Some Aspect of Ourselves

#oneword2012

2012-01-03T14:22:00.000-05:00

I've never been great at making or keeping New Year's resolutions. That's why I love the idea of coming up with one word to guide my year. There are a lot of fabulous folks coming up with their #oneword2012 and I finally chose mine last week.

My word for 2012 is going to be stretch.

I want to spend this year stretching my mind, my body, my spirit.

I also want to stretch my budget, stretch my creativity, and stretch my time.

I want my body to be more flexible (Sarah, remember when you could put your palms flat on the ground when touching your toes?), but I also want my attitude to be more flexible (put away some of those MBTI "J" tendencies, Sarah!).

[source, red line added by me]

I can't wait to see how 2012 stretches me.

Better than most...

2011-12-13T14:54:00.005-05:00

#reverbbroads11 prompt for day 13 from Catie at http://catiecake.wordpress.com/ : What are three things you are better at than most people?

1. Solving Sudoku puzzles. Perhaps it is because I was a math major and I enjoy puzzles, patterns, and logic, but I am pretty darn good at solving Sudoku puzzles. I especially love the "Samurai" Sudokus like this:

2. Making people feel like they matter. My top strength from StrengthsQuest is Relator, which essentially means that I love being around people who mean a lot to me. One of the ways that Twitter has changed my experience at professional conferences is that I have an opportunity to build relationships before the conference, that way, when we meet IRL (in real life), it already feels like I know you! I'm not one for much small talk, so already having a relationship formed allows me to start conversations about more meaningful topics and learn more details about you.

3. Avoiding the mall. Seriously, I have a huge aversion to shopping in stores. I dislike the hustle & bustle. I don't like how every store sizes their clothes differently so you have to try everything on. People drive crazily in the parking lots. I think part of the problem is that I usually have some idea of what I want, and if I can't find it in a store (or if they don't have my size left in stock in the store), I get frustrated. Online shopping is a much better choice for me.

Peppermint patty therapy

2011-12-13T14:54:00.002-05:00

Day 12 #reverbbroads11 prompt via Neha at http://whereyouarehere.blogspot.com/:

Name and explain the one guilty pleasure you can't live without. ie: that cupcake shop you visit weekly, a book you repeatedly read to find solace in, etc). Then explore the idea of how you would feel if you gave that thing up for a year.

These small dark chocolate, creamy round mints are my weakness. I almost always have a bag of them in my desk drawer at work. Tear open its little silver cellophane wrapper, admire its smooth, round, chocolate cover. And that first bite? That little "tthss" sound that they make when the white minty goodness separates from itself? Bliss.

Just one little patty in its silver package can change an afternoon. In my previous position, my coworkers knew that I almost always had peppermint patties in my desk. Stressful appointment? Swing by Sarah's office for a peppermint patty and momentary vent session. Survived a painstaking meeting? Peppermint patty and processing. Excited about a new opportunity? Celebratory peppermint patty.

They're so satisfying, even in its the miniature size, that I don't know if I could give them up for a year. Besides, it says right on the package that they are a low fat food. A serving size is 3 patties, but usually I am good with just one. I'm willing to sacrifice 50 calories per patty to build relationships with my coworkers or make it through a stressful afternoon.

Mom

2011-12-13T14:53:00.000-05:00

#reverbbroads11 Day 11: How are you like your mother? And if you're a mother, how is/are your kid(s) like you?

For the longest time, I thought I was just like my dad: outgoing, average height, musical, personable. As I've gotten older, though, I realize that I share a lot of characteristics with my mom.

My mom is relatively introverted, but she will speak her mind when she has an opinion.

She is very creative, but in a methodical and calculated way. She quilts (which my dad doesn't understand because you just take a big piece of fabric, cut it up into small pieces, and then sew them back together to make a big piece again) and makes some of the most beautiful quilts. I haven't honed my sewing skills, but I like doing crafts.

On my wedding day. My mom walked in (this is the first she'd seen me in my dress that morning) and we both got teary.

She is one of 11 kids, so that gives her some great perspective on life.

While I was growing up, she was the breadwinner in our house. She has worked hard to get where she is, and even though she has made some amazing contributions to the health care system in Columbus, she is really humble about it.

She isn't afraid to pick up a hammer or shovel. She and my dad have basically doubled the size of their house and renovated the original part on their own.

She's not a huge fan of shopping (neither am I) and she's not overly concerned with having perfectly coiffed hair and make-up.

While we don't have kids yet, I can only hope to be the kind of mom to them that she is to me. (And she'll make a great grandma.)

Home is where the heart is

2011-12-10T11:37:00.003-05:00

#reverbbroads11: via Dana at http://simply-walking.com/: What is the best and/or worst thing about your life right now?

As of the end of the month, this is our new house.

Our first house.

It needs a bit of updating, but it's (all-but-the-closing) ours!

I can't wait to be able to paint the walls, plant a garden in the summer, make it ours.

There is plenty of space for us and the pup, plus some space for when our family (hopefully) grows in the future.

I couldn't be more excited!

On-again, off-again

2011-12-08T09:49:00.001-05:00

As part of a month-long challenge to blog daily, I am following the directions from #reverbbroads11. Today’s prompt: Why blog? Why do you or why do you like to blog (recognizing that these are not always the same thing)? (from Kristen, http://kristendomblogs.com)

My relationship with blogging has been casual, at best. I started this particular blog in July 2008, shortly after receiving my first professional job offer. For the past three and a half years, I have gone on posting spurts, not even reaching 100 posts (although tomorrow will be the 100th!), and honestly, after this month of blog prompts, it's entirely possible that I might go quiet again. Not for any particular reason other than life (and writer's block) getting in the way. I also have a more professional blog, focused on my work as an academic advisor, but that posting schedule also has been erratic.

Despite my best efforts to come up with new, exciting, creative writing topics, I suffer from what I can only describe as low blogging self-esteem. I don't doubt my ability as a writer: I was an English major in college, so I can put together a solid paper. Perhaps part of the issue is that I read plenty of other peoples' blogs. In fact, I have subscribed to 103(!!) different blogs, many of which are updated on a regular basis. My blog reader list shows my varied interests: academic advising blogs, crafting blogs, fashion blogs, food blogs, higher education blogs, home blogs, sports blogs. What I feel my blogs lack is a particular voice or point of view. I'm not working through renovations on my house (yet); I don't do significant research on the impact of social media on students; I haven't pledged to only spend $365 on clothes in one year. Sure, the writing is all my voice and my point of view, but so often I don't feel like I have a different spin on the topic. Why should I write a post when someone else has already written what I would have said? Isn't it just easier to share the link on Twitter or Facebook and tell others to read the post?

To be perfectly honest, I've even contemplated not writing some of the #reverbbroads11 prompts that I haven't felt "inspired" to answer. Who would notice? But that's not what this month is about. Even though my readership has skyrocketed (really, 20+ readers per post?!), that's not why I'm writing. I don't have to pen the next great American novel. I don't have to inspire anyone to become a student affairs professional. I don't have to have the most original idea, the funniest writing voice, or the most creative story.

But I do need to practice my voice. And I need to stretch my creativity. And I need to take my mind off of all of the stress of closing on our first house at the end of the month. I've learned more about some really great women, some of whom I've met in person and others who I just know virtually. I've realized that we all have our struggles, our strengths, and our silliness.

So why do I blog? Well, because a lot of other great people do and I wanted to jump on the bandwagon. But why do I keep blogging? Because, in the end, I really do like writing. I just don't always take the "thinking time" to come up with my voice. With practice and time, my ideas and my voice will get stronger.

Post-Christmas Wish List

2011-12-07T11:44:00.001-05:00

I don't usually get caught up in the pre-Christmas shopping buzz. Sure, I try to get meaningful gifts for my family and some friends, but I am also always on the lookout for a good deal. Since this year, our gift to each other is a house(!!!), I know we're not going to be spending ~~any~~ much money prior to the holidays.We will have plenty of house items that need purchased (a bed, for one thing).

However, those after-Christmas clearances on Christmas items are sometimes too good to pass up. On my list of items to look for this year, post-Christmas:

A tree stand. Since we will have our own house, we plan to get a real tree, so we'll need a stand.

Decorative nutcrackers. Because I really want to make this project:

Source: houseofhepworths.com via Sarah on Pinterest

An assortment of round ornaments in wintery colors (silver, white, gold) to make one of these for next year:

Source: veetje.be via Sarah on Pinterest

Christmas lights for the tree and possibly for the house.

Winter wreath (if it's not too tacky)

What else do you scour the clearance aisles for after the holidays?

Funny guy

2011-12-07T08:28:00.001-05:00

I can pick my dad's laugh out of an audience. He laughs so loudly. And it happens all the time. Comic strip in the Sunday paper? Laughing out loud. Funny passage in the latest book he's reading? Laughing out loud. Heaven help us while watching sitcoms like Big Bang Theory. One funny line and you miss the next 30 seconds to a minute of dialogue.

Partially because of the loudness of my dad and partially because I'm just a quieter person, I rarely laugh out loud at media. Sure, I'll crack a smile at a funny book, TV show, or movie, but I don't come anywhere close to the decibel of my father.

Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good laugh, but there aren't many things that I find so hilarious to warrant an outburst. I tend to find witty or intelligent humor the most funny, but babies and animals can be pretty hilarious as well.

But this guy.

Even when I am in the worst mood ever (which he would argue happens just about every day), he knows just what to say or do to make me crack a smile, stifle back laughter, guffaw loudly, laugh until I can't breathe with tears rolling down my cheeks and the best kind of stomach ache. It's probably a good thing that we found each other: he balances my serious side so well.

In case you don't have your own hilarious partner, here are a couple other videos that I can't help but laugh at:

My other go-to for a good chuckle is The Big Bang Theory. Seriously, if you haven't watched an episode before, you are totally missing out. It is nerd humor at it's best.

This month, I'm participating in #reverbbroads11 with a lot of awesome people. Today's prompt: Who or what makes you laugh so hard that milk shoots out of your nose and why? Slapstick, dry witty comedy, your kids, Monty Python?

Although Justin Bieber* would tell me differently...

2011-12-06T08:32:00.001-05:00

As part of a month long challenge to blog daily, I am joining some honest, funny, and real women in #reverbbroads11. Day 6: List 10 things you would never do.

In no particular order, and with varying levels of seriousness, I present my list of 10 things I will NEVER do.

10. Be in Guinness Book of World Records for longest fingernails. (It's too gross to even post a picture!)

9. Swim the English Channel. (It is cold and I'm not that great a swimmer!)

8. Get any additional piercings. (One hole in each ear is plenty for me.)

7. Participate in a casino heist a la Ocean's Eleven. (That is one good looking group of people, though!)

6. Run for political office. People are mean and will look for every reason to smear you. I'm not thick-skinned enough to handle that.

5. Stand in line for midnight madness or early-bird specials on Black Friday. I can't think of anything that I would want that badly to forgo sleep over.

4. Become a crazy cat lady. Enough said.

3. Be ungrateful for my health. There are so many people who are dealing with outrageous medical bills, terminal diagnoses, and daily pain.

2. Stop being thankful for my loving husband. He is my best friend. He is loyal, hilarious, creative, and my perfect other half.

1. Take my family for granted. I would not trade these 90+ people for anything! It is amazing that we can all get together and have so much fun together. I am blessed that I have so many great relatives who have become friends over the years. (Video courtesy of my dad from our Winter 2009 family gathering at Virgina Beach, VA.)

*lame nod to "Never Say Never" by the Biebs. Add that to my list: I will never see that movie!

Wedding bells

2011-12-05T09:00:00.001-05:00

I married my best friend four and a half years ago and was blessed to have four amazing women stand with me on that day.

In the past four years, I have definitely attended my fair share of weddings, but I had only ever been in my own. I was hoping that, at some point, I'd be able to participate in someone's wedding and help make their day as memorable as mine was. As more and more of my friends started pairing off, I wondered whether I would have the opportunity to be a bridesmaid. Well, this past summer, I was in three bridal parties... in the course of 5 weeks!

I can't say that 3 weddings in 5 weeks (in two different states, three different cities) was necessarily something that I had always dreamed of doing, but I couldn't have been happier to support these three amazing women on their wedding day.

