Movin' On Up

No, not to the east side, but I did finish my epic move to the north side of town a little over a week ago. Since my move, I've been spending time getting settled into my new place and establishing my new routine.

So far, I've really enjoyed cutting my commute to work in half, and being closer to most of the resources in town. I also know I'm going to appreciate the trees keeping things cooler here when the heat of summer finally hits. The new place is older than the last one, but it is cozy. It's starting to feel like home too, now that I've gotten all my stuff put away and the pictures on the wall.

I still don't quite know how I managed to get moved and settled during the busiest time of year at work. Why do things the easy way, right? I must say that I have some AMAZING friends and family who helped me move. If it weren't for all of them, I know it would have been a long arduous process. Thanks to all of you!

Not much else going on though. I will try harder to get back into some sort of blog routine soon. As we go into Orientation season at work, I'm guaranteed to have some good stories to share...

Remember Me?

Yeah, I've suddenly been reminded that if I'm going to have a blog, I should probably make a post every now and then. Not sure why I haven't been as into blogging lately. I've been very busy, so that could be a part of it. I've also had some writers block in terms of what to blog about.

I'm here today because I know it's been awhile since I've stopped by. I also have laryngitis right now, so I feel a need to share my voice somehow. Before you ask (and I therefore have to kick your ass), I do NOT have Swine Flu. I have, however, been coming up with some very inappropriate Swine Flu/Pigs Flying jokes (get it, flu = flew) that I'll be happy to share with you if I hear any more jokes about me having Swine Flu.

So, what have I been up to recently? Well, lots, of course. One of the things I'm most proud of is the MS Walk I did with my family at the beginning of April.

Here's a picture of my Mom, brother, and nephew during the walk. It turned out to be a great day in Portland, and I know we all enjoyed getting out and walking for a good cause.

That's it for now, but I promise to be back soon with more updates! Before I go, here's a picture of downtown Portland during the walk. If you ever wonder why I love living in the northwest, wonder no more.

National Multiple Sclerosis Walk 2009

For quite some time, I have been feeling a call to action. Maybe some of it has to do with the message Barack Obama campaigned on, and maybe it has to do with personal experience. Either way, this feeling has been percolating inside me for quite some time, and I just had to act.

What am I talking about? Well, I created a fundraising team for the Portland, Oregon Walk MS 2009. What does this mean? It means I will be walking 5 kilometers on April 4, 2009 in an effort to raise money and awareness for Multiple Sclerosis research.

I decided to participate in the walk because of my mom. If you don't know, my mom has lived with Multiple Sclerosis since the early 1980s. My mom has had MS longer than they've really known what MS was, and consequently, was misdiagnosed for years. My mom is an inspiration to me daily, and I feel blessed to have her in my life.

Having spent my whole life observing my mom struggle with this disease, I felt it was time to do my part to support the cause. I had intended to just walk as an individual, but received overwhelming support from friends, family, and coworkers to create a team. Quite honestly, I was in complete awe that so many people wanted to join my cause. I think this provided the validation I needed to show this was the right thing to do. My team is coming together well, and we're even getting some monitary pledges! Amazing!

So readers, I have one request for you. Please keep me in your thoughts as I prepare for the MS Walk. I'm planning on doing some minor training to prepare for the walk, so I will need support in pushing me with this endeavor. And thanks in advance, because I know the people who truly understand me know how important this walk is to me. I will forever be humbled by your show of support.

The Value of Life

I just had a conversation on the phone with my brother. Every now and then, my brother and I talk, and no matter how brief the conversation, we connect on many levels. Today was one of those days.

In the next week, my brother and his lovely wife are headed to Hawaii for a week with my dad and step-mom. Now, before you go and pity me (actually, go right ahead), it should be stated for the record (this is code for: they will be reading this, so I'd better be historically accurate) that I was invited to go to Hawaii too, but would have to pay my own airfare. In an effort to make fiscally responsible decisions (yes, I am kicking myself as I type), I opted out of the trip this year. Like clockwork, my dad and step-mom will be returning to our favorite beach on Kona, Hawaii in two years, and I will go then. Hopefully.

Anyway, back to my point (there is one, I assure you). My brother was telling me that before he and his wife leave on a trip, they make sure to have a plan in place for their two beautiful children in the event something happens to them. My brother wasn't trying to be morbid. Like any loving and responsible parent, he wants to make sure everything is covered before he leaves on his trip, so he can fully enjoy his retreat into paradise for a week. It's just something you have to do in today's world.

Today on the phone, my brother asked if I would be willing to raise his children if anything were to happen to him and his wife. Now, I must admit, just knowing that my brother would trust me to raise his two most precious assets makes me tear up a little. After I got over the impact of that sentiment, I was forced to face the realization that in addition to raising two small children, I would also be faced with caring for my mother who has multiple sclerosis. Not a decision to take lightly, no matter how honored I feel to have been asked.

Going from taking care of myself and my admittedly spoiled cat to caring for two young children and a parent would be quite a shift. That being said, I did not hesitate to answer yes to my brother's question. I would be honored to raise his children if the need ever arose.

But while I appreciate the sentiment in being asked such a responsibility, I set aside any thoughts of this coming to fruition, because I know my brother and sister-in-law will have a safe and luxurious trip to Hawaii, and will return home safe and sound. I simply demand it be so.

Aloha!

$4.00 a Gallon??

The predictions have come true. I was driving home yesterday, and to my horror, saw that gas prices had risen to $4.05 per gallon at my local station. The price of gas had gone up $.20 in a week! It now costs more than $40.00 to fill up my gas tank. Due to this, and the fact that I am employed by the state (good benefits, shitty pay), I am going to have to reevaluate some of my driving habits.

