Graduation

What a day. Last Friday Josh and I and Josh's parents made our way to the ceremony, and it flew by! So many names were called that I can barely remember the brisk walk across the stage. We then had dinner at Ted's (of course). After dinner, I went to Jack Quinn's with two close friends from highschool. Our time together was fun and meaningful.


After graduating, I now feel like I can travel a little lighter. No books to lug around. No papers to write. Yet, I feel strange when I think I can no longer disappear in my never-ending homework, lack of free time, my "student" status. Traveling a little lighter means leaving what I used to hide behind. I've never felt more adult. Turning 18, graduating highschool, starting college, turning 21, even getting married did not give me this kind of adult-y feeling.

It is a feeling that my life can be mundane if I allow it. It's now up to me to make something of myself. My free time won't be spent in class. I was successful by default then, and now I must decide what to do next. In the meantime, I will rest. I feel like I can breathe for the first time in a while!

Josh started his new job last week. It seems as if we have been in separate worlds these past few weeks. I can't wait for Christmas! We will enjoy a simpler holiday this year. Josh and I will be alone on Christmas Eve, and we'll spend most of Christmas Day with his parents eating gumbo and seafood chowder.

Weekend in Minnesota

Last weekend, I flew out to Minnesota. For the weekend. It was the quickest trip EVER but probably one of the funnest times I've had to date! Most of my family lives up there, including my mom and three sisters.

Here are the few of the adventures we had:

1) My cousin Andy played Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music at his highschool. He was AMAZING! He blew our socks off right away. From the whistle-blowing to the Edelweiss-serenading, he was right up there with Christopher Plummer. We brought air horns and plastic maracas to cheer Andy on as he made his final bow. I know he was proud to call us family at that very moment. :)
2) My aunt, mom, grandma, and I enjoyed a few short hours at the Mall of America. I think we hit two stores and one restaurant total, but we did a lot of damage and I came home with an extra suitcase!
3) Our entire family had some fun meals together. It was hard not getting to spend quality time with everyone one-on-one, but we had MANY laughs and emotional moments that I will always remember.
4) On Sunday afternoon, hours before my mom had to take me back to the airport to fly home, she had a fellow photographer come over and take some fun pictures of us. I can't wait to see how they turned out.

I had too much fun to take pictures. It took some willpower to NOT pick up my camera, but I didn't want to interrupt all the special moments. Thankfully, my mom had her camera with most of the weekend, and she got a few of the cousins after Andy's play. Here's one of my favorites:



Sometimes short and sweet makes for the best memories.

Thanksgiving

What a fun Thanksgiving!

Josh and I spent the day with good friends Jonathan and Joy. Josh's parents and Joy's dad were with us as well, and we enjoyed quite the dinner together. Joy and I spent most of the late morning and early afternoon in the kitchen, and we cooked up all sorts of goodies for our families.




Josh and I have spent a few holidays with Jonathan and Joy this year, and each one has been fun, laid back, and always accompanied with an adventure or two. We can't wait for holidays to come.

The Christmas season has begun!

Grandma Margie and Aunt Stefni

Josh's Grandma Margie and Aunt Stefni came to visit for a few days last week, and we had a fun couple of days with them. We enjoyed a few outings together and time at our house or Josh's parents house.

Grandma Margie and I have a few interesting similarities: We have the same Myers-Briggs personality type (which is supposedly one of the rarest of the types) and don't like weird textures (like chalk) on our hands. It's amazing what we can learn about each other in such a short time!

Peace about the future

I talked with my dad the other day on the phone. I told him: "The closer I get to graduating, the more unsure I am of what I want to do."

I started off as an English major with a concentration in Creative Writing. It was so fun for a while, but I decided to switch to Applied Communication during my sophomore year. I can still practice writing skills, but it's a far more interactive major. For example, nearly every Comm class guarantees a group project; these are learning experiences whether one gets a "good" or "bad" group. Communication is a general major, and success is pretty attainable in these classes. I'll be honest and say the past few years haven't been too challenging--apart from the workload and time management, of course. The work ITSELF has been simple. (A friend told me I'm probably just ridiculously smart and my classes SEEM easy. Thanks, friend!)

