See ya 2008!

Time... time... time...


2008 was the fastest year ever. Here I sit on my couch, in my apartment, with my husband, in a wool sweater, wearing wool slippers, watching (not really) the Whole 9 Yards on a huge tv next to a Christmas tree... all things I did not have last year at this time.

Last year on New Years Eve, I was over at Jon's parents house, getting ready to host our friends to watch the ball drop on Telemundo in between Rock Band and Celebrity. I was feeling a bit antsy - Jon had promised to pop the question before 2008 appeared. Well, that did not happen. But as they say, all things happen in their time.

And I cannot believe everything that has happened.

In 2008...

- I got engaged, moved out, then married, then went on a honeymoon to the Caribbean, taking our first (and hopefully not last!) cruise
- three of my cousins got married (Jake to Andrea, Carin to Nate, and Matt to Kezia)
- Lindy & Matt, Ellen & Kevin, Kris & Krista, Brandon & Rebecca, Lauren & Josh, Kelly & Kurt, Lauren & Dave, Brian & Suzanne all got married (and not in that order)
- Jeremy & Courtney, Les & Ben (I get to be "matron" of honor!), Mike & Mary, Bill & Dorothy, got engaged
- Everyone got pregnant... Michelle & Jason due early Feb, Nancy & Dan (they have already welcomed Rebekah into the world), Paige & Brian ready for #2 at the end of Jan, Matt & Kezia, Colleen & Paul, Drew & Kim ready for 2, Nick & Stephers, Sara & Dan, Caroline & Brad (Sydney has come already also!), Heather & Rene.... Two more people just told us today, but I think it is a bit early to spread that joy!
- I got my Masters in Secondary Ed after taking 4 more classes this year, including one online course through PSU. I should finally get my diploma (and raise at work!) in January some time


It has definitely been a time of joy. I feel like I have not had time to really revel in it, either! I will still have many happy memories of this year, mostly because of all of the wonderful friends and family who have filled it up.

So what of 2009? What do we plan this year?


Well, in March I am hopefully going to New Orleans for the NSTA Conference.
Over spring break, we may try to go diamond digging, though I think we are more likely to go up to see our new niece, if we have not gotten to see her before then.
In the summer, we head to Costa Rica with some students for 9 days of learning and eco-friendliness.

What else, what else?


This is the perfect year to really evaluate where Jon and I are headed. I am very interested (much to his dismay) in teaching or volunteering abroad. The way I see it, our lease is up in September, and we have nothing to really hold us down besides our previously mentioned really big tv. I am sure my family would not mind babysitting it. I am anxious to look into the prospects. Since we are NOT pregnant (and not planning it), it is the perfect time to go. Will it happen? We shall see. If it falls into place, then we go. If not, then no.
There are many other prospects... children among them... but I would like to look into doctoral programs as well as take some time to figure out this endometriosis stuff. There are a lot of treatments out there that I would like to pursue. Who knows! 2008 held so much, it is hard to believe that there is anything left over to do... but at the very least, we know we will have a LOT of baby showers to attend.

I am definitely looking forward to enjoying this year. It is the first year I feel like every option is open to me. I do not have to worry about getting married or taking grad courses. I can do anything that I want to do. What a blessing!


But before we move into 2009, we are just going to enjoy tonight! :)

candy

Jon and I were driving home from dinner tonight when he mentioned that in the candy our apartment complex gave us for a holiday gift, there were butterfinger "bells". He thought that they were chocolate bells, and was excited, until he realized that they were butterfingers. He hates chocolate and pb together. This resulted in me ranting about candy and I got into such a huff, I decided to be one of "those people" and blog my rant to the world.

First of all, butterfingers suck. They really do. The insides are barely peanut buttery. As I said to Jon, it is like 1 peanut per 5 lb bag of sugar. The taste is not really the problem though, it is the consistency!!!

The insides of a butterfinger is much like shale or mica. You know, the rocks. It is layered horizontally and the layers themselves break apart easily... until you CHEW THEM. When you bite down perpendicularly into a butterfinger, you are instantly compressing thousands of tiny layers of sugar and pb. The result is something that is so rock hard, you can break your fingernail trying to get it out of your teeth. GRR! We finally likened it to a jolly rancher getting stuck in your teeth. Nearly impossible to get out - you have to let it melt.

But here is the thing - butterfingers don't melt! THEY JUST STAY THERE UNTIL YOU CAN PICK IT OUT! Not only that, but you aren't supposed to chomp down on a jolly rancher. Usually it gets stuck because you have sucked it down to a thin layer and then absent-mindedly chewed it and accidentally got it stuck. No one ever sets out to get them stuck. Here is the problem with butterfingers - you are SUPPOSED to chew them! You cannot suck on it. Ever tried that? The result is NOT pleasant. (shudder)

So... butterfingers suck. They really do. And the thing is, every time I think it will be different. Every time, I try it again, thinking I can eat it without somehow getting it stuck in my teeth. and it is always the same. The horror is now knowing that these butterfinger bells are sitting on our coffee table and knowing that eventually, I will eat one. Stupid!



