The Show went on.....

General Note: My hands shake when I take pictures. I don’t know why, but they do and therefore my pictures tend to come out blurry. Tiana and I discussed it last night; I decided that I would have to steal some of her pictures to replace the ones that are too blurry to decipher.

Yesterday was filled with “Wicked”. I played the soundtrack all day long. I couldn’t concentrate. Tiana and I were IM’ing back and forth, then talking on the phone while she was driving. How do people do this all of the time? Every time I go to the theatre I get excited. But this is a show I have wanted to see for over a year so the excitement was a little difficult to control. Lol!

Tiana was running a little late, and I was a little stressed about the drive. Everyone kept telling me that it would take hours, and if there was traffic we could possibly be late. AAGGGHHH! So we started off a little tense. Once we hit the freeway we were fine. The drive only took about 45 minutes.















Hours pshaw…Tiana knows how to get where she wants to go! But can I blame my blurring pictures of the Baltimore skyline on her driving? Going 90 could make it look like this right? Lol!








We had left the restaurant list back at my office so we drove around until we could find a place to eat. A few quick calls and we had a few restaurants in the Inner Harbour that sounded like a good idea. We settled on McCormick and Schmick’s; not too fancy but not McDonalds either. The food was fabulous. It was nice to sit and relax and just chat. Tiana and I never really have trouble finding things to talk about. Both of us were worried about being late to the theatre so we probably ate a little faster then necessary.

On the walk to the car we ran into Yenta, unfortunately she still has not found a match for me…but maybe someday. ;)



Off to the Hippodrome!



The Show was fabulous and the seats were totally worth the money that was paid. It was a thrill to sit and listen and be swept up in the story. Tiana bought me a shirt that I can’t wait to wear. I must admit that we were slightly disappointed in the vocal talents of Fieryo and Elphanba. Fieryo just wasn’t strong enough for us…though he was cute, so that kind of makes up for it. Elphaba blew us away for the most part, but there were a few notes at the bottom of her range that she just didn’t hit. Sad but true. But hey, we are armchair critics…there is no way we could do what she did so we are not complaining.
Tiana drove back to my house and got to see the new place for the first time. She was up early this morning to drive to her 8 am class.....All in all it was an amazing evening. We even discussed maybe going to NY in June and seeing a couple of shows there.

Tiana..I hope you had Fun! Happy Birthday, Big Sister! Here’s to a better year then the last.
Love you Always
Rae

"Dancing through life, skimming the surface, gliding where turf is smooth. Life's less painless for the brainless.... "

~Fieryo~

"I through accepting limits cuz someone says there so. Some things I cannot change but till I try I'll never know."

~Elphaba~

And so much more...I can't wait till tonight. Concentrating is difficult.

Thinking....

I have started blog after blog. I then stop halfway through because nothing sounds right. So here are the current thoughts:

I seem to be busy all of the time.

I went with the ward (congregation) to visit Williamsburg/Jamestowne Virginia. It was an enjoyable trip, though I realized that most of my friends in the ward have moved on. It is no longer the same. I have a ton of pictures and will get them up soon. I promise Boo…I will down load them tomorrow.

I am going to see the musical Wicked on Tuesday. I will be celebrating my sister Tiana, she deserves to be celebrated. I’ll blog about that after the show. Suffice to say that we are very excited.

January is over...it went by so fast.

I think a lot. I recognize this is not always a good thing. I tend to over-analyze things. But I need to understand why things are. Why a person would act a certain way, or say such, or do such. Lately, I am trying to understand why I act the way I do. Then maybe, if I understand why, I can go about changing some of them.

There is so much that I don't know or understand. There is so much to learn.

And it goes on...to much to blog about....

You know that day....

The one where you are to supposed to be up at 5 am to go to work and then work both jobs, which have multiple projects that have to be done that day
....and you wake up at 4:45 am……….sick.

I’m sure you’ve had at least one of those days...right?

Well, in case you were wondering:

These days suck.

Lyric of the moment:

“Let’s pray that it is raining on Sunday. Storming like crazy and we’ll hide under the covers all afternoon”

You know when you get in over your head but you don’t want to give up any of the activities that you have going on. They all seem to be important in your head. And yet, staying awake seems to be a problem during the day. Today I am praying for rain…or better yet…make it snow. I want a bad storm that will stop the crazy world I am in. Just for a day. Just long enough for me to catch my breath (and maybe clean my room?)

