Graduation Gratitude

I was the first in my family to graduate with a bachelor’s degree and last weekend I became the first in my family to graduate with my master’s degree.  I never thought I’d have my master’s degree by the time I was 25 but I’m so happy and proud that I do.  It’s been a long road to get here but I’ve had a lot of support along the way.   

This degree was a bit different for me because it was my own choosing.  My B.A. was too, but I felt like that was more of an expectation whereas this degree was just for me, something I wanted for my future, my career, and just because I could.  It was something extra.

When I was ordering my gown there was an option to purchase a stole of gratitude.  While I partially think this is just to suck more money out of the already broke students, it really is a great theory.  The stole is to be warn during the ceremony and then written on and given to someone who assisted the student along the way.  I put in the long nights, the hours of studying, and sat through a five hour night class for weeks.  But, nothing is ever really done alone and I’d like to take this opportunity for my blog of gratitude (much cheaper than the stole!).

The past three semesters have been a bit hectic and were quite a balancing act. There were times I wasn’t sure I was going to make it through the semester and I figured if I did my sanity would be lost along the way.  There were times I wanted to quit but I just couldn’t because that’s not how I roll!  I knew I wouldn’t be happy with myself if I didn’t give it my all so I did and somehow I made it!  My crazy organization skills and love of list making came in handy keeping me focused.  I’m also super lucky to have such supportive people in my life who were rooting for me!

Many nights when I was too tired to do anything else, Mr. C has gotten lunches ready for the next day or finished the laundry so I didn’t have to wait up for it.   I’ve appreciated this even more because he’s also working a full-time job, tutoring on the side, and is currently a student as well.  He’s a great listener and got plenty of practice over the last year or so when multiple things were stressing me out and I’d need to vent or just ramble which is my standard.  He made me make time for fun and even helped with my minimal procrastination.   He’s a pretty great husband and I’m sure I don’t say that enough! 

My friend Ms. M was one of my greatest cheerleaders, encouraging me to pursue my dreams, never dismissing my crazy ideas as “crazy” and attempting to help me decipher my stats book when I just wanted to give up (which was too often this semester).  Sometimes it was just nice to know that the statistics problem really wasn’t solvable and it wasn’t just me!  She’s been a great reminder of what a true friend looks like and I’m so grateful for that.

My parents have encouraged me in their own way.  My dad made sure to ask me how my grades were and I was proud when I reported back.  My mom cheered me on when I was tired, stressed, and taking on too much.  I’d occasionally shoot down her ideas but she has some good ones now and then.  I don’t think either one of them had a clue what my actual degree was until the last semester but I THINK they have it down now.  They flew out for my graduation and my dad even let me take a picture with him.  That’s a miracle in itself!  My mom, like Mr. C., did a lot of listening to my rambling and that probably deserves an award.

I appreciated the congratulatory calls, emails, cards, and FB posts too.   Thanks to everyone who helped me celebrate and put up with my flakiness during the past year and a half! 

I’m now looking forward to having some spare time to focus on all the goals that got pushed to the side while I was focusing on school.  Scrapbooking, reading my tons of unread books, using my millions of cookbooks, working out, taking walks with the puppy, and spending a Saturday simply playing games and watching TV on the couch (yes, I understand this does not fit well with my working out goal) are at the top of my list.  Well, all of this AFTER we move because I haven’t seen much spare time lately.  Oh, and writing more!  More posts to come soon including our super fun trip to Bearizona with super cute pics of the baby bears!

 So, here’s to the end of the semester (specifically that horrible stats class!), the earning of my degree, and the wonderful support I had along the way. 

Mrs. C., M.Ed. 

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!   Although it's technically Mother's day, today I’m also thankful for my mother-in-law (of course!), grandparents, aunts, and friends who have touched my life in their own motherly way and I am so grateful for their presence in my life.  And of course, I’m super thankful for my mother. 

With everything that’s been going on lately my mom got jipped on a mom blog on her birthday.  Luckily, mother’s day is here to save me! 

