Venturing Forth

Novice Housewifery: Keeping things Alive

2011-09-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

I've always had a love of nature...plants, mountains, whatever. I don't know if it's my feminine need to care for other living things, or my somewhat-hippie mother who taught me the values of recycling and gardening (love you mom!), or my years in the girl scouts. Unfortunately, whatever its source, my love of living things has not translated into the ability to keep them alive. (Aside: this does not apply to Jack and Dan, they are both still alive and healthy) Nearly all of my attempts at keeping house plants or container gardening have ended in dry shriveled leaves that mark yet another failure.

But my new residence has a yard, and therefore a chance to actually grow things in the ground...hopefully. A few weeks ago, walking through our previously neglected an unkept yard to take out the trash, Daniel and I spotted this:

Yes! We have grapevines in our backyard! I always imagined them as a sort of delicate plant, but these vines seem to be doing okay, or at least are still bearing fruit, in spite of being very tangled and overgrown.

So I'm thinking maybe this is my chance. I can try to cultivate a plant that someone else has already established and seems to be doing alright on its own. In addition to the delicious fruit, these vines also have horrible snarly sections that would make you think you just walked into a Tim Burton movie. So I spent the afternoon today trimming off dead fruitless branches and reading up about grapevines. Let's see how this goes!

Home Sweet Home, Vol. 2

2011-08-27T18:24:00.000-07:00

Surprised to see me? I know, life has been pretty crazy lately, and I'm finally getting caught up on life, and now the blog. Anyway, after a year of living in Denver, we've had the time to find a home more suited to our needs. So, for all our friends and family outside of Colorado, here's a peek into our new place. I don't have a very steady hand, so it's not the best, but enjoy!

Travels: Kim's Wedding

2011-03-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I traveled to Virginia for Kim's wedding.

I have never seen her more happy in the entirety of our friendship.

And after being with Michael for, what was it, 6 years? It was the most long awaited wedding I have ever been to. I believe Kim knew this day was in her future for most of those six years.

And so I have also never been to another wedding where I was so happy for the couple or so positive they were meant to be!

Kim and Michael, congratulations! I know you will continue to love and care for each other more and more for the rest of your days, and I am so glad you found each other! (Enjoy the hike!)

Also during my trip, I had the blessings of being able to see my wonderful friends Megan, Skye, and Robby, who I had not seen since the week of my own wedding; enjoying a belated Christmas dinner with my parents; and visiting with the in-laws and their new beagle, Maxwell Smart.

Novice Housewifery: Not Living in Filth

2011-03-07T20:41:00.000-08:00

I belong to the generation of TMI. With the introduction of twitter, I can know, at the click of a button, when all my loved ones are getting coffee, watching their favorite tv show, or popping a zit. And while sometimes these things just seem unnecessary, there is a beauty in it. We're a generation that shares our lives with each other. Sometimes what seems like TMI is also letting each other know that we don't have it all together. Every once in a while social media gives us a chance to pull down the facade of perfection and learn that you're not the only one struggling with exercise goals, or career direction, or loneliness, or depression. So, TMI generation, I dedicate this blog post to you. I have decided to air my dirty laundry. Literally.

A funny thing happens when you go from living alone to living with another person. You suddenly have twice as many dirty dishes, twice as much laundry, and everything just seems to get dirty twice as fast. But wait, don't you also have another person with whom to share the burden of this labor? Of course! What a blessing! Except for one thing, neither Daniel nor I were very good at keeping our apartments clean before we got married. So the struggle continues.

Why do I get the funny feeling I'm actually supposed to use all this stuff?

Ask my mom, I've never been a very neat and tidy person. Sometimes it just seems physically impossible to keep the apartment clean! So I'm starting a new plan. I've made a list of the chores that should be done about once a week and those that should be done daily, we'll see how long this lasts.

Weekly To Do List:

I know I'm being a little ambitious here, considering our normal habits. (Insert quote about the moon, stars, and projectiles)

-clean bathrooms

-dust/vacuum

-laundry (just a load or two)

-manage budget/pay bills

-more of whatever needs to be done the most

That's five things, leaving me two days a week off, plus my wild card day to make up for which ever other day I slacked on during the week.

Then there's the Daily List:

-wash dishes

-scoop kitty litter

-pick up Dan's trail of soda cans

So today was day one of this plan. I have a (kind of) spotless kitchen, cleaned one bathroom, and picked up all the soda cans. I've decided to judge how this is working, not by whether or not I stick to this list perfectly, but if, using this as a guideline, the apartment is generally cleaner than it was before. And, with Dan's help, (he's not allergic to laundry and does most of the cooking) I think this just might work. I'll keep you posted.

While living in Findlay, I picked up a 1968 book about housekeeping at an antique store. It features helpful chapters such as, "How to Make a House Smell Good."

So there you have have it. I live in a mess for weeks at a time. The sink is usually full of dishes. We often have more dirty clothes than clean. And I don't care who knows it! Here's to you, my generation of twitter followers, may you never feel alone in your struggles!

Local Ventures: Red Rocks!

2011-03-05T22:00:00.000-08:00

It's so wonderful to live someplace where you can be in the middle of the city or in the Rocky Mountains in just 30 minutes! A couple weekends ago the weather was just beautiful, so we went hiking at Red Rocks, in spite of the snow and ice still on the ground. (We found a snowman along the trail) It was a perfect day spent on the Red Rocks and Dakota Ridge trails. Enjoy the view!

Save Americorps

2011-02-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that proposes major budget cuts. Obviously this needs to be done. None of us are in the dark about our country's huge deficit. But some of the proposed changes are a little concerning. This bill proposes to completely eliminate the AmeriCorps program. I've double checked this with multiple sources. I can completely understand decreasing the funding for the program, especially since it tripled in size last year, but to completely halt funding seems extreme and detrimental.

Founded by John F. Kennedy, the Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA) program, now a division of AmeriCorps, has been around since 1965. It serves it's participants by providing valuable job experience and training. It serves non-profits all over the country by providing added support to increase the capacity to serve. And of course it serves the underprivileged by enabling VISTA members to dedicate an entire summer or year or more to serve their communities full time. This is clearly a valuable program for our country. Decrease it, but don't eliminate it! I've added the widget for the petition to the right. I'm also suggesting contacting your Senators on the topic, since the bill is currently in the Senate for review. I'm not usually one to take political action, besides being an informed voter, but this is a topic that hits home personally for me and one that I feel is very important for our country!

Sharon's Bookshelf: The Fountainhead

2011-02-15T19:27:00.000-08:00

When we were living in Ohio, one of Daniel's roommates abandoned about a dozen boxes of books at the apartment when he moved out. And he didn't come get them...FOR A YEAR! After many failed attempts of trying to meet up with him, not sure he was still in the country, it was finally time to move out and we had to do something with the books. So we picked out the ones we wanted and donated the rest.

One of the books I salvaged from the ordeal was Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. I knew it was a a modern classic, so I decided to hold on to it, even though I had know idea what is about.

I love reading in public places. It's a great conversation starter. Anyone can just say, "What are you reading?" And there's a natural flow into a conversation with a stranger. One of life's joys...or horrors...depending on the stranger.

Sitting at the light rail station, such a conversation began while I was reading this book. A man with a fanny pack delivered said conversation starter. I flipped the cover of the book for him to see. "Oh, you must be smart!" I think as I fumbled through the conversation, I managed to convince him otherwise.

