I do exist!

So, I know it's been forever since I last posted. Things have been crazy for the last month with the holidays and work, but it's Christmas so I'm taking a moment to reflect on the chaos and pass on another update.

Thanksgiving was busy, but I was able to come home to see my family. Paul came too, making it our first real holiday together. I was supposed to join his family in Tulsa on Thanksgiving Day and then on to my family the following day, but the airlines thought otherwise. The plane we boarded had an instrument broken that tells whether the nose of the plane is pointing up, down, or straight ahead--a pretty important part. So, they were delaying my flight 3 hours to fly in a new part from Atlanta (yes, I said Atlanta). I did manage with some finangling to get a different flight out and arrive in KC 2 hours before my delayed flight would arrive. My plan was to change planes in KC and then head to Tulsa, but even with my new flight plan, I could not make that connecting flight. So, after a day of stress and negotiating, Raoul and his sis and bro-in-law came up to KC with Thanksgiving leftovers at my sister's apartment. The next day we left early for Hutchinson and then came back to KC to look for bridesmaid's dresses and show my mom "the dress". After a thumbs up on the dress and finding one that the girls liked for them, Raoul's family and my family met up for dinner. Then it was back to WA the next day. A whirlwind with a few kinks, but worth it to see my family and get the dress stuff done.

The following weekend I went to Spokane with Jaimee and Adrienne to find "the dress". We found it in the perfect size, color, and length, so I bought it right off of the rack. They gave me a discount, so I ordered this really great veil to match. Now the shoe hunt begins!

Since then I have been really busy with work--end of the year surgeries are really starting to pile up. I played piano for the kid's Christmas program at church, so that took time for practices and the performances. I also got to play two duets with another woman at church on Christmas Eve--hurray for getting my piano at home! Raoul and I picked up with our pastor again on our pre-marriage counseling. We had a discussion on conflict and how we handle it. The whole discussion was really encouraging. I guess after being together for four years we've been able to learn a lot about each other, and I am really glad we waited to get married as long as we have. We've had some invaluable time and experiences to be better prepared for meshing our lives together. On top of those obligations Christmas things had to get done. I mailed some of the packages (the rest of you will get them when I get back home!), sent out our save-the-dates/Christmas letters, did my Christmas baking, and got things lined up for my trip home.

Raoul and I did discover a new winery in Clarkston that is doing really well for their first wines. I also found a red wine that I didn't find too dry as well--so maybe they'll convert me from white to red afterall! I really am facinated by the whole wine making process, and found a wine course at the local community college that might be interesting to look into.

So, Christmas finally came. I worked this weekend, so tons of really great friends invited me to spend Christmas/Christmas Eve with them--and I took a few of them up on it. Last night I went to a couple from church's house and spent time with their family, including participating in a theatrical reinactment of the Christmas story directed by their 8 year old grandson. This morning I worked and then went to my pastor and his family's house for lunch and a few games of cards. Then it was off to have Christmas dinner with my boss and his family. Overall, considering I didn't get to see Raoul or my family, it was a fun Christmas. I've been really blessed with wonderful friends who care about me!

Now I'm rearing up to head back to KC on Sat. Tons of packing, laundry, etc. to do. But, then I get to see my family and Raoul's family! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! Merry Christmas!

Gilmore Girls Episode 6 & etc.

So, the reason it's taken me so long to post about Gilmore Girls Episode 6 is that honestly, I really didn't think much of the show. It seemed like an hour passed with more not quite as witty dialogue and no plot development. So, I honestly have no comment, but feel free to comment if you thought differently.

Things here have continued to be crazy. A week ago Raoul and I went to Seattle to see Matt and Emily and their new place. It was fun to see friends again and their house is really awesome! Raoul and I also started to attack our wedding registry. We figured we'd need to start since the pass (through the mountains on the way to Seattle) will be pretty bad until next spring and it would be hard to get back over there again until then. All in all, it went OK and we got a good start with our kitchen stuff.

Last week I got sick, so I spent two days home from work trying to get rid of a nagging head cold/losing my voice. I'm still trying to get rid of the sniffles, but at least I'm well enough to get back to work--being gone makes it really hard on everyone because things have picked up so much. Work continues to be really busy with no slow-down in site. So, we're just hoping we'll find another physical therapist who would love to move out here and work with us.

I had a good birthday, thanks to all of you for your e-mails/flowers/phone calls. 26. . .so I've entered my "late" twenties I think. Trina's glad I've caught up with her, but she'll be a year ahead again in February :) . I'm still playing with my ipod, and have downloaded a lot of awesome stuff to tide me over during my endless travels over the next couple of months. I'm looking forward to seeing my family next week--Thanksgiving is almost here! Then, I have a course to attend in San Francisco the following weekend, so I'll be off again 4 days after I get back. I'll be here for the Christmas holiday working, but I'm planning a trip back to Kansas the first week of January, so hopefully I'll be able to catch up with everyone then. . .and do some much needed wedding planning!

Picked up the new Keith Urban and Sugarland albums this weekend. I love the new Sugarland album, but am not so sure about the Keith Urban one yet. It's kind of sounding a bit overproduced, less country, than his previous works. And, I don't really know if that's a good thing. I just hope that Nicole K. isn't changing his music style. . .that would make me cry :( Any other country fans out there have any thoughts?

Gilmore Girls Episode 5

So, it's time again for a Gilmore Girls update. I must admit that I think this was my favorite episode so far this season. Here's why--I am a fan of Loreli and Christopher, so I love the fact that they got into a fight and resolved it like mature adults (with their own flare of course). Loreli's right, Christopher can't just send Gigi over to Sherri--he really can't trust her based on a single letter. He was mature enough to think over what Loreli said, and Loreli wants to support him in this decision. What a breath of fresh air to have Loreli's guy want to involve her in his child's life!

The Emily DUI storyline was absolute genious. She is the character that we all love to hate, yet somewhere inside of her she has a soft center--making her even more lovable.

Logan really hooked me in during this episode. It was really sweet of him to suprise Rory on his business trip. It's also really great to see him becoming more responsible, enjoying his job, but still not becoming a fuddy duddy like his dad. I'm getting a big red flag, though. The whole Bobbie thing is going to cause some problems. Rory is obviously jealous, and I'm afraid that she is going to do something really stupid and ruin the great thing that her relationship with Logan has become. I truly believe that he is genuinely in love with her and wouldn't do anything to jeapardize that. Rory, though, I think is not as trusting. . .

As for me, things continue kicking along. I got a fabulous early birthday present this weekend from Raoul--a pink Ipod nano! I'm uploading all of my CDs into Itunes as we speak, so I can actually have some variety to listen to during my workouts. We had a retreat for work this weekend and got a lot of things discussed and learned some new things to help out with treating people more effectively in the clinic. We have an exciting weekend coming up with a visit to Seattle to see Matt & Emily and get started on our wedding registry! Look for another update after we return.

Gilmore Girls Episodes 3 & 4

So, things have been extremely hectic lately, so I haven't had the chance to post updates. I have been keeping up with GG though. The 3rd episode didn't really do much for me. I felt like much didn't really happen, although the writing did seem to get a little bit better. So, I am one of those few who thinks that Christopher and Loreli should end up together, but episode 4 is making me a little wary. Chris is a great guy and is treating Loreli like a princess, but the way they are writing the relationship is a little weird. It just feels perfect, yet disconnected, like I can see them having the two of them split in a few episodes. Plus, everyone is acting all paranoid about him being the rebound guy. Understand the worry behind getting too serious too soon, but why does everyone treat Loreli like a little kid? I'd really love to see her come into her own and not need someone else to tell her what to do. Anyways, I don't have much to comment about it, just waiting to see what happens.

