just another day in paradise.

Dear and faithful blog readers (and stalkers),

I apologize for the tardiness in my updating. Life has been busy...and there haven't been too many exciting things. Basically, my niece is the best part of my week. And yet I feel like I toss a bunch of pictures of her at you all relatively often...

So I hope it doesn't bother you too much, because I'm about to do it again. YAY FOR A POST WITH PICTURESSSS!!!!


First let me start you off with this:


This is the Gold Medal Flour mill. A group of us went down there and did a tour. I have been to the outside before, but never had the tour. It was fantastic. I LOVE history, and this was so full of rich, old, timeless history.



These are ruins of what used to be part of the mill. It is so beautiful and old and brick. I actually almost cried for the beauty of it. There was a video in the mill about the history of Minneapolis. I can't explain what it feels like to me, seeing real photos and hearing voices of people from decades gone by. But sometimes it moves me to tears. I want to go back. I want to talk to those people, hear their stories...it makes me miss my grandpas, because they were part of a generation that was so different than me...I want to ask them a million questions!

*sigh* ok, history touches me. we can move on.

to wayyyy cuter and happier things!



My days with Little K can look very much the same. We play the same games, practice the same words and animal sounds, eat the same food, have the same nap routine, swing on the same swings...

So one day I decided to change it up. Here is a good S&K day:

7:35 am: arrive to see K is already up AND dressed (normally she's up, but still in her PJ's)

7:45 am: Mama leaves for work...this includes waaaaaving at her and blowing her kisses as she pulls out of the garage.

8-8:45 am: BREAKFAST! this is usually eggs, avocado, gf pancakes and some sausage if we have it. Then she sits on her counter chair and munches away while I do dishes or make some toast.

8:45-10 ish: We play! a wide variety of things: "cooking" in all the pots and pans on the floor, playing with the babies (she has three dolls she likes to put to "nigh-nigh"), singing with songs on my iPod, playing catch and throw with the big beach ball and we might even watch some music videos online and she'll dance.


There is the doll about to go nigh-nigh


10-?: naptime! normally she goes down well, but then fusses about 15 minutes into it and eventually falls asleep.

?: WAKES UP!!!! and we normally eat after that. this girl likes to eat. lunch could be any of the following: gf noodles, more avocado, turkey, sweet potato, squash, peas, cauliflower, broccoli and blueberries.


While she eats all that healthy stuff up there, I make myself some sponge-bob mac n cheese. it was SO GOOD. mmm.


Then on this particular day we went on a post-lunch adventure. It was freezing rain...outside. um that doesn't sound right. It was freezing raining outside. err...not that either. hmmm
it was raining down frozen...rain? water? precipitation?

WHAT IS THE PROPER WAY TO DISCUSS THE PRESENCE OF FROZEN RAIN OUTSIDE?! this is not something I've had to deal with in my past.

Anyway, we went to the LIBRARY!!!


YAY BOOKS!!!



look how studious she is. genius, i tell you.



Then she discovered the little kitchen they had set up for youngsters to play with. It was far more entertaining than the books.



Isn't her outfit so adorable! little leggings and cute ugg boots! AHH! i just want to pick her up and squeeze her. As it turns out, I do that quite often.




She found the "Baaah" (banana) and tried eating it, not even pretend, but really trying to eat it.




This was her "uh-oh" face when she realized it wasn't exactly edible. I think it sort of caught her off guard.



Then we played on the cool wavy benches.



They also had these stuffed animals. I don't think she's seen many of those in her life. She grabbed this deer by the antlers and proceeded to spin him around and laugh and laugh. She was having so much fun with it!


Then after the library, we decided to hit up the mall which was right across the street. I figure malls have lots of colorful bright things for her to look at. I was right. She absolutely loved it. When we first walked in the mall, there was an upbeat song playing and she stopped in the walkway, dropped my hand and began twirling and bouncing to the beat. it was SO cute, and all of the little kiosk people were watching and calling their co-workers to come look at her.

We found the section of little coin rides. I didn't have my wallet on me, so we didn't actually ride any. She just sat in them, which was apparently sufficient entertainment for her for a good twenty minutes.


Yay!!! hand-clap of excitement!