Anyway, I'm two months away from putting on the cap and gown once again, and so many thoughts have crossed my mind:

I want to be a pastry chef
I want to be a speech pathologist
I want to teach ESL somewhere far away
I want to write and edit
I want to go to graduate school

I feel like a little kid again trying on different outfits and pretending to be different characters. It's hard to pick only one!

Right now my struggle is to invite peace and live in it. I'm very much a planner and want to KNOW what's to happen. My husband is very much the opposite. He's a NOW guy.

Speaking of NOW, Josh is currently in a job interview. He looked so handsome with his tie on this morning.

Oops. Tangent. More on this later.

Colorado Autumn

Here are pictures of some recent Green happenings.

A couple weekends ago, Josh, his parents, and I took a Sunday drive toward Cripple Creek and enjoyed the fall colors. I just love his mom's face in this picture.


Also, here's reason #46 why I shouldn't be a car model.


(Meet "Mabel" Green. We traded "Saabrina" in for her when we realized how fast the Saab was losing value.)

We carved our first pumpkins a few days ago. Josh used a flashlight to show off the intricate details of his superhero pumpkin man. His pumpkin did take more time and effort than mine! I have to say, though, carving a pumpkin is no easy or simple task! It took me forever just to get the stringy flesh out of the pumpkin, and I hadn't even starting carving yet. :)



Here's how Josh succeeded with his pumpkin:



Fall is here! I'm excited to bake something with pumpkin. So far I've just roasted some pumpkin seeds. :)

Thank you!

I've been a bit slow at getting back to normal since coming home, and I can't really complain about all the work I've had to catch up on since being back, because, hey, I was on vacation. It's all "part of the fun" (as my dad used to say - he said it at our hottest, stickiest, crabbiest moments as little kids, and I used to complain when he said it, but now I find myself saying it all the time!). I've just floated through the third week of school. I say "floated" because I'm already starting to procrastinate.

But, I didn't want to procrastinate about thanking everyone for an amazing birthday! (And, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Aunt Kris who celebrates the same day.)

Today at work I felt a little like Elaine from Seinfeld. I heard stirring in the office, and soon I found myself in a circle of our agents singing to me. We ate some delicious lunch from Thai Basil and talked a bit. I'm blessed to work in an office among such fun and energetic people.

Josh and I went to dinner at the Caspian Cafe, a little Mediterranean restaurant near our house. We'd never tried it and really enjoyed ourselves. There was even a belly dancer there - who was very talented - but Josh and I didn't really know how to react at first. She danced around the small restaurant between and in front of every table. We thought, "Do we look at her while she's dancing? Where do you look - her face, her...belly? Haha. It was fun and a new experience. We ended the evening with our favorite show, MacGyver. :)

Thanks again everyone! I'm so blessed today and everyday.

Hello from San Diego

My title is slightly misleading, because we're currently back to reality in Colorado! There's nothing like coming home to the mountains, but we LOVE the coast; the ocean is beautiful, and the sea air is so refreshing. I love walking on sand (more of a workout than I remember!) and feeling the waves.

Josh and I arrived back from San Diego last Sunday, and we had so much fun. Little to no agenda, beautiful weather, and lots of good food always makes for a great time.

We left on Saturday, Aug 30 at 3:00 AM for the Denver airport, and we arrived in San Diego around 8:00 AM. The neighborhood we stayed in (Hillcrest) was just starting to wake up, so everything was quiet—a perfect morning! We enjoyed breakfast at our hotel near Balboa Park before heading to the San Diego Zoo. Josh really wanted to go there; I'm not a big zoo person, but I really enjoyed it. The zoo is HUGE and has so many animals we’re not used to seeing. I'm sure my mom (especially) will appreciate this green snake we saw.


