The Long Haul

10 Miles

2012-02-11T18:49:00.001-05:00

Me = rough.

I kind of have an excuse though.. I RAN 10 MILES. OF HILLS. IN THE WEIRD SNOW/RAIN.

Oh... and expect to find me running on May 6... IN THE FREDERICK HALF MARATHON!!!

Yup.. all registered. I am well on my way to the Disney Princess Half Marathon next February!

Who ever thought when I started Couch 2 5k in September that I would be here now?

(Oh... and you bet your hiney that I am having a celebratory ice cream sundae tonight! 10 mile run = 23 Weight Watchers activity points earned!! I haven't had a sundae in so long!)

Amanda's Baby Shower

2012-02-02T08:34:00.000-05:00

So my friend Amanda is knocked up. Baby M is coming at the end of February! I am so pumped and can't wait to be an aunt to two of my best friends' baby.

Of course I jumped at the chance to throw her a shower and hoped it would be one that she would love. I wanted the day to be special for her! I joined up with our other friend Amy (and the day-of help of Amy's awesome mom!) to put it all together.

Menu:
Brownies
Dunkin Donuts Munchkins
Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods
Spinach Dip in a bread bowl with baguette slices
Individual shots of ranch dressing with veggies
Caprese Kabobs
Mini Fruit Pizzas

Chocolate cupcakes with fudge buttercream
Yellow Cake with vanilla buttercream

Fruity French Sodas (Orange, Berry Something, Lemonade and Pink Lemonade)
Water with limes and lemons

Hot Chocolate Bar!

The food spread.

Delicious spinach dip- Amanda's one request for the shower.

Yumm fruit pizzas. SO GOOD.

My baby.. the cake.

Cupcakes with little fondant flower toppers to coordinate with the cake.

I was nervous about the hot chocolate bar. I first decided on doing it back in the fall/summer when I was originally planning- I thought "January! It will be cold and awesome for hot chocolate!" How wrong I was.. Our January in Maryland was SO MILD. I was figuring no one would want hot chocolate since it would be so warm and muggy.

I woke up the shower morning to snow and ice! (Of course then I was worried about no one showing up, but everyone pulled through!) The hot chocolate was perfect.

For mix-ins we had caramels, pirouline cookies, marshmallows and chocolate chips. YUM. Oh and canned whipped cream to top with.

For the favors I made cupcakes in a jar- these were so fast and easy to do.. About 2 weeks before the shower I made the actual cupcakes and then just froze them. A couple of nights before the shower I unfroze them and then next day sliced them all in half. I layered them in the jar with the frosting and topped with sprinkles and then labelled them with a little thank you card designed to match the rest of the paper-goods.

During the shower we gave both grandmas-to-be a little baby brag book and they both got corsages.

The room- typical church basement layout.

I decorated all of the tables with flowers in the colors from the bunting banner over the food and with kids books that I accumulated. I scoured goodwill and the $1 bins at Target for a month or so to get a bunch of books to start the baby's library. Oh and I used the scraps from the bunting to make little flags to stick in the flowers.

Me, Amanda and Amy.

Instead of the poopy diaper game we have a table set up for everyone to decorate onesies and/or bibs for the baby. We had iron on fabrics and fabric markers. It was so fun to see everyone's craftiness.

We also played the old shower BINGO standby while Amanda opened presents. I couldn't find any cards that I liked (or had enough quantity/the types of presents on the registry) so I just designed my own. It was a pain in the neck to make 30 individual cards, but they were cute.

Cutting the cake.

Sign on the present table "Little baby, big blessing... showered with love"

All the loot!

It was an awesome day and I was so glad so many people came out in the snow to celebrate this baby with us!

**Yeah.. my pictures are bad.. The lighting was terrible and camera kept crapping out. Sorry dudes. I supplemented some with pictures from Amanda's cousin.

Productivity!

2012-01-31T19:57:00.001-05:00

What a freakin' awesome weekend. I was so productive and it made me feel awesome.