I wasn’t exactly the easiest child.  I’m fairly terrified that my child will be like me and that’s a very scary thought.  The biggest issue was that I didn’t go to bed.  I didn’t like going to bed because I was scared of the boogie man, monsters, and someone abducting me.  That last one was Oprah’s fault because she had a special about child abductions.  One night in particular I refused to go to bed because I was just sure I’d be abducted.   My tired, frustrated mother decided to use logic and math to fix the situation.  She asked me how many nights I had slept safely in my bed.  I stared blankly at her.  She was asking ridiculous questions.  She then asked how old I was.  I think I was 7 or something like that so that’s what I responded.  She asked me how many days were in a year.  365…are we going somewhere with this?  Then she told me to multiply those.  I can’t even multiply those in my head NOW so I’m not sure what she was thinking.  She caught on and did it herself.  She probably just made up some number but I was 7 and believed her because she was usually right back then.  So, by her calculations I had been safe for 389,541 nights and therefore I had no reason to believe that tonight would be any different.  I quickly corrected her by stating that I had had so many safe nights that I was bound to be in for an unsafe one where some bad guy would of course find the house, know my window, and abduct me.   I may have been little but I believed what I believed.  This happened quite frequently and I’m pretty sure it’s the thing that wore here down the most.  I don’t remember what happened next but I think she finally gave up n frustration.  It’s amazing she even talks to me now.

I was also pretty picky with food and one day announced that I was going to be a vegetarian.  I had never really liked meat but after learning more about the process of getting a cute little cow to be turned into a burger I never wanted to eat the stuff again.  I figured citing animal cruelty might get me a pass on the steak they kept trying to get me to eat.  Up until then I would eat about half of my meat and throw the other half under the table.  We had a cat but he couldn’t eat all the steak.  I should have lobbied for another cat or cleaned up my mess later but I never thought of that.  One day my mom found my meat pile that the cat hadn’t had a chance to clean up yet.  I was in big trouble then and she started checking under the table regularly.  She never figured out that I was instead putting it in my napkin.  Eventually I choked on steak one day, my mom watched as my aunt did the Heimlich maneuver, and I never had to eat it again.  Had I known that, I would have choked long before.   These are the ideas I came up with. I once broke a plate so I could get out of dish duty.  It backfired though – I still had to do dishes and I got in trouble.

So this is the type of child that I was. Obviously I had my good times which must have far outnumbered the bad.  Even with my issues and annoyances my mother was amazing and I have so many good memories.  I remember her taking me to the Nutcracker with my aunt and cousin one Christmas.  She always tried her best to make holidays special, even the small ones.  Christmas has always been a magical time of year for me and I attribute this to the wonderful memories I have of decorating, baking, and the traditions that were created during this time.  I’d get cards for every holiday which is probably why I’m addicted to cards myself.  I’d find notes in my lunches when I was little and she’d frequently cut my sandwich into a heart which was super awesome.  She always takes the time to go the extra mile and it’s obvious that she does what she does because of love.

I laugh at her for calling Facebook facepage and for always forgetting how to upload pictures to her computer.  I laugh when I go to the store with her and she talks to everyone around her and says something funny and slightly embarrassing to the checker.  But, she’s my mom and she wouldn’t be the same without this.

As I’ve gotten older our relationship has changed and although I always know that she’s there for me as a parent, watching out for my best interests, it’s become more of a friendship.  I call her for advice and although she can’t always solve my problems, she is always there to listen.  I can’t imagine my life without my mother.  She’s always been my biggest supporter and she’s always pushed me, even when it meant I’d be leaving her….even when it meant that I’d call crying and tell her that she abandoned me.  She’s listened to my anxious ramblings more times than I could ever count.  She’s never taken the easy way out and I know she’s sacrificed a lot (mostly her sanity) to get me to where I am now.   I think she deserves some sort of award!

This mother’s day I’m so very grateful that God has blessed me with such a wonderful mother.  I love you mom!

Growing Up Sucks

When I was little I wanted to grow up so I could make my own decisions and be on my own and live an exciting, grand life. Now some days I long to be little again when I don’t have to make decisions or be responsible or take care of myself.   The past couple weeks have been a couple of the most stressful weeks of my life.  I’m entering finals time, working overtime at work, and Mr. C and I had a huge decision to make regarding a possible move to Colorado that we’ve been dreaming of for a very long time.  I’ve never been so sleep deprived and at a point I wasn’t even eating.  I’m not one of those people who stops eating when they’re stressed so this was quite shocking! 

