December 28, 2010.
It has been two days of harsh winds, blustery snows, and over as well as UNDER caffeination. And finally I sit here in the ATL. Waiting for my flight to Indianapolis.
Ok, I'm just being melodramatic, but thought that intro was more catchy than anything else I could come up with (by the way, I hate ending sentences with WITH. I know it isn't proper).
So the real story is that I was supposed to leave Maine on December 26th but my flight was cancelled at 9 am that day due to a blizzard. I would be lying if I said I wasn't extremely happy about that deep down. I wasn't mentally prepared to leave home so the extra day of lazing around with the fam was just what I needed. I rebooked my flight for yesterday (Dec. 27th) at 5:35 pm and was delayed 3 hours, thus missing my flight in Atlanta. I was going to just wait and fly out of Portland on Dec. 28th (today) but the reps told me that if I didn't at least get out of the Northeast, I would not until Friday at the earliest. YIKES! So much to my family's dismay, I hopped on the flight and found myself sleeping in an airport hotel for approximately four hours before having to head back and wait at the airport once more. Now, fingers crossed, I should be on my way back to the boyfriend in APPROXIMATELY half an hour. I will confirm that at a later point. [CONFIRMED]
Anyway, Christmas week was awesome. Winter travel and last minute shopping can be stressful, but Mom treated us to a girls' day out (manis and massages included) so that eased some of the tension ;)
This was the year of new traditions. Family Christmas parties, fun games at Christmas, even a new breakfast menu! It was great to see everyone and just laugh... I think that's what I loved most about this week- the constant laughter and conversation that flowed with ease. Living in a new place makes me appreciate the familiarity of family and friends that much more.
I think it was also a week full of excellent advice and thoughtfulness. I know I already posted about my great convo with Dad but I had an equally stimulating conversation with a girl on the plane last night. I'm not even sure how these conversations start but I'm pretty sure in another time and place we would've been best friends. At one point we got onto the topic of religion (always an interesting one) and while I would DEFINITELY say she was a bit more pious than me, we came to a very interesting conclusion about relationships. The long and short of it is that faith in the right person for the right reasons makes us strive to better people. When you succumb to relationships that are unhealthy or lack any real challenge, you can become complacent and even overestimate yourself as a person. Being with someone (whether in the spiritual sense or the physical, in person sense) who is actually right for you and good for you is humbling and also motivating. It sort of goes along with that old cliched saying, "You make me want to be a better man/woman." Just some food for thought....
Happy almost New Year everyone!!!!! Lots of love...
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Christmas Cheer :)
For those of you who care or took notice, I apologize for being MIA this past week. I was making a diligent effort to post at least once a week, but finals, work and travel home for the holidays somehow got in the way.
Let me start by saying, I am THRILLED to be done with classes for the semester. I am loving sitting at home in my living room in Maine, watching Despicable Me and thinking about making peppermint brownies. I love that this week I will get to see lots of family and friends and fa la la la la around town. I feel like being away from these people and working hard make downtime and conversation with them that much more meaningful.
For a weekly recap, I took Chris to the airport Friday to go visit his family in LA. I went home after that, had a glass of wine and read O magazine (guilty pleasure... but I like those tips on living your best life). I went to bed early that night as I needed to be up at 3:45 am on Saturday to get to the airport in time for my flight.
My lovely former roommates picked me up at 8:30 am in Boston and we went back to my old apartment for a yummy breakfast. A few hours of digestion later, Melissa and I went with our friend Krista to visit another friend in the hospital. It was great to feel the love of all those people and laugh (real belly laughter). Saturday night we participated in a 12 Days of Christmas pub crawl around Somerville and had such a blast!!!! People were out in full Santa costumes, drinking and merry. At three am, after a night of festive drinks and dancing, I found myself on the futon with some chinese food and trashy TV. PERFECT :) May I suggest, as a fun drink, the poinsettia? Cranberry juice and champagne. Easy, delicious, and full of Christmas cheer!
Sunday, Kristen and I headed home to Maine and spent time catching up with the fam. Then yesterday, after a few errands and a lunch date with Kristen, I headed home and watched the snowstorm start. Tara and I attempted to drive in it for a dinner date with mom, aunt and friend, but ohhh was that a bad idea. We made it home safely, but I have never felt more anxious driving. Could barely see a foot in front of me!
Today I tried to be a bit more productive and finish a goal statement for one of my schools and then had lunch and coffee with Dad. We had a great long talk about being happy, knowing yourself and your passions, learning how to compromise and how to stick to your guns, etc. It was one of those great talks I'll probably always remember and that shed a lot of light in my mind about what I'm doing and why. I particularly liked his emphasis on understanding that pushing yourself and letting your passions help drive you is incredibly good for the heart and soul but that it doesn't mean it's always easy or clear cut. That hurdles happen, paths change, and people change but to take each day in stride and stop and think about what you're doing and why whenever you have a doubt. If you can see the big picture and think, "Yes, this is what I want for myself and my life," then you pick yourself up and take each success or failure for what it is and forge on. To never feel trapped because you are never trapped. And to be keenly aware of the future and what you need to do get there without losing the joy and memory making of the present moment. Thanks for that, Dad!
So here I sit now, thinking about some of my favorite memories of this past holiday season and ones from when I was little...here are a few for your reading pleasure:
1) Christmas time, age... ohhhh 6? Going to the Boston Museum of Science with all my cousins on Dad's side. I don't remember a THING about the museum, but I remember driving in the car with my Dad and Kristen and listening to Silver Bells. I also remember lunch at some big restaurant with all my cousins after the museum visit and listening to Christmas music and laughing a lot.
2) Hearing the Carpenter's Christmas Portrait album every year for as long as I can remember. It is absolutely home.
3) The tree lighting in Scarborough the year that Mer fell and twisted her ankle as we left. Not fun for Mer, but man was it a good tree lighting :)
4) Age 10, staying up ALL NIGHT reading Calico Captive in my bunk bed with a flashlight because I was too excited to sleep. All I wanted that year was a Super Sender Diary (essentially a very primitive version of texting). AND I GOT IT.
5) Working at the soup kitchen with my 7th grade class a week before Christmas. And having a homeless man tell me to remember that on Christmas day, when I was with my family and warm and happy, to remember that I put a smile on a man's face who had had the hardest year in his life. I will never forget him.
6) Last minute Christmas shopping and getting dragged around with Dad all over creation when I was about 5 or 6. He used to travel around the state a lot for work (I think he was in sales?) and I somehow ended up in the car with him a whole bunch. I'm sure I complained about that a lot at the time but I still remember running around and hearing the Christmas music.
7) The year I was a tiny peanut and helped drag a Christmas tree home in the snow from the Deering Oaks. I'm sure I didn't help much. But I look at the picture and laugh everytime.
8) Age 14, when Noelle appeared around the corner as a tiny puppy with a Santa hat on and I cried because I had asked for a dog every year for as long as I could remember.
9) The times Mom, Kristen, Tara and I baked about a billion different types of cookies and gave them out to the whole neighborhood.
9) The times Mom, Kristen, Tara and I baked about a billion different types of cookies and gave them out to the whole neighborhood.
10) Christmas pageants in elementary school.
11) Watching Christmas Vacation and ice skating on the pond at night with the Grottons.
12) Christmas PJs, every year
13) Mini meatballs on Christmas Eve
13) Mini meatballs on Christmas Eve
14) Christmases at Nanny and Grampy's
15) Holiday parties in high school at Jen's
16) The year I got Suzy Snapshot and Baby Feels So Real (which later served as Baby Jesus in the church pageant)
17) Old Port Christmas shopping sophomore year- hot cocoa and running around in the freezing cold, in and out of festively stores in Portland
18) Building ENORMOUS snow forts outside that we thought we could sleep in (they were seriously awesome)
19) Driving around looking at Christmas lights
20) Christmas Caroling with my roommates last year (and basically all Christmas Caroling in middle and high school)
21) Holiday wish-a-thons with Make-A-Wish
22) The year Santa came in a firetruck around the neighborhood and passed out toys. Prior to that, we were watching some Angela Lansbury Christmas movie on a tiny tv with no cable in my bedroom and I loved it.
23) 24-hour Christmas Story marathons with Mimi
24) The snow day we had one year where we spent the day watching the Saved By the Bell and Brady Brunch Christmas specials
25) Hearing, you may NOT get up until 5 am, girls. BACK TO BED!
26) Singing Silent Night in the nook with Nanny
27) Coming home from Argentina after 5 months away to my mom, dad and Grampy wearing Santa Hats at the Airport. And Grampy singing Feliz Navidad :)
28) Writing and performing a Christmas play for the pediatric ward at the Children's Hospital with my sisters and friends in the 8th grade and delivering toys to the patients.
29) Last Christmas for a variety of reasons
30) This Christmas and feeling like a grown up with Chris- decorating our REAL tree hanging stockings and cursing trying to fit the tree stump in the stand, hehehe :) And then making Christmas cookies for our families. Here is some photographic evidence:
I can only hope that when I have my own little munchkins someday, that their christmases feel just as magical as mine did and do :)
Merry Christmas, everyone! Much love!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
A Year Of Learning
Before I begin my blog post today, I would just like to say that I am SO SO SO proud of Chris for passing his boards!!!!!!!!!!! :) We were supposed to have champagne last night to celebrate but between catching up from the past 6 days apart and going out for apps at 9:00, it sort of got away from us. We will tonight though, for sure! This is a very big deal!!!
On the agenda for the weekend (per his idea, God love him) is the following:
1) Cutting down (yes, CUTTING DOWN) or own Christmas tree
2) Going to the Christmas Tree Shop for some more decorations and finishing the house so it looks beautiful for the holidays
3) Seeing a movie we've both been dying to see
Yes folks, a real date weekend if you ask me. The kind that really makes you excited for Friday night.
Our house is looking cute right now, I will add. I tried to do some crafty, low budget decorating and so far we have:
1) Twinkle lights and little red candles in votives along the mantle above the fireplace
2) Some fir tree boughs with cranberries along the counter, nestled in with green and red candles
3) Glittery foam wreath and snowmen cutouts on the windows
4) A gingerbread "chalet"
5) A countdown calendar in the living room
6) Cranberry branches in vases and on the coffee table
7) Red and green garland wrapped around the banister
8) Throw pillows tied with ribbon to look like presents
I am feeling pleased so far :)
Now moving along to blog part 2, a bit more serious, a bit more profound.
"I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life. I’ve learned that making a “living” is not the same thing as making a “life.” I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one. I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou, you are a wise, beautiful woman. And I love this quote mostly because it is extraordinarily idealistic and I am an idealist. I also love this quote because I find it challenging. Because in the "How do you deal with lost luggage or tangled Christmas lights" piece alone, I cringe envisioning my reaction. Frustration, stress, probably some loud lion roaring if no one else was around.
I really like the part on caring more about making a life than a living... and I have found that for someone who has stood on her soapbox for years talking about how money doesn't matter and how all you need is love, compassion, and a good work ethic, I have done a poor job of practicing what I preach this year. I have become consumed by a competitive little rat race and that needs to change.
I have discovered this year that I am extremely impressed by everything. When I hear an awesome musician, I am inspired immediately to go home and pick up my guitar, frustrated that I can't play perfectly yet. When I hang out with Mer, I long for a flat tummy, table top leaps and the sound of syncopated tap rythyms. When I listen to Chris, I want to save lives. When I talk to Kristi, I want to teach 2nd graders how to read. When I talk to Melissa, I miss Make-A-Wish and want to plan events and travel coordinate again. I think being inspired is a wonderful thing, but at what point does inspiration become detrimental to becoming the person YOU are meant to be? And how do we separate an appreciation from a determination?
Yesterday I found out I did not get into UMaine nursing. They have a wait list about 8 miles long. They didn't say, "REJECTED," they said, "NO SPACE." But I felt totally rejected. After all, I grew up in Maine, when to college in Maine... for a state yearning for retention of its young, it does a poor job of finding us space in its professional programs. I am allowed to say this, I think, given that UMaine rejected me from their law program and forced me to Texas (which didn't work out, obviously). And sadly, in a state like Maine, with an economy like this, it's not easy to make a living or a life if you do not have a stable career path ahead of you.
I found out about this over the phone while nannying because they sent the letter to my house in Maine, not to my new house in Indiana. Prior to this I was smiling, laughing, and singing the 12 Days of Christmas with my little charges, loving the fact that my boyfriend was coming back from Anaheim that night. Well, kids aren't stupid and when my face fell and my clapping stopped, they both immediately followed me throughout the house while I paced, trying not to get upset. My cute one-year old hugged my leg while I stared at the ceiling and then offered me his toy hamster. I looked down at him and managed a smile somehow, probably because he's so damn cute. Then the four-year old (far too smart for her age) asked, "Mariah, why aren't you having fun with us anymore? " And I replied, "Hunny, Mariah's a little sad right now, but she'll be OK in a couple minutes." "Well, why are you sad, Mariah?" "Well, I didn't get into nursing school." "Ohh.... hmmmm.... Mariah?" "Yes, sweetie." "You look really beautiful when you're sad." Wow.... yup, didn't know what to say to that. But I did scoop her up and give her a big hug. And, because I do not want to jade a little girl who is a lot like me and has perfectionist tendencies already, I said, "But you know what? Being sad doesn't make anything better does it? And it's important to always look on the bright side and try again, right?" "Right!!!" And we played a bit more, some tic-tac-toe, some coloring. And then (talk about making me want to cry for all the right reasons), she said, "I'm going to call my mom and she will help you find a school." Mind you, she meant on her fake cell phone. And this is how the one-sided convo went:
"Mom, Mariah needs your help. She needs to go to school. It's not fair, she brings her books everyday and reads them and everything! And she needs to be nurse. Ok, bye. Mom says she will call her friend and get you a school."
When people tell me they can't stand kids, I can't understand it. Because I'll tell you what, they may be young, they me cry and need attention, but my God, do they know how to love unconditionally. They are the best, most caring little citizens that our world has to offer.
Granted, I then had a conversation with my mom on the phone who reminded me that sometimes when we take on too much all at once, we wind up in a pressure cooker like the one I have been in this year. Because to be honest, did I expect that moving to a new place, into a house with a boyfriend who I had only known long distance, while taking difficult classes, getting a new job(s), taking a big pay cut, and applying to school down a totally different career path than I was on was going to be easy? My goodness, if I thought it was going to be anything less than daunting, overwhelming, and terrifying, was I being naive! So I need to stop trying to outdo myself and racing onto the next big task or I will end up a grumpy, 90 year old woman who finally figures out the meaning of life as she takes her last breath (I am paraphrasing from mom a bit right now).
Where are we in a race to, exactly? Why are we constantly running? Why has it become more important to get degree after degree, promotion after promotion, accolades and gold stars than to laugh with friends, hug our family members, cheer on our siblings in a hockey game, or just read a good book with a glass of wine that will make us feel awesome about the world we live in and smile for a second? We are a generation that seeks instant gratification, approval and chemical healing at every corner. It is no wonder that about 75% of the people I know are on, were on, or will be on anxiety medication and anti-depressants by the time we/they're 30.
