Such is the life of a grad student that we don't get the whole summer off. From June 2nd to July 7th I have my dysphagia class two nights a week for 3.5 hours, and from June 7th to July 30th I will have clinic on M/W afternoons. I'm really looking forward to clinic, and the class shouldn't be bad, I'm just bummed I don't get to spend the time at home.
Anyhow, as I have a meeting on campus tomorrow at 9 am, I have to go back to the condo tonight. However, I've managed to have an enjoyable week here at home. And the summer bliss can continue in August.
My mom and Dave picked me up from the condo Thursday morning. We stopped for lunch at In N Out on the way home, and relaxed the rest of the day, including some jacuzzi time before bed. Friday I caught up on my tv shows for the week, and then had a CCLVI conference call. It was a much more exciting day for my roommate Anja, who got engaged that evening :D
On Saturday morning, my mom suggested we check out the sale at Kohl's. I came home with 3 new pairs of capris, and several cute, clinic appropriate shirts. We spent the afternoon at home, and then set out north for Biola. I wore one of my new shirts, and we snacked on edamome on the ride up. Needing a little more in our tummies before Christine's recital, we got strawberry cream scones and iced tea at Panera.
Christine gave a beautiful recital. She performed works from Brahms, Beethoven, Saint Sans, and Bizet. After the recital was a delightful reception with sandwiches, fruit, veggies, cake, and punch. I got a chance to catch up with quite a few people, including Monica, Becky, Krista, Dorothy, and Justine. And my mom got to catch up with Christine's parents and some oher friends.
Sunday after church was quiet until dinner time when Tad picked me up and we headed over to Del Mar to meet my friend Justin. I met Justin at a summer program I did at the California School for the Blind. We've minimally kept in touch over the last 6 years or so via IM and facebook. He happened to be in San Diego for the weekend visiting another friend, and offered that we could get together. Tad and I took him to Rubios (a SoCal favorite) and chatted over our tacos. After dinner, Tad brought me back home and I watched Old Dogs with my family.
On Monday, mom asked if I would go with her to volunteer at Braille Institute. After her job ended, she started thinking about volunteer opportunities and started volunteering in the talking books library at Braille in April. Now her friend Liz goes with her too. We picked Liz up and got a delicious lunch from Real Texas Barbecue beforehand. I was able to spend some time chatting with a couple of the other volunteers I know, and helped a bit with odds and ends things.
The rest of the week was pretty mellow. Tad came by for a bit on Tuesday after work. I went with mom to her Bible study on Wednesday morning, which ended up being just a potluck and chat time. Thursday afternoon I got frozen yogurt with Raelene, and then went back down to the condo.
Summer classes already? August, you can't come soon enough!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
On Forgiveness
I told Tad a while ago that I wish we had had a debriefing class before leaving Biola. Something like the debriefing we did before we left Romania. The class would cover what you'd learned and how you'd grown at Biola, and would prepare you for life back outside the bubble again. Life in a world where people don't pray before the start of class, where out of the 38 people in your program, only 4 of you are Christians. The class would be about what to expect, and how to cope and stay close to God.
.
Unfortunately, such a class does not exist.
I was fine for a while, mainly last summer. I was at home, and spent much time with my Biola friends. But as grad school began, and I grew busier and busier, and more stressed, I began losing track of things with God. I knew I was struggling, but at least I was clinging on.
I was a wreck by Christmas. The fall semester took an awful toll on me emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. I started to pull myself back together after I hit what I thought was bottom. I had managed to haphazardly patch myself up by the time spring semester started. And then all the trouble with my roommate crashed in on my shaky structure.
In that week or so after the drama, I clung to God, I looked at it as a growth experience. It was certainly one of those times that forces you to the foot of the cross. Those moments are humbling, and can truly set you on a new course in your walk with God. But problems come when, rather than picking yourself up and starting down the road with God, you continue to lie in your heap.
To be sure, I tried to get up. I would work through my feelings and be on my way to forgiveness for the hurt my roommate had caused me, and just when I thought I was ready to move on, she would do or say something that would bring all the pain back. And back into a heap I would crumble.
After repeating this cycle 4 or 5 times, I grew tired of the painful effort it took to pick myself up. The anger and bitterness and hurt began to eat at me and slowly pushed me farther and farther from God. The pain and separation I felt began manifesting themselves in arguments and fights with Tad. After about two weeks of off and on fighting, I finally admitted to myself the real problem. I was no longer walking with God.
