We had a busy weekend this past weekend. We wanted to do something fun on Friday night so I went to rent a movie that my husband's uncle had been recommending. It was called Without a Paddle. He said one of the character's REALLY reminded him of my husband. Well Blockbuster only had it in stock to buy previously viewed. Not being a big movie couple, I didn't know what to do. Since uncle had recommended this to everyone in the family, I took the risk and decided we could pass it around the family. The movie was pretty unrealistic, but I laughed a lot. I thought it was good.
Saturday composed of us volunteering at a local park getting rid of invasive species. We were cutting down mulberries and buck thorns and hauling them to the trailhead. We spent about 4 hours doing this. It was a lot of fun and very rewarding, though, very hard work. It was great to see the progress we made. When we got home we both collapsed. The rest of the day consisted just of us playing some "new" Nintendo games I bought for us on eBay. I bought the Legend of Zelda and Ms. Pacman. They were so much fun, but I don't know if it was a good idea or not because we both got Nintendo magnets and didn't want to do anything else.
Sunday I meet with my Sunday School teaching partner. I start teaching kindergarten next weekend. I'm so excited and scared, but I think it'll be a good experience. After that, we went home and did some house work a little
bit, then played some more Ms. Pacman. That game has a feature where you can play 2 players cooperatively instead of competetively, so you have Pacman and Ms. Pacman playing on the screen at the same time.
That was so much fun, I couldn't believe how much we played. We didn't do much after dinner, just grocery shopping and research
on a digital camera since ours decided to stop working.
It's also been nice to have our dishwasher working now. We bought a portable dishwasher on craigslist last week and have run it 2 or 3 times. We cleaned it and fixed it up a bit and it works
like a charm. It's got a little leak that we're exploring where it's coming from, but I think we'll eventually find it and take care of it. The only thing left we'd like to do now with it is to find a splitter for the kitchen faucet so we don't have to unscrew the water filter everytime we want
to use the dishwasher. Not a big deal, but a minor in convenience.
Over the weekend, my baseball team clinched their division title for the first time since 2001. Congratulations, Cleveland Indians. I know I say this every year and I don't want to jinx it again, but for my birthday this year, I'd like to see you guys win the World Series, okay? I'm turning 30 on October 24th, so see what you can do for me... I've been surprised how well they have been doing this year. I thought for most of the year that they were just decent, but in the past few weeks I've been keeping an eye on their record and that of the rest of baseball. Today they have the best record in all of baseball by 1/2 a game. They can definately go all the way. There's a few players who have World Series experience and there's a quite a few veterans on the team who have been there for a while even if not in the post season. I think they've worked together long enough to be able to do it.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
I saw some pretty crazy things this week outside my window at work. I have the good fortune of having a great view down the river. Walking past the window earlier on Monday, I looked outside as I normally do. There was a barge floating on the river, that was in the process of turning around. It wasn't an ordinary barge though. Imagine a barge with a lid, so it had a flat top. On top of this lid was, of all things, a boxing match. It was complete with a boxing ring, two fighters and a ref (or judge, whatever you call them in boxing). They were promoting the 2007 Boxing Championship that must obviously be coming up soon. Strangest, most random thing I've ever seen.
So that led to conversations of REO Speedwagon giving a concert on the river. I LOVE REO Speedwagon! Lots of people at work were joking about those old-timers, but I still enjoy listening to their music. In fact, they are on my Ipod. :) The concert was for the radio station in the building next to mine and it was set for this morning. I heard it was going to be crazy. Well, I walked over on my way to work and checked it out. There were a lot of people there, but it wasn't a wall-to-wall crowd.
I actually got a spot on the wall of the river where I had a pretty good view. The sound wasn't so
good where I was, but I did get to hear some good songs. The first one they played when I was there was a new song. I did get to hear "Time For Me to Fly" and "Keep On Going" and part of
another song I recognized, but didn't know. I was already late for work, so I had to leave.
So to commemorate this event, I tried out my new camera phone. I finally activated it this weekend and am still learning it's features. I took a couple pictures of REO Speedwagon. The pictures are pretty poor quality and you can't even tell who is in it, but you can see the boat they are on and some of the crowd on the boat. I'm proud of myself that I figured out how to take the picture, then somehow transfer it to my computer. That was an amusing experience. :) But here's the picture. It's "time for me to fly".
So that led to conversations of REO Speedwagon giving a concert on the river. I LOVE REO Speedwagon! Lots of people at work were joking about those old-timers, but I still enjoy listening to their music. In fact, they are on my Ipod. :) The concert was for the radio station in the building next to mine and it was set for this morning. I heard it was going to be crazy. Well, I walked over on my way to work and checked it out. There were a lot of people there, but it wasn't a wall-to-wall crowd.
