Downside of Travel

After returning from my overseas adventure my focus shifted to the holiday season and planning the wedding. In my "spare" time I also applied for jobs and was fortunate enough to have some connections that allowed me to be hired temporarily. It wasn't (isn't) a glamorous job and not something I anticipate wanting to do long term (in fact I will be finished with the position at the end of August) but it was something to help pay the bills and easy enough that I could sneak in a few wedding planning details between projects.

Well, now that wedding has come and gone I find myself wondering what to do (again) with my life. I am thoroughly enjoying being married to Eddie (as discussed in the last post) and there is plenty for us to do at home to continue to get settled into our apartment but the 32 hours that I work each week and quickly becoming painful. I know 32 hours is not a lot and that I should be grateful to have work (which I am), but it's hard to know that I'm putting so much time into something that I'm not passionate about.

I think back to a year ago and realized that this week in 2009 is the same week that I gave my notice at work and told Eddie that I loved him for the first time. It was an epic week to be certain. What can I say about this week 2010? I burned my finger pulling cookies out of the oven and Eddie and I bought a dresser for our apartment. Not quite so awesome. July 2009-June 2010 was probably one of the most significant years of my life - I don't know if it can be topped - and it's hard to go from the amazingness of that year to the "nothing" that is scheduled until who knows when.

This isn't a complaint, though I realize it may sound like it is, and I know the advantages I have been given set me up to live better than a significant part of the world. I just have to be real with where I am and what I'm feeling, and this is it right now. It's been a roller coaster of emotion lately (poor Eddie) as I try to process what is in store for me next and look for the next missing piece of the puzzle that is life.

Do I take a job because it is a job and I need money even though I know I wont be happy?

Do I pursue jobs at SPU? Is that a good place for me to be or is it just "easy?"

Should I go back to school and get my masters?

What do I even want to do?

I don't know if it's just the desire to escape or something else, but what I keep coming back to is leaving and getting back on the road and seeing things, experiencing life, and exploring the world. There are so many things I want to do and places I want to see and visit and I want to share it with someone. I didn't get to do that last time around and the next time I travel I want a companion. I want the freedom and money to travel with Eddie.

Can someone find me a job where I get to do this?

Please?

Long Weekend

I’ve been married a month now, and it’s been lovely. Not only is Eddie is a wonderful person, he’s an even better husband. He is quite charming and loving and continues to supplying me with delicious treats – even though they are making my pants tighter. We have enjoyed our first month together in our little apartment. It’s starting to become a bit cozier as we unpack and put things away. It seems to be a never-ending battle at times though.

This last weekend was wonderful. Eddie and I both had four days off and got to spend them together. Thursday night we went salsa dancing in Pioneer Square with my cousin Katie and learned a few moves. It was a lot of fun and we each got to dance with some “interesting” characters. My two personal “favorites” were the toothless, cross-eyed, potentially homeless man who didn’t even try to follow the steps, and the overly eager man in a Canadian tuxedo (wearing denim from head to toe – actually his pants were too short so it wasn’t quite down to his toes) who also had one white nose hair growing out of each nostril. The latter of these two men saw me later in the night and felt the need to frantically wave from across the park. Apparently we are BFF’s now. Afterwards my cousin Jeremy met up with us and we hit up a few bars. It was way too much fun.

Eddie and I spent Friday enjoying doing nothing. We actually slept a good portion of the day and got “caught up” since we have been going-going-going since before the wedding! It was the first day where we didn’t have to do anything. Didn’t have to get up for work or church, didn’t have to meet up with anyone, and didn’t have to run any errands. It was a truly lazy day and we loved it. We did end up going north to Seattle in the evening to meet up with Ben and Joanne (Eddie’s sister and brother-in-law) who moved up her from Vegas early last week. We tried out the taco truck in Wallingford which turned out to be delicious, and then drank a few beers out of mason jars at Al’s Tavern. We then moved on to the Tin Hat where we had a few more beers and just enjoyed hanging out!

