An Accomplishment

Credit: Carolyn Cochrane via her Etsy shop

This week I had the opportunity to conquer something that has given me some anxiety. While it is not a big deal to some, it was and has been to me.

On Tuesday afternoon, my boyfriend had an appointment at a hospital on the other side of the city. Since he was also getting lab work done he had to fast for 12 hours. When I met him at work he said he was feeling okay but not great and we decided that it would be best if I drove. I had known this was potentially going to happen so I had been mentally preparing myself (and yes worrying haha).

I will say I was quite nervous, to the point of feeling like my mouth was full of cotton and I had a multitude butterflies in my tummy. I had no choice though. I knew I had to do get over some of these fears/anxieties:

-- fear of driving on big freeways/merging/lane changing
-- fear of driving with a male other than my father (years ago I drove with a critical male and I absolutely  hated it)
-- not only did I have to drive to these appointments but had to sit through them as well. So also my anxiety of hospitals/medical stuff had to be challenged as well.

Yeah silly sounding I am sure, but these things have weighed me down. We all have weaknesses, right?

In regards to driving, Brian was an excellent passenger and was calming (as he is for me in general). He was able to direct me how to do each part. I also tried my best to think about it like subbing "one chunk at a time." Luckily, I was familiar with the freeways from our trips this summer (all but one) but just had not done them myself before. The traffic wasn't too bad either on both ways so that greatly helped me to breathe a little bit. I was so relieved to get to the hospital and then to get back on our side of town!

His appointments weren't too bad either thankfully and I was able to manage fine. Brian really appreciated me being there for him and so I am glad I was able to give him some peace.

As for the whole experience, I was able to get through my anxieties and found that the driving wasn't so bad after all. I felt so relieved after it was over with -- now, I feel more confident. It's great to be able to tell myself that I can do things that I feel are difficult and am capable of overcoming. This year has really been teaching me how to break through the limits I have placed on myself.

Along with all of this I feel even closer to Brian. He has been very good for me and to me. Ever since we got together he has pushed me outside of my comfort zone (in healthy ways - we are fairly like minded individuals). He's helped me to grow in positive ways. I'm stronger because of him - not because I haven't been on my own but he has made me better. I'm so blessed and honored to be with him and cherish each day we're together.

It's been a good week so far. Hope all of you are getting stronger too by one step at a time or chunk. However you prefer. ;-)

Little Bit of Sunshine

found via Pinterest from here

Though much of today was sleepy, gray and rainy there were little bits of happiness. Each day has its own joys of course and all are worth noting. Sometimes I just don't write the details of every day, I think that would a bit too repetitious.

Being that I woke from a bizarre dream that was a combination of "Avengers" and "Harry Potter" (which were super realistic and oddly mixed in with other events in my life) I am glad that the rest of the day was mostly regular. As I was coming to, I noticed a bunch of voices outside that probably had added to the last strange moments of my dream. Groggily, I looked out the window and saw it was the once-per-trimester, 1 hour "community service" high school group (doing SOLV) gathering to go trudge through the creek area behind my house.

In my brightly colored pajamas I scurried through the house hoping no one would see me from the front window, in attempts to find my big orange wussy cat. I didn't want him to be traumatized. Thankfully I found him resting in a flower pot by the house in the backyard.

Unfortunately I had to go back outside within a couple of minutes (yes in a bright red oversized shirt and light pink pants) and entice Cheese out of the flower pot. I had to get him inside because the yard workers arrived and I knew he would freak out. So, with a lot of encouragement and a bowl of food acting as a "carrot" I got the big boy inside the back room. He didn't complain once he was locked in the back-- but why would he when he had breakfast, a warm place to rest his head and a safe haven from the scary things outside?!

Oh yes, in case you're wondering I think I managed to not be seen by the high schoolers but who knows. I did hear an odd whistley noise before going inside. I will assume they were making sounds for fun or to attract birds. Surely they would not pay attention to the red haired, brightly dressed lady calling to "Cheese."

Anyhoo... Around 11 AM I met with one of my girl cousins at a delicious cafe. I devoured a tasty turkey and aged white cheddar sandwhich while having a nice conversation. Though I was partly distracted by the guy behind me bumping his chair next to mine because the tables were too close. At one point I glanced at some part of the cafe and realized chair guy had on Army camo. I was amused. Then that's what reminded me that my all too strange-realistic dream did not include Captain America. Shame.