All of the sudden, the little bus started honking and making noises and this is her bewildered face. She then looked at all the buttons and tried to figure out if it was something she pushed and if it would do it again. So much fun to watch her wonder and discover!

So that's pretty much a day for us. We come home, have an afternoon nap, eat more and anticipate the arrival of mama and daddy. I am learning to enjoy every moment with her. She is so precious and I love her so much. I give her hugs and kisses and we laugh and play and cuddle. It really is a fantastic being Auntie. (oh, side note, I'm trying to teach her to call me Tia-Spanish for "aunt"-which her parents do not yet know. but i'm sure they will soon find out when they read this. anyway...we'll see if it sticks)


That right there is a significant piece of my life here. and it blesses me so much. At times I find myself driving and getting lost in musings. My continuous thought is: how did I get here, to this exact place in time, driving right here...so far from where I was a few months ago. And how is it SO amazing and such a blessing.

um...thanks God. once again, you've gone above and beyond what I could have asked or imagined.

"Well it's Ok, it's so nice, it's just another day in paradise...well there's no place I'd rather be....I wouldn't trade it for anything. And I ask the Lord every night, for just another day in paradise."
[just another day in paradise: phil vassar]

it's a fun and sweet country song and is better listened to =)

buenas noches...

Gifts!

Last night, I had an experience that can be described best as a gift from God.

Six girls.

Old, classy house.

Open Bibles.

Hot drinks.

Heart-to-hearts.

Prayers.

Rejoicing with each other.

Sorrowing with each other.

And you ask, how did this happen? Well my niece is watched two days a week by a girl who attends a private Christian university around here. Our paths have crossed and she invited me to a little get-together she has with her friends on Tuesday nights. I had been missing my community of believing friends from Biola and this really was what I needed.

Working in a restaurant is fun, and the people are great...but when you are the lone Christian... ugh, I can't describe it very well. But it is like being constantly on guard in your mind and heart. There is a constant barrage of bad words (which wears down on a person after a while), lots of teasing (whether in jest or with real disrespect), and no one that can really relate to a HUGE part of my life. Don't get me wrong, i LOVE my friends that I've made in the restaurant world. But when I have nothing balancing it out...it can be draining.

So to sit with these girls, who believe in the same God I do, who can take me in as a stranger with the only commonality being our love for the Word and God (and in the case of the one girl, my niece), and it felt...normal.

We talked and laughed and asked each other questions and got to know each other better...

I just sat back and basked in the feeling of being with these girls. I don't know if we're going to become close friends. I don't know why God brought us into each others lives. But I do know it wasn't on accident.

(And on top of it, they gave me some of their leftover Pad Thai (I LOVE pad thai) when they found out that my fridge was pathetically empty.)

As I drove away, I was filled with a deep warmth way down inside me. A friend of mine recently wrote a blog post about an experience he had sort of like this and here was what his thoughts were...I found mine mirrored them.

"Why am I so surprised to feel this love and friendship with other believers just cuz I didn't know them when I got up this morning? I shouldn't be."

And after I think about the God that I have gotten to know over the years...I'm not surprised anymore. HE does this. and he delights in seeing his children cross paths and enjoy each other and encourage each other.

Mmmm...I love getting gifts when it's not even Christmas or my birthday!!

And just so the post isn't pictureless...


Last evening we got out some new baby stuff for...the new baby. And she loved this bouncer seat. She would grab her babies and just sit in it watching us go through clothes.



She's been such a cheese ball lately. Totally grinning and giggling. Everytime we laugh at something, she does the cutest laugh too. it's SO much fun!!

melting.

(taken from a sermon at church)

I often wonder what is meant when the Bible says things like, "And God hardened Pharaoh's heart." It sort of went against what my view of God has been.

On Sunday we read in Roman's 9, "Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction."

Wait a minute, God wants to show his wrath? What about this God of Love I keep hearing about and know to be true. And you can't give me the whole, "God of the Old Testament, God of the New Testament" thing...because that was smack dab in the New Testament.

The preacher in church shared a thought that was really interesting, and I liked it a lot.
First of all, our little finite brains cannot even understand the ways and plan and method of God. But since one thing i DO know for sure is that God is consistent, I liked this speculation.

God is like the Sun. Steady, warm, reliable, consistent...Shines the same light and warmth onto everything it comes in contact with.



