Weekend Update

Oh what a weekend. It was Sara and Andrew's wedding weekend and with it blew in many people from across the Atlantic. Sara looked AMAZING, as did Andrew, and it was just a beautiful celebration:

This was not a great picture, but one of the only ones I have showing both of their faces

Nathan and I talked about how he would not be attending and that it would be better for him to save his pennies and travel elsewhere in Europe. I however, was very wrong and fooled and surprised...but in a good way.

It started off on Friday when I was frantically putting together a tri-fold display board for the GRCC Family Matters event the next day. My office is located near an entrance and as people enter, I can always feel the cold breeze. As the chill approached my co-worker and I, we looked up and I caught a flash of a green scarf and suddenly, I realized it was my NATHAN! I could not believe that he was there, in front of me, in the flesh. I honestly did not know whether or not to hug him, kiss him or hit him (I think I did all three as I was so surprised and felt rather shaky as it sunk in that he was actually here).

It turned out that almost everyone knew about it and I had absolutely no idea. Having him around for the weekend made the event that much better for me. Because of the nature of the weekend, it was a whirlwind. We went to the rehearsal dinner on Friday, I worked Saturday morning and then we went to the wedding. We met my family for Sunday dinner to celebrate my sister's sweet 16(!) and then left for Chicago to meet up with the groomsmen/ his new friends in order for them to fly out this afternoon. I still can't believe he was here and I'm absolutely exhausted from all the festivities. The countdown has now begun for my trip to visit him (28 days!!) and I am so excited.

I'm supposed to be studying...

...but I'm updating instead...
It feels good to be a student again. Despite the differences between my current studying environment (entirely online) and everything I've ever known before, the general feeling of being a student remains the same. Deadlines, time management, homework, readings, writing, thinking, procrastinating...the list could go on. I like it though, it keeps me on my toes and not lazy. I've also started revisiting coffee shops again. I mentioned this to Nathan, followed by, "I'm such a cliche", but in all honesty, I really forgot how much I love coffee shops and more importantly, studying in coffee shops! To fuse one's love of coffee with learning is heightened by the aromas of roasting beans, the distraction of other people's conversation, and what used to be, the accompaniment of a cigarette. Those days are long gone though, but I do find this setting to be calming.

I'm sitting in the newest coffee shop to downtown GR called Madcap. It's lovely and filled with natural light, almost too much, I had to turn my chair sideways b/c the sun was blinding me. Note: SUN in GRAND RAPIDS in JANUARY! My Lord, it is a miracle. I should face my chair into it and blind myself at this occurrence. My coffee was french pressed and delicious and I guess my only complaint would be that the table is a stitch tall for the chairs, but that my friends is minor (and could probably be chalked up to a height deficiency of my own).

Anyway, program planning and implementation calls. Yes, I am that awesome.

so many things to report (!)...

-- I've been accepted into the online MA in Youth Development at the University of Missouri-Columbia and will start classes very soon!

-- I am going to to London, England from 3/21-3/30 to see my babe.

-- I have begun a training program for the 25K in May

-- Unfortunately, I have been struck down by Satan with a nasty cold, which makes things difficult for training, but I will prevail.

-- We have two new shows opening at GRAM and one of the artists is actually coming!

-- Sara's wedding is in exactly 1 month. She was approved for her VISA so that is exciting news for her. As much as I hate saying goodbye to her, I am so super amped for the event and am happy for she and Andrew both.

Anyway, that is all, even though so many things are going on, I feel in control (except for this stupid stuffy nose, sore throat and overall grogginess)...

How good of a speller are you?

