pair of casual flats. I wanted a cute pair for Cali, but more than that, I just needed new black flats. My current ones have a huge whole in the sole (the bottom is actually coming off the shoe) so I pretty much am walking in my sock feet everywhere. Not cool.

I was going to get cheap ones and then realized, I probably spend as much replacing cheap ones all the time. I should just buy a good pair to begin with. So I found a super cute, really comfortable pair of Naturalizers. Sweet!

We finally headed home (via another stop at my parents house). Needless to say, I am SHOPPED OUT for awhile. I only have a couple things left on my California wish list - a pink belt, pink shoes (it may be awful but I just want to try it) and jewelry!
And it was fun just to spend the time with mom and papa and Charles and the rest of my family.

So overall, lots of gas was used, lots of money was spent, but it was a GREAT SUCCESS!

Here we go again...

2010-03-26T08:26:00.003-04:00

It seems like our lives are constantly in flux. The longest we have lived anywhere since we have been married is 2 years. I guess that is expected when you are married to an eternal student. God has led us into some pretty amazing adventures in our time together so far.

Well, we are coming to another point of possible transition. Charles was accepted into the PhD program at Wycliffe and they would like a letter of acceptance by March 31. I was accepted into the Masters program at Houghton and they would like a letter AND a deposit by April 15. And we are still waiting to hear from University of Toronto and funding sources, which more that likely will not happen by March 31. Which leaves us in a difficult spot.

If you have read my blog for any period of time, you will know that I like to have all my ducks in a row before making any major decisions and in the past, God has always lined everything up perfectly. And it looks like this time he may want us to take a step of faith.

I am trying hard not to lose sleep over it. I do trust God to provide for all of our needs. I realized last night, when I was wide awake in the middle of the night, brain running in high gear, that this time it's not worry that's keeping me awake - it's just that all of the options are so overwhelming. I just need sit back, relax and trust. As a control freak, that is so hard for me to do.

So, if you think of it, send some prayers on our behalf - prayers for guidance, patience and, on my end especially, sanity. The next few months are going to be a little topsy-turvy. So buckle up and let's go!

It is hard keeping up with 2 blogs!

2010-03-20T12:09:00.002-04:00

I have been spending the majority of my time posting on my new food blog (www.cherithcooks.blogspot.com) mostly because I have been doing a lot of cooking (and eating) lately!

But we have done some fun stuff in the last couple of days that I thought I would post about.
1) Charles and I went on a date last night to the Magnolia House. It is this super cute restaurant in a beautiful old house in this tiny town out in the sticks. There is really limited seating and a really low-key atmosphere and delicious food! It was a spontaneous date and we had a great time and stuffed ourselves on amazing food. We actually got the exact same dinner, which never happens! And we shared some amazing 4-layer chocolate cake for dessert! By the time we got home we were pretty much too stuffed to move. So we chilled on the couch and watched "Up In the Air" - it was a GREAT movie.
2) I completed my first week of the Couch to 5K program. Not too bad. Charles went with me (rather begrudgingly), which made it a lot more fun for me, and rather than having to count the seconds, I listened to a podcast that told us when to walk and run, so that made a huge difference as well. I don't think I'll be able to convince Charles to go with me again because 1) he hates running and didn't have as much fun as I had. I don't like to run but the walking segments were fun and I just love to be outside. And it was fun for me to do it with Charles - I felt like we were bonding, getting in shape together. I don't think he felt the same. And 2) He ran with me but then I didn't go and play woofle (sp?) ball with him. (I can be such a jerk wife sometimes, which I always realize just moments too late.) Although I don't think he realizes that it would NOT have been fun to play with me because, even though I can catch a baseball, I cant' catch, hit or threw of woofle ball. I really, really suck and I think it just would have frustrated me. And then I would have been grumpy and embarrassed and that would have frustrated him. But nevertheless, now I have no bargaining chip to get him to run with me again. :(

So here I sit, enjoying the sunshine coming through the window, and blogging. And trying to keep enough self-control to not eat the rest of the peanut butter balls that are in the fridge! :)

Tomorrow we have some fun plans! We are planning to head to Rochester and see Alice in Wonderland in 3D. Also, the support on my sneakers has broke off and is rattling around in my shoe. It sounds like I'm running with a box of tic-tacs in my sneaker. So I am going to need new ones. I was considering getting those "easy tone" sneakers but I read that they aren't good for running. And I can't afford to buy them just because. So maybe I will have to save up and get the easy tone flip flops for this summer. Also, I'm hoping mom has some time to shop because I want to look for a cute dress ro shoes for Jenelle's wedding! I have never been a person who has wanted much, but I am starting to get quite a wish list. One thing at a time...

Late night adventures at work

2010-03-17T14:16:00.002-04:00

So yesterday was one of the busiest days in our financial aid year. That means, at the end of the day, when everyone else is done, I get to stay and run reports. Fun.

It's actually not too bad. It's much easier to run reports when no one else is here because there are no distractions. Well last night, I had been working from 7:30pm - 9:45pm and was about half-way done with everything when all of a sudden all of the power went out. Everywhere.

So I am sitting alone in my building - in the pitch black. I thought maybe we just needed to switch the breaker so I carefully made my way through the absolute black to find security and see if they could help me out. But once I got outside I realized that everything was out... the street lights, the buildings, etc. And when I called Charles, he said it was out even in Caneadea. I realized then that I probably wasn't going to be finishing my reports that night.

And of course, every other night a blackout would be exciting - but not when I had SO MUCH work to do.
I hung around for about an hour, hoping it would come back on and it didn't. The campus was crazy - students running around in the dark, yelling, shooting off fireworks... it was quite the experience.

So Charles came and got me and we got to bed around 11:15pm. But then I had to get up at 5:30am to come BACK into work to finish the reports by 8am. Fun.

Fortunately, my boss is gracious and let me go home and get a couple more hours sleep and take a shower before coming in again. So now I feel much more excited to be alive, and it's a beautiful day and it's St. Patrick's Day (which means green eggs and green french toast!), and I don't have to stress about yesterday anymore! (At least for a year!)

So now it's back to work getting some other stuff done that has been neglected for the past few days due to crazy amounts of packaging!

Yay for the weekend!!

2010-03-13T10:11:00.003-05:00

This weekend took a long time to get here. I don't know what makes some weeks go by quickly and others so slowly. I used to think it was how busy you were. But this week was extremely busy and the days (at least the work days) just seemed to drag on and on. Some things about the week were great!

1) The weather - it was truly spring this week and gave me that bit of hope that spring is officially around the corner. For good. With no more intermittent snow storms like we typically have in March! Being able to get outside and walk on my lunch hours, or walk home from work was fantastic. Really! The weather has inspired me more than anything else!

2) I completed my first full week of aerobics with a group of ladies from work - the Walk at Home series. It sounds so wussy but it is HARD work (at least if you are out of shape like me) and I love feeling sore on the off days (because I know it is working) and getting those endorphines flowing at lunch time make the 2nd half of the work day much more bearable.

3) Last night was the final artist series of the year - the Claremont Trio! 2 sister and a friend, all young, all Julliard grads, a violist, cellist and pianist. And they were amazing! I love being able to go to concerts like that for just a fraction of what it would cost anywhere. There is something about beautiful music that stirs my soul!

I have a couple other random thoughts before I sign off.

1) I am not sure where my imagination comes from. It can be a blessing and a curse. Last night I stayed up late reading. Charles went to bed around midnight and I finished my book and headed to bed around 1am. I got all ready for bed, everything totally normal. I went into the room and put my pjs on. Then I realized that I didn't have my phone. It was sitting out on the kitchen counter, and I needed my alarm clock so I didn't sleep all day.

I hadn't been reading a scary book or anything. It was a sad book. And I don't watch scary movies. But as I'm leaving the room and going to turn on the hall light (because I just don't like walking around a dark house), I pictured me turning on the light and having a man standing there and I screamed.
That is messed up. Then my heart was racing and I was paranoid. And, of course, when I turned on the light, no one was there. But I still ran to the kitchen to grab my phone, and ran back to the room. And I went right to sleep.
But I wonder why my mind does that to me. It bugs me.

2) Yesterday I read "My Sister's Keeper." If you haven't read it or seen it and really are excited about it, don't read any further.

Anyway, it was ok. I found the ethical issues involved to be very interesting. I tend to be a very black and white person and I find gray areas intriguing and sometimes frustrating. So that is how I found this book. But it really made me think about quality of life and sanctity of life, and stem cell research and all that stuff. I found it highly interesting. As far as the writing and the actual story, it was okay. I found myself wanting to skim parts of it, which is not a good sign for me. When I read, I usually hang to every word. I didn't skim but the temptation was there. Never a good sign.

Plus, the wishy-washiness of some of the characters bugged me. At the end it came to light why they were like that. But I was bugged by it through the entire book until the end. Probably that means it was good writing and did just what the author intended. But it still bugged me.

I was surprised by the ending. I can't believe, with all the talk of the movie and such, it wasn't ruined for me. I can't say I loved the ending but I do love that I was surprised by it. In a story about cancer I didn't totally expect a surprise ending.

So overall, an interesting read but it wouldn't go on my list of favorites. I have a long list of other books still! Next - The Lovely Bones!

Well that's all! I'm off to enjoy the weekend and make the most of the next 2 days that I am sure are going to fly by. Next week is hell week at work and I want to go into it relaxed and rested!

Ciao!

Food blog

2010-03-11T15:09:00.000-05:00

If you are interested in my food blog, the link is http://cherithcooks.blogspot.com

:)

Blargh

2010-03-11T09:44:00.002-05:00

I just wrote a whole big long post about my overnight oatmeal experiment and lots of other stuff and blogger didn't post it. Gah. Or save the draft. Double gah. And I don't have the energy (or the time) to write it all again.

In the important news -
1) At the suggestion of a friend, I am going to start a food blog so those of you who are interested in my life don't have to read about food all the time. And those of you who are interested in food don't have to read about my life all the time.

2) I have been doing aerobics 3 times a week and love it.

3) I am planning to start the "Couch to 5k" program next week.

4) Started the day with crock pot oatmeal and it was amazing.

That's the sum of it.
Have a nice day!

Sunny Cal, here I come! (I a few months, of course!)

2010-03-10T08:39:00.002-05:00

It's official - I am going to California in June! And I am PUMPED about it! My cousin (the only cousin my age on my mom's side - whom I haven't seen in about 15 years) is getting married in San Diego! We went to California when I was 9 to visit them, but by the time we got there, the Navy had moved them to a base in Hawaii. And since they have been back in California, we haven't been out to see them. So it has been years and years. And years. But due to the wonderful technology of facebook and blogger, we have recently become re-acquainted! And it has been lovely!

So when I found out that my parents were flying out for the wedding and didn't mind me tagging along and bumming of them for a few days, I had to think long and hard about the decision. (I hate making decisions. Honestly - I need a professional decision maker.) Should be easy, right? Family who I haven't seen in ages, weddings (which I love), sunny southern California??? No brainer. Well, you would think so. But in my mind I'm thinking "What if we move to Toronto? I will need that money" or "How are we going to pay for CEM's school?" and all junk like that.

And then I thought about the day that I didn't go skiing with my dad, and I missed a beautiful and fun day just to sit at work and be bored. I have regretted that decision every day since them and it was that very day that I decided that I am going to control our money but I am not going to let our money control me. I don't want to live a life full of little regrets, always saying "no" to fun because "we just don't have the money" and later saying "I just should have done it."

So I am doing it. I am going to California! And I am so so so so so pumped! It will be so great to see Jenelle again (and on her wedding day!) and Ashley and Kenny and Uncle Ken and Aunt Colleen... SO fun! It will be a short trip - Thursday thru Monday, but it is better than nothing!

And maybe I'll even be able to sneak in some time at the beach! :)

So in the meantime, I need to raid my closet and pull out some of my old cocktail dresses that I haven't had a chance to wear in ages (because it is cocktail dress - how awesome is that!) and buy some awesome funky shoes!

Weekend Fun!

2010-03-08T08:30:00.003-05:00

Quick summary:

Friday night - for dinner I made Talapia with a lemon-yogurt sauce and steamed asapagus! Yummy!

Saturday - curling was fun albeit too short. About 500 people showed up which means we waited in line forever and only got about 15 minutes on the ice. But it was fun and it was cool to see Robert and Jesse (who came down from Toronto) and I learned that curling is NOT as easy as it looks.

We ate at Bugaboo Creek and I had sirloin tips with onions and mushrooms, a side salad, steamed veggies and smashed potatoes!
For dessert we went to Coldstone! Yum!

We did our grocery shopping and then went home and watched The Informant (very interesting!)

Sunday - I cleaned the house and we went on a 3 mile walk with Rich Perkins, since it was such a beautiful day, and then played scrabble with Valerie Perkins!

All in all a fun weekend!

Birthday fun!

2010-03-04T08:17:00.002-05:00

Bucket's bday didn't turn out quite how we anticipated, but it was lovely, just the same. Being that we are celebrating with curling and bugaboo creek (amazing steakhouse in Rochester) on Saturday, I didn't think much about his actual bday (I know, I'm terrible about things like that). I had just planned to have leftovers and then I realized how crappy that was. So we invited a few people over (no one ended up being able to come for dinner - Nate and his buddy came by a bit later to visit and bring a present for Charles, which was really nice) and I made a huge pot of really delicious vegetarian chili (the best chili I have ever made, I think!) and I even made a cake!!

Unlike my mom, who always has a stash of goodies (like boxes of pudding or cake mixes), I don't ever keep those in my house because I don't have the self-control to not make them every day. So I realized that I had no cake for Charles, and I'm not eating chocolate so I didn't want to make anything with chocolate (selfish, I know. But I was afraid that I would not have the self-control to not eat it if I made it) and I didn't have much around the house to whip up and I didn't have a car to go to the grocery store. Yike!

BUT I did some digging and found a recipe for Lemon Meringue Cake! The only thing I needed was a yellow cake mix, since I had all the ingredients to make the pudding from scratch. And, fortunately, the campus store sells cake mixes! I wasn't sure if Charles would like it but I thought I'd give it a shot so he had some kind of special dessert for his bday.

And. It. Was. Amazing.

I don't even want to tell you how much sugar was in it. It was almost too sweet for me (but it was perfect with a cup of green tea) and so so good. Best of all, Charles loved it. So much, in fact, that he opted not to share it with the folks downstairs! I'm not sure if that's good for us but it's a good sign that he really liked it!
(For the recipe, click here: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,196,156178-232201,00.html)

So the day was a success! And we are really looking forward to curling on Saturday - I think that will be a blast!

Tonight we are eating leftover white lasagna (whole wheat lasagna with alfredo, mozzarella, onions, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes and shaved parm! Yum!

Sick = sleeping and reading

2010-03-03T08:02:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I felt really awful. I don't really know why. I woke up in the middle of the night feeling sick and it lasted pretty much all day. I went to work in the morning because 1) There were a few things I had to get done and 2) I was hoping it would pass. It didn't. So I finished what I needed to and went home around 1. Just being able to put on sweatpants and a sweatshirt and lay down made a world of difference. I then finished my book (The Elegance of the Hedgehog - very good. I recommend it for those of you who enjoy artistic, intelligent works of fiction. It is certainly not action-driven)and then took a 2 hour nap. Upon awaking I felt loads better and decided that it would not be fair to make my husband eat leftovers... again. So although I didn't feel well enough to eat much food, I at least felt well enough to cook it.

So I made Lasagna Florentine - whole wheat noodles with alfredo, mozzarella, onions, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes (although I almost forgot the tomatoes so there were not as many as I would have liked) and topped with parmesan and italian seasoning. Very, very good. And the alfredo was surprisingly not overwhelming. By the time dinner was ready I was started to feel hungry and risked trying some. It was really delicious and didn't make me feel sick at all.

After dinner we watched the last Star Trek TNG movie (sad) but Riker and Troy got married so that was awesome - I waited 7 seasons and 3 movies for that to happen! Again, I'm a nerd.
Because I had all afternoon home, the evening went really slowly. By 8pm we were out of things to do. So Charles and I went upstairs and played Rock Band for awhile, which was really fun! We don't do that much anymore and I don't know why. We always have a blast! And we even Gold-starred one song! Neither of us have ever done that before.

Yesterday I really wanted to post about what I made for dinner on Monday night but the thought of food just made me feel really awful and I couldn't bring myself to do it.
I made homemade fried wontons with crab, cream cheese, soy, green onions and garlic powder. So so so so so amazingly good.

Today, since I am feeling better, it is back to work and back to the gym. Yesterday was a lazy, lazy day and I am feeling it today. My goal is to drink more water this morning so that I do not resemble Bob the Tomato all afternoon. :)
Have a great Wednesday and if you talk to my sweet husband, tell him happy b-day!

(I feel like a terrible wife for not doing anything special for him today but we are celebrating on Saturday by going CURLING and eating at Bugaboo Creek!) Awesome! :)

Skiing, Food Inc.

2010-03-01T08:06:00.002-05:00

This weekend was a blast!

To be honest, I can't even remember what we did on Friday night. Whatever it was, I think we pretty much just laid low around the house. And I think we watched the first Star Trek movie. Gosh - 7 seasons of the next generation and now there are only 2 movies to go (we watched the second one last night). My nerddom is soaring through the roof. I am actually SAD about saying goodbye to TNG crew. So dorky of me. I swore that this was going to be it but I think Charles has convinced me to start Deep Space Nine.

Saturday was SUCH a fun day. We headed out around lunchtime to go skiing with my dad. But Charles has no good ski stuff and neither of us had good gloves. So we stopped in at Swain sports on the way and they were having a 70% off sale! So we both got a pair of really nice gloves and Charles got snow pants for LESS than the cost of just the pants. It was awesome!
And since Mia's pizza was right across the street, we decided to grab a small bite to eat before heading to my parents! Yum - I could eat Mia's every day.

We got to my parents house with a little time to spare before having to leave and it had snowed a TON on Friday and the snow, for the first time this winter, was perfect packing snow so we went out and build a giant snowman. He was awesome! He looked kind of Klingon - and he had eyeballs and buttons and ears and spiky hair and I made it look like he had his hands in his pockets. I was pretty impressed with my artistry. I am not usually very artistic. I have some pictures that I will try to post but it's pretty hard to see him because he is white, the ground around his is white and the sky is a light gray so they all kind of blend together.

Skiing was SO much fun. I haven't been in almost 2 years but it came back to me quickly. The conditions weren't awful but they weren't great. It was just tons and tons of powder. I prefer powder to ice but I like it better when it is packed and not just feet of loose powder that you have to plow through. And on the lift, the rain was so wet that it felt like you were being shot with thousands of tiny arrows and everything stuck so by the time you get to the top you looked like a snowman.
But we had a great time. The only downer was that every single one of the difficult hills were covered in moguls. I'm a pretty good skier and really enjoy the challenge of a black diamond but I HATE moguls. They kill my knees and hips and the worst part is the mental challenge - going down a steep hill, super fast and trying to find - in a split second - the path of least resistance. I just don't like them and I have a HUGE respect for Olympic mogul skiers. Their knees must be shot.

Either way, we had a great time and got a lot of exercise. It was Charles's second time skiing every (the first time was 4 years ago) and he did great!

Yesterday evening, rather than watching the US vs Canada game like the rest of the world, I decided to watch Food, Inc. Charles had already seen it and I saw how it impacted him but I knew I really had to see it for myself.

And it has changed my life. Honestly. I honestly don't think I could walk into a McDonalds anymore and order meat. Or even a Wal-mart. The images I saw and hearing the farmers talk about how they are being intimidated by the corporations that control the industry... it just broke my heart. I had no idea where my food came from. And I was one who always complained about food prices. So I have done some research and located the nearby farmers markets, I researched Wegmans and saw that they carry organic and locally grown produce (I support that!) and we have friends that do beef - and the cows are grass fed and are not mistreated and so we are going to start buying our beef in bulk from them. And we have another possible connection to a free range chicken farmer. I'm pretty excited about this new endeavor. I know that it is not going to be cheap but I really care about our country and my health and the health of my future children so I want to start making changes now. Also, with every change I make and everything that I buy, I am casting a "vote" and I want to be voting for local produce, non-genetically altered foods, healthy foods, and the proper treatment of animals.

