from the desert land

Definition of "Huckleberry Finn"

2007-08-27T22:53:00.000-07:00

This is dedicated to those who have heard me use the expression Huckleberry Finn and for the enlightening of those who have not yet heard me say this...you were lucky if you didn't hear me say it, but unfortunately less knowledgeable because of it, hence the blog.

Huckleberry Finn, with differing emphasis, can be used in so many ways its ridiculous I'm the only one that uses it so far...such a versatile phrase! Ah, oh well. Maybe this blog will help.

Huckleberry Finn:

1. "Huckleberry Finn!" - translates to - "I don't know what to do about this, but oh well." (happy-go-lucky sound to the end of it) (usually preceded by "oh")

2. "Hu-ckle-be-rry Finn!" (each part said slowly and with emphasis) - translates to - "Whoa, this can't be good!" or "Whatever are we going to do?" or simply "Whoa!"

3. "Huckleberry Finn!" - when said strongly enough, translates to - "Oh my gosh, this is bad. We're all gonna die!!!!" or with less emphasis, it conveys mere shock. It is often followed by: "I can''t believe you!"

4. "Huckleberry Finn" - "What's up doc?" (no exclamation point)

5. "Huckleberry Finn" - spoken quickly, is - pretty much like #1, even though it has no exclamation point.

6. "Huckle...berry Finn" - the non-italicized part spoken quickly, is - probably me rushing to finish the phrase because I got a weird look.

7. "Hu-ckle-be-rry Finn" - with a cowboy, country accent, is - "Life is good," and sometimes, "I wish I lived on a farm and painted fences with Tom Sawyer."

There are many more ways than this to use it, however, since it is not widely spread and I can't remember all the different ways I've used it, there are only 7 for now (if you remember another one, let me know). This should suffice, though, because it covers a lot of emotions that cannot easily be translated into words. Also, this is so much shorter than the ridiculously long "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" which Miss Poppins claims can be used whenever you don't know what to say. I've tried and it doesn't work so well. Halfway through the word, the emotion is either gone or the person you were talking with is. Huckleberry Finn! I know!

Scared of turning into a pumpkin?

2007-08-24T20:31:00.000-07:00

Then you probably have apocolocynposis.

That's right folks. Apocolocynposis. It was at the bottom of my little brother's class agenda. It was one of the random facts at the bottom of one of the pages. I didn't realize 'random' was taken that seriously. Well, with great doubt I looked it up online and sure enough found a reference to this rather interesting word and its even more interesting definition. The word was not found in the 2 dictionary references I looked it up on but rather it was found on the site of Michigan's channel 13. Hmmm...if you don't believe me, see for yourself: http://www.wzzm13.com/triviadefault.asp?cmd=view&articleid=367

Now that we all know how to describe, quite accurately mind you, the innate fear of this particular fall fruit...I can carry on with other, less important news.

I am now back home in the desert land as most of you know (and if not, the renamed blog should have given it away) and the first thing I thought when I got off the plane was whether or not I'd survive the remainder of the summer back home. After my brother and dad called me a 'wimp' for feeling exasperated with the 100-some degree heat, I slowly regained my strength and tolerance for the um...slight change in temperature. Thankfully, it did not take me too long to adjust and I did survive (apparently), despite my first thoughts upon my arrival. Yes, thankfully the desert stock that I am made of runs strong in me (let's hope it stays strong!). Remember this Theresa when you get off the plane. Never fear, I'll be waiting with lots of Gatorade. ;)

Well, being back has had its ups and downs. It has been great seeing family and friends here...I was back just in time to see a dear friend of mine before she left to study out of town. Vania, you will be missed! I've also had time enough to get things ready for school and...well, the chaos of my room has yet to undergo some severe sorting and clearing up but alas, if I organize my days well enough, I will have the time for this. Since it's been used as dumping grounds while I was away, it should take about a month's worth of work...hehe. Just kidding, but it will be a lot!

Downs...well obviously the weather (yet I remember what I missed about the sky back in Seattle...the sunrises/sunsets...here, they are amazingly picturesque), also the family that I left and my friends, no foosball table here, and no kayak-able lakes or, well, no weather conducive to kayaking. How ever am I going to fulfill my mission of becoming a bum on a kayak? Well, there's always the upcoming winter (?) here to train in the art of kayaking.

My Italian class seems like it is going to be lots of fun. And thankfully, it seems quite similar to Spanish, so it shouldn't be too difficult, right? This is an online course in the truest sense: we will be sending audio clips to our instructor so she can grade our pronunciation and our final will require a web cam, which we'll need before the final if we want to drop by on our instructor's virtual office hours. This should be quite interesting.

It was the first day of classes and I had not yet heard from my instructor...no email, no phone call, no nothing. I was beginning to fear it was cancelled. I checked at school and it didn't seem like it was. Finally, halfway through Monday, I get an email from her. Hurray! Then I read it. It started something like this:

"Ciao Studenti!! Benvenuti al corso d'italiano 101 online!..."

Thankfully, of course, this all sounded familiar (Spanish or not). But I was beginning to hesitate that everything would be in Italian. My brother just laughed and said that the email probably read something like "welcome to the 3rd month of classes, I hope you are all ready for our midterm tomorrow". Hehe. Thankfully the rest of the email was not in Italian and it was the correct course and the beginning of the course.

Finance is, well, Finance. What can one say? Thankfully, my teacher is enthusiastic about the class and about getting this stuff through to us. I'm not sure how he'll do this, but at least he wants to try. Nice fellow. Naaa...it won't be half so bad and he's nice and clear about the course's difficulty. I just hope the students take him seriously.

Okay, I can't promise to blog often even though I seem less busy than before. You know I'm a miserable blogger. But I will do my best to keep you updated on...well, whatever I find interesting enough in the desert land to keep you updated.

P.S. Due to the warm (100 degree) welcome I continue to receive (quite reluctantly) and received just today as well, I melted several times. Thankfully each time was not beyond repair (no need to point out that there are not any pics with me in this blog...so please wait a while Theresa and I will upload more when it is safe, er, I mean, when I get the pics downloaded).

A refreshing alternative to the typical song about love

2007-08-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

Love, comes along
It’s not some fleeting feeling
For love to be strong,
It’s washed in pain and healing

Love is a choice,
It’s an action,
It has feeling
Love is the one thing,
In this life
That still has meaning.
Love tracks you down,
It could hurt you,
It could nail you to a cross.
Love asks you:
“How much,
Have you suffered,
And are you bleeding?”

Pain, pain will come
We’re all guaranteed it.
But those who choose to love,
Then through their pain,
They heal with it.

Love ain’t some game,
That when it suits you,
You can take it as you please.
Love never claimed,
That it won’t hurt,
Or bring you to your knees.
Love’s a choice
And an action.
It has feeling.
Love is the one thing.
In this life,
That gives it meaning

Love is a Choice - Words & Music by Deiren Masterson

The final adventures in the land of rain and coffee...at least for this summer!

2007-08-06T22:15:00.001-07:00

Gee thanks for the curve ball Tres...you messed up my game! ;) I like your cop-out line...everyone seemed to be telling me the same thing...thus the game of ping pong. :P

So the game of ping-pong ended, I put myself in both sides of the court, obviously, numerous times...enough to know all the pros and cons on each side, quite well. Yay for pro/con lists eh...uh huh...they never really seem to work. Yet being the Post-It Notes Pro that I am, it couldn't be helped as some of you closet Post-It Notes Pros well know.

The verdict was/is....I am going home to finish my last semester of college and earn that much coveted Bachelor's degree. Graduation will be a for-sure this way (as some of you know the dilemmas I faced trying to get classes to work out here in Seattle) ...so ASU here I come!

