2009

Well it's 9:57pm on New Year's Eve and since there isn't anything going on I think I'll reflect on the year 2009. I'm going to focus on best things that happened each month.

January
- I started attending All Saints' Church regularly.
- I started Kickboxing regularly.
- Mexi-Monday became a weekly tradition. Friends came over, I made Mexican food, we watched Heroes, and played Rock Band.

February
- I began working as a personal trainer.
- I moved into an awesome apartment in Magnolia.

March
- I began coaching the Pole Vault at my old high school.
- I made the apartment a home with the help of Craigslist.

April
- I worked a lot! I subbed, coached, and personal trained.

May
- I traveled to Notre Dame and had a blast! Then I got to drive back. Wyoming was beautiful.
- I got to have lunch with my cousin and his wife. I hadn't seen him in TEN years!

June
- I had several job interviews. Even though I didn't get the jobs, the opportunity to try was pretty great.
- I hosted a ladies wine night.
- I went to Woodland Park Zoo with my Dad and the whole Martin clan.

July
- I went to Seaside, OR for a long weekend.
- I chaperoned an overnight trip for middle and high schoolers to the Ape Caves (near Mt. Rainier). So much fun!
- We got HARVARD!!

August
- Harvard began puppy classes and did well.
- I saw Kenny Chesney and Alice & Chains.
- I began working as assistant athletic director at the girls' school again.

September
- I was hired as Adventure & Wellness Instructor at the girls' school!
- I hiked Rattle Snake Ridge. It was so much fun.

October
- I finished up coaching another great Cross Country season.

November
- I went to El Salvador on a mission with my church!

December
- I successfully completed a 9-day cleanse. (Apparently I have self control after all!)
- Harvard and I spent a full week maxing and relaxing at my mom's in Eastern Washington for Christmas.
- I got a much needed new hair style. Pictures to come soon... sooner or later. =)

So those were some of the good things that happened this year. There were other good things too. There were some bad things, too. But for now I'll just keep thinking about the good things.

2009 was good... but I'm hoping that 2010 is better.

Christmas Break Day Two

Yesterday was a good day. Even though Harvard didn't let me sleep in, we had a good morning. I got to eat breakfast for the first time in over a week and it was tasty. I had been doing a nine day cleanse. I'm hoping to keep off the 8lbs (give or take) that I lost but with all these holiday treats around, it's going to be hard. After breakfast I just kicked around online for a while until my mom took me over to the century old house they are working on. I got the grand tour (while the dogs ran around in the yard). Then I was given a job (filling nail holes with putty and then sanding). Don't be jealous. But before I could get started it was time for lunch. We went to the town's only lunch spot ate then came back home for a little while. Harvard took a good long nap. It was cute. Then we all went back to the old house to do work for a couple hours. At 4p it was time to come back and get cleaned up. We were heading to a different town to see Avatar 3D. I hadn't even seen a trailer for it until yesterday, but I figured what the hay. There isn't anything else to do here. I was surprised. I hadn't seen a 3D movie before and it was pretty neat. And the movie wasn't bad either. By the time we got home it was time for bed.

Today is pretty relaxed so far. Harvard wouldn't let me sleep in again today, which is fine because my mom needed her office to work in anyway. So for now the puppies are playing and I'm just hanging out. I think I might do some reading soon. This afternoon I'm going to help, Ilsa, mom's boyfriend's daughter) make chocolate for her to give as Christmas gifts. I'm thinking about going for a run a bit later, but we'll have to wait and see about that. (It's cold and I'm a weenie.) Other than that I don't think I'm doing much of anything today. I think I like that!

Christmas

This is going to be a nice week. I'm pretty sure.

Harvard arrived in Eastern Washington early this evening after a long drive over from Seattle. My dad drove me to Snoqualie and my mom, aunt, and Ilsa met us there. From there we went to Ellensberg for lunch (though I'm on the last day of a nine day cleanse so I didn't eat). Then we went on to Yakima to do some shopping. Retail therapy. It's a good thing.

Harvard and my mom's dog, Skeet, are getting along great, but are pretty excitable. Hopefully they'll get tuckered out tomorrow when they can go out and run around.

I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow (and having breakfast!). Then I'll help my mom work on her house, play with the dogs, and maybe do some reading.

For now it's time to take the pup outside then head to bed.

Counting Down the Hours

Here's my travel breakdown... in reverse.

Saturday 11/14
Return to Seattle at 8:30p.
Leave LA for Seattle at 5:30p.
Arrive in LA at 1:20p.
Leave San Salvador for Seattle at 10:15a.

Saturday 11/7
Arrive in San Salvador at 6:50a.

Friday 11/6
Leave LA at 11:55a.
Arrive in LA at 9:30p.
Leave Seattle at 7:00p.
Arrive at airport with time for prayer and blessing with Pastor Bill at 4:30p.
Leave All Saints' Church by 4:00p.
Pick up team member at 3:30p.
Leave house 3:00p.

It's 2p right now! I have one hour to finish getting ready. Yikes. I'm nervous. Excited. A little anxious... I'm just ready to be on the plane and on the way. I'm bringing a journal and even though I won't have internet access while I'm gone, I plan on posting some of my musings upon my return.

I better do a quick run through the apartment to make sure I have everything I need. Please pray for me and my team while I'm gone.

Be well.

The Night Before...

My flight to El Salvador leaves in about 21hrs. I'm supposed to be ready to head to the airport in about 17hrs. I haven't even gotten my backpack out of my storage closet yet. Maybe all my travels has got me thinking that I don't need to prep, but mostly, I think I'm just lazy. No... lazy isn't the right word... Preoccupied?

I've been thinking about this trip to, this mission for about three months now, but during that time I've gotten a new job, coached a season of cross country, started a basketball, been sick and got well. It's been a very busy few months and with all that's been going on I haven't spent very much time preparing for this latest adventure.

