I'm posting late. (go figure) but I am home for the holidays, so I am doing everything a bit slower these days, which is actually quite lovely.
My 5 things:
1. Drove up north on Friday with J and the pup. We'll be home until after Christmas; the time is already going by way too quickly but I'm thankful I have it.
2. Stopped off during our 11 hour jaunt up north to let the pup run around in the snow. He was pretty stoked on it and even made some yellow snow ;)
3. Since we are staying with my best friend, I've been able to have some quality time with her and it has been WONDERFUL!
4. We went with our best friends and my goddaughters to see these houses in Camas, WA where the Christmas lights on the houses go along to music that is on a certain radio station. It was absolutely awesome.
5. We went to the swap meet with J's dad on Sunday and scored some pretty sweet items.
Showing posts with label Riley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Riley. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Sunday, December 1, 2013
30 Days of being Thankful: 2013 edition
Once again, as November comes to a close, I can reflect on my "30 Days of Being Thankful". It is interesting to look back at the 2012 list and see how many of the things I am thankful for have not changed and how many revolve around my family. I made it a point not to review last year's list before beginning this one. I wanted to be able to compare.
During my internship applications and essays I've had to reflect a great deal on my values. These lists compliment what I discovered during that reflection time: family is the most important value for me. I mean, that is no big secret, or difficult puzzle to piece together. It is ovious through anything I say/do/write that family is important. Just how embedded into my core it is, however, was initially unclear to me.
Day 1: I'm thankful all my hard work,
persistence, and stress paid off and I am able to apply for
internship this year.
Day 2: I'm thankful for being able to
have quality time in my neck of the woods with my loved ones.
Day 3: I'm thankful for boots, hats,
and scarves.
Day 4: I'm thankful I enjoy cooking and
baking...and that I'm not too shabby at it either.
Day 5: I'm thankful I have some great
ladies with me at practicum this year.
Day 6: I'm thankful for my own little
family with J and Riley.
Day 7: I'm thankful for River, Heidi,
Nia, and Taylor. I am so grateful to be a part of their lives...even
though distance prevents this from being a very big part, these
little girls can brighten my day from miles and miles away.
Day 8: I'm thankful for mornings with
no alarm clock.
Day 9: I'm thankful for my family being
so supportive, especially during some of my most difficult times. I'm
really lucky to have them.
Day 10: I'm so very thankful for the
generosity of others.
Day 11: I'm thankful for all those who
have served, from the ones I hold dear to the ones I'll never meet.
Day 12: I'm thankful for my soul
mate..the macaroni to my cheese: Starry. For all she does, for the beautiful hooligans she's
brought into this world, and for the endless laughter and memories.
Day 13: I am thankful I have a man in
my life with such talent, passion, and ambition for his work. It is
incredibly motivating and inspiring to me.
Day 14: I'm thankful for sweatpants,
because some days....just call for sweatpants.
Day 15: I'm thankful for GOOD news,
like the coverage of Batkid. That is a story that definitely deserves
some airtime.
Today, I witnessed a woman get robbed.
I wasn't able to help her get her things back, but I was able to
comfort her, support her while she dealt with the police, keep her
company while she waited for a locksmith for her car, and make sure
she had a way to pay the toll to get home. Today reminded me how
important it is, to be there for others, even when others are
strangers. Day 16: I'm thankful we all possess the power to help one
another.
Day 17: I am thankful for all the
hilarious, loving, wonderful memories I have with my gigantic, loud,
overwhelming (for anyone not born into it) family.
Day 18: I'm thankful for my health and
what my body is capable of (so long as I don't compare myself to
anyone else at the gym).
Day 19: I'm thankful there are honest
people in this world.
Day 20: I'm thankful for the rain.
Day 21: I am thankful for my sisters.
From everything they've taught me growing up to the countless times
they have been my cheerleaders, my teachers, and my protectors. They
are some of my best friends and my biggest supporters.
Day 22: I am thankful I am a brunette.
Day 23: I am thankful for girl time.
Day 24: ..with 1 minute to spare... I
am thankful for spontaneity and random adventures.
Day 25: I am thankful for my nephews
Alec, Giovanni, Makai, Asa, and Isaac. These little (and not so
little) men bring so much joy and laughter to our family.
Day 26: I am thankful for Sherri and I'm so grateful I get to call her my mom.
Day 27: I am thankful for....wine.
Wanted to wish the happiest of
birthdays to my dad. Such a wonderful, caring, wise, and hilarious man I'm
so proud to have for a father.Love you and miss you, will see you in
a few weeks! Day 28: I am thankful he is my dad.
Day 29: I am thankful that 2 weeks from
today, we'll be on our way home.