Saturday was another rather lazy day. We did make it to the bank and tried to take care of some lingering financial stuff that we have going on, but didn’t get terribly far. We attempted to make sushi that night as well, but it didn’t go as well as we’d hoped. We had a late start with the rice and then were anxious to get the show on the road and I don’t think it cooked quite long enough. We will make another attempt at some point I am sure. We ended up playing Mario Kart Wii which was really fun.

Sunday we actually rolled some of the sushi – it was a bit mushy but turned out ok – and watched a few movies. It was another lazy day – but we did manage to make it to church for the 5 o’clock service and then headed over to Ben and Joanne’s for some Tijuana hot dogs (for those of you who are ignorant like I was, it’s a bacon wrapped hot dog) and beer before we walked over to the Fremont bridge to watch the firework show. It was a lot of fun and we ended up running into my friends, Jamie and Elizabeth, and seeing my cousin Jeremy.

Yesterday Eddie and I had intended to go hiking, but a late morning and a delayed start prevented us from such accomplishments. It was our one month anniversary and so we decided to use a gift card from the wedding for dinner. First we did a bit of shopping and finally purchased a dresser for our bedroom – hopefully this will help get us a bit more organized – which we get to pick-up today. We went to dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory – not our favorite place in the world – and had an enjoyable dinner. I will have to say that their cheesy bread appetizer is amazing. It’s probably the best thing I’ve ever had at that restaurant. We then went to Red Box and picked up a movie. I made myself a few mojitos and we finished off the last of our cookie dough while we watched the movie.

All in all – it was a wonderful weekend and just what we needed. Unfortunately it’s now Tuesday and we are back at work. I guess the bills need to be paid so we’re thankful to have income of some kind, I am still holding out for lottery winnings so I can have a few more lazy days in my life.

Two Days

I get married tomorrow. Weird.

But terribly exciting!

Swimming

I started swimming again on Monday. I haven't been in a pool since at least February, but I think it was actually more like January (can't remember now). It was great to get back into the water and get a great work out. Unfortunately my lapse of time in the water has decreased my speed and endurance, but I am determined to keep it up!

My original motivation was to help me lose a few pounds before the wedding, but a friend pointed me toward the speedo website and now I am swimming with a greater purpose. To help stop Malaria! You can find my swim page at http://www.WorldSwimAgainstMalaria.com/ann and even contribute to the cause through my page!

I'm planning to do 25km between now and June 25. It's about 15.5 miles and at my current pace it's something like 11 hours in the pool - totally doable. I would have set my goal higher but who knows how much time I'll have in the next two weeks (since I'm getting married and all) and I didn't want to shoot myself in the foot! I can always increase my goal though. :) I may try to do an extra long swim on June 25 since it's the final day and all, but I don't know yet - I'll keep you posted of course!

Disoriented

I woke up this morning convinced that it was Friday. I'm not too far from the truth on that since I am taking tomorrow and Friday off, but it is in fact Wednesday not Friday. Yesterday I told someone it was Wednesday, Monday felt like Tuesday, and Sunday felt like Saturday. My days are all wacky right now and I'm not sure why. Too much exercise maybe? :)

Things are moving along for the wedding. We're 3 1/2 weeks away from the "I Do's" and there is still quite a bit to do. I'm not really stressed about it though, I know it'll all get done and I am taking a 5-day weekend starting tomorrow to tackle the few remaining big list items. On the agenda are centerpieces, ceremony programs, chairs, and linens. It should be a productive weekend.

Amidst all of the wedding planning I have been working part time at the Security office at SPU in a temp position. I can stay at SPU through the end of the summer, but it'd be great to have a full time job with benefits so I have been applying for various other jobs too. Hopefully something will come through sooner rather than later, but we'll see.

