I got back on Saturday. Back to sunny (somewhat) Southern California, where I have spent almost all of my life. My husband greeted me with candles, rose petals, balloons, a red carpet, bouquets, steak, wine, ice cream, cake, crab and lots of hugs and kisses. I am so happy to be home, happy to be with him. We will NEVER do something like that again, as long as we have control of it!
He went off to work though. I'm on vacation.
Now, I am an independent person. I hear some of you out there saying, "He's not your whole life!" And he's not. The reason I feel restless is that I don't have anyone here at the house to distract me.
See, I haven't really had time to rest for about...maybe a year and a half, maybe 2 years. I haven't had a normal, long summer (teacher summer, yeah!) since 2007. I've had 3 weeks, 4 weeks to recover from school, and then back to the grind. Last summer, I came back engaged, and literally, two days after returning, I was running wedding errands with my mom. I think we found the location Monday, got my dress Wednesday, and just went from there. It was hectic.
Now, for the first time in a LONG time, I don't have anything in particular to do. And it's making me feel weird.
"I know! I can organize the bathroom cabinet and drawers!"
No, you should rest.
"I know! I can take up that cross-stitching hobby I did in college!"
Maybe, but mostly you should rest.
"I know! I'll go to the gym everyday for 10 hours!"
Or not.
"I know! I need to call EVERYONE and set up times to get together so that I see EVERYONE, ALL AT ONCE!"
Is that really the best?
God is telling me to slow down, but I am feeling uncomfortable and weird about it. I'm sure I'll get used to it in a few days. I won't feel so awkward. But right now, I really do need to rest.
If only my body and brain could believe what my heart knows deeply.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Done
Yeah.
Haven't written in a while.
Big news is that I am finished with my masters. How crazy is that, right? I started on this journey two years ago, heavily involved with my amazing church group. Two years later, that group is no longer around (at least in the incarnation it was then), I am married, and who knows what other exciting life developments lay around the corner. I am not the person I was two years ago. Life changes so much, so quickly. It always amazes me when people say things like, "I've been doing this job for twenty years," as if twenty years just flew by. Maybe it did for them, but the events of every day in this world are so numerous - I can't imagine twenty years just flying by like that.
Anyway.
One of my problems with blogging is that I have all these thoughts, and I can't really express them. I constantly feel like I have big ideas in my head, but when I explain them, very few people understand me. Those people who do are very very very very important to me. (You know who you are, my kindred spirit.)
Anyway.
I finished my masters degree. This summer was difficult in a few different ways. Studying for my comprehensive exams was weird, because I didn't have a direct plan or guidance from others. It was just, "Study. Write an essay. Write an outline for the essay. Memorize the outline. Then practice writing the exam. Then go and regurgitate the essays in a three-hour time period. Then, a week later, defend it in front of a panel." Kind of intense, right? Yeah. It was. I passed it, so that's good. I did not particularly like being on the hot seat for an hour being questioned about why Chuck Berry is more important than Little Richard, but that's what I had to do. (I know, my classes are cooler than yours.)
My classes in general were different this year too. I took Score Analysis, which analyzed musical works with groups of people. Interesting, but also intimidating, as the professor is probably the smartest man I know. Took conducting, which was helpful, but also a little frustrating. I don't think about conducting a lot at my job. But that's okay. Voice lessons were kind of back and forth, as I found my musicianship challenged. Plus I took a jazz workshop that was very frustrating. ("You just have to listen to jazz. You know, listen to it.") Right...
Being away from Kevin is/was very difficult. My friend Ali pointed out to me that we had been married for about 9 weeks when I left for 6 weeks. Literally, I spent 2/3 of the time we had been married away from my husband - isn't that crazy? Yeah, it is. I get to see him tomorrow. I am really excited. This day could not go fast enough.
I know I am really rambly here. I'm feeling bored and I want the day to pass quickly so I can get home. Will I miss it here? Of course. I will miss being challenged and thinking about my teaching. I will miss the people - such amazing people, such sincere people. People who understand me and what I do, more than most people in California. I will miss Jimmy Johns. I have no idea where there isn't a franchise in CA. :) I will miss the beautiful green trees and the rain.
But I will be happy to return to my husband, and to my friends who have known me for so long. Considering that I joined Fuel in 2005, I have friends there who have known me and done life with me for five years...not to mention friends I have known longer. I will be happy to not be in a humid environment. I will be happy to rest.
