The end is near....

This past week of school was extremely busy for me. I finished up several papers, a powerpoint presentation, and something else that I can't remember now (I've already lost my brain!). Thursday afternoon was so nice outside that I decided to work on my final book review for my English class on our porch. I think that the warm sun rays helped me work hard.

Friday morning I had my last English class before the final book review presentation. Afterwards I ran errands to get everything prepared for our 2.5 hour ride to Greensburg, PA to see Third Eye Blind!

The drive to Greensburg was pretty hectic because we missed 2 of our exits and as a result passed through 4 tolls. On the last toll we got on the freeway but then immediately got off on the very next exit. We weren't even on the freeway for a mile...what a waste of $1.10. In total we spent around $12. Crazy right?!! Well apparently that's not unusual in PA because they put tolls in between connecting highways on the PA turnpike. Despite the money spent on tolls our trip was well worth the amazing concert! Here are some pictures:

Yesterday was spent cleaning and doing work around the house. Dan is currently tutoring a neighbor for his GED so he made a math test for him that I'm ashamed to admit I would probably struggle with lol. Yesterday I also went for my long run of the week: 4.15 miles! This is a big accomplishment for me considering my relationship with running for the past 9 months has been non-existent. Because of this I made sure to take it really slow. My aunt and I made a commitment to train for a half marathon to run this winter (the race is TBD) so this last week marked my first week of taking running seriously. I formed my training schedule loosely off of Hal Higdon's half marathon training:novice. So far everything is going well. I'm really trying to just focus on training for distance and not stressing about my time and pace. Just out of my own curiosity to see what kind of shape I'm in I did my run yesterday at a 9:40 min/mile pace which is good for me.

I'm really nervous about doing this half marathon. I'm horrible about staying hydrated, being consistent, and not overworking myself during a run or work out. I think that in order for the work out to mean something I have to be pushing myself to my max otherwise it's a waste. I know that's not true. There's a reason for rest days and recovery runs. They're just as necessary for your body as speed work and tempo runs are.

I don't have a ton of experience with long distance training so I'm definitely going to read up on it. Luckily I have the internet and a few friends who have ran half marathons and marathons to get advice from. I'm scared but I know I can do it! I just have to take it one day at a time and not overdo it. Training is like slowing stepping into the pool so you get used to the temperature and then you gradually get deeper. You can't jump in and face everything in an instant, it doesn't work like that. Like my analogy?

With today being mother's day I'd like to recognize my mom. Thank you for being such a wonderful mother and teacher. I have learned so much from you. You've taught me how to be patient, humble, and caring towards others. Thank you for sacrificing your life for me. For working 1 full time and 1 part time job so that I could: dance in middle and high school, be in color guard, be on the golf team, go on road trips with friends, go to college, and spend obscene amounts of money at Nordys. Thank you for taking the bus to work so I could drive our one car to school. Thank you for staying up all night to edit my assignments and papers for school. Thank you for getting me treats and fun surprises. Thank you for all the wonderful birthdays, Christmases, and Easters I've had. Thank you for letting me grow up so that I could go to college, get married, and move to Ohio. I hope that one day I can repay you for everything you have done for me. I love you and miss you terribly.     

Summer is Almost Here

Hello... I apologize for being MIA the past few weeks. Since returning from Oregon I've been busy with finishing all my work for the end of the school year. Last month Dan and I went to a Goo Goo Dolls concert hosted by YSU. Tickets for students were only $10. Before the concert Dan and went out to sushi. Our sushi chef was so sweet and even made us a little treat.

Overall the concert wasn't too bad. I didn't like standing on the floor the whole time. Since I'm a shortie it was hard for me to see Johnny and the band. We left before the encore so getting home wouldn't be a hassle. Pics from the concert:

I put this pic up because it's really unflattering lol

Dan's birthday and Easter were on the 24th of April. I got him tickets for us to see Weird Al May 26th in Marion, OH. I am so excited! I like a few of his songs and Dan and I consider his song "Whatever you like" our theme song. His birthday present also included being woken up to breakfast in bed which I think he liked.

The Saturday before we celebrated Dan's birthday with the Polynesian family that always gives us huge amounts of leftovers. They made a delicious lunch and a whole sheet cake which they refused to share with us so we took all of it home. Let's just say we were offering cake to the whole neighborhood lol.

the cake is much much bigger in person

The birthday boy!

 In other news, I received  new calling at church. Primary worker over the sunbeams (3-5 year olds). Right now my friend, Amy, and I switch off every Sunday teaching but I was told that the plan is to split up the class because the 3-4 year olds have their own lesson book. Last Sunday was my first Sunday teaching! I was so nervous but luckily I had someone to help me with the lesson:

Mr. Potato Head

I'm really excited for this calling. I really need and want more exposure to young children and how to interact with them. I know that this calling will help me in the future when I become a mom and teach my own children about Heavenly Father and the world. I am very grateful.