Try this baby out:

Spelling Test

(almost) farewell dear President

I have been awake since 4am, why? I do not know, but it has allowed me an ample amount of time to "surf the internet" as kids say these days. Ran past the top 25 Bushisms of all time and thought I would share:

1. "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
—Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004

2. "I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family."
—Greater Nashua, N.H., Chamber of Commerce, Jan. 27, 2000

3. "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"
—Florence, S.C., Jan. 11, 2000

4. "Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across the country."
—Poplar Bluff, Mo., Sept. 6, 2004

5. "Neither in French nor in English nor in Mexican."
—declining to answer reporters' questions at the Summit of the Americas, Quebec City, Canada, April 21, 2001

6. "You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.''
—Townsend, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2001

7. "I'm the decider, and I decide what is best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense."
—Washington, D.C., April 18, 2006

8. "See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."
—Greece, N.Y., May 24, 2005

9. "I've heard he's been called Bush's poodle. He's bigger than that."
—discussing former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, as quoted by the Sun newspaper, June 27, 2007

10. "And so, General, I want to thank you for your service. And I appreciate the fact that you really snatched defeat out of the jaws of those who are trying to defeat us in Iraq."
—meeting with Army Gen. Ray Odierno, Washington, D.C., March 3, 2008

11. "We ought to make the pie higher."
—South Carolina Republican debate, Feb. 15, 2000

12. "There's an old saying in Tennessee"
—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."—Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002

13. "And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it."
—speaking on National Public Radio, Jan. 29, 2007

14. "We'll let our friends be the peacekeepers and the great country called America will be the pacemakers."
—Houston, Sept. 6, 2000

15. "It's important for us to explain to our nation that life is important. It's not only life of babies, but it's life of children living in, you know, the dark dungeons of the Internet."
—Arlington Heights, Ill., Oct. 24, 2000

16. "One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures."
—U.S. News & World Report, Jan. 3, 2000

17. "People say, 'How can I help on this war against terror? How can I fight evil?' You can do so by mentoring a child; by going into a shut-in's house and say I love you."
—Washington, D.C., Sept. 19, 2002

18. "Well, I think if you say you're going to do something and don't do it, that's trustworthiness."
—CNN online chat, Aug. 30, 2000

19. "I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep on the soil of a friend."
—on the prospect of visiting Denmark, Washington, D.C., June 29, 2005

20. "I think it's really important for this great state of baseball to reach out to people of all walks of life to make sure that the sport is inclusive. The best way to do it is to convince little kids how to—the beauty of playing baseball."
—Washington, D.C., Feb. 13, 2006

21. "Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream."
—LaCrosse, Wis., Oct. 18, 2000

22. "You know, when I campaigned here in 2000, I said, I want to be a war president. No president wants to be a war president, but I am one."
—Des Moines, Iowa, Oct. 26, 2006

23. "There's a huge trust. I see it all the time when people come up to me and say, 'I don't want you to let me down again.' "
—Boston, Oct. 3, 2000

24. "They misunderestimated me."
—Bentonville, Ark., Nov. 6, 2000

25. "I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office."
—Washington, D.C., May 12, 2008

This year I promise to eat more fried foods...

Holy Happy 2009, I can't believe that it is the new year already. The haps of the last 366 days of the year (it was leap year wasn't it?) can be summed up in 1 word...Righteous, haha. It has been a great year filled with many goods: Family, old friends, new friends, Nathan, Obama, soccer, first races, good books, better wine, new restaurants, favorite restaurants, kittens, rock band, shop hopping, angel reuniting, camping, san francisco, and the list goes on...(sing "and the list goes on" as if you were singing, "and the beat goes on"...that is what is happening in my mind)...it has also been a year filled with bads, but I will spare you my list.

Now that we have successfully made it in to this new year without the internal combustion of the earth, or the reincarnation of dinosaurs, I am glad to say that I have a few new resolutions. Last year I tried to give up fried foods (not including french fries) but today at lunch, I had these delicious buffalo balls - yes, while ordering, I had to refrain from saying, "Can I please have the balls of a buffalo", and the second these delectable little bites hit my taste buds, I knew I would be getting them again, very soon, like maybe this weekend. They are these delicious cheesy tater tots, deep fried to a crisp and slathered in spicy buffalo sauce...c'mon, how can one resist something so unnatural but so freaking delicious! So, I bid last years resolutions farewell and promise to eat most all greasy little snacks...