In the week and a half since, I have been working my way back to the cross. It is slow progress, but I'm making it. The biggest obstacle by far is to let myself forgive my roommate. I am so blessed that God never leaves his children, and blessed to have a very loving and forgiving boyfriend.
Please pray for me as I move through this process. I am still incredibly shaky on my feet right now. Living with and forgiving someone who continues to hurt you is extremely difficult. I know I will be relieved when this part of my life is over, but I also hope to be a better person for it. My fear is that I will be a more bitter person for it
.
Unfortunately, such a class does not exist.
I was fine for a while, mainly last summer. I was at home, and spent much time with my Biola friends. But as grad school began, and I grew busier and busier, and more stressed, I began losing track of things with God. I knew I was struggling, but at least I was clinging on.
I was a wreck by Christmas. The fall semester took an awful toll on me emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. I started to pull myself back together after I hit what I thought was bottom. I had managed to haphazardly patch myself up by the time spring semester started. And then all the trouble with my roommate crashed in on my shaky structure.
In that week or so after the drama, I clung to God, I looked at it as a growth experience. It was certainly one of those times that forces you to the foot of the cross. Those moments are humbling, and can truly set you on a new course in your walk with God. But problems come when, rather than picking yourself up and starting down the road with God, you continue to lie in your heap.
To be sure, I tried to get up. I would work through my feelings and be on my way to forgiveness for the hurt my roommate had caused me, and just when I thought I was ready to move on, she would do or say something that would bring all the pain back. And back into a heap I would crumble.
After repeating this cycle 4 or 5 times, I grew tired of the painful effort it took to pick myself up. The anger and bitterness and hurt began to eat at me and slowly pushed me farther and farther from God. The pain and separation I felt began manifesting themselves in arguments and fights with Tad. After about two weeks of off and on fighting, I finally admitted to myself the real problem. I was no longer walking with God.
In the week and a half since, I have been working my way back to the cross. It is slow progress, but I'm making it. The biggest obstacle by far is to let myself forgive my roommate. I am so blessed that God never leaves his children, and blessed to have a very loving and forgiving boyfriend.
Please pray for me as I move through this process. I am still incredibly shaky on my feet right now. Living with and forgiving someone who continues to hurt you is extremely difficult. I know I will be relieved when this part of my life is over, but I also hope to be a better person for it. My fear is that I will be a more bitter person for it
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Starting Over
I've had an intense few weeks, and intend to write about it. However, it's finals week, so the song will have to suffice for now until I actually have the time to write properly.
Starting OverRobbie Seay Band
Clouds are gathering
Closing in it seems
Why can’t I move?
You circle overhead
With Your love instead, beckoning
Now hope has found me
I am not alone
Now hope has found me
I am not disowned
And when I think it’s over
I am not alone
When you think it’s over
You can start it over
You, Your peace within my soul
Mercy You have shown
Though trials come
You, You’re calling me to climb
Up this mountain side
Here I go, here I go
You calling me back home
It’s Your voice I know, beckoning
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
The Beautiful Things
Life is full of beautiful things, including (but not limited to) weddings, friends, music, and small blessings.
On April 24th, Tad and I attended Elizabeth and Matthew's beautiful wedding at the Grand Tradion Estate in Fallbrook. The grounds there are gorgeous, and the weather was perfect for an outdoor wedding. We ran into Christine's family right after we arrived, and sat with them during the ceremony. True to a fairytale wedding, Elizabeth and her father arrived in a horse-drawn carriage.
The reception was held in a big banquet room in one of the mansions on the property. Tad and I had Shirley Temples with our appetizers and took pictures around the grounds. For dinner, we were seated with some of Elizabeth's friends from school and a friend of Matthew's from work. We spent quite a bit of time chatting with Bobby and Emily, though anything Emily or I said to each other had to be interpreted through Tad or Bobby, as I barely know any ASL.
