Advent Calendars

This year, while shopping at Trader Joe's one day, I found an advent calendar in the check out line. It's one of those kind that has chocolate in each door so each day, you get a little piece of chocolate (not very good but still fun). Even though it's such a little thing, it's been fun opening the door each day and getting a little piece of chocolate. This may be something I start doing again each year!

Change

Life on the West Coast has been busy, busy, busy recently. I'll start back at Thanksgiving, because I haven't written since then. I cooked at my house and Cara and Andrew came over. After dinner, we went to Manny's sister's house which was a lot of fun. He has a big family and they were all very entertaining. The weekend after Thanksgiving, I moved...again, the 4th and final time! I'm now in a single bedroom apartment downtown. It's great, it's a lot closer to work and to people I know and it's really cute. It's all just redone so it's nice that I'm the first one to live in it. I'll post pictures later but I want to get it all set up first. It's almost there but I've been moving a few things around.
December has been good so far in the new place. It's getting colder out here to the bike rides to work in the morning are a little rough but I still like to be out in the fresh air. Nothing else too exciting has happened in the past few weeks, just preparations for the holidays at work and unpacking/rearranging at my place. This week we'll have a Christmas party for Clean and Sober and then for Loaves and Fishes the following night. Then Saturday, I go home for Christmas! I can't wait to be back home for 2 whole weeks, it'll be so nice to see everyone and hopefully see a little snow while I'm there!

Truckee

This past weekend, I went to Truckee with Heather (an old JV), Andrew and Angie (also an old JV). We stayed at the house of someone who works at Maryhouse which is absolutely beautiful. It's in a ski resort area so it's right near the ski slopes and there's also a recreation center with a gym, pool and jacuzzi. It was a very relaxing weekend, nice to get away from Sacramento and see some snow. It was a much needed weekend after this past week. It's been rough since my mom left, it's been lonely living in my house by myself. I'm trying to stay busy but it's hard being unsettled, knowing that I'll be moving again soon (hopefully December 1st). I'm trying to stay positive so the next few weeks will be easier so send me good thoughts and wishes!

Computer-less

I haven't made a post in a long time because I have been without my computer. I had to send it in for some repair work and just got it back recently. Unfortunately, it wasn't fixed and instead they are buying out my contract so I'll start looking for a new one sometime around Christmas. For the time being, it still works so keep your fingers crossed that it will continue chugging along.

I have a lot to update now that it has been so long. The major thing is that Traci left. She decided that she wasn't meant to be out here serving at Maryhouse anymore so she went back to New York. Again, it's been a difficult transition time but I'm doing my best at staying busy. Meghan came up from LA Halloween weekend and we had a really good visit. She has also decided to return to the East Coast so it was nice to see her before she leaves.

The following weekend, my Mom came out to visit! It was a lot of fun and good to have someone around. I'm still in the three bedroom house until the end of this month so it gets a little lonely at times. My mom and I had a nice visit, going to the zoo on Sunday and doing a little shopping on Monday. We also cooked gnocchi on Sunday and went to Ruth Chris Steakhouse on Monday night for two delicious dinners! It was a really great weekend and I'm now even more excited to go home for Christmas and see everyone!

Camping!

Traci, Cara O. and I went camping last weekend! We left Friday night and got to the campsite around 9PM...we were a little late in leaving. After setting up the tent and getting a fire going, we made some hot dogs and then s'mores. It was really nice and peaceful where we went and it was far enough from the city that we could see the stars really clearly.
Saturday, after a breakfast of hot dogs and s'mores, we went for a nice long hike. It ended at University Falls which was an area of beautiful waterfalls. We climbed all the way to the bottom (well Cara and I did, and it was no easy task) and then scaled the rocks with a rope that was attached. It was so nice to get away from Sacramento for a while and be out in the nature. On the way back, we stopped and got some lunch and then made it back to watch game 6 of the Red Sox vs. Rays series. It was a very nice and relaxing weekend. Here are some pictures.

Apple Picking!

This past weekend, I went up to Apple Hill with Traci, Heather and Andrew. It's about 45 minutes away and has about 20 apple orchards, maybe more. We first went to the orchard we went to last year but they didn't have a lot of good apples left so we moved on. We ended up at the third orchard shortly after and finding that we had gone too late in the season, we "picked" some apples out of some bins. It's not quite the same, although we did wander in the trees for a while looking for apples but they taste just as good. After "picking," we went to get some Cider donuts. They were delicious. We stopped for l-inner on the way back at this burger place not too far from us and then returned home. It was a really fun day and we got plenty of apples...next come the pies!