Day 30: Despite wanting to rip my hair
out some days....I'm thankful this guy came into our lives.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Week 38: Sept 17th-22nd: Saying goodbye to my dear old companion
I have to defend my dissertation proposal this Friday. I'm fighting off an illness as we speak and I'm totally not prepared for my proposal defense. This upcoming week is going to be hell.
As for last week...
My 5 things:
1. Took the original Riley in my life, the Jetta to the junk yard of Friday. Now, this was actually really difficult for me.
I cried. Even though the Jetta's been parked in the garage, not being used for over a month now and even before that I was not the one driving it, saying the final good bye was hard. I owned that car for 11 years... 11 YEARS! It had 67,000+ miles on it when I got it, and it ended with 194,000+ miles. I was really hoping to take it to 200,000 just like Marshall had hoped:
2. I baked my very 1st apple pie. I cannot believe how SIMPLE it is to make fruit pies. One of the easiest desserts ever. Granted, it wouldn't be so if I was not using a premade crust. Someday, I will make my own crust but for now, the ready-to-bake crusts will work for me.
3. I took a nap yesterday. I'm fighting off sickness and have waaaaay too much coming up soon that I need to be present, alert, oriented and WELL for.
4. We have some house guests staying with us so J has been acting as a tour guide and showing them the sites of San Francisco. It is fun to tag along, since the only time I ever seem to go over there is when I'm with people who are visiting.
5. Spent a whole day doing laundry, going grocery shopping, cleaning house, preparing dinner. Taking care of the home. It's a bitch to do some times, but it really is worth it.
As for last week...
My 5 things:
1. Took the original Riley in my life, the Jetta to the junk yard of Friday. Now, this was actually really difficult for me.
 | |
| The Jetta and me before parting ways 9/20/13 |
 |
| From the episode Arrivederci, Fiero: How I Met Your Mother |
2. I baked my very 1st apple pie. I cannot believe how SIMPLE it is to make fruit pies. One of the easiest desserts ever. Granted, it wouldn't be so if I was not using a premade crust. Someday, I will make my own crust but for now, the ready-to-bake crusts will work for me.
3. I took a nap yesterday. I'm fighting off sickness and have waaaaay too much coming up soon that I need to be present, alert, oriented and WELL for.
4. We have some house guests staying with us so J has been acting as a tour guide and showing them the sites of San Francisco. It is fun to tag along, since the only time I ever seem to go over there is when I'm with people who are visiting.
5. Spent a whole day doing laundry, going grocery shopping, cleaning house, preparing dinner. Taking care of the home. It's a bitch to do some times, but it really is worth it.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Week 34: Aug19th-25th- Zombie woman going through the motions
I'm how many days late posting now? That just shows you where my mind's been at this past week. Doing double duty for practicum at both places just about killed me. I've fallen behind on pretty much everything so it is no wonder I'm almost a week late for posting.
My 5 things:
1. I had a meeting with a professor from the "Office of Professional Development". It was not mandatory, but I wanted to meet face to face and go over my proposed site list for internship sites and see where I'm at. This professor was also one of the ones on the committee that initially rejected me for applying. She said they were on the fence about me, so they rejected me to see my response. They weren't sure I was ready. Apparently, my appeal did exactly what I had hope it would, and it made them realize that "oh, no this girl is actually ready". She said I needed to take that kind of writing and apply it to my application materials.
2. I met up with a girl from my program who used to work at the practicum I just started at. We met up for coffee (I had ginger lemonade, yum!) and I got to ask her questions about the site, the people, the rules, etc. This discussion naturally lead to internship talk, as most of my conversations do lately.
3. We took a day trip to Dillon's Beach, one of the few beaches that allows off leash dog play. It was the pup's first time to the ocean.
Felt like we were back home on the Oregon coast :) He only know California as of now, but he'll soon get a taste of WA & OR.
4. I completed 33 weeks of this "5 beneficial things". That isn't exactly an amazing accomplishment, but I was struggling for coming up with things, and that is still pretty good. How many people can say they're still upholding their New Year's Resolution?
5. (Went to bed that Friday at 8:30pm. I was soooooooo zonked from doing double time, I obviously needed it.
I'll be back tomorrow with this past weeks 5 things. Over and out.
My 5 things:
1. I had a meeting with a professor from the "Office of Professional Development". It was not mandatory, but I wanted to meet face to face and go over my proposed site list for internship sites and see where I'm at. This professor was also one of the ones on the committee that initially rejected me for applying. She said they were on the fence about me, so they rejected me to see my response. They weren't sure I was ready. Apparently, my appeal did exactly what I had hope it would, and it made them realize that "oh, no this girl is actually ready". She said I needed to take that kind of writing and apply it to my application materials.