I am in the last week of school. I just have one more paper to write and then I am free! Next week I plan on applying for jobs so that I can work as close to full-time as possible. At the restaurant I will probably still have 20 hours/week. This Friday Dan and I are going to Third Eye Blind. I cannot wait! I've been listening the 3EB nonstop since we bought the tickets last week. I haven't really listened to their new album, Ursa Major, but I'm pretty familiar with their older stuff. I really like "Slow Motion" "How's It Going To Be" and "Crystal Baller". I plan on posting pics this weekend. I'm going to make sure I post this weekend so that I don't go a whole month again before posting. Sorry family!

Oregon Part 2 and back in Ohio

I'm typing this while listening to Bach's Cello suite 1. I love classical music. The second half of my trip was very relaxing. Prior to going to Corvallis I went out to the pancake house with mi madre. I believe I ordered pecan pancakes. Boy was I in for a surprise. The portion I received was HUGE. I didn't even get through half of it before calling it quits. It's amazing how large the portions sizes are in restaurants today. Only in the fancy restaurants do you get normal or "small" portions.

Wednesday-Friday was spent at my in-laws. Wednesday afternoon my father-in-law and I ran stairs at Reser Stadium on Oregon State's campus. It was rough and I know I pushed myself too hard because I was sore for several days after! Wednesday I went with my two sisters-in-law to see Little Red Riding Hood. It wasn't amazing but I enjoyed it. Thursday I met up with my friend, Shadi, from school at my favorite Thai restaurant. Shadi is finishing her last year at OSU in dietetics so we talked a bit about school and internships. Talking about school really made me miss my undergrad and Corvallis in general.....sigh....

After lunch I went to check out a new grocery store that has opened while I've been in Ohio. Market of Choice reminds me of a smaller Whole Foods store. It has a lot of great foods that your normal grocery would not have, say for instance, Walmart. Of course it's pricey though.

Friday-Sunday I stayed with my dad and grandpa. It was weird to think that I haven't spent a night at my dad's (outside of babysitting Jocelyn while my dad and patty were out of town my sophomore year) since Christmas break my freshman year. It was nice just to visit and hang out. Saturday I hung out with grandpa while my dad was at dialysis. It's kind of sad because I can't really hold a conversation with my grandpa due to his Alzheimer's disease. I try talking to him to remind him of who he is to me (by constantly calling him grandpa and giving him a hug) and I share memories I have with him (going to Mexico over spring break in high school). I don't know if it makes a difference but I'd like to think it does. One thing that makes me look forward to returning to live with God is that after death we won't have any imperfections that we currently have on Earth. My dad will be able to walk, my grandpa will have his memory, and I won't have a physical disability that frequently causes pain and discomfort. We will all be perfect and happy. Until then we just have to keep doing our best to achieve that.

Back to Oregon...Saturday evening we met Patty for dinner at Fireworks restaurant. It's a local restaurant that serves organic and local products. They're known for really amazing pizzas. Sidenote: we arrived there right when they opened for dinner hence the empty restaurant.

After dinner we went out to Yogurt Extreme aka fro-yo. It's a self-serve frozen yogurt place that has all sorts of toppings (both healthy and unhealthy) that you can add.

I got back to my mom's Sunday afternoon. I came home to a giant goody-bag full of amazing make up:

If Dan's hobby is LEGO then mine is definitely makeup.

My trip back to Ohio started Monday morning and ended at 1am Tuesday morning. It was a long day. It began with a 30 min flight to Seattle on a mini plane where you actually walk outside to the plane. I got a blurry pic of it. On my first flight I spoke with a guy who goes to U of O about school.
After a 3 hour layover I traveled to Denver, CO. During this flight I spoke with the most interesting woman. She lives on the San Juan islands in Seattle. She lives such a basic and non-technologic life it amazes and inspires me. She has a cell phone and internet but she still has a VCR. She told me she gets by off of very little money. She's very into gardening and composting. She owns her own catering business and provides special dinners to rich families who live on the island. Her daughter lives further off the radar. She lives in a yurt without hot running water or a washer and dryer. How crazy is that?! Sometimes I really want to do that (minus the hot water and washer/dryer part). We would leave my current life move to a tiny town in Ireland. We would live without our amazing TV, PS3/blu ray player, and ipods. I'm not sure if we could get by without cell phones or internet. Life would be simple and I think I would appreciate the beauty of life on a whole different level. Sometimes it bugs me how people today, especially those my age, have lost appreciation for listening to classical music and reading books -- books that actually stimulate the mind and challenge it, ones that make you look at life differently, or make you analyze yourself. Someday I will do that.

