home!

I am finally home! After months and months of separation, I am in KC and am absolutely loving it. Well, clarification: I am loving every aspect except the weather. I do enjoy that there is snow on the ground because it really adds to the holiday atmosphere but I did not enjoy that it ruined plans. Mother Nature is a wild one so I will just be content with staying in. I should actually clarify that statement as well because really I am ecstatic to be staying in where I can sleep in, watch endless hours of tv, nap, and be with family. I would say that those things are all very good.

I was thinking that when I came home that I might have a moment of "this feels weird" as I adjusted back into things. But really, that feeling never came. I'm so happy that after being gone for so long that I still feel like this is home to me. I can move far away but little ol' Kansas will always feel just right. (ahhhh)

As happy as I am to be at home, I am most definitely missing my family in WA. Get ready to control your gag refelx, but I am missing my hubs. We haven't been apart from each other for this long since we were wed and it makes me sad to be away from him, especially during this holiday season when family is the most important. Thankfully time doesn't stand still and the day of his arrival is just on the horizon. I'm so excited to have him here! He's going to love the Southard-Pilcher and Edelblute Christmas celebrations! I just know he will! (he better)

parenting lessons

Before I jump into my blog here, I would like to make the obvious comment about how I changed my blog background. Frankly I am not pleased with my computer skills. I wanted a cool template but I don't know how to download and paste into html computer gibberish. So, if anyone out there wants to help a girl out, I would greatly appreciate any advice on how to get a template off the web. Thank you kindly.

So, I feel like my cats are showing me what kind of parent I may be. I do realize that cats are actually animals, not people. They don't require nearly as much attention or care and honestly don't want much to do with either of those things. If they could speak, they would probably limit all conversation to three statements: "Feed Me." "Let me sleep." "Clean out my pooper." Life is not too complex for our little feline friends but I still feel like my future image of a parent is peeking out a bit and I must say I'm not exactly thrilled with what's emerging. I honestly give my cats anything to make them happy. Miss Mads enjoys, too much, jumping on the computer desk and following the computer mouse on the screen. This is pretty cute but not when I'm working on something. So, to get her to stop, I will throw any thing in her direction to provide as a distraction. Pens, crumpled paper, good computer paper, or my iPod headphones (I do keep an eye on her so she's not getting hurt). I don't want this behavior of mine to equal me giving my kids whatever they want. I'm pretty sure I worked that angle as a child myself, but I really want to limit giving in as much as possible (parents who read this, please don't laugh at me too much for my naivety). I also am having a really hard time disciplining the little buggers. General is always on top of the tv or crawling all over the couch and Mads jumps on the kitchen table and is just so cute. But how disgusting! She also puts her little face in our food when we are eating. The other night she stole a spaghetti noodle off of Jared's plate. I thought it was cute how much she wanted some food. What have I become!?!? We also let Maddy sleep under the covers with us. Eek again! I really hope that doesn't persist when the children come along because that is not ok. I'm not going to have a 16-year old snuggling up between me and Jared. No, definitely not ok. But I suppose I should see light at the end of the tunnel for my future days as a parent because as I said before, cats are not kids. Pets deserve to be spoiled. Kids, well, haha, deserve spoiled times too...

On the school front, my first quarter of grad school is over! I passed my practicum which means I don't totally suck, which is a good thing. If I didn't pass then this little lady would be re-evaluating her future career path. Bonus of the quarter--my client was dismissed because she met her goal. I'm just changing the world here, one little person at a time. : )

Quick editors note:
Please do not take the topic of children and my parenting skills as a sign that children are in the near horizon because they are most definitely NOT. Some day, like way some day but definitely not soon.

seattle is not lawrence

I am probably making a very obvious comparison here in stating that UW is not like KU. One "big city" compared to a town built around a college. So far they do have similarities in that when I'm in class, I know it's down to business time. Professors have proven to be funny in both locations and classmates have been equally as fun (although I would say I have made friends in my program much faster here). But, since I'm sitting on the edge of campus at U-dub, I'm missing out on getting to feel what it's really like to be apart of campus life. I have walked, having no idea where I was going, to get some shots and have my blood drawn, but I tried to make those trips as quick as possible. The view I have of UW is one that is pretty busy, with city buses zooming by and my buildings being backed up to a pretty happening street, The Ave.