John was away for work last week (in LONDON- POOR poor him) and came home Sunday so I felt like I needed to do a bunch of stuff before he got home.

Not Saturday- this was the Celtic Solstice 5-miler in December that I never wrote about on here.. :)

Saturday morning I got up and ran 8 (EIGHT!!!) miles! My furthest distance to date! I ran the whole thing too! Even the ridiculous hills! After I got home (to a sleeping puppy and kitty) I showered up and took Lucy-Loo to Petsmart for a little outing to get Jaq E Poo some litter. That officially wiped her out and I got to get me some Burger King on the way home. Is it gross that I rewarded my run with fast food? Whatevs, it was delicious.

Yeah.. I know I am slow.

After dropping off the sleeping puppy at home and eating I headed out to the motherland- IKEA! I love it there. I got a bunch of decor-type items and some storage that we needed.

When I got home I played with the puppy and then got to cleaning (a ton!) and organizing. It was awesome and felt so refreshing.

Did I ever write about these paintings on here? John got them for me for my birthday- he saw them and thought I might like them (I may be slightly predictable) and could use them in the addition!! Their planned location is over the fireplace on the dining room side.

Sunday morning I got up early with the puppy and laid around for awhile. I menu-planned, grocery list made, put everything into my weight watchers points tracker, started laundry, grocery shopped and got home- all before noon! By 2 PM I had unpacked groceries, started the crockpot for supper, made sandwiches for the week, made a big pot of soup for lunches, made pico de gallo and sliced avocado for suppers and finished the laundry. Oh, and made myself grilled cheese for lunch. Awesome. And then I rewarded myself and Lucy with a little 45 minute nap before heading to the airport to get John.

Phew. It was awesome. I am sad though that it is now the work week and the awesome-ness has ended.

Menu Plan Monday

2012-01-30T09:49:00.002-05:00

I felt awesome this morning.. I had a wicked productive weekend (more later..), weighed myself this morning and have officially lost 13 pounds+ since September and then got up this morning and rode the stationary bike to start the week off with a workout. Then I got to my scheduled dentist appointment and as the hygienist was asking me about my regular medicines I realized I didn't pre-medicate (I need to take an antibiotic before any "procedure" due to my plethora of heart conditions). CRAP. So, I wasted their appointment time and had to reschedule for February.

Oh well... I still am planning on this being a good week!

Monday
(am-stationary bike for 30 minutes, pm-lift/arms)

Turkey "Stroganoff"
Sauteed corn

Tuesday
(am-run 5 miles)
Crock Pot Mexican Pork burrito bowls

Wednesday
(am- stationary bike for 30 minutes, pm- speed training on the treadmill at the gym for 4 miles)
Chili lime tilapia
Brown rice with cilantro
Salad

Thursday
(am- stationary bile for 30 minutes, pm- lift/arms)
Lentil, Kielbasa & Garlic Stew
Salad

Friday
(rest day!)
Bubble up Enchiladas
Salad
Ghetto margaritas!

Saturday
(long run- 8 miles)
Lunch- quesadilla, chocolate milk
Dinner- at a friend's birthday party, so lots of snacks!

Sunday
(rest day/walk with Lucy!)
Lunch- grilled cheese probably
Dinner- who knows

Lunches
Pita stuffed with provolone, lettuce, avocado, sprouts, cucumber
Veggie soup/broth
Greek yogurt
Grapes

3 Years

2012-01-10T11:51:00.000-05:00

Dudes... I have been married for 3 years today! CRAZY. This year seems like it went the fastest yet. Next year can only bring even more good I think!

Getting Ready - The Girls
Getting Ready - The Dude s
The Church Service
Group Pictures
Family Pictures
John & I
First Dance
The Toasts
The Cake Cutting
The Rest of the Reception
My Favorites - All of the Details

Menu Plan Monday

2012-01-09T12:20:00.000-05:00

Monday
Southwest skillet mac & cheese
Salads

Tuesday
3rd anniversary dinner.. out? John is supposed to be planning this...

