Life's Spices

Moving Day.

2012-01-11T15:08:00.000-08:00

To keep following, go to:

Harry & Sally: The real-life version plus a pooch.

Baby Cousin Gets Married.

2011-12-07T20:27:00.000-08:00

Kate & her bridesmaids at the Bridesmaids' Luncheon

Lauren (my cousin's wife) & me in our vintage hats at the Luncheon

Ann (my other cousin's wife) and me at the Luncheon--the hats were Ann's brilliant idea! Aren't they fun??

My awesome Aunt Cynthia and me before the wedding

Baby Cousin Kate is ready to get married!

Trying to get a decent picture of the Boss-man.

2011-12-01T19:12:00.000-08:00

a whole lotta stuff

2011-11-28T14:46:00.000-08:00

So, my bad. I've been gone awhile.

Well, life got busy.

For one, the dang Human Subjects division decided to grant permission for me to do my dissertation. Happy frickin' hallelujah. Then, I realized...oh crap. I have to actually go and FINISH this thing. So I've been out and about, recruiting participants and starting to interview.

For two, I'm working a full-time job that tried to strangle me by the throat starting in November. I think it's a combination of students actually doing what we want them to, coming in earlier and not waiting until the last minute (January), combined with the fact that we are down three advisors, that has sent me into a neurotic state.

For three, Chad entered my life. No, I'm not cheating on Jesse. Chad is my new personal trainer that came with my gym package. And he's awesome. But if I don't want him to kill me, leaving me to rot on the gym floor at the end of our sessions, I had better get my tail to the gym nearly everyday to keep up.

For four, I went to Texas (yee-haw!) for my cousin's wedding and Thanksgiving. It was my first holiday to be apart from Jesse. Sob. It was also my first time to be away from Boss. And I know he's not a child, but I really missed him. Sob again. But, Cousin's wedding was gorgeous and my diet went straight out the 70 degrees-and-sunny window.
Chick-Fil-A? Check. Three times.
Whataburger? Check.
Stole Whataburger ketchup? Check.
Mexican Food? Check. Check.
Thanksgiving-Itschner-style? Check and check.
Ever so slightly thicker Texas accent upon return? Check.

Stay tuned for:
The Tale of Texas Trip
The Awful Sound Boss Makes When We Leave Him Alone (AKA: Why the Neighbors Left Us a Nice Note Rather than having us Evicted on the Spot, We have No Idea).

open letters II

2011-10-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

(For open letters, the original go to mrs. darling's blog.)

***********************************************
dear college kid who thinks it's your last quarter,

you should know by now what degree you are seeking. if you don't, you probably aren't graduating this quarter, you yahoo.

advising you,
peggy

***********************************************
dear lauren graham,

the one fan who has something actually meaningful to tell you can't figure out how to contact you. which is probably good, since you're famous and don't want to get stalked by crazies. but i'm not crazy. your characters on gilmore girls and parenthood have inspired and encouraged me for the past 10 years. you have brought into my world a taste of family, especially my mom, who has been gone for 14 years. thank you.

your biggest (no seriously, your biggest) fan,
peggy

**********************************************
dear creators of friends,

when will you make a friends movie? i don't think you would ruin it. just don't do a sequel like Sex & the City and it will be fine.

ross & rachel forever,
peggy

**********************************************
blake shelton,

marry me.

love,
peggy

ps. miranda & i have talked. she's fine with it.

**********************************************
dearest jesse,

if you learn how to close the shower curtain and wash your dishes, i'll love you forever. okay, so i already do. but seriously, can you just close the shower curtain and wash your dishes?

love,
me

*********************************************
dear bossy-boss,

please shut the hell up when we leave you alone so we don't have to pay $450/month for doggy day care.

love,
mommy

ps. you're still the fiercest Westie in the West. even if you're a total co-dependent wuss.

Jonesin' to write...

2011-09-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

So, I have gone through periodic bouts over the years where I really get the itch to do some writing. For me, it's primarily personal narrative writing. Examples of previous writing include experiences with boys, having an eating disorder, or simply Grandma. After living in Africa, I started to write about that (didn't get too far, and now I fear it's been too long...I went there TEN years ago on October 30, 2001, which is pure crazy).

Today, I got the itch again. I start doing rather drastic things, as I tend to do in my melodramatic, black-or-white, all-or-nothing way, like researching MFA Creative Writing programs. Why would I do that to myself? I'm still in my EdD program!

Instead, maybe I should just enjoy it...but in truly type A fashion, I have created a mental list of the less formal approach to "becoming a creative writer" which includes:
1. Write. About anything that comes to mind.
2. Show it to friends. Preferably ones who know good writing when they see it and are good writers themselves.
3. Try to submit it to some sort of writing contest or publication. See if they think it's any good.

And finally, a list of potential topics that I could write about from a personal narrative perspective:
A. Africa...rather than the entire time, some poignant experiences though I still dream of a memoir (previous planned title: Memoire d'Afrique)
B. Family...losing, gaining, what IS family, anyway? potential title: Who is the "we" in We Are Family?
C. This body I call my own...about gaining and losing 30 pounds, TWICE; eating disorder and beauty issues; potential title: The 30 Pound Yo-Yo, and All that Comes with It
D. Faith, or the lack thereof...probably titled...that.
E. Boss...focusing on how raising a puppy is like having a kid; title: The Dog as Child
F. Just some miscellaneous Misadventures that incorporates all of the above, sort of in Anne Lamott fashion; potential title: How I Stole Anne Lamott's Idea and Wrote a Miscellaneous Book about the Things that Matter to Me. What, too long?

By the way, my favorite part of writing is coming up with titles.

So, that's what's on my mind today. Writing. Incidentally, I'm reading The Help. Fantastic book. Makes me want to write a novel. But I think I would suck at fiction.

Weigh-in

2011-09-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

Background:
May 2011: Cousin Kate asked me to be one of her bridesmaids in her November wedding.
Late May 2011: Tried on dress at David's Bridal. It is fitted through the hips...really, Kate? This requires a size larger than the size I had grown to, and was already unhappy with.
June 8, 2011: Peggy joins Weight Watchers Online. Goal: lose 25 pounds.

Since then:
I have weighed in each Wednesday morning, making steady progress. Following the WW plan and being active, thanks to the lovely Seattle summer, playing kickball and softball and walking Boss around Green Lake.

This morning:
The family weighed in.
Peggy: has lost 20 pounds...WOOT!
Boss: has gained 2.5 pounds since his last vet visit in July--he's now 14.5 pounds--WOOT!
Jesse: the bastard has lost 12 pounds unintentionally since June, just by living with me and making healthier choices because I have been. Woot. Boys suck.

finally replaced my iPhone and ain't it a good thing...

2011-09-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

So, remember how my iPhone was stolen back in April and I had to use a crappy flip phone from the days of yore until my contract was up and I could replace it without, as Mrs. Darling would say, paying a kidney for it?

Well, that was officially on September 5th, but I kept hearing about how the iPhone 5 was going to come out in September so I thought that was lovely timing. Until September came, and they started saying October. When I started hearing possibly next year, I decided to stop waiting and get an iPhone 4 this weekend.

Other important info that ties into this little story: Jesse has been on his break between his internship and returning for his last quarter of school, which means that Boss really hasn't been left home alone (or crated) much at all. Basically, on Friday nights when we go on date night. Like, last Friday and this past Friday. Well, we came home Friday evening to a *very* nice note from our neighbor (no sarcasm), letting us know that Boss has a shrieking/yelping tendency that sounds like someone is beating him.

Awesome. I thought we were past this.

So, Saturday, we bought the iPhone 4. And we were supposed to go to the engagement party of one of Jesse's friends and his new fiance. Except after the Friday night note, I didn't feel like we could just leave Boss home alone. So, I called my friend who agreed to dog sit for a little while so we could make an appearance at this engagement party.

I used my new iPhone to find our way to the party location, the apartment of the newly engaged that we had not been to before. We parked, in the rain, about 3 blocks away and made a run for it. When we arrived, we found a secured entrance. So, Jesse tried to buzz the apartment. No response. Called his friend. No response.

Then some dude that lives there came out, so we went in. This "apartment building" was a converted old mansion with no apartment numbers, just names of suites. Jesse thought the party was in "apartment B", but clearly that didn't help us. So we just wandered around the old mansion trying to listen for anything that sounded like a party.

Then it hit us that we could use the iPhone to look at the Evite again. The whole smart phone thing really is a lifestyle change (both ways...I was a very frustrated Pegs back in April when it took 10 minutes to send a text). So Jesse looked it up and...

the party is NEXT Saturday.

Are you friggin' kidding me, Sharp?

I told him he could go get the car by himself in the rain and I would wait for him to come pick me up.

Thus begins...life with Jesse. But thankfully, also life with the iPhone.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

2011-09-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

It's my favorite time of year...when Jesse is on break between school and work! We have big plans, such as:

1. Eating dinner together
2. Walking with Boss around Green Lake
3. Oil changes for both of the cars
4. Watching Angel on Netflix
5. Solidifying plans to go to Senegal (yippee!)

Most of these are the little things. Jesse and I have officially lived together for about 10 days, and I LOVE IT! I can't even explain it...there's just something about him being there when I get off work or eating dinner at OUR dining room table.

My favorite sight this week: walking out of work and seeing Jesse & Boss waiting for me outside. I love my boys.

Story time: Boss pees on the down comforter

2011-09-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

Story #2. (Although I really shouldn't reward you people with a second story since exactly 0 of you have commented on the first. I'm not bitter. Not even a little bit.)

My now-former apartment had a free washer/dryer in the basement, and the new place has a coin-operated washer/dryer available. This means, we will be scouring every nook & cranny for quarters while we live here. It also means that the day before moving out, I washed EVERYTHING with the free washer/dryer, including the bedding--sheets and down comforter. Once dried, it went in the car and was transported to the new place.

So, on Sunday night, with the bed set up by the 4 Fabulous Moving Dudes, Jesse & I went to put on the bedding. On went the fitted sheet. On went the regular sheet (what do you call the other, non-fitted sheet?)...but wait, what's that? Please tell me it's water...sniff, sniff...well, maybe it's just on this sheet...pulling out the comforter, NOOOOOOOOO...pulling the down out from inside the comforter, NOOOOO...

BOSS! BOSS, where are YOUUUUUU?

Crouching in the corner, looking down, one paw over his eyes.

Guilty.

And that's the story of how, at 10pm on our first night in the new place and both having to go to work the next morning, we began the 2 hour journey of washing the sheets and comforter in the coin-operated washer/dryer.

If only it ended there. Jesse came back upstairs from the laundry room, carrying the freshly-dried down.

Jesse: Does it still smell like pee to you?
Me: Yep. But it's probably just how you get a bad smell in your head and then it just smells like that, even when it doesn't really.
Jesse: Okay, I guess. Maybe. But smell this (the comforter).
Me: (sniffing). Well, we washed it. It must be fine. Let's just put it on the bed.

So we do, and crawl into bed.

A few minutes later...

Me: (whining) I can't sleep like this...it smells like pee! Did you put the detergent in the right spot? (The new washer has these three different things for detergent, bleach, and something else).
Jesse: I think so. (laughing) But this is gross.
Me: Okay, get up. We're taking the down out.

So, the down came out and earned a spot in the second bedroom until I could wash it again the next day.

Good thing Boss is cute.

Story time: Pegs blows up at the U-haul place.

2011-08-31T11:57:00.000-07:00

I asked, you responded. So you get 3 stories.

1. Peggy's explosion at the U-haul place.

On Thursday, I called and reserved a truck for Sunday. The man said I could come pick it up at 8:30 am and have it until 2:30 pm. This was great, since I had friends meeting to help with the move at 9:00 am.

On Sunday, I arrive at the U-haul place (with Jesse & Boss). U-haul Dude can't find my name. I give him my confirmation # (sometimes being Type A comes in very handy). He finds my name, but says no truck is assigned to my name and I'm not on the time schedule. Then he says he has to process all the trucks that came in that morning before he can tell me if he has a truck. About 20 minutes have passed, so I call Roommate and tell her I won't be there by 9 and to tell the guys to just start moving stuff down to the curb.

I ask U-haul Dude why he can't just count the # of trucks he has and # of people already reserved to see if he has enough to give me one. He says he has to actually process them.
I still have not heard an apology. What I have heard is "I wasn't the one you talked to on Thursday, so this isn't my fault."

SERIOUSLY?

So I lose it. I yell at him that he needs to tell me RIGHT NOW if he will have a truck because people are arriving at my house NOW to help, he has my name right there that I made a reservation, and I need to start calling other U-haul places if he doesn't have one. He tells me to "have some patience."

I gave Jesse a LOOK and told him to "handle it."

Then Boss and I went outside and paced in the parking lot.

Fast forward to 9:20. U-haul Dude finally says he has a truck for me, but I have to bring it back at 1:30. So I am getting the truck an hour late and being told to return it an hour late. That, my math geniuses, is two hours less time with the truck. I ask if I will get a discount for the poor service and having the truck for less time than I was promised. U-haul Dude says he doesn't have the authority to do that, but I can pay in full today and contact the supervisor for a refund.

U-haul Dude then spends a good 10 minutes taking down my information. The same information that I already gave Thursday U-haul Dude on the phone.

When we returned later with the truck, we were early (thanks to Jesse and 3 Super Non-U-haul Dudes who moved me soooo fast) and U-haul Dude wanted a high five for the way things worked out.

SERIOUSLY??

I hmphed.

What do you want to hear about?

2011-08-29T11:19:00.001-07:00

1. How I exploded at the U-haul rental facility on moving day?
2. How Boss peed on the just-washed down comforter that we didn't notice until it was nearly time for bed?
3. How Jesse researches EVERYthing to DEATH, and we will probably not actually buy a TV until 2015 because of it?

So, my pets. What would you like to hear about? Because ALL of those were in the last 24 hours. As well as moving all my schmack from Old Apartment to New Apartment.

The weak link. And a sore loser.

2011-08-22T15:25:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to decide whether or not I should continue playing softball. I play in a recreational league (read: non-competitive-at-least-in-theory). Last season, we won the league championship.

All of the guys are great. All of the girls, myself included, played competitively in high school. But I am, by several years, the oldest of the girls. Translation: I am the furthest removed from my high school glory days. The days when people cheered because I made a sliding catch in the outfield. This was 1995-96.

Fast forward to 2011. Sliding catch? Puh-leaze. I would settle for...well, a catch. Or getting on base legitimately (read: without the assistance of errors made by the other team or them choosing to get another runner out instead of me).

So, on a team of haves, I am feeling like a have-not. And I am one of those people that is NOT satisfied just to have fun and play. If I suck, I'm not happy.

Yesterday, Dude Pitcher kept trying to cover home plate while I was catching. But IIIII wanted to cover home plate. Then we switched to Dude Pitcher 2.0 who did let me cover home plate. And what did I do? Botched 2 easy pop-ups and missed a throw coming into home. Granted, the two pop-ups were off the fence so: A) wouldn't have counted as outs anyway and B) off the fence is not actually easy and the throw to home was way off the mark and would not have resulted in an out anyway. Still, I'm my own worst critic and was annoyed with my (lackluster) performance.

Did I mention that we were making a comeback in the last inning and I made the last out with the tying run on 2nd base? Granted the other team had scored 15 runs which certainly were not all my fault but still...I HATE to be the last out when it results in a loss.

So, I'm thinking of quitting because I feel like The Weak Link. Because clearly I can't just live with these plain facts:
1. It's 2011, not 1996.
2. My team is called That's What SHE Said, not KHS Mustangs.
3. It's rec league, and I don't have a coach screaming at me to "Catch the next damn fly, Itschner!"

Ode to Fremont.

2011-08-11T13:12:00.000-07:00

In Seattle, the neighborhoods have names (along the lines of the burroughs in NYC). My neighborhood is called Fremont, and I love her dearly. As a local of Fremont for 2 years, I have favorites that may not be what you would read about (though some certainly are) in the media.

Fremont fondly calls herself (and others have picked up on the nickname) the "Center of the Universe." There is a Center of the Universe sign six blocks south of my place which indicates all the lovely places you can go and how far they are from the Center. It can also can help you if you've gotten lost. (Milky Way? Sure, we can get you there.).

There's some of the best food in Seattle, nay, the COUNTRY. Paseo, a Carribbean restaurant, has been featured on The Food Network as having the #2 sandwich in the country (I beg to differ) and is, fortunately for me, located at the end of my block. I get the Rice, Bean, Thigh Trio each Wednesday evening...extra thigh, please.

One place I could NOT live without is Norm's Ale House & Brewery. It's a short walk down the hill from my place so we get a warm-up before inhaling some of the best food in the area, like Norm's fried chicken. Since adopting Boss in March, Norm's has become a staple in our household. Why? Because Norm's is one of the VERY few restaurants where Boss is a welcome guest. What you see below is the common experience at Norm's.

