summer 2011

hooooly crap...hi guys!! remember me??? after a long, unexcused, unexplained absence i'm baaaaack! (for this post anyway).

sooo...how was your summer?? mine was pretty chill for the most part. hard to believe it's coming to an end soon. i think the highest temp we had here in seattle this "summer" was 45 degrees fahrenheit?? anyone wanna back me up on this?? i think i'm pretty close. either way, coldest. summer. ever.

i did have a few highlights that i wanted to share w/ you. since it would take tooooo long to type everything out and post all the pics i usually do, i'm going to (try to)give you the cliffsnotes version, and break it up into two diff posts. so, here, in short, is my 2011 summer.

JULY 8th, 2011:

i'm not ashamed to admit that i used to be the biiiiggest boy band freak. it started w/ the new kids on the block when i was a youngin', then progressed to backstreet boys and 'nsync in jr high and high school. eventually (ok when i was 22) i expanded my musical horizons to different genres of music, but have, and will probably always hold a special place in my heart for boy bands. don't hate, participate.

so when i heard the two bands that pretty much defined my youth (BSB, NKOTB) were combining for one super tour there was absolutely NO WAY i was going to miss it. i had seen backstreet boys live about 8 times, but had never seen NKOTB. when i was about 8 i had asked to see them live, but i never got the chance, so i had literally waited over 20 years for this! and it was absolutely worth the wait.

on the day of the show i was apparently way too excited to remember that i had an actual camera, so i just brought my ipod camera, which, unfortunately means that i didn't get any good pictures. but i def got memories that will last for a very long time!

the one and only semi decent picture i did get:

the members of both of the bands came into the audience at one point...this is danny wood from NKOTB-5 ft away from me!!


August 19th, 2011:

the second highlight of my summer was that i took my very first trip to VEGAS! i was telling my friend one day about how i spent my birthday and she told me she was going to vegas for hers. upon hearing i had never been before she told me to come w/ her (along w/ 6 of her close friends). me, being super adventurous and knowing a good time when i heard one, immediately accepted.

all of us were so excited for our trip we started counting down the days MONTHS in advance. we held a garage sale to raise spending money for sin city, and by the time it was actually time to leave for vegas we were about as excited as nine year old us the night before christmas.

my vegas roomie and bff amy! sooooo excited to be on the plane!


now i'm about to fill you in on a little secret...when travelling on a plane in a large group BRING CHOCOLATE. no no, the chocolate is not for you to eat after your bag of peanuts, it's for the flight attendants! we gave our flight attendant a box of see's chocolate and low and behold...guess who got free adult beverages on their flight?? cause that's how we roll.

we are classy ladies and go everywhere in style, so while everyone else waited 45 min for a cab to pick them up from the airport we rolled out in our super stretch limo...



complete w/ mirrors on the ceiling!
(that's my reflection...in the mirror...on the ceiling!)



as we rode the short ride from the airport to our hotel, the monte carlo, i couldn't help but fall into a trance while staring out the window...partly in facination with seeing all the buildings i've seen a hundred times on tv and movies RIGHT THERE in front of me, and partly in excitement and anticipation as to what wonderful adventures this city of sin was about to bring...

(to be continued... :)

doowops and hooligans

before i get started, my cute little 2.5 year old nephew would like to give a shout out to his favorite basketball team:



it's no secret that i LOVE bruno mars (refer to here, here, annnd here ), so when i heard he was coming to seattle on his "hooligans in wondaland" tour i HAD to get tickets!

now, i have to explain, my love for bruno isn't that teeny bopper-wanna hang his posters all over my wall-maybe some day we'll meet, fall in love and get married kind of love. i genuinely admire his talent and his voice and the lyrics he writes. his voice is so crisp and clear, you can understand every word he sings. i'm able to relate to his songs, and they're all so chill(hellllo, one of his songs is called the LAZY song). i dunno how to explain it, but whenever one of his songs comes on my ipod i'm instantly in a good mood!

now, i'm not one to be excited for an event and just go to the event and go home, i love "making a day" of things when i can.

this day of bruno started w/ me getting off work early and meeting my co-bruno lover katie for lunch at what the pho???? at southcenter. i was supposed to try pho for the first time but the beef curry on the menu caught my eye and i just couldn't resist it...maybe next time i'll give in to the pho...



after a super delish lunch we still had a bunch of time left so we drove to seattle and got a drink at a bar w/in walking distance from wamu theater. it was at this bar that we heard a mom tell the bartender that her and her friend had left their 14 year old children in line for the show so they could get shots. classy. not only that, but while most sports bars were probably playing some local baseball or soccer game, our bar was showing...the national spelling bee championship. we had a blast cheering on Sukany Roy, Arvind Mahankali, and Dhivya Senthil Murugan as they took on words such as usufructuary, harridan, crevecoeur, and dactyliotheca. i thought that if they wanted a real spelling challenge, they could just spell each others names. maybe next year.

fiiiinally it was time for the show!!


