9 Months.

Tomorrow I go home for the first time in almost exactly 9 months.

A lot can happen in 9 months.

Well… a lot besides that can happen in 9 months.

According to my calculations, a 23 to 24-year old (because someone can have a birthday in 9 months) can:

Go through 1 Costco pack of toilet paper

Go through 1 container of shampoo/conditioner (Don’t call me dirty. I promise I bathe regularly)

Go through 1 Costco-sized bottle of vanilla extract (I promise I didn’t eat all the baked goods myself)

Start a job and start to feel slightly more confident at said job

Run two 5Ks and (almost) start to enjoy running (Shh! I didn’t say that aloud)

Master Crow Pose (Bonus: without breaking nose or face planting into floor)

Find a “groove”

Hang pictures up on your apartment walls (This is only noteworthy because, shamefully, it took almost 9 months to do this)

Start dating someone.

Well, that can technically take 24 years.

(I look forward to sharing more details with all 5 of my blog readers when I see you in person in the coming week)

This has been an incredible, exciting, life-changing 9 months. I am so thankful!

Merry Christmas!

The One Where Senia Didn't Know What to Name Her Post

Last night I had 8 girls over (+ a baby!) for visiting and holiday treats. It was so fun to (more or less) have the space and freedom to entertain! I do have ample floor space and even vacuumed the carpet for my guests. What can I say, I go all out. It all went well, even though one of my neighbors chose to cook fish for their Friday lunch and stunk up the hallway.

Here's a picture of my centerpiece/party favors: Cupcakes in a jar! They were fun to make and if I had made 100, they would have started lookin' really good! I caught myself making awkward facial grimaces (Think: applying mascara) as I packed the layers.



More Christmas festivities and time with friends today and tomorrow, hooray!

Look for one more update later this week... "A Lot Can Happen in 9 Months." You will just have to wait and see whether or not I have conceived and grown a baby since I was last home in Vancouver, almost exactly 9 months ago. I know, what a cliff-hanger.

There's Nothing Simple About a Gingerbread House

Last night two of my good friends came over to decorate Gingerbread houses (From Ikea, to make your home cozy like the Swedes'). We laughed a lot. We ate a lot of candy. It was super fun and a perfect mid-week diversion!

Unfortunately, there were a few casualties:






I can only proudly post these pictures of my (still standing, knock-on-wood) house because I had many-a-humbling moments during construction, including a cracked piece right out of the box (which I'd like to blame all subsequent structural problems on), a collapsed roof (x 2), and a broken roof shingle.






Oh, and note the absence of a chimney? Mine is going to be one of those houses where Santa just needs to come in the front door. At least I can report that the gingerbread is quite tasty!

So Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving, all!

I certainly have a great deal to be thankful for. As I've mentioned before, I am thankful for the struggles and hard times I've gone through because they make me even more thankful for where I am today - geographically, emotionally, mentally, physically, socially...

Here's just a sampling, in no particular order:
-My Faith (well, this is in order)
-The 58 degree forecast today: one of the top 5 warmest Thanksgivings in the Twin Cities. I will thoroughly enjoy my Thanksgiving walk today!
-A job: to challenge me, keep me out of trouble, work with wonderful people, pay the bills, and pay for FUN.
-No homework
-Less stress
-Family: especially those that will listen to me ramble on and on about things (Mom, Heather, Mary...)
-Friends that are willing to take me in on Thanksgiving and treat me like a part of their own families
-Old friends
-New friends :-)
-A fully-functioning body that can do just about anything

And random things I'm thankful for:
-Chocolate. Let's be honest.
-Delicious food
-Days off from work
-Coffee, Starbucks
-Wonderful stores like Trader Joes and Whole Foods
-Amazing restaurants serving healthful foods like Birchwood Cafe
-Hot Yoga
-My parking garage
-An apartment that I love
-The internet

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but just a few things that come to mind. It would be wonderful to be home with my family, but I look forward to trip home in less than a month!

There's this brief moment when I leave hot yoga, dripping with sweat, happy to know that I've strengthened and stretched my body til I quivered (and am done with the hard work), inspired by a thought-provoking intention, and feel that everything is right in the world.

Ahhh.

And then life happens.

But that one moment is awfully nice.

I try not to get too spiritual about yoga, as I certainly believe in "surrendering" to something greater than the sun and earth. During each class, the instructor sets an intention - some profound thought that they share in a soothing, poetic voice, one that might ordinarily make you roll your eyes, but somehow gets you all emotional. Maybe it's the heat and a mild case of dehydraton.