If I want to rent a movie, I have no need to drive to Hollywood Video or Blockbuster...I actually have no need to drive at all. Video Isle is a local video store with any tv series or dvd I have ever searched for (which is amazing because it's teeny tiny), is 3 blocks from my place, AND gives you a free (and HUGE) milk bone for your pooch. Boss is a fan of Video Isle. And Video Isle is a fan of Boss. During our last visit, the owner attempted to teach Boss to shake. (It's a work in progress.)

Need some toilet paper, but don't want to go ALL THE WAY to the grocery store? It's Marketime to the rescue! Located just two blocks from my place, it has an espresso stand where I can pick up any drink for under $3, awesome donuts/pastries, fabulous ready-to-eat items like a sesame noodle salad, or that "quick-I-need-ice-cream-now" moment.

Those are my regular haunts, but there are countless other amazing restaurants, shops, and charming local stops that I visit infrequently but still adore.

Finally, on my "To Try" list, a new eatery called Pie. I mean, how yummy does this look?

You can just imagine my excitement when Jesse and I found the perfect apartment just 3 blocks from where I currently live (which, if you have kept track, places me NEXT DOOR (literally) to Marketime, ONE block from Video Isle, TWO blocks from Paseo, and EIGHT blocks from downtown Fremont). Also? It has hardwood floors, which means I am going to continuously laugh my tail end off at Boss sliding around trying to play with his toys. Move-in: less than 3 weeks.

PS Image of Paseo from here, Norm's from here, Video Isle from here, Marketime from here, and Pie from here.

Transformation.

2011-07-25T21:04:00.000-07:00

10 days ago, Boss lost his cajones.

Yesterday morning, he looked like this:

By evening, he had transformed into this:

My bad, Boss.

The beauty of it? If I did this to, say, a human, he/she would be plotting revenge. But Boss? Boss just came home and cuddled in bed with me.

Screening letter rant.

2011-07-20T09:03:00.000-07:00

So, I finally re-submitted my Human Subjects application.

To review: I had submitted a "Certificate of Exemption" to Human Subjects for my dissertation research per my advisor. An Exemption basically says that my research either doesn't use, or so minimally uses, humans that the study really shouldn't have to undergo the Human Subjects scrutiny that most studies do.

I was told my study didn't qualify and to re-submit as a "Minimal Risk" application. So, I took my sweet time (because everyone else seems to be) and submitted a Minimal Risk application at the beginning of July.

Last Monday, I had an email from Human Subjects. And found out the reality of what I was dealing with.

I had a THREE page "Screening Letter" waiting for me. The letter said, "Ms. Itschner, your proposal sucks. Re-do it. Sincerely, Your Enemies in Research" And then listed all the things that I should specifically re-do.

Okay, it didn't really say that.

It did say that there were 12 things I needed to revise, add, remove, or otherwise change. And I FLIPPED the crap out. I hollered for 30 minutes at Jesse about quitting the program and how ridiculous these people were and if I suck so much, why was I even admitted to this program.

Then I contacted my peer mentor from when I started the program who graduated last year. She assured me that EVERYONE gets this letter. She did have an Exemption and got a 2 pager. She's known people who got 6 page letters. She's known people who have had their entire theoretical framework questioned.

Then I felt better.

Apartment Hunting in Seattle: Part Two

2011-07-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

The ad on Craigslist boasted of a "cute 2 bedroom apartment in the U-District."

In our price range? Yes.
Dogs allowed? Yes.
Close to 520? Yes.
Overrun with college students? Maybe. But let's look anyway.

On Wednesday, Jesse set an appointment for us to view the apartment on Saturday at 1:00 pm. The woman asked us to call first when we were on our way. The same woman who, when we told her it was a boyfriend/girlfriend couple, said in her thick Asian accent, "Oh! That great! Boyfriend girlfriend live there now!"

On Saturday, we decided to get lunch in the U-District. As we wrapped up a delicious lunch at The RAM, Jesse called and got a voicemail. He left a message and we drove over. We drove to the street number before...and after. Where was this place? We backed up. Oh, it must be this "thing that looks like it used to be a tool shed" (quoting the Great Jesse Sharp). THIS is a 2 bedroom apartment? It was built on a hill and surrounded by trees, so I said maybe there were stairs we couldn't see leading to a bigger space than we were looking at.

Jesse called again. Left another message. We waited in front, and at 12:58 pm, an early 20s guy parked and walked into the apartment.

At 1:05, we knocked on the door. We explained to Early 20s that we had an appointment to see the apartment at 1:00 but were apparently being stood up. He said he thought Asian Landlord had already rented it out to someone who saw it earlier in the week, but we could see it if we wanted.

#1: How rude are you, Asian Landlord? I don't want to rent from you anyway if you can't even pick up your phone to tell us not to bother going to the apartment. Now, I didn't expect her to initiate a call to us...but I did expect her to answer her freaking phone when we had already set up this appointment. Yahoo.

#2: You are a massively false advertiser. Your "cute 2 bedroom"? Newsflash: It's a not-so-cute TWO ROOM apartment. Even this low maintenance college couple had only one room that could be used as a bedroom. And there's NO WAY my queen bed was fitting in there. The kitchen? A galley.

Pssh. Shame, shame.

Back to the drawing board. Stay tuned for Apartment Hunting in Seattle: Part Three (otherwise known as Peggy climbs a freaking wall doing hours of research).

Apartment-Hunting in Seattle: Part One

2011-07-08T14:34:00.001-07:00

This post begins a series called "Apartment-Hunting in Seattle".

Jesse and I are moving in together in September (announcement!), so we have started looking for an apartment. We have a few criteria:
1. Under $1000/month. We want to prioritize paying off his student loans and saving up to buy the next place. So this would be "below our means" but would help us meet these two goals.
2. Dog-friendly. It's shocking how limited our options are with Boss, considering that every other person in Seattle owns at least one dog.
3. Easy on the commutes. I work in North Seattle and Jesse...well, we aren't exactly sure where he will end up after he graduates in December. But chances are he will be on the "Eastside" where Microsoft is if his internship there this summer goes well (which it will), which means across Lake Washington, requiring him to take Hwy 520 which gets crazy clogged with traffic and will have a toll starting in September. So we need to get as close to 520 as possible, which presents the next issue...
4. Not overloaded with college students. 520 is right by the UW. I work with students all day, and let's fact it...Jesse & I are getting old. We don't want to live on Greek Row.

I forgot what an absolute pain in the neck apartment-hunting is in Seattle. The last time I had to look was when I found Leah, or rather when Leah found me, in August 2008. The ridiculousness of shopping for shelter here led me to actually reverse the process on Craigslist and post my own ad.

Jesse and I have already had some experiences I could blog about in this process, so stay tuned for Apartment Hunting in Seattle: Part Two.

I'm one of them.

2011-07-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

For approximately 5 years, I sought after a full-time student services position in Seattle. Beginning in 2005, I went on the hunt while planning to move to Seattle for graduate school. My UW employment search shows that I have applied for 162 jobs at the UW since July 2005. Of course that doesn't count the many jobs that I applied for at Seattle metro colleges.

For those 5 years, I networked like the schmoozer I wanted to be. I longed to be "one of them"--the Seattle higher education community. I thought how lucky they were to have a dream job in a dream city.

But let me tell you. The Seattle higher ed community is a hard nut to crack. I should know.

I had an assistantship where I worked part-time coordinating admissions for a graduate program at the UW. I had an internship with another grad program, and a temporary advising assignment at a community college.

Despite these feet in the door, the full-time permanent opportunity remained elusive. I went on 26-ish interviews after that assistantship. I finished 2nd 5 times. Are you freaking kidding me, Seattle.

Do you know how stressful it is to live in one of the most expensive US cities on a part-time salary and pay for grad school? No wonder my sanity remained far from me during those 5 years...I would have stayed away from myself if I could have.

Until...

In September 2010, I was offered an advising position at North Seattle Community College. For a job I did NOT apply for. How's that for irony?

And I have realized...now I'm one of them. Part of that community. I go to internship fairs now, to RECRUIT an intern for our office. I am schmoozed by grad students who are either seeking internships or jobs. I go to conferences where the people I used to schmooze are now colleagues, where I am even teaching them something new.

I am so grateful to be on this end of things. It took 5 years, but I love to get up in the morning and go to a job where I am able to work with students and develop professionally. And let's face it, the fact that I have a steady paycheck that's severely higher than anything I made in Texas makes cracking that nut worth all 1,825 days of insanity.

Happy half-birthday, Boss!

2011-06-30T21:31:00.001-07:00

March 2011
Boss--3 months

Dear Boss,

Since you crashed into our lives on March 17th, you have changed our world. We were going to make a list of our favorite things about you, one for each year, like our friend Uyen did. Then we realized that our list would only be half of one thing long.That doesn't a good list make.

So, there is no magic number to count the ways you have become special to us that matches your age. Instead, this little list comes from our hearts.

1. You were 5.2 pounds when we adopted you to become part of our family. Now you are 11.4 pounds--big boy!
2. You lost all your baby teeth, two of which we found and have saved. Perhaps they will go in your scrapbook one day.
3. You have been asked to have your picture taken with strangers due to your extreme cuteness.
4. You whine in the softball/kickball dugout if one of us isn't paying attention to you. When you see Mommy, you squirm and reach for her even if someone else is holding you.
5. We have already been through your first disease together, giardia, and have all survived. Supposedly, it's tough to get rid of but for you? Gone after the first round of medicine. Good boy!
6. At 4 months, we decided you were a big boy and could go to the dog park with cousin Sophie. Dogwalker Erin says you love the dog park and playing with your friends each day.
7. You have already graduated from Puppy Kindergarten and Basic Commands class. You know how to play well with others, and can sit, stay, drop it, leave it, and come. We are still working on fetch.
8. You have gotten big enough to jump on the bed by yourself.
9. You have learned how to sleep in until 7:00 am. Mommy is very grateful.
10. Your 6-month birthday means you are now good-to-go to be neutered. Enjoy the remaining time you have with your teabags. They will soon be a distant memory.

We love you, little Boss. You have been good practice for us to think we can handle parenthood.

June 30, 2011
Boss--6 months

Love,
Mommy & Daddy

FY and I

2011-06-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

1. Jesse, Boss, and I head out to Leavenworth, WA on Saturday for a lovely weekend on the east side of the mountains. Jesse & I are signed on for a whitewater rafting adventure Saturday afternoon, complete with BBQ near the river. Boss will hang out at the raft shop for the afternoon.

B. Boss is giardia free--woot!

D. I am much better at kickball than softball. Our kickball team is 3-1 (the loss came off a ridiculous cheating display by the other team that was even acknowledged by the ref--don't get me started), and we had a triple play in our last game.

48. I used to be good at softball. I played outfield in high school and was even on the all-district team my senior year. What the bleep happened? I suck now.

VI. I've been watching The Voice. Yes, ANOTHER reality singing competition. But I like this one. The contestants have a celebrity coach (Blake Shelton? Yes, please.) who mentors them through the process. Anyway, I'm catching up with the finale that aired last night and my bet is on hottie Javier.

One of those days that makes 10 months of Seattle's crappy weather worth it.

2011-06-26T15:56:00.000-07:00

Best Friends: Boss & Sophie

Fierce Boss

Hi Boss

Boss & me

Up close.

With the Budweiser Couch Cooler. Classy.

I wish the two people here were Jesse and me.
Now THAT would be a great picture.

It took until late June, but it finally happened.
A summer (spring by Texas standards) day.

Father's Day

2011-06-20T08:41:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but Father's Day makes me super sad.

Mother's Day doesn't really.

Which doesn't make too much sense, since they are both gone.

But I have some theories:
1. Mama's been gone 14 years. Daddy's been gone less than 3.
2. Mama was super sick and it was less surprising. Daddy's was a tragedy of ridiculous proportions.
3. When Mama went, I still had Daddy. And Grandma. And my grandfather (we called "Dad"). When Daddy went, I had...

So, maybe that explains why on Mother's Day I don't have too much issue reading a billion Facebook statuses (stati?) and blog posts oozing love and sentiment about all the wonderful mothers out there. But the Daddy posts? Skip.

So, here's my Daddy post.
When I think of Daddy, I think of:
*his cowboy hat
*country music from the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s...a little 90s but he thought it became too "rock" to qualify as real country
*biggo belt buckles, countrified
*summer vacation at the ranch
*dependability
*naps!
*loyalty
*fried chicken--mmm
*quirky humor
*Nick at Nite
*the highest metabolism...EVER.
*love

the yin and yang of June

2011-06-17T10:33:00.001-07:00

So, I submitted my Human Subjects application. Two weeks later, I was told that my research didn't qualify for that type of application and I need to submit another one instead. I'm doing that now. And you know what? I'm not hurrying. What would be the point?

Boss has giardia. I noticed when he started pooing bloody diarrhea. Awesome.

It's still barely making it to the 60s here in Sea-town.

And that's been June.

Wait, that's only one part of June.

The other part of June has been...
Playing softball and kickball
Being asked to be a bridesmaid in my cousin's wedding
Celebrating Jesse's (near) graduation
Boss waking me up in the morning with kisses

Okay, I feel better now.

What ever happened to that dissertation?

2011-05-26T14:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm glad you asked. I always heard it would be a long process that would test your patience. I really hadn't experienced much of that until the last 6 months.

If you recall, I passed my General Exam (which was basically chapters 1-2 of my dissertation proposal, with a third chapter that would need quite a bit of work before it was included in the proposal) in November and completed my last courses in December. It's now late May.

I have...waited a lot. Written some. Waited more. Written a little bit. Waited awhile. Written a tweak. I was waiting on dissertation committee feedback, which always eventually came. I would deal with one question/comment, fix it, wait, and then receive another in response.

Finally, the proposal was ready. I filled out the human subjects application. Then I was told I also needed to submit my interview questions. Those, friends, are NOT in the proposal.

Wrote interview questions. And am now waiting. (For feedback from my advisor.)

So, in 5 months, I've written the equivalent of about 5-7 pages and created a title page and table of contents. And I've waited in one form or another for probably 4.5 of those 5 months.

BUT. If all goes well on the next round of feedback, all I have to do is get the signatures (in person, electronic not allowed) of my department chair and faculty advisor (finding 2 faculty in person when I work full-time? Sure, no problem.) and submit it to Human Subjects.

And then I get to wait.

In Seattle, it's hard to tell if it's May...or February.

2011-05-15T23:26:00.000-07:00

And the winner is...

Thanks, Joanne, for the adorable frame!

Other favorites from my Cinco de Pegs birthday:

Ever heard of Rocket Dogs? Apparently, I have been missing out.
These are the best shoes I've ever purchased (thanks, Kerrville Itschners, for the birthday $!),
BAR NONE.

Rat City Roller Girls (roller derby) tickets--thanks, Roommate!

Favorite Middle Eastern cuisine with my favorite.

In other un-birthday news:
It's a very un-surprise birthday/Bon Voyage party for Roommate since I emailed out to her friends that we should turn the last monthly movie night before she leaves for the summer to the Philippines into a surprise birthday/Bon Voyage party...and included her in the email. BOO. HISS. This is why I don't spearhead these things.

I played right field in softball last Sunday and am proud to say that I caught both fly balls that came to me...and didn't break any fingers.

It has yet to reach 70 degrees since last summer in Seattle.

It's shocking how 59 degrees and sunny felt warm the other day. 65 was downright hot.

Boss is growing up. You know how I know?
1. His mouth is half adult teeth-half baby teeth. Very freaky.
2. He has obtained clearance to go to the dog park.
3. I have scheduled his pre-neuter appointment. That's right. We are nipping things in the bud on his 6-month birthday.
4. We walked Green Lake the other day, and he only received 3 direct compliments. An all-time low. I am convinced that many others just didn't approach us, but were secretly crooning.
5. He has had ZERO accidents in EIGHT days--WOOT!

I mean, seriously.

2011-05-04T20:44:00.000-07:00

Which of these should I frame in my office?

Spring came to Seattle...or Boss meets a Clydesdale.

2011-05-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

Either one of the above is an appropriate title for this past weekend.

My college friend, Joanne, came in town and it was the PERFECT weekend. 60s and sunny. Jo and the weather were very amenable to the fact that we had to find dog-friendly activities to entertain us.

Highlights:

We finally got a non-blurry picture of Boss in his Leavenworth hat.

I know this guy! I was walking along the Pike Place Public Market shops when I saw my friend Patrick featured as a model for a lady selling scarves.

My two favorites.
(I promise Jesse looks older in person. Promise.)

When we came out of the shops area, we heard a horse whinney. Wha...?
Turns out a cop was riding a Clydesdale through the park. So we introduced Boss to his first horse, who happens to be THE largest Clydesdale on the Seattle PD force.

This was Boss' Big Weekend. We went to Norm's Eatery & Ale House, which was created to be a dog friendly place where people can come eat and bring their dogs. In walked this BEAST of a dog, a Newfoundland named Cole, who was very patient but any time either of the dogs moved it blurred the photo. This was the best we got.