we were lucky/sly/intimidating enough to sneak to the front of the line and got a pretty rad spot on the floor. unfortunately the show was general admission so we had about .2 centimeters of personal space which made it SUPER hot and being able to breathe anything, let alone fresh air was pretty much impossible. oh, the sacrifices we make for the music we love...

yea, we're still breathing(for now) and haven't died of heat stroke(yet)!



there were two opening acts...one was some dude w/ the initials m.h. i only remember this because that was pretty much the only memorable part about his time on stage...and he made sure we didn't forget...



the second act was some girl named janelle monae. she was entertaining for sure. i was ready for her to leave the stage about 3 songs before she actually did but, in general, she was good! i may try to listen to some more of her songs sometime...

janelle's opening stage set up was pretty rad.



the ONLY shot of janelle we got. oops.



next up was brunnooooooo!! it was an amazing show.you can tell he's genuinely having a good time and is loving what he's doing. he sounds EXACTLY like on his record, which is super rare. plleeeease believe me when i tell you dude can SANG. i was so fortunate to have such a great spot to get some awesome shots of the show!









one of my faav songs, grenade


dude(yes,dude)that says "omigodthisisgreat" from the lazy song:




i haven't been to a TONS of live shows before, but i've been to a lot, and this is the first time ever that i've left an even bigger fan than when i arrived! one thing i couldn't believe is he sang literally EVERY song from his album, plus others he only sings the hooks in (billionaire, nothin' on you), and then some! i hope he comes back soon, i know i'll be first in line to get a ticket...

i leave you with probably my favorite part of his show, the encore. he sings one of my favorite songs, talking to the moon. whoever filmed this was standing about where we were! i hope you enjoy as much as i did :)

somewhere in brooklyn/talking to the moon

here we go again...

holy craaaaap am i outta shape! and rightfully so, i haven't worked out on a regular basis since i hurt my back at the end of august.

i've been fully physically capable of doing most anything for probably about six weeks now, but it's been SO hard to motivate myself. i don't have the biggest loser this time around as a motivator, and it doesn't help i've been making excuses left and right...it's too cold...i don't feel well...i don't have time...plus my dietary habits have left nothing to be desired. yikes, i'm a mess.

as of right now i'm stating that i'm done making excuses! i'm going to las vegas for the first time everrrr mid august and i wanna look super hot for that! also, i've just been feeling gross in everything i wear and i HATE that feeling. no one can make that feeling go away except for me!

i recently purchased a 5 week gym membership (including 5 personal training sessions AND access to all classes!) on groupon for $10 that i'm going to start using tomorrow. that plus hiking, the occasional zumba class, and my usual jogging around the tacoma area will hopefully have me back in tip top shape in no time!

soooo i'm off on another "get fit" adventure...wish me luck!

29 and holding

ok, i have a confession to make. pretty much every year, as my birthday approaches, i tell people i'm not excited for it. (refer to my last post). truth of the matter is, the closer it gets, the more excited i become and the more i am wanting to celebrate the miraculous event that is my birth. this year was no exception.

the whole celebration process began approximately one week before the big day. i wanted a birthday dinner, and i wanted my good friends to be there. unfortunately, because of my terrible timing, a good amount of my good friends weren't able to come, but i'm so thankful for the ones who did :)

my sister(who is currently the best sister in the UNIVERSE) sent me a variety of her precious cake balls as a birthday gift. i gladly shared my sister's balls at my bday dinner. those lucky few who got to try them are now OBSESSED. what can i say, they're tiny pieces of heaven on earth.

my dinner took place at the cheesecake factory....

my dinner dates


i have NO idea whose idea it was to tell the waiter we were celebrating my birthday (ok,it was mine) but i really was surprised when a group of waiters showed up w/ a sundae and started singing "happy birthday" to me after dinner.

my "please stop singing to me, i had no idea you guys actually still did that" face:


after dinner me and a couple of my friends headed to the muckleshoot casino to party some more on the dance floor. let me tell you, that was an experience in itself.

when we arrived, our intent was to head to the dance club and have a couple of drinks. nothing tooooooo crazy.

there was this live band called Vanity "singing" cover songs that night(by singing i mean lip syncing to the track w/ a fake band behind them). the lead singer girl would have won first place in a miley cyrus look-a-like contest, and the dude lead singer was prob 39 years old, had been tanning entirely wayyyy too much for the past 15 years, had bleach blonde hair and there was a chain hanging from his pants. really.

unfortunately, about halfway through their set the lead singer spotted me sitting at my table w/ my friends, minding my own business. next thing i know he's literally standing in front of my table singing directly to me two feet from my face. yikes. after he left my "friend"(i will now use this term loosely) told the security guard standing next to her that it was my birthday. HE then tells the lead singer who of COURSE thinks it's ok to then come up to my table, bringing his microphone and spotlight with him to strike up a conversation in front of the WHOLE CLUB.

i MAY have been slightly embarrassed.

after the "band's" "set" the leathery lead singer dude came up to me and said "i'm sorry if i embarrassed you. i just saw you making fun of me and had to put you on the spot"

dang. called out, just like that. on my birthday! i didn't mind. it was still a super fun time.

the night concluded with me putting down $20 on a game of black jack and very quickly losing $20 to a game of black jack.

the next day, saturday, was my ACTUAL birthday and i was extra stoked for this because it was my very FIRST seattle sounders game EVER! i've been wanting to go to one of these games for a while now, so when my bff katie gave me tix for my bday i was STOKED!

me and the biggest ball EVER:


me n val, my friend who was SO awesome to attend the game w/ me on last minutes notice!


