I haven't written in a while. I'll try to do better, but for now, here'a bit of Kristin's life...
My grandfather passed away on May 20th. He held on for a while, and we really thought he was going to go many times before he did, but it was definitely time for him to meet Jesus. It was really nice to be there to say goodbye and I was able to help with his care (he was in house hospice) for the last week and a half of his life. He was funny up to the end...my mom (Tina) has a new nickname...Tuna. I have a new nickname...Chicken. Apparently he had food on the mind! At one point, after he hadn't had anything to eat or drink aside from sucking water off a sponge for days, I stopped to check his pain level and chat with him a bit. He looked up at me and said "OVER TWO HOURS AGO I ASKED FOR A GLASS OF MILK...WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" If you didn't know my grandfather you may think that he was just going senile in his last days, but it was completely his sense of humor.
Even his passing was a bit humorous as far as timing goes. He had been holding on for all this time, and managed to make a statement by dying at a specific time. He HATED American Idol...so when did he pass...not 15 minutes into the finale! We had all been sitting in the living room, his bed about 5 feet away from us, watching the finale. Needless to say, we turned off the TV, said final goodbyes, and started making the necessary arrangments...his mission accomplished I am sure! I'll miss you Pop Pop, but see you soon enough!!
I am so thankful that I have a job, and more importantly an employer, who allowed me the opportunity to spend this time with him.
Since I've been home I've been to the FFA state championship and got to serve as a judge for the 2nd year. I judged extemporaneous speaking both years. This year, I also got to be a judge for the micro-organisms and ecology displays of the Agricultural Science Fair. The next weekend I was in Clovis for State Rodeo.
Now, I'm home for the rest of the month (I started writing this post when there was actually a good portion of the month left!) and getting ready for July...another month of travel.
If all goes as planned, I will be driving to Denver for the 4th of July. Carrissa, Chris and I will drive up in my car and hang out with Rissa's dad and step mom, as well as hook up with Leanne while we're up there. Should be a blast!
On the 10th, I'm taking a group of kids to Cliff's...kind of a summer tradition for the kids of my co-workers. This year Dana's going to join me, so I'll have some adult interaction too!
The following weekend I'm taking a group of 9 students to Indianapolis for the National Student Leadership Conference. I was able to put together a great cross section of kids from around the state, and they'll learn some incredible stuff while having a great time. Should be a blast for all of us!
The following week begins the summer mayhem at the office. We'll have two state conferences that week and I'll be working quite a bit. Somewhere in there, I'll squeeze in a birthday celebration (probably 3 actually!) and get ready to start what should be my last year of school...finally!
On that note, I just registered for 2 of the 3 classes I will take this fall (I'm trying to squeeze my way into the 3rd class which is currently full). When I'm done with that, the Spring semester will consist of nothing other than my Thesis/Examination work. Keep your fingers crossed that there will be no other speed bumps to finishing this degree as there have been in the past!
Since I started this post, there have been some developments that call for their own posts. So, see two and three of three!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
An interesting time for some updates...
Well the madness of Spring events is over! Now we're in the middle of some madness of our own. First for some updates...
After basketball we had a "break" from work. However, this break was just before the Spirit Competition which is my biggest event. I spent a lot of that time in the office getting ready for the Competition. It was worth it...my very first Spirit Competition (under my direction), at a new venue, with a new category, and many other changes that caused some anxiety, went off without a hitch. The kudos I've received from coaches all over the state have been so encouraging, and I'm ready for the next one!
A couple weeks later, the State Band Contest came rolling around, and was another great event. We had a little bit of a schedule change which I got some heat for, but I really didn't see any other option. A quick run down...the father of two band students (one HS, and one MS) and the husband of the band booster president, died while the band was on their spring trip. It was completely unexpected. Obviously, he had been a large part of both bands seasons, and the majority of both bands wanted to attend the funeral. The funeral just so happened to be during the High School's performance time. So I bumped them to the end of the day and bumped the schedule back about 30 minutes. Well, some directors weren't so happy with my executive decision, but I really don't think that another decision could have been made. I think eventually the directors got over it and realized that it was the right decision. I'll tell you one thing, I will never ask a kid to choose between supporting his classmate and a band contest. I know what decision I would expect my own kid to make.
So at the beginning of May, Band Contest is over and the office is working together to get ready for Spring sports. Enter the Swine Flu...let's just say that due to decisions made by national, state and local associations, all 7 Spring state championships were pushed into the same week. WOW! That's a lot of work, a lot of time, and a lot of stress. Our office started handling it like champs.
In the middle of all of this, my dad calls and tells me that my grandfather is going downhill fast. My boss, incredible as always, says that family comes first and that there's no option but for me to go to PA with my family. As I write the office is closing up the crazy week of championships while I am sitting vigil at my grandfather's house.
So my family and I were planning on driving to PA, but "Pop Pop" was fading fast. So we hopped on a flight on Monday and have been in Frackville ever since. It looks like we are coming back next weekend, but we're kind of at his mercy as far as timing goes.
Now that I'm getting some sleep, I'm enjoying my time out here. The first two nights, I was close to smothering my dad and brother because of their nighttime noises...ok, snoring. At one point, I had my iPod on, a pillow over my head, and a hand over the pillow and they were still cutting through. I cried myself to sleep out of frustration at about 4:30 that morning. Now I'm staying at my grandparent's with my mom and sleeping like a baby.
We're in a holding pattern right now, and don't really know what the next step is. I'll try to keep everyone updated, but my last blog was 2 months ago, so no promises!!! Love you all, and I miss talking to you too!
