When I was a kid, I loved my crayons. I hated when Nina would break them or lose them. My favorite color was cerulean. Do you think you know your crayons?
http://www.crayola.com/promos/64boxBirthday/colorQuizzer.cfm
There are some new colors that I couldn't identify. Those kids choice colors aren't named as well as good ol' Granny Smith Apple or Robin's Egg Blue. What kind of color is "Best friends"? Seriously? Good luck.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
back and back again
I'm back from my first vacation and I'm back in school, all on the same day.
My family and I safely returned from our cruise yesterday afternoon. We took a 3-day adventure to the Bahamas in lieu of our usual 2 week cross country driving trip. We simply could not find 2 consecutive weeks for all of us to get together. So, we opted for a short trip. The goal was to bring us all together and we accomplished just that. I must say, I had a fantastic time. We all got along really well. My parents loved it! The food, the activities, the relaxtion -- it was all top notch!
The first day we were in Nassau. We did a segway excursion for about 2.5 hours. Nina's face in all of the pictures was sheer terror. It was all about balance and trusting the segway which Nina could not seem to grasp all at once. She said she had fun, but was just a bit nervous. Understandable. My sister-in-law (poor girl will never live it down) crashed her speeding segway into a flag pole and threw herself off. It took her awhile to feel steady on her feet again, but she was alright. All in all we had a blast. Pictures to follow once they've all been compiled.
The second day we walked around the beaches of Great Stirrup Cay. We played around on kayaks and did a little shopping at the market. It started to rain halfway through the day, but by that time we had had our fill and were ready to head back to the boat anyway.
Tropical storm Fay did little more than keep us cooled off throughout the whole trip. It was rainy, but not stormy, wet but not unbearable. Whenever the sun would beat down on us, the clouds would roll in and cool everything off. The rain never got in the way of anything we wanted to do and we couldn't have asked for better conditions. We all want to do it again next year and that's more than I can say for the usual driving trip. I am so thankful to my parents for working so hard to get us together every year, no matter what it takes. I took it for granted growing up. Now, I can see why it's so important. Every trip creates a cache of memories that will keep us together in the years to come.
Monday was the first day of school. It's weird to be enrolled in school again, after feeling so free when I finished the first time. I am looking forward to being a student again. I have a job interview tomorrow and I'm already working out how I'm going to get a good amount of studying time into my life combined with work, family, friends and me time.
Things are starting to line up neatly. It hasn't been easy getting to this point; patience and Ryan's help got me through.
P.S. On the drive to the cruise port, I finally had the opportunity to talk to my family about what happened with my aunt. My mother was furious that my aunt confronted me the way she did. My dad said that he never cried over it as my aunt claimed he did. They are in no way devestated by the way I live my life. My aunt had not even talked to my parents before talking to me, so there was no way for her to know what they were thinking or feeling about it all. They all (brother, sister, mom and pop), in their own way, told me that they loved me and that they know who I am and are proud of me as I am. I couldn't be any more thankful for my family's support.
My family and I safely returned from our cruise yesterday afternoon. We took a 3-day adventure to the Bahamas in lieu of our usual 2 week cross country driving trip. We simply could not find 2 consecutive weeks for all of us to get together. So, we opted for a short trip. The goal was to bring us all together and we accomplished just that. I must say, I had a fantastic time. We all got along really well. My parents loved it! The food, the activities, the relaxtion -- it was all top notch!
The first day we were in Nassau. We did a segway excursion for about 2.5 hours. Nina's face in all of the pictures was sheer terror. It was all about balance and trusting the segway which Nina could not seem to grasp all at once. She said she had fun, but was just a bit nervous. Understandable. My sister-in-law (poor girl will never live it down) crashed her speeding segway into a flag pole and threw herself off. It took her awhile to feel steady on her feet again, but she was alright. All in all we had a blast. Pictures to follow once they've all been compiled.
The second day we walked around the beaches of Great Stirrup Cay. We played around on kayaks and did a little shopping at the market. It started to rain halfway through the day, but by that time we had had our fill and were ready to head back to the boat anyway.
Tropical storm Fay did little more than keep us cooled off throughout the whole trip. It was rainy, but not stormy, wet but not unbearable. Whenever the sun would beat down on us, the clouds would roll in and cool everything off. The rain never got in the way of anything we wanted to do and we couldn't have asked for better conditions. We all want to do it again next year and that's more than I can say for the usual driving trip. I am so thankful to my parents for working so hard to get us together every year, no matter what it takes. I took it for granted growing up. Now, I can see why it's so important. Every trip creates a cache of memories that will keep us together in the years to come.
Monday was the first day of school. It's weird to be enrolled in school again, after feeling so free when I finished the first time. I am looking forward to being a student again. I have a job interview tomorrow and I'm already working out how I'm going to get a good amount of studying time into my life combined with work, family, friends and me time.
Things are starting to line up neatly. It hasn't been easy getting to this point; patience and Ryan's help got me through.
