All in a year

About a year ago we experienced the Watermelon Fiasco of 2012. It boggles the mind that that was a year ago. Since then I sort of fell off the face of the blogger universe.

Recently, I thought to myself that it would be a good time to start up again, make some good use of what is left of my maternity leave.  Now that I've got the feeding/pumping/sleeping/cuddling/ocassional shower aspect down of my life down, what else can I do during the wee hours of the night :-)

So a year is a long enough time that some catch-up is neccesary. What have I been up to since the watermelon fiasco of 2012? Let's see. I flew cross-country with a wee kiddo while pregnant solo for a long weekend on the east coast. I finally passed my big big state geo test (Whoo!). I actually had kiddo #2. We planned and executed a fabu party for kiddo #1's birthday. And most importantly, I slept six hours in a row last night :-) ! It's the little things that make my day bright.

Great! Now that we are all caught up, I can take another catnap with the wee-est one and catch you all soon!

Fallen off the face of the Planet

No, No.  That hasn't happened to me yet, gravity is still at work keeping me grounded.  I'm just trying to work on the new juggle.  By now, you know me - if I don't have ten balls in the air I start to feel restless.  So what have I added to the mix - Softball.  Have I ever even played softball, you ask. Of course not, when has that ever stopped me in the past.  I'm learning- I bought a pair of cleats, been hitting the batting cages, and finally broke down and bought a glove today.

Why softball, you may ask?  Well there is strange satisfaction that comes with swinging a bat as hard as you can, even if all you are hitting is your left arm :)  But seriously? Some folks from work asked if I was interested and I thought, why not.  So, why not?  It's fun.  The folks are interesting. And I actually hit the ball for the first time last week (granted, I almost hit the umpire with the bat about two seconds later).  :)

It's just another ball up in the air and I'm still enjoying myself.  So, why not?  Exactly!

A month

Wow, has it only been a month?  It has flown by so quickly and the wedding is now less than two weeks away.  All of the planning and checking off the To Do list has afforded me and Steve some down time in these last two weeks.  Enough to run around and swim in the ocean over the long weekend, enough to forget to reapply and turn more pink than brown.  But the duckies are lining up in their rows. The last few, last items have been ordered and are on their way. The honeymoon is being finalized.  And I came home to roses today after picking up my gown :) It's a good day!

Find a new routine

I'm always trying to find some balance, some routine, some semblance of sanity in my daily, weekly, and monthly life.  With the wedding and the house hunt, that doesn't always seem possible.  Interestingly, now that the condo has been purchased and the mortage payment is in the mail and the wedding is coming closer and closer to completion, I wonder what the heck the new "normal" is going to be.  What will the new "routine"  look like?  What will I actually do with myself with all the time I'm not going to be spending calling vendors, looking at houses, filling out loan papers and all of the other craziness of the last 10 months.

Today I tried to "take the day off"... I ended up going a bit stir crazy and went on two walks, saw a movie, and watched the Laker game.  I still feel a bit restless but not sure what I can do to release the energy I have bouncing around in my head. Maybe I just wasn't meant to have down time.  Maybe I just need the frantic running around to feel even keel.  Not sure but I'm trying.   Let's see how it goes :)

Perspective

There is always an element of perspective when we struggle. We are often "in" the most difficult times, what we are dealing with, struggling with is often the most difficult thing we've faced. Getting to college was the difficulty I was facing... getting in, finding the funds, dealing with literally striking out on my own by leaving home. Once I was in college... passing my classes, pledging, being an activist, shaping my adult identity. Once I left college, striking out even farther by moving across the country with the suitcases my mom and I could carry on the plane, no longer "acting" the adult but actually having to be the adult. In grad school, conducting research and completing my thesis even after my adviser let me know he was no longer interested in the science I was doing. Once I graduated school for the second time, finding and keeping a job that didn't make me want to crawl under my bed, paying the bills, figuring out what the hell to next. And now, I have (by a pure combination of luck and chance) found the man that I love, that I want to spend the rest of my life with, and we're starting our new life together. That now is the hardest thing I have face to date, there is nothing less romantic or relationship-promoting than vendor contracts and bankers and mortgage applications especially when dealing with individuals who not only encompass the very definition of rude but actually relish in the opportunity to subject that rudeness to all around.