So I will get off my little soap box now. But I would STRONG encourage everyone to watch that movie. It is worth it. And if it doesn't change your life, fine. But it is sure to make you think. And I think each of us should be forced to think about the difficult things that surround us every day that we are so often unaware of.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Random thoughts

2010-02-23T20:59:00.002-05:00

I have a couple thoughts going through my mind this evening - some meaningful and some not (in no particular order).
1) I didn't go to the gym today. I went yesterday for about an hour and a half. I DID do some squats, lunges, pilates and "burpees". Charles enlightened me about the burpee and they are surprisingly difficult. After not very many I did feel a bit like puking. I will need to practice those.
2) Next week I am swapping Charles Amazon points for money so I am going to break down and buy a 65cm exercise ball that I am going to swap out for my desk chair. I sit on my butt all day so every little bit has to help - right?
3) I am starting to lose sleep over upcoming decisions. I hate how I have a tendency to think so far in advance. Especially when one option looks just as good as another. (Well, some better for me, some better for Charles.) I'm wondering if this whole Toronto thing is a lesson in patience for Charles or a lesson in faith for me - or maybe a bit of both. I am praying that the Lord begins to make a fundamental change in my character. I want to remain a responsible person but I do not want to be paralyzed by fear of financial insecurity. We are barely secure now but it is enough. What if God wants me to step off the ledge and trust Him to provide. These things are all to be determined in the next few months. So many decisions, so little time. I feel like we are always making life-altering decisions. I'd like a break, please. Anyway, prayers are appreciated.
4) Since I am cooking vegetarian for the next month or so, I have been experimenting with new ideas. Yesterday I made baked mexican wontons with black beans, tomatoes, chilies, cumin, and fresh coriander served them with salsa and sour cream. Today I made spinach and eggplant lasagna with whole wheat noodles. The lasagna turned out awesome but I am not sure if I am a fan of eggplant. I may have to learn to like it since I have a whole 9x13 leftover. ha.
5) I am realizing more and more that I kind of suck at friendships. I mean, I make acquaintances easily enough and I love people. I like to talk to people and learn about them. But there seems to be a level of intimacy in my friends that I am reluctant to cross. I have realized that although I seem to talk and share a lot (too much sometimes) they are parts of me that I like to keep to myself and I get really uncomfortable when people try to cross those lines. (I do understand that there are things that need to be kept private, but I'm not necessarily talking about those things.) Take spirituality, for example. I love Jesus. But when someone asks me "what is God teaching you these days" of says "Can I pray for you?" or anything along those lines, I get all awkward and hem and haw and look around for a reason to get out of the conversation. And I know that it is something I should be able to or want to talk about with my friends. And sharing that part of our lives with each other is something that brings people closer together. But it just makes me feel weird. And praying together - that is another area in which I am uncomfortable.
Also, I am a lazy friend. Meaning, I suck at maintaining long distance relationships. I always have. It's not necessarily "out of sight, out of mind" because I think of my friends all the time and talk about them quite often as well. But I just never take the time to write an email (I have some friends that correspond by snail mail - I can't even imagine.) or call. I just get caught up in my own life. I get up early each day, which I hate, and work a full day at a job I don't love and when I get home I kind of just want time to myself - to be away from people and talking. But that being said, then I start alienating (I am so tired that the only word I could think of was "annihilating" and I knew that wasn't right!) the friends that I have that are close by.
Sigh. Maybe someday I will be good at life. Maybe.
6) I have decided that if we have to move and I have to give up getting a masters and continue to work I will NOT 1) Work a job that I hate and 2) Work a desk job UNLESS it is a job that I will absolutely love. For a job I love I will sit all day. For anything else I will not. I have worked mediocre jobs for mediocre pay for far too long. I have always worked with wonderful people and I have been good at what I do. I have even surprised myself by how quickly I picked up all the tech stuff in my current job. But I slowly feel the life and joy and happiness being sucked out of me (that may be a bit dramatic, but I am a dramatic person so I make no apologies). Jobs shouldn't be like that. I have too much energy and creativity to share. Staring a computer and calculating numbers and trying to decipher and figure out how to implement ridiculous laws and putting people in more debt than I feel comfortable - those are not things I want to do my whole life. I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I got a job in financial aid for a reason and I am grateful for the experiences I have had and the things I have learned. But I feel like there is something more for me. Something that better utilizes my gifts and talents. And I just have no clue what that might be. But I'm hoping I find it soon. I don't want to be a grumpy, bitter, zombie of a person every Monday through Friday. (And again, I know that it's my choice to be grumpy but it would be such a blessing to wake up and actually be excited to go to work.)
Ok - that's enough complaining about my job. It has been been a rough couple weeks. And the future is looking none to bright either. But I'll survive.

So with a head swirling with all these issues, I think I am going to do one more round of burpees, pack my lunch for tomorrow and get ready for bed. Goodnight cyber world.

Fun, Family and a new (2nd) cousin!

2010-02-22T08:35:00.002-05:00

This weekend flew by so quickly!
I want to start by saying that this week has started getting us thinking about the future again because 1) Charles was accepted into the Doctoral program at Wycliffe (in Toronto) and I was accepted into the Masters of Music in Composition program here at Houghton! So it has been a great week as far as that as concerned. We are still waiting for a couple factors to come in before we can actually start making any serious decisions. But, of course, the wheels in my head are already turning and I lost a lot of sleep last night because of it. So I just need to chill out, be patient and trust that the Lord will do what he has always done for us - make the way very clear.

This weekend started out on a bit of a rough note. Work is starting to get really overwhelming and I have crazy deadlines coming up and so instead of making it to the gym on Friday, I ended up working a 10 1/2 hour day and didn't get out of work until almost 7pm. Then I ran home, made a veggie pizza (which was delicious) and then Charles and I raced back to school for the orchestra concert, which was really wonderful. It was good to have that to empty out my brain and relax a bit. We got home around 10 and I was dying for something sweet and since I am not eating chocolate except for on Sundays, I decided to make these healthy peanut butter balls - natural pb, honey, oats, raisins, coconut - yum! And quite healthy! But by the time I had them made I was exhausted and not in the mood for sweets (go figure) so I put them in the freezer and will eat them throughout the week. We ended up going to bed fairly early (for a Friday).

Saturday morning we got up and decided to go to Pennsylvania with my parents to see my cousins! (Dad's side of the family.) One of my cousins and his wife just adopted a baby boy (he is totally sweet) so we went to celebrate with everyone! The whole thing happened really quickly and was a huge God thing, and it was so cool to hear the whole story! Also, I hadn't seen most of my cousins in over 2 years - since before we moved to KY, so it was great to catch up and it was crazy to see how all their kids had grown!
It was a short trip - went down on Saturday morning, came back on Sunday afternoon. But it was worth it. On the way back we took a couple small detours and did some hiking and scouted out some potential camp sites for summer vacation possibilities. One of them was right on the lake, which was frozen and it felt like you were in a frozen wilderness, walking on the lake!

We had lunch at Friendlys and since Sundays are feast days, I enjoyed (but I did share 1/2 of it with mom, for the record) a caramel fudge oreo brownie sundae with forbidden chocolate and vanilla ice cream topped with whipped cream! Boy how I missed chocolate! And then I got home and made a batch of chocolate chip cookies. However, to avoid temptation, I put them in the freezer and will bring them out again next Sunday!

So that was that. Played a couple games last night (in which I kicked butt) and then went to bed. Today it is back to the grind stone.

Yet another mundate post about food and makeup!

2010-02-19T08:05:00.002-05:00

However... these are the things that interest me these days. Last night after work we finally made it back to the gym. First time in 2 weeks. I have really needed it. I pushed myself hard and ran 4 miles and burned 300 calories in 30 minutes. (They may be easy for some people but 1) I am a slow runner and 2) I don't burn calories very quickly.)
I still really hate the exercising part (as does my husband and it is getting harder and harder to convince him to come with me) but I feel SO GOOD afterward. I am determined to lose some of this extra-ness (isn't that much nicer than "flab")by my birthday.

Anyhow, after the gym we went home and I made spicy (and I mean really spicy) creole shrimp over brown and wild rice. It was pretty good but for an Emeril recipe, it wasn't my favorite. Our mouths were burning so much after that that we sat around and ate half a loaf of artisan bread. (I have never really been huge on bread and crackers and stuff like that before but lately - I don't know what my deal is. Maybe because I'm not eating meat (sorta difficult) or chocolate (VERY difficult) my body is just deciding to crave something else to compensate. Who knows.

While we devoured the bread we watched "The Jerk." I had never seen it before (hilarious!) but it was the reason I started playing the ukulele so it was fun to see the whole thing in it's entirety! Steven Martin is such a hoot!

Then I went to bed. Typical evening in the Meeks household. But I want to say that since I got all this new makeup and makeup advice, getting ready for bed is kind of fun! My face has never been softer, the redness of my cheeks is pretty much gone, my pores are shrinking, my eyes are starting to reach a normal level of hydration - and I just feel great about it! I hate to be a walking commercial, but the stuff works!

For anyone who is totally happy with their skin, read no further. For those of you who are not happy (and don't mind making a small investment into some good stuff) read on!
This is my nightly routine:
1) Wash my face with water and a wash cloth. I mean scrub (to exfoliate). I had been leaving this step out and the Clinique lady lectured me about it and told me that's partly why my face is so dry - it's all the dead skin cells that I am not getting off my face. So now I do. But DON"T scrub the area around the eye. The skin is just too thin.
2) Instead of an expensive astringent (or even a cheap one like clean and clear) that has lots of chemicals in in, I use 100% witch hazel. It's like $2 for a big bottle at walmart. It smells awful (you get used to it) but it works great. It doesn't sting but it gets the junk out of your pores and leaves your face very clean without putting chemicals on it. When I told the Clinique lady that I used witch hazel, I expected a lecture on how I needed to use her product. But instead she said that was great. Apparently the main ingredient in their astringent is witch hazel. So I say save yourself $30 and buy it straight from Walmart
3) (Night only) I have been using the Turnaround Concentrate sample they gave me. It's supposed to continually exfoliate your skin. And boy does it work. My face is so unbelievably soft when I am done. I don't feel at all like I have just cleansed and exfoliated. And it gives your face a really smooth look - like I said, it is clearing away the redness on my cheeks. But don't use it around the eyes.
4) Around the eyes I use the All About Eyes Rich. That is the eye stuff I actually bought and it works wonders. It can't take away the circles under my eyes completely (since they are more indented than just discolored), but it is certainly brightening that area (so much that I didn't have makeup on yesterday and the change to my eyes was astounding) and I can see the fine lines starting to diminish already. It also leaves a really smooth surface for concealer so that it never looks caked. At all.

So that is it for night. It sounds like a lot but it really takes no time at all.
In the morning I change up a few things.
1) Instead of scrubbing my face with a wash cloth, I cleanse (in the shower) with Cetaphil for sensitive skin. It's a fairly inexpensive face wash that you can get at walmart. I had never heard of it but the dermatologist recommended it to me. It is good for all skin types and is GREAT for combination - like me. I tried the lotion but it made my skin look and feel really greasy. But the face wash is wonderful.
2) After I shower I cleanse with witch hazel (to get off all the dead skin) - and in the morning I can really see how the Turnaround Concentrate worked over night. It's amazing.
3) I moisturize with the sample of clinique lotion that they gave me. (Again, NOT around the eyes.)I like it as much as the Mary Kay stuff I was using and better than anything else. My face feels moisturized but not at all greasy. Since I only have samples of the Turnaround and Lotion - as soon as they run out I am definitely going to purchase them. It is totally worth it.
4) Eye cream.

And I'm ready to go! (Well, ready to apply makeup.) And every day I go through this routine, I'm finding that my skin is evening out beautifully and I am needing to wear less and less makeup. Since I don't really love makeup and would love to have perfect skin and go without it, I am finding this to be totally awesome!

So that's that! If you made it all the way through, G'donya! And if you are inspired to try some of this great stuff, awesome! Now I have to get to work.

Another food post

2010-02-18T08:23:00.002-05:00

Last night I made my first attempt at homemade vegetarian wontons - stuffed with cabbage and carrots and red peppers and cilantro and soy sauce and lots of asian goodness. And I steamed them and they were delicious. And maybe this is weird but as they expanded in the steam and you could see all the food on the inside, it made me think of some kind of creepy sci-fi movie. Don't ask me why. My brain is weird.

I have a couple ideas for next time. Maybe Mexican style with mashed beans and cheese and cumin and sour cream. Or maybe stuffed with crab meat and cream cheese... I have more wonton wrappers to use and the sky is the limit! :)

You are dust and to dust you shall return

2010-02-17T08:16:00.002-05:00

Today is the first day of Lent. I began the day by attending the Ash Wednesday service here at Houghton - Charles was asked to do the imposition of the ashes.

The ashes are always an interesting thing for me. Even though I work in a Christian institution, where not all people receive the ashes but understand about them, it still is a bit uncomfortable to carry them around all day. As it should be, I think. The purpose is to remind us of who we are - our identity in Christ, as well as our own mortality and the depths of our sin that was destroyed because of Christ's death on the cross.

So today I proudly wear my ashes.

And I have to admit that I have a great amount of admiration and respect for those who wear their ashes into their secular work places.

Our day started out interesting. Since the service was at 7:30am (yikes)and we had to be here early, I set my alarm clock for 6:30... and it didn't go off. I woke up once and thought "I should look at my clock and see what time it is." But I didn't because I kept convincing myself to trust my alarm - I know I set it. Plus, it is always depressing to see how little time I have left to sleep.
When I woke up the second time and it seemed fairly light out and I felt quite refreshed, I decided to look again. AND IT WAS 7:00AM!!! I had set my alarm for 6:30pm. IDIOT. So I got ready in 15 minutes this morning. Needless to say I didn't get a shower. But my skin has been really good lately and, thanks to my my new makeup, I don't feel like I look all that bad. (Or maybe that is just the power of positive thinking - who knows.) Either way, I would much rather be home taking a shower than at work. But alas.

So I hope today is a meaningful day for you as we enter into this Lenten season. This is the prayer of my heart this morning:

O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions, and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou, unto ages of ages. Amen.
Lenten Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian

Monday

2010-02-16T08:30:00.002-05:00

It just keeps on snowing and I love it!
Yesterday I decided to skip the gym (again) and went sledding instead. I know I won't burn quite as many calories but running up that hill 20 times or so really does get my heart racing. And it is has got to be great exercise for my legs and butt. So I still got a decent workout.

However, I think I'm done sledding for a couple days. At one point I went over the ramp at the end of the run (we didn't build it - it was a natural ramp from them plowing the rest of the driveway) and the rim of the sled dug into my legs just above the knees and even today they still really hurt. I'm surprised I don't have any bruising.

I was supposed to go to a birthday party so I went in to make a quick dinner and then head over but dinner ended up taking quite a bit longer than usual so I didn't make it.
Dinner was cheeseburger soup (yum! but not super healthy) with toasted whole wheat hamburger buns. We will be eating the leftovers for awhile, methinks.

In last news before I sign off for the day, this is our last Tuesday prayer service before Lent. I really want to get into lent this year - not just the sacrificing something part but recognizing the depth of my sin and my need for repentance and forgiveness. Easter is always so much more meaningful after observing Lent.

Weekend Update

2010-02-15T12:15:00.001-05:00

This weekend ended up being tremendous amounts of fun!
The pancake house was D-licious! I ate 6 pancakes!!! (And 2 eggs.) Then the Comers came over to see our place and we chatted for awhile and then I convinced mom to come out and try my sledding run and she did – so that was fun! (My dad even gave it a try once!)

When they left, Charles had to work on his sermon so I called up my friend Jenn and she brought her kids and her friend Beth over and we sledded (is that a word) for another 1 ½ hours! And I created a second run that was even better than the first. It was a blast. By the end of the day my legs were so tired from running up that hill (and dragging kids in the sleds back up the hill) and my knees and hips were black and blue from being jarred into the ground so many times, but I felt great! It was so invigorating to spend so much time outside and spend it with friends!

Then I got cleaned up and we went to Rochester to buy a printer – which we did successfully (although the process wasn’t as easy as I just made it sound).

Sunday morning Charles preached at Avon Wesleyan and did a GREAT job! He is such a good teacher and puts a lot of hard work into his sermons. It certainly pays off – it was clear and insightful and he has good presentation!
After church we ran home for a quick lunch (turkey sandwiches on whole wheat with avocado, spinach, tomato, and mushrooms sautéed in lemon butter – yum!) then headed for the city. Charles met up with Kenan and they went downtown to take pictures. Mom, Cathy (Kenan’s wife and my good friend) and I went shopping!

First I must say that we hunted all over the city and finally found wonton wrappers at an Asian Food Market. It’s hard to shop for something when you really have no idea what you are looking for. Fortunately, a really nice lady helped me out! Phew!

We spent the majority of our evening at the mall. My main goal was to find some makeup that I really like. I’m sick of buying tons of cheap stuff and then hating it. I wanted to buy something that I knew I liked. So I went to the Clinique counter and she did this whole “makeover” where she tried different colors and types of makeup (base makeup – not eye shadows or anything like that) and she sold me on an eye cream (who knew that my eyes were dying of dehydration) and concealer and foundation and a foundation brush (who knew application could be so amazing)! And she also threw in some free samples of moisturizers and lip stick (I never wear lipstick but this was a really great color)… probably to tempt me to come back and spend another small fortune there.
But I achieved my goal. And this morning when I got ready, I felt really pretty. For the first time in a long time I looked in the mirror and the first thing I noticed was NOT the circles under my eyes – it was my eyes themselves. And I don’t look or feel like I’m wearing a lot of make up. It is very natural. She also sold me on (but I couldn’t afford to buy Clinique so I went to walmart and got cheap stuff) bronzer. I had never tried it before and I like the look way better than plain old blush.

So I might start to like applying makeup now as much as my husband likes shaving… or maybe not!

I do have one regret – I turned down a pair of really cute dress pants that were on sale for $12 (that I could have gotten for $8 with my new Macy’s card – that I signed up for to get $20 off my make-up purchase). Gah. But if I spend $8 here and $2 there, that adds up really quickly. I was quite impressed with my self-control. I just keep telling myself that they probably would not have fit. 

After shopping we met up with our men (my dad met us after he got out of work) and had dinner at this really great little Mediterranean restaurant on Park Ave. It was the one place that was not super crowded for V-day (probably because it is near impossible to find!) and was SO good. I had the spinach pasta (which they make fresh) with chicken, mushrooms, asparagus and feta. And I ate WAY too much pita and hummus! It was a great way to end the weekend and a fun way to spend V-day!

Love Story

2010-02-15T10:32:00.015-05:00

Charles and I went to Houghton together but were in different classes (I was a year ahead) and a part of completely different circles. We first met in October of 2003 for a Koinonia practice. (Koinonia was our Sunday night student led worship service.) It was the first time either of us had been asked to play and, although Houghton is a small school, I had never even seen Charles before. Junior year was a crazy year for me. I had broken up with my boyfriend of 2 years but we were still on again – off again. I was kind of a mess when I went to that first practice. We had just had another one of those “why shouldn’t we be together” discussions that made me so confused and upset and the last thing I wanted to do was be with people I didn’t know. But I had wanted to be a part of Koinonia for a long time and I wasn’t about to blow this chance to play.

All that said, I met Charles (who introduced himself as Charles and then didn’t speak to me for the rest of the night) but didn’t really take much notice of him. I was too preoccupied.
Then the months passed by. Now that I knew who he was, I saw him around here or there. He had introduced himself as Charles but that seemed so formal to me and I didn’t really know what to call him so I always just said “hey” and walked on.

Then came December and Godspeed tryouts. The first 3 years of college, Godspeed never even crossed my mind. I had a good summer job at Kodak and was happy. But that junior year threw my world into a spin and I knew I just needed to get away. (Well, I think it was more like God put the idea in my heart at just the right time.) I didn’t know who was trying out but when we went in for callbacks who should be playing the drums? Charles.

