Girls Weekend!

I first met Jenn and Tonya Freshman year in our Dorm. They were my neighbors and were best friends from highschool like my roomate and I were. We became amazing friends that year and have remained friends these past 5 years. Our sophomore year Tonya moved back home and has graduated from Gene Juarez beauty school. We havent all kept in touch as much as we should have, and I havent seen Tonya since Junior Year. She decided to come visit Jenn and I a couple of weekends ago and we had an amazingly fun time. It was so much fun to catch up, eat dinner, watch girly movies and laugh at all of our amazing adventures Freshman and Sophomore year. It was awesome to pick up where we had left off and I cant wait until our next get together!

Allie came up to visit also, and Jenn and Allie took me (literally dragged me away from my desk!) to see NEW MOON...the second Twilight Saga movie...which of course, was amazing! Jenn and I have hardly seen each other this quarter as we have both been extremely busy with this quarter and since Allielove graduated last spring we do not get to see her as much as I would like. It was so so so so fun to spend time with some of my best friends!!! I am truly lucky to have each and every one of my amazing friends! Love you girls!

***The Picture is the last photo taken of the three of us...Sophomore Year!! With My Camera broken I never get to take as many pictures as I once did....***

Its The Holiday Season!

I love love love love this time of year!!! I love the decorations, the candles, the music, and the warmth I feel from Christmastime. There is something truly magical about it!!

I LOVE Warm 106.9's Christmas Station. Especially Delilah. The first morning they began playing Christmas music I skipped down the hall joyfully much to the annoyance of my roomies who believe that there is no Christmas before Thanksgiving which I say Bah Humbug to. I love the 24/7 music. I love hearing everybody's traditions. Its been apart of my tradition for years.

I also decorate my room the weekend before Thanksgiving. I have my lights around my window and around my room. My stocking is hung above my TV with care and I have tinsel/garland around my window and my bookshelf. I have a delicious smelling candle that smells like a Christmas Tree...mmm and I have my fake tiny tree with lights in it on my window sill. Since I love Santa or Ho Ho as I lovingly have referred to him as my entire life, I have my Ho Ho Ho Santa my Mom painted and my Ho Ho Ho Ho sign on my wall. Of course the decorating would not be complete without my nativity scene on my bookshelf and my ornaments artfully set up in my chocolate box :)

Chelsea bought a small Christmas Tree and friends Kyle and Kurt nicely hung our Christmas Lights outside for us. Since we are here a week shorter than last year we did not go all out as we normally would. Thats okay its still the most festive house on the street! :)

I began work at the Bellevue Mariners Team Store over Thanksgiving Break. It was time for a change, and I get to work with some of my all time favorite co-workers from the Stadium! Im super stoked because I found out that Jay Buhner will be at my store December 16th!

I got a 96% on my World Civilization Mid-Term! Exciting! I also got a 99% on my World Civ Term Paper on the Cuban Missile Crisis...Wow totally unexpected!

While I have yet to get the Swine Flu...Ive had everything else it seems! Sinus Infections, Flu, and now...Bronchitis! Whew. Im hoping that next quarter will be better health wise! :)

I've said it once, I'll say it again...I have the BEST roomates. I have so much fun with them. Last night we relaxed after our homework was done and before Finals weekend/week overtakes us and watched Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and The Grinch and celebrated with a little Champagne. It was what the Doctor ordered. Sometimes you have to take a step back from the workload and rejuvinate. I now feel like I can dive into Finals and am excited to get this quarter over with!

We were assigned our Debate groups and topic in my American Politics class. I have what appears to be a fun group with 3 of the smartest kids in the class in my group...should be interesting! Our Debate topic? Is it appropriate for the U.S. government to utilize private security forces in sanctioned military operations abroad? What is that you ask? beats me. I guess I will be finding out...and soon! :)

I feel extremely blessed to have a wonderful family! I got an unexpected letter and giftcard to Fred Meyer from my Brother which couldnt have come at a better time. It was extremely thoughtful and sweet. I love my conversations with Melissa. I love texting back and forth the most random things that only we find funny. My parents have helped me financially through this quarter. I wouldnt be here without their help, guidance and support. I am so unbelievably lucky to have such a supportive family.

Thanksgiving!

I went home for Thanksgiving this year, my first time home all quarter! It was just Mom, Cameron Bug, and I for Turkey dinner, and we had friends over for dessert. It was a nice, quiet day and I learned alot in the kitchen from Mom! We enjoyed sipping Mamosas and a delicious Turkey with Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Yams, Green Bean casserole, homeade Crescent Roles, and Cranberry Sauce!! Mmmm!

On Friday our dear friend Judy and her daughter Prim came over for some wine tasting and a delicious spread of Brie, a Cheese Sampler, Salami, Veggies with Judy's homeade Hummas and some Pumpkin Spice Cake. It was delicious and fun to chat and taste different wines to celebrate Judy's Birthday!

And of course, we watched our traditional Thanksgiving Movie....National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. We have watched that movie every year for as long as I can remember! It never gets old and we crack up everytime we watch it as if we hadnt seen it before.

It was a very nice relaxing Thanksgiving and I have lots to be thankful for!!!

Love Visitors!

Jake and Quincy came to visit me here in Ellensburg a couple of Saturday's ago. They thought it would be fun to come visit before the snow hits and I agreed! It had snowed the day before so was glad they were able to make it and they were greeted with some snow when they arrived! They got to see my place here at T-park and see where I live! They were nice enough to treat me to lunch at The Roadhouse Grill where we had a nice time chatting and Jake could watch the Huskies get killed by the Beavers. I have no pictures, but it was a very fun day and I am so glad they were able to make it out!! Thank you!!! :)

The First Snow!

Mmmm I absolutely LOVE the first snow of the year...I love that this year it is around the Holiday Season so I can listen to Christmas music as it falls...something I simply love. I was walking to class this afternoon when big fat flakes started falling. Later I was walking to the grocery store (its a nice little jaunt) and out of nowhere a Blizzard started! The ground covered quickly it was incredible. Chelsea came and saved me (I was more than halfway to the store but I appreciated the ride non-the-less) It was actually fun to listen to Christmas music as I walked in the snow...it was a little magical actually. This picture is at the end of the mini-storm as we arrived home!

What Im Thankful For....

Okay here are a few things I am thankful for since I am falling sorely behind on my pledge....

• Baseball. Yes. I am thankful for Baseball. It brings so much joy and happiness to my life. Its easy to say that Baseball is my life. I love the excitement and the pressure of knowing that with the swing of a bat an entire game can change. No score is safe. There is nothing I love more than sitting on the edge of my seat watching a really really good baseball game...no matter who the team is. I have to say the postseason provided me with plenty of nail biting...it was one of the best post seasons in awhile....