Waiting.......

I would like to state that I have a great Boss. I am to work an B and N tonight. My Boss has closed the door to my office and I have been given strict orders to relax before I go to my next job. She is also driving me to B and N tonight as it is a bit too slick for me to walk in such a busy area. Lol!

So here I sit, listening to James Taylor (for the moment) and reading over old blogs. One of the blessings of my horrible memory is that when I read over the old stuff I get to remember my life at that moment and the sad things aren’t with me always. I read about my life a year ago…..it was a very difficult time. As a matter of fact, life is still difficult for others due to the events of Jan 2006.

Ahhh…… A little Schaumann for relaxation…..

I don’t seem to be all that different from the person I was a year ago. I was reading the New Years’ resolution blog for ’06 and realized that they went unfulfilled. I have taken them up again. Here’s hoping that maybe I can get them done this year.

Ahhh…a little Boston….

Wow I am tired. I can’t concentrate. Maybe I will take a little nap at my desk, until my Boss is ready to leave.

SNOW!

"It’s a marshmallow world in the winter….when the snow comes to cover the ground."
La La La....I forgot the rest of the song....

Well Ladies and Gents, it has finally happened. We got snow!! Fine, only about an inch or so and the rest is ice. But the world is white(or at least has a white tint;) ) this morning. It is beautiful! Winter seems to have arrived. Finally…I love it!

Oh yeah…Tallie and Kristin tell me that the Colts and the Bears are playing each other in the Super Bowl…Good for them.

Anonymous?

So I am back from lunch and I should be working on any of the 10 things that are on my “to-do” list for this afternoon. But I want to blog and won’t have any time this weekend….
My last post had a comment from anonymous and it has garnered much discussion among the “Girl Mafia” [just for you, Professor ;)]
One friend was extremely impressed that someone “rattle off "to be or not to be" with appropriate punctuation and continue to use fitting ideas and punctuation in the response that makes it all fit together so well. He's smarter than he thinks.” Some think I have a “cyber-stalker” and wanted me to be careful. Others suggest I “demand an identity.”

I on the other hand have been pondering his actual comment….I find myself curious what happened at the new job? Why was my blog in any way relevant? When did I know someone who could quote Hamlet? (This old age is getting to me… having a poor memory is no fun; hence I have the blog.) Who didn’t take his chance to impress the girl who would hide in baseball caps? I think you are partially right…Charm is not something that you can get by going through the motions…I find charm is a personality trait that some have and some do not. I am not a big fan of “charm” per se….those that I find charming are usually hiding something underneath all of the smooth talk and bright smiles. But intellect and intelligence is something that can be worked towards…..there are many ways to improve your intellect, but it takes work which can start with just going through the motions. You’ll have to trust me and the girl mafia when we say that the work is definitely worth it….many a girl is turned on by the spark of intelligence. Lol!

Who ever you are…I hope the new job is going well….and I hope you’ll tell me who you are….then maybe I can tell you what the reaction would have been.

To be or not to be.....

Apparently, I spend too much time trying to understand the world around me. I think I should give it up....

Hamlet
Hark, Ye scored 52!

Ahh, You are Hamlet, the protagonist from, duh, Shakespeare's Hamlet. You have an inherent need to wax philosophical and figure out everything... no matter how painstaking that process may be. You need to plow through all sorts of thoughts before you make a decision, and normally, you waste way too much energy in doing so.

Link: The Shakespearian Character Test written by LoudmouthLee on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Thanks Kuri for cluing me in on this test....

Everything is a little Blurry

Have you ever reached that point where you have pushed to far? I hit that point somewhere…and I missed it. It was probably sometime yesterday that got masked with a sugar/cherry coke high.

Did you know that Dairy Queen will make a coke float? Well they do…or they thought Amber was cute and decided to do her a favor…either way I got what I wanted last night.