P.S. On the drive to the cruise port, I finally had the opportunity to talk to my family about what happened with my aunt. My mother was furious that my aunt confronted me the way she did. My dad said that he never cried over it as my aunt claimed he did. They are in no way devestated by the way I live my life. My aunt had not even talked to my parents before talking to me, so there was no way for her to know what they were thinking or feeling about it all. They all (brother, sister, mom and pop), in their own way, told me that they loved me and that they know who I am and are proud of me as I am. I couldn't be any more thankful for my family's support.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
and another thing...
I tried very hard to hold in my thoughts to spare you all the long and boring rant of ideas that have been scrolling through my head for the past 4 days. But this I could not hold in.
I came from a Catholic home. I once held true to those values that my aunt tried to impress upon me. I did once believe that it was very important to get married before living with a man, before having sex, before having babies. I didn't believe in birth control and I whole-heartedly believed that my salvation was based on living without sin and following the Bible. Living with Ryan has not torn all hope of religion and salvation from my mind and heart. I still believe that spirituality is important, but look more closely at the essence of what values are meaningful to me.
I once belonged to Gator Christian Life - GCL - and felt like I had found lasting friendship and a wholesome faith. I am a believer and yet I still have questions about faith and all that it entails. During my time with GCL, I attended several bridal showers. The focus of these bridal showers seemed to be "you're getting married so you can have sex!" They seemed to have lost all sense of what it means to be married, believing that being marriage just unlocked the box of forbidden fun. No one talked about having a partner for life or celebrating the start of a new journey with someone that you love. I realize that all sounds idyllic and cheesy, but through watching them do it the "holy and sinless" way took away some of the wedding glory.
I left GCL not too long after I joined. I did not leave my faith, however. Living with Ryan has opened me up to see the important things that build the foundation for a significant relationship. I haven't made the choices I made to disappoint my family and I can understand why my deviation from the religious norm has caused them worry. What choices I've made have been to look seriously into what I want my future to look like and to have actual experience to base future decisions.
I came from a Catholic home. I once held true to those values that my aunt tried to impress upon me. I did once believe that it was very important to get married before living with a man, before having sex, before having babies. I didn't believe in birth control and I whole-heartedly believed that my salvation was based on living without sin and following the Bible. Living with Ryan has not torn all hope of religion and salvation from my mind and heart. I still believe that spirituality is important, but look more closely at the essence of what values are meaningful to me.
I once belonged to Gator Christian Life - GCL - and felt like I had found lasting friendship and a wholesome faith. I am a believer and yet I still have questions about faith and all that it entails. During my time with GCL, I attended several bridal showers. The focus of these bridal showers seemed to be "you're getting married so you can have sex!" They seemed to have lost all sense of what it means to be married, believing that being marriage just unlocked the box of forbidden fun. No one talked about having a partner for life or celebrating the start of a new journey with someone that you love. I realize that all sounds idyllic and cheesy, but through watching them do it the "holy and sinless" way took away some of the wedding glory.
I left GCL not too long after I joined. I did not leave my faith, however. Living with Ryan has opened me up to see the important things that build the foundation for a significant relationship. I haven't made the choices I made to disappoint my family and I can understand why my deviation from the religious norm has caused them worry. What choices I've made have been to look seriously into what I want my future to look like and to have actual experience to base future decisions.
le sigh.
This past week, we had family from Canada come to visit. Since it is so cold up there, they are always excited to come to Florida once every 2 years or so. They are from my dad's side of the family; his cousin, Auntie Baby, her husband Uncle Rodel and their kids, Leyna, Larissa, and Laramie (ages 25, 26, and 28). They are particularly religious, well beyond the super-Christians group and into the super-Catholic category. For that reason, I was very adamant not to bring up the fact that I live with Ryan.
I am not sure who told or how/why it came about, but they found out somehow. I went to visit them at their hotel late on the one night they were in town. The girls and I, plus Mike and Nina talked for hours beside the pool. At the very end of the night when we were saying bye, my aunt pulled me aside and lectured me at 2:30am about how it is a sin to live with my boyfriend. She didn't just stop there, oh no, like every "good Catholic" she laid on the guilt. She basically said that my family was devestated about my living situation and that just because I think I'm so in love doesn't mean it's going to last forever. She said my parents were hurt that I had left home and that my cousins who "used to look up to me" are no longer sure of my character. She said that I am still a nice girl, but that I need to change my life. Her solution to the "problem" was to encourage Ryan to marry me, as if I am some marred person that no one else will accept. I told her I feel comfortable with the decision to move in with Ryan and that I do not feel I am doing anything wrong. I do not feel that other people's opinions of my "situation" should have any affect on how I live my life. At the end, I was trying to get away from her as she pulled me gently back by the arm and said she hoped she hadn't offended me. The conversation had brought me to tears and I walked away from her quickly without saying goodbye to the others.
She offended me on a grand scale.
I am who I am and will not make apologies for it. For days, her words tore my heart apart. I felt the need to justify my choices, to confront her and tell her to get to know me before judging. That will not change her opinion or her judgement. This is something between Ryan and I and her opinion matters not.