Wednesday
Turkey pesto bake
Salads

Thursday
Lentil, Kielbasa & Garlic Stew
Green beans

Friday
We will be in the car to my parents' in NY- maybe hot dogs for the road? Or fast food..

2012 Goals

2012-01-02T15:49:00.003-05:00

Home
Create and stick to a daily cleaning schedule/checklist
Get our addition floor plan to a really good place and begin detailing so that we can go to an architect by the end of the year.
Make our wedding album (yes, we HAVE been married for a week shy of 3 years)

Health & Fitness
Keep running! Run 500 miles minimum- should be do-able if I:

Follow my training schedule
Run a 10 mile race at the end of March (Mission 10 Miler Race for Recovery)
Run TWO half marathons (TriColumbia Iron Girl Half April 29, and one in the fall TBD)
Register for the Disney Princess Half, February 2013

If I keep up with running, everything else is cake.

Monies
Keep saving for the addition! (A little over a year to go!)
Try and reduce the grocery bill- read the circulars more and meal plan what we can around those.
Keep DIYing things that I can & learn some more (this can also go into Health & Fitness since I am slowly eliminating processed foods/HFCS/white flours, etc)

Travels
St.Lucia in March

Actually go on this vacation with my husband
Hike the pitons
Go to the volcano
Go to the waterfall
Zip line through the rain forest
BEACH IT

At least 2 long weekends camping
Cape Cod for a wedding

ZooLights

2011-12-29T12:54:00.000-05:00

Oops... I just realized I never posted this!
The Friday after Thanksgiving when my family was all still in town, we decided to all head to the National Zoo as an event. They deck out the zoo with lights for Christmas and the lights first come on that Friday at 5 PM.

We decided to get to the zoo around 3 and walk around to see the animals before the lights turned on.

A lot of the lights started coming on as we walked back the way we came even though it was just starting to be dusk. By the time we got back to the entrance it was mostly all dark! It ended up being perfect timing.

This was wicked awesome- it looked like the lights were dripping!

Pretty snowflakes projected onto the ground.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T09:12:00.002-05:00

Christmas with the Humphreys

2011-12-24T12:11:00.000-05:00

again.

2011-12-08T15:37:00.002-05:00

Jingle Bell Run 5k

2011-12-03T17:39:00.000-05:00

Today I ran (and completed!) my second 5k ever.. and in the last two weeks. This time we had a working camera.

Getting ready in the car.

Lucy got ready too.

Warm ups with some random lady beforehand. Lots of people dressed up and we all had jingle bells on our shoes. I was glad to be wearing headphones while running..

Everyone heading down to the start line.

And we're off!

I was good for the first mile-ish. From mile 1-2.5 I felt like poo poo poo. I wasn't sure if I needed to walk, pee my pants, or puke. The course was very hilly which made me glad that I typically train outside and not on a treadmill- but the amount of hills and even the incline of some of them was crazy. I would just recover and then have to tackle another.

Coming down around .5 miles in.

We had to go through the finish line around .5 miles in. A little incentive I guess?

I kept going though and finished (I think) around 30 seconds faster than in the last 5k... even with the ridiculous hills!

Coming in to finish!

Annnnd done.

I seriously hate my life until about 2-2.5 miles in every run. After I pass that point I feel fine and get into a groove. I've signed up for a 5 mile run in a couple of weeks so that I have more time feeling good than bad!

Distance training begins on Monday!

Thanksgiving

2011-12-02T16:48:00.001-05:00

This year my family came down to Maryland for Thanksgiving and I finally got to host a holiday! I love cooking and baking so I was very excited to finally have the opportunity!

Classy cat bowls in the back, right?

I actually did most of my cooking and baking on Wednesday night because I was going to be gone for most of the morning to run the Turkey Trot. When we got back all I had to do was start the turkey and then strategically stick the casseroles into the oven. While everything baked... I planned out my Friday..

My dad got in on the ads too.