Lately I've felt like the instructors have been setting intentions just for me. At first I thought maybe they were interpreting the way I held my butt a certain way in down dog or the fact that no matter how much I do yoga, high to low plank still makes my arms quiver. But then I decided that maybe it's just the way I connect the intention to my own life.

Tonight the intention was centered around, "Who am I?" (Don't smirk. I know it sounds cliche.) and how we like to be in control and know what we're doing and where we're headed, but that we're always evolving. Another time it was about "doing" less and "being" more. It all makes perfect sense when you're on the mat, but somehow gets harder to integrate into your own lfe once you step out the door.

In other news...

Work Snapshot of the Week: In a bathroom stall with a pre-adolescent (all parties fully clothed), discussing the intricacies of wiping and completing a mock-run- including a graphic discussion of how to know when you're done. One of those "I have such a weird job" moments.

I'm in a continuing education course today-Saturday. I had one last weekend, too, and it's kind of fun to be a "sponge" again. I find that I'm a much more porous sponge when I'm fascinated by what I'm learning and have clients to apply it to. If you ever want to have a geek-out session, look me up - I am currently fascinated by the auditory system and it's affect on the entire body and pediatric feeding.

Going back to my (Duluth) roots

I'm up in Duluth for a weekend of catching up with friends -- and eating. Because that's what social people do.

On a whim, I stopped by St. Scholastica on my way into town yesterday and visited a few of my OT professors and some other staff I worked closely with.

A few instances made me feel old/like I'd been away forever, such as...
-Trying to exit through a "door" that's now just a wall.
-Asking if a former co-worker was around and hearing, "No, she's still on her maternity leave." Huh? A lot can happen in 9+ months...
-Walking around campus with an absence of excessive stress.
-Reporting that life is good.

Being back in Duluth makes me think back on some good memories and appreciate some solid friendships I made during my time here. But most of all it makes me appreciate where I am now. I know I appreciate the "now" all the more because of all I experienced during my 4 years in Duluth - the good and the bad. For instance, there's (still)( nothing "good" about a wind chill factor - brr!

Monday Mumblings

Eh, I don't have any cohesive thoughts, so here are just a few random thoughts.

-It's pumpkin season! You Facebook-ers have already heard my ravings about Trader Joe's Pumpkin ice cream, which -- somehow -- I hadn't discovered until stumbling upon this weekend. It's sitting in my freezer now, and I'm resisting it... for now.

-Can't wait to start baking everything and everything pumpkin.

-I am going to squash school on Wednesday night (Speaking of orange, stringy produce with hard outer shells). That's my kind of school! This is also checking off one item on my bucket list: "Take a Cooking Class."

-Adrenaline -- what a rush! I just had a great one. And I don't have to run a marathon to get one, thank you very much. More news on cause of adrenaline rush will be revealed at a later date, as deemed appropriate.

-I had another, horribly unproductive day at work. And an incredibly productive cleaning spree at my apartment. So it's a wash (pun intended)!

The Life of a Peon

(More info on "Life of a Peon" later in blog)

Here's a snapshot of my life, with a recap of my weekend (one with events worth reporting).

Friday: Have I mentioned how much I LOVE getting off work at noon on Fridays? Why work til 5pm on a Friday... I mean, who does that?! (I've been spoiled and will be very sad if/when I change jobs and have a long Friday). I ran some errands, which included a stop at Great Harvest Bread company, where a huge hunk-o-bread sample makes for a perfect post-work snack.

Afterwards I had a few hours to clean my apartment for company (which turned into watching TV, taking a nap, trying to will myself off the couch, and a 10 minute speed round of cleaning), then my friend came over for a walk and homemade soup. My friend was huffin' and puffin' on our walk because she, like the large majority of my friends, is pregnant. (By the way,I plan on fully taking advantage of this opportunity to be the "small" one in my friendships). We had a great visit and I get giddy when I look into my freezer, which is now neatly organized with Pyrex bowls full of soup.

Saturday: A friend and I ventured to an apple orchard in Stillwater. We saw all-things apple (including Dutch Aapple Jam -- really? No spell-check?) and picked some apples. I was so relieved when she didn't frown at me for trying to cram 12 apples into my pre-paid bag that fit "8" apples, but rather, tried cramming 13 or 14 into her own bag. It's times like those when you know you've found a good friend. She is a few years older than me and, refreshingly, is single, roommateless, childless, etc. We made an agreement that I will try the Honey Butter we each purchased on popcorn and report back, and she will sign up for match.com and report back. I think I got the good end of the deal.