And, I'm proud to say that none of them were bride-zilla. :)

As part of a month-long blog challenge, I am responding to prompts from #reverbbroads11. Day 5, courtesy of Amy at http://2bperfectlyfrank.blogspot.com/:What is the one thing you finally did this year that you always wanted or said you were going to do, but in your heart of hearts never thought you would actually do?

"Life's a Happy Song"

2011-12-04T10:49:00.001-05:00

I have really mixed feelings about this time of year. On the one hand, I love the family gatherings, the church rituals and songs, the food, the overall good feeling of knowing that a new year is ahead. On the other hand, though, I get so annoyed with the commercialization of the holidays, the buy-buy-buy mentality that tells us that what we have isn't good enough.

If you haven't seen the new movie "The Muppets," stop reading and immediately go to the theater. It is a feel good movie that helps remind you that your friends, family, loved ones are what really make this life special.

I would love to have the Muppets star in a movie about my life, especially if someone as talented, fashionable, and cute as Amy Adams were playing me! The drama level would be just about perfect (not too much, but just enough to keep the action going), the comedy would be corny, and the music would be catchy.

I am completely blessed in my life to have wonderful family and friends, a good job, a roof over my head, food to eat, and good health. I want for next to nothing. My life is a happy song.

Now, can I borrow Amy Adams' cute costumes and hair/make-up stylists for a bit?

As part of a month-long blog challenge, I am responding to prompts from #reverbbroads11. Day 4: In the movie version of your life, which actor/actress would play you and the significant players in your life? What kind of movie is it (e.g., made-for-TV, action, emo/indie, etc.)? What would be the major plot points, and how will it end?

"I don't wanna grow up..."

2011-12-04T10:48:00.001-05:00

#reverbbroad11: Day 3: How did you become more of a grown-up this year? Or did you pull a Peter Pan and stubbornly remain childlike?

Yesterday's prompt immediately got the old Toys'R'Us commercial stuck in my head. You know the one:

Truth is, I've always acted older than my age. A friend of my husband has a theory that everyone is born one age, and you continue to act that age for most of your life. I turned 27 in March, and I have to say, so far, 27 has been a good year. I feel like my "born" age is probably somewhere close to this.

I've had some great professional successes this year. These successes felt like a big step towards being a bona fide "grown-up."

After three years of only having one car (which really wasn't too bad, most of the time), we bought our first car together in August. It was our first major purchase together, other than electronics, like our TV and laptop. Step two towards grown-up-ness.

In September, after accepting a job near my hometown and needing to move quickly, I moved back in with my parents. Two steps forward, one step back. Jared and the dog moved in with us in October, so now we're two couples sharing one roof. I am really grateful that my parents gave us the option to move in with them, but I definitely didn't think that I'd be 27, married, and living under my parents' roof again. C'est la vie.

We're now in the middle of negotiating to buy a house. It's been quite a process so far, with some great excitement, and some even greater frustrations, but the hope is that we'll get the keys to our own place on December 29.

For the past three years, we've felt like we were in limbo. We moved almost every year; we didn't feel like we had much of a community; we want kids, but aren't financially at a point where that makes sense right now.

Since returning to Ohio in September, I finally feel like we're moving forward to all of the things that we've been wanting for three years. I'm really looking forward to being able to paint the walls, garden, renovate. I know that home ownership is a lot of work, but I am really looking forward to the adventure. It seems like a HUGE grown-up step. Contrary to the commercial jingle, I'm happy to be growing up.

(I still really love toys and animated movies, though, no matter how old I get!)

Let go & live

2011-12-02T09:07:00.001-05:00

"What is the stupidest thing you did this year? What about in your whole life? You can take stupid to mean: embarrassing, dangerous, funny, lame, whatever you consider "stupid." - #reverbbroads11

Admission: I am kind of a control freak.

I kind of can't help it. It's a core part of my personality. My Myers-Briggs personality type is ISFJ: on the first three areas, I am fairly close to center on the assessment. But my "J" tendencies are strong. It suits my profession, though, because I have to remember a lot of details and be organized.

But where being a control freak fails me is in letting loose, being spontaneous & having fun.

I have to be in so much control that I don't even trust myself to have a few drinks with friends, even if I have no where to go or if someone else is going to be the designated driver.

I get really frustrated when my husband doesn't pull over and park the car when we're lost so that we can figure out exactly where we need to go without just driving around aimlessly.

I have a really hard time coming up with something spur-of-the-moment to do for fun.

I spent almost 2 years living in a place and trying to get somewhere else because I didn't like the work it was taking to form a community.

So the stupid thing that I did this year?

I didn't really let myself LIVE.

Be spontaneous.

Let loose.

Build stronger relationships.

I was too busy trying to be in control of my life.

Source: vanessachristenson.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Dear 10 year old me...

2011-12-01T12:33:00.001-05:00

Several other bloggers that I've read inspired me to try to participate in this blog writing month. Today's prompt:

December 1: #reverbbroads11 Prompt: "If the you of today could go back in time and give advice to any of the previous yous, which age would you visit and what would you tell them?"

Dear 10 year old me,

You are beautiful.

You might be the tallest girl in your class this year (which is hard to believe since you don't end up growing any more after 5th grade) and you might weigh more than a lot of the girls, and your hair is never going to be completely straight and non-poofy, but you are beautiful.

Despite what Jacob says to you on the walk home, calling you "Sarah the Sumo", you are beautiful.

And you grow up to be strong. And independent. And a handsome, musical, caring man falls in love with you.

And you get married.

And you look beautiful on your wedding day.

Sure, you will still have your insecurities and sometimes glimpses in the mirror make you cringe or point out all the areas that you would love to change.

But you are a beautiful person, inside and out.

Keep reminding yourself of that every day.

Source: health-heaven.tumblr.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Doors

2011-06-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

[source]

Please give me guidance as to which one will be opened for me in Your time.

New projects I want to do (someday)

2011-04-28T13:07:00.000-04:00

I didn't think I wanted a chaise lounge for a living room/bedroom before, but this is pretty awesome: Dining Chair to Chaise Lounge

This is a great way to use old towels: Eco-friendly Bath Mat

My 27th year

2011-03-28T11:47:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was my 27th birthday. I turned 27 on the 27th, so I expect that there are going to be some great things in store for me this year!

[source]

26 was a pretty good year, and it brought along some new experiences, such as:

I tried real sushi... and I LOVE it! In fact, I would eat it once a week if I could!
We didn't move! It was the first year since I was 18 that I didn't have to pack up my stuff and change living locations.
I presented at my first national professional conference. I should find out in the next few weeks if I will have the opportunity to do that again this year.
I joined a gym. We have had a couple of spurts of consistent attendance, but I hope to get back in the pattern (and maintain that pattern) this year.
I attended a ceremony to spread the ashes of my grandfather. I am still blessed to have both of my grandmothers still living.
I won an award from my office for being an excellent advisor. I was nominated by students and chosen by some of my coworkers and other campus faculty and staff. Because of that nomination, I was nominated for a national advising award this year, and I should find out in the next month whether I won that or not.
I helped host my first bridal shower and bachelorette party. Both were really fun and really fit the personality of each of the brides.

A couple of the new experiences that I know age 27 will bring are:

Getting my first professional massage! It's scheduled for Saturday and I can't wait!
Standing as part of the bridal party for 3 of my best friends. Before this year, I've only ever been in my own wedding!
Moving into a new place...although we're not sure yet where that is going to be...

Some of the new experiences I hope age 27 will bring are:

Presenting at least one session at the national conference in October
Traveling to Colorado for the first time (it's where the national conference is hosted this year)
Running a 5k (if I can get over the terrible shin splints I get when running)

We'll see where life leads me this year!

"And many more!"

Spring is in the air...

2011-02-14T14:11:00.000-05:00

...and I would love to make/own one of these:

[source]

Winter winnowing

2011-02-07T11:41:00.000-05:00

I will admit it: the husband and I have some slight pack-rat tendencies. Which is all fine and good, except for the fact that we only have 4 small closets and no other storage space in our rental. And except for the fact that we have moved 5 times since we got married 4 years ago. There was a tub of kitchen-related items sitting unopened for the past 1.5 years in a corner of our kitchen/dining area.

So, we finally have had enough and decided that it was time to get rid of some stuff. We emptied out that unopened tub of kitchen items, we cleaned out our closets and dresser (yes, one that we share for the both of us), and we went through the boxes stacked in our "storage" closet.

And this is what we came up with to get rid of:

Plus a few items that didn't make it in to the pile to be photographed.

It was practically perfect timing, too, since Jess over at Makeunder My Life just posted her Throw Out Fifty Things: 2011 Edition the other day. I'm not going to call our purge "spring cleaning" because, while we have had a few days with hints of spring, by the calendar it is still winter. And because I'm hoping that we will get rid of a few more things in the actual spring. While I didn't take pictures of each of the individual items we donated, here's a list of some of what we got rid of:

A vaccum
Old TV
Christmas tin that once held assorted popcorn
6 bags of clothes, shoes, and belts
13 3-ring notebooks
Assorted kitchen items including: cups, travel mugs, an extra whisk, meat tongs, a coffee maker, a duplicate can opener, a duplicate pizza cutter, an ice cream scoop (also a duplicate), storage canisters, Tupperware
Puppy house-training pads (Emma never used them, anyway)
2 plastic file holders
A Carolina Hurricanes player bobblehead
Picture frames and albums
Assorted electronic accessories (cords, chargers, etc)
Unused dog toys
A VHS movie I never liked

When I took it to the donation center, I stuffed our little car to the brim. It felt SO GOOD to get rid of so much unnecessary stuff! And since we will be moving at the end of June (our lease is up, but we're not sure of our next destination quite yet), it will be nice to know that we have a few less pounds of stuff to haul around.

I'm pretty sure we still have a few things that we can get rid of in the spring...

2 Corinthians 5:9

2011-01-30T20:02:00.000-05:00

[source, text added by me]

Isaiah 26:8

2011-01-26T10:41:00.000-05:00


[source, text added by me]

Psalm 27:14

2011-01-23T14:39:00.002-05:00

[source]

[text added by me]

Thankful #4

2010-11-04T20:32:00.001-04:00

Today I am thankful for my job. In a time when so many people are still unemployed and having difficulty finding jobs, I count myself as lucky. While I sometimes complain about aspects of my job, and while I come home exhausted almost every day, ultimately I am doing a job that I love. I am doing a job I went to (grad) school for and that pays our bills. Even though I am starting a job search again, at least I have comfort in the knowledge that I do still have a job.

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Thankful #3

2010-11-03T19:47:00.001-04:00

Today I am thankful for my dog. She is just so darn cute! And plus, she is always happy to see me when I get home from work, no matter what type of day I had. (Maybe it's just because she has to go to the bathroom, but still...) While we sometimes complain about having to make extra accomodations with her, overall, it is so great to have her around.

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Thankful #2

2010-11-02T21:43:00.001-04:00

Today I am thankful for my coworkers. We have some crazy days in the office and there is a lot expected of us on a regular basis. They are a supportive group of folks. We all are able to take a few minutes, vent, maybe share a laugh (or a few tears), and then go about our work with a smile. It makes getting up and going to work every day a little bit easier.

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Thankful month

2010-11-01T19:30:00.001-04:00

I have gotten out of the habit of posting recently, partially because of how busy work is and the fact that I have been just coming home and crashing in front of the tv most nights. So I am going to try to post a short post everyday giving thanks for something in my life. Who says you can only be thankful at Thanksgiving? I say let's try it for the whole month.

Today, I am thankful for my husband. Not only is he my best friend, but he has stood by my side faithfully over the past few years. I moved him away from friends and family, and he has had a difficult time finding jobs down here (where he isn't working 60 hours per week). He makes me laugh and I am sure that won't ever change. While our lives could have taken us in a variety of ways, I am glad our paths crossed and became entwined. I love you a lot, Jared.

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Among other things, this makes me want fall to come!

2010-09-15T11:37:00.000-04:00

File this one under "projects to complete after we buy a house":

This portable fire pit is just really pretty awesome. It looks cool, it is relatively inexpensive to make, and it can be used indoors or out!

Blog love and a confession

2010-08-19T13:53:00.000-04:00

http://newdressaday.wordpress.com/

How did I not find this blog sooner? She is undertaking this project for a year and is already on day 263! I have a lot to catch up on!

But seriously, how creative and crafty is this woman?! I have no idea how she looks at a pretty gosh-darn ugly dress and envisions it being something that looks great on her. (And, of course, there is the fact that she has the sewing skills to pull off her ideas.)