I will be very happy to see everyone in Phoenix again though I will miss my family and friends here in Seattle. :(

Okay...so quick recap with pics of the things I've done lately...

About 2 weeks ago I went to the highly discussed company picnic. It was talked about more often by my cousins than by my coworkers interestingly enough. :P

Well, the picnic was a giant one with tons of inflatable slides of all shapes and sizes (from pirates to race cars to roller coasters) as well as pony rides and live music and rock climbing. Ironically enough, they also had an 'arcade' section with foosball, ping pong, and DDR. And yes, I played several games of foosball with my cousin Karen, her friend Jenny, and other employees who we didn't know until then but were united by the same passion for foosball.

What was quite fun was that at one point, as Karen, Jenny, and I were walking about trying to see what to do next, we noticed a group of serious-looking grown adults staring at what seemed to be daises on too much Miracle-Grow...tall, I mean more than two people tall, daisies.

Since the daisies were facing them, we figured if we went around to look at the front of these daisies, we'd know what was going on and these adults wouldn't look so ridiculous anymore. Well we do, and all we see are letters and arrows on these daisies. Yeah...interesting.

Turns out these were one of many puzzles scattered throughout the picnic. Lol...

Oh...another thing I found quite amuzing yet useful was a the Kid Wash that was readily available at the picnic. Yeah no kidding...kids just go through this wash process that was amazingly close to real car washes, big spinning brushes and all, and they seemed to come out quite clean. Well, that is, until they'd step onto the dirt and get dirty again. :P I think we could use one of those at home. :D Right lovies? ;)

Ooo...okay, have you ever tried soccer control car racing? I actually scored a goal...after running about aimlessly for the first half of the game. (No, that's not us in the picture)

And last but not least, there was so much food and so many kinds (though I've been told that there were more kinds in the past!) that we spent probably about half of our total time there eating. :D Yes, I was quite happy. I had pot-stickers, corn dogs, popcorn, tortellini, gyros, and popsicles and brownies for dessert. So basically our day went like this:

11am - picnic opens, we all head to the food and eat brunch

12pm - wander about, play foosball, etc.

1pm - found another concession stand, eat more food

2pm - explore, play foosball, fail at DDR, etc.

3pm - remembered some food we didn't already try and head back to the food stands

4pm - explored some more...etc. You get the picture.

Alrighty, also I recently did an amazing hike in the Olympic Mountains. Yay for mountains and yay for weather that is conducive to being outdoorsy! Ever since I got here, I immediately connected with the inner outdoorswoman in me. :D

So last Saturday, a few of us took a hike up Mt. Townsend. Lovely drive, lovely ferry ride, not so lovely steepness in the hike. For those of you who know my uncle's driveway...it was pretty much that for about 5 miles. It took us a total of 3 hours to get to the top. Everyone who had arrived before (and after) us, passed us by...it was quite pitiful. We were so out of shape though few of us cared to admit it. One thing that's true: the hike was quite rewarding...it was beautiful going up (despite the shortness of breath) and it was beautiful at the summit where there mountains all around as far as the eye can see. Also, we could see the ocean far off and a little bit of Canada so it seems. Quite amazing.

Thankfully the hike down took us half the time...you can imagine we basically slid the whole way down. ;) And afterwards, once we got back to Seattle, we had the most delicious shakes and hamburgers at Red Robin. Glory on a bun, so we called it. Lovely food...and lovely way to end a good hard day's hike.

The following morning...

well, I forgot how often I have to go up and down the stairs at home. I think I looked like a weirdo most of the day yesterday and even a little today. Even when I'd get up after sitting around a while, I had to do it slowly. Sadness, the outdoorswoman in me is not so in shape for such outdoorsiness.

Ah, but today I took a stroll around the hilly neighborhood to keep it up. So yay for that! I actually went around a few times mind you.

Alrighty, I must get some shut eye now because Tio is going to beat me downstairs for breakfast for the umpteenth time and I will not be able to defend my pride if I cannot make it before him (or at least on time). ;) Hey, I'd been on time all these months, except for the last couple of weeks, I'd been getting just a few minutes late downstairs...and Tio would tell me we should just move the time a little...so we did and so I kept arriving just a little later than that. I've already told him, that if he just moves the time till later, I will just accomodate and arrive a little later than that. I was doing fine earlier...so I will do it again. So help me. ;)

Buenas noches if you're reading this late, buenos dias if it's morning! I will hopefully see you all soon!!!

Love,

Rosy

I stay, I go, I stay, I go, I stay, I go...

2007-07-23T22:10:00.000-07:00

So as you can tell from the analogy of the ping pong game going on inside my head, my mind has been in quite a frenzy...trying to find the rational solution to my dilemma. In reality, it's just one of those things that simply takes you on a different turn though it could you lead you right back to where you were before. Like those books who's endings you can choose, except in this case, it's more like a beginning.

Well, I could tell you what side of the court the ball is on today, but then again, it could change tomorrow. So I should spare your joining in the ping pong match...it must be awkward for those who inevitably hear each day what side the ball is on. I mean who doesn't think it's awkward to watch someone play ping pong by themselves!

So in the evening after we all had dinner, a yummy Polish dinner mind you, my cousins decided that I should take a spin at the wheel they have to decide my fate (it's kinda like the eight ball). This was after it was suggested that I pluck a poor daisy until I get to the last petal...however, I decided against it because first of all, I like daisies and second of all, if I go through one, I will probably not stop there and before Washington knows it, all its daisies will be gone. So I spun this wheel with not a bit of seriousness and seriously this is how it went:

Q. Should I stay? A. Yes
Q. Should I go? A. No
Q. Should I do all my classes and work, doing it all here? A. Go for it! (Yes, I almost positive there was an exclamation point)
Q. Will I survive all that? A. Thumbs up (this answer I am not satisfied with...I could die with my thumbs somehow pointing up...this answer was too vague as you can see)

Then I think the wheel got a little tipsy, not that it got any wine...but then the question was whether I'd come back (given that I leave of course), and it answered 'happy hour' (no exclamation points oddly enough).

So we went ahead and obeyed at this point and had a happy hour. Well, only the adults had the wine, but we all played cards, actually Garbage, and had a very happy several hours (much to poor tia's dismay...she had spoken against movie-watching because it'd get too late, but Garbage turned out to be quite a long game we had to cut it short).

Well, we've been joking that nothing will be certain until I get on the plane...but at this rate, it seems even then I could always get off...hehe!!! Poor tios are getting a taste of serious, deep thinker Rosy. Hehe...well they've survived thus far, I think they will make it just fine!

Shout out to all my friends and the lovies and the mamas and the papas and little baby all whom I miss very much and hope to see very, very soon!!! Let me just finishing plucking this daisy...

Just kidding!

Love,

Rosy

God Meant it for Good

2007-07-21T22:15:00.000-07:00

“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result.” (Genesis 50:20 NIV) Joseph’s life was anything but peaceful. It was complicated by youthful folly, broken dreams, and the mean-spirited actions of others. He was sold into slavery by jealous brothers. He was thrown into prison on false charges. Yet he remained a man remarkable for his lack of bitterness or regret, always seeing God as the “Great Engineer” behind even the worst of circumstances. In a final confrontation with his brothers, he graciously noted, “You meant it for bad; God meant it for good.”

“God meant it for good” probably means you can accept the past – No sin, no action, no choice on your part is too big for God to handle – or too big to be worked for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. Just ask Joseph! Better yet, ask his fearful and famished brothers, who were forced to rely on him for survival.

