It's been forever and a day!

Wow, it's been ages since I updated! People keep telling me they check this once in a while to see if I've written anything, so surprise for you guys! Hopefully I can remember everything I want to write about. I'm not sure I can remember everything I've done...so here we go:
I don't know if there was too much more excitement at the end of last year after my last post. Thanksgiving and Christmas were good, I got to spend time with my family, and I enjoyed having that time with them. New Years was pretty uneventful. In January we got a new president, and that was something I wanted to talk about. The night of the election, back in Nov. was so interesting to me. I was at work, and at some point between flights heard that Obama had won. I have never seen such a response from the American people. There was so much hope and joy! People went out into the streets all over the country to celebrate, and at the White House people just randomly gathered to express their happiness. Then on inauguration day people swarmed to the National Mall in DC to hear Obama's speech. There were so many people there! I'm really glad to know that our country has come far enough to elect a black man to be the leader of our country. It was great to see the emotions of the people, especially civil rights leaders, who had been waiting for a day like that for so long. It was really special. I do feel though that at the time there was so much hope put into one man (the whole world was celebrating this!) that we are bound to be disappointed. People are imperfect, our hope should really be in the highest power.
Sometime back then I got word that my alma mater, Cascade College, would be closing at the end of the academic year. It was absolutely shocking. They had just been able to pay off a lot of debt, and we all thought that things were going well. But funding needs weren't being met, and OCU couldn't bear the deficit anymore I guess. When I heard this I felt (and so did many others) like it was as if a friend had died. This last weekend was the last graduation and there were some reunion events as well. I still can't believe it. I am really sad about it. That school was so vital in developing who I am. I met many of my best friends there. Some of my best memories take place on that little plot of land. The teachers not only taught my classes, but also life lessons, and I would even consider some of them my friends. Now they are looking for new jobs, and moving all over the country to have one. Cascade and the people there were a strong part of the Church of Christ community in this area. There were meetings and events held there all the time. The staff are leaders in our churches. I really feel we will be losing a lot with the closing. Plus all the current students had to transfer to new schools. Besides all of that, it was soo good to see so many friends this weekend and reminesce about the good times. I hope something good comes out of all of this, keep praying for that situation.
Feb. was busy month for me. I went to San Antonio to see Anna. We went to the Alamo, to some of the old spanish missions, to Max Lucado's church (he wasn't preaching that day), I saw her base, we went to a dance performance, and I ate some BBQ. It was of course good to spend time with her, and see where she spends her life right now. (she just found out she will be based in Great Falls, MT for the next 3 years) I also went to DC with my friend Brian to see our friend Randy who is currently at Marine base Quantico for training (for like 1 more week now). It was fun to hang out with them because they make me laugh a lot. We did some site seeing: museums, monuments, white house, pentagon 9-11 memorial, and we went to Quantico too. Plus, I got to hang out with 2 guys on Valentines Day, haha. It was cool to see where Randy is living and training and get a better idea of what all those Marines are doing out there. They are tough! Their training is hard core and I am super impressed by what they do. Make sure to thank our troops!
The next weekend we had a baby shower for Carrie and mine and Amanda's apartment. It was fun and it went well. We had guys come too and played some dumb, but not too annoying games, and did presents and snacks and all that showery type stuff. Suzie was in town for that, yay to see her more often now that she is back on the West Coast!
And the next weekend Amanda and I went out to Cannon Beach. It was nice to be near the ocean, it was one of the greatest reminders of God's power for me.
March was a little calmer. Robin and I went to stay with Suzie in Calabasas. I saw Pepperdine for the first time, it is beautiful! Oh also we went to DISNEYLAND! Man, I love Disneyland. I act like I'm a kid and I don't care. The rides are fun, and it's just a great time there! Plus the weather was perfect for running around all over the place. Can't wait to go again!
Also my birthday came around. My friends surprised me and Danny with a dinner at the Greek Cuisina. I have always wanted to go, it was great. I got to break a plate and yell Opa! and there was a belly dancer and some ouzo (eyw). Thanks guys! I feel pretty dang old now...27! Geez. And still, things are never what I expected them to be like. Not bad I guess though. There are somethings I think I would change if I had more control. But I believe things will work out just fine in time.
Donna and I went out to lunch for our bdays, and Kyle came with us of course. He recently learned the joy of random scream outbursts. haha Everyone probably hated us, but whatever. It was a little funny at first, but then it got a little old. What can you do though? He's a baby, come on people!
Last month Sue and her bf were home from NY, up in Seattle, so I got to spend some time with my friends there. I got to stop by my grandpa's house where Jeremy and Megan are living right now and see them and their new puppy. Justin came back down with me because my mom and dad were in Portland where my grandma had a kidney removed. She is doing just fine. That was Easter weekend, so it was great to have family around.
On April 20, my friend Carrie had her son. The first baby in our little group of friends. They named him Oliver Keith Rude. He is so very cute, although I told them he couldn't be born on 4-20! Oh well.... I saw him yesterday and he had his eyes open more than I have seen yet. So that is fun. They are doing a great job being parents, it will be fun watching him grow.
Last weekend with all the Cascade stuff going on, my group of friends, the Mag7 got to be all together for the first time in about 9/10 months. There were a lot of things to do including Anna's graduation - with her doctorate! Wow! So much work goes into that. I am proud of all my friends who worked hard to get their masters and doctorates (Suzie has her graduation in a few weeks).
Recently Amanda and I went to Multnomah Falls and went to the top. It's only 1 mile, but all uphill, it's a tiring walk! Very pretty up at the top though. Well worth it. We also went out to the tulip festival in Woodburn. 40 acres of tulips. It was so beautiful! I love tulips, and they had so many colors and varieties.
I don't think I had an opportunity to blog about my Twilight obsession? I don't remember. They were good. I read them quickly. I bought them quickly. I read them multiple times. I saw the movie, now multiple times. (books are way way better) I wish someone loved me! :-) I'll probably read them again in a few months, whenever the next movie comes out. But first, Harry Potter 6 will be out in a few months, and I'm going to have to reread all of those. And Angels and Demons is coming out. I think that book was better than the DaVinci Code. I really thought it was good, so I'm pretty stoked about that movie too.
Maybe that was all? I hope so. I'm going to try to be a little better about updating, so I can get back to pictures and things like that?? But there's facebook right?