The Fountainhead is not just a book for English students and philosophy majors. When you strip it down to its core purpose, the book uses the story of an architect to communicate the simple but important idea of individualism. Architect Howard Roark lives for himself. He creates as he wants to, not as others want him to. He is not upset when others do not like his ideas because he is not living for their approval. He is living for himself. He does not compromise his designs for anyone. He consistently maintains his creative integrity.

Rand uses the other characters to portray contrasting life philosophies and redefine the ideas of selfishness and selflessness.

Roark describes those who live for others instead of for themselves:

"Yes! And isn't that the root of every despicable action? Not selfishness, but precisely the absence of self. Look at them. The man who cheats and lies, but preserves a respectable front. He knows himself to be dishonest, but others think he's honest and he derives his self respect from that, second-hand...The man whose sole aim is to make money...Personal luxury is a limited endeavor. What they want is ostentation: to show, to stun, to entertain, to impress others. They're second-handers."

I have to admit I struggled with the idea at first. Selfishness as a virtue? Living for yourself not for others? But I think there is some truth in it. I believe it is important to serve and love others, but I also believe it is important to not find your self-worth in others. This is a lesson I have struggled with for much of my life. To not rely on the approval of others to be happy with myself, and to be true to myself and my creativity.

Local Ventures: Longmont and a Tea Factory

2011-02-10T19:32:00.000-08:00

It's cold out. And it's cold in. The heat at my apartment has been non-functional for the past two days. On the up side, when I'm all bundled up I'm really not that cold. On the other hand, doing most things...scooping the kitty litter, doing the dishes, getting a snack...requires I exit my multi-blanket bundle. So for now I will sit and think about getting a warm cup of tea, while looking something like this:

Colorado is awesome. I'm absolutely in love with it, even when my heat's not working. A childhood friend of mine recently decided to join in the wonders of living in Colorado! Kelly recently moved to Ft. Collins, so we decided to meet up in Longmont last weekend. Longmont's not real big but it has a nice downtown area with some good music shops, used books stores, and a donut shop. After some Chinese food, we headed over towards Boulder to the Celestial Seasonings factory.

They give free tours through the factory and endless tea samples! So we sat around before the tour enjoying free tea in the lounge area with tables covered in delightful quotes and walls decorated with original paintings of the different Celestial Seasonings box designs.

So I learned lots about tea and came home with some new blends to try. I'm especially enjoying "Fast Lane", a black tea with cinnamon, nutmeg, and extra caffeine. About two cups keeps me awake for a full day of work.

I've always believed it's very important to enjoy the simple things in life. good friends. good tea. and heated apartments.

Living on a Budget: Eye Care

2011-01-22T19:27:00.000-08:00

Good news! I'm being hired on at the company where I've been working through a temp agency. After AmeriCorps, canvassing, and temping, I'm very ready to finally have a real job. Steady paycheck, health, vision, dental...I'm excited. But, like I said, this is a new situation for me. My first several months here in Denver were spent without real health insurance. It had been well over a year since my last eye exam...street signs were getting harder to read...headaches were becoming more frequent. Enter Envision Colorado.

Envision Colorado is a Denver non-profit organization providing eye care for Coloradans without vision insurance making less than $42,500 annually. Got an eye exam and walked out with a new prescription for only $40. Then there is the matter of new glasses.

Do you know about Zenni Optical? If you wear glasses, you should. On this website the cheapest glasses are only $8. Of course, you can add the extras for a little more, scratch resistant coating, tinting, etc. In the end, I ended up with a great new pair of glasses plus a pair of prescription sunglasses for only $50, and all without insurance!

My year with AmeriCorps taught me you can get by with very little if you know the right resources. Here's to frugal living!

An Orchestral Evening

2010-12-18T10:35:00.000-08:00

My normal work hours go until 8pm, which has made it nearly impossible for me to see most of Daniel's performances since we moved here. Yesterday evening, however, was the office Christmas party: Casino Night! So after eating some free food and playing a little roulette and blackjack, I headed out to the concert.

As I sat, waiting for the concert to start, a fashionably dressed young woman sat down next to me. Having been to enough orchestra concerts, I've learned that if someone is alone, they probably either know one of the performers or need recital credits. So I asked if she knew one of the performers. "Yes," she said, in an accent from where I'm still not quite sure. Something European. "Oh, who?" I asked. "Robert." Not knowing any of the other performers I just nodded and went back to reading the program. "Do you know someone?" she asked. I grinned and said, "Yes! My husband's the one back there playing the triangle!" We both looked to see Dan very focused on the triangle excerpt he was practicing. A little bit later, so as not to be so obvious, I searched the list of performers for a Robert and found none, so assumed he must have been missing from the list. Later, looking through the rest of the program I found the soloist bio for the vocalist that night, who happened to be named Robert.

The concert opened with Respighi's Trittico Botticelliano, it's three movements based on three Botticelli paintings, La Primavera, The Adoration of the Magi, and The Birth of Venus. Next was Vaughn William's Fantasia on Greensleeves, and then Robert made his appearance with excerpts from the Messiah. Robert looked very musician-y with a short ponytail and had an amazing baritone voice. I was pleased to see he came back after intermission.

The second half of the concert was dedicated to Christmas carols and pop tunes, many of which featured Robert again. He lead a sing along section and then recited "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" to the orchestra's musical backdrop. Once Robert retired from the stage, the conductor announced to the audience that he was tired and needed a stand in conductor. During intermission he had briefed three previously chosen "young musicians" (I'm guessing around age 8 or 9) to move their miniature batons in time to Sleigh Ride. The conductor started the orchestra with a big nod (and subtly nodded a tempo throughout) and the kids took over the conducting. It was ridiculously cute.

After the concert I helped Daniel pack up his drum set and load it into the car, and we came home to fall into some comfy pajamas and watch a Veggie Tales Christmas movie. A wonderful Christmas-y night.

Not a Housewife

2010-11-27T10:28:00.000-08:00

When I first met my grandmother-in-law (a charming and talented lady) she took a quick inventory of my homemaker skills. I think more to discover some common ground to discuss, rather than to evaluate my potential as a housewife.

"Do you knit?"

"No."

"Do you crochet?"

"No."

"Do you cook?"

"ummm..."

Luckily, my taste or distaste for these sort of activities has not kept Nana and me from becoming close, even if we cannot bond over textile crafts.

In any case, I have nothing against those who have a passion for housewifey things, I just have never been one of them. My solution: marry a musician who loves to cook. We live out our quirky, starving artist lifestyle, but we still eat well!

Thanksgiving, while I cleaned up the apartment, Daniel cooked an amazing dinner. Turkey fillets wrapped in bacon, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, biscuits, stuffing, and broccoli. I prepared the cranberry sauce. (Opened the can and put it on a dish, carefully trying to keep the can shape.)

What comes after Thanksgiving dinner (and loosening your belt and watching a movie) of course is the Christmas decorating. My lack of Martha Stuart type skills does not seem to hinder me here either. It really is quite simple to deck the halls with strands of fake holly.

I didn't make Dan do all the work, I was just the only one taking pictures. Of course, he did declare it the man's job to set up the Christmas tree, or as Jack sees it, the giant cone we hang cat toys on.

And a tree full of kitschy ornaments that tell the story of our lives is much better than an elegant tree with a color theme in our home. And the leaning gives it character...besides it's difficult to get a tree to stand straight that you got for free on the side of the road in a tree stand you got at the thrift store. It's going to be a wonderful Christmas!

A Sunday Gallivanting About Denver

2010-11-07T15:24:00.000-08:00

A wonderful Sunday, begun by sleeping in until it was time to wake up, which was, of course, whenever we decided it was time to wake up, but in time to head over to Corbett's Auction House by eleven.