I am not sure who told or how/why it came about, but they found out somehow. I went to visit them at their hotel late on the one night they were in town. The girls and I, plus Mike and Nina talked for hours beside the pool. At the very end of the night when we were saying bye, my aunt pulled me aside and lectured me at 2:30am about how it is a sin to live with my boyfriend. She didn't just stop there, oh no, like every "good Catholic" she laid on the guilt. She basically said that my family was devestated about my living situation and that just because I think I'm so in love doesn't mean it's going to last forever. She said my parents were hurt that I had left home and that my cousins who "used to look up to me" are no longer sure of my character. She said that I am still a nice girl, but that I need to change my life. Her solution to the "problem" was to encourage Ryan to marry me, as if I am some marred person that no one else will accept. I told her I feel comfortable with the decision to move in with Ryan and that I do not feel I am doing anything wrong. I do not feel that other people's opinions of my "situation" should have any affect on how I live my life. At the end, I was trying to get away from her as she pulled me gently back by the arm and said she hoped she hadn't offended me. The conversation had brought me to tears and I walked away from her quickly without saying goodbye to the others.
She offended me on a grand scale.
I am who I am and will not make apologies for it. For days, her words tore my heart apart. I felt the need to justify my choices, to confront her and tell her to get to know me before judging. That will not change her opinion or her judgement. This is something between Ryan and I and her opinion matters not.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Cabin Fever
I officially don't know what to do with myself. There are clearly things I could be doing (writing thank you notes, cleaning, unpacking, working out...) It has been 10 full days for me in this place. My theory is, I haven't yet come to appreciate it the way a working person might appreciate their home. I haven't yet had to be some place else that would make me want to be home. Every outing with Ryan is a mini-escape. Poor boy, he comes home to me ready to run out the door when all he really wants to do is sit down to paint or go on the computer. We've seen 2 movies, Batman: The Dark Knight (excellent movie) and Pineapple Express (very entertaining), gone on many, many errands, even taking out the trash is like an outing since the distant trash compactor is such a trek.
We have finally gotten the majority of boxes out of the apartment, there are 2 boxes left. They sit in the bedroom mocking me. Today they will meet their death! Other than that, there is just a lot of crap lying around without homes. We took 3 boxes and a couple of bags to Goodwill yesterday. It felt good to be rid of so much stuff.
I still haven't found a job, though I am still hopeful. This stay-at-home-mom thing works better when you have a kid. As I stand now, I am a stay-at-home-nothing. Exciting. I think I'm going to take my exciting self to the pool now. Fortunately, I found my headphones the other day. Hello, Ipod.
goodbye.
We have finally gotten the majority of boxes out of the apartment, there are 2 boxes left. They sit in the bedroom mocking me. Today they will meet their death! Other than that, there is just a lot of crap lying around without homes. We took 3 boxes and a couple of bags to Goodwill yesterday. It felt good to be rid of so much stuff.
I still haven't found a job, though I am still hopeful. This stay-at-home-mom thing works better when you have a kid. As I stand now, I am a stay-at-home-nothing. Exciting. I think I'm going to take my exciting self to the pool now. Fortunately, I found my headphones the other day. Hello, Ipod.
goodbye.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Risk by candlelight
A lightning storm knocked out our power. Under normal situations, it would feel like an inconvenience. Tonight, however, we whipped out some candles and played Risk by candlelight. The power came back about half-way through the game, but we decided it was quite fun to play by candlelight. We singed a few arm hairs and Ryan handily wiped me off the board, but it was definitely a fun night. 
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
boxes, boxes and more boxes...
I have left the colossal task of unpacking and decided to slack off. Job hunting was today, cross your fingers that one of the applications goes through successfully!
Ikea shopping also happened today. For those of you who don't know, my wonderful co-workers (the ones that I liked) all pooled together and gave me a very, very generous gift card to IKEA as a farewell present. I have never felt so grateful and loved at that place, but on my last day there they made it all worth it.
Here are some of my purchases:
Ignore the state of unpacking as seen in the mirror, it's the flowers artfully placed on the mirror. I love them! The double mirrors are a bit intense in the small room, so I made them a little snazzier with the flowers.
Ikea shopping also happened today. For those of you who don't know, my wonderful co-workers (the ones that I liked) all pooled together and gave me a very, very generous gift card to IKEA as a farewell present. I have never felt so grateful and loved at that place, but on my last day there they made it all worth it.
Here are some of my purchases:
Ignore the state of unpacking as seen in the mirror, it's the flowers artfully placed on the mirror. I love them! The double mirrors are a bit intense in the small room, so I made them a little snazzier with the flowers.My other purchase today was:
This is a fairly large canvas wall art thing. I have been eyeing it for months and it went on sale (twice). It was a steal at $30, that's $50 off regular price!
I picked up a few other things, but those are my favorites. Once we have confirmation that we are or are not moving to Seattle, I will move forward with decorating and nesting. For now, we are saving boxes and making the living space, well, live-able.
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