My apologies if this was too rambly for you. My head is full, my heart is sad - yet happy. Makes for a rather confused blog.
Oh well.
I am a master of music.
That certainly counts for something, right? :)
Haven't written in a while.
Big news is that I am finished with my masters. How crazy is that, right? I started on this journey two years ago, heavily involved with my amazing church group. Two years later, that group is no longer around (at least in the incarnation it was then), I am married, and who knows what other exciting life developments lay around the corner. I am not the person I was two years ago. Life changes so much, so quickly. It always amazes me when people say things like, "I've been doing this job for twenty years," as if twenty years just flew by. Maybe it did for them, but the events of every day in this world are so numerous - I can't imagine twenty years just flying by like that.
Anyway.
One of my problems with blogging is that I have all these thoughts, and I can't really express them. I constantly feel like I have big ideas in my head, but when I explain them, very few people understand me. Those people who do are very very very very important to me. (You know who you are, my kindred spirit.)
Anyway.
I finished my masters degree. This summer was difficult in a few different ways. Studying for my comprehensive exams was weird, because I didn't have a direct plan or guidance from others. It was just, "Study. Write an essay. Write an outline for the essay. Memorize the outline. Then practice writing the exam. Then go and regurgitate the essays in a three-hour time period. Then, a week later, defend it in front of a panel." Kind of intense, right? Yeah. It was. I passed it, so that's good. I did not particularly like being on the hot seat for an hour being questioned about why Chuck Berry is more important than Little Richard, but that's what I had to do. (I know, my classes are cooler than yours.)
My classes in general were different this year too. I took Score Analysis, which analyzed musical works with groups of people. Interesting, but also intimidating, as the professor is probably the smartest man I know. Took conducting, which was helpful, but also a little frustrating. I don't think about conducting a lot at my job. But that's okay. Voice lessons were kind of back and forth, as I found my musicianship challenged. Plus I took a jazz workshop that was very frustrating. ("You just have to listen to jazz. You know, listen to it.") Right...
Being away from Kevin is/was very difficult. My friend Ali pointed out to me that we had been married for about 9 weeks when I left for 6 weeks. Literally, I spent 2/3 of the time we had been married away from my husband - isn't that crazy? Yeah, it is. I get to see him tomorrow. I am really excited. This day could not go fast enough.
I know I am really rambly here. I'm feeling bored and I want the day to pass quickly so I can get home. Will I miss it here? Of course. I will miss being challenged and thinking about my teaching. I will miss the people - such amazing people, such sincere people. People who understand me and what I do, more than most people in California. I will miss Jimmy Johns. I have no idea where there isn't a franchise in CA. :) I will miss the beautiful green trees and the rain.
But I will be happy to return to my husband, and to my friends who have known me for so long. Considering that I joined Fuel in 2005, I have friends there who have known me and done life with me for five years...not to mention friends I have known longer. I will be happy to not be in a humid environment. I will be happy to rest.
My apologies if this was too rambly for you. My head is full, my heart is sad - yet happy. Makes for a rather confused blog.
Oh well.
I am a master of music.
That certainly counts for something, right? :)
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The mystery that is Tyler
So my friend Cat and I live in the dorms. East Owen, sixth floor. Literally, we are the only two occupants of this floor as far as we can tell. Except...Tyler.
We have never seen Tyler.
We only know his name because there is a summer school nametag on his door. It's pink and colorful - probably put up there by a bubbly girl. (not that there's anything wrong with bubbly girls...uh...)
The only reason we know Tyler is even there is that we hear the TV on. All the time. All the time. Every time we walk by. Since his room is on the way to our room, we walk by quite frequently. And the TV is always on.
Last weekend, there was NO SOUND coming from his room. We were worried. Had he left for the summer? Had he moved? Did he just go home? Was he...dead????
But no. Yesterday Cat announced, "Tyler is alive and well." TV back on, life is normal.
Maybe one day we'll see what Tyler looks like.
If we do, I'll try to take a picture. It'll be on the level of Loch Ness Monster or Abominable Snowman sightings. Internet craze. Insanity.
Stay tuned.
We have never seen Tyler.
We only know his name because there is a summer school nametag on his door. It's pink and colorful - probably put up there by a bubbly girl. (not that there's anything wrong with bubbly girls...uh...)
The only reason we know Tyler is even there is that we hear the TV on. All the time. All the time. Every time we walk by. Since his room is on the way to our room, we walk by quite frequently. And the TV is always on.