I'll admit that earlier today I was quite ready and very close to that snapping point... and what was it that gave me perspective? oddly, interestingly, i had received my blockbuster movies in the mail. I wasn't really in the mood for movie about Hunter Thompson, not today. I can't remember why I even rented Lars and the Girl in the first place, that one is going right back tomorrow. But the last envelope had Rent. Rent, but the live broadway version filmed on the last day that is ran. If you haven't seen Rent, I would definitely recommend it, either the movie or the filmed broadway show. Very few things give better perspective to what's truly important than that story. The petty woman at the bank, petty and not worth my aggravation. The annoying florist who doesn't understand that when I tell him I've booked another florist that means I am no longer interested in receiving his DAILY emails asking me if I've booked a florist yet, not worth my time. Individuals who have hurt me and those I love but then pretend that if it's not mentioned it's "all good", not worth my thoughts.

The perspective I've gained is that right now it's about me and the man that I love and that's okay. It's okay for me to put myself first and be selfish even if it inconveniences those who aren't worth the aggravation anyway.

So the headache is finally fading and with that, I'm off to bed. Good night and catch you on the other side of the sun.

The never ending signing....

I find it amusing that everyone tells me that on the day escrow closes you end up signing your name over and over again for about a half an hour. I actually can't wait for that... I would prefer one massive signing-fest in lieu of the daily odd forms from the bank, from the escrow company, and from the agents. Everyday, I get at least two to three emails from folks "oh, we forgot to give this to you... you need to sign... and return NOW or..." BLAHBLAHBLAH. I have an efficiency-maximizing temperment when it comes to paperwork and it's an odd experience to work with folks for whom this is a foreign concept... :-P so I'm up to three forms today that I have to sign... at least yesterday it was only 2. Who knows how many I'll get tomorrow? At least I'm getting to use my signature to it's max just before it changes over... hahahha, looking for the silver lining... can I see it? hmmmm, just barely.... hahahahahha

There's stress and then there's the "I can't believe all of my hair hasn't fallen out" Stress...

.... oddly I still have all of my hair...

HAHAHAHA

Yes, I'm super excited to get started with my life with Steve and of course, I'm enjoying planning the wedding and house hunting BUT and here's the big BUT ... HOLY CRAP!!! I haven't done laundry in about two weeks which apparently is just on the cusp of how long I can go without doing the laundry... at least Friday's are a bit more casual so I'm not too out of place with my glitter rocker T-shirt :)

I spend all day at work and all night on the phone with vendors and signing more loan papers for escrow. I haven't worked out in two weeks. Luckily I'm not a stress-eater so I haven't gained the 10 lbs I thought I did. only 1lb...whoohoo... Oh and did I mention, Steve's car got totaled so I'm the only one with a car right now... Yeah, I'm in complete shock that half of my hair isn't missing and DON'T get me started on the development of the last two days.

ANYWAYs, we're getting through it, some days I'm surprised it's night already. We're getting it done and it will all be worth it in a month and even more so in four months. We're motoring... catch you all on the other side.

My experience sans phone.

I was talking to my sister the other day (about half way through my 2 weeks sans phone) and she told me ala paraphrase... you remember back when we didn't have cell phones and it was okay.  Yes, I do remember what it was like without cell phones and it wasn't too bad... yes, it is a good thing to be able to have it there when you need it.  BUT, it's also good to be disconnected every once in a while. I'm usually camping or out in the boondocks somewhere when I do that.