After ranting about butterfingers, we moved on to other candy that pisses me off.

There are several:

1) candy corn: It just tastes bad. No one ever craves candy corn. It is something you eat if you are in front of, and have to keep eating because of the awful aftertaste if you stop. For whatever ridiculous OCD tendencies than reside inside me, I only like the white tip of the candy corn. And it is not even like... more, tolerate. I like the texture of candy corn. I HATE the taste. I mean, ew. Whose idea was this anyway?

2) dots: Dots piss me off! Who superglues a piece of sugar to paper and offers it to kids? You can NEVER get the paper all the way off. Also... are they spray painted? There is a gradient. How do they do that?! But anyway, dots suck because they are so freakin tasty... except for the gooey paper bit. Maybe they need to start making that paper into some sort of compressed vegetable cellulose so that its actually beneficial for you to eat the paper. Another thing that makes me mad about Dots is that my mom would never let my brother and I have them. Why, you ask? BECAUSE OF THE PAPER!

3) caramel & butterscotch:

Okay, this was a long part of the discussion, and I will not go into it too much here, but I realized something...
I like caramel flavor. I like it in a hard candy (ala Werthers Originals). I dislike it as the center of a chocolate (semi soft), am okay with it in Snickers (soft), but do not really prefer it as a syrup (liquid). So basically caramel is okay when it is in a hard candy form.
I thought I hated butterscotch. Turns out, I don't. I hate butterscotch when it is HARD! I like it in pudding or as an ice cream. I love creme brulee. I even like butterscotch chips in cookies (softish). But I HATE butterscotch lollipops and find butterscotch lifesavers absolutely detestable.

Why?

No idea.

Remember that OCD I was referring to? Mhmm.

So... really, it appears that I mix texture and flavors together and certain flavors for me do not work with certain textures. Which, all makes my potato issue much clearer. I hate mashed. I like chips. Gravy thickened with potato-water is a-okay! Mashed / baked / scalloped / steak fries... ew. Flavor is not a problem, but texture is. That flavor, for me, goes better with hard and crunchy or just as a flavoring.



I think that is about it for now. I realize that this post is utterly irrelevant. I am sure you do not mind.


Merry Christmas!

graduation

Well, I am graduating today with my Masters in Secondary Education. I know it is supposed to be like a wow sort of thing... but I am really kinda "eh" about it.

A friend at work asked the other day whether or not I was excited when I graduated from high school. I have fond memories of the day, mostly revolving around Jon, but the graduation itself never felt monumental.

I went to PSU for four years, graduating on time with a BS in biotechnology, a minor in micro, and my certification in medical technology. The graduation from PSU was a bit anticlimactic... I really did not have any friends in my major and I had been away from the school for a year at that point. My graduation from med tech school was a little more meaningful - just because it was such a hard year.

After that, it took me two years to get certified to teach. There was no pomp and circumstance there, just a piece of paper saying I was "highly qualified". I took a year off, then started back up again for my masters. It has taken 2.5 years to get it. And I feel.... eh.

I don't know, maybe it is because this year was so jam-packed. I got engaged, got married, went to a bazillion weddings, moved out, Jon moved in, went on a cruise, took 4 courses, took my comps, sang a lot, recorded... And now... this is really the end. Sort of. Jon and I still have our first Christmas together, along with all the running around between families that usually accompanies such events.


Yet, I feel like I SHOULD feel more. My parents are thrilled. Jon's parents are even coming to the ceremony. Jon feels proud. I just feel eh! Am I ungrateful? Am I just so exhausted from 2008 that I can no longer feel an emotional high? I can tell you that when I found out I passed the comps, I was grinning from ear to ear... but I feel very ambivalent towards actually graduating. I guess I really always have.

Regardless, it will be nice to have some time off though, that is for sure. I want to go back to school for my doctorate, but who knows in what. Certainly not education, unless I find something interesting. I am leaning towards science... but again, I don't know!


I am positive that life will remain busy... Costa Rica in the summer, getting used to life with a husband, maybe finding time for things like martial arts, dancing, and being crafty. Don't even think about babies! That is a future endeavor! :)

Blahidays

Okay, not really. Christmas is not that blah. This month (like, magically, all months this year) has gone really quickly so far.

Jon and I have a ton of shopping left to do and we have realized our first marriage truth: shopping together is BAD for our marriage.


This ultimately stems from two things, the first of which being that we both pretty much despise the malls. The halogen lights, the commercialism, the teeny boppers, the 12 yr old girls who are dressing like they are 20, the 20 yr old boys acting like they are 12... all very valid reasons for hating the mall. Secondly, we shop completely differently.

