Baseball, USWNT and Watson

 

 

Come ti vidi

M’innamorai,

E tu sorridi

Perchè lo sai.

Stumbled on this quote. Google says it’s from Falstaff… and I love it. It’s my new favorite at the moment!

USWNT team is WORLD CHAMPIONS. I am so excited. I was glad to be alone for the first 16 minutes of that game. Oh my goodness was I freaking out. When Carli Lloyd is on... she is unstoppable. What a bad day to be Japan. I think I was jumping around the living room for 16 mins. Literally. What a way for Abby and Christine to go out. The coverage and attention that this World Cup received is encouraging! The final was the most watched soccer game in United States HISTORY. Pretty sure that the Men’s team wishes that they played soccer like girls ;) Just read this statement from the NY Times below:

The United States’ 5-2 victory over Japan in the Women’s World Cup final on Sunday was seen by 25.4 million viewers on Fox — a record for any soccer game, men’s or women’s, shown on English-language television in this country.

With nearly 1.3 million viewers watching on Telemundo, the Spanish-language station, the total of 26.7 million also exceeds the record 26.5 million combined viewers that saw Germany beat Argentina in last year’s men’s World Cup final on ABC and Spanish-language Univision.

In effect, the United States women are now champions on two fronts, a testament to their enduring talent and to their appeal to an American public that increasingly seems tuned in to soccer.

The WOMENS FINAL had more viewers that the MENS. Keep that in mind when you read this infuriating article:

http://www.upworthy.com/5-ridiculous-things-fifa-spent-more-money-on-than-prizes-for-the-us-womens-champions

I have already pre-ordered the new USWNT jersey with the THIRD star! I picked Julie Johnston because 1. She is awesome. 2. She wears #19. 2. If she keeps playing like that, she will be around for awhile!

After watching so much soccer this past month, I wonder why on earth high schools want to put in turf. You see the leg abrasions and hear the announcers say “its 70 here in Edmonton but the field temp is 120!” How is playing on overheated plastic a good idea? I mean really…

Speaking of soccer… my “season” ended two weeks ago. I did sign up for next season as it is the only physical activity that I enjoy doing. I still have to remind myself that Im not in college anymore. I haven’t been lifting, practicing 3 hours a day and no longer have David Beckham knees or a 6 pack. My shots are more rainbows than bullets these days, my attempts to make my defender fall over from my moves now end with me on the ground and my first touches are horrible. (I would like to point out that I did one time the ball with my left foot last game and I actually struck it well… although I missed the goal by 3 inches) But… despite me playing like an eighth grader… it is actually a lot of fun.

For the last game of the season, I had a mini fan club complete with a homemade sign. Carefully crafted, this sign of epic proportions boasted a bilingual slogan and glitter. The sign creator (Rich) cheered loudly and even bribed my defender with $20 to let me score (see…Im not the soccer player I used to be!). The guy was a tree and I couldn’t get by him.

(Rich and I. Also a big shout out to his wife Amanda for making an extra Target run for the sign supplies!)

 

I love the baseball stadium experience. The atmosphere, the food (although not the prices) and I only like baseball in real life. On tv is pure torture (JUST above watching golf and Nascar. I don’t know why golf is even on tv.) Last weekend was Yanks vs Astros in Houston. I think Jared and I should avoid Yankee games. Pretty sure we were both mad at each other at some point during the nine innings. My hatred is equal to his love…. Which wasn’t probably good! Alex Rodriguez is his favorite player (insert eyerolls, gags and everything else) and I think he is a horrible person and doesn’t deserve to be playing baseball… so that went well. See my post on Instagram:

Yeah… the truth hurts. Sorry not sorry. I did manage to shock everyone when I asked who the old guy was that was standing 20 feet from me. Jared answered “Nolan Ryan” in a shocked voice and then I ask “who’s Nolan?” The security guard just kinda stared at me in disbelief. Apparently he was a pretty awesome pitcher? No clue. I blame dad on this one. He doesn’t like baseball so we never watched it at home. Apparently my sister knows these things and failed to inform me so… blame is placed on her as well. I love the responses to my post on facebook…. Perhaps I shouldn’t always admit my ignorance.

The Yanks won on a botched call. (Dumb call that left two runners on base who both scored) It was a good game though. The Astros fought back to even the score 6-6 with homeruns. I cheered loudly for a team that I couldn’t name a player on the roster. J The video below is during the 7^th inning stretch because apparently “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” isn’t good enough for Texas baseball J (Yes I know that the stupid thing needs rotated… I just couldn’t figure it out. Sorry)



 

The long weekend was so nice. I love days off… especially when they are paid! It’s amazing! The family had a party here on Saturday for the 4^th which was fun. I watched the 3^rd place game (YAY England!) with a Ukrainian, ate lots of food, swam and even got to see fireworks from a distance. It wasn’t the same as the fireworks in Lakewood though! I always loved being close enough to them to feel them going off. And Alex’s running commentary was always a requirement. Holidays… even these tiny ones… make me miss home a little. I miss the picnics for Labor Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Ashville Days (although not really a holiday, those fireworks are the best!). Summer makes me miss home actually… it’s the best time to be in WNY!