• My Roomates. I seriously HAVE THE BEST roomates. We always take care of each other and are always there for each other. Sarah and Chelsea are my family in more ways than one. They are so supportive of me and have truly been there for me this past year. I am sooooooo thankful for them and so blessed to have them in my life.

• Designated Drivers. Seems like a simple thing, but I am proud to say that my group of friends and I each take turns being the DD. We rotate through like clockwork and everybody takes their turn. Its important to all of us. This weekend it was my turn and It made me glad to know that I was getting my friends home safe.

• Inside Jokes. Nothing can cheer up a moment or a day then getting (or sending) an inside joke to a friend whether its a movie or song quote, or when a funny moment that we've been through pops into your head and you HAVE to share it. I love exchanging inside jokes with my friends and we seem to do it alot...

• My Electric Blanket. I put it back on my bed with my clean sheets this weekend. Its glorious. Even Toke loves it and climbed under the covers with me this morning. It saves on my heating bill too in the long run. Love Love Love my electric blanket :)

#27!!!

Taylor Swift on SNL sooo funny!

Oh November....

• It is now officially November. November to me means one thing....the countdown to the Holiday Season. At the end of the month we will be fully emmersed into the Holiday Season...Love It.
• It is very hard to wait until the weekend before Thanksgiving to start decorating my room and our little home here in Ellensburg. I would love nothing more than to be all decorated up for Christmas now but alas there are Holiday rules and traditions. Therefore, I will wait until November 21st, before I decorate my room. Although I did take down my normal day to day lights around my window and installed my Christmas Lights...but in my defense, my white lights (Aka my Mariner Lights) had burned out and I was just merely replacing them with appropiate lights....
• Tomorrow could very well be the last day of Baseball for the 2009 season...what a year it was. I actually really really hope it is the last game because Im not sure my little heart could handle a game seven. Im not sure my roomates could handle a game seven either.
• btw I have made many enemies in my open cheering for the Yankees. I love seeing everybody's newsfeeds on facebook silent when the Yankees won three games in a row. And then the Phillies win ONE game and its lit up...ridiculous
• I love that AROD is a hero. I had a "discussion" with somebody who thought that he wasnt a GREAT player because of his former playoff troubles...well...WHAT DO YOU SAY NOW HUH? Love Love Love it. Go Arod.
• I have updated my music on here with soft, quiet music. I think of it as the calm before the storm (aka the holiday season and finals). It is often music that I listen to quietly while I study.
• I have enjoyed my little buddy Toke. I am apparently his favorite buddy too right now. As I speak he is curled up on my bed snoring his little heart out. He is so sweet and cuddly...it takes away the annoyance at his constant meowing for food.
• I have realized how routined I have become this morning. I made my coffee, carnation breakfast drink with a little pumpkin spice creamer for flavor in the magic bullet...however somehow I have closed the lid sooooooo tight that none of us were able to get the lid off. I could not find the second mixer to make another. My hand is sore and a yes a little bruised from trying to unscrew the lid. It was a frustrating way to start my morning and I did not get my coffee or my normal breakfast drink...it really just threw me off the rest of the day!
• This falling back thing has also thrown me off completely. I feel like I should be in bed. at 5:00 I feel like it should be later because its so stinking dark out already
• I can smell the snow. its a coming.
• And finally...I thought since this is the month of Thanksgiving, that it would be fun or nice to try and everyday list something I am thankful for (key word try) so here I go.....

Today I am thankful for my parents. They have stuck by me and been there for me at every turn of my college career. Life hasnt been easy for any of us these past few years but no matter what happens they are there for me everday. They may not like me or be frustrated with me at times, but I know they love me, care about me, and want me to be happy, successful and achieve my dreams every single day. I love you both and thank you for your support, guidance and help in my life.

Checking in on my goals

Well folks its prettymuch midway through Fall Quarter. Ive had 3 mid-terms and another one on Friday. I am working hard. I can see the finish line. It hasnt been the hardest quarter I've ever had, but it still brings it daily challenges...

1. I have attended prettymuch every class. I was sick and missed a couple of days and have had some classes cancelled. But Im in class day in and day out even if sometimes Im in la la land
2. I have done a pretty good job at completing my homework the night before its due. I have lots of time in the Library and often do my homework there
3. I have been walking to and from class. Im not regular at the gym but I've been walking regularly
4. I have been very good about not leaving dishes and silverwear in my room. Even my roomates have noticed! I have a lapse every once in awhile and even stepped on a fork that somehow wound up on my floor ouch! thats a good reminder right there!
5. My room has amazingly stayed pretty clean. I cant study in a messy room. Right now I have books and my backpack and a clean clothes pile on the floor but its not out of control. Even my closet is clean!!! I tend to pick up my room every other day. Its amazing
6. Im better but not great at household chores. Ive been more involved with the dishwasher but my roomies tend to get to the dishes more than I do. I have vaccumned though and cleaned the kitchen several times! Go Me!
7. I have for the most part established a great bed time routine. I get in bed at 11pm 9 times out of 10 and watch Chelsea Lately to unwind. I am a late night homeworker but I try and often times suceed at being done at 11pm. I am asleep before midnight most nights. I either listen to my ipod or sleep time my TV. I have found that I cannot fall asleep without noise and I sleep much better if I have a little background noise...weird I know.
8. My Bathroom is cleaned about a once a week and I do laundry about once a week. I usually start it and Sarah usually finishes it! :)

My grades are good. Im happy. I have amazing roomates and family. I feel happy and lucky and I can honestly say I havent felt this good in a long time. Slowly but surely Im figuring my life out.

Yankee Fan

So many people get angry when they find out I am a Yankee Fan. I am first and foremost a Seattle Mariner fan. I live and die with them year after year. The Yankees hold a sentimental value for me. I clearly remember watching them in the playoffs and World Series as I grew up especially in their dynasty years. I would always carve my pumpkins and watch them. It has been painful to watch other teams the past nine seasons win the Championship. Everyone has their second go to team, and they are my second team. It doesnt hurt that my all time favorite player Alex Rodriguez plays for them now.

As a baseball fan and history nerd I love the tradition and rich history of this team. They are Baseball's dynasty.

While I think its ridiculous they spend astronomical amounts of money to pay for their players they are allowed to do as they wish...any other team could do the same.

I have had so much fun following the Yanks this postseason. They have been a lot of fun to watch. It has been an amazing post season!

