Long Time Gone

It has been two and a half months since I've written. I seem to go through little spurts of not really feeling like writing on here for some reason. It has been a busy couple of months, though...

Buffalo Blues
September 14, 2008

Two of our friends from college came to visit in September. It was a fun weekend-- we went to Charlie Murdoch's on Saturday night, which, if you have never been to/heard of is a dueling piano bar. Yeah--dueling pianos. Enough said. On Sunday, we discovered that there is a bar in Pittsburgh where Buffalo Bills fans go to watch the games each week. The picture above was taken during the happy part of the season, before the Bills stopped winning games and started making me cry.

PJ & I at the diabetes walk
September 28, 2008

Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes was a HUGE success. I ended up collecting $1075 and was completely overwhelmed with the generosity of my friends and family, so again...thank you, thank you, thank you!

Greg, Me, Dwayne, and Shawn
October 4, 2008

The weekend after the diabetes walk (and after my birthday, which was somewhere in there and was quite spectacular this year, despite having grad class that night [Super Jen brought cupcakes to class, which completely made up for actually having class...]), we drove up to Rochester for Greg and Kate's wedding. The ceremony was beautiful and the reception was so much fun. It was great to see those guys-- it's very rare these days that I get to see them all at one time!

Jack and Obama O'Lantern
October 2008

We continued our tradition of carving pumpkins while watching "The Halloween Tree." PJ did a regular jack o'latern while I took the political route, carving my favorite big-eared, big-grin politician.

The gang, sans Scooby Doo

October 31, 2008

We actually dressed up for Halloween this year, which I haven't done since undergrad. We went out with our friends Evan and Dana, dressed up as the Scooby Doo gang, and yes, I was Velma. Unfortunately, I bear a striking resemblance to the dorky one. I'd like to think that I was a much hotter Velma than the one in the cartoon, although...none of the other girls at the club appeared to be wearing wool turtlenecks. Hmm...


And then, November 4th came. And we all know what happened...

Hooray!! What a great night that was. We had DVR'd the Saturday Night Live Election Special, so we kept flipping back and forth between that and the election results and when Wolf Blitzer did his 10-second countdown to 11 pm, when the final polls closed, I got goosebumps. I was still floating for the next week and even now, when I think about January, I get excited all over again.

And finally, we have gone to quite a few concerts in the past couple of months. Nothing big, but all people that we really like. We saw Joshua Radin (ladies, if you have not heard of him, you must click on this link immediately...be prepared to fall in love), who opened for Missy Higgins, which was absolutely the best concert I've been to in a long time. Then we saw Sonya Kitchell, backed by The Slip, which was also really good. Finally, we saw JJ Grey and Mofro, which, you guessed it--was also really good. Some guys from the North Mississippi Allstars, (but in a different band) opened for them. As you can see, we were all about the concerts this fall. Next Monday, we're going to see Ingrid Michaelson, and I'm soooo excited (PJ read the "hint" that I put in an earlier post and bought the tickets for my birthday).

Phew. Done.

My Own Story

"I am torn in between reading everyone else's stories and making my own."
-Stefanie Renee

I ran today. Not far, not for very long, but I got off my butt and ran. Much like my other attempts at running, I found myself wondering why I was putting myself through the torture...burning lungs, itchy legs (thank you, asthma), lightheadedness...good times. I want SO BADLY to be good at running, though, not to mention that I have made the commitment to develop hobbies other than sitting on the couch and reading/watching tv/napping/all of the above. When I was younger, I had a million hobbies...I loved singing, and writing, and drawing...all things that I was good at. I may not have been the best, but I was good enough to like doing them. These days, it seems like by the time I'm done with work and school stuff, I have no energy to do anything. A lot of it, though, seems to do with anxiety. My anxiety levels have skyrocketed during the past year or so-- everything new feels scary to me. It feels like my body's anxiety levels have been tested and drained with all of the newness of the past year, and all of my reserves are gone. Maybe I needed that year to recover. Now I find myself at the point where I want to try some new things--nothing huge, nothing earth-shattering, but at least something that doesn't involve me sitting in my apartment. In a few hours, I'm heading over to the Animal Rescue League for volunteer orientation. That, I'm hoping, will become not only a new hobby, but something that will help me feel less sad about not being able to have a dog in my apartment (boo, apartments!) So, while the anxiety is still there, I'm trying really hard to push myself past it. And play with dogs.