In the evening I volunteered at a big fundraising event/auction for Courage Center (my place of employment). Here is where the day-in-the-life of a peon comes in. The event was one of those that I'd never be able to afford to actually go to unless I was volunteering. Afterall, I hardly had anything in my wardrobe that was appropriate for this "evening-wear" event. I'm so used to letting my personality sparkle that I have very few articles of clothing that aparkle (hardy har har).

My job assignment for the evening was Greeter. I unfortunately missed the volunteer training that was offered the week prior, but I felt fairly confident in my ability to stand by the door, try to look pretty, smile, and welcome people to the gala. There turned out to be about 10 greeters, so the guests had several layers of greetings to survive -- I mean, enjoy. There were greeters of all shapes, sizes, ages, and personalities... something for everyone! (My favorite was the old lady volunteer with the feathered hat and plenty of "bling" -- probably jewelry she used to wear in the roaring 20's -- who would point guests towards the registration table with her knobby, crooked finger).



Apparently I was far too non-chalant about my work as a Greeter, because at one point, the volunteer coordinator came up to our team of 3 and reprimanded us for not being "assertive" enough. After her constructive criticism, she moved us up to the frontline, closer to the first door guests walked through. Did I mention that Miss Bloomington USA was in our team of 3? Come on, the woman does this type of schmoozing for a living! Of course she just smiled and nodded during the reprimanding and then obediently stepped up her game (and maybe pulled her V-neck dress down another inch).

We smiled, we greeted, we schmoozed, we shook hands for 2 hours, all the while standing in high heels. I was so excited to sit down with the guests for the 6-course, steak dinner we had been promised. I wasn't even concerned as to which fork to use when or if I'd gag when I tried the Tuna Tar Tar. I was just excited to sit and dine with the fancy people.

Well. It turns out they oversold their dinner tickets to the fancy people, so we were demoted to the lobby. Fine. The registration tables had black tablecloths, so we could still pretend we were important. Then they were still feeding guests, so we had to wait for our food. Fine. Then they were running out of food, so what kind of pizza did we want?

Thus, my day-in-the-life of a peon.

We did get a few samplings of some of the leftover salads. I wasn't sure if I was to use one of my 2 salad forks or my dinner fork for the pizza. We weren't able to cleanse our palates with Intermezzo, lime sorbet, as planned.

But we still held out hope for a taste of dessert: Sweet Potato Cheesecake with caramelized Marshmallow creme.

We saw a whole tray of unserved desserts go back in the kitchen (we were seated close to the kitchen, where peons belong), so we anxiously awaited for it to come back out to us. We waited and we waited. We waited as some co-workers came out and raved about the dessert, declaring it the best part of the meal. We waited. Finally, a brave peon went in and asked the kitchen if there were leftover desserts. They checked, and they said no. (What, did that tray full of desserts fall into a black hole?). Later, as the guests started filing out, another brave -- no, a heroic! -- peon slipped into the dining room and returned with... desserts! Thank goodness for rich women who didn't want the Sweet Potato Cheesecake with caramelized Marshmallow creme to go straight to their hips. Hopefully they didn't sneeze while staring down and vicariously "eating" their cheesecake. The cheesecake was marvelous and the highlight of the day in the life of a peon.

...

In other news, this little peon ran her first 5k race this morning! "Race" is a strong word, as my goal was to run the whole way and/or just finish the course on 2 feet. I was able to run the whole way and it felt great! The event was a lot of fun, and I can see where races could be addictive. A bunch of people from my church ran/walked, too, so it was fun to bump into so many familiar faces. It felt good to be back amongst my people.

Productivity

Wednesday I was very productive but had horrible productivity.

...What?

The "beauty"/curse of health care is that we are driven by units. You learn about units in school and, with glazed over eyes, hear about this many minutes equals this many units... and all you're really thinking about is how many "units" until class is over. It doesn't really make sense until you get a job and divide your work into these little units all day long. Units are calculated into productivity, a somewhat-elusive number that you are held accountable for but really have limited control over.