So I want to do two things right now:
1) Remind myself that a nursing school wait list, while frustrating, means two things- a) that a lot of people are trying to fight their way into a profession with a critical shortage and not a lot of faculty left to educate which gives me hope that people do care and want to make a difference like I do and b) that just because I didn't get into UMaine does not mean I will not get into school. And in fact, even though I did not get into a school in Maine does not mean I am doomed to be away from New England for the rest of my life. Nothing in this world is permanent, for better or worse.
2) Apologize on behalf of the not-so-very-great version of me that has existed in Indiana for 4 months. If I were Chris, I would've walked out the door in September. So I am a lucky girl for sure, because if nothing else, I gotta whole lotta love coming at me from this boy.
I vow the following right now (knowing that I will fall short of these things often but will keep picking up the pieces and trying again):
1) To stop comparing myself to everyone around me
2) To stop assuming
3) To stop letting my "pains" turn me into "a pain."
4) To stop and smell the roses and write in my gratitude journal everyday
5) To love more and argue less
6) To get outside and move and be happy that I have good health, great friends, a great family, an awesome boyfriend, and a warm place to lay my head at night.
7) To stop complaining about my waistline because a few extra holiday pounds means I am not starving and homeless
8) To go to church more and thank God for what I do have instead of constantly praying for more
9) To keep trying
10) To work my tail off and get into nursing school- BECAUSE I WILL, DAMNIT! This means stopping immediately after this post and studying hard for my stats final tomorrow.
"I've learned that people will forgot what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
Dear 2011, there's your mantra.
XOXO
On the agenda for the weekend (per his idea, God love him) is the following:
1) Cutting down (yes, CUTTING DOWN) or own Christmas tree
2) Going to the Christmas Tree Shop for some more decorations and finishing the house so it looks beautiful for the holidays
3) Seeing a movie we've both been dying to see
Yes folks, a real date weekend if you ask me. The kind that really makes you excited for Friday night.
Our house is looking cute right now, I will add. I tried to do some crafty, low budget decorating and so far we have:
1) Twinkle lights and little red candles in votives along the mantle above the fireplace
2) Some fir tree boughs with cranberries along the counter, nestled in with green and red candles
3) Glittery foam wreath and snowmen cutouts on the windows
4) A gingerbread "chalet"
5) A countdown calendar in the living room
6) Cranberry branches in vases and on the coffee table
7) Red and green garland wrapped around the banister
8) Throw pillows tied with ribbon to look like presents
I am feeling pleased so far :)
Now moving along to blog part 2, a bit more serious, a bit more profound.
"I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life. I’ve learned that making a “living” is not the same thing as making a “life.” I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one. I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou, you are a wise, beautiful woman. And I love this quote mostly because it is extraordinarily idealistic and I am an idealist. I also love this quote because I find it challenging. Because in the "How do you deal with lost luggage or tangled Christmas lights" piece alone, I cringe envisioning my reaction. Frustration, stress, probably some loud lion roaring if no one else was around.
I really like the part on caring more about making a life than a living... and I have found that for someone who has stood on her soapbox for years talking about how money doesn't matter and how all you need is love, compassion, and a good work ethic, I have done a poor job of practicing what I preach this year. I have become consumed by a competitive little rat race and that needs to change.
I have discovered this year that I am extremely impressed by everything. When I hear an awesome musician, I am inspired immediately to go home and pick up my guitar, frustrated that I can't play perfectly yet. When I hang out with Mer, I long for a flat tummy, table top leaps and the sound of syncopated tap rythyms. When I listen to Chris, I want to save lives. When I talk to Kristi, I want to teach 2nd graders how to read. When I talk to Melissa, I miss Make-A-Wish and want to plan events and travel coordinate again. I think being inspired is a wonderful thing, but at what point does inspiration become detrimental to becoming the person YOU are meant to be? And how do we separate an appreciation from a determination?
Yesterday I found out I did not get into UMaine nursing. They have a wait list about 8 miles long. They didn't say, "REJECTED," they said, "NO SPACE." But I felt totally rejected. After all, I grew up in Maine, when to college in Maine... for a state yearning for retention of its young, it does a poor job of finding us space in its professional programs. I am allowed to say this, I think, given that UMaine rejected me from their law program and forced me to Texas (which didn't work out, obviously). And sadly, in a state like Maine, with an economy like this, it's not easy to make a living or a life if you do not have a stable career path ahead of you.
I found out about this over the phone while nannying because they sent the letter to my house in Maine, not to my new house in Indiana. Prior to this I was smiling, laughing, and singing the 12 Days of Christmas with my little charges, loving the fact that my boyfriend was coming back from Anaheim that night. Well, kids aren't stupid and when my face fell and my clapping stopped, they both immediately followed me throughout the house while I paced, trying not to get upset. My cute one-year old hugged my leg while I stared at the ceiling and then offered me his toy hamster. I looked down at him and managed a smile somehow, probably because he's so damn cute. Then the four-year old (far too smart for her age) asked, "Mariah, why aren't you having fun with us anymore? " And I replied, "Hunny, Mariah's a little sad right now, but she'll be OK in a couple minutes." "Well, why are you sad, Mariah?" "Well, I didn't get into nursing school." "Ohh.... hmmmm.... Mariah?" "Yes, sweetie." "You look really beautiful when you're sad." Wow.... yup, didn't know what to say to that. But I did scoop her up and give her a big hug. And, because I do not want to jade a little girl who is a lot like me and has perfectionist tendencies already, I said, "But you know what? Being sad doesn't make anything better does it? And it's important to always look on the bright side and try again, right?" "Right!!!" And we played a bit more, some tic-tac-toe, some coloring. And then (talk about making me want to cry for all the right reasons), she said, "I'm going to call my mom and she will help you find a school." Mind you, she meant on her fake cell phone. And this is how the one-sided convo went:
"Mom, Mariah needs your help. She needs to go to school. It's not fair, she brings her books everyday and reads them and everything! And she needs to be nurse. Ok, bye. Mom says she will call her friend and get you a school."
When people tell me they can't stand kids, I can't understand it. Because I'll tell you what, they may be young, they me cry and need attention, but my God, do they know how to love unconditionally. They are the best, most caring little citizens that our world has to offer.
Granted, I then had a conversation with my mom on the phone who reminded me that sometimes when we take on too much all at once, we wind up in a pressure cooker like the one I have been in this year. Because to be honest, did I expect that moving to a new place, into a house with a boyfriend who I had only known long distance, while taking difficult classes, getting a new job(s), taking a big pay cut, and applying to school down a totally different career path than I was on was going to be easy? My goodness, if I thought it was going to be anything less than daunting, overwhelming, and terrifying, was I being naive! So I need to stop trying to outdo myself and racing onto the next big task or I will end up a grumpy, 90 year old woman who finally figures out the meaning of life as she takes her last breath (I am paraphrasing from mom a bit right now).
Where are we in a race to, exactly? Why are we constantly running? Why has it become more important to get degree after degree, promotion after promotion, accolades and gold stars than to laugh with friends, hug our family members, cheer on our siblings in a hockey game, or just read a good book with a glass of wine that will make us feel awesome about the world we live in and smile for a second? We are a generation that seeks instant gratification, approval and chemical healing at every corner. It is no wonder that about 75% of the people I know are on, were on, or will be on anxiety medication and anti-depressants by the time we/they're 30.
So I want to do two things right now:
1) Remind myself that a nursing school wait list, while frustrating, means two things- a) that a lot of people are trying to fight their way into a profession with a critical shortage and not a lot of faculty left to educate which gives me hope that people do care and want to make a difference like I do and b) that just because I didn't get into UMaine does not mean I will not get into school. And in fact, even though I did not get into a school in Maine does not mean I am doomed to be away from New England for the rest of my life. Nothing in this world is permanent, for better or worse.
2) Apologize on behalf of the not-so-very-great version of me that has existed in Indiana for 4 months. If I were Chris, I would've walked out the door in September. So I am a lucky girl for sure, because if nothing else, I gotta whole lotta love coming at me from this boy.
I vow the following right now (knowing that I will fall short of these things often but will keep picking up the pieces and trying again):
1) To stop comparing myself to everyone around me
2) To stop assuming
3) To stop letting my "pains" turn me into "a pain."
4) To stop and smell the roses and write in my gratitude journal everyday
5) To love more and argue less
6) To get outside and move and be happy that I have good health, great friends, a great family, an awesome boyfriend, and a warm place to lay my head at night.
7) To stop complaining about my waistline because a few extra holiday pounds means I am not starving and homeless
8) To go to church more and thank God for what I do have instead of constantly praying for more
9) To keep trying
10) To work my tail off and get into nursing school- BECAUSE I WILL, DAMNIT! This means stopping immediately after this post and studying hard for my stats final tomorrow.
"I've learned that people will forgot what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
Dear 2011, there's your mantra.
XOXO
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Holidays on a Budget
Happy snowy Saturday, kids!
Not sure if it's snowing where you are but I'm looking at quite the winter wonderland outside. And there is nothing better than blogging in fleece snowflake socks with freshly brewed coffee and Christmas music playing. Oh and did I mention a brand new book from Borders? (I am such a book geek... seriously, most girls could spend dangerous amounts of money at Coach. That is how I feel about bookstores. Nerd.). Chris might argue that being at Disneyland in Anaheim is far better than this (as that is where he is right now) but I don't know... I'm feeling pretty content ;) Though I DO love Disney.... guess it's a toss up!
So originally I set my alarm for 7 am so that I could drive thirty minutes to a Christmas craft fair in Westfield, but I am rethinking that decision given the weather. However, the prospect of going to a craft fair gave me my own ideas about how to approach Christmas decorating on a budget this year.
First, let me backtrack and explain that my big goal for 2011 is to get a better handle on budgeting and living within my means. I feel that this is particularly pertinent given the fact that I am a student right now and not working full-time. I am not a frivolous spender by any stretch (though I do love a good latte), BUT I think that sometimes I pay far more for things than I need to. For example, there is the issue of the cell phone. Now granted, I am not on a family plan because that's not the way things work right now, so my monthly bill is higher than most to start. However, I decided yesterday I was sick of the amount I spend each month on a stupid phone. So I called up AT&T and asked the rep what I could do to shave costs. First of all, there is the issue of unlimited texting-$20/month more for that! I asked her if there was a lower amount. She told me that for 1500 texts a month you could pay $15 so I opted for that (the lowest plan was 200/month but knowing me and my generation, that would not be a smart choice). I made her laugh when I told her that if I am sending/receiving more than 1500 texts a month I need to SERIOUSLY reevaluate my life. Then we changed early nights and weekends to just regular nights and weekends. Let's be honest- I had those plans for when I was doing long distance. But there is no one I talk to for 6 hours at a time on the phone anymore so I think it's safe to scale back. NOW- the total savings per month from what I was paying is $15 which means a savings of $180 in a year. Not a ton, I know, but it's a start! And I am going to continue to look into ways to get the most bang for my buck in other aspects of my life as well. No more sweet, naive, I pay what you tell me to pay Mariah. She's gone-zo.
ANYWAY- that was long winded and boring, I apologize.
My point is, I made a list of things we needed for Christmas decorating and started to get stressed about how much everything would cost. Now granted, going to cut down our own tree is exciting and festive and something I am totally willing to spend money on (and Chris is on the same page which is great). But all the lights, garland, ornaments, etc.? Is it necessary to spend upwards of $100 for some holiday cheer?? I think not.
Interestingly, growing up I never considered myself a crafty person. But I think between my old job at Make-A-Wish and my current part-time job as a nanny, I have become far more creative than I ever imagined. I am now confident that I can tackle this challenge.
I started doing some online searching and found this great site:
www.rd.com/home-garden/16-easy-and-cheap-christmas-decorating-tips/article113060.html
There are lots of ideas I love, like taking old Christmas cards and matting them or using them to create a swag. I am a total pack rat and don't think I've ever thrown away a card, so what better way to justify my hoarding disorder? And how cute are the candy canes in the hurricane glasses throughout the house? A pack of candy canes is only a few dollars and hurricane glasses at the Christmas Tree Shop are only a few bucks as well. And tying cute bows around throw pillows for the couch? Awesome. Cranberries in vases look beautiful too- Mom gave me that idea first. Ooooo and how cool is the picture frame matting of festive wrapping paper? I am half-tempted to use these "projects" on the kids I nanny for. We made a pretty great Christmas tree shaped countdown calendar last week.... I'm sure they are up for a few more challenges ;)
Anyway, the point is, Christmas is about the special touches that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside (I mean, it's not really about that at all, it's about baby Jesus and family and friends, but you know what I mean). And most of the time, the things that make a house a home are the creative and personal pieces in it. So am going to make my list, check it twice (hehe) and see what I can do to stay within the budget but make this house beautiful! IDEAS ALWAYS WELCOME (ahem, I have quite a few crafty friends, you KNOW who you are!)
Oh, one more thing, for festive food and drinks, I find lots of great ideas in Family Circle magazine (God, I deserve a mini van and a swift kick after this post). No, but seriously... they come up with the greatest, easiest little ideas! Like popping some fresh cranberries into champagne flutes before serving. Or adding a little food coloring to sugar cookie dough to make them holiday appropriate. OR, one of my favorites, taking fun ribbons and amping up generic tree decorations (great for if you're just starting out like we are and only have a few nice ornaments).
And finally, if you're reading all this thinking, whatever, Mariah, I hate crafts, please keep in mind that I was the child who would write a thirty page story on that crappy 2nd grade "learning" paper and have my friend Elizabeth illustrate the pages because I hated coloring. So seriously- if I can do this stuff, any and all of you can. And how nice to alleviate some of the spending stress and feel like you made something unique?
Ok, as much as I'd love to remain in my happy little Christmas bubble, I have a stats quiz that wants me to duke it out with him and ohhh, just two finals standing between me and the end of the semester. Can we all believe I've almost made it through one semester of science and math? Because I'm about to give myself a star for not pulling a law school. And for those of you who know me, I hope you laughed and rolled your eyes at the insert of self-deprication right there.
Lots of love!!!! OHHH and P.S.- as per the advice of a former wish mom whose CarePage entry this morning brought tears to my eyes, "Hold those you love extra close this holiday season. Take nothing for granted." Happy Holidays to you and yours! And happy 2nd week of advent, for those of you who follow that calendar :)
Not sure if it's snowing where you are but I'm looking at quite the winter wonderland outside. And there is nothing better than blogging in fleece snowflake socks with freshly brewed coffee and Christmas music playing. Oh and did I mention a brand new book from Borders? (I am such a book geek... seriously, most girls could spend dangerous amounts of money at Coach. That is how I feel about bookstores. Nerd.). Chris might argue that being at Disneyland in Anaheim is far better than this (as that is where he is right now) but I don't know... I'm feeling pretty content ;) Though I DO love Disney.... guess it's a toss up!
So originally I set my alarm for 7 am so that I could drive thirty minutes to a Christmas craft fair in Westfield, but I am rethinking that decision given the weather. However, the prospect of going to a craft fair gave me my own ideas about how to approach Christmas decorating on a budget this year.