I have been keeping up with Project Runway, so the big finale was last night. It was kind of disapointing that Jeffrey won. Throughout the show I have been a fan of Michael Knight, but honestly in the runway show I thought his collection was kind of trashy. Uli's collection, however, really impressed me. I really think she should have won the competition just based on the runway show. Any other Runway fans out there who have thoughts?

Things here are still really busy. We lost our PTA last week, which has its good and bad points. Good because she wasn't a good fit with the rest of us and bad because we're stuck short-handed again. Volleyball is going OK, but it's kind of tough because my team has a tough time taking the game seriously. I mean, I'm all about having fun, but I really like to play well and win occasionally. . .that's definitely not happening. Plus, since we can't get a pass up, there's no chance of setting it up for a spike, which is my favorite part of the game.

On a good note, though, I went to Spokane next weekend and found "the dress". It took trips to 6 stores to finally find a store with a helpful service staff and a gorgeous dress. So, now the quest is to find it in KC to present to my mom before ordering it back here. So keep your fingers crossed so we can find it.

That's about it. . .feel free to comment away!

Gilmore Girls: Episode Two

So, it's Gilmore night again, and I must say that tonight was better than last week. The banter was better, much better actually, but there still seems to be something missing. And what was up with the repeated references to Gwenyth Paltrow?

First, new stuff that popped up on the show. Lane is pregnant! Crazy, especially since that's how her mom had her (getting pregnant after having sex on her wedding night). I think it will make a really good story line with Lane really growing up. She will be a great mom! The big question, though, is what will happen to Hep Alien?

Then, Kirk's makeshift diner. So, usually Kirk just makes me go "what the heck?" but tonight he actually made me angry. What is he thinking setting up a diner in front of Luke's? And, he was downright rude to Luke, which was uncalled for. Will he actually sue Luke--he really must be crazy!

Another uncalled for item: Luke hunting down and punching Christopher. What in the world makes him think that's OK? Now I understand that he's upset and I'm not justifying Loreli's choice to sleep with Christopher, but she did break off the engagement. He no longer has the right to be upset about what she does with her life. End of story. And really, I understand he's upset, but he was really the first one to make the move away from getting married when he put April out of their lives, and put her in front of Loreli. Then, was Loreli basically just makes it final, gives him the choice, he stumbles. Her decision then is that she's had enough--and I really don't blame her. It doesn't matter if we think he should get a second chance, she made that decision, and I think people need to respect that. Instead, Luke turns around and acts like a two year old because he's too insecure to admit he's hurting over the break-up. That's really making me not like him much right now. At the end of the show he begins to redeem himself, but I think he's right. They just weren't right for each other, even though it did seem like it when they first started dating. Other parts of their lives got in the way.

My prediction? Loreli and Christopher will begin a relationship after he tells her that he's really serious about her and loves her. Part of the reason I think they haven't gotten together before now is because they have needed to grow up, and go through some things to bring them to where they are now. One reason that I think Loreli was so excited about Luke was that he was so far removed from her parents and their way of life. She has lived her life so determined to not be like them, that it has influenced a lot of her life decisions. Now I think she's kind of afraid of being with Christopher because he is kind of a part of that life, though he's not at all like her parents. She needs to come to accept that she doesn't have to be a polar opposite of her parents' way of life to establish herself as an individual. This whole idea has begun to be explored by the Logan/Rory storyline, that entering into that world of wealth does not necessarily mean that you have to become a superficial stuck-up snob. Not that Logan didn't have his own childish spoiled rich kid ways, but I think he's beginning to grow up as well. Also, I know that Rory is upset about him purchasing a ticket for her to visit at Christmas, but after thinking about it, that means that he's committed to remaining faithful to her for the long haul. And, maybe he'll pop the question in Europe? Hey, maybe the show will end with a double wedding? :)

Thoughts?

Gilmore Girls: Episode One

So, I watched the season premiere of Gilmore Girls on Tuesday night, and I'm not sure how I feel about it so far. There were times when I wasn't sure if things felt weird because of the writing (since the writer is no longer with the show) or if I was just paranoid because the writer is no longer with the show. I noticed it especially in the arm wrestling scene with Sookie and Michel. Was it over the top because of the characters or just because that scene was badly written? The whole mood of the show was kind of slow and painful too, but again, that could be because of the strained situations Loreli and Rory are dealing with in the episode.

Personally, it was really painful to sit through the whole show going "Luke and Loreli need to talk. I don't care if they get back together or not, but they need to talk". The silence between them was deafening. Then there's the whole Rory/Logan thing. The rocket gift/reference to the Twilight Zone was cool, but just when you think things are going well and maybe you could actually get used to the idea of them as a couple he makes plans not to see her until Christmas. Grrrr. . . I kind of think that the Luke and Loreli thing is over, though. And, I have a feeling that she'll be with Christopher at the end of this season, kind of a happy family kind of ending. After what Luke put her through with April and keeping Loreli out of that relationship, he really does deserve what he gets. I mean, Loreli can't play the desperate character forever (though from the previews for next week it looks like she will take that position yet again). With Rory? I have no idea! As always, though, Taylor continues to annoy me, Kirk continues to make me wonder what planet he came from, and Paris continues to be as socially incompetant as ever.

So, fellow Gilmore fans, any thoughts?

Yeah for Rain!

So, after months of dry weather and fires, it has finally rained. In fact, it's rained for almost 3 days straight now. I just love the crisp air after a good rain. . .I do miss thunderstorms, though. They don't have them here like they do in Kansas. So, let the rain continue. . .

I had a busy work weekend last weekend, so I am definitely looking forward to two days off this weekend. Things have been hectic all around, but somehow we always seem to get things done. I attribute most of it to teamwork--my co-workers rock! I turned in my first case study for my class last week and heard back from my instructor yesterday. She wants to use my paper as a discussion for everyone taking this course--and she gave me 100%. Yippee! It's really hard to commit to doing this class in the midst of all of my work stuff, but it helps to have that kind of encouragement along the way.

Jaimee and I road bikes for about 10 miles tonight. Now, Quijote makes me look like a novice (it took us about 1 hour and 15 minutes to do it), but it was fun to shake things up a bit instead of just walking or going to the gym. Volleyball starts next week! We practiced a bit last weekend, and boy am I rusty! My timing is way off--hopefully it will come back. Otherwise "Da Wall" will become "Da girl who can't get there in time".

Since work has been so crazy recently, I decided to treat myself to something I've been eyeing for awhile now. On Sunday I bought a 37" flatscreen LCD TV. It is absolutely beautiful! The funny thing is that I explain to everyone here that I needed a bigger TV so that I could watch KU basketball games without sitting 2" from the screen. They all seem to think I'm crazy, but ask any fellow Kansan and the first thing they say when I tell them I bought a new TV is "that will be awesome for watching basketball on". Somethings these northwesterners will never quite understand. That's OK though. The beauty of Kansas basketball is that it is absolutely insanely awesome--our fans have every right to obsess as much as they do about "our boys". I mean, I am not crazy for watching recruiting stuff all summer and anxiously awaiting "Late Night" in October for the season to begin, right?

Things I miss about Kansas: basketball, BBQ, open night skies, Panera, my family, Denim and Diamonds, Trina, my friends--can't wait for my visit home over Thanksgiving!

Missing Seattle already. . .

