Hi-Ho Hi-Ho, Its off to work I go!

Happy Birthday Dad and Heather!
Blow Out Those Candles!
Lilah wants some, too!
Fuz wonders, "Where did this hamper come from??"
Molly (Olivia's friend), Olivia, Ronan and Braydon
Bortherly love on the Oaks Park Train
Post Sugar Rush at Dairy Queen
"Is this Christian Music?! It doesn't sound like it." Rocking out at the Portland Fest with Olivia and Brittany.

School officially began for teachers today and I am in the midst of a whirlwind preparation time. Last week and weekend was quite busy as well, as I think I mentioned I took a class and said goodbye to my daycare friends. I also got some shopping done, visited with friends and family, budgeting (FINALLY!), and I did get to go to Portland's City Fest on Friday night with Brittany and Olivia, who was one of the kids I nannied over the summer (13 years old). The last three days I have either been working or celebrating birthdays (In addition to Heather and Dad's day, Bryan's dad Phil turned 50!). Last week, as our final week together, the kids and I went bowling (but the big adventure was really finding a store that sold socks...really more difficult than it sounds!) and a trip to Oaks Park and DQ on Friday. Bryan and I also went to a new church on Sunday and saw tons of friends, past (from Waaaaay back) and present. I feel like along with the transition between jobs and seasons, stress and anxiety return and it is time to make changes in other areas of our lives, including where we go to church. This has been coming for awhile, but since we love our church so much we have not wanted to face it. However, the negatives appear to be outweighing the positives at this point. Additionally, after being asked a thousand times today how I am feeling and how is my health, and not really having a definitive answer, I decided to make an appt with my cardiologist again to go over some things I still do not understand.Tomorrow night will be more catching up and grocery shopping, then Wednesday night is work, Thursday open house at the school, and Fri-Sun night work at the video store, which I will indefinately be employed at but fingers crossed only until the end of the month. I have T minus one week to be fully prepared for those new little first graders! Hopefully then I will have time to sit down and publish more thoughtful, reflective and meaningful blogs. In the meantime, check out my cool pics and amazing video of what life is like when you are only three of 100,000 other people trying to leave Portland all at once on Friday night after City Fest(taken by Olivia):

By the way, parking was only $2 for the whole night, including the hour we spent waiting on the top level of the parking garage waiting to get out. Go Smart Park!

I dreamt about Nick Jonas!! Ha ha...

Last night I had a dream that Nick Jonas came into town and it was my job to host him and escort him around. I dreamt in my dream that I would later blog about it and would have to explain who he is, because most people over the age of 14 will not know. So despite the dream being real, I still feel compelled to explain who this teenage wonder is and why I know (which is surprising, because now that i am 25 I should be Waaaaaay past this). Nick Jonas is a brother from the hit singing group The Jonas Brothers, recently featured on Good Morning America. All summer long, I have been serenaded by their cheesy tween/teen ballads that has my daycare kids in a tailspin. The thirteen year old girl I watch has "I love Nick Jonas" written all over her chalkboard painted room. The dream I had, which was the most vivid one I have had in a long time, would surely make her jealous. I am not sharing this because I am a Nick Jonas fan myself and think this dream was cool...I have never really been into pop sensation singing groups who are even decently good looking (I dont think the Jonas Bros are, neither were the Backstreet Boys or NSync)...but I share because I am excited for a funny dream I can actually remember. I am just hoping next time it is someone closer to my own age.

Tomorrow is my last day of nannying the kids...They have been great and I have thoroughly enjoyed them all summer. It hardly felt like a job. But come Monday...getting a classroom set up and lesson plans in place in one week....yes, that will be a job.

Happy Hump Day!

We are feeling a little tired over at our home tonight! But alas, the weekend is nearly here. I am currently working on burning cds of my new favorite Christian band, Rescue, and I am also making a gift for my sister's birthday.

This week I am in another class needed for renewing my teaching license, and this one is way better than the one I took in July and only half the time. I have also been busy with shopping, preparing for school, visiting Gillian and watching more Bridezillas, and visiting with Dad and Mom and eating dinner with them. The weather has been rainy, but it has been perfect in setting my mood towards acceptance that summer is over and comfy fall days are around the corner. As it turns out, most of my cute clothes are all spring and summer, however, I am done shopping for now (usually I have more winter clothes and less cute spring/summer clothes). Oh, but I still need to look for some stuff for the classroom and use my gift certificate from my birthday at JCPenney. I will try to squeeze that in between working and celebrating three birthdays in both our families this weekend!