The nice part about long hair is that I can wake up in the morning, brush it and bam… ready to go. When my hair is shoulder length or above, things tend to get shady. The problem is I shower at night and go right to bed. Looking into the mirror in the morning is always an adventure. Thank goodness for hair straighteners! Sometimes that doesn’t even help. Well now that I am working at home I am getting up and running, then showering. Brushing my hair has become completely optional. (along with matching, well-fitting clothing and makeup) Apparently my hair likes not being brushed because when I don’t try to make my hair look nice and it doesn’t matter if it actually does, it looks good. So I think I may just give up on the battle. If you know me, you know I have two hair styles…. Down and ponytail. When I played sports the French braid would make an appearance, and when my hair was long it would find its way on top of my head in a bun when I was stressed. Anyways… my hair looked amazing yesterday because no one had to see me. BUT on one of the two days this week that a human will see me, my hair looks like something attempted to nest in it. I put it in a ponytail and Im pretty sure it looks worse. Sigh.

Nothing incredibly awkward or embarrassing has happened to me lately. Pretty sure it’s a record! I did forget Watson’s 1 year birthday on 6/30. I am the worst cat mom ever. I told him that we will celebrate on the year mark of his arrival. He is officially on Big Cat food… and I think he is ecstatic. I actually picked a food that was a little more expensive than the cheap, cheap kind. He devours it. He has started devouring rolls/bread. Weirdo. Watson is a little more leery of stealing spinach leaves from my bowl since yesterday he unexpectedly experienced red wine vinegar/olive oil/oregano. He freaked out. Other than that…. He is the same. Just a year older. I am pretty sure that he hates me working from home all of the time. I have my headphones on ALL the time, and I BELT out the songs. Out of key, I am sure. He GLARES sometimes. I woke him up from his sun bathing this morning when a John Denver song came on my shuffle. I told him to blame his Cat-Grandma…. It’s her fault that I know every.single.word to every.single.John.Denver.song. I am sure that Sister knows my pain. J (to make matters worse, it was “thank God Im a Country Boy”… which involves me air-fiddling)

My list is still going well! The professor hasn’t emailed me back though… sigh. I stalk my email way too much. We shall see though. I had an interview for a coaching position last week and I am really hoping that it works out. In the last 3 years coaching is the only thing that I really enjoyed and looked forward to doing. Speaking of 3 years… where has 3 years gone! Im one month away from my 3 year “USA Re-entry” anniversary. Wow!

I was asked on Thursday what I wanted to be when I grew up. I just froze, stuttered and then gave up. I didn’t have an answer. Kinda not ok with that…. And I wonder why I can never commit to applying to school.

Soccer, Dictator of the World and Other Uselessness

I love summer. Not just for the weather, but the months of June and July where there is a spectacle of the best sport ever to be played. (Well every 4^th summer there isn’t… that’s a sad summer) Soccer. The Women’s team is my absolute favorite. They, unlike the men, win games and meet expectations. Gold medals galore…. And no World Cup Trophy. It’s the one thing they don’t have… and at this rate the one thing they won’t win. Monday’s game was torture… I was pacing, stress eating, and was yelling at the tv. It was ugly soccer. Uncreative soccer. Big names who need to show up weren’t present. The flat, un-dynamic 4-4-2 is struggling in its uncreative attacks. Predication after last night’s game? We will limp by and win against China (if we are lucky) and then lose in the semi’s. Unless, of course, they start to echo the USA team of old… with exciting, creative soccer that builds from the midfield.

I never ever get political in this but… one thing. Why is keeping the confederate flag flying in South Carolina (or any state for that matter) is even a DEBATE. Republicans politicians are dancing around the subject of the flag so they don’t lose half of their voter base. Goodness, just say what you think. Politics are ridiculous. After watching John Oliver and VICE every week… Im realizing how unfair stuff is. And ridiculous! (seriously… check these shows out. It’s infuriating). It makes me want to be Ruler of the World. I think I would make an excellent dictator. Imagine if a politician was honest and didn’t care about how much of their “supporters” they were offending? It would be refreshing. (again… I would be the best dictator ever) Rusch 2024 J

I keep saying this… I know I do. But I would REALLY like to have all of my stuff. I wanted to watch Pride and Prejudice last weekend. In NY and not on Netflix. I wanted to watch Love Actually… In NY and not on Netflix. I actually wanted my French horn this past weekend too. Goodness it is frustrating. My copies of East of Eden, LOTR, and Pride and Prejudice are sitting on my bookshelves at home too.

My morning runs stink. I have no energy in the morning. I run by green lawns and dream of just laying down and going back to sleep. The 1.5 miles is pure torture, but when I run at night 2.5 isn’t all that bad. I can’t figure it out. I think it’s a water issue… but idk. Still working on it. I can’t wait to raid the soccer fields at the school! I have decided that driving around to the school is a safer option… and will have a higher success rate!

I think Im going to have trouble keeping up this exercise schedule. Actually I know I am. Im a quitter when it comes to this. I’ll admit it. When I played team sports I had to be faster and better then everyone. (or at least try) I was motivated… score the most goals, steal the most bases, dribble the fastest, make the best runs and see the field the best. (I also wanted Player of the Year, but lost by a vote. Im still mad at that. Probably time to let that one go!) Only this allowed me to practice hard, stay later, and work on days off. Now… it’s just me. I can’t push myself. I need Palmer to yell at me. I need someone to keep me accountable. I need a goal to work towards otherwise when I don’t want to go for a run, it is very VERY easy to say “no harm if I don’t”. At the moment I am bribing myself with new workout clothes. $2 each day I get out of bed early and run. Blah. Not sure how long that bribe will last.