I am a bit off track now but hanging out was lovely and my tummy was stuffed. I felt energetic afterwards and at peace with the grayness. Thanks cuz :-)

While at the cafe I missed a few phone calls: one from my boss and another for a great friend. My boss left me a message saying I wasn't needed this week for Monday and Wednesday (new schedule starts this week) due to low numbers of kids. So that gives me more time this week to get settled. I am appreciative of this change of plans.

When I got home I called my friend Andrea and helped her out with ideas for a paper. I got all excited for her topic and loved having an in-depth conversation on education topics that are near and dear to my heart. I'm glad that we share similar views on teaching. :)

So, my friends, it's the little things in life that make an ordinary day more colorful. That's probably a cliche but that's okay right?

Sunshine knows how navigate it's way through the raindrops. Hip hip hooray!

Mother's Day

Hundreds of dewdrops to green the dawn,

Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,

Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,

But only one mother the wide world over.

--George Cooper

As I said in my previous post, it was an awesome weekend! Yesterday was absolutely delightful. I love it when special events are lovely like this! :) We had a small family gathering at my aunt and uncle's house. We enjoyed sitting on the deck eating our meal and chatting. After dinner, we toured through my aunt and uncle's gorgeous garden. I just had to share a few pictures! The sunshine put a lovely spotlight on the flowers and made the colors so vibrant.

It was a great day to celebrate mothers!!

A cookie Mom and I thought was appropriate for Granny -- "The Queen" :)

With my momma

Hope that you all had a lovely weekend...whether it was celebrating that special woman in your life or remembering or doing the usual.

Instagrammed Weekend

This was a fabulous weekend!! Hot weather (80 + degrees!) and fun times. Here is what I did via Instagram (you can follow me: sincerelyangela1)...

On Friday -- I got my present for Mother's Day, a hanging basket. It's tradition now for me to get her this. It's the gift that keeps on giving too! They last from May until October usually.

Saturday-- Most of these pictures were from that day.
Silly kitties
A nice picture of happy pansies on the porch
My amusement with people at their convertibles -- on days like this you see a lot of them
A picture of the big blue sky
Dinner at McMenamins. :)

These warm days make all the rainy ones worth it. I am pretty sure that here 1 sunny day = 10 rainy days. So I guess it's about right that we are having a week of awesome weather! Totally puts a smile on my face and a spring in my step! haha (yes pun fully intended)

Happy Monday ya'll!

Those Gray Days

Sometimes mornings don't start out right. Sometimes the whole day is bumpy from beginning to finish. Sometimes life feels bleak and irritating.

I will be honest, I don't like writing negative posts but life isn't always wonderful... I think I write about these days in hopes that someone will stumble across my blog and feel comforted in some way. I know how it feels to be lonely in a situation or moment. It's so nice when you find someone that understands and that says what you need to hear.

This morning started early with one problem after another, which eventually led to me crying when I had had my fill of all of it. I won't bother to review the issues, as really, they are minimal compared to everything else... but today, it just bummed me out. It doesn't help that I haven't been sleeping to well for awhile and that just escalates problems to another level. Sigh.

I am sure that it can all be worked out one way or another, but it is hard to think of that in the midst of frustration. I wonder if you're nodding your head in agreement.

While the morning was rough, I am thankful that rest of the day was good. I got to spend time with one of my closest friends and that greatly improved my mood. I helped her box up items since she'll be moving soon and the physical activity was nice. We also got sushi for lunch and watched an episode of "Frasier." Ah... Saving grace!

There are silver lining to gray clouds, that I believe. However, I also believe gray clouds can be nudged aside by a good friend. I am always, always, always grateful for my close friends. Perhaps these days are just reminders of that -- it's hard to see through the hard stuff but once it settles you get a more refined view of your blessings.

I will say this: it is important to feel what you feel. If you feel frustrated -- be it. If you want to cry, let it out. These are the things that make us human and allow us to better connect to others. Empathy is what we need in order to make the world a bit brighter. Perspective helps too (hence why I do recognize my bad days/mornings are not the worst but they do matter to me and that is OK).