A Tale of Two Cities -- and other stuff

It's been taking me a while to get around to updating. So I'll just try to get some stuff in real quick and then maybe throw up some pictures later!
In the beginning of October Carrie, Tasha and I went to New York. It took us 2 days to get on a flight, so that was incredibly frustrating. We got the know the SeaTac airport very well. (Not like I don't spend way too much time there anyway!) But when we finally were able to get seats and get out there we had a lot of fun! We stayed at a hotel right at Newark airport for the ease of the transportation and saving money. Manhattan hotels are ridiculously expensive. So we had 2 days to do a lot of sight seeing.
It's so far back now it's hard to remember what we did. We stopped by Ground Zero, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Chinatown, Little Italy, Soho, Central Park, the Empire State Building, we saw Chicago on Broadway, and went out to Ellis Island. Ellis Island was my top priority as I hadn't been able to do that last time. It wasn't quite what I expected, but I still thought that it was pretty neat! I thought that it explained quite well what it would have been like to enter the US through that port. It was in use a lot longer than I thought. Then they just abandoned it and fairly recently has it been restored and opened for visitors! While we were waiting in the airport to go out there I was watching the news and the ticker showed something about a John Lennon art exhibition that weekend only in NY. So we looked up where it was and went to see it. It was cool. I didn't really know that he also drawed and painted. I enjoyed it, plus it was free!
It was very good to spend time with them. Good bonding time. :-) I was a little worried that we were overworking Preggo. Especially when Carrie would be talking to us one minute and then asleep the next -- while on the subway. How do people do that?
Two weeks after that I headed of to Washington DC to meet Anna there. She was there for a conference for treating PTSD. Since everything was paid for, it was practically a free trip for me! No hotel cost, no flight cost, and all the museums are free. I just had to get food. Which turned out to be not so good it seems. My debit card number got stolen at a restaurant there and sometime tried to use it this last weekend. They did the same to Anna too.
We went by the memorials/monuments: Lincoln, Washington, WWII, Vietnam, the reflection pool. We went to museums: Natural History (for the Hope Diamond), Art Gallery (mostly for the impressionist paintings), Air and Space, Holocaust. The Holocaust Museum was on the top of my list; everyone has said that it's very good. It was very emotional though. I had to hold in a few tears. They had an exact replica of the crematory ovens at Mathausen (a concentration camp I've been to). I had to walk out of that area very quickly because it pulls up strong emotions for me. We saw the White House and the Capitol building. My friend Randy arrived at Quantico about a week before I went out for Marine training. The Marine sponsored Marathon was in DC that weekend so he came out and met up with us for a while. He went to Arlington with us and we tried to go over to the zoo, but it was closing early that day. Then we went to the restaurant where I think they stole my card. We went by Randy's cousin's grave at Arlington. It's over with the other graves where soldiers who died in Iraq are buried. So there were other people there visiting graves. It was hard to watch these people grieve.
It was good to spend time with Anna, I missed her. It was good to catch up and laugh and just be around someone you love, and make sure the Air Force hadn't brainwashed her. ;-)
About two weeks ago I went to see the Transiberian Orchestra. I loved the show. It has lots of lights and some fire. It was loud and it rocked. My parents came. I'm not sure my dad liked it a whole lot. I wanted to pump my fist in the air. They played my favorite song: Carol of the Bells twice.
Last week I had my first overnight in Flagstaff. The Grand Canyon is about an hour and a half drive from there. So I rented a car and drove out to see it. I never had and it has been very high on my list of things to do! I also got my first snow of the season there. It was snowing when we arrived. Fortunately the roads were clear the next day when I drove. None of my crew wanted to go with me so I went by myself. I think I probably enjoyed it more that way anyway. It was so beautiful. I could've sat and looked at it for hours. But it was really cold. Also I had to get back to go to work. I got to spend about 2 hours out there, but I definitely am happy I went. Even if it was for a little while. It's so big and the different formations are great to look at. It reminds me how God makes beautiful things for us to enjoy, that he is powerful, and good.
In the last week I read all of the Twilight series. They were ridiculously good. Why do I enjoy books written for teenagers so much? I could not put them down and I really did have a tough time sleeping when I was in the middle of one of them. My brain couldn't stop thinking about what was going to happen. And even at the end of the first 3 she doesn't really give you any resolution. It's like you have to read all four to have some peace and completion. I've been living in that little created world for the last week and now I'm missing it! It's a good thing I get to see the movie tomorrow. I can stretch it out a little longer.
Now I need a new obsession, or something else to read! Other really good books I've read somewhat recently: The Time Traveler's Wife, The Kite Runner. The Witch of Portobello was an interesting one too. Not so hard to put down, but I still liked it.