$9.50 birthday beer. worth every penny!


random fact: i make some bomb ass tacos. SO bomb ass in fact that i considered(for about a minute) opening my own little taco shop in tacoma called "taco ma". get it??? tacoma. taco ma??? i'm so clever. little did i know, a taco place called taco ma already exists! not only does it exist...but it's got a sweet spot in qwest field! booooo!



after the game val and i took the bus back to belltown looking for some grub. we walked passed a few establishments. all of sudden...THIS one caught my eye:

dope burger


now, if you know me AT ALL, you know i am a fan of all things dope. this was no exception. all the drinks and food were exceptional. it was like a place you would see on the food network. i couldn't believe it when they told me they'd only been open four months! it was some good grub, for sure.

the conclusion of my birthday week celebration was my traditional birthday dinner at any place of my choosing with my mom and dad. this year i picked BJ's restaurant and brewery. i went there about two years ago for my bday and i remember really liking it. however, this time my mom ordered the jumbalyah and ended up getting food poisoning! not only that, she gave some of her leftovers to the dog, so poor kobe got food poisoning too :(

all in all it was a pretty spectacular birthday. i'm actually looking FORWARD to being thirty because i know older is wiser. i have a few more lessons to learn and i'm definitely looking forward to them!

another gumbo post?!?!?! yes, yes it is.

ok! random crap blog post in 4,3,2....

*in case i haven't told you yet, my super fertile sister is pregnant yet AGAIN!!!! we're all so super excited...she's due in nov/decemberish...since i have both a niece and a nephew already i don't care what the gorgeous bebe will be, as long as it's healthy :)

*facetime is the best invention EVER!!!

*so i've mentioned before how much i LOVE bruno mars,right?? well i've officially gotten my tix to see him on june 2nd! this is epic since i haven't even gotten my nkotbsb tix and those are pretty much the two bands that defined my LIFE soooo...yea, bruno??

*i'm def not a fashionista of any sort but dang. i'm totally bummed that my fav purse of ALL TIME is no longer available like, anywhere! a little background...i've had this purse(or a simile), made by lux de ville for about 5 years total now. i NEED a new one and, upon seeing one is not available, my heart is broken into 53 different pieces. i dunno what to do now! i'm SO picky when it comes to purses that i'm not sure i can go on w/ life...

exaggerating. obviously.

*my BIRTHDAY is coming up pretty soon! i'm...excited? i guess. i'm mostly just stoked for the super nice traditional dinner w/ parents combined with the promise of my sister's cake balls instead of my usual typical funfetti cake. have you tried my sister's balls, yet?? if you haven't then you're sorely missing out because they are nothing short of UH-mazing! don't believe me??? here's a non-biased, second opinion- (super UBER thanks for holli and mike for posting this everywhere on the whole entire web :)holli's review on my sister's balls

*on a last note...i love and miss you all. thanks so much for reading this :) see you all soooOOOOoooo soon!

duck.wine.rock.well.

i had such a great weekend. it was busy, but great. what made it sooooo great, you may ask???

because my GRANDMA came to seattle to visit! picture my heart bursting into a million pieces because of happiness-THAT'S how excited i was when i learned about this trip.

she was staying in seattle with my mom and i got to spend saturday and sunday with her...of course, as usual, good times ensued...

i drove up to seattle from tacoma on saturday morning where the three of us (moi,gma, and mom) went to westlake center to catch the seattle duck boat tour. if you've EVER been to seattle, chances are you've seen this bus driving around town.



now, having lived in seattle for 15ish years, i've been to seattle approximately 629 times, and have probably seen that amount of duck boat bus car things but never knew what the big deal was. holy crap i've been missing out! it was sooo much fun!

we left westlake center where we proceeded to drive to lake union where the bus literally drove off the dock straight into the water! along the way the driver (who was hilarious) made jokes and played fun songs all the while telling us fun facts and tidbits about the areas we were driving through.

hey, look, it's the famous needle!



while on lake union we saw:

a gorgeous view of what i THINK is i-5??


the boathouse(or houseboat?? apparently there is a difference) from the movie sleepless in seattle (see the two white flags? it's directly below them. right there. there it is. do you see it???)