Happy Halloween!!!

This was probably the quietest Halloween of my entire life. I didnt even have a costume! We stayed home and watched Halloween Movies (Hocus Pocus!) and ate goodies. I wanted to watch the World Series...what a game it was! I love a Yankee win! Knowing I had a mid-term Monday morning I did not want to spend my Sunday hungover. I figured I had enough fun my Freshman, Sophomore and Junior years to last me a lifetime! :)

With a little over a month left of School it is definitely crunch time and my days are getting crazier and crazier. Somehow I am managing to get it all done!

I hope everyone had a good Halloween and did not get tricked! Now the countdown begins to my favorite Holiday season....

Heavy on my heart

I've been thinking about Rolin alot lately. I think about him daily but lately, he's been a focus on my mind. Im not sure why. I think it might have something to do with the fact that one of my professors says "Really?" the way he did...a mock sarcasim or suprise at something. Maybe because its the baseball playoffs and he loved baseball. [and we surely would have had a bet going on about the Angels/Yankees series] Maybe because his Birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas [three things he loved dearly]...and of course the three year anniversary of his death are all upcoming. I miss Rolin so much. I always feel like there is a piece of him here with me and of course there are the random moments that I am reminded of something funny he did and will smile or burst out laughing often with tears in my eyes. The other day I remembered how we scattered those 99 cent poppers from the 4th of July on the ground in San Francisco's China Town and then hiding in an Alley as we watched people step on them and being suprised by the "pop!" it made.

Rolin wanted me to graduate so very much. I still have all the cards he sent me encouraging me. When he died his death threw me off my game. I was shell shocked and couldnt deal with the grief. All I could think about (And often still do) at night was the last time I saw him having this sixth sense it would be the last time. I remember looking at him for such a long time telling myself it could be the last time. It was. He was just so sick. Or the last time I talked to him. I can still hear his voice so clearly in my head. I feel like Ive been in this fog the past two years and I am finally emerging. While the pain of losing someone so dear to you never truly goes away, the pain has eased and I can truly smile at all the wonderful memories without pushing them away because im afraid of crying. For so long I couldnt discuss the grief because I was afraid of breaking down. I think I am finally past that phase. Each day gets a little bit easier.

I miss you so much Rolin. I miss your voice and your laugh and your incredible sense of humor. But mostly I miss your smile and hugs. Im thankful for the time and the memories and for the happiness and joy you spread to my family. I love you Rollie. Eat a macaroon for me :)

Pictures of Late....

Taken on my camera phone so they are not spectacular....


My 100% Midterm!!! I am still shocked but pleased!

Tokala has been attatched at my hip! Giving lovies here

Too cute. Laying on the floor by my desk as I do homework. yes he is upsidedown

Laying on my bed while I do my homework at my desk...and yes laying next to PINK! ah!

My first pumpkin carving of the year!!! My Yankee pumpkin! I pick a team every year to follow and The Yanks were my team of choice. I think my pumkin is a jinx. They lost 6-1 tonight in Game 1!

Tokala sitting on Chelsea's lap while they were visiting in my room. Too cute!

Tokala and his slim jim...or slim cat Im not sure what its called. Chelsea bought it. You put his food in it and he has to push it around to get the food out. Seeing as he was weighing in at around 16 pounds at one year it was time for a diet. He has adjusted well to it - the first few days were touch and go and he only tries to hide it from us occassionally!

Happy Birthday Sarah!!!!

Our fabulous roomate Sarah turned the big 22 last week. Last year we threw a huge 21st Birthday for her with all of our friends. This year she wanted something more demure and so we appeased her with a celebration of my homeade pizza, homeade birthday cake made by Chelsea, a movie and a glass of wine the weekend of her Birthday and dinner out at Wing Central on her Birthday. Sarah is an amazing roomate and friend. She is kind and thoughtful and is always there when you need her. I feel so blessed to have her!!! Happy Birthday Watkins! I hope you have a wonderful year!!! :) Ps...welcome to the old people's club! ;) (My pictures were taken with the camera phone hince the graininess)



I made stuffed pumpkin pizzas...rolled out the dough and cookie cutted it
Tomato Paste, Cheese, Sausage, and Olives!!!

Put the other half on top and creased the edges! Ready to bake!

Come out all doughy and crispy goodness! :)

Sarah with her homeade chocolate cake (and the Yankees in the background!)

Sarah with her cake and her birthday card I made!

When Sarah went to class on Friday Chelsea and I quickly went into action....her making the cake and me making her card! Sarah LOVES Halloween...this was very fitting! :)

Summer Pictures From My Phone....

Cameron Bug

Cold in my Kiosk

Toke taunting Gunner

My Birthday cake...inflamed

Toke all cuddled up

The Bullpen @ The Rainier's Game...on the hunt for Brandon Morrow!

Sitting Fireside @ Chelsea's The 3 little kidlets looking out the window for Mom

Reasons I Love Fall

• Everything Pumpkin Spice! Coffee Creamer in my morning breakfast drink or in my hot chocolate...or a delicious smelling candle
• The smell of wood burning fires
• The beautiful colors on the trees as they change...There is a section of campus where the trees are old and line the entire street dangling their colored leaves...its just gorgeous!
• Snuggled up in a blanket watching TV in front of the Fireplace
• Halloween Movies!
• The foggy mornings and the distinct smell of fall
• Football Sundays with homework and hearing Chelsea yell for the Seahawks
• Being able to wear a vest with a long sleeve shirt underneath...no reason for a heavy jacket yet!

and quite possibly the most fabulous reason I love Fall.....

• BASEBALL PLAYOFFS!!! while its tragedy the Mariners are not in it this year its something Im used to! :) I love the excitement, the rivalries, the pressure, and the legends that are born in the playoffs. I love carving my pumpkins while watching The World Series. I love spreading my homework out on the floor during Playoff Saturday's and watching game after game in front of the fire. I simply...love it. I live for it. Each moment is a piece of our history. Its incredible.

HAPPY FALL TO YOU ALL! :)

Our Afternoon of Crazy

Okay...so everyone knows we have a very interesting black cat named Toke here at school. He is our baby. He loves to cuddle, snores, loves people food and weighs about 15 pounds. Toke is also illegal meaning we are harboring him without actually paying for him here in our residence therefore, he is an indoor cat. Toke, would never survive outside and only goes outside when we are holding him. He is always around one of us and you can say he is attatched at the hip of either Chelsea and I. If he is not with either of us he is in his bed by the tv and fire in the livingroom. We are so very careful in not letting him outdoors. If we have people over we lock him in one of our rooms so he doesnt accidently get out.