I will admit it:

I have no patience for thrift stores.

There it is. Out in the open.

I want to like thrift stores, I really do. I go into them every once in a while in search of a particular item (which is likely my problem), but I get frustrated when I can't find what I am looking for. I have donated stuff to various thrift stores and Goodwill-type organizations for as long as I can remember. And that fact alone should also let me know that there are other people like me who are donating items. Items that are clean, barely used, etc. But for some reason, I have this idea in my head that a lot of the clothes are dirty/stained/not worthy of entering my wardrobe.

I need to get over it, I think. I can hopefully gain some inspiration and confidence from the New Dress a Day project and go into a thrift store with an open mind. Perhaps one of these days I can maybe even share my own ugly-dress-to-awesome-dress transformation.

But I need to gain some patience with thrift stores first.

I'll take 'em all!

2010-08-03T21:09:00.000-04:00

I got the fall Boden catalog in the mail last week, and let me tell you, I will take one of everything! I can't wait to get back into tights, skirts, sweaters, and boots when the weather finally decides to not be in the 90s. The layering, the textures, the prints... *sigh*

Bring on the fall!

As if I wasn't already a little baby crazy...

2010-07-27T14:53:00.000-04:00

This is the cutest blog ever! I know it has been making its rounds lately, but it is too adorable not to share!

http://www.milasdaydreams.blogspot.com/

Her use of props is just amazing to me! This would be amazing to make into a photo book once the baby is a little older.

HOT!

2010-07-26T09:17:00.000-04:00

It is hot.

Hot hot hot.

100+ degrees for almost a whole week - hot.

The ice in your iced-tea melts before you can get back to your office after lunch - hot.

I don't even want to take the dog out to do her business - hot.

You are sweating after just getting out of a tepid shower - hot.

[source]

I am not cut out for summers in the South.

Great movies, even for adults!

2010-07-12T09:30:00.001-04:00

First of all, I will wholeheartedly admit that I am a sucker for animated movies. When the hubs and I saw "UP" last year on our anniversary, we both were teary at parts of the movie. Of the past 3 movies I have seen in theaters, all of them have been animated. However, I would STRONGLY suggest seeing both "Toy Story 3" and "Despicable Me" if you have the chance. Somehow the writers are able to take a "kids" movie and make it relevant to adults, too. (Even adults without kids.)

[source]

More fun projects...

2010-07-09T10:51:00.002-04:00

I really need to stop looking around the blogosphere and finding projects that I want to do, because, honestly, I think at this point, I probably have enough projects to keep me busy through several years!

Nevertheless, some of my latest finds:

Recycled Book Art

Re-upholstery Project: Chair

Lamp Re-Vamp

Subway Art

Glazed Washer Necklaces or Stamped Washer Necklaces
Infinity Dress

Plans for the weekend include hitting up some of the local thrift stores to see what fun items I can find and repurpose! Here's hoping I find some bed side tables!

Re-Design Ideas

2010-07-08T11:14:00.001-04:00

The bedroom redesign will hopefully be happening in small steps, but there probably won't be much ground until we actually buy a house -- at least a year down the road. However, here is at least one project I would like to do when we do start the redesign:

Modern Bed Skirt

(The only problem will be that our dog likes to sleep under our bed, so it will be pretty hard to keep dog hair off the bed skirt!)

Also, these prints are pretty much the exact color scheme that I would go with: blue, gray, and brown. Plus, I love the fluffy part of dandelions, so these would be great to hang on the wall:
Seeds of Freedom Print Set

Amazing!

2010-07-07T13:18:00.000-04:00

It is quite a shame that I have no birthdays/holidays/special occasions coming up in my life where I could receive one of these lovelies:

http://www.jesslc.com/collections/Franklin

I could use a reminder of any of the intentions in this collection!

Craft supplies...

2010-07-06T08:57:00.000-04:00

I really should buy a hot glue gun. It would make some of the projects I am thinking about easier than trying to hand-stitch a lot of details.

[source]

Updates: Posting, Bedroom, Giveaway

2010-07-05T10:53:00.000-04:00

First of all, this is my 70th blog post! Wow! I can't believe I've posted that many so far. I am definitely trying to still figure out my "voice", but I am enjoying using some of my creativity here in a virtual space!

Secondly, I am realizing that we need a "big kid" bedroom makeover (on little to no budget, but that's just details). We have what my supervisor calls the "post-American grad student" decor: stacked plastic crates, an unpainted and fairly beat up MDF dresser, no side tables, and a ton of stuff on the floor. Part of it is due to the fact that we are renting, so we can't build extra storage space, but a lot of it is just because we don't have the additional pieces of furniture that would pull the room together.

So, this is my thought: over the next couple months, I am hoping to hit up some of the local thrift stores, the Habitat ReStore and maybe Craigslist to find some pieces of bedroom furniture. We really need another dresser (or to figure out how to better use the one we have), and I would like some bedside tables and a headboard (which I am hoping to use an old door to create). My main thought is that, even if the pieces we end up with don't match completely, I would paint them all the same color to bring some cohesiveness to the room.

Which brings me to the giveaway (although not mine!): The lovely folks over at Fashionable Academics have partnered with CSN to do a $70 giftcard giveaway! What a great opportunity to get a piece of furniture to start my bedroom redesign! You can bet that I've already entered once (and this post will serve as my second entry), but I would be excited if someone else I knew won, as well. So head on over to enter the giveaway!

Refashion: Long-Sleeve Tee into Open Cardigan with Pocket

2010-07-03T10:59:00.001-04:00

I will be the first to admit that some clothes stay in my closet for far too long. I think the oldest item of clothing that I have I bought from the GAP in 1997. Needless to say, it is time for a fairly major wardrobe update, but I also wanted to refashion some of the items and give them at least a little bit more life.

So I started with a long-sleeved tee (that I remember taking with me on my high school trip to France) and decided to do something new with it. Enter the open cardigan. Because it is summer in NC, I haven't been getting as much use out of my regular cardigans because it is really just too hot! The ones that are light enough to wear generally are left unbuttoned, so I figured, why not just make a cardigan that is supposed to be open?!

If you want to make one for yourself, follow my first tutorial!

What you'll need:

Long-sleeved tee shirt
Scissors
Measuring tape/ruler
Pins
Sewing machine
Iron (optional)

1. Start with a long-sleeved tee that still fits, but that you are willing to use for a new purpose.

2. Lay it out flat and measure from one side seam to the other. Figure out the middle point and put a mark there. Continue up the rest of your shirt marking the middle point so that eventually you can cut a straight line. (Or, if your shirt is slightly ribbed, like mine was, just keep your eye on the correct rib and cut carefully up the middle.) You should end up with something that looks like this:

3. Put on the shirt and figure out where you would want the sleeves to end. I measured to the middle of my elbow, so once I hemmed the sleeves, they stop just above my elbow. If you want your sleeves to be longer, measure them longer. (I found it easiest to just measure from the armpit and then cut straight across.) Do this for both sleeves.

4. I decided that I wanted my cardigan to have pockets, so I used the bottom part of the sleeves that I cut off for that fabric. Flip the bottom sleeve fabric inside out and cut out the seam, so that you end up with one solid piece of fabric.

5. Since the bottom of the sleeve is already hemmed, I used that for the top part of the pocket (hey, anything for a few less stitches!). I used a food storage container to trace my pockets because I liked the shape, but feel free to use whatever shape you want for your pockets. (From a sewing perspective, it would be easiest to do just square pockets.) If you don't want to make pockets, you could use the extra sleeve material to make ruffles/flowers/a braided edge/whatever your heart desires. I just happen to really like pockets.

6. (I didn't take pictures of this next part. Sorry!) Now you have all of the pieces that you are going to need. If you like the look of the raw edges, don't do anything else with the cuts that you made down the middle of your shirt or on the sleeves. I chose to hem the middle cut and the sleeves with just a straight stitch. Be sure to anchor your stitches by going back and forth a couple times with your sewing machine, especially on the parts that are already hemmed from your original shirt. I also ran a stitch around the outside of the pockets to make them easier to turn under in the next step (the zigzag stitch was just for decoration since I was sewing with a contrasting thread color).

7. I ironed the outside seams of the pockets to make them easier to pin and sew on later.

8. Pin your pocket on your cardigan wherever you want it, sew it on, and voila! You're done!

(I originally cut out two pockets, but I decided that I just wanted to attach one at this point. I like the asymmetric-ness of it.)

I was going to model it for you all, but I am still in my pajamas this morning, and frankly, that is okay by me!

I am linking to

My first tutorial... maybe?

2010-07-02T08:31:00.000-04:00

So, I started a project this past week that I am hoping to finish up either tonight or tomorrow. I have taken pictures along the way to show how I made it. The hope is that I will get everything done and edited so that I can post over at Along for the Ride tomorrow!

Clapboard cabin by the water

2010-07-01T11:47:00.001-04:00

My family was never really one for doing big, elaborate vacations each year. Most of our travel has been to visit relatives (of which I have plenty!) or on school trips. For some reason, though, this heat and crazy weather has really gotten me pining for a small, weather-worn cabin secluded in the woods or on a deserted stretch of beach. The only items on the agenda would be catching up on some good novels, taking naps in a hammock, and enjoying some good food and drink with family and/or friends.

Perhaps that is the inspiration for the new layout. I am feeling a little worn and in need of a good, relaxing vacation. At least I can have some moments of respite each day as I read through all of your lovely blogs!

Vacation Dreams

2010-07-01T10:55:00.001-04:00

For this long weekend, I would love to be here:

[source]

Alas, I will just be at home.

Hopefully I can catch some fireworks, at least.

And maybe work on some craft projects.

More re-fashions and DIY Inspirations

2010-06-29T15:18:00.001-04:00

The final result of this project is so cute, but may be beyond my beginner sewing skills at this point: Ruffled Top from Mens Shirt

This shirt could be a little more along the lines of my sewing abilities: Braided Tee Refashion

I would probably make this from a non-shiny fabric and make it a bit longer so it was work-appropriate (but I love pockets!): Pocket Skirt

And another cute skirt project from a button-down men's shirt: Striped skirt

A cute ruffle-y tank DIY: Ruffle Tank

I should find some old sheets to try out this cute full skirt: Circle Skirt

Space-saving and crafty!

2010-06-25T16:35:00.001-04:00

Some people are almost too creative for their own good! (Translation: Why didn't I think of this?!) I would love to have a couple of these for our bedroom... and when we have extra guests, just bring them downstairs!

Bedside Chair Project

Pie-in-a-Jar!

2010-06-25T08:34:00.000-04:00

This is such an amazing idea! I would have never known that you could bake mini-pies in mason jars!

Tiny Tarts: How to make Pie in a Jar

Summer shoes

2010-06-19T10:04:00.002-04:00

Since all through college I never really had a summer "office" job (I painted fire hydrants one summer and works for the parks department in two others), I don't really have a big selection of summer work clothes. It has been an ongoing process to improve my professional wardrobe, and I think these shoes would be good additions to my collection!

[source]

Now, if I can only convince the hubby, who already thinks I own too many shoes...

Inspiration

2010-06-17T08:53:00.002-04:00

There are so many people out there making super-crafty things! One of these days I will get around to being crafty on a more regular basis. Until then, I'll just start my on-going list of what I would like to make at some point.

For as much layering as I do, I should make some of these: Anti-layer tube top

I also am loving the J-Crew knock-off here: J-Crew knock off

This coffee cup cozy is super cute and would make a great gift: Coffee Cozy

I was thinking that this could be cute on a jersey dress: Paisley T-Shirt

This could be a really cute summer skirt: Split Skirt

When I (or any of my friends) have a baby, I would want to make some of these: Ruffle Onesie or these: Tie Onesie

This is a pretty cool idea: Milk jug curtain

Enough ideas for today... it would probably take me several months to get all of those projects done anyway!

Farmer's Market and Blueberries

2010-06-11T10:21:00.001-04:00

Summer is here, and that means an abundance of fresh produce at the farmer's market! This past weekend, we drove to the state farmer's market and came home with a lot of food. We bought:

6 ears of corn

3 bunches of beets

3 cucumbers

2 zucchini and 2 summer squash

2 tomatoes

a bunch of string beans

2 pints of blueberries

1 pint of peaches

And it was all only $20! Amazing!

(By the way, all the blueberries are gone: I ate an entire pint by myself in 2 days!)