***An update on the Step Out to Fight Diabetes walk: Currently at $800! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to everyone who has donated so far! I know we'll hit $1,000!***

Good Tunes

Katie, Through the Looking Glass
August 23, 2008

When will I feel
all soft on the inside?
-Ingrid Michaelson, "Masochist"

I am currently in love with Ingrid Michaelson (PJ, too, but also Ingrid Michaelson). I downloaded her album "Girls and Boys" about a week ago, thanks to a suggestion on iTunes and I haven't stopped listening to it since. I was excited when I realized that the album included a song from an Old Navy commercial that I had really liked last winter, but had no idea who the singer was, and was far too lazy to find out (fyi: it's that song that went, "If you are chilly/here, take my sweater/[...] Cuz I love the way you call me baby/And you take me the way I am"). That's what I was SO excited to discover that she is coming to Pittsburgh on November 24th (PJ, if you are reading this, please note: BIRTHDAY GIFT IDEA). I highly recommend the album to any ladies (or gentlemen who are in touch with their feminine sides) to download her album, especially if you like folksy-pop kinds of music.


I fully intended to write more today, but I realized that I would MUCH rather make some chocolate chip cookies so that I can eat the dough. Peace out.

Party in the ROC

Megan & Katie at Salinger's, August 1, 2008

We spent last weekend in Rochester. I haven't been up there for an extended period of time in quite a while, so I tried to pack as many of my Rochester favorites in as possible (most of which included food...). We went to Mex and I got my huuuuge platter of delicious Mexican food and some margaritas to polish it off and definitely didn't miss a stop at Abbott's for chocolate almond frozen custard (seriously...I could roll in that stuff. Mmm...). I finally got to spend some time with Megan, my college and post-college roommate. It was sort of odd to be in her new apartment-- one of the rooms has all of our old living room stuff, so it was almost like being in our old apartment. Kind of bizarre for me. We had a good time, though. I was lucky enough to get up there during Park Ave. Fest, an annual arts/crafts/food/music festival held in my old neighborhood. My big purchase was a necklace (see below) made of pewter (I think) and painted with enamel...totally neato burrito.

My Park Ave. Fest Purchase

On Sunday, we stopped in Orchard Park on our way back down here. I got to spend some time with my parents, my sister and my grandmas...all in all, a very nice weekend.


On a side note, I just have to say THANK YOU to all of my family and friends who have donated to my Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes campaign. You guys are the best!! I set an initial goal of $500, and in only a couple of weeks, I've already reached $575! This is a cause that is hugely important to me, so I'm very excited to boost up the goal a bit. The walk is on September 28th at The Pittsburgh Zoo; donations can be made here.

Mosaic of Me

So I got this idea from one of my favorite blogs that I read all of the time. It's super easy to do. First, you answer the questions below, then search for each of your answers on Flickr. Choose your favorite photo from the first page of each of your searches and upload the URL to Mosaic Maker. You can make the mosaic as big or small as you want (For those who are counting-impaired, I used 3 columns and 4 rows).