Anyway back to the point…by the time I got home last night and crawled into bed, my mind was clicking and would not shut down. It drove me crazy until I finally gave in and decided to read. Nothing helpful, of course, it was a murder mystery. Unfortunately, by the time the caffeine had subsided and my mind had quieted I had past the point of no return. Exhaustion took over and I was out until about 1:30 this afternoon. I vaguely remember Regina coming in and asking me if I was going to church. I must have said no, I sure hope I was nice about it. At 1:30 Mel’s truck was arriving and I hurriedly threw on some clothes so I could help move her things in. There were 6 of us working together and it only took about 30 to 45 minutes. Unfortunately, by the time we were done, my eyes wouldn’t focus and I was starting to mix up my words. I crashed again and have just gotten up to an empty house.

So here I sit at 7 pm,recognizing the fact that there was a lot that was supposed to be done today. I have yet to unpack my clothes. They still sit in boxes scattered in my room. I have to figure out my bus schedule for the next week. I have to go shopping sometime this week for necessities (no matter how much I would like to, a girl cannot live on homemade popcorn and dried fruit). I have not put much thought into how I am going to get my couch and bookshelves from the Leeland house to the Chapman house. I am working B & N Mon, Fri, and Sat this week. I have a new hire starting on Wed. I am helping Jen Move in on Tues. I have to find someone to cover my B & N shift for the 26th for the trip to Williamsburg. (Boo you are coming to that right?) And I have not even started on my work for the volunteers for the 10K Race for the George Washington Birthday Celebration. The worst part is I have been up for less then 30 minutes and all I want to do is go to bed. I need to find a way to decrease stress and increase sleep per night. That way I am not always crashing. Anyone have any suggestions?

My Favorite Moment

As I recall, I posted in my Christmas recap that one of my favorite moments was watching my brother fall asleep while rocking his daughter. I can’t explain why it was so cool to watch.

My big sister was able to capture the moment on film:

It looks like quite the peaceful scene, which is completely contradictory to the chaos that actually surrounded the pair:

This is a moment I would like to remember. I am really proud of my brother. I think he is turning into a wonderful Daddy.

Per Gwen's Request....

A= Available~ Am I ever anything else?
B= Best Friend~ Margaret Elaine Thorne Zerkle.
C= Cake or pie~ Chips…yum salt.
D= Drink of choice~ Cherry Coke (or water if I am trying to be a good girl
E= Essential item you use everyday~ Laptop
F= Favorite color~ Green
G= Gummy bears or worms~ Worms!
H= Hometown~ I was born in Pocatello, ID, but I have spent the longest amount of time in Orem, UT
I= Indulgences~ popcorn made on the stove in Olive Oil topped with Lots of salt yum
J= January or February ~ neither really, there is nothing wrong with either month but I do not have a preference
K= Kids and Names~ How about I name my Kangaroos? Oh wait I don’t have any of those either
L= Life is incomplete without? ~ Relationships and Books…Maybe books should come first?
M= Marriage date~ the end of never?
N= Number of siblings~ 15: 1 brother, 2 sisters, 4 step-brothers, 1 step sister, 3 half brothers, 3 half sisters…oh and 6 in-laws so far. But really it’s all just family….
O= Oranges or apples~ Apples with Cheese!
P= Phobias or Fears~ the dark, needles, and the dentist. If I ever met up with a dentist carrying a needle in the dark I think I would die of fright!
Q= Favorite Quote~

"People become librarians because they know too much….. Librarians rule. And they will kick the crap out of anyone who says otherwise.” Librarianavengers.org

R= Reason to smile~ I have a new home….and I might get to sleep on Sunday 
S= Season~ Spring or Fall…Who can choose?
T= Tag 3 or 4 people~ The Professor, Tara, Kim
U= Unknown fact about me~ I have a temper.
V= Vegetable you don't like~ I like all vegetables I think….At least I can’t think of one I don’t like
W= Worst habit~ I spend too much time between the pages of books.
X= X-rays~ my teeth have been x-rayed and my right hand I broke the pinkie knuckle twice.
Y= Your favorite food~ Currently Lamb Korma…but sushi rolls, lasagna, enchiladas, and a bunch of other things are high on the list too
Z= Zodiac Sign~ Gemini

And we are on our way....

Wow…I guess all those years of moving has trained me for it. It only took about 2 hours for everyone to collect my things and have them delivered. There were three locations with a group of people at each location.