So, as you've probably already read from Raoul's post, we returned from Seattle safe and sound. It was an absolute blast! Definitely a fun time with Trina and Karen. . .needed to hang out with them for a few days. They keep me laughing, sane, and having fun--we truly are the dynamic trio (phrase coined by Karen). We did a lot of "Seattle stuff"--the science center, experience music project, space needle, walked along the piers, pike's market. . .and we can't forget several stops for coffee. We also did some dress shopping and found some that are definitely up there on the list. The final decision will be made the weekend after Thanksgiving when my mom will meet up with us in Kansas City. I also exposed Karen to Ikea, and now I think she knows why I rave about it so much. Too bad that my entertainment center wasn't in stock when I went to get it on Monday, nor has it been back in stock since. Maybe someday I'll be able to get it and finish setting up my living room!

Work continues at a frenzied pace. Lots of people to see and it seems like less and less time to do it. There are several circluating rumors about the hospital on the Idaho side of the valley, doctors becoming unhappy with them, staff being laid off because there isn't enough work to do. . .and all of that seems to be flooding us over on the Washington side. Good for our business, difficult at times for us to maintain our sanity. Weekends are becoming less a 3-4 hour task and more often a full days work--this is bad for trying to plan anything outside of work, but good for bringing in more cash. I'm working next weekend, so that should help out with the seemingly endless plane tickets I'm purchasing.

Volleyball starts in a couple of weeks, so we're trying to find more players to fill out our team. I can't wait to get back onto the court again! I'm also keeping busy trying to organize the leftover piles of stuff that have accumulated in my office and bedroom. I hung up a few things on the walls, trying to get rid of the endless cream-colored expanse.

If I could have just one wish right now, I would wish away all of this horrible smoke! The fires around here continue to burn, and with the exception of Seattle, I haven't seen the clear sky in about a month. It makes it difficult to breath, and then Jaimee and I can't go walking outside. Also, several of my patients have had more problems, which can complicate their already present illnesses. What we need is rain, and lots of it!

Raoul and I start teaching high school sunday school tomorrow. . .should prove to be interesting. Other than that, things just keep ticking along. Looking forward to summer being over and fall weather setting in, checking out a high school football game or two, and finishing up my duplex.

Seattle here we come!

So, as you can tell from the title of my post, I'm excited about this weekend's trip to Seattle. My sister and Trina are flying in to spend time in a fantastic city! We're going to do all the "Seattle" stuff, Trina has requested repeated trips to Starbucks, and on Sunday we'll be doing some dress shopping. Hopefully, at some point I'll find a new entertainment center to replace my broken one. . .yeah for Ikea!

So, for an update since my last post. I've slowly been continuing my quest to organize my duplex. Slowly is the operative word here. I did clear a path in my office to the futon so Raoul doesn't have to use his Steeplechasing skills to sleep on Saturday nights. It's all about injury prevention. We did go to Macy's and pick out some Fiestaware. We did 4 sets in three different colors: cobalt, sunflower, and scarlet. I know, you're probably all thinking "why didn't you just wait to register for them?" Well, Macy's had a huge sale and were selling them for "buy one get one free". It was too good of a deal to pass up, so I splurged a bit. I'm really going through this nesting thing. . .putting together a decent home has suddenly become this huge drive, thus the curtains, dishes, etc. Next on the list? Entertainment Center. End tables for the living room.

Last Saturday Jaimee and I went to Spokane for the day. We hit all the good spots, including Target, and I introduced her to the wonder that is Sonic. We also stopped by David's Bridal and I tried on a couple of things. It's really weird, you know. I'm not exactly a frilly girl. I wear pants and polos all week and usually just casual skirts to church. I pretty much happy in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Putting on a fancy dress is fun, but just feels odd. Hopefully I'll break into it a bit more after this upcoming weekend.

Raoul and I are continuing wedding planning stuff. It's definitely not easy 2,000 miles away. We have contacted a few photographers and gotten some information on caterers, but I feel like there's so much to be done. I just remember friends planning weddings in college and it being this really elaborate ordeal. Being in the working world, there just isn't time for that. I'm trying to live by "keep it simple, stupid". Good advice, huh?

Also, look for us to come out with a CD of our favorite tunes. As we've been looking for wedding music, we've realized that a lot of our favs are either depressing, about a break-up, or basically just wedding-incompatable lyrics. So, this CD will contain everything that won't work for a wedding. . .should be an interesting compilation!

My Newly Dressed Windows and my New Apartment!

So after weeks of attempting to get things together, I finally have some of the pieces in place. My first triumph is dressing my windows!

Here's the blinds for my bedroom. . .



And the vertical blinds on my sliding door. . .



Finally the curtains are hung on my living room window. . .



And here are some pictures of my duplex. . .



Along the side of the duplex. . .



The backyard. . .



My living room. . .



My dining room. . .



My kitchen. . .



My bathroom. . .



Hallway to the bedrooms. . .



My office. . .



So the rest of the place is pretty messy still, so I won't post pictures of the rest of my office and my bedroom yet. But, this will let you have a quick look at my new place. Hopefully in a few weeks things will be in better shape.

Quick Update!

I'm just posting a quick update (at the urging of an impatient future sis-in-law :) ) with a more in-depth post to come in a few days. Things at work have been crazy busy, so I haven't had much time to even think during the day. I've been kicking the exercise thing into high gear--Jaime and I have made a pact to stay after work for 30 min. M-Th and alternate between arms and legs for strength training and then doing abs each day. This adds in to the 3-4 times a week we either take our 5 mile walk or I do 60 min. of cardio at the gym. Now, if I can only stick to it!

Had an exciting evening with Benji winning So You Think You Can Dance. I really did like all four finalists. . .and as cheesy as it sounds I wish the tour was coming close by so I could see them. They really are fantastic at what they do. Now I'm addicted to Project Runway. . .there will always be more reality TV! Raoul and I watched track on TV last weekend and found out that the 2008 Olympic Trials are in Eugene, OR. We're definitely going to try to get tickets to go! I mean, really, 2 days of amazing athletes competing in one of my favorite sports. . .awesome!

The duplex is slowly coming along. They're installing new carpet in as I'm typing this so I'll finally be able to get all of my furniture back into where it goes. Then the organizing can begin. We also hung blinds this weekend, so we only have the new curtain rod/curtains to go. That will be done this weekend after Raoul and I check out the Lentil Festival in Pullman. Keep checking for more details on that experience. . .it should be interesting.

One final thing, for those who haven't checked Raoul's blog, the wedding date is set. June 9, 2007 at Danforth Chapel in Lawrence, KS. More details to follow as I find time to try to keep planning.

An Entertaining Weekend in Spokane

So, this week has been pretty crazy. Busy, lack of sleep, and clutter all around from not yet unpacking everything. I did finally get ahold of my landloards who have decided to get the carpet cleaned so that Raoul doesn't die of an allergy attack. Knowing that we'd be spending a lot of time on Sunday moving everything out of my living room and dining room into the garage, we decided to have a fun day in Spokane on Saturday.