Tonight has been no different. After calling both my mom and my dad I settled in for a quite night at home with Flynn and Harvard. Flynn and I heated up some leftovers and put on season one of Lost. We hadn't gotten very far when the power went out. It flickered back on a few times, but then we sat in the dark for a couple hours. It was actually kinda fun though. I don't know when the last time I got to hang out in a black out was. Flynn and I chatted for a bit, finished our dinners in the dark then put on The Lady and The Tramp which Flynn has on his laptop. I can't even remember the last time I saw that movie. It's been at least 15 years, probably more. Harvard seemed pretty mystified by the flashlights and the darkness, but it didn't keep him from pulling the stuffing out of his newest stuffed (now de-stuffed) toy.

The power came back on with only a few minutes remaining in our movie. We finished it then turned our episode of Lost back on. Now we are hanging out on the couch watching the show while the puppy is cuddled up in his little bed. Harvard has gotten in the habit of falling asleep in his bed with his paw tucked over his nose. It's pretty dang cute!

I suppose I'll pack in the morning. It's already 11pm and it doesn't look like it'll happen tonight. Flynn heads to work around 9am and then Harvard has a puppy play date at 10am. After that I'll have until about 3pm to get everything I need thrown in a bag and get any extras from the store if I need it.

This trip has snuck up so quickly, that I don't really know what I'm getting myself into. I do know that I'm excited about it. But other than that... we'll see.

I'll be sure to post pictures when I get back. Which reminds me I should probably charge my camera battery! Look at me be prepared! Whee!!

I'm going to El Salvador!

All Saints El Salvador Service Trip

On Friday, November 6th, I will be traveling to El Salvador with other members from All Saints Church in Seattle to team up with King's Castle Ministries and provide general medical service to the gracious people San Salvador.

Over the course of six days, we will use our various skills to help improve the general health of the Salvadoran nationals as well as share our love for our savior, Jesus Christ.

During the next ten days we'll be asking for your help raising funds, collecting supplies and praying for our group.

How can you help?

We need your prayers! Please pray for safe travel, open hearts, and faithful service. This is All Saints' first mission trip and we want it to be a success!

We are also looking to raise $5000 for this trip and we need your help. We've purchased medical supplies to take down with us.

Donations can be made online by going to BelieveDoubtSeek.org. The link to the donations is near the top on the right hand side. Be sure to designate your funds for "El Salvador".

Thank you so much and please keep us in your prayers.

Much Love,

Hannah

Sassy Fit Photo Shoot

I'm pretty happy with how these turned out! I wish I could hire a makeup artist and hair dresser every day! I felt so glamorous.

Two Months...

Sorry!

I knew I hadn't blogged in a while, but I had know idea it had been almost two full months! Needless to say, life has been BUSY! It's been good though. Really good.

Harvard.
Harvard is now nearly five months old and doing awesome. As I type this he is lying next to me in a sun beam on his back with his own paw in his mouth. He loves sun beams. Every morning, while Flynn and I eat our breakfast Harvard plays with his toys in the sun beams. He likes to be taken out by 8a every day, but then enjoys a laid back morning full of rope toys and sun beams. He weighs about 17 pounds and has lost all his front teeth already. He currently has big holes in his mouth where his four canines used to be!

The picture to the left was taken after Harvard's first sport's practice. I helped coach a few conditioning practices for the the girls' middle school's soccer team at the beginning of the season and Harvard got to come along. He had so much fun, but as you can see it whipped him out. He slept hard the whole way home. He has gotten to come to practice a few times and even came to a cross country practice with me. He does pretty well and has a blast!

We started taking him to puppy kindergarten classes just a couple weeks after we got him. He has done very well! He is one of the best behaved pups in his class. He still jumps on everyone he meets and likes to bite people's faces when given the chance, but he can walk on a leash without pulling, sit, and do a few fun tricks. He'll start the next level of puppy classes this Saturday.

Work.
My work life has changed a lot since my last blog. I had primarily been working as a personal trainer over the summer and taking care of the puppy. In the middle of August I started working at the girls' middle school as assistant athletic director again. I had served in this position last year, but had faded out as track and personal training became more time consuming. Now I am back at it and working about twenty hours a week there. It's fun and mostly administrative. It's given me another opportunity to really get to know the school.

This week I had received a big blow from the owner of the company that I have been working for as a personal trainer for the past nine months. Because the company is having a hard time cutbacks have to be made. Since I am the trainer with the smallest client load they are letting me go and will redistribute my clients among the other trainers. Of course I'm disappointed, but I understand that it's a business and she's got to do what she's got to do. Silver lining: I will have time to get to the gym!

Since school has started up I've been substitute teaching again. So far this year I have substitute taught art, PE, health, and religion classes. I'm feeling much less restless about this year. Last year I was constantly anxious about working full time and being able support myself. I was able to do it last year, so I know I'll be able to do it this year too.

So in addition to all that I've also been assistant coaching the middle school girls' cross country team. I only go to couple practices a week and all the meets so I don't have the same time commitment I did last year, but it's been a lot of fun.

Before being laid off from the personal training company we got to do a photo shoot for promotional purposes. It was surprisingly fun. We got our hair and makeup done by professionals then went down to the Seattle Art Museum Sculpture Park. The picture to the right is one of the head shots from that shoot. When I get the rest of the pictures from the owner I'll post some of them up here. I was pretty surprised by how well they turned out!

Flynn.
Flynn and I are doing great! We have had a pretty busy/fun summer. He traveled a ton for work in July but has been home since. He is still rock climbing three times a week and really loves it. Over the past few works Flynn and his friend/coworker Blair have been working on developing an iPhone game. They company that has hired them plans to release the game in November so Blair and Flynn are finishing up the final touches of their game. It's a very exciting project and will hopefully lead to more game development. Flynn also just celebrated his 25th birthday. He's growing up so fast!

We didn't do too many things out doors this summer, but we did get to go on one awesome hike a few weeks ago. We went with a couple friends and Harvard (see him resting in my arms) to Rattlesnake Ledge. It was Harvard's first really long walk, but he did great. I didn't have to carry him at all, except to keep him safe at the top. We all had a really great time and have this awesome picture to prove it.