Therefore, you can imagine my suprise when as I was walking home from class today I get a frantic phonecall from Chelsea saying Toke had gone missing. That Sarah and her had searched all over the house and could not find him anywhere and that the yard guy had said he had seen an adult black fat cat near the edge of Timothy Park's property near the big cow field. I thought it was a cruel joke. But then remembered that right before I had left for class I had stood in the doorway with the door wide open talking to my roomies before I shut the door and walked to school. I didnt remember Toke wandering past me outside but it was very possible that he had.

I was in a panic. I called for him as I got closer to home yelling "Here Kitty Kitty! Come here Toke!! Tokeriah!" like a fool. I went wandering partially into the cow field hoping to see him chasing a bird. Sarah and I met at home and preceded to drive around calling his name and parking near another field looking for him. Sarah who is not a huge fan of little Tokeriah wandered through a field yelling for him. I am crying thinking I have lost our cat! We looked through open garages thinking he had wandered in there hiding. We called his name and listened hoping to hear the meow we are so used to. I went in and looked through my closet afterall he loves to hide in there sometimes. Chelsea and Sarah had also looked in all the closets, the laundry room, under the beds, in the bathrooms, opened cubbards and decided he was indeed not in the house.

Chelsea came home from school and we wandered through Timothy Park calling for him and preceded to knock on doors to tell people that our black fat cat named Toke was missing and if they saw him to try and catch him and bring him to us. I can only imagine what people thought of three crazy girls crying about their fat cat named Toke. I just couldnt believe that he had gotten out and kept thinking that he had been watching the birds out my window which gets him so excited, saw the open door and made a run for it and quite possibly decided to follow me to school.

After we knocked on prettymuch everbody's doors in the vicinity of the area including looking under porches and barns across the street we came home and decided to call and leave descriptions with Vet offices as well as the humane society. Chelsea made signs to put up in case he didnt come home. We left his food dish and scratching post on the front porch hoping he would pick up the smell of home.

Chelsea then decided she would go on a run and see if she maybe didnt see him. Sarah and I settled in to do our homework with every blind and window open in the house hoping to maybe see him run across the lawn. I kept thinking that I heard a funny noise. As I was writing the homework assignments I needed to complete on my white board I heard a noise and looked over and lo and behold...there was tokeriahs head sticking out of the closet. Imagine my shock as I yelled TOKE! I started crying and grabbed him hugging him even Sarah was happy to see him and took off to try and find Chelsea...and then...the extreme anger set in. HE WAS IN MY CLOSET THE ENTIRE TIME!!!!!!!!!! all three of us had looked for him. we had called for him! we had tried to lure him out with food! HE IGNORED us! He got a bath as punnishment. He smells so good now

• Now everyone in the vicinity knows that the crazy girls at 801 have fat black cat named Tokeriah...I keep expecting somebody to bring a random black cat to our place
• Chelsea chased after a random black cat thinking it was Toke only to find she was chasing somebody elses black cat who did not appreciate her chasing their cat
• We atleast now know all of our neighbors...it was a great way to meet guys!
• Sarah and I got honked at and flipped off because we were driving so slow hoping to spot him
• our cat apparently hates us because he wouldnt respond to us even though we were all calling for him and looking for us in the closet and even bribed him with food
• 4 veternary offices now have a description of fat black cat named Toke
• we found out Sarah really does love Tokeriah
• we are reinforced in thinking that Toke would never survive outside as he layed on his back tonight curled up in my arms under a blanket watching Greys Anatomy.

But most important the little stinker was hiding in my closet the entire time. He has one hell of a hiding spot. And he never escaped. He was safe the entire time. Too bad we wasted 4 and half hours of our lives looking for the little poop.

A Fun Survey

***********FOODOLOGY***************

What is your salad dressing of choice? Ranch

What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? I do Love Red Robin

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? Pizza!

What are your pizza toppings of choice? Maui Zaui from Round Table...ham, bacon, pineapple, onion, green onion, cheese...

What do you like to put on your toast? Peanutbutter and Blackberry Jelly

********TECHNOLOGY***************

How many televisions are in your house? We have 4 here at Timothy Park

What color is your cellphone? Black and Red

Do you have an iPod? yes. sometimes its my best friend! :)

***************BIOLOGY******************

Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right

Have you ever had anything removed from your body? Wisdom Teeth and a Cyst in the back of my knee

What is the last heavy item you lifted? Probably shipment at work

Have you ever been knocked unconscious? Nope!

************BULLOLOGY**************

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? Yes.

If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Im not sure I would change it

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? Probably not. It could very well kill me haha

**************FAVORITOLOGY****************

Season? Fall. Especially in Ellensburg!

Holiday? Christmas

Day of the week? Thursday

Month? December

***********CURRENTOLOGY*****************

Missing someone? I miss Melissa. I miss my Mom. I miss Cameron Bug. I miss my co-workers

What are you listening to? Don't Forget Me - Way out West

Current worry? Money. Always Money

************RANDOMOLOGY*****************

First place you went this morning? to the shower...then climbed back into bed!

What's the last movie you saw? We watched Halloweentown yesterday in all its corny goodness

***************OTHER-OLOGY*****************

How many pairs of flip flops do you own? Too many!

Last time you had a run-in with the cops? hmmm...maybe when I got pulled over a year and a half ago? I honestly dont know!

Last person you talked to? Sarah

Last person you hugged? Amber

Do you always answer your phone? Depends on who it is! :)

It's four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it? Probably Melissa with some sort of story to tell me! :)

If you could change your eye color what would it be? Blue

What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? Ive never even been to Sonic

Do you own a digital camera? yes

Have you ever had a pet fish? oh yes.

Favorite Christmas song: O Holy Night

What's on your wish list for your birthday? I wanted a face cleanser washer thingy...and I got it! Thanks mom

Can you do push ups? hahaha noooo.

Can you do the splits? most definitely NOT

Does the future make you more nervous or excited? Excited

Do you have any saved texts? Of course... I rarely delete


Have you ever been in a car accident? A fender bender

Do you have an accent? Nope.

What is the last movie to make you cry? Marley and Me

Plans tonight? Watching Chelsea Lately then going to bed!

Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? yes and then life hits me again! :)

Name 3 things you bought yesterday: yesterday? absolutely nothing!

Have you ever been given roses? Yes

Met someone who changed your life? Yes

How will you bring in the New Year? hmm good question not sure yet!

What song represents you? The Climb. Miley Cyrus

Name two people who might complete this? Allen might.

Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? yes most. definitely!