Speaking of music, I am a fan of all kinds of music. As it turns out, Christian music has always been hard to get into for me however. I do like Rescue because they are accapella and a lot of their songs we sing in church. I favor mainstream, secular music and truth be told, I enjoy rap music. Not just because my husband does and definately not for the lyrics. I like the beat and I attribute this to my life-long goal of being a drummer one day (but that day is not today, as a drumset does not fit into this apt and these walls are definately not soundproof!). I do like to listen to music loudly in my car and currently Lil Wayne is my favorite rapper. Though his lyrics are explicit and often about sex and drugs, and this can pose a problem if I am seen and heard around town with my windows down :-), he does often incorporate his religious beliefs into his lyrics. While the depth of his faith in God and walk with Jesus is questionable, it is enough to get you thinking and restore my hope in the meaning and messages behind mainstream music.

Recently, my favorite quote of his is in a song remix with Mariah Carey called Bye Bye:

"They say heaven is gated,

But I think I know the code.

So lets get your life straightened

Before the end of the road."

The whole song is really good, and I don't know why I like this particular part...maybe you need to hear it!

Excited about Portland City Fest 2008...but not sure I can go :-(

The last time Luis Palau's "City Fest" in Portland was in 2000. I remember that summer as being a rather difficult one emotionally as I was getting ready to go into my senior year of high school. I am not entirely sure who I went with to the Festival, but I definately remember the different person I came back as. I am super excited that it is happening again this weekened, 8 years after it changed my life. The advertising is hard to miss, as posters, signs, bumper stickers and banners are posted EVERYWHERE around the Portland metro area. Though I am not sure if timing will work out with my jobs, or I am not sure of who I am going with, I am thankful and hopeful that this weekend will make a substantial impact on hundreds of lives. If you want answers to your questions, to restore peace in your life and find a renewed sense of joy, I definately recommend going! Its at Portland's Waterfront Park...you can't miss it!

http://www.portlandcityfest.com/

Good news/Bad news

This week has been another busy week! After work, I visited with parents and friends, began the tv series Bridezillas with my bride-to-be friend, went to a karaoke bar and a backyard BBQ. This weekend I worked and cleaned house. Bryan and I also went to church and Costco this morning. This was Bryan's first weekend off in four months, so that was nice!

We found out this week that we get to go on another exciting vacation next year, at the end of February! Bryan's brothers are both being deployed to Iraq in April, so the family will be getting together (planned by his mom) at a vacation rental on the Long Beach peninsula for a four day weekend. It totally sounds fun and Bryan and I are both excited. I am sure after Christmas vacation we will be ready for another vacation by this time!

Can you guess what the bad news is? Yep, I did not get the job I really wanted. On one hand, it makes me feel good that I was called out of the blue for an interview (gives me hope for next year) but at the same time I wish they would not have bothered at all. Because now I have been through another round on my emotional roller-coaster that I have been on since graduating with my so-far useless masters degree three years ago. So, now this week I will be getting ready to set up my plans and classroom for another year of 1st grade at Life Christian. Nothing wrong with the school- I love the staff and the families. But I just don't know how things will play out financially. I guess pray and trust.

Have a good week! mom- Ill be over for dinner again on Tuesday! :-)

When did I get so old? (Scroll down for more exciting news!)

I had trouble turning 25. But now that I am 25, I thought I had come to grips with it. Until people come into Blockbuster and sign up for memberships and my brain automatically registers them as "my age" or older, and when I look at their DOB it is 1986, 1987...etc. When I see this on their license, I think, oh they are still teenagers. WRONG! They are in their twenties. I am just now on the upper end of the twenties. (Same goes for the popular actors/actresses/singers...they are now all younger than me. The popular icons I grew up with are all now fat slobs in and out of rehab).