Los Angeles (kind of)

This weekend, I went down to Loma Linda to visit Meghan. Loma Linda is about an 1 1/4 hours south east of LA so it was a 7 hour drive from Sacramento. I left on Friday afternoon and got there late Friday night and then we ended up catching up for a while before going to bed. Saturday, we had a nice slow morning. We slept in, made breakfast and then ran errands. We went to a few thrift stores to find some furniture for Meg's apartment and then we went to the grocery store. Around 4, we went back to her place and watched a movie before going out for dinner and drinks. Sunday, we drove into LA and went to the Museum of Tolerance and then drove around for a bit, catching the Hollywood sign. We stopped at IKEA on the way back and got Meg a new dresser and bedside table, which we then spent the rest of the night setting up. Her apartment is now coming together, bit by bit! I left this morning for the long drive back to Sacramento so I could get some things done before going back to work tomorrow. Despite the long drive, it was a really great weekend and really good to see Meghan.

Nice Weekend

This weekend was just what I needed. It was very relaxing, as I had purposely not planned anything. Saturday I woke up kind of early and made some pancakes and read a bunch. Saturday night I went to Tina's and watched her baby for a while with Traci and we watched some movies while we were there. Sunday, we biked to church and then got some dounuts on the way home. It was beautiful out so I went over to the park near us with a book. There was some thing going on for state employees and they had live music. It was great. I just laid out for a few hours, got some sun and got a lot of reading in. It was a nice and relaxing weekend!

Tamale Festival

Another September means another Tamale Festival for Clean & Sober! We created the World's Largest Tamale again, this year's 2 feet longer than last years and over 1,200 pounds. This year was a little more exciting, although a lot more tiring, because I got to participate in the making of the tamale. It was fun to see how it all came together. We started with banana leaves that had to over lap over each other and the grill. Then we put down masa, which is like cornmeal, about 1 inch thick over the whole thing. Then came the meat and then more masa. Then we wrapped the whole thing up with the banana leaves and tin foil and started cooking it. It took around 4 hours to cook and then we started serving it up. Like last year, we sold out pretty quickly but this year, I managed to snag a plate. It was delicious! There ended up being a part that we couldn't sell because the health department said it didn't come up to temperature fast enough, so I ended up taking some home! Don't worry, it's completely healthy, the grills had just gone out under a small section for a little bit so the tamale cooled down a little bit before anyone noticed.

Around 4:30, we all started cleaning up the park and around 6:30, we all started leaving. I had arrived at 6:30 in the morning, so it made for quite the day but it was fun anyway. I just used the next few nights to catch up on sleep! I'll post pictures when I get them from Dana, it might be a little bit though so don't hold your breath.

The New Place!

First, I apologize (and I feel like this is a common theme) for taking so long to get these pictures up. The past few weeks have been a little trying in terms of community transitioning and I haven't been able to find the time to blog at all. We are now down to a community of 2, just Traci and myself as things didn't work out for Gwen. It has been a tricky experience but we have all learned and grown as a result. Here are some pictures of the new place. It's a little nicer in some ways than the last place and not as nice in others. The picture of the outside patio will be updated as I was recently motivated to get rid of some of the overgrown vines but the project is not yet completed so those pictures will come later.

Get rid of Wrinkles without the botox

This title may seem a little strange but there is quite the story behind it. 6 weeks ago, Meghan and I moved into a new place so there'd be room for all three of us this year. Our landlords seemed a little intense but that turned out to not even be the half of it. The second day we moved in, the satellite guy came over to install the satellite and our neighbor and then our landlady yelled at me (because I happen to be the one who opened the door) about not making any changes. This was a huge deal for a little while but after seeing that the new holes in the roof weren't big enough for rats, she calmed down. Then last weekend, we had them over for a meet and greet along with some of our neighbors and some of the sisters. This was the first problem for them because they thought it was going to be all business. They were both rather rude the whole night, even pulling the three of us aside to go over part of the lease. Conveniently, the husband had brought air filter to change (6 weeks early) so he went into each room. After doing this, he found pictures hanging on the walls...God forbid! and they both had a big problem. We weren't supposed to make any changes without talking to them first. Saturday, I was lucky enough to see the woman again because the lawns were looking a little brown so she came to see the sprinklers. Apparently, without knowing at all, we had unplugged the timer so again, I got yelled at. Then they wanted to set up another time to go over the lease so we agreed on Sunday night. They came over, as did Sister Bridget and Dorothy (some support people) and we had a long discussion. In the end, it was decided that it would be best for us to move. We didn't foresee the situation with the landlords getting any better so we found a new place and will be moving out on Saturday. Although it's not much time to prepare and I'll miss this house, it's definitely for the better. How does the title relate? The name of our landlords is Wrinkle and one of the sister's found an add with the same wording as the title. Very appropriate timing!