One of my primary goals was to take a look at some window treatments so I could ditch the horrible drapes (that incidently are pretty much laden with cat hair) that are currently in my living room window and on the sliding glass door. I've never bought drapes before, but I knew I'd be investing some money. . .not that I wanted to spend much since I don't plan on staying in this duplex forever. Anyways, I digress. After stopping off at Sonic for lunch (yippee!) we headed to JC Penney's to check out there drapes. We found the perfect fabric to match my pillows, but because my window is gigantic, they would have to be custom made. The salesperson calls is sticker-shock, I call it highway robbery--$2,500 to dress my window and sliding glass door. I DO NOT think so. So blinds, she says, are a less expensive option. Again having to be custom made because of the size of the window--now I'm looking at $350 for the window alone. Again, I DO NOT think so. Determined to find a cheaper avenue, we headed to Target. And, I again found matching drapes (a difficult thing because of the deep red color of my pillows). This time each panel was only $40. A little more than I'd like, but much more do-able. Problem, the rod I have in place will not work with these drapes. Problem solved. . .I ditch the curtain rod I have along with the curtains and start from scratch. I found a cool curtain rod that matches the feel I want for the room. . .and then another problem. I'm going to need 4 panels to cover that window--$160 for drapes. But we can make this work for cheaper, right? So I buy two panels and the rod. Then it's off to Linen's and Things and World Market to buy sheers to go behind the curtains, leaving it open in the middle so I can have more light in the room anyways, and it will still look good. $20 x 4 panels for sheers? This window is getting very expensive! So I find these shears at World Market for $12 a panel which is definitely more manageable. Then, I remember that you can't put two different curtains on the same rod. But, by this time I am dead tired and sick of shopping for window treatments. I'll pick up a simple rod for the sheers at Wal-Mart this week.

After this exhausting experience, I've decided that I'm going to get vertical blinds for the screen door--a much cheaper $60 from Home Depot. I also need to get new blinds for my bedroom window because the ones I have now don't exactly shut all the way. Definitely a trip to Home Depot this week.

After abandoning window shopping, Raoul and I looked at flatware at Pottery Barn and then went to dinner at Olive Garden (yippee!) where I had a really good glass of Riesling--nice and smooth without too much bite to go well with dinner. Then Raoul and I took a little tram-ride to see Spokane falls. A pretty sight, but nothing compared to our trip to Multnomah falls this May. On our way to the tram we stumbled upon Spocannabis. Yes, that's right, a festival with a bunch of hippies trying to get marijuana legalized. Odd thing, though, the band that played was hardcore screaming stuff--not exactly hippy grooving tunes. I'm sure that Raoul will recreate this experience for you more vividly, so check out his blog. We also stumbled upon tropical snow in Spokane!!!! Yeah!!!! I miss Tad's a ton, and I don't know who runs this thing, but it's the same stuff----and it's awesome!!! Yummy sugary goodness.

So, an exciting and exhausting day. Sunday we pretty much took a 2 hour nap after church and then spent the afternoon emptying out my apartment. . .and getting rid of those dreadful curtains!!! They are now banished to the garage where they will stay for all eternity, or at least until I move out. We saw Taladaga Nights tonight. It's a really funny flick, definitely a recommended movie when you feel like watching something pointless and funny. It's a whole lot 'o redneck crammed into 2 hours of laughs. So, check it out, and tell me what you think. Also any advice on how to do this window shopping stuff without spending an entire paycheck?

I Feel All Grown Up Now!!!

A quick aside before I start the real reason for this post. I just got up from sleeping 11 hours straight, and oh my gosh is that amazing! I don't need it all the time, but about once a month, man is it great!

Anyways, back to the subject at hand. So I have officially been working for an entire year now. There's something about being able to say "I've been here a year" that sounds so much more impressive than "I've been here 10 months". It's a huge milestone, like I finally feel like I have some credibility and that I'm not still "in training". When I really sat down to start thinking about it, I realized that I have completely provided for myself--everything I've needed or wanted--for an entire year. Although I have always been very appreciative of all of the help my parents have given me over the years, there is just something about being able to say that I can take care of myself. I've officially become a productive part of society and financially self sufficient! That makes me a real grown-up!

So, as my second year of employment begins, I am to have an evaluation with my boss regarding my work performance, and I am eager to see where I'm on the right track and where I need to get things together a little more. One thing I definitely want to do is to do more independent research to keep up with journal articles/new techniques, etc. This first year has mostly been just trying to keep my head on straight (and I think I need some more post-it notes!) and I haven't done much other than be a sponge and soak up stuff that the other guys already know. I'm on a quest to become an independent sponge so that I can squeeze out some things of my own for them to learn. All about becoming a team player.

My assessment on adulthood? Some things are not as much fun. . .less vacation time, bills, etc. Some things are much cooler though. . .being able to afford quick weekend getaways, having real furniture, keeping a steady paycheck! I think I'm content to stay where I am at for awhile. . .afterall there is no going back now!

Moving. . .

As the rest of the country has felt the heatwave, the LC valley is no exception. It has been between 95 and 110 for over a week now. And, of course, when it is that hot I decide that it is a good time to move all of my stuff to a new apartment. The new place is great, with the main exception being that the previous owner had a cat, and the cat left behind a not so great odor. I've tried several things with only marginal success, so now it's on to talking to my landloards about the need to replace the carpet in about half of my apartment. Aside from that, I love my garage, I have a ton more room, and central air is a definite blessing. For the sake of Raoul and his allergic reaction to cats, though, I should definitely get the cat thing taken care of. We got most of my stuff moved last weekend, all of the furniture and my clothes, dishes, etc. My electronic stuff came over mid-week when my cable was turned on here, and all I have left is odds and ends like coats (which you don't really think about when it's 110) and storage stuff. Hopefully next weekend I'll have some down time to get the apartment clean and turn over the keys so I can be done with the old place!

This weekend after working a 7 hour day on Saturday, we had the pleasure of having Matt and Emily come in from Seattle. . .though they may have wished that they had stayed there after they got a taste of the heat here. We had dinner at the Sangria grill (yummy!) and went to see "Lady in the Water" while indulging in frozen junior mints. The movie was really fantastic. . .probably my favorite M. Night movie behind "Signs". And, contrary to the trailers, the movie is not scary. In fact, it is really sweet and a wonderful story. Today at church we officially became members, and then we took Matt and Emily to the pizzeria where they know us by name. We took in the "Idaho Sucks" video at the Lewis and Clark Discovery Center, and then went out to the Nez Perce visitor's center. Unexpectedly, a park ranger was giving a talk on how to throw an atlal. And, after some instruction, we were able to try it out for ourselves. Congrats to Matt who was the only one of the four of us who hit the cardboard woolly mammoth! Then Raoul took them back up to Pullman so they could head back up to the coast. It was a quick weekend, but a fun time to catch up with friends.

That leaves me an afternoon/evening of some relaxation. I might catch up on some laundry so I have clothes for the next week, and I need to pick up another load of stuff at the apartment because Jaime's coming over tonight to experience DDR for the first time. I have a feeling an obsession with be born and we'll have another mode of exercise besides walking the bridges. Then to face another week of work and try to get this place in some semblence of order. More to come when I finish the move and hopefully some pictures of the new place too!

I'm Engaged!

OK, so I know that most of you who read my blog already know this fact, but the unanswered question from most of you is "how did he do it?" So here goes. . .

My sister, her boyfriend, and I were driving back up to the KC area after a day in Hutchinson with my family. They were supposed to drop me off in Lawrence with Raoul who was helping Paco pack up his apartment. I called him once we got there and gave the phone to my sis for directions to his location. She said he wanted to meet us at the Union. . .and then proceeded to drive around in circles all over campus (passing the Union several times in the process) because she "hadn't seen campus in awhile". Definitely suspect. Then we ended up in front of the CC house and Paco showed up behind us in his car. He brought up a card for me and a packet for my sister. The card said that Raoul had set up a scavenger hunt for me. At each location, Paco would give me a card with a memory written on it from some special time that Raoul and I had shared at that place. My sister would also give me a question with the answer each time being the next location. I took this trip down memory lane and ended up at the Campanile. From there I walked down to the bench where 4 years ago Raoul and I agreed not to date for a year (do you all remember this? and remember how that promise lasted all of about 2 months?).