Unfortunately in my habit of having my cell phone with me all of the time, I've gotten out of the habit of checking my answering machine at home... yep 11 messages... mostly telemarketers but there where those ones from my fam and friends who thought I've fallen off of the face of the planet... but alas, I am still here... :)  having survived my cell phoneless state.  I just hope that this phone lasts a bit longer than the last one did :) Yeah Phone!

Gotta go, back to work, more to come :)

I Passed!!!

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="345" caption="Working Hard in Grad School"][/caption]

Soooooooooooo all of the studying and the library hours and not getting to have fun on the weekends have paid off... OH YEAH!!

Because yours truly is now a Geologist-in-Training... a certified GIT (yes, I too love the beauty of the acronym)... BUT YEAH!!!

I got my letter today and then proceeded to jump up and down, scaring the bejeebus out of the guys with offices by the mailboxes... haaahahaa...

Yeah, one exam done and just two more to go... but I don't have to worry about that for atleast a year... definitely after the wedding... YEAH!!!!

I PASSED!!!! I passed I passed... whoo hoo!

Reading other's blogs

Have you ever read random people's blogs?  Wordpress has this neat feature where it'll take you to a random blog and if you keep hitting the arrow up at the top it'll keep shuffling through other member's blogs.

Having had a complete brain fart of massive proportions, I started playing with this feature.  Some of them were super cool because they were in other languages and so although I couldn't read them at all, the letters actually looked beautiful in what seemed to me to be a random sequence.  Some are very political... there is the guy who's horrified at the fact that we're "losing Bush to Barack" and then there's the lady who feels that we need to become non-consumers (she's got some good tips, so I think I'll visit her again).  Some are Totally random, like the guy who just lists all of the websites he likes or the girl who describes her daily outfit as a budding fashionista.  But then you get the folks that are counting up their sober days or counting down the minutes they can move out of their folks home.  I don't think I'd have the courage to put my ISH out there on the net for all to read, and that's when I feel like the little sister reading her big sister's diary (not like I ever DID that... I could never find Cathy's diary anyway :) haha)

So is it weird to look through these other blogs? I wonder if strangers read mine... good Lord, but then again, I do write and it is out there for whomever chooses to click on my blog.

I don't know, I'm still pondering pondering... If someone writes their most personal thoughts on the internet are we intruding when we look?  Hmmmm.... pondering ... pondering....

Songs that get you through the day

.... this is my lastest...

good lord, i've gotten the running around like a crazy chicken act down :)

Enjoy!

The video doesn't seem to be linking right but you can see it here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4lCu8U6naI

"Superwoman"

Everywhere I'm turning
Nothing seems complete
I stand up and I'm searching
For the better part of me
I hang my head from sorrow
state of humanity
I wear it on my shoulders
Gotta find the strength in me

Cause I am a Superwoman
Yes I am
Yes she is
Even when I'm a mess
I still put on a vest
With an S on my chest
Oh yes
I'm a Superwoman

For all the mothers fighting
For better days to come
And all my women, all my women sitting here trying
To come home before the sun
And all my sisters
Coming together
Say yes I will
Yes I can

Cause I am a Superwoman
Yes I am
Yes she is
Even when I'm a mess
I still put on a vest
With an S on my chest
Oh yes
I'm a Superwoman

When I'm breaking down
And I can't be found
And I start to get weak
Cause no one knows
Me underneath these clothes
But I can fly
We can fly, Oh

Cause I am a Superwoman
Yes I am
Yes she is
Even when I'm a mess
I still put on a vest
With an S on my chest
Oh yes
I'm a Superwoman

A Harriet the Spy Moment

Do you remember that book, Harriet the Spy?  I loved that book as a kid (I think they eventually made it into a movie which isn't too much a surprise).  Harriet was my hero as a child, she would walk around her town and make observations which she'd write down in her journals.  That and she LOVED tomato sandwiches.  Have you ever had a tomato sandwich, if not, you should :)

 