2. I met up with a girl from my program who used to work at the practicum I just started at. We met up for coffee (I had ginger lemonade, yum!) and I got to ask her questions about the site, the people, the rules, etc. This discussion naturally lead to internship talk, as most of my conversations do lately.
3. We took a day trip to Dillon's Beach, one of the few beaches that allows off leash dog play. It was the pup's first time to the ocean.
4. I completed 33 weeks of this "5 beneficial things". That isn't exactly an amazing accomplishment, but I was struggling for coming up with things, and that is still pretty good. How many people can say they're still upholding their New Year's Resolution?
5. (Went to bed that Friday at 8:30pm. I was soooooooo zonked from doing double time, I obviously needed it.
I'll be back tomorrow with this past weeks 5 things. Over and out.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Week 29: July 15th-21st...Dissertation proposal is swallowing me whole!
Late again. This time, I blame my dissertation. I've spent the last 2 days engulfed in proposal editing. It is the most frustrating, time consuming task ever. You read, search, write, delete, rewrite, search, read some more....6 hours pass and you have about a paragraph more than you started with. Talk about feeling worthless.
The good news: in a week J and I will be heading to Hawaii for a MUCH needed vacation. Ok, so I'm presenting at a conference and that means its not all play and no work, but I'm going to attempt to do a minimal amount of work to the best of my ability.
On to my 5 things:
1. I went running once. WHAT?! I ran, unbelievable. Especially since I haven't been in weeks. I only did it once though, but hey that is better than none. I just have to keep telling myself that so I don't get completely discouraged. Crazy to think I injured my knee (IT band) a year ago. Now actually, I do feel pretty worthless. A year after my injury and I only went running once. I need to work on that. Really need to make it a priority. This is my verbal agreement to myself to step it up (literally!).
2. My time at my practicum is coming to an end. I am done at the end of this month. I was approached by a higher-up asking if I'd be willing to stay on during the month of August to help out with the transition to the new interns because they're pretty short-staffed. She urged me to talk with the director about it and said I could get paid as a part-time employee. So I discussed it will the director and it seemed like he was dragging his feet about it. Kept saying he wasn't sure if HR would go for it, blah blah. I mean, I wasn't totally all for the idea. The thought of having to wake up at 4am for another month (when I've been counting down the days!!) didn't sound great, plus the commute, and increase in work load since I'll be starting my next practicum in August all made me think twice about pestering the director. BUT, then I had a little chat with myself and realized I was recently rejected by my school for applying to internship. Granted, I appealed, etc but ultimately, on paper, I don't look all that great. This would give me an opportunity to get paid (which I desperately need!) and to increase my CV and hours for internship applications. This is something that is important for my career. So, I proceeded to bother the director about it, a number of times until finally: Success. He said we'll go ahead with it! So, although it is added responsibility and stress, what part of bettering yourself isn't?
3. Speaking of needing to beef up that pathetic CV of mine: I talked with my current supervisor and discussed my situation about needing additional experience and my willingness to do additional work. All this is still in the works, but there is potential for me to continue working with him at another site he does work for and getting assessment hours (which I really need). Again, it's additional stress, work, commuting, shitty hours with no pay, but it is experience. I'm motivated to not have to stay here an additional year so I want to be able to apply on time for internship (and actually have a shot at getting matched!).
4. Sunday morning J and I decided to treat ourselves to donuts from Dick's Donuts down the road from us :)
5. I spent quality time with my pup; cuddling, playing around, and running around outside. Alright, I admit...he's growing on me.
The good news: in a week J and I will be heading to Hawaii for a MUCH needed vacation. Ok, so I'm presenting at a conference and that means its not all play and no work, but I'm going to attempt to do a minimal amount of work to the best of my ability.
On to my 5 things:
1. I went running once. WHAT?! I ran, unbelievable. Especially since I haven't been in weeks. I only did it once though, but hey that is better than none. I just have to keep telling myself that so I don't get completely discouraged. Crazy to think I injured my knee (IT band) a year ago. Now actually, I do feel pretty worthless. A year after my injury and I only went running once. I need to work on that. Really need to make it a priority. This is my verbal agreement to myself to step it up (literally!).