The perfect example would be tonight. We had a list of people to shop for and some ideas, but really, we both needed some browsing.

This is how I work:
I get an idea or a concept for someone, and I find the store I need to get it in or browse further in. While walking to the store, I look for other stores that might fit someone else. If that does not work out, I go into my intended store, get what I am going to get for the person, and also keep my eyes open for anything that strikes me for anyone on the rest of my list. Usually, the act of doing this gives me another conceptual idea, and I proceed thusly. I continue in this way until I am finished or I at least know where I need to go. So, tonight, I had a list of basically 8 people. One, I am completely at a loss for. (Sorry, Josh) Everyone else worked out pretty okay.

Here is how Jon works:
He chooses one person on his list and starts walking. He ends up in department stores that have a lot of variety, hoping that he sees something that hits him for that one person. He does not really think much about the other people on his list, but when he does, it distracts him from focusing on the person he first chose. The result is that tonight, he had 4 people to buy for. He got one gift. It was a really good one (lucky you, Christian)... but that still leaves 3 major people to buy for.


As you can see, our styles work completely differently. I get INSANELY frustrated that he does not just see stuff and go oh, that will be great, like I do. And he gets frustrated that I want to continually keep speed walking through the mall. We bicker. We get tense. Generally, it is very unpleasant.

So tonight was good - we split up and shopped out own way. I have to admit I moderately stressed that he did not find these other things because they sort of count for me too. But really, the only tension we had to deal with was our anger over being at the stupid mall. Hopefully a good nights sleep will help.

is it all over???

Well, Jon and I just spent 2 weeks away from cold, rainy, snowy PA. It was fantastic.

My space bar is still a bit broken, but I am too lazy to fix things if I miss a space, so you will have to put up with it.

Anyway, as I said, our honeymoon was absolutely wonderful.

We left on Friday, the 14th, and took a late flight to Ft.Lauderdale, Florida. We slept late and goton theboat around 1:00. It was actually ridiculously simple. Peoplemade it sound like it would take hours, but Princess has it down toa science. As soon as we walked on, there was like a billion people telling us exactly how to get to our room.

Theroomwas, well, small. We had a decent sized balcony though, and I would highly recommended it. Our big bed was really two twins pushed together, which suited us just fine. We went out to the buffet and got our first meal on the boat, which was pretty good.

We set sail around 5, so basically we just wandered all overthe ship and ate when we could.

I guess detailing what we did every day would be rather boring, but hereare the highlights:

Sunday: Princess Cays - Beautiful beaches, sort of sunny, beautiful water
Monday: At sea - we watched movies, generally hung out
Tuesday: Jamaica - "liquid sunshine, mon"... in the form of BUCKETS of water. Swam with the dolphins, AMAZING, got offered several "good smokes". Rough seas for the next few nights, but we liked the rocking :)
Wednesday: Grand Caymen - stunningly beautiful, we want to go back, too choppy so oursnorkling got canceled. Sigh. We will go again some day. Coral reef everywhere!
Thursday: Cozumel - the ruins, pretty cool, lizards all over theplace! Seemed like a fun place butI am scared of mexican food
Friday: At sea
Sat: off the boat


A lot of people asked us what we did... but honestly, it was a lot of relaxing. When you are on a cruise, there is little to do but eat, sleep, read, and gamble... and it is WONDERFUL. Jon and I got between 9 and 10 hours of sleep every night and woke up to beautiful sunshine and amazing waters. The temp was between 75 and 82 every day with a breeze. Though Jon and I have gone on vacations, we have not really ever gone somewhere that we left EVERYTHING behind. The first time we ever went away like that was two spring breaks ago when we went to FtMyers to the condo by ourselves. That was relaxing, but we knew we had to comeback. HERE, we had a whole other week to spend in Florida with my grandparents so the trip on the boat was really chill. I think it is the most relaxed I have felt in a very very very long time.

The week in Florida was good too. We went to the dog tracks, went sea kayaking, walked the beach, went to Lovers Key to shell... we read a lot and hung out with Nan and Bud, which was great.

When we came home, it was off to the races again as we celebrated Thanksgiving with our collective families on Friday, Sat, and Sunday!




It has been a week since we have returned and there is still a lot going on, but I still feel pretty chill. We got our Christmas tree - it is freakin huge - and we just put the lights on tonight. Our apartment is kind of a disaster zone right now, but hopefully we will have time over the next few days to rectify that.

Tonight I finished my grad course. As soon as I get my grade, I just have to get my transcript, then I am set to graduate two mondays from now. Hurrah!

Also, I am pleased to say that Les asked me to be her "matron" of honor for her marriage to Ben! I am totally flattered and excited and all of the girls in the wedding are totally full steam ahead with the planning, which is fantastic. It is going to be wonderful and I am so completely honored to be part of it! YAY!


I am trying to post pictures up to photobucket forthe honeymoon, so you can check the link if you would like.