All Saints' Church.
For the last ten months or so I have been attending All Saints' Church on Queen Anne. I really love it there. The people are awesome, the music is great, and the message can't be beat. I've been serving in the nursery and recently joined the mission team. In November I'll be going to El Salvador! I'm super excited. This is All Saints' first time sending a team out of Seattle and I'm thrilled to be a part of it. We are taking a doctor and medical supplies as well as a few construction guys with tools and supplies. Building and giving aid to the people of San Salvador will be our main projects. I'll probably figure out what my role will be at our meeting this Sunday. In the mean time I've been brushing up on my Spanish and am hoping that it will finally stick! Prayers for safe travels, effective ministry, and lots of fun are greatly appreciated!

In a nut shell...
I think that pretty much wraps up what I've been doing with my life these last few months. I say it every time and I will keep saying it until it's true, but I will try to post more often! Thanks!

It's A Good Week

We have had Harvard for eight whole days now! We are pretty happy about it too. =)

He is learning all the time and did really well at his vet appointment. Right now he is taking a nap in his crate. Later this afternoon we'll head to All Saint's church to hang out with my friend Melissa while she works in the office. We need to have a relaxing day.

Last weekend was a super busy one! On Friday Flynn and I went out. One of my clients was having a going away party and Flynn's Mensa group was having a gathering and the conveniently were at the same place! We had dinner with Flynn's Mensa group (they were fun, we'll probably hang with them again). Then we had a drink with my client at her going away party. It was fun to get out of the house, hangout somewhere new, and meet knew people.


I had a client Saturday morning then went to kickboxing. I had some time to relax at home then I went to my neighborhood's summer festival to promote my personal training company. After spending an hour in the sun I walked home to get ready for the concert. I went to the Kenny Chesney concert (with Sugarland, Montgomery Gentry, Lady Antebellum, and Miranda Lambert) with some friends. It was a lot of fun, but it was way way too long. The first band started at 3:59p and Kenny Chesney finished up at 11:30p. It was a long night! I was exhuasted by the time we got home.

On Sunday I went to church then worked in the nursery. My Dad met me at church afterward so we could work on my truck. It had been stuck in the parking lot since Thursday and wouldn't start. We finally got it going again after a couple hours and a trip to Schucks. What a relief! Then we went to my apartment so Dad and Emmy (his 11 year old Boston Terrier) could meet Harvard.

The five of us (Harvard, Emmy, Dad, Flynn, and me) went to lunch. It was nice to relax on the patio and both dogs were really well behaved. When we finally got back home Harvard took a much needed two hour long nap. It was great. The rest of the evening was spent hanging out with with my guys.

Yesterday, was another busy day! I had an early AM client followed by breakfast with Flynn and kickboxing at 9:30a. When I got home I had a little time to hang with Harvard before I had to head out. I met with three other ladies in my personal training company and we got our hair and make up done at a salon then we went to the Seattle Art Museum's sculpture garden for a photo shoot. The shots included headshots and active shots. It was fun getting all dolled up. I'll be sure to post the pictures when I get them. I've included one that was taken on my iPhone. It's a cute picture but you can't see my eye make up at all. The way the stylist did them made them look so blue and purdy. It made me want to get dolled up more often.

In other news, I may or may not have a new job opportunity to share... I'm hoping to have a phone call about it soon. I'll be sure to post about it when I know more.

In the mean time, I'm going to find some lunch and possibly join the pup for a nap. Whee!!

Meet Harvard

This is Harvard, our new puppy! He is a twelve week old Boston Terrier/Spaniel mix and he is absolutely adorable. This picture was taken on the ride home from his foster home. He has been in foster care since he was teeny tiny and now he is in his forever home with us.


Flynn has been wanting a dog for as long as we've been dating. He's really happy and Harvard seems pretty content too!

Harvard was relaxed enough to chill with Flynn in the chair within an hour of us bringing him home. He also got a quick bath that he didn't seem to mind too much.


Harvard made himself right at home in our apartment. He helped himself to his basket full of toys and did plenty of sniffing around.

He's going to like it here

When Flynn and I were ready to eat dinner we put Harvard in his crate with a treat and a kong and closed the door. Then we ate our dinner. He whimpered for a second then curled up for a nap! When we finished our dinner we opened the door and he slowly woke up and made his way out again and I served him his dinner. He only ate about half then went back to his crate to continue his nap!





I'm so excited that he is comfortable in his crate! I'm guessing that will make this whole process a little easier (and I mean a little). I'm not hoping for miracles.

It's been a pretty eventful day! I'll be sure to keep posting pictures of his growth, progress, and of course his cuteness!

A Dog Tale

Over a year and a half ago when Flynn and I started dated he mentioned how much he wanted a dog. Every time we passed a dog on the street he'd say, "I want a dog." It wasn't practical at the time though and luckily he is a patient guy, so he waited. When we took our vacation together last August (holy moly that was almost a year ago already!) we talked about getting a dog together. We talked about breeds, names, training styles etc. Even with us both living in Seattle the time wasn't right. So even though he still said, "I want a dog" every time we passed on street we waited until it was right.

After moving in together in February we could finally start seriously planning for our dog! I called around to as many Boston Terrier breeders in the Northwest as I could find. I made list after list of available dogs, prices, and recommendations. Flynn and I decided that since I would be home most of the summer that it would be a good time to get a dog then so that I could train it and get it comfortable in our home. So we waited.

In April, with school ending I made another round of phone calls to see who still had puppies. We found a sweet little girl puppy and made plans to meet her the last week of April. Flynn and I were crushed when, after an hour of cuddling with the puppy, the owner told us she could not sell her to us. She was extremely attached to the puppy and did not want to even talk about discussing negotiating the puppy's price. We were super disappointed to have to drive home with an empty crate.

The next week Flynn got his wisdom teeth taken out. The poor guy was not a happy camper. He's pretty cute when he's all puffy though! We then had to postpone the puppy hunt for various trips. First Flynn and I flew to South Bend, IN for his brother's graduation from Notre Dame. From there we drove his brother's car back home to Seattle. We had fun! We got to go to several new states and check out some amazing sites.

Five days after getting back from our road trip Flynn took off on a two week work trip to Taipei and Tokyo. I was pretty jealous. He saw and did some cool stuff, worked hard, and came home tired. He didn't get to rest for very long though. One week after getting back from Asia he had to pack up and head off to Washington, DC for another work trip.

