Knots

1) My dear friend from high school, Laurel, just got married this past weekend. It was a lovely wedding and we danced the night away to a lot of oldies and swing music. Yay for not caring what you look like while you dance!

2) My back and shoulders have been killing me. I feel like I could get hour long massages for the next month and maybe be okay.

Choice

Recently I have found myself in situations in which it would be very easy to be negative. For example, driving home from work, stuck in traffic when it's 96 degrees outside and my air conditioner is broken. It would be very easy for me to start grumbling about how these people in Sacramento are crazy drivers and how traffic sucks and my car is on it's last legs. Instead I decided to pump up the oldies and sing along. It was so refreshing to make the choice to have a positive attitude about my situation. So often there is nothing we can do about where we find ourselves except how we will react. I would much rather make the choice to be a happy person. This may seem obvious to some, but I find that I often have to make a conscientious choice about it during the mundane, everyday moments. Another choice I made recently was that haircut I mentioned in my previous post. Here is a picture:

Betty Crocker knows where it's at, but I don't

Tonight I spent some quality time with some lady friends of mine. We decided to bake some yummy treats for ourselves. Now, I used to cook all of the time. I worked in a camp kitchen for 2 summers baking 30 loaves of bread at a time. I know my way around the kitchen. At least I used to. Now all I have is frozen food and veggies that spoil before I can eat them. Back to this evening... One of my friends (who shall remain nameless) excitedly told us that she figured out what a wire rack she had was actually used for. She called it a warming tray when in fact it is a cooling wrack. The exact opposite! Needless to say, it has been difficult for me to find time to cook and apparently some of my friends are having the same issues. The night ended with some delicious chocolate chip cookies so overall I would say it was a success.

All Off

I love old movies and one of my favorites is Roman Holiday. In it Audrey Hepburn plays a princess who wants to take a break from her duties and be a regular everyday girl. She takes some time for herself and does some wonderfully entertaining things. One of the first things she does is get her hair cut. She sits down in the chair and says, "All off." It is a change that is shocking but beautiful, and done for herself alone.

Yesterday I decided that I wanted a dramatic hair cut. I didn't tell anyone about it. It was a decision I made all on my own without looking for anyone's input or affirmation. It felt fabulous! Who knew a secret haircut could be so liberating? I guess Audrey Hepburn did.

Psych of Personality 101

I took a test recently and I think I'm an INFJ. Only about one percent of the population is
Introverted
iNtuitive
Feeling
Judging.
One description that I found particularily interesting said that INFJ's are "intense and tightly wound." Yep, that's me!

Everday Normal Girl

I'm just a regular everyday normal girl.

I live in an apartment with my twin.
In an arm wrestling match with a girl I might win.
The car that I drive is 9 years old.
It's a nice blue color, but the mirrors are gold.

If you have a pet parakeet put your hands up.

If you want to see an everday normal guy go here. But let me first warn you that there is some bad language and a few crude parts. Still, I can't help liking it for the irony.

A lot has been happening

Ali and I finally got our dining set from IKEA. Of course, getting furniture from IKEA means you have to put it together yourself. So that's what we did. I call this "The Evolution of the Chair." But before that...

I spent a day in the mountains courtesy of my dad, a great mountain man (beard and all). We fished and I shot a rifle for the first time. Only two fish were caught and they were both released. Mine was a nice 14 inch German Brown Trout. But before that...

Heather and Danny got married! It was a lovely wedding and we all looked pretty good in our tiffany blue and pearls. But before that...


















Heather had a super fun Bachelorette weekend in Napa. Not too many of the girls were actually interested in tasting the wine, but we did taste a few exceptional Moscatos. This is at Mondavi's, the last one of the trip.



I have been doing so many great things and spending time with my wonderful friends, but work has been very stressful and I've been doing a lot of introspection. Those last two things combined mean I am daily fighting a melancholy that makes me not much fun to be around. Maybe I hide it well, but if you think of it please send some prayers or pleasant thoughts my way. I am very thankful for all the people that love me enough to listen to my whining, and if you haven't had the opportunity to do that yet, just give me a call.

Unsolved Mystery

Who can guess what I'm drinking and whether or not I liked it? If you guess correctly, I'll buy you a drink of whatever color you like.

Midwest in Photos

Not long ago I went on a trip to visit my family in Michigan. I also went to Chicago overnight with little Ali. It was great fun. So here's a quick update in pictures.

I went wine tasting there! Who knew you could do that? I am sitting with my grandma having lunch at Tabor Winery, the most popular one in Michigan.