I don't know how your day was. I hope it was great and beautiful. I hope it was less gray than mine. Maybe it wasn't. So I will leave you with this:

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. 

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

and a little bit of beauty....

Delightful Saturday

"April hath put a spirit of youth in everything" -- William Shakespeare

Happy Cheese laying in the sunshine -- see that smile?! :)

Crocus had their turn first, then daffodils and now tulips are in the spotlight

It was a lovely fair weather day - passing clouds, cool breeze and warm sunshine

Flew our flag today since my brother-in-law/my sister's husband got to come home and visit

 Picked 4 buckets of weeds!

Ended the day with a delicious dinner and dessert at the Macaroni Grill

I feel so blessed :)

Little Treasures in a Quiet Thursday

Today has been a good day, a really good one. Nothing outrageous has happened today but it has been a day filled with several little blessings. I love simple days like this.

My day started off with a run around where I live-- I changed some things up and had a pretty decent run overall. I love being outside and connecting with my surroundings. This was a lovely partly sunny day, but as most days are now, the air was thick and damp feeling. While that type of coolness tends to make me sweat more, I really it. That feeling lets me know that I am in the midst of another wonderful season.

After my run and the hours before going to work, I took care of some items such as finances. For the past three months I haven't been watching money as closely, which means I have been spending more. Since today was pay day for subbing and tutoring, I made sure to take care of sorting the check amounts into my savings accounts. While calculating my sub check I was confused with the amount I got and what I thought I should be paid. Happily, it was because of getting more versus less ;-) When I got my pay stub in the mail today I saw that I get 28 cents more per hour! YAY!

Once I figured out my money situation, I decided to make a much needed purchase online - my Maid of Honor dress. I expected to get a particular dress on Kohl's, but when I looked at it this afternoon I noticed that my size was sold out. For a second, I panicked because I have been trying to find a nice red dress. So, I crossed my fingers and searched the website again. I came across a classy red dress (an even better red color too) and with 3/4 length sleeves, which will be good since the wedding will most likely be in December. When I decided to get my dress, I was happy to see that it was on sale $63 versus the original price of $90. AND shipping was only 99 cents!! AND, AND, AND.... yes it gets better folks -- since I had the option of using a promotional code I decided to hunt online for one. I Googled and found a great website called Retail Me Not and it listed several promotional codes for Kohl's. I tried a few codes and eventually one of them worked (SMS2828, 10% off of everything, good till 10/22!) and I saved 10% on my dress (saved $6.30!). With all that said, I only paid $57.69! Not bad for a bridesmaids dress and hopefully one that I can wear for other occasions. Now, think positively that it will fit! ;-)

As for the rest of the day, I had work in the evening that ended up being pretty good even with the challenging kiddos. I feel very thankful to have this job as it gives me good teaching experience and I love that I don't have to deal with drama among co-workers. It's a professional workplace and I appreciate that very much.

Coming home was lovely - it was a good evening with all the ladies. And oh the happiness, my sister baked cookies! She is a cookie queen :) Yum... She made a great batch of chocolate chip!

Overall, very good day. Lots of goodness and blessings - on a fairly quiet and low-key day. It's the little things in life that count...

Hope your gray days are filled with sunshiney treasures! Big or small, hope you feel uplifted.

Bountiful Blessings

Today was a good day, full of sunshine and cool fresh breezes. It was also the first day in months that we have had to turn on the heater. Woke up to a very chilly house! Early in the morning, I took care of the cats, bundled up in my bed. Of course, I ended up sleeping in later than desired but oh well...  Getting out of bed was the hardest part of today... as a matter of fact, it is calling me back with fierce so I will try to write this fast...

This afternoon I finally went to check out the produce growing (well, now slowly withering away as the seasons are changing- my cousin's post reminded me I needed to get out there!).

I checked our poor pepper plants that are humbly growing under the massive zucchini "bushes." I did manage to find one yellow pepper on this plant, and then a mostly red one on the other. Wonder if these greenies will change with the sunshine this week.