Group 1 was Ben and Amber who loaded up my 7 boxes of books that have been patiently waiting for me at Boo’s house. (Last night they were begging me to open them and sit down for a read…but who has the time anymore?
Group 2 was Kate Taylor, Heather Biddulph, and me. We were in charge of the boxes that have been stored at the Leeland house. I was pleased to know that I could fit them in 3 cars.
Christy Campbell kindly did double duty, loading her car with boxes at my house and then heading over to help move furniture with the final group. Group 3 were in charge of the furniture. Chris Garlick and Hugh Warren allowed me to borrow their trucks to move with, they were assisted by Christy and Perry Young. Items were loaded and delivered in about an hour…I was impressed. Once everything was unloaded we had pizza to celebrate my new house. I will take more pictures once we are settled in...right now everything is either emplty or messy. :)



Yesterday also celebrated the official anniversary of the R.A.G.S.! 2 years, it has flown by. We are now scattered to the winds. Gwen is in Salt Lake, Steph is in Missoula, Boo is in Dunn Loring, and I am now in Alexandria. Thanks to today’s technology we are no farther then a phone call or a quick IM away. I am very grateful that God has blessed me with such amazing women for my friends.

Long Live R.A.G.S.!

Change.....

Two years ago I told myself I was going to make a change. I moved to the east coast, I was going to be a new person. I was going to try all sorts of new things and never say no to an experience. I was no longer going to be the shy girl who worried about her family.

Then I woke up and realized that I was never going to be a “new person.” I can grow but I am still me on the inside. I am always going to worry and I am always going to be shy on the inside. Amazingly enough I have stuck to the resolution to try new things. I now enjoy things like hiking, camping, and rafting. I read different types of authors, I volunteer for committees. In short, I do things I would have never done back home, even if I had the opportunity.

The most obvious adventure was definitely my experimenting with food. 2 years ago, I was completely content with Olive Garden, Wingers Wings, and Los Hermanos Americanized Mexican food. I told myself that I would never turn down the opportunity to try something new. When I went to a new restaurant I would try to order something I had not had before. My resolution was to try anything once. It was a bit of work. Thai food was no problem, love it! Moroccan was close enough to Arab and Lebanese that it wasn’t really a stretch for me. Other things have come and gone, some I liked some I didn’t. But the big hurdle was Sushi. I had to get it past my brain, but now I love it and can’t wait till my big brother Ralph comes to visit!

For some reason today I noticed how much my eating habits have changed. I was working through lunch anyway, but the guys came up and we ordered out. What did the girl from Provo order? Indian Food. The girl who refused to even TRY the Bombay House back home is in love with Indian spices…

See how much we miss when we are afraid.

A new house....

Tonight is my last night as a vagabond. It has been a very pleasant to know that I am actually going to have my own living space in less then 24 hours. Unfortunately, I am working tomorrow, Friday, and Saturday. Lol! I never do things the easy way.

For those that want to know the details….

I will be living in a fabulous area that is within walking distance of the metro. My boss is less then a mile away, she is very excited. Lol! The house is amazing; I will post pictures when I have some. I haven’t really had time to get any yet. I haven’t really had time to do anything; but that is beside the point. There will be three other girls in the house, each with their own room. We are still working out the furniture, but we have my crappy love seat and the dining set from one of the other girls. That about covers it, I can't think of anythign else right now. If you want more then you’ll have to ask questions. Or just come by and see the place yourself. Visitors are always welcome!

I have mixed feelings about this move. While I love to move, and have done frequently in the last two years, I have always stayed with in my current ward (congregation). I like my ward, I am comfortable there. I am sure there is a joke there somewhere. But I am slightly nervous about the new ward. I have to do the whole new member thing again, they will make me stand up in classes and introduce myself. I hate that. It is slightly difficult to fade into the background when you are introducing yourself to the room.

And yet …. I have a place to live, and I am moving!!! Bring it on…

Too Much....

I have started writing at least 4 different times…but nothing is coming out right. All of my words seem to be jumbled and out of sorts.

Tonight I am quite happy sitting in a hotel room in Arlington. You see, my company had its annual “Kick-Off” meeting this week. Our employees world-wide come to our head quarters here in McLean and we start out the year right. There are training sessions for the departments that need it, there are employee bonding times, there is a motivational speaker, and other stuff to keep us busy. This year it was held at the Westin in Arlington (Steph you are a genius!). Due to the traffic congestion we were given hotel rooms to allow us to be at the meetings at 7:30 this morning. Not a big deal but nice for me as that is two nights I don’t feel like a mooch.