If you shine the sun on butter, it will melt.





That same sun, when it shines on clay, however, hardens it.




So can we really say that it was the sun that caused these different reactions? Of course not. We know that it was clearly the materials that the sun was acting upon. Their properties reacted with the light, heat and whatever else to either melt or harden.

I feel like it could be this way with God. He doesn't "shine" on every person differently. The difference is in the person he's shining on. If your heart is filled with things like greed, selfishness, pride, unrighteousness etc... And the just, merciful, loving, righteous, holy presence of the Almighty God shines down upon you... Then I'd say that God indeed hardens your heart.

If, however your heart is full of joy, peace, selflessness, repentance, righteousness, forgiveness and salvation, and the just, merciful, loving, righteous, holy presence of the Almighty God shines down upon you...Well I'd assume you'd be softened like butter, able to be molded and re-formed into a "vessel of honor."

So we might see God as unfair...desiring to show his wrath upon some poor dishonorable vessel. But what part did the vessel play in all of that? Paul laid that out in Romans 1:21-25 (important parts are bold)

"For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen."

See, in God's courtroom, there is no unfair representation. You won't be falsely accused. You won't escape judgment if you are guilty. And you cannot put on a facade, hoping that the Judge won't see the yucky condition of your heart. There is no real formula that we can see for why God does what he does. This is where major amounts of trust in his immutability and omniscience. And really know that he doesn't take this heart stuff lightly.

He punished Moses for hitting a rock in anger rather than speaking to it as he was instructed.

He moved the sun AND spared the life of Hezekiah, because of his faithfulness and heart after God.

He let his chosen people wander around in the wilderness for 40 years because of their distrust and unbelief.

He called David a man after His own heart because even though he sinned, he cried out to God with a contrite heart.


So the question for you and me is...




or...




I, for one, would rather be the latter.

Oh, and let's not think for a moment we were put on this earth for ourselves. We might think the condition of our heart only affects us, and maybe we just don't care enough to change. But the Bible does not leave that for an option. The earth revolves around the "Sun" for a reason. When he does make & keep promises and show mercy to hardening hearts, it is for one reason, and one reason alone.
God made that pretty clear in Ezekiel 36:

“‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD,” declares the Lord GOD, “when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean...Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh..."

(and with the giving of this kind of grace from Him, and the receiving of it from us comes the automatic response of righteousness. )

"...I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances... you will be My people, and I will be your God."

Amen.

Training: Day 1

I will sum it up with another Adventures in Odyssey quote:
Jason: I've been thinking through it so much my mind has turned to oatmeal
*a few minutes later*
Jason: I can't even think anymore, Eugene with my brain tied up in knots like this!
Eugene: Now Jason, your brain can't possibly be turned to oatmeal AND tied up in knots at the same time...

Classic Eugene. But I'm pretty sure my brain is both turned to oatmeal and tied up in knots. Today's training was information overload. Fun fact about my restaurant: we have an open kitchen. This means that the line and food preparation takes place in an open walkway that guests use to get to and from the bathroom. When we did the initial tour, the manager said, "it's a lot of fun but it gets loud in here." Whew...he wasn't joking.

So tonight's training consisted of standing at the slide for 5+ hours...

...just watching.

I had a nifty hand-book with colored pictures and descriptions of all the meals, which I would refer to while watching all the real food come up. I only entered the dining room once. Basically, I stood, watched, memorized. and got quizzed occasionally by the zealous and slightly intimidating GM. He's a really great guy...really. it's just challenging to answer questions your upper-boss is asking than it is for customers at a table.

I met a barrage of people tonight. All my new co-workers. I have never worked with so many white, non-spanish-speaking people in all my life. And let me tell you...I missed my non-white, spanish-speaking people. The bantering, the practicing my spanish phrases.... I did find one guy who said (in his words,) "spanish? girl it's my first language!" needless to say, we WILL be friends. he doesn't have a choice.

Everyone was so nice and friendly...and they all remembered my name (which surprised me only until I realized that while they are all new to me, I'm the only new girl there...) I may or may not have had a run-in with the main chef guy. Well, first let me explain. There is the MAIN main chef who runs the whole food-prep staff. He makes up fun dishes, walks around, keeps his guys in line etc... He was super awesome.