“God meant it for good” probably also means you can embrace the present – There’s no need to play the “what if” game. The past is gone, and no energy you expend will ever change it. The future is in God's omnipotent hands, so you’re free to focus on the present. Your job is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, trusting him to forgive the past and transform the future. “Wherever you are, be all there” – not living in the past and not fantasizing about the future. God wants you in the present because that’s where his grace will flow.

“God meant it for good” may also mean you can look expectantly toward the future – Even if you make mistakes today, God still controls your future. Walking in the Spirit, you can live life to the fullest, unafraid of making mistakes and unconcerned that you may stumble into some terrible circumstance that takes you out of God's control. Even when things appear to be terrible, you can trust that God is working out some divine plan through you.

No matter how bad things get, God is still able to bring good out of it. Today, thank God that nothing – no disaster, no delay – is bigger that his ability to turn it into something good and godly. Also thank God and let go – Thank God that he is sovereign over your past, your present, and your future.

Is it not time to give God the circumstances, disasters, hindrances, hurts, and sins from your past? Don’t you think it is time to give God your current situation, your disasters, hindrances, hurts, and sins of today? All you need to do is praise God that he can work anything in your future for godly good, that you can walk in confidence that there is nothing anyone can do to you, or anything you can do that will be beyond the reach of God’s grace and redemption. Walking by faith means you see God’s hand even in the most difficult of circumstances. You trust his ability and his willingness to transform the bad into godly good. God is not limited by people’s motives. In other words, it doesn’t matter why someone hurt you, God still can transform a deliberate, mean-spirited situation into something for his good.

- my good friend George Gonzalez wrote this reflection...

A Walk in the Clouds

2007-07-19T22:29:00.000-07:00

Wow...it seems like forever since I last blogged! Please forgive me yet again. And I will stop excusing myself because at this point it should be obvious that I am not going to be very consistent for the remaining month.

Wow...a month left to go! Yay and yet boo. Yay because I get to see all my friends and family again yet boo because I leave all the friends I made here and all the loveliness of this city.

Wow...will I leave, will I stay? I spoke with dad earlier on the phone and I believe I was quite accurate in telling him that I felt my mind felt like it was in a state of ping pong. One day the ball's on one side of the table, the next it's on the other side. Huckleberry Finn. Sometimes it seems decisions are impossible to make but then again it always seems exciting to make them whatever they may end up being. They bring new possibilities, new adventures, new triumphs, new struggles...sometimes even old battles but nonetheless they bring something.

God is good all the time so I am not afraid of the serious decision-making that will be made in the course of this month. I trust all will go well and whatever decisions I prayerfully make, He'll make the best of them. I will of course keep you updated...

Anyhoo, family visited and now is gone. I miss you guys a lot!!! My family here though is so great in making me always feel cared for. Yay for family!!!

While my family was in, the highlight, I believe, of our trips was the one to the Olympic Mountains (besides our trip to Rainer previous to that).

Before I start the telling of the actual destination...we had a few interesting moments on the way TO our destination including, but not limited to:

- losing mum and Tia (who were driving the other car with the kids) at the very beginning of the trip and then later as we approached the ferry (yes we got to take a ferry!!!)

- tio and dad blaming the whole incident on Tia and mum and their poor navigation skills (ironically though, they had made it successfully to the line for the ferry before we did)...since we followed some poorly and scarcely placed signs to the ferry line we ended up going quite a ways AWAY from the ferry line while Tia and mum safely in line. But of course, it was the women's fault that we were separated in the first place, so they had to come back and meet us. (Secretly I believe that the guys didn't know how to get to the ferry line so they needed to follow Tia and mum...hehe)

- at this point, we'd been in the car far longer than we would've liked to be and knew that only more delay was in store for us, so I decided to start documenting the experience with my camera phone. My subjects were reluctant at first, but then agreed to take part in the documenting as they had nothing better to do.

- Fernando at this point intelligently decided to have his nifty mp3 player drown out the depressing sounds and silences of being lost and doomed to more hours in the car...

- finally....we get to the ferry line, after meeting up with the gals who had to get out of their line to come back and meet us...and the line is long...quite long...

- so we play a game of cards, I take more pics, we turn on the radio, then we check to see if we have anything worth listening to in the car since Celine Dion and Mariah Carey were the only ones singing on the radio...

and the one thing the dads found in the car that made us produce amusing reactions (amusing in their eyes mind you, and yes, we were all THAT bored) was a Veggie Tales cd...and I almost would've been okay with that had I not heard these songs numerous times before and had the adults not turned up the volume plenty and this is all beside the fact that two grown men had preferred this over the radio (well frankly I don't know what would've been better)!!! So here are pics of our expressions at the squeaky, funky sounds of Veggie Tales.

- And then....we finally get to the ferry!!! Hurrah!!! Note the sheer joy in our faces upon our arrival.

The ferry was amazing, but I don't have pics of it...you'll have to ask Fernando or I'll have to look for the camera Tio was using. Let me just say that the ferry was so fun to ride on (especially from the outside right by the railing) that I understood for once the cheesy typical Titanic pictures with Kate's outstretched arms and Leo's sappy face. Ja man...amazing breeze!!!

Okay, eh hem, you can shake the mention of the movie off right now..sorry about that.

We went to Hurricane Ridge and climbed Hurricane Hill. It was the most amazing thing ever!!! As we drove up and up, we started seeing more clouds until we got to our destination and were surrounded by wisps of clouds passing right over our heads! They blocked some of the view at first (though we got to see a lot on our way up) and then they cleared a little here and there as we made our hike up the hill (btw, hill my foot. it was quite a hike towards the end especially!). We saw a deer a little ways off the path and started to quietly, yet frantically get as many pics as we could as she wandered around by some trees. I thought that was amazing, I'd never been that close to a deer...at least not that I recall.

We keep hiking up and get more amazing and breathtaking views as we hike on the path that was breathtakingly close at times to the side of the 'hill' (I would believe it to be a mountain, but then again I don't know the definition of either so I won't play the expert). There were wildflowers of all colors on the sides...it was great! We were so happy and taking pictures...and happy...and panting...and the path kept going...and we started wondering when the path would end because we still had to hike back...and we kept going...and still somewhat happy...and out of breath...but happy...at least content...okay then we were starting to get hungry...and out of breath...and then there was the steepest climb I've ever done...it was the type that you know that for days after the hike you'll feel your every muscle ache with every move you make (like when you work your arms out a bit too much and can't even stretch your arms out to open the microwave door to make lunch the next day). Yeah. Though in retrospect, I never ended up half as achy as I expected. Huckleberry Finn. Now, in retrospect, I'm a little annoyed because pain I thought was a good indicator that you'd done a good hard day's worth of exercise and I'm wondering if I got any health and fitness points for that hike whatsoever!

Okay, back to the story...so we hike and we're all scattered in small groups of two and tired and dad and Chumi are farther up ahead than any of us and JP and Fernando are a little ways behind them and Karen and I are slightly behind them and Tio and Sara close behind and mum and Tia...well who knows where. I knew that they had taken a break and were taking pictures but well...at this point it was everyone fend for yourself and go at whatever pace you've got left in you and see to it that you don't faint instead of everyone stick together like a family. We still loved each other...but everyone at the distance they could bear to have.

As we get to the tip top...AMAZING!!! Though we were expecting a view that went for miles in several directions, we saw not much more than clouds...but it was amazing. We were covered in cloud...it was like a dream! The air was crisp and moist and everything had such a beautiful hushed light to it. Very dreamy...and rightly so for we were walking in the clouds.

