Happy Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

You get to a point when you are too cool for cutesy costumes, too old to trick or treat, too young to stay inside and hand out candy.
What do you do?

Get Creative

Make a Fool of Yourself
Stay in Character
Firecracker.... KABOOM!




(for those who still need an explanation: cracker on fire = firecracker... get it?!)

Faith Tested

Patience is my cousin, who three years blogged about her first born, Issac's complications during delivery and in his short life that lasted 24 weeks. Her passage is worth reading. Although not everyone goes through the same tragedies, those with faith can relate to the trying times of believing and living in their faith.

http://leinolife.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/he-saw-me/#comment-911

She writes so beautifully. She is humble and honest with her struggles and revelations with the Lord. Like all of her readers for this particular blog, I am wiping away the tears from my eyes. I am crying for the darkness that she and her husband fight often, followed by tears of joy when she realizes the Jesus is with her and loves her. I am also crying because I frequently feel that lost and doubt about my relationship with the Lord. But today, her words gave me a gift and reminded me "He did not judge or condemn my weakness but rather met me in it. He saw me as I was and loved me in the midst of it" (because I could not have said it better myself).

Sister Love

I read on facebook: This is I LOVE MY SISTER week.

Do we really need a designated week to tell our sister how much we love her?

If you have a sister who has made you laugh, wiped your tears, hugged you tight, watched you succeed, saw you fail, cheered you on and kept you strong (or something along these lines), tell her today. Sisters are a promise that we will have a friend forever...

I love you, Bridget and Kirby.

Letter to Me @ 16

It’s me. Well, it’s you at 22. I have learned so much about you in these six years. Right now, you may not feel comfortable about the person you are. I am still getting to know you and appreciating even more the person you are at 16. I realize that self-discovery is a life long journey. Not knowing the future can be scary and stressful, yet you have no idea of this at your tender naïve age. If you knew then what I know now, life would still be unpredictable. When you are reading this you have no clue of how amazing this world is. All you think you know in your inexperienced 16 year-old mind is a second in time compared to what you realize this life is about. Life is about the people and the relationships you develop. You will struggle with keeping in touch with friends. You tend to be out of sight, out of mind. Remember the wonderful feeling of a friend calling you on an ordinary day just to check in and say they are thinking of you. As I write this, I am reminded of a list of people to call.

You have a blissful absentmindedness about negativity in this world. You don’t like drama and therefore your life is simple and enjoyable. The stress comes in your head and sometimes you can be your own worst enemy. You have so many wonderful qualities that you haven’t learned to be thankful for yet. Your smile is inviting. You love to laugh and have mom’s sarcasm. It can be jaw dropping how similar you two become. She is your best friend. You are sweet. You are interested in what people have to say and think that every word is important. You would like to believe the words that people say are honest. However, you sometimes doubt compliments and think people are feeding you a spoonful of horseshit. Accept them as truths; you deserve these kind words. Give them back. I challenge you to be the first to give someone the gift of a compliment. You love for others to be happy and feel beautiful because you want that for yourself.

You are beautiful. Don’t sell yourself short on your beauty; embrace it with humility. Part of your appeal and what attracts other people to you is that you are comfortable in your skin. This wasn’t the case at 16. You always compared yourself to other girls. You convinced yourself that they were more gorgeous. You were self-conscious about your stomach and the imaginary rolls that appeared over your jeans when you sat. You didn’t have them then, but you have them now. And you feel strangely comfortable in your non-perfect body.

Warning, don’t let yourself go and think that eating while watching tv all day will somehow keep your muscles toned. I tried it and this is not the case. On a side note, stop watching television. There is too much life to be lived by you. You waste the chance as you sit on your lazy ars. Like everything in life you have to work at it. You have an adventurous spirit that you are beginning to tap into. You love the outdoors, but you rarely took the opportunities to do fun, out of the ordinary things. You have to make the plans, include friends and introduce them to the excitement of life.

So a few lessons you will learn...
1. People come into your life for a reason. Enjoy their presence and learn from their absence.
2. Life is sweeter than you can ever imagine. God has a greater plan for you and most we haven't lived yet.
3. Your family is the back bone to who you are. Everyone of us will have our moments of hard times, and we will rally next to each other and love one another more.
4. You will truly believe that God loves you and it is the most rewarding Love. Accepting that you deserve love, allows you to drop the weight of expectations off your shoulders.