Finally home from all his trips we could return our focus on a puppy! I got my lists of breeders back out and started making phone calls again. After a couple hours of calling and searching online I got a call from a breeder who had a show dog that she couldn't show (he has some imperfections). Flynn and I made plans to meet the lady and her dog on Friday on our way to the beach for a weekend away. While on the road I called the lady to get directions, but she was on her way to the hospital. Her dad has been ill and she needed to take care of him and her mom. Of course, family first, so we made plans to meet her and the dog on Sunday on our way home from the beach. Again, we hit the road and call the lady, but she didn't answer her phone. Her voicemail box was full so I couldn't leave a message. I emailed her and continued to call her for three hours while we waited near where she lived, but she never responded. So we drove home again with an empty crate. I was super bummed and frustrated.

I emailed the owner when we got home and she responded apologetically. She said her father was still in the hospital and couldn't meet us. She said she would be in touch in a few days to try to set up another time to meet. (That was a week ago and I haven't heard back from her.)

From there I took a few days off the pet search. So far it hadn't been anything but frustration. Oh! Did I mention that Flynn and I had gone to the pet store and bought EVERYTHING we need for our puppy? So we've had a bag of food, toys, a bed, and dishes sitting in our apartment just waiting to be used for weeks and weeks now!

We have been looking at Petfinder.com from time to time, but I was dead set on a pure bred Boston Terrier so I didn't take it too seriously. While doing a search online we came across an adorable Boston/Spaniel mix in Washington and contacted the rescue group to start the adoption process. The rescue group emailed me and asked me a few basic questions.

1. What are the working hours of the adults in the home?

2. Where would you keep a dog or puppy while you were gone for several hours?

3. Do you have a fenced yard and is it secure

4. Ages of people in your home

5. Do you have another dog and if so what kind and gender of dog

Pretty general questions, right? I thought so. So we answered honestly and with some detail. This was the response we got:

I am sorry but I cannot adopt a puppy to you for several reasons...

You REALLY need to look at an adult dog instead. The times you are gone and leaving a puppy in a crate would be very difficult and cruel on a puppy. You don't have a fenced yard so there is no protection from the puppy getting out where other dogs have been and contacting Parvo.

Please understand and don't get a pup....as now is not the right time.

Seriously!! What?! I think she must have misunderstood when I said I worked at 6a and 7p. She must have thought I work from 6a to 7p. That is the only way she could think that putting a puppy in a crate would be cruel. I spoke with a local trainer and worked with Flynn to draft a response to her concerns. I'll admit she really hurt my feedings! I know I shouldn't have taken it personally, but she is saying that I would be cruel to an animal! For her to come to that conclusion without even speaking to me (so far we've only emailed) is just dumb. Erg. So now it's been 24 hours since I sent off my response and I'm trying to be patient. I really want her to take the time to reconsider and give us an opportunity to at least fill out the adoption application.

Flynn and I would give that little puppy an excellent home and it bums me out that this rescue lady is getting in the way. I know she is doing what she feels is right, but still.

So now we are waiting. I'm still looking at pups on petfinder. This whole thing has taken a lot longer than I thought it would. It'll last a while longer. I'll keep you posted. Also, I'll have puppy pictures whenever we get that far.

On a completely unrelated note, I just received an email that says that my application for a teaching certificate has finally been accepted! My teaching certificate should be here in a few weeks! Yay! It's a relief to have that hurdle behind me! Now onward to the teaching job, though I don't have any teaching prospects on the horizon other than substituting.

Ambition

Over the last couple weeks (months really...) I've been thinking a lot about my job situation and my dissatisfaction with it. I've pretty much given up hope that I'll find a teaching job for next year. Over the last week or so I've been applying for admin and receptionist positions. I even applied to QFC!

One of the jobs I applied for had this to say:

Heather,

Received your application letter and resume. Appreciate you interest. We will be interview top candidates in the near future. Sincerely, Principal

You read it right. She called me Heather. I am not a Heather. I won't be holding my breathe for a call back from her... she didn't even care enough to shoot me down with the correct name!

I applied for a receptionist position through Craigslist today. I was surprised when I got such a quick response:

Thank you for your resume regarding our receptionist position.

We have interviewed several applicants for this position, and we have made an offer of employment at this time to one of those applicants.

I will, however, keep your resume on file for six months in case we have another position that meets your qualifications.

Thanks again.

Obviously this isn't the job for me and so I replied with:

Thank you very much for quickly responding to my resume. I am a bit confused though because the craigslist ad to which I am responding was posted today. If the position has been filled, why post the ad. If you are simply not interested in hiring me or I am not qualified that information would be much more helpful to me in my search for a job.

Thank you again for getting back to me so quickly. Have a wonderful weekend.

To which the hiring administrator responded:

We've had ads in several locations, and have interviewed over 25 applicants! Your experience is good, but in today's job market, it's more a matter of "being in the right place at the right time."


I was pretty annoyed by this. If you've interview over 25 applicants why would you post another craigslist ad? That's when it occurred to me (and perhaps I'm slow) but I'm not competitive enough for the current market. My experience is good, but not great. My resume is good, but not great. I don't stand out in a pack of 100. Of course I would do a great job at whatever I was hired to do, but so would nearly every other person out there looking for work right now. I don't have the administrative job experience to land a great job, not when there are plenty of other applicants who have been at it way longer than I have. And compared to experienced teachers, my few semesters of practicum work and substituting just can't hold a candle.

So what am I to do? I need to step it up, that's what. While thinking of how it occurred to me that I am not a very ambitious person. I may have been at a time in my life, but I do not feel that way now.

Pronunciation:

\am-ˈbi-shən\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin ambition-, ambitio, literally, act of soliciting for votes, from ambire

1 a: an ardent desire for rank, fame, or power b: desire to achieve a particular end

I have never pictured myself being the best or the most powerful. I've wanted to teach and coach middle or high school. I've thought about coaching or teaching at the college level, but that never really interested me. That is primarily because I really enjoy middle and high school aged kids but I think it also has to do with my own confidence in what I know. If I were to coach at the college level I would really have to know what I was talking about. Obviously I want to know what I'm talking about now, but that pressure isn't there.