Oh how I wish to be young again...when all the money I make could be going towards clothes and entertainment and not bills and rent. A Wii system would be really nice. But then I get to thinking about what my Dad told me: when you graduate college and get married, it will be hard at first. "Young people" still have school debts to pay and typically don't make as much as those with years of experience in the job field. So if I have to be old, then can I at least be making more money? Have less school debt? Why is it that I am fully moved on into my adult years, but I still feel like I left college and I have the bills to prove it? Will I just be poor at any age? When will I start making more and owing less? The lady I work for this summer is supposedly 32 (so say her young kids) and she is very successful. If this is true (just using her as a hypothetical example) I am just 7 years away from having kids and a well-paying job (forgetting for a second that I am a TEACHER...but as you well know, teachers can retire making pretty good money if they only work in a school district). Why does this all feel so far off? Luckiy I have a husband who for his age and occupation is making pretty good money right now (he is nearly a year younger with less schooling...but we won't get started on why he is making more!!!) and it is rumored that mechanics can make bank by retirement age. Hmmm...I guess I just have to wait until we are about ready to die.

As my perspectives on many things have changed this summer, I would also like to propose a book called "Skinny Bitch". The title is not so welcoming, but it has opened my eyes to a healthier way of eating and it is a NY Times Bestseller. It is sort of like entertainment as well- just watch out for crude language (obviously like that of the title!). Bryan argues it is a diet, but if you are ready to feel better all around and make a committment to eating healthier and more hygienically, it is way more than just a diet. The authors are vegan, but I have learned SOOO much more about the politics and scandal surrounding the meat and dairy industry that I have not wanted to eat meat or drink milk as much as before...and, I have learned that we do not really need to drink milk like the advertisements in magazines and tv say to. I have also learned more about sugar and its fake counterpart, aspartame, which should not even be legal. I went out and bought a copy so I can highlight and remind myself over and over about why many foods are bad, and I am hoping I will continue to eat better (though it makes shopping that much more difficult when I already live with a picky eater!). But no, I am not a vegetarian or vegan just yet. I have "enjoyed" a couple hamburgers over the weekend...hot off the barbie.

I cannot believe this summer is already drawing to a close. It is near mid- August and I am looking at two weeks before heading back for inservice week for teachers(BTW- interview at the other school went well; I should know the results by next Friday at the latest...which could be, well, interesting if I were offered the job the weekend before my other job at LCS would start back up...). I am still reluctant as ever to go back to teaching first grade, but as I start to smell the first wafts of autumn scent in the air (my car actually had a little bit of frost on it the other night at 11 pm!) and remember how much I love fall, I am a little bit more okay with school starting again, as I have fond memories of my own first days of school and walking home in the leaves. Since fall is tied so closely together with school, and it is my favorite season, I guess I can't be hating. Plus, Fall leads to Winter, Winter leads to Spring and Spring leads to Summer. Which leads to my big news which is not even yet confirmed but I am sooooo excited to share:

BRYAN AND I ARE GOING TO GO ON A CRUISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, its true!!! Bryan works at an amazing shop that is just like second family (Hey, neither of us ever had a rich uncle!) They are so tight that apparently a cruise is being planned for all the employees and their families by his boss, Steve! The destination is TBA but we have narrowed it down to either Mexico or Alaska! This will be like our first real exotic vacation and we are both so excited! Since the shop shuts down already for a week in July and in December, it will be one of those weeks in 2009. I just need to know a little bit in advance so I can load up on my anti-anxiety drugs for the flight and anti-motion sickness for the cruise!!! (And start saving!) Hee hee....it will so totally be worth it though! Yay! Bon Voyage!!!!

Wonderful.

So the exciting news has to wait a little while longer. I am myself awaiting the "official" confirmation from another person. Sorry!

HOWEVER, I may have even more exciting news. Today I met one of my best friends, Brittany, who I taught with last year at Life, for lunch at McDonald's playplace (we ate Subway sandwiches as part of our new diet however) with all four of the boys we babysit. As we were talking, she recieved a phone call which I just knew was a call for an interview. After my initial familiar feelings of disappointment (if you have been following my blogs, you know that it has been very hard to find a job among the 300+ applicants for each open position in the public schools right now) I was TOTALLY excited for her. Then, jokingly, I said "Wouldn't that be funny if I got a phone call now? Yeah right- I am just one of hundreds of others."