State Fair!

Saturday, Traci, Gwen and I went to the California state fair. It was a lot of fun. We spent more time there this year than last year so we got more of a chance to walk around and check things out. We saw a bunch of animals-cows, goats, pigs and piglets and got to eat some good fair food. I had funnel cake which was delicious. At night, we watched the Gary Allen concert and got to see some fireworks on our drive back home. It was a fun day and a good community building experience.

Big Transitions

These past 2 weeks have been full of big changes. I went to orientation and during that time, most of the JVs left as did Meghan. When I got back on Sunday, I had two new roommates and most of the other people I knew were gone. I was thinking that staying on for a second year would be easier than getting another job in a different location. I think that in many ways, it is easier but the change in community and surroundings is making the transition much harder. It's been interesting getting settled with my new roommates but I think that it will be a great year, I just need to be more open to changes. Yesterday, I dropped Sean (one of the JVs and my boyfriend) off at the train station to go back to Ohio. It was a very emotional day, especially because I haven't gotten much sleep in the past week or so, and it made me think about all the recent changes and acknowledge that they were upsetting me. After doing that and getting a good night's sleep last night, I am doing much better this morning and more prepared to deal with this transition.

Orientation Take 2

I've spent this past week in Pennsylvania at orientation for Mercy Volunteer Corps. It's been a long but interesting week. I've met my future community mates and the rest of the volunteers and have had fun. I'm a little sad because most of the volunteers in Sacramento are leaving this week so I had to say an early good bye but we had a bbq on Friday before I left so I had the chance to wish everyone well. I'm looking forward to getting back to Sacramento and starting this new year, I'm sure it will be wonderful! If you'd like to support me in this second year of service, click here to make a donation! I don't have a picture of my new community yet so I haven't posted a new one yet but in time there will be a new picture.

Giants Game

Sunday, we went to the Giants game in San Francisco. A friend of mine was nice enough to give us some tickets so we headed down there Sunday morning to catch the game at 1:05. We drove to a bart station and then took the bart to the city which worked out very well. The ball park was really cool and the view from the seats of the Bay was beautiful. Unfortunately, the Giants lost to the Diamond Backs but that's ok, I'm a Red Sox fan anyway. After the game, we walked around the city some and then headed back to Sacramento. It was a nice end to a great weekend (minus the loss of the wallet:()

Tahoe

This past weekend was very eventful. Friday I took the afternoon off and went up to Tahoe for the night. I had never been there so I was excited to see it. It took a little longer to get up there than planned as the car overheated on the way up but it all worked out ok after pulling over on the side of the road for an hour. It was great not having any set plans because we were able to stop wherever we wanted on the way there. We found a cute art and craft show and stopped at the Nevada border to walk around. The weather was beautiful and there were lots of fun stores to look in. We even went to the casino to play the slots! We eventually headed up to our campsite to set up our tent and then walked down to the Lake. It was so nice, the water was a little cool but it was beautiful. Saturday we spent most of the day at the Lake and ended up very sunburned. Four days later, I'm still a little red. I guess that our travels were meant to be eventful because on the drive back, we stopped for a very long lunch where we were forgotten several times by the waitress and then when stopping at the gas station, I lost my wallet. I have yet to figure out exactly how this happened but either way, it's a real pain. I'm trying to remain optimistic however and remember that things could have been worse. Overall, it was a great trip and I really enjoyed Tahoe. I will certainly be making a trip back there at some point.

The Big Move

The most interesting news of this past month is that Meghan and I moved. Next year, there will be three volunteers instead of just two so we had to move to a bigger place. We now have a house that's a little farther away from work but closer to Sacramento State, a lot of stores and other fun places. I'm really happy with the new place. It's a three bedroom, two bathroom house with a garage and a yard! The yard is one of my favorite parts as we didn't have a yard at the last place and I've already spent lots of time outside. The house also has a lot more sunlight and space. The apartment we were in last time was very open and with the exception of a few doors, all the rooms were one big space. It was hard to be in the kitchen without waking up the other person but here, it's easy to do. There are plenty of doors and the kitchen and tv room are separated from the bedrooms. My bedroom has almost it's own wing. There's a door that goes to the backyard from the room and I have my own bathroom. It's very nice and I will enjoy the privacy. Below is a picture of our backyard (perfect for cookouts!) and here are some others of the house.