As the afternoon passed, we were exhausted. The heat, the animal smell, and hardly any sleep started to wear on us. We explored more of Balboa Park before returning to our hotel. After a much-needed late-afternoon nap, we headed to a restaurant called the Fish Market, and decided on a more fine dining restaurant above that called Top of the Market. Fine dining turned into a big headache after a long wait, sub-par service, and mediocre food, but we were so happy to be on vacation, and we were so tired we didn't really mind. We paid our high bill, took a few pictures outside (including one of an enormous Navy aircraft carrier), and headed back to the hotel for a nice sleep.

The next morning, we spent some time in Horton Plaza, purchased an all-day bus pass, and headed to Seaport Village. It was a little more touristy than we'd thought it'd be, but we loved the view of the ocean and the walkways around the shops.


We ate fish at a little restaurant overlooking the ocean and breathed in the sea air. Ah. We then took the bus to Coronado Island and explored the beach for a while.





After our time there, we waited for about an hour at the bus stop. By then we were too tired to clean up for a night on the town, so we stopped at Fuddrucker's in the Gaslamp Quarter for a quick dinner and headed back to our hotel for yet another nice sleep.

When Monday morning arrived, we got ready and walked several blocks to try a breakfast place. We then checked out of our hotel and took a taxi to the cruise terminal where the Elation was waiting for us. :) We were both somewhat sad to leave San Diego, but we looked forward to the next few days on the ship.



Our first stop was in Cabo San Lucas. Josh convinced me to try a mini-Jeep excursion with him. I don't regret it at all, but it was my first time off-roading, and I was a little nervous at first. (Most of my family will likely be surprised I did this; I have a record of being a little wimpy!)





Before we left Cabo, we stopped at Medano Beach for a little swimming. The water was so warm--like taking a wonderful salty bath.








Our second and last stop was in Ensenada (it's funny that it's only about an hour out of the States). We opted for a tour of the city which took us to one of three "blowhole" sites in the world (the others are in Australia and Hawaii), La Bufadora, and we shopped around afterward. Josh tried a fish taco, and I sampled a margarita in the very place it was supposedly "invented." SO good!



(The following picture was also taken in Ensenada outside the civic center. Notice the lovely palm tree growing out of Josh's head. Totally didn't notice that until AFTER I took the picture.)



Overall, our time on the cruise was great. We noticed movement the entire time (in fact, I still feel like I am bobbing around), yet the ship wasn't moving violently at all. We ate lots and lots of food.


We met a great couple—Juan and Diane—who we sat with for dinner every night. Here's Diane and I (we bumped into each other near the blowhole site).


Finally, I got a heat rash! Boo. Nearly every time I was out in the sun for more than 30 minutes, it felt like I was being poked with little needles all over my body. And, the itch felt like chicken pox. Supposedly the rash is called "milaria" (not to be confused with malaria of course) and it's downright terrible. But, I didn’t let that stop me from enjoying everything.


Now that we're home, we're getting down to business. School has started, and I'm no longer at Ted's, so I can fully concentrate on work and school. Josh will finish his lawn-mowing season soon, and fall will be here! I can't believe it. We came home to a 58-degree night in Colorado. It was a nice, swift reminder that we were home. No easing back into reality allowed. But, a few escapes now and then are so nice. :)

We're so thankful we had this time. Everything came together so well, and we made some memories. Our favorite part was just being together. You may be the judge of whether or not that's a good thing.

Vacation!

Josh and I are going on vacation in less than three weeks. It's actually our first "official" vacation, or so I'd like to think. We've driven to Minnesota a couple times for holidays, we've driven to Texas for a wedding, and we've driven to Denver for our first and second anniversaries. Those were all great and meaningful trips, but we're so excited for this one.
We're flying down to San Diego (which happens to be my birthplace but not technically where I'm "from") and staying there for a few days, then we're off to a few stops in Mexico, thanks to a great last-minute deal through Carnival. (If you've never been on a cruise before, head on over to Carnival's website and do some research!) We're so excited to have a week to ourselves.
In the midst of all the excitement is a bit of anxiousness for me. I've been working as an office manager for a real estate company for the past few months, and the previous office manager hardly left for vacation, so . . . overall, the company is not used to functioning without someone there all day, every day, taking every phone call, putting out every fire (while it's still just a spark!). It will be good for me to not only get away, but get away AND try to manage composure as I think about what fires I may have to put out when I get back. That's a little pessimistic, I know! Though so much can happen in an 8-hour day around here, I trust that everything will go smoothly and I won't have to check my cell phone messages too often! :)

Update

Sorry, this is a QUICK update!

