Running, engagements, pot roast & pregnancy pictures

Well back to some poor grammar and run on sentences describing some of the things that are crossing my mind today…


1. I should probably start training soon. I’ve finally convinced my sister to run a half with me. The main thing that convinced her was that it was going to take place in Disneyland, but that’s a start. So we are set to run and it should be really fun. I injured myself in the early spring and have taken a running hiatus. I don’t really have the desire to start running again, but I would really like to support her and our plans to do this together. Don’t get me wrong, I think it will be a lot of fun, I’m just really working on getting my motivation back running. I will… and if I don’t, I will look like an idiot, so I know that I will. I’m also in charge of coming up with what we will wear for the adventure, so that will be an exciting part to the whole thing as well.

2. In the past week I have had 2 friends get engaged. I know I’ve posted about this before, but I think it freaks me out even more. Both are completely different stories and I know both of them are incredible happy, so that is what is important, but it stresses me out. What a big step/commitment. Not that I can really say this out loud, but I wonder if they realize that this is really long term? Clearly I have commitment issues. It stressed me out to decide what I’m doing two weeks from now and I’m certainly not ready to buy a house… that would mean that I would have to stay in the same place for an extended period of time. It was stressful enough buying a car. After all my hard work and research, I bought one and about a year and a half later, it is certainly not the car that I want. Sure, it was a great choice and worked for where I was, but only 1.5 years later and my life changed enough that it no longer works for me. Think about that. Just think. If I can’t even handle committing to a car for more than 2 years, how could I ever think it’s a good idea to commit to a person for a lifetime?!? Analyze me all you want for this. Point out my mistrust in men and my daddy issues all you want. I’m sure I’ve covered all of them as I’ve manalyzed (no, not a typo. Analyzing men= manalyze) with my friends.

3. Everything can be fixed with a good cup of coffee and some great music. Fact. I know I’ve previously mentioned that ice cream and wine can fix everything. That’s still true, it’s just less socially acceptable to eat ice cream and drink wine in the morning, so depending on the time of day, that’s how you will figure out which pairing you need to solve your problems.

4. I’m getting really excited for winter. Today was the first day that I have used my crock pot this season. I ventured to make Pioneer Woman’s pot roast recipe. Not only do I love her blog, now that she has a tv show, which is awesome. She’s pretty hilarious and her instructions are really easy. I love winter comfort foods and the amazing smells of my slow cooker meals throughout my house. Can’t wait to keep making more. I do wish that I were more culinary, but I feel like using my slow cooker is a safe way to get more in to the cooking world. Coming up on my list: crock pot lasagna, meatloaf, and pork chops. Awesome. I do realize that saying that makes me sound like a homemaker, but let’s be honest, it would probably be pretty awesome to be a homemaker.

5. Pregnancy photos. Why do people have to come up with the most awkward/oversharing poses for their pregnancy photos?!? The other day, an acquaintance posted some photos on his FB profile of him and preggo wife. One picture had her leaning on a fence and her bare stomach poking through the fence, and he’s on the other side of the fence poking her stomach. WHO thought that was a good idea? Not only is the picture horrible, he then made the choice to post that picture for the world to see. I can understand that a photographer talks people in to weird poses and people play along with it, but posting them takes that to a whole new level. The more disturbing part: someone commented “cute” on the picture. Was that supposed to be a joke? My next step: unfriend that character AND quickly.

Listening to: Anya Marina

Catching up or something along those lines...

Alright, well first things first- I haven't visited this place in awhile, but in the past week, I've had 4 people tell me that I should write. I agree with that, so that's why I'm back. This probably means that I'll be back for one or two posts and then move on. I feel like I need to wait to write some sort of epic post that people will find engaging and hilarious and awesome. That's a lot of pressure... especially since no one reads this.

Clearly I haven't written for awhile. I realized this because I got back here and it looks like all my pictures that were on previous posts have turned in to black boxes. The combination of me being technologically illiterate combined with my lack of desire to correct this situation means that my amazing pictures (yeah, if you didn't see them, you missed out) will no longer be on my earlier blogs. I'm pretty sure that won't change my lack of readership, so I'm not too worried. 

So moving on.

Things on my mind today:
1. I can't wait for the weekend. This has been a super long week and I'm over it. Do I have amazing plans for the weekend? No. It will probably involve good food, good beer and some college football. Sounds simple yet amazing. Why am I single again? I'm pretty sure I should be every man's dream...


2. Ski season is around the corner. A-Basin opens tomorrow. Yes, it's October. Am I stoked? You bet. Am I saving my vacation days so I can hit the slopes all winter? Without a doubt. 