Again, I didn’t think much about it. We both made the team, got to know each other a little bit during our spring practices and early summer training. But something was different about Charles from the other guys. He kept to himself more. He didn’t really talk to any of us girls except in a business, practice kind of way. The only time he really shared anything personal was when we all shared our testimonies. And that really intrigued me. So once the summer tour started, I became more and more intrigued and decided that I wanted to get to know him.

But for the life of me I could not talk to him. Seriously. I can talk to ANYONE but I could not talk to Charles. I would sit in the back of the Godspeed van (girls sat in the back, guys in the front) and think about things that I could say to him to start up a conversation. Then, when I had enough ideas I would go up and ask if I could sit next to him. Without really looking at me he’d say “sure” and slide over. And then, of course, I would forget everything I had thought about saying and would just sit there in silence until I got bored and would return to the back.

Now don’t misunderstand me - I had no “crush” or anything like that at this point. I just knew he was smart and found him mysterious.

In mid-July, we ended up at my home camp – Chambers. We were heading up the youth for family camp and my parents were there camping! It was fun to get a break from the team sometimes and go spend time with my parents. They also took us to Watkins Glen where we did some hiking. Out of all the people my dad chose to walk with, it was Charles. And Charles was such a goofball that day, clowning around and making us all laugh – especially my mom.

Later that week, I was in my parent’s camper, lamenting to my mom about my confusion over my ex. That summer was kind of a “figure life out” time and I knew I had to go back home at the end of the summer and give my final answer – either we’d get married or it was over for good. And mom said to me (somewhat facetiously) “Why the confusion? Just go for Chuck!” And I was like “Chuck??? Seriously?? Right.”
But I really respect my mom’s judgment so that got me thinking and I started watching him more closely.

Summer went on and at the very last camp I found that his brother, Robert (who went to Bethany and was on one of their summer teams), and another Bethany guy were Euchre fans and so I suckered Charles into being my partner. That started to loosen him up and he actually started talking to me -not about anything serious, but any talking was good. It was also at this camp that I started to realize that I might have a little crush. Just a little one. But I had been watching him and I was impressed by his character, how he interacted with his peers, and how he treated the campers. (I also thought it was funny how a number of my campers had their own little crushes on him. One night, after a session, we were in our cabin talking about things we were thankful for and one of my 10th graders gave this big sigh and in this dreamy and dramatic voice said “I am so thankful for Chuck.” I just had to laugh, because I was starting to feel that way.)
One day at lunch, after a game of euchre, I got up to get a drink and Charles handed me his cup and said “Get me one.” I said “why should I when you ask like that?” and he said “Because you’re my soul.” (He swears he said slave but everyone else heard soul!) So Robert said “Oh Charles, how sweet! You found your soul mate!” We all had a good laugh and Charles was super embarrassed but never could convince us that he really said slave.
So the next day we were having our morning Godspeed meeting and I was sitting next to Charles and we were all joking around when Charles leaned over and bit my shoulder. Shocked, I said “Chuck! You bit me!” And he said “I can do that – I’m your soul mate!” And that was the end of it. The ice was broken.

Then the summer tour ended and we all went home. We talked over IM a time or two before we got back to school and I was silently overjoyed to hear that he didn’t feel right about pursuing a girl from the Bethany team. It was also during this time that I had to give my final answer to me ex – and in one of the hardest moments of my life I ended it for good. But afterward I felt this overwhelming sense of peace and I knew that, in spite of all the heartache, I had finally done the right thing for both of us. (And that was verified a few years when he fell in love with, and married, my college roommate – and they are wonderful together!)

So I went back to Houghton for my senior year. Godspeed was not just a summer team – we traveled all throughout the school year as well. So we immediately got back into practicing. But things were totally different now. We had all bonded over the summer and getting together was more like hanging out with family – it was a blast. And, subconsciously, I would keep looking over at Charles, trying to get his attention but he never seemed to notice. Then one Saturday, everyone in my house was gone and I was soooo bored. The only thing I had done all day was talk on the phone to one of the guys from a Bethany team. Out of the blue, Charles IMed me and asked if I wanted to come over and watch “Meet the Parents.” I totally did! But I hadn’t even showered that day so I tried to make myself look as decent as possible and went over there. I was really nervous – I didn’t know a lot of the guys in his house very well, and I had never hung out with Charles without a group of people. I was still kind of intimidated by him and was determined not to make a fool out of myself.

And, of course, the first thing that I did was sit down and lean back in his big blow up chair and tipped it right over – so my legs were sticking straight up in the air and there was a wall behind me so I couldn’t just roll backwards off of it. I was stuck until Charles tipped me upright again. I was mortified - so much for not looking like an idiot. Charles just laughed at me and then we watched the movie and had a great time!

That weekend we played at a nearby church and my parents met us at Minnehans and bought us all ice cream. As my dad and I were waiting for our cones inside he said “I really like Chuck.” I was really surprised. Now BOTH of my parents had stated their like for Charles on 2 separate occasions. So for the first time ever, I voiced my feelings out loud and said “I do too.”

Then I went and blabbed my feelings to Amy, another member of Godspeed, who broke our confidentiality agreement and went to Chuck and said “Hey, I heard you watched a movie with Cherith. I bet if you asked her to watch another one she’d say yes.” I could have killed her for that but honestly, if she hadn’t done that, I probably never would have said anything, and he never would have picked up on the looks or hints and it would have gone nowhere.

But with Amy’s “subtle” encouragement, he decided to take the next step in pursuing me and the rest is history. After we started dating, I knew within 3 weeks that he was the man I was going to marry. After 3 years of uncertainty, this was such a blessing, relief and answer to prayer.
6 months later we were engaged

and 10 months after that, we were married!

And life is sweet. And I love him!

Raving success

2010-02-13T09:28:00.004-05:00

I don't want to brag but I just have to tell you how delicious my pizza was.
(This is the cilantro pizza. I forgot to take a picture of the alfredo pizza before it was devoured.)

Despite the fact that my food processor busted while making the cilantro pesto, there were no pieces of plastic or wires in the finished product - thank goodness.
And they tasted fabulous. I will never go back to pre-made pizza crust again. I will, however, continue to use the pre-made whole wheat $.88 dough from Walmart that just comes in a big ball. That stuff is cheap and truly amazing.

And everything worked out time wise and taste wise and I was very happy. (I am always nervous making something I've never made before for company, just in case it sucks.).

It was a really good thing I left work an hour early because it took us exactly the time we had to clean the house (and my husband was a huge help - I could not have done it without him) and make all the food.

After dinner we ate Edys Mint Brownie ice cream (sooooo delicious) and played 3 games of Blokus. They had never played Blokus before and really liked it. And it was a successful night for me. I won the first game, tied with Scott for 1st on the second (and both of us got rid of all our pieces - I have NEVER seen that before with 4 players) and then got my butt kicked on the 3rd, which Deanna won. We finally broke Charles's winning streak.

After they left, Charles went to visit a friend so I sat on the couch, with the fire going, drinking mint green tea and reading a book. It was marvelous. A perfect way to end the week.

This weekend is going to be a busy one. This morning (I should start getting ready) we are going to the pancake house with my family and some good friends of ours (this is a tradition!). Then I'm hoping I can convince my parents, or at least my mom, to come back here and go sledding with me this afternoon. (We are currently getting a beautiful light snow fall. Hopefully not enough to wreck the run that I worked so hard on on Wednesday.) My brother is thinking of climbing in a competition here in Houghton tonight but I don't know if that is going to happen yet.
Tomorrow Charles is guest preaching at the church I grew up in, so that will be cool. We are still trying to figure out all the details of how we are going to accomplish everything that we need to (grocery shopping, picture taking, buy a new laser printer) in just 2 short days.

I am truly a fan of the 4 10-hour days and a 3 day weekend. Why can't anyone else see the light??

Anyhow, I'm off. I need to start getting ready. Have a great weekend, all!

Gluttony and Slovenliess

2010-02-12T08:35:00.003-05:00

It's amazing how one week of gluttony and slovenliness (or just busyness) can undo 3 weeks of hard work.

This week has been just terrible. It started when we left for KY. And we ate Chik-fil-A and White Castle. And sat in the car for 10 hours. Then it was chips and dip and pizza and half-baked chocolate cookies and some shopping but mostly more sitting. And then it was Taco Bell and Chik-Fil-A and MORE sitting in the car.

And I had every intention of getting back into the gym on Tuesday. But then we had the prayer service. And Wednesday I avoided the gym and went sledding instead. (Some exercise and SO much more fun but probably not quite as effective.) The yesterday we had to go grocery shopping so again, no gym. And since we were going to be out late, rather than making dinner we had....
Taco Bell.
And since we overspent our budget in KY, we had the 89 cent 5 layer burrito. And it was amazingly delicious. And I felt miserable afterward. After grocery shopping and seeing how expensive healthy food is, it makes me wonder how awful the food at Taco Bell must be for me, and how low grade the beef is, if they can sell it to me for 89 cents. There were no veggies in that thing. Therefore, I had no veggies yesterday. (I did have a little fruit. A little.) And I can feel the effects. And maybe it's just me, but I feel like I can see the effects as well. (I can see them on the scale.) And tonight - well, tonight we are having company over. So no gym. But I do have to clean like crazy so maybe that will get my heart rate up. And what are we having? Pizza. (Oh but I will tell you about this pizza in just a few paragraphs!!) And ice cream.
And tomorrow we are going to the pancake house for all you can eat buckwheat pancakes. And then I"m going to go sledding. And THEN I am going to get back to the gym. And back to eating my vegetables. NO EXCUSES.

I feel better, sleep better and am altogether much nicer when I am getting the fruits/veggies and exercise and sleep that I need.

So - let me tell you about this gourmet pizza that I am making. I am very excited about it. For starters, it is going to be on whole wheat pizza dough.
The first pizza is the following: alfredo, chicken, crumbled bacon, garlic, tomatoes, mozzarella and parmesan with italian seasoning
The second is going to be: cilantro pesto (which I made from scratch yesterday!), steak (marinated in cumin, lime juice, olive oil, crushed red pepper and garlic), roasted red peppers, sliced onion, monterey jack, and pizza seasoning. Topped with fresh cilantro and a side of sour cream.
And Edys mint brownie ice cream for dessert.
And our friends are bringing a salad - thank goodness!

Bring on the food!

Sledding

2010-02-11T08:05:00.003-05:00

Since we got all this beautiful snow the past 2 days, Charles and I decided to take advantage. It was random, actually. We were out of cereal and knew that we wouldn't make it to the store for a couple of days so we ran to Dollar General to grab a few things. And voila! They had sleds for $5! So we grabbed 2!

Then yesterday, after the snow stopped falling, we tried them out. We got a LOT of snow so at first the sleds were useless. My dear North Carolinian husband gave up hope within 10 minutes. While I worked and worked to pack down the snow and give the saucers room to move, he kept saying that it would never work.

But I, a New Yorker, knew that a good sled run takes some work. And some time. So tirelessly (well, not so tirelessly. It was really hard work and I was sweating like crazy under all my layers) I worked to clear space and pack down a good run. Finally I had enough of an area that Charles could try it and see that it had potential. Once he was on board and I had his help clearing the snow, it went really fast.

And then we tried it.

And. It. Was. AWESOME!!!!!

Because of the deep snow on both sides of the run it 1) Kept us out of the ditch, which was nice and 2) had the affect of a bob sled run. Super sweet!

And trudging up the hill over and over, in 5 layers of clothing, in 2 feet of snow - that was pretty hard work as well. SO glad I skipped out on the gym to go sledding.

Now if only I had time to do it again today.

Weekend in KY: Thought-provoking moments amidst the normal humdrum of life

2010-02-09T08:52:00.009-05:00

Friday after work, Charles and I rode with some friends to KY for the weekend. We left at 4pm, thinking we would arrive around 2am.
We ended up arriving at 6am.
I had heard that they were calling for a snow storm in Ohio. If I had been driving, I would have called it off, but since I wasn't, I said my piece and when they decided to still go, I shut my mouth and went along. There was no snow in NY. Or PA. And then we crossed the border into Ohio. Almost immediately it started snowing. And it snowed. And snowed. And no one plowed. And pretty soon we were off-roading on a 3 lane highway, unable to tell where the lanes were or where the road ended and the median began, and trying to keep our little sports car clear of the semis that were charging past us, half in our lane, seemingly trying to push us right off the road.

Needless to say, it was an adventure. And for my sanity's sake, I'm glad I was able to sleep through some of it. But we made it safely.
And much to my distress, the guys were all awake enough to STILL want to stop at White Castle (worst fast food ever) at 5:30am for sliders (greasy hamburgers) and soda. That's great for your body at 5am when you've been sitting on your butt for the last 14 hours.

But anyway, we made it safely to Rob and Kate's and slept the sleep of the dead until around 11am.

It never did snow in KY while we were there. PTL, it waited until today! :)
Saturday was a super fun day. The Meeks boys (and some friends) went antique shopping for vintage safety razors (if you read my husband's blog, twitter, facebook, etc, you know his obsession with shaving. His brother is the same.) and Kate and I went shopping.

Please understand that I am normally not a shopper. I hate mall air. I hate crowds, I hate spending money and I hate trying on clothes because it seemslike they never fit and only bring out physical aspects about myself that I don't like. BUT shopping with Kate is fun. I honestly think that Kate is good luck. Every time I shop with Kate it seems that everything fits. And I find the most amazing sales. And I always end up spending too much money. (Which says a LOT for me.) But sales tax is much lower in KY and I just got my tax return and Charles and I agreed to spend some of it on clothes, so to the mall we went.

And the first pair of jeans I tried on fit like a glove. Not too tight, not to baggy, fitting in all the right areas and masking some other areas (a little long but that is always the case). They weren't on sale but even I know that sometimes it's worth it to pay full price for a really good quality pair of jeans. So I did.
And then I went to Banana Republic. I never look at anything in that store except the sale rack. And I usually don't find much. But Saturday I found of pair of light gray dress slacks in my size (that fit perfectly!) for $20!!!!!! I couldn't even believe my luck! So I bought them. (The manager tried to sell me the exact same pants at full price but I was not fooled. I even said "why on earth would I buy pretty much the same pant at full price when I can have them for $20?" She didn't have a response.)

Then I went to J.Crew and tried on the MOST adorable black satin, one-shoulder, knee-length dress with a totally cute flower belt (I am not usually into flowers but it really was adorable.) It looked amazing (if I do say so myself) but fortunately, it was about 1 1/2 inches too big. Otherwise I might have succumbed to the cuteness and paid altogether way too much for it. I will go back in 3 months and see if it is still there and on sale.

Then, just for kicks, while Kate was buying clothes in a store that REEKED of cologne - to the point of giving me a headache within seconds - I went across the way to a shoe store and tried on some knee-high boots (since I happened to be wearing my skinny jeans).
**Sidenote** I have crooked legs from the knee down. Crooked enough that it is impossible for me to wear fitted knee-high boots because the lines on the boot don't match the formation of my leg and it looks really really silly. Also, I have chicken legs so fitted boots, again, pose a problem because they NEVER fit. I bought a pair in Oz, on a whim, and can only wear them under pants because they just look SO silly.
HOWEVER, recently I noticed that, although boots are back in, it's just just the tight fitted boots. It is the norm to have boots that are tall but AREN'T fitted around the calf. There is a bit of leg room (haha no pun intended) at the top. So I thought that maybe, just maybe, if I found boots that were made in a way that would hid my crooked legs, I could get away with it. So I gave it a try.
First I tried on these:

And I thought they were really cute. And they were on super sale. And they served my purpose well. AND my theory was correct. If I found a pair that weren't supposed to be tight at the top, and high some design to hide the crookedness, they worked!! But I couldn't convince anyone about the ruffle at the top. And they only came about 1/2 way up my calf, which just wasn't as high as I wanted.

And then, encouraged, I tried on these:

And I fell in love. They were PERFECT. (But although they were still on sale, they were more than double the price of the other boots.) But Kate liked them. And Henry liked them. And Charles even liked them. And I really liked them. So I splurged. :)

After shopping, we stopped in to visit with our friends Shane and Aimee (Aimee is preggos and looks so cute!) Then Kate made her famous and delicious Chicken and Broccoli wreath for dinner (so yum) and THEN, the 4 of us met Shane and Aimee at Saul Good for dessert where I had my first half-baked cookie with ice cream. So so good.

Sunday was more relaxed. We sat around and watched Big Bang Theory in the morning and then Charles and I went to St. Pats. I can't tell you how much I missed that church. Six months is just too long to be away. The way that church sings just overflows my heart in a way I can't explain. I feel like it's a glimpse into what the choir in heaven is going to be like. And when we sing the "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty" it's like we are truly joining with the angels that surround the throne. Every Sunday at 4pm EST, God's heart must just explode with delight. Because if my soul overflows from worshiping with that community of people, how much more must God delight in our worship of Him.

After church Charles went to his superbowl party and Kate, Robert and I decided to party hop. We stopped at the AWC for a bit, and then went to Shane and Aimee's for the half-time show (most of the group are moving at the end of this year and there is a good chance I won't see some of them again. So that was a little sad.) where I ate altogether too much chicken wing dip.
Then we decided to skip out on the rest of the superbowl and went back to their apartment and watched The Hurt Locker. It's a great movie about a bomb diffusing team in Iraq. Between that movie and the book "Zeitoun" that I read last week, it really makes me think about the gray area that is the military - the work they do and the way they treat people. I respect the men and women in the military. I appreciate that they risk their lives every day for America and for those in other countries that need our help. I know there are people in the military who are kind and are there to truly help others. But I think I am at a crisis point in my life right now where I need to make some decisions about how I feel about some things. What I believe probably will never change the way things are, but I want to feel settled in my soul about my own belief systems regarding war and humanity and torture and all those things that are in our world that I am often oblivious to in my little bubble of a life.

This movie and my thoughts that came along with it were the topic of conversation as we headed home on Monday. It was a good discussion but I don't feel any more settled in my soul. We talked about a lot of things but this one thing really stood out to me. When speaking of Guantanamo Bay, the point was made that it is cheaper to make our prisoners sleep on the floor than give them comfy beds and good food like in many of America's prisons. And so when money is on the line, and decisions have to be made about how it's spent, cuts may be made in areas like our prisons. But really - should money impact the way people are treated? Honestly? I don't know if I'm ok with that. I feel we have lost a part of our own humanity when we fail to see the humanity in others - terrorist or not.

So a lighter topic:
Yesterday we headed home. Fortunately, the weather was perfect for travel and we made record time. Before we left, I was able to stop by my old ATS FinAid stomping grounds! The place is finally completely renovated and looks amazing. I mean really amazing. And it was SO fun to see everyone again. We really had a lot of good times and many, many laughs while I worked there. I miss that.
And I have to note something miraculous (in a non-religious way) that happened on the trip. I have finally come to see the amazingness of Chik-fil-A. I never really got it before. A plain chicken breast on bread with a pickle? Really? What's the big deal. But this trip I had the deluxe sandwich, which added lettuce (GOOD lettuce at that) and tomato to the sandwich, and the waffle fries (which I'd never had before) and the thing that really convinced me - the milkshakes. Especially the peppermint chocolate chip. Oh. My. Goodness. Can the put one in Houghton? Please?
I also like that it is a company that still closes on Sunday and they play Christian music on the radio and the people are SO friendly. They even bring you your food - with a smile and a "with pleasure!"
I like it there.

So that was the trip. We got home late and I am zonked today. But at least, even though it feels like Monday, it is really Tuesday. Awesome.

Dream to Dream Space Time Continuum is BROKEN

2010-02-05T07:58:00.002-05:00

Last night I broke the dream to dream space time time continuum.
Let me explain.
I had a dream about a terrible storm and I was in a giant glass building and it was starting to break apart. So I ran into the basement, which happened to be a Crown Plaza, and a shopping mall, and a NHL Hockey Rink. But everything was closed down because of the storm.

Then CEM's alarm clock went off. But he set it too early so I went back to sleep.

And I had a dream that I was at a worship conference in the same glass building and I was telling some people that I had just met that I had had a dream about a storm that took place in that exact same building. And then we snuck into the seminar because we were late, and during the set the drummer started spinning her drum sticks like a baton twirler. And then another guy from my church said that he could do it better - and he could, but he hit himself in the forehead with the stick and blood started spurting out everywhere.