Summer time

It's been 7 years and 1 day since the day that changed our lives, our cities, our nation, even our world. I can't believe it. I still know, as I'm sure everyone who is old enough to remember it, exactly where I was. I watched some footage yesterday, it still makes me very emotional and I cried while I watched it. But I'm somehow interested in watching it. I think watching people experiencing it fascinates me. It brings me hope to see that inspite of a terrible and hateful act people were able to show love and do good things and help each other. Some shows I watched showed photography and interviews from professional photographers that were there. Another showed a bunch of people videos. There were 2 that were shot from many blocks or a mile or 2 away. The camera stayed in the same place. It was so weird to look at the back drop and where there had been 2 huge buildings before suddenly the sky was empty. May we hold the memory in our hearts, may we continue to heal, and may we move forward with hope.

I've been meaning up to update for a while. It's been all summer since I updated. So here's what's been happening:
- Anna left. It was sad. I miss her a lot some days. We talk about every 2 weeks or so.
- I moved in with Amanda. We live over near Clackamas now. Our apartment is nice enough, but the people that live here drive me nuts. It's much louder than my last place. The people upstairs are quieter, but other people are much noisier. There are some trashy people here, also, this is a trashier part of Portland. I mean 82nd isn't that far away....and we all know there is a hooker problem there.
- Went to Delano STS. It was a good week. We had a great theme. It was about actually living the Sermon on the Mount. How much better our world would be!
- Went to Redding for Suzie's wedding. It was 113 degrees when I arrived. 105 during the rehearsal -- dripping sweat! Only 97 during the ceremony! I felt so gross! It was fun though. Chris (her hubby) got a job at Pepperdine. Suzie was commited to teaching for a semester at Purdue. So they got married and then moved half the country away from each other. Suckfest. Also we went the Shasta Caverns, that was pretty darn cool!
- Went to 2 other weddings in Portland. Both very nice.
- One of my good friends (since kindergarten) had a baby! Donna is my first good friend to have a child. It kind of weirded me out for a while. She was born one day after me. She's my age, she has a child that she's responsible for! Crazy. So Kyle is super cute, and I love him. He's my adopted nephew now.
- Red Bull Flugtag was in Portland this year, so I went to watch that. People build their own "flying" machines. More like gliding contraptions. It was entertaining. They would push their...thing...off a ramp and most of them fell directly into the water 20 ft below. Some of the designs looked like planes, some had a hang glider part, my favorite was a flying squirrel!
- Went to Laura's wedding. Also a fun one! I danced with a boy. I don't know if I've ever done that actually...I know, I know! But I think I did in junior high. It was kind of awkward, heh. It was at McMenamins Grand Lodge. I had never been out there, it was pretty!
This summer's wedding stats:
Attended: 4 Was a bridesmaid: 2 At a McMenamins: 2 Outdoor ceremony: 3 Out of Oregon: 1 Had a sit down catered dinner: 3 Had a buffet: 1 Had a photo booth: 1 Had to give a toast: 1 Free beer and wine: 3 Wore a dress that I could hardly breathe in: 2 Worried about flashing everyone: 1 haha That's enough.
- Also, I watched the Olympics. I love the Olympics! Michael Phelps was freaking amazing. I have loved watching swimming for several Olympics now, but it was just so cool to witness an amazing and historical feat. The opening ceremony was amazing. I watch every country come out during the parade and see which has the most attractive people...I decided it was Finland this year. ;-) I like the way the world comes together for a few weeks. Except when Russia invades Georgia.

