...may 5th is the day when i finish up at my job. the remaining 26 work days will be jam-packed with candidates on campus interviewing for my position, the family housing carnival, the community yard sale, and saying goodbyes.
i have had a lot of unpleasant feelings about living here these past two years, but just as we are about to leave the tides have shifted. now we have a thai restaurant! that really changes everything for this asian-food-loving-girl! i think i could be happy here for a bit longer, but the time has come for us to move on.
still not a lot of news in the way of graduate school. i called CSU this afternoon to see where they are at in the process, but only reached voicemails. grrr. more waiting is in store it seems.
in other news, i now have permission to look on petfinder.com and checkout possible additions to our little clan. we are really hoping to find an australian shepherd-poodle mix. i know, i know, 'a poodle?' you say, but the lack of (or limited) shedding factor is huge. plus, i love the curly hair look--it just makes dogs look a little more scruffy. by the way, 'scruffy' is the primary characteristic we will be basing the pet selection on. so if you hear of any aussiedoodle puppies in need of a great home, please let us know!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
long few weeks
so much has happened recently that i debated even posting as there is just too much to cover. first off, my trip to spartanburg was incredible and i am missing the warm weather, wonderful people, and rewarding work that made up our trip. the people who planned all the alternative breaks warned me that there would be drama and that i should anticipate major team issues. i experienced neither and instead got to work with a dream team. go team Haba-Tat!
while on the trip i found out that my grandma warner passed away. it was for the best but it was still devastating. she hasn't had much in the way of quality of life and i am glad to know she isn't suffering any longer. none-the-less, i am sad and i mourn her. growing up papa always made me say "i love you and i miss you" as i got off the phone. that sums up how i feel now. it has been a rough month losing papa overstreet and now grandma warner.
just last night my bike was stolen from in front of our house. i finished giving the police report a few minutes ago and don't have much hope for its return. hopefully the renter's insurance will come through! :)
in other news here is how grad schools are stacking up for us:
- university of washington--no news
- university of oregon--rejected lindsey
- university of vermont--no news
- university of arizona--rejected brandon
- colorado state university--no news
- arizona state university--no news
we hope to know something soon, but are coming to terms with the idea of not getting in anywhere, as impossible as that is to swallow.
see, so much to post that i debated the worth of putting it all up. it is good to have it all said and hopefully to update each of you. don't take our lack of phone calls or emails personal--life has just been busy.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
letting go
below is a quote from one of my favorite authors, ann lamott. it struck me so i chose to share it here with all of you.
I think joy and sweetness and affection are a spiritual path. We're here to know God, to love and serve God, and to be blown away by the beauty and miracle of nature. You just have to get rid of so much baggage to be light enough to dance, to sing, to play. You don't have time to carry grudges; you don't have time to cling to the need to be right.
it helps me think about how ridiculous it is for me to hold onto stuff!
I think joy and sweetness and affection are a spiritual path. We're here to know God, to love and serve God, and to be blown away by the beauty and miracle of nature. You just have to get rid of so much baggage to be light enough to dance, to sing, to play. You don't have time to carry grudges; you don't have time to cling to the need to be right.
it helps me think about how ridiculous it is for me to hold onto stuff!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
spartanburg here i come!
life has felt out of balance these past few weeks with traveling, challenges at work, losing papa overstreet, waiting for grad school news, homework galore, and the like. we have been chugging along through it, but because of all that has been happening, i failed to post exciting news: i am going to spartanburg, south carolina for spring break!
i was chosen to be the "adult leader" (haha) for a group of 11 students for the alternative spring break the university sponsors. we will be working on a habitat for humanity build over the course of the week, making our home on the floors of a local church. it is going to be a lot of tiring work, late nights, and emotional reactions but i am excited to be part of it! i rarely get to work with "traditional" students as most people in the apartments are older of have families, so it will be rewarding for me to build relationships with an entirely new demographic of students.
one of the bonuses about being a leader for the trip is that i don't have to use vacation time as i will still be working for the university during that week. i don't have heaps of annual leave hanging around so it will be nice to get out of dodge without using any. plus i don't have to pay for the trip either!
i leave at the ridiculous hour of 2:45AM next saturday and return at the equally ridiculous hour of 2:00AM a week later. i have a strong feeling that upon my return i will spend many hours with my eyes closed under the covers! i will appreciate prayers in the following ways: that i can be competent to deal with whatever comes up, that our group meshes well and has little drama, that we have safe travel, and that are lives are forever changed by the experience!