But seriously, I had a dream where I was telling someone about my previous dream. Craaaaaazy!

In other, not exciting news, I did make it to the gym last night for a quick 30 minute cardio workout. We had to make it home in decent time for me to finish dinner. Oh and let me tell you about dinner. It was the first time I made it and it was delicious! It was Apple and Rosemary Pork Tenderloin. And it was fall apart on your plate tender. And very light in flavor. And OH so easy. (But it does take a long time.) Here is how you do it (I adjusted the cooking technique so that we didn't have to eat at 10pm. The recipe calls for roasting but i used a crock pot and it was amazing:

1) Mix the following spices (I just estimate): Rosemary, Thyme, Marjoram, Black Pepper
2) Rub on the tenderloin
3) Place the tenderloin in a slow cooker, pour one bottle of hard apple cider over the top (I heard regular cider works but it doesn't tenderize the meat as well) and then add water until the tenderloin is complete submerged. Cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours (or overnight).
4) After soaking, leave everything in the crock pot and cook on low heat for 5-6 hours (I went 5 and it was perfect).
5) Cut up 2-3 apples in bite size pieces and slice 1 onion. Place in crock pot and sprinkle 3 Tbsp brown sugar evenly over the top of everything. Cover and cook for 2 more hours on low heat.

About 20 minutes before the tenderloin is done, make the gravy
6) brown 1/3 cup flour in a skillet
7) Remove some of the juices from the roast and mix with the flour (I probably ended up using around 2 1/2 cups. But I just kept adding it until the texture was right.) Whisk and cook on med heat until smooth and creamy.
8) Add around 1/3 - 1/2 cup maple syrup (I went for 1/3 c. real syrup and it was just the right amount of sweetness). Whisk in well.
9) Remove the roast and slice (Mine was too tender to slice. It just kind of fell apart. Awesome!) Then, with a slotted spoon, remove apples and onions from the crockpot and put over roast. Top everything with the maple gravy.

I seriously could have eaten the entire pork tenderloin myself. It was THAT good. And light enough that I didn't feel like I was eating a ton. The meal would be amazing with mashed potatoes but I didn't feel like starchy food so we had broccoli. That was tasty and added some color to the plate!

What was I thinking???

2010-02-04T13:17:00.003-05:00

I am looking out my window and the ground is white. And the sky is blue. And the wind is not blowing. And it's not super cold. And I say to myself,
"Self, why am I not skiing today?"
And I reply,
"Because, self, you decided to cancel your vacation day today and NOT go skiing with your dad so that you can go to KY this weekend for the Superbowl - even though it's not a super busy time for you yet and you have the vacation days and could have taken both days off."
And I respond,
"Self, that was very stupid."
And I acknowledge,
"Agreed."

::very big sigh::

Sweet N Sour Chicken

2010-02-04T08:20:00.003-05:00

Every night when I am at the gym, running my butt off (hopefully literally) and sweating like a horse, the only thing that gets me through is the thought of the delicious meal that I get to enjoy when all the torture is over!

Unfortunately, I find that I tend to eat too fast and then usually end up with a stomach ache. That kinda sucks.
And last night, I was SO looking forward to sweet n sour chicken (which was delicious) but in an attempt to not eat so much, I made less rice and burned it. Crunchy rice is the WORST. At least my hubby was sweet about it. So that was a bit of a disappointment.

BUT the sweet 'n sour chicken itself was AMAZING. I use the recipe from the "More with Less" cookbook and it is the best I have ever had. If you are into sweet 'n sour chicken, I highly recommend this recipe. The book calls for pork, which is also delicious, but I just used chicken. I don't have the recipe with me so I will just try to remember it all. If it sucks, it is probably because I forgot something! Ha!

On another note - a wrote another song on my uke yesterday. It is so easy to write happy music for a change! There are some elements on the song that I thought would be awesome on the piano so I considered switching it from a uke song to a piano song - also giving me a happy song to play on the piano, for a change!
Well, I learned that all the happy music that sounds awesome on the uke sounds more like circus music when switched to the piano. :) hahaha. Oh well!
Maybe someday I will put some of this music up on youtube. If my hubby will let me. He is worried about people the stealing the good stuff. And if I could ever get some extra time and money to copyright, it wouldn't be a problem. But, alas, I do not.

So I will leave you salivating over this delicious recipe!

1) Cook rice
2) Cut raw chicken breast (or pork or whatever) into large chunks.
3) In a bowl mix 1 egg (beaten), 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 2 Tbsp soy sauce. Put chicken in the marinade and let it sit for 20-30 minutes.
4) In a separate bowl, mix up the following and set aside: 3 Tbsp white vinegar, 3 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 Tbsp corn starch, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 3/4 cup pineapple juice. (I just reserve the juice from a can of pineapple chunks. (It must be chunks.)
5) After you finish marinating the chicken, drain any excess marinade and toss chicken in corn starch until thoroughly dredged.
6) In a skillet, heat about 3-4 Tbsp olive oil over med high heat. Cook the chicken until cooked through. Transfer to plate.
7) Add chopped garlic, onion, and pepper (the recipe calls for green. I used red yesterday and it was amazing) to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes.
8) add 1 1/2 tomatoes (wedged), pineapple chunks and sauce to the pan.
9) Cook until the sauce thickens and turns clear (doesn't take very long at all).
10) Return the chicken to the pan and cook til bubbling and the chicken is completely cooked through. (The onion and peppers should be a bit crispy still!)
11) Serve over rice!

Prayer service, BBT and, of course, FOOD!

2010-02-03T08:20:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was the first Evening Prayer service led my by dear husband. We had about 4 people show, which is not a disappointment. Like Charles said, we are not concerned with numbers. We just want to be there, each week, to pray with those who feel led to come. It was meaningful for me. After a long, long time, it felt like I had finally reconnected with St. Pats. Charles and I often do the evening office together but there is something about more voices being raised in common prayer, praying the words that I am so familiar with from St. Pats, that reaches deep into my spirit.

The rest of the evening was quite a lazy one. I am forever trying to think of active things that I can do in the dark and in the freezing cold. But honestly, I dislike both those things. And with people living beneath us, jumping around is just not an option - unless I want to give Clark a heart attack, which I don't. So people - I need some good ideas on ways to stay active at home. I do lots of walking around (and sometimes running!) when I am making dinner. But after that it's lazy go-lucky for me. Until spring, that is. Once it warms up and lights up, I will be outside as much as possible.
So anyway, regarding the laziness, Charles and I watched a few episodes of Star Trek and then The Big Bang Theory (we just started this and I LOVE it. SO funny. I am married to one of those guys!). Then Charles went upstairs and I wrote music on my uke. It was a nice evening. Very nice. I just didn't get much done in the way of exercise.

NOW onto my favorite part - the food!
Last night I made chicken tostadas with vegetables. Delicious, fast and EASY! I have a pic but I left my phone at home. Again.
Anyway, here is the recipe!

1) Preheat broiler
2) In a skillet, heat olive oil over med-high heat
3) Add raw, diced chicken breast to pan. Sprinkle cumin, salt and pepper evenly over the chicken and mix in. Cook until chicken is pretty much cooked through.
4) Add diced onion, diced zucchini and corn to the pan (it would be great with fresh corn, but I just used canned). Also, if you want, add 1/2 can of black beans (rinsed and drained) as well. (I didn't do it that way last night, but Charles really likes the black beans in it.)
5) Cook until onions are clear.
6) Add 1/2 jar of green salsa and chopped fresh cilantro. Mix in and cook, on med heat, for about 5 minutes, or until much of the liquid has evaporated. Let simmer on low heat while you make the tostadas
7) On a baking sheet, lay 2 flour tortillas side by side (not touching) and lightly spray with olive oil (SPRAY is a must).
8) Place under the broiler (watch it carefully so it doesn't burn) for about 1 minute. The tortilla should puff up and turn slightly brown. Once it starts to turn, take it out quickly. It burns within seconds.
9) Take out of the broiler, flip tortillas over, add a large spoonful of the chicken mixture, top with shredded monterey jack cheese and place back under the broiler for 1 more minute.
10) Transfer to plate (careful - they will be VERY hot), top with a bit more fresh cilantro and a dollup of sour cream!

Yum, yum, yum!

Weekend

2010-01-31T12:28:00.002-05:00

This weekend has gone by quite quickly. Friday night we went to the gym after work - go us! It is hard to go on Friday evenings but we did anyway. Then we had plans to go to a game night that we thought started at 7pm... but apparently it started earlier because the lady we were going to ride with already left. So instead we had a delicious dinner of spicy beef stir fry over couscous (recipe below) and watched "Sunshine Cleaning." I just love Amy Adams as an actress. I really do.
We went to bed fairly early because I had to get up for my interview and audition on Saturday. Both went well. Since the faculty already know me, the interview was laid back and a lot of fun. The audition was ok. I didn't play near as well as I would have liked but I was nervous and my hands were cold and there was a note on the piano that really bothered me... but it was passable. And I don't have to take piano for my grad studies if I don't want to. Phew. :) Maybe I can talk someone into letting me take private conducting lessons instead! Either way, everyone seemed really willing to be flexible with scheduling and allowing me to work and do school at the same time. Awesome!
When I got home, my sweet hubby had already cleaned the whole house and done all the laundry (I love him!) so all I had to do was figure out the grocery list for the week.
We headed to the city to get his worship folders printed for the prayer services that are starting this week (they look awesome), did our grocery shopping, and then Charles convinced me to run into the mall so he could look for some pants. He found a great deal on 2 pairs of pants and I got a really cute sweater on major sale (although not as much on sale as Charles's $9 cords)!

Then we stopped at my parents house and had dinner and mom and I chatted while Charles and my dad braved the FREEZING (and I mean really really freezing) temps to change the headlight in our car. The person designs these cars is NOT a logical human being. They should let me do it! :) Anyway, they froze but got it done - thank goodness! Now I don't have to worry about getting a ticket. And we put more oil in the car so the check engine light finally went off. (Big sigh of relief for me!)

So today is a chill day. We have to fold and staple all the worship folders. I got up and had a delicious, healthy breakfast. And I really don't plan on getting out of my pjs all day if I dont' have to. I am comfy and warm. I'm sure my hubby would appreciate it if I showered but he is sweet and doesn't say much! :)
Anyhow, I don't want to sit on my butt all day. I already spent a little time exercising - don't want to undo all the hard work I've been doing.
Here is the recipe for our delicious dinner!

1) Heat oil in skillet
2) Cut a steak into strips, mix with 1/2 tsp cumin and 1/4 tsp chili paste (I like things spicy so I usually use more)
3) Stir fry until brown, remove to plate, leaving juices in pan.
4) Dice 2 tomatoes, 1 zucchini, 1 red pepper and 1 onion and cook in pan (with the juices) on med-high for about 5 minutes.
5) Put beef back into skillet and stir together
6) Make couscous (I would do this first, actually - and use beef broth instead of just water)
7) Serve stir fry over hot couscous!

Quiet Evening

2010-01-29T08:42:00.002-05:00

Our evening turned out much differently than expected. The plan was this: work out after work, then home for dinner, then to our friends for Thursday night TV watching.

What happened was this:
Got out of work at 5 and it was FREEEEEEZING out. I mean, really really cold. By the time I had the car cleaned off my fingers were completely white from lack of blood circulation. Charles got to the car and we decided we'd just go to the gym. So, freezing, we race for the building (and it was packed so we had to park far away). I get inside, change and then realize I didn't have my sneakers or my hair tie or my contacts. Shoot. So I went out to where Charles was waiting and after he laughed at me we said "screw it" and got all dressed for the cold again to head home. As we were leaving, our landlord called and said that he was just going out to plow the driveway or we'd never get up it and it would take him about 15 minutes. So we would have to drive slow. I also hadn't heard from my brother or the people that were were planning to hang out with. So as we were passing Subway I said "Let's just do subway for dinner. I need to get out of this freezing car." My hands STILL hadn't warmed up and were so cold that i couldn't bend my fingers. So we got subs then took them home, got up the driveway and then heard from my bro that he wasn't coming to our house that night. So we ate our subs then cuddled on the couch, with the heat full blast and a corn sack on my fingers, and watched Star Trek and Big Bang Theory. Unfortunately, our friends emailed and said they were waiting - but I didn't open my facebook to get the message. So Charles and I had a lovely evening to ourselves, and we hope our friends did too.
We would have loved to see them but it was SOOOOO COOOOOLD that I can't say I really wanted to go out again.

Maybe the next time we hang out it will be a bit warmer! :)

Today I have my sneakers AND my hair tie AND my contacts! It's still cold but I have no more excuses!

Today is also my first grad interview! :) Wish me luck!

Tuesday

2010-01-27T08:23:00.004-05:00

So last night we did not go to the gym. We had taxes to do and some other stuff to figure out that we thought would take us most of the evening.

Let me just say that I did not use my time off wisely.
I did get some stuff accomplished but not as much as I would have liked. And at least Charles got our taxes filed.

For dinner we had very healthy shrimp and bean packets (recipe below) but I didn't have any bread or anything very filling to go with it so the rest of the night I spent snacking - cheese and crackers (at least they were whole wheat), chocolate chip granola bar, chips and dip (gah!), carrots and dip... pretty much anything I could get my hands on. So much for a nice, light, healthy dinner.

Then a friend came over and we sat around drinking tea and played a couple games of Alhambra. The first game I tied with Charles for 1st and I kicked butt on the second, which was pretty awesome! :) I don't often win games like that.

We didn't finish til almost 11, which is when I try to be in bed. So, needless to say, I got to bed late. (No Star Trek for me last night. Sad. - oh, on a random side note, our Citibank rep came to visit at work yesterday and she totally made a reference to Captain Picard and Data - it was awesome.) Then, I don't know if it was the fact that I got NO exercise yesterday or that I was eating pretty much up to the point where I went to bed (which I have been pretty good about), but I could not get to sleep last night. I just laid there and laid there. So I'm a little sleepy this morning. But Wednesday is always a hump day for me and it helped that my brother greeted me with scrambled eggs and toast with jam. Such a great way to start the day. I have such a sweet brother!

Lastly, can I just say that my audition is in 4 DAYS??!!! And with everything going on at home and work these past few days I totally forgot and HAVE NOT PRACTICED AT ALL!!!! What am I thinking??? I should be going into panic mode right about now.
Ok - brief period of panic over. I will probably go to the music building and practice during lunch. I tried that Monday and it didn't go so well. Yikes.

Ok - now for last night's dinner - it's super easy and super good:

1)Tear off large squares of foil and preheat over to 350.
2)In the foil place the following:
Shrimp (if frozen, make sure you thaw first)
Cannellini beans (I used canned - 1 can serves about 3 people)
Onion, thinly sliced
Tomatoes, diced
3) over the top drizzle:
olive oil
lemon juice
chicken broth
4) over the top sprinkle:
lemon zest
Old Bay seasoning
black pepper
5) Close foil tightly with room for steam to build, put packets on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
6) Open packets and top with shredded parm and fresh basil.
It's very good when served with a country-style bread. It also helps as a filler since this is a light meal.

Enjoy!

Short post

2010-01-26T08:07:00.002-05:00

Yesterday:
Crazy day at work
10 minutes on the bike, strength training, 20 minute interval workout on the treadmill.
Dinner = chicken and broccoli casserole (recipe below), 2 servings of homemade Tapioca pudding for dessert.
After dinner = watched The Invention of Lying with Nate and Charles. SO funny.

Up early this morning because Charles is subbing. But it is snowing beautifully outside and I had a good healthy breakfast so I'm feeling good!

Chicken and broccoli:

In a pan put the following layers (from the bottom up):
1) Broccoli (cook first - I used fresh broccoli and put it in a glass dish with a little water, covered, in the microwave for 2:20.)
2) Cooked and diced chicken breast
3) Sauce (mix a 1 can cream of mushroom and 1 can cream of chicken with a dollup of mayo (I used plain yogurt and it worked wonderfully and is a bit healthier), a bit of the leftover broccoli water (for nutrients), 1 Tbsp lemon juice and salt and pepper
4) Stuffing - just make up a box of stove top stuffing first then put it on the top
5) Top with shredded cheddar cheese

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Yum!

Low key weekend

2010-01-25T08:49:00.003-05:00

This weekend went all too quickly but it was wonderful and low key.

Friday after work I went to the gym FOR THE 4TH TIME IN ONE WEEK! GO ME!
Then, Friday night Charles had a guy's night so I went and hung out with my good friend, Jenn! We played a game of memory with her daughter before she went to bed and then the 2 of us made the most delicious cookies (ranger cookies with white chocolate chips, coconut, sliced almonds - yum! The only thing they needed were craisins) and watched The Money Pit. I haven't seen it in ages. I don't know if Jenn liked it but I think it's stinkin hilarious!
It makes me glad to be a renter!

I got home pretty late but rather than go to bed like my body was telling me to, I stayed up and learned a few new songs on the uke that i heard at work and just fell in love with. One of my new faves is Birds and Boats by Gregory and the Hawk. The song suits my voice perfectly - which is not all that easy to do, since I have a quiet, sweet voice (how did that happen when I have such a loud speaking voice) and limited range. And it's perfect for the uke. So I stayed up until well after 1am doing that.

Saturday morning we slept til almost 10. Then we got up and Nate, who was still staying with us, made us an amazing breakfast of spicy steak and eggs - so amazingly good. He should cook for us ALL the time! Then Nate went to work and the rest of our day was low key. I cleaned the house, sucked up HUNDREDS of dead ladybugs (ugh) then we went to the Amish Store. I love that place. We loaded up on unsweetened coconut, dried lentils and garbanzo beans, natural peanut butter, fresh fruit jam (no sugar added), sliced almonds and SO much more! Seriously, I love it. Then we went home and I made homemade granola with dried cranberries and we watched a couple episodes of Star Trek! It was so low key and wonderful.

We had leftovers for dinner which meant little clean up and in spite of the fact that we didn't get up until 10am, we were in bed by 10:30pm! Awesome!

It was probably good we didnt' go to bed late because Charles had a preaching gig at a Wesleyan church in Silver Creek, NY, which is about 1 1/2 hours away so we had to get up and leave pretty early. We made it in great time and even crossed the Seneca reservation where we stopped and got gas for $2.58/gallon! (It is almost $3 everywhere else) So that was awesome! We filled our tank for under $25!

Church was... interesting, but good. It reminded us a bit of Coffs but with a tad younger crowd. And they sang to CD's, which Coffs NEVER would have done. Everyone was very friendly to us. Charles preached a great sermon on Judah and Tamar (a difficult text and everyone seemed very grateful for the exposition of such a confusing and "gross" passage). I sang my arrangement of "What Wondrous Love Is This" for Offertory.

It was kind of weird to walk in a church we've never been to, preach and sing, and then leave as soon as it was over. A lot of people said thanks but everyone was heading for the door so that's what we did too.

Then we drove (out of our way) to Fredonia to do our grocery shopping. We went that way because the website said there was an Aldi there, but the GPS couldn't find it. So we ended up just going to Walmart. (Turns out there was a super walmart right on our way home. Great.) It cost us a small fortune but I managed to get all the health food on my list.

Last week I decided that I don't just want to work out and eat healthy, I want to learn to eat really balanced meals. So I did some research, made some lists of balanced meal ideas and then made my grocery list based off that. This was our initial health food shop and it was pretty pricey. (I don't want to make it sound like we ate crap before - because we didn't. I'm just trying to be more conscious now of getting more fruits and, especially, veggies in our diet.) But I must say it is WONDERFUL to have our cupboards and fridge stocked with nutritious foods and snacks!

When I got home, I had a bowl of vanilla yogurt with raspberries and my homemade granola. SOoooo delicious! Then I got to work on dinner. I have decided that I want to make some kind of healthy vegetable soup every Sunday night and then use it for lunches throughout the week. So last night I made spicy lentil soup with spinach and tomatoes and we had that with Beer Bread.

(I had a request from a friend to post some of the recipes of all the food I talk about so I will put that at the end!)
Then I put the rest in separate containers so it is all set to grab when I pack my lunch.