Quick side note on that: the street is called "The Ave" but is in fact officially University Way NE. Coming from Lawrence where Massachusetts St. is known as "Mass," I'm having a bit of a problem understanding where "The Ave" came from. Whatever, it's probably not a big deal but I just don't get it...

Back to the point of this blog... Bottom line really is that there's just a totally different feel between the two schools. We receive weekly emails from Seattle police about the various robberies, assaults, etc. that occur around the University, scarily close by me. I saw a man urinate in a corner by the bus stop. When I saw him, I quickly looked away but the man managed to see me and started blah blah blahing about something and was coming towards me and I just used my best judgment and looked away quickly. Thankfully he went about his business but I'm just mentally preparing myself to put on my kicking feet and punching hands. They've never been used, so let's hope we don't have to test them out.

Funny side note (again) about the most recent robbers. There is apparently a tall, long-hair blond woman running around in a puffy black coat with a fur trimmed hood that is attacking people. She has stolen some phones and what not, but the funny thing is that there is a girl in my program (who I definitely like and would consider a friend) who is very tall, with very long, blond hair that just happens to own a puffy black coat with a fur trimmed hood. I just had to ask her, for the city of Seattle and my own sake, if she happened to be a cell phone thief. She laughed, I laughed and it was decided that it wasn't her. (she has a nice phone, no need for others) I thought that was a funny coincidence. : )

the death of worms

Dearest little worms of Seattle,

I've noticed that it rains a lot here and I am sorry for the many losses you have experienced and the many that you will undoubtedly experience in the future. You provided me with entertainment as a young girl (I was never one of those children that pulled you apart) and as horrible as it is to admit, I am just now understanding the plight you go through in such a rainy city. Because I saw so many of your lost friends today, I would like to offer some words of advice.
1. Try finding a new place to live during the "rainy season." Perhaps you could spend your summers building a nice mound of dirt up on some rocks so when it does rain, because it definitely will, you can make a quick dash out of the dirt and be free of the hazard of drowning.
2. Try doing a little evolving. Maybe a little cross-breading with another insect that can live under water might do you well. Or, as I imagine evolution usually works, think really hard about how you wish for gills. I'm sure that would work.
3. Maybe stick to flower pots for living. There are always plenty available and they are meant to send the water down, out under the pot. So anything that's too much for you, will just come out.
I don't mean to pry or seem pushy about this, but it was a little depressing seeing how many of you were sprawled all over the pavement. I would dare say close to 20 in the mere 100 foot stretch I made from the bus to my apartment. I realize there are a lot of you, but it's not safe to play the gambling game.
I wish you luck in your future and hope you heed my advice.
Sincerely,
A.P.

hmmm

I'm not exactly sure what I want to type about today but I feel like it's about time that I do a little updating. I don't want to disappoint all of those people who frequent my blog in attempts to keep up with my life. ; )

Hmm, things have been good. Time is passing at warp speed, faster than it ever has, but it's good. The other night I was talking to Jared about how I wish we could add another day to the week. What an absurd thing to say because you know, if for some reason something was to happen like that, it would be another work day. In fact, I'm surprised our Saturday hasn't been stolen yet. But really, adding an extra day to the weekend would be nice because it would feel like you could actually get a chance to catch up on things. As of right now, I feel like all I want to do is avoid getting things done on the weekend. My weeks are full, I want the weekends to me! But then, along comes Monday and dang, I wish I had spent some time doing something. Procrastination and laziness are sometimes the most lethal combo.

