My Grandpa Dale passed away today around 11am eastern time. I didn't get the news from my mom until 4:30 pm because she had been flying and my grandma hadn't been able to get a hold of her to tell her until then. It was surprising that he passed away so quickly, we were expecting at least a week, but I know that it is better that way because he isn't in pain anymore and is in a much better place. I just feel so terrible for my mom because not only did she not get to say good bye and see him before he passed away, but she was alone in the airport when she got the news. It breaks my heart knowing that the whole reason she flew out was to say good bye and she didn't get that opportunity. I know that he knows how much she loves him and that he didn't need her to tell him anything, because he already knows how she feels, but I know that my mom needed that last talk as closure. She is a strong woman though, so I know that she will be ok and I will be here for her if she needs me of course. It is good still, of course, that she will be in Michigan during this time...maybe it happened this way for a reason. Maybe my grandma really needs my mom right now, whether she wants to admit it or not, and it was God's way of making it happen. I have always believed that everything happens for a reason and I believe that it worked out this way so my mom could be there with my grandma during this time to help her grieve and get through the passing of her husband of over 50 years. Had he hung on until after my mom's visit, and she wasn't there when he passed away, my grandma may not have had the support that she needs to get through this heartbreaking time.
As I mentioned before this is my first grandparent to pass away, and although we were not extremely close these last few years, I love my grandpa and will miss him dearly. I know that when people pass away they go to a much better place, a perfect place and are always there to watch over us for the rest of our lives. So, knowing that brings me so much peace and joy. Knowing that he is whole again and no longer in pain gives me much comfort. He will stay in my heart forever, I have so many amazing memories with him and I will cherish and keep them forever.
RIP Grandpa Dale August 10, 1934-January 31, 2012 <3
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
My Grandpa Pretzer
On Friday night I got some terrible news from my mom. Her dad, My grandpa who lives in Michigan, wasn't going to make it. My grandpa has been in and out of the hospital for over a year and has been recently going to dialysis three times a week. Friday, he had a doctors appointment and the doctor told him that there really wasn't anything they could do aside from continuing the dialysis which was essentially what has been keeping him alive. So, with that news from the Dr my grandpa decided that he was going to stop going to dialysis. Upon his decision to stop dialysis the Dr told him and my grandma that his body will slowly start to shut down and it could take 1-2 weeks for him to pass. Because of this decision my mom will be flying back to Michigan on Tuesday to see him and say her good byes. It is absolutely devastating news, but knowing that it is his decision and that he is at peace with it, makes is somewhat easier to accept. He never wanted to be put into assisted living or anything of that sort so this was his decision and what he wants to do. My grandma is also at peace with his decision which was good to hear because they have been married for over 50 years and we were really worried about how she would be able to handle my grandpa passing away.
I have felt so torn about what to do because I am scheduled to fly to California early Wednesday morning and have an appointment to go dress shopping on friday with all of my bridesmaids, Bobby's mom and my mom, but now of course my mom will not be there. On top of the dress appointment I have my best friend's baby shower on Saturday. I debated whether or not to change my flight and go to Michigan with my mom for support and to see my grandparents, but my mom told me that I should do what I already had planned. I don't know if I will ever really know if it was the right decision....I have not seen my grandparents in years. We used to be a lot closer with them when they were living in Florence, but after I graduated they moved to Michigan and I have not seen them since. We keep in contact through my mom and holiday/birthday cards, etc but unfortunately we just aren't as close as we used to be when I was younger but I still love them both with all of my heart and have amazing memories with them that I will cherish forever.
It is especially difficult for me because this will be the first grandparent that I have to pass away...so even though we may not be especially close, it doesn't make it any easier. I do not handle these situations very well...I never know what to say or how to act. I am always worried I am not reacting in the right way, not saying the right things to comfort people, etc...I know there is no "right" way to act towards someone or to act in general, but I am always just so worried about not saying the right things...I know that that is a dumb thing to think and worry about because it really doesn't matter, but it is how I feel.
I am really glad that my mom is able to go out and see him and say her good byes. I know she is extremely close with her parents and it is very important that she is able to say her good byes. I know she is very strong and that it will give her so much more peace being able to do that. I of course will miss her greatly at the dress appointment and just in general because I have not seen her since July. It is hard, especially during times like this, to be SO far away from family and friends, but I pray for them everyday and there's never a second that goes by that I am not thinking about them. I pray that he goes without pain, and I pray that everyone has a sense of peace about his passing knowing that he was able to make the decision on his own and that it is what HE wanted.
I have felt so torn about what to do because I am scheduled to fly to California early Wednesday morning and have an appointment to go dress shopping on friday with all of my bridesmaids, Bobby's mom and my mom, but now of course my mom will not be there. On top of the dress appointment I have my best friend's baby shower on Saturday. I debated whether or not to change my flight and go to Michigan with my mom for support and to see my grandparents, but my mom told me that I should do what I already had planned. I don't know if I will ever really know if it was the right decision....I have not seen my grandparents in years. We used to be a lot closer with them when they were living in Florence, but after I graduated they moved to Michigan and I have not seen them since. We keep in contact through my mom and holiday/birthday cards, etc but unfortunately we just aren't as close as we used to be when I was younger but I still love them both with all of my heart and have amazing memories with them that I will cherish forever.
It is especially difficult for me because this will be the first grandparent that I have to pass away...so even though we may not be especially close, it doesn't make it any easier. I do not handle these situations very well...I never know what to say or how to act. I am always worried I am not reacting in the right way, not saying the right things to comfort people, etc...I know there is no "right" way to act towards someone or to act in general, but I am always just so worried about not saying the right things...I know that that is a dumb thing to think and worry about because it really doesn't matter, but it is how I feel.
I am really glad that my mom is able to go out and see him and say her good byes. I know she is extremely close with her parents and it is very important that she is able to say her good byes. I know she is very strong and that it will give her so much more peace being able to do that. I of course will miss her greatly at the dress appointment and just in general because I have not seen her since July. It is hard, especially during times like this, to be SO far away from family and friends, but I pray for them everyday and there's never a second that goes by that I am not thinking about them. I pray that he goes without pain, and I pray that everyone has a sense of peace about his passing knowing that he was able to make the decision on his own and that it is what HE wanted.