After dinner I went to a friend's house and help them set up a budget on my new Budget program! I love to budget for myself and this was my first time getting to help someone else. I was kind of nervous about it - what if I couldn't make it work?? Budgeting (the way I do, at least) really takes a huge amount of discipline and a new way of thinking about money. I know it's not for everyone but I think it could work for everyone, if they'd try it. It's easier to do if you have done it your whole life and, thanks to my mom, I have. I can see how it would be much harder if you weren't used to working with expense categories and always saw your money as one big pot.

Anyhow, we successfully made a base budget. Now it will be up to the family to work together and agree on everything and actually implement it. It's something both husband and wife have to agree on and work together on in order for it to truly succeed. As for me, I feel very fulfilled. I think the Lord gave me this brain and passion for a reason and it's fun to be able to use that to, hopefully, help others.

After I got home, I was so so organized. I packed my lunch for today, laid out my clothes for today, laid out my work out clothes for today and then went to bed. I have to admit, with all my uber-organization, I did stay up too late watching an episode of Star Trek with Charles in bed. Ah star trek. That's where all my self-control and discipline goes right out the window. Hah.

Ok: Here's the basic recipe for the lentil soup (this is off the top of my head so don't hold it against me if it sucks)

1) Heat about 1 tbsp olive oil in a pot on med. heat

2) Add coursely chopped onions, minced fresh garlic, diced celery (I left this out because I hate celery), curry powder (I used red), cumin, coriander, and cayanne pepper (to taste) to the pot and cook until tender - about 5 min.

3) Add 32 oz vegetable stock (I couldn't find any at walmart so I used organic chicken broth - gluten free, for Nate) and 1 cup lentils. (I also added 2 cans of stewed tomatoes because I love love love tomatoes. But the recipe didn't call for that.)

4) Bring to a boil

5) Keep the pot partially covered and simmer for 50-60 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

6) Add fresh spinch (I used about 1/2 a bag but it could have used more) and stir in well. Cook about 5 more minutes until the spinach is wilted.

7) Serve and enjoy!

(We had it with beer bread and it was delicious!) But I bet garlic bread would be amazing, too!

Spoiled

2010-01-22T08:19:00.002-05:00

I am spoiled because my sweet husband made me dinner yesterday. Yes indeedy. I had to give a financial aid presentation at a local high school last night and while I was there, Charles made me a DELICIOUS dinner of spicy chicken tenders with amazing refried beans (with tomatoes, chilies, corn, cheese, sour cream, etc.). It was so awesome to come home to a house that smelled amazing and food cooking!

What a treat - thanks hon!

I am proud to say that, in spite of the fact that I had a presentation last night, I still made it to the gym for 45 minutes. That is 3 days this week already and 1 more to go today. And then I'm taking the weekend off! :)

Also, this morning my brother made me breakfast! Man - I could get used to being spoiled like this!

Wednesday

2010-01-21T08:31:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was Wednesday. I worked all day, as usual (I started out the day being a huge grump but it got better). My brother came down yesterday to stay with us for the night, in hopes that he would get called in to work today. So after work, Nathan, Charles and I all went to the gym. I did some speed walking, up hill, for approximately 20 minutes, I think. I can't tell you exactly because I accidently hit the emergency stop button. Shoot. And I was trying to keep track of my calories.
The time went a lot faster because Nate was on the elliptical next to me so we were chatting and that distracted me from what I was doing. Thank goodness!

So after it shut off, I started the machine BACK up and ran for a mile before doing a cool down. All in all I think I did cardio for about 1/2 hour. Still not up to 45 minutes. The problem isn't that I can't cardio for 45 minutes, I just get soooo booooored. There are no TVs or anything to distract me and I don't have an iPod. So I just watched the bball people. But even that is not all that exciting. So after 30 minutes I'm ready to move on to something else. So I did some strength training and we went home.

I made beef stroganoff for dinner - 1 kind for Charles and I with cream of mushroom and a gluten free kind for Nate! (This morning, he mixed his leftover stroganoff with rice, a scrambled egg, lemon juice and spicy garlic sauce for a really delicious breakfast scramble. I mean, it was really good!) Then Nate and I played a couple of games of Othello (he gave me a run for my money but I was still victorious!) and we watched American Idol. One of Nate's buddies from Rochester was supposed to be on and apparently made it to Hollywood. So we waited and waited to see him. They showed a 2 second clip of him with his golden ticket in the last minute of the show. Sheesh.

In good news, Charles got called in to sub today at the last minute. But at least he got called in. It has been awhile and things are getting a little tight.
I am supposed to work out tonight but I may not be able to. I have to give a financial aid presentation and a local high school and I don't know if I'll have time to workout, change AND make it to the school on time. It may just have to be put off until tomorrow. Dope. But hey, 3 days is better than 0 days.

Have a happy Thursday, all!

Routine

2010-01-20T08:57:00.002-05:00

Yesterday for dinner I made healthy and delicious Shrimp and Bean packets (no picture - sorry). They are like really healthy tin foil dinners with lots of onion and tomatoes and seasonings that make them soooo flavorful.

It's good I made such a healthy dinner because I did 0 exercise yesterday. Zilch. My husband did wii fit but I chose to learn some new songs on my uke instead.

But today my gym clothes are packed and I will head over to the gym after work for an hour. Kind of dreading it. However, I desperately need it today because for breakfast I had 2 Lindor (sp?) dark chocolates! Soooo delicious but NOT healthy!

So that is that. I'm off for another day at work. I'm glad it's hump day. I was grumpy this morning. Getting up to come to this job is just miserable for me. Once I'm here it's okay but being awake, all alone, in the dark every morning makes me angrier than a hornet. I know that work is a part of life and I just need to get over it and have a better attitude. But it's a whole lot easier to say that at 9am than 7am.

I did it!

2010-01-18T21:29:00.003-05:00

I went to the gym. I didn't do 45 minutes, like I should be doing. But I did 15 minutes on the eliptical (hill workout at intervals) and 15 minutes on the bicycle. And then I did some weights. About 45 minutes total.

I will work myself up to more, hopefully. But at least I'm getting to the gym. I have decided to work out Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Hopefully I can stick to that.

To reward myself, I came home and made a delicious dinner of chicken piccata with artichokes and a side of broccoli and baguette with that fancy cheese. Soooo good!
I am proud to say that I actually got in all my servings of fruits and veggies today. That doesn't happen often but I am going to work diligently to make sure I eat balanced meals ALL day - not just at dinner.
Here's to healthy living!

Now I am off to bed.

Unofficial Long Weekend

2010-01-18T09:49:00.002-05:00

Due to my tooth and dr appointments this weekend, I ended up with a rather long weekend - 3 1/2 days to be exact. It was quite nice. I don't want to bore you with details but I will highlight some of the fun (and not so fun things) that happened.

Once I realized that my tooth was not broken (thank the Lord!), just the bonding on my wire, I canceled my dentist appointment and called the orthodontist. They were able to squeeze me in on 1:30 Thurday. That was the only time all week. So I raced home at lunch, packed my bags for the weekend (we decided to stay at the 'rents all weekend rather than make the trip from Houghton to the Rochester area 3 times in one weekend) and we were off.

I made it to the ortho on time. It was actually kind of fun to see all the old drs again. It had been 10 years but they hadn't changed a bit. (And they told me I hadn't changed at all either. hm.) Anyhow, they drilled off all the cement on that tooth and took a look at it. It was so weird to feel the back of my teeth. I have not felt the actual tooth for 10 years. It was bizarre - like getting my braces off all over again.
Originally they thought they were going to have to take off the entire wire, take new impressions of my teeth and make me a retainer for my bottom teeth. That would have taken all afternoon and cost more money than I cared to spend. However, once they got the bonding off the wire on the one tooth that had come unglued, they determined that the wire was still in great shape and they could just re-cement it. So I made it out of there only 1 hour later and only $50 lighter. Not too shabby!

Since we were in Pittsford, we decided to stop at the Pittsford Wegmans.
Oh. My. Goodness.
It was more amazing than I had remembered. (Maybe because I didn't really cook the last time I was there so I didn't appreciate all that they had.)
Charles had never been there and he was more overwhelmed than I. They had lamb. And lobster. And Indian food (which we had for lunch). And more fresh squeezed juice than you can imagine. And uncured wild boar bacon (which we bought). And an amazing international section. And the CHEESE... oh, the cheese. I could have parked my house in the cheese section and lived happily ever after. They had EVERYTHING. It was like heaven. And speaking of cheese, they also did cheese tastings so we tasted a few amazing cheeses (like milky brie, bourbon washed cheddar, etc) and went home with a white wine washed soft french cheese and an organic whole wheat baguette to eat it on! So so so so good. We ate the whole baguette in one sitting.
It's a very good thing I live as far away from Pittsford as I do. Otherwise I would spend well over our budget on groceries each week. I mean WAY over. To the point of where we would be homeless but filled with delicious, delicious food.

On the way home, we stopped at the library where mom was working and she took us out for dessert! That was fun! Then we went home, I went for a 2 mile brisk walk around Livonia with my dad (yay for exercise) when he got home from work and for dinner we had BLT's with the Wild Boar bacon on baguette. Yum!

After dinner we watched "The Changeling." It was really, really good. And all the more moving because it was a true story. Angelina Jolie was wonderful in it. She fit the part and the era very well. And it was nice to see her as something besides an assisin in tight leather. She really is a wonderful actress.

Friday was also a pretty fun, although a more laid back day. I went to the doctor and that was fine. It was the first time I had met this new doctor and he is so so nice. And he told me that if everyone were as healthy as me, he would be out of a job. That was nice to hear! I guess I won't be dying anytime soon, hopefully! :)

On Saturday, Charles, mom and I went antique shopping. Charles was looking for some old shaving stuff - to no avail. But I found a plethora of cheap cookbooks (I limited myself to one), and this AWESOME old fashioned piggy bank. Except it's not a pig. It's an old fashioned cash register. And you put in dimes, nickels and quarters and pull the handle and it dings and adds it up for you! It was so cool that I just couldn't resist. It is SO much more fun to keep track of your loose change that way rather than just throwing it in our candy dish. And I love the ding! (I know. I'm a nut when it comes to money stuff.)

I made dinner for my family before my dad went to work. It was the only thing I cooked all weekend. I made Indonesian beef curry with coconut rice. And we had veggies on the side. It was sooooo delicious. The sirloin was so juicy and tender. I wish I had remembered to take a picture.

After dinner, Charles and I went to Phillips European Restaurant for dessert. They have the most amazing desserts on the planet. You walk in and there is a wall of incredibleness. It is also special because it is the first place Charles told me he loved me! (Insert "Awwww" here.) I had a black and white mousse torte with a side of raspberry sauce and whipped cream. Charles had a half slice of Austrian torte and a half slice of chocolate hazelnut torte. It was phenomenal.

Then we met up with Nathan at Guitar Center and the 3 of us drove to Greece to go ROLLERSKATING! It was awesome but it reminded me how out of shape I am. 20 minutes and my legs were jello. But it was fun and I pushed myself to skate about 1 1/2 hours. I did take a small break for pizza. I was hardly hungry but you pay for unlimited pizza with your admission so I was not going to turn it down and waste that money. Once again, I tried to learn to skate backwards but I just am no good at it. Whatever strand of DNA my brother got that allows him to dance, spin and flip on skates (or on anything for that matter), did not make it into my DNA. But it was fun regardless! I wish we lived closer to a rink. If I could do that a couple times I week, I would be in great shape!

Sunday we went to AWC and I sang in church with mom. We sang a beautiful song by Selah called "Unredeemed" and it's about the dark places in our lives that may always be unrestored or unfulfilled, but when we give those things to the Lord, grace goes to work and they are never left unredeemed. It's a powerful, powerful song, especially in light of the happenings in Haiti, and friends that have just been diagnosed with stage 2 cancer, and marriages that are falling apart - just to remember that the fairy tale ending doesn't always happen, but God can redeem anything for his glory.
Wow.
This is the chorus:
Places where grace is soon to be so amazing
They may be unfulfilled, they may be unrestored, but when anything that's shattered is laid before the Lord
just watch and see, they will not be unredeemed.
Listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhOSspNj84w.

After church, Charles and I had lunch with some old high school friends at Tom Wahls! We hadn't seen them since their wedding in September and it was really fun to catch up! We had a lot of laughs!

After that it was time to head home and back to reality. Monday always comes early and is always difficult for me. So it's nice to have a fun weekend to look back on.

Now it's back to work. I'm going to work out tonight (I WILL do it!) and am making chicken piccata with artichokes for dinner! That will give me something to look forward to!

Ciao!

The Help

2010-01-14T08:25:00.003-05:00

Exercise yesterday = 0. This is not a good start to my resolution. :(
The plan yesterday was to go home for lunch, eat, get my gym clothes ready and go to the gym after work. Well, toward the end of my lunch hour, my tooth broke (or so I thought) so I spend the last few minutes trying frantically to find a dentist. I never did. But in the meantime, I ran out of time to get my gym stuff together. Fortunatly, I realized last night that my tooth did NOT break (thank the Lord) - just the cement that is holding my permanent retainer to the back of my teeth came unglued on one tooth. That is all. However, that means that a dentist won't do. I have to try and get in touch with my old orthodontist - whom I haven't seen in almost 10 years. This should be fun! But thank the Lord the tooth is not broken. That could have cost major bucks and I dont' have major bucks.
Dinner yesterday = I made a spicy pork tenderloin (with a rub of cumin and 3 different kinds of pepper and salt) and baked it in the cast iron skillet with rosemary potatoes and topped it with a sweet and sour sauce. We had a side of mixed veggies. Sooooo delicious.

Lastly, I want to mention one more thing. Since I did NOT work out yesterday, I had time to finish my book - The Help. It was very, very, very good. I highly recommend it. It was a beautiful, albeit sometimes sad story of some of the black maids in the south in the 60s. It's a novel, but still very good. It makes me so grateful that I was born in the north and in the decade that I was born in. I have never really dealt with racism. And I'm glad. Some of the women seem like such jerks but you know it's how they were raised and to them it's perfectly normal. I'm glad I never had a chance to be raised with that kind of thinking.
So anyhow, it is intriguing and well written and I suggest to read it!

I have one more countdown I would like to add in. My audition for the School of Music is in 17 days. Yikes.

Fat and Food

2010-01-13T08:15:00.004-05:00

This post is not about fat in food, it's about fat AND food. It's about one thing that I don't like and one thing that I do like. I love food and I don't like my fat rear and that can be problematic since there is definitely a cause and effect relationship between them.

Now, please no comments on how skinny I am. I don't want to hear it. I know that I am thin. But I am what a friend has appropriately coined a "skinny fat person." I am thin but I am not really in shape. I have toned arms and nice abs and skinny legs from the knee down. And they are still fairly strong but, to be honest, I don't have to do much to keep them in shape. But recently I noticed that I am the dreaded pear.
I don't know how I never noticed it before. I think, before I turned 25, my more active lifestyle hid this fact from me. So I was always under the impression that I was more corn on the cob. Or celery. But I am, in fact, a pear. And sitting on my butt at my desk for 40 hours each week (the one thing I really hate about my job) has brought out this fact even more.
And now that I know, I can't ignore it. To be skinny everywhere but my butt, hips and thighs makes me just crazy. You have no idea.

But there is something else I also hate. Running. Or most exercise in general. I really love to hike because there is purpose in that. I don't even mind just walking on the road, or a trail, if the weather is nice out, because I love to be outside. I just like to be active. I liked working at kodak because I was on my feet for 12 hours a day pushing heavy trucks and hauling 40 lb containers. I went home tired and feeling like I had had a good workout. But I wasn't intentionally working out. But now I work at a desk and get zilch activity. Plus, in a New York winter when the weather is freezing, I just want to stay inside, read a book and hibernate. I do not want to make an effort to exercise. But my thighs cry out to me every night that I must... I must.
Sigh
So I will.

I did some reading yesterday and there are pros and cons to being a pear. Being that pears don't carry their weight around the middle, we have much lower risk of heart disease and associated problems. BUT, apparently fat on your bum is much, much harder to lose than fat around the middle. And that sucks. I was alwasy under the impression that 30 minutes a day keeps the cellulite away. But not so for pears. Because our bodies will take fat from your upper body first, a pear must exercise at a high cardio and aerobic level for at least 45 minutes as many days a week as possible.
Blah.
Double blah.

So yesterday I bucked up and went to the gym for the first time in eons. I read that interval training is best for pears. It gets your enzymes flowing or something like that. I also read, that to tone the lower muscles, it's better to workout at an incline. So I did 30 minutes (I know, it should have been 45 but it was my first day and Charles was with me and he didn't want to be there that long) on the eliptical, in intervals, on the Hill workout program. Half of me kept saying it wasn't so bad, half was screaming that it was awful.
Overall, I just really hate it. But I looked at my legs yesterday and I am determined to stick with it.
I've never really seen the benefits of exercise -partly because half of me just does what it is supposed to without much exercise and partly because I've never stuck with a program long enough to see a difference. If I don't see results in 2 weeks, then I quit. I like instant results. I'm the person that takes the food out of the microwave 5 seconds before it's done because I am so impatient.
BUT this time I'm going to give it until my birthday - June 26 - about 5 1/2 months. And if I don't see results by then, well, then I'll probably give up. But I'm hoping that I will see changes and that it will encourage me to keep on keepin on.

So to keep me accountable I will try to blog about the exercise I am doing. And if you are a workoutaholic, please don't laugh. Remember, I am a newbie and this is NOT something I enjoy.

To counter-balance all that, I want to talk about food. I LOVE food. I love to cook food and I especially love to eat food. I don't really watch what I eat but I try not to cook or eat a lot of really fatty, greasy food (with the exception of a Five Guys burger once in awhile). And I love fruit and try to get as much of that in my diet as possible. I like veggies, too, but not so much.
But probably if this whole 'get my butt in shape' thing is going to work, I am going to need to watch what I eat.
So if I have to watch it, I decided I'm also going to blog about it. Because I find the food I make really interesting (and delicous). I don't say that in a bragging way. I work hard to come up with fun, diverse meals each week. And I don't usually make them up myself. But I'm getting better at that. I am also going to try and take pictures of each meal so you can see how pretty they are!
I don't have a picture that is accessible for yesterday. Maybe I will post it later tonight.

Anyhow -
Day one (yesterday):
30 minutes hill training at 1 minute speed burst intervals
cool down and stretch
10 minutes strength training

Dinner:
Sweet and spicy Thai chicken saute with rice! (I was out of brown rice, which is my favorite, so we just had regular white rice yesterday.) And I had a glass of milk.

Well, that's all! If you read all that, good for you! And if you think of it, pray for me the next 5 months. I am going to need some serious discipline.

Star Trek is taking over my life!

2010-01-11T08:59:00.003-05:00

All that to say that lately, and unregrettably (most of the time), I have making the decision to stay up past my bedtime to watch Star Trek. I don't know why we can't go to bed 45 minutes earlier in order to get an episode in before I must sleep. But I always go to bed at my normal time and then I still want to watch an episode. And then I'm sleepy in the morning. And then mornings are miserable. But mornings are miserable either way.
So I have decided that it's worth it!

I just want to mention some of the fun things I did with my hubby this weekend!
Friday night was a blur. To be honest, I remember nothing except that we had leftovers for dinner.

Saturday: We went to Rochester and saw Avatar in IMAX 3D! It was SO worth the extra bucks to see it in IMAX. Best graphics ever. ever. ever. Definitely a theater experience to remember!
We also had dinner (with my parents) at Five Guys. Always another wonderful experience.