Another item on my list is actually cooking myself meals. I looked up all of these recipes and got all of the stuff… and have forgotten to take the chicken out of the freezer all week. Fail. I have gotten 2 of the 3 steps done. (1. Plan. 2. Shop. 3. Cook) It just happens that the step Im missing is pretty important. Maybe next week?

I can’t believe that I am saying this… but…. Wait for it…. I kinda miss Ashville Days. (Cue burst of laughter from everyone) The fireworks are the BEST and the garage sales stink, but there is something fun about wandering through crowds to look at crap, avoiding lawnmowers getting ready for the big race, and stray dodgeballs. Every time the Ashville Days day rolls around, I think of holding the newest Harry Potter book (that I had been waiting for all morning by standing in the dining room window staring intently at the mailbox) and being completely engrossed when there was a knock on the screen door. Although I am extremely grateful that my friends had trekked out to my house to get me for garage sales shopping, I was so SO mad at my mom for making me go. All I wanted to do was stay in the chair and binge read Harry Potter. Pretty sure that the only reason I had friends sometimes was because I had a social mother who wouldn’t let me blow off my friends for a book. Dad would have let me read….

Its baseball game weekend in Houston on Saturday. It’s the Yanks vs. the Astros. I can’t name a single Astro player in the history of the team, but Im cheering for them. I have a shirt and everything. I have this rule… cheer for whatever team that is playing the Yankees.

I sent my email to UT to inquire about their program. I am now obsessively checking my google account. Even though my phone will alert me of a new email… it’s pretty sad actually. I can check something off of my list though! Making so much progress already! #rockingit If he says that UT will be a good fit, it will be time to spend $$$$ on books and rock the stupid GRE. Third time is the charm right? (I went to London partly because they didn’t need the GRE’s…. that’s how awesome I am at this test)

One awesome thing about working from home is the impromptu dance parties that I can break out into. Pretty sure Watson hates them because he is usually abruptly awaken from his nap. They are so fun and it helps get me through my day. Today I am in the office... so I cannot get up to “shake it off”. (Although I do jive in my chair) Instead I decided it would be a good idea to close my eyes and listen to my song. Yeah… I had a human hovercraft and I jumped out of my skin when I opened my eyes. Goodness….

Im from the country…. I went to school in Panama. Im used to country smells and don’t mind them. Last night was pretty gross though. I came tearing down the driveway… anxious to be home from sitting in traffic on 410. I noticed a rather large cow patty but it was 1. Too late to avoid it 2. Usually crusty and rock like. Not this time. It splattered EVERYWHERE. There is cow ALL over my car and it stinks. Literally. Lucy literally stinks. After the Houston trip this weekend…. She is going through a carwash.

Some narcissism for the day… How adorable was I???! J

Soccer, Cute Old Men, and Lessons Learned

So enough about my quarter life crisis! My list is going well. Im starting to run… slowly. It’s really more of a slow jogging that I am doing. But I have to start somewhere (that’s what I keep telling myself at least!) Now if I could just eat better!! Honestly I need to work on one thing at a time. If I start my workout schedule AND deprive myself of junk food… I would go crazy and *poof* motivation gone. Because guess what… I run to eat!! J I tell myself if I run up that hill… ice cream. If I run more than I planned on… ice cream. See where Im going with this??? I. LOVE. ICE. CREAM. And in Texas it is always warm (not that winter ever stopped me from eating ice cream) so its even better. I also bribe myself with the pool. If I don’t at least run 2.5 a run, I don’t get to cannonball into the pool with all of my clothes on. It’s a fierce motivator.

Speaking of jumping in pools…. That is the one thing that I like about Texas. (I know… I usually just make fun of this insane state!) I love that I can jump in the pool at night. In NY, during the 3 weeks that a pool is usable, as soon as the sun went down it was insane to go swimming. Who wants to go into a 69 degree pool when its 70 degrees out without a sun to warm you up when you get out? Here the pool is like 75-80 and its still 90 out at 9pm. I like it. And I think I have lost my pool “toughness”. If it was 65 at home… jump in! Now… I like it when it’s in the 70’s. J Texas is making me weak… ha

See this picture below?? See anything "wrong" about it???

I'll give you a moment....

Notice that the bag says "earth day"??? Notice how instead of an earth.. the state of TEXAS is on the bag?? No globe... just Texas. (photo courtesy of Crystal letting me take a picture of her bag)

So I learned some things this week.

1.       So who knew that heavy cream could become a solid? It had been in the fridge, opened, since May 5^th. Yeah… it looked like tofu. That’s how tan and solid it becomes after festering in the fridge for over a month. Watson came over to sniff and jumped fast SO fast you would have though he got shocked with electricity. Pretty certain that we were both gagging.

2.       You need to be aware of your surroundings before breaking into a dance party. Alone would be ideal. Not while you are walking back from your run where people can see you awkwardly convulsing.

3.       You will see people on your morning run. Just because I avoid being out of bed before 6:30am, doesn’t mean that the world isn’t awake and out and about at that time.  So when you get dressed and decide that its ok that you wear see-through bright yellow shorts with really cute teal underwear, a hot pink sports bra and a bright blue tank top because hey… no one will see you… its FALSE. People will see you, including the cutest OLD man ever to walk on this planet.

The conversation went like this:

 

COM(Cute Old Man)- “Did you get up this early to run??”

Me- “Ha yes I did… Not sure what I was thinking!”

COM- “Good for you!”

Pause….

COM- “I like you….. because you don’t match.”