Last weekend, there was NO SOUND coming from his room. We were worried. Had he left for the summer? Had he moved? Did he just go home? Was he...dead????
But no. Yesterday Cat announced, "Tyler is alive and well." TV back on, life is normal.
Maybe one day we'll see what Tyler looks like.
If we do, I'll try to take a picture. It'll be on the level of Loch Ness Monster or Abominable Snowman sightings. Internet craze. Insanity.
Stay tuned.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Life without a car
An overarching theme of my experience here at Michigan is walking. I did not have a car my first year, and I do not have a car this year either. (Last year my roommates had cars, so I could steal theirs for a few hours - awesome!) Coming from lovely SoCal, where cars rule the universe, it is an adjustment to the non-car life.
Don't get me wrong - I love walking. It is gorgeous here with all the green trees, the river running through campus, the old buildings. And when I get my bike from Abby, it is even more awesome to bike through the town, too! (My bud Abby has been kind enough to let me borrow a bike from her the last two summers. So amazing.)
Walking does have its drawbacks when you are running errands. For example, two years ago I bought a printer and carried it back to my dorm. As I lugged a huge box, a car drove by me and honked, the occupants laughing. "Don't laugh at me!" I thought. "Give me a ride!"
Or today. It's really hot right now, and it's hard for me to work when it's so hot. So I decided to buy a fan. Of course, Rite Aid didn't have cute little fans - they only had the 20 inch box fan. So, I bought it, and lugged it back to the dorm. Some random guy on a bike said, "So, you had to buy a fan, huh? It's hot today!" Right, buddy. Thanks.
I am all for green environment stuff and not polluting the earth. But man, I miss my car.
Don't get me wrong - I love walking. It is gorgeous here with all the green trees, the river running through campus, the old buildings. And when I get my bike from Abby, it is even more awesome to bike through the town, too! (My bud Abby has been kind enough to let me borrow a bike from her the last two summers. So amazing.)
Walking does have its drawbacks when you are running errands. For example, two years ago I bought a printer and carried it back to my dorm. As I lugged a huge box, a car drove by me and honked, the occupants laughing. "Don't laugh at me!" I thought. "Give me a ride!"
Or today. It's really hot right now, and it's hard for me to work when it's so hot. So I decided to buy a fan. Of course, Rite Aid didn't have cute little fans - they only had the 20 inch box fan. So, I bought it, and lugged it back to the dorm. Some random guy on a bike said, "So, you had to buy a fan, huh? It's hot today!" Right, buddy. Thanks.
I am all for green environment stuff and not polluting the earth. But man, I miss my car.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
It's hot and I'm unmotivated.
That's it really. Happy 4th. At some point, I may get to see some fireworks. Not really sure how it's all going to turn out.
It's hot. 90, and 50% humidity.
Woo.
Pretty exciting, huh?
Guess I should go back to working now.
By the way, the movie "No Reservations" with Catherine Zeta-Jones was originally a German movie called "Mostly Martha." So far, it seems to be EXACTLY the same, but in German. Interesting...
Okay. Work.
It's hot. 90, and 50% humidity.
Woo.
Pretty exciting, huh?
Guess I should go back to working now.
By the way, the movie "No Reservations" with Catherine Zeta-Jones was originally a German movie called "Mostly Martha." So far, it seems to be EXACTLY the same, but in German. Interesting...
Okay. Work.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Yes, I know I said that...
...okay, I'm sorry, I haven't written since Monday even though I promised I would. I do have an excuse, I promise!
This week I started taking classes at MSU. I am taking Analysis of Musical Scores, which meets Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 1-3. This week I also took (am taking?) a Jazz Pedagogy Class. It meets (met?) from 9am to 6pm, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. (interestingly, at UCLA they abbreviated Thursday on class schedules with an R - so Tuesday/Thursday classes were TR on the schedule. I like this. But I digress...)
Thinking that I would have to miss my analysis class, I told the professor Tuesday. But I went to jazz on Wednesday, and discovered that they had scheduled a lunch break for jazz from 12:30-3:30, so myself and another student could go to our analysis class! Oh...
So Wednesday and Thursday I had to RUN to the student union, inhale a piece of pizza, run back (on Wednesday I had to make copies of the pieces we were analyzing), run up 4 flights of stairs, and have analysis class for 2 hours. Then I get out of class, sit for half an hour, and take jazz for another 2.5 hours.
I am exhausted.