[source]

Spring has sprung!

2010-03-29T20:30:00.000-04:00

One of the interesting things about moving into a house during the summer is that you don't know what types of spring flowers will grow! We found out that there are some daffodils planted in our front planter, although, compared to other daffodils in the area, ours were pretty puny. In fact, we only ended up with 2 blooms. And thanks to the crazy weather (hot, then cold, then rainy, then windy, etc), the blooms have already withered, so we just have some green spiky leaves. But for a couple days, we had two daffodils in our front yard.

See you next spring, daffodils!

Running with dogs

2010-03-24T20:31:00.000-04:00

Before I start, let me just say that I am definitely NOT a runner. I have a goal to complete a 5k before September 2011, but I have not even really started on the road to running.

Tonight I went for a walk with the pup. Our regular loop is about 1.5 miles. On occasion, I get the urge to do a little jogging, but because I am so out of shape (and spring allergies don't really help either), I cannot maintain a jog for very long. Tonight we walked the first half of the loop, and then I alternated running a block and walking a block until we made it home for the second half of the loop.

On top of me not being a runner, here are two big challenges when running with our dog:

1. Her natural gait is about 7-8 miles per hour. My dad clocked her with the spedometer on his bike one time. Even if I were an in-shape jogger, that would be a pretty decent pace! (Her top speed, at a full sprint going downhill, is 18 mph.)

Here they are gearing up for a bike ride: My dad and Emma

2. She is a herding breed. Her natural instinct is to chase things that are running and to get them to go where she wants. So, when I start running, she generally tries to jump onto my leg. That really throws a wrench in trying to have an okay running form. I will say that she is getting better at this, but sometimes she just can't help herself.

Emma chases after everything... even waves

On the plus side, running makes her much more tired, so once I get my stamina built up, this will be a great doggy-calming technique. Until then, I will deal with the sore quads... not from running, but from being herded.

"Can I get an S?"

2010-03-23T19:43:00.000-04:00

One of my life goals is to be on Wheel of Fortune. While I can generally do pretty well on Jeopardy, I am always able to figure out the Wheel puzzles.

(And I would never waste good money buying vowels!)

B-i-B envy!

2010-03-22T16:04:00.000-04:00

Those of you who know me probably know of my love of books. I love reading them, looking at them, smelling them. So it would make a lot of sense that I greatly desire a wall-to-wall built-in bookcase. Here are some that I am inspired by:

[source]

Pup-date

2010-03-21T19:44:00.000-04:00

Pup-date, you know, an update about the pup. (Please excuse that terrible word-play; I have been unable to fully breathe since Wednesday of last week due to a cold/allergies hitting in full force.)

I just thought I would share a few more pictures of our pup. She is turning 3 in about a month and is starting to calm down a little bit (haha). I guess the beauty of Australian Cattle dogs is that they are high energy for almost their entire lives. She will definitely continue to keep us on our toes.

Emma really loves peanut butter, and since it takes us a really long time to finish a container of peanut butter, she rarely gets her all-time favorite treat: the peanut butter container to lick out! But when she does, look out! It keeps her busy for quite a while.

She is one spoiled little dog!

Yes, please!

2010-03-20T11:00:00.001-04:00

Once I get to feeling better, I am going to go purchase a pair of these for myself:

[source]

I would also take them in yellow, but that may be a little excessive. (Perhaps during a BOGO sale, though...)

Better late than never

2010-03-20T10:55:00.000-04:00

Our dog, Emma, loves Christmas. It's not that we get her any extra-special gifts that we wouldn't give her at any other time of year. Her favorite part, truly, is all of the extra paper around that she can shred!

Merry Christmas and Happy Spring Cleaning!

Luck o' the Irish!

2010-03-17T08:59:00.000-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all!

[source]

While I have no intention of consuming any green beer or corned beef and cabbage today, here's to hoping for another year of good luck, love, and loyalty.

Things I am Loving Recently

2010-03-16T11:27:00.000-04:00

First of all, I am SO glad that it is going to officially be spring on Saturday! Of course, it first means that my birthday is soon, but it also means that the weather is getting warmer and everything is turning green again!

So, to continue the celebration of things I love, I give you the following:

1. The color orange

[source]
There is just something so cheery about this color! I have been loving my rust-colored cable-knit tights this winter and am looking forward to breaking out my orange t-shirt a little more often in the spring.

2. Blue cheese chips from The Loop

[source - Or you could make them at home from this recipe!]
The melty, but tangy cheese, the warm chips... what is not to love?! (All things in moderation, however, as I am sure these are definitely not low-fat!)

3. The Big Bang Theory

[source]

A co-worker lent us the DVDs of the first two seasons and this is a sitcom right up my ally! Witty but smart humor and a great ensemble cast. We are now recording the current season on DVR (if we don't get to them on Monday nights!) and may consider purchasing our own versions of the first two seasons. If you are a little bit nerdy (come on, admit it), you should check this out!

Books, books, books

2010-03-13T13:51:00.000-05:00

One of my 101 goals is to read all of the books that are on my bookshelf that I haven't read before.

YIKES!

That is a lot of reading to do (and that isn't even all of them). Better get started...

Crafty!

2010-03-12T21:53:00.001-05:00

So, I have been working on a few small craft projects recently. I made a few more of the ribbon necklaces like I posted about before and gave them to a couple of my co-workers.

I also followed A's DIY tutorial over at academichic.com to create an embellished t-shirt for spring. I got the base shirt for about $10 at Target and cut up an old tank top that didn't really fit anymore (and was practically the exact same color) for the flowers. The flowers are about 3 different sizes and I attached 5 total, working from smallest by my shoulder to largest at the bottom. The shirt was definitely a departure from my general wardrobe, but the shirt was the perfect pop of spring on a rainy Friday at work! Perhaps I will add some more fun embellishments to some other t-shirts for this spring...

It has been fun to stretch my creative and artistic side a bit more recently (especially when I spend most of my work days doing very similar tasks). We'll see what fun project I come up with next! I did pick up some canvases to potentially make some art for my office walls...

Cross another one off the list!

2010-02-28T16:56:00.004-05:00

46. ~~Try sushi.~~
So, I did it. I tried sushi while at lunch with other sushi veterans yesterday. I was not terribly adventurous, but I did have a California roll and a Boston roll. Nothing raw yet, and actually not even any real fish. But I have at least tried!

photo via Google Images

Beautiful Blog Award

2010-02-28T15:43:00.005-05:00

The wonderful Laura over at Along For the Ride was kind to nominate me for the beautiful blog award.

Here are the rules for the award:
Thank the person who nominated you and link to their blog.
Copy the award and paste it to your blog.
Tell us 7 interesting facts about yourself.
Nominate 7 bloggers that you love and link to their blog.

So here are my 7 interesting facts:

1. I met the man who would become my husband at a church conference in Washington, D.C. He wasn't even planning to go, but a friend told him she had a dream he would meet his wife there, so he went. Lucky me!

2. My mom is one of 11 kids, so there are more than 80 people on that side of my family. My dad is an only child. My family tree would definitely fall heavily to one side in a wind storm!

3. I got my first official job offer 2 weeks before they wanted me to start. We packed up our apartment and moved 3 states away in a total of 10 days. It was craziness.

4. I have always been an alto. I think harmony is so much more interesting than the melody; if a song doesn't have a written harmony, I will usually just make one up.

5. Recently I have been reading mostly memoirs. The memoir is my new favorite genre.

6. I never really liked basketball until I started working at this university.

7. I have 4 different pairs of glasses so that I can generally match what I am wearing on a particular day.

My nominations are:

Stef - My Coffee Break
Carrie - Ruby
Sarah - Driftwood
Sarah and Dom - Our Experiential Learning
Jillian - Changing
Robbie - Off the Deep End
Kristen - Whatever Is Of Worth

101 in 1001 Revision

2010-02-21T19:07:00.028-05:00

Okay, so, it is about halfway through my 1001 days, and I will fully admit that I have not been intentional about completing these goals at all. And some of these goals have become nearly impossible to meet given other circumstances that have evolved over the past year. So I would like to propose a revision to some and update the ones that have been completed.

Love and Marriage

1. Go on a vacation with Jared and without the dog.

2. ~~Have at least one date with Jared a month.~~

3. Take a weekend adventure with Jared at least every 6 months.

4. Watch the sun rise and set with Jared on the beach.

5. Print wedding photos and complete an album.

6. Go on a picnic with Jared and use the picnic basket we got as a wedding gift.

7. Take goofy photobooth pictures with Jared.

Friends and Family

8. Call at least one friend to catch up.

9. Send out Christmas cards in 2010.

10. Get together with family at least once every 6 months for dinner.

11. Print family pictures to hang up.

12. Go one week without logging into Facebook. (0/7 days)

13. Make Emma organic dog treats.

14. Participate in at least one fly-ball tournament with Emma.

15. ~~Talk to my brother on the phone.~~

16. ~~Talk to my parents at least once a month on the phone.~~

17. Send birthday cards to at least 12 friends before their birthday. (1/12)

Body and Mind

18. Lose at least 20 pounds.

19. Take a yoga class.

20. Take a dance class.

21. Visit 2 historical sites in North Carolina.

22. Run in a 5K race.

23. Read a Jane Austen book.

24. Attend a theater performance.

25. Get a professional massage.

26. Start and finish the 100 push-up challenge (http://www.hundredpushups.com/)

27. Learn to play the mandolin.

28. Take a Spanish class.

29. Become CPR and First Aid certified again.

30. Join or start a book club.

31. Read all of the books on my bookshelf that I haven’t read.

32. Learn some basic American Sign Language.

33. Host a game night.

34. Research at least 3 PhD programs.

35. Learn to drive a stick shift.

36. Complete the Couch to 5K Running Plan. http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

37. ~~Have a physical performed once a year.~~

38. ~~Get my vision checked once a year.~~

39. ~~Get back in the habit of going to the dentist every 6 months.~~

40. Take a mental health day from work.

41. Buy one of the Biggest Loser DVDs and complete the workout 3 times a week for a month. (0/11 days) (Bought the DVDs, but haven't done more than 2 or 3 workouts)

42. Be able to label a map of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

43. Give up drinking soda for one month. (0/31 days)

44. Ride my bike to work at least once.

45. Get a library card.

46. ~~Try sushi.~~

47. Buy eco-friendly gifts for Christmas 2010 or donate to charities.

48. Volunteer at an animal shelter.

49. Start a scrapbook.

Spiritual

50. Find a church home where Jared and I can attend together.

51. Tithe once a week to that church home.

52. Join a small group.

53. Read the entire Bible. (0/66 books)

Travel

54. Renew my passport.

55. Visit at least 3 more states that I have never been to before. (0/3 states)

56. Take a hot air balloon ride.

57. Go camping in the NC mountains.

58. ~~Fly a kite on the beach.~~

59. Go to the Biltmore Mansion.

60. Take the train to Washington DC, Philadelphia or NYC.

61. Go apple picking in the fall.

62. Visit Kitty Hawk.

Household

63. Plant a garden and grow vegetables and herbs for a summer.

64. ~~Save at least $400 a month for a down payment on a house.~~

65. Go to the farmer’s market once a week for a month to buy produce. (0/4 weeks)

66. Go for a whole month without letting the dishes pile up in the sink. (0/31 days)

67. Make homemade pasta.

68. Use my sewing machine for at least one project.

69. Buy a hybrid vehicle.

70. Eat two new vegetables I have never had before. (0/2)

71. Eat meat-free meals for a week. (0/21 meals)

72. ~~Pay off credit card.~~

73. ~~Cook a crock-pot meal.~~

74. Replace all of the light bulbs in our house with energy-saving bulbs.

75. Bake and ice cupcakes.

76. ~~Go pumpkin picking and carve Jack-o-Lanterns at Halloween.~~

77. Organize our filing system so that we can actually keep track of things!

78. Replace all of the batteries in our house with rechargeable ones.

79. ~~Find a house to rent.~~

80. Pay off my student loan.

Entertainment

81. Watch at least 5 classic movies I have never seen. (0/5)

82. ~~Attend at least 10 Durham Bulls games.~~

83. ~~Attend at least 2 Carolina Hurricanes games.~~

84. ~~Go to a UNC basketball game.~~

85. ~~Go to the North Carolina State Fair.~~

86. Go to an OU football game with Jared.

87. Host a murder-mystery dinner party.

88. Host an Iron Chef-inspired party.

89. Go to a wine tasting at a local vineyard.

90. Eat at Babaghanouj.

91. Go to an outdoor concert.

92. Write one blog post per day for a month. (0/31 days)

Professional

93. Give a presentation at a professional conference. (Hopefully will happen in October! We submitted two proposals.)

94. Take a course, seminar, or workshop on grant writing.

95. Hang some art on the walls in my office.

96. ~~Get a live plant for my office.~~

97. Write an essay for The Mentor.

98. Write an essay for About Campus.

99. Create some resources for undecided students for my office.

100. Update my resume.

101. Host a party when I complete the last task on my list!

Crafting

2010-02-20T12:12:00.007-05:00

Last weekend, I channeled my inner LCD, who is probably the most creative person I know.