Me- ….. stare and laughing “Yeah… kinda got dressed in the dark this morning”

COM- “You could always turn on a light… but I think it’s a nice bright outfit.”

And cute old man shuffles away…. And Im just left on the sidewalk. speechless. That somehow is my life. Its never boring J

 

4.       Before you blare music into your eardrums.. make sure that people around you can’t hear it. Especially when said song is Gold Digger. The explicit version. (don’t ask…) Thankfully my row is cool.

5.       I can’t hop fences. Yes I tried it. Yes it was this week. And no I was stealing/trespassing or breaking in. I was trying to break out. The ranch butts up to the local high school and the gates for the soccer fields were WIDE open. Complete with goals and everything. I was dying to get on the field... enough that I attempted a fence climb. There was convenient hole under the fence that was a perfect for my soccer ball. That was the only part that went well. I ended up dirty and bleeding (yes I bled. I scrapped my arm) and still on the wrong side of the fence. If anyone ever wants a fence hopped… don’t ask me. (in my defense the fence and my cleats were really wet from the rain.)

6.       Working from home is going to be hard. Seriously. I went without seeing a human from Tuesday night til Thursday night when I walked with my aunt. I talked to my cat. Yes…. True statement. Its really odd to work from home that much. Really weird. BUT I get to run in the morning and I feel GREAT after! Im so awake and ready for the day. Its just the getting out of bed early that kills me. Ill admit it… almost didn’t happen on Thursday. Its just so easy to NOT get up!

7.       Im not good at sharing. That’s a horrible thing to say, but its true. I don’t mind sharing food… most of the time. I don’t like sharing my cube though. And my drawers. I had to clean out half of everything. See the before and after L

 

I got the cutest email yesterday from my sister. Who else thinks that this is the BEST email attachment ever??

The Women’s World Cup…. I love it. I love soccer. And I love the women’s team. This Cup has been great for American soccer and, almost more importantly, the women’s game. It has sparked a lot of important conversations.

1.       The turf. Yes… you are all rolling your eyes right now. Its been over talked about, and too many excuses have already been made. But the bottom line… the Men’s tournament has never and will never be played on turf. Yes, it was in proposal made by Canada… but when a company offers to install grass in all of the stadiums FOR NO COST and FIFA still denies the request… that’s bad. To me its not a “the ball will roll/bounce differently” or the “hard on the bodies” issue. It’s an equality issue.

2.       Seth Blatter’s comments along the lines of “maybe women should wear shorter/tighter outfits for more people should watch” has been made again… this time by a Brazilian. http://thebiglead.com/2015/06/16/brazil-official-credits-make-up-and-shorter-shorts-for-womens-soccer-popularity/  The backlash to these comments are important and encouraging.

3.       Not an important conversation but… I do love that the Women’s team is more successful than the men’s
 

Watson's 1st birthday is June 30th... I'll do something to celebrate with him!

 Kirsten and I last night at the 50th anniversary party

 

Not Quite as Crazy

This post won’t be as crazy… promise.

Life in San Antonio has been uneventful for the most part. I continue to do dumb and embarrassing things. One day I kicked my shoe down the hall while talking to the boss of my department and stubbed my toe in the process. That was awkward. So was spilling water on a really nice guy at the water/coffee station. He was so sweet about it. Thankfully it was just his sleeve. But that is a bad way to introduce yourself to someone. “Oh hi. Im Anna, the girl that just spilled water on your cute dress shirt sleeve. So nice to meet you.”

Watson is getting calmer and cuddlier which is SO nice. He is still a terror at times. A few weeks ago he got on the living room table and was pawing at my Lego Mini Cooper. I told him no, and he turned, looked at me, and proceeded to give the car one big push over the edge. The car turned into a bunch of single Legos strewn across the floor. So… he tests my patience sometimes. But I love that we have a little routine in the morning and at night. He is a good buddy to have and a great side kick. His 1^st birthday is coming up on June. 30^th!

So Im not scared of the house anymore. Im officially ok living in houses alone! Woo! Only took me 26 years. I don’t even think about it anymore. Watson and I just do our thing. I know what all of the noises are now so Im calm, cool and collected. I still don’t go down the hallway or upstairs at night… unless I really have to. So maybe Im a little scared…? But not really!

This is the longest that I have been away from “home”. A year, 2 months and 6 days. Obviously I have been home since then (Sept. and then Christmas). Once I hit August it will be the longest stretch that I haven’t been back to WNY. (I went home for Christmas from London and then came home for 2 years in August). I love summer on the lake. (Not that I ever had much free time in the summer with working 16 hours days at CHQ) I miss having a lake. I think I get “homesick” for home at the start of every summer. It happened in London and its happening now. (It didn’t happen last summer… I was still ecstatic to not be in WNY) I miss wings still. That hasn’t changed. And Johnnys, Wegmans, and driving on a two way street. I still hate HATE driving here.