I'd never been to an auction before, or at least never participated in one. It was actually very exciting. We left with a fireplace set and an old trunk that Dan plans to use for drum hardware. Total cost: $15.

Auctioning makes you hungry, either that or it was just noontime, so we headed over to the first Quizno's for lunch. Yummy.

It also happened to be free day at the Denver Zoo and excellent weather, so we followed the signs.

Free day+Excellent weather=Massive crowds. Dan's comments throughout the visit included, "Our kids are learning about animals through books, " "We're never having kids," and "Our kids will always be on leashes." Clearly we're not ready for children yet. But the tigers are! Baby tigers! Awwwww....

After making a relatively quick exit from the zoo, we wound down with a visit to Capitol Hill Books and some pumpkin almond ice cream at Bonnie Brae's.

And a root beer float for me!

We finished out the day by visiting another local church, Trailhead, which I'm actually really excited about. It's the first church we've visited that I've really loved. I foresee a blog post about Trailhead in my future....

New Home in Denver: Video Tour

2010-10-04T20:09:00.000-07:00

What about the wedding?

2010-09-12T18:45:00.000-07:00

Part of me feels like I should blog about the wedding, but why be redundant?

You can track the whole wedding saga from Megan's blog,

See the pictures our guests uploaded here,

And catch Megan's photos at her flickr site.

(Megan's very good at documenting life events)

If it's my personal take on the wedding you want, here it is. It was the perfect day. Everything went even better than I expected. I saw most of the people I love most in this world. And I married the love of my life. Oh, and it was really fun...the pictures will speak to that!

Be kind to canvassers.

2010-09-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

So I promised an entry about my new job. I am currently a canvasser for the Rape Assistance and Awareness Program in Denver, CO. What does that mean? I go from door to door, in a different neighborhood every evening, sharing information about our programs, raising awareness about the issue, recruiting volunteers, and raising funds.

I have so much respect for the people who have been doing this job for so long. It's not easy to say the least. People will slam the door in your face. They will tell you what you're doing isn't making a difference. They will blame the victims. They will be patronizing and downright rude. Mosquitoes bite you. Dogs growl at you. Sprinklers turn on strategically as you pass them...

But then there are fantastic people too in every neighborhood. People who thank you for what you do, who offer you a glass of water, who let you use their bathroom, who have great conversations with you.

While canvassers are yelled at and chased off some properties, they are also there when people need them. They are there when someone says, "My niece/daughter/sister/friend was just raped," when someone says, "How can I help?" They catch people at whatever point in life they may be in, whether that's, "We're right in the middle of dinner," or "I just lost my oldest son...and I'm not really sure who I am right now."

If someone comes to your door for a good cause, even if you're eating dinner, please be nice to them. They are doing a hard thing. I can tell you, it's not worth it to do this job to sell vacuum cleaners, but it's worth it for this cause. And there's often things to make you laugh along the way:

We're here!

2010-09-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

Is it finally time for an update from Colorado? I think yes.

Just over a month into marriage, and I think I'm finally catching my breath. Here's the rundown of our adventure out here:

-July 31st: Got married!

-August 1st-3rd: Mini-honeymoon at the Dinsmore House. (Thanks to the Barlowes and Candace for making this happen!)

-August 4th-7th: Relocated all our possessions to Denver, CO. Dan, Jack (my cat), and I rode in the cab of the moving truck, towing the car behind. An adventure in itself.

-August 9th: Started work at RAAP.

(chaos, getting settled, working, dealing with the lovely post office and DMV)

-September 5th: Regain sanity. Life is good.

We are now pretty much unpacked and acclimated to our new home. There will be pictures to share soon...as soon as I can find that USB cord...

I'm thinking I will share a bit about my job in the next post. It's been a little intense. Actually, I have a feeling there will be many stories to share in the future about this job. But for now, I will retire, to read and relax. Dan is arranging some music on his computer. Jack is reminding me it's way past his dinner time. A typical evening at our new home in Denver.

What do you do when you're facing life changes and just need a break?

2010-07-09T10:28:00.000-07:00

Go to Canada. Everyone needs a friend like Trish Barlowe. Someone you call to say, "Wanna hang out this weekend?" and they respond, "Ok, yeah, how 'bout Canada?"

Trish and I will both soon be moving out of Ohio and may never live this close to Canada again. So we went to Niagara Falls and then went into Canada and felt like idiots asking the folks at Tim Horton's if they take US Dollars. It was a much needed break.

It's my last couple weeks in Ohio, and I'm busy planning stuff for the move and the wedding. Luckily, I have the help of Dan and my mom. How am I doing? As I told the ladies at Bible study, "I'm crying a lot less." It was pretty hard for a couple weeks. I have a way of stressing myself out, but things are falling into place. My pendulum of emotions is moving back from stressed towards excited. 22 days until I'm Mrs. Kent.

Hallelujah Saints

2010-06-20T16:12:00.000-07:00

I've been meditating a bit lately on the role music is playing in my life, now that I'm no longer a music student and music has not become my career, at least for now. For years whenever I played my flute on my own it was in preparation for something. A recital, a lesson, an audition. But now I have none of those things. In a way I have felt free and in a way sort of empty. I'm not a slave to the practice room anymore, but I'm also lacking the joy I once got from making music. I finally have convinced myself that it is okay to play music just for myself. Not practicing, just playing for enjoyment. The other day I got out my book of Handel sonatas, the first "real" repertoire I remember working on, and some of the music that really made me fall in love with the flute. And I just played. Of course, I couldn't help but go over certain troublesome passages over and over. But for the most part I just played through and enjoyed the pieces.

When I first moved to Ohio I searched for a community group to play with. The only one that was taking new members? The Hallelujah Saints Band of Elida, Ohio! It took some time for me to adjust to this group. We didn't tear apart pieces in rehearsal, looking at all the elements of blending and dynamics and such. We just played through the pieces. Now, mind you, I would never run a rehearsal this way, but I think it taught me a bit about the reason for music. This group wasn't the greatest, or the second greatest, or...well...you know. But the people in this group LOVE making music, and the nursing homes we played for seemed to really appreciate it.

And yes, sometimes they wear chicken hats.

I'm trying to embrace this concept. Not that I'll stop practicing. But I want to do more plain old playing. I think this is something our country as a whole ought to re-embrace. Daniel Levitin in his book This is Your Brain on Music writes, "A couple generations ago, before television, many families would sit around and play music together for entertainment. Nowadays there is a great emphasis on technique and skill, and whether a musician is 'good enough' to play for others Music making has become a somewhat reserved activity in our culture, and the rest of us listen."

So, you know that piano in your house that nobody plays? That guitar collecting dust that you bought once thinking you could be the next John Mayer? Go play it! It doesn't matter if sound no better than a fifth grader trying to find the right end to blow into a clarinet. Music is powerful and should be a part of everyone's life, and you don't have to just listen.

Saving a Starfish

2010-06-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

The new adventure of life in Denver is slowly revealing itself. I now have a job lined up. I feel a bit awkward when I tell people about it because it seems like a job that most people would hate to do. When I told one woman in my life about it, she first responded with a look that could be described as nausea or terror or maybe both. It involves going door to door, but I'm actually rather excited about it. I'm not selling anything, and it's for a very important cause. I'll be canvassing neighborhoods in the greater Denver area for the Rape Assistance and Awareness Program, the only rape crisis center in the area, sharing information about the services offered by the organization, recruiting volunteers, and gathering donations. While in Denver, I had the chance to go out with a canvassing team one evening to see what it was like.