A half hour later we were getting ready to go swimming in the pool with the kids and MY phone rings. I knew when I saw the number that this was it. I played dumb as I listened to her tell me where to go for the interview (I had already gotten all the details from Brittany) as I was thinking in my head "Well, crap." How do I pray for the most perfectest job in the world (its a fifth grade job about a mile up the road from my house, in one of my most favorite schools in Hillsboro) when I want my best friend to get the job just as much? In my opinion, we are both equally as deserving and equally as in need of this job. We both bring different qualities to the table so it will be interesting to see how it pans out. I guess no matter which way it works out will be good- we both want the other to get the job but if one of the other (Im guessing 6 or 7?) applicants gets the job we wont secretly be jealous of each other.

Seriously, though. What were the chances? God definately has a sense of humor. Ha ha (sarcasm).

Pray for me and for Brittany! My interview is tomorrow at 1:30 (Friday) and hers is Tuesday at 2:30. Super.

This is Fuz. On drugs.

This video is of Fuz trying to score a hit, compliments of 1-800-Pet Meds. As a gift for our order, they decided to support Fuz's budding addiction to cat nip, known on the street as "kitty weed". Though we obviously did not do much to hide it from him, it still took Fuz several days to notice it. And when he puts his mind to it, he won't stop til he gets what he wants. With or without front claws.

Wow.

This weekend has been a different one, but very fun. Bryan and I usually don't do crazy things, and when we are not working we are usually tired. But lately we have both been feeling restless but stuck with the inevitable question on what to do? When we are on a limited budget and have limited time, the usual options are watching the free movies I can rent, going to an arcade (Bryan's choice) or going out for dessert (this is real great for the diet).

Friday night after work, we got pizza and then fought about what to do. It was all a miscommunication because I knew Bryan wanted to go to the track and was okay with doing that, but he had already made up his mind that I did not want to go and we weren't going. So after convincing him I did want to go, we went and had fun (I had more fun than Bryan because I inadvertantly became a bit tipsy with the wine cooler(s) I had with pizza). Bryan's night turned magical when the Nissan Skyline GT R showed up. This car has been illegal in the US since its conception but now finally, if you have $80,000, you too can have one! It was illegal until now because it is a bit on the fast side, and this is the way it comes stock. The one we saw was the first in Portland and it drew crowds. Im sure Bryan would have died a happy man right there. (Maybe when his boss retires and Bryan takes over the shop he can buy one...Bryan is convinced this will happen in the near future!) Supposedly, this car tops his most wanted list, even over the Porsche 911.

Saturday we both worked. And then we once again struggled with what to do after the 5:00 dismissal from work. We ate leftovers and watched a movie in bed (also something we never do in the early evening!). After tossing around ideas and calling friends, we settled on not having any plans and went over to our friend Melissa's house. Her kids (including Jacob who I have blogged about before) were spending the night with their Grandma so Melissa needed to enjoy some "time off". Somehow, after an hour of talking, we all decided it would be fun to go to La Center, Washington, which is about a 40 minute drive from here (without traffic, at 10 pm on a Saturday night). Melissa had been there before and Bryan had heard of it...known as a "mini-Vegas" its a short distance off I-5 near a reservation and nothing else. Out in the middle of nowhere, you drive suddently upon about 4 or 5 casinos within about a two block radius, in which are plenty of people, games and CHEAP drinks. Since I had my turn at being tipsy the night before, I took over as the DD and continuous fun ensued for the next three hours. Bryan at one point was up over $100 but we left only $25 poorer. Melissa, on the other hand, won about $65. Not bad for an otherwise boring Saturday night! We got home (after a stop at the drive through in Beaverton) at about 2:40 am and Bryan unfortunately had to get up for work at 8! I asked him if he had any regrets about last night, but he just keeps saying how he had SOOO much fun...it was even "a thousand times better than our trip to Vegas".

Today I have just been exercising (a beautiful day for a walk/jog to visit my husband at work and join him for lunch) and talking on the phone and now blogging. Never mind that I need to clean my house, water my mom's plants, go to the bank and wash my car! I don't know what it is about me lately that has been shirking all responsibility in favor of being lazy or having fun. I seriously cringe at the thought of returning to my normal job in three weeks. Looking back now, I definately ended the school year on a personal low-point in my life (possibly on the edge of a breakdown?) and maybe this is why I am rebelling against myself now. I know things should be getting better for us and it is also okay to have some fun, but if I don't get my files cleaned up and my excell budget in place by the end of this month, I dont know what I will do!

Oh, I hear Bryan just came home! Hopefully Bryan and I will have more exciting news coming up this week! Stay tuned!