Our Thanksgiving Menu:
Appetizers-

Spinach Artichoke Dip w/sliced baguette
Sausage and Cheddar Balls

The Main Event-
Local Brined Roast Turkey
Stuffing (Brought by my mom)
Turkey Gravy (Made it up as we went along)
Mashed Potatoes (Do you really need a link for these?)
Sweet Potatoes with Sage Butter Crumb Topping
Homemade green bean casserole (I made this one up, but semi-combined PW's and Annie's)
Corn Pudding (Family receipe- I'll try and post it soon.)
Homemade cranberry sauce
Jello-o casserole (Another family recipe that I will try to get up here)
Potato Rolls with Compound Herb Butter

Dessert-
Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Chocolate Silk Pie
Caramel Apple Cider Cookies

(Then my sister's boyfriend's mom sent him up that night with another pecan pie, some chocolate pie, sweet potatoes, ham, mac & cheese... probably more that I am forgetting too!)

My mom and I putting on the finishing touches. Lucy helped..

My first turkey! (Wicked good too!)

My dad carving the turkey.

She was such a helper all day...

Everything was delicious.. but there were not enough people! I didn't want to leave out any dishes even though we only had 5 people, so I just made everything. This was the aftermath (not even including the stuff in our little dorm fridge in the cellar):

A week later.. finally it is all gone. Except the pie slices in the freezer. I am okay with that though..

2011-12-01T11:28:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we had out pictures taken by the awesome Mary Kate McKenna of MK McKenna Photography. I have been following her for years (since I first moved to Maryland!) and have been really wanting more pictures of us since our wedding was almost three years ago (!). Sadly, our budget did not allow for it.

BUT. In October she did a special through Plum District (similar to other coupon sites like Groupon). The stars all aligned and we were able to sign up for one of MK's mini sessions.. and it includes Christmas cards!!

She was awesome and let us include the children in our photo session and then took some of just the two of us. We went to a park in Frederick that had a really cool covered bridge.

My favorite- the cover of our card this year!

Up to no good.

A little traumatized from the 40 minute car ride and then being outside.

Thank you Mary Kate for doing such an awesome deal on Plum District! Hopefully we will keep seeing you in the years to come!

Oops...

2011-12-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

I may have signed up for another 5k this weekend (the Jingle Bell Run for the Arthritis Foundation)... and a 5 mile run on December 17. I also added a little bar on the side of blog with my race schedule and times.

Also? I made a whole training schedule that brings me all the way through to May/June.

Yikes. I am scaring myself.

Mission Accomplished

2011-11-27T13:20:00.000-05:00

After 10+ years of having to go and watch my sister run the turkey trot (every.year)... I was finally able to run it myself this Thanksgiving! I DID IT.

Lucy Loo came wearing her Hokie bandana. She is always so proud of herself when she is wearing it.

3000+ runners.

Our camera is still breaking, so John was able to get a few random pictures before it broke again. None of me crossing the finish line though :(

Official chip time of 33:15 (though that is kind of crap because the first half mile or so was really slow.. trying to dodge people with strollers, walking, wheelchairs, etc.- don't ask me why they were allowed at the front).

So... it was a success. And now.. I've tentatively planned an 8k for December 11 and a 5 miler December 17.

Dude...

2011-11-23T10:55:00.000-05:00

On Saturday I ran 4.6 (very slow) miles! They were also VERY HILLY.

Yeah... they were really long and steep. BUT I DID IT!

and...tomorrow is my first 5k. (Well not technically my first since I ran cross country for one season in high school.. but my first that I actually had to train for and care about!)

I know I can do it, now I am just thinking about my time and not being the last one in! AH!

Clumsy-Butt Dog

2011-11-11T08:05:00.000-05:00

Seriously... somehow we adopted the clumsiest dog .EVER. When John was away for work in April or May she was digging outside and somehow dug up glass and cut her paw. Blood.Everywhere. Apparently dog paws bleed a lot. I know now.

When John was gone in October she randomly came inside with those scratches on her face. I am pretty sure she wacked herself with a stick - she carries them around in her mouth and flings them from side to side while she is running. (Seriously... we don't leave her outside for extended periods of time either, especially not alone. She somehow always does this in like a 10 minute romp around the yard.)

