When all else fails, Hug your teddy.

I saw that on a license plate frame the other day and, boy, did it seem so applicable considering how crazy this past Christmas was!  I know a lot of people had a rough go of it, what with the economy and such, but it got even more insane with the snow and ice.  I was fortunate to make it down to see my family, though some gatherings were canceled.  And before I get into the wacko things, here are the highlights from this year:

1. The alligator case making its appearance
2. Getting to spend time w/ my family
3. Getting the Wii was pretty awesome (even though Morgan and I were tricked at first, since it was an empty Wii box we opened)
4. Seeing the Ditgen kids’ faces when they got their gifts
   

   Isn't the look on kids' faces that makes it so great?

5. The hug from Kobey (he’s like 6 and it was completely unexpected, but hey, I’ll take it!)
6. Caitlyn getting the sweater my mom made her
7. The Beaver gifts…and seeing my fam give Morgan Husky stuff
8. The Office Season 4 , my new suitcase, my stockings
9. Eating…the menu may have gotten changed up, but I still got the staple ham & Ditgen potatoes (at the Fowler’s)
10. Bananagrams and the screaming loud game of 5-way solitaire w/ Karis, Sheen, Ju and Melis (this was the year of “name shortening” – there’s also “Bec”, “Lar”, “Nat”, “Morg”, “Jas”… you get the picture)
11. That it snowed on Christmas… which leads into the hugging of the teddy… 

Warm fuzzies

Man did it snow in the NW!  I mean, seriously, as a kid I would have killed to get that much snow and school off the week before Christmas break.  But as an adult, it kinda loses that magic when you have to worry about work.  I was lucky to have a team that was ok with working from home.

I got some baking time in, though I attempted too much, which led to lots of unnecessary stress.  5 different batches of cookies makes Natalie a very cranky girl (especially since you can’t make any of them too in advance).  Plus, I had Christmas morning breakfast to plan for Morgan’s parents and Ditgen potatoes to make for Christmas Eve…I don’t know how my mom does it!  Oh the worst of it all is that I burnt my eye upon opening the oven (my contact actually melted a little bit).

Walkin' in a Winter Ballard-land!

We made it through the week with no accidents for me or people I know – which is good, but work got put on hold as people were home bound.  The snow/ice/wind/power outages caused Christmas at my mom’s family to be canceled (well, postponed).  So on Christmas Day Morgan and I drove all the way to Corvallis to be with the Ditgen’s, who fared better in the weather.

Phew! Finally “home” for the holidays, now the fun can start… oh wait, I mean, the increasing problems.  Jon had to work Saturday, so he wanted the gathering on Friday night, Karissa had to work Friday and wouldn’t make it til late, Melissa had her bday Saturday – she preferred Friday… the thought was originally to have xmas on Sat morning… we compromised… and did both . 

Sportin' the gear!

Then when asking where my Dad was Christmas night, I come to find out that my Grandma (in her Christmas excitement) fell and was taken by Lou and my Dad to the hospital – though not before they carried her in her wheelchair upstairs for some dinner – hey, she was hungry.  We found out she broke her hip and was to have surgery.  They then performed surgery on her the next morning – talk about fast decisions!

It was pretty sad to know that my g-ma would not be there for Christmas presents and dinner.  We all stopped to visit her that day – though she was so groggy she didn’t remember a thing.  It was sad to have to set her’s and grandpa’s gifts aside for later.  Saturday she was in much better spirits…only to have to be taken to have her heart monitored as her heart rate was too high…to top it all off I know they are having problems getting the chemo treatment to work.  Poor lady, but she keeps fighting through, Praise the Lord!

“Christmas” night was fun, and the next morning, Melis was leading her fitness class.  Morgan and I obliged to go, as it was her bday – and her 21st at that.  OMG!  Morg got sick halfway through, and I stupidly pushed on, well, I couldn’t quit in front of the fam!  And boy did I pay!!  Apparently I am in shitty shape… I woke up Sunday to a very stiff body – Morgan had to help me out of the car and I walked at a snail’s pace downstairs, and well, I discovered how nice the handicap rails are in bathrooms.  After 3 days of gimping around, I am starting to walk more normal and have less difficulty getting in and out of my car.  But I say – if you want a gauge of how you are doing physically… take her class… it will kick your butt (and when it does, your butt will hurt to the touch).

Happy 21st Birthday Melissa!

Saturday night brought a night out on the town (Portland that is) and of course staying out too late and well, it was her 21st… you get the picture.  Greasy breakfast at 12 the next day tasted sooo good, but our 3 hr drive home did not.  After stopping to hang out with Hillary and Cheri for awhile, we then headed home and finally made it around 7:30, exhausted but glad to be home.  Morgan unloaded, since I was worthless.