Lately, I've been struggling internally with my internship. I've felt very discouraged and I don't feel as knowledgeable about things as I should. Due personal issues I've lost my motivation to study since being here. I know, however, that reminding myself this is just a phase will help me push through it. Through prayer, discipline, perseverance I can not only get through this but come out on top like I want to. Faith and doubt cannot coexist. I know it will get better.  

On a better note: Wednesday night I helped volunteer teaching a class on food safety and reading labels. I had so much fun. Here are a few pics from the night:

Have a good week!

Oregon Part 1: Prineville and Beaverton

After making into Portland late Thursday evening I quickly fell asleep and woke up way too early the next morning. I spent the first part of Friday taking naps to get adjusted to the time change but I think it took the next couple days for me to be on Oregon time.

Reunited with my car!

View of Mt. Hood

After picking my mom up from work we made the 3 hour journey to Central Oregon (Prineville) to visit our relatives. I had such a wonderful time! Not only did I get my hurrr did but I watched movies and shows with my aunt and uncle and I got to bake! For our big family dinner on Saturday I made 1/2 whole wheat rolls (technically I just started them) to go with spaghetti and a salad, and I also helped with some delicious desserts. Back up to Saturday morning, I went on a run with my aunt and uncle....it was so nice running on dry pavement, not having to watch my every step. Saturday afternoon I got my hair and brows done by my cousin, Pam. She did a great job!

Pam and me with my new hair and brows

Making rolls after my run

Making rolls got a little distracting with this cute face

Aunt Jennifer and marshmallow bark

YUM

Sunday night we watched the season finale of LOST. I miss that show so much! This was my second time watching it and I cried again. Watching the finale got me interested in re-watching the entire series...maybe after I'm done with House MD?

While heading back to Portland Monday afternoon my mom and I debated on how we would spend the following day together. We contemplated going to the beach but after the forecast of lots and lots of rain we started planning something else....our very own TWILIGHT tour.

Setting out on our adventure

Blurry pic of Scappose water tower

Today, after my morning run, we set out on our tour. First stop: Saint Helens, OR. Not only was it neat seeing some of the filming locations but I had never traveled to this town before.

Welcome to St. Helens

The Swan residence

The "Bloated Toad" restaurant

The "dress shop"

The "book store"

The following picture is for my friend, Anna:

Warren, Oregon

After viewing Bella's house, the restaurant, book store, and dress shop we set out to our next destination: Multnomah Falls.

picture would be better sans old man

I'm ashamed to admit that even though I've lived in Oregon practically my entire life I've never been there. It's kind of like living at the beach and not going. You take it for granted because it's always there. Multnomah Falls was AMAZING! Being there really made me appreciate Oregon's beauty. Picture looking up and seeing overcast, dark grey skies with rain. Picture walking past moss-covered wet rocks. I could smell the rain and the wet bark from the woods. I could feel the mist rising from the falls. It was perfect. It basically summed up what Oregon feels like. And I never realized until now how much I love it.

We also stopped by another waterfall:

Note: moss-covered rocks

Our original plan involved another stop at the Viewpoint Inn, the location of where prom was filmed (and also a place I looked at for my wedding reception) but we ran out of time. We quickly booked it back home to get ready for dinner at:

Chart House

This upscale restaurant serves primarily seafood and is situated on a hill that overlooks the entire city of Portland. Amazing views. We went for happy hour which allowed us to experience great-tasting food without the normally attached price.

Ahi fish tacos

Mom's clam chowder in a cute bowl

Mom and I with a view of Portland behind us

Mounds lava cake (took 30 minutes to make!)

After dinner, I met up with some of my high school friends at Starbucks. I hadn't seen these girls in over a year so there was much to catch up on. Since seeing them last, one friend had cute baby girl, another moved back to Oregon from California, and the third switched majors and is now preparing to graduate next year. Talking with them made me realize how far we have come from high school. We've each taken our own little road that had led us to where we are today. Oh, how time flies! 

Tomorrow my mom and I are finishing own Twilight tour. I am then heading down to Corvallis and Brownsville to visit the in-laws and my dad, step-mom, and step-sister. Plans for the next few days include running stairs, watching red riding hood, having lunch with a friend, playing mariokart, going on a hike/trail run, and more.... Expect a thorough recap in a few days.

Despite having an enjoyable time I am missing my husband more than ever! Thank goodness for cell phones because I would be so Dan-sick (get it, instead of homesick?) without them. Since I've been gone Dan has been fending for himself in our kitchen. Yesterday's dinner was hot dogs with sour cream. Not sure if that's going to be added to our favorite dinners list he he. He also sent me a pic of the snow Ohio received the day after I left. I will be glad when Spring officially arrives!