My job search has brought up a lot of questions for me regarding what it is that I really want to do with my life. On one hand I'd like to get into a position that I could see myself doing long term and has potential for advancement. On the other hand I need a job to support Eddie and I. I don't want to settle for just anything, but I don't know how far I should push pursuing something I'm more passionate about, especially when the pay is unlikely to hit the mark that I need. I stressed myself out about it last week. Eddie was (of course) really supportive of me and the situation, but it didn't really provide me with a lot of answers. I just don't think I've ever been a big fan of transition. Change I am good with because I am doing something or something is happening, but transition involves a lot of waiting and I am not usually in control. It's much more stressful!

In other news, I am planning to start writing down stories from my Europe trip and life in general. I realized that a lot of the blogging I did overseas was direct, "this is what I did today" information. I don't want to forget all my stories and adventures that I had! I may post some of them here so get excited. :)

More than Enough

Life has been busy lately. Busy, busy busy! After I got engaged and everyone told me that planning a wedding was a lot of work, I kind of brushed it off like it was no big deal. I mean, how hard could it be? I coordinated events for three years at SPU and I have put together several big parties and always helped out with things at my parent's house. Why should a wedding be that much different?

In some ways, I do still think that it isn't as big of a task as some people made it out to be, but I now know it was naive of me to be so flippant about it. It's not the planning itself that it is hard, but rather keeping to a budget and accommodating every one's opinions, thoughts, and suggestions. It's funny who decides to throw their two cents into the ring and more often than not it's people that I never would have expected it from. I now wish I could go back in time and hold my tongue when talking to friends who were planning their weddings.

I have learned a lot so far in this process. Everything from having to be more assertive about what it is that I want and being less blunt and more tactful when saying it to ordering extras just in case because it'll probably end up saving me money in the end. I'm sure there are more things that I will learn as June 5 approaches, but I'll take those as they come.

I am working part-time at SPU as temporary staff in the Security office (I think I mentioned that before) and it is keeping me more than busy! I am so thankful for the time that I had unemployed when I was able to get a lot of big-picture ideas nailed down and figured out. I still have more than enough to do and my list seems to keep growing and growing! We're doing a lot of the pieces ourselves and so it just takes up a lot of time. If it were my full time job to plan a wedding it'd be much easier than planning one while working 32 hours/week and trying to be creative about it all!

Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying the process and I wouldn't really want it any other way. I like to be in control and organize details about things that I care about. It just is a lot more work than I originally anticipated.

When it all comes down to it though, the thing that matters most is that Eddie and I are getting married and starting a wonderful new life together. I am so thankful for him and God's work in both of our lives bringing us together. It's been such an incredible journey so far and I can't wait to see what is in store. I'm so ready for this next phase, but am trying really hard not to get too carried away and focused on the future. I want to enjoy this moment and being engaged and all that comes along with it. I am blessed and thankful for everything in my life. I have more than enough. So much more.

Back on the Wagon

I am finally forcing myself to get back on the wagon.

No, I am not a smoker or alcoholic, but I am addicted to something. That something is food and laziness.

I have however finally decided that the habbits I have fallen into since returning from Europe will not do. I not only have a wedding dress to fit into on June 5, but I also have not yet reached the goal that I set out to meet two years ago!

I have seven weeks until the wedding and I have decided that there are no more excuses allowed. I am busy and life is hectic while I am working and planning a wedding, but I will make time to work out and I will begin eatting better! Fortunately my eating habbits aren't too far off (though they can be better) and it's really just the working out part that I need to be more dedicated about.

A few of my co-workers (I may not have mentioned this yet, but I am temping at SPU until the end of May and am now working in the Security office) are trying to lose weight as well and so we have embarked upon a group challenge. We have seven weeks (until June 4) to lose as much weight as we can. Whoever loses the most weight wins, and the two losers have to buy the winner dinner.

So, I now have a goal and I now have extra motivation to lose the weight. I have signed up for an online food and exercise tracker. I will be putting a little icon on the side of the blog where you can follow my progress! There's no time like the present right? Right!

Here goes nothing!