Our New Digs
Over the past 5 days we have been moving into our new apartment. Our move in date was Wednesday the 25th, and we have been moving in slowly over the past 5 days. We didn't stay in our new apartment until Thursday night which was the same day we got out new couch and tv stand delivered as well. Of course, since we are in a particular apartment design our sectional wouldn't fit in through our narrow entrance so we had to call maintenance to have them put it through our living room window. They have clearly done this probably hundreds of times and literally had the screens off and windows open and the couch inside within a matter of 5 minutes. It was kind of impressive I am not going to lie haha. We figured out that it is much bigger than we thought, our apartment was much smaller haha so we are going to have to flip the tv and the couch to opposite sides, which will require the cable to be re-routed through the smaller of the walls. So until that happens it is just bugging us majorly by being too big for the smaller wall it is against...but we will live.
I was nearly impossible to get much of anything done between me having work and Bobby having school so the majority of the moving was done Saturday and today and we now only have to get Bobby's desk, computer chair and the vacuum to be officially DONE! It was the longest moving process ever, but it actually made it a million times less stressful so I am ok with how it went. It allowed me to organize everything as it came and not have to worry about it all at once. Our new apartment has an amazing amount of storage and closet space plus we have an additional storage unit in the laundry room of our building so we are very pleased with that. The new apartment just feels so much cozier for us. At the old house we were literally cranking the heater up because the insulation of the windows and doors were SO poor that there was an unreal amount of cold air getting in, but here we haven't even had to turn the heater on once, I have actually opened the windows a few times from being too hot! (remember it is literally freezing and snowing outside haha).
So far we are very, very happy with our new apartment and know that we picked the perfect place to call home for the next year and a half. We are fully prepared to make this our home and to continue to add cute decor and homeyness and make it our own. We have started with the big items (our sectional and TV stand) and now will just need some shelving and lighting and I will be putting up photos etc to make it like a home. I am really relieved to be able to start anew at a new place that will be drama (and roommate) free. I strongly believe we will be much happier here and Bobby will be able to finish his MBA without having to worry about any landlord issues. ;)
I was nearly impossible to get much of anything done between me having work and Bobby having school so the majority of the moving was done Saturday and today and we now only have to get Bobby's desk, computer chair and the vacuum to be officially DONE! It was the longest moving process ever, but it actually made it a million times less stressful so I am ok with how it went. It allowed me to organize everything as it came and not have to worry about it all at once. Our new apartment has an amazing amount of storage and closet space plus we have an additional storage unit in the laundry room of our building so we are very pleased with that. The new apartment just feels so much cozier for us. At the old house we were literally cranking the heater up because the insulation of the windows and doors were SO poor that there was an unreal amount of cold air getting in, but here we haven't even had to turn the heater on once, I have actually opened the windows a few times from being too hot! (remember it is literally freezing and snowing outside haha).
So far we are very, very happy with our new apartment and know that we picked the perfect place to call home for the next year and a half. We are fully prepared to make this our home and to continue to add cute decor and homeyness and make it our own. We have started with the big items (our sectional and TV stand) and now will just need some shelving and lighting and I will be putting up photos etc to make it like a home. I am really relieved to be able to start anew at a new place that will be drama (and roommate) free. I strongly believe we will be much happier here and Bobby will be able to finish his MBA without having to worry about any landlord issues. ;)
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
National Museum of Play
It is nice to have somewhere as great as the National Museum of Play to take Miss Julia to during the cold icky winter months. The National Museum of Play is a children's museum 100% dedicated to PLAY! It is 282,000 square feet of FUN for children of all ages, even adults like myself find themselves having a good time when they go. This is the second largest museum solely dedicated to the study of play that also has interactive activities for children in the United States. They have exhibits that allow the children to explore the worlds of Sesame Street, The Berenstain Bears, and currently Wizard of Oz. They also have a children's sized Wegman's super market that allow the children to go grocery shopping on their own as well as play clerk as they check out their items. They then use their memory skills to put the items that they collected back in their rightful places. There is also a "Reading Adventureland" which has exhibits for the most popular children's books that actually bring the book to life; from The Three Little Bears to Comic books. Upstairs they have a the National Toy Hall of Fame that they have every popular toy from every year dating back to the early 1900's. They also house the only permanent video game exhibit in the United States. It is truly an amazing place to take children and for adults to experience and is something that is also changing throughout the year with new exhibits so that people are never able to get bored!
Julia and I have now gone to the National Museum of Play twice together, once when I first started working for them and just today. They have a membership so we can go whenever we want for free and it really is so much fun and she is always SO excited to go. She never gets bored because there is SO much to do there and every experience is different even with the same exhibits. Today we went for a couple hours to get out of the house and had a great time! There is a train Julia is always wanting to ride so we of course did. We ventured upstairs for the first time and discovered the dance through the eras exhibit. You enter a room that is open on both sides and you literally push the different buttons of the different music through the decades and have a dance party. It has one of those huge screens that is similar to a dance video game you would play that shows your body dancing in crazy colors etc. Julia was pretty excited...ok so was I haha. We had so much fun dancing, the best part was when we played the Rock music and Julia started jumping up and down like a true rockstar.
Julia and I have really bonded over the last couple of months and she is growing up SO fast. She is the sweetest little girl and I enjoy my two days a week with her so much. We are currently working on potty training and she is doing REALLY well. She hasn't quite gotten to the point of telling us when she has to go potty, only randomly does she say she wants to go potty but we have been putting her on the potty every two hours and she goes every time and keeps her pull-up dry all day long. I don't think it is going to take too much longer to get her fully potty trained. She is a very smart little girl and is learning new things everyday. She surprises me every day with new things she has learned at school or new things she has observed it makes each day exciting and fun!