First, let me backtrack and explain that my big goal for 2011 is to get a better handle on budgeting and living within my means. I feel that this is particularly pertinent given the fact that I am a student right now and not working full-time. I am not a frivolous spender by any stretch (though I do love a good latte), BUT I think that sometimes I pay far more for things than I need to. For example, there is the issue of the cell phone. Now granted, I am not on a family plan because that's not the way things work right now, so my monthly bill is higher than most to start. However, I decided yesterday I was sick of the amount I spend each month on a stupid phone. So I called up AT&T and asked the rep what I could do to shave costs. First of all, there is the issue of unlimited texting-$20/month more for that! I asked her if there was a lower amount. She told me that for 1500 texts a month you could pay $15 so I opted for that (the lowest plan was 200/month but knowing me and my generation, that would not be a smart choice). I made her laugh when I told her that if I am sending/receiving more than 1500 texts a month I need to SERIOUSLY reevaluate my life. Then we changed early nights and weekends to just regular nights and weekends. Let's be honest- I had those plans for when I was doing long distance. But there is no one I talk to for 6 hours at a time on the phone anymore so I think it's safe to scale back. NOW- the total savings per month from what I was paying is $15 which means a savings of $180 in a year. Not a ton, I know, but it's a start! And I am going to continue to look into ways to get the most bang for my buck in other aspects of my life as well. No more sweet, naive, I pay what you tell me to pay Mariah. She's gone-zo.
ANYWAY- that was long winded and boring, I apologize.
My point is, I made a list of things we needed for Christmas decorating and started to get stressed about how much everything would cost. Now granted, going to cut down our own tree is exciting and festive and something I am totally willing to spend money on (and Chris is on the same page which is great). But all the lights, garland, ornaments, etc.? Is it necessary to spend upwards of $100 for some holiday cheer?? I think not.
Interestingly, growing up I never considered myself a crafty person. But I think between my old job at Make-A-Wish and my current part-time job as a nanny, I have become far more creative than I ever imagined. I am now confident that I can tackle this challenge.
I started doing some online searching and found this great site:
www.rd.com/home-garden/16-easy-and-cheap-christmas-decorating-tips/article113060.html
There are lots of ideas I love, like taking old Christmas cards and matting them or using them to create a swag. I am a total pack rat and don't think I've ever thrown away a card, so what better way to justify my hoarding disorder? And how cute are the candy canes in the hurricane glasses throughout the house? A pack of candy canes is only a few dollars and hurricane glasses at the Christmas Tree Shop are only a few bucks as well. And tying cute bows around throw pillows for the couch? Awesome. Cranberries in vases look beautiful too- Mom gave me that idea first. Ooooo and how cool is the picture frame matting of festive wrapping paper? I am half-tempted to use these "projects" on the kids I nanny for. We made a pretty great Christmas tree shaped countdown calendar last week.... I'm sure they are up for a few more challenges ;)
Anyway, the point is, Christmas is about the special touches that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside (I mean, it's not really about that at all, it's about baby Jesus and family and friends, but you know what I mean). And most of the time, the things that make a house a home are the creative and personal pieces in it. So am going to make my list, check it twice (hehe) and see what I can do to stay within the budget but make this house beautiful! IDEAS ALWAYS WELCOME (ahem, I have quite a few crafty friends, you KNOW who you are!)
Oh, one more thing, for festive food and drinks, I find lots of great ideas in Family Circle magazine (God, I deserve a mini van and a swift kick after this post). No, but seriously... they come up with the greatest, easiest little ideas! Like popping some fresh cranberries into champagne flutes before serving. Or adding a little food coloring to sugar cookie dough to make them holiday appropriate. OR, one of my favorites, taking fun ribbons and amping up generic tree decorations (great for if you're just starting out like we are and only have a few nice ornaments).
And finally, if you're reading all this thinking, whatever, Mariah, I hate crafts, please keep in mind that I was the child who would write a thirty page story on that crappy 2nd grade "learning" paper and have my friend Elizabeth illustrate the pages because I hated coloring. So seriously- if I can do this stuff, any and all of you can. And how nice to alleviate some of the spending stress and feel like you made something unique?
Ok, as much as I'd love to remain in my happy little Christmas bubble, I have a stats quiz that wants me to duke it out with him and ohhh, just two finals standing between me and the end of the semester. Can we all believe I've almost made it through one semester of science and math? Because I'm about to give myself a star for not pulling a law school. And for those of you who know me, I hope you laughed and rolled your eyes at the insert of self-deprication right there.
Lots of love!!!! OHHH and P.S.- as per the advice of a former wish mom whose CarePage entry this morning brought tears to my eyes, "Hold those you love extra close this holiday season. Take nothing for granted." Happy Holidays to you and yours! And happy 2nd week of advent, for those of you who follow that calendar :)
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
No Idea for a Title Today
Annnnnd we're back.
Happy post-Thanksgiving, everyone! Hope you're all ready for the Christmas countdown! I would be if I actually had a flight booked back home and all my gifts bought. But alas, those things will eventually happen.
I had a great time back home visiting family and friends... I was able to spend a night in Boston when I first arrived, about a week in Maine, and then another night in Boston before we flew back yesterday. It was hard to find time to do everything and see everyone I wanted to see, but luckily in three weeks I'll be back for round two :)
A few highlights of the week: 1) The loud, chaotic environment of the Buckley household. I never tire of it. Even when the dog is barking and everyone is talking over each other. It just feels like a whole lotta love. 2) Being able to relax and see friends with whom I share a history and do not need to explain things to. No awkward "getting to know you" conversations. Just cozy comfort. 3) Nights out in the Old Port where Christmas lights are strewn everywhere, guitarists play barefoot covers of "Walking on Sunshine," and you attempt to run into some people from high school while desperately avoiding others. 4) DDing for Kristen's friends who never cease to entertain me. 5) Walking on the beach. 6) LL Bean adventures. 7) Incredible Thanksgiving Dinner where you have to unbutton your pants to breathe after.
So that about sums up my week... hope you all had similar ones!
Had a little trouble getting back on the plane to Indy, I will be honest. I didn't mean to, I tried my hardest to keep a stiff upper lip. But it absolutely did not work and try as I might, Chris knew my "I think I just have a little cold or some allergies" was total crap. I was OK after awhile but I would say that my feeling when I went to bed last night was not sad or happy or any other emotion. It was just exhaustion and complacency. Does that even make sense? I think, actually, a lot of the people I have met here would understand. This is very much the kind of place where people grow up, go to college, and stay put. I haven't met many people here so far who are from someplace else. Or if they are, it's from the next state over. I wish I felt more adventurous. I wish people didn't meet me and assume that because I was a Spanish major and studied abroad that I can pack up and go anywhere in the world. I feel bad when I think that maybe I've represented myself incorrectly. Or maybe it's just easier to drink wine with friends in the comfort of your home and discuss all the adventures you want out of life. The world always feels like your oyster with close friends and family by your side. It feels a lot different when they're not.
My goal for this week is to put my best foot forward. To not let the stress of what's going inside my mind affect how I come across as a person. Because to be honest, I feel like the midwest has not gotten the best of me. And that makes me a little sad because it's not the way I roll. I am going to try to my hardest to regain a feeling of control this week and focus on preparing for finals, getting more applications out, and decorating for Christmas somewhere in between.
Part of me wants to erase everything I just wrote and write some little essay about how well-adjusted and non self-focused I am right now, but that would be a big fat lie and probably boring. So I'm going to maintain my integrity as a writer and post this right now.
Lots of love :)
Happy post-Thanksgiving, everyone! Hope you're all ready for the Christmas countdown! I would be if I actually had a flight booked back home and all my gifts bought. But alas, those things will eventually happen.
I had a great time back home visiting family and friends... I was able to spend a night in Boston when I first arrived, about a week in Maine, and then another night in Boston before we flew back yesterday. It was hard to find time to do everything and see everyone I wanted to see, but luckily in three weeks I'll be back for round two :)
A few highlights of the week: 1) The loud, chaotic environment of the Buckley household. I never tire of it. Even when the dog is barking and everyone is talking over each other. It just feels like a whole lotta love. 2) Being able to relax and see friends with whom I share a history and do not need to explain things to. No awkward "getting to know you" conversations. Just cozy comfort. 3) Nights out in the Old Port where Christmas lights are strewn everywhere, guitarists play barefoot covers of "Walking on Sunshine," and you attempt to run into some people from high school while desperately avoiding others. 4) DDing for Kristen's friends who never cease to entertain me. 5) Walking on the beach. 6) LL Bean adventures. 7) Incredible Thanksgiving Dinner where you have to unbutton your pants to breathe after.
So that about sums up my week... hope you all had similar ones!
Had a little trouble getting back on the plane to Indy, I will be honest. I didn't mean to, I tried my hardest to keep a stiff upper lip. But it absolutely did not work and try as I might, Chris knew my "I think I just have a little cold or some allergies" was total crap. I was OK after awhile but I would say that my feeling when I went to bed last night was not sad or happy or any other emotion. It was just exhaustion and complacency. Does that even make sense? I think, actually, a lot of the people I have met here would understand. This is very much the kind of place where people grow up, go to college, and stay put. I haven't met many people here so far who are from someplace else. Or if they are, it's from the next state over. I wish I felt more adventurous. I wish people didn't meet me and assume that because I was a Spanish major and studied abroad that I can pack up and go anywhere in the world. I feel bad when I think that maybe I've represented myself incorrectly. Or maybe it's just easier to drink wine with friends in the comfort of your home and discuss all the adventures you want out of life. The world always feels like your oyster with close friends and family by your side. It feels a lot different when they're not.
My goal for this week is to put my best foot forward. To not let the stress of what's going inside my mind affect how I come across as a person. Because to be honest, I feel like the midwest has not gotten the best of me. And that makes me a little sad because it's not the way I roll. I am going to try to my hardest to regain a feeling of control this week and focus on preparing for finals, getting more applications out, and decorating for Christmas somewhere in between.
Part of me wants to erase everything I just wrote and write some little essay about how well-adjusted and non self-focused I am right now, but that would be a big fat lie and probably boring. So I'm going to maintain my integrity as a writer and post this right now.
Lots of love :)
Monday, November 22, 2010
Home Sweet Home :)
It's Monday, November 22nd and I am sitting in my living room in Scarborough, Maine. I can't begin to describe how awesome that feels. Dad stayed home for awhile this morning so we could have coffee together and catch up. And now little Noelle is running around with her toy hedgehog and barking up a storm. Ahhh, home. Some things never change.
I am very fortunate in that I have 10 days in New England (well, Massachusetts and Maine) for this Thanksgiving break. The family I nanny for went away for the week so I didn't have to work and the one benefit to online class is that you can do it anywhere.
To recap, Friday night I flew into Manchester. The 11 Clar girls (with its newest member, Melissa) picked me up at the airport and basically tackle-hugged. It was the best! We got back to my old apartment and immediately found our respective spots around the living room with a bottle of red wine and some warm puffs. We discussed the rat situation in the basement, talked about how to fix the heat, and I was able to successfully remove a splinter from Kristi's finger. The thing I love about that apartment is that it is the epitome of what life right after college should be. It's old, the heating system is temperamental, the decor is a hodgepodge of color and style, and the faces inside are full of smiles and hard work. After hours of talking and laughing, we ordered crab rangoons from Kee Kar Lau (my all time favorite Chinese restaurant in Somerville). It was heavenly.
Kel and I bunked together in her room upstairs and laughed while the squirrels on the roof ran back and forth and caused a ruckus. When we woke up in the morning, everyone else barged into the room and soon there were 5 bodies on one bed (family style) chatting and laughing. We had a big breakfast with awesome music playing and then sang along while Kristi showed us her mad skill on her new keyboard. After, we got started on our Pranksgiving Day prep. We stuffed the turkey, let it cook for a few hours and simultaneously whipped up mashed potatoes, butternut squash, rolls, stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce and these incredible pecan pie cookies. It was fun to have everyone's input flying based on how things were done when they were growing up. And it also made me excited to think that I'm now at the point where I know how to make a Thanksgiving dinner! Never thought it would be possible... The whole house smelled delicious and when everything was done we lit some candles, put on some good tunes and ate til we couldn't eat anymore. Then we read from our thankful box which is basically a compilation of everyone's thoughts on what they are thankful for this year. It's always a bit of a tearjerker but feels so great to remember all the blessings that we have and be grateful for them. Miss Meliss gave us all a picture she printed out from last Pranksgiving as a gift, we took a few more to document this year's, and then Kel and Meliss drove me home to Maine.
Whew! Hard to leave those ladies... but then of course, I walked into my house and the chaos and laughter ensued! We were immediately talking and hugging and storytelling over one another while the dog raced around and jumped and barked, praying for more attention. I ended up snuggled in between my parents watching TV at the end of the night and my dad laughed at the fact that I'm still a little kid and always will be. He is 100% correct. And I'm sure Chris is laughing reading this as I do the same thing to him. No matter where we are sitting or what we are doing, I have to be smack in the middle and end up crunching him into the side of the couch, etc.
Now I am hanging out in my pjs, watching the today show with Noelle asleep snuggled next to my leg. I am trying to decide what to do for the day while everyone else is at work and school. Maybe take the dog for a run on the beach, maybe some time downtown in Portland... possibly some Christmas shopping??? Oooo and a movie with popcorn, my favorite solo event. It is so November here- the sky is gray, the leaves are all over the place and it is COLD. I love it :)
Not to continue to ramble because there are plenty of things to do today to make the most of this time, but this year has gotten me to thinking about the definition of home. Most people say home is where the heart is... well, what if your heart is in 3 or 4 different places? I spent my first seven years in Portland living with my grandparents, the next 11 years in Scarborough at my house, 4 years in Waterville at college, 2 years in Boston with 4 of my favorite people of all time (plus a scattering of Colby friends -lucky me!) and now find myself in Indiana with the love of my life and a childhood best friend. So it's hard to say where my heart is because pieces of it are scattered all over the place. That makes every departure and every return somewhat bittersweet, but I'm going to start thinking of it as a blessing instead. Because how cool is it that there are so many homes I can always go back to? To visit, to get a great hug, to relive memories pertinent to that place, and to laugh until my belly hurts? Not everyone is so lucky. There is so much love from every corner of the country (and even some other parts of the world) that you can never feel too alone. I like that :)
If I don't write before, have a Happy Thanksgiving! Count your blessings, eat lots, and make plenty of time for family and friends.
XOXO
I am very fortunate in that I have 10 days in New England (well, Massachusetts and Maine) for this Thanksgiving break. The family I nanny for went away for the week so I didn't have to work and the one benefit to online class is that you can do it anywhere.
To recap, Friday night I flew into Manchester. The 11 Clar girls (with its newest member, Melissa) picked me up at the airport and basically tackle-hugged. It was the best! We got back to my old apartment and immediately found our respective spots around the living room with a bottle of red wine and some warm puffs. We discussed the rat situation in the basement, talked about how to fix the heat, and I was able to successfully remove a splinter from Kristi's finger. The thing I love about that apartment is that it is the epitome of what life right after college should be. It's old, the heating system is temperamental, the decor is a hodgepodge of color and style, and the faces inside are full of smiles and hard work. After hours of talking and laughing, we ordered crab rangoons from Kee Kar Lau (my all time favorite Chinese restaurant in Somerville). It was heavenly.