Sunday: I started reading "The Help" and so far, I love it. Brilliant writing and the story just pulls you in! Then Charles and I got all bundled up to go out and play on the pond. But the sun was shining and it was kind of melting the top. Melting it enough that when you stomped on it, your foot dug in a couple inches. Melting enough that I didn't want to risk being on it. So then we were going to hike and exlore the back woods and follow the creek. But THAT wasn't frozen either. HUGE bummer because that would have been mucho, mucho fun. Fortunately it's shallow because when I stepped on that ice, my foot went right through.
So instead of adventuring, I made a snow angel and then we gathered up a big bowl full of snow and made snow cream! As far as I can remember, it was my first time making snow cream! We made chocolate and vanilla and they were soooo yummy! I have to say that I like it better than making ice cream because 1) it doesn't take near as long 2) everything doesn't get as salty 3) it doesn't make as much noise 4) it doesn't melt as quickly 5) it still tastes like snow! (And I love the taste and texture of snow!) So that was fun!
Then we went to share our snow cream with the folks downstairs and played some Blokus. Then we went upstairs, ate a delicious steak dinner (I made real mashed potates for the first time ever - ridiculous, I know. I just really like instant, usually. But I had real potatoes at home and no instant, for a change.) and then watched June Bug. It was weird for me. It had some good elements, some very uncomfortable elements and kind of reminded me of my first real visit to the South.

Then, around 9pm, Rich came over and brought a documentary to watch. It was the audition process for the Broadway show "A Chorus Line." It told the history of how the show was written and showed what the audition process was like. I thought it was really interesting!

And then it was bedtime. Boy how weekends do fly.

Fun Surprise

2010-01-06T08:59:00.002-05:00

Yesterday my brother and his friend showed up at my office at 4:30pm! What a great surprise! They were geo-cacheing in Letchworth and the GPS battery died so they decided to come see me! How wonderful! They also came with sleds in the trunk - even more wonderful! So I invited them over to our house to play! :)
And we had a wonderful time!

We started by snacking on chips and salsa (because I was starving).
Then we got all bundled up and went sledding down our driveway. Great fun! The driveway is perfect - steep (the little curve can make it tricky), but it packs well and you can get some good speed! So we did that for quite awhile. There were no major catastrophes but at one point, when Charles and I were going down together, we went off the driveway and my lower back landed on a tree stump. Ouch - that still hurts. Then Charles discovered that our pond is finally frozen. So we walked on it, (to my slight vexation/nervousness, there was some jumping on it to make sure it was really frozen), then we cleaned the snow off a chunk of it and slid across it, used a sled to spin on it, etc. So much fun!

Then, when we were wet and cold, we went inside, started the fire, drank tea and hot chocolate, had pizza delivered (Nate ate our leftover chili, which I'm SO glad I had around) and played a few games of Blokus!

Great, great fun! His friend, Rachel, is really nice and it was fun getting to know her a little bit and it is always fun to hang out with Nathan! And it was a nice change of pace for us. I didn't watch any TV, I didn't even practice for my audtion (at the end of this month! GAH!), and then we went to bed early, watched an episode of Star Trek and went to bed. The evening just flew by.

On a side note, I was inspired a couple days ago, tried out my new excel skills and developed an awesome budget worksheet for people who like to budget like I do, but don't want to pay for budgeting software. So if you like to budget or see the need to budget and need a tool to help you out, let me know and I will send it your way, along with instructions on how to set up any additonal expense budgets for yourself! :)

TTFN

Some pics from break!

2010-01-03T13:47:00.003-05:00

With my hubby on Christmas Eve, before we went to the Christmas Eve Candlelighting service

The Reynolds/Meeks/clan with Granda and Nanny and N8's friend, Jim, at the Christmas Eve festivities! (This was before we had completely stuffed ourselves!)

Christmas Morning - breakfast around the table! (Minus myself, who is taking the picture, and N8, who is taking a nap!)

Charles and I with our Christmas Tree. Notice Charles real smile? That's because my Granda was totally cracking him up!Also note the Dolphins Jersey, which was one of his Christmas presents!

At Union Station, with Kate! Downtown Toronto, on our way to the CN Tower!

The feet of Robert, Kate, Charles and I, on the glass floor of the CN Tower, standing 147 stories over Toronto. Kinda creepy, but awesome! (Too bad the floor was so dirty!)

New Year's Eve - with Kate and Brie! (This is pre-hair dying!)

There's no turning back now!

Happy new year!! (Post hair color!) You can tell we are all pretty exhausted by this point!

Back home again. It was a fun break but it sure is nice to be home again!

The Last Decade

2010-01-02T20:27:00.003-05:00

What have I done/accomplished in the last 10 years? Here is a recap:

2000 - 11th grade - Got my permit (June) and drivers license (Oct), started dating and broke up with my first real boyfriend (lasted 8 months) got in my first (and only) can accident, got my first real job - Wendys.
2001 - Graduated from High School (June), got a job at Zales (June), went to Houghton College (Sept), met Kendra (who ended up being a great, great friend and my roommate all 4 years or college), started dating Tim (lasted 2 years).
2002 - Still in college, worked at Kodak in the summer with Papa. Still with Tim, vacationed with the Ridgways in VA (July).
2003 - Still in college, maid of honor in Kate and Brandon's wedding in Nashville, TN (April), worked at Kodak again in the summer, went to N. Ireland (Aug) with my family and Granda and Nanny, Tim and I broke up (Sept).
2004 - Visited Kate in TX after Kylee was born (Jan), Traveled with Godspeed (summer), Charles and I started dating (Sept).
2005 - Sr. Recital (Jan), Charles and I got engaged (Mar), went to Russia (Mar), I graduated from College (May), I met Charles's family for the first time (June), Charles left for 6 months (June), I got my first real job at job at Hillside in Service Integration (June), Counselor at Chambers Camp(July), Charles came home from Australia (Dec), we GOT MARRIED! (Dec).

2006 - Moved to Pavilion (Jan), lived with the Hoyts, moved to Coffs Harbour, Australia (Aug)
2007 - Vacationed in Melbourne, AU (Apr), moved to Sydney (Apr), vacationed and hiked in New Zealand (July), moved from Australia to KY (Aug), bridesmaid in Kendra and Tim's wedding (Aug), got a job as a Financial Aid Consultant at Asbury Seminary (Aug), Charles started grad school (Sept), started attending St. Pats (Oct), met Kate P. for the first time.
2008 - still in KY, went to Israel on a month-long archeological dig (July).
2009 - Charles and I vacationed in FL and TN (Mar), Charles walked for graduation (May), went to Canada for Robert and Kate's wedding - Charles was Best Man and I composed music for the wedding (July), Charles became Anglican (July), Charles officially graduated (July), moved from KY to NY (Sept), started my job at Houghton as a Financial Aid Counselor (Sept).

In the last 10 years I have been in 10 different countries (including the US and 2 countries where I was only in the airport - Germany and England. But hey, it sorta counts) and 23 airports.

Musically, in the last 10 years I have composed over 32 pieces, been commissioned to compose/arrange 8 pieces, had more than 14 pieces performed publicly, have had my music recorded and copyrighted. I'd say that's pretty good for 10 years. (Although I do need to do some more copyrighting.) Maybe publishing and being paid to compose will happen in the next 10 years. One can only hope!

Here's to another 10!

Christmas Break Happenings

2010-01-02T18:51:00.004-05:00

It is hard to believe that 11 days off have gone by and there is only 1 day left before I return to work. How is it that the days go by so, so quickly? Maybe it was because we had SO MUCH GOING ON! I am going to have to try to get up early tomorrow morning to get my body back into the swing of things. We didn't wake up before 10am at all this vacation. Crazy!
Let me give you a short recap of our fun adventures!

12/24 - First day off. Slept in, picked up the house, drove to my parents, went to AWC's Christmas Eve Service, had our traditional Clements family gathering at Granda and Nanny's until the wee hours of the morning. Ate food, opened presents, sang carols, took pictures (to be posted soon), etc. Wonderful time! (Minus the end of the night when I got sick.)

12/25 - Slept in! Papa, Mama, N8, Granda and Nanny came for breakfast. Well, breakfast at lunch time! Papa and Charles did most of the cooking, Nate took a nap in our room and didn't wake up until presents! Granda did the dishes! Opened presents together. Then Granda, Papa and Nanny snoozed and the rest of us played Blokus! Family left, Charles and I watched "The Christmas Story" and "National Lampoon Christmas Vacation."

12/26 - Slept in, played Super Mario Bros wii with Charles. Charles went to Buffalo with the guys and I stayed home all day, played video games, played the piano, watched movies and read a book. Overall, a very boring day. Watched some Star Trek with CEM before we went to bed.

12/27 - Slept in (see a pattern?). Charles made scalloped potatoes and we went to the Hoyts to have a ham dinner with them and my parents! (SO good!) Played 10 up 10 down! Then my parents left and we played a few games of Euchre and watched Julie and Julia (I liked it!) before heading home late. We contemplated staying overnight and re-living our first couple months of marriage, but we weren't prepared. Maybe next time!

12/28 - Slept in, got bundled up and drove to Arcade to have lunch with Tim and Kendra! We hung out with them most of the afternoon and then went back to K's parents house to see her fam and meet her cute puppy! Such fun and so good to catch up with them! Went home and pretty much hibernated inside the rest of the night.

12/29 - Slept in, got a call from Robert to say we could go to Canada that day. Packed in record time and left! Stopped at the Galleria mall to get a couple presents, then stopped at the Duty Free to grab some things for our friends in Canada. Had great traffic. The only slow part was customs and, of course, we chose the slowest line. The weather was good until we hit Barrie. But by that time we were almost there, so it was all good. We arrived around 8pm! It was so fun to see everyone again! They ordered chinese food and we stuffed ourselves (Charles and I were starving!!) Played wii until late!

12/30 - Slept in (this never gets old!), after some debating about what to do, Charles, Robert, Kate and I headed to Toronto. We parked at Brie and Jesse's and took the subway downtown to the CN Tower. Kate and Robert had 2 free tickets and let us use one so we went up in the tower, took another ride up even further to the skypod where you could even see the lights of Rochester across the lake. Because it was dark by the time we got up in the tower, you could see the lights of Toronto stretch out for miles! It was so cool! We also went to the glass floor, hundreds of feet (147 stories, to be exact) above the city. Kinda crazy! Then we rode this stupid motion ride about a genetically altered super tree, in which we were the tree. It was shaky and shot nasty water in my face. That was a bummer. Usually I find those things lots of fun. This one just didn't make any sense. It should have been about the CN Tower or something.
Then we grabbed something to eat and made the cold trip home, where we got stuck in the subway for awhile. (Fortunately, they fixed the problem before we actually had to get off the subway and be shuttled to another stop.) We got back to Brie and Jesse's where we ate Chicken Bruschetta and Hawaiin pizza. The guys played video games and us girls read books on pregnancy and tried to feel Brie's babies kicking her in the ribs! (She is preggo with twins and due to pop any day!) Stopped at Tim Hortons, drove home and got in the hot tub for a bit before heading to bed well after midnight.

12/31 - Slept in. (Reading the pregnancy book must have gotten to me because I had a dream that my mom called the day after new years to tell me she was pregnant. So crazy!) I went out shopping with Kate and her mom while Charles and Robert played games. We got back and Brie and Jesse were there. We just hung around the house the rest of the day, eating food, playing games, etc. Kate died my hair a fun golden brown. (I like it! I just hope it doesn't start to look gray when the blond comes through. I'm not THAT blond, but what is there is stubborn and does not like to be concealed!) Then the girls went downstairs and watched The Lake House (I had never seen it) until almost the New Year. I am pleased to say that the last thing I did in 2009 and the first thing I did in 2010 was kiss my hubby! I think it's going to be a good year! We didn't stay up long after that.

1/1 - Slept in, but actually set an alarm this day! So we got up at 10am, packed all our stuff, said goodbye and were on the road by 11:30! We had a bit of snow but good traffic all the way to Buffalo! We stopped at the IMAX theater in Toronto to see Avatar but it was sold out until January 4 so we just continued on. Once we got into the US (no trouble or wait at the border) we decided to stop at the Galleria mall again since I had some Christmas money to spend! And what a fun, successful shopping trip we had! The mall closed at 5pm so we only made it through the bottom floor but I still had shopping success! I bought my first pair of skinny jeans (I never thought I could wear them, but according to my husband, they look great! So I bought some and now I love them!), ugg-type boots (which make the skinny jeans work, since they hide my super skinny ankles, and 2 sweaters (both gray - so much for adding color to my wardrobe).
THEN, since the mall was closing and we had skipped lunch, we decided to have a nice dinner at Jack Astors (in the mall, so we didn't have to fight the traffic to get out) where I stuffed myself with beer cheese soup, mini souvlaki pitas, and a mediterranean chicken sandwich! Yum! After we finished we were stuffed so we thought we'd walk around the empty mall to let our food settle. We discovered that all the department stores were still open so we went back to Macy's and I found the CUTEST crocheted (sp?) winter hat! We finally headed out around 7:30! Upon getting in the car, we talked about going to see Avatar in Rochester the next day. So to save ourselves some gas, we called my parents to see if we could stay at their house that night! They called us back just as we got onto 90 W so we got off, turned around and headed 90 E to Rochester! We drove through some crazy snow but made it okay! (Am I sure glad we got new tires a couple weeks ago!) On the road, my parents called and said they were having dinner at Cracker Barrel and asked if we wanted to join them. We had already had a big dinner, but we decided to meet them for dessert! So we had a fun time there! I had a hot tea (so nice after being out in the cold and snow) and blackberry cobbler a la mode! YUM! Then we headed back to the 'rents house! When they came home we watched a documentary called Born Into Brothels. I highly recommend this. It's the story about children who are born to prostitutes in the red light district in Calcutta, and about their lives as outcasts. The cool thing is, the lady who does the documentary went to live there as a photographer and fell in the love with the kids and taught them about photography and how that began to change the way they saw themselves and the world and began to open doors for them to get out of the red light district and, hopefully, give them a better future. It was very eye opening and sad but very hopeful as well. It won an academy award. You should watch it.

1/2 - Slept in. Charles and I shared the little twin bed upstairs but it was fun to snuggle together in the cold room. We actually slept quite well! We had a late breakfast and then went to Geneseo to see Sherlock Holmes. (We had tried to get tickets to Avatar but they were even sold out in Rochester.) As the movie was starting, my parents came in and sat down at the end of our row. They knew we were going to go, but the theater was black when they came in and they couldn't see that they had sad right next to us! So that was funny! After the movie, the four of us went to taco bell for a late lunch and then Charles and I went to the store to do some grocery shopping and headed home. We got home, unpacked everything and then watched an episode of Star Trek! Ahhh - it's good to be home! And that is where I am now - on the couch in my PJs!
It has been SUCH a fun break. It's going to be hard to go back to work in 2 days. But I will not think about that just yet. I will also not think about the money. I am not going to do anything with it until Monday. That way it won't ruin the end of my vacation! :)

I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring. Hopefully lots of R&R and maybe seeing some friends, if the weather is okay. Today it was SOOOO cold. All I wanted to do was stay inside by the fire. So, I'm off! If you made it through all that, g'donya and thanks for your interest!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T22:50:00.002-05:00

It is wonderful to live so close to family again! Christmas was so laid back this year. No rushing around, no driving 10 hours in horrible weather to get home... we slept til 11am Christmas Eve day, and then spent some quality time alone together (enjoying my first day off) before heading out to face the masses!

It all started with the candle-lighting service at our church. It just doesn't seem like Christmas without one! Then we headed to Granda and Nanny's for the big Clements gathering. They always start around 9pm and usually go until the wee hours of the morning. (Last night, people started leaving around 2am). Unfortunately, I was and idiot and drank too much eggnog too late at night and ended up getting sick. So I missed the carol singing (bummer, since I brought my uke to play along!) and all the present opening. But I was there for the important part - hearing Granda read the Christmas story. That is my favorite part of Christmas and it is something that I appreciate more and more every year. There is something about hearing the Christmas story in a raspy, Irish accent that makes it really feel like Christmas. My family can be so loud and chaotic (we are British, after all) but I love it! I love that everyone loves to be together. We just sit and laugh and sing... it is such fun! And even though none of us have much money, people do things for each other that our thoughtful. And with my family, you always know that it's not about the presents - it's about Jesus and his love for us. And it's about loving each other and being together. And THAT is why I love Christmas so much!

Charles and I headed home early since I was sick (early being 12:30am) and, fortunately, I slept off the belly ache and felt fabulous for Christmas Day, which was good because we changed things up a bit and had Christmas morning at OUR house!

My family's tradition is to have a big Christmas breakfast with my immediate family and granda and nanny at my parent's house. But today they all made the trek out here and we had a huge breakfast (well, it was breakfast food at lunch time) feast! My dad and Charles did most of the cooking and Granda, as usual, did up all of our dishes. What good men we have in our family!

After the feasting and the cleaning up we opened presents - one at a time - youngest to oldest! I love that we take the time to watch each person open and enjoy their gifts! This year was full of a lot of laughs. Charles got me a bluetooth headset (which I knew about) but to surprise me, he wrapped it in a pair of his old shorts, which really had me confused. Then, when I pulled the box out of the shorts, it was empty! Then I was REALLY confused! But he had taken the bluetooth out, charged it, and put it in his shorts pocket and then wrapped the empty box up in the shorts and wrapped it. What a funny, clever man. We laughed for a long time. I just wish I had a picture so you could have seen my face when I unwrapped a pair of Charles's old shorts! hahaha! I didn't see that coming at all. And, of course, my dad guessed all his gifts, as usual. No matter how tricky we try to be, he almost always guesses.

My parents gave me the game "Blockus," so after all the gifts were open, Granda and Nanny dozed on the couch, my dad dozed on the futon upstairs (see a pattern? my typical Christmas usually involves a nap, no matter how late we get up!) and Nate, Mom, Charles and I played a bunch of rounds of Blockus. I won the first game (which is fitting, since it is my game!) and Charles won a game and my brother won 2. Mom came close a couple times - but she is a good sport and never quits!

They left around 4:30pm. It was so so fun to have this day with the people that I love the most. After their departure, Charles and I went into Christmas veg mode! We played the new Super Mario Brothers that he got from my parents (I stink, but I love it and Charles was being very patient with me, even when I kept jumping on his head or pushing him over cliffs or into fire!) and then we sipped hot cocoa and watched "The Christmas Story" which I had, somehow, never seen before. And I LOVED it! It made me laugh so much!

Thank you, Jesus, for becoming like us - for being born in such humble circumstances, for living and teaching us what it is to love and for dying so that we can live. What an amazing gift we celebrate today! I love you!

Anniversary Happenings

2009-12-18T08:14:00.002-05:00

So yesterday was the big 4 years! Charles subbed, I worked. But then, when Charles came and picked me up for our eye appointment, he brought me a half dozen red roses!! Now, those of you who know us well know that flowers are not a major part of our marriage. I certainly don't expect them and I don't receive them very often. That is not a knock on Charles. I've let him know that I think flowers are expensive and not a necessity for me. Plus, they die. :) But I DO love flowers, especially red roses. I love the look and the smell. And they were the roses I had in my wedding! So when he surprised me with them yesterday I was shocked and so so happy! He is such a sweetheart!

Unfortunately, rather than being presented with flowers and being swept off my feet out the door, he had to sit around for a few minutes while I finished up a report that had to be done before I left.

So we went to the eye doctor, got our contacts (FINALLY - it only took a month and 4 trips to Wellsville) and then we followed the GPS to Spragues. I was a little nervous about trusting the GPS out in the country, but since I had no idea where I was, there was no other choice. It got us there but it took us on a couple unplowed back roads through the mountains, which was a little nerve-wracking in the dark. But we made it!

Spragues is one of the best restaurants in WNY. Arguably, one of the best in the state. It's not a chain. It's a maple farm as well so the place smells wonderfully of maple and they incorporate maple into pretty much everything - fish, steak, maple sausage, beans (maple baked beans w/ bacon..mmmm!), and then your typical stuffed french toast with maple walnut cream cheese... Pretty much everything is to die for.
So we actually drooled over the menu for about 15 minutes before we were ready to order. Charles got ribs (amazing, fall of the bone ribs - best I've ever had) with a maple bbq sauce, maple baked beans, veggies (soaked in butter!) and salad. I got a sirloin steak (cooked to a perfect medium) with a maple bourbon glaze (very strong with Bourbon - maybe even a bit too strong for me, but still delicious), baked potato, veggies, salad, etc.
We shared some of the beans and I had some of his ribs and he had some of my steak. They also brought us a basket with bread rolls, maple muffins, etc.