It seemed as if things were falling into place time-wise, but it still didn’t feel right.  My mind was racing and my decision flip-flopped constantly.  I have never been so annoyed with myself!  I was worried about making the wrong decision that we’d both have to live with and then later regretting it.  I didn’t want to pass up a great opportunity but I also didn’t want to jump in blind and forget the many risks I kept trying to push to the back of my mind.

Mr. C came home Thursday night to find me incredibly stressed and so very confused.   Somewhere I came up with an idea to just drive to Colorado in the hopes that when we arrived we’d know if the move was right for us at this point.  He’s pretty used to my crazy ideas and he went with it.  I love how supportive he is, even when I'm not always making sense.  Saturday morning we took off for Colorado.  My aunt had been telling us that we were welcome anytime and we really tested her on this!  The ride was actually fairly quiet save for the amazing playlist I had going.  I guess we were both deep in thought.  The closer we got, the more sure we were that the move was the right choice.  Sunday we drove around, talked a lot, and called our parents for advice that we didn’t really get.  Parents should have all the answers, or at least that’s my belief!  They didn’t want to sway us though and there wasn’t really a “right” answer.  We tried to be logical – we made a budget comparing AZ to CO and a list of pros and cons that we rated on a scale of 1 to 10.  Serious stuff here!  Mr. C hates to do this but we did it anyhow.  The budget pointed to AZ and logically we knew it was the realistic, predictable choice.  In a way it was easier, but at the same time it was harder because it wasn’t what we wanted or what we had been looking forward to.

Monday we took off to drive around town again and told my aunt we’d have a decision when we returned.  I felt that things were getting clearer, even if my mind was still holding a battle of its own.  It was crazy to think that we’d have an answer in a few hours when I had gone a full week without a definite answer.   Honestly every five minutes I’d flip-flop.  It was exhausting.

My dad wasn’t up for giving much advice in the hopes of not influencing me but he suggested that I decide for myself and Mr. C decide and we then compare our answers.  This wasn’t too helpful because we both had been so lost.  Finally that morning I had a decision that didn’t change for over two hours, meaning that it was my record.  I wanted to take a risk and go for it, hoping the struggle wouldn't be as bad as we though.  Mr. C told me he thought we should stay – he wanted to go but the financial issues of the  were hard to ignore.  We talked and realized we both desperately wanted to take a chance and that CO was where we wanted to eventually raise a family (not happening soon though, so don’t hold your breath) but we both knew that financially it was not the right time for us. The part of town we wanted to and could live in with also being able to eat was so far from the job I was offered.  We could make it work but it would be so hard and very unpredictable in an already unpredictable economy.   Because we didn’t want to settle down in that area, it’d be so much harder too because we’d be paying more to live there when it wasn’t really a city we could afford and wanted to settle down in.  I’d be spending a minimum of 1.5 hours driving each way and we’d be saving every penny.  We’d be existing but not thriving.  It was the hardest decision we’ve ever made but we made it anyhow.

We made the hard decision to stay, although we’re still sticking with our goal of making the transition when it’s right for us.  Whether that happens in a year or five years, I’m proud of the way we worked together and made a responsible decision.  The reasons for moving are still the same, however at this point we’ve set a new plan for the future with new goals.  We’re saving our pennies, know the area that’s realistic for us, and we’re excited for the future but also for the present.  We have a much clearer idea of exactly where we want to be and how to get there and clarity is always a good thing!  I am excited to enjoy the friends and family we have right here that I would have missed so much.

So although our timeline and current goals have changed, I’m not giving up.  My mom is always the first to remind me that I’ve always gone after what I’ve want.  So, for awhile I’m looking forward to some time of enjoying life without classes, finally working on my scrapbooks, playing games, sleeping, time to actually work out and lazy afternoons with Mr. C.  We’re regrouping for awhile but still determined.  I’m certainly not about to start giving up now. 

Having Faith

Having faith can be very hard.  Trusting that someone has things under control even when you feel like things are spiraling out of control or seem hopeless can be a very hard thing to do.  Even when time and time again things work out, it’s still hard to remember that they always work out, and that they’ll work out this time too.  That’s something I’ve struggled with a lot in the past six months, but everything up to this point has worked out.  It might not have been my timeline but it’s worked out and for that I’m so thankful.  Having faith can be a hard thing though.