Here are the questions, and the answers that I used to make my mosaic:
1. What is your first name?- Katie
2. What is your favorite food? - Guacamole
3. What high school did you go to? - West
4. What is your favorite color? - Pink
5. Who is your celebrity crush? - Eric Dane (a.k.a. McSteamy from Grey's)
6. What is your favorite drink? - Vino
7. What is your dream vacation? - Italy
8. What is your favorite dessert? - White Chocolate Raspberry Cheescake
9. What do you want to be when your grow up? -Director of a non-profit
10. What do you love most in life? - Laughing
11. What is one word that describes you? - Restless
12. What is your Flickr name? - Live Love Laugh (I used my blog name, since I'm not on Flickr)

...and voila! Something fun to do on a very lazy Saturday.


Photos brought to you by...
1. Katie in the Hot Park, Being Cool, 2. Sol del guacamole, 3. West on Dundas, 4. Pink Tulip Field, 5. eric-dane-sexy-05, 6. "VINO" Fuel Station, 7. Aurorus Reflectus Colosseo, 8. white chocolate raspberry swirl cheescake, 9. Feeding-the-Homeless, 10. Prepared for Takeoff!, 11. THE OLD BOG ROAD. KILKENNY, IRELAND., 12. If I lived under the sea sea sea......

A Girl with a Glitch

This is what happiness looks like...
Outer Banks, July 2008

It has been almost 3 months since the last time that I wrote in here. I'm not sure exactly what was keeping me from writing, because I did think about it fairly often. Grad school was a bit brutal there towards the end...it felt like a endless stream of work (finished the year with a 4.0, though...woohoo!) My job was getting a bit taxing, too. If you have never served in an administrative assistant position, I want you to immediately find the admin closest to you and give her/him a big hug. It is so much work for so little pay. It is people piling work on you because they like to believe that you are only doing work for them, and not 14 other people. It is worrying about things when you go home at night, despite the fact that you shouldn't have to take those worries home with you. Many times, it is people being nice to you only because they want you to do more work for them.

Ok.

Before I wrote this post, I read some of my older ones, particularly the ones from last fall, when I first started as a temp in my office. I loved my job at that point. I was getting paid even less and I had very poor benefits, but I was just happy to have a job. I was even excited to go there.

This left me wondering what has changed between last fall and now. I'm actually a permanent hire now. I make (slightly...very slightly) more money and I have great benefits. I am actually putting away a bit of money in savings and in addition to the retirement plan at work, I opened a Roth IRA. For the first time in my life, I am actually saving for the future (a very novel idea). I have a job that I don't have to worry about losing. It fits very well into my grad school schedule. I get along very well with everyone in my office. So, not to sound very '90s about it...but what's my glitch?

My glitch. My glitch is...I continue to compare myself with everyone else I know. Anything I've accomplished or try to accomplish looks like a failure to me when viewed through the successes of my friends. It's a horrible thing to be jealous of your friends. I feel bad even thinking about it. It always seems, to me at least, that the people I love have things figured out, whereas I am the one who doesn't get it--"it" being pretty much anything. A good 3/4 of my closest friends from home and college are engaged/married. Some are buying homes, and some are getting ready to buy them. Some have jobs that pay really well. Some get to see their families pretty often. The ones who don't seem to have a huge group of friends to spend time with in their new hometowns. Try comparing yourself to all of that...it doesn't feel so great sometimes.

When we were in the Outer Banks a few weeks ago, I felt good. Really, really good. It took a couple of days for me to really relax, but when I did, wow. The tense feeling in my chest went away. I plowed my way through three books, did a little bit of shopping, watched movies, and laid on the beach all day, every day. It was the best break, and it was one that I had hoped would give me some time to look at my life (Some people go to the beach to relax. I, however, go to contemplate the meaning of my life. Anxiety, party of one?) And the meaning is...I still don't know. My job still stresses me out. I still fear that I am light years away from where I "should" be and where everyone else is. I still miss living in Upstate New York a lot and I still cry every time I say goodbye to my family after a visit. I have to believe, though, that all of this crap that I'm wading through (lovely mental image...you're welcome) is bringing me to a much better place. I believe that this is what your twenties are...or at least the first half of them. Figuring out who you are, what you want to do with your life, where you want to do it, and who the people are that you need to surround yourself with. So, I will go to work tomorrow. I will be thankful that I have a steady job with excellent dental. I will be proud of myself for doing so well in grad school and for following the path that I think I should be on. I will try, very, very hard, to remember that everyone around me probably doesn't have it all figured out.