Jo & Pegs, est. 1998.

Why I do what I do...

2011-04-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

My co-worker shared this video at a recent advising meeting. It's awesome, even for you non-higher ed folks. And it was even more special because it was of students from San Antonio College, so they look like my first students in Texas. I am so lucky to have a job that I love and find so much fulfillment from everyday!

Leavenworth and A Spring Day

2011-04-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

Part I: Leavenworth

This past week, I went to a work conference in Wenatchee, Washington. Six of the advisors were able to attend and do some fabulous bonding...which may or may not have included 4 mixed drinks in a 2 hour period for yours truly as well as jumbo margaritas at a local Mexican restaurant for all.

The weather was gorgeous, as it tends to be on the east side of the mountains, and Friday was sunny with a chance of good times in Leavenworth, WA on the way back to Seattle. Since I had never been, the others opted to take this Texan on a tour of Leavenworth, which is basically Little Germany seated in the middle of Washington state. See for yourself...

Note: The mountain is real.

Downtown Leavenworth

Das Sweet Shop
Anna, me, and Felicia with our delectables

"Hat Shop"..."Wood Shop"...serious creativity going on here.

The six advisors: Judy, Felicia, me, Anna, Joy with Rina in front
I had so much fun getting to know them OUTSIDE the office!

Saying goodbye to Leavenworth...

Of course, I had to buy Boss a little something from Leavenworth. At the town's pet store, A Paw Above, they sell all kinds of German pet clothing. Not one to overdo it, I decided on this simple hat. I think it suits him rather nicely.

I know it's blurry, but you can still see how CUTE it is!

Part II: Finally, a Spring day!

In other Earth-shattering news, the temperature in Seattle SOARED today to...64 degrees! It was that first truly sunny, spring day when it feels like there is a glimmer of hope that you aren't going to die because in late April, it has STILL been cold enough to need your coat and gloves whilst your Texan friends are fine-tuning their tans. That first day of Spring hope is also when the Seattleites come out of the woodwork and load up the canines and babies for a day outside.

Leah and I took Sophie and Boss on a 2.5 hour walk down Fremont to the Burke-Gilman Trail and GasWorks Park (remember the paintball scene in the movie 10 Things I Hate About You? that was at Gas Works).

What happens when I take Boss, a 16 week old Westie puppy, out in public:
1. Approximately every third person stops to say hi, ask what kind he is, what his name is, and compliment how adorable he is. Let me be honest: I LOVE IT. I take it as a personal compliment to ME and love the attention. It's moments like those that erase his finest moment last night, which involved peeing on my down comforter at 8:30 pm, requiring me to stay up until 11 pm cleaning it after returning from the above work conference.

2. At Gas Works, a few college kids (I'm guessing) sitting on a blanket 10 feet away kept commenting on how cute he was. Boss kept pulling to go towards them, so I just let him go. He played for several minutes with the college kids. Who by the way, read his name tag which says "BOSS" on one side and "Peggy, cell#, SEATTLE, WA" on the other, and wanted to call him Peggy. Seriously? The future of America right there.

3. Walking back to our place, a guy backed out of his driveway and into the street, then takes notice of us. While in the middle of the street, he yells out his car window, "Is that a Westie?" So I say yes. We do the usual--how old, what's his name--and THEN he asks if he can take a picture of Boss for his girlfriend who loves Westies. I am so not kidding. So, Boss took his first celebrity photo. In the middle of the street.

4. Boss crapped out on the walk about 10 blocks from home, so I got to carry him the rest of the way. I'm sure he looked more than slightly spoiled. But at least he wasn't like one of those dogs in a stroller. (Or apparently, a Moby wrap is the new thing.)

Makes you want a Westie, right?

Boss & Peggy's Big Day

2011-04-08T14:06:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday was supposed to just be Boss' Big Day. However, it turned out to be a big (and crappy) day for me too.

Boss' First Day of School--Doggy Day Care
Boss had his first day at doggy day care yesterday. He's been slowly becoming BFF with Sophie since they are roommates, and Soph is a BIG girl. So, who did Boss make friends with at day care? A Doodle (labrador-poodle mix) and some other big dog named Balzo. Oh, and a pug. When I dropped him off, he kept pacing...to the gate where I was standing then towards the other dogs playing...then back to the gate...then back to the dogs. Apparently, he finally stopped pacing and started playing after I left.

The Great iPhone Theft of 2011 (aka A Jerk Stole Pegs' Phone)
So, I left doggy day care and decided to stop at Jimmy John's on the way to work and pick up a sandwich for lunch. Jimmy John's is incredible, if you've never had it. And usually near a college campus for some reason...so I've always had a JJ's nearby which has always made me very happy.

On the way, I talked to Jesse on the phone. After I picked up my sandwich, I wanted to check the time on my way in to work. I looked in my purse. No phone. Looked in my pockets. No phone. Looked in and around the car seats as I was driving. No phone. I decided I just couldn't find it while driving. Once I got to work, I looked in all those places again. No phone.

Panic started to set in. I called JJ's where, by the way I had been at 9:45 am. Needless to say, I was the only customer in the restaurant or parking lot at that time. The JJ's guy said there was no phone in the restaurant or parking lot. I decided to drive back there because he didn't know what my phone looked like or where I was parked. No phone.

So, how many customers were at JJ's between when I was there at 9:45 and when I called JJ's at about 10:05? Probably not many. Yes, I am implying something here.

I started calling my phone every 10 or so minutes. No answer. THEN.

My call went straight to voicemail. As in, the phone had been turned off. As in, someone had found the phone and turned it off. As in, someone stole my phone b/c what idiot would turn off a phone they plan to return to the owner.

I went to the AT&T store, where they informed me that:
1. My "Apple Care Protection Plan" doesn't cover lost/stolen phones.
2. I wasn't due for a new phone until September.
3. The iPhone 4 is $650.

So I bought a piece-of-crap phone that depresses me when I look at it.

Not to mention, I lost all pics of Boss taken so far b/c I hadn't moved them to my computer. And I live by my calendar...which is on my phone. This Type A girl is in a frenzy.

What kind of jerk doesn't return a lost phone?

Okay, rant over.

Boss' First Day of School (continued)--Puppy Kindergarten
Four puppies showed up for Boss' first kindergarten class. Cooper, a very shy 14 week old Havanese pup who rarely steered away from owner's lap. Molly, a crotchety 16 week old Havanese who growled when the other puppies, and sometimes the other people, came near her. Wendell, a very sweet but also shy 14 week old supposed dachsund-chihuahua mix...though Wilbert was that mix and he looked NOTHING like Wilbert. So we're not totally sure.

And Boss.

Now, these other 3 puppies pretty much just stayed right by their owners' sides and looked shell shocked to be at puppy kindergarten.

And then there was Boss. He was:
1. Sniffing the others (you know where)
2. Chasing Cooper (who dove back to Owner)
3. Locating treats all over the room and scarfing them down like I don't feed him.
4. Making friends with the other dog owners, trainers, etc.

The trainer called Boss "Mr. Confident". I love Boss. He is hysterical. He tried to play with the others, and had no idea why they were so freaked out. He got excited for his treat, but waited like a good boy. I was very proud of him.

Then he fell asleep about 10 minutes before class ended. I think Boss' motto is "Take-off and Landing." He has little concept of normal energy. He's busy, busy and then zonked out.

And that was Thursday.

pilates and kickball...a combustible combination.

2011-04-06T13:06:00.000-07:00

Even though I haven't been "working out" (as in go to the gym, hop on a treadmill or elliptical, do some weight machines, etc), I've been working out...

Kickball--it's Spring season with Underdog Sports and our team is 1-1! Yesterday I was in some serious pain, and felt ridiculous that it was due to kickball. But I take my kickball seriously, and so it became true...no pain, no gain. But I pained (slid into a base and scraped my knee, dove for a fly ball) and then I gained (we won 13-2!). Here's our fierce team:

Pilates--my friend Kelly is a Pilates believer. I mean, believer. She's been taking Reformer Pilates classes, which is totally different from mat pilates, and convinced Roommate and me to join her for an intro series.

We walked in and the "Reformer" looked like it should be named "Torture Device, the thing which can kill you in 1,000 ways". Here's the Reformer:

The first class? Snooze fest. We practiced breathing. Breathing is a work out? We also practiced contracting kegels. Do you know what kegels are? The instructor told us to pretend like we had started to pee, and wanted to stop mid-stream. Now, that's an odd way to teach an exercise. So, I thought about it and decided I needed to go home and practice to make sure I was doing my kegels right.

We did our sixth class in the series of seven last night, and whew. We are doing all kinds of crazy things with this machine, including some of the moves you can find here. Seriously, click on it. You have to see what we are doing on these machines...all the while contracting our kegels.

So, I've been working out without working out. And believe me, it's a work out.

Also, Jesse & I should be having our flying trapeze class at Emerald City next weekend. Yep, for our 3 year anniversary, I told him I wanted us to take a flying trapeze class.

On residency and roots.

2011-04-02T13:04:00.000-07:00

As of one week ago, I am officially a Washington state resident. The most immediate benefit of this was watching my tuition for 2 credits go from $2,600 to $1,089 in a matter of hours. :)

Letting go of my Texas residency is hard, but easier when I realize that I will always be a Texan. My roots go deeper than voter registration, license plates, and bank accounts. My roots go to a place where the heat is a comfort, the Gulf Coast is familiar, flip flops are a fashion staple, and country music runs through my veins. So I will always, always be a Texan.

But I decided in light of my new residency, I wanted to reflect on the things I have come to love about my new state:
1. My best friend and love, Jesse
2. Looking out my living room window to see Mount Rainier and the Cascades in all their glory.
3. August and September, when the temperature averages 75-80 degrees.
4. The evergreen trees.
5. Delicious food--organic, local, Asian, breakfast specialties
6. Playing adult league kickball
7. Dogs, dogs everywhere...including my own
8. My job and the people I work with who have quickly become friends
9. Best Roommate Ever
10. Being able to walk one block from my place to a coffee shop, yoga studio, pizza place, or a fabulous Caribbean restaurant that was featured on the The Food Network
11. Amazing things to do--incredible plays, trapeze lessons (coming soon!), pro sports, national film and improv comedy festivals, and more!

I have a baby...no, a puppy...no, a baby...no, a puppy...

2011-03-30T08:48:00.001-07:00

Nearly two weeks ago, Boss entered my life. As much as I am supposed to be the Alpha, most times it feels like this 13 week old puppy is boss (pun intended).

Amy & I picked him up in New Braunfels when I was in Texas earlier this month. On our first day, Boss was an angel. He slept peacefully on the 2 hour drive to Amy's house. He tiptoed into Amy's house and sat quietly by my feet. He peed on his wee wee pad. I thought I scored the most well behaved puppy in the world.

THEN. We went to bed around midnight. I had taken Boss to his wee wee pad, and he went. Then he went again in the bed. I woke Amy up and we changed the sheets. Then I put a diaper on Boss.

Sometimes I feel like he's mocking me even when he's just yawning.

I put Boss in his little carrier he would travel in on the plane to Seattle (under my seat, not in cargo). He went bat sh*?! crazy. Oh, Lord. 100 people are going to hate me all the way from Austin to Seattle. So, the day before departure, we went to Amy's vet and got 2 sedatives for the little bug. He conked out the whole flight.

Upon arrival in Seattle, we met Jesse and Boss tried out his leash for the first time. He did NOT like it. So I picked him up and we walked to the car.

He does have his calm moments and has gotten along famously with Roommate's dog, Sophie. At least, he thinks they get along. Sophie got up and walked off 10 seconds after this picture was taken.

Ten days later, here's the sitch:

1. Boss hates being left alone. He yelps and yaps and howls in his crate. Therefore, I have no social life so that my neighbors don't evict me.
2. Thankfully, Jesse has been on his school break and Roommate has had a flexible schedule, plus other friends have stepped in to babysit. Seriously, I need a babysitter for my dog.
3. Potty training is on the fritz. It's a total crapshoot. Thankfully, our carpet is already a piece of crap so a little more hasn't made it worse for the wear.
4. My favorite moment so far: I washed the towel that Boss soiled (b/c oh yes, he potties in his crate even though he is supposed to, by instinct, not want to do that) and put the freshly laundered towel back in his crate. He headed straight for the crate and I thought, "Yay! He wants to hang out in his crate! He's starting to like it." Stupid girl. He walked into the crate and peed right on the towel.
5. The one rule he has down pat is one that Roommate laid down for Soph and therefore Boss has to follow as well even though I don't really care about it: not allowed in the kitchen. I spritzed him in the face twice with a water bottle and he hasn't gone near the kitchen since.
6. Boss knows his name.
7. I have been to Petsmart or Petco 5,637 times in 10 days.
8. Boss starts Puppy Kindergarten on April 7th. Happy frickin' hallelujah.

Then he does this...and I fall in love all over again.

Oops...I did it again (not the Britney Spears song)

2011-03-04T10:32:00.001-08:00

This one is for you, Swiftyjess.

Do y'all remember that time when I got in the wrong car? Well, if you liked that story, then you'll find this one equally awkward-hysterical-and "oh Pegs".

About a week ago, I came home and it was already dark outside. I parked on the street and walked past Roommate's Boyfriend's car. Roommate & Boyfriend were in the front seat, and Boyfriend opened his door to get out. I peered at the car and walked closer. Yep, it was definitely Roommate and Boyfriend so I yelled, "HEY! IS THAT YOU GUYS?"

The guy started to get back in his car because some creepy lunatic was yelling at him.

Guess that wasn't them after all.

I walked into my apartment and sure enough, Roommate & Boyfriend were indeed not in the car...they were eating Tillamook ice cream on the couch.

Oopsie daisy. Creepy lunatic, party of one.

2011-03-03T14:42:00.000-08:00

Books I'm reading:
Questions & Admissions: Reflections on 100,000 Admission Decisions at Stanford
Stick Figure: A Diary of my Former Self

Books I'm re-reading:
I don't re-read books purposely. However, I got halfway through Crafting a Class (a higher ed geek book I checked out of the UW library) and realized I own it and already read it.

Movies I want to see after the Oscars:
The Fighter
Black Swan

Non-reality TV shows I'm totally digging:
Parenthood (heart-wrenchingly realistic)
Modern Family (hysterical)
The Middle (underrated)
How I Met Your Mother (Ted needs to meet their mother ASAP or I'll be out.)
The Office (WHEN is Michael's last episode?? I'm on the edge of my seat each week.)

Reality TV shows I'm totally digging:
Biggest Loser (Red team really pissed me off on Tuesday)
American Idol (Casey has totally brought sexy back)

Stuff I'm doing:
Gearing up for Spring kickball (I've successfully recruited a full team)
Waiting, waiting, waiting for my dissertation proposal to be approved by my committee
Reformer Pilates
Counting down til Texas (9 days)

In our own weird way, we work.

2011-02-16T14:17:00.001-08:00

First of all, in regards to my last post, SBS has NOTHING to do with Valentine's Day. That was the clearly missed point of saying "In honor of the upcoming Valentine's Day."

This post, however, has everything to do with Valentine's Day. That fateful day when Irony stabbed me in the back and made me pay.

As the tale goes...

Jesse and I decided to celebrate on Saturday because Mondays are bad for us with school and work, etc. So on Saturday, we had a truly lovely day. He actually refrained from studying and we just spent the day together, capped with a fabulous dinner at one of his favorite restaurants, 13 Coins, where we both enjoyed the Valentine's Prime Rib Special.

He ordered flowers, but bless his heart...he ordered them on Saturday and the florist laughed in his face (or rather over the phone) at the idea that they would arrive on Monday. "More like Tuesday, fool."

So, Monday arrives, and I should know myself (and Jesse) better than this after nearly 3 years. I should know that no matter how lovely Saturday was, I want something on Monday. Period. Yep, I'm that girl. I also should know that if I tell Jesse that Saturday is fine and don't need anything on Monday, that he will take my word for it.

Monday night arrives, and not even a phone call from that yahoo. Now, c'mon.

So, I get all bent out of shape and pouty. "Why couldn't you just call me?" "Why couldn't you have ordered the flowers earlier?" Why, why, why. Pout, pout, pout.

Then, Irony showed up and stabbed me in the back.

Jesse's Valentine's gift, which I had bought the week before, was sitting in its bag in the back of my closet. Unwrapped, forgotten.

Oh selfish, selfish girly girl on Valentine's Day. While I was pouting, Jesse never once asked where his gift was.

I howled with laughter while he looked at me like I had 3 heads. When I finally calmed down enough, I went to the closet, pulled out the bag, and threw it on the bed.

He opened the bag and pulled out the card. That I had not signed. Or put in the envelope. He said, "But the card's not even in the envelope." I snatched the card, shoved it in the envelope, and tossed back to him. "Here."

He opened the card, which had a wiry little dog and nasty looking cat tangled in an awkward embrace on the front.