Last week John was outside with her and he looked over at her because she was just laying in the yard- pretty strange for her. When he looked a little closer he saw shiny red on her leg. Yep.. Blood... oh and muscle. Awesome. I was at work and got a frantic call from him asking me to call the vet and see if they were still there because he needed to take her in RIGHT AWAY. Of course the vet was walking out the door, but being the awesomest ever (definitely brought her a HUGE tray of cookies on Saturday) she delayed picking up her kids and stayed to fix up my puppy.

Unsure of this thing on her head.

One surgery, 2 types of anesthetic (shot and gas), 20 staples and $900 later we had a fixed up (and very loopy) puppy.

20 staples.

She wouldn't lay down or even sit for 30 hours... and didn't sleep for that long. I went back the next day and the vet gave me a new pain killer with a sedative in it.

Neither slept that night and got caught up as soon as the sedative was in her.

She has to wear the cone of shame for 2 weeks until she gets the staples out and can't use stairs, exercise or play. Hello.... our fenced yard that she pees in? Down stairs. We have to take her on a leash in the front yard to pee. Sweet.

She is only a year old! She is still SO HYPER and NEEDS to play. That sedative is a LIFE.SAVER. I could get used to her like this....

While John was gone I....

2011-11-10T08:59:00.002-05:00

(John got back a couple of weeks ago from a month long trip for work. While he was gone I did a bunch of projects around the house to pass time and so we don't have to think about them anymore. Yeah... it took me awhile to get all of the pictures taken and uploaded so I could write this post. Our camera is currently in the poophole.)

-Got flowers from "Lucy" while I was at work.

-Cleaned out peeling paint from our crown moulding and caulked it to hopefully prevent the same from happening again when the house shifts this winter. All of the ceiling paint was falling on our head all winter!


A not-ours before which is similar to what we were dealing with in the two bedrooms with crown moulding.

Our bedroom - after.. all cleaned up!

-Made new roman shades out of our old mini blinds for the living room. I also lined them with white fabric (and plan to do the same for the bamboo shades in the office and guest room shades so that all of the exterior windows will look consistent from the road).

Yeah, we have to keep the left side tied up because under that is Lucy's bed and she always steps on them and pulls the rod from the wall.

-Painted all of the base trim and crown moulding in our bedroom. The last room in the house with virgin moulding.

The freshly painted base trim in the bedroom.

-Cut base shoe for the remaining rooms that did not have it (our bedroom, the guest room and the office- okay all of the rooms except for the kitchen/living room apparently), painted it and installed it.

New shoe in the office!

-Made a sign with our last name to go on our address post in the front of our house.

Yes, that IS snow at our house in MARYLAND in a photo taken on October 29th.

-Painted and hung a little rack to contain my necklaces that had been previously just laying all over the dresser.

-Made a headboard out of scrap wood we had laying around.

Excuse the unmade bed... maybe someday I'll take a picture with it all done up. Maybe.

-Had friends over to watch the Hokies and eat chili and cornbread.

-Wrote and posted my life story and testimony.

-Ran weeks 3, 4, 5 & 6 of Couch to 5K.. from running 3 minutes at a time to 25 minutes at a time.

-Mostly followed Weight Watchers and lost 6 pounds.

-Canned 100+ 4 oz jars/fruit cups of apples for John's lunches.

A partial photo of the fruit cups from last year's session.

-Painted the window trim in the bedrooms & living room.

-Painted all of the doors in the house from "white" to white (they still need one more coat, but just the uneven fresh coat looks SO much better!).

-Dealt with Lucy cutting up her face on something- she came inside from playing looking like this:

-Got pumpkins and decorated for Halloween/fall.

Milk jug ghosts (I used those battery tealights).

The buffet in the dining room/living room.

The shelves in the dining room.

Shelves in the living room/entry.

Cute little pumpkins & jar I got from Homegoods.