Thankfully, it's just this week that it's like this. During week 4, I have a conducting class that meets MTWR (see what I did there?), but it's only from 3:40-6:20. So that shouldn't be too bad.
In other news, studying for my comprehensive exam (henceforth referred to as "comps") is hard.
Okay.
I will try to write more this weekend.
Forgive my school-induced flakiness.
This week I started taking classes at MSU. I am taking Analysis of Musical Scores, which meets Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 1-3. This week I also took (am taking?) a Jazz Pedagogy Class. It meets (met?) from 9am to 6pm, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. (interestingly, at UCLA they abbreviated Thursday on class schedules with an R - so Tuesday/Thursday classes were TR on the schedule. I like this. But I digress...)
Thinking that I would have to miss my analysis class, I told the professor Tuesday. But I went to jazz on Wednesday, and discovered that they had scheduled a lunch break for jazz from 12:30-3:30, so myself and another student could go to our analysis class! Oh...
So Wednesday and Thursday I had to RUN to the student union, inhale a piece of pizza, run back (on Wednesday I had to make copies of the pieces we were analyzing), run up 4 flights of stairs, and have analysis class for 2 hours. Then I get out of class, sit for half an hour, and take jazz for another 2.5 hours.
I am exhausted.
Thankfully, it's just this week that it's like this. During week 4, I have a conducting class that meets MTWR (see what I did there?), but it's only from 3:40-6:20. So that shouldn't be too bad.
In other news, studying for my comprehensive exam (henceforth referred to as "comps") is hard.
Okay.
I will try to write more this weekend.
Forgive my school-induced flakiness.
Monday, June 28, 2010
And...I'm back
In Michigan.
Two summers ago, I began this blog with the full intention of "writing something every day now that I am living in a new state and it's just so exciting!"
Then, when I got back to SoCal, I kind of kept it up.
Then all sorts of life happened.
I went back last summer, fully planning on blogging, and instead killed myself reading and writing papers.
Then, I got married. Planning a wedding is time consuming.
Now, I'm back. Last summer. In 6 weeks, I will have a masters degree. It's really quite awesome. Not to toot my own horn, but I have been working very hard, and I am exhausted.
Three new things this summer (2 neg, 1 pos):
I have a husband - who (whom?) I left home. He is not here. Although this is only my second day back, it is very difficult to be apart from each other. We are struggling. Being newlyweds, I get this. Many of my friends say, "Wow, I can't even imagine doing that." Others say, "It's only 6 weeks! No big deal!" Yeah. We'll see.
I am really burnt out. Very difficult year - possible loss of job, planning above wedding (which is joyful but stressful), various ailments (food poisoning at school - fantastic), etc, combined with a hellish grad program last summer makes for tired Liz. I love it here, but man, working? Not so excited.
One good thing - I have a suitemate! Her name is Cat, and we went to UCLA together for our undergrad. She is awesome. :) It's nice, because when I lived in this same dorm 2 years ago, I didn't know anybody. I spent a lot of time on Netflix, Hulu, and Facebook. Now, I have someone to eat meals with. Yay! :)
Okay, peeps. I know, it's a lot of complaining. I need to work on my bitterness. That's one of my summer goals. Check up on me - see how I'm doing.
I'll try to write a little every day. Bear with me.
Love to you all.
Two summers ago, I began this blog with the full intention of "writing something every day now that I am living in a new state and it's just so exciting!"
Then, when I got back to SoCal, I kind of kept it up.
Then all sorts of life happened.
I went back last summer, fully planning on blogging, and instead killed myself reading and writing papers.
Then, I got married. Planning a wedding is time consuming.
Now, I'm back. Last summer. In 6 weeks, I will have a masters degree. It's really quite awesome. Not to toot my own horn, but I have been working very hard, and I am exhausted.
Three new things this summer (2 neg, 1 pos):
I have a husband - who (whom?) I left home. He is not here. Although this is only my second day back, it is very difficult to be apart from each other. We are struggling. Being newlyweds, I get this. Many of my friends say, "Wow, I can't even imagine doing that." Others say, "It's only 6 weeks! No big deal!" Yeah. We'll see.
I am really burnt out. Very difficult year - possible loss of job, planning above wedding (which is joyful but stressful), various ailments (food poisoning at school - fantastic), etc, combined with a hellish grad program last summer makes for tired Liz. I love it here, but man, working? Not so excited.
