ramblings

so, i'm up early on a sunday and have a strong urge to blog...although i don't have anything particular in mind to blog about. this should be fun and hopefully not boring for you all.

lots of good and exciting things are going on in our little world. i'll be graduating in less than 2 weeks! lots of celebrations to commemorate the occasion. woohoo! the same day that i graduate my lil sis, krista, will turn 21. finally!! "p-a-r-t-why?...because i gotta!" name that movie???

i'm taking a pre-graduation celebratory trip to visit a DDF in Florida next weekend. i haven't seen her in over a year or her lil guy who is now about a year and a half old. can't wait for some fun in the sun and girlie chatting/catching up. never been to jacksonville before. i'm sure it's beautiful...guess i'll find out:)

in early june my BFF is getting married and i am the matron of honor. i have many duties and lots to do, but she is super happy and i'm really excited for her and her man. i went to a shower for her last night and tied my first quilt. i loved it. i'm inspired to make one of my own...if i can find someone to sew it for me! i hate sewing. but i just love the tied quilts. it's funny cuz my fam in nd actually think tying quilts a sub-standard form of quilting. well, mostly my g-ma b. but i think they are so cute. after the shower we had a "stuffing" party and stuffed all her announcements. signed, sealed, and not yet delivered. i love wedding stuff. i had a blast planning my own wedding and i love seeing hers come together.

the 4-wheeling season is kinda off to a slow start. but, we are getting there. we've been to the dunes twice together (brandon's gone a couple of other times) and we are going out tomorrow for some trail riding. this time last year we had been to the dunes like 10 times or something.

so, this has successfully turned into a bragging post. sorry. if it helps, just know our cat is supa fat and we have weeds instead of grass in our front yard.

finally...our san diego trip

the reason this post took foreva is cuz i was not looking forward to going through hundreds of pics to find the ones i wanted to share. and i still chose too many. i guess i'm about to overshare with ya'll but that's coo cuz you're probably going to look through them all anyway:) enjoy!!

first pic of brandon and he was already irritated with the camera. but we had a great sunset the first night we were there and i had to try to capture it.

some kayakers in the bay.

a little known fact about brandon: he can't ever just take a walk; he has to find something to occupy his hands. it's a special treat when we walk on the beach because then he finds kelp to play with. yuck!

the san diego mission's bell tower. it was california's first of many and so beautiful. it was built in like the 1500's and had beautiful grounds. i wanted to take pics inside BUT a funeral was about to go down and i just didn't think it appropriate.

view of lighthouse from whale watching cruise.

us on whale watching cruise. it was a lot of waiting and just hanging out to see a few whale tails and "flukeprints." marine biology lesson: flukeprints are when a whale's fluke (the very end fins) crest the water and leave a glass-like imprint in the water for a while. this really excited lady kept yelling "oooh's" and "awww's" and "wow, those flukeprints are beautiful!" it was pretty hilarious. but, whales are freaking huge! we saw a few including a humpback.

a passing aircraft carrier. the pic just doesn't do justice to it's size. amazing.

skyline of downtown san diego.

there were soooo many ducks at the hotel. and they were pretty aggressive when we were feeding them. oh well, brandon showed them what happens when they get too close to him--he picked one up and held it for a bit. a little kid nearby was like "mom! he picked one up!! how'd you do that?!" he was in awe. i loved his excitement.

the hotel grounds were so serene and lush. i took lots of pics but i'll spare you the boring details. but, something really excited happened there--we saw a celebrity at the pool! john michael higgins (whose been in so many movies but always a supporting role) walked by us and smiled and we looked at each other and brandon said, "i know that guy" and i said "ya! he's in movies!!" i was so stoked, but didn't want to interrupt his family vacay for an autograph or pic. it was fun seeing a celeb though. you know me, i like the celebrities!!

us at ocean beach.

a weird tree that was half tree half cactus. very strange.

at the san diego zoo. there's a baby panda in the back...awwww, how tender!

it was rainy the morning we went to the zoo. so, instead of purchasing a $30 umbrella we got $4 ponchos. we still got pretty wet but probably not as wet as we would have been if we had to share an umbrella.

the lil ape was sooo cute. he kept jumping on the big ones and throwing dirt up at them to get them to play. then he went and sat by this big one and started "showing" him the landscape. too cute! and so humanlike!

they hippos were angry at each other and were snorting it out!

us on the pacific beach pier.

that's all folks!

a few ways you know you're getting older when...

