tear

i used to be like these lovely ladies of yesteryear.

yes. i too was a proud owner of California license plates.

until today.

a small piece of me died today. i finally gave up my last ray of sunshine.

no more California. :(

those plates have traveled via my Honda Fit through many many states... snow, wind, rain, sleet, heat, and several thousand bugs. they are all my Fit has ever known.

they have been my battle cry, my symbol, my personal protest to assimilation, and my announcement to any town i drive them through. they are a simple proclamation:

hey, im cool. i'm a Californian.

(yes, i'm still proud of it. even though our public education stinks, we have an actor-governor, controversial political propositions, earthquakes, and an outrageous cost of living.)

i was born there, and my love for it will never die.

R.I.P. CA plates. you will be sorely missed. and these new ones with floating Lincoln-heads? they ain't got nothin' on you.

PS. dear Fit- just because your 'label' says Illinois now, don't think you have to get used to this sub-freezing stuff. i know i never will.

Happy Holidays!

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thankfulness

November literally flew by.

Between the two of us, we took 19 flights and spent approx. 18 hours in the car.

What's that you say? What about school? School schmool. Ha. We both have "senioritis" (what's it called now...mastersitis?)

Jonny is exploring some job options, and a few companies were kind enough to fly us out to visit.

He went to Phoenix, AZ solo and then I accompanied him to Boise, ID and Austin, TX. It was so nice to get away for a while, stay in some snazzy hotels and eat out on someone else's dime. Phoenix was enticingly sunny and affordable, Boise's mountains and river gave us warm fuzzies, and Austin's live music scene and football fanfare were impressive.

Shortly after we got back from Austin, we left for Memphis, TN to visit some wonderful friends for a gourmet Thanksgiving! It was a big step for me (raw-meat-aphobe) as I helped "dress" the naked, slippery turkey. It turned out golden brown and deliiiishh.

The lovely Ashley and her awesome husband Todd (Jonny's best friend for years) are living just south of Elvis' hometown while Todd goes to Optometry school and Ashley prepares for their baby due in March! It was so nice to spend time with them watching football, taking turkey-coma naps, and exploring the beautiful city. (aka eating fried chicken and looking at 'historical' places having to do with Elvis, Johnny Cash, BB King, and MLK )

We have so much to be thankful for.

Right now...its heaters, wool socks, hot cocoa and people you love to cuddle with.

Its snowing outside.

Welcome December.

A memo.

To: Mr. Dirt Devil

From: Mrs. Mary Young

Date: 12/1/10

Re: Poor Performance Warning

Message

I wish I could simply say "you suck", and leave it at that. But the problem is... you don't.

Allow me to elaborate.

The purpose of this notice is to express my concern regarding your poor work performance as of late. Actually, as of...ever.

You've never been a very valuable member of this team. I should have known when you were willing to work for so little a sum, that you would only reward me for my troubles in hiring you with a half-hearted work ethic and a complete lack of skills in your so-called area of expertise.

As co-chair of this establishment, I have offered you benefits, lodging, and even a stipend for new equipment as needed. I do not think that my demands are extravagant. I ask that you stay quietly resting in your appointed spot until called upon to assist me. At that time, I expect top quality work for a very short amount of time.

Unfortunately, your performance has been extremely haphazard, you require constant maintenance and supervision, and cause undue stress on the other members of this team each time your services are utilized. You obviously take no pride in your work and show no loyalty to this organization. Your behavior reflects a grudging attitude that is not welcome here.

To put it simply, you are a complete disappointment.

You haven been given ample time to show improvement, yet I have seen none. In fact, if it were possible, I'd imagine that you've actually decreased in productivity over the last three years. I view this as a breach of contract, and take it very personally. In addition, the requirements of your particular position have recently changed in complexity and depth. In light of this development and based on your track record, I have reason to believe that you are no longer fit for the task.

As a result of these infractions, the owners of this enterprise have decided to terminate your employment, if no improvement is made in the next month. Keep in mind, Mr. Devil, that hundreds of capable others stand ready to replace you this very moment.

Please consider this a warning.

Best,

A frustrated housewife doing a thankless job with a worthless piece of equipment which could be made 100 times more enjoyable with a vacuum that actually works.

aka. Mary A. Young

Co-Chair of the Young Household

easy peezy lemon squeezy

A: "what are you up to?"

M: "oh nothin' much, still just going to school!"

i'm just a student.

-class (including actually attending class/keeping notes organized/quizzes/exams/reading articles/reading textbooks/group projects/research papers)

-clinic (attending my scheduled 'clinic hours'/preparing for therapy/finding materials/reading articles/writing reports/attending meetings/logging hours/immunizations/fingerprints/physicals/background check/attending conferences)

-ASHA certification (studying for and taking the Praxis exam/ logging hours/ keeping track of standards/interviewing, communicating for 2 full time internships/ researching for 9 months full time CFY year work)

-IL state license (2 basic skills standardized tests/forms/portfolio)

-TA (prepping for and teaching class/grading papers/grading journals/website upkeep/emails to students/visiting sites/meeting with students/ ICEs forms/meetings with Patty/timecards)

aannd a church member.