I must make a little edit to my last post about Seattle and it's fall. The fall here definitely did surprise me (I guess since I've only really lived in two states, I didn't know what to expect); it has truly been beautiful. The leaves are just now starting to come off and so I've had quite some time getting to enjoy the wonderful colors. I should really show my appreciation to my new city because it is pretty great. We have yet to close the windows in our apartment (it has gotten a little chilly, yes) and the dreary weather has yet to come upon us. When it does come, I must say that I can imagine that it's much more ideal than ice storms and snow. So, apologies Seattle. You are a lovely place.

Alright, before my Saturday disappears just like the rest of them, I'm going to try to be a little productive. We'll see how that goes.

Seattle has a real fall!

I am pleasantly surprised with Seattle and it's fall. I hate to come off as a downer Debbie, but I had the impression that fall in Seattle would be blah filled with rainy, overcast days. But, no sir! The fall here has been great! It cannot compete with Kansas' beautiful display of colors accompanied by wonderfully crisp weather, but it is still allowing fall to be my favorite season away from home. Many of the trees have changed colors and it reminds me of my days on KU's campus. I feel as if it provides me a little chance to sneak away into another world, which is nice when my days have been getting really long and busy. The drive across the 520 floating bridge into Seattle has been even better as well. There's nothing like driving over a beautiful lake and seeing fall colored-trees along the edges. Beautiful I tell ya! (a side note to that bridge--one day it was super windy and water was splashing over the sides...is that scary to anyone else but me? I've seen way too many 20/20s where they show cars being enveloped by water...gulp!)

So, in recent weeks I have developed a love hate relationship with the bus that goes as follows:
Love:

• Convenience of not having to drive. Bonuses for that include: mucho savings on gas and ample opportunities to catch up on school reading, leisure reading, or sudoku playing
• Relaxation times before and after busy days. I have been blessed with the ability to nap in most places and the bus seems to be a good place to utilize these skills.
• I don't have to find a parking spot, pay for a parking spot, and walk far to get to my parking spot.
• My bus picks me up right in front of my apartment and drops me off right in front of my building--so convenient.

Hate:

• The fact that I have to transfer. I have gotten lucky, a whopping let's say two times, to quickly get off one bus to see that my next bus is right behind. Usually I have to wait, anywhere from 10-20 minutes. If I'm waiting for 20 minutes at the end of the day, I am NOT happy.
• The bus drivers always like to go on break right when I'm about to get home. They stop at the transit center and make everyone get off. Grr! Just take me home already!!! Thankfully Jared picks me up to keep me from going completely insane.
• People who stare. A girl the other day looked over at me about every 15 seconds. Yes, I am still sitting on the bench. Yes, I am waiting for a bus just like you. I can be the occasional starer, but people, be discrete!
• People who think their bags need a seat for themselves. Sometimes the number of available seats can be limited and the last time I checked, bags are not considered people and should not require the space of an entire seat to themselves. It's just irritating.
• (One last thing) People who don't move out of your way when you try to get on the bus and it's already packed to the front with people standing. That just happened to me and I'm not exactly sure what the two ladies who didn't move expected me to do. You're not allowed to pass the yellow line that separates the aisle from the driver's space but these ladies didn't move and seemed awfully bothered by me trying to squeeze through. Bizarre and irritating.

I don't mean to come off as someone who whines a lot and complains, but it is nice to release these feelings of dislike for the bus. In a perfect world UW would be in a town like Lawrence but then again, having a campus in such a big city has been really neat. Once you get past the idea of being super scared (during orientation, they talked about safety for quite some time), it's really easy to enjoy. Sometimes I think about how I would have never expected little old Kansas girl me to be living this way. I must say, I am proud of myself. : )

if you can't tell, school has officially started

As I predicted, I am not doing so great with keeping up with this. I suppose I shouldn't beat myself up about it because school has started and it has really been keeping me busy. So, my new goal is to write every few weeks (at least), just so I can have a place to organize my thoughts and truly examine what the heck has been occupying my time.