Quick Catch Up

First, I apologize for going so long without posting anything. I'm going to do a quick summary of this past month and then hopefully get back to my quasi-regular posting. Father's day weekend in June, I went on an Narcotics Anonymous campout with work. There were around 1200 people there and it was an amazing experience. There were meetings throughout the day, a lake for swimming and fishing and all sorts of other activities. I went fishing for my first time and caught a fish! It was a very busy and exhausting weekend but lots of fun.
The 4th of July was a fun weekend. Friday we had a cookout and then went to see some fireworks and then Saturday there was another cookout. Other than that, not too much has been going on. It's been interesting getting ready for another year volunteering while Meghan and most of the JVs are wrapping up their time here. Next year will be an interesting transition.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to the most wonderful sister in the world! Hope you have a fantastic day and fun celebrating!

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Stephanie for getting into her school program! I'm so proud and happy for you, now you can relax!

Home

After a long trip from Sacramento, I am home. I left early Saturday morning and flew from Sacramento to LA to Cincinnati to Philadelphia, stayed in the Philadelphia airport for the night, then to Manchester on Sunday morning. I was a little tired after all of the traveling so I took a nap and then started to get ready for the surprise party we were having for my Mom. My Dad organized the whole party so all I really did was pick up some of the food and set it up once all the guests arrived. The party was a lot of fun, my Mom didn't suspect it at all and it was good to see everyone who was able to come.

Monday, my Mom took the day off from work so my Aunt, my Mom and I went into Boston for the day. It was a very relaxing day as we didn't have any plans, we just walked around, going through the park and into some stores. Today was another nice day, relaxing by a pool for a while and catching up with friends for dinner and drinks. My time is certainly going fast but I'm enjoying myself while I'm here.

Red Sox and the Zoo

This weekend was very busy. Friday night, I drove down to Oakland to see the Red Sox play the A's. We went there and back in one night so it was a little tiring but a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the Red Sox lost that night, and then the next two games also. I didn't go to the Saturday game but I did get to go on Sunday and because the A's beat them all three games, a bunch of Oakland fans had brooms out because of the sweep. It was still fun to go down there though even if the Red Sox didn't win.

On Saturday, I went to the zoo which was a lot of fun. The weather was pretty good, a little overcast but it didn't rain and it wasn't too hot. Because it gets so hot in Sacramento, the summer's aren't the best time to go to the zoo because the animals don't come out but Saturday was good weather. Today, I enjoyed Memorial day by going into work in the morning and then napping and watching movies the rest of the day. It was nice to have a down day after such a busy and fun weekend.

Bad News

Today, I went to the dentist because the back right side of my mouth had been bothering me for a few days. Manny recommended the dentist to me and he was very nice, except he told me that I needed to have a root canal. He hoped that I would have it tomorrow but because I'm going down to Oakland for the Red Sox game, I had it scheduled for next Tuesday. I have a feeling it will be a rough day.

Plans

It's official, I will be spending next year volunteering at Clean and Sober again. A lot went into this decision and after a lot of thinking and going back and forth, I have decided that volunteering a second year is the best decision for me right now. It was hard to decide to stay out here again, away from my family and friends for a second year but it's the right place for me to be to continue to grow and learn.

Bike Ride

Today, I went out for a bike ride with the intention of finding a spot along the river to lay out on. I had planned on biking for a while and had an idea of where I would stop but...it didn't happen. The one place I had planned on stopping wasn't that nice so I turned around and was going to stop at a place I had seen earlier but I couldn't get there. It was across the river and after biking in circles, without realizing it at first, I gave up. It was a little too warm, over 100, to be biking around in circles so I ended up going home. Despite being a little sweaty, I felt good having biked ~20 miles! We'll see how good I feel tomorrow however when I try sitting down. Also, today my Mom graduated from grad school, Congratulations!

Visitors!

This past weekend, Erin came to visit! Erin is another Mercy Volunteer who Meghan and I met during orientation. Ironically, Erin also went to Villanova and graduated the same year but we had never met until volunteering. She got in Thursday night and left Sunday morning but it was a lot of fun having her here. She got to see where Meghan and I both work on Friday and meet the JVs that we hang out with. We went to Joe's crab shack on Friday night and then to an outside concert (for about 5 minutes) then to the JV house. Saturday, we went to McKinley Park for a while and then to a cookout at the JV house. Then she left Sunday morning, which was sad but it was great having her here.