Ah. That feels much better. Blogging really is good for the soul.

Good Mornings

Quiet morning in Shadyside, April 27, 2008

And these days
I wish I was six again...
-John Mayer, "83"

It's one of those perfect kind of mornings today. The kind where it's still really quiet outside, except for the birds and a few passing cars and it's sunny, but still a little chilly. I love it. When I walked outside and smelled the air, for a split second I wanted to be a little kid again. I remember how on mornings like this, especially during the summer, I would pour my cereal and go sit on our front porch . I'd lean against one of the posts along the front wall of the porch and dangle my feet over either side, just watching the neighborhood wake up. Those were the best kinds of mornings.

So there you go. No deep thoughts today, just a little reminiscing. Hope everyone is enjoying their morning, too.

Two Years

Katie & PJ, April 25, 2008

We celebrated our 2-year anniversary yesterday. I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful boyfriend (one who can still love me even after I accidentally kick him in the eye...long story...but you may notice the slight bruise in the picture above). A lot has happened over the past two years, but I wouldn't change a thing. I'm very happy with where we are right now. I have a best friend and a boyfriend all rolled into one...someone to make dinner with and play cards with and laugh with and just be with. I'm a lucky, lucky girl.

Anniversary dinner of chicken saltimbocca...yum yum

And we rounded out the evening with one last celebration before our friend Will heads off to Quantico...

Evan, Will, and PJ, April 25, 2008

Overwhelm

The Joys of Graduate School, April 2008

The papers and the readings. The bills. The meetings. The workload. The car. The family.

I am in a state of overwhelm this month.

This isn't to say that none of this was expected (ok, maybe getting the car stuck in a parking garage for two days while PJ was out of town was not exactly "expected," per se, but other than that...). I didn't begin grad school because I thought it would be easy to fit into any schedule, especially a full-time work schedule, but WOW. This past month has left me feeling drained of energy. All I want to do when I get home is sleep, and on the weekends, I find myself yawning my way through plans. There are days at work when I just want to cry and some days at home when I do.

Some events of the past month have hurt me more than just physically. Some have left me feeling very self-conscious and even worse, some have left me feeling small. Things to which people say, "don't let that bother you," but I still do. For me, and for a lot of people, I think, when you spend so much time trying to juggle everything, it really feels bad when it's not appreciated. I wish I knew how to shut down that part of myself--the part that wants to fix everything, and to make everything nice and perfect for everyone. The part that wants people to say, "Why yes, Katie, you ARE the best at everything. Great job!" It's ridiculous when I think about it. Really, in the grand scheme of things, who cares? Will my life really be that much better if I get a perfect GPA in grad school? Noper. Will I feel satisfied if the party goes perfectly? No, probably not.

One good thing that the past month has brought me, though, is a renewed appreciation for the cheerleaders in my life...the people who tell me to stop being my own harshest critic. The people who are proud of me for the changes that I have made and the things that I am working to accomplish. The people who ask me if they can do anything to lessen my load.

I'm a lucky girl. A little bit tired, but very lucky.

And speaking of lucky girls (and guys), a big congratulations to two of my closest friends, Jillian and Chris, who got engaged on Friday!

Jillian & Chris, September 29, 2007

Happy Easter!

Surprise flowers that appeared in our yard, March 2008

Finally...spring is here (sort of). We've still had a few chilly days and a couple of snowflakes, but the sun is starting to peek out through the clouds a little more and the days don't feel so short. As I'm writing this, I'm wearing my favorite red flip-flops, listening to the new Jack Johnson album, and the sun is shining through our huge windows...a good day, if you ask me! I am missing Easter in Buffalo with my family, though (and all of Grandma Barb's yummy food), so PJ and I are going to make our own little Easter dinner tonight-- rosemary chicken, potatoes, squash, rice, and broccoli casserole. I'm hungry just thinking about it. Mmm...