The food, music, decorations, and company were all lovely. After the cake cutting, Tad and I got a chance to talk to the bride and groom a bit, which happened to be the first time Elizabeth and Tad had met. We'll have to find a time to go out with them sometime. =)
One of my favorite parts of the evening was the chocolate fountain, yum! The best man, maid of honor, and fathers all gave beautiful toasts, and then it was dancing time. I actually got Tad to dance a song or two before he started feeling too full from dinner. hehe All in all, we had a wonderful time, and are both very happy for the wonderful couple :D
The following Saturday (May 1), Tad and I made the drive up to La Mirada. We met Becky and Krista for lunch at Cabo Taco (right next to the dollar theater). Tad and I shared enchiladas, and the four of us shared about 3 or 4 baskets of chips, lol. As always when the three of us (Becky, Krista, and I that is) are together, it was quite fun. We hung out in Becky's living room for a bit after lunch before making a much needed stop while int he Biola Area.
Berry Cool
Becky had a concert to get ready for, so just the three of us went. It was delightfully tasty as always! We had some time to spare before dinner, so we went to the SUB to feed Valencia and pick out a game to play. We played several rounds of scategories before heading to Hart to grab Charlotte for dinner.
The four of us enjoyed some good ole In N Out and met Ginger back on campus for the POPS! concert. It was strange for me being in the audience. I've been to everal Winds semester concerts in which I was not a performer, but never a POPS! concert. This year's theme was "The Four Companeros" and was about 4 Disney sidekicks on a journey together. It was enjoyable =)
I was fortunate enough to get to talk to many friends after the concert (Amanda, Justine, Karissa, Beth, to name a few). We were also fortunate that there was an icecream social to partake in :P
Speaking of icecream, one of the small pleasures in life that Tad and I recently experienced was $0.31 scoop night at Baskin Robbins. We went one evening after class and each got the max of 5 scoops, heh. I felt somewhat guilty afterwards, but the Gold Medal Ribbon, Watermelon Chip, and "Wild and Reckless" (a delicious blue raspberry sherbet) were well worth it.
Slightly more important than icecream (but only ever so slightly) a recent small blessing has been that Tad has work again. His first project ended just before Easter, and he then found out that he does not qualify for unemployment in California until July 1, which meant he had basically no income in April. The Lord is good and always provides though, and Tad got called in about a week ago for a "short term project". Fortunately this project has and will involve a lot of overtime, so Tad should be ok until at least July 1 now. Praise the Lord!
And praise the Lord that this semester is almost over! We have been well assured that it gets easier from here, and this is very welcome news =)
On April 24th, Tad and I attended Elizabeth and Matthew's beautiful wedding at the Grand Tradion Estate in Fallbrook. The grounds there are gorgeous, and the weather was perfect for an outdoor wedding. We ran into Christine's family right after we arrived, and sat with them during the ceremony. True to a fairytale wedding, Elizabeth and her father arrived in a horse-drawn carriage.
The reception was held in a big banquet room in one of the mansions on the property. Tad and I had Shirley Temples with our appetizers and took pictures around the grounds. For dinner, we were seated with some of Elizabeth's friends from school and a friend of Matthew's from work. We spent quite a bit of time chatting with Bobby and Emily, though anything Emily or I said to each other had to be interpreted through Tad or Bobby, as I barely know any ASL.
The food, music, decorations, and company were all lovely. After the cake cutting, Tad and I got a chance to talk to the bride and groom a bit, which happened to be the first time Elizabeth and Tad had met. We'll have to find a time to go out with them sometime. =)
One of my favorite parts of the evening was the chocolate fountain, yum! The best man, maid of honor, and fathers all gave beautiful toasts, and then it was dancing time. I actually got Tad to dance a song or two before he started feeling too full from dinner. hehe All in all, we had a wonderful time, and are both very happy for the wonderful couple :D
The following Saturday (May 1), Tad and I made the drive up to La Mirada. We met Becky and Krista for lunch at Cabo Taco (right next to the dollar theater). Tad and I shared enchiladas, and the four of us shared about 3 or 4 baskets of chips, lol. As always when the three of us (Becky, Krista, and I that is) are together, it was quite fun. We hung out in Becky's living room for a bit after lunch before making a much needed stop while int he Biola Area.
Berry Cool
Becky had a concert to get ready for, so just the three of us went. It was delightfully tasty as always! We had some time to spare before dinner, so we went to the SUB to feed Valencia and pick out a game to play. We played several rounds of scategories before heading to Hart to grab Charlotte for dinner.