Julia and I have now gone to the National Museum of Play twice together, once when I first started working for them and just today. They have a membership so we can go whenever we want for free and it really is so much fun and she is always SO excited to go. She never gets bored because there is SO much to do there and every experience is different even with the same exhibits. Today we went for a couple hours to get out of the house and had a great time! There is a train Julia is always wanting to ride so we of course did. We ventured upstairs for the first time and discovered the dance through the eras exhibit. You enter a room that is open on both sides and you literally push the different buttons of the different music through the decades and have a dance party. It has one of those huge screens that is similar to a dance video game you would play that shows your body dancing in crazy colors etc. Julia was pretty excited...ok so was I haha. We had so much fun dancing, the best part was when we played the Rock music and Julia started jumping up and down like a true rockstar.
Julia and I have really bonded over the last couple of months and she is growing up SO fast. She is the sweetest little girl and I enjoy my two days a week with her so much. We are currently working on potty training and she is doing REALLY well. She hasn't quite gotten to the point of telling us when she has to go potty, only randomly does she say she wants to go potty but we have been putting her on the potty every two hours and she goes every time and keeps her pull-up dry all day long. I don't think it is going to take too much longer to get her fully potty trained. She is a very smart little girl and is learning new things everyday. She surprises me every day with new things she has learned at school or new things she has observed it makes each day exciting and fun!
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| Julia on the train! |
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Moving Forward
Moving day is almost here! 2.5 more days until we get to move forward and into our new apartment! There is obviously going to be some mess to clean up after we move since we broke our lease, but being out of this house will make it a lot less stressful and a step in the right direction. We are scheduled to move into our apartment on Wednesday. I have work from 7-1:30ish and Bobby has class basically all day 11a-9pm so I will have to bring Julia over to get our keys first thing in the morning before Bobby has to go to class. I am so happy that I have a half day Wednesday, it just happened to work out that way with Julia's grandma coming into town. It gives me all of that extra time to move stuff over to the apartment while Bobby is in class. We don't have a lot of big stuff so I should be able to move a lot on my own in the 10 hours that Bobby will be in class. I am SO ready to get everything moved so I am willing to do whatever it takes to get as much moved over as fast as possible! haha I hate being in between things I just want to be done with this limbo we have been in waiting for our move in date.
Since this living room is furnished at the house we are in we needed to buy a new couch and tv stand for our living room. We had gone and checked out a bunch of furniture places then Bobby found out Big Lots actually sells nice furniture at a much less expensive price. So, we went into Big Lots and found a few couches and sectionals that we really like! We had it narrowed down to two...a couch and a sectional. We decided to go with the sectional because the couch wouldn't provide enough seating for when we have friends over etc and buying the loveseat and couch would cost just as much as the sectional so we figured lets just get the sectional. I love sectionals and have been wanting one so I am really happy with our decision! We also found a great tv stand, which they only had the floor model left so we decided to take it because its in perfect shape plus we get 10% off for it being the model. perfect! Since we don't have a truck anymore we are having those two items delivered to our apartment Thursday morning so Bobby can be there to help.
I can't wait to get all of this done, it really shouldn't take more than a couple days to get completely moved out of our current house and in to our new place and then I get to organize the new place! My favorite! I always look forward to that part of moving actually as weird as it sounds haha I love finding a place for everything in a new space and having that feeling of accomplishment once it is all done. Plus who doesn't love new furniture?! I should have everything done by the end of the weekend so I will be sure to post pictures of the new place :) Wish us luck with the move!!!
Since this living room is furnished at the house we are in we needed to buy a new couch and tv stand for our living room. We had gone and checked out a bunch of furniture places then Bobby found out Big Lots actually sells nice furniture at a much less expensive price. So, we went into Big Lots and found a few couches and sectionals that we really like! We had it narrowed down to two...a couch and a sectional. We decided to go with the sectional because the couch wouldn't provide enough seating for when we have friends over etc and buying the loveseat and couch would cost just as much as the sectional so we figured lets just get the sectional. I love sectionals and have been wanting one so I am really happy with our decision! We also found a great tv stand, which they only had the floor model left so we decided to take it because its in perfect shape plus we get 10% off for it being the model. perfect! Since we don't have a truck anymore we are having those two items delivered to our apartment Thursday morning so Bobby can be there to help.
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| Our new sectional |
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| Colors for Living Room |
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| New Tv Stand |
Friday, January 20, 2012
Prayers
My hometown of Florence, OR along with the rest of the Oregon Coast was hit with a massive storm on Tuesday of this week. This storm brought gusts of up to 110 mph, a mass amount of rain, injuries, power outages and now flooding due to the rain. I am so thankful that my dad and grandparents live up in the mountains safely out of the flood zone, but it is so sad to see the nearby town of Mapleton being engulfed by the Siuslaw River as the waters flood. People have been posting pictures on Facebook all week showing the horrifying damage that is being done to that tiny town. The town is literally sitting at the edge of the Siuslaw River, so businesses, homes, cars, etc are being taken over by the flood waters. Families have been evacuated, but leave behind their home, valuables, and security to be destroyed by the flood waters. It is so sad to think that so many people's lives are being put on hold due to a storm.
I remember the last time we got a huge storm that caused flooding like this, it was nearly 16 years ago in 1996. I don't remember it being this bad, but it caused evacuations as well. I was all of 9 years old when that happened so I of course had no idea the impact of it all at the time, but seeing it happen all over again at age 24 it makes my heart hurt. It just puts things into perspective, just to be thankful for your life everyday and to not let one day go by of being ungrateful for everything you have because just like that everything you ever knew can be literally swept out from under you...but I would imagine it also makes you even more grateful for the people in your life and the relationships you have, because although it will be hard to rebuild your house, buy or fix your car, etc...you can't replace your relationships, you can't replace your family and friends or your memories so when every material thing is taken from you, be thankful for having what is most important...those people in your lives.