I saw this necklace and first thought, "That is really cool. I want one." And then I thought, "Wait, I could probably make that!"

So I bought some ribbon and some beads and this is what I ended up with:

The top one is brown ribbon with large blue-gray glass beads, and the bottom is purple ribbon with medium-sized silver beads. They were really easy to make and could really be tailored to whatever color combination and bead texture you would want. I already have a few coworkers who either want to learn how to make them or just have me make some for them!

I feel a project coming on...

2009-11-23T11:18:00.003-05:00

I think I might have to make a few of these for my office. They seem like just the right thing.

I think I may go with three square-ish canvases and a greenish-blue theme. We'll see where this goes!

(images and inspiriation from Jess at http://makeundermylife.com/ )

DVR has changed my life

2009-09-07T16:06:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Really, I feel like I don't really have much of anything exciting to update about. We moved into our rental house and have been working on getting everything unpacked and organized around here. The problem is that we don't have much storage space in the house, but we are trying to be creative. We definitely have much more space overall than in our apartment (and it is SO much nicer to not have neighbors right on top or underneath us!).

One of the changes we did make after the move was in our cable service. Our house is in an area that is actually serviced by two different cable companies and it ended up being cheaper for us to switch from our old service. In addition, we also picked up DVR service. Now, some of my friends had talked about how great DVR was before we got it, and I was just like, "Yeah, whatever, it can't be that great." Boy, was I wrong! Because J and I tend to go to bed pretty early and all of the great shows come on at 10 p.m., we no longer have to choose between staying up and getting to watch the shows we want! It also solves the problem of the terrible TV programming before 8 p.m., so we can watch a show we want instead of just settling for a show that isn't the worst.

I already have all of my shows for the fall set to record the series. Yep, I am definitely a convert!

Dear body...

2009-07-21T16:15:00.003-04:00

Dear body,

We have got to get this under control. Time to stop eating junk and actually get out for some exercise. Maybe even start running like we have said we would for years (even if I say I hate it). We need to buy work pants for fall and I refuse to get a size larger. We have a selection of skirts in the closet that don't fit, and that is ridiculous. Get back to a place where you can wear them!

Most of all, stop making excuses for why we aren't working out or eating better. No one else really cares what we look like, but we have got to be comfortable in our own skin.

Yours truly,

Sarah

If given the chance, you've gotta try this!

2009-06-29T11:36:00.004-04:00

Normally, I am not much of an eggs benedict fan, but I was feeling adventurous at brunch yesterday and ordered crab cake eggs benedict. OH. MY. GOSH. SO. GOOD! (Note, this is not a picture of my actual plate, but I felt like this post couldn't go without a visual.)

If you have the chance, take the risk and try it. You won't regret it!

I can't even imagine what this would be like with fresh-caught crab... I may be drooling a little just thinking about it!

Current favorites and things I could do without right now

2009-06-25T13:59:00.003-04:00

Favorites:

1) First-year orientation. It is great to be a part of welcoming all these new students to campus! (And it gives me something to do 4 days a week!)
2) Rita's Ice. See previous post about that one. Yum!
3) Preparing to move in 2 weeks! I cannot wait to be out of our current apartment and into the house we are renting!
4) Carrboro Farmer's Market. They had blueberries, blackberries, and corn last week. Where I come from, those are August foods!
5) Summer talent shows: SYTYCD, America's Got Talent, Top Chef Masters

Things I could do without:

1) Mosquitoes. I cannot even eat lunch outside without becoming lunch for these pests! And these are much more fierce than Ohio mosquitoes... the bites swell even bigger than I am used to.
2) Slow weeks at work.
3) My lack of hairstyle. My hair ends up in a ponytail or messy bun almost every day. This has got to change!
4) My apartment complex. It is time for this relationship to be over. Too bad they have ridiculous policies and we can't end our lease 8 days early!
5) Really hot, humid weather.

I need to get out more!

2009-06-15T16:18:00.001-04:00

We have lived in the Triangle area for almost a year now... and have only done 2 of the things on this list! (Well, maybe 2.5, if you count watching an outdoor movie at the art museum.)

Anyone want to come visit to go exploring together?

Rita's

2009-06-15T14:01:00.002-04:00

I love Rita's Ice. It came as quite a surprise when we stumbled upon the Rita's in Carrboro after our move: our favorite cold dessert place in one of our favorite towns! Of course, Rita's carries a lot of great memories for me, especially after all of the Tuesday night dollar movie and Rita's nights with Megan. There is just something great about that cold, gritty (in a good way), sweet frozen ice and the combination of the smooth frozen custard (clearly my preference is for the Gelati)

Rita's just really says "summer" for me. Check out their web site to see if there is one near you... you won't be sorry!

I guess I thought this would just happen automatically...

2009-06-07T12:08:00.004-04:00

FYI ladies who have gotten married and changed your last name: You actually need to contact the credit reporting agencies to change your name on your credit reports. And actually, if you request a credit report under your new name, it says that they can't find you. Yikes!

For more information, and a form letter to send to the big 3 credit agencies, check out this article: http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/forms/credit-report-name-change.asp
I guess after 2 years, there are still people I have to tell about my name change!

You have to see this movie!

2009-06-03T11:13:00.007-04:00

Jared and I went to see Pixar's newest release "UP" over the weekend. OH MY GOSH! I am generally a really big fan of animated movies anyway, but this was just awesome. While it can definitely be a kids movie, I think the adults in the audience were touched even more. Perhaps it was because of our wedding anniversary and thoughts about how we have been spending our time, but we both ended up crying at one part. Heck, if I even think about it right now, I get a little teary! It is amazing the things that Pixar is able to bring up in an animated movie; it probably goes over most kids' heads, but the adults definitely get it.

On top of being a good story, the 3D animation is pretty awesome. I will definitely buy this movie when it comes out on DVD, but it just won't be quite the same without those awesome 3D glasses!

And Jared, thanks for the adventure. :)

Remind me why I quit?

2009-05-29T21:02:00.002-04:00

In fourth grade, I played the cello. I quit the following year because I didn't like carrying it to school every other day each week for orchestra rehearsal at school.

Then, in sixth grade, I started playing the flute. It fit in my backpack, so I played until my senior year in high school.

I have sang almost my entire life, and conveniently, my instrument stays with me all the time.

No one ever made me take piano lessons or really learn how to play piano.

When I see things like this, I get slightly upset at myself for quitting or not learning more. At least there are people like this who are talented and passionate about the music they produce.

Haircut?

2009-05-26T15:29:00.003-04:00

So, I saw "Night at the Museum 2: Battle at the Smithsonian" over the weekend, which was pretty great. Some good laughs. But what I was totally smitten with was Amy Adams' Amelia Earhart hair cut!

I have been considering a shorter cut for a while and her hair thickness and texture seem to be sort of the same as mine. It may take a little more finger-styling and frizz-control than I am used to, but this may be a good start for talking with a stylist about what I want.

Any thoughts from the peanut gallery?

Wordle is the word!

2009-05-19T15:37:00.003-04:00

I am really excited about a new internet find (for me anyway... cooler people probably knew about this a long time ago): wordle.net Described as a "word cloud" generator, you enter text that you want "analyzed" and voila! A really cool word picture! Check out some of the ones I created earlier (PDFs... you can't save them as jpg files... bummer):

http://sjmoyer.googlepages.com/wordles

I think my favorite is the UNC Mission Statement... it just so happened that they put the word "university" so that it looks like it is dumping all of the other stuff out! It seems so fitting for the word.

"This is the dawning of the age of asparagus, age of asparagus..."

2009-04-22T08:54:00.007-04:00

My thanks and love to Jared for the title of today's post. He walks around our apartment singing all of the time, and now that spring is here (and he works at a grocery store), this was the tune of the past week. I can just picture stalks of asparagus dancing around in hippie clothes, their tender shoots waving in the wind... anyway, I digress.

Spring has sprung in a big way down south. The azaleas have bloomed at the Old Well (I will try to remember my camera one of these days to snatch a picture or two). The wisteria have covered the trees and their blooms hang like lavender grapes high above the ground. Most mornings we wake up with a fine yellow-green dust covering everything; there are so many trees that give off pollen, you can often see it floating in the air! It is pretty amazing.

It is supposed to be almost 90 degrees this weekend. I definitely have a trip to the farmer's market planned this weekend: it is strawberry season!!

Hilarious!

2009-04-14T08:44:00.003-04:00

My dad showed me this over the weekend and I just about died laughing. Now, if only I could teach Emma to herd in patterns...

Alter ego

2009-04-09T11:32:00.002-04:00

I decided that I don't have enough focus in this blog. I am trying to use it for both social and professional purposes, but I am not doing either very successfully! So I created an alter ego: Undecidedly Advising. I plan to use that for more of my professional pursuits and I will keep my social side going here.

National Champions!

2009-04-08T10:59:00.002-04:00

Campus has been a-buzz over the past week with NCAA Basketball fever. And now that we have clinched the championship...

... things are pretty much back to normal.

I watched the game from the comfort of our living room. Not being one for crowds (especially drunken ones), I chose to avoid the Franklin Street chaos. For those of you who haven't witnessed any of the pictures or videos of this crazy tradition, I share with you these:

Timelapse: Franklin Street after the victory from The Daily Tar Heel on Vimeo.

Franklin Street: The Celebration from The Daily Tar Heel on Vimeo.

Is it really almost Easter already?

2009-03-29T16:48:00.002-04:00

First of all, thanks for the birthday wishes this past week. I can now officially rent a car, so I guess that's pretty exciting. Aside from a cold and some random allergic reaction, it was a low-key birthday, but Jared is the best husband. He got me a new mp3 player with video and FM radio capabilities to replace my iPod mini that died last year. Additionally, he made me dinner and got me cake and ice cream. I really can't complain at all!

Now on to the real subject: Easter, but more broadly, church.

Before we moved, we had been pretty involved at LUMC, mostly because we were leading the WOW service on Wednesday nights. We also kept up our ties at ELC since we had some great friends there. I don't think that either of us really felt like our spiritual needs were being completely fed at either place, but the church families that we developed were great.

Since we moved, we have been church shopping on and off now for about 7 months. It has been a lot harder since Jared had to work on Sunday mornings for quite a few months, and I really would prefer to try to find a church home with him. We have gone to small churches and huge churches, Methodist, Presbyterian, Pentacostal, non-denominational, traditional worship, contemporary worship, and some blended services. Some of the churches have been really welcoming, others we have sat in the pews without anyone even saying hello. All in all, it has been a frustrating process that we're still not through with yet because we haven't completely found a place to settle.

I would be so happy if I could find a place like theWELL, but I know that probably doesn't really exist around here. I like hymns and all, but I find a more personal connection with contemporary worship; there are not a lot of mainstream denominational churches around here that do contemporary worship. I would like to find a church family with a thriving younger adult/college & career group for us to get involved in; for most of my life, many of my best friends have been people I have met through church, and I really would like to meet some more people in the area that we can be friends with as a couple. I really enjoyed being involved as part of the advisory team for the high school youth when Jared was youth director and would love to find that opportunity again. I have enjoyed helping out with Vacation Bible School in the past and wouldn't mind having that opportunity again. I know that a lot of those types of opportunities are probably available if we can find a place that we want to keep attending.

In the past, so much of my calendar awareness was based on the Church calendar: Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, etc. Since we have not fallen into a church pattern, my calendar now seems to be dictated by the academic calendar (registration time, summer orientation, beginning of the semester, etc); perhaps part of that has to do with the fact that I am just experiencing the academic year at my new job for the first time and am still trying to get a feel for the rhythm.