Oh and to top it off, I picked up Melissa’s cold.  So basically, I’m feeling like a train-wreck lately.  Very glad the holidays are over and I’m ready to get back to a more “normal” pace of life.  And next year, I’m sorry, but I ain’t making cookies for the whole fam again…

So this weekend I’m going to sit back and hug my teddy (well mostly cuz I’m sick and just want to sleep).

Merry Christmas!

Heimlich Guides and Calorie Counters

Of all the things that made up the trip to NY recently, things like the heimlich manuever guides posted on restaurant walls and the calorie counts added to all menu items are 2 that stuck out.  Not to mention the dirty city streets, the chain smoking, and the fact that New Yorkers are excellent at playing chicken.  New York was definitely a world apart from our NW lifestyle.  I sure felt out of place wearing sneakers everywhere (dude, its a large city, you walk a ton… my feet just can’t put up with the heels anymore!) and wearing a Columbia Sportswear jacket (of course, the bright orange also led me to stick out).  Fashion capital is an understatement and I’m sure it would be hard to live there without being sucked into it and subsequently going broke.

The flight out east was a bumpy one for Morgan and me.  Not bumpy in the air, but more so on the ground.  The security breach at one airport gate led all planes and security check lines to freeze up for at least an hour.  We made our plane, but it still didn’t make it out on time.  Which of course, made us JUST missing our connecting flight (by like 3 min)…grrr. 

We ran to customer service and I don’t believe anyone ever told the “lady” that helped us, customer service means actually serving customers because she was intent on making our day more miserable.  We would have to pay an additional $35 each to re-print tickets for the next day and they were not going to put us in a hotel for the evening.  Plus, if we wanted to fly on another airline, it would be on stand-by and at our own expense. 

There was no keeping cool.  I was in tears and Morgan was beyond frustrated.  There was no reasoning with this “woman”.  We asked for her supervisor.  She flatly told us they would say the same thing.  Other people around us were having the same issue and dealing with much nicer people.  Finally, we were rescued by someone just leaving, who, actually felt bad for the situation.  Knowing it was not our fault, she quickly told the *itch at the counter to book us on United – at no charge.  HA! Take that!  We were to make it to NYC that night indeed (though a few hours later).  The wicked customer service witch was foiled again!!

And the good thing out of all of it was that we had our only celebrity citing on the United flight…Ryan Hall…the winner of the US time trials for the Olympics in marathons.. he placed 6th in Beijing…Morgan was pretty stoked to have seen him…but he didn’t end up saying hi!

We got to our hotel and found they hadn’t reserved a room w/ 2 queens… and to fix it that night, gave us a suite… sweet! (though we moved the next night when Brian flew in).  Finally settled, we headed out around 12am to Times Square.  Wow it was brighter than Vegas there!  We pulled a Michael Scott and got us some Sbarro’s and beer.  Morgan said eating in Times Square was expensive and the service typically was poor, but oh well, we found something that was open!  And with full bellies, we could finally go to bed.

Friday, Morgan played tour guide and we subwayed/walked it all over the city.  From the NY Public Library to Macy’s to Wall St to seeing Lady Liberty (lines were long, we admired from afar).  We had beers at a local brewery (Morgan tried to get the bird poo off his shirt), walked halfway across the Brooklyn bridge (it’s apparently the same on the other side hehe), and wound our way up to Little Italy for a semi early dinner.  Then it was back to the hotel to prepare for the big night – Halloween!

We rocked the 80s, as Iceman and Madonna.  It was fun walking through Grand Central, seeing tons of people decked out for the evening.  We were told the Village Parade was where the action was, so we headed that way.  Well, it was like 3 or 4 deep and hard to move, let alone see – so we decided it was time for some libabtions and we found the closest bar (that had space).  The parade was on tv, so we got a table and enjoyed people watching from inside.  People we spotted: WAY too many Jokers, McCain & Obama (fighting and then kissing to make up), Palin, Phelps, Jem! (the Barbie-knock off, not the singer, I was stocked to have recognized her), and over the whole night, only 1 Madonna and 1 Iceman.  Yes!  We were actually semi-unique!

Saturday was less eventful, Brian flew in Friday night and so Saturday we made our way over to the Expo center to get them all ready for race day.  After a few free samples and running into a Deloitter I met at a WaMu training…small world.  We ended up going back to Times Square for dinner.  Brian was not thrilled with the choice, as it was a singing/dancing 50s diner, but I thought it was great.  Nice job Morgan and thanks for suggesting it Bill!  It was a low key night, and we ended up in the hotel around 8:30 to watch the Texas/Texas Tech game…and none of us slept that great.