At one point we could only see a few feet ahead of us, the clouds so thickly surrounded us. Also, we wasted our time frantically taking pictures of the one deer we saw (what seemed like ages ago) earlier for just before we were thickly surrounded by clouds, we saw one lovely majestic deer, antlers and all, standing right by the path as we walked on by! And after that, we saw a doe and a younger deer come by too! The whole family was there...so beautiful and so nearby!!!

So we took a bunch more pictures though we failed miserably at many of them because of the clouded lighting conditions...hehe.

And then we hiked back down...this time the whole family together. We made it...all of us to the top and in a way I think it was especially gratifying to get to the top on one's own. There's just something about successfully reaching one's destination, struggles and all. The beauty when you get can be so much more appreciated and profound. Okay...no more poetic tangents...

I've realized that if I don't take pics with my simple little camera phone, I will never get to posting pictures on this blog...this explains the semi-decent pictures in the blog.

Well, I will have tell more experiences later...for I must get some shut-eye or I will not be able to face my computer at work tomorrow!

Love you all and miss you!!!

Puedes Ser Feliz

2007-07-19T22:25:00.000-07:00

En cierta ocasión durante un seminario para matrimonios, le preguntaron a una mujer:-"¿Te hace feliz tu esposo?", ¿Verdaderamente te hace feliz?En ese momento el esposo levantó ligeramente el cuello en señal de seguridad, sabía que su esposa diría que sí, pues ella jamás se había quejado durante su matrimonio. Sin embargo la esposa respondió con un rotundo"No ...... no me hace feliz"Y ante el asombro del marido... continuó:- "No me hace feliz ......... ¡Yo soy feliz! ...El que yo sea feliz o no, eso no depende de él, sino de mí.Yo soy la única persona, de quien depende, mi felicidad.Yo determino ser feliz en cada situación y en cada momento de mi vida pues si mi felicidad dependiera... de alguna persona,cosa... ó circunstancia.... sobre la faz de esta tierra, yo estaría en serios problemas.Todo lo que existe en esta vida, cambia continuamente.......el ser humano, las riquezas, mi cuerpo, el clima, los placeres, etc.Y así podría decir una lista interminable.A través de toda mi vida, he aprendido algo;decido ser feliz y lo demás lo llamo..."experiencias", amar, perdonar, ayudar, comprender, aceptar, escuchar, consolar.Hay gente que dice:- No puedo ser feliz ... porque estoy enfermo,porque no tengo dinero, porque hace mucho calor, porque alguien me insultó, porque alguien ha dejado de amarme, porque alguien no me valoró...Pero... lo que no sabes es que.... PUEDES SER FELIZ!!!!aunque... estés enfermo,aunque... haga calor,aunque... no tengas dinero,aunque... alguien te haya insultado,aunque... alguien no te amó ,o no te haya valorado .SER FELIZ ES.... UNA ACTITUD ANTE LA VIDA QUE CADA UNO DECIDE...!!!!!

Mt. Rainer is quite loverly

2007-07-04T15:23:00.001-07:00

So...I posted a while ago...quite a while ago...eh hem. I'm failing at this blog posting thing!!! Okay, must get better at this...note to self. Think about it this way: I've been busy doing things and taking pictures so I'll have blog-worthy material! It's all for you.

Let me see...I've gone to Mt. Rainer twice thus far...sooooo beautiful! Once with a bunch of paparazzi and once with family.

Hehe...the 'paparazzi' got their name because it so happens to be that when one goes to Mt. Rainer on a somewhat cloudy, non-conducive-to-photo-shooting day with a group of photography aficionados (who are actually quite good at it 'cept me), one ends up getting tons of pictures taken of oneself and the others in the group. I thought it rather odd that often we were standing next to the most amazing mountain I've ever seen (probably the first I've ever seen so up close) yet the people were the ones getting the shots taken. Twas fun though, quite fun...because we were always looking for neat spots to stop at and take pictures. And jes, there were good pictures of the lovely mountain...it did manage to get in there somehow. ;) One also ends up with a good snow fight too...I learned that if you kick snow at just the right angle, it sprinkles all over your desired targets. :D 2 good reasons why this is better than the conventional snowfight: you don't get your hands numb from making snowballs and you don't get sore all over from rock hard snowballs (at least in this case the snow was icy hard!). Despite my limited experience with snow as a Phoenician, I think I can safely say that this was an eureka moment and is something worth keeping in mind the next time you end up in snow. :D

Mt. Rainer with family was great fun too...a little more whinny as we had kids with us...hehe, but quite fun. We hiked up the mountain a little and got to the point that we were surrounded by snow all around. Again, in my limited experience of snow, I was amazed at how bright it was up there, despite the cloudy skies, and how necessary my sunglasses really were. Another thing I thought amazing was how I ended up taking my layers of jackets and sweaters and walked around in a short sleeve shirt and still further went on to ask my comrades to throw snow at me because I was so hot and sweaty. Sweating when surrounded by snow? Who would've thunk? Very new concept to the Phoencian.

Okie, so other than the fantabulous mountain, last weekend, my baby brother and I went to the movies with some of my coworkers aka the 'paparazzi' and watched Ratatouille. Beware fellow female friends...you could feel miserable about your cooking after watching this. :P Other than that, it was nice. After the movie, we stayed to watch the credits because one of my coworker's friends works with Pixar...and sure enough, his friend's name was there. Very cool! Afterwards we went to Blue Ginger, very yummy Korean food and then went to one of the paparazzi's apartment and played DDR (dance dance revolution). They are soo good at it, it's insane. Maybe someday I will be too... *sigh* Anyway, it was ideal for baby brother and I to practice there with only a few spectators vs. practicing in front of a billion people at places like Peter Piper Pizza. For those of you who remember...sweet memories at Disneyland with mum, Tia Ines, and DDR, no? What made that so great was that they had screens hanging on the ceiling showing the faces of the people who played. Ja, and you wonder why I don't play it so often. :P Left there scarred for life.

Oooo, also, we went to the Space Needle or the "Space Noodle" as my tio and recently dad call it. Lovely to see the whole city and all the surrounding mountains. So here are a few pics. Quick tip for those who may go to the noodle sometime soon...don't walk around the whole thing several times consequtively, you may get dizzy.

So we went to the Olympic mountains this weekend and had lots of fun there too...lots to tell and many pics to load...but give me a few days to get that all sorted and it'll be up soon!

Love,

Rosy

Post salutations: *Hushed reverent pause* Humbled greetings to THE noble Cos and his and baby. :D Love you guys and miss you lots!!

Of Polish Breakfasts, Rain, and Colds

2007-06-17T22:58:00.000-07:00

Hello!!! Alrighty, I did NOT mean to post again this much later. :( I had read something about how not having bright lights like the ones on computer screens around can keep you from insomniatic moments so I thought I'd take the advice and do my posting earlier...but I've realized one can only have a set number of hours a day and night is the best time for posting...so Huckleberry Finn to that.

Last weekend was a nice rainy one. And funny enough this one was too! No really, it doesn't rain every day and the weekdays were mostly rainless, it's just that since we were thinking maybe we could work on the yard during the week last weekend, it rained. And this weekend it rained because more visitors came from Arizona. Seattle has a funny way of showing off to visitors and playing around with its inhabitants' weekend plans.