The rest of May is also looking very busy. Meghan has a lot of visitors coming, including her parents, sister and friend and then I go home at the end of May. It should be a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to meeting new people.

and done.

So the raw diet lasted for about two days. Last night, I went to a dinner where they had restaurants all around the area serving foods. As soon as I walked in, the diet was over. I just like food too much to only eat raw stuff. I may consider being a partial rawist but all that means is that I'll be eating more fruits and vegetables and less of the other stuff...basically just healthier. Maybe one day in the future I'll try again but I don't anticipate it happening soon.

Raw Diet

Meghan and I have decided to try a raw diet out. This involves eating only raw food, including fruit, veges, grains (uncooked), legumes, beans and other such things and the goal is to do this for a week. It's supposed to be very healthy, all the research I've done so far says that your energy increases and stabilizes, you can lose weight and it's healthier overall. This is the second day we've been doing it and I must say, it's not very much fun. I'm tired (and this may or may not be because of what I'm eating) and I really want to eat some real food. I love fruits and veges and can see making them a greater part of my diet but there's no way that I could do a totally raw food diet for more than a week. Last night for dinner, we ate rice that had been soaking in water for 12 hours. It was supposed to be softer but it wasn't at all like rice is when it's cooked. This will either be a very rough week or I'll be ending this diet a little early.

Yosemite

Last weekend, my parents came to visit! They flew in Saturday night and Sunday morning, we left for Yosemite. It was an interesting 5 hour drive and we got there around 5ish. We drove around the valley and then headed to our hotel to get checked in. We stayed at the Wawona the first night which was very cute. It was old fashioned and very pretty but the walls were very thin and our neighbors weren't exactly quiet. Our room was also pretty cold so after an interesting night, we ended up switching to the Tenaya lodge for the second night. Monday, we took a bus tour through Yosemite Valley and then walked around a bit and did some hiking. It was beautiful. It wasn't too crowded because it's still cold but the waterfalls were flowing so our timing was perfect. We ate dinner at the Tenaya lodge restaurant that night and it was very good then we got a good night sleep in a warmer hotel room. Tuesday morning we went to Mariposa Grove to see the Sequoias and this turned out to be quite the walk. The road was still closed because of the snow so we ended up walking 2 miles on the road to the trail and then another mile or so on the trail. The trees were really cool and absolutely huge. We headed back to Sacramento after seeing the trees and the rest of the visit was very nice. We walked around Old Sac and they got to see where I work. It was so nice to have visitors out here, more people should come out! Here's one of the trees, that's me inside the trunk.

Spring's here!

This past weekend, the weather was absolutely beautiful. Friday night I went to the JV house and hung out. It was a lot of fun. I hadn't seen many of the JVs in a while so it was a long overdue visit. Saturday, I went to the park with a few of the JVs and Jenny and I laid out in the sun while two others played tennis. It was well over 80 which was great for a while but after getting too hot, we went to the store, got Popsicles and then headed to the JV house for a cookout and some tape ball (like baseball but with a ball made of newspaper and tape due to limited space). Sunday, I was outside all day again, playing softball in the morning with work and then going on a nice bike ride and short swim in the river later on. This weather is most certainly motivating me to stay out here a little longer although we'll see how fun it is in July and August.

Advice?

I am right now trying to figure out what I want to do next year and I'm having a rather difficult time. I know it's a decision that I ultimately have to make but I thought that maybe some input from others might help. I could volunteer again (most likely the same place because I've come to really like it out here, plus I'm already trained), I could get a job in mental health out here, which I could get pretty easily, or I could move back East and work on finding a job out there. There are pros and cons for each decision which is why it is so difficult right now. Any help out there?

Parade

Today, as I was laying on my couch watching a movie, I heard all this music outside. I looked out the window to see a bunch of cop cars and my interest piqued, I got up to check it out. There was a parade that went right by my house for Caesar Chavez day. Here's a picture taken from my front porch, pretty cool that I didn't even need to go anywhere to see this.

Blond

Here's the picture of me as a blond. It's not very good but it was the best I could do with the lighting and all. I'll put one up later of my hair as it is now.