Then there's Alex (names changed to protect the innocent). Alex wears a red cap. I was told this means he is a bit more qualified than the other guys. what it really means is that he runs that kitchen. and i mean...RUNS. He says jump? the guys say, how high. But he is really REALLY good at the whole culinary thing. I was impressed. But...I might have stepped on his toes. maybe just his pinky toe. only time will tell.

example: one of the other cooks (Sammy) asked me to get him something, and since I didn't know where it was, he directed me toward it. Alex got impatient because it would have been faster for either Sammy to ask someone else or to even just go get it himself. He started telling Sammy how he should have done it different, and the poor Sammy was like, dude i was just trying to make her feel welcome and useful...it's not that big of a deal. But Alex pretty much said I was not able/competent enough to be doing stuff like that for them cuz i was new. All this was right in front of me. So I turned to Alex and was like, "Hey...calm down. It's ok, he was just helping me out." To which Alex replied, "No, you don't understand..." and then proceeded to fade off and mutter something unintelligible.

After that, the Alex needed a drink of water. I was standing RIGHT THERE. he glanced at me and made eye contact, held up his cup, interrupted another server who was doing something and asked her to fill it with water. Sammy was watching the whole thing and looked at me and smiled and shook his head.

A common theme for the night? "Don't worry, you'll get used to Alex...it'll just take some time."

perfect. I had been planning to come in there with no problems, and of course my smart-aleck mouth would bother the super hardcore chef.

I did get an invitation by Sammy to go with a bunch of other coworkers to hang out after work. I declined. but at least they're making an effort to befriend me. =)

After my "shift" I got to try a bunch of different dishes. Macadamia nut crusted Brie, Crabcake, Seasonal greens Salad with Bleu Cheese Spring Rolls, and a warm pear bread pudding with vanilla bean ice cream and a brandy vanilla sauce.

ridiculously scrumptious.

Not sure how I typed this all this out for you to read. Probably my insatiable need to share my work stories. Someone wise once deduced that it must release endorphins for me and therefore acts like a drug which I then become addicted to and must continue doing to get my "fix."

Same wise person also told me not to post blogs without pictures. But alas, I must. I have no photo to share. my words alone must paint a mental picture for you. Feel free to use creative license if you want.

Now that I am thoroughly exhausted, I will bid you farewell.

Fifth & Wabasha

I am going to make a confession and tell you a secret all sprinkled in with a normal blog update.

Confession: i have seen too many tv shows about crime, spies, FBI agents, government conspiracies etc...

Secret: When I wrote my title for this blog, I legitimately thought, "Ok, if I'm being traced by anyone and they are looking for clues to where I am, then they'll figure out REALLY quick where Fifth and Wabasha is at. I should erase it...they'll come after me. Even if I'm innocent...because maybe they're trying to pin a non-existent crime on me."

The culprit of such thinking? A thrilling series that aired a while ago called Prison Break. about an innocent man who was framed by the President for a crime that never happened and is on Death row. his brother commits a crime to be put in the same prison to breaking him out (along with six other guys). Basically, it is fantastic, ridiculous, brilliant and thrilling.

Now I do a lot more observing (more than I did before), and a lot of making sure I have traceable alibis to fill any gaps of time where a crime could be pinned on me.

haha just kidding, i'm not that paranoid. at all. although my life would be a little more exciting if I had to keep a low profile on purpose, not just because i actually AM a low profile...


Ok, enough of my ramblings about potential irrational fears of government conspiracies.

---------------------------------

I am sitting here in a coffee shop, looking out at the bustling city, sipping on my favorite tropical green tea (memories of commons at Biola).

My life is just barely getting into routine. I start training for my job tomorrow. I was supposed to do it yesterday, but the trainer had mouth surgery and it got postponed. After that, I'll really be settling into "normal" life...and I'm looking forward to it.

I find that the cold works both for me and against me. Most of the time, it makes going out feel like such a drag, and I don't have the motivation to just go explore or do things that require me to go out. But last night, I was driving and listening to music, and when I got back to my loft, I realized I didn't want to stop being out and listening to music. So I made a favorites playlist. You know the one...a playlist where you like all the songs and you don't want to skip ANY of them. there were 44 hand-picked songs that I wanted to listen to and just walk around. It was about 38 so it wasn't too terrible cold. I walked all around downtown, looking at lights, standing by the river, singing my music (out loud, much to the entertainment of several onlookers I didn't see til too late), and I prayed. It was an amazing night.