That's been most of my summer. That and work. I kind of feel like my summer never happened! I was busy with weddings! I feel like I never did any summerly type things. Maybe there is still a little time. I don't know. The weather is nice now though. I thought things would calm down now, but I'm trying to go home maybe a few times soon. I'm trying to get some days off for a trip. Hoping it will work. Thinking about going to DC to see Anna while she's there. I hope everything comes together.
So, there is so much in this post that I'm leaving pictures out. Sorry if it's boring! I don't think anyone actually reads this anymore though...so it doesn't even matter.

Change

In about 2 weeks I will be saying "good bye" to one of the people I love most in this world. It's not a "good bye" so much as an "until we meet again." Still, it makes me very sad. I'm not looking forward to it at all. My roommate is moving to Texas to finish up her doctorate. Also, she joined the Air Force to do this...so that will be 4 years of her life. We've lived together for the majority of our years since we were roommates our freshman year of college in 2000. It makes me cry a little to think about my friend leaving. I don't want to think about it. But it will be here before I know it.
She's my person! The one I tell things to, run stuff past. The person I can count on. The person I've had some of my very best times with. The person who can remember things about me that I forget! The person who can speak my sentences at the same time as me. The person who leads me out of my comfort zone, the person who is my comfort zone. She brings out my craziness. We share secrets, she can make me laugh till I cry. She even makes me a better person. She is my heterosexual life partner. When we are old and single we will be the women that people say are lesbians, and who own about 18 cats.
I know it's not easy for her. To move to a new place where you know no one. I'm sure she's scared and nervous and had a thousand second thoughts. I'll be able to visit her in Texas fairly often I suppose, and I will make such an effort. Plus, I'll actually have someone to talk to on the phone once in a while.
I will be moving to the other side of town, closer to work, everyone I know, my family, and chiropractor! I will have a new roommate, another friend. I'm a little apprehensive about it, don't know why, but I am. I think it will be good though.
So what do I do with this change? Embrace it? Shirk away from it? I can't really avoid it. We deal with change every day, but when we have to deal with big things that we don't like suddenly we come up with the idea that change is unwelcome.
So that's my state of mind. I don't want to go to work because I want to be home and spend time with my friend while I can, but I'm already taking vacation this month, so I have to think about money too. *sigh* I really feel like part of my heart will be in Texas.

jerks.

Claymates Unite!