I actually got a spot on the wall of the river where I had a pretty good view. The sound wasn't so
good where I was, but I did get to hear some good songs. The first one they played when I was there was a new song. I did get to hear "Time For Me to Fly" and "Keep On Going" and part of
another song I recognized, but didn't know. I was already late for work, so I had to leave.
So to commemorate this event, I tried out my new camera phone. I finally activated it this weekend and am still learning it's features. I took a couple pictures of REO Speedwagon. The pictures are pretty poor quality and you can't even tell who is in it, but you can see the boat they are on and some of the crowd on the boat. I'm proud of myself that I figured out how to take the picture, then somehow transfer it to my computer. That was an amusing experience. :) But here's the picture. It's "time for me to fly".
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
September 11th
Today being the anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, I can't not write some thoughts about it. Six years ago today, life in the US was good. People were going on their daily life not knowing what was coming that morning. I was in bed, living on the West Coast and totally oblivious to the fact that life was going on around me. My parents had decided to take a trip on Amtrak to New York City. I heard from my parents on Saturday, that they had made it to the city and were having a great time. A phone call around 6:15 on Tuesday morning from my sister woke up me and my husband. He got up to answer it and came back to tell me that it was my sister. Somebody had flown a plane into the World Trade Center in New York City. I was shocked, but a few seconds later, it hit me: my parents, they're in New York! He said my sister hadn't heard from them yet. I now realize that we didn't know the extent of what was happening at this point. We didn't know there were 2 planes and both buildings would crumble. The reality of my parents being in the city and not knowing their fate hit me and I started crying. My husband suggested I get up and shower, and he was going to get ready for work. I didn't want to go because I didn't want to miss any phone calls, no matter what the outcome. He told me he would wait till I got out of the shower to get ready. In the shower, I cried more. He came into the bathroom halfway through my shower to tell me that my sister had called. My stomach shot into my throat; good news or bad news? Thankfully, good news. My parents had called my sister's house and left a message that they were okay and were going shopping. They had not realized the extent of what was going on either.
I was not working at the time, so I spent the rest of the day glued to the TV, watching as news unfolded and events started falling into place. The country was starting to learn what happened and who was behind it. Why is it when bad things happen, you can't tear yourself away from the news, even though it hurts more to watch it?
I'm not a very patriotic person. I don't cheer "yea for the US" or "God bless America". I think more of God bless everyone. But today, I can't help but pull together with all the people of America and the other countries who are affected and ask God for strength and hope to get through tough times like today. Life is tough, people are often heartless or misguided. Help us to do our part to be strength to others and be an example of peace and love to the world. I truly believe that everyone can make a change in this world, however big or small. Ever read the book "Pay It Forward" or see the movie? Excellent concept! When someone does something extraordinary for you, don't pay it back, pay it forward. That's how we can make a difference.
I recently met someone from the Philippines who plays guitar and sings. She just moved to the US to go to school, in the past month. So she was not physically close to the terrorist attacks 6 years ago. However, from the other side of the earth, she was affected nonetheless. Ten minutes after meeting her, she sang a song she had written after that horrible day. It was a beautiful prayer tobring to God and to us. It was unbelieveably touching to know that someone
who was so far away and so uninvolved, could be so affected by the events of the day. God bless her and fears.
And now my prayer for today: Loving God, source of hope and love, give us the strength to love and support those people who are hurting today. Many people lost loved ones. Be with those people on the anniversary of the day when their lives changed forever. Give them courage to carry on without the physical presence of those they lost. Other people were deeply affected, even if they did not directly lose a family member, friend, or acquaintance. Their lives were changed forever as well. Heal our hearts. Help us to ease the fears we live with now and turn those feelings into hope and peace in our world.
-Amen
I was not working at the time, so I spent the rest of the day glued to the TV, watching as news unfolded and events started falling into place. The country was starting to learn what happened and who was behind it. Why is it when bad things happen, you can't tear yourself away from the news, even though it hurts more to watch it?
I'm not a very patriotic person. I don't cheer "yea for the US" or "God bless America". I think more of God bless everyone. But today, I can't help but pull together with all the people of America and the other countries who are affected and ask God for strength and hope to get through tough times like today. Life is tough, people are often heartless or misguided. Help us to do our part to be strength to others and be an example of peace and love to the world. I truly believe that everyone can make a change in this world, however big or small. Ever read the book "Pay It Forward" or see the movie? Excellent concept! When someone does something extraordinary for you, don't pay it back, pay it forward. That's how we can make a difference.
I recently met someone from the Philippines who plays guitar and sings. She just moved to the US to go to school, in the past month. So she was not physically close to the terrorist attacks 6 years ago. However, from the other side of the earth, she was affected nonetheless. Ten minutes after meeting her, she sang a song she had written after that horrible day. It was a beautiful prayer tobring to God and to us. It was unbelieveably touching to know that someone
who was so far away and so uninvolved, could be so affected by the events of the day. God bless her and fears.