I'm sitting here trying to remember last weekend and the one thing that comes to mind is that Sara had another birthday party to go to. Yes, the girl's weekends are booked, busy girl. This time it was bowling which was much nicer for me as far as walking in and out of the building without a problem. You see, last birthday party was at Chuck E. Cheese and Mr. Cheese takes good care of his guests by having a guard by the doors to make sure no one comes or goes without a stamp of approval and an adult. Well, my cellphone rang while I was in there enjoying Mr. Cheese's place and chatting with my tia. So as much as I loved the party Mr. Cheese makes sure to have every day in his place, I found it rather difficult to hear what the person on the other end was saying...so I decided to step out for a little and finish my call. Sure enough, the ever faithful guard was ever watchful and before letting me out asked me how old I was. :

Mmmmm...yes, she did ask. Surprised? If you've hung around with me, probably not. I've been asked before, several times. Well, once the fact was established that I was my own escort because I was an adult, she let me out and I made the call. Huckleberry Finn...so you can see why I was relieved to see that Sara's next party was at a place that people of all ages went to. :D
Last weekend was overall quite calm which was very good because I think that helped us recouperate from all the journeying we'd done last time and prepared us for this weekend.

Friday, the girls had their piano recitals, which they did quite well at if I may say so myself. They got to perform at a piano store and got to play on a 9-foot Concert Piano! Those are the largest that exist and are the ones that are often found in concert halls...I also got to play on it before the recital started, since we got there a little early. Very nice....wish I had a classical piece memorized for that moment...but hey, it still worked and it was still amazing.

We had guests over on Saturday from good ole AZ (thus the rain). They were friends of the family who were passing by as they drove up to Canada (they flew here mind you, then drove up to Canada). Well we prepared by cleaning the house and playing the piano till I felt my hands were going to fall off...honestly I played for a good hour and a half in total....well playing wasn't really preparation, it was more like something to do while I waited to be given a task but tia wouldn't let me work too much. I felt like I was cheating being still a little sick and all, but I realized it wasn't entirely my fault. :P

Okie, so they get here and we all have fun playing basketball and flying this dragonfly my tio got for the girls when he and Sara went shopping for one of her many parties. She's really better than I at this social and parties thing. Anyhoo, the family had two boys that were near the girls' ages, hence the basketball instead of the dolls. Naw...actually, it was so nice out, before Seattle decided to show off...my tio had gotten the grill going with this huge fire-breathing thing...boys when you come, you'll need to see it, I thought he was going to end up setting the whole porch on fire it was that big. :O So the grill is ablaze and we are ahungry because we did many a run and jump, and it starts araining. Actually, it was more like 3 drops fell from the sky and then suddenly it starts pouring. Well tio comes out to get the grill covered and the family comes out to watch the rain...they were so surpised it was quite funny. I guess I've already gotten used to it.

Well after a few games of Set inside, we had an amazing dinner of steak and potatoes and everything else you can imagine that's yummy. Gosh, it was so good and I had been anxiously awaiting the dinner by eating the chocolate covered raisins we had out for the guests (along with every berry you can imagine...it was fun and yummy). But a few minutes into my dinner I started feeling full...I was quite mad at the chocolate covered raisins at this point. But still I ate my dinner, definitely without regrets. :D

Afterwards we played some foosball and piano (the boys play too).....we were Set-out because we played way too many rounds before dinner.....at one point Sara and the boy her age, Patrick leave Karen, Matthew and I and go bounce balls off the second floor (which can actually be fun to watch, but dangerous when thrown hard, so don't try it at home kids). Well we were so into the game, we were heedless of our surroundings. :P It got to the point that we couldn't even place the new cards on the table before one of us would shout 'set'! We were that fast.....

Anyhoo....foosball was fun and we did boys against girls, well that was before dinner and I believe the girls won...whoo hoo!! But after dinner it was men against girls and well that didn't go quite as well as we had planned...Karen and I were trying to be nice to the guests... :D well....tio was on their team so I think that made things a little uneven.....

No wait....before I go any further......we, Karen and I, had an amazing moment before this weekend. We had been playing my tio almost every evening trying to get better and master the game in the hopes of one day winning against tio and at last we accomplished it! Yes, we won tio!!!!! And I do believe we won twice....I may be wrong, but for sure it was at least once!!!! So Karen and I are quite proud that we accomplished such a feat and look forward to more of those moments in the future (this weekend was an exception, we were being nice to the guests and friends' dad who was paired up with tio against Karen and I happened to be a decent foosballer so yeah....well, we'll get even better!). ;)

After all this fun stuff the adults and I went out for a walk (by this point, our guests knew how old I was....even they couldn't believe me when they found out how old I was), the kids were way too much into this Sim Zoo my cousin had. Which actually has a funny story to it.....while Karen and I were feversihly trying to beat the men, Patrick, who had been hard at work with the zoo, comes up and asks Karen something about the zoo. Well Karen was so busy and concentrated, she just responds "it doesn't matter." So Patrick, seemingly content with the answer, goes off. Later while they were all gathered back at the zoo, I mean the game about the zoo, Karen ends up finding out the zoo they had been creating all evening was named the It Doesn't Matter Zoo. Hehe, I thought that was pretty funny.

Towards the end of the night we ended up playing a little bit of Cranium, I say 'little bit' because we never got to finish it....it's like Monopoly....it never gets finished, people give up or get distracted before it's over. But one of these days, we'll finish a whole game of Cranium...Karen and I are determined. Anyhoo, for your information, Ralph Ellison did only write one novel in his lifetime and the man who wrote James Bond also wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. You're kidding, I know, but I'm not. Cranium says so. Karen and I wish it wasn't so, but it is. Se la vie.

Well, after the Cranium gang fell apart, we headed towards the TV, because it had been turned on.....so we all went towards the light just like those little flies that are attracted to lights. And, after a little insisting, we ended up watching an episode of the Flinstones....good ole Flinstones, and good ole bed when I finally got to it. Hehe....it was all fun but I think we were all happy once we hit the sack.

Next morning, I had a yummy breakfast of different kinds of cold meats and different slices of bread with Swiss cheese. Oh so good....I'm told that it is a typical Polish breakfast even though it may seem like lunch to the non-Polish. But after that breakfast, I'm switching my breakfasts' ethnicity to Polish. :D

Then we went to the nearby lake and played some Volleyball till our arms got sore. At one point in the game some of us were purposely trying to avoid the ball because we were so sore. :P Got some lunch at Ruby's Diner and then saw our friends off to Canada.

Then we all took a nap....seriously, well most of us....we were sooo tired!!!

After a nap, we all went to Mass and then we all sat for a movie and watched Shrek. I'd forgotten a lot of it and we all laughed at the same jokes....it was great. And after we watched the credits...it said Neil Diamond wrote "I'm a Believer".....I do believe it was the Monkees that played and sang it before the man was born!! Come on, any backup?

Well, I hope you all had a lovely Father's Day....shout out to all the Dads!!! Love you guys!!!

P.S. I just looked it up and Neil Diamond did write the song but it was recorded by the Monkees and later covered and recorded by Diamond. Odd.

Deception Falls...da da da dum....

2007-06-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the loooong delay in posting! But here it is now....and with good pics too!

Okie, so I will pick up where I left off. Last weekend, on Saturday, we went road tripping and had plans to go to Deception Falls. There was quite a bit of deception that day because though we all thought we were going to the falls first thing (even uncle who was driving thought this) we ended up passing it and driving a bit farther! Yes, I tell you lots of deception. Yes....okay no, not exactly. The story goes like this: we were driving along playing games in the car as we went when suddenly it occurred to one of us that Leavenworth was not too far up north from Deception Falls and we should spend our day there instead because it was such a nice town. We were quite hungry at this point because those who had actually eaten before hurrying out the door, had only a light breakfast. Well, Leavenworth seemed to be only 30 min away and we thought, well, we brought snacks and could make it up there without anyone fainting from lack of nourishment. So away we go at the snacks. Yay, yummy, nourishment, we'll be just fine since we'll eat once we get to town.