I took a trip to NYC last week! My first time there. I loved the city. I kind of want to live in a big city for a year just to do it. But also, I don't. (Plus, it's so expensive!) My friend Robin that I went to high school with came with me and we stayed with our friend Sue in Brooklyn - also from HS.
Here are somethings we did:
Day 1: the Natural History Museum, met Sue's friends for food and drinks, went to Pinkberry!
Day 2: Empire State Building, The METropolitan Museum, the Guggenheim Museum, Little Italy (pizza!).
Day 3: Museum of Modern Art, Rockefeller Center, Harbor Cruise (by Statue of Liberty), Junior's Cheesecake (yum!), Times Square, Spamalot - on Broadway!
Day 4: Central Park (including a Lennon memorial, the carousel, Tavern on the Green, Bow Bridge, Alice and Wonderland sculpture), Magnolia Bakery (cupcakes!!), and the WTC site.
So, yes we were totally tourists, but you can't really avoid it when you want to see the famous places that everyone else wants to see! I'd like to go back and spend time not going to the big things now and just see different parts of Manhattan. I have such a better understanding of how it's all laid out now, so that's nice. I can watch Cash Cab with much more knowledge.
The views from the Empire State Building are amazing, I can't believe how big the city is! The Met has some great stuff. I don't know if I've ever seen so many Rembrandts. The Guggenheim had a really interesting exhibit: cars hanging from the ceiling, fake tigers full of arrows (didn't get it!), art pieces (I don't know what you'd call it, like a giant portrait, except:) made using gunpowder and lighting it on fire and seeing what you end up with, kinda neat. We went through MOMA very quickly. I find some modern art to be 1. completely artless 2. non-sensical 3. totally weird. I can paint a canvass totally white too - why is yours in a museum though? But it does house Starry Night - one of my favorite paintings. Probably one of everyone's favorite paintings. Also some other Van Gogh, Warhol, Dali, Picasso.
I guess I didn't really know what Rockefeller Center was, but it's not whatever I thought it was. Seeing the Statue of Liberty was pretty cool! I would've liked to walk around Ellis Island and check that out. Times Square is huge! It's like 4...uh...8? corners, not just one. There are far too many people there and every place is fighting for your attention with more lights than the place next door. Central Park is also gigantic! We did a lot of walking and maybe covered an eighth or sixth of it. It has some really pretty areas. I'd go there all the time. There are so many people there, it's great for people watching!
Going to Ground Zero was still emotional for me. It's been over 6 years. I can't believe that. They're doing construction there, so it's all blocked off and you can't really see in. But just walking down the streets that you know were full of fear and havoc brings you back. I don't know if it's because we were in a more businessy area after hours, but the city was so much more quiet there. The quick pace of the city is still evident, but it's as if people have a respect for the spirit of the dead that will forever hang over the place. Robin and I walked around the block that was destroyed to get an idea of how big the area is. The Fire Department that is right next door has a nice memorial on their wall. I think the plans for the memorial and the rebuilding are nice. A balance of remembering and grieving but striving to heal and move ahead.
New Yorkers are definitely proud of their city. They'll let you know it, and they really do have that in your face kind of fire about them. The subways aren't scary like tv makes them seem - it's like any other big city public transportation. I've never seen so many Jews. I love it. I think it's because I think it would be cool to be Jewish. But a Jew for Jesus - I don't know how modern day Judaism is really practiced anyway. We saw a Jewish couple get engaged in the Park. They never touched each other. No kiss, no hug. Very proper I suppose, but different!
Anyway, back to Clay Aiken! He was in Spamalot, which I have been wanting to see since I heard it was created! (Several years now!) So that was definitely a highlight for me. It was very funny. It basically follows The Holy Grail. They use a lot of the classic lines that everyone loves in that movie and added songs and other scenes. I'd like to watch it again! The only thing about having someone semi-famous in a show is that everyone cheers for them when they do anything. He had a terrible English accent, but the guy does have a great Broadway voice. I feel that he femmed up his party too much, I'd like to see someone else play the part. There were definitely Claymates there. The thing is, they were like 55-75 years old! haha!
Welp, I really enjoyed the trip. Leave me some love! Maybe in the form of a comment?

Old and new

I'm 26 today. My life is not what I thought it would be at 26. That's ok. I'm not exactly sure what I thought it would be, but not this I guess. I'm pretty happy most the time though.

I bought a car on the 14th. My Daewoo broke down when I was driving home from work at 10pm about 3 weeks before. The timing belt broke and bent the cylinders, which was going to cost more to fix than the car was worth. Big time suckfest. It was super fun calling for help (911), having the police call a tow truck, paying the guy, getting someone to take me home very late, finding out what was wrong with the car, paying for that, and towing it again! So, that cost a lot and then I spent most of my saved moolah on a cute little Honda Fit. I did lots of research and wanted a car with good gas mileage, but I can't afford a Prius, and this is probably one of the next best things. I'm into the cute little hatchbacks right now and this is the best reviewed and rated car in its class. I decided I wanted the Blackberry Pearl color, it's pretty! The night before I decided I wanted one I saw some pics and found info about the 09 version. They made some improvements that I am very interested in, and I considered waiting until an unannounced time (fall) for it to come out. But I needed a car now! Also, the price may go up and maybe I'll decide it's not worth it. So I went ahead with this. I'm very happy with it, I love it! Only one dealer in the entire NW had the color in when I was ready to buy, and only because it wasn't in the computer system. I felt the dealer in OR was lying to me and trying to screw me over. So I went up to Burien and bought the one that was ready to go.

The past few days I've been helping Carrie and David paint their new house so they can move in this weekend, lots of work left to do, but it looks 100 times better already!

Other than than, not much has been going on. An old man peed his pants on a flight a few weeks ago. That was disgusting. But perhaps better than poo?? Maybe not.

I'm going to NY in just under 2 weeks. I'm very excited, I've never been to the Big Apple!