Monday, October 12, 2009
Sharing the News
Sharing the news with our parents was just one of the big moments of announcing our pregnancy. My parents found out in the most uncreative way - I called them on the phone and told them, then asked my Mom to cook me food and clean my toilet. I had grand plans to tell them in a creative way, but was so morning sick and tired I just needed my parents to come take care of me while John was out of town for work...and they did. However, with John's parents, we were able to have a lot more fun...we put together this frame and photo with the news, and placed it on their tv cabinet when we got to Spokane back in September. It took her a few minutes, but when John's mom noticed she screamed with excitement. John's step-dad noticed right away, and he was so happy. And those are just some of the ways we shared our big news.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
The Baby Story...First Trimester
We've finally gone public with our big news...I'm pregnant! 14 weeks along, and due on March 29th. As we waited thru the first trimester to share this news with most everyone, I thought I'd share the timeline of events in my blog, which I'm sure will be full of future posts involving pregnancy and birth and new baby.
First part of the timeline...and a commonly asked question...is were we trying to get pregnant? The answer is: sort of. We weren't actively trying to keep from getting pregnant (no protection for over 8 months), but at the same time we weren't timing anything or actively trying. Plus, John and I had a lot of travel over the past year, and it would have been impossible at times to time anything. So we left it to God as to whether or not anything would happen. Eventually we would have been more vigilant with trying to get pregnant, but right before that time hit was when we actually got pregnant.
Late June '09 - This is the time where it happened. You know, the thing that makes baby. I won't go into much more detail, as I'm a PG-rated kind of gal. =)
Mid-July '09 - I was in Chicago when I first got a bit suspicious that something wonky was going on with my body. But I chocked it up to travel and after a day forgot about it.
Late July '09 - My monthly visitor never came, and I waited a week and then took one of the at-home pregnancy tests. The test came back negative, so again I chocked it up as nothing out of the normal. A week later and still no visitor (it had been 41 days since I saw Aunt Flow), and I went to the doctor's on July 31st. My mindset with the appointment was to find out how to best prepare myself for getting pregnant, and I didn't go there with high expectations that I was pregnant. The doctor said it was normal to miss the monthly visitor, and that maybe I was stressed, and to actively try to get pregnant for six months and then if nothing happens to come back and see him. At the end of the appointment I took a pregnancy test and it came back negative. This is what they call a 'false negative'. Looking back, a factor that could have been a part of this is the fact that I drank a ton of water before I took the test, and that my hormone levels weren't quite high enough yet, even though I was 6 weeks pregnant. Nevertheless, it came back negative and I went home under the assumption that I wasn't pregnant. And in the next few weeks I did a bunch of things pregnant woman aren't supposed to do, from drinking to eating sushi to moving furniture.
Mid-August '09 - I spent a week at Summer Camp Waskowitz. One of my favorite times of the year, I had a hunch that something was still going on with my body, but the pregnancy test had come back negative two weeks prior. So I slept only a few hours a night, was more tired than usual, had 5-hour energy drinks 2-3 times a day, and generally beat myself up as one always dose with a fun and intense week of summer camp. The oddest thing about camp was that on Thursday night, when we were singing "Thank God for Kids" at campfire, I cried uncontrollably...actually, I sobbed. I normally cry because Thursday nights at camp are an emotional time, but typically not so hard. My emotions were out of control. I walked by myself from the campfire to the cabins, and said a prayer to God, asking Him to please bless John and I with a child, and that was something I wanted more than anything. As we know, God always answers our prayers...maybe not on our schedule...but He is always listening. Later Thursday night the leaders presented the senior staff (which I am a part of), with a tribute where they read off some amazingly kind things about each of us. Again, the emotions overflowed and I was bawling. I was so touched by their kindness. And I have to admit I was confused as to why I could not stop crying. Bottom line, I was exhausted.