Kel and I bunked together in her room upstairs and laughed while the squirrels on the roof ran back and forth and caused a ruckus. When we woke up in the morning, everyone else barged into the room and soon there were 5 bodies on one bed (family style) chatting and laughing. We had a big breakfast with awesome music playing and then sang along while Kristi showed us her mad skill on her new keyboard. After, we got started on our Pranksgiving Day prep. We stuffed the turkey, let it cook for a few hours and simultaneously whipped up mashed potatoes, butternut squash, rolls, stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce and these incredible pecan pie cookies. It was fun to have everyone's input flying based on how things were done when they were growing up. And it also made me excited to think that I'm now at the point where I know how to make a Thanksgiving dinner! Never thought it would be possible... The whole house smelled delicious and when everything was done we lit some candles, put on some good tunes and ate til we couldn't eat anymore. Then we read from our thankful box which is basically a compilation of everyone's thoughts on what they are thankful for this year. It's always a bit of a tearjerker but feels so great to remember all the blessings that we have and be grateful for them. Miss Meliss gave us all a picture she printed out from last Pranksgiving as a gift, we took a few more to document this year's, and then Kel and Meliss drove me home to Maine.
Whew! Hard to leave those ladies... but then of course, I walked into my house and the chaos and laughter ensued! We were immediately talking and hugging and storytelling over one another while the dog raced around and jumped and barked, praying for more attention. I ended up snuggled in between my parents watching TV at the end of the night and my dad laughed at the fact that I'm still a little kid and always will be. He is 100% correct. And I'm sure Chris is laughing reading this as I do the same thing to him. No matter where we are sitting or what we are doing, I have to be smack in the middle and end up crunching him into the side of the couch, etc.
Now I am hanging out in my pjs, watching the today show with Noelle asleep snuggled next to my leg. I am trying to decide what to do for the day while everyone else is at work and school. Maybe take the dog for a run on the beach, maybe some time downtown in Portland... possibly some Christmas shopping??? Oooo and a movie with popcorn, my favorite solo event. It is so November here- the sky is gray, the leaves are all over the place and it is COLD. I love it :)
Not to continue to ramble because there are plenty of things to do today to make the most of this time, but this year has gotten me to thinking about the definition of home. Most people say home is where the heart is... well, what if your heart is in 3 or 4 different places? I spent my first seven years in Portland living with my grandparents, the next 11 years in Scarborough at my house, 4 years in Waterville at college, 2 years in Boston with 4 of my favorite people of all time (plus a scattering of Colby friends -lucky me!) and now find myself in Indiana with the love of my life and a childhood best friend. So it's hard to say where my heart is because pieces of it are scattered all over the place. That makes every departure and every return somewhat bittersweet, but I'm going to start thinking of it as a blessing instead. Because how cool is it that there are so many homes I can always go back to? To visit, to get a great hug, to relive memories pertinent to that place, and to laugh until my belly hurts? Not everyone is so lucky. There is so much love from every corner of the country (and even some other parts of the world) that you can never feel too alone. I like that :)
If I don't write before, have a Happy Thanksgiving! Count your blessings, eat lots, and make plenty of time for family and friends.
XOXO
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Holiday Season, End of Semester, Holy Macaroni?
Somehow (don't ask me how) it is November 17th already. And per the reminder of my friend who informed me I did NOT blog on Monday like I was supposed to, I am here today to catch up.
Life has been a little crazy (in a good way) since I last wrote. The impending end of semester and start of Thanksgiving/Christmas "race" is here. I can't say I'm not delighted- I love the adrenaline rush of somehow trying to get everything done. It's a little weird, but it just makes me feel really alive and active. BUT- I'm trying to remember (like I do every year) to simultaneously appreciate the little moments of the holiday season. To take time to stop and just be happy and have some hot chocolate... or to plan some fun holiday crafts/baking activities with the kids I nanny.
Before I go any further, here is your midwest weekend recap:
1. Friday night was ladies night... need I say more? Mer, Sara, Katie and I went downtown for sushi and drinks, did a little bar hopping, and stayed at the Hilton downtown (at an awesome discounted rate of $40. YES!) It was so much fun to have a girls' night and be out on the town, all dolled up (when you spend most of your days in jeans and a sweatshirt, with kids with drippy noses and food-filled fingers, it's always nice to find time to shower, smell good, and I don't know, wear heels?). We didn't end up asleep til 4 am (this is absurd for me, ps... I am not a night owl). Andddd it was just fabulous. Done and done.
2. Saturday I sped back to our neck of the woods for a guitar lesson (which went well... and this coming week I get to start picking a song to learn! WOOHOO!) and then met Chris for the Butler game. I got in trouble for wearing my Colby sweatshirt to a Butler game, but I argued that the school colors were the same so no one would know. They won and even in my somewhat comatose state, it was fun. After the game, I went to Starbucks to finish my stats assignment and then babysat til ten. When I get home, Chris was already asleep on the futon and I was asleep about three seconds later.
3. Sunday Chris had to work so I did some more homework/studying, went to church, and then headed to Lowes for some potting soil. I was so hoping to plant my herbs but when I got home, could not find the seeds anywhere. Not the best time of the year to have to go out and buy these things since everyone looks at you like you're nuts when you ask where to find stuff to plant. Once I had given up the search, I listened to the new Sara Bareilles CD "Kaleidoscope Heart," searched to no avail for tickets to one of her shows, then watched TV for a bit with Chris (he was home at this point). I started to feel stir crazy around 5:30 or 6 so went for a nice long walk to recharge then came home to make dinner. We made Tikka Masala pizza (soooooo good!) and watched Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers. We both agreed that it was nice that our parents were not crazy and intimidating to our signifcant others, haha. Quite the contrary actually! :) Lucky us!
And that's the recap of the weekend.... now the week has been NUTSO!
Monday morning, I met with the woman who hired me on as a freelance Spanish interpreter, went to Lowes to get parts to fix the broken faucet lever in the kitchen (ahem...apparently my boyfriend has superhuman strength. Kidding, it was already loose when he went to use it) and studied/did work for a few hours. Then I worked from 2-10 and Chris worked til 10 as well. We pretty much crashed after that.
Yesterday, I was up early studying when I got a call from the interpreting company that they needed someone for a case at 11. So I threw on some clothes, got my stuff together and went to the site. It was great to be speaking Spanish and feeling challenged in that way again. After I finished, I studied for awhile longer, babysat til 6, then went to my first of two client casework trainings at Red Cross. I'm definitely excited to be volunteering with them and am so close to being done with training!
The rest of the week is a bit nutty work/training/school wise because morning nanny Heather is on her honeymoon and there is also a sheep brain dissection involved with lab this week (YES! Finally! Gotta get rid of some of these "lab parts" which are currently hanging out in the closet).
BUT- tonight is date night! It's the only night of the week Chris and I are both home before ten so we are going to go out and do something fun. Can't wait :)
Saturday I leave for Maine/Boston and am sooo pumped for Pranskgiving w/11 Clar and time with family and friends. It's been WAY too long!!!!!!!!! Chris flies out on Thanksgiving day and I have grand plans of a trip to LL Bean, tree lighting in Portland and some rendez-vousing in Boston.. Plus, I think I finally have some Christmas present ideas worked out and am super excited to get started with some shopping/prep.
Ok, I will leave you with a few thoughts/quotes:
1) "Mariah, is that word you just used something that your people in Maine say?" (Please insert here that word I used was "content.") -4 year old
"No, actually that is word people who speak English say... my people don't speak any differently than your people."
"Ohh... it just sounded wicked funny." (Yup. She's using wicked now. Uh oh).
2) 4 year old again, while brushing teeth: "Mariah, when people have babies, how does the information from the husband get to the wife?" I let this one slide. And said something about how chickens hatch eggs. Or something.
3) Listen to 99.5 for the Make-A-Wish Radio-A-Thon here in Indy tomorrow!!!!!!!!! Request a song in exchange for a donation and help make kids' wishes come true.
That's all for now... much love on a sunny Fall day :)
XOXO
Life has been a little crazy (in a good way) since I last wrote. The impending end of semester and start of Thanksgiving/Christmas "race" is here. I can't say I'm not delighted- I love the adrenaline rush of somehow trying to get everything done. It's a little weird, but it just makes me feel really alive and active. BUT- I'm trying to remember (like I do every year) to simultaneously appreciate the little moments of the holiday season. To take time to stop and just be happy and have some hot chocolate... or to plan some fun holiday crafts/baking activities with the kids I nanny.
Before I go any further, here is your midwest weekend recap:
1. Friday night was ladies night... need I say more? Mer, Sara, Katie and I went downtown for sushi and drinks, did a little bar hopping, and stayed at the Hilton downtown (at an awesome discounted rate of $40. YES!) It was so much fun to have a girls' night and be out on the town, all dolled up (when you spend most of your days in jeans and a sweatshirt, with kids with drippy noses and food-filled fingers, it's always nice to find time to shower, smell good, and I don't know, wear heels?). We didn't end up asleep til 4 am (this is absurd for me, ps... I am not a night owl). Andddd it was just fabulous. Done and done.
2. Saturday I sped back to our neck of the woods for a guitar lesson (which went well... and this coming week I get to start picking a song to learn! WOOHOO!) and then met Chris for the Butler game. I got in trouble for wearing my Colby sweatshirt to a Butler game, but I argued that the school colors were the same so no one would know. They won and even in my somewhat comatose state, it was fun. After the game, I went to Starbucks to finish my stats assignment and then babysat til ten. When I get home, Chris was already asleep on the futon and I was asleep about three seconds later.
3. Sunday Chris had to work so I did some more homework/studying, went to church, and then headed to Lowes for some potting soil. I was so hoping to plant my herbs but when I got home, could not find the seeds anywhere. Not the best time of the year to have to go out and buy these things since everyone looks at you like you're nuts when you ask where to find stuff to plant. Once I had given up the search, I listened to the new Sara Bareilles CD "Kaleidoscope Heart," searched to no avail for tickets to one of her shows, then watched TV for a bit with Chris (he was home at this point). I started to feel stir crazy around 5:30 or 6 so went for a nice long walk to recharge then came home to make dinner. We made Tikka Masala pizza (soooooo good!) and watched Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers. We both agreed that it was nice that our parents were not crazy and intimidating to our signifcant others, haha. Quite the contrary actually! :) Lucky us!
And that's the recap of the weekend.... now the week has been NUTSO!
Monday morning, I met with the woman who hired me on as a freelance Spanish interpreter, went to Lowes to get parts to fix the broken faucet lever in the kitchen (ahem...apparently my boyfriend has superhuman strength. Kidding, it was already loose when he went to use it) and studied/did work for a few hours. Then I worked from 2-10 and Chris worked til 10 as well. We pretty much crashed after that.
Yesterday, I was up early studying when I got a call from the interpreting company that they needed someone for a case at 11. So I threw on some clothes, got my stuff together and went to the site. It was great to be speaking Spanish and feeling challenged in that way again. After I finished, I studied for awhile longer, babysat til 6, then went to my first of two client casework trainings at Red Cross. I'm definitely excited to be volunteering with them and am so close to being done with training!
The rest of the week is a bit nutty work/training/school wise because morning nanny Heather is on her honeymoon and there is also a sheep brain dissection involved with lab this week (YES! Finally! Gotta get rid of some of these "lab parts" which are currently hanging out in the closet).
BUT- tonight is date night! It's the only night of the week Chris and I are both home before ten so we are going to go out and do something fun. Can't wait :)
Saturday I leave for Maine/Boston and am sooo pumped for Pranskgiving w/11 Clar and time with family and friends. It's been WAY too long!!!!!!!!! Chris flies out on Thanksgiving day and I have grand plans of a trip to LL Bean, tree lighting in Portland and some rendez-vousing in Boston.. Plus, I think I finally have some Christmas present ideas worked out and am super excited to get started with some shopping/prep.
Ok, I will leave you with a few thoughts/quotes:
1) "Mariah, is that word you just used something that your people in Maine say?" (Please insert here that word I used was "content.") -4 year old
"No, actually that is word people who speak English say... my people don't speak any differently than your people."
"Ohh... it just sounded wicked funny." (Yup. She's using wicked now. Uh oh).
2) 4 year old again, while brushing teeth: "Mariah, when people have babies, how does the information from the husband get to the wife?" I let this one slide. And said something about how chickens hatch eggs. Or something.
3) Listen to 99.5 for the Make-A-Wish Radio-A-Thon here in Indy tomorrow!!!!!!!!! Request a song in exchange for a donation and help make kids' wishes come true.
That's all for now... much love on a sunny Fall day :)
XOXO
Monday, November 8, 2010
Chilly November Mornings
Good morning, happy daylight savings! (I realize this actually took place yesterday, but I am loving the fact that it was sunny by about 7 this morning).
Last week was a little wild in terms of school and work (and let's just say Friday morning started and ended with a technical glitch for one online course and a dissection interrupted by a cut finger for another-try dissecting a chicken wing with one hand... not as easy as it sounds). But, I had a good chat with a friend, laughed it off, and went to work. Friday night, I hung out at Mer and Sam's and had pizza and drinks with them and a few of their friends (poor Chris found out last minute he had to work late... no fun). But it was a great night and by the time I got home, I was feeling relaxed and more in control of everything going on.
Saturday morning it took me forever to get up (lazy, lazy) but I had a guitar lesson so I forced myself (with some prodding) to get a move on. And of course, I ended up giving my teacher some lengthy disclaimer about how I hadn't practiced very much and not to expect much out of me. He just laughed (as chill guitar teachers do) and said, "Just have fun. That's why you're here, right?" And I smiled because he was right... and that's exactly what Chris had said before I left. So we jammed for awhile (and by jammed I mean convinced my awkward little fingers to form the few chords they know) and was in a great mood when I left.
Came home, had lunch, and attempted my Stats quiz for the second time (holding my breath that the glitch was fixed) and it went really well! This class has felt like the bane of my existence this semester so it was nice to finally feel things click and see a grade that accurately reflected my effort for once. I'm hoping this is a turning point of sorts.
After the quiz, I felt a sudden urge to clean... and I mean, CLEAN. When Chris came downstairs to see what all the noise was about, he just sort of laughed and jumped right in to help. And now we have a clean, sunny house to live in! Hooray :)
As we we were cleaning, he kept asking me what I wanted to do that night... I wasn't really sure and just kept trucking along. Then he asked if I wanted to go ice skating- AWESOME!!!!!!! I love love love ice skating and it's so nice to get out and feel active. So we finished up at home and then went to the Fishers Forum (which is literally about a five minute walk up the road). It was actually pretty packed and it was cool to see people of all ages out on a Saturday night just having fun. We were a little wobbly at first but ended up doing a pretty good job I would say! It was such a blast :) There was some great music playing and a few interesting sights to see (little kids racing around at lightening speed, teenagers on dates where the guy was showing off and the girl was totally bored). We stayed for almost the whole session (which is two hours by the way, so the legs and bum were a little sore on Sunday) and then went to Chatham Tap for dinner and drinks. We topped it off by watching a funny movie with the fire going. Now that's what I call date night :)
Sunday we went to get our oil changed, walked around the mall for a bit and then got stuff to make for the football game. Mer and Sam came over around 8 and we had baked mac and cheese, chips and guacamole, beer and wine. I still don't really understand what's going on when I watch football (I try to remember everything people tell me about the rules and what things mean but sometimes it just hurts my brain...), but it's still fun to have friends over and just hang out. Searched for flights for Thanksgiving and Christmas (a little stressful because holiday travel is absurd and expensive), but felt good about things by the end.
