The Easter bunny still visits me every year. His love knows no age boundaries. It's 12:15 p.m. and all I've eaten today is jelly beans, Haribo Happy Cola gummis, and a chocolate egg. My Mom just told me that if I don't eat anything normal I'm going to die and to please pop a few raspberries in my mouth in between gummis. So dramatic.
It's so good to be home for Easter :) Dad is healing quickly and doing really well after having had surgery at Mayo last Wednesday. Mom has been very much enjoying her roll as nurse. She keeps demanding Dad drink more water and asks him about every 15 minutes if he's still doing okay. Our neighbors and my aunt Pat have delivered all kinds of delicious food and treats and Mom is making a fancy Easter dinner with leg of lamb, asparagus, potatoes, salad, and a gorgeous pineapple up-side-down cake! I'm loving all the food and Dad doesn't seem to mind the attention :) One top of all that, the sun is here and I think spring might finally be here to stay!
A while back I started a gratitude journal with hopes that it would help me maintain a more positive outlook on life and remind me of how great things really are for me. Unfortunately, I am infamous for going from sleepy to out cold in about two seconds flat, so journaling before bed = kinda of hard for me. Although I haven't kept it up as much as I would like, it's something I try to do as often as I remember, provided that my eyes remain open long enough to jot a few things down. It actually has quite an effect on my disposition. Today, I am journaling right here on my blog.
Also, somewhat related is my recent spending freeze. I decided to see how much money I can save by only purchasing food and absolute necessities for the next month. Tough, right? Surprisingly, however, it hasn't been difficult at all. Part of the reason is that I have a tendency to seek out deals and free stuff. So be grateful that I am grateful and am sharing with you my gratitude list. It's full of free stuff! Plus, when you think about it, most of the stuff that is really awesome in life doesn't really cost that much, if anything at all.
1. $10 coupons at JCPenny, or as I like to call them, "free money."
Jake likes to make fun of my coupon obsession. I am a deal seeker and I am convinced that it probably makes me a better person, or least smarter, or maybe just a wee bit richer... Either way, he can snicker and tease me all he wants, because there is no minimum purchase on these JCPenny coupons. Next time you're there you should ask how to get on their coupon mailing list. Ten buck coupons means anything ten bucks or less is mine for the taking, and I got my eyes on those sassy triple packs of Christmas themed socks. Ho! Ho! Ho!
2. My awesome dental hygienist.
Getting your teeth cleaned is not really a fun thing to do, but the dental hygienest that cleans my teeth is hilarious. She is super sweet and polite but at the same time very quirky and little crazy. During my appointment this week, we waved at the cars out the window together while I was biting down on the xray film, giggled at the awkward noises made by the suction wand thingy, and she told me all about how she and her husband couldn't decide on who was going to be the designated driver on Halloween, so they stayed home and partied by themselves. I found it very entertaining. Funny people are great.
3. Laughing till I cry while watching funny shows about funny families with my own funny family.
On Wednesday night the Westby clan gathered for dinner at home. Mom made a delicious dinner AND my grandpa's apple pie. Sooooo good. Then we made out way to the living room to watch The Middle and Modern Family and laugh out loud till our eyes watered. This is something that has long embarrassed me - when I laugh hard, my eyes water A LOT. It looks like I am crying. This also happens to everyone in my family though. Laughing with tears in your eyes is much less awkward when everybody else is doing it too.
4. Being a ski coach
Winter is just around the corner, and while this might send some spiraling down into a deep seasonal depression, it makes me giddy with anticipation. Jake has been in Colorado for a week already this season at a Central Division training camp in Loveland and I am more than a little jealous. Skiing is a huge part of my life. Last year was the first season in fourteen years that I was not a part of a ski team in some way, shape or form. It was reeeeeally sad and I think I may have died a little inside. I participated in a fundraiser race, attended a couple events, and participated in some open training nights at Buck Hill, but it just wasn't the same. I felt so out of the loop, like a Gomer, a Yambo, completely out of touch with what was going on. I volunteered at a race in January and they gave me the job of handing out bibs. HANDING OUT BIBS! That's something ANYONE could do. I could be a gatekeeper, a hand timer, a starter, a course maintenance worker and you want me just to HAND OUT BIBS!?! I was so depressed. That's when I decided that I had to get back in the game and start coaching again. This year I am back at it and super excited. Just sent in my order for my sweet new coaches jacket yesterday. Did I mention that I GET PAID to do this too!? Now, if it would just snow!
5. Trick or Treats
Remember being a kid and thinking that when you were an adult you would be able to buy all the candy you wanted!? Well, I do. Anyway, the point is that even though I can, I don't. Thankfully everyone else is happy to give me candy this time of year. If I was ever sad about not fulfilling my childhood dream of keeping a stockpile of candy in my closet, Halloween has reminded me that there is a limit to how much candy one should eat. And by "reminded" I really mean that I am currently pushing that limit by walking the thin line between sugar high and self-induced diabetic coma. I can't help it. It's those delicious Kit Kat bars. Gimme a break.
