On Responsibilities...

I have come to the conclusion that being a "grown-up" isn't all it's cracked up to be. I guess you could say I'm stuck in this really weird limbo right now. I'm still in grad school, but I can taste the freedom. I dream about it at night, think about it during the day and think about it some more in the shower, or when I'm working out. Fact is, I'm not there quite yet. And until I am fully employed and out of school, I have to be responsible. I've never thought of myself as irresponsible- maybe a little impulsive, but never blatantly irresponsible. I guess I've just been antsy lately, because I'm so on the brink entering this new phase of my life.

There is only ONE thing in the world that I want right now- just ONE. I would do ANYTHING to have this:

Who wouldn't want one? I've been waiting six long years for this. I was fine when I lived in California and had 24/7 access to my black lab at home. But the longer I'm gone, the more I want one of my own. Unfortunately, here is where the responsible, rational side of me is hindering my plans. Since I raised guide dogs for the blind- I know how much work a puppy can be- I also know that I tend to keep my plate pretty full. Those two things don't equate to a happy lifestyle for a brand new puppy. Not right now at least. So, I have been considering purchasing a golden retriever upon graduation- a little gift to myself, but again, I just can't do it. Not yet at least. I need to know that I will have the time to take care of it, and I won't know that until I get a job. Until then... I just have to wait impatiently patiently. *sigh*

The next part of my frustration stems from not exactly having a clear idea of my future. By nature, I am a planner. I am organized and know what is going to happen next. I am a list-maker, and I stick by that list. This whole- waiting to find a job thing- is REALLY cramping my style. It's a game, and you have to play your cards right. I would love to just know where my life will be four months from now. I have things I need to do- get a new apartment, get the aforementioned dog, go on vacation...

Well, the whole vacation thing- is what has me really frustrated. I have had not one, not two, but three vacations offered to me this summer- and I have had to turn ALL of them down. Why you ask? Well you see, I can't exactly tell my future employer that I will need to take several weeks off work right away to go play in Florida or Europe. It might make the difference between me getting the job- or not. And in this economy, I just don't think it's wise to tell a future employer that I can't start when he wants me to start, because I NEED to go on a vacation. Frustrating? Absolutely... Part of being a responsible adult? unfortunately YES.


So, while I would love to be vacationing here:

I acknowledge that since I have worked really hard, for a really long time- what is another couple of months before I make it to the beach? When you care about something (and I plan on caring A LOT about my career), you make sacrifices- you make it work. So yes, I'm disappointed that I can't have everything that I want, but what really matters is my career; it's what I've been waiting for my whole life.

The dog can wait, the new apartment can wait and the vacations can wait...

"May the dreams of your past be the reality of your future"

John Mayer

I first found out John Mayer was coming to Austin sometime in November, so Ryan got us tickets to go see him in concert for our two year anniversary!!!! So, after waiting patiently for 3 months- John finallllly came to Austin tonight!!! I will admit, this was my third time to see him in concert, and he has been GREAT every single time.

Michael Franti opened up for him- and he was really good. He was really into interacting with the crowd, and even invited some of the little kids up on stage- presh! He made a fan out of me!!

I will say this- I am not a fan of John Mayer's mouth- I don't think he is a nice person- or very attractive for that matter. I am especially not a fan of his recent interview with Playboy, which received a TON of negative press, and it also ranks high on my lists of celebs spilling TMI. All that aside, I am a HUGE fan of his music. Homeboy can SING- and play the guitar- really really well. While I am no guitar aficionado, I know good music when I hear it, and when half of Mayer's audience is male- you know he must be doing something right. I even saw Ryan enjoying the guitar solos....

I did take a live (illegal) video of him singing, but unfortunately, it was so loud inside, that my sound didn't turn out. Instead, I will leave you a picture- taken from my iPhone- so you will have to use your imagination!

I couldn't help but think while he was playing- that he is the prime example of someone who has been blessed with this great gift- and is using it to the best of his abilities. I was reminded of this verse:

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

James 1:17

On Another Note....

The Baylor Bears beat UT (again) yesterday. Ryan, his fam and I went to the game- and it was SOLD-OUT!!! So fun... Even though I go to UT, I will always be a Baylor Bear!!

Sic 'em

Yoga Revisited

So here is the long awaited update on my first time to do yoga. Ameera and Reshma had already been before- and promised that this was a good class for "beginners." I'm not quite sure if I fit the category for beginner- there must have been some prerequisite I missed- everyone in the class could at least touch their toes - much unlike myself. Let me remind you, I begged my friends to bypass the class they refer to as "sweaty yoga" to let me try out yoga at a normal temperature. When I walked in the room, I thought I had been tricked- by normal temperature, they really meant at least 80 probably hotter. Not an ideal temperature in which to exercise for a California girl like myself.  So, I tried to put my mat at what I thought would be the back of the classroom to avoid embarrassment as much possible- oh no... the teacher invited us to come forward, and before I knew it, we were in the 2nd row. AWKWARD.