I just ask that everyone take a second to pray for those families dealing with the floods and the damage from this storm, and to also thank God for their family, friends, and life that they have. It is so easy to get caught up in everyday drama and to be negative, but when you look around at the world and read the news...or even just speak with a friend about what is going on in their life...you quickly realize there are so many people out their fighting harder battles than you, and that things could always be worse.
There is flooding all over Oregon right now if you want to follow the news this is the link to a local news station covering all of the floods: http://search.kval.com/default.aspx?ct=r&q=%22flood%22&pg=1
I remember the last time we got a huge storm that caused flooding like this, it was nearly 16 years ago in 1996. I don't remember it being this bad, but it caused evacuations as well. I was all of 9 years old when that happened so I of course had no idea the impact of it all at the time, but seeing it happen all over again at age 24 it makes my heart hurt. It just puts things into perspective, just to be thankful for your life everyday and to not let one day go by of being ungrateful for everything you have because just like that everything you ever knew can be literally swept out from under you...but I would imagine it also makes you even more grateful for the people in your life and the relationships you have, because although it will be hard to rebuild your house, buy or fix your car, etc...you can't replace your relationships, you can't replace your family and friends or your memories so when every material thing is taken from you, be thankful for having what is most important...those people in your lives.
I just ask that everyone take a second to pray for those families dealing with the floods and the damage from this storm, and to also thank God for their family, friends, and life that they have. It is so easy to get caught up in everyday drama and to be negative, but when you look around at the world and read the news...or even just speak with a friend about what is going on in their life...you quickly realize there are so many people out their fighting harder battles than you, and that things could always be worse.
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| Inside Siuslaw Bank |
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| Siuslaw Bank |
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| Local Businesses |
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| Someone's home |
Recruiting Season
Recruiting season is among us here at the Simon School of Business. About 60 MBA candidates are currently in New York City getting interviewed by a variety of companies in hopes of landing their summer internship. Bobby had his Exxon Mobil interview around 10am and has his interview with Bulldog Investors at 1:30 this afternoon. After that he set up a meeting with a guy who he met through an old family friend for later in the afternoon before they head home. He had spoken with this guy earlier in the week and he wanted to set up a meeting with Bobby while he was in New York so it seems promising! I would be really thrilled if he ended up in NYC because it means I would be able to visit more often, see the city finally, AND go to Kleinfeld's for dress shopping even easier ;) Obviously we are just praying for an offer period but getting an internship for a company in the field he is most desiring would be amazing!
So, while we wait for our guys to get home from NYC my friend Rebecca and I are going get together after work and have some wine, watch wedding shows and talk wedding stuff...WINE and WEDDING my two favorite "W's" ;) She just got engaged in November so we are both planning a wedding! It has been nice having a friend locally who is also planning a wedding. It's obviously just nice having a friend locally period, but the fact that I have someone who is just as excited about their upcoming wedding as I am has been truly awesome! She is going to help me with my bridesmaid gifts/proposals too...I semi put one together and I think they are going to turn out really cute!! I just need a few little details to add to them to make them special but I have the major pieces. I also thought of another cute idea to do that I think I am going to add with the proposal so I am excited to put that together...which should be pretty easy! :) 562 days until the big day! Almost to the year and a half mark time is flying by! <3
So, while we wait for our guys to get home from NYC my friend Rebecca and I are going get together after work and have some wine, watch wedding shows and talk wedding stuff...WINE and WEDDING my two favorite "W's" ;) She just got engaged in November so we are both planning a wedding! It has been nice having a friend locally who is also planning a wedding. It's obviously just nice having a friend locally period, but the fact that I have someone who is just as excited about their upcoming wedding as I am has been truly awesome! She is going to help me with my bridesmaid gifts/proposals too...I semi put one together and I think they are going to turn out really cute!! I just need a few little details to add to them to make them special but I have the major pieces. I also thought of another cute idea to do that I think I am going to add with the proposal so I am excited to put that together...which should be pretty easy! :) 562 days until the big day! Almost to the year and a half mark time is flying by! <3
New Do
Yesterday I had my much anticipated (for me) hair appointment where I cut about 5 inches off of my locks! I had been thinking about possibly going darker, not much, just something like my natural hair color which is a darker blonde, but decided that along with chopping my hair off was a bit too much stress for me to handle! lol I was starting to get nervous about 10 minutes before I had to leave...my hair is my security blanket! It had grown down to my tail bone and has been about lower back length for quite some time. The last time I had my hair this short was about 3-4 years ago so it was a big change for me! I had found pictures online of cute styles that I like so I was able to show my stylist what I liked about each one so she could give me the style I like. There was hair flying EVERYWHERE it was kind of ridiculous when I looked down at the floor when she was done it was just a lake of blonde hair...I almost took a picture of the hair and sent it to Bobby but I figured he didn't need any added stress on top of his interviews lol He also loves my hair and loves long hair, but I forewarned him how much I would be cutting off so he isn't SO shocked. I still haven't seen him yet since he has been in New York but he will be home late tonight so he will see it then :)
I should probably add that I LOVE my hair ;) It feels so much lighter and is a million times healthier looking and thicker! It has body and actually looks like a STYLE vs just long hair hanging out. My ponytail is rather pathetic but I really enjoy how NOT fussy and all over the place it is. My hair was constantly tangled, had ridiculous static with this gross weather and was just boring. I kept the color the same my light blonde that I love so much and I am really glad I did :) I obviously had to come home and try curling my hair to see how that turned out and boy was it cute if I do say so myself! and most importantly it STAYED curled..with NO hairspray or anything! magic! I don't think I will be having my hair grow out THAT long anytime soon :)
I should probably add that I LOVE my hair ;) It feels so much lighter and is a million times healthier looking and thicker! It has body and actually looks like a STYLE vs just long hair hanging out. My ponytail is rather pathetic but I really enjoy how NOT fussy and all over the place it is. My hair was constantly tangled, had ridiculous static with this gross weather and was just boring. I kept the color the same my light blonde that I love so much and I am really glad I did :) I obviously had to come home and try curling my hair to see how that turned out and boy was it cute if I do say so myself! and most importantly it STAYED curled..with NO hairspray or anything! magic! I don't think I will be having my hair grow out THAT long anytime soon :)
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| curled it really fast before work to see how that worked out |
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Silver Lining
Well, January has probably not been the best start to a new year with everything we have going on: landlord issues, illness, stress, and a snow storm, but we are pushing through to hopefully make February a much better month. We are creeping up on our move in date of January 25th and becoming very, very anxious to get this situation behind us...although I know it is probably far from being over. I am finally feeling good after being sick for so long, but then Bobby got sick last week (his first week of his second quarter) and missed school. I feel so bad because he always seems to get sick at the worst times! He had a month off from school and got sick the weekend before his classes started and missed the whole first week. He is finally starting to feel better though so he should be back to school tomorrow...or Tuesday since tomorrow is MLK day.