The four of us enjoyed some good ole In N Out and met Ginger back on campus for the POPS! concert. It was strange for me being in the audience. I've been to everal Winds semester concerts in which I was not a performer, but never a POPS! concert. This year's theme was "The Four Companeros" and was about 4 Disney sidekicks on a journey together. It was enjoyable =)
I was fortunate enough to get to talk to many friends after the concert (Amanda, Justine, Karissa, Beth, to name a few). We were also fortunate that there was an icecream social to partake in :P
Speaking of icecream, one of the small pleasures in life that Tad and I recently experienced was $0.31 scoop night at Baskin Robbins. We went one evening after class and each got the max of 5 scoops, heh. I felt somewhat guilty afterwards, but the Gold Medal Ribbon, Watermelon Chip, and "Wild and Reckless" (a delicious blue raspberry sherbet) were well worth it.
Slightly more important than icecream (but only ever so slightly) a recent small blessing has been that Tad has work again. His first project ended just before Easter, and he then found out that he does not qualify for unemployment in California until July 1, which meant he had basically no income in April. The Lord is good and always provides though, and Tad got called in about a week ago for a "short term project". Fortunately this project has and will involve a lot of overtime, so Tad should be ok until at least July 1 now. Praise the Lord!
And praise the Lord that this semester is almost over! We have been well assured that it gets easier from here, and this is very welcome news =)
Monday, April 26, 2010
Mental Health Vacay
So that whole thing about needing to get away from school? Yeah, sometimes it's bad enough I need to leave the area entirely, haha
The weekend before last my mom and I took a girls' trip to San Francisco. It came up because of the California Council of the Blind conference, but we made a full trip out of it. I had half of Wed and all of Thurs and Fri off because my professors were going to a professional conference in Monterey, so Tad picked me up after clinic and stopped by Pick Up Stix for $0.25 wantons and lunch. Mom picked me up from the condo, and decided she needed some wantons as well. Thus we stopped by Pick Up Stix up by home and Borders.
I spent the night at home, and we flew up to San Fran Thurs morning. Since we arrived at our hotel (the Crowne Plaza in Burlingame) a couple hours before check in, I signed in for the convention, we shared a delicious salad in the hotel restaurant, and then we headed in to explore downtown Burlingame. Burlingame happens to be where my family lived when I was born. My dad was in his residency at UCSF and then we moved down to SD when I was 5 (just in time to start school).
We walked up and down Broadway Ave, looking at the different shops and restaurants, and stopped at a cute old-fashioned icecream and candy shop to sahre some rainbow sherbet.
Back at the hotel we had to wait a little longer for our room to be ready. We sat in the lobby and chatted with a fellow convention goer by the name of Sean. My mom was eager to talk to him because he has a dog from GDB as well: a coated German Shepherd by the name of Dupont. Dupont is about 3 times Valencia's size, and a very beautiful dog.
Once our room was ready, we dropped our stuff off and freshened up before going to a reception for the new president of Lighthouse for the Blind (Braille Institute equivalent for northern California). The reception was free, had hot hors d'oeuvres, and a free drink. I saw a few of the people I know from the CCLVI board, and we got free food :o) Following the reception, Mom and I went to a short concert by the California School for the Blind jazz band.
Since we had a late lunch and appetizers, we got clam chowder to go from the hotel restaurant for dinner. I worked on a it of homework, and then got to bed early.
Friday morning I went to the CCCLV session on audible traffic signals. It was interesting hearing about what has been done in San Francisco and working with the city. I worked on mor ehomework while Mom picked up a rental car. When she got back, we went for lunch at a neighborhood favorite breakfast/lunch place called Stacks. We split a delicious club sandwich. After lunch we hit the shops of Burlingame Ave. Mom got a few new items and I got a new shirt. We also stopped by the chocolate shop where Mom took me for my first outing when I was 3 days old.
We went back to the hotel to feed Valencia and freshen up before meeting friends for dinner. Linda dn Joe were friends of my parents from church when we lived up there. They have a daughter who's a little older than me and a son who's about a year younger. It was a fun visit. I remember their son, but was too little to really remember them. We had a nice visit over chips and salsa, and then lasagna and cheesecake for dessert. Back at the hotel, we watched a couple episodes of the Office and then got to bed.
Saturday morning was busy for me. I went to the Blind Students business meeting, and then slipped out early to go to the guide dog users meeting. They had instructors from several different guide dgo schools (including GDB) talking about dog attacks. After the meeting they had a luncheon and some raffles.