As I do most years, I hope to read one book for pleasure per month. This usually tapers off come March, but I will try harder this year. And then there are many little things: driving less, training for the riverbank or at least keeping motivation to work out, eating healthier (with the exception of fried foods of course), shopping locally, spending necessarily, conserving energy and being less wasteful, frolicking more in the great outdoors, being a better friend/girlfriend/daughter/sister, keeping a positive attitude, and just being a better person in overall.

I leave you with a few pics from last year. Yar.

Fun reunion with former roommates (January)

Meeting this girl, who quickly became one of my favorites, (Jan)

which subsequently, led me to meet this guy, who is my favorite. (pic taken in September?)

Seeing Obama speak in GR, (May)

and watching/celebrating our future President (November)

Go AMERICA (July, duh)

Visiting with Jilly in Canada (August)

Vacationing with Kayleen, Paul and Melissa in San Fran (October)

Yay '08, bring it on '09.

la la la

Changing things up. I'm not sure why, I'm bored mostly. I did not go to the gym today, I worked only half a day and came home to reorganize/ clean my room, instead, I've been sitting on the stupid internet, which includes changing my color scheme, boring right? Not even sure I like it, but oh well.

day-o-nothing

Oh, it's been one of those days, one of those glorious days where one does NOTHING. After a harrowing week of work, I was looking forward to today, where I could sleep in, relax, organize my room a bit and do laundry. I ended up waking up much earlier than intended, talking to my sweetie and watched the first half of season 4 of Weeds on my computer. I've done 1 load of laundry and left the house to pick up some things from a friend who is moving...But other than that, nothing.

Sunday is a day of rest. And rest I did.

What day is it?

The past week has been a whirlwind of work, vacation, holidays, goodbyes, packing, driving, friending, shopping, fa la la la laaaa la la la laing. Anyway, I hardly know what day it is anymore.

This year, I spent Thanksgiving in Jackson with Nate and his family and of course, I overate. I even continued to smash mashed potatoes into my gut every time they passed by my plate. I forget how much I love those smooth starchy bites.

From Jackson, we popped back to GR for one more night-o-fun and then spent the weekend in Chicago. It was cold. Very cold. Windy, icy, cold. It was fun to see Nate's friend Scott and Scott's dog Little Scott. Yesterday, after a teary goodbye, I left Nathan and all of his luggage at O'Hare. It was sad, for obvious reasons, but we left each other on a very good note. I anticipate it will be quite an adjustment to not see him everyday, but thank goodness for modern technology as I've already chatted with him and am assured of his safe arrival in the GB.

Work calls again tomorrow and for that, I am not excited. It's almost worse to go back after having a holiday/ vacation. I know the work and meetings that await and am neither excited for or ready to face them. So it goes though, right?

It's already December. Wowser.

Ode to White Ninja

I have never been one who loves reading comics. On occasion, I'll pick up the Sunday paper and read them, but am often disappointed because they tend to be dumb and not funny, something I don't really get and not funny or mediocre-ly funny, but not really.

I've always felt this way, even as a child. I never got into the far side, or garfield or whatever other comics were popular in my lifetime until I was introduced to white ninja.

When Nathan was still working in an office, he used to send a daily dose of White Ninja to my inbox in which I could take a quick break from whatever project I was working on and have a chuckle. I wasn't really sure about it at first, b/c it falls into every category I listed above, but I eventually fell in love with white ninja and actually quite looked forward to my daily read.

Because Nate no longer works in an office, I don't get my daily fix. I actually kind of forgot about my dear friend until today. I'm not sure what prompted me to check up on him, but I did, and have chosen to show you two that I found utterly hilarious.

Friendspot

Aging

Hilarious, no?

a pile to sift through...

Since my last post, a lot has happened both in my personal life and that of a nation I am proud to be a citizen of.