So my own Harriet the Spy Moment:  The courthouse window looks out at the intersection between the 405 and 105 freeways with the airport nearby.  Cars, trucks, and the ocassional plane speed by.  It's such a clear day with a beautiful blue sky and huge white clouds.  The meter parking lot is just below and there are about four cars just waiting for open spots.  It's interested to see them scramble when a spot opens up.  One guy just got his spot snaked and he is not a happy camper :-P.  In the room behind me there is a rustling as people read and move around the room.  Someone just turned on one the TVs.  Even with the TV on, the calm behind me doesn't match the frantic scurrying of the vehicles outside.  Everyone with a place to be, always in a rush.  But I sit in this glass tower, stuck in here with the guy who's been on the phone with his friend practicing the different excuses in case he gets called into a jury.  Totally swarmy guy, I had to move because he kept smiling at me like we were in some club instead of a courthouse. Dude, seriously, this is a courthouse and you are creepy :-P.  There's the nice old guy I was in line with who's just happy to have something to do today.  One of the teachers is grading her papers.  I wonder if her students are being nice to their substitute teacher.  :) Probably not.. haha.  It's a good mix of people.  Some who want to be here, some who are just waiting to see what'll happen, and then there are those who are crawling up the walls.  Then there's the lady who's sleeping on the couch with her mouth wide open.  I like the lady who asked about a changing room so she could exercise during lunch.  Kudos to her but I didn't see showers so I hope she's not going to run or anything. HaHa :).  But I'm on my way again.  I can't stay in one spot too long.  Getting restless, going to walk around some more.

Seriously, in this day and age, we still need this much change?

Seriously, in this day and age, we still need this much change? I sometimes wonder how much progress we've made?  With the upcoming election and my own awareness of racial hesitancies within my own group of friends, I have been leaning heavily on my attempts at openmindedness. positivity, and minimizing the negativity that I bring into the world.  I truly believe that only with knowledge and openness and hard work can we really start to create a world in which we don't perpetuate the cycle of discrimation.  A world in which no one feels that they have the right to discriminate because they have been discriminated against.

Thinking about that on the drive home the other day.  Juanes' song Bandera de Manos came on. I'm seriously loving the Random function on the IPod.  I felt the lyrics were appropriate.  So in case you haven't heard the song, here it is. I'm still looking for a good translation of it into English for those of you who aren't Spanish readers :)

Bandera De Manos - Juanes

Hagamos todos, una bandera con manos negras
Una bandera con manos blancas,
por un mundo mejor en este momento
Hagamos todos, una bandera con manos mestizas,
Una bandera con manos inmigrantes
por un mundo mejor

Ya, que estamos cansados
de tantas historias vencidas
tantas promesas nunca cumplidas
alcemos el alma y la voz

Y hagamos el amor
como una manifestación
Que la guerra no da explicación
A seguir asi, quemando la piel de tus manos
que son las manos mias
de tu alma, que es como el alma mia
Que ironias, las que nos da la vida
mientras miles se mueren de hambre
los lideres compran arsenales
y asi, siembran dolor

Hagamos todos una solo bandera... todos
Derribemos fornteras, todos...
por un mundo mejor

En este momento sembremos paz
más justicia más dignidad
libertad yo naci igualdad....
por un mundo mejor

Ya, que estamos cansados
de tantas historias vencidas
Tantas promesas nunca cumplidas
alcemos el alma y la voz

Y hagamos el amor
como una manifestación
Que la guerra no da explicación
A seguir asi, quemando la piel de tus manos
que son las manos mias
de tu alma, que es como el alma mia
Que ironias, las que nos da la vida
mientras miles se mueren de hambre
los lideres compran arsenales
y asi, siembran dolor
y compran arsenales
y asi siembran dolor.

Just some food for thought for today : )

So it has begun...

After so long of not blogging I've decided to take that plunge...

some thought it would be interesting to blog the wedding planning and other craziness that encompasses my life soooooooo, why not...

here it is. or atleast, here it begins.

I swear.  it'll get better with time, I just needed a start...

so back to the geology studying, wedding planning, work working, and all the rest.

Catch you on the next break.