After basketball we had a "break" from work. However, this break was just before the Spirit Competition which is my biggest event. I spent a lot of that time in the office getting ready for the Competition. It was worth it...my very first Spirit Competition (under my direction), at a new venue, with a new category, and many other changes that caused some anxiety, went off without a hitch. The kudos I've received from coaches all over the state have been so encouraging, and I'm ready for the next one!
A couple weeks later, the State Band Contest came rolling around, and was another great event. We had a little bit of a schedule change which I got some heat for, but I really didn't see any other option. A quick run down...the father of two band students (one HS, and one MS) and the husband of the band booster president, died while the band was on their spring trip. It was completely unexpected. Obviously, he had been a large part of both bands seasons, and the majority of both bands wanted to attend the funeral. The funeral just so happened to be during the High School's performance time. So I bumped them to the end of the day and bumped the schedule back about 30 minutes. Well, some directors weren't so happy with my executive decision, but I really don't think that another decision could have been made. I think eventually the directors got over it and realized that it was the right decision. I'll tell you one thing, I will never ask a kid to choose between supporting his classmate and a band contest. I know what decision I would expect my own kid to make.
So at the beginning of May, Band Contest is over and the office is working together to get ready for Spring sports. Enter the Swine Flu...let's just say that due to decisions made by national, state and local associations, all 7 Spring state championships were pushed into the same week. WOW! That's a lot of work, a lot of time, and a lot of stress. Our office started handling it like champs.
In the middle of all of this, my dad calls and tells me that my grandfather is going downhill fast. My boss, incredible as always, says that family comes first and that there's no option but for me to go to PA with my family. As I write the office is closing up the crazy week of championships while I am sitting vigil at my grandfather's house.
So my family and I were planning on driving to PA, but "Pop Pop" was fading fast. So we hopped on a flight on Monday and have been in Frackville ever since. It looks like we are coming back next weekend, but we're kind of at his mercy as far as timing goes.
Now that I'm getting some sleep, I'm enjoying my time out here. The first two nights, I was close to smothering my dad and brother because of their nighttime noises...ok, snoring. At one point, I had my iPod on, a pillow over my head, and a hand over the pillow and they were still cutting through. I cried myself to sleep out of frustration at about 4:30 that morning. Now I'm staying at my grandparent's with my mom and sleeping like a baby.
We're in a holding pattern right now, and don't really know what the next step is. I'll try to keep everyone updated, but my last blog was 2 months ago, so no promises!!! Love you all, and I miss talking to you too!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
One liners...
Whew it's been a while! So here are some one-line updates...
Basketball's over!
Spirit's next weekend
Band is in a month
GRE is tomorrow
Date this weekend
Engagement is off
Allergies suck!!!!
Everyone is healthy (despite the allergies)
Social live is booming
Addicted to Ratched and Clank...still...
Move day this weekend
Living situation has landed me in therapy
Currently enjoying Spring Break
Bod Squad dissolved
Weight loss is still a goal, but not being accomplished as quickly as I would like
Working about 60 hours a week
School about 20 hours a week
Just did a sleep study
24 RULES
American Idol has a pretty impressive top 10
Running out of one liners that you'd care about
Got my hair cut yesterday
Almost aquired another dog
Found dog's owner
Dog's owner is incredibly thankful
I'm thankful that the vet did the "look-over" for free (4 hours before the reunion)
A bit worried about how much I CAN'T remember
Won't be travelling as much as usual this summer (something about the economy...)
I'm sick of the economy being everyone's scapegoat
I still believe that if it hadn't been an election year, our economy wouldn't be as "bad" as it is (or has been made out to be)
Still...I'm considering buying stock
I miss friends
Mine...not the show...
OK, the show too, but not as much as mine
Buying the house this summer (keep your fingers crossed...)
Yep, that's about it...
...
...
I think that really IS about it. I know it's not the usual way of updating everyone, but for those of you who follow this blog to follow me...it should be sufficient!!! Love you all!
Basketball's over!
Spirit's next weekend
Band is in a month
GRE is tomorrow
Date this weekend
Engagement is off
Allergies suck!!!!
Everyone is healthy (despite the allergies)
Social live is booming
Addicted to Ratched and Clank...still...
Move day this weekend
Living situation has landed me in therapy
Currently enjoying Spring Break
Bod Squad dissolved
Weight loss is still a goal, but not being accomplished as quickly as I would like
Working about 60 hours a week
School about 20 hours a week
Just did a sleep study
24 RULES
American Idol has a pretty impressive top 10
Running out of one liners that you'd care about
Got my hair cut yesterday
Almost aquired another dog
Found dog's owner
Dog's owner is incredibly thankful
I'm thankful that the vet did the "look-over" for free (4 hours before the reunion)
A bit worried about how much I CAN'T remember
Won't be travelling as much as usual this summer (something about the economy...)
I'm sick of the economy being everyone's scapegoat
I still believe that if it hadn't been an election year, our economy wouldn't be as "bad" as it is (or has been made out to be)
Still...I'm considering buying stock
I miss friends
Mine...not the show...
OK, the show too, but not as much as mine
Buying the house this summer (keep your fingers crossed...)
Yep, that's about it...
...
...
I think that really IS about it. I know it's not the usual way of updating everyone, but for those of you who follow this blog to follow me...it should be sufficient!!! Love you all!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
OK...Cat's out of the bag.
So here's a story of unconventionalism to beat the band.
A couple of weeks ago I received a friend request on Facebook from someone who I had never met. I ignored the request for a couple of days, and then thought I would do a bit a digging before denying the request. I saw that she was from Las Cruces and attended NMSU, and that she was friends with my brother. So, I figured that I would check with him. If you're familiar with Facebook, you can picture what I'm about to describe. When I went to my brother's page and clicked on "Send Michael a Message" the message box popped up as normal. I started typing...