• you find yourself enjoying the oldies station on the radio a lot more often
• it feels wrong to crush on leading actors because they're that much younger than you
• you are not the youngest person at work anymore
• the newest technology takes awhile to figure out
• clothing that was popular when you were a child is popular again
• you can't help but think how much cheaper things used to be
• people get your attention by calling you ma'am

it's a little sad and i know it's only going to get worse! maybe i should focus on the good things about getting older...

i wanna be domesticated

school has defined a major part of me for my entire life. i have been a student for the past 20 or so years and now that i'll be graduating for, what will probably be the last time, i am starting to think about what i want my life to look like. and lately i've really been dabbling in the domestic arts, if you will. i started crocheting more and have even taken on more difficult projects than potholders. i've started on a hat....uh, still working on understanding the directions. but, i will get it! i've also been so into cooking the last little while. i successfully made my first batch of knephla soup (shoutout to all my Germans out there-holla!) and other recipes handed down from generation to generation. there is a whole legacy thing i'm beginning to feel as i start venturing out into different domestic activities. it's like all the women before me have done these things and taught their daughters to do the same. i'm finally getting it. it's so wonderful to share your handicrafts or homemade goodies with loved ones. when i was younger i was all about being a business women not a homemaker, turns out i'm more traditional than i thought. while i don't think i could make it my full-time work, i do enjoy these things on a part-time level. the only problem is i'm worried about this making me an old lady.....

our furry neighbor

each morning as i walk out the front door, there is a small black and white cat on the front step. she (not positive on the sex, but i stick to my habit of assuming that all cats are girls while all dogs are boys) just cries at me and acts pissed that she had to move so i could walk past her.

well, the other day i left way earlier than normal and my car needed to be heated up so here i am waiting in the car while the windows defrost. low and behold, along comes miss thang like totally running towards our house. she ran up the front yard right to the flower bed next to the house and starts digging. fantastic! i, baffled, watched in annoyed bewilderment while she found the perfect spot to "lay a deuce" in our yard. after she was done with her business she climbed the front steps and dug her claws into our "welcome" mat and proceeded to find a cozy spot to bask in the sun.

the thing that gets me is that it is like her normal daily routine. she came running from her house, which no doubt has the proper facilities for her to relieve herself, straight to her "spot" in our front yard. ugh! i'm. super. pissed.

oh f.y.i. i recieved a letter from the university which indicated that i had vastly exceeded the required score to pass my comprehensive exam. turns out, i do know what i'm doing...somewhat.

wow, how the time has flown

can't believe it's been over a month since my last post. i'm such a sucky blogger. i'll admit. k, i've conquered the first step...

so, a few exciting things happened since my last post but some of them will have to wait for the pictures to be uploaded. yeah, it's that good. on february 17, i took my comprehensive exam. i have yet to hear how i did or didn't do but at least it's over. i'm just hoping i did well enough to not have to take the re-test. the weekend after that my aunt (my mother's sister) went to st. george for a long weekend visit. her first trip to southern utah. so, my sister and i drove down for a few days. here we are driving in the snow and slush and my sister tried to send a text message. being the older, more mature, protective sister that i am, i yelled at her! and she stopped. but we successfully made it and had a great weekend. i love visiting with family. wish we were closer so that we could do it more!

the next weekend my lil sis moved out of our basement, a.k.a. the dungeon, the man-cave. she moved in late last august and we have enjoyed long talks about the goings on each other's lives and watching trashy reality tv together. now that she's gone i miss those things. it has been over a week since i've had a real update from her! although it has been nice to not have to worry about her coming home at any possible moment. and i got to have all of my closet space back!! it's a good move for her and she's changed and grown so much over the past six months i'ma proud big sis:) you go gurl!!

last weekend, brandon and i went away for a lil vacay in san diego but i have pics for that so i'll post on that later. peace out!

on the cusp...

i am on the cusp of a major life transition. i will be graduating from grad school in early may. that means that i will officially be joining the "real world" with a regular schedule, consistency, structure, and responsibility. almost 21 years ago i began school and i haven't stopped...til now. school is the only thing i've ever known. ya, i've worked different jobs for many years but it's not the same when you've got classes and homework and exams.

i think the hardest part is not really knowing where i'll be or what i'll be doing after april. there's a definite anxiety for the unknown, but also excitement. i can FINALLY do what i've spent the past however many years preparing for. i love counseling. i feel so invigorated after a good therapy session. i so love trying to figure people out. it's great to know that after all the mixed bag of ups and downs of school that i made the right choice and love what i'm doing. people often tell me they don't know how i can listen to people's problems all day long. all i can say is different strokes for different folks. i could never perform the duties of a surgeon, teacher or salesman, yet others are able to love those professions. it's what makes the world work. and i truly love what i do and am so happy/excited to be able to say that. i remember a distinct moment in my early adolescence where i was in the car with my mom and thought (after she had been talking-probably complaining-about her then job), "i want a career. i want to love what i do. i want to be in control of my work." and now, that is happening.

it's one of my dreams being realized. it's a goal that i'm about to accomplish. well, it's been many, many tiny goals leading up to the big finale on may 7. not just goals but sacrifices. and not just mine. brandon's too. let's not forget the things that he has done to support me. in so many ways. they are countless. he's my #1 fan. i should get him a t-shirt.

so, long story short, i'm feeling anxious but really excited about the next phase of my life. i don't know where life is going to take me. it's like a question i heard posed one time: what do you know, that you really know? it's kind of a trick question because in reality much of what you base your life on could turn out to be fallacy or change at the drop of a hat. so, enjoy the moment. you never know when or how it could change.

this post has gotten a lil philosophical and long so i should close. but thanks for reading my ramblings.