I was so excited when we started car shopping before my 16^th birthday.  I had saved money and we had a budget.  I was going to get the most amazing car ever.  Then I saw what my money could buy and my hopes became a little less high.  We looked at so many different dealerships and nothing stood out.  Everything we found was too much or in bad shape or something or other.  I was convinced that I wouldn’t find a car when I turned 16.  I imagined myself an old woman with no car still.  After a couple months we took a trip to a dealership a couple hours away.  I was so frustrated and beginning to think we should just stop looking for awhile.  That’s when I saw it, a purple car I fell in love with AND it had a sunroof.  I hadn’t even dreamed of a sunroof!  I was ecstatic.  We negotiated and long story short, I drove that car to school the day I turned 16 (after I got the license of course!).

A couple years later I was getting ready to graduate and go to college.  I had dreamt about going to AZ for years although I could never come up with a very concrete reason for that.  I just knew that I wanted to leave my little town and Arizona was the destination I had in mind.  I had worked hard through high school and had hoped for a scholarship.  I was ecstatic the day I got a letter in the mail informing me of my scholarship to ASU.  ASU hadn’t been my first choice of schools in AZ but it had some great benefits and in the end I decided it was the best option for me.  Obviously the move worked out great because it’s where I met Mr. C and I honestly can’t imagine my life without him.   My original choice of schools had been U of A, but then I never would have met Mr. C or so many other people that have touched my life.  Everything worked out, and it was even better than I could have imagined.  Clearly someone was guiding me. 

When I approached my college graduation, I job searched for months.  I actually had a white board with every place I had applied at written down.  It began as a way to keep track of where I had applied, however after time I began to refer to it as “the rejection board”.  From time to time, I’d look at that and feel sorry for myself and worry about what I was going to do once I graduated.  I wanted a job in the design field so bad but it just wasn’t working out.  I ended up getting a full time spot at the place I had worked at through college.  I loved the office, the people, and I already knew what I was doing so although it wasn’t the high profile design job I may have wanted, it was a job I enjoyed and I think that’s saying a lot.  I was extra grateful when design studios began laying people off and I knew I was safe in my job.  Again, things worked out.  Not in the way I had planned, but so much better.

I come up with weird, random ideas all the time.  There was the time I wanted to move to Chicago and informed Mr. C. of my plan.  He just went along with it, probably hoping it would all blow over soon enough.  It did once I looked at the price of apartments there. 

Somehow I decided one day that I wanted to be a teacher.  I looked into it and found this program that sounded too good to be true where I’d go to school while teaching full-time.  I found a position after the semester had already started; I would be the 3^rd teacher or so to attempt the position.  Things weren’t working out with paperwork and although the school had offered to guide me, especially in the beginning since I had no training, they weren’t really holding up their end of the bargain and I hadn’t even begun yet.  I felt alone, confused, and had no one to help me.  It was so terrible and over in a second.  I had known that something felt wrong from the beginning but I wanted it so bad.  As it turns out; maybe I should have listened to that little voice.  You can only fight so much.  At a certain point God must figure, ok, I’m running out of obstacles and she’s not getting this through her mind.  I’ll give her what she wants and see how long it takes to realize it’s not really the answer she wanted.

So here we are now, at another crossroads.  Waiting to see what happens.  It’s coming down to the wire and I feel like I’m thinking in terms of maybes all the time.  I’m not sure what the plan is for the future but this time it’s so much different.  I’m remembering the times when things worked out, when someone was guiding me and the path was perfect.  This time I’ve learned to let go and trust that it will all be okay, or I’m trying to do this anyhow.  The answer might not be what I want right now, but it might be the unexpected answer I really need.  This time I’m just going with the flow, something that’s not easy for a girl who likes her ducks in a straight little row months ahead of time.   This time I’m recognizing that if it all falls into place, it’s probably meant to be, and if not then that’s probably a sign.  Either way I’m not trying to be the one in control, and not pretending that I have a clue about anything.  This time around I’m clueless and it’s perfectly fine with me because I know that God has big plans for me and will help me figure out where I need to be!

The dramas of shopping with men

Mr. C and I recently took a trip to The Container Store.  If you haven’t been there, The Container Store is simply amazing.  It’s super organized and has the most beautiful closets ever.  Well, they aren’t real closets…they’re samples of how great your closet could look if you shop with them.  It’s almost like heaven for me. 