Am I just so affraid of failure that I won't ever put myself completely out there on that limb? I never gave it my all in school. (and it showed). I didn't really ever give it all I had in track. I could have done more to be stronger and faster (and leaner) but then what would I blame a poor performance on? Only myself.

I feel like this history of self-sabatoge is following me into the workforce and I don't like it one bit. If I want a career I need to get competitive. That means I have to make myself so appealing to prospective schools that they'd have to be crazy not to hire me. I need to get certifications, national association memberships, possibly even published if I can manage it. I need to get some ambition. I need a fire under my pants. If I failed, what's the worst that could happen? I'd just end up right here where I am now, but with a better looking resume.

I've got some work to do...

... now where are the matches for that fire?

Hazy Lazy Day

I'm not working at all today. My Google calendar says "No Events" for today. This is extremely abnormal! There aren't even any classes at the gym I feel like taking today. So I've just been hanging out at home. I've put away my laundry, unloaded the dishwasher, and done some personal training homework. But mostly I've just been hanging out online listening to music. I'm trying to enjoy a relaxing day, but I don't think I'm doing a very good job at it. Any who...

It's been so nice having Flynn back! He was only gone for two weeks, but it sure felt like a long time when I was going through it. Last night was Mexi-Monday and we had some friends over to eat tacos and play Trivial Pursuit. This was the first time we played it since buying it. It was hard! There were questions about world leaders in the 80s, random TV shows from the 90s, and some topics that were really obscure. I was surprised. I thought I would do really well and I did the worst of everyone! It was a fun evening anyway though. Next time we play Trivial Pursuit we'll have to have teams... or drink.

We don't have anything planned for tonight. We might go shopping for Father's Day, but other than that... it's anyone's guess. I'd love to walk Greenlake or Discovery Park... or even just wander around the neighborhood. Seattle has been so beautiful lately and I've been able to get outside often, so that's great!

I had a friend invite me to go to Hawaii with her today. She has a free flight that has to be redeemed by the end of August. She'd even be willing to split the cost of my ticket with me. And since she has an aunt living there we wouldn't have to pay for a place to stay. What a deal! Alas, I need to save my pennies. Flynn and I want to go to Kauai in November, I need new brakes for my truck, and if I took a trip now it should be down to visit my friends and family in Arizona. Sure would be fun to hang out in Honolulu for a weekend though. Pardon me while I day dream...

I think we are going to invite Flynn's siblings over for dinner this Friday night. He has an older brother, sister-in-law, and older sister. None of them have been to our apartment yet. Hopefully they can come, his family is a lot of fun.

Well... I suppose I ought to find something productive to do.

Dear Mandy,

I'm sorry for not blogging more often, but as you know, life happens!

Flynn got back in town today. He was out of town on a work trip for the past two weeks. It was a long two weeks. I am so happy he is back home. It had been so quiet around the apartment with him gone.

I did my best to keep busy while he was gone... I played kickball, worked as a personal trainer, went kayaking in Lake Union, had a Ladies Wine Night, had two job interviews, had dinner with Flynn's family, and spent a lot of time hanging out at home. I had a lot of fun, but I'm so happy Flynn is home.

This past week I took a bunch of classes at my gym. It felt great! I took a kick butt yoga class. I've never sweat during a yoga class before. It was fun. I also took a spin class and a pilates class. My work schedule is so crazy this summer (early mornings and evenings with nothing during the day) I have my days all to myself, so I'm going to try to take as many of those classes as I can on a regular basis.

I should take some pictures of our Magnolia apartment. I love our apartment. It is really the home I've been looking forward to for a long time! I'll try to take some pictures this week and get them posted before too long.

The other big news is that Flynn and I are going to get a dog soon! First Flynn has to get checked out by an allergist, but after he gets the all clear (fingers crossed) we'll get our very own Boston Terrier puppy. We have all the supplies we need (crate, dishes, toys, food etc) and have even puppy proofed the balconies. Now all we need is the puppy! We are hoping to get her in early July. It'll be good because I have the time during the day to make sure she can get outside and work on training. We are painfully optimistic (I know we think it'll be easier than it really will be), but it's fun.

All in all, Life is good! Yep. Life is good.

Oh Happy Day!

It's sunny out today. And not only that, it's warm too! It's supposed to be in the 70's today. Needless to say, I'm happy about this. I'm ready for warmth and sunshine. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten that I live in Seattle. I know I can't expect too much warmth and sunshine, but some is sure great!

Life is going pretty well. I'm struggle to remember that sometimes, though. I focus on the things that are missing like a stable income and career rather than all the great things that are going on. What great things you may ask, well... I've got a super awesome boyfriend that I'm really really happy with. We have a kickin' apartment. I have enough work to pay the bills and enough food to eat. I attend a great church (All Saint's on Queen Anne) and am growing closer to God and my new friends there. Yeah... life is pretty good.

Flynn was not too happy about life yesterday. He got three wisdom teeth taken out. He was super miserable shortly after the operation. He had to wait for the bleeding to stop so he could eat enough food so he could take his pain meds. Then while we waited for the meds to kick in... It was not fun for him and tough to watch. Thankfully, he is feeling much better today (as of this morning). His left cheek is super puffy, but so far no bruising.

Luckily, he has a friend at home to keep him company. My friend from Tucson just moved to Seattle earlier this week and while he looks for an apartment we are dog sitting! So little Chowder the Boston Terrier is hanging out in our apartment entertaining Flynn and giving him the cuddle time he needs.

If Flynn is feeling up to it tomorrow (and if I don't hold a Saturday track practice) we may go to meet with a breeder about buying our own little Boston Terrier. We are going to look at some slightly older (7 months old) ones because the puppy puppy (3 months old) are just too expensive. If we don't get a puppy this weekend, I think we'll wait until the middle of June to get one. Flynn and I have our trip to Chicago in two weeks (which puppy can join us on) and after that Flynn is going to Taipei for a work trip for two weeks.

On Sunday I start working in the nursery at my church and hopefully after Chowder and I can go for a walk... if it's not raining. Chowder is from Arizona after all and hasn't gotten used to the rain and cold thing yet.

So yeah... life is good. We are going to have a good weekend. Hope you do too.

Highs and Lows

I know that life always has highs and lows, that's just it's nature. But lately I've felt myself going from high to low and back up so often I'm starting to get sea sick!