Despite all of this yuckiness Bobby got some amazing news last week! All of his hard work on his applications and networking are paying off! He landed an interview with a Hedge Fund company based out of Saddleback, NJ and will be going to New York this weekend for his interview! He also got a phone interview through his own networking skills with the San Francisco 49ers! That would be his absolute dream job he has always been the biggest 9ers fan since he was a little boy! I remember when I met him, when he was 15 years old his room was still painted red and gold and all of his furniture and bedding was SF 49ers haha! He used to go to all of the games and track down all of the players to get their autographs so the fact that we know people who work for the 49ers now and are connected to important people there, he was able to get a phone interview for this week! He is still waiting (as is everyone else who applied) to hear back from Exxon, so I will be praying he gets an interview with them! I am so proud of all of his hard work and that it is finally starting to pay off. I know how good he is in interview type situations and public speaking so I know he is just going to kill the interviews! I hope that we are able to find out where his summer internship is going to be soon that anticipation is killing me!
**UPDATE**Bobby got the interview for Exxon! So he will now have two interviews in New York can't wait for that to be over and hear back!**
On the not so important (at all) side of updates I have a hair appointment on thursday that I am Oh SO excited for! My hair has gotten so unbelievably long in only 3 months so I am ready for a cut! I have had the same style for so long too, not that I am going to do an extreme change by any means, but I want to cut about 4-5 inches off, put in some different layers, etc and change it up quite a bit I want some life and body to my hair. The weather here has just made it so dry and flat that it needs some life added to it. I was also thinking of possibly going slightly darker, just to more of my natural golden blonde, vs my light light blonde I have right now. That part I am not so sure about because I do love my color...I guess I will have to discuss it with my stylist and see what she says and see how I feel that day haha. Bobby doesn't think I should color it...I am 50/50 on that change so we will see what happens on thursday!
As far as wedding things go, I just have to work on a couple small things for my bridesmaids since I will be seeing them in a few weeks in California for dress shopping! I only have part of it decided on and still need to actually put it all together and hope it turns out cute! haha wish me luck!
Despite all of this yuckiness Bobby got some amazing news last week! All of his hard work on his applications and networking are paying off! He landed an interview with a Hedge Fund company based out of Saddleback, NJ and will be going to New York this weekend for his interview! He also got a phone interview through his own networking skills with the San Francisco 49ers! That would be his absolute dream job he has always been the biggest 9ers fan since he was a little boy! I remember when I met him, when he was 15 years old his room was still painted red and gold and all of his furniture and bedding was SF 49ers haha! He used to go to all of the games and track down all of the players to get their autographs so the fact that we know people who work for the 49ers now and are connected to important people there, he was able to get a phone interview for this week! He is still waiting (as is everyone else who applied) to hear back from Exxon, so I will be praying he gets an interview with them! I am so proud of all of his hard work and that it is finally starting to pay off. I know how good he is in interview type situations and public speaking so I know he is just going to kill the interviews! I hope that we are able to find out where his summer internship is going to be soon that anticipation is killing me!
**UPDATE**Bobby got the interview for Exxon! So he will now have two interviews in New York can't wait for that to be over and hear back!**
On the not so important (at all) side of updates I have a hair appointment on thursday that I am Oh SO excited for! My hair has gotten so unbelievably long in only 3 months so I am ready for a cut! I have had the same style for so long too, not that I am going to do an extreme change by any means, but I want to cut about 4-5 inches off, put in some different layers, etc and change it up quite a bit I want some life and body to my hair. The weather here has just made it so dry and flat that it needs some life added to it. I was also thinking of possibly going slightly darker, just to more of my natural golden blonde, vs my light light blonde I have right now. That part I am not so sure about because I do love my color...I guess I will have to discuss it with my stylist and see what she says and see how I feel that day haha. Bobby doesn't think I should color it...I am 50/50 on that change so we will see what happens on thursday!
As far as wedding things go, I just have to work on a couple small things for my bridesmaids since I will be seeing them in a few weeks in California for dress shopping! I only have part of it decided on and still need to actually put it all together and hope it turns out cute! haha wish me luck!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Back to Basics
Well, everything should hopefully be going back to normal tomorrow: diet, exercise, work schedule, Bobby's school and hopefully my mood! We really enjoyed Bobby's break from school and mine from work because we actually got to spend some good quality time together. It was so nice, I love that Bobby is my best friend I have the best time with him even when we are doing absolutely nothing...which is what we did on most of our days off haha. We actually accomplished a lot over this break; we made wedding decisions, decided where are moving to in three weeks, signed our lease, he is ready for his second quarter at Business school, he put in multiple applications for summer internships, and I logged in hundreds of hours on Pinterest lol. But really, the break went be really really fast, and I am sad we won't be spending the same amount of time together as we have been, but I am really happy for him to be starting another quarter of school because it means we will be that much closer to being done with his first year of school! I couldn't be more proud of him, he is doing all of this work for our future and I appreciate it more than I could ever describe.