To start with, I went to San Francisco for a week in October. A dear friend of mine from high school flew out from Georgia and met me there. We both have friends/family who live out there, which allowed us a fairly inexpensive vacation. I've never been to California before and this trip was a treat. We exhausted ourselves by walking for what seemed like endless miles, figuring out public transportation, wine tasting, shopping, museuming, hiking and eating delicious food. It was an awesome trip, take a look:

I stood in the clouds (above) and I stood on Andy Goldsworthy (below)

We were mega tourists (above: on a cable car, below: Golden Gate Bridge)

I went to the vineyard (above) and sipped wine in a castle (below)

and finally, I got to spend great quality time with one of my bestest gals...

I was due for a vacation and it could not have come at a better time. Work was stressing me out and I needed a break. I returned refreshed and with a much better attitude.

Besides a wonderful vacation, other things have been changing too, or rather, are about to change. Since I met Nate, he has been planning on moving to London, England to gain some international work experience in the field of social work. It's something we've talked about quite a bit and is a reality now. He flies out on December 1st and returns June 1st. It's a 6 month visa with the possibility to renew for a longer visa (up to 3 years) upon completion - this is dependent on a number of factors, so we are just focusing on the 6 month period for now. Anyway, it will definitely be a change to not have him around and also for me to be the one staying home. In the past, it has been me who ventures off to new and exciting places, meeting people from all over the world and experiencing other cultures first hand. This time, I will stay put. Rather than gallivanting the globe, I will hear about him doing so. I know this is going to make me want to travel. Pending on finances, I hope to visit next spring.

Today marks the year anniversary of my employment here at the Grand Rapids Art Museum. It has gone very quickly. Having most of my post-college jobs as one-year contracts, it is strange to think that this one will last longer. Longevity! That is what I strive for on my resume, or at least something more than a year. Do I foresee it lasting 2 years? Doubtful, but who knows.

Finally, everyone knows the outcome of Tuesday's election and I don't want to use this webspace to push my agenda or opinions (although I might anyway), but I must say that I have never seen or felt so much positive emotion and energy for this country. This energy is evident in our communities, in our nation and internationally as well. I've received encouraging input and opinions from my friends abroad and for once, it is great to hear something other than negative feedback about America. There is no doubt in my mind that both candidates care for this country, but I honestly and truly do believe that the better candidate was chosen. It is amazing to see a man of color as the head our state, a country that was once racially divided (I know I know, we have a long way to go - bear with me here), where the division between blacks and whites was evident in every aspect of life, where our parents were born in the midst of the civil rights movement. THIS IS HISTORY IN THE MAKING PEOPLE!! As I watched both the concession and acceptance speeches I cried, and I was filled with excitment and anticipation for these next four years.

At any rate, it's November and the weather has been amazing, unfortunately it is supposed to get cold tomorrow (it's time to get new slippers). Radio stations are already blaring Christmas music and our staff kitchen has been staffed with sweet treats, which only means the holidays are around the corner. I love this time of year though...

how a 2-year old made me want one, and then remembered that I don't...not yet anyway

Last night I babysit for a family I used to care for in college. They happen to be babysitting a 2 year old who had not taken a nap during the day. It was finally bedtime (7:30!) and as I was putting him down he cried and sobbed while I made attempts to calm him down with stories & songs (yes, poor child was probably crying because his ears were bleeding at the sound of my voice). Anyway, I said to him, "Jake, Lisa said that you would go to bed really good for me tonight". And no lie, between tears and gasps of breath, this tiny little creature responded, "No, I go to bed really difficult tonight". At that moment, my maternal clock started ticking on overload as I thought to myself, "I WANT ONE" as if he was something I could pick up at Meijer the next time I go grocery shopping. Of course, I don't really want one - at least not now...which is why babysitting can be so fun, because at the end of the night I can go home and do whatever I want to.

nothing ends the day...

...like a glass of red wine.

It's been a long day and only now do I feel as though I have a few moments to myself. Some of my girlfriends and I have resorted to having breakfast once a week. Mind you, today was our 2nd week, we shall see how long it lasts. Regardless, it is nice to start the day off earlier than usual with a tasty coffee and conversation I'm fond of. We've tried the whole 'getting together once a week night' thing but because of busy schedules, gym classes, family obligations, significant other obligations and just being worn out it faded. I can't imagine how much more busy life will be once my world of one (well, kind of 2) becomes more.