One good thing - I have a suitemate! Her name is Cat, and we went to UCLA together for our undergrad. She is awesome. :) It's nice, because when I lived in this same dorm 2 years ago, I didn't know anybody. I spent a lot of time on Netflix, Hulu, and Facebook. Now, I have someone to eat meals with. Yay! :)
Okay, peeps. I know, it's a lot of complaining. I need to work on my bitterness. That's one of my summer goals. Check up on me - see how I'm doing.
I'll try to write a little every day. Bear with me.
Love to you all.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Married life
So, as of today, I've been married for one month. Wow. It actually seems longer than that. Since I am so wise in the ways of marriage, I thought I'd share some of my insights:
-I can TOTALLY understand why married couples become hermits. It's just so nice to see your husband all the time - you want to see your husband ALL THE TIME. Is this a good thing? Yes...and no. I want to see my friends too, as does Kevin. We're working on it.
-Having shows you can watch together is so fun. Too bad our favorite ones are either ending (LOST, sigh...) or probably being yanked (Flash Forward, anyone?)
-It is way fun to host dinner parties using your fine china! Hopefully we'll keep doing this for a while.
-Organizing a house can be quite stressful. Multiple fights over random things.
-Garage sales are the best! We sold all our old pots and pans, cups, dishes, etc, and made $150 - plus we got rid of everything else by taking it to the Salvation Army. AWESOME! More space, cash, and helping others, sweet!
-Kevin puts me first. All the time. I hope I can do the same for him.
-There is a lot you have to do to change your name! I haven't even changed my email address yet...
I'm sure there are more insights. But it's only been a month. :)
-I can TOTALLY understand why married couples become hermits. It's just so nice to see your husband all the time - you want to see your husband ALL THE TIME. Is this a good thing? Yes...and no. I want to see my friends too, as does Kevin. We're working on it.
-Having shows you can watch together is so fun. Too bad our favorite ones are either ending (LOST, sigh...) or probably being yanked (Flash Forward, anyone?)
-It is way fun to host dinner parties using your fine china! Hopefully we'll keep doing this for a while.
-Organizing a house can be quite stressful. Multiple fights over random things.
-Garage sales are the best! We sold all our old pots and pans, cups, dishes, etc, and made $150 - plus we got rid of everything else by taking it to the Salvation Army. AWESOME! More space, cash, and helping others, sweet!
-Kevin puts me first. All the time. I hope I can do the same for him.
-There is a lot you have to do to change your name! I haven't even changed my email address yet...
I'm sure there are more insights. But it's only been a month. :)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Random tidbits for those who can't stand it anymore
I need to post about my wedding. And about my honeymoon. And married life. I know. Somehow, everything's got away from me - even though I am WAY less stressed than before the wedding. I do not miss deciding on linen colors and paper thickness at ALL.
Some random things:
-Wedding day was great! The only problems we had were quite small, no biggies at all (example: the site coordinator saying, "Oh, honey, you look tired!" right before we did the Grand Entrance. Who says that to the bride??) We had a great time, it was a blast. It went so quickly! Sometimes I can't totally remember who was there. But yeah, it was a great time.
-Our honeymoon was perfect - completely relaxing, lots of good food. We ate lots of cheese and did lots of wine tasting. Beautiful place. Check out my facebook page for pictures.
-Being married is a lot of fun! It's also difficult. Most of the time, I just want to spend time with Kevin - all the time! But yes, there are difficulties. That doesn't mean I would go back - no way, no how. I love being married. :)
Okay, that's it for now. I'll try to write more, sometime. Concert season is coming - that means Liz goes crazy. :)
Love you all!
Some random things:
-Wedding day was great! The only problems we had were quite small, no biggies at all (example: the site coordinator saying, "Oh, honey, you look tired!" right before we did the Grand Entrance. Who says that to the bride??) We had a great time, it was a blast. It went so quickly! Sometimes I can't totally remember who was there. But yeah, it was a great time.
-Our honeymoon was perfect - completely relaxing, lots of good food. We ate lots of cheese and did lots of wine tasting. Beautiful place. Check out my facebook page for pictures.
-Being married is a lot of fun! It's also difficult. Most of the time, I just want to spend time with Kevin - all the time! But yes, there are difficulties. That doesn't mean I would go back - no way, no how. I love being married. :)
Okay, that's it for now. I'll try to write more, sometime. Concert season is coming - that means Liz goes crazy. :)
Love you all!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
2 more days...
...until Saturday, the big day!
Lots of interesting thoughts running through my brain. I had a dream that some random personal trainer insisted I work out with him instead of my normal trainer, EVERY DAY. It was punishment for something.