I'm fortunate to work in a setting where productivity won't necessarily make or break you. Some settings have 110-120% productivity expectations, but that's a whole 'nother blog post that I will entitle, "Quality Over Quantity."

This week I have not met productivity. Not by a long shot. For someone who likes to be busy like me -- and as someone with ants-in-my-pants all week in anticipation of a long weekend -- I've bemoaned my productivity (or lack there of) this week.

But productivity is so relative.

Take Wednesday, for example. My productivity was horrendous (I won't state it here in case the Productivity Police are reading my blog [not that they would sacrifice their own productivity to lurk on the internet]), yet I was very, very productive. I finished all kinds of reports, consulted with colleagues, got things ready for my absence during my long weekend (for which I have ants-in-my-pants in anticipation...)

And that was just at work! In addition to working my 9 hour day, I managed to: work out (twice), scrub/polish my kitchen sink, make 3 dozen sandwich cookies (see previous post for link), do a bunch of dishes, vacuum, do 2 loads of laundry, and sit on the couch, watch TV, and eat aforementioned cookies.

Now I am off to 4 more productive hours of work before I start my long weekend (for which I have ants-in-my-pants in anticipation...). It's sure to be another very productive day with horrible productivity.

Time Marches On

I'm still here!

And I am still doing outdoor yoga and loving it. Hopefully we'll have a few more weeks left of yoga-worthy weather. The days are getting shorter, which is making me sad. No more 8pm walks. :-(

I'm still employed. I've officially decided I love my co-workers, which makes work that much more enjoyable. I've been getting harassed for slacking in the baking department, so I think I'll make some cookies this week before I start losing friends.

I am going to the State Fair today. There will be a million people, along with every kind of fried food on a stick that you can imagine (Again, we Minnesotans are so much more diverse than hot dishes and Jell-o. We also create culinary delights such as Deep Fried Butter on a Stick [I'm hoping the rumor isn't true]).

I often walk around Lake Calhoun on Saturday mornings. Yesterday I walked the 5k loop, marveling at the beautiful weather and sparkling lake and wondered, "How could anyone NOT love living here?!" And then I pictured myself walking around the lake in about 4 months... sporting UnderArmour, UGGs, Columbia Sportsware, and mittens, and still frozen to the bone. ... So then I pushed that thought aside and went back to basking in the early morning sun.

My friend Abbey is very preggo.



She is due in just a few weeks and I can't wait to be a (self-proclaimed) Honorary Auntie! We had a small, intimate baby shower (with about 80 people) a few weeks ago. Here was one of my contributions:







Well, I'm off to Trader Joes to stock up on my fresh produce for the week. I think I'll need to detox with my lettuce, carrots, nectarines, and hummus after my on-a-stick purchases at the fair this afternoon.

Since my last post, I haven't had any particularly note-worthy encounters with bald, middle-aged men. I have stuck to my more intrapersonal yoga classes by the lake.

My mom came to visit last weekend and we had a great time. It was a special treat to have someone to walk with, watch TV with, and run errands with -- all things that I've become very independent in, but still enjoy the company when I have the chance.

Work is still going pretty well. I had a mid-week crisis (the melo-dramatic, fleeting next-of-kin to the mid-life crisis) and felt like all my therapeutic work with my clients was in vain, but that feeling eventually passed...for the most part.

Speaking of "fleeting" -- I think that summarizes the attention span of approximately 75% of my caseload. I don't usually post too much about my work, specifically, so here is a snippet. In the last week, you could have found me:

*Trying to decipher chart notes in a dimly-lit lobby due to a building-wide power outage.

*Animatedly singing "Five Green and Speckled Frogs" (Or is it freckled frogs and speckled logs? I usually just inter-change them) over and over again while my client did not engage, but rather, just looked at me, stone-faced, and head tilted, inquisitively.

*Toddler in lap, getting sand poured on my legs and in my socks, all the while smiling at the parents pretending I love getting germy, gritty sand dumped all over me. I sure do a lot of messy play for someone who doesn't really like to get messy.

*Drinking applesauce and pear baby food through a straw.

*Having a *Mashed Potato" party (the instant food variety, not the dance style)

*Making myself nauseaus by swinging on a big platform swing while, again, the client just watched me like, "What's this woman doing? No way am I getting on that thing."

*Intentionally losing at Speed. This was perhaps the most painful, as I loathe "cheating" to lose at games. This was actually for one of my (most favorite) adult clients, so I suppose it was worth it.