In the meantime, we were going up a mountain to get there and on the way we saw several mini-falls. Snow melting off the very tops of the mountains (yes, plural, we were surrounded by many mountains with lovely trees all over!!!) was making its way down the sides of the mountain. Absolutely lovely. I was amazed in the first place that we were going to another set of falls within an hour drive! Waterfalls here are apparently not as scarce as they are back home. Huckleberry Finn, I know! So you can imagine how amazed I was to see mini-falls here and there and almost everywhere before we even went to the official "Falls".

So up the mountain we go, and lo and behold we pass by what is called Steven's Pass, a ski resort. This was quite convenient because Leavenworth was seeming a bit father away than we had planned and some of us were needing to use the ladies room and were still hungry. So we thought, the place must be able to provide for our needs so let's get down.

Well, no, it was all closed...some places like that are open at this time of year, I know because I've been to such places...but others, are not so open. Not much at all. So this place was not open at all...not even their bathroom facilities. But hey, at least we got some neat pictures...fortunate for us it didn't have its scenery closed during off-season.

So we all got back in the car and by this time we were quite decided that Leavenworth was out of the picture and some of us were wondering how we'd fare without much to snack on after we'd indulged in most of it. So we go back to Deception Falls, ironically after deceiving ourselves into thinking we were going and then that we weren't and then again that we were...except this last time, we did. Hehe...and thankfully the restroom facilities at the falls do not close during off-season...if ever falls get a break...which they don't apparently.

Well these falls definitely didn't take a break...no, there were in quite a hurry, the whole time we were there and it made me think they weren't slowing down anytime soon after we left. They were roaring as they went and at such speed that we almost got wet as we crossed the bridge that goes across it. It was scary crossing that bridge because you felt that at any minute the falls might just take you with them. I don't really know why they were in such a hurry if on the other side of the bridge they suddenly grew calm and slowly made their way down and about.

Amazing falls...

So after our view of the lovely falls we decided to get a little something to fill our tummies...and with the help of a handy dandy GPS system, found a location in a nearby town, Index. Yes, the town's name was Index, the mountain's name (one of the many) was Index, and therefore the poor town's name was, is, also Index. I'm sorry I couldn't make it sound lovelier, you can imagine how upset I was upon hearing the mundane name that had been endowed upon this lovely town. Poor thing.

Anyhoo, we found the restaurant at last...nice and big, it was a hotel too I think...........when it was in business. Yes, more deception. The restaurant was no longer in business (I think it must've had something to do with the name of the town it was in....imagine, "we're located in Index, WA.....yes, index, like the index in the back of books...yes, that's it....we're really very charming"). Sorry...I'm still upset.

Well, we had been deceived and we were quite sad at this point...well actually not too sad. We were somewhat amused by the kyaker that was apparently stuck at the top of a kyaking place and I think most of us were somewhat curious to see if the big group of river rafters we had been watching get ready by the river that was nearby, were going to end up like that poor kyaker atop the store. Unfortunately, in a town with a name like Index, things like that don't happen all too often I suppose. Well, at least none that we got to witness (other than one kyaker).

Okay, so deceived and hungry, we left the lovely town of....eh, um....Index...and went off in search of some source of nourishment that we wouldn't have to work too hard to get (I say this because I'm sure there was the occasional fish one could catch in the river or blackberries to pick but I don't think none of us were that up to it).

We find a nice place that uncle and family had been to before in the town of Gold Bar I believe it was. And yes, this place had food indeed, lots of it!!! So we had food, lots of it and desert mind you...homemade ice cream....yes, it was very yummy and I think it helped us all forget the deception we had faced that day.

Afterwards we spent sometime in a nearby park, it reminded me of Sahuaro Ranch in the sense that it had a mini-farm and some old buildings....but as far as the rest of it....it was quite a bit greener. It was neat because there was even a little creek in there and we took a little trail by the creek. It was so great...next time I'll take pictures. The whole park seemed to be secluded from the rest of the city and it was just great. Lovely place, I'll make sure to take more pics next time.

Anyhoo....moral of the story is this: if ever you go to Deception Falls, make sure to make room for the unexpected.

Shouts out to Theresa on her birthday and to the lovies and to Popsicle and Mums who are such vagos and to Cos, Mine, and Baby (who are getting cuter by the minute as I just got to see some pictures of them....I'm not so sure about Marcos though....hehe, just kidding bro). Love you guys!!!

Memorial Day

2007-05-29T22:11:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, tia, Sara, and I had our last girls day out and went to Snoqualmie Falls. It was about a 30 min drive and it was amazing! Soooo beautiful! It's too bad we weren't in gear to hike down closer to the falls, but maybe next time. When Sara and I got to the deck that overlooks the falls, I told Sara that we should go ahead and take some pictures. So I took out my phone and starting snapping some, while she quickly pulled out her sketch pad and started sketching as quickly as she could! I didn't realize she'd take me literally...lol. (No actually, before we had gotten out of the car, I had told her to bring her sketchpad down since we didn't get to draw together in the car).

Anyhow, a little boy found it so amusing and grand that she was sketching out the falls, he was all excited and pointing at her and then tugging on his mom's shirt. He was so cute! Cute kids!!! After we had our fun there and at the gift shop, we went into the resort that overlooks it. Very pretty too...as it must be expensive.

Then we took a longer way home and passed through the small downtown of Snoqualmie Falls and then through a lot of country land dotted by a few houses here and there. Now I know where I'd like to retire. :D They had some really nice country cottages around.

We then arrived back in the city and stopped at a Chinese restaurant and ate some delicious food!!! We got so tired and hungry on our trip...we almost ate all of the food (and we got 3 plates and soup)!

It wasn't too long after we got home, that the chess champs got back after their last day of the Washington Open. They did well and Karen won both games she played on Sunday...these people are quite a bit higher than her level mind you! But above all, they enjoyed their weekend of chess and they have a good bunch of friends there too. On their break, they were playing chess...they truly play for love of the game, which is really how it should be played.

Today I did as much as much bug-finding as I could and at the end of the day I went over to talk to my boss and and it sounded like after turning in those bugs I wouldn't have too much to do until they were revised. :( So I asked what I could do in the meantime and he asked me if I was asking for more work...I slowly said 'yes' and that hopefully that was a good question to ask. He said it was a very good question, so I will get a few more assignments hopefully tomorrow. I'm glad b/c I was beginning to think they wouldn't know what to do with me and then I wouldn't know what to do with me either...lol.

Pray you are all doing fantastically! Love!!! Shout out to the lovies and to Tres who just started her new job today!!

P.S. I added pics to my blog from last time...

Happy days

2007-05-27T21:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, tio and Karen went to the first day of the Washington Open chess tournament in Seattle. It was my first time in Seattle since I'd arrived and gosh, crossing the enormous Lake Washington is something impressive. It is so beautiful and you just see hills of trees and houses dotting them here and there and to the side a few skyscrapers. The people have tried to limit the number of tall buildings there because they are trying to preserve the lovely view for all the homes near the lake. So tia, Sara, and I only went to Seattle to catch tio and Karen on their break in between games; they play 2 games per day, the maximum time they can spend on each game, get this....is 6 hours!!! So we caught them on their break (Karen was actually still playing) so we sat with tio while he ate his lunch. After Karen was done, she only had a 30 min break before her next game. But she was ready to take on the next game! So as soon as they started the next game, tia, Sara and I headed off back to our side of town. We got to downtown Kirkland and ate lunch in what is supposed to be Seattle's smallest full-service restaurant. Very delicious hamburgers.....mmmm!! After that, we all walked around downtown and looked at the different shops that were there. Next to some shops was a mini-gallery and we went in and were greeted by the most life-like wax statues ever! One was more like a crossguard and the other a well-dressed butler. Amazingly real....it was funny b/c it took us a few seconds to think whether or not we were going to say 'hi' to them. Hehe.