Have you ever dated someone longer than a year? no.

Do you have any tattoos/piercings? my ears are pierced. thats its.

Does anyone love you? My family and Friends!

Would you be a pirate? No. The Pirate's life is not for me

What songs do you sing in the shower? Whatever is on my mind. Sometimes Taylor Swift, sometime christian music, and sometimes Christmas music!

Ever had someone sing to you? Yes

Do you like to cuddle? Its my favorite thing to do

Have you held hands with anyone today? no

Who was the last person you took a picture of? Tokala

Are most of the friends in your life new or old? I have a great mix right now!

Do you like pulpy orange juice? ew no. disgusting!

What is something your friends make fun of you for? Oh where do I even begin?!?! :)

Stepping Up On My Soap Box....

There are alot of little things that annoy me. Such as when people chew with their mouths open. Or I can hear people chew. Or when people dont merge correctly on the freeway, drive waaaay under the speed limit or dare to talk during a TV show and then have the adacity to ask what just happened. But nothing annoys me more than hypocrites, suck ups, and people with entitlement issues. These three are at the top of my list and I have found generally go hand in hand. I have lately just been so annoyed with people and their suck up, hypocritcal, entitlement issues that I just have to get it out there to the Universe. Maybe writing it on my blog is being passive aggresive...but frankly, I dont care.

I guess its something I should get use to. I deal with people like this everyday whether its at work with co-workers or customers, in the classroom or hell even in my family. I am fully willing to admit, that at times I too am guilty of my three annoyances. I have certainly on more than one occassion been a hypocrite. I have certainly tried to suck-up (I fail miserably and find that being polite gets you just as far as sucking up) and yes even at times have had entitlement issues. But the key thing here is that I recognize I have these...faults and work hard everyday to not fall victim. But I wonder why if I can easily admit my faults and that I make mistakes, why other people cant? Do people not see that they are being hypocritcal or do they just chose to ignore it because their ego is so big it wont allow them to?

Maybe its an insecurity, but lately Ive been thinking about what I say on my status updates on Facebook. I let myself go on my twitter account because there are less people there that I doubt care. But Facebook I have 366 friends. Thats 366 people who see what I say and follow what I do thanks to the stalker home page and lets face it we all know everybody loves to keep up on the gossip.I often read people's updates and wonder what the hell they are thinking especially when they are friends of mine. When do you tell somebody that their status is hypocritical or that they are clearly having an entitlement issue? Do they not know how ridiculous they sound?

Clearly not. Or they just simply dont care which is what bothers me the most. Why WOULDNT you care how you come across to people?! The same can be said for Suck Ups and even entitlement lovers. Is selling out friends, family, or co-workers really worth that extra little push you might get? Or relentlessly demanding and/or thinking you should get something just because you think you deserve it or to get that moment of praise that you crave? I often find that when they dont get what they want they are negative and foul until they get what they want when suddenly, they are singing a different tune...aka a total hypocrite.

Unfortunately these people always get ahead in life because people allow them to continue to behave the way they do without any consequences. Many of them get rewarded when they shouldn't be. Nobody, is willing to say what the majority is thinking. Including me. I often chose to stay quiet because I tend to think that the majority is thinking what Im thinking and hope that one day things will come full circle. Or that maybe, just maybe one day they will "realize" their fault like I have and want to "fix" it. One can dream right?! I guess the lesson here after my rant is that I cant change other people. I can only change myself. And while these things totally and througherly annoy me they are always going to be there and I have to think of a way to handle my feelings and just make sure that I am none of these things that I so dispise.

End. Rant.

This Is Halloween...

Which means my blog music has changed to...Halloween music! :)

There is music from The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland (My personal favorite!) Hocus Pocus, Halloween, The Addams Family, The Munsters, Michael Jackson, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and of course...The Monster Mash! Enjoy! :)

Odds and Ends

• School is going very well so far. I am putting time and effort into my classes so far I have two 100% assignments!
• I decided not to get a parking pass...I ride to school with Sarah in the mornings and walk home if its nice or catch a ride back with Sarah or Chelsea. The other bonus is that I dont go home on my breaks. I go to the library and use my breaks as study time - which clearly, is working!
• I had to make a tough financial decision which prevented me from being able to work the last homestand of the season for the Mariners. It was tough and I didnt get to say goodby to my co-workers BUT on the brightside, I got to really enjoy the last three games of the Mariner season without the interruption of customers! I loved being able to watch the aftergame love among the players - something I think the clubhouse needed this year = bonding. I would not have been able to experience it fully in a kiosk!
• Griffey will be back. Its in the best interests of everybody. AND they WILL send him out properly
• If you havent read my post about my CWU football game experience...you should.
• Ive been having horrible allergy/sinus problems the past several weeks. Pain on the left side yada yada yada. My ear started hurting so I thought I would go to the health center and see about some allergy medication. Turns out I have a sinus infection. fun times.
• We have brought the Halloween season in with style here in Tpark we have our decorations up, had Spaghetti and watched Hocus Pocus, Friday the 13th and Halloweentown. We love the holidays in our household and celebrate for the entire month! Toke is our Halloween kitty and if you havent seen the pictures of him in his pumpkin costume...check it out!
• I found out that I recieved a 100% secret shop in one of my last games...thats two this season for those of you keeping up! Which is excellent and I am so proud of myself! 2/2!
• George O'Malley is truly dead on Greys Anatomy. That makes me soooo sad.
• Dancing With The Stars so far this season is extremely boring!
• THE PLAYOFFS ARE HERE! which means the most wonderful time of the year! :)

Trying Something New

One thing I have learned as a History Major is the importance of Primary Documents. While we can learn alot of information and memorize facts and dates from text books nothing is better than seeing a first hand account of a historical event. Primary Sources have been drilled into my head so much that its hard to imagine that I never not new the difference between the two. Many of you probably do not know that I am a certified Oral Historian... which means I can take people's history down and document it officially so all of this becomes natural to me...

anyway the point of this post is that I have realized I have an amazing opportunity to write down all of my experiences, feelings, and situations of that moment. In other words...keeping a private journal. While this blog is great for relaying my current events I dont have an outlet for writing my true feelings. And trust me...I have alot.

My expirement is to write down anywhere..my class notebooks, in my books, my computer or this blog what I am feeling at any given moment. Ive found it to be awesome already. Who knows maybe one day people will read my anecdotes and get a mood for life as a Central Student at this time. Our Library accepts donations of such artifacts and it would be a neat way to leave my legacy as a CWU student. I just wish I had thought to do it earlier....

you may read more personal entries on this blog fair warning just so I can document my life more. You never know when I will need to look back and remember a little bit of my own history! Or my own source of Primary Documents! :)

My Summer In Pictures...

