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!

Shawshank

Redemption.

I don't remember the quote, but maybe you've seen the movie? Tim Robbins' character says he wants to go to Zihuatanejo and at the end of the movie that's where he is. Anna and I decided to go to Mexico this last weekend. We were deciding where to go - based on space on flights. I saw the name of the city and remembered the movie and wanted to see it. I loved it.

The sun shining, warm at night, the sound of the ocean. Coconut trees swaying in the breeze. Pelicans flying by looking like pterodactyls. Other birds glide on the wind and never flap their wings. Iguanas bask on the rocks, geckos hunt for bugs on the deck. The atmosphere demands relaxation.

It starts with our taxi ride to the hotel. The driver went 40 km over the limit - speeding around cars, some which were driving on the side of the road. (I felt like we were on the Amazing Race - and of course we would've been winning with driving like that!) Then he took us down a more local back road. I saw people out in their yards eating and local shops. I fell in love with it right then. Kinda poor, kinda run down, kinda dirty, but beautiful - full of soul. Our hotel is supposedly on the nicest beach that you can stay on. I'd have to agree. We have an amazing view from our room (as you can see). It's evening when we get in so we just have dinner at the hotel overlooking the bay and then sit in our hammocks and listen to the ocean and read.

On Saturday we took a rickety bus into downtown. It only cost us $0.50. We walked through a market area with some stuff for sale to tourists, but also food and halves of whole cows and such. We wandered around the streets and found some shopping areas. We heard the phrase, "good prices lady" a whole lot. We looked at a lot of the same stuff. I've seen it in other countries too, but I always find it so strange and unsettling to see local law enforcement standing on the corner or outside the supermarket with machine guns. Or cruising the street in the back of a truck with 4 machine guns. Why? Is it necessary? After having our fill we headed back to our hotel and then down to the beach! From the lobby on the top floor of the hotel down to the beach there were approximately 180 steps. Our calves were so incredibly sore!

We sat in the sun - our hotel had towels and chairs and everything you need down there. When it got too hot we would swim in the ocean. I really mean swim too! There was only one breaking wave to get past - which was only at about your waist. After that small swells just went by. The water was calm enough that we could swim out where we couldn't touch and then swim back. I think the salt water made it easy to tread water for longer. I've never really swam in salt water before. When we first went in Anna said something touched her. I told her there was nothing in the water, but then it touched her again. After a while it came and got me! Kinda freaky. But I saw that it was just a little fish. Maybe like 4 inches? It was silver with yellow fins. Everytime we went in they would come swim against our legs. They didn't seem to bother anyone else. I don't get it.

After we're cleaned up we take a romantic starlit walk on the beach. ;) haha We ended up eating at a restaurant on the beach and they pick up all the other tables while we're waiting for our check so it looks like we were just sitting at our own little candlelit table on the beach. The next day we spent the majority of our day taking in the sun and getting burned. Not too bad though. We used sunscreen! I don't think I burned my face at all. That evening we decided to go downtown again because it was the last night of Carnaval. It was a party! Also I was sick so we needed to go to a pharmacy. I had a terrible cough that was keeping me up at night and tearing up my throat. It was probably keeping up our neighbors too because all of the windows were only screens! We got down there during a parade. After using my little bit of spanish (I got to practice a lot!) to get some cough medicine we went over to the main Carnaval area with a stage and food stands and games and people selling stuff. Unfortunately, I felt pretty crappy. So we sat and people watched until it was getting too crowded so we headed back to the hotel. It was really a family event, that was nice.

The next day I was pretty miserable and didn't have the energy to do anything (basically I've been sick for 3 weeks now, I probably have walking pneumonia or something). We were going home that day, but I just sat around all day and then dragged my feet through customs and everything. That was too bad, besides that it was a great vacation. I would definitely go back again. Zihua seems to be a place for non-partiers, older people, quiet people, some families. We didn't want to party, we wanted to relax and it was perfect.

Fifth Day Trapped In My House!

Happy Belated New Year!

Just a quick update: I don't have too much to say really. Surprise.

Christmas was nice. I had plenty of days off to spend with my family and friends. I got to see some that I haven't seen in a while. That's alway so nice. I found out I'm going to be an Aunt by proxy. Does that make sense? I'm claiming it for myself anyway. One of my longest good friends is preggers. It's weird, really. This is the first person that I'm really close to who is my own age that will be having a baby. Obviously, I know people my age and younger who have babies, but I'm not that super close to them. I feel everything will be different. It's a sign of actually growing up. Being responsible for another human being! Yikes.

I went to a new years party with a bunch o' people that I went to college with. I was pretty skeptical of how it would turn out, but it was actually a lot of fun. It was good to see some of them. We danced and partied like it was 1999. Or 2007.

I now have to go through security every time I go to work at PDX. The port discontinued access to crew members. I had to turn in my old badge and can't get through doors anymore. It sucks. It doesn't take too much longer to go through security since I can cut, but then people think I'm just being a jerk and make comments to me. Then I have to tell them that it's ok because I work here. It's just a hassel. You all know. Taking your coat and shoes off.

Currently I am sick. I've been pretty miserable for the last few days. I haven't been able to breathe properly for..hmm... this is the 5th day now. Unfortunately, Oregon doesn't allow you to get the cold meds that actually work unless you have a prescription. That's ridiculous. #1 - I don't have a doctor at the moment. #2 - Who goes to the doctor for a cold? I don't want to manufacture illegal drugs, I just want to be able to breathe. I called in sick for work today. I have more energy today, but I am still coughing and stuffy. Not to mention ear and sinus problems which don't work out too well when flying. It's no fun when you feel like your head may actually explode on a flight.

I may take a little vacation in a few weeks. We'll see what works out. I'll let you know. I watched Sweeney Todd the other night. All the blood looked fake so I laughed a little. But it was fun to watch. Movies are so expensive! Fortunately, I had a free pass. Oh, and to celebrate Randy's bday the other day we went to this family karaoke place where you and your friends rent your own room and sing your little hearts out. It was very fun! I started to get sick after that I think. Maybe I got some nasty germs off the mic.