For the most part we were well received. There was a man who thought we were crazy for canvassing during American Idol, but aside from insisting he could not talk with us, he was very pleasant. One of my concerns about the job was just the question of how much this actually makes a difference. Surely, the organization would not pay canvassers to work everyday if it was not effective, but I wanted more evidence. This concern was eased when the canvassing director explained that the crisis hotline recently had an influx of calls from Parker, a nearby city and, not-so-coincidentally, an area they had recently canvassed. My questions of the importance of this job were completely put to rest that night with a single door we knocked on. We talked with a very nice gentleman, who let us step inside from the rain. He's been having a tough time lately because his wife left. Turns out, she was going through an emotional crisis because of sexual abuse earlier in her life. This man was so grateful to hear about RAAP, hoping to help his wife find counseling the next time he sees her.

I thought more and more about the job. I thought about how futile it can feel working in social service organizations because you know that whatever you do, poverty will always be there, violence will never end. Why bother? I talked recently with a VISTA friend about this very feeling. She shared my sentiments, but we remembered the story of the man with the starfish and were encouraged. It's a pretty popular story, you've probably heard it before, but in case you haven't I'll repeat it here.

A man was standing on a beach covered with starfish as far as he could see. He picked up a starfish and hurled it into the ocean. Then another. Then another. He was still throwing starfish into the ocean when another man walked by. The second man asked him, "Why do you bother to throw the starfish back? Look how many there are! There's no way you can make a difference in this mess." The first man thought for a second and threw another starfish into the ocean and said, "It mattered for that one."

Now, if you're like I was the first time I read that, you're scratching head thinking about how you've heard that if a starfish is washed up on shore, then it's probably sick or something and not going to live anyway. So you side with the cynical man. Ok, now imagine that this is a world where all parables make sense and throwing the starfish back in the ocean actually saves its life. You with me now? Awesome. So I'll take this job, enjoy not waking up early, begin to network in the Denver nonprofit sector, and if I just help a few people, it won't be fruitless.

You drove?!?

2010-06-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

That's what people in Colorado would say to us when they found out how we decided to get to Denver. It wasn't that bad, really. 20 hours in the car goes pretty quickly when you have a book on tape or two. Plus, there's all the exciting events along the way.

Daniel was pretty disappointed at one point when he realized how far we were from Nebraska. "But we're in Iowa!" I told him, "We've never been in Iowa before! This is exciting!" Dan looked from side to side disapprovingly at crop fields that didn't look particularly different from those of Illinois, Indiana, or Ohio.

When we got to Nebraska though, I decided we needed to do something Nebraska-y, and it was about time to stretch our legs too, so we walked around the campus the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. This wasn't as exciting as I had hoped, but there were some pretty cool statues.

Denver was wonderful! I knew we were going to love it even as were approaching the city, seeing the city skyline and the Rocky Mountains at the same time. We had a week full of job and apartment hunting, but that's the less exciting part, so I'll save that for another post. We stayed with my high school friend, Kim, who seemed to be a big advocate for us moving to Denver. She made a point of taking us up to the mountains to do some hiking, which was, I think, the best part of the trip.

I mean, look at this, don't you want to move here too?

Here's me, Kim, and Dan's fingers at a sweet lookout point. It is one of my life goals to learn how to really rock a hat. Am I succeeding yet? I didn't think so.

Little things kept popping up to show us how perfect Denver is for us. The city is low-key. There's local and organic food everywhere. Everyone tries to be eco-friendly. There's even Sinclair gas stations, with real Sinclair dinos!

We're definitely moving to Denver! Now we just need to work out the details.

Goodbye Tax Season

2010-04-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

Today, for VISTAs all over the state of Ohio, was one of the happiest days of the year. The day after TAX DAY! As you may or may not know, a significant part of the project I'm working on is providing free tax filing for Ohioans with an adjusted gross income of $57,000 or less. While this is an exciting feature, it also means that this is the busiest time of the year for us. Many VISTAs have loyally sacrificed free time, weekends, normal eating and sleeping habits...well, yeah, we were busy. But today we all took a big sigh of relief after a successful tax season.

When I first started with this program, I didn't completely understand why our services included tax filing. Then I learned about refund anticipation loans. Advertised as rapid refunds, these mini-loans are a way for someone else to skim a good portion off your refund. If a person wants their refund right away or before the IRS even begins to accept returns for the year, they get what they might think is their refund, but is actually a loan in the estimated amount of their refund, significantly reduced by extra fees and interest charges. Unfortunately, the people most attracted to the idea of getting their refunds right away, are those that really need their full refunds. That's where we come in, to offer a free alternative to those that are already struggling financially. It's been a good season, we did a lot, but I believe we will all agree we're glad it's over. Tomorrow morning I intend to sleep in, relishing in the fact that there will not be a tax clinic going on.

Invites

2010-03-30T17:07:00.001-07:00

I know I got your hopes up on a post about romance novels. Well, I was pretty tired when I wrote that, and my idea seemed way less interesting in the morning. I had found a wide variety things in the books. Mostly coupons and bus tickets and stuff. There was a short newspaper clipping about a felony hearing for a drug dealer a few doors down from the house where I got the books, but that was really the only interesting one...

Anyway, seeing as how that story was far less interesting than anticipated, we must move on to a much more pertinent topic. Wedding invitations. My belle-mère-to-be sent me samples of some things she's been working on. I'm pretty sure I've decided what I like, but second, third, or fourth opinions don't hurt. So what do you think? The picture's not very good, so you might have to use your imagination a little. I'm thinking something very close to this:

So, you like? I promise it looks better in real life. Really should work on my photography skills.

My Ticker's Fixed

2010-03-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

A week ago today I had my cardiac ablation! It wasn't the most pleasant thing I've ever been through, but it certainly could have been worse. It wasn't very long, and the second half of the procedure was a breeze, since I was mostly knocked out for it. Recovery has been pretty easy, no driving for a couple days, no heavy lifting. I don't particularly love driving or heavy lifting, so this has worked out pretty well for me. I think I should be feeling back to normal soon; my soreness from my incisions is slowly fading.

And everyone likes to have their picture taken when they're in the hospital! Especially when your friend kindly posts it on facebook for you. It's okay, she at least let me fix my hair before she took the picture.

Coming soon...my adventures in listing romance novels online

Books Online

2010-03-08T17:39:00.000-08:00

Baby steps. Plans for the future are never certain. I can't tell you what I'll be doing or where I'll be living this time next year, but there is something to be said for having dreams too. So we're taking the first steps in working towards opening this bookstore.

We're taking business classes now one evening a week, reading up on different aspects of running a small business, and beginning to collect our inventory. We've gathered a bit of a collection already, so we've decided to begin selling, even before officially opening our business!

So far we've acquired small collections of children's, nutrition, sci-fi, and romance books. It's too bad we can't offer the atmosphere of a used book store yet, but you can pour yourself a cup of coffee, put on some jazz tunes, and browse our virtual store right now!

VISTA disclaimer: You know that rule about how I can't have another job while I'm a VISTA? Okay, just to ease your mind, because I KNOW you were worried, any profits we make off of this are going to Daniel to save up for our start-up costs. So, you can breathe easy now, I'm following the rules.

Happy reading!

Springtime

2010-02-22T16:11:00.000-08:00

I know, it's not spring yet. It doesn't even look or feel like spring outside. But I can't help it. Baby animals and Catholics always make me think of spring.