My friends Amy and Dave drove up after the luncheon to visit for the day. They hadn't eaten, so Mom and I took them to Stacks. We shared a "Jitterbug" smoothie (java and banana) and looked at Dave and Amy's wedding album. After lunch we walked up and down Burlingame Ave again and stopped by Baskin Robbin's. Now completely full, we went for a drive through Hillsborough and stopped to walk by the Crystal Springs Reservoir.
Dave and Amy went home around dinner time, which left Mom and me to do our own thing for dinner. We went to Hong Kong Flower Lounge, a Chinese restaurant that had been a favorite when we lived there. We shared kung pow chicken and a vegetable clay pot dish. It was delicious! We finished off the night by watching Four Christmases back at the hotel.
Sunday morning we inadvertently missed the devotional service because my alarm hadn't been set, oops. I went to the closing session of the conference. A little after that, Valencia's puppy raisers arrived to have lunch with us. I'll give you one guess where we took them, =D
That's right, Stacks! It was wonderful catching up with them. I'm so glad they got to see Valencia again. They had with them the current puppy they're raising, Kyra. They're a great family, I'm glad we've kept in touch.
After lunch, it was time for Mom and me to get to the airport and back to real life.
I had a great time. It was a lot of fun spending so much time with just my mom. It was also interesting, because there were a lot of Europeans at our hotel who were stranded because of the volcano in Iceland. We got to talk to several of them while in the business center at the hotel.
Now, just a few more weeks until some time off, and a much less hectic semester!
The weekend before last my mom and I took a girls' trip to San Francisco. It came up because of the California Council of the Blind conference, but we made a full trip out of it. I had half of Wed and all of Thurs and Fri off because my professors were going to a professional conference in Monterey, so Tad picked me up after clinic and stopped by Pick Up Stix for $0.25 wantons and lunch. Mom picked me up from the condo, and decided she needed some wantons as well. Thus we stopped by Pick Up Stix up by home and Borders.
I spent the night at home, and we flew up to San Fran Thurs morning. Since we arrived at our hotel (the Crowne Plaza in Burlingame) a couple hours before check in, I signed in for the convention, we shared a delicious salad in the hotel restaurant, and then we headed in to explore downtown Burlingame. Burlingame happens to be where my family lived when I was born. My dad was in his residency at UCSF and then we moved down to SD when I was 5 (just in time to start school).
We walked up and down Broadway Ave, looking at the different shops and restaurants, and stopped at a cute old-fashioned icecream and candy shop to sahre some rainbow sherbet.
Back at the hotel we had to wait a little longer for our room to be ready. We sat in the lobby and chatted with a fellow convention goer by the name of Sean. My mom was eager to talk to him because he has a dog from GDB as well: a coated German Shepherd by the name of Dupont. Dupont is about 3 times Valencia's size, and a very beautiful dog.
Once our room was ready, we dropped our stuff off and freshened up before going to a reception for the new president of Lighthouse for the Blind (Braille Institute equivalent for northern California). The reception was free, had hot hors d'oeuvres, and a free drink. I saw a few of the people I know from the CCLVI board, and we got free food :o) Following the reception, Mom and I went to a short concert by the California School for the Blind jazz band.
Since we had a late lunch and appetizers, we got clam chowder to go from the hotel restaurant for dinner. I worked on a it of homework, and then got to bed early.
Friday morning I went to the CCCLV session on audible traffic signals. It was interesting hearing about what has been done in San Francisco and working with the city. I worked on mor ehomework while Mom picked up a rental car. When she got back, we went for lunch at a neighborhood favorite breakfast/lunch place called Stacks. We split a delicious club sandwich. After lunch we hit the shops of Burlingame Ave. Mom got a few new items and I got a new shirt. We also stopped by the chocolate shop where Mom took me for my first outing when I was 3 days old.
We went back to the hotel to feed Valencia and freshen up before meeting friends for dinner. Linda dn Joe were friends of my parents from church when we lived up there. They have a daughter who's a little older than me and a son who's about a year younger. It was a fun visit. I remember their son, but was too little to really remember them. We had a nice visit over chips and salsa, and then lasagna and cheesecake for dessert. Back at the hotel, we watched a couple episodes of the Office and then got to bed.
Saturday morning was busy for me. I went to the Blind Students business meeting, and then slipped out early to go to the guide dog users meeting. They had instructors from several different guide dgo schools (including GDB) talking about dog attacks. After the meeting they had a luncheon and some raffles.