I'm happy to report that I finally have a real job! No more temping, no more horrible benefits, no more unpaid sick days and vacation days! I'm going to be doing the same work with the County Council that I've been doing since I began as a temp in October, except they finally created a permanent position for me! I have to admit, after 2.5 years of floating around and trying to figure out what to do with my life, it felt really, really flattering to have so many people recognize how hard I've been working. It's only an office admin position, but I'm making so many great connections with this job (lots of executive directors of non-profits!), the schedule works out perfectly with my grad school schedule, and I'm working with a great bunch of people. I feel like I'm on the right path for my career...thank goodness!

It's been a busy couple of weeks around here. In addition to the new job, I finally went to a PYP event. It was a little scary for me to be around so many new people and not know anyone, but I ended up at a table with a couple of really nice women (a graphic designer, a teacher, and another admin assistant) who I had a lot of fun chatting with. I'm looking forward to going to another event soon.

Last weekend, we had a bunch of friends over for a game night (if you have not played Catch Phrase yet, you don't know what you're missing) on Friday and then on Saturday, the boys made an early breakfast (green eggs, green pancakes, and beer...delicious) and we took the bus downtown to Market Square to celebrate St. Patty's Day with every 20-something in Pittsburgh--

St. Patrick's Day Celebration, Market Square, March 15, 2008

And after the past couple of days, which have also been super busy, it's nice to finally have a lazy Sunday for naps and walks and food and movies...all of which I am about to do.

Happy Easter!

Excitement to the Max

Katie & Megan, Carnaval, February 2006

Sao Paulo, Brazil

I am so, SO excited for the next couple of days. Tomorrow afternoon, PJ and I are driving up to Rochester to go see Bruce Springsteen (or rather, "The Boss"--whichever you prefer) with PJ's brother, Rob, and Rob's girlfriend Nikki. Originally, their uncle and his girlfriend were supposed to go, too, but something came up at the last minute, so instead, my long-lost friend Megan is going with us! I really couldn't be more excited. Megan and I lived together during our last year and a half of college and then moved to Rochester and lived together for another year and a half. Our busy lives have gotten in the way, though, and we haven't seen each other since just after I moved away last July. It seems crazy to me that it's already been longer than half a year-- I got so used to seeing her everyday and now we only talk once in a while. I still remember meeting her in college. We were "set up" by our mutual friend Rob, who knew that we were both looking for roommates and thought that our personalities would mesh well (ohhh, if only he had really known what he was getting himself into!) We clicked almost immediately, with our shared senses of humor and shared dislike of the whole sorority scene at our college. Now that we're living four and a half hours apart, we've managed to keep in touch through random messages, but haven't seen each other in what feels like forever and haven't really caught up on each other's lives in a while. Did I mention I'm excited for tomorrow?
I'm also excited because I'm going back to Corning on Friday, and at some point during the weekend, I'll get to see my friends Shawn and Dwayne to celebrate their 25th birthdays (happy birthday to both!) Oh, what a fun, old friend-filled few days it's going to be!
In other news, last Saturday night I went to Soldiers and Sailors memorial to hear one of my favorite authors, Anne Lamott, give a reading and a discussion. While I'm obviously not uber-Christian (as noted by my lack of church-going activities during the past couple of years), something in her writing really connects with me. The books that I have read (Traveling Mercies, Plan B, and Bird by Bird) discuss with issues that she has dealt with throughout her life-- alcoholism and drug abuse, being a single mother, trying to find a place in this world to fit in-- but she writes about all of it with such a funny sense of humor. Meeting her after reading her books for the past few years was awesome-- what a kind, intelligent woman. Plus I got her autograph on Traveling Mercies, which was pretty neat.
That's it for now...and don't forget, March 8 is International Women's Day. Go hug your mom, your sister, your grandma, your aunt, your best friend...you get the point :o)