Sarah Grace and I have become fast friends since I moved to Ohio. Her life fascinates me. While she has a city mentality and has spent time living in Chicago, she currently lives on her parents' farm. She's taught me all kinds of farm things. I can now identify combines and gravity beds, though not nearly as well as her two year old daughter can. Not having a lot of experience with farms, getting to hang out with a baby goat was pretty exciting.

Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me, so my cell phone had to do. And yes, that goat is wearing a diaper with a little hole cut for the tail.

And then there's the Catholics. Growing up mostly in Presbyterian churches, I was never exposed to very much teaching on Lent. Yesterday I was inspired to consider Lent a little more thoroughly, so I started reading a little on the internet. The meaning behind it is wonderful. Gritty yet beautiful. Representing the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert, it's a time for repentance and reflection. With all the things going on right now, working overtime every week, an uncertain future, an upcoming heart procedure, it certainly seems a good time for refocusing on my faith. Keeping true to my Greek and Ukrainian roots, I also looked into the Eastern Orthodox Lenten traditions. For the Orthodox church the first week of Great Lent, as they call it, is Clean Week. A week of cleansing for the soul through repentance and asking forgiveness from those you have wronged. Part of the tradition of this week is actually a "spring cleaning", making the home clean, to be in sync with the spiritual cleaning. And taking a look at the amount of dirty dishes in my kitchen...I'm in need of some Lent.

An update on my cardiac situation.

2010-02-06T12:43:00.000-08:00

January 26, 2010, my 24th birthday, I decided to take a sick day. Firstly, because no one should have to work on their birthday. And secondly, because I had my cardiologist appointment that day. The doctor started by showing me the difference between my EKG when my heart was beating normally and when it was palpitating. He told me there was probably an extra electrical circuit in my heart that sometimes causes it's normal rhythm to get out of sync. At least that's the general idea I got as a person with no medical knowledge besides knowing how stressful nursing school is. I went to visit that successful nursing graduate, Trish, in Cleveland and get a second opinion from an Electro Physiologist. Luckily, he said the same thing, so I don't have to worry about looking for a third opinion or take a leap of faith with one doctor.

Turns out there's a procedure to fix just such a thing. Ready? It's really fun sounding. They'll go through both my legs with catheters that will go up to my heart, find that pesky extra circuit, and ZAP! it's gone. Haha. Yeah. I can't wait. On the bright side, the doctor at the Cleveland Clinic's been doing this for twenty years, and he says the Clinic does something like 1,200 of these procedures a year. So I've decided I definitely want to get it done there, even if it means paying a lot out of pocket. My "pocket" isn't exactly bursting at the seems as an AmeriCorps member, but for something as important as my heart, I'll do whatever is required of said pocket. I also got to talk with Kim, who had the same procedure, and after hearing how easy she said it was, I was encouraged.

I'm currently scheduled to have one of these lovely procedures in March, but I am still working with a financial counselor to see how this will all work out with my insurance.

And now I think is a good time for some pictures of Jack in the snow.

And I keep going

2010-01-22T16:28:00.000-08:00

Venturing Forth. I've committed a year of service to the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks. Then I'm getting married. (I guess I need to be working on that...) But then what? That is the question. I've thought about teaching. I love teaching, but I never felt like I definitely wanted to be a classroom teacher. What am I to do? Well, a new option has showed its face on the horizon. Are you ready?

Dan and I are very seriously looking into what it would take to open a used book store. I know. I know what you're thinking. But Sharon, you don't read! I do to! Not very much, and I do take an awfully long time to finish a book, but I do love used book stores! And what better way to encourage me to read more?

See that book? I'm reading it! And another book too. I'm reading two books right now, so there.

Anyway, it started one day at Dan's apartment when we were talking about the boxes...about a dozen?...full of books that his ex-roommate left. What if he never takes them back? There's a few textbooks that it might be profitable to sell on half.com. "Wouldn't it be great to own a used book store," I said, "then whenever you wanted a new book to read, you could just take one from your store and sell it when you're finished." I didn't think much of that statement.

But this thought sat and cultivated itself in Dan's brain. He suggested actually doing it. Going for it. Opening a used book store. At first I was very reluctant. Starting a business is hard, especially in this economy. I always assumed starting my own business was something I could never do. I don't have the initiative to do something like that. But Dan continued to talk about it as a very real possibility. I've slowly come to see it as a possibility too.

I know it will be hard. We will have to get a loan. We have to work long hours to get started. We will have to do physical labor to build the shelves (or at least Dan will...) We need a business plan. We will need insurance. We will have to register our business. And so forth. But people do it! It must be possible because people do it.

We're both living in poverty right now, so we know how to get by on little until we're established. We're willing to work hard. We're going to take business classes. We're going to start saving. This might just happen.

And when it does, we will have the kind of lifestyle we want more than anything else. I won't have to get up at 6am everyday, for one. Someone told me recently, when you're deciding what kind of job to look for, think about what you want to wear to work. I am ready to make some pretty big sacrifices if it means I can wear jeans or pretty much whatever I want everyday.

This is very exciting, and a little scary. I will be sure to keep you up to date as things progress.

Here's to seizing the day!

It's been awhile.

2010-01-01T17:15:00.000-08:00

I'm obviously very overdue for a blog entry. Life has been busy with the holidays and such. I was really blessed this year, with some really great times with friends and family, but that's not as epic or interesting to write about as what happened two days ago.

As you may know, I have experienced heart palpitations since high school. In high school, sometimes brought on by stress or exercise, and sometimes for no apparent reason, I would have episodes of a racing heart beat. It's happened less often since then, maybe once a year, and only lasting about five minutes. On the Eve of New Year's Eve I had another palpitation, and for some reason it felt more troubling than usual. After fifteen minutes, when my heartbeat still hadn't gone back to normal, I suggested to Daniel that maybe I should go to urgent care to see if they can catch it on an EKG, which has never happened for me.

So we drive over towards the hospital. If you've ever lived in a medium sized town like Findlay or Lynchburg, you know that all the medical stuff tends to be in the same section of road, so I figured that if we drove over there we were bound to see something that said urgent care. Of course we did not. I got Dan to drop me off by the emergency room so I could run in and ask. They looked a little confused when I asked for an urgent care facility. I said, "I don't think this is necessarily an emergency, I'm having a heart palpitation that won't stop." The nurse standing by the desk looked at me and said, "That's an emergency."

They wheeled me back to a bed and before I knew it there were five people (who I later found out to be three nurses, a doctor, and a paramedic) around me and countless EKG cords being stuck to my body. The doctor looked at the EKG and told me, "well, we know you're not faking it. We can see it right there." This was actually a relief for me, for some reason I always fear that doctors think I'm making a bigger deal about things than I ought to. The doctor directed all the, as he called them "old fashioned" methods of trying to bring my heart rate down, ice on my face, massaging my arteries, etc. None of these seemed to work. Here's where it gets good.

Dr.: We're going to give you a medicine to help bring your heart rate down. Now, a lot of people don't like how this medicine makes them feel.

My thoughts to myself: Well, I think I can handle that, this is starting to get kind of scary.

Dr.: Most people feel a lot of nausea with this medicine.

MTTM: Ugh, that sucks.

Dr.: And some people actually...vomit.

MTTM: Oh gross, I'm lying on my back, that won't be pleasant.

Dr.: The medicine will actually make your heart pause, and then when it starts again, hopefully it will be back to a normal rate.

MTTM: HOLY CRAP. WHAT THE HELL?

Daniel's thoughts, revealed later that day: That sounds like something that could go horribly wrong.