Joey, thanks for the idea. Here are some memorable quotes from the beautiful women who wrote letters to their 16 year-old selves...

JOEY: "But what's always true in life is that all the grace and the wisdom we need to get through something, we don't have until it's over. And the reason we don't have it until afterward is because it's the process itself that grows us up into it."

ALISHA: "Don't let your life and your actions ever be in reaction to something else. Don't be afraid of being "normal" because you crave the attention of being exceptional. I'm not saying don't be exceptional, I'm saying don't crave needing to be recognized for it."

BRIDGET: "Stop stressing about the future because no matter what you envision as your future it will not turn out how you imagined, but more than you could ever ask for."

18 year-old BLOGGER: "When the time comes to meet the man of your dreams, it will happen in the most random place. You have way more to give than you realize. But you can’t meet him until you love yourself. Take your time doing this."

Summer Travels

The summer started off slowly and with a break-up and a failed test. My solution to avoid depression is surrounding myself with family, friends, and beautiful places. I've been fortunate to travel to visit the people I love. I went back to the Pittsburgh region for two of my dear friends' weddings. These two events were my first "friend" weddings and they were so much fun. Gia's was a combination of Italian and Cuban traditions with lots of salsa dancing! You'd never believe that stereotypes an Italian family as portrayed in the movies could be true until you are in a room full of them and you're Irish. Megan's was sponsored and decorated by Vera Bradley. It was elegant and long fun hours of dancing that carried over to the hotel's bar. Both brides looked gorgeous and beaming with happiness.
After all this excitement from weddings, finally it was Ryan's turn. He and Kirby were to tie the knot in Montana, where they now live and where they first met. This is very special to me because 1. Ryan is my big brother and I look up to him in every sense of the word 2. I was living with Ryan and Kirby when he bought the ring and proposed 3. Kirby has become a best friend. She is a laugh, a hug, listens to me vent, offers great advice, and has as much trouble with word find as me 4. I get to be a bridesmaid and have the best view to watch the couple commit their lives to each other.

My favorite part of the ceremony was watching my brother say his vows to his wife. As he held her hands and looked into her eyes, he spoke calmly and sincerely. He believed every word he was saying with tearful eyes as if he was looking into her soul and pouring all of his love into it. He may not have been crying, but I was at that moment and throughout the entire ceremony. It was so personal and unique to Ryan and Kirby, that I felt an extreme amount of humbleness to be a witness to their love and commitment to each other. Another elegant touch was when Kirby walked down the staircase to meet her father. It was a wonderful night in a fun atmosphere, with great people, live music, and delicious food.

This weekend is my cousin Drew's wedding in Vancouver, Canada. It will be a first for me to need my passport to attend a wedding. Then, I will be back in DC for my cousin Kerry's wedding, in which I am a bridesmaid.

The best part of traveling is enjoying the unexpected, cherishing the little things, and making the most of the destination. Instead of flying home from Montana, my parents, Hunter, and I drove back. Our road trip took us through Yellow Stone park, the Grand Tetons, Steamboat Springs, CO and Iowa. I stayed for a few days in Iowa with the Covills. I didn't make the most of my time with Bridget and unfortunately, I left on a sour note. My Aunt Molly got me a buddy pass to fly home earlier than I planned. On my second flight, I got bumped up to business class. The perks: pre-flight drink, personal tv, reclining chair, snacks, endless flow of white wine, and a personal bottle to take with me. I have to say it was a pleasantly unexpected way to fly home.

Yellow Stone Park
Choco waiting for Old Faithful
Grand Tetons
Waterfall at the Tetons

Crisis at 22.. not really though

I thought a mid-life crisis happens when you turn 50 or so. Nope. I guess it can happen anytime you go through a big change in life and you don't know if you're playing your cards right. It's like 52 card pick-up. Everything is scattered around me and I don't know what to deal with first. I graduated and have been done college for a while now it seems. I've been enjoying my summer at the beach, cool evening runs, cooking meals with fresh picked ingredients, reuniting with friends, and enjoying family. But my see what the day brings attitude makes me feel pathetic. I realize I need structure in my life; a day planned with goals to be accomplished. So what now? How do I take charge of my life and make things happen? It could be simple, but I dread making the decisions on my own, which again is pathetic. I don't like the way I am passively living my life now. I am young and should be enjoying the freedom I've been granted. I need to be my own person and embrace this part of my life. I want to have fun!