My friends Amy and Dave drove up after the luncheon to visit for the day. They hadn't eaten, so Mom and I took them to Stacks. We shared a "Jitterbug" smoothie (java and banana) and looked at Dave and Amy's wedding album. After lunch we walked up and down Burlingame Ave again and stopped by Baskin Robbin's. Now completely full, we went for a drive through Hillsborough and stopped to walk by the Crystal Springs Reservoir.
Dave and Amy went home around dinner time, which left Mom and me to do our own thing for dinner. We went to Hong Kong Flower Lounge, a Chinese restaurant that had been a favorite when we lived there. We shared kung pow chicken and a vegetable clay pot dish. It was delicious! We finished off the night by watching Four Christmases back at the hotel.
Sunday morning we inadvertently missed the devotional service because my alarm hadn't been set, oops. I went to the closing session of the conference. A little after that, Valencia's puppy raisers arrived to have lunch with us. I'll give you one guess where we took them, =D
That's right, Stacks! It was wonderful catching up with them. I'm so glad they got to see Valencia again. They had with them the current puppy they're raising, Kyra. They're a great family, I'm glad we've kept in touch.
After lunch, it was time for Mom and me to get to the airport and back to real life.
I had a great time. It was a lot of fun spending so much time with just my mom. It was also interesting, because there were a lot of Europeans at our hotel who were stranded because of the volcano in Iceland. We got to talk to several of them while in the business center at the hotel.
Now, just a few more weeks until some time off, and a much less hectic semester!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Make Believe Summer
April is the unviersal "burn out point" of the school year. Christmas break just wasn't long enough to get you all the way through the spring semester, and you're DYING for some more time off, especially now that you've had a taste of it from spring break.
Welcome to my world, right now. I have 5 weeks left in the semester, and I am just over it. Classes are creeping along, there are about a million and a half projects due, and I would rather be anywhere than here. Fortunately for me, I not only have a boyfriend who knows when to encourage me to hit the books and study, but also one who knows when I just need a mental health break.
Last Thursday I had some group project meetings in the morning, and a cancelled evening class, meaning no responsibilities after 1 pm. Add in the fact that Tad and I hadn't had a proper date since before he started the overtime shifts a few weeks ago, and you know we needed to get out and go somewhere. I had intended for us to go to Balboa Park that afternoon, but after seeing the gorgeous weather outside, he devised another plan.
After lunch at his place, he disappeared into his bedroom and reappeared moments later clad in swim trunks and flip flops. "Are you going swimming?" I asked, still believing we were doing Balboa Park "Maybe," he replied, "Bring your stuff with you, we're going by your place first." "Aha! We're going to the beach aren't we?" I simply got another "Maybe" as my response.
Getting to the beach was a slight adventure. I'm not familiar with the beaches in south San Diego, and obviously neither is Tad. Instead of wasting time consulting the internet, we followed 8 west and stopped at the first beach we found. It happened to be on the bay, but as such there was basically nobody there. It was very relaxing, lounging on the sand, listening to the water, and watching Valencia smile at the water.
Once we'd had our fill of sun, and as the wind was starting to pick up, we packed up and got back on the road to fetch us some dinner. We were hungry enough that we decided to drive through, and selected Wendy's as the appropriate destination. At this time, Tad informed me that after Wendy's, we'd make another surprise stop. The surprise stop, after driving through a random back alley, was slurpees. The remainder of the evening was spent eating, slurping, and becoming guitar heroes.
The fun continued Friday evening with sushi and karaoke with some of Tad's work friends. He has become a part of JSIG: Japanese Special Interest Group. We joined a group of 4 of them at "Sushi Diner" in Kearney Mesa. It was wonderful sushi, especially the tempura California rolls, yum! For karaoke, we ventured down to Convoy to a place with a name that was only in Korean. It was a cool experience, Id never been to a Karaoke place before. They gave us our own room, complete with crazy disco ball effects. Most of the songs were not English (which was actually to Tad's benefit) but we found a few to sing, concluding with I' on a Boat xD
My taste of summer vacation was completed with a potluck-wii-drinks birthday party for one of the girls in my program on Saturday night.
All in all, not bad for only halfway through the semester =)
Welcome to my world, right now. I have 5 weeks left in the semester, and I am just over it. Classes are creeping along, there are about a million and a half projects due, and I would rather be anywhere than here. Fortunately for me, I not only have a boyfriend who knows when to encourage me to hit the books and study, but also one who knows when I just need a mental health break.