Fix Up

So I still have to post pictures of myself as a blond but I have now changed my hair color yet again. I couldn't quite get used to the blond so I decided that I would just dye it back to dark brown. I was still at work when I decided this so I couldn't do anything about it right away, however, I had started talking about it and two of the residents decided that a third resident should dye his hair. They even went so far as to go and buy the dye, which ended up being platinum blond. I helped him dye it and it came out pretty well, although he might not be leaving it in for very long. I ended up taking the left over dye with me so I could attempt some highlights again.

I got dye on the way home and did the initial dark dye when I got back. It covered most of the blond, although it wasn't as dark as I would have liked but it was much improved. Then I did the highlights, which also came out okay but the problem was that I had to wash the highlighting dye out of my hair, which in turn washed some of the dark dye out. Now my hair is mostly light brown/reddish with some reddish and blondish highlights. It's going to be this way for a while though because I'm afraid if I keep dying it, it will just all fall out.

Whoopsies

There are two reasons for the name of this post. The first is that today at work, I was playing wiffle ball and when I swung at the ball and missed, I said "whoopsies." I immediately was made fun of for using a word that apparently hasn't been used since 1959 (or so I was told). I replied saying that I was bringing it back, to which I was told, "Bring it back to Boston, not Sacramento."

The second reason for the title has to do with my hair. I have often been rather impulsive when it comes to my hair, deciding in a minute that I should cut it, by myself, which doesn't always turn out well. I've decided to grow it out a little bit however so instead of cutting it, I decided to add some highlights. My hair gets natural highlights with the sun, which have already started coming out, but I was ready for a change and wasn't feeling very patient so I went and got some highlights. They were supposed to be chestnut and with my hair color being rather dark, they shouldn't have been very noticeable, just a slight change was all I was looking for. After washing the dye out however, I found that my hair was a little blonder overall. In the past, my hair hasn't taken very well to dye, with the exception of an accidental black hair dye incident but apparently, the highlight dye is a little stronger. Oh well, as Meghan pointed out (and she has yet to see my hair so her opinion may change a little) I might as well do this now before getting a real job. I'll post a picture later so you can all see me as a partial blond.

Easter

This Easter was the first year that I was away from home, kind of like Thanksgiving. It was a great day anyway even though I still missed being home with my family. New Start had a cookout/Easter egg hunt/softball game that quite a few people ended up going to. I played softball for a good chunk of the day, ate a hamburger for my Easter meal, and met the families of some of the residents. It was a lot of fun!

Lent

Lent officially ended yesterday, on Holy Thursday. I had given up junk food so naturally, all I ate yesterday was junk food. I started the day with a chocolate chip cookie (one that had been frozen from a package I had so luckily received) and then continued eating cookies for the rest of the day. I don't have an exact count but I definitely ate more than 20 cookies. Quite disgusting really. There were points in the day where I thought I was going to be sick and around 1PM, I was crashing from my sugar high. It goes to show how much sugar does to your body. I will begin exercising some more self control after yesterday's experience.

Shamrock'n Half Marathon

This morning, I ran a half marathon! I was very proud of myself. It was over in West Sacramento, which I had always heard was a little sketchy but the run went through a really pretty part of the city. I had been training some but it was still a real push for me to finish but I did it in 2 hours, 26 minutes. It's a little slower than my time from the 10-mile race I did last year but I'm still very happy with it!

Wiffleball

The weather out in Sacramento has been great. 60s-70s and sunny almost everyday. Because it's been so nice out, I've been spending a lot of time outside at the programs. We play a lot of wiffleball and plastic horseshoes. I'm not so great at horseshoes but it's just nice to be doing anything outside. I'm so excited that it's only March and it's already beautiful weather. It should make for a great spring/summer.

Work has been very busy recently but it's been fun too. I've been hanging out at New Start 2 where they only have one manager right now and I'm getting to know everyone out there. This morning though was great. Tina was out of the office and I was doing an intake. The phone rang and it was this guy who comes in a lot and is basically just a big pain. A little background, he is very arrogant and thinks he knows everything about everything and likes to lecture everyone about money and the likes. He's clearly not all there. For example, he has been in the program a few times and the last time, he got arrested for public drunkeness and while arguing with the managers about why he shouldn't have been kicked out, he was rolling a joint in the office.

So this morning, I talked to him for a minute the first time and he was asking for someone to go get him from the hospital. I told him that we don't do that but he kept talking so I put him on hold. He called back after hanging up and started talking again. This time he was a little angrier that he had been cut off and I told him that I couldn't talk that I had to do an intake and hung up. The next time he called back, he told me that he wished I would f*ing die and to that I said, thanks! He's such a pleasant man and it made a great and entertaining start to my day!