Me: That sounds really scary.

Dr.: OK, well let's go ahead and try it.

Luckily, I didn't feel any nausea or vomit, but it certainly wasn't a good feeling. It felt, well, it felt like my heart stopped. It felt like for a moment there wasn't oxygen getting to any of the places it needed to go in my body. I started to freak out a little, started breathing really fast, and the feeling eased. The doctor looked at the EKG and said my heart rate was still a little high, but probably only because of the stress of what just happened. He told me to rest a while and see if we could get it down to 100 beats per minute. (Daniel said he saw the machine read around 230 before the medicine.)

I got to feeling pretty normal before leaving the hospital that day, and other than some general down-ness I've been feeling lately, I'm doing pretty well. I do have a cardiologist appointment in a few weeks. We'll see what he has to say. I feel like I need my heart fixed in a couple ways though...

I don't know if it's the stress of the holidays, wedding planning, and keeping up with the day to day stuff of life...maybe the shortened days of winter...or maybe feeling a little out of touch with my faith lately...but I've just kind of felt in a funk for a while, just a general lingering sadness that sometimes fades in the distractions of life, and sometimes erupts into full-on depression for no apparent reason. But I know this will pass, as phases like this always do.

In a small attempt to get more in touch with God this morning, I read the first entry in a devotional book my mom gave me a few Christmases ago.

"...Paul was determined that nothing would stop him from doing exactly what God wanted. But before we choose to follow God's will, a crisis must develop in our lives. This happens because we tend to be unresponsive to God's gentler nudges. He brings us to the place where He asks us to be our utmost for Him and we begin to debate. He then providentially produces a crisis where we have to decide-for or against. That moment becomes a great crossroads in our lives. If a crisis has come to you on any front, surrender your will to Jesus absolutely and irrevocably."

Did this really just happen?

2009-11-20T17:16:00.000-08:00

It happened.

I recreated the scene for posterity.

It was hard to get a good picture of the ring, but nevertheless....I'm ENGAGED!!!

To this guy!

Decorating on a VISTA paycheck tip #87

2009-10-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

Some may call it gift wrap...I call it wallpaper.

I had been having trouble really enjoying my apartment. It needed color. When you're working with a VISTA living stipend, there's not a lot of room in the budget for decorating, but a couple rolls of gift wrap, that's do-able.

Ta-da!

Fairy Doors!

2009-10-09T18:34:00.001-07:00

I would like to announce to the world that I have a new obsession, and it's called fairy doors. I first noticed them when I was in Ann Arbor with Trish, fairy size doors that you just might spot in shops or restaurants around the city. I stumbled across them again on the internet today, and they are just DELIGHTFUL! When I look at them I get that childlike sense of wonder back for a moment, and I can let myself believe that there really are little fairies dwelling behind these little doors.

Along with obsession comes a new goal, to host a fairy dwelling in my own home...

Update from Ohio

2009-10-06T17:48:00.001-07:00

Ok, so my computer's been broken/being repaired for a long while now, but we're back! And it's time to let you know how the Ohio chapter of my life is going...

I had a "You know you're in the Midwest when..." moment the other day. I was driving along the highway (I-75 and I spend a lot of time together these days) and I saw this up ahead:

Hmm... That's strange looking. Are those...?

Yes... Those are enormous cows. This is so weird. Who needs enormous cows?

I guess Reiter Dairy needs enormous cows...who knew? So, yes, I definitely live in Ohio.

In other news,

I taught Sunday School a couple weeks ago. My lesson involved one of the kids dressing up like a pirate. It was awkward but entertaining.
Working 9-5, coffee is my new best friend.
I'm playing with a community band called "Hallelujah Saints Band", so far we've played at a nursing home and a retirement community. Next Sunday we're playing at a church fall festival.
Dan has a recital in a couple weeks, we're playing Three Days in May (the flute/percussion duet we played for his senior recital) again, hope it goes well.
There's a group of amazing people here in Findlay who have curry together every Tuesday night. Very fun. Not going tonight though, too many other demands on my time, like blogging.

Sorry

2009-10-02T17:04:00.000-07:00

New post soon, I promise, computer's in the repair shop.

Chez Strange

2009-08-20T18:08:00.000-07:00

I met a couple free spirits today. On my way back to Findlay, I stopped in North Baltimore to pick up a bed skirt I have acquired through freecycle, which just happens to match my comforter perfectly. The e-mail I received from Linda said she would leave the bed skirt at the end of the "creepy front stairs" but that I could come ring the doorbell and see their "crazy home" if I like. I was intrigued by the description and thought, at the very least, it would only be polite to thank them for the bed skirt. As soon as I saw the doorbell, which was labeled "doorbell" with a post-it note, I knew I had found some interesting folks. I was quickly identified as the freecycler, welcomed to "Chez Strange," and ushered in by Linda, a kind-looking pop-culture scholar with large glasses and Ron, a happy man with a gottee much like Daniel's only bigger.

They led me to their kitchen where we sat and chatted for a spell while cats were slinking around my legs. Linda told me a little about the art she makes out of recycled materials, I told them a little about AmeriCorps, and Ron told me a little about how he owns a bass (a humble way of saying he plays the bass). Sadly, I can not stay long because I am on my way to meet Shelby at the Lowe's Distribution Center in Findlay for a Family Fun Night. (weird, huh?)

Before I go Linda shows me around their home, the hallways full of mirrors, the "Red Room", which is dedicated to their favorite band, the Red Elvises, Cafe Ron, and Tarzan's Treehouse, a beautiful back porch and chill spot. It was delightful to meet these folks, so hospitable and so free. I hope to see them again.

Sweet Corn Festival

2009-08-18T19:53:00.001-07:00

Two entries ago I wrote about all my travels and beginning to feel at home in Findlay. Well, this past weekend I had another encounter with the concept of home-with Daniel's hometown of Fairborn, Ohio. We decided to go down to visit the weekend of Fairborn's annual Sweet Corn Festival. The festival was great...the best kettle corn I've ever had, some guys playing and selling beautiful Native American flutes, and the jolly looks on old friends' faces when they saw Daniel back in Fairborn (little Daniel, as a few from his old church referred to him). We met up with Dan's good friend Neil and Neil's girlfriend, Jessica, along with my friend Zach who I met through AmeriCorps and is currently living in Fairborn. It was a grand time.

That evening I was introduced to one of Fairborn's local gems: Young's. Young's is a family owned dairy farm wonderland including a large ice cream place (where I got black forest merlot gelato, yum!), a great restaurant in a barn-like building built with no nails, a putt putt course called...udders and putters, or something like that, batting cages, and a driving range.

I'm very grateful for this weekend. Not only was it a wonderful time, but seeing a person in their hometown is kind of like seeing another aspect of who they are...seeing the people and places that influenced them as they grew up...sometimes it explains some things...in attempting a picture of Neil and Jessica, I learned Daniel is not entirely original in is distaste for smiling in photographs...

New VISTA blog links

2009-08-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I mentioned the blog of a fellow VISTA. You went there, right? Good, well, it seems blogging is becoming a common part of the VISTA experience. While mine is more of a personal blog, a collection of anecdotes from my life which will likely often include AmeriCorps related experiences, here are a few more blogs written by VISTAs, more exclusively about VISTA.

My Year In The Trenches...

*active hope

Help Me Fight Poverty!

Great places to learn more about poverty and making a difference from people who are passionate about what they do.