Then we went to Chicago. Almost every way you looked there was a beautiful skyline. This is the view from our hotel.

We had to make a stop at the Art Institute of Chicago to see their world class collection of Impressionist and Post Impressionist art. The one above is "Poppy Field" by Monet.

But of course, the best part was the family. These are almost all of my Michigan cousins.

On a lighter note...

Literally. I have new boyfriend and he is as light as a feather (pun very much intended). Kiwi actually kind of likes me now! He even gave me a little kiss... on the lips!

The Rack

I'm not talking about the discount clothing store. No, the rack I'm talking about is the device used for torture mainly in the Middle Ages. Basically this mechanism was used to pull on a person's arms and legs to stretch or dislocate them. According to Wikipedia, it could go further than that: "Eventually, if the application of the rack is continued, the victim's limbs are ripped right off." I feel a little bit like I'm on a metaphysical rack. I don't think I'm going to lose a limb from it, but I do feel like I'm being pulled in two different directions.

Garden Party

Just because I'm going to a garden party today and because the original "Tea Partay" was so good... I now present "Green Tea Partay," the West Coast way.

Peter Burnett Elementary Class of '96

That was the team name at Whiskey Wild's trivia this past Tuesday night. I got to catch up with some guys that I hadn't seen in 12 years.


From left to right: Pha, Ky, Ali, Hanh, Amy, and me. And as a bonus... we won! It was all because I had done some research on Jack Daniels Whiskey and had a hunch that they made their own barrels.

Happy Earth Day!

A little while ago I told a 1st grader that I didn't have TV stations. His response was, "What do you do?!" Tragic. Today, however, I went on a hike by Folsom Lake with some kids. It was super fun. The wildflowers there were gorgeous.

20 Minutes

As of this morning I am hairless. At least on my legs.

When Hairy Met Rachel

In the past I have let my leg hair grow out for many different reasons. There was curiosity to see how long it would get. I used it to help keep me warm during the cold Spokane winters. I have even done it once or twice as a social statement about how women shouldn't be required to shave their legs to be thought of as feminine and attractive. I haven't shaved my legs since the beginning of March, but this time it's just because I haven't gotten the chance.

Engaged is an epidemic, but I don't have the fever

I have noticed lately a number of acquaintances and friends have gotten engaged. In light of this I decided to conduct a little experiment to see if Facebook could tell me how many of my friends were engaged. What it told me was that 160 of my friends or people from Whitworth are engaged. What?! I started looking through them and found so many that I had no idea were even close to being engaged. Well, I have been out of touch with Whitworth for some time, but still... It was shocking! I'm glad for all of you out there who have found someone who you feel comfortable and ready to decide to SPEND THE REST OF YOUR LIFE with. I however, am not even close. All the single girls out there say "Hey!"

My Favorite Easter Memory

One Sunday morning a few years ago, I went to the sunrise service that my church, Fremont Presbyterian, always has by the river. It is a unique service and it feels extra special because we are outside in the early morning with a bunch of people who are all part of our church family(including the band with all of their equipment!). On this particular Sunday morning, Geordie, a former associate pastor, was giving the benediction. When he was just about finished, the rickety wooden cross the high schoolers had used on their latest mission trip fell over. There was a moment of surprise in which people were trying to decide how to respond. Jamie, the pastor's son decided what to do first. He shouted, "He is risen!" And we all shouted back, "He is risen indeed!" When I think of that morning I reminds me of how Christ conquered the cross and it cannot stand up next to God's power and glory.

Wide Open Spaces

It's been awhile because.... we moved! That's right, it's official, I now have my own bedroom and bathroom! Instead of sharing a 2 bed 1 bath house with 2 other people, I'm sharing a 2 bed 2 bath apartment with one person (my sister!) and a lot of boxes. I know there are lots of exclamation points, but I'm excited!

Filling Empty Spaces

I've never moved into a completely empty home of my own before. When I went away to school they provided all the furniture. When I moved into a house with my friends they provided most of the furniture. For my bedroom I used a mattress I found in the garage and some ply wood from another friend. Real high class, I know. Now, soon, my sister and I are going to be moving into an apartment together. The applications are being turned in today so as long as nothing goes wrong we should be approved by this weekend. Then we have to begin the arduous task of filling an apartment. This time I do have a bed, but we don't exactly have a dining room set or a couch. Things are coming together, though, with donations from our parents and things we've had since childhood. Mostly I'm excited, but there is that part of me that is a little overwhelmed by the changes this new situation will bring to my life. Well, you have to move out of your parents house at some point, right? Definitely! If anyone has tips on how to live cheap, send them my way.