-personal progress (stake activities/temple trips/weekly mutual/monthly thought/monthly activity/bi-annual events/phone calls/organization/work on my own goals/craft projects)

-visiting teaching (emailing/phone calls/visiting/service)

-ward choir (attend once per week/practice music)

and a regular person.

-piano lessons (attend 1x per week/practice 3-4 x per week)

-running (3 mornings per week)

-meal planning/budgeting (plan once per week/grocery shop/cook meals/find recipes/pay bills/check mint.com/pick up bread monday mornings)

-institute class (attend once per week/write in journal/bring goodies)

-read scriptures (2x daily, personal morning/family night)

-colby (daily walks (x4), playtime/feeding/shopping/grooming/vet visits/bills/socializing/cleaning up/arranging pet sitting)

-wifelyness (clean house/check mail/call maintenance/laundry/help with scout activities, campouts/emotional support/date nights/figure out what to do with our lives/travel/give rides)

-social coordinator (planning group activities/date nights/making dinner for friends/dog-sitting/baking goodies/finding events around town/keeping in touch with long distance friends)

-family member (skype dates/conference calls/email pictures/plan trips/buy plane tickets/sending presents)

-miscellaneous (play guitar/record songs/smooch, snuggle jonny/watch movies/blog/look at houses online/browse design blogs/random crafty projects/read magazines/dance in the kitchen/listen to NPR/read the news)

... i'm sure there is something i forgot.

i am so blessed to have such a full life.

POST EDIT:

i wrote this initially one day when i was feeling overwhelmed and just had to get everything out on paper.

i decided to share it, not because i think you all want to know the minutia of my life, but because it goes to show that no one should ever say that they are 'just' anything.

ie. i'm 'just' a mom. or i'm 'just' a student. or i'm 'just' the ward chorister.

there is always more involved than people think. you always do more than is expected/required.

but that brings me to two more important points.

1. is who we really are only determined by what we do?

2. why do we care what other people think about who we are?

we've been discussing 'identity' in one of my classes. its a complicated, dynamic thing.

it could get very confusing trying to figure it out on my own.

good thing i know my true identity.

i am a daughter of God.

another marathon post

life. is crazy. as always. why do we always have a million things going on? why do we have to keep track of so much information and so many appointments?

anyway, the point is- i'm keeping up decently well with everything in my life, except this blog. so here is another long post to get you up to date:

Lately:

• Camp Drake- Jonny got to attend a ScoutLeadership training weekend at a boyscout camp about an hour away one weekend. And I drove up to pick him up and stayed for their campfire and stargazing. It was so nice to be out in the beauty of nature, breathe the fresh cool autumn air, sit around a fire watching skits and listen to stories while snuggling my handsome Eagle Scout. Star gazing was incredible too. I learned how to tell the directions by the North star, and thought a lot about the universe and God and the wonder of creation.
• Halloween- I dressed up like a gypsy at the last second, basically throwing on a bunch of black clothes and every gold dangling thing I own. I looked awesome. Unfortunately this poor photo is the only one I got of my gypsy-glory. Jonny didn't dress up because he had a lab to attend at school and missed the first part of the awesome ward party. Chili cook-off (where ours won "Most Unique!"), chemistry magic show out at the fire pit, and costume parade. My personal favorite was a certain awesome 4 year old I know- who dressed as a nondescript Clark Kent and then ripped off his glasses and shirt, dramatically revealing a Superman uniform underneath.
  
• Football- Jonny really misses watching college football, so we decided to go to a game, and the Illini actually won!(sorry Purdue). I can be semi-proud of them this season. We had a big pancake breakfast at our house before and went with 7 of our close friends. It was a blast. We also watched some football at our friend Akash's house while eating home-made Indian food. Yum.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• St. Louis- I went to a conference with some friends from school to be certified for an incredible therapy program developed for people with Parkinson's Disease (LSVT Loud). It was very well organized and it felt so nice to be validated- to be able to sit through essentially 2 whole days of lecture and understand everything- all the jargon and terms and theory and physiology and research methods. It made me feel like maybe I have actually learned something in the last 5 years of school! And it made me more excited to actually get out and be a 'real' clinician. Also, we stayed in a snazzy hotel in the Loop and had fun looking at the pretty tree-lined streets and brick homes, walking around funky shops and eating out.
  