Everyone ELSE is having the wedding dreams. No fair!
Seriously though, random thoughts in my head. "Wow, this is the last time I'll work out as a single woman!" "Wow, this is my last Lost episode as a single woman!" "Wow, I'm getting MARRIED!"
Things are coming together. Running around and yet coming together, quite well.
I had a GREAT bachelorette this weekend. Spent the evening at Sgt. Pepper's Dueling Piano Cafe in Long Beach. Becky requested they play "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" (one of my favorite songs), and I had to go on stage and do the Hokey Pokey with a bunch of strangers. I felt so loved and cherished. It was great! Also had a sleepover and ate lots of ice cream, and pancakes in the morning. Still managed to lose 3 pounds. Go figure. :)
I can't wait for my vacation. So tired!
I feel like I had more interesting things to say here, as I pondered what I would write in my latest post. Instead, you all get random thoughts. Sorry.
Hope to see you Saturday! :)
Lots of interesting thoughts running through my brain. I had a dream that some random personal trainer insisted I work out with him instead of my normal trainer, EVERY DAY. It was punishment for something.
Everyone ELSE is having the wedding dreams. No fair!
Seriously though, random thoughts in my head. "Wow, this is the last time I'll work out as a single woman!" "Wow, this is my last Lost episode as a single woman!" "Wow, I'm getting MARRIED!"
Things are coming together. Running around and yet coming together, quite well.
I had a GREAT bachelorette this weekend. Spent the evening at Sgt. Pepper's Dueling Piano Cafe in Long Beach. Becky requested they play "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" (one of my favorite songs), and I had to go on stage and do the Hokey Pokey with a bunch of strangers. I felt so loved and cherished. It was great! Also had a sleepover and ate lots of ice cream, and pancakes in the morning. Still managed to lose 3 pounds. Go figure. :)
I can't wait for my vacation. So tired!
I feel like I had more interesting things to say here, as I pondered what I would write in my latest post. Instead, you all get random thoughts. Sorry.
Hope to see you Saturday! :)
Monday, March 29, 2010
19 days and counting...
Got a lot done this weekend.
Lots of random errands that required spending money for school, how fantastic.
But also organized the rehearsal dinner (K Pasta! Yum! Thanks to my students for having parents that own restaurants!)
Took a lot of time to relax as well. Watched 2012 (entertaining) and lots of Buffy episodes (fantastic!).
Church - Palm Sunday. Easter is almost here. Wow.
Amazing. 19 days to go, and then I am a married woman for life.
I am so EXCITED! :)
Plus, spring break is next week. That's awesome too - but not as awesome as April 17th! :)
Lots of random errands that required spending money for school, how fantastic.
But also organized the rehearsal dinner (K Pasta! Yum! Thanks to my students for having parents that own restaurants!)
Took a lot of time to relax as well. Watched 2012 (entertaining) and lots of Buffy episodes (fantastic!).
Church - Palm Sunday. Easter is almost here. Wow.
Amazing. 19 days to go, and then I am a married woman for life.
I am so EXCITED! :)
Plus, spring break is next week. That's awesome too - but not as awesome as April 17th! :)
Monday, March 22, 2010
Pride...or something I'm thinking about
So, in case you didn't know, I'm planning a wedding. It's coming up pretty quick now. Like 25 days or something like that. Insane!
As I've been planning it, people have offered to help. "No, it's fine. I got it." "Kevin's helping out a lot." "We're fine, thanks though."
Someone offered to help this weekend, and I said, all right, go ahead. I later found out that she had some problems with the helping, and it didn't go as planned. "I should have just done it myself," I thought.
See, growing up, I was the go-to person in group projects. I'll do it, it's fine, don't worry that you didn't do anything and I wrote a 40 page description of Thomas Jefferson. I was the overachiever (still am, who I am kidding?), and I just picked up the slack because I didn't want to have to suffer. I even had a friend in college say, "You know, none of us in music history do the reading, because we know you'll answer all the questions." I always felt like I HAD to do everything, because no one else could do it as well as I could.
Humble, right?
Yeah.
No.
God convicted me yesterday a lot. He said I need to surrender the table numbers, and just let someone else do it. Are people really going to obsess about the table numbers? No. (If you do, please don't tell me. I don't want to know.)
So, I need to work on surrendering, and letting other people do things, and being okay with how they turn out. I need to DELEGATE.
Okay, God.
