No name

Shopping with Susi was so much fun yesterday! Walmart was the best... :) . I FINALLY found a shower curtain! I've been looking to find one I liked for months. And awesome hangers for it as well. Gotta love Ross. I left my milk at the store after it was paid and had to drive back to get it. But it was still there so all was well. The house if finally cleaned. It looks awesome! So much more of a home, too. I watched about 5 minutes of X-Men. I don't understand why the good guys look creepy. I worked for this awesome lady today. She is so funny. She wants to get rid of all her extra stuff. Long story short, she's done a TON since I last saw her. The sears employees who installed her microwave were... let's just say, less than professional. When they first rode up one may flicked his cigarette butt on her lawn. Eww. Jeff said he would have started by telling them to pick up the butt. YW was good. The patriarch came. Ya, just spelled that right. Alright, time to hit the sack. A big day tomorrow with Judy and Craig coming and all!! Whoo hooo!!! Home isn't too far off either...

Almost a Year Ago

When we came out of the temple it was so awkward. Like no one came up to us. Haha. 

 

Momma 

 



Mom and siblings

Family :)

Best Cousin Ever!

My stista and Emma girl

New family

If at first you don't succeed

Try... 

try...

again!

The photographer said ours was the biggest wedding he had ever done. Horray! 

Just some people we picked off the street.

I love this one. It reminds of the first time he asked for my phone number. He asked for a few times. I was so spacey and changed the subject each time. He thought I just didn't want to give it to him. Nope, that's just how I am.

There were so many cobwebs at this spot! 

My favorite shot!

Life's been good

 
     Feeling good this morning. Summertime is great. If I don't have to work I can stay up late and have fun. Like last night for example, I got to talk to Mandy till pretty late my time.  (Sorry I didn't call you back Mandy, I feel asleep. Haha).  And now I can call her with google phone for free, which is pretty awesome too.  I am SUPER excited to see Judy and Craig this Friday. It's been planned for weeks. Just in time too, Jeff totally rearranged our apartment. It looks so nice. He did it on his first day off and it took a few hours. He called me at 9:30 in the morning to tell me he had a surprise for me when I got home. I couldn't figure out what it was. I thought maybe he was rearranging our place, but thought 9:30 was too early for that phone call. Sure enough it was. I'll take pictures and post them soon.
      Friends in Philly are fun. We went to the beach on Friday. It was awesome. Jeff was not happy about having to pay $5 to get onto the beach. But we were able to avoid all but 1 toll on the way there and back. I didn't take any pictures. :(   It was pretty, had clean water and sand, and warmer water than Cali. Jeff got sunburned and I got a tan. Three cheers for Susi for organizing it.  My friend Lindsay taught me how to sew a button on a shirt. So I fixed a shirt and a dress!! Horray. Plus, I feel ultra cool. Who knew it was so easy. Although, I sewed them on with a ton of thread to make sure they don't come off and now they are hard to put in the button hole. Oh well. I finished nannying for Anu and her family. :( I will really miss them. She is so kind, generous, sweet, and loving. Her two teenage boys are very good boys too. I made her a thank you craft with the help of Charise. I hope to post a picture of it soon.
       I have been having the craziest dreams since I moved here to Philly just fyi. To be safe, we'll just leave it at that. Tk is home and I'm jealous. But we'll be there soon enough. Random, but we've seen a few foxes since we've been here. It is so cool. I am surprised at how small they are. The first one we saw didn't even look like a fox because it was in such poor shape. It's fur was missing in patches and it just looked sickly. Jeff finished his first year of dental school! And he did it with all A's too! In order to not let him show me up anymore I decided to get all A's last semester too, which is a collegiate first for me. Thanks mom for the Katella Deli end of the school year cookies.