Before the crack of dawn, the boys were ready to head to their bus to wait for 3 hours til race time.  Brrr, I enjoyed staying in bed.  Around 8:30, I met up with Morgan’s parents who came cross country to watch their son (and vacation a little).  It was a pretty fun (and cold) day, racing around the city and watching the marathoners.  I’ve only seen Portland’s, and this was really different.  I mean, talk about people!  39,000 ran and there were some 2,000,000 spectators cheering.  We saw Paula Radcliffe and the lead men’s pack around mile 7 and it was fun seeing Morgan and Brian at various spots.  I’m so glad Morgan’s parents were there to watch with me, it would have been lonely otherwise!

Both boys finished the race in good time and it was a mess trying to find them afterwards.  We finally found Morgan, but Brian was lost…poor guy walked all the way back to the hotel!  We parted ways with Bill & Helene and headed to Bubba Gump for a group dinner with Morgan’s high school friend Stephanie.  (again we ate in Times Square)  After dinner, Morgan and I met up with another friend, Morgan’s friend Avery.  We sat at Chevy’s for a few hours and had a few margarita’s (after 2 huge beers at Bubba Gump… I was feeling pretty sick since Bubba’s was the first real meal of the day for me).  Saying we crashed when we got to bed would be an understatement.

Monday left us a few hours to see Ground Zero and SoHo before leaving for the airport and a much smoother ride home.  The trip was successful, I learned that there are too many calories in most dishes we eat and that next time it would be wise to bring 2 pairs of tennis shoes.  The subway and Central Park don’t scare me so bad anymore, but it sure was nice to get back to the NW where people act a little more normal

Proud of Myself

Do you ever have those times where you see someone and you recognize them and you just can’t place your finger on where?  I hate that.  Largely because I can’t seem to let it drop until I figure it out, which often takes awhile to come (that’s what she said).

A long time ago, back when many banks still existed and I lived in Portland (around Jan 13th), I took Morgan to have breakfast at Helser’s on Alberta.  As always, there was a line (it was a Sunday morning around 10, whatdya expect).  Morgan & I were seated near the entrance, so basically we were being watched by all the hungry people waiting for us to finish.  Morgan had his back to the door, but I could see all the people and he’d only turn around for exceptional circumstances.

I was watching as this woman walked in and sat waiting with the others.  She was alone, and quite pretty.  I’d seen her somewhere, not like knew her, but I could have sworn she looked familiar.  Morgan turned to look (as she was one of those “exceptional circumstances”), nope, he didn’t recognize her.  But the other couple leaving did, I tried to chew quitely and listen in.  They talked for a bit, asked what she was doing in Portland.  The name Guillermo was mentioned and they were just here for a bit.  Ah-ha!  I’d bet money that she was an actress… but what had I seen her in.

The food is good, which I'm sure is why she was staring, either that or she was checking Morgan out

She didn’t get seated for awhile, and watched us eat…I was dying to ask her who she was, but wouldn’t dare unless I’d figured it out.   Finally she was taken to a table in the back and I was forced to look over my shoulder to figure it out.  I didn’t.  We left with me racking my brain.  She looked a little like Courtney Cox, but more petite and she had “sad” eyes.  I know I’d seen her looking worried or almost in tears in something, you know like how Meredith looks at McDreamy?  I could picture it, but not quite grasp it all the way.

I did my due diligence - racked Hillary’s brain and Googled filming in Portland.  Turns out Guillermo was making a film there that weekend, called The Burning Plain, but no picture on cast list matched the girl (IMDB didn’t list her).  Regardless, I’ll totally go see the movie, cuz well it was made in Portland .

Months have passed, and I still have tried to place her.  But the other night, as I was trying to fall asleep I was thinking about Morgan at the NY Marathon (hoping to run into Scarlett Johansen watching her new hubby run – hey, dream big, right?) and suddenly I knew.  She was on Prison Break (I only watched it for the 1st season, a long time ago when working in Medford at PRS)!!  I told Morgan and he was like, did you confirm it?  Not at that time, but I was certain.  I looked today, and Ta-Da! I was RIGHT! haha, I have to say it was a long time coming!  Her name is Robin Tunney, and upon googling her and Guillermo together, I found that Variety listed her in the cast and I am 100% satisfied it was her that we saw.

Phew! it feels so much better to have that puzzle figured out!  Now, here’s hoping to have some good luck and actually run into Scarlett ;).  Happy Tuesday!!