My job search is in full tilt at the moment. I check the various school district websites several times a day for new listings and have had to buy a new ink cartridge to keep up with all my resume printing demands. Every time I see a job that I'm qualified for I get excited. I start imagining what my commute would be like or what my classes might look like. Then reality slaps me in the face and tells me to calm down and don't get ahead of myself. I remember that there are a lot of teachers in the Seattle area and so many of them are losing their positions that there are a ton looking for jobs. I can't let myself get carried away or I'll be super disappointed when the rejection letter comes. So far I've had several rejection letters. Maybe they wouldn't sting so much if I had actually been given an interview. How can someone judge me before I've even had a chance to show them what I've got! (I suppose that's way I'm supposed to be dazzling them with my resume and cover letter) So the job search/financial ramifications are probably my biggest wave causing department at the moment.

Track is going great. We have only two and half weeks until the league championships are here! That's so soon. We have four girls who've competed in meets and we may try to get a few more in next week. My guys have been consistant. This summer I'm hoping to compete in some all-comers meets. It should be interesting since I haven't vaulted since I was a junior at NAU. It's been a long time, but from the few runs I've taken this year, I think it'll be fun.

We, Flynn and I, are getting a puppy soon. We are meeting with a breeder this weekend and who knows, I may have some pictures of a little Boston Terrier to post online soon. Speaking of pictures, sorry for the lack of them! I lost my camera charger in the move. I know it is somewhere, but there are still a few boxes I haven't dug through. I should do that soon.

I have a vacation coming up in a couple weeks. Unfortunantly the timing is AWFUL. I have to leave right in the middle of the league championships for track and miss the district championships the following week. But this trip has been in the works since last fall so there is no changing it now. Flynn and I (along with his family) are flying to Chicago to go to Flynn's older brother's graduation from Notre Dame. After spending a lot of family time with Flynn's family and hopefully meeting up with my own cousin, Flynn and I will drive his brother's car back to Seattle. We are planning on taking about a week to drive back but haven't really sorted it all out yet. I have never been to Mt. Rushmore or Yellowstone, so those are definitely on the itinerary. And since we will have a recently acquired puppy along for the fun, it should be an interesting little adventure.

I'm currently substitute teaching a freshman history class. They are quietly taking a test. In 15min, when school is out, it will be time for track practice. Now that the sun has finally started showing itself on a regular basis (yay Spring) I look forward to practices more. Then later this evening I will run some puppy supply errands before heading home to do some chores. The big chore lately has been puppy proofing our balcony. I want to make sure that every inch is secure so that neither she or her toys make the five story drop. After that Flynn and I have a date planned.

Yesterday was a low day for me. Today is a high day for me. I'm telling you, at this rate I'm going to need keep airsick bags in my purse.

Jobby Job Jobs

Jobs are starting to pop up for next year and I'm super excited about it! I've got my resume ready and I'm working on applications and cover letters. I'm so excited to have a full time job! Although, at this point I'd take a part time job too... and balance it with personal training. But it sure would be cool to have a full time job.

If I had a full time job...
- I can add to my savings every month.
- I can save money on gas by not driving around all day running errands.
- I can earn a teaching tax credit.
- I can earn benefits such as tuition assistance (for grad school).
- I can have coworkers (for better or worse).
- I can get direct deposit.
- I can stop looking at the job listings every single day.
- I can plan trips around school holidays and look forward to summer and spring breaks instead of dread them (because now spring break just means a week that I won't be subbing anywhere!).
- I can take care off all my financial responsibilities.
- I can get my own medical insurance (sure using my Dad's is AWESOME, but it won't last forever).

So basically I'm super excited about getting a full time job for the next school year. Once I secure my employment for next year, I'll be able to relax a lot. Then I'll just have to focus my energies on the remainder of this school year and (yikes!) summer!

Eugene

For Christmas Flynn and I were each given a companion coupon for Amtrak. So we used one coupon to take a weekend trip down to Eugene, Oregon.

After running a bunch of errands we got back to the apartment to start packing and get ready to go. The train was scheduled to leave at 2:20p and it was already 1p. I got our tickets out and discovered we only had our RETURN tickets! I called Amtrak and and was on the phone for 30min only to get no where. In the mean time Flynn and I packed and called a cab. I figured that if we went to the station we could beg our way on to the train even though it was sold out.

The cab came at 2p and by this time, I'm stressed to the max. I'm frustrated and tired and almost ready to throw in the towel. This was supposed to be a fun relaxing weekend away and so far it's been nothing but a headache! Oh! And while in the cab and double checking things on my iPhone I discovered that the B&B we had reservations at had a cat. Flynn is very allergic to cats and having one in the house would have made for a miserable weekend. So that just added to the stress.

We get to the train station at about 2:15p, but luckily there is no line at the ticket counter. The train is sold out but I told the guy, "I need to get on that train!" so we spoke with the conductor and got the OK to oversell the train. I get my ticket just in time only to realize the guy didn't give Flynn one! So after another minute we both have tickets and do our best speed walk to the train. As soon as we get on the train starts moving. Once we have our seats, I'm finally able to relax.

From there all we have left to do is decide what to do about the B&B/cat situation. I called the B&B and the owner said that because it's such short notice they have to charge us for that night, but if we wanted to find another place for Saturday night they would let us off the hook for that night. After hanging up I do some more searching on my iPhone and talk with Flynn. Then we decide that we are going to just have to eat the night at the cat B&B and get two nights at a new B&B. I call back the cat B&B and then book the new B&B. After the train tickets and now the B&B situation this trip is starting to cost a lot more than I had anticipated.

Now that the we have the B&B situation under control, I'm able to relax and enjoy the ride. I take a nap, play some games on my iPhone, chat with Flynn, and enjoy the view. It was a nice ride, but we were both happy to be off the train after the seven hour ride to Eugene. After walking off the train, I used the GPS on my phone to guide us the few short blocks to our B&B. As we walked up I immediately loved it! It was very cute and had lights all the way up the walk way. It was very inviting. When we got checked in the innkeeper upgraded us to a bigger room with a jacuzzi tub. Yay! After taking a minute to set down our bags we headed back a few blocks to the Steelhead brewery for dinner and drinks. I had a delicious orange wheat beer. Yum. Then we went back to the B&B to bed.