I'm working on it. But it's hard, so I need Your help, okay?
Love you all out there.
P.S. Christina, do you appreciate the wedding planning update? :)
As I've been planning it, people have offered to help. "No, it's fine. I got it." "Kevin's helping out a lot." "We're fine, thanks though."
Someone offered to help this weekend, and I said, all right, go ahead. I later found out that she had some problems with the helping, and it didn't go as planned. "I should have just done it myself," I thought.
See, growing up, I was the go-to person in group projects. I'll do it, it's fine, don't worry that you didn't do anything and I wrote a 40 page description of Thomas Jefferson. I was the overachiever (still am, who I am kidding?), and I just picked up the slack because I didn't want to have to suffer. I even had a friend in college say, "You know, none of us in music history do the reading, because we know you'll answer all the questions." I always felt like I HAD to do everything, because no one else could do it as well as I could.
Humble, right?
Yeah.
No.
God convicted me yesterday a lot. He said I need to surrender the table numbers, and just let someone else do it. Are people really going to obsess about the table numbers? No. (If you do, please don't tell me. I don't want to know.)
So, I need to work on surrendering, and letting other people do things, and being okay with how they turn out. I need to DELEGATE.
Okay, God.
I'm working on it. But it's hard, so I need Your help, okay?
Love you all out there.
P.S. Christina, do you appreciate the wedding planning update? :)
Friday, March 12, 2010
Phew!
Hey all you people who read this blog,
So, yeah, it's been almost a month, I'm sorry, okay? :)
We are at about 36 days till our wedding. Lots accomplished! Lots to do:
Accomplished:
-tasting (going with chicken piccata with a raspberry wedge salad, wild rice, and veggies)
-ordering of parent presents
-ordering all bridal party gifts
-limo booked
-guestbook ordered
-table numbers figured out (but not made yet)
-invitations out (and OH! that was a story. That was horrible. I don't think I wrote about it on here. But maybe I will, as a "haha, wasn't that hilarious?" post. It was NOT hilarious at the time though.)
-website done
-booked flight
-bridal shower thank you notes (took me forever, I am so bad at those)
-and many other random things that I am forgetting
Still to do:
-bridal hair consultation (tomorrow!)
-makeup consultation (april!)
-make the table numbers
-write thank yous as presents come in (so fun to get boxes in the mail!)
-finish paying for honeymoon
-book rental car
-finish counseling
-get organist to agree to the music I want (she plays well, but she's a musician, like me, and "I'm not sure I can cut that piece shorter - it's just so beautiful!" Well, lady, it's my wedding. Deal with it.)
-decide on Father Daughter dance music (what the heck should I do? My dad is NOT nostalgic or cute like that, so "Cinderella" by Steven Curtis Chapman would just make him barf. Thoughts, anyone? To show you what I'm dealing with - he suggested "My Favorite Things" from Sound of Music. Yeah.
-and I'm sure, tons of other stuff we need to get finished.
In other news, I am good for my job next year! Thanks, God. We didn't really know what was going to happen with that. People told me I would be okay, that I was back far enough (hired, I mean), but I tend to worry unnecessarily. Need to work on that.
Okay, I'll try to blog more, as we get closer. I will. I'll try. No guarantees.
Miss you all!
Congrats Scott and Amy!
And WOO Christina! Have a great time this weekend! :)
So, yeah, it's been almost a month, I'm sorry, okay? :)
We are at about 36 days till our wedding. Lots accomplished! Lots to do:
Accomplished:
-tasting (going with chicken piccata with a raspberry wedge salad, wild rice, and veggies)
-ordering of parent presents
-ordering all bridal party gifts
-limo booked
-guestbook ordered
-table numbers figured out (but not made yet)
-invitations out (and OH! that was a story. That was horrible. I don't think I wrote about it on here. But maybe I will, as a "haha, wasn't that hilarious?" post. It was NOT hilarious at the time though.)
-website done
-booked flight
-bridal shower thank you notes (took me forever, I am so bad at those)
-and many other random things that I am forgetting
Still to do:
-bridal hair consultation (tomorrow!)
-makeup consultation (april!)
-make the table numbers
-write thank yous as presents come in (so fun to get boxes in the mail!)
-finish paying for honeymoon
-book rental car
-finish counseling
-get organist to agree to the music I want (she plays well, but she's a musician, like me, and "I'm not sure I can cut that piece shorter - it's just so beautiful!" Well, lady, it's my wedding. Deal with it.)