August 14th, '09 - I'm driving home from camp and talking to John on the phone, when all of a sudden I felt nauseous. During the week of camp I had some stomach pains, but I figured it was from all the bad food. I decided to stop by the grocery store and take another pregnancy test. I know it had come back negative before, but it had been 8 weeks since my monthly visitor. Bought the test, took it home, peed on the stick...and it immediately turned positive. In fact, it turned positive before the "test is working" indicator showed up. I couldn't believe it...I was pregnant! I called John immediately, as he was in Spokane, and told him the news. He was so excited. Our weekend plans had me flying from Seattle to Spokane on the 15th, to join him for a director's meeting and company barbecue. The morning of the 15th, admittedly, I took another at-home pregnancy test, and it came back positive again. Hopped on the plane, felt sick and exhausted, and made it to Spokane where John was waiting in the airport for me with the happiest look on his face. That weekend was a waste for me, as I was exhausted and kept having to take naps. Monday the 17th I flew back to Seattle, puked on the plane multiple times, and figured it was the beginning of the morning sickness period.
August 21st, '09 - Had another doctor's appointment and this time, ta da, the pregnancy test came back positive. The doctor estimated that I was at 9 weeks. I had an ultrasound and first saw Thing (what we call it for now). Thing was just a big blob...actually there were three white dots in the blob and so it kind of looked like a face with two eyes, and a ghost-like mouth. I saw Thing's heartbeat, and even saw its yolk sack. Crazy, I know! With the exam and sharing of my history, the doctor was confidant that we were both healthy and doing well, and things should go smoothly.
Late August thru mid-September, '09 - Blah. That's how I felt: blah. Morning sickness, which I dubbed seasickness, had settled in. While I wasn't throwing up everywhere, I felt seasick all day, and especially in the morning and afternoon. One day I burst into tears on the bus because I felt so sick. It only lasted about 5+ weeks, and I found ways of coping such as eating every hour and sticking with bland carbs. Lots of pasta, lots of cereal, and my saving grace - milk. I could drink a half a gallon of milk in two days or less. I'd drink milk in the middle of the night when I got up to use the bathroom. Milk milk milk, I still love milk. =)
September 28th, '09 - 14 weeks pregnant now, and this was the day we officially went "public" with the news. While we had told pockets of people here and there - my parents and immediate coworkers during week 9 and just a few friends during weeks 10-12, then John's family in week 12, it wasn't until week 14 that we really went public. Part of it was wanting to wait until we were really into the second trimester - the good trimester where the risk of miscarriage greatly goes down - and part of it was me being too busy at work to really have the energy to tell anyone yet. To go "public" meant I put it on Facebook, and told more people at work.
So that's our story...thus far. The news is still getting out, and I'm so touched by all the people excited for us. It is a treat to get text messages and voicemails and Facebook wall posts, because the love that people are pouring out is amazing. No, I won't start crying now, but will admit that I kind of want to. =) We know Thing will be coming into a world with loving parents, and a huge support system of family and friends. We're excited to see how it grows over the second trimester. And yes, we'll most definitely find out if it is a boy or girl...just another month or so to go. More baby story to come.
First part of the timeline...and a commonly asked question...is were we trying to get pregnant? The answer is: sort of. We weren't actively trying to keep from getting pregnant (no protection for over 8 months), but at the same time we weren't timing anything or actively trying. Plus, John and I had a lot of travel over the past year, and it would have been impossible at times to time anything. So we left it to God as to whether or not anything would happen. Eventually we would have been more vigilant with trying to get pregnant, but right before that time hit was when we actually got pregnant.
Late June '09 - This is the time where it happened. You know, the thing that makes baby. I won't go into much more detail, as I'm a PG-rated kind of gal. =)
Mid-July '09 - I was in Chicago when I first got a bit suspicious that something wonky was going on with my body. But I chocked it up to travel and after a day forgot about it.