Last Thursday I had some group project meetings in the morning, and a cancelled evening class, meaning no responsibilities after 1 pm. Add in the fact that Tad and I hadn't had a proper date since before he started the overtime shifts a few weeks ago, and you know we needed to get out and go somewhere. I had intended for us to go to Balboa Park that afternoon, but after seeing the gorgeous weather outside, he devised another plan.
After lunch at his place, he disappeared into his bedroom and reappeared moments later clad in swim trunks and flip flops. "Are you going swimming?" I asked, still believing we were doing Balboa Park "Maybe," he replied, "Bring your stuff with you, we're going by your place first." "Aha! We're going to the beach aren't we?" I simply got another "Maybe" as my response.
Getting to the beach was a slight adventure. I'm not familiar with the beaches in south San Diego, and obviously neither is Tad. Instead of wasting time consulting the internet, we followed 8 west and stopped at the first beach we found. It happened to be on the bay, but as such there was basically nobody there. It was very relaxing, lounging on the sand, listening to the water, and watching Valencia smile at the water.
Once we'd had our fill of sun, and as the wind was starting to pick up, we packed up and got back on the road to fetch us some dinner. We were hungry enough that we decided to drive through, and selected Wendy's as the appropriate destination. At this time, Tad informed me that after Wendy's, we'd make another surprise stop. The surprise stop, after driving through a random back alley, was slurpees. The remainder of the evening was spent eating, slurping, and becoming guitar heroes.
The fun continued Friday evening with sushi and karaoke with some of Tad's work friends. He has become a part of JSIG: Japanese Special Interest Group. We joined a group of 4 of them at "Sushi Diner" in Kearney Mesa. It was wonderful sushi, especially the tempura California rolls, yum! For karaoke, we ventured down to Convoy to a place with a name that was only in Korean. It was a cool experience, Id never been to a Karaoke place before. They gave us our own room, complete with crazy disco ball effects. Most of the songs were not English (which was actually to Tad's benefit) but we found a few to sing, concluding with I' on a Boat xD
My taste of summer vacation was completed with a potluck-wii-drinks birthday party for one of the girls in my program on Saturday night.
All in all, not bad for only halfway through the semester =)
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Spring Break!
It was much too short, but the time I did have was nice and relaxing.
My mom picked me and Steve up Friday afternoon to go home. Dave was already home (as he usually is when I get there). Mom brought out the things she and my dad had brought home for us from Hawaii the week before and we did family dinner when my dad got home. Raelene came over after dinner and joined us for Kung Fu Panda in surround sound. "You can't put a price on awesomeness..or attractiveness." LOL
Saturday I got an awful haircut for cheap at the Vons center, yeah, reason it was cheap, lol. It was gorgeous out, so I spent quite a bit of time just lounging in the backyard. Since it was so warm, we actually got the pool warm enough to swim in. We had a bit of family time in the pool, including Nigel and Tilly (neither of them cared for it much). In keeping with our "Girls' Weekend" theme, Raelene and I went out to dinner at Applebee's, got dessert from Starbucks, and wandered around CVS looking at nailpolish.
Sunday we went to Willow Grove to hear about the most recent trip to Honduras. It was great hearing the stories and seeing pictures. I'm slightly frustrated that I still haven't been able to go, but it'll happen, in God's time. Raelene came over to help with the breaking in of the new pool after lunch. Shortly after she left for work, Becky and Krista arived, followed by my randparents. This was our celebration of my grandpa's 82nd birthday. Our menu consisted of hotdogs, baked beans, salad, and a very delicious "Mexican Chocolate" cake.
After my grandparents left, the girls and I hung out in the jacuzzi (and pool) and then watched Walk the Line. It was SO nice to get to catch up, I hadn't seen either of them since before Christmas! Monday morning I did a school observation for one of my classes, and then came back for brunch with the ladies.
Tad unfortunately was still working crazy overtime, but was able to meet us for lunch at Rubios near his building. After dropping him back off at work, we headed out to explore Seaport Village. Some of the stores we visited include: the hammock shop, the tiles shop, two doggy related stores (one of which gave me free dog treats for Valencia), and the hat shop. We were going to get Ben & Jerry's, but changed our minds when we saw how ridiculous the prices were. Instead, we stopped by L'amour de Yogurt on our way home. We enjoyed dinner, and then Becky and Krista went on their way.