It is also going to be back to basics for my diet...I fell hard off of my clean eating diet over the holidays, but especially over this last week. I got into a bad slump, lacked any type of motivation do anything, especially cook. We ate out/bad for a full week, we have both been sick, it was just a blah week but we just needed a BREAK. I am definitely not going to sit here and dwell on how "bad" I ate or anything like that, I am just going to start fresh tomorrow and get back to eating healthy. I have chicken tortilla soup in my new crock pot going over night right now for tomorrow I can't wait! There are so many crock pot recipes I want to try, especially soups now that the weather is getting cold. I am hoping that Bobby will still be able to make time to go to the gym with me since he will now have school obligations to worry about, that will be our quality time if he can make it. I am expecting him to be able to come with me less days, but hopefully a few times a week he will be able to. It makes the workouts go by and we have a good time together, he really pushes me and I need him! Also, I always have to go to the gym at night and I am not really a fan of going places here at night by myself, especially since they made me take my mace off of my key chain...totally defeats the purpose!
10 days until my much needed hair appointment!16 days until we move! 23 days until Cali! Much to look forward to for the rest of this month!
It is also going to be back to basics for my diet...I fell hard off of my clean eating diet over the holidays, but especially over this last week. I got into a bad slump, lacked any type of motivation do anything, especially cook. We ate out/bad for a full week, we have both been sick, it was just a blah week but we just needed a BREAK. I am definitely not going to sit here and dwell on how "bad" I ate or anything like that, I am just going to start fresh tomorrow and get back to eating healthy. I have chicken tortilla soup in my new crock pot going over night right now for tomorrow I can't wait! There are so many crock pot recipes I want to try, especially soups now that the weather is getting cold. I am hoping that Bobby will still be able to make time to go to the gym with me since he will now have school obligations to worry about, that will be our quality time if he can make it. I am expecting him to be able to come with me less days, but hopefully a few times a week he will be able to. It makes the workouts go by and we have a good time together, he really pushes me and I need him! Also, I always have to go to the gym at night and I am not really a fan of going places here at night by myself, especially since they made me take my mace off of my key chain...totally defeats the purpose!
10 days until my much needed hair appointment!16 days until we move! 23 days until Cali! Much to look forward to for the rest of this month!
Friday, January 6, 2012
Endless Cold
And no I am not just talking about the weather here in Rochester...I have literally had this cold for 3 weeks! It's not getting worse, but it definitely is not getting better. I have been drinking tons of water, getting a ton of sleep and rest, taking my vitamins plus vitamin C, and I just don't know what else to do! It literally is like the endless cold. I don't know what it is from, when I was living in California I would NEVER get sick, maybe get a minor cold once a year but ever since I have moved to New York I have been sick maybe 6 or 7 times and we have been here 5.5 months! Now I think that is pretty ridiculous and I don't know what the deal is. Yes, lack of sun probably does have a little bit to do with it now that there isn't really any to be soaked up. Yes, the cold weather and even more so the drastic change in weather all of the time that we have been having...it would go from snow to 50 degrees in one day then 40 to 6 degrees over night then 6 degrees back up to 30 the next. There are definitely some pretty drastic swing of weather so I am sure that plays a role. Then there is the stress and anxiety of this whole moving/landlord situation...lately it has put in me the most unreal slump/rut/funk whatever you want to call it. I have no energy or motivation to do anything, cook, go to the gym, clean... nothing. It is absolutely horrible! I literally feel like I am mildly depressed or something and I know that sounds extreme but I don't know how else to explain it I haven't felt this way in so long. I have been in the best of moods and all about positivity the last few months and then this feeling came out of nowhere. I think it has a lot to do with the weather, the being away from my friends and family over the holidays, and now just the pure anxiety over this housing situation (which Bobby keeps reassuring me not to worry about he is dealing with everything). I just want this month of January to be OVER...be moved into our new place and settled and have it all dealt with and done and be on my plane to California to see my besties.
I am trying really hard to pull myself out of this slump, but being sick for so long is not helping at all and its becoming really frustrating because each morning I wake up hoping to be better, at least a little bit, I'm not at all. So, if anyone has any other suggestions I would appreciate it because I don't know that I can handle having this cold on top of everything else for much longer. I know a cold and everything going on is a far cry from how bad it really could be, but its still draining...i hate to complain I really do, but I just needed to vent my frustrations and feelings...
On a GOOD no GREAT note...We OFFICIALLY booked our photographer for our wedding (that is YES a year and a half away)! We booked White Daisy Photography and I couldn't be more excited! Some people were shocked that I would book it this far out, but I knew who I wanted so I made the decision and stuck with it...isn't that what you're supposed to do when planning a wedding...or just in life? haha I definitely did my research on all of the photographers in the area and White Daisy felt like the perfect fit. Originally (before we started researching or got engaged) we wanted our good friend Jackie who did our engagement pictures to do our wedding pictures, but then decided no we want her as a GUEST more so we decided to find someone else. I am really excited White Daisy has been featured in Real Weddings Magazine I believe twice and she does such a lovely job, nothing too crazy artsy just beautiful, timeless photos. She is also doing two of our good friends' weddings this fall so that was another reason I knew she was great! :)
Today is also my Dad's birthday...Happy Birthday Daddy! I love you and miss you and hope to see you really soon! xoxo
http://whitedaisyphoto.com/blog/ <-----A link to White Daisy's wedding photo blog (also located under other journey's I follow) check her out and see how good she is! ;)
I am trying really hard to pull myself out of this slump, but being sick for so long is not helping at all and its becoming really frustrating because each morning I wake up hoping to be better, at least a little bit, I'm not at all. So, if anyone has any other suggestions I would appreciate it because I don't know that I can handle having this cold on top of everything else for much longer. I know a cold and everything going on is a far cry from how bad it really could be, but its still draining...i hate to complain I really do, but I just needed to vent my frustrations and feelings...