I've only been through one official week of school, but my days are packed! I have been assigned a client in the clinic, who I adore so far, and now I'm jumping into what my major is all about. I'm making lesson plans, collected data, and trying to help out a little one. All the while I have NO idea what I'm doing. I feel like I'm always running around like crazy and trying to figure out what to do and I know that feeling most likely won't go away anytime soon, or possibly ever. I absolutely love UW's program and love the staff. I didn't know how it would be adjusting to a whole new group of people after I had been so accustomed to the same professors and KU's clinic, but so far so good. The clinic at UW is amazing. So big with so many resources. My advisor is awesome and realizes that we have no idea what we're doing and is so willing to help. It's very good and reassuring. : )

Interesting tid bits/things I feel I should complain about/share:

• the bus, as great as it is (provides me ample time to read for school, take a little nap, listen to music) is getting slightly irritating. My waits for my connecting bus have been getting long (30 minutes on Monday) and I'm annoyed when the bus drivers pull over at a stop, get out, walk to the nearest Quickie Mart, and buy food. Perhaps if there was a sign posted keeping me informed that bus drivers will be taking breaks while they are en route some where, then I would be more accepting, but there is not and I think the bus drivers are making their own rules, which I do not appreciate.
• another thing about the bus--it provides me with funny moments for the day. Take Thursday: I ran after what I thought was the bus early in the morning but it was actually a school bus. Cool me. Then in the afternoon I confidently jumped on a bus and instantly realized I got on the wrong one. Thank goodness that I did notice this minor detail because I could still get off. I thought it was funny.
• I had to pay UW over $270 for some sort of insurance/reassurance for the day that I may get bitten by a client. I also got some shots with that money (my arm still hurts from that darn tetanus shot) but no one could really give a definite answer for 1. why I had to pay and 2. if there were any other options for paying less. Pretty much I either paid or left the program. I was not about to get kicked out over that, so I gladly paid and now will be covered for the next two years if anyone decides to go wild on me. It's probably best that I did pay.
• On a happy note--General and Maddy's relationship is continuing to blossom. They are so cute and I still love seeing them together.

That is all for now. Life is busy but it's good.

and the family grows....

Because life is definitely not exciting enough, Jared and I decided to invest in something sweet for General. He has been the light of our eyes for almost 4 years now (his bday is Sept. 23!) and it's about time that he deserves something extra special. So we got him.....a kitten!!! If cats show their enthusiasm in hisses and growls, then our new little kitten must have felt so much love....oh General, he is a sweet thing. But, our little girl--Dr. Madeline Jarvik (silly name for silly pets as Jared says)--is what everyone could ever want in a cat. She is super sweet, playful, and loves to cuddle. If you can't tell, I am excited. When Jared and I were looking at whether this was a good idea, we stumbled upon a website that talked about how cats usually bond more with one person and finds the other person in the household to be "tolerable." For about a week I asked General if that's how he felt about me. If he did, I didn't care, I just wanted to know. I give him lots of love but if I'm the tolerable one for General, then Jared WILL be the tolerable one for Miss Maddy. I'm doing my best at making sure she cuddles with me the most and that she sees that I'm the one to always feed her. That'll win her over for sure! Here's a pic of our precious new baby girl:

And here is my most favorite one of both Maddy and General:

General is obvious in that one...Maddy is up poking her little face down. I think I may be the best photographer EVER because that is adorable and it's amazing that I caught it. Good news to report though: after 1 & 1/2 days of being together, our two cats are in love (the kind of love if you get to close you will get bit) and are playing so well. It's exactly what we wanted for General!

News on myself:

• I "spoke" at a community college about being a recent college graduate. I have a definite problem saying no to people but I am glad I did it. Helps me (slightly) get over my fear of public speaking
• I rode the bus to school today! Jared and I meticulously planned out my journey and it went without a hitch. Who knew that a Johnson County girl could do so well on the metro bus system! I feel so green!
  