Part of my playlist



This was my view of the city lights overlooking the river. I love city lights. it makes me feel not so far from home.


When I got home, I was looking out my window and praying (in spanish...which is what I do when I want to practice), and was thanking God for his blessings throughout this journey...and that even when I feel lonely, I know he's going to take care of me in one way or another and provide people to come along side of me. And right then I got an unexpected phone call from an unexpected friend. we chatted for a while, and it was just what I needed and pretty much an answer to prayer. Guess my spanish isn't that bad =)

Then today in the mail, I received a little note from my cousin who now teaches the Sunday School class we used to co-teach together. Inside were little valentines notes from the kids in the class!


Seriously made my day.



Aren't they just the cutest, sweetest things EVER!? ugh I miss those kiddos a lot. haha one of the little boys is my cousin, and his mom texted me on my trip out here and said, "Last night N prayed for you at dinner and said, 'Jesus don't let suzy miss us too much!'" It was so sweet.

My valentines day consisted of watching my niece all day. And when I say all day...i literally mean, all day. 7:40 am-8:40 pm. (my brother and his wife wanted a little date night, so I watched her for them). I was supposed to train on that day. My manager said something like this, "So I know tuesday is valentine's day, but I figured that you could come in for several hours in the evening." When I told her it wouldn't work out, she said, "What, do you have school or something?" Basically she knew I didn't have any romantic plans and I've only met her twice...was it that obvious?

Here's my lil' valentine:

She wanted to sit on her little pusher and read a book. by herself.



A little while ago, K was sick and didn't have much of an appetite. All of the sudden, that changed drastically. Her entire day revolves around food now. After we had eaten breakfast, she went to her little dish drawer, got out her plate, found a plastic fork, grabbed her bib and proceeded to motion for me to put it on her. Then she lifted her arms for "up" and pointed to the table. And there she sat and pretended to eat. It was SO cute!!


On my days off, I miss her. I really do.

So after training tomorrow, I'll be sure to write an account of how it went, for those of you who are interested!

au revoir.

gainfully employed. finally.

First let me say that all credit for the happenings written about in this post goes to the One and Only awesome God. (and I'm not saying that because things are going well. I'm saying it because I believe it with all my heart, all the time).

That being said....


...drum-roll please...


You are reading the ramblings of the newest member of the serving team at Kincaid's restaurant in right here in Downtown.

FAQ's:

1. A server? But what about your career? Well see, life isn't always about career. Sometimes it's about adventure, following God and doing what you love. All of which apply to this job. I'm not giving up on my career. But I love serving (almost as much as probation) and these doors opened only at the hand of God...so I'm just gonna enjoy it.

2. What kind of restaurant is it? Ahh...this glorious tool called google. feel free to use it. really is a wonderful invention. but in short, it is a upscale "American Dining" place. quite classy, if I do say so myself.

3. Are you excited? Um...no duh. My life here in MN is coming together very nicely. Sure I'm still sleeping on an air mattress. Sure I don't have any real furniture. Sure it's really cold. But hey...I have a job! one I will like!

4. Is it far from your place? WALKING DISTANCE. 15 minutes through the skyway. Not bad at ALL. I shall save on gas money too. This is delightful...

5. When do you start? Working out training details tomorrow with the other manager. Should be very soon!

Ok...enough of the not-so-frequently-asked-questions. (I make them up, you see. Because I figure I know what everyone is frequently THINKING.) But feel free to ask REAL FRQ's <--hold the phone. Did I just type FRQ? My high school AP US history teacher would be proud of me. For those of you who don't know, an FRQ is a Free Response Question on an Advanced Placement Test. HA. used to write those things in my sleep.

I meant FAQ.

Whew. Back on track. First of all...Let me just say that I do have a few slight apprehensive feelings. My only restaurant experience was at Mimi's. And it holds a very special place in my heart. In fact, it feels a bit like cheating to go to a new restaurant.