On a GOOD no GREAT note...We OFFICIALLY booked our photographer for our wedding (that is YES a year and a half away)! We booked White Daisy Photography and I couldn't be more excited! Some people were shocked that I would book it this far out, but I knew who I wanted so I made the decision and stuck with it...isn't that what you're supposed to do when planning a wedding...or just in life? haha I definitely did my research on all of the photographers in the area and White Daisy felt like the perfect fit. Originally (before we started researching or got engaged) we wanted our good friend Jackie who did our engagement pictures to do our wedding pictures, but then decided no we want her as a GUEST more so we decided to find someone else. I am really excited White Daisy has been featured in Real Weddings Magazine I believe twice and she does such a lovely job, nothing too crazy artsy just beautiful, timeless photos. She is also doing two of our good friends' weddings this fall so that was another reason I knew she was great! :)
Today is also my Dad's birthday...Happy Birthday Daddy! I love you and miss you and hope to see you really soon! xoxo
http://whitedaisyphoto.com/blog/ <-----A link to White Daisy's wedding photo blog (also located under other journey's I follow) check her out and see how good she is! ;)
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
California
Lately, especially the last few days (probably due to the holidays) I have found myself really missing California...home. I know I am from Oregon and of course I miss my family there, but I consider California my home, I love it there and can't wait to be back for good! I feel bad sometimes when I tell Bobby and my friends here that I miss California; I know Bobby misses it SO much too, maybe more than me and I don't want my friends here to think that they aren't worth being here because they definitely are. I know that God sent us here for a reason, probably multiple reasons. I know we were meant to come here and meet everyone that we have met, experience the things we have been experiencing and I definitely feel blessed that we have this opportunity to live outside of our comfort zones. I have just become really homesick over the past few days, especially today.
Today is definitely the coldest I have ever been...10 degrees with a -4 degree windchill as a high today. Julia and I didn't leave the house because there was supposed to be a big storm so a) I didn't want to get caught in that and b) it was 10 degrees! So, I guess with the weather getting cold and the holidays and the lack of talking to my closest friends as much as I am used to for various reasons I am just really homesick and missing California today.
Like I said before, I always feel bad when I say comments to Bobby about "how did we end up here" or "I miss California" because I know that this isn't where he WANTS to be but its where he NEEDS to be right now. I guess I know that he feels like he "dragged" me here with him, but really there is no way I would have stayed behind while he went to school for two years. So, I try not to say it around him as much because I know he is also really missing home. We are focusing on internships and job opportunities in California, trying to find every possible avenue to get us back to where we want to be. I know Bobby is under a lot of stress as internship deadlines are closing in and he is turning in applications to every possible California based company.
I definitely am SO glad we have met such amazing people here and I know these friendships we have made will be lifelong, I am very grateful for these relationships and I don't want my homesickness to ever come across as ungrateful. I do get to go to Northern California in about a month (a little less) to visit for Laura's baby shower and to go dress shopping with her, Laura, Molly, my mom and Bobby's mom so I think that trip will help a lot, so will getting back to work full time again. We made it through the holidays together so hopefully from here on out it won't be so bad. We have each other and I am also so grateful for that I obviously wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Bobby, but I also wouldn't travel 3,000 miles away from all of my family and friends for anyone else either. I know we are here for a reason and it is all part of God's plan for us and that, I fully trust in.
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On another note, I don't think I have ever been sick so often, and for so long as I have been since moving here. I swear I never used to get sick in California MAYBE once a year...I have already been sick 4-5 times since I moved here (cold-like stuff nothing serious) and this last one I have had for maybe 3 weeks and I can't seem to get rid of it! It's crazy to me, and never would have thought the climate and lack of sun could do this to my immune system but it has. I am literally lacking in vitamin D and actually need to start going tanning to get some! There really is no sun here right now, it is pretty unreal and you probably wouldn't believe it unless you saw it for yourself. There have been little slivers of sun for a minute every now and then but for the most part it is cloudy and dark with no sun at all. I kept joking about getting seasonal depression but I wonder if I actually could! I didn't want to start tanning again, but it actually going to benefit my health so I am going to start going a couple-few times a week since its also included in my gym membership, hopefully it will make me start feeling a little better too! 1.5 years left to go here! Here's to surviving it!
**Just bought my ticket back to Cali for Laura's baby shower (the plane tickets finally dropped today thank you God...He knew I needed this :) ) and I am SO excited to be back and see everyone!!**
Today is definitely the coldest I have ever been...10 degrees with a -4 degree windchill as a high today. Julia and I didn't leave the house because there was supposed to be a big storm so a) I didn't want to get caught in that and b) it was 10 degrees! So, I guess with the weather getting cold and the holidays and the lack of talking to my closest friends as much as I am used to for various reasons I am just really homesick and missing California today.
Like I said before, I always feel bad when I say comments to Bobby about "how did we end up here" or "I miss California" because I know that this isn't where he WANTS to be but its where he NEEDS to be right now. I guess I know that he feels like he "dragged" me here with him, but really there is no way I would have stayed behind while he went to school for two years. So, I try not to say it around him as much because I know he is also really missing home. We are focusing on internships and job opportunities in California, trying to find every possible avenue to get us back to where we want to be. I know Bobby is under a lot of stress as internship deadlines are closing in and he is turning in applications to every possible California based company.
I definitely am SO glad we have met such amazing people here and I know these friendships we have made will be lifelong, I am very grateful for these relationships and I don't want my homesickness to ever come across as ungrateful. I do get to go to Northern California in about a month (a little less) to visit for Laura's baby shower and to go dress shopping with her, Laura, Molly, my mom and Bobby's mom so I think that trip will help a lot, so will getting back to work full time again. We made it through the holidays together so hopefully from here on out it won't be so bad. We have each other and I am also so grateful for that I obviously wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Bobby, but I also wouldn't travel 3,000 miles away from all of my family and friends for anyone else either. I know we are here for a reason and it is all part of God's plan for us and that, I fully trust in.