and gasworks park. julia stiles and heath ledger played paintball here in the movie 10 things i hate about you:



on our way back to westlake center we drove through the little town of fremont. apparently if you picture the weirdest person you've ever seen in seattle-THAT person's weird cousin is someone who would (allegedly) reside in fremont. there's even a crazy parade that this town throws every year called the fremont solstice parade. people ride bikes naked, dress up in funny costumes and just basically go all out. of course i, someone who is wanting to experience most everything in this world, will be attending the parade this year just to see what all the hoopla is about. if you are a close, personal friend of mine, chances are you will be attending this parade as well.

this is a cool statue we drove by in fremont. the driver didn't really say anything about it, i would love to know the story behind it, though:



after our adventure on the duck boat we were staaaaarving so we had a delish lunch at p.f. changs. after lunch it was time to say bye to grandma but i wasn't terribly sad because i'd be seeing her the next day!

so i left seattle and drove to renton for my next adventure of the day...

in case you haven't noticed, me and my (girl)friends, we're classy gals. so when my friend wants to throw a boxed wine party, i will support her with all the classiness i have in me! there isn't too much to say about the party in general, there was, of course, boxed wine(pics were taken at the beginning of the party, there ended up being about twice the amount of food and wine shown):



and food:


it was a blast. of course. because wine+food=instant blast. i met a lot of people, made some new friends, and little did i know there was a magician at the party! i've always been fascinated by slight of hand and illusions so i begged him to show me a trick:



at about 1230 i ended up falling asleep at the hostesses house (never drink and drive, kids!). and dreampt(sp???) of living on a island with jimmy fallon, ryan reynolds, and an endless supply of calorie-free girl scout thin mint cookies....

the next morning i woke up, drove home and promptly got ready to spend another day with grandma<3!! this time her and my mom were driving to tacoma so we could see the norman rockwell exhibit at the tacoma art museum.

i've heard of norman rockwell, i've seen his art, but i had NO idea, not even a clue of what an AMAZING talent he was. i'm not a huge art fan, i'm pretty sure i've been to an art gallery never, but i was literally in awe over his pieces. he had such a way of telling a story with each painting. he dealt with multiple subjects from civil rights, to current events and even the presidents of the united states. he used models for his paintings and a lot of times he painted in his own family members, or even himself! he was also a funny guy,which shows through the characters actions or facial expressions in his work. there was an audio tour that i took of his paintings that told background stories behind them. i learned SO much i'm really glad i went to see this exhibit-it definitely made a new fan out of me!

after the exhibit we went to the old spaghetti factory and had a nice lunch. and then... it was time to say our good byes. i'm totally sad, i only see grandma about once a year, but i'm SO glad she was able to fly up and see a little bit of where i live. thanks again grandma for visiting, i hope you had as much fun as i did :) LOVE YOU!!<3

my dear

my grandma loves carrie underwood. like loooooooves. since carrie came onto the scene after winning american idol my grandma has always talked freely about how much she adores her because she's this nice, wholesome southern girl. oh, and she's pretty too. in fact, i've often joked about my grandma wanting to adopt her as a grandchild and how i will always be second best compared to carrie (all the while knowing this would never actually be true ;).

tonight, i had the following phone conversation with my dear grandma:

gma: "oh carrie's on tv! she's performing at the cma's...can you hear her singing??"

me: "no, grandma, i can't hear her."

gma: "ok just a sec lemme turn up the volume on my television..."

grandma turns up the television volume so now instead of absolutely nothing i hear the slight whisper of a television

me: "still can't hear it grandma...oh well."

gma: "she's performing with some guy who has long black hair. and she's wearing a black dress. i don't like it. i don't know what it is about the dress, i just don't like it."

me: "it's a short black dress??"

gma: "yes, it's short. but i don't know, that's what everyone's wearing in today's fashion i guess. i don't know who that long haired guy is she's singing with."

me: "is he a country guy?"

gma: "i don't think so, he sure doesn't sound country!"

me: (wracking my brain trying to think of a long haired dude who doesn't sound country but does a lot of duets)"is it kid rock??"

gma: "does kid rock have black hair??"

me: "no...."

gma: "and the song they're singing...i don't like it very much. can you hear it??"

me: "no grandma, i still can't hear it."

at this point i was dying to try and figure out who carrie was singing a duet with but couldn't find any information when i googled it. it wasn't until a couple of hours later that i finally found out...

carrie's long black haired duet partner?? steven tyler

the song they were singing?? walk this way

oh grandma. i love her.

reason number 34987...

why i absolutely ADORE jimmy fallon. no one funnier. seriously.:

challenged

i'm always trying to be consciously aware of how i treat people. it is, after all, the golden rule:treat others how you would want to be treated. this is very important to me when it comes to my friends and family, but it's really important to me in how i treat strangers as well. you never know what kind of day that person you just walked by in the grocery store is having. you hear stories all the time about how ms. smith was having the crappiest day ever,but then a stranger did something-smiled, offered a ride, gave her five dollars and it just MADE her day. i know when i'm having a crappy day it's the little things, like the barista not charging me for an extra shot in my coffee, that perk me up.