I made my mom a "brag book" from Walgreens. I am so excited to see it. I think she'll like it. Thanks Tk for the info on it. Here is a picture of who it was about:

And dedicated to:

So I was nannying last week for the cutest girl named Emma. She is 2 and very sweet. The first time I met her mom I noticed she spoke differently. I couldn't put my finger on it (after all, I'm not my mom!). Then after awhile I decided she had a speech problem with her "Rs". As I kept listening I thought, "No. That wasn't quite it either". After a few more minutes I had made up my mind she was from New York and had a New York accent. Only to be told a few minutes later that she is Danish and came from Denmark 6 years ago. Uh, so I take it she doesn't have a New York accent then? This incident reminded me of when I was at CPRx. I told Cesar I could not work with his patient Sergio because of his Spanish accent. Turns out I can't read or hear because his name was Sergey and he was from Russia.
    Emma liked to play in my car and pretend she was driving. The great thing about 2 year olds is you can take them on the same walk 3 times in one day and it's still an adventure. Every rock, tree, and flower is still something new. She loved to watch the birds and squirrels eat bird food in her neighbors backyard from their bird feeder. I said to her that they were eating their snack. She was not happy to hear that they were eating her snacks! She said, "No nack! My nack!" I told her they had a different snack than her. Later on she told me they weren't eating a snack, but were eating lunch.  I didn't realize the time of day changed what meal it was for them, regardless of the fact that it was still the same seeds. She was good at trying to put off her nap. Around noon I would ask her if she needed a snack, a drink, if she wanted to watch an episode of Calliou, or her diaper changed, to which she said no to all. I said, "Ok, let's take a nap!" All of a sudden she needed a snack, a drink, her diaper, Calliou, anything to get her out of taking a nap. She always woke up happy from her nap. She cried every afternoon I left her house. Which made me feel happy that she liked me. I sure do miss her. I hope to be back another time to watch her (which I can't say about all of the kids I watch).

You know it's starting to become home when...you see people you know driving on the streets. :)

And last but not least... I'm doing a half marathon!! Crazy, huh? I never thought I would be doing one but I am. So we'll see how it goes, wish me luck.

Nothing but Horray today...

Horray for grandma visiting.
Horray for talking to her for hours.
Horray for touring town with her.
Horray for grandma visiting... whoops, did I already mention that?
Horray for the leaky faucet on our tub being fixed.
Horray for heading home soon.
Horray for google phone (and thanks Charise for all your help).
Horray for wonderful philly friends.
Horray for our Monday tv night with the girls.
Hooray for subbing as primary chorister.
Horry for exploring Manyunk with Jamie and Kimberly.
Horray for yummy sandwiches.
Horray for frozen yogurt places.
Horray for "secret pretzel factories".
Horray for it actually feeling like summer.
Horray for the heat... yep, I'm lovin it.
Horray for Jeff's school almost being done.
Horray for finally finishing a 200 page book I started in January.
Horray for being on page 450 out of 600 pages in my new book I got two weeks ago.
Horray for Tahoe.
Horray for all my missionary girls.
Horray for google phone which allows me to text.
Horray for my momma.
Horray for the Cobo boys.
Horray for Pooks. 
Horray for Judy and Craig coming next month. 
Horray for the bank being close.
Horray for e-mail.
Horray for cookies that finally turned out perfect.
Horray for Ana.
Horray for new church hymns. 
Horray for body pump which just about killed my arms.
Horray for hanging with my Indiana gangsta.

Well I think that's it for today! Until we meet again...  

Horray and Boo

Just been thinking...
Horray for school out for the summer.
Horray for getting all A's this semester (a first).
Horray for great Spanish tutors like Jeff, Tk, and Susi.
Boo for missing Elijah's baptism.
Boo for missing Emma's and Mason's 4th birthdays.
Horray for new and old friends.
Horray for California memories.
Boo for no end of school cookies from Katella Deli.
Boo for being mooned by a girl I nanny for (twice).
Boo for missing my family.
Horray for reading Pattie's blog.
Horray for working a ton these past 2 months.
Horray for Biggest Loser.
Horray for church.
Boo for gardening six hours with a spoon.
To be continued...