Things I want to do this year.....
get a job (OT with temporary license, possibly?)
pass my OTR exam
run a half marathon
rock climb
get back to my pre-college weight
save money
buy a camera and not lose it
rent a house or apt

One year from today, I will have checked off everything thing on this list. This is my promise. The only thing in my way is ME.

Profound Words from a Stranger

I stumbled across this woman's blogspot in my unguided attempts to find my brothers. Her husband had been diagnosed with cancer with a life expectancy of "not long". How does one respond when you are told that death is just around the corner? The doctor said in a matter-of-fact way, "None of us have tomorrow. This is it. Today is all we have, and today you are alive. Today you can hold your wife's hand, and tell your children you love them. You're going to have good days, and you're going to have bad ones. Make a list, and on the good days, do those things you want to do. Live your life". (http://nikibs.blogspot.com/?expref=next-blog)

I am being convinced more and more that things in this life happen for a reason. Words or actions are said and done because they are supposed to and because God has a plan for us.
I often do not realize His plan because it is not my plan. I could have chosen not to read that blog. But sometimes I am drawn to something, be it a song, letter or blog, or tune in to a conversation, not knowing what I am meant to get out of it. I believe that this is God's way of getting my attention. I am not going through nearly the same experience as this woman, but I needed to read her words at this moment in my life. My problems and my worries about my life are minuscule in comparison. The message is the same for us both. We have one chance at this life and we can't take it for granted.

Live each day as if it were your last and have no regrets of the past.

Love Abundently

You know the saying: Everything in Moderation. That's a great way to live life, especially when it comes to eating healthy, exercising, partying, working, etc. But I have a secret and insight into something you can do everyday of your life that does NOT require moderation. Love. It is the one thing you can over do. Love the persons in your life with ALL that you have, with your mercy, patience, humility, and unwavering kindness. Do not love with expectations of how it should be returned to you. You will be disappointed. It can be simple if you let it in to your heart. Love is the greatest gift you can give to another person and to yourself.

Happily Preoccupied

There has been so much change in the last two months that I have not taken a moment to capture it all in words, until now.

My sister Bridget is pregnant with her second child and is living in Iowa with her family. Back with her first pregnancy, I was in Mrytle Beach and missed the delivery of my nephew Hunter. I was not going to miss this one. I flew out to Iowa on March 31st and was greeted by my very pregnant sister (due date: April 5th) and happy/energetic Hunter-Bear. My mom and I had the same idea; she flew out the very next day. On April 2, we celebrated Hunter's 5th birthday. We went to Pump it Up, a fun inflatable party place with slides, mazes, and obstacles. I had blast chasing H-man all over the facility and racing down the inflatable slide. My sister desperately did not want her children to share the same birthday, so we held off inducing labor until after Hunter's day. From then on it was Operation Get Baby Out! We made Bridg do lunges, squats, runs around the block, and anything else we could conjure up over the weekend. She was a champ!
On Monday, she went to the midwife who did a minor medical procedure that might induce labor over the next 12 hours. I will not go into details. Although I was anxious to meet this beautiful baby boy or girl, I was still enjoying feeling the baby kick and watching Bridget's stomach make waves as the baby rolled inside her. It was so wild to see and feel the movement of life inside Bridget. That night we went to Cold Stone's for Cookie Don't Ya Want Some, a favorable craving of hers during this pregnancy. She started feeling some contractions and timing them at 5-7 minutes apart. But not close or painful enough to go to the hospital. The next morning she awoke to tell us that she thinks this is it. The midwife confirmed this, but allowed a few hours before it was necessary to be admitted to the hospital.