The past couple of weeks have involved:
1) Lots of working
2) Lots of fun
3) A visit from my sister Lindsay

4) Meeting our "nephew" Caspian (our friends' new puppy)

5) A dear friend's wedding
6) More working
7) More fun
8) Hiking to the Punch Bowls (Glen Eyrie)


Some highlights:
1) My sister Lindsay encouraged me to start writing more again, and she also inspired me to FINALLY plant some flowers in my front yard. :)
2) I saw August Rush for the first time. Great movie. Rent it.

Work story

A recent (and unfortunate yet valuable) serving experience of mine:

I arrive for my 4:00 PM shift right on time, and a co-worker tells me I already have a table.

The gentlemen order a bottle of red wine which I deliver to the table, complete my wine presentation, watch as one of them tastes the cabernet and approves it, and pour both gentlemen a glass. I place the bottle back on the table and wrap the white serving cloth around the bottle. This is the exact moment I completely regret talking with my hands, because as I ask the men what they'd like for dinner, I swing my left hand precisely enough to hit one of the guest's wine glasses. The red wine projects perfectly from the glass right onto my guest's ivory polo shirt. He tries to scoot away, but the wine finds him like a liquid magnet.

I felt like crawling into a corner and never coming out. I apologized and wiped some of the wine from his side of the booth with the serving cloth. I walked away and found my boss and a couple servers taking a break in the back, and I said, "I just pulled the biggest serving faux pas ever!" When they asked, "What?" my lip quivered. I started CRYING. I just couldn't hold it in! My boss gathered from the tears that he should go visit the table, and some of the other servers took turns visiting the table with washcloths as I calmed down. When I felt more emotionally stable, I went back to the table and apologized again. The gentleman covered in wine told me everything was alright, "mistakes happen," and that I shouldn't worry. For the rest of their visit, they jokingly shielded their wine glasses when I came to the table.

Needless to say, we purchased their dinner and offered to buy my guest a new shirt and pair of pants.

Has anyone else been though a similar experience? :)

(Random thought: How is "server" more gender inclusive than "waiter"?)

Happy Birthday

Happy 27th Birthday to Josh!

Job updates

Go Green Lawn Care (Josh's new business) is growing! Josh comes home stinkier than usual on the weekends, but I know he enjoys it. He is passionate about lawn care, and I love hearing him talk to his clients over the phone. We're still discussing making it an "official" business, but as of now we're still working with a relatively small number of lawns. We'll see!

Earlier this week, our office manager (who I work under) told us that she accepted a job opportunity and will move on. I will take her place as the office manager (an exciting promotion), yet since I heard the news, I've been full of mixed feelings. I'm ready to tackle the new challenge, though, and will keep everyone posted.

Here we are smiling at you! Have a great weekend.

Two years!

Josh and I celebrated our two-year anniversary last week. What a wonderful day!

The day started with a relaxing morning. We got ourselves ready and went to Wade's Cafe for breakfast. Josh tried the pancakes and I had the french toast. Their homemade maple syrup was amazing! Josh and I couldn't get over how good the food was. We felt like we were on vacation, because the weather was so beautiful (we ate on the patio) and the cafe felt far from home.





After that, we ran a couple errands and drove to Denver. We love going to the Cherry Creek mall; it's just so fun for us to walk around, see all the different people, and go into Neiman Marcus and pretend we can afford a $300 belt for Josh! One of my favorite parts was probably when Josh tried on sunglasses at the Diesel store.




We spent a good couple hours at the mall and then decided to go see Indiana Jones. I've never seen the past movies, but I did enjoy this one. After the movie, we went on a little walk along the path by the mall.




