Love Is In The Air ♥

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Chapter 30: A Quick Update, Once Again

So, time for a quick update, because I am bad at this blogging thing and don't keep up with it like I should...

1. I am loving city living. There is always something to see and do. There is always people buzzing about. I am able to walk out my front door and find something interesting within a half mile.



The only complaint I have is the apartment company we chose. But, that's not a problem with city living; it's a problem with them alone.

2. I signed up for, and was approved to join Big Big Brothers Big Sisters!





I'm so excited! My "Little" (that's what they call the kids; the adults are "Bigs" or "mentors") is 14 years old, very smart, and likes sports and animals. Her mom feels more comfortable with her being in the site-based program, so, instead of taking her out to the mall, movies, bowling, etc, I will meet with her for an hour per week at her school. (If her mom feels comfortable with it, there is the potential that I will be able to take her out and do the community based program with her at a later point.) So, since I will be meeting her at school, the program doesn't officially start until September, when school starts back up. I asked BBBS if I could meet her beforehand (I don't want to wait a month!) and they set up a meeting between us at their office. During the summer, she and I will be able to talk on the phone and do pen-pal writing.

This is a program that I have always wanted to get in to, but never had the opportunity because I lived so far from the city. Now that I'm here, I'm ready to make the most of it!

3. I have lost 20 pounds since January! I am so happy! I think it's the fact that I'm out more and walking around more. Plus, warmer weather is a big motivation for me. Let's keep it up, Grizzly Girl!


4. I am in charge of updating the website at work! I get to choose the Pet of the Month, and also write articles pertaining to pets' health, among other things. I also update the work calendar with events and goings-on at the hospital. AND! I got a raise! The only person to get a raise after reviews. I am pretty damn proud, if I do say so myself! :)

5. I got a new tattoo! The "Live Free Or Die Tattoo Expo" was this past weekend, and I went with a couple of friends. I was able to get the same artist as before, and I LOVE the work he did for me!

This picture is from the day I got it. It looks better now, because all of the stringy things hanging down have been washed off.



You movie nerds out there might recognize this as the same tattoo Captain Jack Sparrow had on his arm in Pirates of the Caribbean. Correct! While the movie has a large part in my life, the design also has more meaning than just Captain Jack...

Sparrows are resilient birds. They handle things in the toughest weather and conditions, and always seem to make it out alive.

It also plays upon Jack's infamous saying, "Bring me that horizon". You can make of it what you will, but I take it to mean "there's more out than there just this. More possibilities. The world is limitless".

Needless to say, I am very happy with the tattoo.

That's it for now! I always say that I am going to try and get better at updating this, but I never do. So, let's just say that I'll see you when I see you! :)

-Grizzly Girl

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Chapter 28: Home Sweet Home

I finally got around to taking pictures of the new apartment. I was waiting for us to get everything unpacked.

Also, we have some "feline house guests", as B is calling them. We had to do an emergency c-section on a cat at work, and the owners were very unfit to keep them, so they signed them over to us, and now I'm fostering them. Mama kitty had gone into labor 12 hours before they came in, and the whole time, the owners could see a kitten stuck in the birth canal, but didn't do anything about it! Needless to say, that kitten died, and so did one other, but she has one kitten that survived! We have called her Mama, and the kitten is named "Dude". We call him that, because when another tech and I were trying to keep him alive, we were saying, "Come on, Dude! You can make it!" He would stop breathing, and the only time he would start was when we called him "Dude"! So, Mama and Dude live with us right now, until they are both healthy and old enough to find a home, or until I decide that I they are just going to live with us forever (I'm finding it hard not to get attached).

Anyway! Here is our lovely abode!

 Here we are! Good ol' number 3!
 
 This is after we've stepped in from the front door (seen on the left). I call this room the "entryway", but I guess it's just a typical sitting room or something. We have our bookcase and the linen cabinet, and then the recliner in this picture.
 
 The other half of the entryway. The heater is the large black thing on the right. The door on the right leads into the office, and straight ahead is the kitchen.
 