Then we kept walking and got to the Kirk park and Sara played around while tia and I sat and talked. It was such a gorgeous day...and it was so much fun to see so many different types of green trees! I only know that these types of trees exist b/c I've read about them. There were the cutest kids on the playground too. One particular boy was actually quite formally dressed for a playground. He was wearing a brown tweed jacket (even with the black patches on the elbows!) and khaki pants and nice brown boots. He was so cute...he looked like a mini-professor. Anyhoo, he was having fun shoveling the wood chips in the playground into his little yellow pail. Later another child sees him and after the mini-professor's mother approved, starts helping put the wood chips into the pail as well. The children at this park seem to be exceptionally helpful because before I knew it there were almost 4 children helping this little boy fill his pail. He didn't know English, from what I gather, him and his mother are Russian. So later, when one of the children wanted to help with something, she would speak to her boy in Russian and then the boy would act accordingly. Later a siren was heard as a fire engine passed by and he started excitedly yelling what must be "fire engine" in Russian.

So then the girls and I walked a little bit more and then headed back to the car. What a work-out! We were all so tired by the time we got home! But we had such a nice time! Later Karen and tio got home and told us about their games and then before we headed off to bed Karen and I played against tio at the foosball table. So he won the first game....then we asked for revenge and he suggested he use only one hand and had us pick which one. So he played against us with only his left hand.....................................and won again. Then he played us with his right hand and won again.....you can imagine how upset Karen and I were at such a loss...yet I think we were both secretly cheering him on...he is good at this game and it's fun to watch how he does it so tactfully! Well...we nonetheless felt quite competitive and asked for one more game with both hands (I don't know why we tried this last one with both)....but either he was tired or we were way too determined to win...we were tied almost the whole way through (yes, the other games we lost by either half or most of the points). In the end, my phone rang and I believe tio gave us the point b/c he helped the last point in. So we won...but technically I don't think it was over. Maybe we'll ask for another round...but before then I must practice!!!! There is a foosball table at work...I must try and see if I can find some regular buddies I can get some practice with. Huckleberry Finn.

Well today they were off again to the tournament and us girls took it easy in the morning and built with the magnetics what was supposed to be a cable bridge like the Golden Gate...well...it had the cables. :D We build the road first and it was rather long...and then we started the pillars but as we went we had to shorten the road to build them and then by the time we got the cables going, the road had been reduced to half its original size. Well, it didn't end up looking half so bad. After all, we did it using the photo the box provided...mind you, it didn't show different angles, just one. So you can imagine we had fun trying to guess how many more sticks to put and magnetic balls. Well, it's still standing in the living room...we're not letting the dogs get to it at least for a while. It took us long enough to build!

Then we watched the Emperor's New Groove on tv and then got all showered and ready to hit the town again. We went all around the nearby lake in the car b/c we were dressed up nice for church, which we were going to around 6. It was amazing!!! Such a gorgeous drive and the houses right by the lake were amazingly huge and neat! As we got to the other end of the lake, we stopped by Red Robin to get some early dinner before Mass. After that we went to Mass.

After Mass we went home and had some ice cream despite the cold and drizzly day it had been today (yesterday was mostly sunny actually). And then Sara and I had fun watching tia prepare us coconut. Yes a real coconut! It was fun. I didn't realize all the steps one had to go through before actually breaking it open. Coconuts can be so fun...they look so funny. Anyhoo, tia got it all ready after quite a bit of hammering...yes to open it requires hardware tools! Then we had some slices with chile and limon. Yummmy.

So now, we are getting ready to have tio and Karen back from another long day of chess. They are true chess players b/c they do it for love of the game. They find it relaxing to sit all that time at a game...it's refreshing for them. And it makes sense, b/c then you can't think of any work or homework or whatnot while you're playing. You just get to think about the game. It's a good getaway when you think of it that way.

Well, I hope you are having a lovely day! Have a good Memorial day!!! Love you!

How Can I Keep from Singing?

2007-05-24T21:38:00.001-07:00

The last two days have been filled with lots of stuggles and triumphs. I think it's a good mix for anyone really. We all need our share of both. And the harder the struggle, the greater and more rewarding the triumph.

So, yesterday, in the morning, I finally finished all the installing stuff and then I was told to do some reading here and there on the work I'll be doing. So I did and it took a while, especially since I took a break to go and get my badge...yes, my badge! Whoo hoo...now I can move around freely without having to have someone open doors for me.

Today I was given my assignment which is really something I'll be working on for a while along with other colleagues. I then had to do some reading on that specific area and I think I'm almost an expert in it...so I'm excited b/c tomorrow after finishing up my reading, I'll focus my energies on what's wrong with the exisiting program aka find bugs. I'll also have to double check that the bugs that are fixed are definitely fixed, so I have to try and see if I can make it mess up again and if it doesn't, it's a-okay! It's getting much more interesting as I'm now focusing on a specific area of work and learning all about the product/work.

I'm also making more and more friends as time goes by. They're a good bunch. And today when the alarm sounded...b/c we had a fire drill today....which nearly left me deaf and with a slight headache for a half hour at the least!!....I was well accompanied b/c I knew a good handful of people. I'm also building up on the lunch buddies....I need to gather a consistent group of foosball players though so I can practice and win when I go back home in the evenings!

So the title of my blog this time came from a song that I heard yesterday...the 3rd graders of my cousins' school sang it. It was so nice to go to a spring concert, after a looong day of work. The 1st, 3rd, and 5th graders did this one. I'm told the even number grades do the winter concert. Anyhow, little cousin was in the group with the 1st graders and they did they songs really well. She was very smiley as she sange and acted really well. I'm impressed. Not a bit of stage fright in her. She'll be a great performer.

I'm very grateful for the good mix of work and rest that I get as hard as it can be to remember when I have a lot of hard work...it's still true. So I did have a hard time keeping myself from singing today after seeing all these good things surrounding me.

Anyhow, afterwards, we went to eat some Chinese food...yes Chinese! And it was deeeelicious. For those of you who are coming to see us, make sure to have us take you there. Good food and a very nice ambiance. We didn't get a chance because we were having a lot of fun talking and sharing and the time went by so fast, but there apparently is a baby grand there and they let people play it with permission. So....maybe next time, we can all go and do that too!

Today after work we just relaxed on the porch after dinner and got some fresh air. It's so nice to do after a long day stuck in an office for most of the time. I'm really thinking I'm going to start taking breaks outside and maybe do some walking. Such breaks are good to get your mind off of work for a little and then makes you more productive when you go back in.

Then we played a little foosball and Karen and I almost won....twice. But hey the first time we were super close and we had some very good shots. :D Then I played a little more piano (I had played some before we went outside) and then off to my room to get ready to sleep...

So...good night or morning or evening to you whenever you may end up reading this. I hope you are having a hard time keeping yourself from singing too!

Love you much! Shout out to the lovies!!!

P.S. If you want to see more pics, just send me an email...unless I know that you've already requested them!

First day!

2007-05-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

Not too bad, pretty laid back especially since I had to wait a lot for certain things to be installed in the computer or for things like my account and such to be set up. So there was a bit of waiting but I kept myself busy by exploring my section of the building (really 2 big empty rooms full of cubicles and a kitchen), snacking, eating lunch (in the kitchen which is right next door), taking a break with tio and some of his friends to play foosball, sketching, and chatting with my one neighbor. So, in the whole big room full of cubicles, I was the only one for a while until my neighbor showed up whose been there a little longer than I...he actually has years of experience there so he helped me out with a few things that I had troubles with.