6. Free undies at V.S.
Okay, this is one of those things that I may regret sharing with the world. Not that it's so embarrassing, I mean, everyone wears underwear right!? I mean it would be MORE embarrassing if I told you I didn't, right!? Oh geez... I am digging myself into a hole here, aren't I? Anyway, I am trying to tell you about Victoria's Secret's coupons. Folks, I have not purchase a pair of underwear in yearrrrs (again with the digging of the hole). The reason is that Victoria's Secret sends me coupons in the mail for free undees every month. That's right, I call them undees, deal with it. Sometimes they even send me ten dollar coupons too - like "free money" style with no minimum purchase. Every time I go in and redeem on of these things, they have me enter my email address or phone number and bingo bango I get on the list to receive even more free undees and ten dollar coupons.
7. Free baked goods at Panera
More free stuff? Yes sir. Our office spends a TON of money at the Panera across the street. Pretty much every other meeting involves food from Panera. Recently, they came out with a new deal called "My Panera" where you earn free food and beverages by swiping your My Panera card every time you visit. What does this mean for me? I get to swipe my card multiple times a week without spending A DIME. So when I am driving into work and I decide it's a blueberry muffin kind of morning I just pull in, hand them my card and score a free muffin. Yeah.
More stuff I am grateful for this week...
The glittering gems of hilarious drama/comedy that unfold at work and keep me from becoming a pile of mush, my wonderful boyfriend Jacob that is coming home TONIGHT, the YMCA and awesome group fitness classes, Oregon Chai, the right to vote, the fact that I only have five weeks of Physics left, and Boboli personal sized pizza crusts. OH! And it's FRIDAY!
Pffffeeeewww! Blurg, I am wiped. This fall has flown by. Probably because I have been super busy with all kinds of exciting things. Let's sum it all up in a blog post, shall we?
It started with the second annual wine stomp. My lovely friend Carol and her husband Nick hosted a little gathering at their new home in Alexandria near the Carlos Creek Winery. We rocked the vineyard this year and had TWO of our three stomping teams make it to the semi-finals. Next year, I think we really have a good shot at winning the grand prize basket full of wine. It's probably fine that we wait a year anyway, seeing half of the ladies in our group were preggos (not my half!). I learned all about the nonsensical things that make pregnant ladies vom and celebrated my ability to touch raw meat and use toothpaste without gagging. I also bought a wine glass holster. Cheers!
Then Jacob's family came to visit for a couple weeks and his brother stayed with use for a weekend. On Friday night we enjoyed some wurst, beer, and sauerkraut balls at The Black Forest Inn's Oktoberfest celebration. That's right, SAUERKRAUT BALLS. Try saying that without giggling. HARD TO DO. Now enjoy a stein of Hacker Pschorr and try again. IMPOSSIBLE. It was David Hasselhoff night and we cleaned up in the raffle. Jacob took home a Night Rider stamp set. Adam, Jacob's brother, won a real dollar bill with David Hasselhoffs face in place of President Washington, and Trevor made us all jealous when he won a case of collectible Baywatch stickers. Wunderbar! The next day we UM YA YA'ed our way on down to St. Olaf for Homecoming. The weather was chilly, but the nostalgia warmed me right up, along with a large eight dollar pizza from the Pause Yummmmm...
The next week I did my Practicum for school. What is practicum? Practicum is where you spend a week observing and interacting in a classroom at the grade level for which you plan to be licensed, but do not plan to teach. So, since I plan to teach high school, I spent the week in a sixth grade class. That way, you have some experience in all areas of your licensure. Comprende? It was really fun to be in a classroom and even more fun not going to work. Man, sixth graders are weird though. One second they are talking about how they lost their tooth last weekend while chewing on the neck of their t-shirt, and next they are discussing phases of matter and whispering about so-and-so who got high last weekend at her cousin's party. Whoa.
On Friday, October 8th this girl *pointing to myself* turned 26 years old. You guys, I am closer to 30 than 20 now. SCARY. So, yeah it was my birthday and we did a little celebrating. Jacob put together a "roll your own sushi" party for me on Friday night, made me a cake, cleaned our apartment and hung the birthday banner. Then our Friends Trevor and Jean came over and rolled their own sushi while I rolled my own sushi and Jake rolled his own sushi. I highly recommend doing this. It was soooo fun and sooo delicious. We already had the sushi rolling mats but Jake got sushi-grade yellow tuna from Byerly's and cucumbers, carrots, green onions, avocado, cream cheese, Nori, sushi rice and edemame. My favorite part was the spicy mayo though. Here is a recipe on this great website that tells you how to make your own sushi. Looooovvve the spicy mayo.