Late July '09 - My monthly visitor never came, and I waited a week and then took one of the at-home pregnancy tests. The test came back negative, so again I chocked it up as nothing out of the normal. A week later and still no visitor (it had been 41 days since I saw Aunt Flow), and I went to the doctor's on July 31st. My mindset with the appointment was to find out how to best prepare myself for getting pregnant, and I didn't go there with high expectations that I was pregnant. The doctor said it was normal to miss the monthly visitor, and that maybe I was stressed, and to actively try to get pregnant for six months and then if nothing happens to come back and see him. At the end of the appointment I took a pregnancy test and it came back negative. This is what they call a 'false negative'. Looking back, a factor that could have been a part of this is the fact that I drank a ton of water before I took the test, and that my hormone levels weren't quite high enough yet, even though I was 6 weeks pregnant. Nevertheless, it came back negative and I went home under the assumption that I wasn't pregnant. And in the next few weeks I did a bunch of things pregnant woman aren't supposed to do, from drinking to eating sushi to moving furniture.
Mid-August '09 - I spent a week at Summer Camp Waskowitz. One of my favorite times of the year, I had a hunch that something was still going on with my body, but the pregnancy test had come back negative two weeks prior. So I slept only a few hours a night, was more tired than usual, had 5-hour energy drinks 2-3 times a day, and generally beat myself up as one always dose with a fun and intense week of summer camp. The oddest thing about camp was that on Thursday night, when we were singing "Thank God for Kids" at campfire, I cried uncontrollably...actually, I sobbed. I normally cry because Thursday nights at camp are an emotional time, but typically not so hard. My emotions were out of control. I walked by myself from the campfire to the cabins, and said a prayer to God, asking Him to please bless John and I with a child, and that was something I wanted more than anything. As we know, God always answers our prayers...maybe not on our schedule...but He is always listening. Later Thursday night the leaders presented the senior staff (which I am a part of), with a tribute where they read off some amazingly kind things about each of us. Again, the emotions overflowed and I was bawling. I was so touched by their kindness. And I have to admit I was confused as to why I could not stop crying. Bottom line, I was exhausted.
August 14th, '09 - I'm driving home from camp and talking to John on the phone, when all of a sudden I felt nauseous. During the week of camp I had some stomach pains, but I figured it was from all the bad food. I decided to stop by the grocery store and take another pregnancy test. I know it had come back negative before, but it had been 8 weeks since my monthly visitor. Bought the test, took it home, peed on the stick...and it immediately turned positive. In fact, it turned positive before the "test is working" indicator showed up. I couldn't believe it...I was pregnant! I called John immediately, as he was in Spokane, and told him the news. He was so excited. Our weekend plans had me flying from Seattle to Spokane on the 15th, to join him for a director's meeting and company barbecue. The morning of the 15th, admittedly, I took another at-home pregnancy test, and it came back positive again. Hopped on the plane, felt sick and exhausted, and made it to Spokane where John was waiting in the airport for me with the happiest look on his face. That weekend was a waste for me, as I was exhausted and kept having to take naps. Monday the 17th I flew back to Seattle, puked on the plane multiple times, and figured it was the beginning of the morning sickness period.
August 21st, '09 - Had another doctor's appointment and this time, ta da, the pregnancy test came back positive. The doctor estimated that I was at 9 weeks. I had an ultrasound and first saw Thing (what we call it for now). Thing was just a big blob...actually there were three white dots in the blob and so it kind of looked like a face with two eyes, and a ghost-like mouth. I saw Thing's heartbeat, and even saw its yolk sack. Crazy, I know! With the exam and sharing of my history, the doctor was confidant that we were both healthy and doing well, and things should go smoothly.