I was picked to be a buddy. Every new person gets paired with a “veteran” on their first day at orientation and the buddy eats lunch with them and then picks them up after orientation to help them through everything. If you know me… you are already laughing. Yes, buddies have to eat lunch one on one with each other. Im so good at talking to strangers. Especially small talk. It’s like a first date, complete with eating. (why do first dates involve food? It’s bad enough that you have to talk through them… why do you have to eat too.) Thankfully my buddy is really nice. She is my age (a couple years younger) but she will be cool to work with I think. I pick her up this afternoon to start training her, so we shall how awkward I will be! J

Im really really good at coping with change. (Again if you know me…. That’s complete sarcasm) I didn’t sleep before 9^th grade because my locker was going to be in a different hallway. PLEASE. It’s Panama. College was even worst, and London… well that change didn’t start off so well. (http://www.london-christies.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-stressful-start.html ) Im only ok with change when the excitement and adventure outweighs the bad (Rome, London, Texas). Im oddly ok moving far, far away but changes in my everyday staus quo… not so much. One is coming and it’s actually going to be hard to get used to.

Im seat sharing at work. (I know some of you are now asking... really?? That’s it?!?) Yes, that’s it. I am going to be in the office 2 days a week. Some of you are still lost. Here are the challenges:

1.       I have to really push myself to get out of the house now. I can’t be a hermit, no matter how much I want to be

2.       I need to keep showering J

3.       I have to share my cube. I really think I missed that lesson in school. Im not a good sharer. I have to clear out half of my decorations. Very sad.

4.       Loss of visibility, and being a part of the office.

Obviously there are some pluses:

1.       Using less gas

2.       Crystal and I are on the same schedule. So everytime I am in the office, I get to see her

3.       Watson will love me

4.       I won’t be SO angry at traffic everyday J

5.       I can sleep in more, and gain some time from not commuting

6.       Im going to start running in the morning

You are all wondering if you read #6 correctly… I know you are. But I’m going to try it. I HATE running… and I HATE running at night. I have stuff to do, and I hate that I have to wait to run. It keeps coming back to what Laurie said… “Its hot as hell in Texas”. Yes it is as hot as Dante described in the 7^th Circle reserved for murders and violent crazies. I have to wait until at least 8 to run. By 8 I want to be curling up with Watson and reading, or finish something I started… not going for a run. So 6am wake up call for a 6:15 run it is. You are wondering how long this will last. (so am I honestly) I am bribing myself with cute workout clothes J $2 for every day I run. A girl needs cute clothes ;)

I LOVE to sleep… which is weird because as I child I hated it. (seriously… children never know how good they have it do they? Go to bed at 7pm, get up at 7am… that’s the life). I made my favorite babysitter CHASE me through the living, kitchen, dining room and back to the living room over, and over again. (The rooms made a loop). I remember sitting on the couch, dreading the moment that Home Improvement was going to be over because that meant bedtime. Well now as a quasi adult I LOVE sleep so when its disrupted I am not a happy camper.

The alarm when haywire last night. Well technically it was this morning… 3am. I was dreaming about an alarm and woke up to it going off. Remember a few paragraphs ago?? When I said “Im not scared of the house anymore”…. Well… waking up at 3am all bleary eyed and disoriented and the alarm is blaring my first thought is “INTRUDER!!!!!”. I would like to point out that it probably took me 5 mins to 1. Hear the alarm. 2. Realize what it was. 3. Jump to the INTRUDER conclusion. Basically if there is ever a real intruder I am in serious trouble. (along with fires… see an earlier post for that debacle)

3am and the alarm is going off. I push buttons in with my groggy brain while mumbling some not very nice words. Im sure Watson was amused. I get it shut up, make sure it’s not set and saunter back to bed. 5:12… it happens again. I get it to stop. 5:21 it goes off again. Yes… it went off every 9 mins from 5:12 on. It was so so fun. Watson thought so too. He completely panicked every single time. Poor thing.

OK that’s it for now. Completely out of boring things to tell you J

 

 

 

Making 26 Count

*Warning. This post is basically a rant and has been posted to help keep me accountable. Read at your own risk*

So… I haven’t written in awhile. I could say it was because nothing down here is as exciting as London (although true) but the real reason??... I have been in a bad mood. Yes for a month. Usually this blog is full of me making a dum dum of myself (oh that still has happened by the way! Don’t think my awkward and embarrassing moments haven’t stopped!)  When you are in the middle of a quarter life crisis, blogs aren't as fun. In my last post… pre Rome… I said I had high hopes for the 26^th year. It was like I was going to turn 26 and “poof” everything is AWESOME! (I hope someone gets that reference).  So nothing has changed…

Every since I boarded that plane on August 19^th in tears, I have been waiting for lightning to strike and something awesome and inspiring to land in my lap. The screen shot of my facebook page sums up my sentiment exactly:

I was not in a good place. Then started the 4 jobs and my mini “lets figure stuff out” life break never happened. 10-14 hour days often without a day off for a week or more and I didn’t have the time or energy to figure anything out. I took a leap out of desperation and landed in San Antonio Texas. Life was better… a 8 hour day making enough money to not only pay my bills, but do this crazy thing called save money. It was like a vacation, having all of that free time… and I think that was the problem. In school my grades were better during soccer and softball. I was good at time management and got y stuff done. During the winter I slacked off and my grades went down. Free time and I don’t get along (but at the same time I do need to crash to recuperate!)

So anyways… I went from being too busy to having free time. I was still waiting for the awesome opportunity to land in my lap. That is what has always happened. I was accepted into my first choice college, then I randomly saw a poster about London and decided t apply to Christies… and got in. (im not sure how… that was the worst interview of my life) I don’t know if I have been handed everything in life, but I haven’t had to work all that hard to figure out my stuff.  The next step has always been right in front of me and an easy choice. (Well Christies wasn't that easy of a choice. I remember a lot of tears about that one too... but it was there) I have been so lucky on that front. So what does a 24 year old girl, just home from one of the best experiences and adventure of her life to do when she finds herself in small town America? I self-combusted.