-decide on Father Daughter dance music (what the heck should I do? My dad is NOT nostalgic or cute like that, so "Cinderella" by Steven Curtis Chapman would just make him barf. Thoughts, anyone? To show you what I'm dealing with - he suggested "My Favorite Things" from Sound of Music. Yeah.
-and I'm sure, tons of other stuff we need to get finished.
In other news, I am good for my job next year! Thanks, God. We didn't really know what was going to happen with that. People told me I would be okay, that I was back far enough (hired, I mean), but I tend to worry unnecessarily. Need to work on that.
Okay, I'll try to blog more, as we get closer. I will. I'll try. No guarantees.
Miss you all!
Congrats Scott and Amy!
And WOO Christina! Have a great time this weekend! :)
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
6 months and counting...
...and I'm going slightly crazy.
Case in point: invitations and the fiasco that was this weekend.
Probably wouldn't have been that big a deal if I hadn't had this big plan in my head. "Here's what we'll do: we'll watch the Super Bowl (since we can't make it to a party this year), and put together the invitations, and at the end of the game, we'll have them all done, sealed, stamped, and ready to go! Productivity!"
Yeah. Not really what happened.
Some highlights:
-Getting to the post office at 3:07 on Saturday to discover that they close at 3:00.
-Attempting to print the addresses on clear labels and discover that they a) didn't line up right, b) smeared ink all over the place, and c) wouldn't feed correctly into the printer.
-forgetting the charger cable for the laptop that had all the addresses on it, and frantically trying to change all the names from "Bob and Sherry Jones" to "Mr. and Mrs. Robert Jones" as fast as I could.
-Eventually figuring out the labels, but having to remove them, one sheet at a time, and lay them on the couch so they could dry and not smear.
-Giving up on the idea of inside clear labels with the names and just handwriting it - with my out-of-shape cursive. (As in, I don't write in cursive. Ever. So it's out-of-shape.)
-Staying up until 11:30 p.m., and only finishing 30 invitations.
Holy crap.
It was awful. Probably doesn't sound as bad here, but trust me, it was bad. Why else would I burst into tears over ink smudges?
It'll all be over soon, and maybe then I'll return back to my normal, somewhat stress-free self. That's my hope anyway. 2 months seems like a long time...
Case in point: invitations and the fiasco that was this weekend.
Probably wouldn't have been that big a deal if I hadn't had this big plan in my head. "Here's what we'll do: we'll watch the Super Bowl (since we can't make it to a party this year), and put together the invitations, and at the end of the game, we'll have them all done, sealed, stamped, and ready to go! Productivity!"
Yeah. Not really what happened.
Some highlights:
-Getting to the post office at 3:07 on Saturday to discover that they close at 3:00.
-Attempting to print the addresses on clear labels and discover that they a) didn't line up right, b) smeared ink all over the place, and c) wouldn't feed correctly into the printer.
-forgetting the charger cable for the laptop that had all the addresses on it, and frantically trying to change all the names from "Bob and Sherry Jones" to "Mr. and Mrs. Robert Jones" as fast as I could.
-Eventually figuring out the labels, but having to remove them, one sheet at a time, and lay them on the couch so they could dry and not smear.
-Giving up on the idea of inside clear labels with the names and just handwriting it - with my out-of-shape cursive. (As in, I don't write in cursive. Ever. So it's out-of-shape.)
-Staying up until 11:30 p.m., and only finishing 30 invitations.
Holy crap.
It was awful. Probably doesn't sound as bad here, but trust me, it was bad. Why else would I burst into tears over ink smudges?
It'll all be over soon, and maybe then I'll return back to my normal, somewhat stress-free self. That's my hope anyway. 2 months seems like a long time...
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
RAIN!
So, yes, here in SoCal we are experiencing intense heavy rainfall. And yes, my car did get flooded yesterday - nothing too bad, but hopefully not expensive to fix. And yes, I did have to keep students longer in classes because of the tornado warning.
Still - I love it!
Rain is perhaps my favorite weather. Of course, I have never lived in snow, so maybe that will change when I live someplace with snow. (East Lansing, anyone?)
We're in for another storm today. We'll have to see how it goes - woohoo! :)
Stay dry, everyone!
Still - I love it!
Rain is perhaps my favorite weather. Of course, I have never lived in snow, so maybe that will change when I live someplace with snow. (East Lansing, anyone?)
We're in for another storm today. We'll have to see how it goes - woohoo! :)
Stay dry, everyone!
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