And with that, it's time to get dressed and head out for a walk and yoga by the lake!

Give Me An "OMMMMMMMM!"

This weekend my quest for outdoor yoga led me to a new experience - a very interactive, vocal yoga class.












I will be using the very scientific elementary school grading scale of
X = Yay!
/ = Eh
(the dreaded blank square) = Nay.

[x] Despite ominous clouds, we were only hit by just a few light sprinkles
[x] I miraculously found 2 co-workers in the sea of hundreds of people to set up camp by
[x] Based on the amount of arm-quivering and child pose rests I had to take, I'd say it was a pretty good workout.
[x] It was free. And I found free parking. And a free public restroom.
[x] Amazing setting/view



[/] I was forced to go outside by bubble and make a new yogi friend by introducing yourself to someone new. Because I have such wonderful luck with the opposite sex, I found myself a bald, middle-aged, shirtless, sweaty man for our touchy-feely partner work. He was quite the gentleman, offering, "Do you want me to shirt up?!" Could I have honestly answerd "YES, your sweat repulses me"?







This wasn't me and Shweaty Man, but it could have been!









[Dreaded blank] Instructors asking us to whoop and holler and do yoga cheers.

Can't I just shavasana in peace?!

Weekend Ramblings

While my parents are taking part in what sounds like the wedding of a century in Boca Grande, FL (even the name sounds grandiose), I am in the midst of another thrifty weekend.

Friday: 100+ degrees - hot, hot, hot. The perfect day for a pool party at our family friends. I brought Raspberry Pretzel Dessert , which was reportedly the "perfect dessert for a hot day!" ...but I think that was just an excuse for people to eat multiple servings.

In the evening I "kidnapped" Abbey from her parents' and we went and saw another $2 musical, H.M.S. Pinafore. It was excellent and we were in the 2nd row - close enough to see the actors' sweat and spit, both of which were plentiful.

On the way to the play we drove through what looked like a tornado but what turned out to be just very, very strong winds. There were even some people who took shelter underneath an overpass. I think it was probably because the MN Government shut down Friday so between that, the "dark" sky at 6:30pm and the strong winds, they were probably preparing for the end of the world.

Saturday: Explored a new Farmer's Market, went to a free Yoga by the lake class (GORGEOUS! My arms hurt today.), had lunch with my new Wish Granting partner, and signed up for a Minneapolis library card! When they guy asked if I'd ever had a card before I answered no, I realized I probably should have specified I hadn't had a card in *Minneapolis* before. Fortunately, he didn't start explaining, "Here we have lots of books you can borrow..." I did try to look as intelligent as possible for the remainder of the encounter to defer any thoughts of illiteracy.

This morning I had made/eaten/cleaned up Whole Wheat Oatmeal Banana Pancakes and fairly-deeply cleaned my apartment by... 8:15am. I spent a good chunk of the remainder of the morning/afternoon walking around my adopted neighborhood(s), choosing which house(s) I wanted to crash for 4th of July BBQs.

Tomorrow is set to be the quietest, dullest 4th of July in the history of Senia's life. We'll see what unfolds!

Happy Fourth of July!

What a Difference a Year Makes

I have found myself reminiscing (really? Is that how you spell it?) a ton lately, as I started my Level II fieldwork exactly a year ago. I can still feel the butterflies in my stomach. I remember my ankle that was humungously (if that's a word) swollen on my first day of fieldwork due to a bunch of mosquito bites and my limping around the hospital.

A year later, there are two patients that I still think about on a daily basis. Like... every day. When I worked with them, I figured they'd have a lifelong impact on me, but I never knew it would be like this. And to think I give my mom a hard time for how attached she gets to people.

Life is still good. I have moments of elation and marveling in my charmed life, and movements where I feel discouraged and want to bake cakes for a living.

I'll try to not make this a terribly long post, so here's a snap shot of my life in MN. In no particular order.

-Walks by the lake -Farmers Markets -Friday afternoon naps -New laptop
-Joined an ASL group -Became a Wish Granter through Make a Wish -Getting to exchange work stories w/ former classmates
-Learning. A lot. -Frequent Trader Joe's visits -Still obsessed with free stuff and events -Cheap theater tickets -Outdoor yoga -Hanging out with friends -Excitedly planning my Mom's visit in July -Trying new restaurants, going to favorite restaurants -Still loving my apartment -Church -Evening walks -Morning workouts -Sunday dinners with my "Surrogate" family -Baking for my co-workers -Continuing Education -Exploring new neighborhoods -Official MN driver's license!