I definitely feel like I am in a dry spell spiritually. I loaded up my new mp3 player with a lot of Christian music, which has been a nice centering agent to my mornings and afternoons, but I need more. I would like to get involved in a small group or Bible study, and to be challenged by the weekly message during the church service. Perhaps during the next few months as we continue to settle in to our new lives in NC that can happen... I hope so anyway.

Job security?

2009-03-21T22:07:00.003-04:00

Everyone pretty much knows what the economy is doing these days. Seeing as how I have never taken an econ course in my academic career, I won't even try to explain my thoughts on what is going on with the financial market. Even though we are in a pretty okay place financially, I have felt a slight edge of the budget cuts, tightened credit, and unemployment rates.

I am grateful that I have a good job right now. My heart goes out for all of the students who will be graduating this year and trying to enter the job market. More specifically, I am hoping for the best for all of my BG friends trying to enter the higher ed. job market in May after graduation. Last year, my cohort had the advantage of being able to say, "I am primarily looking for jobs in in ." And most of us ended up in a place that we wanted to be, at least right out of grad school. This year, a lot of the cohort is just basically saying, "I am primarily looking for a job!" They don't have the luxury of picking what functional area they would prefer to work in or what geographical region they would like to live in; if they are lucky, they will end up with at least one of their preferences met. The job search was hard enough last year when there were jobs available; now that many universities are having to impose hiring freezes, there are far fewer opportunities available.

Since I work at a state university, we were told in January that our budget was going to be cut for this academic year and also for the 2009-2010 academic year. For my particular office, those budget cuts have meant that instead of hiring 5 advisors, one to replace a position that was vacated and four new positions, we are only able to hire one person. And even that isn't completely finalized yet. The governor issued her projected budget proposal the other day and education across the state was spared some of the larger cuts, but it still is going to change the operations of the university. I was asked to be on an internal task force in my office to help come up with ideas of how to continue to provide good service to more students with fewer resources; we are looking at using more technology, larger group advising sessions, and partnerships with other campus resources to continue to meet the needs of the 13,000+ students that are served through our office. But even with all of these ideas in place, we are still going to feel the stress of serving an average of 540 students per advisor for the next couple years before we can hire more full-time advisors. At least we have jobs, I guess.

Although I am one of the newest to join the department, I have been told that I don't really have to worry about losing my job. It gets scary to think about what would happen if I did, but I'm not letting myself think about it; there is no use living in that fear. I will just continue to do my job to the best of my ability and hope that my efforts result in job security.

So little to do, so much time... wait, reverse that...

2009-03-11T13:32:00.004-04:00

I think this recurring hiatus is why I stopped blogging a while back. I have all sorts of ideas of things that I want to write about, but I don't usually have time to write anything while I am at work (nor should I really be spending my work time updating my blog anyway), and once I get home, I just want to veg and not do anything.

I will try to do better than a once-a-month update, but in my defense, February was a short month!

Since I haven't updated everyone on the status of my 101 things in 1001 days, here it is:

#2: Seeing as how February is the month for at least one date, I can check this one off my list. For Valentine's day, we actually celebrated mostly on the 13th. Jared picked me up from work, we went out to dinner, then got some yummy gelato at Sugarland and then went to see the planetarium show at the Morehead. It was pretty cool. On the actual Valentine's day, Jared worked until the afternoon, so I went out to brunch and a movie with some of my friends from work, and then came home to make Jared and I a tasty dinner.

#10: We got together for dinner with my cousin and her husband who live nearby, and my other cousin and her kids who were down visiting for the week! I really like living close to family. This weekend I am heading to PA for another cousin's wedding and am driving up there with my aunt and uncle who live about an hour from us. It should be some great family fun.

#15: This one maybe shouldn't have even ended up on the list because I talk to my parents fairly often. Oh well, I still like being able to make that check mark!

#16: I didn't call my brother in January or February, but I did give him a call the other day. Since he isn't exactly a wordsmith, our conversation was short, but we at least got to talk a bit.

#17: I sent a birthday card to one of my co-workers from BGSU. (I sent it to her office at work... hopefully she got it!)

#72: Pay off credit card -- partially. Jared officially paid the last on his credit card on February 27! Now we will double the payments that we have been making on my card and hopefully have it done by the end of the year! After watching "Maxed Out" a few weeks ago, I at least feel really good knowing that we are far below the national average of credit card debt for our household.

#96: Get a live plant for my office -- DONE! Thanks to the generosity of one of my co-workers, I inherited a zebra plant that is doing quite well in my window. I probably need to re-pot it and give its long branches some support, but I will get there.

This last one is probably the most exciting:

#79: Find a house to rent -- DONE! We will be moving out of our apartment in July and into a cute 2-story 2 bedroom house. We signed a lease for two years, so we won't have to move again for a while after moving in. After that two years is up, who knows what we will be doing, but at least we have a roof over our heads for a few more years!

25 things about me

2009-02-15T16:00:00.003-05:00

I have been tagged enough by people on Facebook to do this, so I guess I finally will. (Plus it's not like I've been updating here on a regular basis anyway, so I may as well write something!)

1) I really like to be in control of myself. This is partly why I've never been drunk, hate roller coasters, and don't enjoy gambling.

2) I really would like to get another dog. Not a "matchy-matchy" dog, but one that pairs well with Emma.

3) I want to have kids. 2 or 4 probably, not 3 (so there isn't a middle child) unless we had twins.

4) I am trying not to use a lot of my vacation and sick days so I can build up time for maternity leave, even though we aren't planning to have kids for at least a few more years.

5) I cannot wait to have a house of our own. I would really like to paint walls and have built-in bookshelves.

6) While I cannot wait to have a house, I pretty much hate housework. I try to blame our dog for our house being messy, but it really is mostly my fault.

7) A boy in my 5th grade class called me "Sarah the Sumo" almost every day when I would walk home. I still think about that when I'm having a "fat" day.

8) There are very few things that I miss about being in Ohio. I thought moving away from home would be harder than this.

9) At the same time, I would love to get a job at one of several colleges or universities in Ohio later in my career.

10) I have mixed feelings about going back to get my PhD. Some days I think I would love to get back in the classroom learning and have the option of teaching in a grad prep program. Other days I don't really want to have a job that would require me to have a PhD.

11) I go to bed at or before 10:00 p.m. almost every night. I have a really hard time staying up past then.

12) Since we moved, I have been asked on at least 5 occassions if I am more than 21 years old. Apparently I look quite a few years younger than the 25 that I will be turning at the end of March.

13) My summer jobs in Gahanna gave me a love of horticulture. I sometimes find myself missing being able to landscape and prune shrubs/bushes/trees and getting my hands really dirty.

14) I feel like a black sheep in my husband's family because very few of them have even been to college and I have a Master's degree. And I made Jared move out of Ohio.

15) I don't really think that my family understands what I do.

16) My faith was really strong when I was in college because I was surrounded by other people who had really strong faith. Now that I haven't been actively involved in a church for quite a while and have been out of a community of faith, I feel like I am back at square one.

17) I really miss singing in a choir.

18) I enjoy riding the bus to work every day. It is so nice to not have to worry about driving, parking, or gas prices.

19) I have pretty much completely separated myself from who I was in high school. This matter is exhibited by the fact that I only invited two friends from high school to my wedding.

20) I used to write poetry on a pretty regular basis. I had a couple of my poems published in the Ashland Poetry Press yearly magazine.

21) I hate running, but would really like to finish a 5K before I turn 30.

22) I wish my brother and I were a lot closer than we are. When we were in high school we were pretty close. I feel a little guilty for being at college when he was dealing with some tough issues.

23) I think about my friends and family a lot more often than I actually pick up the phone or a pen to let them know I was thinking about them.

24) I am glad that I work in a place with quite a few people my age and that we are starting to hang out a bit outside of work. I feel bad that Jared doesn't have any real friends down here.

25) I am the luckiest girl in the world because Jared is the best husband I could have ever prayed for. He cooks, cleans, lets me sleep in, makes me laugh all the time, and moved to NC for me. I probably don't tell him enough that I love him, but I hope he knows it.

I really am here...

2009-01-24T18:29:00.005-05:00

So, clearly classes have started again and life has been a little crazy. The students returned two weeks ago, which means that I have spent a lot of time at work checking schedules, answering lots of questions about requirements, and declaring majors. Regardless of how busy I have been, I would take this over the dull days of December post-finals anyday!

My boots came in the mail a few weeks ago. Of course, as fate would have it, it hasn't rained since they came. Go figure. What it did do, though, was SNOW! We actually had at least an inch of snow on the ground on Tuesday this past week. If you don't believe me, check out this picture taken by one of my coworkers:

I didn't really believe the rumored reactions of North Carolinians in the event of snow, but now that I have experienced it, it is not far from the truth! Schools were canceling classes Monday night before the classes started. The bus I take never came Tuesday morning, so the other woman who was waiting for the bus with me offered me a ride... and we were in a fender bender on the 10 minute drive to work because a guy slid into us. Classes ended up being canceled on Tuesday afternoon and delayed on Wednesday morning. The whole atmosphere was really chaotic and slightly stressful. One would think that with so many "Yankee" transplants in this area, people would know how to handle a little snow, but apparently not.

Jared "kidnapped" me and drove me to the beach two weekends ago. He said he wanted to go to one of the outdoor stores near us and then when we passed the exit, he laughed and said, "Haha! You have been kidnapped!" We got lost, but eventually we made it. Although the water was cold, it was at least cool to be there. And no, we don't have pictures since I don't usually take a camera to the store. I definitely think that counts as our date of the month. :)

101 Update

2009-01-09T10:29:00.004-05:00

I am a little more than a week into my 1001 days, and I actually have started a few of the things on my list! I think having a list is a great technique for me to actually get tasks done, because I really like the satisfaction of crossing things off!

#8: Call at least one friend a month to catch up. Since returning to work this week, I have talked with two friends/colleagues on the phone for at least 30 minutes! CV and I never went to school together, but we met when she interviewed for the assistantship I had at BG. She got my e-mail address from a listserv e-mail I sent and we have been communicating that way for about a month. I finally got around to talking with her on the phone about grad school, her transition, and life in general. It is funny, but if we would have ever been in the same place for a while, I'm sure we would have been good friends.

Yesterday at lunch, I called CP since I haven't talked with her since before the fall semester started. It was really nice to be able to catch up for a little bit. Perhaps she will apply for jobs in my neck of the woods like I suggested...

#15: Talk to my parents at least once a month on the phone. I'm not sure it really counts, but I called the other night to make sure that they were still planning their visit in a week!

#26: Start and finish the 100 push-up challenge. I printed out the 6 week plan and intend to do my initial test this Saturday. Sore arms, here we come!

#37: Get back in the habit of going to the dentist every 6 months. I scheduled a dentist appointment for myself yesterday. In two weeks, I am going to the dentist!

#38: Get my vision checked once a year. I also scheduled an optometrist appointment yesterday. January 23 is going to be a fun day in doctor's offices!

Rain, rain, go away!

2009-01-06T10:49:00.002-05:00

After getting off the bus this morning and having to forge a 4" river of water to cross the street, I finally decided to purchase a pair of rain boots.

Not being the trendsetter that I am, I have resisted the urge to buy a pair of fun rubber "wellies" until now. I am tired of the back of my pants always being wet when it rains!

Thank you, Target, for having a large selection of boots available for those of us in rainy climates. And thank you, North Carolina, for not being in a drought anymore.

The list is completed

2009-01-05T10:16:00.004-05:00

It took a while, but I have finally finished my 101 in 1001 days list. Here it is:

Love and Marriage

1. Use my passport to travel out of the country with Jared.

2. Have at least one date with Jared a month. (0/33)

3. Take a weekend vacation with Jared at least every 6 months.

4. Watch the sun rise and set with Jared on the beach.

5. Print wedding photos and complete an album.

6. Go on a picnic with Jared and use the picnic basket we got as a wedding gift.

7. Take goofy photobooth pictures with Jared.

Friends and Family

8. Call at least one friend a month to catch up. (0/33)

9. Send out Christmas cards in 2009.

10. Get together with family at least once a month for dinner. (0/33)

11. Take a family picture once a month. (0/33)

12. Go one week without logging into Facebook. (0/7 days)

13. Make Emma organic dog treats.

14. Participate in at least one fly-ball tournament with Emma.

15. Talk to my parents at least once a month on the phone. (0/33)

16. Call my brother at least once a month. (0/33)

17. Send birthday cards to at least 12 friends before their birthday. (0/12)

Body and Mind

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18. Lose at least 20 pounds.