And now we're off to a new week (second week in November! What in the world??) and I'm starting to think I should be thinking about Christmas shopping or something. Oh goodness... I'll crack a book for now instead.
Ohhh ohh and here's a great article my friend Kayla sent me which is from a nursing magazine but definitely something we can all relate to: http://journals.lww.com/nursing/Fulltext/2010/09000/Who_do_you_want_to_be_when_you_grow_up_.1.aspx
Enjoy :)
Last week was a little wild in terms of school and work (and let's just say Friday morning started and ended with a technical glitch for one online course and a dissection interrupted by a cut finger for another-try dissecting a chicken wing with one hand... not as easy as it sounds). But, I had a good chat with a friend, laughed it off, and went to work. Friday night, I hung out at Mer and Sam's and had pizza and drinks with them and a few of their friends (poor Chris found out last minute he had to work late... no fun). But it was a great night and by the time I got home, I was feeling relaxed and more in control of everything going on.
Saturday morning it took me forever to get up (lazy, lazy) but I had a guitar lesson so I forced myself (with some prodding) to get a move on. And of course, I ended up giving my teacher some lengthy disclaimer about how I hadn't practiced very much and not to expect much out of me. He just laughed (as chill guitar teachers do) and said, "Just have fun. That's why you're here, right?" And I smiled because he was right... and that's exactly what Chris had said before I left. So we jammed for awhile (and by jammed I mean convinced my awkward little fingers to form the few chords they know) and was in a great mood when I left.
Came home, had lunch, and attempted my Stats quiz for the second time (holding my breath that the glitch was fixed) and it went really well! This class has felt like the bane of my existence this semester so it was nice to finally feel things click and see a grade that accurately reflected my effort for once. I'm hoping this is a turning point of sorts.
After the quiz, I felt a sudden urge to clean... and I mean, CLEAN. When Chris came downstairs to see what all the noise was about, he just sort of laughed and jumped right in to help. And now we have a clean, sunny house to live in! Hooray :)
As we we were cleaning, he kept asking me what I wanted to do that night... I wasn't really sure and just kept trucking along. Then he asked if I wanted to go ice skating- AWESOME!!!!!!! I love love love ice skating and it's so nice to get out and feel active. So we finished up at home and then went to the Fishers Forum (which is literally about a five minute walk up the road). It was actually pretty packed and it was cool to see people of all ages out on a Saturday night just having fun. We were a little wobbly at first but ended up doing a pretty good job I would say! It was such a blast :) There was some great music playing and a few interesting sights to see (little kids racing around at lightening speed, teenagers on dates where the guy was showing off and the girl was totally bored). We stayed for almost the whole session (which is two hours by the way, so the legs and bum were a little sore on Sunday) and then went to Chatham Tap for dinner and drinks. We topped it off by watching a funny movie with the fire going. Now that's what I call date night :)
Sunday we went to get our oil changed, walked around the mall for a bit and then got stuff to make for the football game. Mer and Sam came over around 8 and we had baked mac and cheese, chips and guacamole, beer and wine. I still don't really understand what's going on when I watch football (I try to remember everything people tell me about the rules and what things mean but sometimes it just hurts my brain...), but it's still fun to have friends over and just hang out. Searched for flights for Thanksgiving and Christmas (a little stressful because holiday travel is absurd and expensive), but felt good about things by the end.
And now we're off to a new week (second week in November! What in the world??) and I'm starting to think I should be thinking about Christmas shopping or something. Oh goodness... I'll crack a book for now instead.
Ohhh ohh and here's a great article my friend Kayla sent me which is from a nursing magazine but definitely something we can all relate to: http://journals.lww.com/nursing/Fulltext/2010/09000/Who_do_you_want_to_be_when_you_grow_up_.1.aspx
Enjoy :)
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Ramble.
The thing about manicotti is, unless you blow on each individual piece (regardless of whether or not it is hot or cold), a one-year old will immediately eject it from his mouth. This is a fun, psychological game toddlers play. So a lunch which should be fairly quick ends up taking about 30 minutes. Good.
This is my day so far... a good one, certainly. But also sort of hilarious and patience-inducing.
In between the manicotti feedings and singing to soothe, I've been pounding out as much homework as I can. This week has been a little brutal school-work wise. And I still need to dissect a chicken wing and take two quizzes. Why am I blogging then, you ask? Because I can. Because if I sit and stare at a statistics book for much longer, I will burn it and throw it out a window and that is not productive. Plus, last night I had a dream that I took my fetal pig out of its bag, went to start a dissection and then watched it run and jump off a ledge. Too much studying.
On a more exciting note, Chris and I had a date night last night (at the Olive Garden which we loooooooove) and then as a surprise, he got me a guitar stand and case! He says it's because I did a good job on my 10k over the weekend- if he had seen me huffing and puffing up the hill on mile 6, he probably would've gotten me a gym membership and thrown away all the Halloween candy that we still have. But I prefer this :)
Another cool thing is that tonight is my first real Red Cross training to do Client Casework and Disaster Relief. I figured it'd be a great way to learn valuable skills, get involved with my community, and maybe meet some cool people. I will report in on how that goes. Especially after 10 hours of babysitting.
Alright, folks, that's about all I've got. Just thought I'd ramble and entertain you for a second.
P.S.- has anyone driven 70-W to St. Louis and seen the enormous, house-sized cross while listening to one of the five country stations on the radio? This is truly God's country out here, lol. Love it.
This is my day so far... a good one, certainly. But also sort of hilarious and patience-inducing.
In between the manicotti feedings and singing to soothe, I've been pounding out as much homework as I can. This week has been a little brutal school-work wise. And I still need to dissect a chicken wing and take two quizzes. Why am I blogging then, you ask? Because I can. Because if I sit and stare at a statistics book for much longer, I will burn it and throw it out a window and that is not productive. Plus, last night I had a dream that I took my fetal pig out of its bag, went to start a dissection and then watched it run and jump off a ledge. Too much studying.
On a more exciting note, Chris and I had a date night last night (at the Olive Garden which we loooooooove) and then as a surprise, he got me a guitar stand and case! He says it's because I did a good job on my 10k over the weekend- if he had seen me huffing and puffing up the hill on mile 6, he probably would've gotten me a gym membership and thrown away all the Halloween candy that we still have. But I prefer this :)
Another cool thing is that tonight is my first real Red Cross training to do Client Casework and Disaster Relief. I figured it'd be a great way to learn valuable skills, get involved with my community, and maybe meet some cool people. I will report in on how that goes. Especially after 10 hours of babysitting.
Alright, folks, that's about all I've got. Just thought I'd ramble and entertain you for a second.
P.S.- has anyone driven 70-W to St. Louis and seen the enormous, house-sized cross while listening to one of the five country stations on the radio? This is truly God's country out here, lol. Love it.
Monday, November 1, 2010
How is it already November?
Well, it seems that Monday is the day I've blogging so I may as well keep up with tradition!
Let me start by saying that I am feeling extraordinarily homesick right now. I don't really know why... those feelings come and go in waves and I haven't felt them much over the past few weeks but they are full blown today. It'll pass... it'll be fine...this is part of growing up, right? I think there's just too much quiet. I am so tired of quiet. I want a full house that's loud and vivacious. Maybe I need to get a pet.
But I'm not going to expand on that thought because it's negative and not fun to read about. Just feels good to get it off my chest.
Had a fun weekend! After work on Friday I drove straight to St. Louis to visit my friend Holly. Two hundred and forty miles on 70-W was a bit of a drag as it is 100% flat and there was a big stretch there where all the music seemed to be country (there was also a cross the size of a house on the side of the road at one point which was a little weird). But I made it there and proceeded to have a great weekend! After I unpacked, we ate pizza and then dressed up for 80s night at a local bar. Interestingly, we were one of three people dressed up at this bar which for some reason did not bother me at all. Must be my inner freak. We didn't drink or anything since we had to do our run early in the morning, but I got to meet a few of her friends and that was nice.
Saturday morning we ran our 10K for Haiti- it was awesome! So great to see people come out to support an awesome cause. It was a good run, but by mile 5 I was hurting (running three times before a 10K is not exactly awesome training, haha). But alas, we finished and hugged it out. We both agreed that we were feeling the urge to either throw up or cry once we finished- some form of catharsis. But we did neither, which was good. Afterwards, we met up with Holly's sister and two adorable kids for a local Halloween event. We went store to store at a mall and trick-or-treated and then listened to some Banjo players and painted pumpkins. Thennnn of course, we stopped at Cracker Barrel for lunch and I ordered "Chicken 'n dumplins" (mostly because I've always wanted to say it). DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I immediately made friends with the munchkins (who made me laugh throughout the whole lunch) and I'm beginning to think that I do a whole lot better with children than adults. Ah well. Maybe it's because children always talk to you, even if you're the new guy.
When we got back to Holly's apartment, we had grandiose plans of going to the zoo, walking around the city, etc. but ended up in mini-comas for about an hour. Finally we regained some energy and got into our costumes for the night. At 6:30 we left to pick up Holly's friend Rachel and then went to a Blues game (my first ever NHL experience!) It was a ton of fun... they ended up winning in a shootout and we were even on the jumbotron! Ice hockey is by far my favorite sport to watch.
After the game, we headed over to a Halloween party which was slightly awkward for me. Most likely because I wasn't drunk and everyone else was lol. Plus, in true Halloween style, everyone else was dressed a bit more... well, sexually, while I was dressed like a princess complete with a puffy green vest and my sneakers. Victoria's Secret even has their own Halloween line now... I mean really? Naughty nurse and sexy kitty? Gross. But I talked to a few nice people and got to see a belligerently drunk man get hoisted into a cab by two grown men, which was interesting.
Sunday morning I raced home for Halloween and the trick-or-treaters. My luminaries all blew over because it was windy, but at least we had a jack-o-lantern and a skeleton outside. I got all dressed up as a fortune teller and sat with the bowl of candy for three hours for three trick-0r-treaters. What the heck? Oh well.
And here we are at Monday. I am trying to motivate myself and am struggling big time. I need to finish gathering info for nursing applications STAT and also need to book my tickets home for Thanksgiving. And you know, do homework since I am working three full days and two part time days this week (Heather -morning nanny- gets married on Saturday!! So I'm covering)... but I'm feeling a little overwhelmed right now. One thing at a time. Here we go!
Have a fabulous day :)
Let me start by saying that I am feeling extraordinarily homesick right now. I don't really know why... those feelings come and go in waves and I haven't felt them much over the past few weeks but they are full blown today. It'll pass... it'll be fine...this is part of growing up, right? I think there's just too much quiet. I am so tired of quiet. I want a full house that's loud and vivacious. Maybe I need to get a pet.
But I'm not going to expand on that thought because it's negative and not fun to read about. Just feels good to get it off my chest.
Had a fun weekend! After work on Friday I drove straight to St. Louis to visit my friend Holly. Two hundred and forty miles on 70-W was a bit of a drag as it is 100% flat and there was a big stretch there where all the music seemed to be country (there was also a cross the size of a house on the side of the road at one point which was a little weird). But I made it there and proceeded to have a great weekend! After I unpacked, we ate pizza and then dressed up for 80s night at a local bar. Interestingly, we were one of three people dressed up at this bar which for some reason did not bother me at all. Must be my inner freak. We didn't drink or anything since we had to do our run early in the morning, but I got to meet a few of her friends and that was nice.
Saturday morning we ran our 10K for Haiti- it was awesome! So great to see people come out to support an awesome cause. It was a good run, but by mile 5 I was hurting (running three times before a 10K is not exactly awesome training, haha). But alas, we finished and hugged it out. We both agreed that we were feeling the urge to either throw up or cry once we finished- some form of catharsis. But we did neither, which was good. Afterwards, we met up with Holly's sister and two adorable kids for a local Halloween event. We went store to store at a mall and trick-or-treated and then listened to some Banjo players and painted pumpkins. Thennnn of course, we stopped at Cracker Barrel for lunch and I ordered "Chicken 'n dumplins" (mostly because I've always wanted to say it). DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I immediately made friends with the munchkins (who made me laugh throughout the whole lunch) and I'm beginning to think that I do a whole lot better with children than adults. Ah well. Maybe it's because children always talk to you, even if you're the new guy.
When we got back to Holly's apartment, we had grandiose plans of going to the zoo, walking around the city, etc. but ended up in mini-comas for about an hour. Finally we regained some energy and got into our costumes for the night. At 6:30 we left to pick up Holly's friend Rachel and then went to a Blues game (my first ever NHL experience!) It was a ton of fun... they ended up winning in a shootout and we were even on the jumbotron! Ice hockey is by far my favorite sport to watch.
After the game, we headed over to a Halloween party which was slightly awkward for me. Most likely because I wasn't drunk and everyone else was lol. Plus, in true Halloween style, everyone else was dressed a bit more... well, sexually, while I was dressed like a princess complete with a puffy green vest and my sneakers. Victoria's Secret even has their own Halloween line now... I mean really? Naughty nurse and sexy kitty? Gross. But I talked to a few nice people and got to see a belligerently drunk man get hoisted into a cab by two grown men, which was interesting.
Sunday morning I raced home for Halloween and the trick-or-treaters. My luminaries all blew over because it was windy, but at least we had a jack-o-lantern and a skeleton outside. I got all dressed up as a fortune teller and sat with the bowl of candy for three hours for three trick-0r-treaters. What the heck? Oh well.
And here we are at Monday. I am trying to motivate myself and am struggling big time. I need to finish gathering info for nursing applications STAT and also need to book my tickets home for Thanksgiving. And you know, do homework since I am working three full days and two part time days this week (Heather -morning nanny- gets married on Saturday!! So I'm covering)... but I'm feeling a little overwhelmed right now. One thing at a time. Here we go!
Have a fabulous day :)
Monday, October 25, 2010
Evolving.
I've been doing a lot of thinking lately... a lot of thinking about how we change and grow through different phases of our lives and relationships. It seems to me that when you're younger, you don't notice those changes as much (they seem to sort of morph into each other), but when you get older, you can almost pinpoint when things happen.
I can pinpoint, for example, that after our trip to NYC I was considerably happier than before we left. I'm not sure why that is.... but I feel like I had some grand epiphany on that trip that this is a new adventure and we're both committed to it and that everything is going to be OK.
I have also been thinking a lot about how when you are growing up, your life path is more or less mapped out for you. You have to go to elementary school, middle school and high school. Most people assume that they will from there go right onto college. Our parents make the rules and set our limitations and boundaries for us. Our teachers help. Our friends just appear because we see them everyday in class. Then all of a sudden, you are out of college and are suddenly the captain of your own ship and having endless options around you can often be more terrifying than being told where to go next. Striking a balance between happiness and diligent perseverance toward a worthwhile goal or next step can get tricky and the lines sometimes become blurred.