"Do I know..."
then my eyes drifted over to his profile and saw something that knocked my on my back
"who apparently you are engaged to??? She requested me as a friend and I'd like to know my future sister in law???..."
At this time, I sent the message thinking that this was just a couple of "kids" having fun with the publicness of Facebook and looking for reactions...like I just had. So I awaited his response, not worried, but definitely curious to hear his response. What I got back was not what I expected. Below you will find the transcript of Mike and my messages. I have cut out things that I felt should be kept in confidence...
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From Michael:
Uh no, you don't know Monika, but yes we are engaged. I wasn't planning on telling the family yet because I haven't talked to her dad at all so please refrain from telling mom and dad until I have done so at which point I will tell them. (edited) Sorry that you had to find out this way but, as I said, I wanted to do things right and have just not had the opportunity as she lives in Cruces and I am, well, not. So yes, your gonna have a sister and you also get a new 4 1/2 year old nephew named Josh. Please dont tell mom and dad, I need to do that on my own when the time is right.
From Me:
My lips are sealed, but you probably want to take it off facebook then. There are quite a few people, for example (edited), who are also on Facebook who would not think of asking you before talking to them.Congratulations...this is more than unexpected. I guess you'll tell me more when you want to.
From Michael:
There is not much more to tell at the moment. We are not planning to get married until May 2010 so there is a bit of time before it all comes together. Thank you though Kris! It has all been pretty unexpected for me too. Go check out her pictures though you'll get to see her and Joshua, they're amazing!
From Me:
So do you want me to accept her as a friend yet, or would you rather me wait? I wil be honest with you, I won't be able to avoid being nosy. I hope you can understand my hesitation to except that you are engaged to a girl I have never even heard about...it will take a while for anyone who knows you and not her to get used to the idea. But if you're happy and you're sure, congrats...I'll get behind you
From Michael:
For sure, Im not afraid of you being nosy and neither is she. We've discussed all the interesting situations that we have established through this unconventional engagement. But please, get to know your sister-in-law!
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So after this went down I freaked out a bit...no other way to say it. This will explain the status update claiming I was abnormally speechless...in case you noticed that one! At some point I decided that my brother's going to make his own decisions, there's nothing I can do about it, and I have my own issues to deal with (also part of a status update).
Around the time that I made this decision, I received a message from Monika, "the girl."
Here's more messages!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Monika:
Heylo! I'm so excited that I'm getting to "meet" you! Lol!
Thought I would introduce myself. My name is Monika, I'm 23, soon 24. I have a beautiful bouncing toddler, 4 years old, named Joshua. He's the light of my life! I'm so blessed! I'm a senior English major, and I want to become a professor some day! God help me huh? I have a twin, other than that just a bunch of half and step siblings, some of whom I'm close to, some of whom I'm not. My twin's name is Shawn, we're night and day fraternal twins!
My father is a minister at a local church here in Cruces. My parents are pretty laid back people and they are extremely passionate about Christ and bringing people to Christ. Which is an AWESOME calling!
I am head over heels in love with your brother. And I'm beside myself with excitement to get to spend the rest of my life with him, taking care of him and raising a family together. Michael is a very special man and I'm grateful for God bringing him into my life. Anyway, I wanted you to know a little about me. Cause we're gunna be family! :-) Tell me about you! I'm so eager to know more! Your future sister-in-law! Monika
From Me:
Sorry that I haven't replied sooner. I so hope that you can realize what a shock this sudden engagement has been to me. It's not that I am not in support of it, but I'm not at the point where I can get 100% behind it either. I just have to process it. I am a protective older sister after all! From what you have written, you sound like a great girl. And I trust Mike's judge of character implicitly...so I'm not worried there!
Now here comes the obligatory "if you hurt him..." part of my message. This is the not so fun paragraph...but I think once we get past this, I will understand some things better and we can just enjoy eachother! I know that you must know how incredibly emotional Michael is. That's awesome and generally a true gift. It also means that he loves more and deeper than most people you will ever meet. And his loyalties are concrete.
So for these reasons, I have to ask you a question. I've read your profile and see that you have been married and divorced two times. What do you feel for my brother that you didn't feel for these other men? I can tell you that for Michael...marriage is forever. And I don't doubt that that is your goal as well, but I wonder why you feel that this is the relationship that will work. I would imagine that you felt that when you began the two marriages as well. I don't want any of this to be uncomfortable for you. I truly am happy for you two, and I look forward to meeting you and your beautiful son. I just hope you can understand why it is a bit disconcerting to find out that my brother is engaged to a woman I have never met...and to find out on Facebook...
OK...I'll let you respond to that as you see fit, but here's the more pleasant stuff to read.
I am 28 and finishing my masters in Ed. Psych.
I have worked for the NMAA for over 5 years and I oversee all of the "non-athletic" high school activities in the state.
I have incredible friends and I am truly blessed with my life in Alb.
I have no family at this time, but my animals are keeping me company in the interim.
I have 2 dogs, Sprite and Caspian, and a cat, Lucy. (If you're familiar with the Narnia series, some of these names may sound familiar!)
I love movies, games, shoes, and a whole bunch of other random things.
I can be found enjoying my shows, golfing, cross-stitching, enjoying a glass of wine and a good meal...pretty much anything. I really feel that the activity is not what makes something fun...it's the company.
Multi-tasking is probably my most prominent strength.
I don't have much free time, but feel that maintaining a social life is necessary to maintaining sanity.
I am more than slightly anal-retentive, and drive people crazy with my OCD tendencies. I believe everything has a place...and everything should be in it's place. My biggest pet peeves are 1) people who do not pay attention to their surroundings, and 2)people who don't leave things and places the way (or better than) they found them.