Mr. C and I talked about selling some of our bedroom furniture we’ve outgrown and getting new stuff that fits in our house when we actually buy a house.  I figured that we should start finding something to keep our clothes in during the transition period between dressers since it’ll be a good 6 months, if not more.  Enter The Container Store. 

We walk into the store and I can already tell that Mr. C is not as excited as I am (shocking I know).  As I begin pointing out all the amazing products in the store he shoots me a look of boredom before asking me to focus and reminding me why we’re there.  What he doesn’t understand is that there might be some amazing product out there I didn’t know about that I could discover on this trip!  We finally find the plastic drawers I had been looking for.  As I examine them and decide which color would be best, he looks at the price ($16.50), gasps, and asks me if I’m crazy.  He then proceeds to tell me that he is NOT paying that much for plastic drawers and he will find his own storage.  To his credit, they were pricey, BUT I checked Target and those were just as bad (Yes, I do know there are more stores than Target)!  We walk down the aisles and search for other options.  Upon finding none, he proudly tells me that he’ll just keep his clothes in crates.  I figure I’ve got him now because I know he is clueless about the price of crates in this store.  I happily offer to walk him to the crates where I point out the $10 price tag.  He does something dramatic again and then turns around to find a $5 tub.  He tells me that he will use these tubs because they’re much more realistically priced.  Unfortunately for him he had failed to realize that those $5 tubs had no lids.  Well, they didn’t have full lids anyhow.  They had little flaps that really only functioned for stacking purposes.  He practically yelled at the top of his lungs, “where’s the rest of the lid?!?”.  At this point the sales people really thought we were weird….and probably figured we were not buying anything.  This conversation officially ended when Mr. C told me he had decided to use the floor because it's FREE.  I'm super looking forward to living in an apartment where the floor is the only means of storage.  Score for me.

We wandered down some more aisles and he stopped to play with the trash cans.  I found one that was motion sensored and told Mr. C that mine was cooler than the one he was currently playing with.  He walked over to argue with me, realized that it was motion sensored and his eyes lit up.  I think he even gasped again.  Every single time we walked by the trash can he had to wave his hand over the motion thing. We walked by at least five more times.  I think three of those times we were walking by just to visit the trash can.  I felt like I was with a toddler.  At least it would be acceptable to put a leash on a toddler though.

I realized then he was not only a lost cause but he was also totally embarrassing me.  I figured it was time to leave and we began walking towards the door.  That’s when I realized he was no longer next to or behind me.  Of course he wasn’t, he was in the bungee chairs bouncing up and down with a huge grin on his face.  Awesome.  I should have known.

Sedona in the Spring and #58

It’s so sad that as I’m writing about our last Sedona getaway I’m thinking that we need another!  Life has been so packed full of things lately that I haven’t had much time for relaxing or even packing for that matter!   Our weekend was wonderful though and I’m so glad we somehow fit it into our packed schedules!

I’m very stingy with my vacation time.  Usually I save it all up for something important, like visiting family in the summer or Christmas.  I have so many people that I miss seeing during the year that I figure if I’m going to go to the work to fly back and spend time with family and friends, I better have lots of time to do it!  I think I can count on one hand the number of days I’ve taken off when I wasn’t going home or to California for an actual vacation.  Mr. C and I picked a weekend to go to Sedona (this time when there would not be snow).  I was so excited and even had it written in my calendar – in permanent marker!  Then I realized that I hadn’t booked the room which was pretty important because I’m not the camping type.  Mr. C called to book and found out we had waited too long because Saturday night wasn’t available anymore.  Eventually we decided to go Friday instead which meant that I’d have to take Friday off (gasp!).  Although I felt guilty since I didn’t really NEED the time, I did it anyhow and I’m so glad I did!

We had a plan this time around and it worked out perfectly!  We drove to Sedona in the morning and arrived around 1, just in time for a picnic!  We had stopped at AJ’s on the way up and picked up a few delicious things which tasted even better than they looked.  We drove up 89A which is a scenic drive along Oak Creek with tons of trees and red rocks in the background.  We got lucky and even found a table for our picnic.  This was very fortunate because I forgot to bring a blanket in my Sedona/picnic excitement.  The food was delicious and we got to enjoy the sounds of the creek as we ate.  Mr. C’s favorite was the mini fruit tarts which he scarfed down pretty quick.