3. If I'm writing on this blog with the title of Awkward Encounters, I should probably talk about another one of my awkward encounters. Ugh. I'll get back on this soon... I feel like I've had so many that I don't even know where to begin. 


4. Pinterest. So the website is super addictive. I look around at all the great ideas for food and fashion and think how I will take those ideas and use them. I'll be the adorable/hip girl that makes awesome food and has an amazingly decorated house. Totally realistic right? Then I wake up the next morning, eat my cheerios and look in the mirror and try to figure out where I went wrong. I'm pretty sure the website was set up by people that are trying to make the average person feel inadequate. Well Pinterest, it's working. You know what would be better? If you sent a personal shopper, chef and decorator to my house. That would save me some shame.


What I'm listening to now: The Black Keys

It’s no secret that I was getting very tired and frustrated with my job. I decided to do something about it. I tried to work with my employer to see what we could do to fix my situation, but nothing seemed to be solving the problems within the office. I took matters in to my own hands and started looking for jobs. After about a month or so of job searching, I got an interview at an amazing job and it just so happened that it worked out and they offered me a position. I left Houston at the end of August and moved up to Boulder, Colorado.

I can’t say that it’s culture shock. Boulder feels very similar to home, so I just have to remember what it was like when I was living in Portland. I’m happy to be away from the heat and traffic of Houston. I love that I can go hiking and not have to drive forever to see trees. In addition to the environment of the city being a better fit for me, my job has been a great fit for me as well. I’m busy as always, but the environment is more supportive, happy and engaging.

I feel like things are changing for the better, but I’m left thinking about a quote by Arthur Christopher Benson explaining “Very often a change of self is needed more than a change of scene.” This makes me wonder if the change of scene was really what I needed or if my mentality has changed. In my situation, I think it’s a combination of both. I think the change of scene has provided me with the ability to change myself. Hopefully Boulder will provide me with the scenery that I can continue to grow…

Finding Something in the Dominican

It’s a very contradictory feeling. I don’t have much to talk about, but so much has happened since the last time I’ve posted anything. So where to begin…

I just got back from vacation. I went to the Dominican Republic. It was absolutely beautiful. I went with my college roommate and we had a blast. The best part of the trip was an “extreme buggy” tour throughout the island. We spent half a day dune buggying throughout the countryside. It was a bumpy, muddy, and awesome experience!

Our first stop on the trip was at a grocery store and homestead, but also a location for gatherings in the evening. As we pulled up, there were a couple cats and puppies in the front yard area running out to greet us. They seemed to love any attention we were willing to provide. Luckily, we were all willing to provide plenty of attention to them during our time there because they were so adorable. We stepped in to a covered porch area where coffee was waiting for us. By coffee, I mean the most incredible, amazing and fantastic coffee I have ever tasted. This was black, “unsweetened” coffee, but it tasted like I was drinking coffee candy. It felt like I had died and gone to coffee heaven. If there was a thermos, I would have packed some back with me. I wanted to invite the lady who made the coffee to come home with me and make coffee for me on a daily basis. So if you don’t get how I feel about the coffee, I’ll put it simple: I. Loved. It. After enjoying the most amazing coffee in the world, our guide gave us information about the location. He told us that many people would gather at this place in the evenings to socialize, charge their cell phones, play dominoes and watch the cock fighting. We got to tour the cock fighting ring, see the birds in captivity, check out the grocery store as well as the kitchen and other areas. It was definitely eye opening. The place was run mostly on generators since they only have about 4-6 hours of electricity a day from the government. It’s crazy to think how lucky we are and how it seems so natural for us to have all of these luxuries. After spending about 20 minutes there, we had to say our goodbyes (and give a couple last cuddles to the dogs) and head out on our way.

We drove through more countryside. I became captivated even though I wouldn’t say that it was anything breathtaking or overly beautiful. The land was lush and green. There were rolling hills and fields with grass and trees. I think I was captivated by the juxtaposition of our resort and the “real Dominican”. We continued to drive through a mine area where they were excavating some sort of mineral from the ground. It was rocky terrain with a lot of puddles, so it certainly gave us a chance to have more adventures in our buggy. I was driving at this time and we were at the end of the buggy group. I had purposefully been giving some space between cars because the buggy in front of us seemed to stop suddenly on a regular basis. Well of course this happened when we were driving around and I had to swerve not to hit him. I slammed on my breaks (in the absolute nick of time) and we stopped at the edge of the quarry. Eek! It was certainly a close one. Our hearts stopped for a second or two, but I pulled it together and we went on our way.