I drive a Jetta and love it
I am mindful of fashion and like staying abreast of the "fads"
I have expensive taste...not always a good thing! :-(
I think I have sufficiently filled your inbox with completely random facts about myself. Please consider what I have asked and feel free to respond as well. I hope you are doing well, and I look forward to learning more about you and seeing you and Michael in a relationship.
From Monika:
I am so glad that you wrote me back! And I DO UNDERSTAND, totally and completely your shock and your amazement that we would break this news to you on facebook! I'm a little shocked by the whole experience myself. Lol! I guess, as you obviously would agree, the nasty stuff is better out of the way right up front. (edited)
Now, to the part that matters. I KNOW that Michael is an extremly emotional person, and that he loves with all of his heart and it's not something he gives away too easily but once he's given it, he never takes it back. Our relationship is DIRECT proof of that quality in him. It's one of the things I DEARLY love about him.
That being said. Know this: I have no desire to, nor will I EVER hurt your brother. I love him dearly and I want only his happiness. He is an extension of my heart. Michael is different because I am actually in love with Michael. For all the things he is, and all the things he isn't. I can't wait to marry him. If only it were today! :-)
Anyway.... now you know, and now if other ppl have questions then you can answer some of them. I hope that now, you can understand a little about what I have been through and how truly grateful I am for the goodness in Michael. My mom always told me that she married my Dad cause he was the first nice guy she fell in love with. I knew I'd always be the same. My only regret is that I didn't marry him FIRST! I can't wait to meet you either, and we should get together, have lunch. I want to come to ALB soon, cause Michael and I are thinking of doing the wedding in Santa Fe, and I need to research wedding planners. He says you can help with that??? I'd love that! I'll keep you updated on when I'm coming. And you could always come here too, it's not that far!?!?
From Me:
Your response is well stated and makes a lot clear. I am so sorry that you have had to experience in your 23 years what many don't have to in a life time. Still, this isn't going to be an overnight transformation as far as getting used to the idea of this, but know that I am getting there!
Yes, I have more than a little bit of experience planning weddings. and I would be happy to help with this one. I will ask that we slow down a bit until my brother has made the engagement official with your parents and mine. I have shared with Mike that I feel pretty uncomfortable having to keep this from my parents until he decides to tell them. That's another aspect that is making this process...different...Once he tells them and I don't have to feel like I am hiding something from them, I am ready to jump in!
Thank you for your understanding and I look forward to learning more about you!
From Monika:
I totally understand that. And to put you at ease Michael will be talking to my parents within the week and so he will be telling your parents immediately after. So hopefully that will be cleared up very very soon. And I won't be heading to alb until at the earlies Spring Break week, which is the last week in March. I too am looking forward to getting to know you. I hope that we will continue to chat.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So. True to his word, via Monika, my brother talked to her parents last night. They were incredibly supportive and encouraing. He then talked to my parents, and to both of our surprise, they too were supportive of the decision that they had made together. I didn't quite understand that, but after talking to them I see where they are coming from. Basically, they realize that Mike's going to make whatever decision he is going to make. Also, after speaking with him, they found that he and Monika are planning to begin pre-marital counceling, and the 15 month engagement allows a lot of time for learning.
After my messages with both of them, I am actually to the point where I can see myself completely in support of this marriage. I can't make any guarantees until I meet her of course, but I am ready to do that and I look forward extending our family.
So, if you are interested in "meeting" my brother's fiance Monika, you can find her on my Facebook page. She really does seem like a great girl, with a great background, who has had some tough breaks. Please pray that Mike and Monika are able to build this relationship with a foundation in Christ.
I will certainly keep you updated and let you know when the wedding is going to happen.
A couple of weeks ago I received a friend request on Facebook from someone who I had never met. I ignored the request for a couple of days, and then thought I would do a bit a digging before denying the request. I saw that she was from Las Cruces and attended NMSU, and that she was friends with my brother. So, I figured that I would check with him. If you're familiar with Facebook, you can picture what I'm about to describe. When I went to my brother's page and clicked on "Send Michael a Message" the message box popped up as normal. I started typing...
"Do I know..."
then my eyes drifted over to his profile and saw something that knocked my on my back
"who apparently you are engaged to??? She requested me as a friend and I'd like to know my future sister in law???..."
At this time, I sent the message thinking that this was just a couple of "kids" having fun with the publicness of Facebook and looking for reactions...like I just had. So I awaited his response, not worried, but definitely curious to hear his response. What I got back was not what I expected. Below you will find the transcript of Mike and my messages. I have cut out things that I felt should be kept in confidence...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Michael:
Uh no, you don't know Monika, but yes we are engaged. I wasn't planning on telling the family yet because I haven't talked to her dad at all so please refrain from telling mom and dad until I have done so at which point I will tell them. (edited) Sorry that you had to find out this way but, as I said, I wanted to do things right and have just not had the opportunity as she lives in Cruces and I am, well, not. So yes, your gonna have a sister and you also get a new 4 1/2 year old nephew named Josh. Please dont tell mom and dad, I need to do that on my own when the time is right.
From Me:
My lips are sealed, but you probably want to take it off facebook then. There are quite a few people, for example (edited), who are also on Facebook who would not think of asking you before talking to them.Congratulations...this is more than unexpected. I guess you'll tell me more when you want to.
From Michael:
There is not much more to tell at the moment. We are not planning to get married until May 2010 so there is a bit of time before it all comes together. Thank you though Kris! It has all been pretty unexpected for me too. Go check out her pictures though you'll get to see her and Joshua, they're amazing!