Late August thru mid-September, '09 - Blah. That's how I felt: blah. Morning sickness, which I dubbed seasickness, had settled in. While I wasn't throwing up everywhere, I felt seasick all day, and especially in the morning and afternoon. One day I burst into tears on the bus because I felt so sick. It only lasted about 5+ weeks, and I found ways of coping such as eating every hour and sticking with bland carbs. Lots of pasta, lots of cereal, and my saving grace - milk. I could drink a half a gallon of milk in two days or less. I'd drink milk in the middle of the night when I got up to use the bathroom. Milk milk milk, I still love milk. =)
September 28th, '09 - 14 weeks pregnant now, and this was the day we officially went "public" with the news. While we had told pockets of people here and there - my parents and immediate coworkers during week 9 and just a few friends during weeks 10-12, then John's family in week 12, it wasn't until week 14 that we really went public. Part of it was wanting to wait until we were really into the second trimester - the good trimester where the risk of miscarriage greatly goes down - and part of it was me being too busy at work to really have the energy to tell anyone yet. To go "public" meant I put it on Facebook, and told more people at work.
So that's our story...thus far. The news is still getting out, and I'm so touched by all the people excited for us. It is a treat to get text messages and voicemails and Facebook wall posts, because the love that people are pouring out is amazing. No, I won't start crying now, but will admit that I kind of want to. =) We know Thing will be coming into a world with loving parents, and a huge support system of family and friends. We're excited to see how it grows over the second trimester. And yes, we'll most definitely find out if it is a boy or girl...just another month or so to go. More baby story to come.
Monday, August 31, 2009
My Summer in Highlights
Facebook has taken over my Web 2.0 world, and I often don't take the time to contribute to my blog. But I figured a quick run down of how the summer has been would be perfect, considering that today is August 31st and in my mind the last day of summer. September is always a whirlwind month of new student orientations and the prep work involved, end of the month birthdays, etc. You never know, however...just maybe I'll squeeze in a blog post before a month passes by. =)
Summer highlights, in a nice and organized list (though not chronological by any means):
1) Turned 31 on June 5th.
2) Summer Camp Waskowitz in August. My niece was a camper for a second year, the Presidents of the United States and the Coats performed for Bigger Than Big, Blue Thunder performed at skits and songs, and my fellow senior staff ladies were irty-day and we laughed all week long.
3) Summer pedicures! Always a much-needed good time, especially with Treasure at Julep.
4) Fourth of July on Lake Wenatchee with Shannon, Larry, Jessica, Dennis, etc. Dance Party USA was recreated in full force...oh, and the bb gun was FUN.
5) Saw "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and "The Ugly Truth" in the movie theatre. Saw a bunch of other movies via Netflix.
6) Dinners with girlfriends - from sorority sisters to other college and post-college friends. Love any F2F time I get with the people in my life. Always wanting more.
7) Continued to increase my work at SAFE, and had to see go my Office Manager, who I then asked to come back (and she did - yay!). Said good-bye to a Receptionist that did not work out, and said good-bye to someone else who most definitely did not work out. Now have a great team of people who work hard.
8) Went to Chicago for a conference through the UW with my boss - we had a blast and got lots of work done too.
9) Experienced my first Quinceanous, celebrating a family friend's 15th birthday. Had the in-laws in town too, and hit up the golf course and had a great time with them.
10) Said good-bye to my colleague, Jenny, who moved to Montana to join her husband. I still ask "when is she coming back?"
11) Kenny Chesney concert - my favorite was seeing Sugarland, who are AMAZING live!
12) Numerous walks around Greenlake.
I'm sure there are plenty of more things to mention. Bottom-line, I'm really good at keeping busy. =) Good life, I must say.
Summer highlights, in a nice and organized list (though not chronological by any means):
1) Turned 31 on June 5th.
2) Summer Camp Waskowitz in August. My niece was a camper for a second year, the Presidents of the United States and the Coats performed for Bigger Than Big, Blue Thunder performed at skits and songs, and my fellow senior staff ladies were irty-day and we laughed all week long.
3) Summer pedicures! Always a much-needed good time, especially with Treasure at Julep.
4) Fourth of July on Lake Wenatchee with Shannon, Larry, Jessica, Dennis, etc. Dance Party USA was recreated in full force...oh, and the bb gun was FUN.
5) Saw "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and "The Ugly Truth" in the movie theatre. Saw a bunch of other movies via Netflix.