I rolled out my yoga mat, which I had purchased especially for this occasion. Unfortunately, the only ones at Target had symbols on them- mine has a tree- save your laughter for later please:

 

Yoga is a quiet exercise, which allows you to focus on breathing. Some people are very good at it- others are very loud at it. Before the class even started, the woman in front of me (who looked like she had been yoga-ing for years) started what I will refer to as "loud-breathing." I'm not talking breathing that sounds like a loud sigh- I'm talking about deep-down guttural breathing. I felt like such a pansy with my normal quiet breathing!!!

So, the class started- the first instruction was to lie down on my back- so I was feeling pretty good about this one- maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. We did some more breathing- then... the stretching started. 

Long story short- we were asked to flex our bodies in ways that my poor body had never before flexed. I was sweating (I thought this wasn't supposed to be the sweaty yoga class) and my poor muscles were shaking. I took quick peeks around the classroom while in the "downward facing dog" position. In case you don't know what this pose is- it's when you get on all fours, and thrust your hips into the air while facing downward. I'm pretty sure you AREN'T supposed to peer through your legs at the person behind you. Oh well- I had to assess my lack of ability- and the downward facing dog seemed like the prime time to look at the person behind me. 

Ameera and Reshma were more flexible then they let on.... I looked at Reshma once- during our "pigeon pose" and she looked like a pro. While I was struggling to manipulate my body into the proper form- she was making it look easy. 

Needless to say- my favorite part of the hour long class was the end- not because I could put my body out of its misery, but because I got to take a quick nap during out final breathing exercise on our backs. I'm not sure you are supposed to nap, but the room was hot, I was tired and the lights were off- it had been a long week. 

This is NOT the traditional form of exercise I am used to. I run- outside- and listen to rap music while I do it. I have never before taken the time to breath, stretch and listen to "yoga music" to get in my daily cardio. All in all- I was SORE the next day. Muscles that I didn't know existed, were hurting- but I felt good. Needless to say, I would try it again- maybe this time, I will set my goals high, and try to touch my toes without bending my knees. With my life as crazy as it is right now, it was nice to take an hour out of my day- and really focus on other things besides graduating, finding a job, my masters report and all of the work I still need to do. Reshma and Ameera were great yoga partners- and we have plans to do it again soon!!!!

Apolo Ohno

In case you missed Apolo's appearance on Jay Leno- here it is. I have had the biggest crush on Apolo ever since the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake. So, I was so excited when I found out he would be back for this year's games.

A little relaxation...

Well.... Kind of. Life has been crazy- period. In between trying to do my master's report (on the nursing shortage), I have also been working/interning at two internships and going to school. I'm normally pretty good at handling the stress, but I've decided it's time to try out some yoga- it couldn't hurt, right?

So, Ameera and Reshma talked me into trying it out. This could get interesting people! I am SO not flexible and I have the tendency to have inappropriate laughter- where it doesn't belong. I'm concerned. They wanted me to try out a little something called "sweaty yoga." Oh balls- sweaty yoga?!?! Can you SEE me trying to do SWEATY yoga??? They stick you in a hot room, to sweat and stretch for an hour. hmmmm.... so I talked them into taking me to Vinyasa yoga- which is supposedly a good class for beginners. Much more up my alley. (I hope). I'm going tonight at 5:30, so I'll give you an update on my very first yoga class.

If it's anything like the time Kim and I tried out Pilates- it should be interesting.... I'm hoping for a small achievement- maybe something like touching my toes.

SING Weekend

This weekend Ryan and I went to see SING, but more importantly, we got to see Krob, Moose and Jfred. Sidenote: For those of you who might not know what SING is, go here. I had never been inside Waco Hall on the Saturday they announced the winners of SING, so this year, we decided it was time to get tickets for the last night. It was quite the busy weekend. I had to be up early on Saturday morning to meet the painters who were going to fix my ceiling. In case you haven't heard, my bathroom and kitchen ceiling had a little mishap, so they needed to be re-sheet-rocked and re-painted. The painters came bright and early at 8 a.m. Saturday morning- luckily, I had a chance to grab my coffee before they came! Then, I had to get a ton of work done before Ryan and I could head to Waco. When we finally made it to Waco, we had a chance to drive by my old duplex ( I loved 2014!!!!):

Then, we got to drive around Baylor's campus. It was great reliving some of those old not so old memories. Here is one of my favorite pictures taken on Baylor's campus. Kim, Krob and I took pics around campus before we graduated. We spent a whole day, posing in front of buildings we liked- here is the result:

Finally, we got to re-live the SING days. Practicing every night in January and February for two hours, painting the backdrop, open stages, dress rehearsals, SING faces, SING makeup- it was crazy... and I loved it. Here is my rendition of SING over the years: 

Needless to say- it was such a fun weekend- Zeta- you girls put in a lot of hard work this year! Can't wait to see it next year!