Raoul was down at the bench and said I needed to sit down because he had something special for me. He handed me a plastic bag and told me to open my eyes. Now for all of you who know him pretty well, you know that Raoul has a habit of giving people gifts in the bag that they came in from the store. So, this part of the proposal made me chuckle a bit. I looked in the bag and saw a Nintendo DS light with Tetris, the Brain game, and Nintendog (complete with a virtual pembroke welsh corgi). Definitely cool, but not exactly what I was expecting. Then he told me he had something else for me. He reached in his pocket and kind of went down on one knee to bring out. . . the Nintendo DS itself--since he and Poco, and others had been playing it for the last 2 days. He then told me that he knew I wanted something else but that he wasn't quite ready for it. . .and wanted to know if that was OK--to which I replied "well, not really, but I guess it will have to be". Then he said "good, because I'm ready now". Then he got down on one knee and pulled out a gorgeous white gold with a 1.5 carat diamond ring and asked me to marry him. And, of course I said yes! My sister and Poco were present to capture the whole thing on camera, so it was a very special time for us that we will always remember.

So, that's the whole story. No plans on a date yet, still trying to figure out a location first. Regardless of location, we will be planning a casual reception in Washington/Idaho and another back home for our friends in addition to the wedding, so hopefully we'll get to see everybody at some point. I'll keep everyone posted as things come together.

Congrats to Bugsy and Bobo!

Well, we have all officially made it through the wedding in one piece. . .and I must say that it was a fantastic experience. I loved the smallness (is that a word?) because it allowed all of us to really spend some time together and not just run around going crazy making sure everything was in place. The bride was beautiful. . .gorgeous actually. . .and both of them kept things really light and fun--no stress or tension here! Overall, a very fun, relaxing, and special weekend that I feel blessed to have taken part in.

Massachusetts. . .what a crazy state! I've never seen so many trees in my life, and I live near the mountains! Driving there was quite a trick, since they seem to have omitted several important street signs and you cannot see around you because of the trees so it's easy to lose your sense of direction. We did have beautiful weather, though, and even got to spend a few hours at the beach. Our hosts were fantastic and made our experience as minimally confusing as possible. A neat place to visit, but I guess I just love my scenery and wide-open spaces too much!

After much craziness at several airports. . .with a big thank you to the guy who got us on the plane to Providence at MCI even though we almost missed it thanks to not receiving an update on our flight changes. . .and a long drive from KC, I'm finally here at my parent's house for about 24 hours before heading back up to KC. Since the US Senior Open is going on right now, we're pretty much caged in to our neighborhood, but Grandma and Grandpa are coming over for dinner tonight. I also got to see my cousin briefly before she left on a flight to see my uncle's side of the family. . .think driving to the airport at 4:30 am this morning. I promptly came back home to sleep after that!

That's a quick update on our trip so far. Plans to go to the Royal's game on Saturday and meet up with some of my classmates in KC on Saturday. A busy trip, but did I mention that I love being paid to have fun? Yippee for vacation time!

I'm moving!!!

So, it's official. . .I'm moving out of my cursed apartment! Yippee!!! The duplex came through, and I'll be able to move in sometime after getting back from Kansas City. I've already had tons of people offer to help move and let me use their trucks (no U-Haul for this move :) ) , and there is word going around of a barbeque to kick off my new little backyard. I'm VERY excited! Plus, since it's on ground level DDR will live again. Just wait till the LC Valley gets a taste of the master :) So, our Seattle friends will actually have room to stay with me now. Just ask my family how much room there is for everybody in my current dwelling!

This weekend we began our Washington Sonic experience, and it was fabulous. I found two more pillows for my couch and two pairs of sunglasses (hoping that with two I'll make it through the rest of the summer without losing or breaking them). Then we came back and played poker with some of my friends from work. I may not play poker very well, but I was sure lucky!! I almost took it all but lost on the last hand--an all-in round to finish off the game. Sunday we ran tons of errands to get ready to leave on Friday. We have also been watching the "Into the West" series that was on TV last year. It is really good and gives a more in-depth perspective of how white people basically decimated native american culture. Sad, very sad. It also portrays Quantrail's raid on Lawrence, and I must admit I got pretty pissed and a little teary-eyed. How dare those horrible people come into a town, kill everyone, burn it down, and enjoy every minute of it? Sick, very sick. We saw Nacho Libre last night. . .not exactly my type of flick, but wondering what Raoul's bro thought of the movie?

Tomorrow is an exciting, much anticipated night. . .Superman opens for a 10:00 pm showing in Lewiston, and Raoul and I are going! There is much else to do--lots of laundry, packing, continuing my dedication to exercise, having dinner with my boss's family sometime this week. . .so much to do, so little time. Too bad I don't have multiple personalities :)

Another weekend excursion ahead!

So, as you've all probably read from other blogs by now, we returned from Seattle after a quick weekend of fun with Matt and Emily. Since their stuff actually arrived while we were there, we got to lend a hand helping unpack. Well, I unpacked a lot. . .I think Raoul became the regular "take the empty boxes outside" guy. Plus, we visited Ikea, Target, and other wonderful locations that I am not able to frequent as much as I'd like. Sometimes living in a smaller town is really nice. . .but I definitely miss the conveniences of a big city. So, I informed Raoul that he'd just have to work really hard so that he could get a job in Seattle after he's done in Pullman :) Overall a great weekend, and I'm excited to get to spend more time with our fellow Washingtonians in the future.

After having a couple of weeks of being slow at work, things have decided to pick back up again. We got 8 home health referrals this week, with 3 more on the way this weekend. That pretty much doubles our existing patient load and puts us back to our more "normal" number of patients. Good thing I took advantage of the "slow" time when I had it because otherwise there would be an insane stack of papers on my desk that I would have never gotten through. We're prepping right now to get things set up so that everything is covered while I'm gone after next week. Thank goodness Chris is coming back soon. . .July 10th! I celebrated my 11 mo. anniversary in the working world a couple of days ago. It's hard to believe that things have flown by so quickly!

In housing news. . .I checked out a duplex for rent a couple of days ago. Raoul and I are going to check it out again on Sunday, but then it looks like I'll be getting out of this cursed apartment. This duplex is definitely stuck in the '70s (aka gold appliances, a pink shower, dark cheap wood cabinets) but it does have a garage, all appliances (including a garbage disposal. . .yippee!) and a small fenced in yard. That would be perfect for the corgi puppy that might be negotiable according to the owner of the property. I'm not trying to get ahead of myself, though, so I'll fill everyone in more after a decision is made one way or the other.

Raoul and I are going to Spokane on Saturday so that we can go to (drumroll please) . . .SONIC!!! Yes, Spokane is the first city in Washington to have a Sonic drive-through. And yes, it is completely reasonable to drive 2 hours to partake in this fantastic achievement! I haven't had a cherry limeade in SOOOO long. In fact I may have to write a poem to put into words the love I have for this wonderful drink. Stay tuned for more. . .

Back to Work Again!

To pick up where I left off in my last post, my parents, brother and I spent our last day together taking a nice drive up the clearwater river to check out some rafting places for their next visit out here. It was a beautiful day, and we found a neat little tea room in Kamiah (pronounced Kam-e-eye) that had soups/salads/sandwiches and makes there own homemade bread. Yummy! Then they left to drive up to Spokane and fly home to Kansas. Overall it was a very fun trip. . .too short, but fun.

Then it was back to work again. I worked last weekend, so it was like I went straight back to working a whole week. Working on the weekends can be a bit challenging (since that means we work 12 days in a row) but it does give me some extra money to pay for all those plane tickets to come home to Kansas! Things have been rolling right on, but Raoul and I are off to Seattle this weekend to see our friends Matt and Emily who just moved there. We love Seattle!