Saturday morning we got up at the crack of dawn... well not quite. The alarm went off at 9a and we went to breakfast at 9:30a. The B&B served delicious home made scones, frittatas, and fresh fruit. It was a great breakfast and I felt satisfied but not stuffed afterwards. After a long leisurely breakfast Flynn and I headed back to our room to get ready for the day. Since we didn't have a plan for the day we just decided to start walking and see where we ended up. We walked for a couple hours and along the way came across a local theater. They were putting on a production of The Producers that night so we bought tickets for dinner and the show later that night. We found a yummy Thai restaraunt for lunch then headed back to our room. The rain held off until we started our walk back then started to drizzle. By the time we got to our room it was full on raining. We took a nice nap then got ready for dinner and the show. The Producers is one of the first movies Flynn and I watched as a couple last year and we were both really excited to see Eugene's interpretation. We had a tasty dinner and good seats and the show was hilarious. It was a great night!

On Sunday morning we had to get up really early (7a) had another amazing breakfast. Then we hustled back to the room to back and get ready for the day. The train was pulling out at 9a and we didn't leave the room until 8:45a. I love trains because they don't have security checks. You can just walk right on, no wait. It's great! We got our seats and settled in to enjoy another relaxing train ride. I had thought we were going to get in to Seattle at 6p, but we actually got in at 4p which meant that we had a lot of day left! We vegged out at home, had some teriyaki, and had a nice relaxing evening.

Even though it started off really rocky we ended up having a wonderful weekend. Yay! In a couple weeks we are going to use the other Amtrak coupon and head north to Vancouver BC for another get away weekend. Fingers cross that one goes off without any hitches.

Housewarming Weekend

What happened to that weekend?! It was here and gone so quickly!

On Friday after an indoor track practice because of a crazy torrential downpour, I went home and chilled out in the apartment until Flynn got home from a meeting with Boss. We'd both had long tiring weeks, so we decided to have a quiet, relaxed Friday night at home. We ordered pizza in and watched Good Will Hunting. It was nice. So nice, in fact, that I feel asleep after only making it about half way through.

Saturday morning I went to the kickboxing and core conditioning classes at the athletic club. I love those classes. They really make my weekend. I always feel strong and fit after. Even if I'm huffing and puffing my way through it. After the gym I went to get my hair trimmed by a friend at the Gene Juarez Academy. She's graduating soon, which means I'm going to have to start paying real money to get my hair done! Later that afternoon Flynn and I went to the AT&T store and bought me an iPhone! I'm super excited about this one. I've been drooling over Flynn's since he got it several months ago. Now I'll be able to watch my calendar and know where I'm supposed to be on any given day without having to log online somewhere. Yay! After the phone adventure, we went to West Seattle to meet Allison and Scott for some bowling. We played a couple games and I must say, I'm horrible. It's been a couple years since I played and it shows. I'm just awful. Luckily, Allison and Scott aren't much better. After bowling was dinner and drinks then back home to bed. It's hard to imagine that I ever stayed out until 8a dancing and having fun till the wee hours. Now I'm home by 11p and feel beat.

Sunday was fun. After church I got some snacks then came home to help Flynn get ready for our housewarming open house. I had fun hanging out with family and friends. I like entertaining in our apartment and I think everyone had fun. It was a long day though. My dad showed up at 1p and Eli and Krysta came late so they stayed until 9:30p. I was ready for bed by the time it was bed time.

And now we're back to Monday again. I'm substitute teaching, coaching, training, kickboxing, and having Mexi-Heroes-Rockin' Monday as usual. It's going to be a long day. But I love it anyway!

Happy March

I know I'm way past due... There have just been so many changes over the last few months that it gets overwhelming trying to think about updating everyone on everything. But I suppose if I don't start now, I'll never be able to. Also, I've had a few disgruntled fans tell me that I need to get back on here. So here I am.

At this very moment I'm substitute teaching at my old high school. I started subbing here when I got back to Seattle in September. I've subbed for PE/health, math, science, art, French, Spanish, religion, history, language arts, and probably some other classes. I like subbing. It pays the bills, but it isn't teaching. Sometimes it's teaching, but most of the time it's just classroom management aka babysitting. Teachers have assignments for the students to work on and I make sure the students work on their assignments. I get to give little to no instruction, which is the fun part about teaching. Even though subbing isn't my dream job, it does put me in a school environment and helps me keep connected so that hopefully as positions open up here I might be able to get a full time spot.

In addition to subbing, I'm also working as a personal trainer! That's pretty awesome. I started that back in January and so far I love it. I have about eight clients that I meet with weekly. We work in their homes and use only a few pieces of equipment. It's fun. It's like PE teaching, only my students really want me to be there! This is definitely a job that I would like to keep after I find a full time (or part time) teaching position. It'll really help me survive the summers.

And last, but not least, work-wise, I've just started coaching the pole vault at my old high school. I'm working with my old coach and so far it's a blast. We have a bunch of new vaulters trying it for the first time and a few who are coming back from last year. The season is just beginning, but so far so good. It feels good to be around the pole vault again. It's been nearly four years since I stopped vaulting! I've missed it. I get to do a little vaulting, too, but mostly it's neat to watch the girls go for awkward and scared to actually enjoying it!

What else is news... Flynn and I just got a great apartment together! We happily survived my time in Spain (aka our time apart) and haven't missed a beat since we got back from our August vacation. This weekend we are gearing up for our housewarming/open house party. I love our apartment. It's big enough, clean, in a great location, has a great view, quiet, sunny (when Seattle has sun), and it's ours! I'm super happy. We're pretty much all settled in, though there are a few areas that still need some major help. The office is still in boxes, but I'm getting a bookcase today so that should dramatically help that situation. Maybe I'll post a few pictures of the new pad at some point.

I found a great young church in Seattle and am really enjoying getting involved there. I've also joined a gym and discovered kickboxing. Kickboxing is awesome! It's such a great workout. And even though it leaves my knuckles bruised and discolored for the week it leaves me feel strong and powerful too.