The card, in a most fitting way, read: "In our own weird way, we work."

Living with SBS

2011-02-12T22:00:00.000-08:00

In honor of the upcoming Valentine's Day, I thought I would blog about my Shy Bladder Syndrome (SBS). I was chatting with a couple of my friend-workers (co-workers who I count as friends) recently and realized I may have some weird issues around my SBS. This has particularly become an issue in the workplace, where I must use a 4-stall public restroom on a workdaily basis.

SBS-a working definition: when someone can't pee if someone else is around because there is a fear they will hear you and (gasp!) know what you're doing

SBS Coping Skills:
1. If I go into the bathroom and someone I know is in there, I pretend I just went in to wash my hands. I wash them and then sneak down one floor to the other bathroom where there is a far slighter chance of running into someone I know.
2. It infuriates me if I am in the far right stall (which I ALWAYS go to as a first choice) and the other 3 are empty and someone comes in and chooses the one next to me. I mean, I know there's a stall-wall, but come on...give me some space, please.
3. The toilets have auto-flushers that sometimes go off manically (read: flush for no apparent reason, often while you are still on the toilet). In order to pee, I will sometimes push the button so the toilet flushes, giving me a few precious seconds to push out the pee...but other people will assume it's just the psycho auto-flusher.
4. The hand dryer is an SBS person's best friend. When I am sitting there trying to pee and someone chooses to use the hand dryer over the paper towel machine, I want to hug them. That blessed hand dryer gives me a good minute to give my bladder the courage it needs to pee without fear of being heard.

SBS irony: By not being able to pee if you think someone else can hear you, you end up sitting there hoping to pee...meanwhile, others in there think you are pooping because it's taking you so long. Which in the mind of an SBS sufferer is far worse than if you had just peed in the first place.

good stuff

2011-01-31T12:22:00.000-08:00

I suppose I should post, seeing as how it's almost been a month.

It's been a hard month.

But here's what has been good:
1. Purchased my ticket to Texas for Spring Break. Can't wait to see the Itschner crew and celebrate Emma Byrd's 2nd birthday! And eat Chick-Fil-A, Mexican food, and Whatabuger. And wear short sleeves.
2. My roommate is thebomb.com. Really.
3. Free yoga.
4. The Cosby Show on DVD.
5. Working out.
6. Tillmook Oregon Strawberry ice cream.
7. Girl Scout cookie season.
8. My paycheck.
9. Making progress on my dissertation proposal.
10. Friends who deal with the miserable version of me.

The Great Tree Debacle of 2010...or would it be 2011?

2011-01-05T09:39:00.000-08:00

When I had the day off on Monday, I decided to conquer the world. Catch up on blog & FB photos and...get rid of our Christmas tree. It had to be done. The apartment reeked of tree sap. Plus, Tree had been stark naked since last Wednesday...now that's just embarrassing. I wouldn't want to be forced to stand naked in front of a window for 5 days while everyone around me watched TV, ate great food, and basically ignored my existence. Although, let's face it...some people might like it. Wait, what?

I had 3 major obstacles between me and getting rid of Tree successfully.
1. I had no help. How was I going to get Tree out of the stand and down the stairs by myself (it was a 6' tree)?
2. We don't have yard waste services. So I had to squeeze Tree into tiny Louise, whose poor backseat just isn't 6' long. Again, by myself.
3. The last obstacle wasn't planned. More details momentarily.

So, first the stand. After dumping the remaining water on the floor and risking mildew and mold on our carpet, I got Tree out of the stand. I dragged Tree downstairs and shoved it through our front door to the building. And the door shut soundly behind me.

Did I mention our door automatically locks?
Did I mention I had no shoes on?
Did I mention I had no cell phone?
Did I mention I had no keys?
Did I mention it was FORTY degrees?
Did I mention I had no makeup on and hadn't washed my hair in 3 days? (Don't judge me; stylists have told me I have the kind of hair that shouldn't be washed everyday and every 2-3 days was optimal for healthy hair.)

Great.

So I ran in my socks down the block to Cafe Vitta. When the nice barista asked what she could get me, I told her the phone book. And a phone.

I called a locksmith, who said he would be right there. So I waited. People looked at me like I was homeless, with my socked feet and quickly-becoming-greasy-hair and nothing to do but try not to entertain myself by looking at whatever they were doing on their computers.

After waiting about 30 minutes, it hit me.

Roommate's Dog Walker (RDW) would be returning with Sophie any minute. I didn't even need a locksmith. But, had she already come while I'd been down at Cafe Vitta? Could I risk walking to where I could see our apartment to see if RDW was there and then missing the locksmith, who wouldn't find me and leave?

While I debated, I noticed a dude with an old truck just hanging out in front of the laundromat across the street from Cafe Vitta. He looked at me, and I looked at him. What if he was the locksmith? I debated whether or not to go ask him. He was a shady looking dude. But I was getting desperate. So I went over to him. He said he was just doing his laundry, was not a locksmith, and wished he had another pair of shoes to give me. Thank you, sir.

While already at the laundromat, I went another 10 feet down the sidewalk and looked down my street. It was like a beautiful mirage. Could it be? RDW's car was there, shining in the sun. Hallelujah!

So I ran for the house. About halfway there. RDW yelled, "PEGGY?! IS THAT YOU??" I yelled, "YES!" When I got to RDW, she hugged me and yelled, "You're alive! I'm so glad!" She was on the phone with her boyfriend, asking him if she should call 911 because it looked like something horrifying had happened. This was after leaving 2 text messages with Roommate that I had apparently been kidnapped and/or worse.

What RDW found would have made anyone wonder. There was Tree on the front sidewalk (no keys, so had to leave there) and tree firs all the way up to our apartment (Jesse later remarked that it looked like a Christmas tree shat all the way up our stairs). The apartment door upstairs was left wide open, and I had moved things around to get Tree out. My phone and keys were in plain sight, where I would NOT have left them by choice. Although on second thought, would I have dragged Tree with me whilst the kidnapper took me out?

So RDW let me in the apartment, said she was glad I was alive, and left me to continue getting rid of Tree (she had 4 more dogs to return home, so couldn't stay, you see). I got my keys and phone (darn tootin') and returned to Tree.

I should explain that I couldn't remember what locksmith I had called in order to call him back and tell him I would not be needing his services. So, I hurried to get Tree in the car and get the heck out of there before he came storming down the street, mad that I wasn't at Cafe Vitta where I was supposed to be. Also, I didn't want to pay him now that I was in my house. After shoving Tree into Louise (with only the tippy top sticking out one window), I hightailed Tree to the trash place and got rid of him for free.

Then I rewarded myself with a meatball sub.

Silver linings:
1. No charge for Tree.
2. Cafe Vitta is only a block away.
3. The shady dude was nice.
4. RDW showed up and cared enough to find out what happened to me; otherwise, she probably would have been gone before I saw her there.
5. I didn't have to pay a locksmith.

Photo dump wins!

2011-01-03T13:58:00.000-08:00

Halloween pumpkin carving
(mine on the left & Jesse's mom's on the right)

Halloween costume--80s

We were going for Zach Morris on Jesse...what do you think?

Christmas in Helena, Montana
(Jesse's grandma's house)

these say Grow a Girlfriend or Boyfriend or Therapist...in only 72 hours!

Deer in the front yard

Jesse's dad, grandmother, Jesse, and me

At the Christmas Eve party hosted by the Target heiress

(these are the fancy kinds of desserts heiresses serve)

(and the huge Christmas trees they have)

(out to play in the snow)

Ski Adventure (my Christmas present from Jesse)

The Summit at Snoqualmie Pass

Ski lesson day 1

Ski day 3

Teatro Zinzanni (Jesse's Christmas present from me)
Moulin Rouge meets Cirque du Soleil

Submit your vote here...

2010-12-31T10:15:00.001-08:00

I have months of photos...Halloween including costumes, Murder Mystery Party, and pumpkin caring; Skiing; my first Christmas tree as an adult; Christmas vacation to Helena, complete with Jesse's family, deer so close you can almost touch them, and the fancy Christmas party thrown by the heiress to Target; Teatro Zinzanni; and Skiing again (this coming weekend).

I have the day off on Monday.

Soooo...should I:
1. Do one enormous photo dump, probably only sharing 1-2 pics from each, which would likely have little/no text?
2. Do a quality post for each (or logical groups of each), which would likely have more (hopefully clever & witty) text?

Submit your vote via comment. If you don't, just like on reality TV, don't be pissed off at me when I do a post of Bristol Palin.

t-minus 2 days...

2010-12-16T13:03:00.000-08:00

til Jesse and I hit the slopes. the teeny tiny slopes, that is. we aren't stupid enough to be those beginners who think they can handle black diamonds or something.

so we have borrowed stuff, me from Roommate and her friend who is pretty close to my size and Jesse has borrowed from his hot Cuban twin friends who are about his size. ski pants, jackets, goggles, wool socks, thermals, hats.

the deal we got is for 3 days of beginner lessons, daily lift tickets and gear (skis, poles, and boots) for $119 at Snoqualmie Pass.

i say, woo to the hoo!

if you love awesome photos...

2010-12-15T12:56:00.001-08:00

check out my girl Ann's blog on her new photography biz!

she is absolutely amazing. really. i have no words.

link up on the left anytime or go here

some stuff that's been going on.

2010-12-11T13:40:00.000-08:00

Well, let's see here. I finished my last courses for my EdD degree. As you know, in November I also passed my General Exam. Sooooo, that means I'm officially ABD. I'll be meeting with my advisor next week to discuss moving forward with my dissertation proposal. Once it has been approved by my committee and Human Subjects at UW, they will set me loose.

In 12 days, I will be in Helena, Montana for Christmas. The 10-day weather report says high of 30, low of 18 with snow showers. Holy hell. What have I gotten myself into?

Jesse and I are going skiing on the 18th. My roommate passed along this great deal for beginners--3 days of beginner lessons, 3 daily lift tickets, and gear for only $119. And we get to pick the 3 days. Jesse's never been skiing and I went once when I was 16. This should be interesting.

Jesse & I are watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Netflix, which ran from 1997-2003. And don't I know it. We are in the second season, but I don't know if I'll survive the whole show. The cheese factor is overwhelming, which ironically makes the show underwhelming.

And...scene.

Country and Christmas, not to be mistaken for "Country Christmas" which I find revolting even though I'm from Texas.

2010-11-22T09:52:00.000-08:00

I just came off a SUPER FUN weekend which for the first time in many MANY moons did NOT involve even a split second of schoolwork. It did, however, involve:

Movie night (Terms of Endearment) including DaVinci's pizza followed by a trip to the pub under Third Place Books in the U District.

FREE yoga! Ommmm...followed by lunch at Boom Noodle. Chicken teriyaki, delish.

Chick flick w/the roommate (Letters to Juliet) followed by a fabulous nap on the couch followed by...

My first ever trip to The Little Red Hen, this country bar/club in Seattle. It was AWESOME. Next time, I'm wearing my Daddy's cowboy hat. Highlights:

A great band, great music, and great margaritas.
Jesse applied his knowledge of salsa dancing to the country music, and guess what? It totally worked. I love him.
We learned (I re-learned) the Tush Push. Jesse picked it up after watching twice. Then he taught me. Seemed quite backward to me.
This OLD couple...no lie, had to be in their 80s. And boy did they dance! I danced with the dude...adorable. I hope when I'm their age I'm gettin' my country dance on at the Little Red Hen.
I was quel impressed by the number of country music fans...I really thought I was the only one who listened to it in all of Seattle.
Leah's boyfriend, Kassra, was like "Are we still in Seattle? On Earth?" So I translated the lyrics for him: "I told her way up yonder past the caution light there's a little country store with an old Coke sign. You gotta stop and ask Mrs. Bell for some of her sweet tea...Mama gave her a big ol' glass and sent her right back here to me."

Sunday brought Seattle's first snow of the season...and our Christmas tree! Leah's awesome friend, Joe, met us at Home Depot and we loaded up on Christmas! I've wanted to decorate the last few years but haven't had the energy (or money, hello graduate school). This year, I have a job and TONS of energy! So we went a little Christmas crazy. We spent the afternoon listening to Christmas music, drinking hot cocoa, and setting everything up. The tree went in front of the living room window that looks out to the Seattle skyline.

Not so super fun, but went right along with the excitement of the weekend...I went to my room for bed and noticed out the side window what appeared to be fire. Upon further inspection, the a recliner chair on the back porch of the house next door was ON FIRE. I stood there gaping when a woman ran out onto the porch and dumped a pot of water on the chair. She looked at me and we made eye contact. It was one of those freaky moments when you watch someone in trouble and they see you seeing them. She ran back in and out again, this time on her cell phone. I hoped she was calling the fire department. I called Jesse and he told me to call the fire department. Just then, I heard sirens so I went to the front of the apartment to see if they stopped and they did. From my bedroom, I watched the firemen come to the back porch and put out the fire. They tossed the big chair over the 2nd floor balcony to assess the damage on the porch. It was pretty dark, but some of the floor and a lot of the railing was burned. Oh yeah, the whole house (porch included) is wood, as is ours. And also, the houses are like 2 feet apart. If we both reached out, we could touch. Scary.

This morning, I woke up to SERIOUS SNOW on the ground. I made it to work, but they are saying we will likely close early. I know it's a bit treacherous but to be honest, I'm just excited. Thanksgiving is next week, snow is on the ground, the Christmas tree is up, and I have a poinsettia in my office.

North Seattle Community College

P.S. If you are one of those people who thinks being excited about and/or decorating for Christmas before the day after Thanksgiving is insane, please don't rain (or dump snow) on my parade.

questions & tidbits

2010-11-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

Questions:
1. Anyone know how I can decorate for Christmas w/o spending a fortune? I'm thinking Value Village and Big Lots. Other places?

B. How can I FINALLY stop biting my nails? I've had a few good runs in the past breaking the habit, but something always kills it. But I like my nails when they are long and pretty. Plus, my broken finger looks like it is forever bent out of shape so I desperately need long, pretty nails to make up for it.

D. When should I go to Texas? I need to earn some vacation time, so I'm looking at Spring. Probably when I'm about to kill myself b/c it's March and the high is barely 50 degrees in Seattle. But the academic calendar will keep me from going during March...maybe February? Except in February it will probably still be chilly and I'll be darned if I go to Texas and it's not warm. If I go in February, I don't know if I can go again in summer because I'll be wanting to go for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Am I overthinking this?

20. I thought my last post would evoke at least one comment. So, what could I have done differently? Too long? Should I have only posted about the mid-term or the BFGE but not both? Or are you people all just too busy?

Tidbits:
Holiday plans: Helena, Montana. Jesse hasn't seen his grandmother or dad in over six years, so of course I haven't met them. They decided to get together so I will be in Helena, Montana for Christmas.
**Note: I've never been to Montana, and my first time will be in the dead of winter. It may end up being "the dead of Pegs" if it's anything like I'm imagining. Snow up to the roof, cars dying whilst driving b/c it's too.damn.cold.
**Jesse's grandmother seems to be the cutest person ever, judging by her emails. She's asked what Christmas traditions my family has and told me to let her know what my wish list is but keep it under $10,000. Super cute, but I can already tell she's going to remind me of Aama.

The Biggest Loser: I pig out while watching it every week. You'd think the opposite.

Rhianna and Eminem apparently have a sequel to that song about domestic violence. Because one wasn't enough?

in the last 24 hours...

2010-11-02T15:44:00.001-07:00

4:30 pm--arrived to my class, prepared for mid-term.

5:00 pm--professor finally starts talking about the test, saying he thinks it's easier than he meant it to be and asking if anyone has questions. We ask questions about the questions that he said last week would be the EXACT questions on the test "because the point is that I want you to learn, not just pass a test."

5:15 pm--he hands out the test. Not ONE question is from the review. Not one.

5:45 pm--I turn in my test and leave the classroom. PISSED. It's a credit/no credit class! We should be writing reflection papers, not taking crazy tests like we never take in grad school. AND we have to get 80% to get credit for the course. Out of 20 questions, I counted TEN that I COMPLETELY guessed. WTF.

5:50 pm--make furious phone call to Jesse, shrieking that I may end up finishing this quarter as ABD plus EDLPS 560 (the course). Sure, I write a 50 page General Exam but I can't pass a 20 question test...when I'm led to believe the questions will be completely different.

5:55 pm--I return to the scene of the crime and wait for Leah to come out (who is also in the class). She does, and the WTF conversation ensues. Then Girl We Also Studied With comes out. Same WTF conversation. Then Girl Who Takes the Class Way Too Seriously (recorded the review last week) came out, made WTF face, and started ranting. Such it went, so that by...

6:25 pm--people were still taking the test (that was supposed to have had a 45 minute time limit) and 20+ more people have come out of the room with the same Dazed & Confused expression.

10:00 pm--Leah comes home from her second class and informs me that the last few people said something to Prof about the craziness, so I am left to feel justice will win the day. But I have to wait until Monday to find out.