So I have finally resolved to stop putting it off and start getting healthier. I've started doing 60 minutes of cardio 3-4 times a week and add in some weight training a couple of days a week as well. I haven't had a soda in over a week, and I am attempting to weed out a lot of my usual fast food and dessert runs. Summer is definitely the time to do it. . .I'm usually not as hungry as in the winter, and it's nice enough to exercise outside. Starting a habit is definitely hard, but it's time I buckled down and did it.

My new TV obsession is "So you think you can dance". Yes, it's like American Idol, and yes it can definitely be cheezy at times, but there are some really talented people out there! Plus, since I can't dance to save my life (except for line dancing) it's really cool to see what others can do! In other entertainment news, Raoul and I watched "To Be or Not to Be" with Mel Brooks last weekend, and I really liked it. It was definitely more serious than his other films, but maybe that's why I liked it so much. We've also checked out "The Breakup", which I really don't recommend. The beginning is pretty funny and then it just gets. . .really awkward :( The ending leaves much to be desired, and Vince Vaughn stops being funny after about 45 minutes. If you have to see it, wait till video. I'd like to see "Prairie Home Companion" and "Cars" sometime soon, so hopefully they will be a better flick than that disappointing waste of money I saw last weekend. Also, something to look forward to. . .Garrison Keeler and Prairie Home Companion is coming to WSU in October and Raoul and I are definitely getting tickets!!!

That's all for now. We're off to Seattle on Friday, back for two weeks and then it's off to the east coast! Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

Fun with the Family!

Things have been busy. . .very busy! Once we got back from Portland things just kept going and haven't stopped yet. First, I helped out with the first aid tent at the NAIA world series. . .which Lewis Clark State College won! Go Warriors! I had a goodbye party to attend for a co-worker and New Membership class at church to attend. Then my sister and her boyfriend came into town. They got the grand tour of the clinic and we showed them around town. . .which takes all of 10 minutes. :)

Friday, things really got started. We left early in the morning for Wallowa Lake State Park. Upon arriving, our bad luck with weather began. It drizzled all day, so we did a couple of short 3 mile hikes to stay close to the base of the mountain in case the weather worsened. We stopped off at a waterfall that had overrun the bridge due to the high water level from the snow beginning to melt. After a few pictures we returned to make camp. My sister just happens to be the camping expert (which is funny since she never liked camping as a kid) so she helped direct setting up the tent and building the fire. Well, it was more than a fire. . .more like an 8 hour long inferno! It was cold and rainy, so the fire was a very welcome addition to camp. We cooked burgers and made s'mores before heading to bed pretty late that night. We woke up to damp sleeping bags after shivering all night. . .not exactly ideal camping conditions. We tore down camp and went to begin our day's activities. We had planned on riding the tram up to the mountain peak for some fantastic views, but fog and snow ended that idea. So, we took an hour horse trailride. It was pretty cool, and I was definitely impressed at how good the horses were at navigating the tough rocky inclines. We took a quick ride on the go carts, and then we headed into town for a late lunch. By the end of all of this we were exhausted so we left for home to meet my parents when they made it into Clarkston.

Sunday my whole family went to church and then spent the day checking out the Lewis and Clark and Nez Perce museums. Both were very interesting, and I learned that navigating through Idaho was a nightmare for Lewis and Clark due to the Bitterroot mountain range. Good to know that our area contributed to the worst pain and sufferring on their entire journey. :) We had cake to celebrate both Karen and Joe's birthdays and then went bowling with the family. We set up girls vs. boys and although the boys eventually won out after 3 games, we held our own pretty well. Then we pretty much crashed because Karen and Joe were flying out at 7:00 am Monday morning.

I dropped them off at the airport early and then went into work for the morning. I met up with Raoul, my parents, and my brother for a jet boat tour of Hells Canyon at noon. We had done the tour last summer with just my parents and I, but Raoul and Preston had never seen it. Definitely cool to see again, and a very relaxing boat ride. We even saw some mountain sheep! I took them all by the office so that they could meet my co-workers and see where I spend the majority of my time and then came home to clean up so my parents would have a decent place to sleep. Tonight we are going to have dinner with my boss and his wife, so I am excited that my family will get to meet them.

Pictures to come soon on my facebook and more posting on the end of family fun in a couple of days.

A weekend in Oregon!

Raoul and I spent the last three days in the Portland/Columbia River Basin area. It was soooo great to get away for a few days and see civilization again (LOL), and now I'm refreshed to return to work for the whole 2 1/2 days I'm working this week. Yippee for vacation time!!! As for this weekend, it definitely had its ups and downs. . .

It rained. . .and I mean rained! In fact there were only 2 hours of time where there was no rain the entire two days we were in Portland. Now, you say, "you went to the west coast, what did you expect?" So yes, you would be right. . .but the rain made it hard to make a statement regarding what I think about Portland as a city since we didn't get to do all the things we had planned. The first day it rained all day, so we took advantage of the time by doing one of my favorite past times. . .shopping! Poor Raoul! He was a great sport, though, even when I made him help me decide on which pair of pink pumas to buy (I'm pretty sure he really didn't care) :) We did get him a new suit for his sister's wedding, though; and I must say he looks pretty darn snazzy. After shopping for about 8 hours straight, we went to the Olive Garden for dinner and then to X-3 for a late night movie. A fun movie, not exactly following the comic book (what the heck, Cyclops dies?), but definitely entertaining.

Day two. . .the day with two hours of dry weather. We decided to tackle some of the sights since Raoul was definitely tired of shopping. First we went to the Portland Zoo, where we spent the entire two hours of dry weather. Then it was off to the Rose Gardens, Raoul's favorite. It was pretty spectacular, even in the rain. I haven't figured out how to upload pictures yet, so check out my facebook for the full weekend of pictures. We spent a little bit of time downtown doing yes, shopping, and then to Border's for awhile to get a guidebook for hiking next weekend. Boy do I miss Borders!!! That evening we ate at McCormick and Schmicks which had some fantastic food! Then it was back to the hotel to rest up for day three of the trip.

Day three. . .we left Portland early so we could stop for some neat sites on the way back home. First we stopped at Multnomah Falls, a double waterfall that was simply awesome! We walked up to a bridge that was at the top of the lower falls and then took a VERY steep 1 mile hike up to the top of the upper falls. The scenery was amazing, even though we were getting wet both from the rain and the waterfall. It was a great early morning workout! Then we went on further down the highway to Mount Hood. It is the only mountain in the northwest that you can ski on 365 days a year. It's 11,000 feet tall and a beautiful sight. We saw it from the North side but it was covered with clouds, so we drove to the South side and got a much better view. By the time we'd seen all of this, we were dead tired and headed back to Clarkston.

A whirlwind of a trip, but fun and saw some awesome sights. Again, check my facebook for more pictures until I figure out how to post them here.

7 1/2 days and counting. . .

Yes, I am still counting, but not much further to go until vacation time! To recap the last couple of weeks: Raoul's parents came up to see us, and we all had a blast. We took a trip to Walla Walla, WA to check out some of the wineries, and they also got to come see where I spend the majority of my days and the cool people I spend them with (a.k.a. work). I definitely think, though, that I ate WAY too much while they were here. . .need to hit the gym overtime for a few weeks :)

Last week at work actually eased off a bit. . .Yippee! I worked this weekend, so I will be able to save up some extra cash for all our summer trips. And speaking of summer trips, Raoul and I are getting ready to head to Portland, OR on Friday for the weekend. I'm looking forward to a much needed weekend away for some retail therapy, get a glimpse of civilization, and see some awesome sights (waterfalls, rose gardens, Mount Hood). Then we're back in Lewiston on Monday evening to get ready for my sister and her boyfriend to arrive on Wednesday evening for the marathon week with my family (with a relay handoff from my sister to my parents in between). A lot coming up. . .definitely motivation to keep my apartment clean.