THEN for dessert we split a piece of peppermint fudge ice cream pie with peppermint whipped cream. Luscious! We were so full we pretty much had to roll ourselves out of there!

It was pretty much an amazing evening together! Looking forward to another year together.

Four years ago from this moment

2009-12-17T08:10:00.006-05:00

8:10am, 12/17/05

My room is warm and dark and I desperately want to be sleeping, but I can't. It is the day of my wedding. My hair appointment isn't until 10:30am (the wedding isn't until 4pm) and it's my last night alone in my own bed at my parents house. I was hoping to sleep in but nerves and excitement won't let that happen. I am wide awake at 7am. Trying not to wake up the bridesmaids that are sleeping all over the house, I creep out to the kitchen. My mom is also awake. It is probably a bit of excitement on her part as well, but she is also up making rainbow jello for the reception. And if you don't know what rainbow jello is, let me just tell you that it takes awhile and mom has sacrificed many hours of sleep in her day to make it, since it is one of my favorites.

By 8:10am, all my other girls are awake. (I have 4 bridesmaids and 1 good friend all sleeping over). We sit around the table as, one by one, they wake up and groggily make their way to the kitchen. We talk about how crazy it is that I am getting married THAT day; that by the end of the night, I never have to sleep alone again; how I will no longer be Cherith Reynolds but Mrs. Cherith Meeks. I tell them the story about how I couldn't sleep last night and how I got up at 4:30am and was on my computer transfering money from my savings to checking so we didn't have a fiasco when it came time to pay for our B&B. :) I talk about how excited I am to be marrying Charles and the wonderful man he is and how much in love I am with him. And I just KNOW that our lives together will be wonderful (as long as he lets me handle the money!), because we are a perfect fit and God has brought us together. And we love and respect each other and we almost never fight but instead work things out in a loving and mature way. And I am so excited to start this new life together with him!

Due to nerves and excitement, I am feeling pretty nauseated (that is typical for me) and eating breakfast is not such a good idea. So to escape the smell of the other girls eating, I go to the living room to play the piano - a good relaxation technique for me. My girls (as I will call them!) finish eating and come in to listen. All of my girls are musical and something that brought almost all us together as friends was our love of music and singing. So that's what we do! Rather than rush around in craziness trying to get everything ready, we all sit around the piano and sing hymns in 5 part harmony. What an amazing way to start an amazing day - the day I get to marry an amazing man.

8:10am, 12/17/09

Our room is warm and dark and I am sound asleep when the alarm clock wakes me up rudely. I drag myself out of bed, trying to think of any excuse I can to let me stay in bed and not have to go to work today. But I can't think of any. So off to the shower it is. After I'm finished I go back into the room to wake up my sleeping husband. How I wish we could both just go back to sleep but he has to work today too. So I wake up him. I take a break from applying my eye liner to tell him happy anniversay and he says he loves me and then goes and gets a bowl of cereal. There's no time for long lingering hugs or gazing into each others eyes. This is life we are living now. Married life. Working life. And it's comfortable and we don't always see the need for mushiness. But we know we love each other.

He goes out and starts the car and cleans it off. Just another way that shows me he loves me. And off we go. He drops me off at work and then heads to school to teach English for the day. I'm getting off early but not because we have some big, romantic evening planned. We have an eye doctor appointment. Again - this is life. It's comfortable.

By 8:10am I am at work and thinking about this day 4 years ago - a day filled with people and love and anticipation and excitement. Right now I'm alone in my office, dreading a busy day full of people. My biggest anticipation is getting out early to get new contacts and go out to dinner with my love. It's a normal start to a normal day. It's life and it's comfortable.

The last 4 years have been so full. Full of life changes, character changes, location changes... there have been wonderful times and terrible times. They have been days where I have loved marriage and days where I absolutely hated it and wondered what the hell I got myself into. Contrary to my expectations on the day of my wedding, we have had TONS of fights and did NOT handle them in a loving and mature way. We have said so many hurtful things to each other. BUT, we have also said words of forgiveness for those moments and there have been many words of love and tenderness in our last 4 years. There have been times of intense rage, intense sadness and times of intense passion. (And I'm not just talking about sex.) But there are many days where there is no intensity at all. It's just life. And that's okay. We go about our daily routine, do the things we have to do and hope there is some time for snuggling before the day's end (and I must say, we are pretty good at making time for that!). And every day I realize that I may not always be "in love" with my husband, but I do love him; and that love gets deeper every year. I love that we still laugh together. I love that we are still silly together.

If you had asked me about marriage 6 months in, if I was honest with you I would have told you that I wasn't sure if we'd make it - that I wasn't sure if it was worth all the hassle and hardship. But if you ask me today, I will tell you that we WILL make it - and it IS worth it. And I believe that with all my heart. That doesn't mean that every day is better than it was at the beginning, or that we fight any less (well, that part is most likely true). But I have come to realize that every day doesn't HAVE to be great for life to be wonderful and marriage to work. It just needs humility, love (the action, not the feeling), and committment.

So Charles, I am as exciting to be married to you today as I was excited to be marrying you 4 years ago today. I love you so much. Thanks for the adventure - I look forward to more in year #5! See you after work! ;)

2009-12-16T11:57:00.001-05:00

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Christmas Cookies and Scary Dreams

2009-12-15T09:22:00.004-05:00

Needless to say, I have eaten way too many cookies since the Christmas season began. Our office received a box of some delicious christmas cookies. For breakfast today I had a cookie bar with white chocolate chunks and raspberry and a double chocolate chip cookie. Yum! And we each baked 2 dozen cookies to give to our student workers. But we ate the extras. And, because I had to MAKE cookies, that also meant that I ATE some of those as well. To be honest, though, I didn't eat as many as one would think. Sometimes I almost have an aversion to sweets and that was the case the day I baked the cookies. I would rather have eaten a whole block of mozzarella cheese than a whole batch of cookies.
Also, I realized that, while I love to cook, I don't really love to bake. It takes too much time, makes too much mess... maybe if I had a KitchenAid or a big stand mixer I would enjoy it more. And i guess that explains why I have only made cookies 3 times in my whole life. Baking cookies and eating cookies are two totally different things. I know some people say that you appreciate something more that you have to work for - well, that is not true of me and cookies. And on top of that, now I have the extras at home and the temptation to just snack on them when I should be snacking on apples or something healthy.

On a second note, I was exhausted yesterday after going to bed too late on Sunday, so I went to bed around 10pm, exhausted, and went right to sleep, SO thankful that I was going to get a good night's sleep.
But it would JUST figures that I'd have a nightmare and be awake a good portion of the night anyway. Sometimes the dreams that are the scariest are not the ones where something scary actually happens. They are the ones where there is the potential for something scary to actually happen, but you aren't sure what it is or if it's going to happen.
And then, when you wake up, rather than focusing on other stuff, your brain stirs up every old scary memory, thought or feeling you have ever had - leaving you awake from your actual nightmare, but with a mind so full of terror that is sometimes worse than the nightmare itself. And how are you EVER supposed to go to sleep when then happens?
Fortunately, I have a husband who doesn't mind when I wake him up asking to be held. And fortunately, I have a mama who loves me and loves God. And when I had nightmares as a kid(which was fairly often), she would pray with me and quote Philippians 4:8 - "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent of praiseworthy, think about such things" - until I fell asleep.

It is this verse and this promise that has put me to sleep hundreds of times when sleep seemed impossible. And last night, as I quoted this over and over, and forced my brain to think about things that were edifying, I was shocked at the intensity of the struggle in my mind to overcome the things of darkness that kept trying to force their way in there. If I gave them one second of distraction, I was once again thrown back into fear.

Now, maybe this sounds really dramatic or extreme and I don't know how nightmares are for you. But it has been this way for me my whole life. Maybe it's my overactive imagination or the fact that my dreams are so realistic and vivid and detailed. But some nightmares are just so oppressive that the feeling just doesn't leave when I wake up.

And all this makes me wonder - what do kids (or adults) do that DON'T believe in God or prayer, or don't know the healing (and sleeping!) power of Phil.4:8? How do they go back to sleep? How do they escape the terror?

Oh the Weather Outside if Frightful

2009-12-11T08:09:00.002-05:00

Well, it's starting to be that way. We didn't get a whole lot of snow last night but it is really coming down - faster than they can keep the roads clean, which says something in NY. Charles had to sub today, which good as far as the fact that we are going to need new tires this weekend and ANY extra cash will help. Unfortunately, he is subbing at Belfast, which is out of the way. Houghton Academy would be much more convenient in weather like this. So we slipped and slid the whole way here and now he has to slip and slide all the way to Belfast. Hopefully by the time we head home, the weather won't be so bad. I do love the snow but I wish I had the choice to not go out in it. That is one thing I really liked about Asbury. 1) They delayed all the time, which was cool, 2) I lived right next door so I never had to worry about driving in this crap.

But I better just get used to this. And it is fun as long as the roads (and our driveway) are clear.

We were planning to head home this weekend for the Christmas program at AWC (that my mama wrote!) but we are not going if the weather is bad. So hopefully this will clear up soon. (Tomorrow is supposed to be clear - let's hope that is the case!) Also, I really, really can't stand having a half-decorated tree anymore so we need more lights and more ornaments. And sugar cookie dough. And tires. Yikes. The list keeps growing and growing... I think it's going to be a small Christmas this year.

On a positive note, the snow didn't start until late last night, so Charles and I were able to make it up the big hill and have dinner with our wonderful friends, the Keelers! We had a delicious dinner of bacon and egg bagel sandwiches with homefries! Soooo good. It's fun eating with them because Jenn always makes stuff that I never think to make, but love! Unfortunately for the state of our friendships, neither Charles or I are big winter people and tend to just hibernate in the winter. And now we have the perfect, cozy nook for hibernating. Problem is, we are not close to anyone. I wish Rob and Kate lived downstairs from us and we could hibernate with them. That would be uber-awesomeness.
So hopefully our friends will be patient and wait around for us to be more socially active again in the the Spring. :)

And on that note, I better get to work. But I bet today will drag because I don't have a lot to do today. And I don't have much motivation. Thank goodness it's Friday!

First real snowfall for the year

2009-12-08T18:52:00.003-05:00

We had our first real snowfall yesterday! And we got our tree and started decorating for Christmas. Here is our loft, with lights and the little tree we got in KY. Here is the real tree we got this year! I love how our house smells like pine now! I know it is only half decorated. We need more lights. But I was so excited I just had to put up a picture. I'll post a picture of the finished product, later.
And our house in the snow. So pretty!

Fun in NC and TN

2009-12-07T16:46:00.004-05:00

The last two weeks have been full of lots and lots of travel for me. For Thanksgiving, Charles and I went down to NC to spend some time with him parents and some of his old high school buddies. We had a really, really fun time. We got to spend more time than usual with Todd and Jess and Jess's family and that was a blast. They are the kinds of friends that I feel like I have known forever - not just a few years. I love friends like that! And we got our typical El Parrel stop in. Gotta love good, cheap mexican food!
We also spent some time with the Southerns - friends we stayed with while we were there. They are always so uplifting and encouraging and we love being with them. One night we watched Doubt. Fantastic movie.
The weather was wonderful and warm while we were there, which was really nice. I always wish I could spend more time outside while it's warm. But we got out some, amidst most of the indoor visiting! We did have quite the detour on the way home. Charles always gets frustrated with me that I don't trust our GPS. So on the way home, it started taking us a different direction than I had anticipated so I decided to go with the GPS rather than my own sense of direction. So rather than go up 81, it took us on some back way though Western PA. Things were going alright (minus all the little small towns we went to - although it was cool to discover some little towns), until all of a sudden, the GPS decided it didn't know where we were anymore. Awesome. So we went to Western PA and then had to drive all the way back to central PA to take 15 up through NY to 390. Waste of time. But it was a nice day and we got some beautiful views. But my distrust of our GPS has been solidified.
We got home Saturday night, unpacked and then I had to get up Sunday morning and re-pack for my trip to Nashville. That was a blast (although my head is so jam-packed full of new laws and policies and I'm hoping it won't all leak out). The hotel was awesome but wicked expensive. So I don't bore you, I will give you a basic run-through of my day.

Wake up early
Pay too much for breakfast (on day 4 I realized there was free breakfast. oops)
Sit through 2-3 conference sessions
Walk to the mall and pay too much for lunch
Sit through 2-3 more sessions
Go out and pay too much for dinner
Walk around the hotel for awhile (to take pictures and burn off calories)
Go to bed.

Meals were fun because it meant meeting new people. One night I had dinner on my own so I went to a sports bar so I didn't feel dumb sitting at a table in a restaurant by myself. I met this cool guy, Damien, and he didn't know anyone else there so we hung out. One night Troy, Bruce and I took a bus downtown and went to the WildHorse saloon where they had live music and line dancing. I was excited to line dance but I missed the lesson by must 10 minutes. Blah. So instead of getting exercise by line dancing, I ate a huge ribeye steak, mashed potatoes and about 3 onions worth of onion rings. yum!

I will have to post some pics shortly of the hotel because it was a-mazing.

The other thing I did was read. I love to read and rarely have or take the time to just sit down and read. So I took advantage and read 3 books in one week. I took the book "save me from myself" on the plane to Nashville, thinking it would last me the whole week. I finished it because my 2nd flight even took off - on the way there. So the next day I went to Barnes and Noble and bought "Look Me in the Eye" - a memoir of a man who grew up with Asperger syndrome but wasn't diagnosed until he was 40. It was fascinating. So fascinating, in fact, that I finished it Friday morning. So before I left for the airport I trudged back over to the mall and bought Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. And that lasted me the trip home. I had about 3 chapters left when my plane touched down in Rochester so I just stayed up and finished it that night. :)
And then I met lots of other random people in food lines, etc.

This weekend was also fun. I flew into Rochester Friday night and my parents were supposed to pick me up and then Charles was going to come up Saturday and get me. But my sweet hubby missed me so much that he came up Friday and surprised me at the airport. That was a wonderful surprise! And we had a fun weekend hangin with my family. We got up Saturday and went to the public market again (I am obsessed with fresh fruits and veggies from there) and then Nate and I went and saw New Moon (I really liked it, actually) and my dad and Charles saw A Christmas Carol in 3D. And then mom met us at the theatre and she and I went and visited my best friend from high school and saw her new baby! (#3 - wow!). Then we went home, ate a delicious dinner all together and then mom, Charles and I stayed up and watched Doubt (again! It's such a good movie).

Sunday Charles and I left decently early, went to Aldi and finally came home. We had a wonderful, relaxing day. Hung some Christmas lights, etc. And it snowed today so I am officially in the Christmas spirit! And we just went and cut our own tree. It is the first real tree Charles and I have had as a married couple! And it's about 9 1/2 feet tall. Awesome! (Not quite as tall as I wanted, but nothing taller would fit in the tree stand. Even this one we had to tie up to keep it from toppling over!) And we had to hunt around in the dark so it's amazing that we got such a nice tree. And I didn't saw anyone's leg off cutting it down, either. So right now it is half decorated but I ran out of lights. Guess the rest will have to wait until later! But I am happy! And I love that our house spells like pine! Lovely!

So, ta ta for now. I'll post some pics from Nashville and our tree later!

My heart is aching for something...

2009-11-20T10:04:00.002-05:00

I wish I could put my finger on exactly what it is, but I know when I hear or read something that has to do whatever is lacking in my soul, my heart starts pounding and I feel like weeping - whether with joy or sorrow I do not know.

It started with a baseball game. (I'm sure I must have blogged about this before. So if you read this blog consistently, pardon my redundancy.) My family went to a baseball game and as we were walking from the parking lot to the stadium we passed dozens of homeless people saying they were hungry and asking for food. I didn't have any money and, logically, I know it's not really smart to pull out your wallet and just hand someone money, so I did what most everyone did. Look straight ahead and walk right on by.

But I can't begin to tell you what happened in my heart at that moment. I knew that Jesus would not just have walked by. But I didn't know what else to do. I love to eat and have never been hungry in my life. What if that were me, hungry and cold, sitting on the side of the road hoping someone would have pity on me?

But still, I walked right on by. And I have regretted it ever since.
I did vow that if I ever went to that stadium again, I'd take a bag full of bananas, bread and granola bars and pass them out as I went along. Being hungry is a terrible thing.

But in church a couple weeks ago, a new vision popped into my head. An idealistic one, but I really believe it was more than just a passing thought of my own fruition. I was thinking about my life and how little I do for others. And I started thinking about what my gifts are. Hospitality is not one of my gifts, as much as I would like it to be. But I can talk to pretty much anyone, and I do love to cook! So why not use those two "gifts" to reach out to those around me?

So in this vision I had 2 houses. One in the country (because I love the country) that I lived in with my family and one in the city that was used as a "ministry" house. (This is also as a safety precaution. Because, unfortunately, you have to be cautious these days.) It was a house that had 1 little bedroom, a kitchen, dining room, living room and bathroom. Nothing fancy - decorated simply. It would be in this house that my family ate dinner every evening. We would invite friends and have dinner and then relax in the living room playing games (there would be no TV or computers) or reading until it was time to head home for bed.

Before I continue on to the next part, let me clarify the basis for this whole idea. I don't think poor or homeless people need just food, although that is a basic necessity. Being poor, they are also the outcasts of our society. Most people look on them with disgust or pity. But a basic need that I have is to feel loved and valued. And food eaten alone is never as good as food shared.
So if I came across a homeless person, I would not just give them a granola bar and buy them dinner. Instead, I would invite them over for dinner. As a guest.

And at dinner, they would join in as part of the family. And they would be served on real dishes with cloth napkins and glass goblets. (Nothing expensive because if they were to steal it, who cares! Just buy more.) But something nice to make them feel extra special. Like an important human being. And if they wanted to take a shower, they could. And if they wanted to stay after dinner and play games with the family or read, they could do that as well.

I think the thing about this "ministry" is that it isn't a ministry that you get a grant for. It's a lifestyle - a way of living that shows Jesus to those around you by truly loving them and meeting both their physical and emotional needs. And it's a kind of lifestyle that I want to raise my children with. I want them to be comfortable around those that are marginalized - to learn early on that they are people who need love, not charity, just as much as you and I.

So this was the idea. But I have no idea how to even make that play out in our lives here in Allegany county. There are so many needy people here but you don't see them on the street. And we certainly don't have the money to buy a house (let alone 2!)

Lately I've been hearing or reading about other people that have this call to love and serve the marginalized. One of those is a couple from Asbury (2, actually), who went and started a "church" in Chapel Hill, NC called "Love Chapel Hill." And that's what they do. They just love the people. They hold services on Sundays but the majority of their time is spent putting money in the parking meters, or handing out pb&j sandwiches, or hot chocolate on a cold day, or making meals for the homeless. Again, not out of charity, but out of love. Because they aren't just targeting the homeless or the poor - they target EVERYONE. Professors, students, day workers, homeless... everyone treated equal.

And just now I read an article on a family in England who sold their home and bought 10 acres of woods to start a community for people in crisis - a place where they would live together, work the land together... a place where those who are welcomed no where else are welcome and loved .

People are doing these things. And my heart aches to give up everything and join them. I know that the work I do has meaning and it's for a good cause and all that jazz. But each day that I go to work, work all day, go home, cook dinner, write music, watch TV and go to bed, I feel my soul dying a little bit. Because that ache in my heart doesn't go away. It is sometimes overpowered by logic and the burden of knowing we can't just give up everything because student loans don't just go away. But it is always there - that longing for something more. A better way of living.

And I wish I knew where to start.

I can't believe it has been so long...

2009-11-09T16:01:00.002-05:00

... since I've posted. I don't normally go so long. I don't know why, I just haven't been in the mood to blog. Life has been quite busy for us I guess I just haven't wanted to take the time and energy to blog about it all.
So let me do this the easy way and sum up some of the things we have been up to:

Charles has been subbing and when he's not subbing he has been working hard at researching fun things like cast iron skillets and trying to keep busy.