6) Dinners with girlfriends - from sorority sisters to other college and post-college friends. Love any F2F time I get with the people in my life. Always wanting more.
7) Continued to increase my work at SAFE, and had to see go my Office Manager, who I then asked to come back (and she did - yay!). Said good-bye to a Receptionist that did not work out, and said good-bye to someone else who most definitely did not work out. Now have a great team of people who work hard.
8) Went to Chicago for a conference through the UW with my boss - we had a blast and got lots of work done too.
9) Experienced my first Quinceanous, celebrating a family friend's 15th birthday. Had the in-laws in town too, and hit up the golf course and had a great time with them.
10) Said good-bye to my colleague, Jenny, who moved to Montana to join her husband. I still ask "when is she coming back?"
11) Kenny Chesney concert - my favorite was seeing Sugarland, who are AMAZING live!
12) Numerous walks around Greenlake.
I'm sure there are plenty of more things to mention. Bottom-line, I'm really good at keeping busy. =) Good life, I must say.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
2009 Graduate Advisor of the Year
This June I received an award from the UW: Graduate Advisor of the Year 2009. Pretty cool honor, and one that I wasn't expecting. My boss nominated me and then the UW Advising community voted on it. An announcement went out about this today making it a formal announcement, and as this is a memorable moment for my professional career, I thought it was worthy of a blog post. My name is also listed on the Association of Professional Advisers and Counselors website.
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 1:44 PM
Subject: [Gpaa] Congratulations to Marie Potter: 2009 Graduate Adviser of the Year
I would like to send a special message to congratulate Marie Potter, the 2009 Graduate Adviser of the Year!
For those who were not able to able to attend the APAC Spring Brunch, the following comments were submitted in her nomination:
-----
As the lone adviser to nearly 400 graduate students, many of whom are strictly online students and have minimal face-to-face time on campus, Marie is an outstanding adviser and advocate for her students. In order to provide top-notch advising, Marie has developed a variety of resources to serve her advisees including many web and technology based solutions. This year she began virtual advising hours in which she is live on-line in the evenings for our students who do not live in the Seattle area. In addition, she has identified creative ways to use catalyst and our web-based tools to help serve virtual students.
Recently, Marie spearheaded the development of the iSchool Employers Connection Fair which for the past two years has attracted over three hundred students from across campus and 40 some employees. Since several of our programs are fee-based, Marie also plays an active role as a liaison for students with UWEO, looking for ways to streamline the registration process and make things more seamless for students. In addition to her duties as an adviser, Marie is actively involved with recruiting for the iSchool and this year helped launch a couple of new iSchool recruiting initiatives including are all iSchool Graduate Program Open Houses (at which we had 90 students) and our iVisit Days on which newly admitted students could attend classes and meet with current students, faculty and an adviser.
She has also played a role in planning our Student Leadership Retreat for our student club officers (roughly 70 students). This past year, she partnered with a faculty member to help launch the iSchool's first Exploration Seminar to the Netherlands. Not one to rest on her past achievements, she is constantly looking for ways to help improve our programs and services. Marie's professionalism, attention to detail, ability to anticipate student needs and desire to provide quality "customer service," are all aspects that make her deserving of this recognition. Congratulations Marie!
-----
When I found out about the award, I also had fun with my colleagues taking photos - not sure if I would have gotten the award with these photos attached to the nomiation letter. =) I do have fun at work, that is for sure.
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 1:44 PM
Subject: [Gpaa] Congratulations to Marie Potter: 2009 Graduate Adviser of the Year
I would like to send a special message to congratulate Marie Potter, the 2009 Graduate Adviser of the Year!
For those who were not able to able to attend the APAC Spring Brunch, the following comments were submitted in her nomination:
-----
As the lone adviser to nearly 400 graduate students, many of whom are strictly online students and have minimal face-to-face time on campus, Marie is an outstanding adviser and advocate for her students. In order to provide top-notch advising, Marie has developed a variety of resources to serve her advisees including many web and technology based solutions. This year she began virtual advising hours in which she is live on-line in the evenings for our students who do not live in the Seattle area. In addition, she has identified creative ways to use catalyst and our web-based tools to help serve virtual students.