Don't Cramp My Style

This is a post for all the single ladies (Hi, Stacey! ;-)). Days like today, I can fully appreciate the freedom and independence of being a single woman. Not only do boys have cooties, one would totally cramp my style.

This is actually a series of several blogs that have been running through my head. If only Blogger could just read my mind, I would update this thing faster than you could keep up with!

PART I

The first instillation of this blog was mentally composed last Saturday. It's entitled, "How to Get Fat and Happy on $6 a day" (take that, Rachael Ray!)

*Attend monthly apartment breakfast. Mingle with fellow residents and enjoy variety of breakfast foods. Stash pockets full of creamer, sugar packets, and Donettes (just kidding. I'm still trying to impress these people. I wouldn't do that ... yet.) Finally meet neighbor, who turns out to be slightly eccentric. Endure aforementioned neighbor trying to set you up with every individual with testerone in room. Casually distance yourself from neighbor, join conversation of fellow, single female residents. Get bold enough to exchange phone numbers with one, which feels strangely like asking a guy out on a date ("Am I coming on too strong?!"). Make new friend, 2 points! Cost: Free! [Side note -- this new friend and I went to see "Something Borrowed" last night, which I'd highly recommend!]

*Bask in sunshine and explore new neighborhood (in which you decide you will live in vicariously, hoping they don't check local addresses when accepting Facebook Friend Requests or check ID upon entrance to community events). Visit bakery and get free sample of bread and use coupon for free loaf of bread for joining bakery's online newsletter. Pay full price for muffin and cookie (One's for a friend ... Seriously!). $3 total. A bargain and carbohydrates (whole grain, no less!) = wonderfulness.

*"Splurge" on $3 iced latte at nearby coffee shop. Sit in coffee shop and study driver's manual for new MN license, which provides hours of "entertainment."

*Continue roaming around neighborhood, window shopping, and not spending another dime.

*Attend your *real* neighborhood's Spring Awakening block party. Sample chocolates in fancy jewelry shop (don't let all of the women hanging off their S.O.'s arms, drooling over diamonds get to you. If it does, go to another display and eat another chocolate). Next door, sample endless varieties of olive oils and vinegars, making little comments like, "Oh yes, I'll definitely have to come back and buy some gifts here!" to avoid moocher-status.

The ironic conclusion to this blog was going to be spending $10.50 for a MATINEE showing of "Water for Elephants." ($10.50... can you believe it?!). However, the advantage of being so behind in your blogging is that I can now add the inspiring epilogue: Notice audio dubbing is slightly off during movie and note weird "bursts" of sound in audio. Send e-mail to theater explaining your experience... score 3 free movie passes for providing them with "much appreciated" feedback. Squeaky Wheel WIIIIIIIIINS!

*Sunday: Attend surrogate family's Mother's Day brunch. Stuff your face. Laugh. Feel family-ish. Cost: Free!

*Attend professional play for $2 (job perk at Courage Center! Don't have to ask me twice). Realize irony of paying $2 for ticket and $6 for parking ramp. Try not to dwell on that and enjoy the fact that you had a "night on the town" for 8 buckaroos, a fine wrap-up to a thrifty weekend!

PART II:

The Old Me, The New Me

The Old Me:
…Heard a clap of thunder and identified her nearest tornado shelter.

…Hallucinated tornado sirens when weather seemed severe.

…Figured she would die at Methodist Hospital, trapped on the 7th floor, when there was a tornado watch.

The new me:

…Hears a tornado warning for St. Louis Park… continues shopping at Trader Joe’s.

…Thinks Trader Joes would be a wonderful place to endure a tornado as they announce on the intercom that shoppers are welcome to stay in the building as long as needed.

…Wonders if she huddled with the employees at the back of the store if they would charge her for her frozen chicken breasts if they thawed out while she waited out the storm. …and would they feed us lots of samples and figure they might as well dispose of all the perishable foods?!

…Gets upset when she wonders if this inclement weather will interfere with her much anticipated pit stop for a DQ Blizzard.

…Completes her Trader Joes transaction, wondering if she should run back and get a pint of ice cream as a back-up supply. … Heaven forbid she ended up back in her apartment with NO ice cream because of some stupid storm.

…Waits inside Trader Joe’s lobby until golf-ball sized hail stops.