We had a crazy storm this week. On Friday, we had thunder/lightening/rain after 3 nearly unbearable days of 95 degree heat. It helped cool things off, but the river looks pretty bad littered with a lot of tree branches/trunks. The bridge actually shut down for awhile when a car stalled in a puddle. One telephone near one of my co-worker's homes was split in two. We also had the electricity go out at the clinic 3 times Friday afternoon, so I did a lot of stretching in the dark, and not many modalities were performed that day. I figure that lightening storms and electrical stimulation machines don't really mix that well. Rain has been on and off since then, with a pretty fabulous rainbow today.

Bugsy has turned me on to reading again, so I started "In Cold Blood" after we saw Capote a couple of weeks ago. I ordered a few more books online, and borrowed a couple of others, so hopefully I'll be more well-read after all the traveling I'm doing this summer. I'll comment on them as I go as Bugsy has taken to doing on her blog.

Have a great Memorial Day everyone!!!

It's official. . .America is completely stupid!

So, why is America stupid? It has nothing to do with politics or materialism. . .it has everything to do with tonight's episode of American Idol. It is completely obvious to everyone who has the ability to hear that Chris Daughtry is the best singer and performer on the show. And, I believe, he's the only one of the final four that could actually make a record that is marketable to the masses beyond just American Idol fans. It is an absolute crying shame that he was voted off tonight. He is the only one who deserves to win that competition, and I will be the first to run out and buy his first album. Get the boy a band and let him sing!!!

17 1/2 days and counting. . .

What, you may ask, is 17 1/2 days and counting? That is exactly how many days of work I have left before I get my first official vacation day!!! Can you tell I'm excited? I honestly had no idea the first year would be quite this difficult to adjust to. I mean, I definitely like my job and co-workers, but I had been used to having a week or two off of school 2-3 times a year even in graduate school. Now I have work straight from July 20th until now without taking a single vacation day (per the employee handbook). In fact I'm technically not supposed to have any vacation for a full year, but my boss is being very gracious (perhaps he doesn't want to me to crazy, hmmm. . . .) and letting me taking some time a little earlier. To be paid not to work, definitely something to look forward to!

Raoul has officially finished his first year of graduate school and now has way too much time on his hands (for a couple of weeks anyways). This, of course makes me extremely jealous. . .until I remember that paycheck thing, nice to have around. Plus, this means he can run errands for me and pick up family members at the airport, right?

Next weekend Raoul's parents are up here for a visit. We are very excited!! On Saturday we are planning a day trip to Walla Walla, WA for tours of the vineyards and some wine tasting at the wineries. Plus that weekend there will be several hot air balloons in the sky. . .pretty!!! And definitely loving that Raoul is such a willing designated driver.

Plans for the following weekends:
May 20-21 working
May 26-29 Portland, OR

I am definitely excited for Portland since Raoul has finally given in and is letting me take him shopping!!! He needs a new suit for the wedding and a new jacket since he got paint on it during Habitat for Humanity. I am going to find something pretty for myself as well, because we can't have those east-coast folks thinking we're all backwoods out west. We do have running water and electricity now, you know! :)

That's all for now. . .off to an evening of relaxation and not thinking about anything productive.

Help is on the way!

We had a sigh of relief and a shout for joy this week at work. . .the therapist that left for a new job in October is coming back this summer to work for us again! Yippee! Talk about awesome, no training needed, and we really love the guy too. We will once again be graced with the lovely sounds of random movies and a hilarious impression of a frenchman. We've also put out another offer, and will find out by the end of the week if he will come on as well. If we were fully staffed with 7 therapists, we'd be rocking out and doing some really cool stuff!

After a month of rain, we have had two weeks of amazing sunshine! This allowed us to finish up the whole exterior of our Habitat House (I got to help paint after the building was done). Raoul and I took a walk along the river on Sunday, and it was fantastic to get outside and enjoy the great weather. It definitely gets me excited about all the outdoor activities for the summer.

We have finally solidified plans for our families coming to visit--Raoul's M&D in two weeks, my sis and her boy the first of June and my parents and brother shortly after that. It will definitely be good to see them all again!

This Friday I am going to see Air Supply in concert right here in Lewiston. . .any of you 80's fans are I'm sure extremely jealous! :)

That's about all for now. . .off to attempt to get some ironing done. . .

It is officially flip-flop weather!

Yesterday after coming home from church, I ran inside to start celebrating. . . it is officially warm enough to declare flip-flop season open! Yippee!!

Things keep plugging right along here. Work is work, but we are interviewing some people for our job openings, yippee! Still plugging away with my class as well, but boy is it hard to study after coming home from work. And never fear, the queen of percrastination lives on! I worked this past weekend and tried to get stuff done around the house. . .and yes, I have finally made it through the massive pile of ironing that has been on my couch for 2 weeks now.

I officially finished the 5th season of Gilmore Girls last night. What a truly fantastic show! I never really caught on to it until last year, but going back through all of the episodes definitely made things more complete. And, I love the fact that I can watch them over and over again and not get tired of them!

American Idol continues to be one of my obsessions, though things have not been as great the past couple of weeks. Hopefully the contestants can really start to put something together now before they get kicked off. This week should be awesome. . .the songs of Queen. My fav. is still Chris, though I'm a fan of Katherine and Taylor as well. Ace has really got to go. . .I mean really, if you are going to have long hair, do it right not like some big poof ball. Bucky is on his way out as well. And I do have to disagree with Simon on one thing. . .Kelly Pickler is NOT a better singer/performer/personality than Carrie Underwood. She really is just Jessica Simpson (pre-Nick break-up) with a country flare. . .naiive and irritating.

This week is Easter and Raoul and I are going to Bill and Kathy's for dinner. The following weekend we are working with habitat for humanity and our church to build a house in a week! I love power tools!!! April is looking to fly right by, but I am excited because May/June/July are coming and they are going to be fantastic.

I leave you all with one question to ponder. I have really been craving Girl Scout cookies and finally they were at Wal-Mart yesterday. . . and they charged $4 a box! It really wasn't all that long ago that I last bought cookies and I'm pretty sure that they were $2.50. I personally think that the girl scouts are overcharging for their product and then hording up the money to buy a compound and take over the world (which they have fattened up with all those cookies!). Thoughts?

Pride and Prejudice: Theatrical version vs. A&E

This weekend I rented the theatrical version of Pride and Prejudice. I must admit that I had some apprehensions, knowing that a lot of material would have to be left out and considering how much I absolutely love the A&E version. Suprisingly, though, I really did enjoy it. Thus a movie comparison began and these are my thoughts:

Things I liked more about the theatrical version:

1) Mrs. Bennett's character was SO much more tolerable! Although she did retain the essence of her character, she also portrayed a woman who was just desperate to have her family cared and provided for.

2) The casting of the Bennett sisters as a whole was great! I liked Jane much better in this version, more human and less like someone straight out of a renaissance painting. Keira Knightly did a fabulous job, though I think I like her and the Lizzy from A&E equally. They each portrayed the character well with little different nuances. The rest of the girls were pretty much identical to that of the A&E version, but that's probably because those characters and fairly one-dimensional and leave little room for interpretation.

3) The cinematography was fantastic! I just liked the overall feel of the movie rather than a more "mini-series" feel of the A&E version.