After work, I "whipped" together a veggie lasagna from a recipe I received from my one-a-day recipes from allrecipes.com. (side note: I honestly could spend days reading recipes, score how difficult they might be based on ingredients and direction, and still do nothing but read them in hopes that one day I might actually make it). Today, I tried. Unfortunately, it did not turn out as well as expected, but it can be remedied next time. Suffice to say, Nate ate 1.75 LENGTHS of the pan, while Sara and I ate 1 piece each. At least it won't go bad in the fridge since the only 3 left over pieces will be devoured for his and my lunches tomorrow.

The rest of the evening was spent helping some friends move. Having lived here for a little less than a year, I am dissuaded from moving just b/c of the simple fact that moving SUCKS. Whether it's my own stuff or someone else's, it always makes me want say to hell with consumerism, throw all my uneccesaries at Goodwill (yes, at, not to) and live the life of a nomad off of whatever I can carry on my back. Who needs possessions right? I say that until I realize I "need" new work clothes b/c of the few I have, I either hate them, they are worn and tattered or they don't fit. Such is life.

So now I'm home. Winding down. Enjoying the new Kings of Leon album. Almost ready to go to bed only to tackle yet another day. As the title states...there is nothing better that ends the day, than a good glass of red. Cheers.

1 year

I have officially been back in America for 1 year (as of yesterday).
weird.

America's Next Top Model

No no, I'm not auditioning for something so ridiculous. And if I ever were to do such a thing, it would have to be America's Next Top Petite Model who can't fit into any pants because they are always much too long.

Anyway,
Look who's coming to GRAM (click those words, I don't know why it's not coming up a different color). Although many know him from his stints next to Tyra & Ms. Jay, he is actually a renowned fashion photographer whose celebrity status will hopefully generate enough buzz to get more people to visit the Art Museum. Oh yes, I should probably mention - it coincides with the Richard Avedon (photography) exhibition. Very excited about that.

It's Monday - no work for me today! Yaya

the summer in seven shots

Celebrating America...in America
Last year, Aaron and I celebrated Canada Day (July 1) in Korea. For some reason, we felt it required a picture.

My little cousin got married, which blew in my older cousin who I haven't seen in quite some time. A good excuse to hang out with the relatives

Kayleena came home for a week! Hanging out with my best gals

Hanging out with Jillybug in the Distillery district of Toronto

Met up with other former ESL teachers who I was friends with in Korea.

A high school reunion of sorts - haven't seen some of these people in years!

Stacey married one of our dearest friends from high school. She look absolutely stunning!

tis been awhile, ja?

Yeah, I don't know where I've been. I keep up on other's blogs and have kept busy as this summer blows by, but I don't have much to write.

Work: Summer camps came and went. They were busy and I got tired of being there. Summer camps ended and now we gear up for fall programming. Fun? Sure. Soon tons of kids will be coming for tours and workshops and I will want to pull my hair out because of the noise.

Roommates: They are fine and dandy. Living in a house with people is still a transition. It's always a transition. I still miss the days of living solo, but alas, I. can. not. do. that. now.

Friends: It seems as though I haven't gotten to see people as often as usual, but on the flip side, it seems like all I've been doing is seeing people.

Boyfriend: Doing well. Approaching 6 mos. Is that long? I don't know. For me it is I suppose. I am happy and he is wonderful.

Goals: Not sure what the future holds, I think I've well-established that over the past few posts. Hoping to continue to take one day at a time and figure things out as time goes by. I'm happy with work, friends, family, and life in general, but then again you've caught me on a good day.

Well, I've surpassed my early 20's. I suppose I can still claim to be in my mid-20's, but that too is close to passing. I'm glad to be out of my early 20's. Is that silly? Although they were fun, I felt like I was never taken seriously, by others and by myself. I finally feel "old enough" to be an adult. I feel like I can be respected more and taken more seriously now that I've passed that quarter century mark...despite the fact that I still look 19 and probably act it as well. Such is life. It was a great birthday though, filled with friends from my past and present, a wonderful boyfriend and delicious food/cake.