Mis-adventure’s in the Kitchen

I think most of you know that since moving to Seattle, I’ve enjoyed “getting my cook on”. I seem to have more time and having someone to cook for is definitely an incentivizer. I mean, if I’m going to spend 30min to an hour in the kitchen, someone else should be able to enjoy it right? While, I have improved my speed at preparing meals (I have a “bad” habit of always trying something new), I can never seem to get down to the proposed “prep” and “cook” time. Maybe its because I usually do them both at the same time or maybe it’s just an unattainable goal seeing as Rachael Ray usually has everything out, pre-measured and ready to go. I, not having the space or enough pans/pots usually end up washing something mid-preparation. But I aspire to getting the time down. It’s a good goal.

Luckily for Morgan, the food turns out good and he is always appreciative. But the other night, well, things kind of went awry. I’d decided on a mac & cheese recipe from none other than Rachael Ray (yes, I have become a devotee of her recipes – get the magazine, emails, sign up for the contests, let’s just say I have a woman-crush on her – very similar to a man-crush). Looked simple enough, macaroni, cheese, cream cheese, bacon… ok ready to go.

The problems all started with the bacon. You see, while the water was boiling, I was to combine onions and bacon in a skillet. Easy enough, right? Yeah, that’s what I thought. I’d already had bacon in the freezer and had pulled out the bag (what I assume was leftovers from a package I’d opened, didn’t want to go bad, so I threw it in the freezer – looking back I regret that decision). I cut up the bacon and threw the ingredients into the pan.

Mmm, sizzling bacon…well don’t get your hopes up, it actually never “sizzled”. Not even a shooting grease spatter. It said to cook the mixture 8 min, which honestly seemed long. I’ve cooked bacon a few times before and usually found it to be fairly fast. I guess there was something wrong with this stuff, because the fat never dripped and minus the usual grease, I soon had a pan that was coated in burned onion and whatever bacon pieces stuck to it (I was able to clean this using a brillo pad and LOTS of elbow grease).

I was getting very frustrated at this point and transferred the goods into another pan. Alas, it wasn’t the pan, it must have been the bacon. Enter, Morgan. I ponder aloud to him that possibly it was turkey bacon in the freezer and that was why I was getting no grease. He offered to try a piece. Putting aside worries that it was in fact, real bacon and didn’t appear to me to have cooked at all in the past 10 min, I obliged for the sake of my dinner. He said it tasted like real bacon to him. Great, non-functioning bacon.

I decide since nothing further was happening, I must move on w/ the recipe. Almost out of pans, I find one I don’t think I’ve ever used. And it probably would have worked well on stoves w/ coils or gas ranges, but Morgan’s is a flat top and the pan had a “bubble” on the bottom. Getting the milk mixture to boil was futile. And yet, I still moved ahead (I mean, hey, I’ve already boiled 1 lb of macaroni!).

Mixture done (though that pan did have burnt milk to the bottom – gross), add the burnt bacon/onion in and pour over the macaroni. Hmm, smells burnt.  Maybe it will taste better. I’d already forewarned Morgan (and he could smell) that the attempt at mac and cheese was not going so well – and consoled myself by telling him that usually when a couple first gets married the wife ruins the food a few times – and maybe I was getting it out of my system now, so I’d be a pro 2 years from now (ha-ha). I began to doubt my cooking ability, especially since I had been at it for about 1hr. Oh well, its food and we’ll try it -

- let’s just say Morgan still loves me. The food, is in our fridge still and if we add lots of cheddar cheese and a bunch of salsa, the burnt taste almost fades away.

Last night, I had to redeem myself. Using a recipe I (again) had never made, and I succeeded. Rice krispie treats weren’t nearly as hard! And I topped it off with “Happy Halloween” in orange frosting and orange and black sprinkles.

Oh, and Morgan says I should try the mac & cheese recipe again someday, cuz it sounded good. And in case you are not too afraid of it, here’s the link: http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/pizza-pasta-recipes/creamy-macaroni-and-cheese-with-bacon/article.html.

 

The Debate

Today, as I was cleaning out my mailbox, I happened across a conversation Morgan and I had the other day.  Upon returning from his run one Saturday he informs me he’s found the place we should get married (SPOILER ALERT: WE ARE NOT, I REPEAT NOT, ENGAGED).  Morgan, always the planner likes to think ahead.  He tells me he’ll send me pictures of the place later.  These were the pictures I received a couple days later with a “This was the place I was talking about” subject line.

 

 Natalie: ohh pretty – where is it? (I get yet another picture of the mysterious place) Morgan: “You can see the columns in the background.  Picture is kind of washed out. “  (I am beginning to get pretty suspicious at this point – what’s this boy hiding?)