The Familiar

Charlie Beans and his toys, February 17, 2008

I've found myself falling into and out of a funk lately. Part of it, I think, is the weather. I like sunshine, I like snow, I even like rain (because everyone knows that there are few things more satisfying in this world than watching movies on a rainy day), but bitter, windy, freezing weather is one thing that I just don't like. Yuck. My grandmother might be on to something with the "Skip-the-Northeast-in-February-I'm-Going-to-Arizona" thing.

Part of my funkiness (and not the Rick James kind of funkiness, either) is due to a lack of seeing my family. I got to spend last weekend in Corning and I had a wonderful time. I cuddled with puppies, went to the movies with my sister, got lots of mommy hugs, visited some old friends from work, hung out with my brother, and even had time to eat lunch at En En with my parents (anyone from Corning knows of the pure deliciousness that is En En's Chinese Buffet...heaven). It felt so good to spend time with my family. Pittsburgh is 5 hours away-- the farthest distance I have ever lived away from home. For the love of Pete, I even miss Wegmans. Seriously, Giant Eagle is great and all, but nothing beats Weggies. But I digress. When I left Corning on Monday, I had that empty feeling in my chest, like the one you get when you break up with someone-- that hollow feeling that kind of hurts. I miss the familiar so much sometimes. I miss always knowing where I'm going when I'm driving, instead of having to Mapquest everything because there are approximately 72 bridges within a 1-mile radius of each other. I miss DRIVING at all and not taking public transit every day. I miss knowing that when my car breaks, my dad is always there to help. I miss seeing my mom when I want to. I miss wandering around on Market Street and I miss MY Barnes & Noble, where I have spent far too many hours of my life because I'm a book geek. I miss knowing that if I want to go out to dinner with someone, I can rely on two good choices-- Applebees and Olive Garden. I miss going to Doug and Gail's coffee shop. I miss knowing what to expect. Pittsburgh has been good to me, though-- it's just trying to find a compromise between all of the missing and all of the loving living here that's hard. But, as my dear friend Eddie Vedder sings,

"there's a sun around the bend."

PJ, Valentine's Day 2008

During some of my non-funkiness time, I had a great Valentine's Day. My sweet boyfriend made filet mignon for me, and as I am a girl who can put away her weight in steak, this was a FANTASTIC dinner choice. There were flowers and wine and a yummy dessert and he even bought "Across the Universe" for me, which I have been dying to see. All in all, a really great Valentine's Day. It was especially nice to get to spend the time together, since we've both been so busy lately and seem to have very opposing schedules.


And last, but not least...anyone who has seen our apartment has seen the giant greenhouse windows in our livingroom. When we first saw the apartment, we thought they were neat, something that set this apartment apart from the rest. However, we did not take into account our lack of funds at the time that we moved in, and as a result, we were forced to hang sheets, afghans, and wall hangings on the windows. But finally, FINALLY...right before Superbowl Sunday, we went to IKEA and we bought CURTAINS! This is typically not something that merits much excitement, but the fact that I can now use my purple afghan to cover myself with and not to prevent the neighbors from peeking into the apartment is a thing of beauty. Love it.

Our fun curtains!

Happy Fat Tuesday!

Hola and happy Mardi Gras to anyone lucky enough to enjoy it. I'll be attending a County Council Meeting this evening, and I'm fairly certain there will be no New Orleans-style celebration.

We had a fun beginning to the week-- a bunch of friends came over to watch the Superbowl on Sunday. Lots of food and drinks, and a pretty excited crowd after the Giants won! Now I have to admit, my loyalties lie with the Buffalo Bills and the Indianapolis Colts, but it was pretty exciting to see New England get shut down. It was especially fun to watch it with a group this year. In the past, I have typically only watched it with my family or one or two friends, but it was a lot of fun to have our first party (finally!) in the not-so-new apartment.