Things I liked better from the A&E version:

1) Mr. Bennett's character was more what I pictured him to be like rather than how he was done in the theatrical version. I like him to be more sarcastic, not at all caught up in the craziness of the family, and more of a idealic character. The theatrical version made the character a lot more human with several flaws, and I just preferred the other interpretation.

2) Details, details, details. They did have to leave a lot out for the theatrical version. Most importantly, I think, they left out much of the development of Mr. Wiccam's interaction with the Bennetts and Lizzy in particular. Leaving out many portions of the book did not take away the central idea and I think that it helped the movie to flow more quickly, but I would rather see the whole picture and more character development.

3) Last, and most importantly I think, Colin Firth is THE Mr. Darcy. I didn't like the way that they interpreted Mr. Darcy's character during the beginning develpment of his relationship with Lizzy. There was definitely romantic tension beginning on their second meeting, and I did not believe that Lizzy actually "hated" him at any point in time. She acted more like she was just trying to shove him out of her head. I much prefer how the A&E version developed their relationship. Mr. Darcy shows absolutely no hint of his feelings prior to his first proposal and Lizzy does not even begin to think of him romantically until the last 1/4 of the movie. This, I think, more clearly reveals the "Pride" and "Prejudice". Aside from how the relationship developed differently, Colin Firth was so much more attractive and was able to achieve a truly "arrogant" and "aloof" character prior to swallowing his pride. He is, I believe, the epitimy of the true gentleman and I can pretty much guarantee that every single girl will swoon as he begins to woo his love.

Regardless of which version you watch, however, the scene of the second proposal is quite possibly the most romantic instance in all of cinematic history. I mean, who wouldn't want to be told that "You have bewitched me body and soul" ? I get chills just thinking about that. Plus Mr. Darcy's character becomes such a gentle person to the one he loves, and you can just tell that he intends to love and protect her, while still respecting her and her mind, for the rest of their lives. Now, tell me what girl doesn't envision that as what she truly wants in a relationship?

So, that is my commentary. . .those who are fellow fans of this wonderful love story please comment away!

Why are girls so stupid and guys are so icky?

So, I know that I just posted yesterday, but my boyfriend insists that a blog is a place to post things that you just care to rant about for a bit. Here goes. . .

Girls drive me crazy! I have definitely had some good girl friends over the years, but I wouldn't call them girly girls if you know what I mean. They weren't caddy and petty and just downright mean. And hey, we all have our moments of insanity, but man. . .girls can be absolutely crazy. All of you who know we know that it drives me absolutely insane when girls become bridezilla. Once they are engaged, they are all of the sudden too good to spend time with people who are not married and morph into this clingy person who's entire worth is established by the fact that she is getting married. Yuck! It's so disgusting that it honestly makes me consider surpassing the wedding part and heading straight for the marraige whenever I get to that point. And girls become so mean about it too, because they then become so much better than their single counterparts and basically become completely self-absorbed because, afterall, shouldn't the world revolve around them? They are getting married after all.

Girls also have this tendency to confuse people profusely. One minute they say one thing and then turn right around and find the need to revisit the subject that had to be set aside for a certain time period. And, of course, if they can't handle a situation, then it's time to turn and run though they expect to have a secure place to come back to after their rant is over and they establish some sanity.

I do have to comment on the fact that I am indeed a girl, not a girly girl, but a girl nonetheless. I have my moments of temporary insanity just like everyone else. I do not however find it fulfilling to pick petty fights and put others down just so I can feel better about myself. And, as I have learned in the past, running from problems does not fix them, and you may not have a second chance. So yes, there are times that I have technically driven myself crazy. . . but hopefully not on a regular basis.

Some boys aren't much better, though. Over the past several weeks, I have discovered that there are a few patients in our clinic both middle-aged and teenagers that think it's fun to hit on their therapist. Some are just clueless and end up being very clingy, trying to show off their fabulous personalities. Others are just down-right disgusting with very inappropriate comments. I mean, really, I'm not saying that I am ugly, but I know that I am definitely not a "bombshell". My whole life I've avoiding being hit on because being the tall girl scares people. I'm a fairly conservative dresser--it's not like I wear mini skirts and hooker boots to work! So why, please tell me why, they insist on continuing this crazy cherade that they have no prayer of actually carrying out? I've honestly started thinking about buying a ring just to wear so that maybe they'll leave me alone. Any advice? I could just stop being a nice person. . .but that wouldn't be fair to my sweet elderly patients now would it?

That, is my rant. Take from it what you will and comment away!

I emerge from the deep, dark lagoon. . .hehehe!

So it seems that I've been pretty bad about posting, and have been reminded several times by those that like to check up on me. You got it. . .here goes!

Work:
Work is good. Very busy but good. It's crazy how one minute you feel like you might have it together and the next you are feeling quite clueless again. Ah, humility! We are interviewing another PT in a couple of weeks, and there might be a very remote possibility that the therapist that left last fall might return. What can I say but who wouldn't miss a bunch of crazy people like us? I am taking an online course in medical imaging this semester to slowly work towards finishing my DPT. We had our first test last week and it was pretty successful. . .96%! It's hard to remember after getting home that I need to keep up with the reading and start putting together my paper, but I'm attempting to stay on top of things.

My new goal:
So after being out of a regular exercise routine for several years, I've definitely started to see things take a toll, so back in the saddle I go. I got a membership at a gym and go workout 3-4 times a week. So far only a cardio routine, but I'm hoping to get strength training going as well. My new motivation? I want to be in shape to be able to play volleyball again!

Reality TV addiction:
Yes, it does continue. I've been hooked on watching Jerry Rice ballroom dancing, entertained by Beauty and the Geek 2, and of course, American Idol. And man, there is some great talent in the top 24. And then again, there are some people that you're like "how the heck did they get through to this point?" The guys are definitely looking better than the girls this year. . .I think the girls might be too young to pull it off. And the whole time I'm thinking, "why does Paula get so emotionally attached to the contestants. . .I think she might need a kick in her social life. In the next few weeks I'll start to figure out my favorites. . .stay tuned!

KU Basketball:
For a string of 10 games, they were looking so good. . . until last night. I mean, I was not expecting them to even beat Texas, but talk about faltering on the fundamentals of the game. Texas played a phenomenal game. . . and I'm not sure what game we were playing. Even though our shots weren't falling and Texas' defense was stifling, I do expect the fundamentals: DO NOT turn over the ball and REBOUND!!!! I mean seriously, that game should have been a whole lot closer, especially if we would stop passing the ball directly to the other team. That would help. I mean, don't get me wrong, KU has come a LONG way in the last two months, and they are a real quality team that deserves its ranking. They look like a team when they play well, but being young results in these inevitable blips. So, we'll look to wins against Colorado and K-State and see if Texas drops the ball with A&M or Oklahoma.

Weekend in KC:
Last weekend I flew to KC for the weekend to hang out with my sister since I didn't get to see her at Christmas. We had a blast playing with her new puppy, shopping (I'd almost forgotten what a mall looked like!), and touring the KU Hall of Fame exhibit which is pretty incredible. I got to see my parents briefly and had brunch with the bro. A quick weekend for sure, with extremely LONG lay-overs, but good to see my family.

Church:
Raoul and I decided that the church in Pullman just wasn't cutting it for us, so we started church shopping once again. We have landed at the First Presbyterian Church in Clarkston. Talk about a VERY friendly group of people, and the pastor is really good as well. I'm joining up with a small group this week, and we are both just looking forward to getting involved and meeting all these neat people!

So, that's the update. I promise I'll be better in the future, and if I figure out how, I'll post some pix from my recent weekend get-away.