From Me:
So do you want me to accept her as a friend yet, or would you rather me wait? I wil be honest with you, I won't be able to avoid being nosy. I hope you can understand my hesitation to except that you are engaged to a girl I have never even heard about...it will take a while for anyone who knows you and not her to get used to the idea. But if you're happy and you're sure, congrats...I'll get behind you
From Michael:
For sure, Im not afraid of you being nosy and neither is she. We've discussed all the interesting situations that we have established through this unconventional engagement. But please, get to know your sister-in-law!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So after this went down I freaked out a bit...no other way to say it. This will explain the status update claiming I was abnormally speechless...in case you noticed that one! At some point I decided that my brother's going to make his own decisions, there's nothing I can do about it, and I have my own issues to deal with (also part of a status update).
Around the time that I made this decision, I received a message from Monika, "the girl."
Here's more messages!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Monika:
Heylo! I'm so excited that I'm getting to "meet" you! Lol!
Thought I would introduce myself. My name is Monika, I'm 23, soon 24. I have a beautiful bouncing toddler, 4 years old, named Joshua. He's the light of my life! I'm so blessed! I'm a senior English major, and I want to become a professor some day! God help me huh? I have a twin, other than that just a bunch of half and step siblings, some of whom I'm close to, some of whom I'm not. My twin's name is Shawn, we're night and day fraternal twins!
My father is a minister at a local church here in Cruces. My parents are pretty laid back people and they are extremely passionate about Christ and bringing people to Christ. Which is an AWESOME calling!
I am head over heels in love with your brother. And I'm beside myself with excitement to get to spend the rest of my life with him, taking care of him and raising a family together. Michael is a very special man and I'm grateful for God bringing him into my life. Anyway, I wanted you to know a little about me. Cause we're gunna be family! :-) Tell me about you! I'm so eager to know more! Your future sister-in-law! Monika
From Me:
Sorry that I haven't replied sooner. I so hope that you can realize what a shock this sudden engagement has been to me. It's not that I am not in support of it, but I'm not at the point where I can get 100% behind it either. I just have to process it. I am a protective older sister after all! From what you have written, you sound like a great girl. And I trust Mike's judge of character implicitly...so I'm not worried there!
Now here comes the obligatory "if you hurt him..." part of my message. This is the not so fun paragraph...but I think once we get past this, I will understand some things better and we can just enjoy eachother! I know that you must know how incredibly emotional Michael is. That's awesome and generally a true gift. It also means that he loves more and deeper than most people you will ever meet. And his loyalties are concrete.
So for these reasons, I have to ask you a question. I've read your profile and see that you have been married and divorced two times. What do you feel for my brother that you didn't feel for these other men? I can tell you that for Michael...marriage is forever. And I don't doubt that that is your goal as well, but I wonder why you feel that this is the relationship that will work. I would imagine that you felt that when you began the two marriages as well. I don't want any of this to be uncomfortable for you. I truly am happy for you two, and I look forward to meeting you and your beautiful son. I just hope you can understand why it is a bit disconcerting to find out that my brother is engaged to a woman I have never met...and to find out on Facebook...
OK...I'll let you respond to that as you see fit, but here's the more pleasant stuff to read.
I am 28 and finishing my masters in Ed. Psych.
I have worked for the NMAA for over 5 years and I oversee all of the "non-athletic" high school activities in the state.
I have incredible friends and I am truly blessed with my life in Alb.
I have no family at this time, but my animals are keeping me company in the interim.
I have 2 dogs, Sprite and Caspian, and a cat, Lucy. (If you're familiar with the Narnia series, some of these names may sound familiar!)
I love movies, games, shoes, and a whole bunch of other random things.
I can be found enjoying my shows, golfing, cross-stitching, enjoying a glass of wine and a good meal...pretty much anything. I really feel that the activity is not what makes something fun...it's the company.
Multi-tasking is probably my most prominent strength.
I don't have much free time, but feel that maintaining a social life is necessary to maintaining sanity.
I am more than slightly anal-retentive, and drive people crazy with my OCD tendencies. I believe everything has a place...and everything should be in it's place. My biggest pet peeves are 1) people who do not pay attention to their surroundings, and 2)people who don't leave things and places the way (or better than) they found them.
I drive a Jetta and love it
I am mindful of fashion and like staying abreast of the "fads"
I have expensive taste...not always a good thing! :-(
I think I have sufficiently filled your inbox with completely random facts about myself. Please consider what I have asked and feel free to respond as well. I hope you are doing well, and I look forward to learning more about you and seeing you and Michael in a relationship.
From Monika:
I am so glad that you wrote me back! And I DO UNDERSTAND, totally and completely your shock and your amazement that we would break this news to you on facebook! I'm a little shocked by the whole experience myself. Lol! I guess, as you obviously would agree, the nasty stuff is better out of the way right up front. (edited)
Now, to the part that matters. I KNOW that Michael is an extremly emotional person, and that he loves with all of his heart and it's not something he gives away too easily but once he's given it, he never takes it back. Our relationship is DIRECT proof of that quality in him. It's one of the things I DEARLY love about him.
That being said. Know this: I have no desire to, nor will I EVER hurt your brother. I love him dearly and I want only his happiness. He is an extension of my heart. Michael is different because I am actually in love with Michael. For all the things he is, and all the things he isn't. I can't wait to marry him. If only it were today! :-)
Anyway.... now you know, and now if other ppl have questions then you can answer some of them. I hope that now, you can understand a little about what I have been through and how truly grateful I am for the goodness in Michael. My mom always told me that she married my Dad cause he was the first nice guy she fell in love with. I knew I'd always be the same. My only regret is that I didn't marry him FIRST! I can't wait to meet you either, and we should get together, have lunch. I want to come to ALB soon, cause Michael and I are thinking of doing the wedding in Santa Fe, and I need to research wedding planners. He says you can help with that??? I'd love that! I'll keep you updated on when I'm coming. And you could always come here too, it's not that far!?!?