And now my prayer for today: Loving God, source of hope and love, give us the strength to love and support those people who are hurting today. Many people lost loved ones. Be with those people on the anniversary of the day when their lives changed forever. Give them courage to carry on without the physical presence of those they lost. Other people were deeply affected, even if they did not directly lose a family member, friend, or acquaintance. Their lives were changed forever as well. Heal our hearts. Help us to ease the fears we live with now and turn those feelings into hope and peace in our world.
-Amen
VMA
So the talk this week has been the flop performance of Britney Spears at the Video Music Awards. I watched the video, yeah, it sucked. She had no enthusiasm and looked like it was the first time she was performing. She looked so nervous and her moves were done so conservatively compared to the people dancing in the background.
But what bugs me most about the talk about her performance is the criticism on the way she looks. Everyone is saying how fat she is. Yes, she had 2 children in the past 3 years or so. What do you expect her to look like? She's still beautiful and she's DEFINATELY not fat. She's a little larger than she used to be, but I think she looks healthy. From what I could see, she didn't have any fat flopping around as she danced, so it wasn't disgusting. She looked a lot better than I do! Okay, she didn't have the most flattering outfit on, since she has gained some healthy-looking weight, but if she wore something that covered her up, she'd be criticized for that. No matter what she wore, it was a lose-lose situation. I commend her for going out there and doing her thing and trying to make a name for herself again and forget the whole K-Fed time of her life. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of Britney Spears, but I think people are WAY to critical of her and it's those things that prompts her to lose it and do crazy things like shave her head or go to Vegas and marry a childhood friend. Hollywood life is tough and the people of America are harsh on our "icons". Give her a break.
But what bugs me most about the talk about her performance is the criticism on the way she looks. Everyone is saying how fat she is. Yes, she had 2 children in the past 3 years or so. What do you expect her to look like? She's still beautiful and she's DEFINATELY not fat. She's a little larger than she used to be, but I think she looks healthy. From what I could see, she didn't have any fat flopping around as she danced, so it wasn't disgusting. She looked a lot better than I do! Okay, she didn't have the most flattering outfit on, since she has gained some healthy-looking weight, but if she wore something that covered her up, she'd be criticized for that. No matter what she wore, it was a lose-lose situation. I commend her for going out there and doing her thing and trying to make a name for herself again and forget the whole K-Fed time of her life. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of Britney Spears, but I think people are WAY to critical of her and it's those things that prompts her to lose it and do crazy things like shave her head or go to Vegas and marry a childhood friend. Hollywood life is tough and the people of America are harsh on our "icons". Give her a break.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Weekend affairs
This weekend was pretty busy. Got to see a lot of friends. Saw some friends from hubby's school on Friday night at our place for dinner. We had a lot of fun there, we laughed a lot! Saturday night we saw some old friends from undergrad. It was nice to catch up with them andwhat's going on with them. Sunday morning was a half marathon that started a block from our apartment. We rolled out of bed to meet a friend there who was running. We saw her off for the start and we also waited about 20 minutes to see her in the crowd the second time past the site we were waiting at. That was fun to see her and cheer her on. She said it was great to have people cheering her on because that's what motivates her. This is the friend we knew in Portland. Right before last year's half-marathon, she emailed people for donations to support the school she was running for. We were so surprised to get her email and to know that she had moved here. So we went out to see her last year too. Since then we have seen each other a couple of times for dinner and at parties of mutual friends.
These mutual friends... it's kind of ironic how it has worked out. This Portland friend invited us over for dinner a few months ago and we met her roommate and her roommate's boyfriend. A few months after that, hubby took a class at Loyola and met some great people who have become friends. One of these guys is the Portland friend's roommate's boyfriend. We figured that out because he has a unique name, but it's ironic because now we all have these mutual friends who seem to have a lot of parties and we often run into each other at them.
These mutual friends... it's kind of ironic how it has worked out. This Portland friend invited us over for dinner a few months ago and we met her roommate and her roommate's boyfriend. A few months after that, hubby took a class at Loyola and met some great people who have become friends. One of these guys is the Portland friend's roommate's boyfriend. We figured that out because he has a unique name, but it's ironic because now we all have these mutual friends who seem to have a lot of parties and we often run into each other at them.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
First post
Everyone has a blog nowadays. Since everyone's doing it, I'm going to try this out and see if I can come up with anything interesting for my blog. I'm hoping to stay in touch with people better these days and maybe this is the best way to tell everyone what's going on with me. Let me know what you think of my blog and what you may want to know about me.
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