19. Take a yoga class.

20. Take a dance class.

21. Learn more about North Carolina geography and history.

22. Run in a 5K race.

23. Read a Jane Austen book.

24. Attend a theater performance.

25. Get a professional massage.

26. Start and finish the 100 push-up challenge (http://www.hundredpushups.com/)

27. Learn to play the mandolin.

28. Take a Spanish class.

29. Become CPR and First Aid certified again.

30. Join or start a book club.

31. Read all of the books on my bookshelf that I haven’t read.

32. Learn some basic American Sign Language.

33. Play at least one board game or do a puzzle a month. (0/33)

34. Research at least 3 PhD programs.

35. Learn to drive a stick shift.

36. Complete the Couch to 5K Running Plan. http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

37. Get back in the habit of going to the dentist every 6 months.

38. Get my vision checked once a year.

39. Have a physical performed once a year.

40. Take a mental health day from work.

41. Buy one of the Biggest Loser DVDs and complete the workout 3 times a week for a month. (0/11 days)

42. Be able to label a map of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

43. Give up drinking soda for one month. (0/31 days)

44. Ride my bike to work at least once.

45. Get a library card.

46. Try sushi.

47. Buy eco-friendly gifts for Christmas 2009 or donate to charities.

48. Volunteer at an animal shelter.

49. Start a scrapbook.

Spiritual

50. Find a church home where Jared and I can attend together.

51. Tithe once a week to that church home.

52. Join a small group.

53. Read the entire Bible. (0/66 books)

Travel

54. Renew my passport.

55. Visit at least 6 more states that I have never been to before. (0/6 states)

56. Take a hot air balloon ride.

57. Go camping in the NC mountains.

58. Fly a kite on the beach.

59. Go to the Biltmore Mansion.

60. Take the train to Washington DC, Philadelphia or NYC.

61. Go apple picking in the fall.

62. Visit Kitty Hawk.

Household

63. Plant a garden and grow vegetables and herbs for a summer.

64. Save at least $400 a month for a down payment on a house.

65. Go to the farmer’s market once a week for a month to buy produce. (0/4 weeks)

66. Go for a whole month without letting the dishes pile up in the sink. (0/31 days)

67. Make homemade pasta.

68. Use my sewing machine for at least one project every other month. (0/16)

69. Buy a hybrid vehicle.

70. Eat two new vegetables I have never had before. (0/2)

71. Eat meat-free meals for a week. (0/21 meals)

72. Pay off credit card.

73. Cook a crock-pot meal.

74. Replace all of the light bulbs in our house with energy-saving bulbs.

75. Bake something at least once a month. (0/33)

76. Go pumpkin picking and carve Jack-o-Lanterns at Halloween.

77. Organize our filing system so that we can actually keep track of things!

78. Replace all of the batteries in our house with rechargeable ones.

79. Find a house to rent.

80. Pay off my student loan.

Entertainment

81. Watch at least 5 classic movies I have never seen. (0/5)

82. Attend at least 10 Durham Bulls games. (0/10)

83. Attend at least 2 Carolina Hurricanes games. (0/2)

84. Go to a UNC basketball game.

85. Go to the North Carolina State Fair.

86. Go to an OU football game with Jared.

87. Host a murder-mystery dinner party.

88. Host an Iron Chef-inspired party.

89. Go to a wine tasting at a local vineyard.

90. Eat at Babaghanouj.

91. Go to an outdoor concert.

92. Write one blog post per day for a month. (0/31 days)

Professional

93. Give a presentation at a professional conference.

94. Take a course, seminar, or workshop on grant writing.

95. Hang some art on the walls in my office.

96. Get a live plant for my office.

97. Write an essay for The Mentor.

98. Write an essay for About Campus.

99. Create some resources for undecided students for my office.

100. Update my resume.

101. Host a party when I complete the last task on my list!

As I complete some of these tasks, I will blog about them and update you all!

101 in 1001

2008-12-31T09:51:00.002-05:00

So, an acquaintance of mine from AU just posted about this and I think it is a pretty great idea. Going in to a new year, I am apt to make New Year's Resolutions, but hardly follow through with them because I don't write them down anywhere, nor do I really tell anyone what my goals are! So, here is the challenge:

Creating your own 1001 Day Project

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Some common goal setting tips:
1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.

2. Stay Focussed. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.

3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.

4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.

5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

I haven't come up with my list yet, but I will. And I will post it here. And I will blog about my accomplishments. You all will be some of the first to know about it.

The requisite year end review

2008-12-30T13:22:00.009-05:00

Here we are, sitting at the end of another year in my life. I have encountered blessings beyond belief and trials to make me realize how blessed I really am. Because I have no other creative way to give the run-down, chronologically it is.

January: We rang in the New Year's at Derek's house with a little too much alcohol and cocktail shrimp. The first month was full of lots of weekends spent traveling to Toledo and the surrounding area for speech tournaments with my hubby and some cool high school kids. My last semester of grad school started and I limited my commute to BG by setting up a practicum at ONU once a week. Jared, Derek, and I continued to do our weekly WOW (worship on Wednesday) service at the church in LaRue, despite waning attendance. I served as the New Attendees meeting coordinator for the annual OCPA conference in my hometown and got to meet some new student affairsy types.

February: More speech tournaments, more WOW services, more snow, more preparation for BG's Alternative Spring Break to NC (of all places!). As far as I can remember, nothing too exciting happened in February.

March: March marked the month that I began seriously applying for jobs. My resume had been written, reviewed, revised, rewritten, printed, and PDFed. I started with a position that looked okay, but really wasn't what I was looking for/qualified for and was promptly rejected. It was a feeling I would learn to hate over the next few months. I traveled to NC with 42 BG students and 3 grad students for a few days of hard work and relationship building. I am proud to say that the SheetrockStarz completed almost an entire house in the 3 days we were weilding hammers. Two of the speech boys qualified for the national tournament, which meant that we would be going to the Entertainment Capitol of the World in June! I attended a conference in Atlanta at the end of the month where I interviewed for some jobs and was "professionally developed". My birthday came and went and then my first nephew was born! On top of it all, I was still doing the grad school thing and the dreaded comps were right around the corner.

(March aparently was a busy month!)

April: The first weekend of April I spent in a computer lab, writing and writing and writing as much as I could think of for my comprehensive exams. As has been usual for me throughout my education, I was one of the first finished, which always makes me a little nervous. But, despite only studying for about 10 hours total (while some of my classmates studied for months), I passed with flying colors. Thank goodness! Now back to the job search... which was picking up significantly. Phone interviews either yielded on-campus interviews or rejections. My credit card bill still bears the mark of the on-campus interviews. I was offered my first job, but it wasn't the right fit at all, so I politely declined (which I think they saw coming). Forge ahead to...

May: Graduation! Quickly overshadowed by the fact that we had a plane to catch at 6:00 a.m. the next morning to fly to the Emerald City for a mini-vacation and job interview. We both loved the area and long to get back there someday, either for vacation or work. We'll see how that works out. Regardless, it was a great way to celebrate finishing my master's degree! A week after that fabulous trip, I flew to Long Island for another interview. Jared's job for the following year had been elimiated in a RIF, along with our friend Derek's, so we spent a lot of time just waiting to see where life would take us.

June: And we survived year one of marriage! We spent a (very hot) week in Las Vegas vacationing and being speech "parents" to the boys. They were cheated out of another round of competition (in our humble opinions) and were disappointed to find that their speech from last year advanced much farther than they had, but we had a great time. Derek happend to be there at the same time that we were, so we met up with him, too. I still didn't have a job by the time we returned, so I went back to work with the I CAN Center a couple days a week. If nothing else, that job helped me see more of the college campuses in Ohio than I did in living in that state almost my entire life!

July: As far as I can remember, we didn't do anything too exciting for the 4th. I still didn't have a job and that was becoming a tense subject around our house. We ended our WOW service since Derek was leaving for Alaska anyway and we were hopefully moving somewhere else. I led a tribe for VBS to help out a friend and a classmate from AU passed away. I had given up all hope at getting a job and then this happened. The rest is basically history.

August: Jared got my employment for his birthday and we moved to NC. I started a new job and Jared started losing weight (of which I am still jealous) and gained employment.

September, October, November, December: We lived through our first hurricane and only had a blown-in window to show for it. Jared left me to drive to Ohio for Dan and Kim's wedding, OSU lost some football games, UNC won some games. I spent a lot of time at the dog park. Jared worked a lot. I have seen more of my cousins since I moved here than I did while I was in college, which I really enjoy. Liza and I had standing weekly lunch dates, and I introduced Marti to the state farmer's market in Raleigh. My parents came to visit for a weekend. We cooked our first Thanksgiving meal together and drove to Ohio for Christmas. We are still establishing ourselves down here, trying to find things that we like doing and the time to do them.

Which leads us to now. Jared and I met 5 years ago tomorrow and I can't wait to start yet another year with him (even if he will be going to bed early to get up for work at 7 the next morning). I have a stable job, a loving family, and great friends. With all of that, I think I am ready to move forward into 2009.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!

A (minor) Christmas Miracle!

2008-12-20T15:32:00.004-05:00

So, lo and behold, a day after I posted about my great desire for crafting, a $50 sewing machine pops up on craigslist! Awesome! After some inquiry (and agreeing to take the machine without the manual), it is mine! I went and picked it up this morning and the guy was nice enough to show me that it actually works before packing it up in the box to bring home. This is the machine I got:

And to top it all off, JoAnn's sent me, get this, FIVE 50% off coupons to be used over the next five days! (Too bad it is a one coupon per customer deal... I guess I'll just be making a lot of trips to the craft store before we head home on Wednesday!)

I think it's a sign that my desires should come to fruition (on a budget, of course). Oh, I love the holidays!

Arts and Crafts

2008-12-18T19:46:00.000-05:00

For some unknown reason, I have been harboring an insatiable urge for crafting. And the biggest reason why I cannot satisfy this urge is because I have no supplies! I would love to make a "wellness pack" of heat and cold therapy packs like these, but I don't have a sewing machine or materials. (I realize the materials piece is pretty cheap and easy to find, especially if I am just using scraps to piece together, but I haven't yet been able to find a sewing machine on craigslist and don't really want to shell out $200+ to get a new machine... plus we don't really have a good space to put it in our apartment.) I want to make this handy coffee cup cozy for one of my coworkers who I get hot beverages with on occasion. I have two very blank walls in my office that I would like to hang some art on, but I have no art to hang! It would be nice to create personalized blankets for my neices and nephew for Christmas. My creative juices seem to be flowing, but I haven't created an outlet for them. I am almost afraid of going to JoAnn's or Michael's for fear that I will walk out with a year's worth of craft projects that I would lose interest in completing... or that I would want to continue to complete, frittering away the money we are trying to save for important things (like a house) on crafts that we don't really need sitting around the apartment.

What is a girl to do?!

I tried to satisfy my need by baking two different types of ball cookies over this past weekend, but it only helped a little. My only remaining hope is that my mom will have some craft stuff that she is willing to part with next week when we visit.

Dear Tooth Fairy....

2008-12-11T09:30:00.004-05:00

Okay, so, I opened my e-mail this morning to find this from my dad:

Found this while we were cleaning

Hilarious! I can't believe I wrote to the Tooth Fairy to ask for a "raise" when I was 9! (Or really that I still believed in the T.F. when I was 9!) Ahh, those were the good ol' days....

Conflicted

2008-12-05T09:24:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini last night. Overall, I thought the book was really well written and it was a pretty easy read. The subject-matter was interesting and relevant to our time, I think. And being the somewhat ignorant American that I am, I was really unfamiliar with Afghanistan's political and military history. I would venture to say that before September 11th, I probably hadn't really even heard of Afghanistan, and if I had, I definitely didn't pay much attention. While it is a fictional book, my assumption is that the author is either speaking from his own experience or did some research about how life was in Afghanistan in the 1970's.

Which brings me to the point about which I am conflicted. I do not think that the war we are fighting is just. My beliefs are that we went into the Middle East because of some wrong information and persistance from a group of national leaders who wanted to be there. I feel like there have been a lot of people killed for the wrong reasons. But reading this book made me start to think that perhaps the American occupation of Afghanistan to help remove the Taliban has made Afghanistan a better place.