Our next stop was at a farm. We saw some goats and as we were walking up to the farm, we noticed a man with a machete. A little frightening for people that don’t hang around machetes that often (people like us!). As we got closer, we saw that he had a pile of coconuts. He cut them open and we drank the coconut milk. I had pretty high hopes for the coconut milk and they were not fulfilled. I didn’t know what to expect, but people have told me that it is good, so I wrongfully believed them. It tasted like sugar water, which I guess isn’t a bad thing, but it’s not a good thing either. Now that I think about it, it makes me think that people who like coconut milk must be aliens. (Have you not seen Men in Black where the alien goes to the farm house and asks for sugar water? I’m just sayin’). Well I wasn’t the only one who didn’t really like it. There were about 4 of us, but our machete friend was waiting for us to finish so he could cut them open for us to eat. Issue number 2: I don’t like coconut. Sure, I tried it. I still don’t like coconut. Overall, it was a great stop and it was interesting, but it didn’t really provide me with any desire to have coconut ever again.

We continued on our way further on the trail. As we were driving, children were running out of their homes and waving. I felt like a celebrity. Some even took pictures of us with their (very out of date) cell phones. I realized that they were running out to greet us because our guide would provide candy to some of them. I asked him about this later and he said that he just sporadically does it on a fairly irregular basis. He likes to give them things, but he doesn’t want them to get used to it and start expecting it. The children were adorable and absolutely grateful. I asked about their schooling and he said that many will walk or ride horses and don

keys to school. He also said that a good bit of them don’t go to school at all. After hearing this, it made me thankful for our education system. I don’t think that it’s a perfect system, but we are lucky that we have the opportunity to attend schools. I don’t ever want to settle and say that our system is fine because there is still plenty that needs to be fixed, but at least children are able to attend.

The next stop is for lunch at a local grocery store. This one is more in town and has other places of business near by. They showed us around the grocery store and it was smaller than my living room. The “produce section” of the store was an area on the counter that had ½ a guava, a head of lettuce, and one other vegetable of some sort. They said that people come to the store on a daily basis and buy whatever food they need that day. It could be anything from a handful of rice to a slice of guava. I think everyone in our group was surprised by this concept and how very little the store actually contained. We enjoyed some ham, cheese and crackers then continued on our trip.

Before we headed out to our next destination, our guide told me and my friend that this was the time we needed to be extra good at driving. I think he was singling us out because we were females and he didn’t feel like we were very good drivers, but he was wrong! He said that we were heading to the beach and that we might get stuck in the sand so we needed to be careful. I was nervous, but I handled it well and did not get stuck at all. One of the other “experienced” drivers (a male) did get stuck though. It was icing on the cake for us. :) The beach was breathtaking. The best word to describe it would be paradise. It is what you would imagine a postcard to look like. The water was crystal clear and we were excited. All of us were so muddy from the trip, we couldn’t wait to get in to the water and clean

off. We spent about 30 minutes at the beach and had a blast. It was relaxing and a great celebration for all of us to refresh ourselves. It was the last stop of our buggy trip and we were sad. I set out to go on a fun and dirty ride through the countryside and in addition to that, I came back with a new perspective. We had an amazing time and wouldn’t trade the experiences for anything. It gave me the chance to remember to be thankful for all the luxuries that I have and to take pleasure in the simple things in life.

Will work for change??

Every time I post, I seem to consistently say that I haven’t written on my blog in a long time. I haven’t. I think that it’s because I feel like I should have something important to write about before I post it (This is clearly not a true mindset as we can tell from me previous postings). So I am just going to catch up and start writing more often about topics that have crossed my mind but never been posted. What’s more amusing is that I’ve seen the number of hits on my blog and I’m pretty sure that I’m the only one reading.

I’m currently struggling with finding a purpose in what I do. I guess I should preface this with the fact that I am currently exhausted from being over worked.

I work in the education industry and I enjoy the fact that I get to interact with college students on a regular basis. I think my struggles starts with the fact that I had this utopian idea that I can help students grow and learn and that my desire to do that is the same as all others that work on campus. I didn’t go in to my position so delusional that I thought I would change the world. I’m a realist. I know that there are going to be conflicting thoughts and ideas, but I believed that in the long run, everyone is working towards the betterment of the students. I’ve been running in to so many walls these days that I don’t really know if I can believe that.