Pumpkins, corn stalks and mums!

-Made pumpkin chocolate chip blondies for the office.

-Organized our linen closet.

No before picture and this is the best after thanks to our tiny hallway! There are new bins for our stock/supply of shower stuff/soap, dental, medical, a bin for first aid, one for non-emergency medicine/allergy stuff, one for travel medicine bags, a bin for surface cleaners, floor cleaners, a separate bin for microfiber rags and there are also new shelves/dividers for the towels and hair clippers! Phew.

-Planted 90 daffodil and tulip bulbs around the house.

-Painted the trim on the exterior door windows (from, once again, "white" to white).

Prior to scraping the paint off the windows, obvs.

-Deep cleaned the entire house.

-Got a big ol' 8-10% bonus/raise at work and got a wicked awesome review from my boss.

-Mowed the lawn... 3 times.

Obviously not me, but same lawn and same mower!

-Had some kitty-puppy cuddle time.

Bad like whoa phone picture..

-Missed him.

Menu Plan "Monday" (and a special announcement!)

2011-11-09T19:23:00.000-05:00

Monday
Baked cod w/potato, cheddar & chive crust
Sweet Potato fries (mine with chili powder & sea salt, John's with cinnamon sugar)
Roasted Garlic Broccoli

Tuesday
John - Leftover Lasagna from Sunday
Me- Leftover imitation crab and green beans

Wednesday
Farfalle w/onions, garlic, mushrooms, roasted red peppers and goat cheese

Thursday
Sweet Chili & Honey corn muffins from the freezer

Friday
Nachos & Enchiladas with friends

Announcement:

[Link]

I DID IT!

8 weeks ago I could barely run the 90 second intervals.... on Saturday I ran 3.6 miles on hilly back roads, felt awesome and could have kept going!

I have signed up for a 5k Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning and I feel GOOD about it. And hello.. I am already looking for more races- I think a 5-miler in December and then maybe a 10k in January or February! I definitely love the incentive of the races to keep me motivated. It is getting harder to run the 3+ times/week since it is SO dark after work, but I am finding way around that (reflective running vest, running in neighborhoods near work with street lights- the treadmill was NOT an option the times I tried it) and I feel GOOD afterward and SO PROUD of myself!

I seriously would encourage anyone to try C25K- I was NEVER a runner and it worked and I am addicted now! Go for it!!

The Children

2011-10-25T08:54:00.003-04:00

Name: Jaq E. Poo Humphreys
Age: 3.5 years old (!)
Nicknames: Poo poo, Jaqepoo, Princess, Baby, Stinky, Gooshy, Goosh-head
Likes: Treats, Daddy’s attention, water fresh from the tap (like a fountain), cuddles, smacks on the hiney, little toys, deli ham, sitting in between the shower curtains, chewing on double-ply toilet paper

Dislikes: Being stepped on by his sissy, being hungry, single-ply toilet paper

Name: Lucy Loo Hoo Humphreys
Age: 1 year

On her 1st birthday (last Friday!) with her birthday present.

Nicknames: Lucy Loo, Sissy, Sissy Loo, Puppy, Boo boo, Lulu, Tinklebutt

Likes: Rawhides, peanut butter, Frisbee, soccer ball, walking & running with Mommy, her brother, ice cubes, cuddling under the blankets, playing in water, chasing a tennis ball (only inside), eating sticks & rocks, eating cat poop

Dislikes: Going outside alone.

What's in a Name?

2011-10-24T08:53:00.000-04:00

My parents’ first cat that they got before I was born (well.. my dad even had him before he met my mom) was a black kitty named Cinder (because he was black.. duh). He was my best friend when I was little- slept in my crib with me (the horror!) and we ran around outside together. That cat started my love affair with animals!

By the time I was 6 or 7 I wanted my “own” cat and my parents kept telling me that I had to wait until Cinder died, but that crazy cat just kept going & going! I resorted to asking for hamsters just to have a pet of my own.. At Christmas when I was 8 my parents gave in.. I got a kitten!!