Natalie: but where is it?  is there a website? (That’s a fair question, right?  But Morgan apparently wants my full approval before letting me in on it.)

Morgan:“I can’t find a website…I’m trying to find out more info about it.  Do you like it?” (bs!!)

Natalie: It’s pretty – but where is it at?  Why won’t you say that?  You’re getting the pictures from somewhere goofy (ah-ha! Figured out how to find the picture…a little clicking and…)

Natalie:  We’re NOT getting married at UW

Morgan: Wtf, how did you figure that out? (your girlfriend is smarter than you think)

Morgan: And why not! It’s really pretty!http://www.washington.edu/newsroom/tour/sylvan.html

http://elizatruitt.wordpress.com/2008/07/20/wedding-rachel-bryan/.   

Natalie: Right click on a picture – “view source”… i knew it was from a link, cuz when i saw the email come in the little pop-up showed a link a the message and then it was a picture.  but i didn’t get a good enough look at the link to see what it was… but i found it (very proud of myself at this point) 

 

 

Morgan: It’s all enclouse by trees and lets light through.  You can’t even see any of the school when you’re in there.  It would be really pretty and unique. (so unique that this other picture was just a pretend wedding and it’s not been used by die-hard Husky fans before?)  

 

 

Morgan: I NEVER said OSU wasn’t pretty.  Show me pictures. 

Natalie: I love you, but no.  Going to happy hour now… I’ll see you in about an hour.  Kisses

Morgan: You’re JUST against it because it is UW.  You’re lame. (what? No.  I wasn’t serious about getting married at OSU… you know how much ridicule I’d receive for that? Plus, I’d only consider that if we were both Beavs or both Huskies.  I just don’t wanna be so far away from my family…)

Natalie: No, it is VERY pretty but I don’t want to get married on a college campus regardless.  As sweet as this page is…and as much as I love my Beavs.. I wouldn’t want it.  http://mccloudphotography.blogspot.com/2007/11/sean-and-lindseys-wedding-at-reser.html.  (actually, now that I think about it, I have spent lots of time there since I was a little kid, it is a large part of my life.  Hmm, maybe it could work, but…)

Morgan: At least the one I pointed out wasn’t a Stadium!!!! (and that was Morgan’s final email on the subject but the debate rages on… )

Natalie: It IS pretty but so is OSU… so we could get married there.  ya that’s a good idea.  

NBC Hates the West Coast

So I don’t know about the rest of you, but I love the Olympics.  I can’t wait for it to come on and leave it on all evening.  But this year I think that the Pacific Time zoners have gotten the shaft.  Not only do we get NO live coverage of ANY Olympic event (don’t check out ESPN or you’ll know who wins before you get to watch it).  They also delay our coverage for 3 hours to make it “Prime Time”.  Ok, so I think I missed the memo, but when did prime time become 10pm and later!?  Coverage starts at 8pm (with the “lesser” events) and by 10pm we finally get to what we’ve (I’ve) been waiting for – swimming and gymnastics.  At 11:40 last night, I looked at the clock, the men had finished 2 of 6 rotations in gymnastics - this was NOT going to be done by 12.  I woke up at 1:15am, the tv was still on and coverage of the events was STILL going. 

Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but wouldn’t they get better ratings if they started the coverage at 6 instead of 8!?  I mean come on, I’m dying at 11:30 just waiting for them to finish up.  NBC needs to get their heads on straight and realize not only does their coverage force you to watch what they want (ie jumping back and forth between events, not even allowing you to finish one and find out scores), but they also alienate a wider audience by playing the main events super late. 

I plan on writing them and complaining, and if you feel so inclined here’s the email address: nbcolympicsfeedback@nbcuni.com.  And maybe one day they’ll realize we’re part of the USA too.  Meanwhile, nobody better check ESPN and tell me if Michael gets his next medal or not – you will definitely be on my D list.  Seriously.

B-day Shenanigans

It’s the morning of my 26th birthday, and as my cousin put it last year on her 26th, we’re closer to 30 now than we are to 20.  No longer can we say we’re in our “early 20s”.  I know, tragedy.

This morning started like any other day.  Hit the snooze button until 6:37, finally dragged myself out of bed, excited to wear the new outfit I’d bought.  Yes! its a nice day out.  Dressed in my cute new skirt & top, Morgan and I ate breakfast together.  Reading “The Office” quote of the day, Cocoa Puffs and milk… mmm almost feeling as young as I did when I was closer to 20.