 This came out a little darker than expected. Out table is on the left with our vine plant and microwave on top of it. The door straight ahead is our pantry room. The door in the top left corner (hard to see here) leads out to the back porch.
 
 Stepping in from the entry way into the kitchen. The oven is on the left, and the fridge is on the right. The doorway straight ahead leads into the bathroom.
 
 This is the pantry. We also use it as storage.
 
 The small room to the right is our laundry room where the dryer and some cleaning supplies are. The washing machine is actually in the kitchen, right outside of the laundry room.
 
 Looking out from the pantry.
 
 A better view of the laundry room.
 
 Standing in front of the sink and looking into the bathroom.
 
 We really do have a shower, I promise! It's to the left of me. This is the view from the back of the bathroom, heading to the kitchen.
 
 B's computer desk in the office.
 
 The closet in the office. We're kind of using this area for some small storage until we're able to get more furniture that we need. You can also see Mama in the bottom of the picture!
 
 My computer, and Mama and Dude's little area. (Dude is the darker, tiny orange spot on the bed!)
 
Standing in front of the closet door.
 
 Going from the entryway into the living room.
 
 Our living room, standing in the bedroom doorway. The entryway is to the right.
 
 Standing near the TV, and looking into the bedroom. Now the entryway is on my left.
 
 The bed.
 
 Standing in one of the closets. The door in the top left corner is the door to leave the apartment in the entryway. The door behind the bedroom door is our clothes closet.
 
 This is our second closet... thing... we're using it as storage, because it's shaped like a triangle, and it's not a good clothes-hanging closet.
 
In the triangle closet, looking at the storage. We've hung a curtain in front of the storage to hide it. Ha ha!

The last 2 months have been an exciting journey for us! New and great things are coming our way!
 
-Grizzly Girl

Chapter 27: Words To Live By

I just found this online, and thought I would share with all of you.

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

- Max Ehrmann

-Grizzly Girl

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Chapter 26: Memories Of Yesteryear!

I want to start by saying that I haven't updated in a month because we've been too busy with moving, unpacking, and work. Things have been going really good with the new apartment! I love living in the city!

Here's a survey thing I got from a blog I follow (True North). Feel free to take it if you would like!

Part 1~~ 2010 questions:

1. What was your most significant accomplishment in 2010?

Growing up. No joke. I got a full-time job that I was able to keep and actually excell in; got bills (things of which I had never really had before) and paid them all on time; and got my own (well, shared with my boyfriend) apartment. (We didn't actually move in until January 1, 2011, but we signed the lease and everything on December 31, so I think that counts!

2. Is there any one choice you made that you would change in 2010?

Hm... Not that I can think of right now, but I'm sure that, as soon as I finish this, I'll have a million things pop into my head. That's how it always goes.

3. What was your favorite band/singer in 2010?

Oh man... I don't know if I could put my finger on just one person or band - I really discovered a lot of music that I liked during the past year.

No, wait, I take that back, I think I know who my favorite was. Please don't kill me... Ke$ha!

4. What was your favorite movie of 2010?

That would definitely be The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo!

5. What is your favorite food/dish in 2010?

My favorite food has been, and always will be, potatoes! As for 2010? I would have to say asparagus! I discovered this little gem sometime later in the year, and now I can't get enough!

6. Favorite Restaurant in 2010?
TGI Fridays is always my go-to place!

7. Favorite and worst tv show in 2010?

Favorite: Dexter!

Worst: Jersey Shore. Ugh. If there ever was a way to waste an hour of TV time, this would be it.

8. Favorite Clothing Store in 2010?

I don't really know. I basically only shop at one store, so I'll say "Lane Bryant".

9. Favorite activity in 2010?

I know it's not really an "activity", but I really liked trying all of these new things with B. We started eating (mostly) vegan; saw some new movies we wouldn't normally watch - and ended up loving them; and we went out a lot more, whether it be to dinner, a movie, or just to a relative's house.

10. Describe yourself in 5 words for 2010.

Oh boy... I don't know. Let's say "focused", "maturing", "humble", "fun-loving" (does that count as one word?) and "quiet".