From Me:
Your response is well stated and makes a lot clear. I am so sorry that you have had to experience in your 23 years what many don't have to in a life time. Still, this isn't going to be an overnight transformation as far as getting used to the idea of this, but know that I am getting there!
Yes, I have more than a little bit of experience planning weddings. and I would be happy to help with this one. I will ask that we slow down a bit until my brother has made the engagement official with your parents and mine. I have shared with Mike that I feel pretty uncomfortable having to keep this from my parents until he decides to tell them. That's another aspect that is making this process...different...Once he tells them and I don't have to feel like I am hiding something from them, I am ready to jump in!
Thank you for your understanding and I look forward to learning more about you!
From Monika:
I totally understand that. And to put you at ease Michael will be talking to my parents within the week and so he will be telling your parents immediately after. So hopefully that will be cleared up very very soon. And I won't be heading to alb until at the earlies Spring Break week, which is the last week in March. I too am looking forward to getting to know you. I hope that we will continue to chat.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So. True to his word, via Monika, my brother talked to her parents last night. They were incredibly supportive and encouraing. He then talked to my parents, and to both of our surprise, they too were supportive of the decision that they had made together. I didn't quite understand that, but after talking to them I see where they are coming from. Basically, they realize that Mike's going to make whatever decision he is going to make. Also, after speaking with him, they found that he and Monika are planning to begin pre-marital counceling, and the 15 month engagement allows a lot of time for learning.
After my messages with both of them, I am actually to the point where I can see myself completely in support of this marriage. I can't make any guarantees until I meet her of course, but I am ready to do that and I look forward extending our family.
So, if you are interested in "meeting" my brother's fiance Monika, you can find her on my Facebook page. She really does seem like a great girl, with a great background, who has had some tough breaks. Please pray that Mike and Monika are able to build this relationship with a foundation in Christ.
I will certainly keep you updated and let you know when the wedding is going to happen.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Healthy and on a roll! Random updates!
First of all, I wanted to thank everyone for the wishes of good health. I am happy to say that I am 100% recuperated and back in the swing of things. I've officially hit the crazy 4 months of my year, so I may be absent for a bit!
I had jury duty again this week, and I am still pleased with the process. I am making some friendships and even though it's time I could certainly be using for other things, I'm enjoying the change of pace. Back to work tomorrow.
There is something going on within the family that I can't quite announce yet. Please stay tuned, but in the mean time, PRAY! It's not health related, and it has the potential to be great. That's just yet to be determined.
I'm taking the GRE next month. I've taken so many other exams including specific ones for my original Masters. The new program I'm going into wants the GRE so I have to get that done. This is the first time that I've ever experienced any testing nervosa. I've gone as far as to purchase a prep program...that's never even crossed my mind before. Anyway, I feel pretty confident that I will do fine (hopefully better than fine) but I will be sure to fill you in when I get my scores.
Here's the schedule for the upcoming weeks...I won't be offended if you skip right over this (actually I won't have any idea...but if I did, I wouldn't care!)
2/13 State NMASC
2/14 State Bowling
2/15 Church, work and a date
2/16 I'm OFF! Yay!
2/19-2/20 State BPA
2/20-2/21 State Swimming & Diving and State Wrestling
2/27-2/28 State Choir
3/10-3/14 State Basketball
And of course work, school, and social stuff throughout all of that.
Told you the madness has started!
My church has begun a new program that brings community choirs and church choirs together to perform major works. Last week was the first rehearsal of Beethoven's 9th Symphony (Ode to Joy). i'm so excited and it's so great to be singing again. Although I will say that after years of not doing much more than Karaoke, Beethoven's love for soaring sopranos was a bit testing for the first day! I am loving that my voice will be back in shape (there's no other option!) by the time we perform. Yay!!! If anyone's interested, the performance is with the Albuquerque Philharmonic and will take place at 2:00 PM on Sunday March 15th at the Hispanic Cultural Center. It's going to be great! To give you an idea, our choir alone is probably 70 voices strong, and there are at least 2 community choirs joining us, and then the Alb. Phil. Choir. WOW...I can't wait! You won't be able to pick my voice out of this one mom! (She swears she can always hear my voice...even though I tell her that that's not really a good thing when in a choir...oh well)
OK, I'm officially babbling. Hope no one minds that this blog has become my journal. I have given up on the idea of making every post entertaining to the reader. I hope that you enjoy reading them, but if not...at least I got to get it out of my head! Recently thought of an analogy that sums up most of my days...
I can generally liken my head to an air-powered bingo machine and all my "to-do's" to the bingo balls.
I like it! And it really does capture the multi-tasking craziness that is the life I love.
Love you all!
I had jury duty again this week, and I am still pleased with the process. I am making some friendships and even though it's time I could certainly be using for other things, I'm enjoying the change of pace. Back to work tomorrow.
There is something going on within the family that I can't quite announce yet. Please stay tuned, but in the mean time, PRAY! It's not health related, and it has the potential to be great. That's just yet to be determined.
I'm taking the GRE next month. I've taken so many other exams including specific ones for my original Masters. The new program I'm going into wants the GRE so I have to get that done. This is the first time that I've ever experienced any testing nervosa. I've gone as far as to purchase a prep program...that's never even crossed my mind before. Anyway, I feel pretty confident that I will do fine (hopefully better than fine) but I will be sure to fill you in when I get my scores.