Proof we are Loved!

Jared and I are most fortunate in the fact that both sets of my parents have visited. Some may say that seems pretty fast (considering we recently moved) but I say hooray for a family who loves me dearly (and obviously misses me terribly...who could blame them, really). When my dad, step-mom, and two sisters came in July, we had a great time exploring the city together. I really hadn't ventured out too much on my own and so it was nice to get lost with other people. I definitely learned a few things not to do while driving... But, I am learning and with my family things were easier. We visited the University of Washington, which was really great. Again, it was nice to explore a new territory with my family so we could all see it together. The picture is of us all on the campus, which is extremely gorgeous. Such neat buildings. It does really make me miss KU but this is a new chapter in life that I am excited to start.



Then, lucky us (that was not meant to sound sarcastic because it definitely is not), my mom and step-dad came to visit this past week. It was so great! I most definitely needed some "mom" time and I got it. We went shopping together while the boys did adventurous water things (kayaking and sailing...which I am slightly jealous of and would like to do some time myself). I knew I would miss home (see my slightly whiny post below) but having my mom here really helped with missing everyone. If only she could have brought Ava, our little dog! We did a lot of fun things with my mom and step-dad as well. I don't think I have laughed so hard in a long time, so that was really super. We had quite the adventures on Blake Island while visiting Tillicum Village (a Native American village). The boys experienced clam nectar (I had the understanding that it was nectar as in fruit nectar, not the disgusting juice remains from a clam), we dined on fine, dry salmon, bones and all, we heard a man discuss his problems with socks ("You wouldn't even believe how many I wear!--we guessed around 7 pairs a week) and his issues with butter ("I can't even keep the stuff in my house!"), and then finally we had a nice relaxing ride back where we contemplated how we could start an up rise to throw off the captain from the boat (my mom and I wanted to settle with getting away with the frozen treats held near the bar). We had a great day visiting Pike's Market where there was hardly anyone around. Such a fun place with all of it's fresh fruit, veggies, and flowers. We got a gorgeous bouquet for $5! Amazing!

Alright, that is all for now. We got our new kitty tonight (!! more to come on that subject) and she is not enjoying my typing. Sorry for the long post that may not be super interesting to all, but I love my family and had a super time with them!

i miss home

So I had a sad moment today. I'm not exactly sure why tv triggers me crying and getting homesick, but it does. I was watching "Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood" (much better than I had ever imagined) and they were having a rather fancy funeral for their dog that passed away. The tears of people on the show got me feeling emotional and then I started feeling really upset and missing my little dog Ava back at home. I feel bad for all of the negative things I have said about General because today he was a little rock that I could lean on (for only about 10 seconds). He didn't much enjoy my crying and was confused by it, but the fact that he let me pick him up and embrace him was much appreciated on my part.

Being homesick is such a little booger. I really like getting to do new things and love the Seattle area. I think that it's just harder because I have no job and won't start school until mid-September. I do like being lazy but it's kind of getting to the point that I feel slightly useless. Mayhaps I should have gotten a job the moment I got here but I can't complain and whine about choices I didn't make. I'm going to look at craigslist (a new enjoyment to look through in my moments of boredom) and hope I can find some babysitting or something. : / Hmm, at least that would distract me from missing home too much.

I feel old

First off, the bugs are gone! For the time being I do not see any disgusting termites and have not for a few days. I do really appreciate my apartment complex and their quickness with responding to my (many) requests.

Second, we went to "Emerald Downs" on Friday to watch some horses run very fast. I must admit that I lost $.25 on betting on the wrong guy. Advice given to me to choose the horse with the most clever name did not turn out as well as I had hoped. But, Jared's co-worker, who kindly tagged along with us, did appreciate the $1.25 pool that he collected. Even with that high bidding, I can't quite say that I'm going to be much into horse races ever again. The races were fun to watch but the long delay between races was not so great. The extra time did allow me to enjoy two of my favorite treats: corn dogs and ice cream! There was a wiener dog race between horse races and that was the real highlight of the evening. The little guys ran as fast as they could, most in the wrong direction, and it was quite adorable. The last one off the track got caught up eating horse poo (I'm sure the owner was very proud).