This morning...

8:20 am--Jesse drops Leah & me off at UW. I meet with Director of Student Services for another Advisor Handbook project meeting because I knew I'd already be on campus, before my Big Fat General Exam (BFGE). Sure, because I don't have anything else on my mind...let's have a meeting about the Advisor Handbook. I might not repeat that choice.

9:30 am--Leave meeting and go to room where BFGE will be held. Of course it's locked. I run around and find the Guy with All the Keys to unlock it. I place handouts at each committee member's seat and sit in my own seat.

9:35 am--Someone walks down the hall. I wonder if it's one of the committee members. It isn't.

9:37 am--Repeat above.

9:39 am--Repeat above.

9:45 am--First committee member arrives. Oddly enough, she routinely works in Senegal, West Africa, on her research...the very same Senegal I lived in before, so we chat.

9:55 am--Second committee member arrives. More chit chat.

10:00 am--Third committee member (my chair) arrives. Conversation ensues regarding students' usage of laptops in the classroom...apparently, they all know we're surfing Facebook instead of taking notes.

10:10 am--Still no fourth committee member. So I go hunt her down. She's in her office where she has mixed up the times, apologizes profusely and we scoot back down the hall.

10:15 am--We begin. I go through the handouts I have brought, paring the 50 page document I submitted down to 5 pages. Impressive.

10:30 am--The questions. Mostly about my study. Yes, but if you do this, how will you handle this? And what if this happens?

11:15 am--Chair asks me to leave for a few minutes while they talk about me. Comforting.

11:25 am--I am asked to return, told I have passed unanimously, and congratulated as an official Doctoral Candidate. My response? "Yay!" and "Thank you."

11:30 am--Class dismissed.

in the next 24 hours...

2010-11-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

I will take a mid-term for the first time in YEARS. Of course, my last quarter of course work and the professor decides to do a mid-term and final for a CREDIT/NO CREDIT class. Seriously.

And, drumroll please...after leaving the Ed.D. in Higher Education program not once, but twice...I will be having the oral portion of my General Exam (written already completed, thank.you.very.much) at 10:00 am tomorrow.

On track to be a "Doctoral Candidate" or "ABD" (all but dissertation) when grades post in December. But only if I can pass a mid-term and final in a credit/no credit class. Geez. Here's hoping I remember how to do something besides write a paper and talk about it.

missing Africa

2010-10-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

I just looked through Kari's Senegal blogs, and started to feel blue. Especially when I saw pictures of dear friends that I haven't seen in 6.5 years.

It's strange how I've spent only 1/16th of my life in Africa, but it feels like a second home. My heart actually aches sometimes to be back there. To smell the funk, to eat the yassa, to laugh with my African friends when I hardly understand what's being said, to hold my orphan babies. And to worry that they think I've forgotten them. Don't they realize that Africa gets inside and stays, that it will not let you forget (even if you wanted to, which I don't).

I saw the documentary Babies last weekend and HIGHLY recommend it. I have been wanting to see it because it has two things I adore: babies and cultures. In case you don't know the film documents the lives of four babies from birth to first steps. The babies are from Namibia (my first adventure to Africa in 2000), Mongolia, Japan (where I'm dying to go), and San Francisco.

I watched it by myself and laughed, cried, you name it. Then, I watched it again with Jesse because I needed him to have just a glimpse of the Africa that is such an important part of my life.

not hungry

2010-10-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

It finally happened. Peggy's not hungry.

In 2004, I went on a bit of an anorexic streak. But for the last 5 years, I have been a solid eater. So solid that I eat when I'm not hungry. One of those boredom eaters. Also, a midnight snacker. It's not a binge thing. I eat a 90 calorie granola bar in the middle of the night. Or maybe a string cheese. But for some reason, when I get up to pee, I feel a compulsive urge to go grab a little somethin-somethin.

Then came Monday. On Monday, I ate a Hawaiian bagel w/cream cheese for breakfast. Then a chicken teriyaki bowl for lunch. Pretty normal. THEN.

A massive headache hit around 3pm, but I forced myself to go to class. At about 6:30, I thought I was going to pass out. Or puke. Or both. 20 minutes later, class ended and I drove home.

Rewind: a typical evening food-wise for me is to eat dinner. Then eat a snack. Then eat dessert. Then another little snack. Then bed. Then the midnight snack. (You can see how I gained back 20 pounds since 2004). Mind you, they were usually the light options I mentioned earlier...but lots of low cal stuff still adds up to high cal.

I felt incomplete if I didn't eat my little ritual. It would bug me and bug me until I grabbed that snack.

Back to the present: so on Monday I arrive home and despite the nausea and headache, start my ritual. I microwaved a Lean Cuisine frozen pizza. I ate about half of it over 2.5 hours. Then threw it away. Then went to bed.

Now it's Thursday. For 3 days, I have eaten like a bird. Peggy doesn't eat like a bird. Peggy eats like an hombre.

I feel fine. No more headache, no more nausea since Monday night. But also, no appetite.

I stepped on the scale today. 3.5 pounds down in a week.

I'm sure I will talk to my therapist about this on Tuesday.

Oh yeah, I see a therapist.

dare i say it? sanity may have returned.

2010-10-17T12:26:00.000-07:00

i say "may have" because i am in no position to jinx myself when it comes to my sanity.

since 2006, i have had WAY too many jobs. i have moved WAY too many times. i have had WAY too many deaths in the family. the only thing stable, really, has been my instability.

now here it is. 2010. i have a job that i like. i'm kickin' ass in school. my roommate is a super cool party person and i love our crib.

BUT...i am considering a change.

don't worry. it's not the change you are probably thinking. this change would not require some fine-tuning on the resume. nor would it involve filling out another change of address form with the US Post Office.

__________________________

i had a conversation with a co-worker about religion/faith the other day. she's looking for a church because her son will be two years old soon. i know that's why a lot of people decide to try to figure out what they believe in and they want a place they can go to learn how to best raise their kids in a moral way.

i get that. really, it makes sense.

but for me? i just want to figure out this faith thing for myself. but i have to be honest. i say that, yet i don't really do anything about it except think about it. i do think about it a lot though.

but i come back to the same conclusion (again, with no other effort outside of thinking about it). that i tried my hardest to "get it" (that thing they call Christianity) for 15 years. that's a long time. and i didn't get it.

the 3 times i've gone to church in the past 2.5 years? i felt weird. not a good weird.

so i don't know.

but i'll keep thinking about it.

0-60 in ...

2010-10-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

So from late March when I left UNT and returned to Seattle until September 13 when I started my new job at North Seattle Community College, my schedule went a little like this:

9-ish...wake up (although really this varied from 8-ish to 10ish)
9-11 am watch Regis & Kelly, then The View
11 am - 3 pm some form of productivity, usually in the form of studying at a coffee shop
side note: okay, 11-3 is really generous. it was actually more like this:
11--leave house
11:30--arrive at coffee shop
11:45-12:00--order and set up computer
12:00-2:00--at best, this was my study time, usually partly spent checking email and Facebook because I don't have internet at home; some days, I decided to leave early and walk Jesse's dog because that was more fun
2:00-2:30--start packing up, because there could be traffic and I didn't want to be late for Ellen
2:30-3:00--drive back home
3-5 pm watch Ellen and Oprah
5 pm considered more productivity, but usually Jesse came home and that plan went to crap
*Note: On Wednesday mornings I was in class. The 11-3 study session generally did not happen on Wednesdays. Also, on Monday evenings I had my other class so I did deviate from the 5pm-bedtime routine on Mondays.

I took 2 courses in the Spring quarter for a grand total of 6 hours per week in class and as you saw above, perhaps 4 hours of quality study time each weekday.

In the summer quarter, I took a class for one month in June, requiring approximately 6 hours per week in class and some study time (see above).

I spent the rest of the summer leisurely working on my General Exam. It wasn't a piece of cake, but let's face it. When it's ALL you are doing (literally), there were a lot of days I didn't touch it. Or I put in some token amount of time so I didn't feel completely lazy.

Enter September 13th, 2010.
I now have been working full-time and started my last two courses this Fall quarter. My schedule looks like this:
Monday: work 8-3:30; class 4:30-7
Tuesday: work 8-5:30; standing appointment 6-7
Wednesday: work 8-5:30; run whatever errands have been neglected
Thursday: work 8-3:30; class 4:30-7
Friday: work 8-4:30; refuse to do anything but lay on the couch
Saturday-Sunday: study, study, study

Since this is my last quarter of coursework, I am convinced I will survive because I only have to keep this schedule up for 9 weeks. Surely, that's possible. Although I very nearly fell asleep while the President of NSCC spoke at a meeting yesterday, and I'm only in week 2.

We will see if I still have a pulse by December 9th.

Mount Rainier National Park

2010-09-26T14:45:00.000-07:00

One of the things on my Washington Bucket List has been to go to Mount Rainier. So, in July I booked one of Jesse's good friends who is an Eagle Scout and avid hiker/camper to be our guide for a weekend adventure on September 11-12. John brought along his gal, Kiara, and voila! We had a double camp date!

Wilkeson, WA is the last town before entering the park so we took a cute picture at this caboose.

We're in the park!

See?

The boys made it to the park too.

Probably my new favorite picture of Jesse and me (with Carbon River behind us).

While John was our group expert, he still got some advice from Ranger Joe at the station.

Packs on--we're ready to hike! We hiked 5 miles (only 600 feet gain in elevation) to our campsite.

And the rear view...

Pretty Mount Rainier National Park

Our lunch spot (bagel sandwiches with salami & muenster cheese--yum!)

The boys started blabbing about video games, so Kiara and I took off ahead.

We made it to camp!

After setting up camp, we took off for an 8 mile (round trip) hike to Carbon Glacier. This was NOT for the faint of heart. Here I am with the river we had to cross on these teeny little bridges.

Clouds in the mountains

At one point, we were afraid we might run out of water on the hike. John pondered what to do...

Jesse found the perfect solution! We could fill our bottles at the falls!

Jesse & me at Ipsut Falls

Can you find me in the picture?

John is the photo bomb champion. I had NO idea he did this until I looked back at our pictures later in the evening.

But apparently, one photo bomb wasn't enough.

Crossing one of the teeny bridges.

Suspension bridge! So scary!

Jesse and I made it to Carbon Glacier! So dirty it doesn't look like a glacier!

This mossy stuff was both cool and creepy.

After 13 miles of hiking, we were tiiiiiired. So we settled in with hot cocoa. Wait, who's that guy without a headlamp?

Look at my beef cake pumping us some filtered water from the river...so dreamy.

Group shot at Chenuis Falls on the 5 mile hike back in the next day. These falls were much more beautiful!

Jesse and I at Chenuis Falls

I was a little sad to not see the actual Mount Rainier from our spot in the park (blocked by mountains, oh the irony). John, Kiara, Jesse, and I are already planning to go back next year and hit up another part of the park closer to Mount Rainier, like Sunrise.

Did I mention?

2010-09-12T21:46:00.001-07:00

I got my first full-time, permanent position in Seattle EVER! (Unless you count The Crazy Place, otherwise known as The Art Institute, which I don't.)

I am the newest academic advisor (technically, Student Success Specialist--ooh fancy) at North Seattle Community College, where I filled in for an advisor on maternity leave for 5 months before going back to Texas. I love the staff I worked with and the students are awesome! I'm also looking forward to things such as a steady paycheck and health insurance (now that I get the pins yanked out of my finger at what I believe is my last appointment with the hand surgeon this Friday).

My first day is tomorrow!

PS Jesse and I went hiking/camping at Mt. Rainier National Park this weekend with some friends...it was awesome and we got lots of great pictures that will be posted soon so stay tuned!

Texas Vacay 2010

2010-09-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

Cousins--Witt, Lacey & Annie

Vacation in Texas last month was awesome! I spent a week in South Texas at the condo with the fam. They've been mentioned on the blog lots, but because it can get confusing here is a cast of characters:
Royce & Cynthia (uncle & aunt)
Royce (aka Big Un), Lauren, Lacey, & Annie (cousin, his wife, and their 2 girls)
Witt (cousin Beau & wife Ann's precious baby)
Kate (awesome cuz)
Gayle & Lynn (great aunt & uncle)

Witt loves his bouncy chair--he stayed happily in it once for 45 minutes!

Lovely South Texas coast

Chillin' with Lacey

Big Un, Lauren, Lacey & Annie

Lauren & Annie in the pool

Two of my favorites! Cynthia & Gayle

Baby Witt--he's so beautiful!

Gayle & Lacey

Lauren & Witt

Red fish...dinner was usually the catch of the day

Auntie Pegs & Baby Witt

Gayle & the kiddos

Lacey helps feed Witt

Royce (aka Pops) and Witt)

Kate, Gayle, Cynthia, & Pegs

Ladies' Pedicures--Lacey & Annie got butterfly chairs!

Silly Lacey

Cynthia & Annie

Pops & Witt

Annie prepared herself for a nap

Auntie Pegs & Annie

The Second Half--At the Byrd House in Round Rock

While I did see Josh, Amy, Mels, and Summer, you'll notice my only pics were of Emma! Here she is with the Seattle Space Needle cup I brought her.

Chillin' at the pool

Loving the water!

So I did get one with Josh & Amy...and Emma of course!

Auntie Pegs & Emma

I had A LOT of Chick-Fil-A while in Texas...it was everything I remembered it to be. Sweet, sweet chicken bliss...especially when paired with a cookies 'n' cream milkshake!

Stick this in your pipe and smoke it.

2010-08-26T13:33:00.001-07:00

I had to go commando after working out at the U yesterday. I forgot to pack skivvies. That meant I had to endure the bus ride home feeling like everyone could see bootie dimples and uber-jiggles. Ugh.

I sat next to The Most Annoying Person Ever on the flight back to Seattle from Austin. 4 solid hours. Considering how much I fly, this says a lot. First, he busted out the sandwich he brought on the plane with him and proceeded to be absolutely disgusting. Lettuce everywhere. Smacking away. Ramming me with his left arm. But that was only the beginning of the nightmare to come. After eating, he chewed gum...loudly. And used his index finger to move it all around and stretch it out. At first I thought the gum was just getting stuck, then I realized The Awful Truth. This is how this guy chews gum. And he plans to do it for the rest.of.the.flight. This was way worse than the time I flew to Africa next to an African woman with her 2 year old son who swiped my mashed potatoes right off my tray. That was amateur hour compared to this guy. I turned on my iPod and put my hand up to my face trying to block it out. Except the damage was done. It was like when you were little and you played Tetris for too.damn.long. So when you went to bed that night, you closed your eyes and could only see Tetris pieces falling. Even with my hand over my face, I could still see him twirling that gum with his finger.

What kind of world do we live in? Spell check isn't recognizing "Tetris."

On my Texas vacation (pictures to come), my cousin changed my life forever by introducing me to Vitamin Water Zero, specifically Acai-Blueberry-Pomegranate.

Is it awful that I watched Bachelor Pad the other night and didn't think it was awful?

I sent my advisor a draft of 2/3 of my big fat General Exam. It's 45 pages. Jesse calculated that I basically wrote 5/9 of it with a broken finger requiring a cast on my left (dominant) hand, 3/9 of it with a badly sprained ankle, and maybe 1/9 with no injuries. They should just give me the friggin' degree now.

Mama Shirley's New Life

2010-08-24T20:39:00.000-07:00

Big day tomorrow for Mama Shirley

2010-08-22T21:38:00.000-07:00

Go here

If you are the kind of person who prays...

2010-08-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

When I was in West Africa my first year, I was part of a team that included 9 journeymen (singles in their 20s usually just out of college committed to serving for 2 years), a missionary couple, and another couple who were in their 60s also committed for 2 years to running our guesthouse for volunteers. Bill & Shirley, the older couple, were fondly regarded...we called Shirley "Mama Shirley."

Today, I heard that Bill & Shirley were in a car accident on June 20th. Bill is fine, but Mama Shirley sustained serious injuries, the most serious being a spinal cord injury with a prediction from doctors that she likely won't walk again. However, an infection has now occurred and Mama Shirley isn't doing too well.

There is a blog you can visit if you are the sort of person who likes to read blogs of people you may not actually know, and if you are the sort of person who might pray for someone who coud really use it even if you don't know them well. Here's the blog: http://shirleynolte.wordpress.com/

Joanne's visit

2010-07-21T22:36:00.000-07:00

My second friend to make it out to Seattle for a visit was here last week. Joanne is a great friend from college days, and it was so fun to show her Seattle and catch up since we'd last seen each other four years ago. Here are some highlights:

The Fremont Troll

"Joanne, meet Troll. Troll, meet Joanne."

Peek-a-Boo

The Chittenden Locks
Go to the link above for a full explanation of the Locks, but essentially they operate to keep the water levels where they need to be and prevent the salt water of the Puget Sound and the fresh water of the lakes (Union & Washington) from mixing.