11. Your style in 2010?

Scrubs. That's what I wear 90% of the time. After that comes pajamas. That makes up about 8% of my style. And then you have the jeans and a t-shirt category. Haha!

12. Most common sounds in your home in 2010?

Mice, rats and squirrels chewing on the walls. No lie.

13. What's on your bedside table in 2010?

A lamp, a clock, a book I never finished reading, and my pajamas.

14. Your favorite thing hanging on your wall in 2010?

We didn't hang that much, but I would definitely have to saw the wall mural I ordered though a catalog. Here's the generic picture they have in the catalog, but I had it personalized with our names.



15. What kind of calendar did you own in 2010?

We didn't own one, which was pretty irritating. But, obviously not so irritating that I went out and got one. Ha ha!

16. What was the first thing you did when you got up in the morning in 2010?

Hit the snooze button. Then went pee and got dressed.

17. What is the most expensive thing you owned in 2010?

Uh, I don't know. Probably my phone.

18. What item you own holds the most value for you in 2010?

The most value? I'm not fully sure I understand this question. I would probably say my phone, though. I use it as a form of communication, as a planner, as a stress reliever... I love it!

19. Your favorite book of 2010?

I don't read as much as I would like. I think the only book I read was "The Kite Runner", and I didn't even finish it (even though it was excellent!). 




Part 2 ~~ Your life

1. If you could change one life choice you made, what would it be?

For my whole life, or just this past year? For the most part, there are lots of things I would like to change, but then again, I figure if I were to change something in my past, I wouldn't be where I am today. And I don't want that, because I am pretty happy with where I am today.

2. Who (in your life)  are you are most like?

I'm realizing I'm more and more like my mother each day. This terrifies me, but is also very humbling.

3. Who is the most influential person in your life?

I would say B and my mom are tied on this one. I repsect both of their opinions greatly, and do what I can to please both of them.

4. Name 3 best friends you have had in your lifetime. (And tag em' if they're friends!)

Bryce
Amanda
Liz

5. Favorite family heirloom?

Hmmm... we don't tend to keep a lot of things like that. Although, I'm sure B would say that I love the blanket my grandmother always had. I've slept with this thing for a long time, and love it!

6. Favorite childhood keepsake?

My mom and aunt used to paint ceramics. They held classes, and painted and sold their items. They actually painted about 20 of the Disney characters for me, and I still have them to this day!

7. What's your dream job, and are you doing it?

My dream job is to be a veterinarian, but school costs WAY too much. I do believe, however, that I have found the next best thing... I'm a vet tech!

8. If you didn't have to work for $$ what would you do with your time?

Travel. Be a vet tech. Do lots of arts and crafts.

9. What are you most thankful for in 2010?

My family and friends.

10. What celebrity do you admire in 2010?

I don't think I can pick just one. There are multiple celebrities that I adore.




Part 3~~ This Year (2011)

1. If you won the lottery this year, what would you spend it on??

I would buy a Smart Car first. Definitely a Smart Car. Then I would pay off all of mom and dad's debts, and then B's debts. I think I would put the rest in savings, to be honest.

2. What do you want to change about your life in 2011?

I want to go out more and meet new people. I want to travel more. Other than that, I think things are going pretty well!

3. What do you want to accomplish in 2011?

I kind of think that this is similar to the previous question. So, I guess my answer would be the same.

4. Describe in 5 words what kind of person you want to be in 2011?

"Responsible", "caring", "fun-loving" (again, does this count?), "passionate" and "well-rounded" (same as 'fun-loving'... one word?).

5. What is one quality you want to change about yourself in 2011?

I want to be more motivated. I have a gym membership, but haven't gone in months. I want to see and do things, but never take the initiative. I NEED to be more motivated.

6. What is your new years resolution for 2011? (If you have one...)

I have a couple. 1) Lose weight; 2) be more social; 3) grow-up; 4) be who I want to be; and 5) get more cultured on things. 2011 is here and not going anywhere any time soon, so I better man-up and start taking charge of my life and becoming the person I know I can be.

-Grizzly Girl