Update on my life

Since I finally have the time, I might as well write. I am at work right now. I still work for MyWay doing errands for senior citizens. My current job is to keep company an elderly woman who is waiting to move. She just wants someone here with her so she’s not home alone. I have been doing my homework but need a bit of a break. I have been here since 1 pm and get off at 10 pm. She’s very sweet and funny. She keeps telling me, “Things don’t break one at a time, they all break together”. She has had bone cancer for 2 years and seems to have attitude about it.  She told me she already had her “pre-funeral party” a few years ago and it reminded me of the one my mom and Aunt Rebecca organized for my grandma a few years ago (I can’t remember what they called it). Anyways, work has been great. MyWay has been calling me for more hours. Most of my jobs have been super easy. I did laundry for a woman the other day and while we waiting for it to dry I taught her how to play FreeCell on the computer. I must not have been a very good teacher because she didn’t like the game. I also had the opportunity to answer some questions about the church. Let’s hope I didn’t mess that one up.  I mostly do cleaning and organizing with my MyWay jobs. Jeff says I can’t quit MyWay until I make at least as much as it cost to repay my car being towed from when I went to the job orientation... jk (not that I am thinking of quitting anyways).

I also have a second job as a nanny. I am set up with a nanny temp agency so I nanny for families in the Philadelphia area. This has been fun too, not to mention great pay ($14 an hour). Right now I have a job out in Berwyn about 30 minutes from our house. The family is really nice. There are two teenage boys who pretty much just need a taxi run every once in a while, a snack, and their lunches made. The boys are polite and extremely kind and so are the parents. I work Tuesdays, Wednesday s, and Thursdays from 3-7 pm. Well, 4-7 on Tu/Th until I get out of school. I really like Anu, the mom. She just makes you feel good. I always leave happy. I have also worked for another family which has 3 cute kids. Buddy, the middle child who is 3 told me, “Babysitter, I love you.” It made my heart melt. Both jobs have been calling me recently which is such a blessing. Finding a job has not been easy, but I know things have worked out for the best. Thanks for all the support and prayers. I am also blessed to have two jobs that I like. I have been nervous about taking a job since working at CPRx. They set the standards really high, so I was worried that I could never find a job I liked as much. Con of new job: miss my old friends. Pro: no muscle of the week! So, all is well in the work department. I am hoping to pick up more hours when school gets out. Sometimes I have had to turn down jobs so I can study. That’s hard because I keep thinking about how much I could be earning. But, school is my number one job, so that’s that! 

Which brings me to school. I finish this semester the first week in May. Whoo hoo. I think Tarah’s given me senioritis. Yep, Tk, I’m blaming you. Classes are good. Spanish has been going well thanks to the help of Jeff, Tk, and my friend Susi. I have made the most friends in my Spanish class and will be taking Spanish 2 with a few of them next semester. In fact, my Spanish lab teacher asked me (after completing my oral exam), “What is your major?” I said, “American Studies.” She said, “Have you ever thought about a minor in Spanish? You’re very good. “I said, “What? A minor? Oh no, I hate Spanish” then thought about what I said and added, “No offense.” What?! Me, with a Spanish minor?!  A person who has sworn to hate Spanish forever? (Despite the fact that it really isn’t that bad-shh, don’t tell Jeff).

But, the best news finally came to me 2 weeks ago…. I will finish my degree next fall!!! Horray. It’s been a long battle, but I have won. After e-mailing everyone in the world, getting new transcripts, and goodness knows what else, I have fought the fight and won. I could go into detail what a headache it’s been, but I’ll spare you.  So I have already started looking into my next step of life: teaching high school or junior high history. I met with a woman today who could tell me nothing, but that’s ok, I’m not discouraged. I’ll figure things out and win this one too. I am trying to decide whether to do a “post bac” program which will just give me my teaching certificate or to do a “post bac with a masters program”. I’ll probably just do the first one.