i was chosen to be the "adult leader" (haha) for a group of 11 students for the alternative spring break the university sponsors. we will be working on a habitat for humanity build over the course of the week, making our home on the floors of a local church. it is going to be a lot of tiring work, late nights, and emotional reactions but i am excited to be part of it! i rarely get to work with "traditional" students as most people in the apartments are older of have families, so it will be rewarding for me to build relationships with an entirely new demographic of students.
one of the bonuses about being a leader for the trip is that i don't have to use vacation time as i will still be working for the university during that week. i don't have heaps of annual leave hanging around so it will be nice to get out of dodge without using any. plus i don't have to pay for the trip either!
i leave at the ridiculous hour of 2:45AM next saturday and return at the equally ridiculous hour of 2:00AM a week later. i have a strong feeling that upon my return i will spend many hours with my eyes closed under the covers! i will appreciate prayers in the following ways: that i can be competent to deal with whatever comes up, that our group meshes well and has little drama, that we have safe travel, and that are lives are forever changed by the experience!
Monday, February 18, 2008
good and bad all in one weekend
it will be hard to capture this past weekend in a blog post, as we had wonderful highs with longtime friends and received some painful news.
brandon's grandpa passed away over the weekend. papa, as he was known to most, was an incredible man who leaves behind a shining legacy. he will be sorely missed in our family. as the weekend progressed his situation got worse and we learned on sunday that he died during the night. there is much to process right now, but in many ways it will take a lifetime to work through the pain of losing him.
brandon thought of going down for the funeral, which will be a formal military service, honoring papa for his purple heart and service to the country, but flights were going to be over $1000. it is going to be hard not to be there, but we simply can't make that happen. we know papa will understand.
fortunately we were able to be among friends this weekend and introduced sara "mia" to cross-country skiing. she is so brave! i was blown away by how FEW times she fell even though she had not been on skis before.
i get really freaked out going down steep sections, so i have developed the dwarf practice of squatting down when i get afraid. brandon doesn't object, as i bomb down the hill at record speeds when in this pose. i introduced mia to it at one point, but i think her natural ski abilities negated the benefits. oh well, i guess i am the only one destined to ski so close to the ground!
here she is trying out my technique
this may be my most favorite picture of mia ever--it captures her joy
and willingness to try anything. i just can't get enough of this girl!
it was nice to be in seattle while the sun was out for a change--it is truly a beautiful city when the clouds part.
brandon's grandpa passed away over the weekend. papa, as he was known to most, was an incredible man who leaves behind a shining legacy. he will be sorely missed in our family. as the weekend progressed his situation got worse and we learned on sunday that he died during the night. there is much to process right now, but in many ways it will take a lifetime to work through the pain of losing him.
brandon thought of going down for the funeral, which will be a formal military service, honoring papa for his purple heart and service to the country, but flights were going to be over $1000. it is going to be hard not to be there, but we simply can't make that happen. we know papa will understand.
fortunately we were able to be among friends this weekend and introduced sara "mia" to cross-country skiing. she is so brave! i was blown away by how FEW times she fell even though she had not been on skis before.
i get really freaked out going down steep sections, so i have developed the dwarf practice of squatting down when i get afraid. brandon doesn't object, as i bomb down the hill at record speeds when in this pose. i introduced mia to it at one point, but i think her natural ski abilities negated the benefits. oh well, i guess i am the only one destined to ski so close to the ground!
here she is trying out my technique
this may be my most favorite picture of mia ever--it captures her joyand willingness to try anything. i just can't get enough of this girl!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
numero siete
these are the remnants of our seventh valentine's day together. although we know we have many more to look forward to, we were both surprised when we sat back and counted. seven, really?oh how quickly good love grows.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
rash decisions
it seems that between brandon and i, life generally throws the strange injuries and illness my way (shingles, concussions, broken ribs, etc.). every year i have some "big" medical deal and i am always embarrassed because, for pete's sake, what is wrong with me?
this time however, brandon is the unfortunate one. over the past couple weeks he has been overly tired and he developed this strange rash on his abdomen, which has recently spread down his biceps. i concluded it wasn't shingles because it crossed his mid-line and from my 3 shingles experiences i know that is an impossible feat. so, there's one virus ruled out!