I have been busy working my day job and then spending my evenings composing (I'm trying to finish up a piece for my graduate application), researching some publishers (I think I found a couple possibilities) and applying for graduate school next year. I had a great, great convo with Dr. Hijleh last week about possibilities. I'm currently leaning toward the MMus in Composition. However, I am trying to work out something with the music dept (so far they are going for it!) and the Business Department to see if I can, in a sense, create my own Master of Arts in Music and Business - kind of a music management degree. I think that would really utilize both my love of music and my gifts in that area as well as my ability to organize, manage (because those of you who know me well know that I love to manage things and be in charge!), and think logically. So if I can work out some kind of deal, that's what I'm going to do. I still have my work cut out for me. I have to write an essay, wait to hear back from potential references, finish writing out my string orchestra piece, locate an old paper to turn in (glad I kept a couple. I don't think I kept much from undergrad), prepare music for my audition and start studying for my music history (blah), aural skills and theory entrance exams. After 5 years, it's safe to say that I am a little rusty on all of those. So as you can see, I am going to be pretty busy the next couple of months.

Combine that with cooking, shopping, trying to get time in with friends... most of our evenings our jam-packed full. Friday night was the first night Charles have had the entire evening alone in awhile. We were pretty zonked so we just chilled up in the loft and watched "Everything Is Alluminated" with Elijah Wood. (Highly recommend it, by the way.)

Last Tuesday night we drove up to Toronto so Charles could visit Wycliffe College (at the University of Toronto) - a potential PhD program for next year. We managed to make it safely through rush hour traffic and stayed with our friends Brie and Jesse who have a house right in Toronto and that was a lot of fun. We ate delicious chicken bruschetta pizza and watched a movie and then Charles and Jesse stayed up altogether way too late playing video games.
Wednesday we got up early and caught the subway to U of T. It is a great area of the city and part of me just wants to pack up and move there. It reminds me so much of Melbourne, Australia - another city that I love. The school and the people are wonderful. The community reminded me a lot of St. Pats - just one big happy family. It made me really miss St. Pats and I could see Charles being a great fit there. So we just need to start praying that, financially, something will work out. In our minds there is this perfect plan that would work but who knows what God's plan is or if anything will come to fruition. But we are certainly hoping something will.

In other very exciting news, it turns out that I am going to get to go to Nashville for the FSA conference after all. I was all signed up to go with Asbury but then I took the job at Houghton. Troy usually alternates who goes to the conferences - last year Marianne and Kayann went and this year he was going to go. However, with all the changes that are happening in the realm of financial aid right now, he really wanted someone else along - to get as much information as possible on the changes. BUT he couldn't afford another room at the OPRYLAND HOTEL (amazing place!). However, my wonderful and gracious (previous) boss at Asbury is letting me crash in their room during that time! So I get to go after all. And now, because it is so much farther, I get to fly. Awesome. A good conference at an awesome hotel for a week, getting to hang out with some Asbury folk that I miss a lot, and flying to top it all off = I couldn't be more excited.

As for the weather, we were so blessed this weekend to have WONDERFUL weather. Especially for November. We took advantage on Saturday and went for a 6 mile walk with Rich and Val. What a great time! We walked up to the Dam at Rushford lake and then down around by Moss lake. In my 4 years of college here I never, ever went to Rushford late. And it's only a 20 minute walk (or 3 minute drive). WHAT WAS I THINKING?? It was just beautiful. There is this gorge after the dam and they call it "Little Letchworth" and it is just so pretty. I really love nature. I love to see God's imagination in His creation. It makes my heart sing! And walking with Rich and Val means a good pace and great conversation. We have just been so blessed to have the most wonderful landlords - first the Hoyts and now the Perkins. Sometimes I think we are the most blessed people on the planet! :)
Yesterday was also a beautiful day and there was a point where I just needed to get out of the house so I took my uke and drove up to the lake and sat against a tree overlooking the water and played my heart out. The lake is kinda cool this time of year because they drain a lot of the water for winter. It looks kind of funny to have stairs and piers leading out into thin air! But you can see the lay of the land that is usually underwater. It's so cool how there are hills and valleys all under water. And there was still quite a bit of water left in the middle so people were out fishing and canoeing. I walked around on edge of the water for quite awhile. (Although I was in clogs which were not great for doing much exploring.)

In fun cooking news, Charles convinced me that we needed to get a cast iron skillet. He did all this research on the best kind to buy, how to season it, etc. So we got one on Saturday and I made my first pork tenderloin (with Rosemary potatoes). It was absolutely delicious (although not quite as good as Jenn's). And it is SO COOL to be able to take the pan right off the stove and throw it in the oven. I am a fan. And because Charles has all this newfound knowledge about culinary things (from all the Food Network that he watches), he is going to use that knowledge, and our new skillet, to make us delicious Ribeye steaks this week. I am VERY much looking forward to that.

And lastly, before I close this out for the day (and maybe another month, who knows), I just want to say how thankful I am for the friends we have here. Although we can never replace our friends from Asbury (who I know Charles misses so much) and I miss my Kate oh so much and all the time (there is just something wonderful and special about having a best friend and a "sister" that lives right upstairs that I will probably never get to experience again), but God has been faithful to fill that void. It has been neat to reconnect with old friends (like Jennifer and Justin, Alex and Deanna, Josh and Beth, Dan and Jess, Jacoby and Holcomb) AND make new friends (like Ben and Emily, Brandon and Emily, Rich and Valerie, Clark and Caroline...). I'm glad that I have married friends here who I can be honest with about the struggles of my job or life or marriage... it is something wonderful that is so easy to take for granted until you don't have it anymore.

And so, on that optimistic and happy note, I say adieu. Thanks for taking the time to hear the random thoughts of Captain Random! I hope this evening is full of delicous food and many blessings.

Tune in next time to hear about the ministry idea that the Lord put on my heart. :)

Weekend in KY

2009-10-21T08:20:00.003-04:00

This past weekend Charles and I headed back to our old stomping grounds in KY for a wedding and to visit with friends and family. We had a wonderful, wonderful weekend and I have to admit, it was a bit hard to come back.

The day we left, it started snowing in Houghton. That definitely upped our desire to get back to the warmer south. Our time there was great and went all too quickly. I had time with Kate, I got to see all my old co-workers and all the changes that have happened to our area, ate at the Pub, went to a beautiful, meaningful wedding that, thank goodness, didn't end up being outside, went to a cook-out, went shopping (and found some great deals!)...

We packed a lot into 2 days. Wish it could have been 3. Or 4. It was strange being there and staying in sweaty betty, but not living there anymore. That part I didn't miss one iota. And I didn't get the slightest feeling of nostalgia for living in the basement. (Although I REALLY miss living so close to Kate.)

Anyhow, our time was marvelous. The weather and the traffic on the way home was great and we made great time. We had a lot of fun.

On the way down, Charles wasn't feeling well and didn't have much of a voice so it was a humorous trip. Every time he wanted to tell me something we had to play charades. Needless to say, I'm not good at charades in general but I really stink at it when I'm driving.
:)
Monday was back to work but we had Noelle's birthday part to look forward to Monday night. Our friends daughter turned 5 so we went and had cake and ice cream with her family which was so much fun. Knowing they were here made coming back from KY so much easier for me. It's good to know that, even though we had to leave friends and family (again), we were coming back to other friends and family. So, it's hard, but it's all good.

And some great news (for me anyway): this weekend is the Wesleyan Campus Challenge (basically a talent show where high schoolers compete for scholarships to the 5 Wesleyan colleges) and one of the girls from Avon is singing one of my arrangements, so that is very, very exciting for me. I'm glad I'll be around to hear her! I think it will suit her voice perfectly! It's not often that someone besides me uses one of my pieces or it gets played somewhere other than my own house, so having a public performance is really fun for me! If you want to hear it, stop by Houghton on Firday night!

I promise one of these days I'm going to write a meanginful post about something. But for now, I feel like life if going so quickly that I'm just trying to get down the day to day so that I have something to look back on and remember later. When life flies by, like it is, it's hard to remember that each individual day held something interesting or special!

Well, now it's hi-ho and hi-ho, off to work I go. TTFN.

Laziness and Paranoia

2009-10-14T11:52:00.002-04:00

Yesterday Charles went to a Sabres game in the evening so I had the house to myself all night. I have been writing tons and tons of music lately and even though having the house to myself would have been a great opportunity to do more writing and jamming, I decided to do what I almost never do. Just veg out in front of the TV.

Well, first I vegged out in front of the fireplace. I sat there for about an hour just eating a sandwich, warming up, reflecting on the day, and talking to my parents. Then I went upstairs and laid on the futon and watched old re-runs of Bones and Law and Order:SVU and during the commerials I watched the most recent SNL. I know, I know... such a bum. But honestly, I never really give my mind time to let go. I'm either thinking about work or music... never a dull moment in my mind. So last night I didn't think about anything.

I also went to bed early - 10:30ish. But it took me forever to fall asleep. I actually didn't even fall asleep until Charles came home.
This brings me to the paranoia part of my story.

Charles told me he would be home late. He didn't even leave for the game (in Buffalo) until 5 so I didn't expect him home until 1am or well after. So I'm laying in bed trying to go to sleep when I hear a noise. But I couldn't tell what it was. It kind of sounded like someone was walking around the house. But it was only 11:30 or so and I thought Charles might peek his head in when he got home. Plus, usually when Charles goes up into the loft, it's like an elephant walking around. And I just heard a few light footsteps. So, of course, my overactive brain starts going a mile a minute and I start thinking "maybe I should have locked the door. what if someone just walked in and is stealing our stuff." Then I thought about going out to check and if someone really was stealing my computer I could say "Hello, I don't mind if you steal my computer but can I please get my music off it first, for that is irreplaceable." But then I thought "what if he has a gun and just shoots me before I can say anything"... etc etc ad nauseum.

So finally, after many long minutes of laying there, listening as carefully as I could to try and determine what was going on outside my room, I decided to text Charles and see when he thought he would be home. And I get a call from him immediately and he says "did you just text me? I'm in the bathroom." haha!

So with that comfort, I was able to fall quickly asleep.

Homecoming and Happenings

2009-10-06T08:22:00.003-04:00

Friday
We are starting to settle in here in NY and it's feeling like we've been here forever, even though it will only be a month this coming Friday. We have been so busy, busy, busy. In some ways, I feel like I never sit. But I love it! :)

This past weekend was Homecoming and it was a blast. I haven't been back for a homecoming since I graduated and I forgot how totally fun they were. It all started Friday when we had lunch with some of my music friends from college - Don and Devin Schuessler. And - surprise! - we were joined by a number of other music friends that I didn't know were going to be there! I had to go back to work for the rest of the afternoon and Charles represented Asbury at the job/grad school fair and that was a lot of fun for him!

Friday night we picked up chicken dinners at Houghton Academy (a fund raiser for the sr. trip) and ate them with the whole Woodard clan - John and Marie, Tom and Esther (Marie's parents), Jenn and Justin and their clan... it was a great time!

Then Charles, Jenn and I went to the college choir concert. It was just wonderful. Our college choir has always been wonderful but I had forgotten HOW good they were. And for the last song, Give Me Jesus (my favorite arrangement of that piece ever), they had all the college choir alum come up and sing. I was never in college choir - they practiced every day and I was kind of a bum - but it was nice to see my friends back up there singing! :)

Saturday
Saturday morning we got up decently early and went to the Parade! I think I only made it to one parade the whole 4 years I was here - I never wanted to get up early enough and it was usually raining and freezing. Well, the weather was miserable last week but Saturday morning was warm and beautiful - a perfect day for a parade! And Peter Savage, a kid I grew up with, was in the parade and threw a twix bar at my head so I even got a piece of candy! :)

After that we went to the new prayer chapel dedication. The service was lovely and the new chapel is absolutely beautiful. We are hoping Charles can use that for leading the daily Office, if that college ministry ever gets up and running.

As we walked out, we were surprised to run into my PARENTS! I knew they might be coming but hadn't heard for sure so it was fun to just run in to them. And then my brother came too! :) It was so fun to have the whole family there. We walked around and ate popcorn and cotton candy and chatted with friends, old and new.

We decided to go cheap and eat lunch at our place. Plus, Nate had never been there before. I had planned to just throw some sandwiches together but mom brought all the the fixings for Chili and cornbread. We are so spoiled. So my dad put the futon together up in the loft and mom made us lunch! Then, our friend Sean (from Godspeed) came over with his girlfriend Jess, who also went to Houghton (I recognized her but I didn't know her when we were in school) and had lunch with us as well! So, so fun.

THEN (I know, I suck at story telling because I don't know how to do it other than a play-by-play, but I want to remember all the fun things we did) we went back to school for the boys Varsity Soccer game. We lost and that was a bummer, but the game was still fun. Aimee DeHaven was up from Asbury so it was fun to see her. And I got to see Beth Hazelton (finally! I've been wanting to see her since we moved back) and meet her little girl, and also saw some other people from my class. fun fun.

After the game, we were pretty zonked. We were going to do dinner at Big Als but they were closed so my parents decided to just go home and we did the same. We crashed for an hour, munched on leftovers and watched some Food Network. At 9pm, although I was pretty exhausted and not sure if I wanted to go back out, we got all bundled up and went back to campus for cider and doughnuts, fireworks and SPOT. In the line for food we ran into our new friends, Brandon and Emily and ended up spending the rest of the evening with them. The fireworks were great and SPOT was hilarious, as usual! There were some funny songs, impressive jump roping, SNL knock-offs about campus policies and freshman couples... I laughed and laughed. It is good to be back!

We got home late - after 1am (well past my bedtime) and were going to watch an episode of Star Trek but neither of us could stay awake so we just crashed.

Sunday
Mom's 50th bday! We got up late, made the grocery list, grabbed the laundy, then headed out to Geneseo to pick up mom's present, groceries for us, some food for the party and headed to my parents. I had to get Gouda cheese which can only be found at Wegmans. I haven't been to Wegmans since we have been back. It is so expensive but WONDERFUL. Plus, we hadn't eated so decided to have a slice of Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizzaat Wegmans. It was sooooo good.
Mom's party was so much fun - most of our NY fam and her closest friends. It was a little chaotic but it was chaos of the best kind - where everyone is talking and laughing and reminiscing! There was SO much food. My dad was worried there wouldn't be enough but there was tons and tons. We ate til we were stuffed, had a trivia about mom, told some funny stories about her life and then went through an old photo album that my granda and nanny had and laughed at all the old pictures! :)

We left in decent time because my old roommate, Kendra, had called earlier and said they were around and thought they might drop by Sunday night. But they ended up deciding not to come, which was fine because Charles finished putting the futon together and we crashed - totally zonked after a busy weekend.

Monday
Yesterday was not much calmer. I did the work thing all day (took a break to have lunch with Charles and watch some SNL) and then we had dinner with our downstairs neighbors... a DELICIOUS dinner with roast (sooo tender), potatoes, salad, corn bread muffins, more veggies and an AMAZING turtle ice cream pie for dessert. It was heavenly! And the company was wonderful, too. After dinner we ended up going over to Rich and Valerie's place and Charles and Valerie played a game of scrabble and Rich and I played a racing game on XBox. And yes, I got my butt kicked at XBox by a retired sociology prof. hahaha! But it was SO much fun. They are just so fun to be around.

It was getting late at that point and Monday Night Football was starting so Charles went and watched that (Holcomb and Jacoby came over, too, which meant we had more food - chips and dip and ice cream) and I wrote some music. But, to my great frustration, when I was trying to isolate the piano part so I could hear it to get it down on paper, I actually deleted the whole thing. Not the whole piece, but the entire piano part. GAH. So that was very frustrating and after that I didn't have much motivation so I gave up and went to bed.

So, all in all, a wonderful weekend. And tonight is the first night I have to cook anything in almost 6 days - awesome! :)

I love it here!

Yet another dream...

2009-09-29T10:40:00.002-04:00

Last night I had a dream that Charles and I were visiting my parents (in September) when my boss shows up at the house. I was a bit surprised but I invited him in and gave him a tour and then he told me that he and his wife Dana (Not Da as in Day, but Da as in Dan or can) were on their way to Rochester for a worship team practice but the pianist bailed and he wondered if I would fill in. (I didn't know Troy's wife's name until today. Apparently it's Sue. For some reason, my subconscious decided it was Dana. Wierd.) After talking for awhile I realized that his wife was sitting in the car and so we invited her in as well. I asked Charles if he wanted to go to Rochester and he said he would so we went outside to get in the car and there was SNOW on the ground. And quite a bit of it. There were a bunch of random kids in the year playing in it. I was so angry that it was only September and there was already snow. But we got in the car and went.

And then my dream switched and I was in a hospital waiting to be seen. But I had to use the bathroom so I went down the hall into what I thought was the bathroom, but it turned out to be the nurse's changing room. So I walked around some more and finally found a "bathroom." It was basically one toilet in a room with a door (with a very long line) and then a bunch of stalls with doors that didn't close all the way. (So, I hear about people that have dreams that they somehow end up in public naked. I have never had one of those. My fear, apparently, is having to go to the bathroom somewhere where everyone can see.) I knew that 1) I didn'twant to miss my appointment because I had been waiting forever and 2) I wasn't going to make it if I had to wait in the line for the bathroom with the door. So I just figured I'd sneak in discreetly.

Well, this obnoxious guy saw me and decided to do a song and dance about it. So before long, to my great embarrassment, there was a crowd. I kept asking this guy to leave me alone, but he wouldn't. Finally, Bill Singer (one of my dad's good friends who goes to our church) picked a fight with him to distract him so I could try and sneak off without being seen. I won't go into a lot of detail about the fight but I will note that it ended up with Bill giving the obnoxios guy a swirly in the toilet I had just used. Gross.

And once again I have to ask myself, what is wrong with my subconscious???

This past week...

2009-09-22T12:40:00.002-04:00

... Has been quite full. It has been full of work, it has been full of fun.
The job is coming along. In some ways I feel like the training has been really disjointed, so although I know how to do stuff, on a day to day basis I'm not really sure what I should be doing. That could be problematic in the future. However, the people are wonderful and it has been fun being back in Houghton.

The rest of our days have been full of fun, fun, fun! In the evenings/weekends we have spent our time reading out on the dock, or visiting with the neighbors, or having friends over for pizza and Monday Night Football, or going to friends homes. It is great to have so many friends in the area already and we are meeting more every day!

Also, this weekend we had the great pleasure of attending Cathy (Singer) and Kenan Carey's wedding. In a way it was like worlds colliding. Cathy is an old friend from Church and Kenan was in my class at school - so at the wedding we got to visit with people from both worlds. My favorite part was seeing some old friends from high school that I have not seen in years! It was great to catch up and see where their lives have taken them. In a way it has been hard for me because I was one of the few of the "gang" to leave. So hopefully, now that we are back in the area, we can spend some more time with them. Also, the wedding itself was just beautiful. Very simple and lovely. It is always wonderful to go to a wedding where you know the bride and groom love each other and love Jesus. And that was so evident during every part of the day. We had a great time.

To end, I have a sad but humorous story (at least to me).
Yesterday I decided to make Potato soup for dinner. Everything went well, and when it came time to put the soup in the blender, that's what I did. Well, stupid me forgot that I packed the plastic top to the blender inside the blender when we moved. (Usually I keep it in the utility drawer so I don't lose it.) But I didn't even think to look before I poured in the soup. I was alerted that there was a problem when the "potatoes" (which had been boiled) started crunching. I poured it out in a bowl and out fell the cap. It was missing a whole chunk from the top. I started thinking that maybe it wasn't such a big deal, but when I took a few bites of the soup I realized that it was full of tiny chunks of plastic.
So, in the end I had to throw away 3/4 of the batch. (Fortunately, not all of it fit in the blender so I did salvage a bit.) On a good note, one of our friends came over to watch football and ended up bringing pizza and amazing mozzerella balls. So although it made me sick to waste that much food, at least we didnt' go hungry! :)

Tonight we are having leftovers. It's hard to ruin something that is already made.

The Old has Gone, The New has Come! :)

2009-09-14T17:38:00.002-04:00

Old kitchen...

New Kitchen...

Old Bedroom...

New Bedroom...

Old Living Room...

New Living Room...

AND new TV/game room. (And there is still more but I only had 3 rooms to compare! Check out the Flickr for more!)

Needless to say, we are pretty happy!