The last few months here have been a wakeup call. My job pays me well, provides me benefits and is easy… but I hate it. I have days that I want to go Godzilla on my cube farm. (today was one of those days) So I decided that year 26 would be THE year… and then came home and sat around thinking that nothing changed. Really?? REALLY? Still waiting for the lightning strike. So by this point you are probably wondering where I am going with this (if anyone is still reading).

I have officially decided that I am tired of doing thing I don’t want to do. I am spending 8 hours a day doing something tedious, and the rest of the night dreading the next day. I need to stand up for myself more and say “no” and not feel badly. I need to be more selfish. This weekend was go time and I wrote a To-Do list. So watch out world… 

1.       Train to run the Rock and Roll ½ marathon in Dec.

2.       Learn to play the violin (I have been squirreling away $ and prob going to just buy a cheap one)

3.       Read more, watch TV less

4.       Eat better

5.       Work out more (kinda goes with #1)

6.       School…

a.       Applied to a teaching certification program at UTSA

7.       Look into UT

a.       Email the director of the Holocaust Center

b.      Take a tour

c.       Work on essay

8.       Study for the GRE’s

9.       Rock the GRE’s

10.   Go to Austin

11.   Buy old stuff in Fredericksburg

12.   Go to Dallas and check out the art scene

13.   Take an beginner adult ballet class

14.   Making a 1-3 year life plan/goals

15.   Get my pictures organized and printed
16.  Try Skeleton
 

Sixteen to-dos…not a horrible way to start. Right? So in a month or two if you haven’t heard all about this list and how it is going… feel freet o call me out. (No parents please. J )
 

Frustrated. Stuck. Tired of Complaining. I think that about sums it up.

So that is why I haven't been blogging... All of that mess that you just read! My quarter life crisis can be over any time now.. really it can. Apparently I have to do something about it if I want to do :) I'm tired of hearing those comforting lines of "it will come in time" and "Everything happens for a reason". Nope. Don't believe those two empty sayings.

In other news the Women’s World Cup starts this weekend! I am excited. Oh so excited. The sport is

finally getting attention which is long overdue. The only thing Im disappointed in (minus the turf fields…but that is too long to go into) is that ESPN doesn’t offer a bracket to fill out. There was one for the men’s world cup. Why not the women? 

A Year and A Day

(Ahhh the beginning of the roadtrip... whne it was fun and not torture....)

 

A Year. 365 days. Amazing how quickly they go by is it not? I haven’t ever had a blog go longer than a year. Rome was 3-4 months. London was a blur of 11 months. Texas… a year and counting?!? Texas is becoming one of the places that I have stayed the longest (besides Ashville of course). HWS is beating it at the moment as well, but a year there was 9 months with a month off for Christmas. I was three hours away from home cooking, and the rest of my possessions. Here it’s different. Although it has been 8 years since I have lived with my possessions. EIGHT years of opening my closet, or going to my bookshelf and thinking “crap… that’s in Ashville”. It’s getting old. I would like to have all of my clothes, all of my books, and all of my nerdy knickknacks in the same state. I guess they are in the same country as I am… which hasn’t always been the case!

(Some of my possessions packed and ready to go. Lucy holds a lot! I would like to point out that yes, I still have that comforter in my car in case I get stranded in a snow storm and I have to stay warm. My scrapper is in there as well. Its ridiculous but they just haven't come out yet.)

(I was so distraught that I didn't change my shoes before leaving so the Sperry's got left at home and the Crocs made the journey. I realized at Alex's house and it just wasn't worth going back)

I have re-read some of my blog as I have been going past the last year and re-evaluating life. (wow some of those posts are pathetic!! I am sorry for the torture!) I think I have been a little hard on Texas. (LITTLE being the key word?) Yes, it is crazy and an entirely different country down here. Yes, the gun talk is old and coming from a liberal Liberal Arts school I have to force myself to not roll my eyes a lot. Yes, everyone has a truck and the trees down here are bushes, not trees. (I think that is why the sky is so big and open. The trees are too short to block the view) But….. I am starting to like it. Not loving San Antonio yet. Not sure that will ever happen. But I am starting to like the bush trees, the cool rabbits, and sauntering cows. There are some things however that I will always hold against Texas:

1.       Stickers. I hate them. They hurt and prevent me from walking barefoot. They stick in my shoe laces and soccer ball. Not ok.

2.       It is (as Laurie would say) Hot as Hell down here.  Walking outside to oven hot heat is just as bad as having your breath taken away by the cold.

3.       The insects are gross. In the past year I have had a HUGE spider, sneaky scorpion, and a weird lizard all in my BATHROOM. This I am not ok with. Thankfully Jared is ok with squishing scorpions because I just stood on a stool and replayed “The Pearl” in my mind while freaking out over the welfare of my toes.

4.       Texans love for their flag and state is a little over the top. Just keep going back to the creepy lawyer “the laws of this country and this great state”… Texans first, Americans second.

5.       The Armada of Armadas on the highway is crazy. Its America conspicuous consumption at its finest. Of course Nissan Armadas are not the only crazy big cars on the highway… but I liked how there could be an Armada or Armadas J

6.       You can buy Texas shaped everything. And when I say everything… I mean everything. Also you can put a Texas flag on anything. And when I say anything… I mean anything.