Here's the schedule for the upcoming weeks...I won't be offended if you skip right over this (actually I won't have any idea...but if I did, I wouldn't care!)
2/13 State NMASC
2/14 State Bowling
2/15 Church, work and a date
2/16 I'm OFF! Yay!
2/19-2/20 State BPA
2/20-2/21 State Swimming & Diving and State Wrestling
2/27-2/28 State Choir
3/10-3/14 State Basketball
And of course work, school, and social stuff throughout all of that.
Told you the madness has started!
My church has begun a new program that brings community choirs and church choirs together to perform major works. Last week was the first rehearsal of Beethoven's 9th Symphony (Ode to Joy). i'm so excited and it's so great to be singing again. Although I will say that after years of not doing much more than Karaoke, Beethoven's love for soaring sopranos was a bit testing for the first day! I am loving that my voice will be back in shape (there's no other option!) by the time we perform. Yay!!! If anyone's interested, the performance is with the Albuquerque Philharmonic and will take place at 2:00 PM on Sunday March 15th at the Hispanic Cultural Center. It's going to be great! To give you an idea, our choir alone is probably 70 voices strong, and there are at least 2 community choirs joining us, and then the Alb. Phil. Choir. WOW...I can't wait! You won't be able to pick my voice out of this one mom! (She swears she can always hear my voice...even though I tell her that that's not really a good thing when in a choir...oh well)
OK, I'm officially babbling. Hope no one minds that this blog has become my journal. I have given up on the idea of making every post entertaining to the reader. I hope that you enjoy reading them, but if not...at least I got to get it out of my head! Recently thought of an analogy that sums up most of my days...
I can generally liken my head to an air-powered bingo machine and all my "to-do's" to the bingo balls.
I like it! And it really does capture the multi-tasking craziness that is the life I love.
Love you all!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Flu Shot...I miss you
For the last two years I have jumped on the bandwagon of the flu shot, but thought it was totally unecessary. After all, for the first 25 years of my life I had never had one, and I had made it through those flu seasons just fine. Well, this year I thought about getting it taken care of, but the opportunity never presented itself. In the past, I had done it at a health fair, or while at a doctor's office for another purpose. Well, mark my word, I will never wait for the opportunity to present itself again...I'll be finding a flu shot as soon as one is available.
On Sunday I started feeling that tickle in the back of my throat that spelled disaster. Mind you, a cold would be a disaster for me at this time of the year. So I grabbed my trusty Airborne, and 3 bottles of water. 6 hours, 2 Airbornes, and 3 bottles of water later, I wasn't feeling any relief. So I figured I would go home, take some Nyquil, get to bed early and deal with the sniffles in the morning. HA!
First of all, the Nyquil didn't cut it. Never before have I had such a hard time sleeping while drugged. So I got out of bed to get in the shower and nearly passed out trying to do so. I called into work and said "I'll see you tomorrow."
It's now Thursday and I am still camped out on my couch. My mom, bless her, has stopped by my office twice to pick up stuff for me to work on. I was going to go in yesterday, but was still breaking fevers and certainly contagious. Didn't think my office would appreciate me bringing that bug in! Then I got up to shower this morning...wanting to get back to work...and nearly passed out again.
I feel like such an invalid. And to make matters worse, I keep trying to get work done, but I kid you not...my brain is mush! I have completely lost my ability to think.
And let's not forget...class started last week, so I've missed a week of class only 2 weeks into the semester. ARGHHHH!
OK...I'm done venting, and this has tired me out. So I'm off to take a nap.
GET YOUR FLU SHOT!!!!!!!!!!
On Sunday I started feeling that tickle in the back of my throat that spelled disaster. Mind you, a cold would be a disaster for me at this time of the year. So I grabbed my trusty Airborne, and 3 bottles of water. 6 hours, 2 Airbornes, and 3 bottles of water later, I wasn't feeling any relief. So I figured I would go home, take some Nyquil, get to bed early and deal with the sniffles in the morning. HA!
First of all, the Nyquil didn't cut it. Never before have I had such a hard time sleeping while drugged. So I got out of bed to get in the shower and nearly passed out trying to do so. I called into work and said "I'll see you tomorrow."
It's now Thursday and I am still camped out on my couch. My mom, bless her, has stopped by my office twice to pick up stuff for me to work on. I was going to go in yesterday, but was still breaking fevers and certainly contagious. Didn't think my office would appreciate me bringing that bug in! Then I got up to shower this morning...wanting to get back to work...and nearly passed out again.
I feel like such an invalid. And to make matters worse, I keep trying to get work done, but I kid you not...my brain is mush! I have completely lost my ability to think.
And let's not forget...class started last week, so I've missed a week of class only 2 weeks into the semester. ARGHHHH!
OK...I'm done venting, and this has tired me out. So I'm off to take a nap.
GET YOUR FLU SHOT!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
My Civil Duty
So of course I can't really say much, but I have finally, at age 28, been summoned and selected to jury duty. And I must say, my mom who has never been called, is more than a little jealous!
I am kinda torn between 3 different emotions here:
1: Do I really really want to know about all the bad stuff that is happening? I don't even watch the news consistently because nobody has anything good to say.
2: This is going to be really cool, I'm going to learn a ton, and I'll be serving my state and country in a way that not everyone gets to.
3: Spring is my absolute busiest time of the year at work...how am I ever going to make this work?
Well, there is an oath of secrecy that says that I can't tell ANYONE ANYTHING that happens in the jury room. Technically I could tell you what jury I'm serving on, but I don't think that would be the smartest move since anyboy could ultimately get to this blog. I'm sure you get it.