We also went to "Wild Waves" this weekend, which is a theme park with roller coasters and water slides. Jared's uncle participates in Big Brothers, Big Sisters and we went along with him and his little. His little's real sister came along as well and I spent most of the day with her. 7 year-olds are funny. She was having a good time saying that she hated everything but once we hit the water, she really liked it. Jared and I came to the conclusion that although Wild Waves was fun in theory, there were far too many people and way too many unidentifiable floaties in the water. Blah. Plus, almost all roller coasters make me feel ill. How depressing. Even though it wasn't my perfect dream day, I would have to say I did enjoy myself. Jared's uncle always makes me laugh and spending the day with two kids was nice as well. It (kind of) made me miss my days of babysitting and got me excited to start school up again so I can get working with little munchkins. I'm sure I won't be singing that same tune once I'm wrapped up in school and have a job working with kids all of the time, but for now, I'll be idealistic and say I think it'll be great.

aren't cats supposed to kill things?

So I'm freaking out because I do believe our apartment has termites. (see picture below) I pride myself in not acting too girly about these kind of things, although I do despise spiders, but when I see a large mass of ants and winged ant-like creatures, I can't help but evolve into a squeamish, little girl.



Do you see the picture? Do you see how disgustingly wrong these little creatures look? Blah! And General, who I love dearly, is not doing me much favors in helping control the situation. As a cat, I think he would be gloriously happy to see little things he can chase and bat around. Nope, not my cat. He apparently lacks in the ability to kill things, kind soul of his, but it is not helping me one bit. I have killed at least 10 of the big ones in the last 15 minutes with no help from General Jenkins. He is doing a fine job watching out for them and usually if I follow his stare I can find another one to kill myself.

I called Jared at work in my moment of hysteria and he simply laughed at me. Thanks babe. He claimed that since I am almost 24 that I should be able to handle something like this, but at this time I would beg to differ. He declined on my offers to pick him up from work so he could take care of the problem. So now my day that was to be filled with cleaning the apartment and myself (we are going to the horse races tonight!) has to be cancelled because I am on watch duty, which equals me permanently staring at the spot these disgusting creatures keep coming from. I officially have horrible heeby-jeebies.

Oh, and as a little side note, when I was looking up a picture of these bugs, one of the first websites said "Smart Pest Control for Seattle's Toughest Pests". This is NOT a good sign for me.

we'll see how long this lasts...

Because optimism is key, I'm not going to put 100% faith in myself that I'll keep this that up to date. But, I have quite the time to spare as I wait for school to start and I thought I would give blogging a chance. I have tried, approximately a million times, to keep a journal but I am so horrible with remembering to use it, so as I said, we'll see how long this lasts.

Although life has been pretty hectic leading up to this point, I'm sad to say that not a lot is going on now. Jared is working hard each day while I spend most of my days at home with the General. He is quite a good companion and does his best to show his affection (best illustrated in his attempts at biting me). I have done my best at keeping myself busy with such things as:
1. laundry
2. "cleaning"
3. gilmore girls (it is my soap opera of choice)
4. driving around to key locations around town (grocery store, oustide shopping areas)
5. sleeping
6. making maintenance requests
7. checking email (obsessively)
8. reading
9. "working out"

Hmm, really that is all I have. It is quite the sad list but that is my life. I would love to take walks to Juanta Beach, a local park off of Lake Washington, but I must admit that I am a little skittish of walking too far on my own. I feel/know that I am being paranoid, but after getting a few too many whistles for my comfort, I decided to keep my traveling limited to the car. Perhaps I should instead be flattered...I'll try to work on that mentality.