2. My time at my practicum is coming to an end. I am done at the end of this month. I was approached by a higher-up asking if I'd be willing to stay on during the month of August to help out with the transition to the new interns because they're pretty short-staffed. She urged me to talk with the director about it and said I could get paid as a part-time employee. So I discussed it will the director and it seemed like he was dragging his feet about it. Kept saying he wasn't sure if HR would go for it, blah blah. I mean, I wasn't totally all for the idea. The thought of having to wake up at 4am for another month (when I've been counting down the days!!) didn't sound great, plus the commute, and increase in work load since I'll be starting my next practicum in August all made me think twice about pestering the director. BUT, then I had a little chat with myself and realized I was recently rejected by my school for applying to internship. Granted, I appealed, etc but ultimately, on paper, I don't look all that great. This would give me an opportunity to get paid (which I desperately need!) and to increase my CV and hours for internship applications. This is something that is important for my career. So, I proceeded to bother the director about it, a number of times until finally: Success. He said we'll go ahead with it! So, although it is added responsibility and stress, what part of bettering yourself isn't?
3. Speaking of needing to beef up that pathetic CV of mine: I talked with my current supervisor and discussed my situation about needing additional experience and my willingness to do additional work. All this is still in the works, but there is potential for me to continue working with him at another site he does work for and getting assessment hours (which I really need). Again, it's additional stress, work, commuting, shitty hours with no pay, but it is experience. I'm motivated to not have to stay here an additional year so I want to be able to apply on time for internship (and actually have a shot at getting matched!).
4. Sunday morning J and I decided to treat ourselves to donuts from Dick's Donuts down the road from us :)
5. I spent quality time with my pup; cuddling, playing around, and running around outside. Alright, I admit...he's growing on me.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Week 28: July 8th-14th: Puppy takes over
My 5 things:
1. Got a puppy. Now, this was not actually my idea and I had (have!) a lot of reservations about it, but at the same time this guy is just adorable and really hard not to fall in love with.
I do have dog allergies, which are proving to be difficult to adjust to. We've had him almost a week now and my body isn't exactly alright with the whole situation but hopefully it will get easier with time. Not to mention he is a handful and a half!
Puppies are no joke and I don't understand how so many people get puppies because they are such a HUGE responsibility. Cute yes, a major hassle, double yes!
2. I spent time at home by myself catching up on The L-Word. It isn't a show that I make J watch with me, because lets face it, there is estrogen overload going on all the time in the show and he's not a fan of that sort of thing (although, he has a secret love for the movie Sweet Home Alabama that I do not understand. I mean, I like the movie, but I do not get what he loves about it so much). Regardless, I use The L-Word as my own little guilty pleasure to enjoy by myself.
3. I baked cookies this weekend.
4. Two of my friends from school made the trek up from the south bay to meet the new pup and after we went to lunch and got ice cream. It was a belated birthday celebration for me since we never did get together for mine. I rarely get to see them or any of my friends from school for that matter since I moved to Oakland, so it is always nice to be able to reconnect in person.
5. Yard work. What? Yard work is on my list of 5 things that is beneficial for me? So, it's not exactly a party in my honor, but it is great to be able to be outside and being active while also making progress and accomplishing something. I did it twice this last week. Although, my allergies hated me after the 2nd day and took a toll on my body because of it. It kicked my butt and left me with blisters but it felt good to sweat though, especially since I've been slacking on my running, a lot.
1. Got a puppy. Now, this was not actually my idea and I had (have!) a lot of reservations about it, but at the same time this guy is just adorable and really hard not to fall in love with.
I do have dog allergies, which are proving to be difficult to adjust to. We've had him almost a week now and my body isn't exactly alright with the whole situation but hopefully it will get easier with time. Not to mention he is a handful and a half!
Puppies are no joke and I don't understand how so many people get puppies because they are such a HUGE responsibility. Cute yes, a major hassle, double yes!
2. I spent time at home by myself catching up on The L-Word. It isn't a show that I make J watch with me, because lets face it, there is estrogen overload going on all the time in the show and he's not a fan of that sort of thing (although, he has a secret love for the movie Sweet Home Alabama that I do not understand. I mean, I like the movie, but I do not get what he loves about it so much). Regardless, I use The L-Word as my own little guilty pleasure to enjoy by myself.
3. I baked cookies this weekend.
4. Two of my friends from school made the trek up from the south bay to meet the new pup and after we went to lunch and got ice cream. It was a belated birthday celebration for me since we never did get together for mine. I rarely get to see them or any of my friends from school for that matter since I moved to Oakland, so it is always nice to be able to reconnect in person.
5. Yard work. What? Yard work is on my list of 5 things that is beneficial for me? So, it's not exactly a party in my honor, but it is great to be able to be outside and being active while also making progress and accomplishing something. I did it twice this last week. Although, my allergies hated me after the 2nd day and took a toll on my body because of it. It kicked my butt and left me with blisters but it felt good to sweat though, especially since I've been slacking on my running, a lot.
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