While checking out the veggies, I came across this fellow (or lady but I assume it's a gentleman)! He was happily resting on the leaf; that or too scared to move. He was probably thinking, "when is this crazy camera lady going to leave?! I am HOT on this leaf!" Poor fella.

I couldn't resist... he was so good to me just sitting there... Perhaps he's a prince! ;-)

Cheesie enjoyed accompanying me to the garden, and then he rested after we were done picking. It's hard work being the guardian of the garden. 

We still have some roses blooming... my favorite: Double Delight.

Here are all my pickings from today! Four small tomatoes (would've taken a picture of the bushes but they look rather sad now), and two peppers. Check out that redish green one! haha I am going to see if it ripens more if I keep it in the window tomorrow.
~~
**Now for the exciting news!!!

For Granny's birthday, this wonderful organization called PEO (a women's philanthropic group) collected money to create a scholarship in Granny's name, in honor of her 100th birthday. Since the scholarship is in Granny's name, she had the option of choosing who she wanted to give it to. So as you can guess, Granny so kindly and lovingly chose me! Since I am going to an expensive private school (and a grad program-- combine that all and you have a headache ha ha), she felt that I could use it. Let me tell you, wow I feel so blessed!! Any money that I don't have to take from federal loans is so stress-relieving. I have such a thoughtful Granny- as I said in an impromptu speech about her, she protects those she loves. She is always about others first, not herself.

She called this evening and it felt great to talk with her! I let her know that the check arrived and how happy I was for this financial blessing. :)

Hope you all have had a blessed Wednesday! Happy Fall!

Blessings of the Week

"If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever" -- Winnie the Pooh

After a strange and difficult day on Sunday, I feel so blessed for the good parts of this week. Losing Chatty has also stirred up the sadness I feel about family members I have lost in the past: Papa and Kasey. I miss them all so much-- I carry the memories of them always. It's just so hard when people or pets pass on; knowing that you won't see them again in this life. A lifetime simply isn't enough with those that we love. With that said, I am so grateful to believe in what I do-- it gives me hope and peace. Heaven is a real place.

As Janelle said, the house does feel empty when you lose a pet. Though we still have Minnie, it's just not the same. I feel sad when I pass by Chatty's chair and she's not there. It's weird not hearing her come through the cat door with her nails clinking on the kitchen floor. The mornings are also very quiet- Chatty would meow loudly at mom for her food. She always made sure Mom was on schedule to feed her! Speaking of feeding times, it's also very strange for me to only feed one cat. I had such a routine with both kitties! Ahhh... adjustments are not easy, especially sad ones.

On a much brighter note, I want to list out the blessings and joys of this week:

** Gorgeous weather! Blue skies, sunshine and heat heat heat! Forecast is true summer weather all week! **

Monday: "Coffee" (tea for me) with my dear friend Joy. I don't get to see her very often so when I do I cherish the moments together. What I love most about getting together with Joy is that we can start from where we left off. In the afternoon, I went grocery shopping with mom and saw a student (Harley) from my mentor's class. It was so fun to see him and his family! They are such nice people.

Tuesday: My car had an issue that was able to get fixed. Wonderful part is that since we do most of our maintenance with the Honda shop they rewarded us. We didn't have to pay for the repair at all! Nothing like getting a bill that says "You owe: $ 0.00"

Wednesday (today): Janelle and I went to see the movie "Eclipse," the 3rd in the Twilight Saga. Unfortunately, it was not that good of a movie. I was kind of disappointed because I liked that book the most... but then again, low-quality writing leads to low-quality movies. I personally think they would be better without the Bella actress. haha Oh yes, after watching the movie we went to the frozen yogurt place by her apartments. Perfect for a 90+ degree day!

Thursday: Though the day hasn't happened yet I will be hanging out with Jennifer. I can't wait! *Plans changed due to cell phone issues. For some reason the messages and calls didn't register on Jennifer's phone (AT&T must've had problems). Since I didn't hear from her I worked on a letter for the "Summer of Mail Love." Later in the day I got together with Janelle and went to Michael's so I could pick up a few things. Good day! :)

Friday: Also hasn't happened yet but the plans are to spend time with my neighbor Nancy and her friend Mary. We're going back to the Lavender Farm in Helvetia (for the Oregon Lavender Festival). I'm excited!