I rinse my bowl out as usual, say good-bye to Morgan. After blow-drying my hair, I brush my teeth to get that cereal taste out of my mouth… when what to my wondering eyes did appear?!  A spot! On my new shirt!  On my birthday!  It must have come from the milk or the water when rinsing the bowl.  It was tiny, but harrumph, I wanted it gone.  So I did what any normal person would and put water on it.  As I was watching it dry, holding the blow dryer to it, so it would go away quicker (I have tried this before, it worked great), I realized not only was it not going away, it was leaving a water ring on the outside of the now much larger spot.  I wait awhile, trying to adjust the shirt so the spot was under my lady lumps.  Maybe, I could throw it in the wash, so that it would “evenly” fade.  But no time was of the essence by this point and nothing I could do would work quick enough.  I had to give up.  I changed my clothes and hurriedly tried to leave for work (I was already running late by this point).  When almost out the door, the cat found me and began his “meow attack” – food, dang it!  That finished, I realized I left my purse downstairs and had to descend again to retrieve it.  Ok lunch, cell, ipod, purse, keys… we’re good to go – finally.

After all that I was really only 12 min. late getting to work.  It definitely was an abnormal start to a day that is supposed to be filled with rainbows and butterflies.  No worries though, in the end, I still feel pretty cute – got a “new” skirt from Anna and paired it up with a white shirt in an attempt to mimic an Eva Mendes outfit I’d seen in my searching through the annals of “Style Watch” on People.  Oh yeah, almost got it, except after all that, I left my sunglasses at home.

Glass Ceilings and Such

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about the women in my life, and sometimes I feel that the women’s right movement did us ladies, somewhat of a disservice.  Now don’t get me wrong, I believe that we, as women, should be able to do whatever we want with our lives.  But there are other times where I wish it was just as clean cut as with the Cleavers.  I know that June Cleaver has been ridiculed a lot for being that housewife in pearls, dress and heals, but I think, she often had more power and control in that family than most people give her credit for, plus walking in heels makes for pretty nice calves.  And when she is made fun of, it always leaves me with the impression that her choice was wrong.  Sometimes I wonder, if it would just be simpler if we, as women, didn’t have to choose between being full-time moms/wives or career women.  Of course, many decide to tackle both, but I often wonder if they ever feel as if they are missing something.  Either they are feeling as if they aren’t able to be there enough for their children and husbands or that they are not able to completely focus on their career, due to the need to take care of a family.  This then leads me to wonder how it will be for me and how I’ll deal if I decide to split my time or if I decide to pull the June Cleaver, and become a completely satisfied housewife.

As I am approaching a more mature stage in my life and have begun thinking about what do I want in my life, I’ve thought more and more about the women in my life.  If you’d asked me in high school, I would have told you I was going to college to get my MRS, but as I got into college, I suddenly found something I was passionate about – Accounting (I know, call me nerdy).  And from then, my drive was centered more on that, being the best I could in class and landing a job at one of the Big 4.  Little did I know, I would “fail” the MRS in college? In the end, I know it was for the best.  During the more recent process of looking for a job, the questions of what direction do you want to take and where do you want to be in 5 years came up.  I was lost, having no idea what my long term goals were.  Honestly, sometimes I feel like I just want to be in a comfortable job, decent work, decent challenge and decent pay, to then step out of that to become a mom when the time is right.  But then again, I start to wonder if that is what I really want…

I have some great women as examples in my life, those who have chosen a family-career, a work-career and those who have done both.  I am amazed at how blessed I am to have them and am gleaning all I can from what they teach me.  First, of course, is my mother.  For those of you who have met her, you’ll know she is one of the most Godly, loving, caring, thoughtful, quiet, and gentle women I know.  She is the definition of helpmate and companion to my father.  She’s the perfect hostess and she balances the work/wife/mom thing very well.  She is my friend and I greatly admire her, knowing her shoes would be difficult ones to fill.  We are different and yet, so much alike its crazy scary sometimes.  If I had half her ability at being a loving wife, thoughtful mom, housekeeper, meal planner, volunteer, teacher and working woman, all with a smile on her face and joy in her heart… I would feel satisfied with my life.

Next, are 4 women who I have had the pleasure of getting to know more recently.  The Fowler/Sargent/Larimer women are some amazing ones.  They are strong, independent, knowledgeable, smart, and all have their own opinions.  Not to mention, they are also very wise, loving, hospitable, fun to be with and have great senses of humor.  I could have not hand picked a better hoped-to-be-mother-in-law, and get to know Helene better all the time, as I’m living at her house   She has been a stay-at-home mom and yet, her thirst for knowledge and to continually improve herself always amazes me.  It lets me know that one can be thoroughly fulfilled by choosing to be a mother and wife (and definitely part activities coordinator, chef, babysitter, & cheerleader).  I feel completely accepted by both sisters and sister-in-law, and wish we saw them all more often.  Loving being around my own family, I don’t feel like I’ve gone too far when I get to be amidst theirs.  I have had the chance to spend the most time with Anna and already know there is so much I can learn from her.  I love watching her interaction with her children and husband.  I am discovering why Morgan so greatly admires his brother’s family.