earlier today, a big hearted friend of mine posted a link on facebook for the great kindness challenge that is taking place on august 13th. it involves children doing good deeds for others on this day. it's awesome because it gives the children the sense of how it feels to help other people out, as well as getting them involved in their community.

but it got me thinking.

just like how the "christmas spirit" shouldn't be around only during christmastime, people should do kind things for other people on other days this year besides august 13th. soooo i made a challenge for myself. lucky for me, i love a good challenge.

the great kindness challenge website has a list of 50 kind things for the children to do, but this list is also very applicable to adults. my(short term) goal is to complete every good deed on this checklist.

i'm really excited about this because there are a few things that are super easy and within my comfort zone (smile at 25 people, compliment 5 people, read a book to a younger child) and some that are just fun (take a treat to your local firefighter, cut out ten hearts and leave them on 10 cars).as i complete each task i will blog about my experience doing it and i'm sure, knowing me, there was also be plenty of pictures. :)

of course challenges are more fun when there's lots of people involved, so i invite anyone who is reading this to do the challenge with me!this can obviously be done in any city in any state and at little to no cost. it would be so fun to compare stories, and maybe even complete a step together! if you are interested, let me know!

jersey floor

if you have seen even half a second of a jersey shore episode or can name at least one member of the cast then you HAVE to see this parody show jimmy fallon did on late night with jimmy fallon called "jersey floor". it is HILarious.

there's even a website devoted to it.

my future baby's daddy is a comedic genius.

enjoy. and you're welcome.




p.s. i just re-watched it. jimmy's <3 dj pauly d impersonation is SPOT ON. this may have been the funniest eight minutes of my life EVER."i do shots, i tan, and i drink. std's. that's what we call it." "it's sweatshirt tiiiiiiime!" i may be obsessed. please don't judge me.

Guest Blogger: H.Denbert

The Mile High Cry: Tips on Traveling Stress-Free With Your Toddler

This guest post was written by H. Denbert who has a degree in social work and hopes to satisfy her interest in science by getting a forensic science education in her spare time

We’ve all been there: trapped on an airplane, with that annoying baby crying in the next aisle throughout the flight. I was even on a plane once where another “helpful” woman angrily screamed, “Have you heard of a pacifier?!” Maybe like me, now you’re on the other side of the equation, with a toddler in tow, trying to fend off pissed-off passengers with apologetic half smiles. From navigating the maze of airport security to the endless hours in the sky, here are ways to cut down on the inevitable stress of flying with your child. Just look at it this way: at least we don’t have to travel by wagon train anymore.

Before You Get to The Airport

• Make sure you have the right size containers. You’re allowed to fly with juice, formula, or breast milk for baby, but it has to be in the right size container. Only 3.4 ounce (100 ml) or smaller containers are allowed. Check the TSA website for the most recent information on airport security and what it means for your toddler.


• Keep your stroller organized: You’ll have to take everything out of your stroller, in order for it to be x-rayed. Keeping things organized will cut down on annoying time in the security line. Pack things together, and minimize the amount of clutter floating in your stroller’s compartments.


• Bring a baby seat and reserve that extra plane seat: While it might be possible to carry your child on your lap while flying, it sure isn’t comfortable. The money you can save by doing it might be appealing, but reserving an extra seat is more courteous to the fellow fliers and more likely to result in a calmer flight for your kid. And, if your child weighs more than forty pounds, you’re required by the FAA to restrain them with an airplane seatbelt.


• Bring the right entertainment: If it’s the portable DVD player your kid loves, make sure it’s in the bag. Don’t overpack, however, or you’ll be lugging a heavy bag through the airport.

In Flight

• Pack a diaper change kit: Put all the things you need to change a few diapers in one easily accessible bag. You’ll be glad you had that diaper, some wipes, and a good smelling lotion around when you need to change a diaper in flight. If you’ve got a larger kid, ask a crew member if there is a bathroom on the aircraft with a change table, as this is often the case.


• Dealing with ear popping: That uncomfortable feeling of pressure buildup in the ears can be one of the most trying things about flying with children. A pacifier is helpful, and should be put in during take-off and before your descent. Unfortunately, for kids too young to understand the instructions to swallow, crying can be the only effective way to relieve ear pressure. Let them cry it out---it’s actually helpful.


• Bring more food than you think you'll need: Pack food and snacks as if you won’t be getting any on the plane. This is often the case these days, and even if there is food that doesn’t mean your toddler will actually eat it. When it’s time to eat, feed your kid first, then yourself. Manipulating trays of food in flight can be difficult, and you’ll be more relaxed while eating if your child has already.


• Be prepared for motion sickness: If it’s your child’s first flight or you know they are prone to motion sickness, be prepared. Put a Ziploc bag in your purse or in front of your seat, if you fear they might puke. And of course, keep lots of wet wipes around for clean up. Don’t let them eat too much before the flight, and consider putting a disposable bib on any child that may get sick. Even a little puke smells really bad, when stuck in a tiny airplane.