Last night was “employee bonding”. A couple of cheerleaders from the Washington Redskins came to cheer for us, then the employees were split into teams and required to create a cheer. Now, I am pretty sure this was uncomfortable for many of the employees. By the way the drinks were going, most of the participants got pretty loose due to the need for a bit of liquid courage. This only added to the humor of the created cheers, the group that won the contest that consisted of about 4 lines….one line referred to our CEO as Mama Siki, one line said our company kicked a** and the last line said: Cuz Mama ain’t no hoe! Throw in pom-poms and a lot of liquor and this is a very funny scene. (One of the guys let me play with his expensive fancy schmancy camera..I got a ton of pictures including one that has MY BOSS on top of a pyramid of people arms raised to the V.) A down side to all of the liquor is that the guys in our company were circling the cheerleaders like sharks by the end of the night. It got a little old after a while.

Today our speaker was David Breshears, he has climbed Mount Everest, and made an IMAX film about it. It was an interesting presentation; I am interested in reading his book and seeing the DVD of his movie. There were many other presentations, which I was the photographer for. (I will get better.) It has been nice.

Here is my problem. I really don’t have much to do with these events. This is my second one and, as Steph can attest to, I come in at the very end and help fill in all the spots where an extra set of hands is needed. That is all. Today I have been thanked many times for all of my work. I haven’t done anything to be thanked for. Yeah I help with set up, prep, etc. for these two days, but there are other people that have spent months working on this project. Yet every single time they extend the appreciation I am on the list of those that “make everything possible”. On top of it I got an achievement award for my work during the second half of this last year. It came as quite a shock. I sit with those that are running the show, doing what ever needs to be done, so we were outside of the banquet room during the announcing of the awards (we had finally gotten a chance to eat) I was called into take a picture, only to find out that they are presenting me with this award. Everyone thought it was funny to watch me be surprised. I felt awkward. This company has always been good to me. I know my loyalty is not misplaced, but I sometimes feel as if they think I do more then I actually do.

Anyway, I have a few projects to work on tonight. I finally have my move in date and need to see if I can get people to actually help me move that day. On top of that I am working on the committee for the George Washington Birthday Celebration in Alexandria…Anyone want to volunteer to help on the Race? :)

Boo just for you.....

You thought the day would never come.
But Indy is back.....and due to hit the big screen again May of '08!

Have you ever tried..........

I am currently reading the book The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I find it to be well written and enjoyable. I was intrigued when I read about August and Lily's favorite drink. I have never thought to add peanuts to Coke. It sounds like something I would enjoy. A touch of salty added to the sugar sweet of Coke. Today I think I will be adding nuts to my afternoon caffeine fix (Cherry Coke of course). Have any of you tried it? Is it any good?

Thank Heavens for comfy Tennis Shoes

That is all I have to say about that.

Day 2…….

Today is the second day of the New Year. Things are officially back to normal. I am busy as can be. Unfortunately, I have learned that I am supposed to work at B & N tonight; guess the heeled boots with a skirt was not my best choice for today’s outfit. Oh well at least I can say they have been broken in after today.

So the new year has arrived....

Last night we rang in 2007. The ball dropped on time square. There was kissing, not by me of course but there were others kissing. So the question that begs to be answered is……..Now what? What am I going to do with this New Year? There is a quote from one of the L.M. Montgomery books that says “Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it.”
Well today is a New Year, no mistakes and nothing but opportunities. So what do I want to accomplish?

Last night I had a good time with some friends that I know through work, but it brought on a very contemplative mood. The party was a lot of fun… Thanks Paul, Ellen, and Ben!! But once I was home, there was just me and my thoughts. So I spent the first few hours of this New Year mulling over what I want….unfortunately I have come to no conclusion.

Here are some things that I know:

In the month of Jan:
I will find a new place to live!
I will go and see an education counselor at NoVa

In the month of June:
I will go to the Gifford Family Reunion (AZ Dad’s family)
I will start the summer semester at NoVa

In the month of Nov:
I will attend the Hinkson Family Reunion (UT Dad family)

In the month of Dec:
It is requested that I go home for Christmas (Mom)

Other then that who knows what will come?

May the New Year be even better then the last!!