Recently, Marie spearheaded the development of the iSchool Employers Connection Fair which for the past two years has attracted over three hundred students from across campus and 40 some employees. Since several of our programs are fee-based, Marie also plays an active role as a liaison for students with UWEO, looking for ways to streamline the registration process and make things more seamless for students. In addition to her duties as an adviser, Marie is actively involved with recruiting for the iSchool and this year helped launch a couple of new iSchool recruiting initiatives including are all iSchool Graduate Program Open Houses (at which we had 90 students) and our iVisit Days on which newly admitted students could attend classes and meet with current students, faculty and an adviser.
She has also played a role in planning our Student Leadership Retreat for our student club officers (roughly 70 students). This past year, she partnered with a faculty member to help launch the iSchool's first Exploration Seminar to the Netherlands. Not one to rest on her past achievements, she is constantly looking for ways to help improve our programs and services. Marie's professionalism, attention to detail, ability to anticipate student needs and desire to provide quality "customer service," are all aspects that make her deserving of this recognition. Congratulations Marie!
-----
When I found out about the award, I also had fun with my colleagues taking photos - not sure if I would have gotten the award with these photos attached to the nomiation letter. =) I do have fun at work, that is for sure.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Fourth of July 2009
It always takes us more than one day to celebrate the Fourth of July. This year was no exception.
Friday, July 3
We drove out to Lake Wenatchee to spend the day and one night with the same group of friends we celebrated the Fourth with last year (with just a few substitutions). John and I always have fun on our road trips together - he drives, I nap. =) And in between my napping we talk, sometimes play the Alphabet Game, snack, sing along with the radio, and just have a good time together. We drove scenic Highway 2/Stevens Pass, and stopped at Lake Wenatchee State Park for a picnic lunch. Shortly afterwards we arrived at our rental house on the lake. Steadily all five couples, including us, arrived, and we settled in to our new home. John and I had decided to stay just one night to keep the weekend economic for us, but the other couples stayed for three nights. The others included Shannon and Larry, Brianne and Chris, Jessica and Dennis, and Bonnie and Josh. We played in the lake, had some drinks, barbecued dinner, played croquet, had a little dance party, and even went target shooting with the pellet gun that, oddly enough, the people we were renting from provided for our use. It was an absolute blast, and we always have fun with this group of friends. The one drawback of the trip out to Lake Wenatchee were the insane amount of blood-thirsty mosquitoes. Between John and I we were bitten over 100 times. The itchiness continues to this very day, and we look like we have the chicken pox. We're disgusting. But...we did have a lot of fun!
Friday, July 3
We drove out to Lake Wenatchee to spend the day and one night with the same group of friends we celebrated the Fourth with last year (with just a few substitutions). John and I always have fun on our road trips together - he drives, I nap. =) And in between my napping we talk, sometimes play the Alphabet Game, snack, sing along with the radio, and just have a good time together. We drove scenic Highway 2/Stevens Pass, and stopped at Lake Wenatchee State Park for a picnic lunch. Shortly afterwards we arrived at our rental house on the lake. Steadily all five couples, including us, arrived, and we settled in to our new home. John and I had decided to stay just one night to keep the weekend economic for us, but the other couples stayed for three nights. The others included Shannon and Larry, Brianne and Chris, Jessica and Dennis, and Bonnie and Josh. We played in the lake, had some drinks, barbecued dinner, played croquet, had a little dance party, and even went target shooting with the pellet gun that, oddly enough, the people we were renting from provided for our use. It was an absolute blast, and we always have fun with this group of friends. The one drawback of the trip out to Lake Wenatchee were the insane amount of blood-thirsty mosquitoes. Between John and I we were bitten over 100 times. The itchiness continues to this very day, and we look like we have the chicken pox. We're disgusting. But...we did have a lot of fun!