• Piano lessons- Wow. I am one of those typicals. Yep. Those people who took lessons as a kid but resisted the whole time and learned pretty much nothing and then looks back 10-ish years later and regrets it. So, thanks to a wonderful woman at church, I get to take quality lessons from her at a dirt cheap price. And use those cute Alfred books. Remember those? haha. It is so much fun. I look forward to practicing, and I love my lessons. Its nice to think about something that exercises my brain in a different way- hand eye coordination and such- and I love love love music, so it makes me happy.
• Running- I recently decided that I need to take advantage of this lovingly lastingly long long autumn we are having and get some running done outside before the winter comes. I got some amazing new running shoes thanks to my sweet husband. So my friend Ali and I are meeting at sunrise to run a couple of miles around the neighborhood a few times a week. It is such a nice way to start the day! Lets keep our fingers crossed that my right foot will stop hurting.
• Planning- Jonny and/or myself will be traveling to 4 different states in the next few weeks. Crazy! Stay tuned for more updates on our adventures.

when did this happen?

woah.

im currently sitting in a hotel. using their complimentary wireless connection to respond to some time sensitive work e-mails (and blog, of course).

im wearing a name badge. and a suit, and boots and a long coat. and i'm traveling with my "co-workers". we are attending a conference, with other professionals.

am i grown up?

ps. i'm also carrying a PURSE!

black and white and red (not all over)

• Our "office" (2nd bedroom) has a busy job housing all of the stuff that comes along with 2 full time graduate students. (read: tons and tons of books, a giant desk, giant chair, two computers, backpacks, binders, and all the extras.)
• Plus it has to act as our "TV room" since we sometimes watch an episode or two of online TV shows on our iMac in lieu of having cable on our regular TV downstairs (that one only get used for movies).
• And it needs space to house my music stuff (guitar, microphone, stand, earphones...wires!) so I can hook up to the computer while I'm recording.
• On top of all that, it acts as pretty much the only storage closet for all our extra junk and suitcases/boxes, etc. (you better believe that closet is bursting at the seams)
• Oh and one more thing we forgot to mention...its also Colby's place to hang out while we are away from the house...so it has a HUGE metal crate for our HUGE black dog. Wowza.
• We love that it has a nice big bay window, but unfortunately that takes up almost an entire wall of space...and since I'm not willing to spring for an expensive piece of foam to make a cushiony seat, its pretty much only used as Colby's perch from which he watches over the neighborhood and barks at his friends outside.

Needless to say, it was feeling very cluttered and very blase with its black and white scheme. I really want to paint this room...but can't decide on a color yet.

I didn't do much to it, but made a few adjustments here and there. See if you can pick them out in the pictures!

Here's a hint: I picked up 2 of these badboys at a local thrift store for a dollar each. They were a fainted blackish-brownish color and reaaaallly dusty. After some cleaning and a coat of red glossy spraypaint, they looked fab! I loved the curly-swirlyness. (And how great will these look on a Christmas dinner table?!) This one now sits on the corner of the desk. See if you can spot the other one in the room.

Blah...

Beauty!

Blah... (Hi Gus! He's our friend's dog.)

Beauty!

Blah...

Beauty!

In the first pictures: I cleared away a bunch of junk, added those awesome Pier 1 Japanese paper lanterns I found for a couple of dollars at a thrift store ( I may hang them later, but for now I'm liking them on top of the giant bookshelf). The little black flannel throw does a nice job keeping Colby feeling cozy and hiding his giant cage. I also put some Egyptian cushions we already had on the bay window seat and hung up the prayer beads and Yemeni dagger jonny got from Kuwait. I think its now the perfect place to sit and read a book (like "War and Peace" ;P).

The next set: I made a cheap (2$) paper border for our map which we love. I thought it was a way to make it look a little nicer temporarily without spending an arm and a leg for a nice big frame. It is a white and black damask pattern. I also cleared away some clutter around the desk and moved the big black printer to the closet (since we never used it anyway) to make room for a permanent resting/recharging spot for my laptop. But the star of the show is that big sleek clock with the Arabic numbers on it. My mom gave it to Jonny for his birthday last month, and it is now one of our favorite things in our house.

Lastly: Speaking of Kuwait, I chose 3 pictures from our trip to represent the desert, the beach, and the city , and printed them off in black and white. The frames were ones we already had that were kind of bronze-ish. They also got the red spray paint treatment! (so did some of our concrete patio. oops) That black leather ottoman was scored at a garage sale for 3 dollars, and the amazing colorful elephant pillows (which were the inspiration for the red and 'international theme' of the room) were a hand-me-down from my mom, from India. (Also, that little love seat was free from my friend Sarah, who donated it to us when she moved to Cape Cod last summer, and the slip cover we had from our first apartment.)

So, what do you think? The candy-apple red was so bold for me. Colby sure loves it! That is one of his fav places to curl up for a nap. Its a good thing he matches the decor...