So instead, I thought I'd just educate you a little bit...here's some of the stuff that I have learned just during my juror "orientation" if you will.
Juries, at least this one, are literally chosen by RANDOM. We're talking names in a hat. Some levels pull from registered voters, and some pull from those with driver's licences. I won't get into what I think about this...
So here's the selection process:
Everyone who was summoned shows up. Those people who feel they have a reasonable excuse for not serving share those excuses, either in public or private council. Then those reasons are taken to a judge who decides whether the excuses justify exception. The jury director returns to the room with the names of those people still in the running on pieces of paper. No one finds out who was excused and who wasn't...this keeps people from "borrowing" other's excuses if they want to get out of service in the future. Then the jury director mixes up the names...literally. In this case he used one of the bingo wheels. He then pulls out the appropriate number of names, and that's it. Telling you how many people I'm serving with could lead you to determine what I'm serving on...no can do.
There are two different types of juries.
First there's the Grand Jury. Grand juries determine whether a defendent should be indicted or whether there is not enough probable cause to do so.
Then comes the Pettit Jury. Pettit juries are trial juries (the ones we all think of when we think jury). You know, "we find the defendant..."
Then there are the different levels:
Metro, State, Federal, etc.
And juries at different levels serve for different amounts of time, and have different monthly requirements, etc. etc. So I can't say exactly what kind of time commitment this is or one could deduce what jury I'm serving on.
Let's just say that I'm going to be stretching myself thin for a while.
But in the end, emotion #2 is really what I am leaning towards the most. Yes, it's going to be a time commitment, and yes I may learn of some things that I would rather imagine are not happening. But the bottom line is, they are happening. And I have an opportunity to fulfill my civil duty and my constitutional right to do my part in making sure that the justice system works in the way it was designed.
I feel quite privileged to be serving on this jury. And I have definitely learned that I work better under pressure, so I don't really need to worry about the stress level of jury duty, full time work, full time school...and that thing I call a social life!
I would encourage you, if you are ever summoned, NOT to listen to your peers who will tell you that you should try to get out of it. I could have written a book of ways to get out of jury duty with all of the "suggestions and tips" I got prior to showing up at court. If everyone were to use these excuses, we would destroy the system that we have now. And although it is certainly far from perfect, it still strives to protect the innocent, afford anyone and everyone a fair trial, and consider all innocent until proven guilty. We can complain all we want about the flaws in our justice system, but at least it's designed correctly. Many other countries don't even have that foundation to build upon.
God Bless America!!
Dramatic, yes...The way I really feel...ABSOLUTELY!
I am kinda torn between 3 different emotions here:
1: Do I really really want to know about all the bad stuff that is happening? I don't even watch the news consistently because nobody has anything good to say.
2: This is going to be really cool, I'm going to learn a ton, and I'll be serving my state and country in a way that not everyone gets to.
3: Spring is my absolute busiest time of the year at work...how am I ever going to make this work?
Well, there is an oath of secrecy that says that I can't tell ANYONE ANYTHING that happens in the jury room. Technically I could tell you what jury I'm serving on, but I don't think that would be the smartest move since anyboy could ultimately get to this blog. I'm sure you get it.
So instead, I thought I'd just educate you a little bit...here's some of the stuff that I have learned just during my juror "orientation" if you will.
Juries, at least this one, are literally chosen by RANDOM. We're talking names in a hat. Some levels pull from registered voters, and some pull from those with driver's licences. I won't get into what I think about this...
So here's the selection process:
Everyone who was summoned shows up. Those people who feel they have a reasonable excuse for not serving share those excuses, either in public or private council. Then those reasons are taken to a judge who decides whether the excuses justify exception. The jury director returns to the room with the names of those people still in the running on pieces of paper. No one finds out who was excused and who wasn't...this keeps people from "borrowing" other's excuses if they want to get out of service in the future. Then the jury director mixes up the names...literally. In this case he used one of the bingo wheels. He then pulls out the appropriate number of names, and that's it. Telling you how many people I'm serving with could lead you to determine what I'm serving on...no can do.
There are two different types of juries.
First there's the Grand Jury. Grand juries determine whether a defendent should be indicted or whether there is not enough probable cause to do so.
Then comes the Pettit Jury. Pettit juries are trial juries (the ones we all think of when we think jury). You know, "we find the defendant..."
Then there are the different levels:
Metro, State, Federal, etc.
And juries at different levels serve for different amounts of time, and have different monthly requirements, etc. etc. So I can't say exactly what kind of time commitment this is or one could deduce what jury I'm serving on.
Let's just say that I'm going to be stretching myself thin for a while.
But in the end, emotion #2 is really what I am leaning towards the most. Yes, it's going to be a time commitment, and yes I may learn of some things that I would rather imagine are not happening. But the bottom line is, they are happening. And I have an opportunity to fulfill my civil duty and my constitutional right to do my part in making sure that the justice system works in the way it was designed.
I feel quite privileged to be serving on this jury. And I have definitely learned that I work better under pressure, so I don't really need to worry about the stress level of jury duty, full time work, full time school...and that thing I call a social life!
I would encourage you, if you are ever summoned, NOT to listen to your peers who will tell you that you should try to get out of it. I could have written a book of ways to get out of jury duty with all of the "suggestions and tips" I got prior to showing up at court. If everyone were to use these excuses, we would destroy the system that we have now. And although it is certainly far from perfect, it still strives to protect the innocent, afford anyone and everyone a fair trial, and consider all innocent until proven guilty. We can complain all we want about the flaws in our justice system, but at least it's designed correctly. Many other countries don't even have that foundation to build upon.
God Bless America!!
Dramatic, yes...The way I really feel...ABSOLUTELY!
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