In other news...in an effort to push myself out of my box a little more (and to prevent myself from becoming a hermit at the tender age of 24), I've joined Pittsburgh Young Professionals, a networking organization for--you guessed it-- young professionals in our area. There's a new members' social this week and I have to admit, I'm a little nervous. Based on no amount of reason whatsoever, I sometimes still have those, "But what if no one likes me?" fears that most people have on their first day of kindergarten. I tend to feel that way around larger groups of people, especially when I don't know anyone. I'm always afraid that I won't know what to do or say, or that I'll just end up looking like a dork. Joining PYP will be a big step for me, I think-- not something that I would normally do unless a friend was joining with me. Hopefully, it'll be worth it!

Speaking of stepping out of my box, I've also been working on dealing with anxiety in different ways (other than my typical, the-sky-is-falling method of all-out emotional breakdowns when something unexpected happens). I am very happy to report that during the past couple of weeks, I have been dealing with things VERY well, to the point where I don't even recognize myself sometimes. In the past two weeks, I have had the joy of dealing with the following:

*Realizing that in order for my car to brake, I needed to press my foot all the way to the floor
*Receiving a call from VISA Fraud Prevention Services informing me that there was a suspicious charge on my credit card to a German Internet phone company (and then subsequently having to cancel my credit card the morning after I dropped my car off to get fixed)
*Putting a dent in the side of my car. With a concrete pillar.
*Being informed that my insurance company has me listed with a January 1, 1980 birthday...oh, right-- as a MALE with a January 1, 1980 birthday

..and a few little tidbits that I won't bore anyone with.

It was not so long ago that any of the above would have sent me into a tailspin. I have been working REALLY hard on figuring out new ways to deal with anxiety, though, and it finally feels like I'm starting to get a handle on it. Instead of freaking out as each thing happened, I did the "So what?" test-- for example...

The Germans took my money. So what?
So now I'll have to cancel my credit card. So what?
So now I won't be able to use it to pay for my car to get fixed. So what?
So I'll either use my debit or ask to use someone else's credit card for the repair. I'll call the credit union to get a dispute form and a new credit card. So what?
So my car will get paid for, I'll get my money back, and I'll have a new credit card. Oh.

And just like that-- crisis averted. Sweetness. Now I can even drive my car to Corning next weekend (dent and all) to visit my family, which I am SUPER excited about, because I haven't seen them since Christmas. And really, who wouldn't miss these faces--

The Boys, February 3, 2008

Beginnings

The Beginnings of a Drawing, Jan. 2008

Adding to my list...drawing more often. I used to draw all of the time, up through college, but after that, it kind of seemed to fall by the wayside. The drawing above (or at least what's there so far) is from one of my favorite pictures. It's a photo that a friend took at a wedding last summer while PJ and I were slow dancing. I remember that song specifically because as much as I enjoy putting on my dancing shoes, PJ does not. When that song (Norah Jones, "Come Away With Me") came on, though, he asked me to dance. This was huge, and thus, why I was very excited that Amanda captured a picture of it.

The past couple of weeks have given me a lot of time to think. PJ is in Virginia for 2.5 weeks of training and I have to say, the novelty of a quiet apartment seems to have worn off. At first I thought, "Ooh, I can do chick things" (in my world, this means sweatpants, Chinese food, and purchasing Hairspray On Demand). But then, it started to get a little boring...no one to talk to in the morning, no one to watch Jeopardy with at night and yell out the answers while simultaneously trying to pretend that each person isn't trying to look smarter than the other, and any of the other little things that I wouldn't even pay attention to if he was here. I think that not having someone around makes you appreciate them more. It's all of those little things that I've really missed during the past couple of weeks. I think that when you are with someone 24/7, you start to lose sight of all of the things that you love about that person, because you aren't even giving yourself a chance to miss them. If anything, these 2.5 weeks apart have made me realize how important it is for us to each have our own lives outside of our relationship. It's a concept that seems so obvious, but when you move in together, especially in a city that is new to both of you, it can be a hard one to remember. So, besides drawing more often, I am adding another item to the list-- make some Pittsburgh girl friends.