Five hours later as planned, I picked up Hunter from preschool and dropped him off with Paul's mom and headed to the hospital. I was honored that Bridget allowed me to be in the room during most of her labor, but of course when it came close to delivery I was kicked out. Looking back, I am thankful with that decision for obvious reasons, but I didn't go far. For the following two hours I stood outside the room with my ear glued to the door to listen and wait for the cry. The nurses, Paul, and my mom were cheering Bridget to push. I have to be honest; after some brutal screams I started to feel pain! Then I hear Bridget say, " What is it? What is it? Is she ok?" It's a GIRL! A few minutes later, my mom snuck me in to the room to be part of it all. Bridget, held my hand and with a happy tear rolling down her cheek, she said, "I know this isn't the best timing, but go say hi to your god-daughter." She couldn't have told me in any sweeter way. I stood between Paul and my mom staring in awe at this precious little girl. Paul's reaction was priceless. He stood over his daughter with light and joy gleaming from his face saying in amazement, "She's beautiful!"

Kinley Jane born at 7:04pm, weighing 7.8lbs, and 20.25 inches.

The month I spent with my sister and her family was so worth it. I immediately jumped in to their busy life taking Hunter to and from school, cooking meals, walking their dog Yankee, riding bikes, playing dragons and Star Wars, investigating the woods, watching t-ball practice, going to church, listening to High School Musical 2 every day in the car, changing diapers, burping Kinley, etc. In comparison, my life at home was so boring. I loved the running around to make appointments or to play the next game. I loved being a fun aunt to Hunter and a caring one to Kinley. I loved joking around with Paul. I loved being best friends with my sister.

Some fun memories I keep with me... Taking Yankee for a walk was one challenging endeavor. Rather, it's Yankee taking me for a sprint! He's a strong yellow lab who has not yet grown out of his puppy stage. Then, chasing Yankee around the dinner table trying to get a sock, stuffed animal, or slimy dollar bill out of his mouth. He's just a dumb lovable dog. And I really enjoyed the days when Hunter would come to me and ask, "Nanee, do you want to play with me?" We would bike ride to investigate tunnels, play on parks, or to explore new paths. Occasionally, we would take breaks since Hunter's "muscles were getting tired because of working so hard." If it's a play day inside, then we play dragons. Hunter had given me the job of being the voices of five different dragons. Oh this is going to be good: 1. a righteous sufer dude with two heads 2. a 1920s newspaper writer 3. a ghetto guy with attitude 4. a stuck up girl 5. a slow old folk. Hunter played the normal one. I think I had more fun with the characters and Bridg got a kick out of listening to my creative enthusiasm. But if Hunter and Bridget were taking naps, I got to play tummy time with Kinley or rock her to sleep. I even learned the lyrics to Hush Little Baby and it worked! And Bridget and I just got to have fun with each other and be sisters. Might I add we are hilarious!

I could go on and on about all the memories with my nephew, niece, sister and brother-in-law. But if you want to know more about the growing family, check out my sister's blog.

Life in Iowa

Hold on to Good Friends

The distance from Pittsburgh to Rockville is 226.58 miles. I have driven this route countlessly for 4years. I have it down to a science to arrive in my driveway in exactly 3hrs and 30min. I know when to speed, when to look for cops, when to leap frog cars, and all the while drumming on my steering wheel and singing to some tunes. But you know when you doze off; you're still awake, but you don't remember driving the last 10miles. That's what today feels like. Somehow I snapped back to reality and my college years are finished and I don't know how I got here so fast.

I left my friends and my home away from home. I wasn't expecting to be emotional or tearful about this goodbye. But as I drove outside the city limits and could no longer see the sky rises or bridges in my rear view mirror, that's exactly what happened. I am really going to miss the Burgh, especially my closest friends. I don't think I will find another group of girls as ridiculous, fun-loving, and genuine as them and I don't want to. I am truly going to miss it all.

Life is Short

My place of inhabitance lately has been at any coffee shop I can find. I presume that the aroma of coffee brewing will some how enhance my concentration as I study relentlessly for my boards to become a practicing occupational therapist. But at the moment, instead of focusing on OT, I am staring at my cup and loving the words of inspiration written on the outside of it.

Life is Short. Stay Awake for It. (Caribou Coffee TM)

Spin the globe, then pack your bags.

Sing out loud!

Give your change to charity.

Pour yourself a cup full of karma.

Savor every sip.