7.       Not having real wings, or a Tim Hortans.

So it’s been 366 days since I was throwing crap into suitcases, crying and not convinced that I was actually leaving in the morning. Seems like yesterday and a lifetime ago at the same time. My job… still isn’t it. But on bad days when I want to stand on my cube and full-fledged three year old style tantrum, I remember working 4 jobs and having 12-16 hour days. (Yes 4 jobs at once. Chautauqua Ticketing, Athenaeum, TJMaxx, and Dog sitting/walking). It was survival mode and honestly I was barely surviving. And I was a monster. A 24/7/365 monster. No health insurance, barely a saving account, and zero life. So when I get the urge to scream at the top of my lungs I remember 1 year ago and feel better. I think I made the right choice. How lucky am I that I am 21 days away from turning 26 and I have zero regrets? I may take a long time to make a decision, and I may fight my decision with everything I have, but according to my track record I seem to make the right ones.  Would I have done things differently since Aug. 2012? Probably. But I haven’t messed up enough to regret anything. Not yet anyways!

I am getting better at change. I still remember pulling out of my driveway on the way to Geneva, in the back seat of the Subaru with an upset stomach and eyes full of tears. I was convinced that I wasn’t going to make it through college. Even worse is the moment that your parents ditch you and you are surrounded by piles of clothes, a mini fridge, two sketchy looking mattresses and a new roommate. (Thankfully I had the best roommate that a girl could ask for. OH my goodness did I luck out. SO thankful that Roomie was my roommate.) In that moment you are convinced that college is overrated and scary. 4 years since that moment I have moved across the Atlantic Ocean twice (one of those moves counts WAY more than the other) and halfway across the country once. I have a feeling that Im not done moving!

                                                            (what I moved to London with!)

 

I no longer have a problem packing my bags and going someplace new. (As long as there isn’t a Dragon Lady. I have never ever been so mad at my parents then I was during that skype date. They wouldn’t let me come home. And I was the only American who moved to London without her parents. It’s such a good story now though isn’t it? I laugh so hard every time I remember her screaming out the window that the fountain in the square was diabolical. Or the time the cable company came and she wouldn’t let them in the house because she didn’t like the look of their van)

Wow I am getting off topic aren’t I? Anyways I am pretty proud of myself. Im getting better! And I haven’t completely failed at anything yet. I still hate meeting people. Im so awkward and bad at it. Im not sure if I hate it, therefore I am bad at it… or I am bad at it, therefore I hate it? I miss people. That’s what I miss the most. College friends, old High school friends, and past co-workers. I could care less about being away from WNY, but I miss seeing friends. If any college friends are reading this… we need a reunion. It’s been 4 years now!

I have a good feeling about 26. Somehow I feel like it going to be awesome. I don’t know if it will beat 22 (that was a pretty epic year! 22 is the year to beat at the moment) but it’s going to be way better than the end of 23 through 25. I am kicking off year 26 in Rome… which will be the perfect way to start. I just have a really good feeling about this upcoming year/birthday.  

Im not sure where this post is going at this point! The past year has been good, scary, lonely, busy, exciting, and a breath of fresh air all at once! Im still not where I want to be, but I am at a better place then I was 367 days ago. Im not a monster 24/7 (Im sure I still have my moments!)

Easter yesterday was good! I went on the annual walk in the morning with Aunt & co. I walked Annabeth and it was fun. We couldn’t go as far as last year because we had reservations at noon. It was still a least a 5 mile walk! We all showered quickly and went out to brunch at a cool place in the Pearl. I ate octopus that wasn’t covered in breading! It was hard! I like it but I don’t like seeing the little suction cups on the tiny tentacles. Argh! That is what the batter is for… to hide the octopus parts!

10 Random Thoughts From the Past Year:

1.       I have learned how to drive in traffic! Im not scared of my commute anymore!  Argh I hated the first few weeks. Driving here still sucks, but its not scary. I still miss back roads with the radio blaring and the windows all of the way down

2.       The cows have seen me do really dumb things. They are growing on me. I still think they are dumb, but they are big, gentle giants. I no longer shout that I love hamburgers at them… J

3.       I have learned that the stereotypical cactus with the three arms don’t reside in Texas. Apparently it’s a Arizona thing?

4.       I am still not a fan of tacos for every meal. Breakfast tacos haven’t grown on me at all. Although I don’t really like breakfast…

5.       My cube isn’t as depressing as it used to be. I decorated the crap out of it… but even besides that, it’s not bad. It’s just like having a desk but with people around. I love who I work with. (Not quite as much as Laurie, but I still like them a lot)

6.       I feel like my brain is being drained of everything I learned in college. Someone will bring up art and my noggin is foggy. I can’t think or remember anything until it’s WAY too late. What is happening?!?! I need to read more art books!

7.       I still miss real grass. The soft kind that you can lay in, and walk through without shoes on. I never have been so appreciative of NY grass then I am since coming down here. In London I missed grass, but the parks had lush, soft, friendly grass. Here it is mean, pokey and painful.

(even rest stops in Tennessee have nicer grass than Texas)  

8.       I haven’t said yall yet… and I don’t plan on caving anytime soon.

9.       I think I have conquered the fear of living in big houses by myself. Im finally not nervous at night at the ranch… even without the dogs! I think Watson has a lot to do with it… but Im going to give myself some credit too!

10.   It is confirmed that I am not a runner. I have been trying to like it since Oct…. and it’s just not working. I hate it. I need to find a soccer team or something. I like how I feel after runs… just not while running.