As a tribute, I'm gonna list some things I love/miss about Mimi's:
-The mexicans. Seriously...probably one of my favorite things about Downey was all co-workers and customers who kept me practicing my spanish and made me a Mexicana Blanca en mi corazon.
-The food. Blue Cheese & Walnut Salad. Honey Dijon Salmon. Trio. random creations of the cooks. mmm it was yummy.
-The managers. Seriously, such a fun group. I think I got along with all of them pretty well. Shout out to Joseph, Sol, Rocio, Miguel, Tomas, Eze, Efrain (and the past ones: Short Dan, Long-haired Dan, Ken & Mike). And even though Joe only let me come work as a favor to my last boss...i think he might've liked me in the end.
-My co-w0rkers. Could not have done it without them. Sure, we had drama. LOTS of drama. But overall, I couldn't have asked for a better crew to work with. Lots of memories made, and friendships that will last for a long, LONG time. I miss being called Bob by Chris-and everyone, I miss Ana's drawings on the board, I miss everyone's hugs, I miss Torres' "That's what She said" jokes, I even miss Gabby giving me a hard time about...everything, I miss getting ties from Katie, I miss arguing with the Otero brothers, I miss talking smack to Emmanuel, I miss eating A1 with Jess, I miss talking life with Patty, I miss chatting and laughing with Dulce...
-The regulars: The DeSpains, David, Peggy, Lee, Thursday night group in the back of Garden, Church people, Rose and her friend, the annoying child who called every server "Dude!" across the dining room and always wanted orange juice and SO many more. It felt like family, every shift.
-The cooks, bussers, preppers, and dishwashers. So many good times with them..and couldn't have done my job if they didn't have my back so often. Noe, Junior, Frankie...some of the best bussers a girl could ask for. Chepe, Memo, Pedro, Miguel...good cooks, right there. well, unless they were mad at me about something.
-eating food the cooks made us on slow weekday nights.
-Superbowl sunday...bringing a TV in and rotating service and watching the game in the Winery
-serving a party of 80 who were walk-ins at 10 pm with only two servers and two cooks (Torres...you're my hero!)
-Theater nights. Epic.

Overall, it was an incredible experience. And I know that no restaurant will ever be the same. But after meeting the GM today, this one will be fun too. He is similar to Joseph, my last GM...a little more mature probably =P haha juuust kidding, Joe. maybe.
But really, he'll be fun to work for. Management that knows how to keep business straight but have a good time...it'll make or break the restaurant.

So with that I embark on a new employment adventure. I am super excited and feeling super blessed to be where I'm at, doing what I love.

As a parting...


Little Miss K discovered she could climb the back of the sofa yesterday.



She was pretty pleased with herself.



She also LOVES (and by loves, i mean is obsessed with) blueberries. She pops them like candy. Once she sees them or starts...there's no turning back.



Watching the construction workers finishing the house next door. Every time they would bang their hammers to put up siding, she'd say, "Uh-oh!"

That's all for now!

peace.

my humble abode.

First of all, this reminds me of an Odyssey tape from my childhood where Doris Rathbone tells someone, "Welcome to our humble commode..." Bart, her husband, corrects her..."Abode, Doris." It's classic Rathbone interaction.

ANYWAY.

THIS IS THE POST!!! THE ONE WITH PICTURES!!!



The day began with a layer of frost on everything. Their spiky formations adorned everything and added a beautiful touch to the day. Needless to say, it was a bit nippy.



Most of my possessions were in plastic bags (easier transport than boxes). As we moved J&K out, we moved me in. And put the stuff in the bathroom to keep it out of the way.


This doesn't even begin to show how chaotic the place was. So much stuff everywhere (and this was after a majority of it was moved out).



My first lunch party in the loft. Jimmy-Johns and pop. (WHAT? did I just say pop? ugh. it's SODA). This was the moving team for the better half of the day. Krissa, Micah, Mark and Jim.



Ok, this is from the front entry way looking into the main part of the loft. It's basically this room, the kitchen to the front-left and the bedroom a little behind on the left and the bathroom in the middle left.



This is my cool kitchen table next to the window that overlooks the city.



The rest of my kitchen. (the cool bubble mirrors over the sink are my sister-in-laws and I think she'll want them eventually in her new house. but til then I'm enjoying them!)




This is from the windows looking back toward the front door.



In the previous picture you can see the very bottom of this shelf on the wall on the left.
This is it. It's so fabulous. It's a board hung from the ceiling. And my desk will go under it when i get it this weekend.