Be the first to apologize.

Donate blood you have plenty.

Dance in the rain.

Lighten up.

Marshmallows have no nutritional value, and that’s ok.

Get your hands dirty.

Step 1: Rake leaves Step 2: Jump!

You’ll only be your current age once.

Dare to adventure.

Learn to say thank you in ten languages. (4 so far)

Be the ruler of your own life.

Only look back if it makes you smile :)

Indulge in chocolate therapy.

Don’t wait for New Year’s to make a resolution.

Be the first to enter and the last to leave the dance floor.

How do you choose to the live the rest of your life?

Start with today and make it better than yesterday.

This has been a record breaking week for snow accumulation with almost 4ft of snow in 6days. Oh how I wish I was a kid again! To wake up every morning, put on my snow suit, gloves, hat, and a scarf and drag my sled to Woodley Gardens hill, the biggest in the neighborhood. My favorite memories of that hill were building jumps to get some big air and betting who would be the first to forget to bail and fly over the ledge into the creek. It happened to me once. Now, I am older but I still find a way to have fun. Mt Wash in pgh has hills left and right. It doesn't matter my age because I will always be a kid at heart, especially when it comes to snowy days. In fact, there is still a couple of feet outside, maybe I will go make a snow angel!

This is really happening...

I cannot sleep. In about 8 hours, I will be finally graduating from my 5 years masters program of occupational therapy. Now, to give you some perspective, I am a natural doubter. I think the worst in situations and I often worry about things that may never even happen. Imagine a year ago and all the possible scenarios I could conjure that would have led me far away from this outcome. But, needless to say, I am here. I made it. Today is most likely going to be an emotional day and I am definitely packing tissues in my purse. I have found the greatest friends that I can only hope will be part of my life forever.

I remember my first day of OT class. I was the new girl. I transferred to Duquesne from MC after one year. Everyone had their group of friends and non-assigned, but rather understood, seat at certain tables. The three transfers ended up at one table front and center. I was shy and didn't make friends quickly. For a few groups projects, I joined the table to my left. And now the people at that table are now my housemates and best friends. Since then we took on three more wonderful girls who transferred into our class. It's the six of us... young, crazy, beautiful, wild, hilarious, and the most uncensored group you may ever meet. I wouldn't change anything about my experience here. Sure, I stressed and complained about school work and the expectations of this program. But my memories have nothing to do with the actual assignments or class material; it's everything that came about because of them. I remember... making up completely inappropriate acronyms to study anatomy (i passed with an A), having the library as my home for three years and thinking this was real life, completing last minute projects with tears and laughs, running to get coffee every break we got to try to stay awake during class and studying, concocting stories of potential relationships among the faculty behind closed doors, deciding at the end of each semester who would be the first to marry our handsome advisor as he registered us for classes, keeping from going insane from sitting in the same room, at the same table, in the same seat for three years... and the memories go on. I'm gonna miss this place. I'm gonna miss my friends.

I felt safe in school. I had structure and a plan. Now what? Come Monday morning, when I do not have class or assignments due, I think it will hit me. Except for later today, I will never be in the same room with all of these girls again. I guess in a metaphorical way, my next classroom is going to be life and the real (un-sheltered) world. Wish me luck.

I am new to this..

So this is blogging? I feel like this can be my diary that everyone has access to. It won't be hidden under my mattress or stuffed in a drawer. I am inviting you all to see the world as I see it.

I am in the home stretch of my graduate year. I have two weeks left until I graduate, fingers crossed. And then, I am supposed to find a job, find a place, be responsible for bills, and basically, grow up. I don't know if I am ready for all of this. Ideally, I will work a job that has nothing to do with my major (ie babysitting or waiting tables), earn some money, get certified as a spinning instructor, live with my sister and her family as they welcome the new addition, walk for graduation in may, enjoy my summer, go to at least 4 weddings, apply for a real OT job, and make a plan to grow up. I think that sounds realistic. You see, I am a procrastinator and I am putting off this whole be an "adult" thing. I do want to have a life of my own, something that I create and earn. But truthfully, I am a little scared.

I think I am trying to avoid it because I know I will have to make some very important decisions soon and I don't have the answers. Oh to growing up!