I was reflecting on this past year and I must say I've been quite lucky. I traveled to Hong Kong. I safely returned home from Korea. I started a job that for the most part I enjoy. I've made a new wonderful friend. I've landed myself an unbelievable fella. I feel quite blessed in the sense that things are going pretty well for me. I still have a lack of direction as far as what the next steps of my life are, but that's par for the course.

My intern was accepted to the School of Visual Arts in NYC today. She was stoked, as was our department for her. She is extremely passionate about art, art criticism and writing, and her excitement of her acceptance made me think about what it is that I'm passionate about. I draw blanks. Regardless of this unknown in my life, there are things that I feel very strongly about, things that I want to do and accomplish, however there is nothing that I can honestly say I'm completely and totally passionate about. Ha. How depressing! This probably sounds more sappy than intended, but sometimes I feel like I need to figure this stuff out: what I want to do with my life, where I want to go next, if it's okay to not want to "settle" anywhere. I have trouble figuring out when and where to take a vacation! My indecision can be a wet blanket sometimes. Ahh hell, the map of life is so confusing...maybe it's more like a maze in the sense that it's like a process of eliminations. One day when I'm old, gray and shriveled up, I'll be at the end of my rope and will be able to reflect on how I did it. I do things I enjoy, intimately enjoy, and I learn from them, but I realize when it's time to move on...I just wonder what is next.

Wow, this got a little contemplative. Haha, maybe my 26th year will be just that. Does anyone else feel like this ever? Cynnnnn? Kiiiiiiimmmmm?

things i did not know.

I want to share with you my intelligence. Below, you will find two examples of words I thought to be spelled one way but that are in fact, spelled COMPLETELY different.

For years, I actually thought the word 'tenure' was 'ten year'. This one happened awhile ago, but I still think it's funny.

Today, I read, 'prima donna' and had to read it twice. I alway thought it was pre-Madonna. Why? I'm not sure. It made me chuckle though.

As per Jana's resquest

I attended a wedding shower for my dear cousin last weekend and another dear cousin of mine asked me why I hadn't updated my blog lately. To be honest, few things seem worth sharing these days. I don't feel bored in any capacity, nor do I feel particularly uncontent, unbusy or unproductive. I'm not sure if those first two words are actually in the English dictionary - nor do I care.

I went to a wedding this past weekend. The ceremony was at the Amway Grand and the Reception was at the J.W. Marriot, it was quite fancy. We moved to The Bob after the reception and onward to my place for some wine, pretzels, mustard and water spillage. Ha! It was a good night. Over the past few years, it seems as though my summers have been filled with a bagizillion weddings. Not this year! This year, I only have 3. Either this means I'm getting "old" and most of my friends/relatives have been married off OR those of us who have chosen to not marry in our early 20's (whether that's a conscious decision or not) are slowly being weened from those who have...As I reread that past sentence, I suppose those are basically the same idea worded differently.

I've been out of school too long.

Work is work. Busy, more stressful lately than before, but challenging. I hate working on Saturdays but I enjoy having my Monday's off.

My cousin and his wife (who was one of my dearest High School friends - I actually set them up!) had the most beautiful and precious baby girl...2 MONTHS EARLY! She's so tiny (born at 3 pounds 12 oz) but healthy for how early she was born and a true fighter. She's feeding well, sleeping well, breathing well etc. etc. A true Gemini!

I started slacking in my workout routine post-10K, but I'm back in the mode (or at least trying to be) of working out. I'm looking into a 10-mile race this fall but we'll see. The thought of training again can be daunting. I just need to buck up.

The sun is starting to set and I'm still in my gym clothes. If anyone (besides Jana) reads this, and I assume it's mostly those from my memorable days in Korea, I MISS YOU HORRIBLY. Skype should be in order. Perhaps soon. To anyone else (yes, this being Jana), it was great to see you last week and catch up! Hope you are enjoying your summer and see you in August! (if not before!)