We were quite hungry by then, and we drove downtown to see what was for dinner. :) Josh had heard about a Mexican place called Lime, but we weren't quite sure where it was, so we decided to look around for something else. We approached the Brown Palace, which is an upscale hotel in downtown Denver, and went inside (we've been curious about it for a while). After looking around the inside of the hotel, we asked a couple of gentlemen if they knew where Lime was. They told us, and they said they had a courtesy shuttle service for their guests. I promptly told them we weren't guests of the Brown Palace, but one of the gentlemen said, "We also do it for people we like," so we followed our driver out to a Mercedes SUV and rode one mile in style to Lime. After arriving, we anticipated great food, and though we didn't enjoy the food as much as we'd thought, it was great to try it. It was 9:00 PM, and we walked the mile back to where we'd parked. The night weather was beautiful!

It was a fun and beautiful day and reminded me of all the little reasons I fell in love with my Josh. :) Sometimes we all need a day away to restructure our thinking and get back to a place of simplicity.

Updates

Just a few updates!

Josh started some lawn care work around town. He put an ad online, and we had three accounts our first week. We decided to buy a truck in order for him to transport the mower, trimmer, and whatever else he needs to get the job done. We are so thankful for this opportunity, and he enjoys getting outside and working on lawns. (Now we'll just have to save for the winter months!)

I'm going back to work at Ted's Montana Grill for the summer. I still work at the real estate company, but now that school's out, we need to get a jump-start on paying off some debt. We're living comfortably with the money we're making with our main jobs, and we've decided that extra work is a good option for this summer.

Next fall will be my final semester at UCCS, and I finally got into one of the most coveted classes at the university: PILATES! I know, it may not sound too exciting to some of you, but this class fills up within seconds of the first day of registration. It's a two-credit class that meets twice a week. I know I could have chosen something more academically challenging, but this will be a healthy physical challenge to end my college experience. :)

Almost Flew

My dad's friend Jeff Caylor's album was voted #5 best CD in 2007 by Christianity Today. My dad played some guitar tracks for the album.

Watch the video for one of Jeff's singles "Almost Flew":

Happy Mother's Day

This Mother's Day makes me wonder whether I will have this many kids.

Happy Mother's Day to the all mothers in my life!


(And, thanks Mom, for having me and giving me three beautiful sissies.)

Boba adventures

I enjoy drinks which require chewing (pulpy orange juice, milkshakes with chocolate bits) and I appreciate strange foods, yet when I first heard of boba/pearl milk tea, I was a little frightened; chewy, dark, tapicoca balls remain the prominent characteristic of this milky tea. I'd seen pictures before, and anyone who has a "thing" about patterns will appreciate this. Apparently this stuff is a recent fad in China, and the drink's popularity is growing in the United States as well.

Last weekend was my first encounter with this tea. My friend Sayo made sure I not only tasted the tea but chewed on the main course as well. Despite my nervousness, I liked it! The drink has a fashionable flair.

So, when I heard my sister Katie would be in town for a few days, I thought I'd take her downtown to try this unusually amazing drink. I then discovered we can add boba to anything, so instead of the tea we tried boba in a cherry slush.

(My new appreciation for boba reminds me of Jerry Seinfeld's appreciation of cereal, which is, essentially, "eating and drinking with one hand without looking." Thanks, Jerry.)

God's Politics

One more thought:

Has anyone else out there read God's Politics by Jim Wallis? It was one of the optional readings for my "Religion and Politics in America" class last semester, and it yielded some great discussion.

Thoughts

Just a few thoughts:

1. We're getting closer to the end of the month, and work is busier. School will also be done soon--which means the professors realize, "Oops, I haven't given a quiz all semester" and pile it on the last few weeks! Sure keeps life interesting. The next presentation I have involves "grandparenting in the 21st century" which makes counting my blessings (an abundance of grandparents) a breeze.
2. Last week Josh and I visited our friends Brett and Jenni, and we got to see and hold their new baby. She is so adorable and tiny. I don't remember the last time I held a brand new baby! Josh was a little nervous at first, but it was cute to see him hold her little body. He's going to be great dad someday.
3. My sister Katie will be in town next weekend!
4. Oh! I heard that my mom was making bratwurst and sauerkraut for dinner, and now I'm craving it. Just for fun, I searched for some recipes from my homeland, Poland! (I think I'm 1/8th Polish.)