Ok this random post is officially done! As you can all tell… I had no roadmap for this one! (Don't you think that photo is appropriate... roadmap... get it? Im so witty)

 

A New Nephew, Smoke Detectors, and A Year

The trip to meet Dominic was so fun! I didn’t want to come back home! He is so SO fun to snuggle with. I can’t believe that humans come that small. Seeing Katie and Adam was awesome as well! (Of course!). Honestly the trip needs its own post! But in summary… I have the cutest little nephew ever, I didn’t want to come back, and I am nowhere near close to where I left of in terms of being able to play soccer. (I missed a goal. Me + the goalie + 5 mins = shot off the post. I would have made my girls do up-downs for missing a goal like that. ARGH) Oh I went to see the Easter bunny for the first time ever. Apparently mom didn’t love me enough to take me J I have never been to an Easter egg hunt either. Obviously the second child is just not loved as much as the oldest. Being back in Reality just plain old stinks. I would like to go back on vacation.

 

Oh I learned three things on my flights to and from Virginia.

1.       Apparently there is a special hat box/container made for cowboy hats. The guy across the asile from me had one and put his Stetson in it. Texans never cease to amaze me.

2.       I cant understand Indian accents. The friendly guy sitting next to me on the way home had to repeat everything. I seriously think I have a hearing problem sometimes.

3.       It is official. I am going to throat punch the next person who asks me what Im going to do with my degree. Consider yourself warned. I can do anything I want to. And Im getting tired of being polite when you ask me that.

This morning was rough. I went to bed exhausted. I don’t remember lying down. I remember setting my alarm and yelling to Watson that it was time for bed, and the next thing I know I am being jolted awake by the smoke alarm blaring. I had no idea what was going on. It was one of those moments that your body just goes on auto pilot and you find yourself stumbling through the house blindly. My eyes were all crusty and bleary. My cat was freaking out and walking in circles around my feet… and that really wasn’t helping anything. I had no idea what was shrieking at me, I was just trying to find the source and make it shut up. I finally figured out that it was the smoke alarm in the hallway. The ceilings are TALL and I just stood in the hall angry at the white, round, obnoxious contraption hanging 16 feet over my head. I think I just stood there and stared straight up my problem. How was I going to scale the wardrobe to hit that “thing” as hard as I could? That’s when I started grumbling to Watson about the situation. I am pretty sure that he agreed as his tail was a least 5 times are big as normal, and his fur was all poofy. I decided against climbing wooden structures that may or may not support my weight and I trudged to the kitchen, dragging my feet partly because I was too tired to pick them up properly, and partly because Watson was really annoyingly close to them.

I dragged out the step stool, grabbed the broom, and stomped back to the hall. After almost losing the battle with the step ladder (they are tricky things to open!), I hit the button with the broom handle to stop the incessant beeping. (I probably hit the button a little harder than needed). It was then that I realized that the white, obnoxious contraption hanging 16 feet above me tends to go off in emergency situations that involve flames and smoke. Yes it took me that long to think about a fire. Pathetic isn’t it? By this point I was awake, so I checked the house for flames and smoke. All was well. I explained the what happened to Watson (don’t judge me!) and told him that we could have died. Not because I didn’t wake up from the alarm, but because my first instincts were to figure out how to shut the thing up so I could go back to sleep.. not to flee the premises. I think undergrad has skewed my opinion of fire alarms. Roomie always had to convince me to get out of bed in college. Stupid drunk people.  So now I associate fire alarms with false alarms. That’s good.

 I lugged the step ladder and broom back to the closet and then…. The noise started again. By this point my tired, still-not-awake self was pretty sure the house was burning down. Convinced actually. I hurried back into the dining room and realized that the noise was different…. and not coming from the hall. What?? I walked around the dining room and finally realized what direction it was coming from. I head towards the source and realized it was my alarm clock. Time to get up and go to work. ARGH. No. WHY?!? I flopped face down onto the bed. It was probably pretty comical because my bed is high. Pretty sure my feet were still on the floor when I face planted into the quilt. I just stood/laid there in a right angle while Watson meowed and rubbed against my legs. I cant even begin to describe how badly I wanted to crawl back into bed and yank the covers over my head. Is it Friday yet??

Oh the green stuff has started to fall off of the trees down here. That means I can’t keep the pool clean and my car is green:

 

I was hoping that it would blow off on the highway… nope. After a week of having Lucy look disgusting I am starting to accept the fact that I need to bring her through a carwash.

This weekend is my 1 year anniversary with Texas. I am not sure how I feel about that. 1 year anniversary of taking my leap… the one that I was convinced was a leap of death. (Not as deadly as the leap of death that occurred in freshman year of college in a dorm room. Attempting to Leap from a bed to the top of a bunk at the opposite side of the room is not a smart idea. Mike at least tied a pillow around his waist to save his hip bone. Me on the other hand… had a black hip for weeks. I tried to find the video and couldn’t. I did see the videos that I have on my facebook page and that is just scary… Anyways…) I can’t believe that it has been an entire year. The 12 months has FLOWN by. Im almost 26!?!?! I’m in the second half of my 20’s?!?! Oh dear.

Nothing else is really new. I am looking forward to Rome. And “looking forward” is a vast understatement. It is getting me through the next 2 weeks and making the transition back to reality seem a little more bearable. I’ll try to be better at blogging!

 

What  I want to be doing right now (reading The Little Engine that Could!)