Maybe.

I obviously have never been there. I am making this conjecture based on a piece of fiction writing. I live a "cushy" life in the United States. I have never been afraid of sleeping in my house. I have never been physically threatened by another person. I have never seen a gun, let alone been afraid that the person holding the gun would harm me in any way. I have never witnessed a murder. I have never had to return to a place from my past to find it riddled with mortar shell or bullet holes, or to find it reduced to rubble because of war.

If I had, would I be celebrating the arrival of a foreign military power that has helped establish a more safe day-to-day existance?

I am not sure that my views about the war have completely changed, but I definitely think that it was helpful for me to start to think about the situation from another point of view. If you haven't read the book, you should.

Send in the helicopters!

2008-12-04T10:02:00.003-05:00

This is an e-mail I received from one of my co-workers. These are real-life parents and their student! (Names have been changed to protect the innocent.)

Dear (advisor),

I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. We had a long talk with Janie over the Thanksgiving break about saying at CH. She said she would consider staying. We don’t think she has really given CH a chance. Can you please email her and set up an advisee appointment with her. I know she values your advice. We are hoping she will at least stay for the spring semester before she makes a decision. I will send you a copy of an email which her father sent to her so you can have a little background. Thank you for all your help. Sincerely,

John and Jane Doe

**********************

Dear Janie ,

We want you to seriously consider your future. When you finish college you will need to get a job or go to graduate school. There is a very clear difference between CH and XYZ University . CH is universally accepted as a far superior school to XYZ . CH is currently ranked 27 best school in the US and the 5 best public University in the US. XYZ does not have a ranking. Employers would hire a CH graduate over a XYZ gradate. The same goes for graduate school. I called both schools to get some basic statistic. The statistics for CH are 28% go graduate school and 67% are employed upon college graduation. CH offers 30,000 internships (internships lead to jobs). CH has 300 study abroad programs in 70 countries. I called XYZ and they were not able to give me these statics. They said they did not have the current numbers. They do offer study abroad programs in 40 countries but they were not sure of how many programs they offer. You only go to College once in your life and were you go to College make a really big difference in your future life. Please do not settle for a third rate education when you can have the best and have a bright future. You want to put yourself in the position to have as many options as possible. Going back to XYZ limits your options.

Sincerely,

Dad and Mother

As a university employee, these are the kinds of parents that drive me crazy! EVEN THOUGH THIS MAY BE A GOOD SCHOOL, IT DOESN'T MEAN THIS IS THE RIGHT PLACE FOR YOUR DAUGHTER! There are all sorts of factors that play into a student being happy at a particular institution, and if the shoe doesn't fit, then don't force it!

I am so grateful that my parents were not like this at all. I do recall a small conversation when I decided to change my major of whether or not I would want to continue at AU, but I said yes and that was the end of the story. Sure, there were probably other places where I could have gotten a "better" education, but I didn't want to go anywhere else. If I would have been unhappy there, I hope that my parents would have been supportive of my transferring to another school. And I certainly hope that when we have kids that we can be okay with our child making his/her own decisions about where he/she goes to college (even if I were working somewhere with dependent education benefits).

To helicopter parents: Let your child live his/her own life! You were allowed to make some of your own choices/mistakes at one point in your life and you lived through it. DO THE SAME FOR YOUR KIDS!

Our second married Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T10:45:00.003-05:00

This year, Thanksgiving was mostly just another day. Jared had to work in the morning on Thursday, so we decided that we would have our meal on Friday. This practice isn't very unusual for me, since my family has done a big Thanksgiving meal on Friday night for a few years now. But this year, Jared and I cooked everything on our own.

For the first time in my life (and the first time in Jared's), we cooked a whole turkey. Thanks to Alton Brown's recipe, we cleared out our refrigerator to fit a 5-gallon bucket full of turkey brine. The recipe was really easy and pretty fool-proof, and while our turkey didn't quite turn out as brown as Alton's, it was some of the most delicious, moist meat I have ever had! We used our roaster instead of the oven (because we had to use the oven for stuffing, rolls, and pumpkin pie, of course!), but it worked out just wonderfully.

And one of the best parts of Thanksgiving is the leftovers, which we have been enjoying. We also boiled down the turkey frame and have some lovely turkey jello in the fridge for soup later! Delicious!

While I missed the company of family and friends, we at least had each other, and besides, it was kind of nice not to have to stuff myself with three different Thanksgiving meals! Our goal over the next year is to make some more friends so that we will have some more people with whom to share our wonderful recipes!

Things I love about my job: #1

2008-11-19T16:33:00.003-05:00

Students in general are just pretty great, but every once in a while one walks in to my office and I just think to myself, "This is a really cool person!" So far in my current job, I have met few such students. Lucky for me, they tend to be repeat visitors, so I have a chance to really get to know them well.

One of these students came in today. She has come in before to talk about her major and course planning, but her purpose for scheduling today's appointment was to talk about her "big picture": the goals and opportunities that she wants to have while she is in college and potentially beyond.

I LOVE when I don't have to fill out a worksheet or look through a student's record and can just sit back in my chair and have a real conversation!

We spent about 30 minutes talking about service opportunities on campus and off, traveling, a fellowship program offered on campus, training opportunities she might want to pursue, and more. I didn't have to do a lot of talking; I just got to listen and synthesize what she was saying to give her some of the starting points that she was looking for. Since I am interested in service-learning and social justice, this student and I see eye-to-eye on many things, and I am really happy that I can help point her towards opportunities to let her "learn, develop, and grow" (thanks, CSP!)

I really hope that at least some of my students see me as more than just their academic advisor. Not that I have the qualifications to be a life coach or anything, but I at least would like to have more of these "big picture" kinds of conversations with students. I would guess that the larger my student base becomes, the more of these conversations I will be able to have. I really just like having some students who are intentionally looking for these conversations from the beginning, though. In my work, I want to help students have an "experience [that] started a chain reaction that transformed some aspect of [themselves]" (Chickering & Reisser, 1993). I guess that's one of the reasons I love doing what I do.

So many questions

2008-11-19T09:46:00.003-05:00

Death is just something that I don't deal with well. After losing my grandpa, a cousin, and a friend within 6 months a few years ago, I had had enough. Obviously, though, the life cycle doesn't necessarily skip over you because you've experienced a lot of pain in the past. One of my classmates from AU died over this past summer; while we weren't necessarily close, I knew his sister and fiance a little better. And it is just plain awful that someone has to die so young, regardless of the reason.

I found out the latest tragedy to hit AU on Monday morning and have been somewhat haunted by the thought ever since. I didn't know her, but there are just so many questions that this raises for me and I know that we don't have the answers.

There are the initial reactions: did anyone know she had been thinking this? Were drugs/alcohol involved? Was she alone? What would make someone think this is the best option?

And then there are my next thoughts, now that I am working at a university with students her age: Had she shared this information with anyone on campus? What would I have done/what would I do if a student had done this in my building? How can we tell students that there are better ways of coping? What is the best way of helping our students who suffer from mental illnesses? How many of the students I see are having these same feelings?

Why?!?

My dear friend (and former roommate) wrote this wonderful poem about the situation. It definitely helped me put everything into a different light.

I hope you are at peace, Giselle.

I had really hoped we were past this...

2008-11-15T21:04:00.003-05:00

... but honestly I'm not surprised that we're not.

MSNBC posted this article about some of the racial threats and crimes that have happened across the country. The writer commented on the "stubborn racism that remains in America."

What an understatement! I would hardly describe racism as being stubborn. Ignorant, hateful, bigotted, detestable, perhaps, but definitely not stubborn.

I was hopeful that our country was finally reaching a point at which we could talk more openly about the differences (and similarities) between people. It has been more than 40 years since the Civil Rights Act was passed, so apparently our country has been "fine" on racial isues since then. Obviously we all know that isn't the case, as there have been major blow-ups surrounding race since then, but no one seems to be willing to talk about these issues! President-elect Obama seems comfortable talking about his racial background and is in a prominent position to begin larger discussions about racism in our country. The problem, as highlighted in the article, is that there are so many people who harbor these feelings and aren't willing to talk about them.

It would be really great if our country could make some big strides in the area of equality for everyone over at least the next four years. Let's blow these issues open and get down to the heart of the matter. There are social justice educators across the country who are working primarily with our nation's college students, but that only addresses a small portion of our population. The "diversity" initiatives in our K-12 education systems apparently aren't working as well as they should be, especially when students don't confront people of other races/ethnicities/religious backgrounds/sexual orientations/etc. until much later in life, perhaps when they go to college or enter the workforce. I obviously don't have all of the answers, but I know that these are issues that continue to plague our society. As someone who works in higher education, I can only hope that not all of the people who have made the remarks or done the actions described in the article are punished punitively or forced to attend diversity trainings, but rather that this is used as a teachable moment from which many people can learn.

At least this person thinks we have made some progress.

"Saturday in the park..."

2008-11-08T14:13:00.003-05:00

Since Jared started working a lot on Saturdays, Emma and I have developed our own weekend schedules. Typically, it includes getting up early to take Jared to work, coming home for breakfast, TV and/or internet, sometimes a shower, and then the dog park.

The dog park is a really interesting place. Depending on who is there, we have a great time or we have just an okay time. Regardless of other dogs, Emma likes running around and smelling other stuff. Sometimes we go to the small dog area and other times we are better off in the big dog pen (since she weighs 30 pounds, she really could be in either). When there are Jack Russells or other dogs who like being chased in the little dog area, Emma has a blast trying to herd everyone to where she wants. With certain dogs, though, this really doesn't work out; I usually end up taking her to a different area of the park so that neither she nor I are perceived as being bullies. Part of me really just wants to tell these people that they have sissy dogs.

The big dog area has a tendency to get very tense, especially when there is a pack of male dogs around. Most of these dogs like wrestling instead of running, which Emma is not a fan of (perhaps I, too, have a sissy dog). The pet owners in the big dog area generally are not very attentive to their pets, so scuffles get out of hand pretty often, resulting in a lot of barking and snarling. Emma often tries to mediate these conflicts or at least distract one of the dogs to chase her away from the fight; while I've seen Cesar Milan talk about dogs doing this, it is still really weird to watch it actually happen.

Regardless of who is at the park, it is kind of nice for me to be able to spend a few hours outside with my pup and to get her really tired. Since we don't have a lot of space in or around our apartment for her to run around, at least she can run off some of her energy!

Election results

2008-11-04T23:35:00.001-05:00

Just a few comments on this momentous occasion:

1) Thank you, Ohio, for not causing major problems this year. I appreciate your new-found liberal leanings.

2) North Carolina, you have surprised me yet again. When we moved here, we were afraid that you would be a wash for the Republican party and that our votes wouldn't really matter in the long run. You have showed us that perhaps you aren't as conservative as we once thought! Now we'll just wait to see exactly what shade of purple you have become.

3) Barack Obama is the next President of the United States of America!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jll5baCAaQU

"Keep it down up there!"

2008-11-02T15:24:00.001-05:00

I will start out by saying that I have been extremely lucky in my housing situations since I started college. I have rarely lived near anyone who causes a lot of disturbances. The 8th floor, the SLH, the senior apartments, my above-garage apartment in the first year of grad school, the house we rented when we first got married... they have all been pretty good living arrangements. Yes, I have complained about all of them at one point or another, but nothing is quite as bad as now.

We are not apartment complex people. Or, if we are, it is certainly not THIS apartment complex.

We live in a building with an 18-family occupancy limit. We are on the second floor of three, so we do have neighbors living above us. Our upstairs neighbors have two little girls who run around a lot. Seeing as how Jared and I are generally fans of little kids, it's not a big deal to hear some thumping every once in a while. What does become a bigger deal is when they blast the bass on their stereo so that our apartment shakes. Or better yet, when they begin arguing at 3:00 a.m. and don't stop until 5:30 a.m., waking us up and keeping us from falling back asleep. I can tolerate some extra noise coming from above when I am awake, but as soon as you keep me from sleeping, then we have some serious issues.

Of course, we can't really complain because our apartment managers don't really respond to any complaints. And we don't really feel comfortable confronting the people upstairs because he often practices boxing outside our building.

Needless to say, we are trying very hard to save up money this year so that we can perhaps buy our own house sooner rather than later. Either way, we're probably not staying here past our lease. The location is convenient and the view from our window is pretty, but it isn't worth losing sleep over.