is this thing on?

I've read a few articles online recently about the different social websites and these articles basically bashed them. There’s the ever present argument that Facebook has given us a false sense of intimacy with our friends.  I read that people feel Instagram should be renamed “Brag-o-gram” because people use it to brag about all the fun things they are doing.  I also read that Pinterest is the current version of your binder in middle school. The binder you decorated with pictures of all the things you like and that Pinterest has become a place where people mindlessly pin things and don’t use their own creativity. I tend to avoid writing opinion pieces; it’s not because I don’t have an opinion but because I generally can’t handle the aftermath of expressing my opinion. In my perfect world, I could share my opinion and people of a different opinion would just smile and nod and leave me alone; but we live in an imperfect world full of mean people so I usually keep to mysel...

If you're like me, one bad experience at something can scar you for life. It's not that I won't try it again but when I do it will be with fear, worry, and lack of confidence which usually means I sabotage myself, get the same bad results, and THEN decide to avoid it at all costs. So, let's talk about parallel parking. Shall we? Back in the mid-90's, in my hometown, the fact that I was a female who also earned good grades in school meant that I wasn't required to take driver's ed. You should also know that my driving test consisted of driving, changing lanes, turning, and parking. That's it. Needless to say, I only sort of  learned to parallel park. I've always lived in the suburbs and Brian usually does the driving so I've never really needed the skill.  I vaguely recall attempting it on my own once in high school but then not again until this year. I was headed downtown by myself to meet up with some friends after work in July and after c...

What is the definition of a miracle? 1. A surprising & welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws & considered to be divine 2. A highly improbable or extraordinary event, development, or accomplishment As mentioned before (ad nausea), our move to Glenwood has felt miraculous to us. Highly unlikely yet it all fell into place as if it was divinely orchestrated. Therefore, I was expecting "Chapter 5" to be the miracle of me finding a job. I haven't written much about it yet because it has not  felt miraculous and I've been bummed about it. However, I'm open to finding the deeper miracle in the situation. Maybe by writing about it, I'll find it. Here is my concept of how things would go: 1. I would interview for a full-time job 2. I would get hired for that job 3. It would be perfect for me 4. A unicorn would show up at my door and give me gummy bears TAH-DAH! Things were looking good, too. There  was...

I know I haven't been very good at writing but moving is haaaaaaard. I mean for that to be read in the most whiniest voice possible. I know it's a first-world problem: "I have too much stuff." Wah-wah. Now that you know I realize it's not a  real  problem in the grand scheme of things I'm going to continue on with my whining. It was horrible- ask my parents. They helped and they know. However, the end goal is worth it...I hope. :)  I was scrambling around trying to pack everything and stumbled upon Chuck as seen below. I seriously wanted to "Freaky Friday" my way into her body for the remainder of the move.                                                Anywho, we've had a busy August. The first weekend we rode the Amtrak to Glenwood for a weekend stay at the Hotel Colorado. We brought my parents along to, in a sense, introduce them to...

I have a history of flip-flopping. Or maybe it's just that I'm an emotional person and I am very in-tune with my emotions/thoughts/feelings. I blame all those years of journaling. I don't know, but whatever it is, it's rearing its ugly head right now. I am in freak-out mode about our move. I feel really sad to leave and wonder if we're doing the right thing (not that we can change it at this point). I'm on the verge of tears at all times and I'm starting to over-analyze and think that God is just giving us what we asked for to prove a point. "Be careful what you wish for- you should have been content with what you had". I'm not 100% concerned by this change of heart and here's why: when I begged to quit swim lessons and then my mom said I could, I kind of wished I hadn't gotten my way. When I played bassoon that one year in high school and hated every second of and couldn't wait to quit- the year finally ended and I didn't h...

This entire process of moving to Glenwood has blown my mind. If I wasn’t already a believer in God’s presence in this world, I would be now. Fo’ Sho’. I want to try and convey all of the incredible little bits and pieces of this story but I don’t even know that I can. However, I’m going to try so this is going to be even longer than the last post. THERE ARE EVEN CHAPTERS. Remember in 3rd grade when you felt so smart because you were reading chapter books? Chapter 1: This is Freaking Mindboggling I explained in the last post about how this job opening appeared within the first few days of us checking. We were in Glenwood a couple weekends ago and Brian’s boss asked to take us to coffee because he wanted to meet me (which is awesome in itself. I mean, Brian hasn’t even started yet). He took us to a charming little coffee shop and we talked for about an hour. Did I mention he graduated from Whitworth in the 80’s? (Another wonderful thing to add to the list). We talked about Whitwor...

I know I've been going on and on about simplifying life lately but that is what brings us to this big change in our lives. We are moving to Glenwood Springs, CO . DISCLAIMER: This is kind of a long story- you've been warned. A few months ago, Brian texted me and said, "Let's move to the mountains". I chuckled to myself and responded with, "You're supposed to be the stable one" and left it at that. That next weekend, I found Brian looking up real estate in various mountain towns in our price range and I still wasn't sure if this was a phase or if this is really something he wanted us to pursue. Of course, most of the homes in our price range were trailers or shacks that needed more than a little TLC so I just sat with him and said, "No." "No." "No." "No." to every house he pulled up in every mountain town he picked. He asked what mountain town I would want to live in if I could pick any of them regard...