Celebrating September Birthdays

Toke Terrorizing Gunner

Jen's 22nd Birthday

Chrissy's going Away Party

Kenny G on the Boat

At The Mariner Game Seafair

Football Saturday!

Realizing that this is our last fall as CWU students, Chelsea and I decided we should go to atleast one of the home football games. Our team is 5th in the Nation and is currently undefeated. The last CWU football game I went to was the Battle in Seattle...my Sophomore year...which was ohhh 2006. The last game I went to on CWU campus was Homecoming...Freshman year. It was time to explore this relatively unchartered territory. I mean we have heard the bells, the cannons, and the marching band from our dorms, our apartment at the Grove and even here at Timothy Park. Today, we got to experience it.

Now, Ive grown up around football. Everyone knows I was Jake's biggest fan while he played Highschool ball and his college experience grew on me his two final years. I always wanted to be THAT fan in the stands when it was finally my turn to be in college...but reality set in. None of my friends ever really wanted to go to the games in the past, and lets face it...no offense to Jake but Ive been pretty footballed out.

We walked to the field scoped out the country playin tailgate party going on, was impressed with the Beer Ponging going on and recognized the entire men's and women's rugby teams pre-funking in the parking lot. We got our free energy drinks (We threw them out) and signed up for the Cat Pack to recieve our free t-shirts...oh yes... Chelsea and I are now proud members of the Central Washington University Cat Pack...whatever that may be. The point is we got free tshirts. We moved inside the stadium and found a group of friends...aka our softball team from last spring...aka the CWU men's hockey club team. We settled down next to them much to my chagrin on the 25 yard line ( I am a true believer of the 50 yard line which ironically is the home of this cat pack we became members of)

Immediately after sitting down, I took in the scene in front of me. Cotton eyed Joe was playing on the speakers...and there was a lady with a full mullet standing on the track. Yes. you read me correctly...Full mullet. Also in front of us just beyond mullet lady was the drill team. Not to be confused with the cheerleaders. We got to watch them perform and while I applaud them for trying, it was painful to watch and only added to the embarrasment I felt living in this small town called Ellensburg. Although to the Utahians across the field it probably felt like home.

To my left was the removable big screen. I was impressed that we even had a big screen honestly...even if it is tear down and put back on day of game style on top of a trailer. Hey. We still have a big screen...and by the way we were showed in our awesome new CWU Cat Pack tshirts on that big screen...numerous times. It was a very exciting moment for me. But that was not the end of our football game day excitement. Oh No. Do you remember the formentioned Rugby teams? Well it was decided that there was plenty of room around my row of friends for them to join us. Foul mouthed, drunk, girl crazy, boy crazy and boy cheerleader hasslers surrounded us. (I found it interesting that there almost as many boy cheerleaders as girl cheerleaders. Go Feminism!) The lone bright spot in this situation was realizing that my friend Lane was apart of this crew. (Rugby...not boy cheerleader) It was nice to say Hello, and visit with him until he had to leave us to join the said crowd above.

Now...the only negative thing I will say about my experience, was I did not approve of the band playing the Star Spangled Banner louder than the girl singing it. It made our little town seem so...podunk. Well that and the brawl among my fellow peers when the cheerleaders began handing out $5 Wing Central Gift Cards. I am ashamed to say that my own roomate Chelsea was one of the college kids gone wild in an attempt to score the prized gift. All I remember is covering my head waiting for the bedlam to end... all in the name of wings!

As for the actual game itself, well all I know is that there were alot of flags. An obscene amount of flags. Oh wait, that was the Huskie game I watched when I got home. Okay well either way I saw alot of false starts and yellow flags today. I saw good defense and I believe CWU had three 3 point kicks before actually scoring a touchdown...where after the ROTC boys proudly slip in that cannon without warning... Which sounds and feels like the 4th of July. Oh Also, Dixie State scored the first touchdown of the game but we blocked their kick. I was pleasantly suprised to hear that a buddy (ironically named buddy) from my Freshman year dorm (whom Ive prettymuch lost touch with) blocked that kick. Way to go Buddy! Im not sure what the score was at the half, all I know is that by half time we were ahead and I was ready to go - either home or to the white tent at the other end of the field where they were serving food and beer. Game On. Chelsea wanted to stay and watch the Marching Band for only god knows what reason. But when she realized they were not marching and the drill team was coming out for a second performance it was time to say goodbye and find the entrance to that little white tent.

We finally found the tent, proudly showed our Id's and our CWU student cards, paid our $5 and entered the tent excited at the prospect of what was to come. The Roadhouse Grill was catering, the wildcat mascot was wandering around, There were football decorations all over, and our former CA from The Grove who is now the President of CWU was there among other students and Alumni. We knew nobody else. We jumped in line, after all we all know Chelsea and I love a good buffet. Turns out we were at the end of the buffet but still enjoyed what little was left. We scrounged for a place at one of the tables - being kicked out of several seats and forced to sit tableless on chairs for awhile... and listened to the cannon boom in the background. Turns out Beer cost extra. Lame. What kind of establishment is this?! After we ate we debated whether to join our friends back in the stands but as it was quickly growing colder and the wildcats were now ahead 36 - 6 we decided to walk home agreeing that we had already had quite the day.

We can now say that we've experienced Wildcat Football fully (well minus the drinking). I was amazed at how quickly the stands emptied out before halftime actually started with the cries of "we're going to [insert name here] for halftime drinks!" or "Hey I need your keys! My Beer is in your car!" or "lets get that next round of beer pong in now!" or even "lets go use our $5 wing central card to go get a beer!" Only at Constantly Wasted University would this happen. I certainly dont remember hearing this from the student body at PLU! It was a little bit thrilling to tell you the truth. Ive been missing alot these past several years I've found. Perhaps the funniest moment or maybe enlightening moment of the day was being handed a card by a lazy eyed man that was promoting a new store in town called "Tight ASSests" Oh yes. Ellensburg now has a clothing store called Tight Assests. How charming! Im sure all the Antique shoppers will love going into that store. Maybe Mullet lady will be a regular there. I can tell you that I wont be.

Summer Rewind

So as I was listening to my 9am Professor drone on about nothing that has to do with class I begin to make a list of my summer experiences....its as follows:

Vacations:

I got to go visit my Dad and Stepmom Kim in The Vegas. We had alot of fun visiting while lounging in the pool and drinking Margaritas and were all winners in the casinos!! Mom rented a Cabin at Flowing Lake in Snohomish we had fun camping Linda style and laying by the lake reading and enjoyed the sunshine!