Third commandment

Josh and I took a walk around our neighborhood yesterday. Josh has been sick the past few days, so we plopped down on a bench to rest for a bit. A few minutes later, a gentleman (probably in his 30s or 40s) ran past us and said, "Remember the third commandment; no sex before marriage!" A few seconds passed, and I blurted, "We're already married."

Funny thoughts:

1. The bench was somewhat removed from the neighborhood path and surrounded with pine trees. (Josh said we probably looked like two teenagers trying to get away with something.)
2. Yet--we weren't even sitting that close to each other, and I certainly didn't want to catch Josh's tonsil bug.
3. The third commandment: "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name" (Exodus 20:7).

At the very least, I have to credit this man with trying to make the world a better place.

Chocolate chip cookies

I found this recipe in an article about how to be a better wife. :) They're some of the best cookies I've ever tasted!

Whisk together:
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

In another bowl, beat together until creamy:
1 c. butter-flavored solid vegetable shortening
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat in 2 eggs until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the flour mixture and 2 c. old-fashioned oats. Stir in a 12-oz. package of semisweet chocolate chips. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Yes, Josh loved them.

Movies, good food, and relevance

Josh and I enjoyed some Red Robin and went to see "21" Friday night. I really enjoyed the movie, but we went to the late showing and I was so tired, so perhaps it wasn't as good as I thought. Kevin Spacey plays conniving roles very well. Most of the movies I've seen in him are very disturbing (except for Pay it Forward in which he was a burn victim), so I haven't yet decided if he's one of my favorite actors. I'm more of a Tom Hanks fan, and I love movies like You've Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle. I even enjoyed Cast Away, and I cried when Wilson got "lost" and when he "reunites" with his past girlfriend.

Saturday after work Josh and I went to Ted's Montana Grill with Jonathan and Joy, Jonathan's brother, and Josh's parents. Just after we received our food I saw my second parents Michael and Laurie! It was SO great to see them. (I used to work at Ted's and saw them at least once a week when they'd come in to eat. All the servers just loved them, and they always asked us how we were and really listened to us.) I miss seeing them.

On Sunday, Josh and I tried out a nearby church with our friends. We then all came to our house and made brunch together and spent the day watching movies. What a relaxing what to spend Sunday!

I've successfully finished the third week at the new job. I work four days and have three days off, which is nice because I have time to work around the house, complete schoolwork, and enjoy a little downtime in between. I can't believe I will be done with school by the end of this year. I'm ready to be done, and sometimes the senioritis is so bad (I think there needs to be a prescription for it), but I know when I finish I'll feel different and I may miss it! I've thought of grad school, but it seems that, in my case, higher education may be proportional to a lessened ability to function in the "real world," whatever that may be. :) My "street smarts" aren't quite up to par, so it may be in my best interest to stop with undergrad. We'll see, though. There are specific individuals who'd like to see me take a break from all these dusty theories and examine more applicable questions like, "Which is hotter--mild or medium salsa?" (You know who you are...Mom!)

Saturday morning at work I had a good discussion with one of our real estate agents at the office. He mentioned that I seem like the type of girl who attends church three times a week and has it all together.

That last sentence deserved a pause (English/poetry obsessoids: I utilitized white space!). I asked him whether that makes me unapproachable, and he said "no." Whew. This initial exchange sparked an interesting conversation. We talked about the fine line between those individuals who "have it all together" and are uncomfortable to be around (because those who don't "have it all together" don't feel like they can be REAL) and those who "have it all together" and are genuine. Some say genuinity comes naturally; that's true to a point. Genuinity does take effort. It takes effort to ask a person about their day and be truly interested in the answer. Genuinity also means taking a break from being everyone's best friend, saying yes and no when you mean it/want to, and being willing to have a bad day. We see so many people smiling through their pain, because that's what they think God/the world expects of them. Yes, smile through your pain, and smile through tragedy. But, don't lie. What the world needs is genuinity--not surfacy...ness.