And speaking of friends, I had a super fun time last weekend with a few high school friends. I drove down to Virginia and stayed at Chris and Jillian's new apartment in Winchester, VA. PJ drove out for the night and Stephanie and Justin (and their ADORABLE dog Tucker) came out from Alexandria. It was a lot of eating, beveraging (is that a word? probably not) and game-playing--all very fun. We've all been so spread out over the past couple of years, so I'm excited that we're all within a reasonable driving distance of each other now. Hopefully we'll have more regular reunions :o)

I can't end this post without adding this video. Jillian introduced it to me last weekend and while completely inappropriate, it's also completely hilarious, so enjoy...infidels.

Buckets and Beyondo

The beginning of the year always makes me think about the big lists...the Mondo Beyondo/Bucket/To Do Before I Die-type lists. I used to make lists like these all of the time and I even got to check a few things off-- I got a tattoo, I saw Maya Angelou speak, and I traveled to Brazil and England. As I get older, though, I don't seem to think about this stuff as much anymore. So in honor of 2008, this is the beginning of my new to do list:

*Backpack through Europe: I did get to go to London last year, but I would love to be one of those people who is brave enough to go overseas with only a backpack of belongings. London was amazing, and I'd really like to see more of Europe.

*Try surfing: Just try it. I don't have to like it. I don't even have to be good at it. I want to try, though.

*Try snowboarding: Please see "try surfing" for details.

*Go to a live taping of Oprah: And subsequently become best friends with her. No? Okay, I'll just go for the show.

*Swim with dolphins: Sounds like something that someone would put in their profile for an online dating site, but I really just think that it would be neat.

*Become a runner: I don't know what it is about runners, but I really want to be one. I just need to get past that whole "I sound like an 80-year-old lifelong smoker when I try to run" thing.

*Start a nonprofit organization: This is a big, BIG one for me. I don't even know what it'll be yet, but I know that I'll do it.

*Find an outlet for singing other than my shower: I used to sing all of the time in high school, but now I only sing at home, out of complete stage fright. Honestly though, if Sarah McLachlan ever wants someone to go on tour with her, I'm so in.

*See Pearl Jam in concert: This is the only concert left that I am dying to see, unless you count NKOTB, but I don't forsee a reunion tour anytime soon.

more to be added on soon, I'm sure...

A few more little tidbits-- I mentioned in my last post that my New Years resolution is to be less anxious and more relaxed. On Thursday, I was at a doctor's appointment, and while I was waiting to go in, I read an article written by a women with anxiety problems. She was discussing some of the things that her doctor had told her in therapy and one quote really stuck with me--"If you are always in the present, there can be no anxiety. Anxious thoughts are fantasies about what might happen in the future." It's such a simple thought, but also one that struck a chord with me. I have a lot of trouble staying in the present--I'm a born worrier. I think it would be so helpful for me, though, to find something to do to keep me in the present when I start to feel anxious. This woman's doctor recommended something to hold on to-- kind of like one of those little worry stones that gift shops sell. Something to think about...

And now, back to my lazy Saturday. We're going to see Juno in a bit, and then it's off to cheer on the Steelers in the Wild Card game with PJ's uncle and cousin.

I leave you with a few favorites from the 2007 Ugly Christmas Sweater Party...


Jillian, Stephanie, and Katie, December 22, 2007

Jesse, Justin, and PJ, December 22, 2007

(Yeah, my man wears suspenders. AND turquoise.)

Family Photo, December 22, 2007