Fortunately, I don't live far from my office, so I will not be spending an exorbitant amount of money on gas due to the drive to work. However, I do like to go to Portland a lot (especially during the summer months) to see my family on weekends. I fear that unless I plan to stay over at least one night, little trips to see the family are officially a thing of the past. :-(

Now for the radical thoughts. What would happen if I bought a bike, and rode that around instead of driving every so often? Perhaps I could prioritize my shopping trips, and do them all at the same time, instead of spreading them out over the weekend? Is there anyone in my apartment complex I could car pool with sometimes?

When I bought my Ford Escape a few years ago, the Hybrid version had just been introduced. I really wanted the Hybrid, but couldn't afford one. I don't plan to get a new car again for a few years, but I will definitely make it a priority to get a Hybrid. Hopefully by that time, we will have made more breakthroughs in the gas efficiency technology. I literally don't think we can afford not to.

Time with family

This past Sunday was Easter, which for me, means time to head north to spend some quality time with the family. Now, in case you hadn't noticed from my previous post, I sort of overdid things at the Obama rally on Friday, so I felt like crap over the weekend. I rested all day Saturday, but still wasn't feeling well when the time came to head up to see the family on Sunday. I weighed my options (I would hate if I got either me 4 year old niece or 20 month old nephew sick), and still decided to go see the family. I hadn't seen everyone since Christmas, and was really needing some quality time with the people I care the most about.

The day started off with brunch with my Sister-in-Law's family. Now, it's important to note here that the number of kids under 6 at this brunch was almost equal to the number of adults in attendance. Not exactly a restful celebration for someone feeling under the weather. That being said, it was great to reconnect with everyone. My Sister-in-Law put a lot of time into making a wonderful meal for everyone, and I know we all appreciated it. It was great to see how we all took time out of our busy and vastly different lives to come together in celebration. Sometimes it takes a holiday to make you appreciate the things that matter most to you, like family.

My day ended with dinner at my Dad's house. I got there a little early for dinner, and was amused to see my step-sister going all out to create a fantastic potato dish for the meal. For someone who didn't care much for cooking growing up, my step-sister has really refined her cooking pallet as an adult. I must say, she is quite good at it too. It's great to see her so relaxed, and in an element that agrees with her. I hope she continues to learn what really ignites her passion for learning in life.

Naturally, dinner was delicious (seriously, you can't go wrong with Prime Rib where I'm concerned), and again, it was great to spend time with family. I was also proud of myself for following through with going to visit everyone, and not rushing to leave at the end of the night, even when I was feeling sick. Family is family, and they are important. It's good to reevaluate that every now and then, so as to ensure you are fully appreciating all that they represent for you.

Keeping up the appearances

When I got out of the shower today, I noticed that there was a bit of water behind my toilet. After looking around, I confirmed my fear that there was a leak in the seal of the toilet. I reported the leak to my apartment office, and expect maintenance to arrive tomorrow to fix things. Now, with less than a day to prepare for someone to be in my home, I went into instant panic mode, and started cleaning my bathroom. It's not like I live in any kind of squalid conditions, but I tend to be lazy in cleaning areas that are only seen by me. So I scrubbed, soaked, bleached, and rinsed every surface of my bathroom, in an effort to keep the maintenance guy (whom I will never see) from judging me based on cleanliness.

This frenzy of cleaning really got me thinking - why does it matter? Did I really need to clean so much? Would the lack of a clean bathroom keep the maintenance guy from fixing my toilet? Of course not. Still, this type of behavior is common practice. I remember when I was a kid, and our cleaning ladies would be coming, my mom made my brother and me clean our rooms in preparation. I always remember thinking it was a bit ridiculous that I was cleaning before the cleaning people came, yet I always (well, sometimes) did so. I'm pretty certain that the cleaning ladies would have cleaned regardless of my pre-cleaning.

So why do we do this? Why is it so important to keep up the appearances? What's wrong with letting people see who we truly are? Let me know what you think. I'm going to go clean the kitchen, so when the maintenance guy walks by on his way to the bathroom, he'll know I keep that spotless too. ;-)

You're just too good to be true, can't take my eyes off of you...

You may notice the picture on the right is of me (yup, and I'm not even airbrushed!) next to the playbill for Jersey Boys. I finally got to see the musical version of the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons this past December when the touring company came to Seattle. Now, to show just how monumental this moment was, you need to know that I have been wanting to see this show for quite a while. I had the opportunity to see the Broadway show this past summer when I was in New York (and could have seen my newest crush John Lloyd Young in person *sigh*) but the friends I was visiting didn't want to see the show. I was disappointed, but wasn't going to force anyone to see a show they didn't want to see. Flash forward a few months, and I discovered that the touring company was headed to Seattle during over the holiday season. I knew two things immediately: 1. I absolutely had to see the show, and 2. I had to take my dad with me. My dad had been a life-long fan of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, and I had many fond (?) memories of road trips as a child where my 6'4'' father would blast tapes (yes tapes, I was a child of the 80's, don't judge!) of Frankie Valli music, and sing along (well, as best he could) to Frankie's high falsetto voice. I'm pretty sure these memories will result in some much needed therapy later in life, for which I will be sure to send dad the bill.

My dad, step-mom, and I made the trek to Seattle one dreary Saturday morning in December, and for once in my life, I was not mad to be up so early on a weekend (to say I'm not a morning person is a bit of an understatement). The show was fantastic, and it was great to see my dad in an element he remembered from childhood. The only problem with seeing this show is that to this date, I STILL find I have various songs from the Four Season's catalog stuck in my head. Oh well, what can I do about it.