D8 Reunions:

I have known Stacy and Kendra since Jr High. We all played softball together for District 8 and all went to rival highschools (Bothell, Woodinville and Inglemoor). We became fast friends. We always have fun times together even if we havent seen each other in 6 months. Its great to be able to pick up where we left off the last time we were together. Kenny goes to school in Illinois and Stacy just graduated from Trinity in Conneticut and is back at Grad school at Wazzu. Our time together was very short this summer but we managed to get in a couple of hangouts....Stacy and I watched Frost Nixon (okay, I watched Frost Nixon...Stace fell asleep) and we all gathered at Stacy's for her Graduation party where we BBQued, jumped on the Trampoline, and played Champagne Pong! Kenny and I got to hangout a bit more and had a nice day out on Jake and Quincy's boat (more of that to come)

Roomie Love:

I live with them for 9 months you think we would be sick of each other...nope. Chelsea and I quickly became addicted to the Showtime show Nurse Jackie. Because I didnt have Showtime at home Chelsea would TiVo NJ and we would meet up when our schedules coincided often having NJ marathons and would enjoy a Blime or Mojito of some sort. Another favorite pastime at Chelsea's is sitting around the fireplace with all our friends and hanging out catching up on life. Its always relaxing and a fun way to spend a nice summer night! This year I also got to experience SeaFair for the first time. A group of us took the boat out to watch the Blue Angels. It was an absolutely crazy experience!! I also had my first Seadoo experience and as Chelsea says my last. I had a hard time getting onto the seadoo and adjusting but had an absolute blast and will fight for another opportunity next summer!! Sarah and I also got to hangout a couple of times and bond...she would come hangout with me when I was alone! Sarah was also really sweet and put together a nice Birthday suprise for Chelsea and I. She made us each our favorite cupcakes (Vanilla and Chocolate with rainbow chip frosting) got us cards and a small gift. It was so sweet and from the heart. Chelsea was also an excellent friend this summer and put together a "Meghan" Kit for my Birthday...a Bottle of Champagne (cooks only the finest!) a mini bottle of coconut rum and a bottle of diet coke, and a mini bottle of jegar with a rockstar!I feel so blessed to have such wonderful roomates as my friends! :)

College Friends = Friends Forever

except in Jackie's case who was at Safeco Field numurous times and never came say hi (no...you will never live that down girl!) :) Allie and I celebrated Jen's 22nd Birthday with her in Kirkland this year. I had to miss Jen's 21st birthday, so celebrating with her this year was extremely important to me. I miss my girls already here at school but both Jen and Allie have already been here to visit! Allie is one of my absolute best friends. I can go to her with anything and vis versa. She will and has dropped everything to help me (like when I ran out of gas...) I love our shopping trips, lunch dates, and Margarita gossip sessions! Miss you all...

Ohhh Mariners:

My third year at the Ballpark added more amazing memories to my mariner employee file! There were of course the familiar faces that I love, but I also got to know a few new faces this year as well! I loved these new faces because many of them were close enough to my age I could hangout with them! I'm not gonna lie I was a little creeped out when Seth said he knew me...okay I don't know you! Turns out...I did. We went to High school together and heck we even had a PE class together (Which only took me two months or so to figure out/remember...haaah.) Sometimes I think Seth regrets saying anything because once I have a connection with somebody...its over they are my new BFF! :) Seth carpooled with Chrissy who I had already been working with for the past three years and Elena whom I loved instantly. I think she is a bigger Mariner fan than I ever was (And for those of you that know me...that is saying ALOT) we are quite the comedy duo and in a sense I feel like Ive known her forever...not just a couple of months! Add in Chris, Ryan, and others...work was instantaneously fun! When you work with people all the time you tend or at least I tend to spend a lot of time with them. I cant help it. It just...happens. As a Mariner group we had a lot of fun this year...

Chris hosted a Mariner BBQ and it was fun to see current and past employees and non employees (like the fabulous Brittainy Lunde!). We also visited Pyramid after a few hard days of work, and enjoyed the hot dogs and pizza at Costco on our Set up lunch dates. I was rewarded with two 100% secret shops which makes me extremely proud! I also got to enjoy two fabulous 14 inning games...those are just a real peach let me tell you. It turns out we won both of them so in the end...it was worth it.

We had adventurous carpools...which always led to either getting lost, or trying to find a new way to the parking garage amidst all the crazy construction, or making people cross two lanes of oncoming traffic because we missed the pick up spot and had to stop in the middle of the lane...learning that following Elena is a at your own risk type of deal...

Celebrating...the happy and the sad. We celebrated Seth, Elena, Ryan's and my Birthdays and said a sad goodbye to Kaaarissay. Each get together was more memorable than the last and include these snippets: me making everybody go around the table at dinners and sharing personal info about their lives...ie favorite TV shows, favorite memories..yada yada yada. Somebody has to break the silence! The Anti-Social Mariner group hording their own table at Chrissy's party playing poker with whiskey shots..yes classy...walking half a mile down the road passing the Moon Temple because we were on the opposite side of the street, being accosted at Elena's Birthday party by a 40 year old drunkie telling us not to get married and have children, and 6 people squashing around a table meant for 3 all in the name of a beverage. Its moments like these that make me happy. I love the randomness of it all.

One of the most exciting parts about working at the stadium for me, is getting the opportunity to walk the halls with some of the greatest players of our generation. I was giddy at seeing Joey Cora and Nomar Garciapparra. Seeing Freddy Garcia, Alex Rios, Jacoby Ellsbury, Mark Buherlie, Carlos Guillien, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera and sooo many others were daily experiences. I got to witness Ken Griffey throwing a temper tantrum. It was a very real moment. I got to work a special event honoring Junior's homerun achievements. I didn't get to talk to him, and could barely see him, but just being at that exclusive event was memory enough. The biggest experience was walking past Alex Rodriguez in the tunnel. Ive grown up loving him. As a fan I have got to experience one in a lifetime moments. All the crazy moments in my workday are forgotten with these experiences. Safeco Field truly has a piece of my heart and my co-workers become my family...we spend so much time together. I'm already going through major withdrawls from them!

Girls and Baseball Games

I got to go to 3 Baseball games this summer: Single A, Triple A and Big League. Mariner Employee Night at the Aquasox game is a yearly tradition apparently. This was the first year I took part in it. Chrissy, Elena and I traveled up North for the game after a day of baking (yes we schmoozed...yes it worked!) We were seated on the third base line..aka the visitors dugout. We left not as Aquasox fans, but as Tri-City Devil fans and a even bigger fan of #30...Ben. Oh Ben. We love you. You will forever be dirty. [30 is dirty] yeah lame. yeah funny. blame Elena.