Guest Blogger: Kellen Thompson

7 Questions New Moms Should Ask Themselves Before Returning to School

This guest post was written by Kellen Thompson who has also written at length about receiving accounting degrees online as well as enrolling in online classes

When I was seven months pregnant, I graduated with my Master’s degree. At the time, I thought that if I was blessed to stay home with my baby even for a short time while my husband worked, a Master’s degree would benefit me when I re-entered the workforce. My employer was also willing to pay a portion of my tuition. What I didn’t know at the time was that I would have two more children and ultimately be out of the full-time workforce for almost 15 years. I also didn’t realize back then that when I was ultimately ready to go back to work, I would not want to go back to the same career.

Now I am looking to go back to school to find out what I want to be when I grow up. My children are at the ages that they are more self-sufficient so I could devote more time to my studies. However, the baby that I carried the last time I was in school is now getting ready to go to college and pursue his own dreams. Will we really be able to afford for both of us to be in school at the same time?

There are several questions that moms, in particular, need to ask themselves before returning to school. The first question is how will my decision affect my family? Because, as a mom, our family is our first priority so we have to really assess how our decision to go back to school will affect our loved ones. Another question that we need to ask is will childcare be an issue? When you factor the cost of your education, you need to factor in all of the costs associated with your education, including childcare. The benefit in today’s educational sphere is that now we have the option of pursing an on-line degree and we never have to leave home. The world literally is our classroom and on-line degree programs are available in every possible field. Check out this link to find out more about these programs: guidetoonlineschools.com/getting-started/distance-learning-101ms.

Another question that you need to ask yourself before enrolling in any program is why are you returning to school? You need to check your motive to make sure that it is the right motive, one that will sustain you in those times it may get difficult balancing school and family. And then you need to ask yourself who are you doing this for? Again, make sure that your motive is correct so that you won’t burn out halfway through the program. The right motive can provide the drive needed to keep going when you may feel like giving up.

Another question that I wish I had asked myself 16 years ago is will this degree give me some options. Everyone makes several lateral career moves throughout their lifetime and many of change careers completely at least once. I wish I had thought through my degree and asked myself what else I could do with the Masters I had chosen. For example, a Master’s in some disciplines will give you the opportunity to teach on a university level as an adjunct at some schools. This is an excellent option for moms who want to teach but cannot commit to a full-time position.

The next question you should ask yourself is how long do you want your schooling to take? Again, considering your family commitments, factor in all of your present commitments and set a realistic goal for yourself. And the final questions you need to address deal with finances. How much do you want to spend on your degree and how do plan to pay for your schooling? If you research different options, particularly distance learning versus traditional college, you will find that many institutions and degree programs vary in cost. An assessment of your personal financial situation can help you determine which program is right for you.

Going back to school at any age, at any time in your life is a big decision. But it is also, in my opinion, one of the best decisions that you will ever make. My kids tease me that I have a Master’s degree so that I could change diapers. But in reality, my degree has opened many doors for me that have allowed me to pursue other dreams that I didn’t even know I had 16 years ago!

dumped

i mentioned in a previous post that i got the 4th generation ipod, and that my favorite feature on it is the camera/video function. of course, another perk to this is all the rad photo apps i get to now download and use. my current favorite is instagram. not only is it totally free, but it makes me look like the suavest photographer that was ever invented. these past couple of days a buttload of snow has been dumped on seattle and the immediate areas so i thought i'd seize the opportunity to take some pictures to share with you!

the night of the snowfall,outside my house...

dude,where's my car???


the next morning...


walking into work


snow angel


our big yard



(if you think the red house looks like a dog house you are correct. that's where we put all the naughty children when they don't behave)




(j/k)


my two favorite bebe's <3


when i was still recovering from surgery my sweet coteacher brought me coffee and a red velvet cupcake. my fav. (co-teacher and treats)


drive safe out there everyone!! have a great weekend! :)

hell hath no fury like a woman scorned

in general, i avoid talking about personal matters on here, but something happened to me recently in my dating life that really got under my skin. i don't like the fact that this is still bugging me, so i'm hoping that writing about it will help get it out of my system...

so i had gone out with this guy,"brad" a few times. let me tell you a little bit about brad. he was a super sweet guy but he was very materialistic. he wouldn't think twice to drop $500 on two t-shirts or the same amount on a bottle of vodka. one day brad gets wasted off his ass and declares to me(and this is a direct quote)"i can't be with a teacher." as in, teachers don't make enough money for his liking.

wooooooow.unbelievable.

i ask him about it the next day and he apologizes and says that profession doesn't matter, but i was done. the second he said those words i had lost every ounce of respect for him. for that thought to even enter his head, let alone say it out loud, there had to be some merit of truth to it. peace out brad.