Why do I work in higher education with the extremely low pay and long hours? I always tell myself it’s because I can make an impact. That I am the one that is helping develop the future leaders of the world. What I do matters. I could be working in a corporate world making more money and actually have the ability to fire people that don’t do their job, but I would have to work for a corrupt company. I wouldn’t make as much of an impact on society. I know I’m good at what I do, but I don’t know if I have the drive to actually do it anymore. Why am I wasting so much time and heartache on things that won’t be fixed? How many administrators above me started out thinking the same thing I did coming in to the profession? Did they think they could make an impact then slowly turn in to the boulders that new professionals can’t get past? Even if I start succeeding and moving up within the field, am I going to change my tune and be the blockade for new professionals? Why continue the cycle, but why fight the cycle that seems inevitable?

Enjoying the sights...

I went home for the holidays and got a chance to get around nature a bit. I traveled to the hills and the beaches and even got a chance to catch a small snowstorm. There's nothing better than capturing a moment on camera and remember the freedom and the refreshing feelings you felt while you were taking the picture.

Every time I explore near home, I realize that I am lucky to have grown up in such a beautiful place. I never cease to find something beautiful.

I know I'm not a photographer. I don't claim to be. I wish I had the talent to capture the world the way I see it. Sometimes the pictures turn out that way, but most the time, the picture seems more bland than what I see. I don't know if that means that I exaggerate beauty in my head or if it just isn't captured the moment that I take the picture. Either way, I get to remember the joy and openness of the moment.

Old Arab Man and Dolphins Plus 8

Wow, so this will be my first post for 2009. I guess I’m a little behind on things. What awkward encounters have I had lately? Well, I’m not really sure. I guess I haven’t had many ridiculous situations. But I have started to take a look at things around me and you bet your bottom that I have opinions about them. So here goes:

*I met a nice old Arab man in the Johnson City Airport (it’s another awkward story as to why I was there in the first place). By old I mean that he was probably in his late 60s. He owns a gift shop in the Virgin Islands. We were both waiting for our rides and he asked if he could join me while I waited. I was sitting at the end of a row of chairs and had my purse next to me, so I said yes, thinking he would follow social norms and sit one chair away from me. Oh no. Not him, he moved my purse and sat right next to me. I tried to look interested in my book and also played with my phone to show him that I didn’t want to have a conversation. He didn’t understand me at all. He invited me to visit him in the Virgin Islands, he gave me his card, it was over the top. I couldn’t figure out what on earth made him think that I was remotely interested. Finally he asked if I could watch his bags while he went to the gift shop. I was thankful for that time away from him, so I said sure. At that time, my ride arrived but I didn’t want to be too rude and leave his bags, so I waved at him in the gift shop to let him know. He came running out and gave me a hug (I was already trying to back away, but I got stuck). He then went in to kiss me! I was absolutely appalled to think that he would have got that idea from me at all. It was a struggle to just get away from his grasp and he ended up kissing me on the cheek because I couldn’t get away. To make matters worse, 3 days later, I get a phone call from him. He somehow searched my name and found my phone number. Crazy stalker. I hung up on him and haven’t heard from him since. Hopefully it will stay that way. Talk about awkward and persistent! My friends picking me up just thought it was funny. They were wrong.

*Jon and Kate Plus 8: NO ONE CARES! Your real life is more dramatic than your show. But the part that is more astounding to me is that people actually feel that it’s necessary to follow your life. How many divorces happen per year in the U.S. that do not make national headlines? Let’s keep going with this trend and stop talking about them. Not to save them the embarrassment, but save me from wanting to poke my eyes out every time it comes up in the National News. Seriously, is there nothing more important going on in the world?

*I went to a lake house this weekend. This lake house looked like they robbed a local gift shop. To say that they loved dolphins would be an understatement. This had dolphin statues, fountains, figurines, murals… you name it, and they had it in dolphin. They even build a shelf to specifically hold all their dolphin things. Now if that were all, I would think that they really liked dolphins, but they may not be certifiably insane. The thing is, they also had everything else you can imagine from a gift shop. Their refrigerator was covered in similar looking magnets with different motivational quotes on them. It looked like they just saw the wall of magnets and said “I’ll take one of each.” Their house was covered in cute little signs that said things like “Take your fond memories with you” or “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere”. I don’t think that they ever learned that “less is more” when it comes to decorating. To even add up the amount of money they may have spent on this crap is mind boggling! I didn’t get a chance to meet the couple that owned the place, but I have to assume that they would just pass out money to anyone they met because they have no issues with wasting cash.

*I’ve officially started looking for and applying for jobs. Here’s the problem: there are no positions that I want that are available. I don’t really know what to do about that. I just keep looking at job search websites on a daily basis waiting with my fingers crossed that something will appear. Not a great plan, but I don’t know what other options I really have. I’ve been debating changing the field that I am in so that I can give myself more options. It’s tempting, and I am thinking very seriously about that option. Hmmm… maybe my next post will involve some crazy interview debacle… One can only hope!