I guess the important piece to this ramble is that we all tend to know ourselves better than we think we do. When we actually calm our minds down and reevaluate where we are and why (physically or metaphorically), we are able to see pretty clearly why it is we are there.
Good lord, you must think I have been saluting the sun and writing this in downward dog or something.
Now that we've all had some philosophical babble thrown at us this morning, I will move onto other things. Let's start with few job related discoveries.... I will call them "Revelations from a 4 year old:"
1) The belly button is where the egg is inserted that we then hatch later (this is how pregnancy happens and babies are born).
2) "Looking prettier" than someone (in particular your babysitter) is code for having more sparkly accessories on.
3) Flattery is having a 4 year old ask you to do her hair just like yours.
4) When you teach a child a song, she will share it with her class. You will laugh because when you learned the song at her age, you stood on your desk in your teacher's class and did the exact same thing.
5) There is nothing better in the world than the leg hug from a toddler.
Some of my own revelations for the week/weekend:
1) Watching movies like Paranormal Activity 2 all by yourself= stupid.
2) The guitar is a pretty sweet instrument and learning how to play it and not just stare at it in the corner of your living room is even better.
3) I love Borders. I read an entire book there on Saturday without even having to buy it. Not sure if that is OK but OH WELL.
4) Stats just isn't fun, no matter which way you slice it.
5) Learning how to cook with someone else who is a self-proclaimed "non-chef" is really great. And makes you both feel very accomplished at the end of the day.
6) For as little fashion sense as I have, I had a great time this weekend making Chris try on about 7 outfits for his art showing. Oops. He looked handsome though :)
7) We are fast approaching wave 2 of the weddings. Got my bridesmaid's dress for Seana's wedding. Love it!!!!!
That's about it.... off I go to do some errands and conquer Monday.
XOXO
I can pinpoint, for example, that after our trip to NYC I was considerably happier than before we left. I'm not sure why that is.... but I feel like I had some grand epiphany on that trip that this is a new adventure and we're both committed to it and that everything is going to be OK.
I have also been thinking a lot about how when you are growing up, your life path is more or less mapped out for you. You have to go to elementary school, middle school and high school. Most people assume that they will from there go right onto college. Our parents make the rules and set our limitations and boundaries for us. Our teachers help. Our friends just appear because we see them everyday in class. Then all of a sudden, you are out of college and are suddenly the captain of your own ship and having endless options around you can often be more terrifying than being told where to go next. Striking a balance between happiness and diligent perseverance toward a worthwhile goal or next step can get tricky and the lines sometimes become blurred.
I guess the important piece to this ramble is that we all tend to know ourselves better than we think we do. When we actually calm our minds down and reevaluate where we are and why (physically or metaphorically), we are able to see pretty clearly why it is we are there.
Good lord, you must think I have been saluting the sun and writing this in downward dog or something.
Now that we've all had some philosophical babble thrown at us this morning, I will move onto other things. Let's start with few job related discoveries.... I will call them "Revelations from a 4 year old:"
1) The belly button is where the egg is inserted that we then hatch later (this is how pregnancy happens and babies are born).
2) "Looking prettier" than someone (in particular your babysitter) is code for having more sparkly accessories on.
3) Flattery is having a 4 year old ask you to do her hair just like yours.
4) When you teach a child a song, she will share it with her class. You will laugh because when you learned the song at her age, you stood on your desk in your teacher's class and did the exact same thing.
5) There is nothing better in the world than the leg hug from a toddler.
Some of my own revelations for the week/weekend:
1) Watching movies like Paranormal Activity 2 all by yourself= stupid.
2) The guitar is a pretty sweet instrument and learning how to play it and not just stare at it in the corner of your living room is even better.
3) I love Borders. I read an entire book there on Saturday without even having to buy it. Not sure if that is OK but OH WELL.
4) Stats just isn't fun, no matter which way you slice it.
5) Learning how to cook with someone else who is a self-proclaimed "non-chef" is really great. And makes you both feel very accomplished at the end of the day.
6) For as little fashion sense as I have, I had a great time this weekend making Chris try on about 7 outfits for his art showing. Oops. He looked handsome though :)
7) We are fast approaching wave 2 of the weddings. Got my bridesmaid's dress for Seana's wedding. Love it!!!!!
That's about it.... off I go to do some errands and conquer Monday.
XOXO
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
It's Been Awhile....
Sorry it's been a few days, friends.... it's been busy! Let's do a quick re-cap on life in the midwest:
Last week was midterms week. I have yet to find out my stats grade, but feeling pretty good overall about how the two exams went. I am trying to keep things in perspective, however, should stats NOT have gone so great because, well, there is no need to fret about things that've already happened that we can't reverse, right? Ahhhh, if only we could really, truly live by that mantra.
Last week was also the week of friends! By that I mean, Monday night I was invited to new friend Heather's house for dinner when she heard Chris would be working late (thoughtful and fun) and I had an awesome time. The food was yummy and the company was even better. Check one- Mariah made a friend in Indiana, 100% on her own :)
Tuesday night was girls' night- Mer and two of her friends from dance and I got together for dinner, drinks and Disney. With bellies full of lasagna and wine (ooo and bread, salad, and pumpkin cake), we watched Aladdin, sang along, and just enjoyed ourselves. You might think that sounds like a very childish activity, but let me tell you something... there is nothing more soothing and smile-inducing than a night where you feel like you're 8 again. And Aladdin still looks good in those pants. I don't care if he's a cartoon.
Wednesday night I got up the motivation to go outside and run (I think I ran twice last week but that may be a bit generous) which is good since next weekend (October 30th) is the 10k for Haiti in St. Louis. And Holly is literally going to leave me in the dust at the rate I'm going. But the run went well and felt good and after Chris and I ate Indian food and planned for our trip (more to come on this)....
Thursday I finished the final final (seriously), considered treating myself to a beer, remembered I had to nanny at 2:30, decided against it and then moved on. Packed for the NYC trip, raced off to nanny, got my eyebrows waxed so I would have two instead of one, and met Mer for pizza and wine. MMMM.....
Then, on Friday morning at 5 am, after 4 hours of sleep, Chris and I raced to the airport (literally raced, because we were behind schedule and planned poorly) to the airport to leave for NYC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am not kidding when I say we were sprinting through the airport to the gate a la Home Alone. But we made it (WHEW) and at 3 pm, we were checking into a Hilton Garden Inn in Tribeca.
Let me put out a disclaimer before I forge on: Friends who live in NYC, I am sorry to the 10th power that we did not call while in town but you must understand that this was the whirlwind 2.5 day tour and mini vacation for us.... After 2.5 months of transitioning into this new little world and life, we needed a break from reality and so cashed in on part of Chris's Christmas present for a fun weekend rendez-vous. Next time we are in the area, we will absolutely be calling/getting together :)
NYC was absolutely amazing. I am a city girl at heart, I would say. I like walking quickly and am fairly impatient in many ways, so I always feel like I fit right in. Plus there is this awesome energy that just hits you the second you're there. I don't know what it is... it just makes me want to tap dance on Broadway or something. Chris and I were talking about going to school at NYU at one point and he mentioned that there was no big football or sports team and not really a campus and while I agree with the no campus part being a little less than ideal for undergrad (solely in my opinion), the no big sports and football would've been fine with me! It's perfect. No trying to fake enthusiasm.... people just work hard at school, go to coffee shops and open mics...........art gallery openings? Film festivals? I don't know, this is probably all very stereotypical, but it is so a world I would love to be a part of.
I digress. So Friday when we got to the city, we walked around Chinatown and Little Italy and ended up eating at an incredible restaurant where most of the patrons were speaking Italian. We decided that was a good sign. After that, we stopped for cannolis and coffee (which we ended up leaving in the fridge in the hotel, oops) and then did a little shopping. Come to find out, however, NYC was/is having a big bedbug problem and buying clothes was probably not the best idea? Oh well.
After that we took the subway to Times Square, which was just breathtaking as usual. I know people think it's a big awful tourist trap, but I could care less. It's constantly bustling, there are bright lights and signs everywhere, there's music playing, people hassling you to love jesus or go see a comedy show, and plus, it just smells good (like roasted nuts and pretzels). We took some cool pictures, checked out the Hershey and M&M stores, then headed uptown for dinner and dessert at Serendipity 3 (YES- the one from the movie!!!!!!!!!!!) It was so fun... and we had the frozen hot chocolate dessert which was obviously to die for.
Saturday we stopped at a deli (question mark) for breakfast and then made our way to Wall Street and the Financial District. We walked passed Ground Zero, saw the NYSE and the bull, and took more pictures. We tried to take artistic photos of each other but I will just say that those things make me laugh. In no way was I built to model. Most of the time I pose myself in this awesome way which results in a double chin, lazy eye and hair in my face.
After our exploration there, we went to Grand Central Terminal and then I showed Chris where I interned the summer after junior year in college. It was cool to be back there! We walked all up and down fifth avenue, in and out of stores, and stopped at Rockefeller Center to watch the skaters. Next time WE will skate as well but it was taking too long and the zamboni was rather slow.
We poked our heads into Radio City Music Hall, saw the NBC studio, and even went to St. Patrick's during mass where Chris took pics and I lit a candle (tradition). Then, having walked a billion miles, we decided it was time to break for dinner.
We waited for almost an hour at John's Pizzeria but it was really good! Then after that we went to the Empire State Building and waited for about an hour in that line to go to the observatory. It was sooooo cool- the whole city was lit up and my god, it is HUGE. Definitely worth the wait.
Now, blame it on the walking or lack of water, but when we got to our final destination (O'Neill's irish pub) it took about 1.5 beers before I felt my legs do that tingly thing they do when I drink. We were all smiles and laughs (and very rosy-cheeked, I might add) while we crammed ourselves into whatever space we could find at the bar and listened to live irish music. The perfect ending to a perfect day.
Sunday we played it a little more low key. Got a bit of a late start and then ended up in Greenwich Village. We had lunch at Spice (thank you, Christie and Zach for introducing me to that!!!!!!!) and then just putzed around and looked at NYU, Union Square, etc.
When it was time to leave, we had a CRAZY taxi driver take us back to the airport. There was some accident halfway there so traffic was bumper to bumper for a very long time. He kept swearing under his breath and at one point drove across the grass to the other side of the highway to change his course. We were just clutching hands in the backseat, trying not to look at each other. When we got to JFK, the line at security was also a mile long and (just like our departure), and had to sprint to the gate as they were calling our names. Nothing like keeping that heart rate up.
It was just the perfect weekend and exactly what we needed. It also reminded me that being in a new place together is exciting and to keep reminding myself that even though Indy is a little challenging for me at times because I feel like I'm trying to find my way in a pre-Mariah world of college, sports and co-workers, that there is still plenty of time and space for new memories, places and experiences. It was good to gain that perspective and just have stress-free fun together.
Now it is Wednesday and I am doing my best to stay on schedule with school work this week. I feel like I've done a decent job so far so hopefully I can keep the momentum up. And Holly, you will be proud... I ran again yesterday. Only 7 miles next Saturday right??? OYYYY.
Finally, guitar lesson 1 this Saturday (WOO), and the purchase of my bridesmaid's dress for my darling cousin's wedding. Very exciting!!! Love weddings!
Ok, that is all for now...um, wait... I feel like I'm supposed to leave you with some positive thought for the day or week or something. Ok, how about this- "Life begins outside of your comfort zone." Saw that on a card... Loved it.
To a happy, healthy week and weekend!
XOXO
Last week was midterms week. I have yet to find out my stats grade, but feeling pretty good overall about how the two exams went. I am trying to keep things in perspective, however, should stats NOT have gone so great because, well, there is no need to fret about things that've already happened that we can't reverse, right? Ahhhh, if only we could really, truly live by that mantra.
Last week was also the week of friends! By that I mean, Monday night I was invited to new friend Heather's house for dinner when she heard Chris would be working late (thoughtful and fun) and I had an awesome time. The food was yummy and the company was even better. Check one- Mariah made a friend in Indiana, 100% on her own :)
Tuesday night was girls' night- Mer and two of her friends from dance and I got together for dinner, drinks and Disney. With bellies full of lasagna and wine (ooo and bread, salad, and pumpkin cake), we watched Aladdin, sang along, and just enjoyed ourselves. You might think that sounds like a very childish activity, but let me tell you something... there is nothing more soothing and smile-inducing than a night where you feel like you're 8 again. And Aladdin still looks good in those pants. I don't care if he's a cartoon.
Wednesday night I got up the motivation to go outside and run (I think I ran twice last week but that may be a bit generous) which is good since next weekend (October 30th) is the 10k for Haiti in St. Louis. And Holly is literally going to leave me in the dust at the rate I'm going. But the run went well and felt good and after Chris and I ate Indian food and planned for our trip (more to come on this)....
Thursday I finished the final final (seriously), considered treating myself to a beer, remembered I had to nanny at 2:30, decided against it and then moved on. Packed for the NYC trip, raced off to nanny, got my eyebrows waxed so I would have two instead of one, and met Mer for pizza and wine. MMMM.....
Then, on Friday morning at 5 am, after 4 hours of sleep, Chris and I raced to the airport (literally raced, because we were behind schedule and planned poorly) to the airport to leave for NYC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am not kidding when I say we were sprinting through the airport to the gate a la Home Alone. But we made it (WHEW) and at 3 pm, we were checking into a Hilton Garden Inn in Tribeca.
Let me put out a disclaimer before I forge on: Friends who live in NYC, I am sorry to the 10th power that we did not call while in town but you must understand that this was the whirlwind 2.5 day tour and mini vacation for us.... After 2.5 months of transitioning into this new little world and life, we needed a break from reality and so cashed in on part of Chris's Christmas present for a fun weekend rendez-vous. Next time we are in the area, we will absolutely be calling/getting together :)
NYC was absolutely amazing. I am a city girl at heart, I would say. I like walking quickly and am fairly impatient in many ways, so I always feel like I fit right in. Plus there is this awesome energy that just hits you the second you're there. I don't know what it is... it just makes me want to tap dance on Broadway or something. Chris and I were talking about going to school at NYU at one point and he mentioned that there was no big football or sports team and not really a campus and while I agree with the no campus part being a little less than ideal for undergrad (solely in my opinion), the no big sports and football would've been fine with me! It's perfect. No trying to fake enthusiasm.... people just work hard at school, go to coffee shops and open mics...........art gallery openings? Film festivals? I don't know, this is probably all very stereotypical, but it is so a world I would love to be a part of.
I digress. So Friday when we got to the city, we walked around Chinatown and Little Italy and ended up eating at an incredible restaurant where most of the patrons were speaking Italian. We decided that was a good sign. After that, we stopped for cannolis and coffee (which we ended up leaving in the fridge in the hotel, oops) and then did a little shopping. Come to find out, however, NYC was/is having a big bedbug problem and buying clothes was probably not the best idea? Oh well.