"Careful, Jo. Leave some water for the fishies."

My best attempt to capture the huge difference in the water levels. If you look carefully, you can see how low the water is at the bottom of the photo (one side of the lock) from the top of the photo where the boats are patiently waiting (the other side of the lock) so they can continue their journey into the Puget Sound.

The University of Washington
The University District is a must-do on my list for Seattle, so I took Joanne to Portage Bay Cafe, one of my favorite places for breakfast. She had the orgasmic homemade whipped cream and toppings bar, per my recommendation. Then I made her walk all over the UW campus, including Suzzallo's reading room and the fountain.
Please note the long sleeves. In July.
Most days, it warms enough to not need sleeves by late afternoon.
Today, it was actually warm enough by noon. Halle-frickin-lujah.

Kangaroo Farm
Remember the KF from last month? Well, it definitely made the to-do list for all future visitors if at all possible, so Jo and I hit it up.

The lemurs were much more visible this time. They have 3 at the KF, a family of Pop, Mom, and Lil Lemur. Here's Pop. Chillin.

The peacock wasn't in a showy mood, as he was last time. He didn't shake his tailfeather.
Not once.

This time, we did get to see a roo with a joey in her pouch.
SOOOOO cute.
Only a smidge creepy.

Jo was SUPER pumped to feed a roo. But really, who wouldn't be?

"Why, helloooooo."

I know. This is going to be the longest post ever. But I just can't NOT post this.

Ostrich was still there. And still pissed at the world.

These guys were so sweet. But let's face it...in this crowd, the donkeys don't get much notice. So I wanted to post a pic of them as an honorable mention.

Of course, the KF wouldn't be the KF without a little Llama Drama at the end Jo got to kiss the llama!

"Nobody puts Baby in the corner." Well, nobody did. He put himself in the corner and refused all kisses.

Pike Place Public Market

A view I had yet to capture of the Pike Place main entrance.

First Starbucks store visit at Pike Place

Lunch at the brand new Hard Rock Cafe Seattle

Space Needle

It's a looooong way up...

But we made it! And the views were worth it! The mountains were out...

Including Mount Rainier!

And Lake Union...

The Bite of Seattle
The annual yummy fest where all the best food you can find in Seattle is in one place, The Bite!
Shishkaberries, potstickers, fried mac & cheese, roasted corn on the cob...mmm...
And this funky chicken...not to be eaten, thankyouverymuch.

Behold, the shishkaberry. You get it now, right?

Best.Ice.Cream.EVER.

Lilith Fair 2010

2010-07-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

On July 3rd (yes, I'm way behind on blogging), I went to the Lilith Fair 2010 with Roommate Leah & Co. The Lilith Fair, which apparently has been around for ages but was brand new to me, is a celebration of women in music. They tour all over the U.S. and Canada, with different musicians at each stop. The Lilith Fair is the brain child of Sarah McLachlan, and the Seattle Lilith featured Sarah, Sheryl Crow, Sugarland, Erykah Badu, and Colbie Caillat, among others.

It was held at The Gorge, which I'd heard RAVE reviews about but had yet to go. The Gorge Amphitheater overlooks the Columbia River and it held up to the gorgeous Gorge reviews. It also gave me the opportunity to get outta Seattle, which I rarely do, and cross the mountains--away from the lousy 50 degree weather we had until 4th of July (don't get me started) and over to the 77 degree weather of Eastern Washington. Yes, please.

See for yourself:

Seriously. The Gorge is gorgeous.

*Will post again soon because Cool College Friend Joanne came to visit Seattle...and Tall White Boy (aka Jesse) is currently on the loose in Beijing, China until July 30th.

The Perky and the Perky-Not

2010-06-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

of living in Seattle...

The Perky: Starbucks on most any corner (sometimes two!)
The Perky-Not: Sonic is 45 minutes away (although this is now a perky, because until this morning I thought there was not a Sonic in Washington)

The Perky: People come to visit the big city, like my college homie Joanne who is coming July 11-18.
The Perky-Not: They don't already live here.

The Perky: I'm not sweating between my thighs 24/7.
The Perky-Not: I'm still frickin' freezing in June. I wore a turtleneck on Father's Day. As Whoopi Goldberg would say, "What the HELL." (To be fair, that was an extreme day. The average temp these days is 60-something, allowing for short sleeves at the high point of the day or a light mid-sleeve, which isn't bad at all. However, the average high right now is supposed to be 72.)

The Perky: Lilith 2010 at the Gorge.
The Perky-Not: My Denton girl-power girls won't be in attendance.

The Perky: Kickball!
The Perky-Not: We suck. But still have good attitudes...well, except me. I am a sore loser. Worse than sore. I'm a sores & boils loser.

Before I go, one question. Based on the title, did you think this was going to be a post about boobs?

If you come to visit...

2010-06-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

I found another stop I will have to include in your trip! In Arlington, WA, about an hour outside Seattle, a must-visit is The Kangaroo Farm. The name is deceiving because they actually have a number of animals, including chickens, turtles, deer, peacocks, lemurs, donkeys, miniature horses, ostriches, llamas, and of course--lots of kangaroos! Even better, you don't just see them or walk by them, you can actually touch and interact with many of them. For $8, it was a steal of a deal and a very fun afternoon! (And yes, I hobbled around on my crutches...we'd been planning this for weeks and I was NOT going to miss out!)

The Welcome Wagon...this peacock greeted us at the front entrance.

This peacock loved to show off--he did this throughout the tour.

The roos love to be loved!

The roos also love to be fed!

Looks sweet, doesn't he? Don't be fooled. We weren't allowed to
touch him...apparently, he bites.

Why, hello...

My first try to feed the llama, I got skeered!

Kissing or feeding the llama?

Jesse bonds with the llama

I know what this looks like, but believe me, it will be a long time before
anything but a baby kangaroo is in this blanket!!

Ankle woes

2010-06-07T11:03:00.002-07:00

On Thursday, I took the bus to my appointment. I had basically two options: take the #5 to downtown and transfer to the #8 to my destination or just take the #5 to downtown and walk the 10 or so blocks to my destination. I pondered the decision, and decided to take both buses.

As I stepped off the #8 onto the rocky patch of sidewalk the driver stopped at, I rolled my ankle. Ouch. I sat there on the ground while the driver asked if he could call someone for me. I said I had a phone and could call myself. I called Jesse and told him to come get me. Then I decided maybe this was like the times I've thought I hurt my ankle but after a few minutes, I'm okay. So I told Jesse I'd call him back in 10 minutes. I hobbled 2 blocks to my destination and took off my shoe & sock. After seeing that my ankle was the size of a softball, I called Jesse and told him to come get me.

Exhibit A

Two hours, a health clinic, and three x-rays later, I had myself a sprained ankle and a new mode of transportation, crutches.

I live on the second floor, and my building is like many in Seattle in that there's about ten steps just to get to the first floor. So I hopped and leaned on Jesse for a flight and a half of stairs (too scared for him to carry me). Since it's my right ankle and I can't drive, I settled into my place for awhile.

That was Thursday. The Women's College World Series on ESPN kept me company, even though my UW girls were eliminated on Saturday. :( On Sunday, I finally got out of the apartment for dinner at Dad Watson's with Jesse and our friends, John & Kiara.

We ended the evening with a trip to the grocery store...no way was I going to hobble around for groceries so I tried out one of those magnificent buggies they provide:

And the healing continues...

What's in a word...

2010-05-30T12:34:00.001-07:00

Anyone who knows me halfway well knows that I like everything in its place. Clutter and crap annoy me to no end.

So, I've been living in my apartment for two months. For the first 2 weeks, when I thought it was a temporary arrangement, I literally had all of my boxes stacked against a wall of the bedroom and only the essentials unpacked. ANNOYING.

When Leah offered to let me stay permanently, I jumped for joy. And then I unpacked everything in 2.3 seconds. The problem? I moved from a one bedroom all to myself, to a 2 bedroom that was already fully furnished. So...not enough space. After utilizing every nook & cranny to the best of my ability, and taking a couple of runs to Goodwill to get rid of a few things from my already sparse collection of possessions (try moving a billion times and see how much stuff you have left), I was left with just my school stuff and desk supplies stacked in a corner.

Two months later, I have had ENOUGH of the school crap in the corner.

I decided to get a desk. Then I decided I didn't have enough space for a desk. Then I decided a bookshelf would do, a tall one. I also had a Pier One gift card begging to be used.

Armed with my iPhone and Jesse, I set out to Pier One. I searched "Pier 1" and drove to the closest one ("Bell Street Pier 1"), which was supposedly right next to the Art Institute, where I worked for a brief stint. However, not so brief that I would have missed a Pier One right next door.

When we arrived at "Bell Street Pier 1," we found...nothing. An old building down by the water that was most definitely NOT Pier One. Jesse called the phone number listed, and a woman with a thick accent who apparently didn't speak much English answered. She'd never heard of Pier 1; however, we could park in the garage she works at for only a billion dollars per hour.

I drove about two more blocks when it hit me. The iPhone had literally taken me to Pier 1. As in a fishing pier. There are 66 piers along the Seattle downtown waterfront and that's exactly where we were, at Pier 1.

Note to self and others who live in a city with any type of water coast: It is critical to list the word "Imports" when searching for Pier 1 Imports.

M is for...

2010-05-24T23:56:00.000-07:00

the month of May.

and Mama.

In May, I experience lots of reminders of Mama. My birthday is in May, and I am reminded how much Mama had to do with that. Not just because she was my Mama and all mothers are responsible for the birth of their children, but because my Mama was a kidney transplant survivor, and in the 70s that made me a bit of a miracle child.

Also in May is Mother's Day. Ah, Mother's Day. When everyone else can't hang out or do anything because they are all celebrating with their mothers. For 11 years, I was able to transfer Mother's Day into Grandma's Day because my grandma was very much a second mother to me. Now, I've had two Mother's Days without Grandma too. They kind of suck now. I've tried to celebrate Jesse's mom, but it's just not the same.

And another also in May...Mama's birthday. Today she would've been 59 years young. I still can't believe she's been dead for 12.5 years. Or that she died at the age of 46. Or that I was only 19. Or that very few of my friends have ever met her because she's been gone so long. Or that I can only vaguely remember much about her. I mean, I remember things but they seem like a million years ago, like they're part of another lifetime. She'll have been gone half my life in only 6 more years...well, that's wierd too.

So, here's to you Mama. You put the M in May. And no matter how many years you are gone, you are fondly loved, missed, and remembered everyday, not just these days in May.

32 and Fabulous!

2010-05-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

With Cinco de Mayo comes Cinco de Pegs! I had a fun-filled birthday weekend, including:

Free tickets to the Seattle Sounders (pro soccer) game! I took my friend Kiara along!

Unfortunately, we lost 4-0 to the LA Galaxy...

Pizza & game night at my place, complete with Twister!

With roommate Leah at the UW softball game
Although I lived with Leah for 8 months last year, I feel like I really only started to get to know her since I moved back 6 weeks ago...and guess what? Leah is the awesome-est--and not just because she let me move back in! :)

Did I mention the UW softball gals are #1 in the country?! Yeah, they are. I watched them win the National Championship on TV last year. They are fantastic. They won today in extra inning play--it was super exciting, and especially nice on a most lovely Seattle day (65 and sunny, thank you very much).

No photos, but Jesse and I celebrated his wonderful mom, Maggie, today as well. Joe fired up the brand new grill and satisfied our taste buds with fantastic Indian grilled chicken. We will go to the Beat Walk where you can band hop to your heart's content next weekend for Maggie's Mother's Day gift.

On Friday afternoon, I turned in the form required to officially name my doctoral committee. WOOT! All four faculty members are absolutely outstanding and I feel very honored to work with them through the rest of my doctoral journey.

Did I also mention that at some point this weekend I officially became our summer kickball team's captain? We are signed up and ready to KICK YOUR GRASS! (That would be our team name.)

So yes, to answer your question: I'm 32...and FABULOUS!

Doing things...

2010-05-02T13:30:00.000-07:00

The Cheesecake Factory on Giant Software Company's dime...white chocolate raspberry truffle, mmm. And then I went back the next night on my own dime for another slice.

My midterm for Qualitative Methods...a critique of a qualitative study. Rough draft complete. Due Wednesday.

Our first kickball win last Sunday (and hopefully our second in just a few hours). I pitched. Roommate Leah is our captain and wanted to name The Gentle Giant the offensive MVP and me the defensive MVP. The ref told her she could only name one, and I told her it had to be The Gentle Giant...the guy kicked THREE in the park home runs. Also, I can name myself MVP on my blog.

Hanging out with 8th grade BFF, Gina. Running in the rain in my ballet flats back to her apartment after lunch. Playing Nintendo, just like 8th grade. Wheezing because of her two (very fluffy) cats.

Attending Bat Boy: The Musical at the UW with Roommate Leah and Co. Started off good, ended very twisted.

American Idol in full swing. Hottie of All Hotties Casey James almost went home last week, and I almost peed my pants of anxiety. Thankfully, he's still there. Along with Almost Hottie of All Hotties Lee DeWyze. I tell you what, if I was single, Lee & me...well, there'd be something to blog about Lee & me.

Running down the 44 bus and watching it drive off as I pant behind it. Again. And again. Damn it.

Seattle Au Natural

2010-04-20T20:55:00.001-07:00

Two years of togetherness...

2010-04-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

Jesse & I celebrated our two year anniversary yesterday, and Jesse surprised me with a lovely dinner at a little French bistro in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, Thomas St. Bistro. It was on par with the last place Jesse took me, Table 219 (also in Capitol Hill). Reminiscent of my days in French-influenced West Africa and the little time I have spent in France, the meal came with a fixed price that included four courses (soup, salad, entree, dessert). The owner was multi-talented, as he greeted and served customers while also cooking all of the food. I'm still unsure how exactly he did that. He offered the hospitality I would expect of an authentic French dining experience, and also had employed two young guitarists to play jazz as part of a fantastic ambience. I did the unthinkable and actually took pictures which you can now enjoy...

Thank you to my handsome guy!

First course: Creamy vegetarian basil soup

Sweet Jesse makes for a happy Pegs!
(Kari, you can see the top I chose to wear...it's matched with dark jeans and bronze heels.)

Thomas St. Bistro
(The restaurant filled up quickly while we were there, but this is when we were only the second couple in the place.)

Third course: Poulet Dijon Pasta for me (pictured here) and Smoked Salmon Pasta for Jesse

It's nice that after two years together, you don't have to worry so much about how ridiculous you look trying to eat pasta.

Fourth course: Cheesecake with strawberries drizzled on top

Our table setting

"Ooh, my man is so dreamy."

Here's to a very unconventional two years!

*Note: We will celebrate part II of our anniversary when I treat Jesse to the movie "Date Night" this weekend...Steve Carrell and Tina Fey should be a lovely couple to double date with!

What I've been up to, since clearly it isn't blogging...

2010-04-12T16:58:00.000-07:00

Studying. I've been reading and reading, which is the typical beginning of the quarter sitch. Soon, it will transition into a little reading, but mostly writing as papers come due. Lucky for me, I like both.

Kickball. Our team had its second game yesterday, on a beautiful and sunny Sunday. I actually got hot in my one long-sleeve layer--yay for Spring! Sadly, we lost...and I am NOT a good loser. Somehow, I got nominated to pitch which was pretty fun. And I really like my teammates. I knew exactly one, my roommate who coordinated the team, so it's been great to meet new peeps.

Committee-making. I was able to meet with two faculty members who are both very interested in my topic, and able/willing to be on my committee! Yay! Three down, one to go.

Friends time. I've been able to spend time with some near 'n' dear ones...although my grad student budget may not be able to sustain this, unless I can find lots of free stuff to do. Roommate Leah has my social calendar planned through June, including Bat Boy: The Musical at the UW, the Seattle Symphony, and a Seattle Mariners game.

Exercising. Most days at the IMA, but I've branched out too...anyone done Zumba? I tried it on Saturday and it was a WORKOUT...think salsa meets hip hop meets aerobics. Really fun, really tiring. I was sweating like a...fill-in-the-blank, Mrs. Darling (you always have the best similes). However, while I've done really well with exercising, I've done very poorly at eating well. After Zumba, I had a Deluxe Huevos Rancheros brunch. Pretty sure those didn't quite balance out.

Jesse time. Have I mentioned how nice it is to actually see my boyfriend, and not rely on phone and video chats? Well, it is. And either he's gotten funnier, or I've gotten more...easy-to-make-laugher. Either way, I'll take it. Tomorrow is a special day for us...two year anniversary! And let me tell you, it's been an unconventional two years! Jesse is surprising me with dinner somewhere...don't know where yet, but I've told him I NEED to dress appropriately, so I'll need at least a hint. Although, Jesse enjoys bringing out my gullible side so he may find it hilarious to tell me it's a fancy place and take me to Taco Bell...or tell me it's a casual dive, and then I end up severely under-dressed and unable to get in to the fancy place he actually planned.