Last, is someone I really don’t know too well, but what I do know is that she’s a driven woman.  She’s the Corporate Controller, next in line to the Company CFO here at WaMu.  I have only been at my new job for a month or so, and the other day, as I was thinking about what my career goals were, I steered away from the typical, “want to just be happy and complacent” to thinking that this woman is great example of a smart leader, who I believe is also a mother and wife.  Melissa is that person who would be a first choice as a mentor.  I look forward to getting to know her better.  From what I have perceived so far, is that in my first few days she made a point to talk to me and welcome me to the team.  She remembers my name, smiles when she sees me and even stops me in Starbucks just to say hi.  She is very put together and has a contagious smile, I know she’s busy and with the financial industry as it is, I’m sure her job has a lot of stress but as far as top down leadership goes, it appears she’s got it down.

Which leaves me in my quandry.  While I still have no idea where my life will take me or what I really want in the long run, I will continue to look to the women in my life, those who have been there and those who are like me, and still going through it.  Making our way in this new society where nothing is clean cut and so many choices must be made.  We will be each other’s strength as we feel that pull to be mothers and wives, while still keeping our career on track.  To those women  I know, thank you for being such amazing people.  I know I take for granted how much the women around me know sometimes, because I know, the next time I have a question… I will be going to one of those women for an answer.

You know what really grinds my gears?

Riding the bus. Yes, I know, it is super convenient. I save on gas, parking, avoid traffic, its good for the environment, I get to read… but still, it sucks. I’ve learned since my early bus days back in May 2008 that there is no such thing as bus etiquette. I mean, yes, there are the “please give up these seats for the elderly and disabled signs” and the “report suspicious activity” and even the “be courteous when using your cell phones”. But amidst all these “tips”, I find that most bus riders are ruthless and impolite.

Take for instance getting on the bus. I arrive each morning to the
Northgate Park & Ride (thanks to Morgan’s advice this is much better than the Northgate transit center – small wording change, big difference in the number of people). It’s usually just after 7 when I join the group or sometimes stand there with the few who missed the last bus. Usually, a line starts to form to one side… except for those few who find it their duty to “wander” all the way into the crowd, completely disregarding the line. Now, I’m ok with the little old lady having problems walking, but the young dudes? Come on, there’s a line!
The arrival of the bus and everyone’s a flutter – finding their tickets (some $1.75 in nickels) and getting into battle formation to be the first on the bus. You think cutting in line is bad at an amusement park with teenagers? Try a King County bus! Being the ever aware, I pay attention to who was there first, and figure, they should be allowed on first and so forth. Not so for most passengers, if you’re early its no different than if you arrived at the last minute. The boarding line is fair game. And at this point in the buses route, its usually empty enough for the 10-15 people gathered to all get a seat (though not necessarily the preferable forward facing ones). At first I thought, this is silly, I’ll just not push and get on just fine. Then I realized, you end up in the seat next to the fat &/or smelly person. I have learned to be ok with sitting sideways or sitting in the middle part of the bus that turns.

I see many of the same faces in the morning, the gay-Andy Bernard w/ his crazy color ties, button down shirt and pants that are too tight and too short, the lady with the legs so white I stared for a whole 3 minutes trying to determine if she was wearing white tights or not and of course, lets not forget the guy with the Louis Vuitton man purse (too small for a laptop, too big to be a wallet). Yes there are some normal people, and those who work at WaMu as well… all are interesting and I like to steal glances at those around between pages of my book.

Now that we are all settled on the bus, we make a few more stops and fill up whatever seats remain before all hell breaks loose at the transit center. There some 40 passengers “patiently” wait in line for the next bus. I’m not really sure what goes on in the bus driver’s mind sometimes. This dude/dudette drives a bus that comes every 4 minutes. Yes, that’s right folks, 4 min. Not 10, not 30 – 4. Not exactly a long lapse of time. But EVERY time, he attempts to get those 40 waiting passengers onto the standing room only bus. Except for those middle of the bus turny seats, or the seat in the middle back – I’ve seen people choose to stand in 4″ heels rather than sit in those. So there the rest of us sit, waiting, seeing butts and bags shuffle past our faces, ducking to miss the elbows – as the bus driver tells everyone to push back. People looking perplexed as there usually is no where else to push. But he lets the passengers keep boarding so that they are standing near the door, past that “do not cross” yellow line. By the time he finally turns someone away, the next bus (the same bus line) is behind us!! Really, did we need to load down like this? It definitely makes the bus go slower and inevitably that bus that pulled up behind us will pass us on the freeway and all those anxious pushy people will have made it there first. Where, I ask, is the logic in all this?