Karakoke

Last night, we went to dinner at Andrew's house (the ex-MV) and then out to Pine Cove, a little bar near us. We like this bar because it's not too far from us and it's usually a good age group, not too old but not really college age either. Pretty much our age which is great. We went there on Valentine's day also and Jenny, a JV, sang karaoke. I was going to but got to nervous so I didn't then but last night I sang Man, I feel like a woman by Shania Twain. I sang it with Jenny because I was still to nervous to do it myself but maybe next time it will be just me. I'm moving forward with little steps.

Mercy PRN

Last night, I went to a dinner with some Sisters of Mercy for the Mercy Perinatal Recovery Network. The program works with women who are either pregnant or have young children and are addicted to either drugs or alcohol. It's a great program and the night was fun. They had people singing and impersonating more famous individuals, the Sacramento Ballet performed and there was this artist named David Garibaldi who made two paintings in the matter of just a few songs. It was great to watch and made what could have been a rather slow night very exciting.

Babysitting the Baby!

Last night, I got to babysit for Tina's baby. Tina hadn't been able to go out on Valentine's Day so she wanted to celebrate and I said I would watch the baby. She's so cute. Her name is Katt and she was really good for most of the night. She laid on her little play mat and talked to herself in baby talk. The last 20 minutes of the night however, she just screamed. Luckily it was only the last 20 minutes and it was a combination of her tummy hurting and her nose being stuffy. After being attended too by her parents, she went back to being the cute little baby again. Here she is.

Flowers and McKinley Park

This morning, I picked up some donations from Trader Joe's for work. They generally have flowers for us but because it was Valentine's this week, they had tons so after bringing them to the programs and into the dining room at Loaves and Fishes, there were some for me too. I put them in a few vases around our apartment and they look so pretty. They really just brighten the whole place up and they smell good too!

On another cheery note, I went running at McKinley Park today. This park is great! It's about a 1 1/2 miles from our house and it has everything. There's a dirt path that goes around the whole thing, about a mile around, which is where I run. There's also tennis courts, a baseball field, large open fields, a great playground, a duck pond, and even a library. There's also a pool, which I went to once in September. It costs a dollar for adults to go and it's pretty big so it's great to do laps or just lay out around. I can't wait for the weather to get warmer so I can hang out at the pool or just at McKinley Park.

Dinner

Today at New Start 1, one of the resident's brothers, who owns a restaurant, brought a bunch of food over for dinner. It was a bunch of delicious Mexican food and although I couldn't eat a lot of it (because I really try not to eat meat on Friday's during lent) it was still delicious. It was a great community event and lots of fun, especially because I was lucky enough to be invited:)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Today I was in the spirit with my pinkish-reddish shirt and my heart socks. Tonight, we went out to a bar nearby to watch some karaoke. A fun day overall, I hope everyone else had a good one too!

Egg whites

While in Chicago, I was told that I don't post enough stuff on my blog. I said it was because I didn't have anything interesting going on to which my sister said, neither do I, I just post random things. This will be the beginning of my effort to post more often, whether anything is really going on or not.

As for the egg whites, last week, I was making breakfast and I had cracked some eggs. I crack eggs into a cup because we have lots of cups and not many bowls so it makes more sense. Unfortunately, this particular morning, I was not completely awake and was trying to do several things at once. I went to drink some of my orange juice but instead, took a nice gulp of raw egg whites. It was terrible, the texture and taste are both revolting and had I eaten anything that morning, I would have definitely thrown up. Luckily, the eggs were my breakfast so there was nothing in my stomach but it was still a completely disgusting experience.

Back from the cold

Last Wednesday, my Uncle passed away so I went to Chicago on Saturday for the services. Both the services were really beautiful and I was glad that I could make it out there. Despite the sad circumstances, it was really nice to see the Chicago part of my family. We don't see them very often (like once every 5 years or so) and it was good to be able to spend some time with them. We decided that we will have reunions more often for no reason at all, just to get together. Despite having a nice time in Chicago, it's good to be back in Sacramento, if for no other reason than the weather. Chicago was freezing, I think the high was 4 degrees when we were there. Today, I flew into a nice 60+ degree day. Hopefully, the weather out here will continue to be so nice!