i've worked a lot of jobs in different industries. i did retail for a while, food, and eventually ended up in childcare. when i got hired as a preschool teacher for the first time in my life i was proud to say what i do as a profession. i'm a teacher. i help mold young minds and teach them basic essentials to life that they will remember and use for the rest of their life. how exactly are you changing the world doing math problems and sitting in your cubicle for 8 hours a day? what right do you have to degrade me and judge me based on the fact i'm a teacher,like it's a bad thing?? i don't judge you because you are so wasteful with your money. did you teach yourself how to add and subtract? negative.

i just also have a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that someone could be that superficial. you make enough money for the both of us and a small army, why does it matter to you how much i make? i do alright. i'm able to pay rent and bills and life's necessities. i can go on trips and buy things i want. i have clothes that i can lounge around the house in as well as clothes that could be worn at a five star restaurant. why does it matter how much they cost? if my paycheck doesn't bug me, it sure as hell shouldn't bug you.

disbelief is a good word for how i feel about this whole situation i guess. congrats, brad, you are the biggest douchebag i've ever met. next time you cash your paycheck, thank a teacher.

word nerd

i'm fascinated by words. i love how you can take letters to form a word. combine words together and you've got a sentence. combine a few sentences together and you've got a paragraph. i love how words can speak to multiple people at one time. you read a quote or listen to song lyrics and it's like that person knows you and your situation and wrote that quote or those lyrics just for you. it's also amazing to me how you can hear a song a million times, even know all the words, but then you experience something in your life and the song takes on a whole new meaning, or you finally understand what the singer is singing about.

i have a friend who gave me this quote a while back. i've been wanting to post it for a while but not quite sure how to fit it into anything. i suppose i should have placed it in my valentine's post, but now is a good time as any. so, here, i share some of my favorite letters that make sentences that have formed a paragraph that i love because it is so so true.

"We all have the potential to fall in love a thousand times in our lifetime. It's easy. The first girl I ever loved was someone I knew in sixth grade. Her name was Missy; we talked about horses. The last girl I love will be someone I haven't even met yet, probably. They all count. But there are certain people you love who do something else; they define how you classify what love is supposed to feel like. These are the most important people in your life, and you’ll meet maybe four or five of these people over the span of 80 years. But there’s still one more tier to all this; there is always one person you love who becomes that definition. It usually happens retrospectively, but it happens eventually. This is the person who unknowingly sets the template for what you will always love about other people, even if some of these loveable qualities are self-destructive and unreasonable. The person who defines your understanding of love is not inherently different than anyone else, and they’re often just the person you happen to meet the first time you really, really, want to love someone. But that person still wins. They win, and you lose. Because for the rest of your life, they will control how you feel about everyone else."
— Chuck Klosterman (Killing Yourself to Live: 85% of a True Story)

gumbo

i'm calling this my gumbo post just because it's going to be a few random things i wanted to share:

so probably my biggest thing is that i am now the proud owner of a laptop for the first time EVER. i've posted this on pretty much every social networking site i'm on so i'm clearly over the top super duper ridiculous over the moon about this. for the past eight years i've been using a desktop by dad built for me my first year of college(which is really a testament to how well he built it-it lasted eight years!). it's still technically functional, it's just sooooooo sloooooooooooooow. i'm enrolled in an online university that requires me to view multipage adobe documents that my desktop just could not open. since i need to be able to do my homework, and my time with my beloved computer had ran it's course, i decided to treat myself to a little upgrade. it's nothing fancy. it's a middle of the line toshiba something or other. but it can open (multiple!)programs in under ten minutes, it doesn't constantly disconnect from the internet, need to be restarted, or randomly restart itself, and, most importantly, it can open my multipage adobe documents with the greatest of ease.my favorite part,though is probably the sweet bag i got for it. it looks more like a big purse instead of a bag and it holds anything i could ever need and will be wonderful on trips. i am a happy girl.


did you guys watch the grammys?? i wasn't able to, but i saw some great performances online! i think i've mentioned before how much i love bruno mars. like, LOVE. he could sing the nutrition contents on the side of a box of cereal and my heart would melt all over the floor. and it's because he does performances this this:

(feel free to skip ahead to about the 2:10 mark)


another great performance i saw was the cee lo green/gwenyth paltrow verson of "forget you". i have no radio in my life so this was actually my first time hearing this song. it was love at first listen, i can't get it out of my head!



in other music news, this is a beautiful and sad song that i have fallen in love with and am completely devastated i can't find it on itunes. i neeed this on my ipod!:


speaking of ipods-i've purchased the 4th generation ipod touch. i didn't think it was going to make a huge difference in my life since i've had the 2nd generation ipod touch for a couple of years now. but holy. crap. WHAT a difference! not only is the screen clarity like 239872% better, but just the added video/camera option alone is enough to keep me entertained for days.