Columbus, Indianapolis, Lima

2009-08-08T15:54:00.000-07:00

For the first time since I moved to Ohio, it feels great to be home. Sometimes I think you need to leave a place before it can really feel like home, and after a week+ in Wisconsin, three days in Columbus, four days in Indianapolis, and a day in Cleveland, it feels great to be lounging on my own recently-yard-sale-purchased couch.

Every trip was worth it though. Wisconsin meant spending time with family and seeing my dad the happiest I've seen him in a long time. (Cause: vintage car races at Elkhart Lake). Columbus meant learning what I'm going to be doing for the next year with the Ohio Benefit Bank and meeting tons of really awesome people who all want to make a difference. (See "Making [Social] Change", the blog of another AmeriCorps*VISTA working with the OBB, link to the right) Indianapolis...now, Indianapolis meant the famous PSO, or Pre-Service Orientation, 160ish VISTAs gathered together to learn what our year of service will bring and have some great discussions about poverty and how to change it.

What makes PSO so famous? Well, for VISTAs it is our week to stay in a swanky hotel and be fed lots of amazing food before going into a year of living on a "living stipend" (i.e. not so much of the swanky hotels and virtually unending amounts of food). Since the hotel was a hotel/conference center, it made for some great people watching. What a great mix of the usual conference center patrons (think business suits and blackberries) and the gaggle of VISTAs (old, young, some thoroughly pierced and tattooed, from all different backgrounds, all buzzing about the fight against poverty). So I sit back with my new AmeriCorps friends and watch the yuppies navigate around the masses of our mismatched bunch.

After our sessions there is some time to explore the city. Did you know Indianapolis has a really pretty canal going through it's downtown? I didn't.

After coming back from Indianapolis seemed like a perfect time to go to Cleveland for a day to hang out with Trish, a much needed familiar face. With everything being new: new apartment, new job, new...state!, it's great to see Trish every once in a while and pretend we're still living in Virginia. We went to Ikea to get Swedish stuff for our new homes. Pictures of the new apartment are coming soon...Trish is officially an RN! I firmly believe you are never too old to put your accomplishments on the refridgerator.

Well, that brings me back to where I started, very glad to be home. This morning Dan and I went down to Lima to take advantage of the farmers' market! The best resource for fresh, local, cheap food. I came home today with 10 red potatoes, 1 quart of green beans, 6 ears of corn, 2 plums, 2 nectarines, 2 peaches, and a huge zuchini all for $7.50. Oh! And I also met this really nice man at Lima's "SquareFair" who was painting Ukranian-style eggs. He gave me a pretty intricate egg ornament for half-off. I'm slowly starting to feel at home in Ohio.

Fresh corn for lunch, just picked this morning.

Swearing In

2009-07-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day at the food bank. The day wasn't particularly exciting, but I did get sworn in. Here's the oath I had to take:

I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

Sound familiar? Yep, that's the same oath taken by congressmen and...you know...the president. I guess they use the same one because Americorps is a federal program. Weird, huh?

Also, there's a Christmas tree in my living room. The new apartment is becoming quite cozy.

Guess Where I was this Weekend...

2009-07-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

I'll give you a hint, it's not Detroit.

I spent a few days in Cleveland-town, driving on their crappy roads, and hangin' with Trish. She just started her job as a nurse on a cardiac step-down floor! And just passed her boards! I am very excited for her, and it was awesome getting to hang out and watch the nation's messiest family on Clean House.

On the homefront, I went to Job and Family Services yesterday to apply for food stamps. :) Americorps encourages us to because we will be living at the poverty level during our year of service, so money will be tight. In addition, since my specific project works to help people apply for food stamps, it's great for me to have the first hand experience. I have an appointment on the 27th to meet with a case worker. I'm sure there will be more to report then.

This Blog is Awesome, Sometimes

2009-07-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

So there's this blog, you may have heard of it. It's called Hey It's Free. It's pretty amazing. There's these guys that go around the internet everyday looking for free offers, then post them on their blog so lazy, poor people like me don't have to do all that work. Not only that, but they usually add their own humorous commentary to the items they post, especially if they are items they themselves are not interested in. For the record, I love this blog! But somedays like today I have to laugh because there could not a be list of things I would be less interested in. Here are the items I read today:

Free NRA Trial Membership

Free Baby Calendar, their take on it: "Upon seeing this free baby calendar offer, I asked myself why a baby would need a calendar. I then was sucked into further futile pondering when I acquiesced that even if a baby needed a calendar to keep track of all his or her important meetings, how would that differ from a regular calendar? Wouldn’t you just say “free calendar” and then hand it to the baby?
It’s times like these I wonder how much lead paint I ate as a kid.

Free Maxim Magazine Subscription

Free Movies For 60+ Year Olds

Goob and Adam, if by some strange chance you are reading this, millions of thanks for finding the free stuff out there and making me laugh about it. You rock.

God was smiling on me today

2009-06-29T14:36:00.001-07:00

You know that feeling when you realize you've done something horribly wrong and irresponsible? You know that hightened feeling of anxiety you have while trying to figure out how to remedy the situation before the dire consequences ensue? Well, then you know how I felt all morning today.

I woke up this morning with a list of productive things to do that were very important. And one of the most important things on that list required that I was in possession of one tiny key. The key to my lockbox. The lockbox that held all the important papers in my life, specifically the title to my car and my social security card, both of which were necessary for today's important task of registering my car in Ohio. So naturally, realizing I didn't know the whereabouts of said key was a less than desirable feeling.

I remembered putting it in a drawer.
I searched all the drawers in my apartment.
I made the horrible realization that I quite possibly could have left the key in a drawer in the other apartment. (the ghetto apartment I spent one night in before moving to my current residence)

Fearing this to be the case I called the landlord of the other apartment, no answer, as is usual for him. After quite a while of milling around my non-ghetto apartment and freaking out, I decided to at least go out and do my other errands that did not require the contents of my lockbox. While I was out, I decided to take a chance and stop by the other apartment and see if the key might possibly still be in the mailbox where I had left it, so I could go in and check the drawers.

Sure enough! The mailbox provided me with not only the key I needed but also a letter from my dear friend Megan, who must have sent it before knowing my new, non-ghetto address. I went in and found not only the key I needed, but also my mp3 player, patiently waiting for me in the kitchen drawer. The day and my sanity were saved. I now have a car registered in Ohio.

Just now

Sitting on my porch, eating blueberry shortcake, hoping the stinging insects stay away from me.

Learning What This Next Year Will Bring

2009-06-26T20:09:00.000-07:00

The past two days I have been shadowing the girl I will be replacing for my year of service with Americorps. Seeing what I will be doing has been so exciting! I think this is going to be a good year.

My first time in a correctional facility

Yesterday Alena (who I'm replacing, she's way awesome by the way) took me to see one of the sites she has trained in our program (the Ohio Benefit Bank). This facility houses convicted criminals, both men and women, for no more than six months. It is not a traditional jail as you would probably picture it with bars and the windows and jumpsuits and such. It is more of a dormitory atmosphere with excellent education programs. This really impressed me. Anyone who comes here without a high school diploma or GED is required to take classes to get his or her GED. As well, anyone with a diploma or GED that does not pass a placement test above a ninth grade level is required to take these classes. The institution seems very well run. They seem really dedicated to prepare their residents for smooth re-entry into society and work closely with their families.

Anyway, what does this have to do with my job? The program I will be using with sites like this provides guidance on public benefits (food stamps, heating assistance, medical care, etc.). This particular site will use it to help the families of those in the facility (especially those that were previously the primary bread-winner) to receive these benefits and set the residents themselves up to receive the benefits once they re-enter the society, since they may have a little trouble getting on their feet, especially in the current job market.