After that we took the subway to Times Square, which was just breathtaking as usual. I know people think it's a big awful tourist trap, but I could care less. It's constantly bustling, there are bright lights and signs everywhere, there's music playing, people hassling you to love jesus or go see a comedy show, and plus, it just smells good (like roasted nuts and pretzels). We took some cool pictures, checked out the Hershey and M&M stores, then headed uptown for dinner and dessert at Serendipity 3 (YES- the one from the movie!!!!!!!!!!!) It was so fun... and we had the frozen hot chocolate dessert which was obviously to die for.
Saturday we stopped at a deli (question mark) for breakfast and then made our way to Wall Street and the Financial District. We walked passed Ground Zero, saw the NYSE and the bull, and took more pictures. We tried to take artistic photos of each other but I will just say that those things make me laugh. In no way was I built to model. Most of the time I pose myself in this awesome way which results in a double chin, lazy eye and hair in my face.
After our exploration there, we went to Grand Central Terminal and then I showed Chris where I interned the summer after junior year in college. It was cool to be back there! We walked all up and down fifth avenue, in and out of stores, and stopped at Rockefeller Center to watch the skaters. Next time WE will skate as well but it was taking too long and the zamboni was rather slow.
We poked our heads into Radio City Music Hall, saw the NBC studio, and even went to St. Patrick's during mass where Chris took pics and I lit a candle (tradition). Then, having walked a billion miles, we decided it was time to break for dinner.
We waited for almost an hour at John's Pizzeria but it was really good! Then after that we went to the Empire State Building and waited for about an hour in that line to go to the observatory. It was sooooo cool- the whole city was lit up and my god, it is HUGE. Definitely worth the wait.
Now, blame it on the walking or lack of water, but when we got to our final destination (O'Neill's irish pub) it took about 1.5 beers before I felt my legs do that tingly thing they do when I drink. We were all smiles and laughs (and very rosy-cheeked, I might add) while we crammed ourselves into whatever space we could find at the bar and listened to live irish music. The perfect ending to a perfect day.
Sunday we played it a little more low key. Got a bit of a late start and then ended up in Greenwich Village. We had lunch at Spice (thank you, Christie and Zach for introducing me to that!!!!!!!) and then just putzed around and looked at NYU, Union Square, etc.
When it was time to leave, we had a CRAZY taxi driver take us back to the airport. There was some accident halfway there so traffic was bumper to bumper for a very long time. He kept swearing under his breath and at one point drove across the grass to the other side of the highway to change his course. We were just clutching hands in the backseat, trying not to look at each other. When we got to JFK, the line at security was also a mile long and (just like our departure), and had to sprint to the gate as they were calling our names. Nothing like keeping that heart rate up.
It was just the perfect weekend and exactly what we needed. It also reminded me that being in a new place together is exciting and to keep reminding myself that even though Indy is a little challenging for me at times because I feel like I'm trying to find my way in a pre-Mariah world of college, sports and co-workers, that there is still plenty of time and space for new memories, places and experiences. It was good to gain that perspective and just have stress-free fun together.
Now it is Wednesday and I am doing my best to stay on schedule with school work this week. I feel like I've done a decent job so far so hopefully I can keep the momentum up. And Holly, you will be proud... I ran again yesterday. Only 7 miles next Saturday right??? OYYYY.
Finally, guitar lesson 1 this Saturday (WOO), and the purchase of my bridesmaid's dress for my darling cousin's wedding. Very exciting!!! Love weddings!
Ok, that is all for now...um, wait... I feel like I'm supposed to leave you with some positive thought for the day or week or something. Ok, how about this- "Life begins outside of your comfort zone." Saw that on a card... Loved it.
To a happy, healthy week and weekend!
XOXO
Monday, October 11, 2010
A Happy State of Mind
There are a few things I've decided today. The first is that I need to learn a little about life balance. I need to find a way to express myself in a constructive way. I have always struggled with this and end up either wearing my emotions on my face and sleeve or pushing anything and everything to the back burner. I am very calm as I write this, but am seriously wondering and looking for tips from other people about this subject. When you are a passionate person it becomes hard to do anything that is NOT to an extreme... if that makes sense. So for me, I am either passionately quiet or passionately loud. How is one just passionately in the middle? You know, passionately "indoor voice" or something?
I read an article today on AOL about the happiest man in the world... this Buddhist monk whose positive emotions and feelings far outweigh the negative. He suggested that happiness is not something one can find in people, places or things for all of those are temporary and cannot last forever. I thought that was really interesting since recently I have felt like if I was just in a different place or was around certain people or could have different things (not fancy things, but a published book or certain grade, etc.) than maybe life would suddenly be perfect. And this man is telling me that is not the case. In fact, he suggests happiness is a state of mind, a type of existence. It is in what you do and how you in act... it stems from compassion, love, generosity, peace of mind, peace of heart. He also suggested sitting quietly and meditating for 30 minutes a day to train your mind to exist in that state. I feel like these are all things we all know but tend to ignore but I am really starting to appreciate the value in what it all means.
(Let me insert here my deepest apologies that this might not be a hilarious blog to read, but maybe it will resonate with some of you like it does with me).
Anyway, I realized something else today... feeling angry about certain things or comparing your life with others will lead you absolutely nowhere. It will put you into a negative state, make you resist all the positive that is desperately trying to force its way into your life... you will miss out on amazing experiences, amazing people... these are things I am not willing to miss out in my life. But how do we calm those little inner voices that can sometimes scream at us? How do we tell the voice in our head that says, "If only..." or "I wish..." or "Maybe in the future..." to just SHUT UP? Shut up and leave us alone and let us be in this moment and let us enjoy a good song on the radio or an awesome book or a warm hug from someone who loves us without constantly trying to outrun ourselves and others?
I decided to follow a good friend's advice today to make sure most of my day falls into one of the following categories today: fun, productive, kind, or enriching. I think she is brilliant anyway... but those little categories? They mean a lot. So today I signed up for guitar lessons which is both enriching and fun. I took Chris's artwork to the Butler Alumni exhibit since it's something that makes HIM happy and therefore it is kind. I studied for my midterms and that was productive. I wrote a song and am writing in my blog which is enriching and fun (and I guess productive as well). I am going to babysit now which is productive. When I get home I will run and study more (also productive and enriching). And then I will hug the person I love most when he comes home from work and I will get a good night's sleep and tomorrow I will do my best to do the same.
Lots of love on a sunny Monday. :)
I read an article today on AOL about the happiest man in the world... this Buddhist monk whose positive emotions and feelings far outweigh the negative. He suggested that happiness is not something one can find in people, places or things for all of those are temporary and cannot last forever. I thought that was really interesting since recently I have felt like if I was just in a different place or was around certain people or could have different things (not fancy things, but a published book or certain grade, etc.) than maybe life would suddenly be perfect. And this man is telling me that is not the case. In fact, he suggests happiness is a state of mind, a type of existence. It is in what you do and how you in act... it stems from compassion, love, generosity, peace of mind, peace of heart. He also suggested sitting quietly and meditating for 30 minutes a day to train your mind to exist in that state. I feel like these are all things we all know but tend to ignore but I am really starting to appreciate the value in what it all means.
(Let me insert here my deepest apologies that this might not be a hilarious blog to read, but maybe it will resonate with some of you like it does with me).
Anyway, I realized something else today... feeling angry about certain things or comparing your life with others will lead you absolutely nowhere. It will put you into a negative state, make you resist all the positive that is desperately trying to force its way into your life... you will miss out on amazing experiences, amazing people... these are things I am not willing to miss out in my life. But how do we calm those little inner voices that can sometimes scream at us? How do we tell the voice in our head that says, "If only..." or "I wish..." or "Maybe in the future..." to just SHUT UP? Shut up and leave us alone and let us be in this moment and let us enjoy a good song on the radio or an awesome book or a warm hug from someone who loves us without constantly trying to outrun ourselves and others?
I decided to follow a good friend's advice today to make sure most of my day falls into one of the following categories today: fun, productive, kind, or enriching. I think she is brilliant anyway... but those little categories? They mean a lot. So today I signed up for guitar lessons which is both enriching and fun. I took Chris's artwork to the Butler Alumni exhibit since it's something that makes HIM happy and therefore it is kind. I studied for my midterms and that was productive. I wrote a song and am writing in my blog which is enriching and fun (and I guess productive as well). I am going to babysit now which is productive. When I get home I will run and study more (also productive and enriching). And then I will hug the person I love most when he comes home from work and I will get a good night's sleep and tomorrow I will do my best to do the same.
Lots of love on a sunny Monday. :)
Friday, October 8, 2010
Great Week, Memorable Quotes, Fun Ahead
I pat myself on the back as I say that this has been my best week in Indiana so far. Something happened this week where my attitude started to shift (I could literally feel it happen). I don't know if it was sitting with Chris and finally talking about ideas for next year with school and jobs, being able to be honest about what has been good and what has been hard so far about this transition, or just starting to adjust to everything around me... but however it happened, it certainly feels good. Capped it off with a good run on Thursday and am finally starting to feel like I can dominate this 10k with Holly in three weeks. Annnnnd classes/tests/hw this week went pretty well too :) Midterms next week (can you believe it? I can't)... wish me luck!
Ok blah blah blah, I know that while my own poignant moments of self-realization and happiness are truly thrilling for you readers, what you really want is something to laugh about. Am I right, or am I right? I think I will start you off with the quote of the week:
Little girl I babysit (4 y/o): "Mariah, how are those millions of kids coming that I asked you for?"
Me: "I'll be honest, they're not going to show up any time soon, friend."
Little girl I babysit: "Hasn't anyone put an egg in you yet?"
Let me stop right here. At this point, I damn near choked on my soda. But I did my best to remain calm and collected.
Me: "Hmm, an egg?"
Little girl I babysit: "Ya! Like the chickens. Chickens need to have an egg put in so that an egg comes out and I think people are like chickens. Or MAYBE we're like worms and can just cut ourselves in half!" (Maniacal giggle).
Me: "WHO IS TELLING YOU THIS STUFF????"
Moving right along....
A guilty secret is that when this little girl decides to wrap her arms around my lower leg so that I can drag her around the house, I let her and write it off as my gluteal work out. Buns of steel in no time. Wildy inappropriate, I apologize.
And finally:
I was told today that I am an adult who wants to be a kid. I acknowledge the truth in this statement and realize that life will be easier once I have children to blame my interests on. "Ohhhh, Frankie is just DYING to go to the pumpkin patch and haunted house and apple picking and to the zoo and to the corn maze and......" Yup. Not as normal when a 25 year old makes the request. Also? Child will not be named Frankie. Nothing against the name Frankie, I just know it won't realistically happen.
But enough about that.
Right now Chris is upstairs taking a nap... when he comes back downstairs he will probably notice that the sliding doors are covered in construction paper bats, pumpkins and ghosts. And that I have taken a huge chunk out of the raw cookie dough in the fridge which has "DO NOT CONSUME RAW" typed all over it. Mmmmm. So good.
I have absolutely no rhyme or reason to my thoughts right now....... they are helter skelter. I apologize. My brain is fried from studying this week. And I am probably crashing down for some sugar high.
Oh oh... a few other things before I forget:
1) I successfully cooked a Thai Red Curry Chicken and Shrimp dish on Wednesday night. The house is still standing and the food was edible. Go me.
2) Chris and I watched Halloween: H20 on Monday night and he left me at the scariest part of the movie to go watch some ridiculous YouTube video about the Return of the Quack (some Oregon football team thing I think). I demanded his return, though, and he kindly obliged so that I could hide my face in his arm like a 5 year old. That was fun :)
3) Mer, Sam, Chris and I went to Trivia last night and for the first time in three weeks, we did not place. We were all visibly upset.
4) My to-do list this weekend probably requires an extra five days. That is incredibly unfortunate.
5) I am starting to see some pretty gorgeous fall foliage when I'm out and about. This makes me smile.
6) I can move my neck.
7) I am staring longingly at my guitar right now, wishing I could just skip the whole learning part and play the damn thing already.
8) I miss speaking Spanish. If you speak Spanish, call me. Like immediately.
That is all............so to summarize- a good week filled with goal accomplishing, fall appropriate activities, laughter and good energy. Huzzah.
A thought for you to contemplate: Do you remember when you were five and you wanted to be like 15 different things when you grew up? Do you ever feel that way now? Because I do daily. For example, on my bucket list, I basically want to be a pediatric nurse practitioner and save the children, become a singer/songwriteer, publish children's books, own a chocolate shop in Switzerland and simultaneously speak Spanish while tap dancing while lying on a beach in Tahiti. Sigh. I hope I live to be 200.
That is all friends. I am off to raid the fridge of more cookie dough. Shhh....
XOXO
Ok blah blah blah, I know that while my own poignant moments of self-realization and happiness are truly thrilling for you readers, what you really want is something to laugh about. Am I right, or am I right? I think I will start you off with the quote of the week:
Little girl I babysit (4 y/o): "Mariah, how are those millions of kids coming that I asked you for?"
Me: "I'll be honest, they're not going to show up any time soon, friend."
Little girl I babysit: "Hasn't anyone put an egg in you yet?"
Let me stop right here. At this point, I damn near choked on my soda. But I did my best to remain calm and collected.
Me: "Hmm, an egg?"
Little girl I babysit: "Ya! Like the chickens. Chickens need to have an egg put in so that an egg comes out and I think people are like chickens. Or MAYBE we're like worms and can just cut ourselves in half!" (Maniacal giggle).
Me: "WHO IS TELLING YOU THIS STUFF????"
Moving right along....
A guilty secret is that when this little girl decides to wrap her arms around my lower leg so that I can drag her around the house, I let her and write it off as my gluteal work out. Buns of steel in no time. Wildy inappropriate, I apologize.
And finally:
I was told today that I am an adult who wants to be a kid. I acknowledge the truth in this statement and realize that life will be easier once I have children to blame my interests on. "Ohhhh, Frankie is just DYING to go to the pumpkin patch and haunted house and apple picking and to the zoo and to the corn maze and......" Yup. Not as normal when a 25 year old makes the request. Also? Child will not be named Frankie. Nothing against the name Frankie, I just know it won't realistically happen.
But enough about that.
Right now Chris is upstairs taking a nap... when he comes back downstairs he will probably notice that the sliding doors are covered in construction paper bats, pumpkins and ghosts. And that I have taken a huge chunk out of the raw cookie dough in the fridge which has "DO NOT CONSUME RAW" typed all over it. Mmmmm. So good.
I have absolutely no rhyme or reason to my thoughts right now....... they are helter skelter. I apologize. My brain is fried from studying this week. And I am probably crashing down for some sugar high.
Oh oh... a few other things before I forget:
1) I successfully cooked a Thai Red Curry Chicken and Shrimp dish on Wednesday night. The house is still standing and the food was edible. Go me.
2) Chris and I watched Halloween: H20 on Monday night and he left me at the scariest part of the movie to go watch some ridiculous YouTube video about the Return of the Quack (some Oregon football team thing I think). I demanded his return, though, and he kindly obliged so that I could hide my face in his arm like a 5 year old. That was fun :)
3) Mer, Sam, Chris and I went to Trivia last night and for the first time in three weeks, we did not place. We were all visibly upset.
4) My to-do list this weekend probably requires an extra five days. That is incredibly unfortunate.
5) I am starting to see some pretty gorgeous fall foliage when I'm out and about. This makes me smile.