…Decides that being swept up in a tornado with a chocolate-y Blizzard would be so worth it. … Resists the urge to upgrade to an extra large, just in case it would be the last Blizzard.

Minnesota has so much more to offer than Jell-o salads and hot dishes!

Part III:

And finally, here's the true "Don't Cramp My Style" post.

I had the most lovely day today, fully embracing my independence. My day started with a free, 1 hour session of yoga in the park in the new neighborhood I "adopted" after discovering last weekend. The yoga instructor was excellent, the weather was coolish but sunny and MUCH improved from yesterday's cold and rain. It was a wonderful feeling to have the sun beating down on me as I did Sun Salutations!

The neighborhood was having a "festival" today, so afterwards I just walked around, exploring the festivities, smiling at all the cute kids and their families (and trying not to look too creepy smiling at the kids). I stumbled upon a library used book sale, where I found 2 novels and a "Fix it and Forget it" cookbook for $3!

After that, I went on a long, long walk through the neighborhoods, down to the beautiful Lake Harriet, and then to another little shopping district where I browsed through the Food Co-Op. I walked back down to the festival where I got a free 5 minute chair massage.

Next, I went to a local, homemade ice cream shop and treated myself to an indulgent, ultra-chocolate scoop of ice cream, which, of course, I got to eat outside in the sun/cool breeze.

I literally walked around the neighborhood with a smile on my face. It is such a beautiful day and it was so much fun exploring the neighborhood. This morning the yoga instructor made a comment about feeling the uneven-ness of the ground beneath our yoga mats and embracing this uneven-ness. She talked about how we are so used to expecting perfection of ourselves and in our lives, but that this "uneven-ness" (imperfection) in our own lives is what makes us appreciative and compassionate. I have been feeling very inadequate when it comes to work, which has caused me a lot of stress, anxiety, and frustration, so this really hit home for me. It's hard not knowing everything (or much of anything!), and it's hard accepting that that is okay. My goal in the coming weeks is to embrace my "uneven-ness" and focus on the positive aspects of experiencing those imperfections.

So there's my philosophical ending to this suuuuper long post. I am now going to walk BACK to Trader Joes (even though I was there an hour ago) because I forgot the lemon for my Banana Cake, whch I'm bringing to work tomorrow. Then maybe I'll go sit and read by the pool. Ahhhhh, weekends! :-)

Friday Song

This morning I woke up with a giddy "hangover" from a beautiful Blazer victory last night (which concluded far too late in the CST time zone for a work night). As I rolled out of bed, I was inspired to create a little Friday jingle.

From what I can remember, it went something like this...I believe to the tune of the song from Elf ("I'm siiiiinging. I'm in a mall, and I'm siiiinging!"):


Today is Friiiiiiday!
And it's Earth Daaaaay
So I can get free coffee at Staaaarbucks
And I think I'll get a mufffffin
Because today is Friiiiday
And after work I'm getting a faaaacial!

Happy Friday!

Ode to Crisco

Oh, Crisco.

How I normally despise thee.

Greasy, fatty, flavorless.

One can't seem to scoop you out of a can without getting an oil-based hand treatment.

Yet so crucial to tender cut-out cookies (Butter just doesn't cut it. I tried).

Which leads me to a greater invention than sliced bread (like it was any competition. How can the "chore" of slicing a loaf of bread even compare to the mess of Crisco in the tub?!)

Thank you for bringing such a joy and simplicity to my life.

All hail the lard!

Infinity

For many, many years, my life has been divided into segments... (relatively) short periods of time that simply felt like segues to the next stage of my life. My junior year of high school, on my way to finally being a senior. My senior year of high school, biding my time until I could start college. First years of college, prerequisites (literally) to start the OT program. The OT program, the next step in finally pursuing my career. Fieldwork, more preparation before starting my career. My boards, another hoop (more like ring of fire) to jump through. Granted, I did my best to make the most of these experiences so this makes it sound worse than it actually was, but still. My life was full of transitions. For the first time in a long time, I feel like my life is fluid, not segmental. I have no end date in mind, no next stage I'm preparing for, no transition I'm anticipating. I just am. One day at a time. Content where I am.

Might I just say it feels amazing!

The Blog, Revisited

With only moderate resolve, I've decided to dust off the old blog. If nothing else I had to update my profile in the blogging community, less someone stumble upon my page and think I was still a student (shudder!) and living in Duluth (brr!).