Thursday, October 27, 2011

Time

I arrived in Pennsylvania on Thursday, September 15th at around 9P.M. I insisted on unpacking the car right away as a sign that I wanted my new life to start now. Now, has now dragged on....

Inspiration... my Dad has run a 5K pretty much every Saturday that I have been here.... the pathetic thing is that I can not run a 5K yet... I am working on it. I go running around here about 2 -3 times a week.
Now, it has been good to see my family. I have loved to be able to just drop by.
I have also seen that it is also good to be able to leave....
not that I do not love them.... but sometimes it becomes too much :)
I have been substituting for a Dual Immersion Spanish School and I started working for Eddie Bauer.
I just have a little too much free time....
I am working on that.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Its amazing how life changes like that *!*

A mixture of circumstance, a little homesickness and a twinge of crazy has brought me back to my homestate of Pennsylvania.
Well, I will start with my last day in Utah. I totally planned on just packing up and leaving - but well, it took a long time to get ready. I owe a big thank you to a ward member, Carolyn, my roommate, AnnaLaura, and some good friends, Melinda and Angie. They made a number of a number of trips to the D.I., getting rid of everything in my apartment. So that by 10 P.M. my apartment was finally cleared out.

Then Melinda was generous enough to let me stay the night at her place. Oh, Melinda, it was our last night together. We have spent years living together: sharing adventures along the way.
The trip was an adventure..... my car is, well, troubled and there were times that I would think... oh, if it will just make it half way...... See, it is burning oil... and it took just about as much oil as it did gas. Seriously!!! Every 100 miles I had to put a quart of oil in.... the whole 2000 mile trip!

I left on a beautiful Sunday morning.... and really, Utah, the construction sent me off. There was a detour, then construction on the detour....Agghhh. Day one took forever.... but it led me to Lafayette, Colorado, to see my good friend Tammy and her kiddos!
Day 2 well, it was fun with the Burton Family. Oh, I had a a good time. Desty showed me local park in the morning... can I say, don't you just love playing at the park! I had a blast chasing her around, sliding down the slides and all!
I tagged along for the day as she went to bike class.
The sad thing is Desty had some medical issues later in the day. Well, here is more info about Desty and her issues...http://www.wingsfordestiny.blogspot.com/

Day 3 started out early, but was a beautiful drive through Colorado and into Kansas. Kansas was a nice drive, but long.... taking most of the day. My plan was to stay in Topeka for the night.... but well, when I arrived, all of the hotel rooms were full. I mean, really? Topeka? So, I decided to just push on and drive through the night..... but a big thunderstorm halted those plans... and I ended up stopping in Kansas City. Then, there was a big accident in the morning that literally had traffic at a stand still. All to bring me to Indianapolis by nightfall and stopping to see the Cheney family.

Wow. I met Robyn at Ricks like 14 years ago. How funny to see her now, married to a great man, with 5 beautiful children. I had to say, I love her little ones! How could you not, they spoiled me with attention! I just wish that I could have spent more time with them.
Day 5 left me anxious for home. Indiana, into Ohio..... with me making a lot more pit stops from sheer boredom. I drove into Pennsylvania around 4 P.M. {yeahhhhh!!!!}
Now, my Dad moved since I was a teenager, to a little town called Aspers, just outside of Gettysburg. It is farm country. I mapquested exactly how to get there, even though I have been there on trips home in the past.I had to call my Dad to make sure I drove up to the right house!
Wow! I am so grateful that my car made it all this way! I am so excited to be home!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

My new opportunity!

This week I went to a little party where I learned about Wildtree - actually, I fell in love with Wildtree! Wildtree was founded on the premise that food should be natural, nutritious, delicious and easy to prepare - all at the same time. Products are made with the finest ingredients available and contain no preservatives, additives, MSGs or dyes.
The party was a tasting party, so you can sample their products ahead of time.
Interested?
Check out their products here:

I will let you know when I have my first party!

P

New Adventure


Am I ready to live here ?

So, I just interviewed for a teaching position in Abu Dhabi. I really do not know if I can actually handle moving to a new country on the other side of the world. Especially with recent events in the middle east. MMMmhhhhh, is this small town girl, who has never left the country ready to leap across oceans?
P

Dad Update

So, my Dad gave me a pretty big scare. Well, I tend to worry about him anyway, but the idea of surgery scared me. I talked to him the day before, and he seemed really upbeat, telling me not to worry.
The next morning, I got the text from my sister explaining that it was much more then we had thought. He was having what was known as open heart surgery. He had one of the best heart surgeons in Pennsylvania. He was using a machine called the DaVinci. This means that they did not have to crack his chest, that the machine would go in and make the repair. [technology - wow!]
The text came in at about 4:30 A.M. I cried until 8 A.M., when my students came. It was easier to put my mind to work, and put on a happy face for the kids. I could not imagine life without having my Dad there for me.
The surgery went fabulously well! He did have to have a double bypass next. {He only has two arteries coming from his heart. Interesting!} They were going to wait until the following Tuesday, but since the surgery went so well, they did it the same day.
Saturday, he was able to get moved out of the ICU and into a regular room. The fam [minus me] all visited. He called me! I was thrilled!
I was amazed by the whole experience - it came on fast, and before you knew it- he was home. He went home on Monday and is doing great!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Wake Up Call