Saturday, July 4
Happy Independence Day! After sleeping in, the guys made us a yummy breakfast of eggs, potatoes, and bacon. We hung out for a bit in the morning, but then packed up and were on the road by 1 pm, headed to our next destination of Summit Lake. Another driving adventure (and yet another nap for me), and we made it to Camp Thunderbird to hang out with our friends Dan and Jacqueline (and baby Annabeth), David and Allison (and toddler Kiley and baby Carson), and Dan's brother Rick and his girlfriend turned fiancee Jen. We've been wanting to make it to camp for a Fourth of July for the last couple of years, and this year were able to do so. Hanging out by the lake and in the lake (in a raft float), and an amazing dinner of tri-tip steaks, salmon, beans, and corn on the cob were awesome and expected. The unexpected part occurred in two's: Rick proposed to his girlfriend Jen while there, and it was so exciting to witness and celebrate with them. And the fireworks were way better than I expected - they lasted for two hours and so many of the houses on the lake were setting off amazing displays. Yes, we still had to contend with the mosquitoes that either were already at Summit Lake, or followed us from Lake Wenatchee. Nevertheless, we had yet another wonderful day, and a great Fourth of July.
Sunday, July 5
We spent the night of the Fourth at camp, and the next morning I went for a walk with Alison and Carson and their two dogs, Rocky and Casey. Then breakfast at Dan and Jacqueline's house with everyone else, hanging out for a couple of hours, and then we hit the road a bit before 11:30 am. Again, I napped while John drove us home to Lynnwood. When we got home we realized we had just enough time to hit up our church's picnic at the park, so we went there for lunch and to visit. We're still getting to know people there, and eventually we hope to meet even more folks. By 3:00 pm we were done - we were itchy, tired, and did I mention itchy. I had also woken up that morning with terrible allergies (stuffy/leaky nose and lots of sneezing). We stopped at the grocery store to buy some Benadryl and Lanacane anti-itch cream; the pharmacist even looked scared of us and all our bug bites. At home we turned the living room into a make-shift infirmary, lathered on the anti-itch cream, and waited for the Benadryl to take effect. An hour into a movie I fell asleep, and when I woke up a few hours later John was sound asleep. It was a hot day outside, and even hotter in the house (at 9 pm it was 72 degrees outside, 83 degrees inside - with the fans going and the windows open). Love the warm weather, hate the hot house. But the day finally ended, and therefore the weekend.
And there ends the story of our great Fourth of July holiday weekend.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Photos of SAFE
Today we had a photo shoot at the SAFE Seattle office - the goal was to get some updated photos of the partners/employees and the office. Here are some of my favorites.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Work and Relationships
As over a month has passed since my last blog post I thought I should post something...but I've been racking my brain on what. My day-to-day seems pretty standard, and somewhat boring compared to fun travels and adventures. But nevertheless, here's what I've been up to and what has been on my mind lately.
Work
Things are going well at the UW, and over the last few weeks I've been pulling a few late nights but for good reasons. The Information School's annual Capstone and Convocation events occurred within a week of each other. All went smoothly, and one of my favorite parts is being able to pull off such big events while working as a team with the Student Services folks. I spend over 40 hours a week with these people, and thank goodness we not only get along, but we work well together and laugh often. At SAFE we've also been busy, and the company continues to grow. A new receptionist just began a month ago, and its been an adventure getting to know her, figuring out how to best help her learn her job, and supervising her when I only get to see her face-to-face for one to three hours a week (which equates to lots of emails and phone calls). Luckily she's learning quickly and has the desire to grow in the position. Whenever I talk about work at SAFE, it always involves a report on how John is doing. He is doing fantastic - really growing in the company and taking responsibility. The thing I admire about John is his loyalty; he is one of the most dedicated men I've ever met. His commitment to the company is never in doubt, and his desire to do better is always there.