All you have to do is...

2010-04-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

I met with Most Supportive Advisor Ever, Jim, late last week. Jim inspires me. You see, he just turned 40 and is already an Associate Dean of the Graduate School at the UW. This is truly impressive. He's one of the most energetic people I've ever been around, the kind where just watching them or reading their FB page makes you tired. Nonetheless, I always feel encouraged and motivated by our meetings. I left with this Here's How It's Going to Go (HHIGTG) List:

1. Form dissertation committee by the middle of this quarter (about 5 weeks from now).
2. Meet with the committee by the end of the quarter to have an open conversation about dissertation topic and provide my working paper.
3. Talk about writing portion of General Exam, which will likely be very similar to the first three chapters of the dissertation.
4. Go write my tail off for the second half of the summer.
5. During Autumn quarter (last quarter of coursework, unless something goes awry), defend General Exam written portion (oral portion of GE). The committee will take this opportunity to tell me the good/needs improvement areas, and (hopefully) pass me through. At that point, I am considered "ABD" (all but dissertation, or All But Dead in academic circles).
6. Starting in January, enroll in dissertation credits and DO the study! Jim thinks graduating by summer is a distinct possibility.

Other Here's How It's Going To Go Lists:
HHIGTG: Courses
*Currently in 2 for the Spring.
*1 in the Summer.
*2 in the Autumn.

HHIGTG: Professional Development
*Advising Handbook project--in progress with the COE Dean of Student Services
*Hopefully find a position on campus to fund the remainder of this degree
*Exploring a College Bound mentor program, working with college-bound juniors and seniors
*Exploring student organizations on campus, such as the Associated Students of the College of Education (ASCE) meeting I went to yesterday.

Could my life BE any different than it was a month ago?

New move, new blog!

2010-04-01T21:37:00.001-07:00

So, you noticed. It looks different, eh? I decided with a new location, I should have a new blog (look).

I've been in Seattle for one week tomorrow. I have already established a sort of routine, mostly because I feel like it would be far too easy to lounge around in my pj's all day which leads (in my case) to lack of productivity and eventual depressed blah-ness.

The typical day right now involves:

using Seattle's Metro system
(the #7 transfer to the #48)

working out at the IMA (UW's fantastic exercise facility)

studying on/around campus
(usually in Suzzallo Library's reading room)

and class on Monday nights and Wednesday mornings
(in Miller Hall)

Oh yes, and I play adult co-ed kickball on Sundays. Woot!
Underdog Kickball League - Ballard Boys & Girls Club

Photos from here and here.

Emma's first steps!

2010-03-25T07:49:00.000-07:00

Emma took her first single step on her birthday, March 17th, but she hadn't done it again until yesterday when I stood her up and she took TWO steps towards Amy...then she took two again, then three and finally I recorded it! I'm a proud Auntie Pegs!

Josh is out of town on business and when he got the news, he told us to knock her over if she tried it again until he got home!

Peace out, Denton!

2010-03-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, I was supposed to have dinner with Fabulous Friend Sara. She picked me up and whisked me off to Chili's where we planned to pig out on The Best Appetizer Ever (AKA Skillet Queso). When I arrived, Uyen was there. I was so excited she happened to be there and I could see her once more before leaving...then realized she was there for ME! Sara had invited some of the girls to get together for one last hurrah. Only a few were able to make it due to Spring Break, but I was so excited!

Back (l-r): Uyen & Candise
Front (l-r): Me, Sara, Anna

They were so thoughtful. They gave me a cookie jar for my going away gift because I told them the story of how when I lived with Grandma, she would protect me from my own lack of self-control regarding cookies (Girl Scout cookies, in particular) by hiding the cookies and leaving me just ONE cookie in the jar each morning. So, they gave me a cookie jar and when I opened it, there was just ONE cookie inside. :)

Uyen let me keep the wieners one more time before I left.

Back (l-r): Uyen & Pegs
Front (l-r): Tony & Bella

The movers were supposed to show up between 10:30 - 11:00 am on Saturday. I did most everything I needed to on Friday, so I set my alarm for 9:00 am, thinking that was plenty of time to get ready for them.

Guess who showed up at 9:15 am?

Guess who answered the door barely decent with crazy hair like Medusa?

The good news is they were also finished an hour earlier, so I was on the road to Brownwood for my Texas Tour earlier.

And now? Now it's Sunday, and I am taking in the Brownwood Sleep 'n' Eat for all it's worth this last time. Eating homemade tacos. Eating Better than Sex cake (I did not name it). Sleeping 12 hours. Eating French toast. Taking a 90 minute nap. Eating more Better than Sex cake. Seriously, that's all I've done since I got here.

And that's fine by me.

Random...but mostly A Bike Tale

2010-03-16T10:54:00.000-07:00

3 days left at work.
10 days left in Texas.

I arrive in Seattle at 10:45 am, and Jesse already has planned a lunch date for us in West Seattle. I like him.

Work is BORING. It's Spring Break, and ain't nobody here 'cept me, Abbie, and Rosy. Rosy has never seen Mary Poppins (Holy Lost Childhood, Batman!) so I'm bringing it for us to watch this week. Chim-chiminey.

I have been consuming so much Chick-Fil-A since they don't have them in Seattle that I fear I may turn into one of those cows on the billboards. "Eat Mor Chikin."

I just had Mr. Chopsticks for the last time (until I move back to Denton in approximately one year...oh wait, I don't plan to do that). Sesame Chicken, my favorite. It was the special today, so I also got a veggie spring roll for free. I like to think it was their parting gift to me.

The carpet has been cleaned. The guys said that the enzymes used to clean the pet stains will make the apartment quite rank as the enzymes set in and do their work. They were correct. My apartment is filled with the scent of dog urine.

I took a 10 mile bike ride at a nearby state park on Sunday. I went by myself, and latched on to a group of 3 who arrived at the same time. We were going along and I finally asked how long this trail was.
Friendly Guy: "12 miles."
Me: Ahem. You mean 12 miles round trip, right?
FG: "12 miles. One way."
Me: "Okay then, I will not be completing the trail."
FG: "You came out here by yourself?"
Me: "Yes, I did."
FG: "Really? You could fall and break your leg and no one would know."
Me: "Well, as long as you guys go further than I do, you will see me on your way back in."
FG: "I suppose that's true."
Me: "You see, I have no patience for not doing stuff alone. I lived in Africa and I wasn't supposed to do stuff alone. But I did. And I was fine."
FG: "Oh okay." (Hello? Where is the usual "OMG--you lived in AFRICA? That's so cool. What did you do there?)

Some time later...
Me: "So, my bike seat isn't very cushy. I'm starting to feel it."
A Little Too Friendly Guy: "Oh yeah, I had that problem. I got this really nice seat. See?" ALTFG stands on his pedals. Indeed, it looks like a very cushy bike seat. "Now I don't have prostate problems like I used to."
A ten second pause while I think to myself, "Holy Crap. Did this guy I do not know really just say that."
Me: "Ahem. Yeah, yeah. I'm sure that seat has helped. So, I think I'll turn around now."

For putting up with ALTFG and completing a 10 mile bike ride, I rewarded myself with a lime slush at Sonic, which they also do not have in Seattle.

Updated Moving List

2010-03-06T06:54:00.001-08:00

So, two weeks from the day of the move. Where am I on my to-do list?

Done:
Mover set up--check
Car shipper set up--check
One-way flight purchased--check
Tour o' Texas set up--check
Registered for Spring quarter at the UW (including the Qual Methods course I needed but didn't know if I'd get!)--check
ADDED since previous list:
Have Stanley Steemer work their magic (set up)--check
Babe's Chicken Dinner House with the girls--check
Shut off cable/internet and electricity (set up)--check
More detailed plans for Tour o' Texas, including coffee with 2 good friends and dinner with friends from high school--check

Still to be done:
Change address
Pack 2 suitcases to go with me on Tour and in Seattle until my stuff arrives
ADDED:
Keep my sanity through the next 2 weeks of work
Go to like 1,000 lunch dates next week
Make/get Emma's birthday gift

So. I added four things to the DONE side...but I also added three things to the TO BE DONE side. Boo. Still, I'm getting there.

Pictures from the last visit to see Emma:

I mean, REALLY. How cute can you be?

Mels was dog-sitting a Great Dane & beagle during my visit. You know my love of dogs...I had to go play. So here I am with India, the Great Dane. This picture cracks me up. She was really gentle overall, but snapped her head back once and scared the crap out of me...as you can plainly see.

A fishy story

2010-03-02T06:30:00.001-08:00

So yesterday, I'm sitting at my desk at work. Sam, the Betta fish I was given at our Christmas exchange at work, swims next to my desktop monitor. I was typing away, when my peripheral vision (which the eye doctor told me 2 weeks ago is working perfectly, and it's a good thing as you're about to see) saw something blue/green. I looked, and Sam was flopping around on my desk!! A suicide attempt, I presume.

I hollered at Stacy to come rescue him. Until that moment, I wouldn't have told you that I was afraid to pick up a tiny Betta fish. Apparently, I am. So Stacy came in, picked him up, and tossed him back in the bowl. He's not terribly active, but still alive this morning.

This takes me back to a very "fishy story" from my college days. I lived in a dorm where I had a roommate and two suite-mates that shared one bathroom. I became quite close to one of my suite-mates, until she stole my man. Then things became just plain awkward. We were hardly talking, but she asked me to watch her Betta fish while she went home for Easter weekend.

I have to explain the relationship between Suite-Mate and Bob the Betta. She'd had him for three years, and treated him like most people treat a dog or cat...as a beloved member of the family. She would stare into his bowl and coo at him..."Oh Bob, you're such a good boy, aren't you Bob?"

Seriously.

So, here I am...watching the beloved fish of my barely friend Suite-Mate. My friend, Amy, came to visit me that weekend. We returned from an afternoon of shopping...and found Bob floating upside down in the bowl.

OMG.

She's going to think I killed her fish because she stole my man.

OMG.

Even worse, when Suite-Mate was supposed to return from home that evening, I would be driving Amy to the Little Rock airport (a total 2.5 hour round trip), so I wouldn't even be HOME when she got back.

The Ultimate Dilemma: Do I leave a note with Bob still floating in the bowl? Do I leave a note with Bob already flushed down the toilet? Do I drop out of college and just never set foot on campus again?

Amy was rolling on the floor with laughter at my predicament. We decided that due to Suite-Mate's unusual (read: CRAZY) relationship with Bob, I should not flush him. You know, just in case she wanted to flush him herself. Or have a funeral and bury him behind the dorm.

So, I left a note with Bob floating in the bowl. Suite-Mate found him when she got home, and was PISSED. Everything I thought would happen did:
1. She cried.
B. She thought I did it on purpose.
D. She buried him behind the dorm.

Yes, a fishy story, indeed.

In perspective...

2010-03-01T12:13:00.000-08:00

So y'all know how once in awhile, I have a blog pity-party? Well the following people and their brave stories have shut me up (at least, for today).

Brock Hart--barely one year old and fighting leukemia.

Layla Grace--two years old and dying of stage 4 Neuroblastoma.

Brad and Chloe Sullivan--wife and mother, Sara, died in September. She had breast cancer but was mysteriously killed by some other monster, a seizure/brain hemorrhage. Sara gave birth to Chloe three short weeks before she died, so Brad is left as a single father to his little one.

Rood & Valentina, Haitian orphans--according to the Feb. 26 entry by Kate, little children who watched their families die in the January earthquake.

The first three are Christians (I don't know about the last), and seem unshakable in their faith despite the tragedy. That fascinates me. I wonder about God a lot. Is He out there? Really? Why do Christians have such confidence that their human minds have wrapped around God's plan for life? Me, I think hmm. If he's God, and I'm me...how can I EVER know what is true?

Sometimes I really wish I could have the confidence the three families above seem to have in God.

(Note: I know that by posting the last 2 paragraphs, some might feel the strong need to comment LOUDLY in response. You don't have to. These are just my musings. I'm not expecting THE answer. I'd much rather you take the time to peruse the links above and share in the life stories of these people).

Getting ready...

2010-02-22T06:29:00.000-08:00

A month from today, I will be headed from Brownwood to Kerrville on my Tour o' Texas before heading to Seattle. I actually feel slightly (only slightly) unfamiliar with the moving process, as it's been almost a year since I've moved and that's a record for me. I'm also not used to having so much time to get ready, seeing as how I have moved much more spur of the moment in the past.

I have my handy list of stuff to do before leaving...and have been able to check off the following:
Mover set up--check
Car shipper set up--check
One-way flight purchased--check
Tour o' Texas set up--check
Registered for Spring quarter at the UW (including the Qual Methods course I needed but didn't know if I'd get!)--check

Still to be done:
Change address
Have Stanley Steemer work their magic
Babe's Chicken Dinner House with the girls
Pack 2 suitcases to go with me on Tour and in Seattle until my stuff arrives
Shut off cable/internet and electricity

While it's nice in a way to not have to rush this process, I'm also the type A who likes to just "get 'er done" and all this waiting around is driving me a little bananas.

Newsie bits

2010-02-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

Newsie bit #1:
I have found my favorite on American Idol, and we're not even out of Hollywood Week yet. His name is Andrew Garcia and he is FANTASTIC. Here's a clip of his remake of Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" on acoustic guitar:

Another good one to check out is Crystal Bowersox singing "Natural Woman"...you can You Tube it easily.

Newsie bit #2:
On February 11-12, 2010, Dallas-Fort Worth broke the all-time record for most snow in a 24-hour period in the DFW area with 12.5 measured inches (previously 12.1 in 1964). I celebrated by sneaking out my co-worker's office window out onto the Business building balcony that doesn't have a door (why, is a mystery to me).

Newsie bit #3:
For the first time in a long time, I have found the motivation needed to lose the 10-15 pounds I've gained back that needs to go bye bye. I love me some Weight Watchers. Last Saturday, I saw a number on the scale that frightened me (NO, I will not be sharing it here), and decided something must be done. So I spent the past week eating my allotted WW points, not cheating at all, and working out at my apartment's little facility 6 out of 7 days. The result? 3.5 pounds down!

Newsie bit #4:
I have renamed myself The Human Boomerang! That's right, I am moving BACK to Seattle, from whence I came almost a year ago. I've been working with my faculty advisor for about 9 months now, and have gotten to a place with my dissertation topic that I feel excited about and ready to pursue through completion! I need four courses, and will then write the dissertation. I gave UNT seven weeks' notice, so my last day will be March 19th and I will get to Seattle in time for Spring quarter classes.

I feel VERY peaceful and confident about this decision, which is more than I can say for my last few decisions to move. I have thought this out carefully for many months, and have waited until my research was something I could be sure of. I passed the "prospective candidacy" milestone a few weeks ago, which was the go-ahead sign I needed to move forward.
(Note: Jesse is excited about this, not only for me but for us. He kept asking if I had a flight yet...and yes, I do.)

Those lazy hazy crazy days of summer...

2010-02-04T09:15:00.000-08:00

Today on my morning break, I wandered over to the Union for a bagel, and discovered that it's about that time. The Union was packed out with every camp in the southern United States, all of whom had the same goal: recruit summer camp counselors. They had music blaring, powerpoint presentations showing all of the exciting adventures the camp had to offer, and enthusiastic staff urging students to come and find out if Camp X was the place for them this summer!

It made me reminisce about my own college summers. During my freshman/sophomore summer, I worked in the juniors department at Sears and took classes...exciting. This may have been the summer when I had to temporarily work in the lingerie department, where I found out that old women frequently want "assistance" choosing and trying on things. Eww.

During sophomore/junior summer, I prepared to move to Arkadelphia, AR. I took two psychology courses and spent loads of quality time with the dear friends I would be leaving soon.

During junior/first senior summer, I returned to the great state of Texas. Ah, my glory days of working at IHOP (I only spilled one thing the entire summer, a milkshake on my aunt Elsie who was very forgiving). This was also the summer that each Monday evening, Amy & I hit up Ruby Tuesday's and ordered their monstrous chocolate brownie/ice cream dessert to take our mind off of the mundane summer we were having. Ho-hum. Amy & I would jabber 90 mph until the dessert appeared (with 2 spoons) at the table, at which point no more words were spoken and it was a fight to the finish. The evening usually ended with two full tummies, a plate all but licked clean, and two spoons spinning.

During first senior/second senior summer, I went overseas for the first time. I spent 3 weeks in Namibia and South Africa with a team from OBU. We mainly worked with youth in the capital of Namibia. It was here that I fell in love with Africa, and knew I would go back. I went on my first African safari and stood on the southern tip of Africa where my left arm was over the Indian Ocean and my right arm was over the Atlantic. Glory.