6) I can move my neck.
7) I am staring longingly at my guitar right now, wishing I could just skip the whole learning part and play the damn thing already.
8) I miss speaking Spanish. If you speak Spanish, call me. Like immediately.
That is all............so to summarize- a good week filled with goal accomplishing, fall appropriate activities, laughter and good energy. Huzzah.
A thought for you to contemplate: Do you remember when you were five and you wanted to be like 15 different things when you grew up? Do you ever feel that way now? Because I do daily. For example, on my bucket list, I basically want to be a pediatric nurse practitioner and save the children, become a singer/songwriteer, publish children's books, own a chocolate shop in Switzerland and simultaneously speak Spanish while tap dancing while lying on a beach in Tahiti. Sigh. I hope I live to be 200.
That is all friends. I am off to raid the fridge of more cookie dough. Shhh....
XOXO
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Ummm.... Sunday, Oh No, Almost Monday?
I was trying to be creative with the entry title.... it didn't work out so well.
It is Sunday night and I am sitting on the couch for probably the 7th hour today. I woke up this morning with that ridiculous pinched nerve, can't-move-my-neck thing that I tend to get about twice a year for no reason at all. It literally feels like a constant charlie horse in your neck. What a waste of a beautiful day... ahhh well. I did manage to go to church this morning which was nice... and this thing will go away in a couple days hopefully.
Ok, trying to think of anything to recap on... Wednesday night Chris and I went on a picnic that I planned as a surprise. It was more or less a total failure since we left a little late and then I had the wrong directions to the park we were going to. It was also pretty cold. So we sat in the dark on beach towels and froze eating our sandwiches. Ahhh well, I tried.
Thursday was awesome in that Chris, Mer, Sam and I went to Mo's Irish Pub for Trivia Night and came in, wait for it- SECOND PLACE!!!!! We got a twenty dollar gift certificate for when we come back next week. Our group is called "What a Crazy Cornhole!" (my idea, obviously) and we are slowly creeping up the ladder :) Maybe next week will be a first place win!
Friday I did an awesome brownie and puppet making day with the kids I nanny and I think it was a huge success. I am thinking about making some of the cute witch and mummy puppets to put in the front yard- we shall see if that actually happens!
Saturday Chris took his boards and I spent most of the day studying and doing errands/chores. It was pouring out so I figured better to be productive while it was too crappy to go out and have fun. Saturday night Chris went out with friends to celebrate being done with his exam and I decided to hang back since it's good for us to both do things on our own with friends. So I went to the movies... tried to see "Life As We Know It" but it was sold out so I ended up seeing Easy A... it was cute, entertaining... not sure if it was worth the nine dollars, but I got to eat movie popcorn so that was good :) Then I bought a bottle of wine and had a two hour long phone conversation with a long lost friend.
PS- I cannot begin to explain how many people I know are now engaged or pregnant. Better start saving those pennies for the gifts to come!
Thought for the week: "Your net worth is nothing more and nothing less than what you do for others and how you serve the world."
It is Sunday night and I am sitting on the couch for probably the 7th hour today. I woke up this morning with that ridiculous pinched nerve, can't-move-my-neck thing that I tend to get about twice a year for no reason at all. It literally feels like a constant charlie horse in your neck. What a waste of a beautiful day... ahhh well. I did manage to go to church this morning which was nice... and this thing will go away in a couple days hopefully.
Ok, trying to think of anything to recap on... Wednesday night Chris and I went on a picnic that I planned as a surprise. It was more or less a total failure since we left a little late and then I had the wrong directions to the park we were going to. It was also pretty cold. So we sat in the dark on beach towels and froze eating our sandwiches. Ahhh well, I tried.
Thursday was awesome in that Chris, Mer, Sam and I went to Mo's Irish Pub for Trivia Night and came in, wait for it- SECOND PLACE!!!!! We got a twenty dollar gift certificate for when we come back next week. Our group is called "What a Crazy Cornhole!" (my idea, obviously) and we are slowly creeping up the ladder :) Maybe next week will be a first place win!
Friday I did an awesome brownie and puppet making day with the kids I nanny and I think it was a huge success. I am thinking about making some of the cute witch and mummy puppets to put in the front yard- we shall see if that actually happens!
Saturday Chris took his boards and I spent most of the day studying and doing errands/chores. It was pouring out so I figured better to be productive while it was too crappy to go out and have fun. Saturday night Chris went out with friends to celebrate being done with his exam and I decided to hang back since it's good for us to both do things on our own with friends. So I went to the movies... tried to see "Life As We Know It" but it was sold out so I ended up seeing Easy A... it was cute, entertaining... not sure if it was worth the nine dollars, but I got to eat movie popcorn so that was good :) Then I bought a bottle of wine and had a two hour long phone conversation with a long lost friend.
PS- I cannot begin to explain how many people I know are now engaged or pregnant. Better start saving those pennies for the gifts to come!
Thought for the week: "Your net worth is nothing more and nothing less than what you do for others and how you serve the world."
Monday, September 27, 2010
Mon-day Fun-Day
I am struggling with the American Red Cross online training website right now, so while I wait for it to work itself out and allow me to sign on, I thought I would do a little writing.
First of all, it's 45 degrees out right now. Sickeningly enough, I am delighted. It's almost October and I am ready for fall weather- crunchy leaves, sweatshirts and jeans, warm afternoons and chilly mornings and nights. It just puts me in a good mood. I really love summer too, but fall to me symbolizes school, good smells, and rosy cheeks. I have two tiny pumpkins sitting next to me on the kitchen table right now but I think I'm going to have to get a few big ones to carve and leave on the porch. I hope we get trick-or-treaters here!
Ok, now for a weekend re-cap (those are my favorite): Friday instead of indulging in wine on a date with myself, I wound up studying at Starbucks. I knew I would not enjoy relaxing if I wasn't feeling ready for my quiz on Saturday. So I cranked out some work for a few hours and then headed over to the mall to buy myself some new running shoes. This was a very big splurge, but I decided that since my feet felt like they were running on pancakes, it was time. I also bought myself an awesome new shirt that just says Man Up. on the front. When I told my mom and sisters about this, they teased me and said they were surprised I would buy such a sexist shirt. They know I am a raging feminist and love to give me a hard time about it. I half-jokingly said I should tape a (WO) in front of the Man. It might be hilarious... annnnnd I think I might do it. Why do people plant these ideas in my head???? Also, please insert note here: Ryan did offer another option for the me and myself date night which was to be the duster at his apartment while he and Amy cleaned. As fun as that sounded, I didn't want to intrude.
Moving right along to Saturday... OHHHH Saturday. It felt like a scene out of Julie and Julia. You know, the book/movie about the girl who tries to cook and just ends up cursing a lot?? Well, after studying all morning and taking my quiz, Chris and I decided to be fancy and try our new ice cream maker. Mer and Sam's housewarming party was Saturday night and we had high hopes of bringing homemade pie, ice cream, and guacamole to the house. There are two problems with Chris and I cooking/baking together under time constraints: 1) He is meticulous and I am impatient. This means that not only do we not make deadlines, things are also done incorrectly. 2) Both of us are perfectionists and want everything to come out perfectly even when we are slow, impatient, or not sure of what the hell it is we're doing. So I started off by throwing all the ingredients together and heating them in the saucepan.... then immediately transferred the mix to the semi-frozen bowl that goes inside the ice cream maker... then plopped said bowl in the freezer. Now, common sense suggests that the purpose of the ice cream maker is that you take the bowl and put it in the machine and turn it on. But apparently I'm too colonial to see that. Chris called me on it and I annoyingly told him he could finish because apparently I wasn't born to cook (this was also frustration inspired by remnants of an earlier conversation, not with Chris, which got me on a tirade... but that is not something I need to go into detail about here). So anyway, he worked on finishing our project while I worked on the apple pie. A few minutes later, we checked and the ice cream wasn't doing ANYTHING. It was just soup. I groaned and said, FORGET IT, whatever. And Chris tried to be nice and say it was OK... and then three minutes later, he looked at it again and ended up right there with me cursing in the kitchen. The pie got put in the oven and I showered and spent five minutes being pissed off at my hair because it's long and sheds and doesn't ever look nice like other people's... and this is not something I am normally mad about or care about but alas, I was in just the right mood to whine. I went back downstairs to check on the pie and of course the edges were starting to burn so I tried to finagle some tinfoil over the top (which is not easy and resulted in a few painful moments). Meanwhile, Chris started asking me questions about something else and I snapped and said, "I'm gonna burn myself! And I don't know what I'm doing anyway! So why are you asking me?" I shoved the pie back in the oven and we decided to get some dishes done. Three dishes in, Chris ended up with water all down the front of his pants and just stopped dead in his tracks. Well, that was all it took... I put my head on the counter and burst out laughing. I finally just looked at him, barely able to breathe and was like, "Ok. This is just comical now. Look at us." So he ran off to change his clothes, I finished the dishes extraordinarily half-assed and we jumped into the car JUST IN TIME. We drove to the house blasting Linkin Park. Enough said.
The house party was a blast... good food, good drinks, Sam running with a firey log that had to be lit inside because the wind was too strong.... you know, just another normal night in Noblesville (woah, alliteration). There was a great turn out and we ended up staying til about 1 in the morning.... what wild kids we are.
Sunday was... calmer? Hahah.... Yes, calmer. We went to Target for ingredients for baked mac and cheese (MMMMM) and re-did the ice cream (it came out AWESOME). We also did a little shopping at Old Navy ANNNNNNNNNND went to the Apple Store at Conner Prairie with Mer and Sam. We went in hungry and left with two cider donuts, a caramel apple, rock candy, tomato/basil bisque mix, and a biscuit mix. MMM MMM MMM (remember that healthy eating plan??? Yep, we will start fresh again today). Once home, we made the baked mac and cheese and oh my god, it was to DIE for. Then Chris studied, I attempted to learn more chords on the guitar, and we both spent a few hours watching House reruns. All in all a good weekend :)
Let's see anything else to report? You're probably totally done with reading right now. I am very long-winded, a pompous windbag as 5 year old Kristen would say. Off to master Stats (kill me), nanny, and run (yes, run, it will happen).
Lots of love!
xoxo
First of all, it's 45 degrees out right now. Sickeningly enough, I am delighted. It's almost October and I am ready for fall weather- crunchy leaves, sweatshirts and jeans, warm afternoons and chilly mornings and nights. It just puts me in a good mood. I really love summer too, but fall to me symbolizes school, good smells, and rosy cheeks. I have two tiny pumpkins sitting next to me on the kitchen table right now but I think I'm going to have to get a few big ones to carve and leave on the porch. I hope we get trick-or-treaters here!
Ok, now for a weekend re-cap (those are my favorite): Friday instead of indulging in wine on a date with myself, I wound up studying at Starbucks. I knew I would not enjoy relaxing if I wasn't feeling ready for my quiz on Saturday. So I cranked out some work for a few hours and then headed over to the mall to buy myself some new running shoes. This was a very big splurge, but I decided that since my feet felt like they were running on pancakes, it was time. I also bought myself an awesome new shirt that just says Man Up. on the front. When I told my mom and sisters about this, they teased me and said they were surprised I would buy such a sexist shirt. They know I am a raging feminist and love to give me a hard time about it. I half-jokingly said I should tape a (WO) in front of the Man. It might be hilarious... annnnnd I think I might do it. Why do people plant these ideas in my head???? Also, please insert note here: Ryan did offer another option for the me and myself date night which was to be the duster at his apartment while he and Amy cleaned. As fun as that sounded, I didn't want to intrude.
Moving right along to Saturday... OHHHH Saturday. It felt like a scene out of Julie and Julia. You know, the book/movie about the girl who tries to cook and just ends up cursing a lot?? Well, after studying all morning and taking my quiz, Chris and I decided to be fancy and try our new ice cream maker. Mer and Sam's housewarming party was Saturday night and we had high hopes of bringing homemade pie, ice cream, and guacamole to the house. There are two problems with Chris and I cooking/baking together under time constraints: 1) He is meticulous and I am impatient. This means that not only do we not make deadlines, things are also done incorrectly. 2) Both of us are perfectionists and want everything to come out perfectly even when we are slow, impatient, or not sure of what the hell it is we're doing. So I started off by throwing all the ingredients together and heating them in the saucepan.... then immediately transferred the mix to the semi-frozen bowl that goes inside the ice cream maker... then plopped said bowl in the freezer. Now, common sense suggests that the purpose of the ice cream maker is that you take the bowl and put it in the machine and turn it on. But apparently I'm too colonial to see that. Chris called me on it and I annoyingly told him he could finish because apparently I wasn't born to cook (this was also frustration inspired by remnants of an earlier conversation, not with Chris, which got me on a tirade... but that is not something I need to go into detail about here). So anyway, he worked on finishing our project while I worked on the apple pie. A few minutes later, we checked and the ice cream wasn't doing ANYTHING. It was just soup. I groaned and said, FORGET IT, whatever. And Chris tried to be nice and say it was OK... and then three minutes later, he looked at it again and ended up right there with me cursing in the kitchen. The pie got put in the oven and I showered and spent five minutes being pissed off at my hair because it's long and sheds and doesn't ever look nice like other people's... and this is not something I am normally mad about or care about but alas, I was in just the right mood to whine. I went back downstairs to check on the pie and of course the edges were starting to burn so I tried to finagle some tinfoil over the top (which is not easy and resulted in a few painful moments). Meanwhile, Chris started asking me questions about something else and I snapped and said, "I'm gonna burn myself! And I don't know what I'm doing anyway! So why are you asking me?" I shoved the pie back in the oven and we decided to get some dishes done. Three dishes in, Chris ended up with water all down the front of his pants and just stopped dead in his tracks. Well, that was all it took... I put my head on the counter and burst out laughing. I finally just looked at him, barely able to breathe and was like, "Ok. This is just comical now. Look at us." So he ran off to change his clothes, I finished the dishes extraordinarily half-assed and we jumped into the car JUST IN TIME. We drove to the house blasting Linkin Park. Enough said.
The house party was a blast... good food, good drinks, Sam running with a firey log that had to be lit inside because the wind was too strong.... you know, just another normal night in Noblesville (woah, alliteration). There was a great turn out and we ended up staying til about 1 in the morning.... what wild kids we are.
Sunday was... calmer? Hahah.... Yes, calmer. We went to Target for ingredients for baked mac and cheese (MMMMM) and re-did the ice cream (it came out AWESOME). We also did a little shopping at Old Navy ANNNNNNNNNND went to the Apple Store at Conner Prairie with Mer and Sam. We went in hungry and left with two cider donuts, a caramel apple, rock candy, tomato/basil bisque mix, and a biscuit mix. MMM MMM MMM (remember that healthy eating plan??? Yep, we will start fresh again today). Once home, we made the baked mac and cheese and oh my god, it was to DIE for. Then Chris studied, I attempted to learn more chords on the guitar, and we both spent a few hours watching House reruns. All in all a good weekend :)
Let's see anything else to report? You're probably totally done with reading right now. I am very long-winded, a pompous windbag as 5 year old Kristen would say. Off to master Stats (kill me), nanny, and run (yes, run, it will happen).
Lots of love!
xoxo
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