Back from retreat

This weekend, Meghan and I went down to Moss Beach for our Mercy retreat. It was a pretty good weekend but had I not been sick, it would have been much better. We left Friday afternoon where I moved from my bed where I had been laying with a fever into the car, where I spent the trip down trying to sleep. When I got to the house, I got back into bed and slept for a few more hours. I made it down to some of the activities on both Friday and Saturday but this morning was really the first day I was feeling better. The house was beautiful though, right on the beach and I had the chance to go down to the beach for a little bit this morning before leaving. I'm now feeling better, although it still feels like someone is kicking me in the head so I'll be taking it easy for the rest of the day. The superbowl starts in just an hour and a half so I'll be parked on the couch watching that. Go Pats!

Much needed weekend

This weekend has been nice and relaxing, and it was much needed. The past week has been a little crazy. I wasn't feeling great in the beginning of the week and then worked a 14 hour day Thursday and a 10 hour day Friday. The managers out at New Start 1&2 have been sick so Thursday, I was at New Start 1 so the managers could sleep. I ended up staying there until 10 (curfew) and then finally going home. Friday was an early morning as I went to court with one of the residents and we had to leave at 7:30. After having a late night the night before and not sleeping very well, it was rough waking up. Then Friday afternoon, I was at New Start 2 so those managers could rest up. There was a lot going on at New Start 2, and being already exhausted and having people asking for stuff (most of which should have been taken care of) got me even more frustrated. After finally getting home at 5:30, I went for a much needed run and got out a lot of my frustration.

After running, we went to the JV house for dinner which was really nice. It was both of the JV houses so there were about 17 people altogether. Then I went to bed nice and early. Saturday, I went for a run then spent the day cleaning and organizing our apartment. It's much nicer now, it was starting to stress me out before. Today, I woke up early, went to church, ran and now am sitting on the couch for the rest of the day watching the Patriots! Maybe after the game, I'll even take a nap...who knows:) After this relaxing weekend though I'll be ready to go back to work in better spirits than Friday.

Update

So no news on what happened behind our house. It was apparently just some sort of take down that unfortunately happened very close to us so all excitement associated with that is over.

My time since being back has been good. It was hard to leave home but nice to see everyone out here again, they made my transition back a little easier for me. Other than that other night, life has been pretty uneventful out here. Tina is back in the office after her maternity leave so I'll be doing some different stuff. Probably spending more time at the programs but I'll be trained to do assessments and be able to get more information out of people. It should be interesting and I'm excited for what's to come.

This weekend we went to the Pinecove bar with some of the JVs. It was a lot of fun. Then Saturday I did laundry. I know this doesn't sound very exciting but I haven't been able to do laundry very easily recently because the washer we usually use broke. I have done it at the programs a few times but it's kind of hard so it was nice to have the day to do all my laundry that I had.

Sketchy Happenings

First, I apologize for having out of order posts here but this just happened so I wanted to get it in before finishing up my catch ups. I was sitting on the couch in our apartment when I hear sirens go by. Not really anything new but these were really close so I opened the shade to see them go right by our corner. Then Meghan came out of her room asking if I had heard "that." I said that I had seen the sirens and she said no, there was someone behind our house yelling "get down on the ground now." We went into her room and pulled up the shade just enough to see out and heard more yelling. We couldn't see anything because of our fence, thank goodness, but there were 8 or so cop cars on the street right near us. I'll take a picture tomorrow so it's easier to understand but it was definitely a little more than sketchy. I'm going to keep checking the news online to see if anything comes up.

Home for Christmas

Wow, it's been quite a while since I last posted but here's the beginning of a few day catch up. I was home for a week and a half for Christmas and my birthday and it was great. I got home the 19th and surprised my mom by going into her classroom where I met all her students. The next few days I worked on cleaning my room. I had left it relatively clean but while I was gone, my parents redid the carpet and as a result, had all my stuff dumped in my closet and on the floor. Christmas eve came before I knew it and after reading the Night Before Christmas, we all went to be to wait for Santa! Well he came so I guess we had all been good! I got some good stuff but the best part was seeing all of my family.

The 26th, I went out to do some shopping and got a new phone for my birthday! That night, we went bowling and out to dinner. I didn't do too well bowling but it was a great time. I'm going to have to start going more often to get some practice in.


The next night, Stephanie, Brian, Kevin and I went out to Cleary's and then the Bee Hive in Boston for our sibling night. It happened to be my birthday at midnight so they sang to me in the bar. It's great now that we're all over 21 so we can actually all go out together. When we got back to Stephanie's, we had some delicious cupcakes that she had made earlier.

Friday night, we went to my Uncle's for another family party and it was great to see everyone who hadn't been at our house for Christmas. Overall, it was a great time at home and it was definitely a little hard to leave.