Friends and Family
This past winter I was intensely focused on work and found myself not spending as much time with the folks with whom I care deeply about. It's not to say that I was being antisocial - I spent time with John and with my work colleagues and a couple of specific friends - but there are a ton of friends that I was missing spending time with. Then a couple of things happened that made me really think about what friendship is, and the time I devote to my relationships. One was having a two hour conversation with someone I hadn't talked to for years, with the subject of that conversation being forgiveness. Another was realizing the conditions of another relationship. And another was coming to terms that updating/reading Facebook does not equate to having a social life. Now, don't get me wrong, I still adore Facebook and visit it on a daily basis, and love that it helps me stay updated with people, but there is a difference in a Facebook "friendship" and real friends. You know, the kind of friends you hang out with face-to-face, or talk with on the phone, or see at events and parties. Let's face it, a friendship built on Facebook only fulfills you so much. So over the spring I've done a much better job at actually seeing the people I love, and there are still some more folks to spend time with. And speaking of the people I love, they've been multiplying. My cousins keep giving birth! In the area are Lizz and her twin girls (Aubrey and Gabriella), and Lisa and Jeremy and their daughter (Alexis). It's been fun to see family more, and to have all the babies around.
So those are two of the important things in my life: family/friends and work. Of course, above them all is the Lord, who has been with me every step of the way (thank you!) I guess the message of this blog post is that I deeply value my friendships and relationships, and know that I need to continue taking the time to balance work, relationships, and time for myself. So maybe I did have something to blog about...just had to actually sit down and start writing to figure it out. =)
Work
Things are going well at the UW, and over the last few weeks I've been pulling a few late nights but for good reasons. The Information School's annual Capstone and Convocation events occurred within a week of each other. All went smoothly, and one of my favorite parts is being able to pull off such big events while working as a team with the Student Services folks. I spend over 40 hours a week with these people, and thank goodness we not only get along, but we work well together and laugh often. At SAFE we've also been busy, and the company continues to grow. A new receptionist just began a month ago, and its been an adventure getting to know her, figuring out how to best help her learn her job, and supervising her when I only get to see her face-to-face for one to three hours a week (which equates to lots of emails and phone calls). Luckily she's learning quickly and has the desire to grow in the position. Whenever I talk about work at SAFE, it always involves a report on how John is doing. He is doing fantastic - really growing in the company and taking responsibility. The thing I admire about John is his loyalty; he is one of the most dedicated men I've ever met. His commitment to the company is never in doubt, and his desire to do better is always there.
Friends and Family
This past winter I was intensely focused on work and found myself not spending as much time with the folks with whom I care deeply about. It's not to say that I was being antisocial - I spent time with John and with my work colleagues and a couple of specific friends - but there are a ton of friends that I was missing spending time with. Then a couple of things happened that made me really think about what friendship is, and the time I devote to my relationships. One was having a two hour conversation with someone I hadn't talked to for years, with the subject of that conversation being forgiveness. Another was realizing the conditions of another relationship. And another was coming to terms that updating/reading Facebook does not equate to having a social life. Now, don't get me wrong, I still adore Facebook and visit it on a daily basis, and love that it helps me stay updated with people, but there is a difference in a Facebook "friendship" and real friends. You know, the kind of friends you hang out with face-to-face, or talk with on the phone, or see at events and parties. Let's face it, a friendship built on Facebook only fulfills you so much. So over the spring I've done a much better job at actually seeing the people I love, and there are still some more folks to spend time with. And speaking of the people I love, they've been multiplying. My cousins keep giving birth! In the area are Lizz and her twin girls (Aubrey and Gabriella), and Lisa and Jeremy and their daughter (Alexis). It's been fun to see family more, and to have all the babies around.
So those are two of the important things in my life: family/friends and work. Of course, above them all is the Lord, who has been with me every step of the way (thank you!) I guess the message of this blog post is that I deeply value my friendships and relationships, and know that I need to continue taking the time to balance work, relationships, and time for myself. So maybe I did have something to blog about...just had to actually sit down and start writing to figure it out. =)
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