After lunch we continued driving down the windy 89A and found a great spot to stop.  We walked awhile and came to this beautiful spot on the creek.  The water was crystal clear and all we could hear was the sound of the creek. 


Mr. C got a little crazy with the camera and took about a million pictures.  I got a few in :)

We headed to our B & B and checked in so we could wander around for awhile before dinner.   We stayed at the same one as last time and it was just as nice as I remembered.  We sat outside for awhile and had planned to watch the sunset but the clouds apparently didn’t agree with our plans.  We were able to spot some ducks though and enjoyed the creek.  Here’s the beautiful view we saw from our patio. Unfortunately I couldn’t capture the sound of the creek to put online! 

We had another delicious home cooked breakfast the next morning and after checking out we spent some time at the art galleries picking out the art we’d buy when (not if, WHEN) we win the lottery someday.  We finished our trip uptown at the ice cream shop where we were mistaken for locals.   We were both pretty excited we didn’t look like the fanny-pack toting tourists! 

Now I’m just dreaming of going back…  Fall would be beautiful but we’ll see what’s in store for us in the next few months!

The Science Center is NOT just for nerds!

While we were taking the S’s to the airport Monday night, our next set of guests arrived!  My aunt and her 2 grandsons came to stay with us for a few days.  We hadn’t actually seen them since our wedding over three years ago so it was a great surprise that they were able to visit.  Coconut loves kids and was excited too but she looked pretty worn out after playing with the kids all day!  I worked Monday while Mr. C entertained our guests a little bit, but mostly they entertained themselves.  I think they were about the easiest guests we’ve ever had actually! 

I only worked a half-day on Wednesday so we could all spend the afternoon together.  The gang picked me up from work and we headed out for some delicious pizza.  Getting off in the middle of the day is awesome in itself and adding a great lunch of pizza to that just topped the day off!  Might not have been the healthiest choice but it's not like I ate a whole pizza!

Mr. C LOVES the science center but a lot of the exhibits were broken the first time we went.  With the boys here, we thought it would be a fun place to go.  As an added bonus, we were excited to learn that one of the boys especially loves science.  Unfortunately we didn’t really think about the fact that everyone else was taking advantage of spring break and exploring Phoenix’s sights as well so there were a few more people at the Science Center than we had planned.  Even with the crowds we had a wonderful time though and I think we all learned something!  Plus, we got to play around all day and that’s just always fun.

There were a few highlights of the trip and I actually have pictures of most of these!  First up - the planetarium.  I always learn something new and it’s just cool!  Mr. C pretty much always falls asleep during this part and he didn’t break his routine this time.  He probably needed a few minutes of shut-eye though.  There was this little boy during our planetarium show that kept asking (yelling) questions and it would have been annoying but he was just soooo cute!  He was entertaining enough alone to make the planetarium great though!

Mr. C coming out of the slide that made farting sounds...it took a lot of work to talk him into this!

Next would be the exhibit in the body section of the center that looks like a huge nose.  You throw these spongy balls in the nose and it eventually sneezes on you.  That is by far my favorite exhibit in the whole place!  I know sneezing on doesn't SOUND fun, but it really is!  My aunt and I laughed like little girls when it sneezed the balls (buggers) all over.  Mr. C and I need to get one of those for our house!

I'm not sure if this last one was interesting or just weird but we all tried lying on a bed of nails.  It felt….well, weird, but not painful. 

We spent a large majority of our time in this room.  There was a tug-of-war thing going on but the ropes were at two different heights so one side was almost always guaranteed the win.  When we got there, there were 2 little girls competing against a few boys and the girls won.  The girls had no idea it wasn't an even fight, and thought they were so amazing.  Of course we weren't about to burst their bubble.  At points there were kids against adults and it got very serious and competitive!  Mr. C got in there a few times, usually on the side that was slated to lose.  I think he's a sucker for the underdogs.

We finished the day out with a game of Clue which I LOVE but NEVER win!  Per my usual, I lost but it was still fun!  All around we had a great time though and we were pretty lucky to get to spend our spring break with so many people!  Thursday morning our guests continued on their way and that evening Mr. C and I worked super hard at vegging out on the couch.   I can't remember the last time I was so unproductive, but it felt sooooo good!