I got to know a little bit about the people in this facility while I was there. Several of them had previously been in prison multiple times. Most of them had families back home that were struggling to pay their bills. Many of them had children for which they were responsible, and the current caretakers of these children often struggle to provide for them. I also learned this facility has an excellent pass rate for the GED, and several of the residents are interested in pursuing some kind of post-secondary education upon release. In this place I saw people in great need, and people passionate to help them. Meeting with the workers here to go over some updates in the program will probably be one of the first things I do once I start my job.

Being Trained as a Counselor

Today I was trained as a counselor for the benefit bank program. A good portion of my job will be doing this kind of training, so it was also an opportunity to note how the training is done. As a counselor, I can now use the program to work with anyone who may qualify for public benefits to apply for those benefits quickly and easily, so if someone walked up to me tomorrow and said they were struggling financially, I could sit down with them and get an application sent out for them to receive the aid they need. Cool stuff.

Just Now

I am sitting on my porch, enjoying the cool air, contemplating what this year will bring, giving up any attempts not to eavesdrop on my neighbors.

My Dad is Awesome

2009-06-10T09:12:00.001-07:00

If you know my dad, you know he is very quiet and reserved, and upon first meeting him you may not see much personality or sense of humor. But...I am here to tell you this is wrong. My dad has a random and hilarious side that makes him a high quality dad. One of his awesome habits is e-mailing random pictures for my personal amusement.

Exhibit A, received this morning:

He also just got Facebook.

Up and Down

2009-05-14T11:55:00.000-07:00

The past couple days have been kind of a roller coaster with my thoughts for the future. Yesterday I found my dream job, an adjunct music professor at a college in Ohio. And the minimum requirement was a bachelor's degree in music. I applied, but I'm not expecting anything.

This morning I woke up to find this e-mail, completely unrelated, but depressing.

Dear Sharon, Thank you for your application for the Washngton Local Schools Bookkeeper/Payroll Secretary position. I regret to inform you that the position has been filled. There were 141 applicants for the position providing a strong field of highly qualified candidates.

141 applicants?!? What am I supposed to do? How can am I going to get a job this way?

With prospects looking bleak. I considered...I have done proabably about a dozen applications, and the only place that seems to want me so far is Americorps. I thought maybe I should not rule this out. I e-mailed the person who contacted me and told her I was still interested. I had resisted responding for a few weeks because I had been focusing on other options. I thought this morning...maybe if they still want me, after I've been avoiding them, maybe it's meant to be.

I came home this afternoon from Jack's vet appointment to find this e-mail...

Sharon, The position is still available.The next step is for me to fill out some paper work and for you to fill out the attached form for the Pre-Service Orientation in Chicago. The dates are July 14-17.

So.........They still want me.........and want to pay for me to go to Chicago........

Maybe this could be a fun adventure for a year.

Update on my Uncertain Future

2009-03-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

Some recent developments on my search for a life outside of Lynchburg.

Rejection from the University of Illinois.
Still no word on an assistantship at Bowling Green.
Turns out there's another interview day at BG during my spring break, so I e-mail to see if I can interview for a couple more assistantships. I probably sound desperate.
I don't want to be a band director even more.
I'm not so sure if I want to go to grad school anymore.
I'm considering Americorps. (this is actually feeling like the best option)

the hardest part...

I need to figure something out by April 3rd, the last day I have to accept or reject a summer job at a fine arts camp. Somehow, in less than a week, I need to know if my unknown future will leave me available from June 22nd to August 23rd.

Summing up my absence

2009-03-24T12:59:00.000-07:00

So I'm a horrible blogger. Here's my life as of now:

Student Teaching

The first half of the semester I was working with an elementary school music teacher. Oh, how I wish I had kept up with blogging at this time. Oh, the stories, like the girl who told her dad she got punched in the face by another student in my class. There was no punching, just a girl who really needs some attention. I'm now working with middle and high school bands, and finding out I don't really want to be a band director because they're usually busy, stressed out people who don't have enough time for their families. Good thing that wasn't my career goal to begin with. It's been a good experience though, and I'm learning a lot about teaching, which is why I'm doing it.

totally staged picture of me teaching

The Grad School Adventure

University of Illinois- Thought I'd lost my chance. Checked the website, it said, "all auditions must be completed before February 15." I'd made a horrible error, I thought I had to wait to be invited to interview there. In hope of some mercy I e-mailed the admissions department, "Please forgive my error, is there anyway I can still interview if there is an assistantship still available?" Their response? "Because you're applying for musicology, you don't need to interview. We're looking over applications now and will make decisions in a few weeks." Woah, freak out for nothing.

BGSU- Went up for interviews at the end of February. The good news: I've been accepted! The hard part: I don't know if I have an assistantship yet and might not know until mid-May.

The outcome: waiting and faithfully checking my phone, mailbox, and e-mail...to be continued

Picnic in the Mountains

2009-02-08T11:40:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been fighting colds and some general emotional down-ness, but yesterday brought some healing. I'm still laying here in a oversized sweater with a pile of tissues, but yesterday I felt free. Trish and I went up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and had a picnic. There's something about the mountains that makes you forget everything that is stressing you out and embrace the beauty of the natural world. I felt like my free bohemian self again. Even though I'm now back in my apartment with Monday on the horizon, I think some of the peacefulness of yesterday is still with me.

Die Zauberflöte

2009-01-28T14:30:00.000-08:00

I suppose the story of my latest music adventure starts last semester when I was approached by Dr. K. Dr. K, a very tall voice professor with a big, booming voice, asked me to play the flute part in this year's opera The Magic Flute! I just played a couple short excerpts, but it was definitely worth it. I played offstage whenever Tamino was playing his "flute" (a recorder painted gold and covered in rhinestones), and Mat played piccolo for Papageno's pipes. I highly recommend The Magic Flute to anyone who may have a chance to see it. It's a very fun opera.

My piccolo counterpart and me

My pal Jared, the Spokesman

Sunday Reflection

2009-01-04T09:56:00.000-08:00

Confession of Sin (from today's service)

Gracious God, our sins are too heavy to carry, too real to hide, and too deep to undo. Forgive what our lips tremble to name, what our hearts can no longer bear...Set us free from a past that we cannot change; open to us a future in which we can be changed; and grant us grace to grow more and more in your likeness and image, through Jesus Christ, the light of the world. Amen.

God has provided much forgiveness and many blessings this year. I pray He will continue to show us our need for Him and completely fulfill that need in 2009.

Time for an update?

2008-12-13T08:05:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I guess I've gotten off to a bad start with this whole blog thing. I was trying to figure out what to write about, so I thought I'd look through my pictures and try to remember what has happened lately. So here you have it, my last couple...months...in pictures.

October 24: Trish and I carved pumpkins.

October 28: Ate pomegranate seeds. Yum.

November 12: We brought in a stray cat, who didn't get along with Tiggy.

November 16: A few us went in search of a Christmas tree

Found one!

And decorated it.

The End!

Tiggy!

2008-10-25T07:50:00.000-07:00

So, I have a blog now. Exciting? Yes. Let's see, what is new and exciting in my life now? I have a pet in my life again! Tiggy's a friend's cat who will be living in our apartment with Ben and Jake after Trish and I leave, so she decided to come up to Lynchburg a little early.

She's taking a little lime to adjust, but she seems to be warming up to Trish and me pretty quickly. Of course we've been pampering her, which might help a little. It's really nice just to have an animal in the apartment. Therapeutic even, maybe.