During Spring break we tried to go visit our friends in NY (Kaela and Mike) but had to turn around because we got a flat tire. But we did have a nice drive and discovered the Blockbuster near us was closing so we went in to check things out. Tk came out for break and we all went to D.C. It was really fun. We got to see so many sites. It was my 3^rd time going to D.C. Poor Jeff had to drive around in that mess. We met up with my friend Hannah and stayed with Jeff’s friend Miwah (Mewahh). We were exhausted by the time we got home. The day before D.C. we took Tarah around to see some Philly sites. Tarah and I made this dessert that took forever to make because my brown sugar was super hard. I put a piece of bread with it now and all is well. It’s kinda of a cool trick (thanks Tk). 

I have some amazing friends out here in Philly. Most of them have super cute kids which makes me miss my nieces and nephews back home. I love getting stories from my mom about them. They are so funny. The weather is getting warmer here. Jeff has finals this week. He already took one last week and feels pretty confident. He starts a new semester right after he finishes up his finals. He seems to be doing well. He studies hard. We joined a carpool this semester which has helped us out a ton. With it, I can take the car for jobs and he can still get to school. We are trying to figure out our summer plans. Well, I am sure you’re all bored of my life by now.   So I’ll let you be.

Ps. Wasn’t Conference amazing!! We are so blessed to have it. I felt like a lot of the talks were made just for me. That amazes me how the spirit works.

Pps. Have you ever wondered if laying eggs hurts chickens? Well, in case you have (like me), I’ve got the answer. Large eggs can be stressful and painful for chickens to lay. So, next time you’re eating eggs, you better appreciate it!

Fond Memories

The Good Old CPRx Days

Hey Dummy

            I don't know why, but for some reason or another, I thought about this tonight. I explained it to Jeff and he laughed, but I think this is one of those "you have to be there" moments to truly enjoy it. Not that any of you were there, but I was and for some reason, just writing about it makes me laugh.
            One day I was working and my co-worker said something to me. I can't remember what it was, I vaguely remember it had to do with last names on charts or walking to the back and doing something, whatever the suggestion was I thought it was dumb.  Or maybe I felt he made me look dumb. Anyways, I had that on my mind when my other co-worker Nina came up to me to ask me a question and the first thing out of my mouth, right as she was approaching me was "Hey Dummy!" I don't know who was more shocked, her, me, or the patient next to us. I couldn't believe it! I DID NOT mean to call her that. I think it was because I had my other co-worker's "dumb" suggestion on my mind and so I accidently called Nina a dummy. She said, "What did you just call me?" I said, "I didn't mean it!! I promise!" She said, "Uh huh, why don't you tell me how you really feel?"  I said, “No, I really didn’t mean it, I promise! I’m serious!” To make things worse is that I couldn't help but laughing because I was so shocked, so there I was, calling people dummy and laughing about it. Oh man, did I hear about it for the rest of the day. Anytime someone asked Nina to do something she would say, "I don't know, I'm just a big dummy" or "I don't know, why don’t you ask Annalisa if I'm smart enough to do that." It made for some good laughs and an even better memory.

Here's to you Nina...

Little Mermaid

We had this patient who was about 6'5, big, strong, tough, and in the military.  I had never worked with him but to be honest, was a little intimidated to.  One day we were near the theraband bar and he was doing the caterpillar stretch(where you walk your hands out in front of you, kind of like a push up position, and then walk you legs up toward your chest, killer stretch fyi). Well, he was working with another trainer named Hudson. As the patient came towards Hudson and me I noticed Hudson was staring at his legs. This man had tattoos on his legs, and not just any tattoos, he had huge, shirtless mermaid tattoos. It was kind of funny because he didn't seem like the tattoos type (whatever that means to us individually). Hudson asked, "What's that?" I assumed Hudson to be starting at this man's tattoos and answered d "I think it's a mermaid..." trying not to seem like I was staring at his tattoos as well (which I totally was). The man stopped his stretch, looked up at me, and so did Hudson.  Hudson looked at me and said, "No, I meant the stretch."   Whoops!

Ps. Afterwards I was able to work with him and found him to be very nice.