i (being the worrywart my mother taught me to be) insisted that he go to the doctor. he is almost always opposed to such suggestions, claiming that they won't know what is wrong or that there won't be anything they can do. this time i made the appointment for him and the doctor's conclusion was that he has pityriasis rosea. basically, a rash they don't know much about and can't treat. so brandon was right: going to the doctor accomplished next to nothing.
upon the diagnosis his first question was whether or not he could be around babies, as we are going to visit our godson this weekend. fortunately, the little they do know about this rash is that it is not contagious by contact. to be safe, we'll make sure he has plenty of long-sleeved shirts so we can keep rowan safe.
another note: the doctor told him his "bedmate" (i.e. his wife) would be safe from contracting the rash. i believe that is the first time i have been referred to as a bedmate--and hopefully the last!
this time however, brandon is the unfortunate one. over the past couple weeks he has been overly tired and he developed this strange rash on his abdomen, which has recently spread down his biceps. i concluded it wasn't shingles because it crossed his mid-line and from my 3 shingles experiences i know that is an impossible feat. so, there's one virus ruled out!
i (being the worrywart my mother taught me to be) insisted that he go to the doctor. he is almost always opposed to such suggestions, claiming that they won't know what is wrong or that there won't be anything they can do. this time i made the appointment for him and the doctor's conclusion was that he has pityriasis rosea. basically, a rash they don't know much about and can't treat. so brandon was right: going to the doctor accomplished next to nothing.
upon the diagnosis his first question was whether or not he could be around babies, as we are going to visit our godson this weekend. fortunately, the little they do know about this rash is that it is not contagious by contact. to be safe, we'll make sure he has plenty of long-sleeved shirts so we can keep rowan safe.
another note: the doctor told him his "bedmate" (i.e. his wife) would be safe from contracting the rash. i believe that is the first time i have been referred to as a bedmate--and hopefully the last!
Friday, February 8, 2008
my anti-hillary campaign
i am an avid obama supporter, which most of you know. his desire to breakdown the partisan system, restore hope to the american people, and end the war are among some of the reasons i see him being the best candidate. (for more reasons check out his site.)
anyhow, despite my being a democrat, i would not vote as one were hillary to be the candidate. frankly, the idea of hillary in office scares me--for many reasons i don't want to delve into at this point.
i realized this week that were hillary to become our next president we would enter into 24 years of a bush-clinton regime, possilbly 28 years were she to then be reelected. i haven't been alive that long, but doesn't it seem that by the time someone reaches the ripe age of 24, there should have been more than three families in the white house?
if you haven't seen it yet, check out the video below. and by the way, yes we can restore america and be proud to call this country our own. yes we can.
anyhow, despite my being a democrat, i would not vote as one were hillary to be the candidate. frankly, the idea of hillary in office scares me--for many reasons i don't want to delve into at this point.
i realized this week that were hillary to become our next president we would enter into 24 years of a bush-clinton regime, possilbly 28 years were she to then be reelected. i haven't been alive that long, but doesn't it seem that by the time someone reaches the ripe age of 24, there should have been more than three families in the white house?
if you haven't seen it yet, check out the video below. and by the way, yes we can restore america and be proud to call this country our own. yes we can.
Monday, February 4, 2008
residency!
woohoo, i'm an oregon resident!
some of you may have already thought that i was (as i originally did). however, last month i had my oregon residency audited by UO. they made me complete paperwork documenting that i was pursuing educational endeavors while outside the state, not just raking in the dough. fortunately i make almost no money and i take classes so i had a case.
it was a little strange to have that oregon identity questioned. i began to wonder, 'if i am not an oregon resident then what state am i a resident of?' a friend at work thought that if if i wasn't an oregon resident that that would mean i was an illegal alien.
happily, my case was settled and UO will view my application as a legal oregon resident. this will help tremendously with financial aid and the like. now hopefully they determine that i am a good enough resident to be admitted into their program!
some of you may have already thought that i was (as i originally did). however, last month i had my oregon residency audited by UO. they made me complete paperwork documenting that i was pursuing educational endeavors while outside the state, not just raking in the dough. fortunately i make almost no money and i take classes so i had a case.
it was a little strange to have that oregon identity questioned. i began to wonder, 'if i am not an oregon resident then what state am i a resident of?' a friend at work thought that if if i wasn't an oregon resident that that would mean i was an illegal alien.
happily, my case was settled and UO will view my application as a legal oregon resident. this will help tremendously with financial aid and the like. now hopefully they determine that i am a good enough resident to be admitted into their program!
Sunday, February 3, 2008
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