On our required day off during our 10 game home stand, Chrissy and I and her friend Cassondra spent our day off at Safeco Field. We snuck down to the Right Field Seats and watched the Mariners crush....I believe the Kansas City Royals. Ive already forgotten. But we had a fun day in the sun nonetheless. Bothering our co-workers with hated questions was an added bonus

Girly (Christina), Christin, and I traveled down South for a Tacoma Rainier's game...we might have gotten lost a time or two..or three but finally made it just after game time with our amazing sign that read along the lines of we braved the traffic and the rain just to see Morrow play! yeaah we liked it okay? We quickly found that the bleacher seats were better than our $10 nice seats seats and we braved the rain to sit on the bleachers surrounded by hyperactive children up waaay past their bedtime just so we could practically sit in the Rainier's bullpen. It was worth every raindrop and screaming child. I think...the Rainier's won. I'm not sure though...

Families I Love

I worked a second summer as a Mother's Helper for the Kaltenbach family. I truly love this family. The kids are well behaved and adorable and I always have a cute anecdote from the day. It has truly been a wonderful experience and privilege to work with this family!

I have known the Quinn family since their oldest who is eleven had just turned one. The two boys feel like my brothers as I have watched them grow up through the years. I encouraged them to crawl, fed them from bottles and cut up their food, changed their dirty diapers and helped them learn to walk and talk...and now they are almost as tall as me speaking full sentences and have turned into little men. My babies have grown up (As have I) and its been amazing to be apart of their lives. I love when they come visit me at the ballpark and I had a wonderful evening swimming and having dinner with this incredible family.

The Albrechts are another family that I have known since the oldest who is ten was a year old. A family with two little girls I have done all the same for them as I have for the little boys. Little girls are much different than little boys and I love the experience of both. I got to spend lots of time with the youngest Albrecht this summer and we had so much fun together. We went swimming, did craft projects, played games, and went to lunch. Its fun to tease them about boys they have crushes on, and learn whats going on in the tween world! I love this family too and their girls.

All three families have been so good to me through the years. As I am away from them during the school year they play a major role in my summer. I have been truly blessed with these experiences and that these parents trust me with their children. Its extremely rewarding for me to know that I am as important to these kids as they are to me!

Another family I love...Is the Lunde's. Brittainy and I grew up together - elementary, Jr High and some Highschool. We played softball together and our parents sat together on the bleachers. Mama Patti and I even share the same Birthday! :)We got to spend some time with the Lunde's this summer in Snohomish and watched youngest son Jayson pitch a mean Baseball game! While Brit and I lost a little bit of touch the past few years we reconnected this summer and she was awesome enough to cut my hair! :) I didnt get a chance to hangout with Brittainy before I left for school but plan on it next time Im home. I value this lifelong friendship and know we will always be friends!

My favorite family...of course is my own. I miss Melissa who is living in California terribly. I dont get to see Jake and Quincy very often but I did get to spend some time on their boat with them this summer and they treated me to lunch for my Birthday too. Mom and I got to spend some time together on our camping trip, our day trip to Deception Pass, and our days lying on the beach reading our books! Life isnt always easy, we may all not always get along, but at the end of the day, I know we all love each other and would always be there for each other when we need it the most.

Summer Reads and Movies

We all know I love to read. Its not a secret. In honor of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince coming out in theaters I had to read all 7 Harry Potter books...I accomplished this in only two months. Very impressive if you ask me. I also became sucked into the story of the Kennedy family...I read the Kennedy Women, Mrs. Kennedy, and am currently reading True Compass Teddy kennedy's memoir. I finished both of Chelsea Handlers books which were hilarious. I started Night, The 5 People You Meet In Heaven, and The Boy In The Striped Pajamas... I still need to finish them. I will...eventually.

I decided to brave it and see Half Blood Prince at Midnight...never ever ever again. We got stuck in the first row and it was just crazy. I hated the movie. I like things to be accurate (part of being a historian right?!) and it wasnt. oh well. I still have the books! I also saw Inglorius Basterds. Not my forte. Too much goriness...but hey I can say I saw it right?! :)

On Life and Death

Death is unexpected and my family lost a dear friend this summer. Nellie (See post on him) who was an incredible man died of Congestive Heart Failure. I know he is running around heaven playing football, but he will be missed on this earth as hundreds will only know him through our stories of him.

Our nation lost two incredible members of the Kennedy Family. Ironically I was reading The Kennedy women when Eunice Kennedy Shriver died. Not long after her brother Teddy also passed away. The Kennedy story has always fascinated me. Its incredible history of death and destruction is fascinating. I was truly saddened by the loss of these people I only knew through reading and history. They were so much more than Jack Kennedy's siblings. Eunice was an advocate for Special Olympics and people with severe disabilities. Teddy worked in the Senate for years and worked for the poor and for education. They both dedicated their lives to serving the American public and I cant wait to finish Teddy's memoir!

The End

if you are still reading this...thats awesome. I just felt a need to record my summer...(Hey its history right?!) so one day when im old I can look back and remember what I did in the summer I was 22 :)

The Climb

I can almost see it
That dream I'm dreaming but
There's a voice inside my head sayin,
You'll never reach it,
Every step I'm taking,
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking but I
Got to keep trying
Got to keep my head held high

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm gonna to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing,
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes they knock me down but
No I'm not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm going to remember most yeah
Just got to keep going
And I,
I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on, cause

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm gonna to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes you going to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

Keep on moving
Keep climbing
Keep the faith baby
It's all about
It's all about
The climb
Keep the faith
Keep your faith

Our Cute Lil Punkin!

Baby Tokala last year...he barely fits!

Its that time of year again...Fall is quickly arriving here in Ellensburg! Fall just might be my favorite season in Eburg...The leaves turn and fall and theres that stretch of campus that is just covered in beautiful autumn leaves. I love turning on the fire and cuddling under the blanket with a Halloween movie and a pumpkin spice latte...mmm! Chelsea is very strict about not decorating for Fall or Halloween until October 1st....so Sarah and I anxiously wait. But that did not stop us from this afternoon putting Tokala in his pumpkin costume. Last year he was so little he swam in it...and this year of course it barely fits (he is about 15 pounds! whoaah!) But he is aboslutely adorable in his little pumpkin costume and just layed there pathetically while we took his pictures!!! Enjoy our little punkin kitty! :)