Tuesday was a lazy day, I don't remember what I did, lol. Wednesday Tad finally finished overtime and came over to hang out. He stayed til my dad brought my grandma home from the airport and we had dinner. Thursday, my mom's friend Cathy and her dyoungest daughter Bethany (who's 4) came over for lunch.
Friday I went out to breakfast with Raelene at Golden Bagel and then went with the fam and Tad to see Alice in Wonderland. Now, I am not at all a Tim Burton fan, but I loved this one. It was imaginative and artsy, without being creepy. Tad came back to the house with us and stayed for dinner. Right before dinner we were joined by my Aunt Lauren and her friend Courtney. Tad and I rounded out the evening with some jacuzzi time.
Saturday morning I got my bad haircut fixed (thankfully!) and got home just in time for all the family to come for our Easter celebration. We did Easter dinner Saturday since so many of us had to travel on Easter. My grandparents, cousins, and uncle and his new girlfriend all came. It was quite the full house, a little crazy, but fun. Sunday was quite relaxed, we went to church and heard the brass ensemble perform, and hung out the rest of the day.
Thank goodness for time off!
My mom picked me and Steve up Friday afternoon to go home. Dave was already home (as he usually is when I get there). Mom brought out the things she and my dad had brought home for us from Hawaii the week before and we did family dinner when my dad got home. Raelene came over after dinner and joined us for Kung Fu Panda in surround sound. "You can't put a price on awesomeness..or attractiveness." LOL
Saturday I got an awful haircut for cheap at the Vons center, yeah, reason it was cheap, lol. It was gorgeous out, so I spent quite a bit of time just lounging in the backyard. Since it was so warm, we actually got the pool warm enough to swim in. We had a bit of family time in the pool, including Nigel and Tilly (neither of them cared for it much). In keeping with our "Girls' Weekend" theme, Raelene and I went out to dinner at Applebee's, got dessert from Starbucks, and wandered around CVS looking at nailpolish.
Sunday we went to Willow Grove to hear about the most recent trip to Honduras. It was great hearing the stories and seeing pictures. I'm slightly frustrated that I still haven't been able to go, but it'll happen, in God's time. Raelene came over to help with the breaking in of the new pool after lunch. Shortly after she left for work, Becky and Krista arived, followed by my randparents. This was our celebration of my grandpa's 82nd birthday. Our menu consisted of hotdogs, baked beans, salad, and a very delicious "Mexican Chocolate" cake.
After my grandparents left, the girls and I hung out in the jacuzzi (and pool) and then watched Walk the Line. It was SO nice to get to catch up, I hadn't seen either of them since before Christmas! Monday morning I did a school observation for one of my classes, and then came back for brunch with the ladies.
Tad unfortunately was still working crazy overtime, but was able to meet us for lunch at Rubios near his building. After dropping him back off at work, we headed out to explore Seaport Village. Some of the stores we visited include: the hammock shop, the tiles shop, two doggy related stores (one of which gave me free dog treats for Valencia), and the hat shop. We were going to get Ben & Jerry's, but changed our minds when we saw how ridiculous the prices were. Instead, we stopped by L'amour de Yogurt on our way home. We enjoyed dinner, and then Becky and Krista went on their way.
Tuesday was a lazy day, I don't remember what I did, lol. Wednesday Tad finally finished overtime and came over to hang out. He stayed til my dad brought my grandma home from the airport and we had dinner. Thursday, my mom's friend Cathy and her dyoungest daughter Bethany (who's 4) came over for lunch.
Friday I went out to breakfast with Raelene at Golden Bagel and then went with the fam and Tad to see Alice in Wonderland. Now, I am not at all a Tim Burton fan, but I loved this one. It was imaginative and artsy, without being creepy. Tad came back to the house with us and stayed for dinner. Right before dinner we were joined by my Aunt Lauren and her friend Courtney. Tad and I rounded out the evening with some jacuzzi time.
Saturday morning I got my bad haircut fixed (thankfully!) and got home just in time for all the family to come for our Easter celebration. We did Easter dinner Saturday since so many of us had to travel on Easter. My grandparents, cousins, and uncle and his new girlfriend all came. It was quite the full house, a little crazy, but fun. Sunday was quite relaxed, we went to church and heard the brass ensemble perform, and hung out the rest of the day.
Thank goodness for time off!
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