The next day, my wonderful Mom, Dad and brother came over and took a bike ride over to the Sea Salt seafood eatery over by Minnehaha Falls. It was a gorgeous fall day and we got some good pics along the way. This is also something I recommend everyone do. There are bike paths all over this wonderful city and you should find one and make your way on over to the Sea Salt. Next year though - or tonight. They close tomorrow for the winter. Yeah, sorry - I should have told you sooner.
For my birthday I got a camera from my Mom and Dad, that I can fit into my pocket, like the kind normal people have. No more hauling the D60 around to events and totally intimidating everyone. My favorite brother Kale gave me an awesome gift certificate for Kiva. Have you heard of Kiva? It's a program where you loan money to entrepreneurs in need around the world. Instead of just giving them money, you empower them by giving them a loan, which they then use to build their business or support their livelihood. Then they pay you back! It's not guaranteed that you will get paid back, but I guess most people do, and then they loan that money again. It's pretty awesome. Jacob gave me a MEND bag from the Invisible Children organization. Another very awesome gift that gives back. The bag was made by Pamela Laker who was abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army in Northern Uganda until she escaped and Invisible Children found her and taught her how to make these bags. Now she is supporting her whole family with her new income and I have an awesome new messenger bag. Win win.
The following week I spent pulling together my 34 page practicum report, studying for a physics midterm, and registering for next semester after registration was already past due. What can I say, I was a little distracted.
Last week, I used birthday money and gift certificates I earned through my health insurance provider by being healthy to purchase an awesome new arts and crafts tool called a Silhouette. I have only tested it out twice, but I have so many plans for this thing. T-shirts, etched glass, temporary tattoos, cards, window decals, wall art, posters... the possibilities are endless. I will definitely be using it to beautify my future classroom too. Who says science can't be pretty?
My friend Jeni also had a birthday this month and a bunch of my good friends from high school all got together for a girls night on the town. So much fun!
So, it's Halloween this weekend. I probably could have waited and included it in this post too, but you're probably tired of hearing about all my antics. It's a lot, I know. I promise to try and space it out better, but it's hard to keep up. So much to do, so little time :) Oh, by the way, did I mention I have been playing badminton on Monday nights through Community Ed? No? Well, yeah... there's that too.
I like to tease people in a non-malicious, lighthearted way. That's what we Westby's do. It's how we show love. We like to joke and tease, and on occasion, we openly laugh at people and their ridiculousness. We're not haters, we're just really good at finding the humor in things. And with our family, there are just so many things. You should hear us around the dinner table - but be careful if you do decide to join us. The moment you slip up, we're gonna be all over it.
One of my favorite people in the whole world is my friend Carol Klimek. She grew up on a farm north of the Twin Cities and, although she was just minutes from downtown, went to the same college as me and is now working towards becoming a physicians assistant at Augsburg in Minneapolis, I still love to tease her for being a country bumpkin, farm girl. Truth is, I love her family and their farm and I think they are the coolest people ever, but that doesn't stop me from poking fun. (Maybe I'm just jealous.) I was lucky enough to spend last weekend at her brother's farm celebrating his wedding and it was one of the best weddings I have ever been to. The pictures were so cute that I even decided to make one my profile picture. Me and Carol on a bright red tractor. Awwww!
So, randomly today, Carol calls to tell me that my brother was on the COVER of one of the family's farming magazines. At first I thought it was a clever joke. My brother's name is Kale... like the vegetable. I was immediately fantasizing about how I would frame the featured article of green leafy Kale and hang it in out parents house for him to notice on his next visit home. Gold! Then I got another message from her telling me that it was actually the flesh and bone version of Kale that I was on the cover for some tractor design competition. Ohhh... so much for the lettuce jokes...
My brother is not only special because he shares his name with a garnish. He is also brilliant when it comes to math and science. He is a top student at the University of Minnesota's Institute of Technology and he is majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Yeah. The competition it intense. I am constantly on my toes trying to stay on top as the favorite child, but he really makes it tough with all his winning and acing tests and being honored with lame academic blah blah blah...
So, anyway I couldn't let this go without getting a good jab in before Mom and Dad heard the news and started glowing with pride over their golden boy's glorious cover spread. I decided to go with the ever familiar farm jokes that I was so used to delivering to Carol. Yeah. That was gonna be my angle. I quickly crafted my clever message and posted it to his wall for all to see.
Muwahahaha...ha...ha...huh!?!
Then I realized quickly that this time the joke was on me...
Click to enlarge
It's hard to effectively tease someone about being on the cover of a tractor magazine when your message is flanked by a photograph of yourself sitting ON A TRACTOR!!!
I'm guessing that this might come up at the next Westby family dinner.
So, I just read this letter that my cousin posted about what her family has been dealing with for the past few years. I knew some things about what was going on, but I had no idea that they were this bad. It's really shocking and upsetting. My cousin Prinna and her husband Chris are very kind, honest, hard working, wonderful people. We see them at family gatherings all the time and they have never complained or even brought up these things at all. I learned a lot more after reading this. It's really scary that this sort of thing could happen to people like them.