Also, my boss and 2 other supervisors were very helpful throughout the day with all my questions. Once everything gets installed and set up, things should run a lot smoother. So I haven't yet started my actual assignments but am still in the pre-assignment phase. Though it's not been too bad, I'm looking forward to the next phase!

Some things I was installing seemed foreign to me and I started feeling scared once again of not knowing anything...but afterwards, tio showed me the big picture and the small picture and a little bit about each thing I was installing (b/c really I only had directions on how to install the stuff and not what it was for). Anyhoo, it actually turns out to be quite related to the programs I am familiar with and made a lot of sense to me once it was explained. So thankfully I am not too shaky anymore...I was after I got home. I had been working for 9 hours and if I hadn't been trying to get something to function at work, I was waiting, and it slowly made me anxious. Nonetheless, 9 hours is quite a bit of time.

So, that is the only sad part...that work requires such long hours...after all this lovely vacation it seemed like a cold smack in the face. But after I got home and unwound and got some things explained and such...I feel much better and actually ready to go back tomorrow (which is great b/c I thought I wouldn't survive the evening when I got home!).

Well anyhoo...here are some lovely pics of where I am at:

Here is Lake Washington...

and this is the view from the driveway at home...

Love,

Rosy

If you haven't been able to post...

2007-05-20T19:55:00.001-07:00

chances are it's b/c I was experimenting with the comment control a while earlier and I think the option I chose was not what I actually wanted...so I changed it again and it should work now. So please post...I'd love to hear from you!!!

We all got back from Mass a while ago and just had a little evening snack and we're all getting ready to hit the beds pronto. I'm already tired but I want to keep doing fun things like planning the garden and playing piano before I start work tomorrow. I must remember that I will still be able to do those things even after I start work. At least...so I hope. Lol.

Well today it actually rained, as in, not just 'drizzled'. It's amazing how, even though it rained, the rain still didn't soak us up. The rain was a light, but steady rain. Yesterday there had been short drizzles that didn't really get us wet at all. I'm enjoying the different kinds of rain, I've never really gotten to differentiate between it all...hehe. There's not too much of a difference in desert land. Water is water there.

Anyhoo...little cousin is being tricked into eating the rest of her snack by hearing her mum tell her the never-ending story of a princess who is not actually a princess yet b/c she has not yet completed all the things that are in the great book on how to become a princess. An ingenious idea on behalf of tia b/c the girls like to hear her tell the story and there's always a good lesson to learn. The other day, the princess had been struggling with learning how to chew with her mouth closed. She is now finished with her food and off to shower. Good thinking tia.

Okie...off I go too. Tomorrow is the big day so I need to make sure I am not sleepy tomorrow morning.

Love and miss you!

Bluegrass, Crepes, Cranium, and Lake Washington

2007-05-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, in the afternoon, we went to a mall-ish place except it seemed to be only 1 story and a lot less commercial. It had a mini-library, yes library as in you can rent books there, and live music every Friday and Saturday. We listened to the band playing bluegrass for a while and got some ice cream. Good music and yummy ice cream. I tried Irish Cream flavored ice cream. Very yummy. Then we spent some time at a game store and looked through tons of different games there.

Today we had crepes for breakfast...absolutely yummy! Here they were made slightly different than I've made them before...the batter does not have sugar and they are veeeeerrrry thin and you put jam and powdered sugar on them. Really, that's the way they should be and I've had them that way before (it's just that being the sweet-toothed person that I am, I hadn't dared take the sugar out of the mix before).

Then the girls and I got to swinging and shooting hoops and then we all went to Lake Washington. This lake is slightly farther than the one that we can see from home (the park by that lake is actually within walking distance).

After we walked about the lake, trying to keep moving so we wouldn't freeze (it was a warm day but it suddenly got very breezy by the lake), we went to get some hamburgers and shakes at a 50s restaurant. Lots of yummy food...especially the fries. Afterwards, we went to walk about a game store and then back home.

The girls and I took turns playing some songs on the piano and singing and then tio took out his guitar and we tried a few Beatles' tunes. I think we should practice a few songs to get really good at them and form a little choir.

Then we rested a bit and while we all talked, we realized that I had always wanted to give gardening another try and that they had wanted to do their landscape since the house was bought, so tio took out an excellent collection of books on gardening and landscaping and Karen and I got to work on what flowers and ideas we'd like for the yard. Tio also has some landscaping computer tools that we will use to get an idea of how the landscape will look when it's all planted, colors and all. This will be a fun project indeed.

Then we played Cranium...we're trying to get it right so that when Karen has her bday party soon, we can help all the girls play the game. We left it halfway since it was getting late....mind you, the sun didn't go down until 9ish.

Then we had a nightime snack (b/c we were all still somewhat full from our big lunch) and off to bed....

I still haven't gotten the pic thing set up yet but will do soon...I think I know what I need to get that set up....so pics are coming soon....

Until then (or sooner), have a good night and hope to hear from you all. Miss you!!!

Love,
Rosy

Blueberry and Oats - a breakfast cookie

2007-05-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

Alrighty, so I was on the plane quite hungry yesterday b/c I had only eaten a dinner roll for breakfast before I zoomed out of the house (for those of you who may be concerned...I made it to the right flight on time mind you) and lo and behold I was given a breakfast cookie, a blueberry and oats breakfast cookie. I'd never heard of a breakfast cookie as far as my memory goes...and I really had only had such a combination of ingredients on a muffin before, so I was rather skeptical of the poor cookie.

The cookie was actually great, when I finally got the courage to eat what was before me. So if ever you are faced with a similar situation, try the cookie...you may like it for all you know. I am now a fan of breakfast cookies.

So I found my tios easily at the airport, well I just followed baggage claim, hoping I would find them that way. If I got lost I knew I could always make a phone call or actually stop and look at the directory. Thank goodness for signs.

Well, that went well, we had lunch at what will be my work. Beautiful place...lovely scenery, actually everywhere, even apart from work. Then got a tour of the place with my tios and on to the house.

Amazing house...sits on a hill so you get the most amazing view. I got unpacked and settled in....and got a chance to spend time with my cousins as well. I feel right at home. The only thing that bothers me is that, though everything about my new home has changed to something as nice if not nicer than it was before, I still have to get up in the mornings. I guess I forgot that was part of anyone's life in all the perfection around me. Oh well, I will toughen up and brave the mornings.

Today was orientation with the contracting co and they were very friendly and helpful. I think this will be a lot smoother a transition than I thought.

Okay, well that's it for now...hope to hear from you all!

Love,
Rosy

excited...very excited

2007-05-01T16:32:00.000-07:00

Not there yet, but soon...very soon. I'm excited and nervous at the same time...go figure. But ready for an adventure! Let the semester end and the adventure begin!

from the desert land

Definition of "Huckleberry Finn"

Scared of turning into a pumpkin?

A refreshing alternative to the typical song about love

The final adventures in the land of rain and coffee...at least for this summer!

I stay, I go, I stay, I go, I stay, I go...

God Meant it for Good

A Walk in the Clouds

Puedes Ser Feliz

Mt. Rainer is quite loverly

Of Polish Breakfasts, Rain, and Colds

Deception Falls...da da da dum....

More pics and a video possibly coming soon...

Memorial Day

Happy days

How Can I Keep from Singing?

First day!

If you haven't been able to post...

Bluegrass, Crepes, Cranium, and Lake Washington

Blueberry and Oats - a breakfast cookie

excited...very excited