So, back to the conversation. He said that he believes in God but does not attend church and "feels bad" because he knows he should. A few specific experiences he had in the past with certain church-goers influences the way he thinks about church in general. Overall, his experiences illustrate the idea that some Christians may easily be the worst representations of Christ--which, importantly, is a true (and useful) but dangerous perspective depending on how it's used. At the end of the day, Christians are humans and therefore imperfect.

It was a great discussion. So many discussions I've had lately with others seem to boil down to relevance. Relevance! I have a good story about that which I will have to write later.

I Can Make You Thin

A few nights ago Josh and I spent time with our friends Jonathan, Joy, Matt, and Sayo. Sayo taught Joy and I how to made "gyoza" which are Japanese dumplings. Oh my, they're good. Look 'em up!

I recently stumbled upon a special on TLC called "I Can Make You Thin." I watched it for a few minutes and wrote down four the "4 Golden Rules" of eating. Here they are (roughly):

1. Eat when you're hungry.
2. Eat what you want.
3. Eat consciously.
4. When you think you're full, stop eating.

I'm astounded by these "rules," because they aren't the typical diet guidelines. The first two happily negate what everyone's been telling us about weight loss. I've had trouble completely cutting out certain food groups; I end up eating a whole box of Girl Scout cookies the third day in. I'm sure there are those out there who've mastered the art of discipline, but I don't think it comes down to discipline only. "Everything in moderation" or "balance" is a better approach to LIFE--and food. I've mastered both extremes--health-nut AND cake-and-cookie-connoisseur (usually on the same day)--and I'm ready to combine the two for a healthy lifestyle.

I decided to try these rules for a few days. Rule number 3 is a biggie; "conscious eating" means no distractions. For me this means not eating in front of the television. I can easily down a whole box of Wheat Thins during one episode of Super Nanny. Conscious eating brings your mind back to the true main event: THE MEAL!

As suggested by the program: take a bite of your food, put the food and utensils down, chew the food twice as long as you usually would, enjoy the taste of the food, swallow, and repeat. A woman who loves macaroni and cheese tried this exercise. She had a big plate in front of her and ended up eating only half of what she'd normally consume. Supposedly there's a delay between when we're actually full and when we realize it. By slowing the eating process, we're letting our body tell us when we're full.

The effects of this exercise, I realized, reach beyond the amount of food I eat. When I took the time to "enjoy" the food, I noticed that certain food didn't taste as good. The foods which taste better happen to be healthier foods. The program recommends trying this exercise with a fast-food meal. We're used to eating these meals so fast that we don't pay attention to how they taste.

I'm not sure about some of the other techniques of this program (yet), but the rules were fun to try for a few days, and they're relatively easy to stick to.

New job

I officially start my new job tomorrow. I will work with a different real estate team in the same office I was working in before. This team subleased the space of the company I was working for, so I don't have to settle in to a new location. The team's current office manager is in great need of a permanent vacation, so she's training me to be an office manager in the next few weeks. I'm ready for a challenge. Who knows what the next few weeks and months will bring?!

To be or not to be . . . a blogger

I may become a serious blogger one of these days. It won't become a collection of poetic thoughts (although they have a place in the blogosphere) or a set of "here is what I did today" posts (although there will be some of those), but I want to post questions, ideas, valuable info, and gather it from others as well.

Sometimes there's nothing "funner" than curling up with a friend's blog. I especially enjoy thoughts of friends who are new parents. I'll be one of them someday, so I value the tips.

(Is handwritten journaling becoming obsolete? The other day I tried to write a grocery list and my hand was tired by the eighth or ninth item [not to mention the essay test I took the other day].)

Texas

Texas was a fun adventure. We started the drive a few hours after work on Thursday night, and arrived home Sunday afternoon. Though the trip was short, we made some friends and had a great time celebrating our friends’ wedding. On our way home Saturday night, we drove through downtown Dallas and took a few pictures. I even hummed the “Dallas” (my mom’s favorite show) theme song until Josh kindly asked me to stop.