This is my rug, my little chair and my little table. That's pretty much the extent of my furniture. But hey, i can live as a minimalist. maybe.



This is the bathroom. Is it weird to take pictures of the bathroom? I mean, it's a room like any of the other ones. AAAND it is an important room because....


It houses my laundry! That is a washer/dryer combo machine. Pretty legit. And a nice work-board Krissa put over the top, as well as some great storage above it.



One of my armoires. A quality amount of storage space.


The closet. With great sliding barn doors (actually the bathroom has one of those great hung doors). This closet has lots of storage space. It's really nice. I also have another little armoire with a full-length mirror on it, but I forgot to take a picture. (I know, i could get up and take a picture, but I'm comfy in bed. you'll survive).



This is the bedroom in which those closets are. At this point, I'm sleeping on an air-mattress on the floor. I'm getting my real mattress this weekend. I think I will eventually get another mattress and put it up on the little loft (as I do not need it for extra storage and who wouldn't want to sleep on a cool suspended loft.)

So there it is. I love it a lot. It's tiny, but I need no more space. The future plans do include a sofa and maybe another sitting chair. I get my desk and bed this weekend...other than that, I'm pretty much set! Tonight, I did a LOT of cleaning in the kitchen. I cleaned out the entire Freezer/Fridge and washed everything. I washed my dishes and put them in their cupboards, I cleaned counters, swept the floor and finally it felt like...home. It was such a surreal feeling to think that this is MY kitchen. and it may seem silly to you, but I felt so grown up. I mean, I've lived away from home...but not on my own. It's a totally different feeling.

I still have a lot of clothes unpacking to do. It feels quite daunting to go through everything and hang it all up. I have a ton of closet space, as you saw...I'll get to it soon hopefully.

It is literally right in Downtown. If I get the job I interviewed for, then it'll be walking distance, IN the skyway! Overall, it is just fabulous. and if I know you and we're friends, then you should come visit me. Preferably in the spring/summer.

Well that's all folks. I am going to head to bed. I have another full day of watching Little K. She was a little moody today as she's been sick. But we did have a few good times.


We took a field trip to Target to see all of the colorful and amazing things they had there. She enjoys walking around with my keys in one hand, waving at people with the other and touching everything at her level. It isn't much, but it gets us out of the house. =)

Happy days to you all =)

in-between post.

This is the in-between post. Everything exciting happens...later.

Today I had my job interview. and it went really well (at least I thought so...) but the results will be announced at a later date.

Tomorrow I'm actually moving into the loft. I cannot express how excited I am! Seriously, I am so jazzed to be starting this next chapter of my life! Yesterday I went shopping for some home-basics (laundry detergent, a broom, cleaning supplies, dish soap etc...) and it felt so weird to be "setting up house."

Anyway, I'll have a super big announcement post with lots of pictures of the loft and such. and to tell you about the job. Until then, here are some pictures.



First of all, ALL THE SNOW MELTED. which means three things:
1. it is a LOT uglier. Boring, brown and BLAH.
2. NO ICE!!! No scraping my windshield. AND this makes driving SO much easier. I am not used to having to think about driving...so it is so nice to make turns like a normal person, not like a...well i'll spare you the stereotypes.
3. It's WARMER. no need to bundle-bundle every time I leave the house. Just a simple coat. And simon warms up much faster. it's fabulous.




This pic was from a while ago, but it shows the genetic similarity between father and daughter and their fantastic expressive eye brows.


She has some great facial expressions because of it. (and when she eats, she really gets into it)





She LOVES her meal times. (a girl after my own heart, truly). Tragically, she does not like Mac n' Cheese (something that me and her dad are trying to cure her of. how can a kid with our last name NOT love it!) So we smother it in spaghetti sauce and she eats it like a fiend.








We have good times together, me and her. I love this girl SO much. and I find myself smooching her cheeks. Kissing and cuddling babies is something I learned really well from my Aunt Nell. She's the baby-kissing-cuddling queen!



Yay for fancy fruit boxes for packing. Seriously, they look super classy. I kind of want to keep them as decoration. Totally urban-y, right?

Well thanks for your patience. Soon your curiosity for pictures of the loft will be satisfied. =)