There was no cute Christmas morning reveal either.. I didn’t feel well that night and went into their room even though the door was closed.. I saw something jump off the bed and was petrified it was a squirrel or something ridiculous- they grabbed the kitty for me and gave her to me then but I wasn’t allowed to bring her to bed with me that night! I stayed up all night thinking of names for her. I decided she would be Butterscotch (because she was orange… duh).

That was probably my best/favorite Christmas ever. She was my baby and came running to me whenever I was upset. She just knew.

When I was 11 Cinder (finally) died. He was so old and broken down but it was still a horrible day for me. A few months later my parents decided it was time for another cat, this time for my sister. We got Pooh (ie Winnie the Pooh… not toilet Pooh).

As much as we loved the orange kitties, they just weren’t the same as Cinder. My senior year of high school a black cat was hanging around outside our house for a couple of (short) days. We couldn’t let him stay out there so he quickly took up residence in our basement and then upstairs. This black male kitty had the same qualities as Cinder and we decided that all cats from then on must have those qualities.

This cat was named Gus. I love the movie Cinderella and wanted to continue the black kitty naming tradition (Cinder). Gus Gus is the fat dumb mouse in the movie!

I bet you see where I am going with this.. My cat that I got when I graduated college? Black, male.. named Jaq (the leader-mouse).. hence the spelling too.. The movie mouse is with a ‘q’.

And yes… now we have Lucy. I needed a female name from the movie that would still be an appropriate animal name. Lucifer the cat became Lucy the dog. When I told my family the dog’s name, my sister’s first question was “After Lucifer!?” They know me well..

A recap:

Cinder

Butterscotch (Bud)

Pooh

Gus (Gus) (cat named after a mouse)

Jaq (another cat named after a mouse)

Lucy (a dog named after a cat)

So.. what about you? Do you have a pet naming theme? Do you prefer typical animal names (Fluffy, Spot) or do your pets have people names? My family is 50/50 with the people vs. pet names, though I think overall I prefer people names (not George or Bob or something though..)

Journey to Here - Part 7

2011-10-15T18:36:00.003-04:00

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

Since someone in admissions sent me an acceptance letter and I was there, the School of Architecture would let me stay and I would pretty much just be starting in with the freshmen. I got signed up for the appropriate classes and began.

I was in love. Everyone was so accepting and welcoming. People listened to country music! I met a group of girls to hang out with, and wait for it- we WENT TO CHURCH TOGETHER! There were awesome church programs and multiples to choose from.

About a month after arriving in Virginia, I met a boy that lived down the hall from me. He had a stupid fro but liked the same Christian bands as me, Adam Sandler movies and shared my (quickly growing) interest in college football. It was meant to be.

It was meant to be. Everything. God had this all planned out since that first dang hockey game. So many little things brought me to this point, none of which made sense at the time, but looking back it is clear as day:

The incentive of acceptance to RPI to get me to follow through on homework and extracurriculars.

Having the need to break up with the high school boyfriend for no reason other than God telling me it wasn’t right anymore.

That thought bring put into my head by God, telling me to leave RPI and transfer. My mom was laid off from RPI within months of this push by God that told me to apply elsewhere. If God hadn’t told me this, or I hadn’t listened, there is no way that I could have afforded to stay at RPI without that tuition that was a benefit from my mom’s job. I would have been transferring anyway, but to community college since application deadlines were past by that point.

The fact that I DID get that time at RPI to meet one of the best friends I've ever had.

The connection and urge for Virginia Tech that I felt without having ever been there and only lightly browsing their website.

The instant connection with Blacksburg once there.

No one had authorized my acceptance to the school, yet I still got an acceptance letter and got to stay. (I proved them wrong and graduated with honors. I got my honors sash from the same professor that told me I shouldn’t have gotten accepted.)

I met that boy down the hall who filled every single qualification on my list. (Really.. I had a list. It was written down with a friend and a church mentor and then I modified it after leaving RPI.)

I got a degree from one of the top 5 design schools in the country- a higher ranked school than RPI.