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On another note, I don't think I have ever been sick so often, and for so long as I have been since moving here. I swear I never used to get sick in California MAYBE once a year...I have already been sick 4-5 times since I moved here (cold-like stuff nothing serious) and this last one I have had for maybe 3 weeks and I can't seem to get rid of it! It's crazy to me, and never would have thought the climate and lack of sun could do this to my immune system but it has. I am literally lacking in vitamin D and actually need to start going tanning to get some! There really is no sun here right now, it is pretty unreal and you probably wouldn't believe it unless you saw it for yourself. There have been little slivers of sun for a minute every now and then but for the most part it is cloudy and dark with no sun at all. I kept joking about getting seasonal depression but I wonder if I actually could! I didn't want to start tanning again, but it actually going to benefit my health so I am going to start going a couple-few times a week since its also included in my gym membership, hopefully it will make me start feeling a little better too! 1.5 years left to go here! Here's to surviving it!
**Just bought my ticket back to Cali for Laura's baby shower (the plane tickets finally dropped today thank you God...He knew I needed this :) ) and I am SO excited to be back and see everyone!!**
Sunday, January 1, 2012
A New Year--2012!
Happy 2012 Everyone!!! I am so excited that it's the year 2012 and it's a new start to a wonderful new year! 2011 really couldn't have been any better and I fully believe 2012 will still be just as great hopefully better!!
We celebrated New Years Eve with a few close friends last night. It was an all couples (not planned that way really) party and our good friends Theresa and Pedro's house (they hosted Thanksgiving T is a great hostess!). We made it a little black dress/button down shirt for the guys attire to make it more fun, who doesn't love dressing up? Well, sad to say but this girl doesn't even own a LBD so I went on the search the day of looking, no luck though...surprise! I knew I had a black skirt so I just needed to find some festive looking black top which I did at Marshall's. Crisis averted, barely. So we all showed up around 8 last night and dug right into the amazing spread of food that T had prepared which was all super super yummy! We began popping the champagne right away as well, then it was game time! We figured it would be better to play taboo early in the night before everyone got crazy then switched it up to apples to apples since that game doesn't require too much thought lol. It always seems to get really competitive, and there is always a disagreement/argument about something (all in good fun of course). We played these games on Thanksgiving too and I am literally obsessed they are so much fun! So by the time we were finished (we kind of just stopped playing due to the time) it was 20 minutes till midnight!! So we had to get the champagne out to everyone and noise makers etc! Everyone had a partner (since it was all couple) and we all counted down and shared a kiss with our loves. It was really sweet :) Theresa also prepared wishing grapes for everyone, something that her husband Pedro's mom has always done and a tradition I think is really awesome! Everyone gets 12 grapes, one for every month of the new year and you make a wish on every grape for the new year you are celebrating! I totally loved this idea and I will definitely be using this tradition for years to come!
After that excitement we were ready for a mini-dance party in the living room so we put on some music and the girls had some fun. Everyone kind of started to gradually leave between 12:30-2am I honestly don't know how the time flew by so fast, but we ended up being there till 3am. Theresa and I got caught up looking at her wedding photos and talking wedding stuff and the boys I don't know what they were doing haha. So, we finally left, with a to go container full of swedish meatballs, at 3am just in time for all of my west coast loves to be ringing in their 2012!
We were sad that we couldn't be celebrating in California and we definitely miss all of our friends and family, but we are so blessed to have met such amazing people here to spend these special occasions with. We couldn't have had a better night, there is definitely no better way to bring in a new year than with great company, good food, wishing grapes, and games!
Now that all of the holiday chaos is over, although we fully enjoyed it, I am glad to get back to some normalcy. Work will be going back to the normal schedule, Bobby starts classes again next monday and I will be back to eating clean and really focusing on my eating and giving it a little extra at the gym! Now I am down to a month before I fly back to California for Laura's baby shower and dress shopping! I am so excited to see her it has been almost a year since I saw her last, which is WAY WAY too long. I miss my best friend and am so looking forward to seeing all of my best girls this visit I miss them all!!! <3
We celebrated New Years Eve with a few close friends last night. It was an all couples (not planned that way really) party and our good friends Theresa and Pedro's house (they hosted Thanksgiving T is a great hostess!). We made it a little black dress/button down shirt for the guys attire to make it more fun, who doesn't love dressing up? Well, sad to say but this girl doesn't even own a LBD so I went on the search the day of looking, no luck though...surprise! I knew I had a black skirt so I just needed to find some festive looking black top which I did at Marshall's. Crisis averted, barely. So we all showed up around 8 last night and dug right into the amazing spread of food that T had prepared which was all super super yummy! We began popping the champagne right away as well, then it was game time! We figured it would be better to play taboo early in the night before everyone got crazy then switched it up to apples to apples since that game doesn't require too much thought lol. It always seems to get really competitive, and there is always a disagreement/argument about something (all in good fun of course). We played these games on Thanksgiving too and I am literally obsessed they are so much fun! So by the time we were finished (we kind of just stopped playing due to the time) it was 20 minutes till midnight!! So we had to get the champagne out to everyone and noise makers etc! Everyone had a partner (since it was all couple) and we all counted down and shared a kiss with our loves. It was really sweet :) Theresa also prepared wishing grapes for everyone, something that her husband Pedro's mom has always done and a tradition I think is really awesome! Everyone gets 12 grapes, one for every month of the new year and you make a wish on every grape for the new year you are celebrating! I totally loved this idea and I will definitely be using this tradition for years to come!
After that excitement we were ready for a mini-dance party in the living room so we put on some music and the girls had some fun. Everyone kind of started to gradually leave between 12:30-2am I honestly don't know how the time flew by so fast, but we ended up being there till 3am. Theresa and I got caught up looking at her wedding photos and talking wedding stuff and the boys I don't know what they were doing haha. So, we finally left, with a to go container full of swedish meatballs, at 3am just in time for all of my west coast loves to be ringing in their 2012!
We were sad that we couldn't be celebrating in California and we definitely miss all of our friends and family, but we are so blessed to have met such amazing people here to spend these special occasions with. We couldn't have had a better night, there is definitely no better way to bring in a new year than with great company, good food, wishing grapes, and games!
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| The ball dropping haha |
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| New Years Kiss! Happy New Year 2012! |
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| oh Bobby |
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| Rebecca and me :) |
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| T and me :) |
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| Pedro, T, Bobby & Me |
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