oh yeah, as a warning-now that i have all these cool electronic new toys that include webcams, video, and cameras-you will definitely be seeing more posts from me and most likely more vlogs too. i think the only people that will appreciate the vlog uppage is my grandparents haha

random question: is there anyone that can explain to me the purpose of apple only allowing five computer authorizations per account?? i might be in trouble-my new comp was my fifth authorization, and i have no clue where the other four are.

i leave you know with some pictures of two kids i randomly found on the internet:

random beautiful baby girl(outfit provided by some random aunt of hers)


random baby girl with random growth on her forehead:



random handsome little boy playing in his new backyard:




sweet little random baby feet:


alright loveys, enough blogcitement for tonight. time for me to sleep and hopefully NOT wake up at 4 am...wish me luck!

done and done

as most of you probably know, i had back surgery last week. some of you may not know, that you cannot have surgery if you are sick(cold,swine flu,cough,whatevs). i have the immune system of an ox so i've been able to avoid getting sick this whole season. so of COURSE the week before my surgery, not only is literally everyone in my life sick(including those in my own house)but my throat is feeling awfully scratchy. there was absolutely no way i was postponing my surgery so i took every precautionary measure possible in order to ensure my scratchy throat didn't turn into anything else and peaced out of my life asap. the first thing i did was tell my sick friends(and this may or may not be a direct quote)"sooooo...just so you know, we can't be friends this week. but i would be happy to continue this friendship when i return to work after my surgery".i also consumed disgusting amounts of vitamin c and emergen-c in order to maintain my ox strength immune system status.

i spent nearly the entire week avoiding the general public as well as the sickness in my house which means i spent a LOT of time watching movies and seasons of friends in my bedroom. i also worked a ton on my recipe box,which had been pretty neglected since...well...since i decided i wanted to start a recipe box.

all set up and ready to do work!


oh i forgot to mention that the kids that i teach have the sweetest parents. a couple of them sent me home with flowers on my last day of work before my surgery:

cute potted plant:


beautiful bouquet:


so sweet.

my surgery was on a monday, so i used saturday as a "live it up" night, since i knew nothing would be lived up for a while after the surgery. as i mentioned before, i was avoiding the general public so my last hurrah had to take place at my house. are you prepared to see the biggest house party of your life??

me, chillin with a glass of wine, catching up on my jersey shore:


i'm outta control.

i have to add this picture for good measure.(i heart pauly d)



my parents are the best in the west so they said they would be able to take care of me until i was able to get back on my feet. i stayed at their house the night before, woke up bright and early monday morning, and me and my mom were off to lakewood surgery center so i could get sliced open. unfortunately the camera i was using decided to malfunction, so as much as i wanted to take a video of me saying funny things while coming out of sedation in order to post it on youtube so that i may become an overnight internet sensation-i was unable. oh well. maybe next time?

the day of the surgery i was able to walk a little, but it was super painful so i did very minimal moving and maximal sleeping. serious. i think i slept 21 hours of the day. it helped that my parents guest bed is like heaven wrapped in clouds on top of marshmallows and cotton balls. SO comfy. anyway, i digress...

this was the extent of my view for four days:

to my left, a tv with dvd and dvds brought from home. i thought i would spend hours of my time watching said dvd's but my high doses of pain killers the first few days made it impossible for me to keep my eyes open for more than 12 minutes:


straight ahead, a huge window with a great view of the sky. sunsets were especially beautiful to see from here:



and to my right, a dresser of some sorts, topped with the beautiful flowers my grandma<3 had sent to me:




when i wasn't sleeping i was crazy busy playing cooking games on my ipod, surfing the interwebs on my ipod, texting, or reading my book. by my side was also fresh fruit for when i got hungry and my glasses, in case i ever wanted to see something far,far away.(not pictured, the bag of jelly beans my mom snuck me in case i got tired of eating fresh fruit):


on thursday my most precious friend megan came to visit me with her most precious babies. i was especially excited for her to visit because i had never met her littest bebe audrey, who was born 4 months ago. and also, because she brought food! megs is a great cook and had made delish toquitos which me and my mom gladly scarfed down.

SO yummy!(toquito, with a side of corn nuts imported from texas)


thanks again for the visit,meg<3!


i was well enough to slowly and carefully function on my own by thursday so i went home that night. each day i have been gradually feeling better. i had my follow up appt yesterday and my doc gave me the ok to return to work, which was great because i was getting cabin fever like whoa. so today-fri i'm working a half day,then will return to full time on monday. i'm moving around pretty ok but i have to remember that i am still healing and to slow down a little bit just to make sure i don't re-injure myself. i also still have some pain but the doc expects that won't go away for another 6-8 weeks. so i really won't know if the surgery was completely successful until then. crossed fingers!

i just wanted to thank everyone for their well wishes and support, especially work for being so accommodating to me taking the time off i need, and my mom for taking days off of work to make sure i was properly cared for. i am the luckiest.


p.s. i was watching "my strange addiction" while typing this. there's a girl who takes 150 laxative pills a day, and another girl who eats pottery and cigarette ashes. seriously disturbed.