If you’re ever craving Cajun food, try Dudley’s Cajun Cafe in Longview. Josh gives the gumbo a thumbs-up, and I ordered some fried catfish tails which were equally amazing. We enjoyed the food with Joy and Jonathan’s friends—an amazing group of people who I miss already. It’s always bittersweet coming home after such a fun time, but we’re glad to be back.

Laundry List

Gunter's fixed! For the time being, at least. We'll see how he handles.

It's been over six months since we moved into our first house, and we finally painted our first room! I was a little scared to commit to a color, but we painted two walls of our living room chocolate brown. The color makes the place looks more lived-in, and the furniture my dad left with us help so much.

It's been about two months since Josh and I gave Emma up to the Great Pyrenees Rescue. She was adopted more than a month ago, and we receive occasional updates from her new "mom" who spends almost all day with her. We still miss her, but we're so relieved that she found a great home. Despite the difficulty of letting her go, Josh and I know we made the right decision. It was so fun to have a dog around for a few months, but dogs deserve better than a life of solitude.

Our friends' weddings are soon approaching. Josh and I will drive down to Longview, Texas for Jonathan and Joy's wedding February 16th. Josh and Jonathan have known each other since youth group days, and Jonathan was Josh's best man at the wedding, so this wedding means a lot to us. I'll probably be riding in the backseat to Texas, so some Dramamine will be in order!

School is going well so far this semester. I'm taking a light load to allow myself time to plan Lambda Pi Eta (LPH) stuff, but so far I'm not sure if it was worth it to drag my graduation out to December of this year. I think I made the right decision, but December sure seems far away! So far, Whitney (co-president with me) and I have sent out invitations to potential members and we'll soon be planning an induction ceremony. The ceremony will be in April, and it'll be an opportunity for incoming members to invite family and friends to recognize their membership. Overall, the greatest challenge for Whitney and I is to lead an organization we've never been a part of. Our faculty advisor selected us after we took several of her courses. The offer came as a huge surprise, and now we're building LPH from the ground up. Though the UCCS chapter has existed for a couple years (which is nothing compared to other schools in the country), the previous president went on to law school and left us with little to work with. Follow this link for more info on LPH: http://www.natcom.org/nca/Template2.asp?bid=21

Gunter

Josh and I bought a car yesterday. His name is Gunter, and he’s a 1983 VW GTI. We’re going to be rolling in style…once we get him to work. Josh drove him home after meeting with the seller last night, and the car DIED the minute he pulled up! We had friends over last night, and we joked, “At least Josh didn’t have to bother to turn off the car!” Thankfully, the company who last worked on the car will look it over and hopefully fix it for free.

Last night Josh and I had pizza at our house with our to-be married friends. One of the couples is getting married next month, and the other will be married two weeks after that. Last weekend, Josh and I accompanied them to a bridal festival at the Phil Long Expo. We sampled cookies, and I wanted to swim in the glorious chocolate fountain. After that, the girls browsed perfumes at Dillard’s while the guys explored the shoe section. I’m in love with Dior’s J’Adore, but images of Charlize Theron pop in my head whenever I smell it.

The house is so quiet now that my sisters have been gone for a week, but the new peace in the house has inspired me to finally paint our front room. I start my weekend class tonight, though, so we’ll see when I can squeeze the painting in.

Get well soon, Gunter.

Sisters and Weddings

My sisters have been staying with us for the past couple of weeks, and they're leaving this coming Saturday. It's hard leaving early on the weekdays and coming home in the late afternoon, but Josh and I enjoy the time with them. Yesterday we got our hair cut for $7 each at the Toni & Guy Academy, spent some time at Starbucks, and watched "The Majestic" with April. Even the little things are special when we don't always get to see each other.

Josh and I are so excited--there are four weddings to look forward to in the next few months! Particularly, our friends Jonathan and Joy are getting married next month. Joy eats the popcorn I drop on the couch when we're watching movies, and we agree that crackers and cheese (with the mousse-like dispenser) would make a good sneak-in snack at the theater. I can't wait to spend more time with her. Jonathan and Josh have known each other for years, so it's only natural for the four of us to spend time together. And, congratulations to Matt and Sayo, Keith and Sara, and Justin and Shara.