We have finally made it to the freeway. I’m grateful, as I usually pick those high up seats where my feet don’t quite touch and the turns make it difficult for me to stay put. But by this point, I’m reading and the ride is decently pleasant. On the way to work, people are quiet and the only noise is the bus and those few who want to make sure they are deaf by the time they are 25. Rides home on the other hand, people must be awake and desperate to talk about their days. The 2 16-year-old discussing their friends’ sex life, the girlfriend talking non-stop (she actually got to the point of describing all the items on her sandwich that day, the boyfriend didn’t look amused and neither was I, her voice was extremely grating and loud, I heard her as she continued rambling on long after we got off the bus), or the young boys making a ruckus as they yell and then push their way off the bus… all the “pleasantries” I enjoy on the bus ride home. But the worst of all are the homeless people. Now I understand, for homeless, it’s a suitable way to get around downtown – ride free and its out of the elements… but to ride the bus from downtown to the ‘burbs (or vice versa), seems incredulous to me. There were the 2 dudes who sat in the back, doing something unpleasant, causing 2 ladies to find new seats (even taking the middle bus ones), and then proceeding to tell everyone to close the windows – hot boxing with homeless stench – great. Today’s ride had to take the cake though. This morning as I sat between a nerdy dude and an Asian girl who looked like she was 12, I thought, oh, this guy smells a little, great, I sat next to smelly guy. Little did I know the who would soon be in the back? Older, definitely dirty and looking oh, so unhealthy, he reeked. Not just sweaty gross… but peeing pants gross. Yes, the smell of nerdy dude was far surpassed by the stench of urine. After watching a few people rub their noses at the foul stench, a man finally opened a window during the 20mph crawl on the freeway. I’m surprised that everybody didn’t cheer, like in ‘What About Bob?’, when this guy got off… but they didn’t, they just started breathing again.

Finally, arriving at the end of my journey, there is still the disembarking line up, which is just as competitive as the boarding. People stand up long before the stop is reached, swaying with the bus as they hold onto that precious spot in line. I can’t say that I’m not just as ready to get off the bus, and I’ve learned the only reason I really care to get off earlier (that’s what…), is to catch the cross walk signal, which comes quite infrequently (again, that’s… ). Riding the bus with Morgan, he confirmed what I hated most about it and I was glad to realize I wasn’t the only person out there who thought the bus etiquette was sorely lacking. While, yes, the bus is cheap and convenient, all the crap that goes along with it really grinds my gears.

Sweeter than a tall, 1pump vanilla, whole milk, lt caramel, caramel macchiato

It was on the way back from getting coffee today that I began to realize the full benefit of living up here in Seattle – ♥seeing Morgan every day♥.  This week he has been working downtown, so we have enjoyed our little lunch times, coffee rendevous’, and occasionally, a shared bus ride home (when he’s not working too late).

I would say life has been treating us pretty well (except my house isn’t sold yet and still the yard must be maintained).  We keep each other motivated to work out (me at my TurboJam, him training for the upcoming marathon’s), then we make dinner together, and last, we save money because we also make our lunches every day.  I’ve never been so on top of it in my life (that’s what she said).  We’re enjoying, and appreciating the hospitality of the Fowler’s, and come this weekend Morgan will be living in his own space at his friend Brandon’s house.  My plans to move out are solely based on the Portland Real Estate market.

Outside of playing Guitar Hero, watching Entourage and various netflix movies at night, work seems to be going fine (for me that is).  I get in around 8, leave at 5 and have a lunch break (note the blog at noon).  On the way to work, I’ve enjoyed picking up the habit of something new – reading.  I figure since I’ve passed my CPA (oh yeah, I PASSED MY CPA!!!!), I have earned the right to read again and am thoroughly enjoying the 20min bus ride.   At work, it’s been slow to pick up, but I’m starting to get work passed over, nothing too complicated.  The team is nice, and they are lively, so I fit in just fine.

All-in-all, life is pretty good.  I get to talk to Hillary every day and have been able to see people when I’ve visited (though I can ALWAYS get some more of that! ).  I still get the benefits of Deloitte w/o the side effects – baseball games, alcohol, hearing about the computer issues and yet not having any of them .  I miss you all and always enjoy any contact!  I’ve figured out the messenging system and you can find me distracting myself from work at google talk.  Wish us luck, as this weekend the parents all get to meet each other over a little Father’s Day brunch!