All in all, life is pretty awesome. I'm going to try to post more often, but life gets in the way. I'll try though.

My Week

Please forgive me for not writing in a billion years, but I have good reason, honest! I've been crazy busy. And on the days I'm not crazy busy, I don't want to do anything. Sounds pretty reasonable, right? To help you understand, here is a week in my life.

Sunday morning I woke up, got ready for the day, had breakfast than drove to church on Queen Anne. At 9:30a I had class at the church. Some people take the class to become members of the church, others like me, take it to get to know people and deepen their faiths. After the class I stayed for the 11:00a service. It was a good service! The guest speaker, gave a really good talk. I chatted with a few people I knew and a few people I didn't. It was a good morning. After church I met Flynn at his house. We had planned to play racquetball right after church but all the courts were reserved already. So we went to U. Village to grocery shop instead. He had a nice time shopping. Then we went home and had lunch and relaxed until it was time for me to head back to Queen Anne to babysit at 5p. I stayed there until 7p then went back to Flynn's. We made delicious lamb-burgers and watched Spaceballs. Then we went to bed. It was a great day. I think Sundays are my new favorite day. But that could be because it was beautiful and sunny outside on Sunday.

Monday was a holiday so no one needed me to substitute teach. Allison works for the city of Seattle so she had the day off too. So I went to her house around 10a. We took her son to Target then to the grocery store. After that we went back to Allison's house. We spent a couple hours organizing Allison's basement then had lunch. After lunch I went home to hang out. When Flynn got off work at 6p we went to the gym. I walked on the treadmill for an hour and read the assigned chapter of Four Loves by C.S. Lewis for my book club. After I finished walking and Flynn finished running I had a killer headache and was slightly nauseas. So we went home (rather than staying to kickbox). When we got home we made dinner for Mexi-Monday (very similar to Taco Tuesday). Blair came over, we ate, watched The Office, then the three of us played Rock Band for a few hours. It was fun. I was the drummer! Then we went to bed.

On Tuesday we woke up early to watch the Inauguration. I made "Presidential Pancakes". When I got to my truck it was stuck because of a stupid jerk who can't park. Grr! I froze in my truck for an hour and half until it was finally towed. Then I went home for a quick stop. Then I met Kelly, from Sassy Fit, to go over the paperwork for the company. Luckily she wasn't bothered that the truck ordeal had made me over an hour late for our original meeting time. Their office is right near REI so at least it's easy to get too. After my meeting with Kelly I went to Seattle Prep to ask about a pay check (which is in the mail) and signed up for a couple more sub jobs next week. Then I went to SGS to do some work and help Fleur get ready for that nights snowboarding trip. I wasn't feeling very well by that point but I thought it was because I was hungry, so I ate. That didn't hurt. I was achey and just felt blah. Snowboarding was fine. It was cold but I'm getting better and so are the girls so that was fun. After that I went home and was in bed by 10p. I cranked up the bed heater and slept hard.

My Wednesday was crazy. I woke up feeling cruddy still but I NEED to work. I couldn't take the day off because I just had too much to do and need the money. So I got ready for the day had a little oatmeal then went downtown to pick up a 12 passenger rental van for SGS. That thing is huge compared to my little truck. I got to SGS by 10a then spent the rest of the morning working with Fleur on Basketball stuff. I only have a few more weeks of Basketball left, then I'm done. I don't think I want to do three sports next year. It's a lot! But we'll see. I had a couple pieces of banana bread but still didn't feel very good. Then at 1:15p I took a group of girls to Broadway for their Boxing internship (internships are basically elective classes that they take once a week for seven weeks). By 3:15p we were back at SGS. At 3:30p I drove a group of girls to their basketball practice in the big van then met up with my team at our gym at 4:00p. We had practice. I had to leave early to get the van back down town and get my truck back by 6p. Then I drove to the Ballard library to check my email and get a new book to read since I just finished The Life of Pi. I didn't find any books though. The books I have on hold have really long lines. It's frustrating. Then I went to my book club meeting on Queen Anne at 7p. The meeting was over around 9:30. I got home by 10p, just in time to watch the last hour (it was a two hour season premier) of Lost then went to bed at 11p.

On Thursday I subbed at Blanchet from 8am until 2:30pm. I was a language arts teacher for the day. I also secured a sub job for the next day. As soon as the bell rang at 2:30p I hopped in my truck and headed back downtown to meet with Kelly at 3:00p to continue my training as a personal trainer. This time I met with Kelly's younger sister. She served as my guinea pig as we went through all the first training session stuff (goals, safety, expectations, measurements, and legal issues). It was a good first session and I'm excited to have a client! After my appointment I went back home to go over my newly acquired personal training gear. I met Flynn at his office at 6p when he got off work and we headed to they gym. We lifted some weights, spent a little time on the treadmills, then played racquetball for an hour. It was a good night. I was pretty tired by the end. Next we went to Safeway and bought the fixings for fajita salads. When we got home, we made dinner. It was soooo good. Fajita salads= lettuce, black beans, sautéed bell peppers, cheese, brown rice, topped with salsa. Sooo good and good for you. =) We spent the rest of the night finishing the fourth season of the office.

This morning I woke up at 7a, got ready for the day then headed to Blanchet to sub again. Once again I'm a language arts teacher. I like working at Blanchet. I like the students and the faculty and staff. It's a good place to be. When school gets out this afternoon I'll head home and do laundry and clean up until Flynn gets off work at 6p. Then we'll head to the gym and run. Today is a running day. We usually run a hard 3 miles then a couple miles easy. After our work out I'll head home and spend the rest of the night chilling at home. It'll be nice.

On Saturday I'll get up and go to kickboxing at 9:30a. I'll stay for core conditioning till 11a. From the gym I'll go to Queen Anne to babysit at noon. I'll stay there for at least two hours. From there, I'm not sure what the plan is. Allison, Lisa, and I have organized a couple's game night so I'll need to prepare some food for that. Then at 7p we'll play games, eat food, and hang out.

That's a week of my life. Next week will probably be just as nutty. I spend a lot of money on gas, but I'm keeping busy and having fun. I am looking forward to having a full time job though. Then my days will be slightly less complex. Until then... this is my life.