I get to work in a field where I truly care about the work.. the RIGHT job for me.

I’ve got the boy, the cat, the dog, and the house on the land that I love.

I do not know how someone could look back at this story and not see the hand of God guiding me. It is clear as day to me.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:10-12

Journey to Here - Part 6

2011-10-14T08:51:00.005-04:00

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Acceptance letters came out in June. I got in to both schools and my parents and I decided it was time to actually visit Virginia Tech – this mysterious place that I was so drawn to. We made a couple of VERY short days of the drive down and a tour. Driving through the main entrance to the school felt more like coming home to me than anything ever has. The VT pruned bush, the football stadium soaring in front of us, the Hokie bird prints painted on the road.. everything. The school is set in the middle of agriculture- farmlands, cows, horses and was peaceful like you wouldn’t believe.

We (somehow) found our way through the giant (compared to RPI) campus to Burruss and the office of admissions and got on a tour. It was summer break so the campus was pretty empty, but I was loving it. Everyone that we passed was so welcoming- they said “Hi” and held the doors for you!

My decision was made. I signed that acceptance letter as soon as I got home and got registered for orientation. About a month later my dad and I made the crazy 12 hour drive again to sign up for classes and meet professors. It turned out to be worthless since no one could tell me what classes I needed to take as a transfer student into this program – especially since I came with architecture class history that could possibly be applied to the interiors coursework. They told me to just meet with someone in the School of Architecture when I came down for move in.

In mid-August (about another month later!) my dad and I made the drive AGAIN. We left on a Tuesday after work and drove to Hagerstown, MD where we stayed overnight. We got up very early on Wednesday and completed the drive down I-81 to exit 118B and Blacksburg, arriving around 10:30 AM. There was a mad dash to unload all of my stuff from my dad’s work van and then he was gone by 11 AM, needing to get back to NY for work the next day.

If ever there was a time that I should have felt along and abandoned this was it. I was in a new state, in yucky old dorm with no clue what classes I would be taking in 5 days. But I didn’t. My roommate came and she, her mom and her friends that were also on our floor were awesome. They took me right in, brought me out to eat with them and everything was perfect.

Rommate and me.. not twins, I swear!

I had an appointment on Friday with school staff to review my transfer credits and place me in classes. I got there with my transcripts and portfolio and was told that none of it was any good, that they had no record of reviewing my information and that I should not have been admitted as a transfer student- they only accept about 50 students into that program per year. Not only was the last two years of my life a waste, class work-wise, but that I didn’t belong at this school in that program.

Journey to Here - Part 5

2011-10-13T08:51:00.004-04:00

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Out of the middle of nowhere in mid-January it hit me…. I didn’t belong at RPI and needed to leave. The thought of not being at RPI had never crossed my mind and it was like it just popped into my brain. I stewed for a couple of weeks and finally broke it to my parents at the kitchen table one weekend. I didn’t want to be at RPI anymore and needed to leave- oh yeah, and while I was transferring, I wanted to change my major too. While I had been planning on being an architect for as long as I could remember, I wanted to focus on space planning and the design aspect- not structural and exterior things. While researching a transfer I found that there was a degree for that! Because I hadn’t looked past RPI in the first place I didn’t realize I could specialize in something deeper than architecture.

I was expecting to be told to suck it up, deal with it, stick it out, etc. I was getting free tuition at a prestigious private school!

Instead they agreed.

Apparently it was clear to them that it wasn’t right for me. They could see I was different.

At this point it was early February. Transfer application deadlines were for February 15. My mission for the next week was to a) find schools to apply to and b) fill out those dang applications! Where did I apply to? Well.. pretty much the same places that I did in the first place – Wentworth had an interiors program and had offered me a pretty sweet scholarship the year before, so I went for it again, and I also applied to Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech kept popping up in my searches for accredited interior design programs, and they also had a Russian program where I could use my college credits earned in high school, as well as a landscape architecture program, which would have been my next option if I changed my major again. This school that I had never been to became my front runner.