During my final college summer, I went overseas again. This time, I ventured to Uganda, again with a team from OBU. We were in a rural area this time, and I finally saw "the bush" of the African village. Another African safari, and instead of dividing oceans, I divided hemispheres by standing on the Equator. I returned home, and spent the remainder of the summer preparing for a two year adventure in West Africa. I went to a matching conference where a very enthusiastic gentleman pulled me to his table and insisted that I hear about an exciting new project called the Texas Partnership where I could work as a volunteer coordinator in Cote d'Ivoire. And that's exactly where I ended up.

Ah, those lazy hazy crazy days of summer...I hope the UNT students who were wandering around today looking at all the summer camp opportunities make the right decision for them. I hope they are happy and can look back for years at the unique experiences that only a college summer can give.

That old familiar pang...

2010-02-01T13:35:00.000-08:00

So, hello. It's been awhile.

Since I last blogged, I've mostly been good. Happy. Going to work. Doing a little traveling on the weekends. Being Auntie Pegs to various babies & dogs. Watching American Idol with a good friend. Eating Girl Scout cookies like I don't wear them on my thighs immediately afterward. Dog-sitting Bella & Tony. Renting good movies (Whip It tops the list, thank you Ms. Barrymore).

So, sure. It's been good.

But that old familiar pang hits once in awhile...and by "once in awhile," I mean every 2-3 days. Sometimes when I look at their pictures on my nightstand first thing in the morning or last thing at night. Sometimes when I'm uncertain of my future. Sometimes when I see framed photos of four women and even though there was a picture taken with the four of them AND me, that's not the framed one in their homes because I'm still not one of them. Despite their love and acceptance since that awful day in September 2008.

And I HATE to complain about this. Again. I feel the need to apologize. Then again, it's my blog. And, that old pang hurts. It used to be the new pang; now it's the old familiar pang. In a picture of my immediate family, it's just me. Or, alternatively, old pictures of me and people who are all dead now. It's me, myself, and I in this world. I'm invited into others' homes (and am grateful for this, really I am), but none is my home. I always have to worry if I'm really welcome or if I'm overstepping my boundaries. I don't think I'll really have a home again until I get married (if I get married, oh Lord we won't even open that can of worms) and am really, truly considered "one of them."

I don't know who even reads this blog anymore, but if you're reading this and have a moment please do this. Warning: really depressing activity is coming. Please take your current life, and try to imagine it without all of these (emphasis on "all"; I know many of you don't have one or two):

No mother.
No father.
No siblings.
No grandparents.
No grandchildren.
No nieces/nephews.
No spouse.
No children.

How does your current life look now? Would you want to get out of bed in the morning? Would you have that old familiar pang?

...

2010-01-22T13:54:00.000-08:00

Think, Peggy, think.

There must be something to blog about.

A dog, a baby, and a fish

2009-12-15T17:43:00.001-08:00

Sweet Bella

The Incomparable Emma Byrd

I brought Emma a Santa Frog for Christmas. She was thrilled!

Emma, Auntie Pegs, and Santa Frog

Emma can't take her eyes off Santa Frog. Santa Frog loves the camera.

Uncle Sam Itschner

For our gift exchange at work, Stacy gave me a Betta fish!
Because he is blue with red underfins, I gave him the patriotic name of Uncle Sam.
I call him Sam, and sometimes Sammy, for short.

It's much nicer to...

2009-12-11T12:39:00.001-08:00

It's much nicer to only have 20 days between Jesse visits than 2.5 months. I go to Seattle a week from tomorrow.

It's much nicer to have 15 days together than 4. I'll be in Seattle December 19 - January 3.

It's much nicer to work for a university that closes for the break between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day. UNT does. UW and North Seattle Community College don't (where I was last year).

It's much nicer to watch TV shows when the writers know what they are doing. Special thanks goes out to the writers of the following shows: Community, The Office, Modern Family, and this season's Grey's Anatomy.

It's much nicer to quote Friends with someone who knows the show as well as you do. Otherwise, you just sound like an idiot.

Firsts...

2009-12-02T14:31:00.001-08:00

Jesse & Peggy's First Prom Pose

(ever, and probably last)

Yes, we knew this was cheesy when we took it. That was the point.

Denton's First Winter Snow
(of the year)

I awoke to this winter wonderland this morning.

Bella's tee tee trail...see the paw prints?
She wasn't as excited about the snow as I was, but she still did her business.
I was a a proud Auntie Pegs.

And when I got to work this morning, I saw this lovely sculpture outside the Art building.

First Flu
(in ages)

My flu kit - fluids, thermometer, medicine
I tested positive this afternoon for flu and have been given orders to not return to work until Monday. So, I picked up meds and rented My Sister's Keeper, 17 Again, and Funny People.

An Itschner Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T15:42:00.001-08:00

Royce & Cynthia hosted a whopping 18 people for Thanksgiving!
Jesse flew into Dallas on Wednesday and we headed to Kerrville for the festivities!

R&C were in the kitchen by 6 am working hard!

Cousin Kate

Jesse won the "who traveled furthest award"

Ladies photo-op
Cynthia, Lacey, Kate, Me, Gayle, Ann, Lauren, Annie

It just doesn't get any cuter than Lacey & Annie

Kate & Jason

Gayle & Lynn

Trying to get organized...

Family photo
Royce, Lauren, me, Annie, Kate, Ann, Beau, Cynthia, Lacey, Royce

Plus Gayle & Lynn!

Mmm...dessert.

Cousin Royce and wife Lauren

Royce & his girlies

Cousin Beau and girlfriend Ann

What do you think is going through her head?

Ann, Kate, Lauren, me

**Note: Many thanks to Ann for these photos I stole from her facebook. When I get the full album, I'll post more.

November 23, 1997

2009-11-23T16:32:00.000-08:00

I don't remember much about the day. I know that at some point, the nurse encouraged us to go home and get some rest. She assured us that if anything happened, they would know in plenty of time to call us and for us to get back to the hospital.

At 2:50 pm, my grandma called and told me to go to the hospital. I met her and my father, but it was too late. We had all missed it.

Mama died at 3:00 pm.

I remember my father wailing (the only word to describe it) in the hospital hallway. Grandma was talking to the hospital staff. I don't remember what I did. I remember being shocked at my father's reaction, since it was exactly the first time I had ever seen him cry.

I remember spending the evening at my apartment with friends. I'm not sure why I wasn't with my dad and grandma.

Thanksgiving was two days later. The memorial service was two days after that.

One thing I do remember very clearly is that Grandma called me every year on November 23rd.

November 22, 1997

2009-11-22T16:43:00.000-08:00

As I look around my apartment, I see the semblance of a Museum Ode to My Family. Among the memorabilia, I have my dad's cowboy hat, 1950s radio, and bowling pin trophy.

Daddy's treasures

I have boxes of family photo albums that were rescued from my dad's apartment the day we cleaned it out. I have my grandma's quilt, glasses, robe, and flower shoes.

Grandma's special things

A special treasure is my bronzed baby shoes that were on my parents' mantle.

A family heirloom

Oddly, I don't have anything of my mother's. I'm not sure why that is, but I do have pictures like this one I keep on my nightstand.

Helping Mama blow out her birthday candles

Twelve years ago today, my mother was receiving one of her dialysis treatments at the center she went to three times a week. Grandma took her since Daddy worked and I was in school.

At approximately 7:00 pm, my roommate at the time came running into the Baptist Student Ministries event I was attending. She told me that my dad had left a message on our answering machine (the days before cell phones) that my mother had been taken to the hospital and I should go down there.

I was not overly concerned because my mother's health had been poor for five years, and the hospital had become a second home. She went in, and then she always came home.

My friend, Zandra, and I drove to the hospital. My father and grandmother were at the ICU, and told me that my mother had a heart attack while at dialysis. She had gone about 8 minutes without oxygen to her brain, and they weren't sure how much damage had been done. The doctor was asking us whether or not we wanted to file a DNR.

That's when I knew this was a hospital visit like none of the others.

I went in to see my mother. It was very disturbing. She was in a coma. There were lots of tubes, and blood kept dripping from her nose. Mama wasn't there.

We decided to file a DNR.

We spent that night in uncomfortable chairs in the hospital.

Friends from Work

2009-11-21T16:16:00.000-08:00

It seems like I've really bonded with the other gals in the office in the past couple of weeks...from a themed Halloween (remember the Three Blind Mice?), to Friday happy hour to a Dallas Stars game, I have really enjoyed hanging out with my work peeps! By the way, this post is called "Friends from Work" because Stacy and Abbie HATE when I call them my "co-workers"...they say it's very cold and would prefer that I just call them my friends. :)

Yay for Happy Hour!
Stacy with Indra & Kristi (2 undergrad business advisors) on the left
Me, Abbie, and Jennifer, our former Management advisor who has since left us for a new job :( on the right

Jennifer with Stacy's three adorable rescue pups--Wilson (the white grouch), Abby (the licker), and CJ (the one about to leap off the couch)

Abbie with her Stars ticket

Stacy & me wearing our Stars jerseys (I borrowed one from Stacy...she's a huge fan and has tons of Stars stuff)

The game...I know nothing about hockey!

The boys in action

Can you say "nosebleeds?" By the way, this wasn't as scary as it looks...we were in no danger of falling to our deaths.

Yay for a very fun night!

Baby shower!

2009-11-10T18:05:00.001-08:00

This past weekend we had a baby shower for Ann, my cousin Beau's girlfriend. We had a great turnout with a TON of gifts-they cleaned up! I was the designated photographer, and while there was cropping involved to be sure, I was very excited to see they turned out pretty nicely!

The girlies
Ann, Lauren (other cousin's wife), and Kate (cousin)

Kate & Lauren being silly

Could we BE more confused?
Me, Aunt Cynthia, Lauren, Ann, Kate

Aunt Cynthia & Ann with the bassinet o' gifts!

Showers hostesses give a belly rub!

One of my artsy attempts. I call it "Lamp & Punch."

Ann and her delicious chocolate with raspberry filling cake!

Mommy & Daddy to be

I'm excited to grab Jesse at the airport and spend Thanksgiving with these fabulous people...
15 days, but who's counting? :)

Christine's wedding

2009-11-03T17:06:00.001-08:00

Of course, before any celebrating got underway, I had to have
quality Emma time! She's 7.5 months now--big girl!

Getting ready for Christine's kitchen shower/bridal luncheon
L-R Amy, Chrissy, Emma, me, Mels

At the kitchen shower/bridal luncheon
Me, Jodi, Amy, Christine, Mels, Chrissy

Soon-to-be Mr. & Mrs. Karl Witt! The day before the wedding.

The horrid mustard color mugs that were to be the wedding favors had to be
replaced by yummy petit fours. All the girls took a mug as a keepsake. :)

Ready to go to the wedding!
Josh, Amy, Summer, Chrissy, me, Mels, Stephen

The wedding scene...I mean, seriously. Could it BE more beautiful?

Christine's grand entrance was amazing!

It was a very brave walk in a wedding dress!

Aw, aren't they sweet?

Pre-reception with champagne & kabobs...yes, there was a pre-reception!
Bottom L-R Chrissy, Patty, Chrissy, Nichole
Top L-R Vanessa, Summer, me, Demetria, Mels, Amy

Cutting the groom's cake (Texas after the 1850 purchase)

Chrissy, Amy, and me with the Witts!

We corraled the couple for a group shot!

What a fun night and a great reunion of friends!

Happy Halloween 2009!

2009-10-30T12:21:00.001-07:00

Can you guess what we are?
Three Blind Mice!

Complete with cane and sunglasses

Linda, the farmer's wife who chopped off their tails

Me & Abbie

Stacy was mad when she got stuck on the phone with a student while the rest of us were having fun!

Linda trying to chop off Abbie's tail

Yes, we have tails!

Rosy, our student worker, is a block of cheese

The whole group!
The farmer's wife chasing the mice chasing the cheese

The return to college...

2009-10-21T17:34:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, I visited my alma mater, Ouachita Baptist University, for homecoming weekend. It was my first time to return since I graduated in 2001. A group of girls was headed up so I hopped in the car and went up to Arkansas. Here are a few of us at the bed & breakfast we stayed at.

Reunited! Jodi, me, Bethany, and Laura

The staircase at our bed & breakfast

The beautiful downstairs lobby of our bed & breakfast

Strolling onto campus for the first time...

This is the pimp mobile that shuttled us back to our car after the homecoming football game. It was-ahem-unique.

I got to see my good friend Rick for the first time in a few years! He made the drive from Little Rock for a little trip down memory lane.

The golden tiger (we are the Ouachita Tigers). Note the lack of a tail. It's this big "thing" on campus...where is the tail? Who stole the tail? Rumor has it the tail was taken by some rebels from the university across the street-Henderson State.

Another sweet reunion! Bill & Evelyn, my regional leaders from West Africa were there as well! It was a complete surprise to run into them! All of their grandchildren went to OBU as well, one of whom was a good friend of mine and someone who greatly influenced my initial interest in going to Africa.

Berry Chapel, in Berry Bible Building...the site of MANY of my classes as a Christian counseling major.

Part of the OBU Homecoming tradition is Tiger Tunes, a variety show which different clubs on campus participate. Basically, each club chooses a theme (soccer moms, Baptists, Egyptians, monsters, prisoners, etc.) and creates a story using songs with "modified" lyrics. It's my favorite part of Homecoming! I participated with Campus Ministries one year when I was a student, and we won second (totally should've been first).

Sifting through old memories, scrapbooks, letters, etc...

Lauren's precious baby girl, Addison, and I became fast friends...

Burger Barn in Arkadelphia
Bethany, Jodi, Laura, Leigh, me, and Lauren

Seeking: Cheap Ideas for Fall Decor

2009-10-14T12:26:00.000-07:00

So, here's the terrible truth. I've been over-budget every month for some time now. I have determined to cut back luxury items, which unfortunately includes seasonal home decor.

However, after being at my friend Sara's apartment last night and discovering how ultra-cute her autumn-ness has made her apartment, I am depressed by my own plain jane decor. You see, I get a (somewhat disturbing) high from scented pumpkin candles, the orange-yellow-red fake leaves scattered strategically along the breakfast bar, and the subtle pumpkin used as a centerpiece on the dining table (I have no dining table, just a box of "desk stuff" in the so-called dining area--but that seems irrelevant to me).

I am asking for help in CHEAP fall decor ideas. (I will probably send a similar request for holiday decor soon.)

My own ideas?
1. Go around the neighborhood, gathering leaves from people's yards.
2. "Borrowing" the fall lawn ornaments and wreaths from neighbors, leaving anonymous notes with the promise to return any borrowed items at the end of the fall season.
3. Taking magic markers to HP printer paper and cutting out leaf shapes to tack on my wall.

You can see that I'm not so good with the free, creative stuff. However, I know some of my more crafty friends might have brilliant ideas that are just out of my brain's reach.

I appreciate any and all comments, because while I'm not smart enough to come up with these ideas on my own, I am smart enough to toss out the ideas that truly suck. So please, feel free to leave suggestions as you wish.

Christine's bachelorette hoop-la

2009-10-07T16:53:00.001-07:00

We all gathered to celebrate our dear friend Christine as she gets married to Karl in October.

At the Art Festival in Austin
Me, Vanessa, Chrissy, Nichole, Amy, Melissa, and Christine

Texas State Capitol in Austin, TX -- Woot Woot!

Toe ring shopping for some...

Chrissy and Mels are enthusiastic about the toe rings

Not toe rings for others...but notice the huge foot above our heads.

Christine the Bachelorette and me

Mels made fondue! Yum!

Toilet paper brides - Vanessa, Christine, and me

Christine's lingerie shower...this is the only pic that's going blog-public!

Mels blew up this pic of Karl so he could watch over us all weekend

Me & Ames

A toast to Christine

We got a belly dance lesson at the Middle Eastern restaurant where we had dinner!
Chrissy caught on quickly!

Chrissy & me

We went dancing at this amazing club where the dance floor was above a shark tank!

What a lovely weekend!

Let's give 'em something to BE EXCITED about...

2009-09-30T07:22:00.000-07:00

Next weekend, I return to my college for the first time in about 8 years for OBU Homecoming weekend! Should be a riot!

The next weekend, I'm hoping to go to the Brownwood Sleep 'n' Eat, featuring Gayle & Lynn with grilled steaks and biscuits & gravy. Also, a double feature with 2 nights of 12+ hours of sleep.

The next weekend, I'm back in Austin for Christine's wedding...48 hours of Hoop-la beginning Thursday evening and going through Saturday night. Also hoping to see little Emma since I missed her last time.

Two weekends later, I'll be in San Antonio for my cousin's girlfriend's baby shower...quality time with the ladies of the fam! Also hoping to squeeze in time with my good friend Jenn that I haven't seen in a few years b/c she lived overseas.

AND the grand finale...2 1/2 weeks later, Jesse will arrive for the Thanksgiving holiday where we'll spend the long weekend gorging ourselves in Kerrville at Royce & Cynthia's.

I'M SO EXCITED!

PS Christine's bachelorette party last weekend in Austin was a blast...pics have been on Facebook if you're friends with me, but I hope to post here soon!