Last week I got a wake up call. My Dad called me to let me know that he is going to be operated on. Dad: who has always been healthy. The idea that he might not be around forever. I couldn't keep from crying, and I am sure he could hear it in my voice. What can I say, I love my Dad. I know that he will be okay.... but it just gives me a chance to brag....
My Dad is a family historian. He was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1978, and as soon as he dried off, he started researching his family history. This was like pre-internet days. Now he is serving a service mission, helping others with their family histories.
I love that I grew up with his example. My Grandfather died in 1980. After that, my Dad was always there for my Grandmother, Nannie. So, our summer vacations usually included reroofing Nannie's house, or her garage or building a cement wall. He shows his love through hard work.
I love that we have had time since I have been an adult to really talk to each other. Now, he has not always liked my choices. Leaving Pennsylvania was never in his plans for me. Even then, he thought I would be married within a year. {Okay maybe that had something to do with my giggly teenage years of doing young womeny type things like writing a letter to my future husband, and naming stuffed animals after my boy crushes.] But, he has always supported me. {And I think that I have always surprised him!}
So, I know that I am nervous about his surgery thing.... but I know that he will be okay..... and that I love him....

Monday, January 31, 2011

I have become a bitter old maid.

In Church this week, there was a talk given on Eternal marriage. Said talk was given by, of course, a newlywed. Now, the speaker gave a beautiful talk. Yet, in the audience I just wanted to gouge my eyes out and throw up. I do believe in Eternal marraige, it is just when it is presented as this beautiful, perfect blessing that I feel like I am being presented with like a delicious cake, and yet not allowed to have any.
Now, it is not for a lack of trying. I think that I have chased every eligible bachelor in the Salt Lake City region. It is also not only the fact that I am not married. It is that marriage in my family has never been a picture of perfection.
Yet, I do not like feeling like this. I do not want to be bitter. Yet it is how I feel....
I am a bitter old maid.

Can I just say that I totally rock......

Let me describe my Saturday.... After waking up and cleaning the entire house, I went running. Can I just say I ran a whole mile. WhooHooo! Now, some might say that was enough for the day, but no, I did more to save the world. I went to work, taking care of a young woman with cerebral palsy. I saved her apartment from flooding by yes, picking up the phone and calling the maintenance man. Now, as a teacher, and a caregiver, I love that I can make up any story that I want to make things fun. So, we became Cookie Banditos in reverse, and delivered homemade cookies to friends. The young woman loved it, and yes, I became the heroine again. My next act of heroic efforts was the trip to Costco. Have you ever pushed a wheelchair and dragged a cart in a packed store? Next, I literally saved the young woman from a tragic death of choking on a burrito, by giving her the heimlich. I mean this is stuff that I could not make up and would be published on the front page had it not happened while we were alone in her apartment. We then celebrated her living by riding the carousel at the SouthTowne mall.

If only you could acheive such tasks of awesomeness....

Now today I rocked by totally rocking an entire outfit from the D.I. [excluding underclothes, cause that is just gross.....]

Monday, January 3, 2011

Merry Christmas to me



I have to say thank you for all of my Christmas gifts... here are just a few.
See, we have this joke in my family. I am the lucky one, because my dad hates to spend money on shipping. So, while everyone else gets a hand chosen gift from wal mart from Dad, I get a check. So this is what you bought me dad: [I love it!] I was wise in spending the money. I doubled the value by buying a groupon to Nordstrom rack. This is where I spoiled myself with gifts from Philosophy. A skincare set with cleanser, moisturizer and eye cream (trust me - I need the eye cream. I mean the song says " I get lost in your eyes" NOT "I get lost in the bags under your eyes!") I love their bubble bath as well - and I LLLOOOVVVVEEEE bubblebaths........
Don't worry Dad - I did not blow all the money on girlly things.... I also got an oil change. I put the rest of the money in my 72 hour kit. (I thought you would like that!) :)
Santa made a secret visit this year as well. Not THE Santa, but my Santa. This clever santa, who has great taste, has kept his/her identity hidden for the past 10 years! Well, like THE Santa, has a huge heart, and I love him/her with all my heart! Santa gave me a cute change purse with the letter P on front - I love the letter P! :)
I was given a gift card from my boss at my cute maid, which I am totally excited to use - from Cameo College. OOOhhh, more pampering.......
Then, the cutlers gave me a gift card for school clothes...... which is totally spoiling me, since I have not allowed myself to look at clothes for months......
I was surprised with a bottle of PINK splash from Victoria's Secret..... OMG I love it... I have to keep myself from just randomly spraying it!
Melinda gave me a sushi set..... ooohhh, fun! But, do I trust myself to actually make sushi.... or consume sushi that I made?????
My sister and mom surprised me with a package...... filled with old family photos. A collection that has been lost for like 10 years. Plus scrapbooking stuff to go with it. (Did I ever mention that my lil sister, Susan, is like the scrapbooking queen?)
Ohhhh, merry Christmas! I had so much fun this year! I hope you did too....:)