Let the games begin....

Some days just call for a good laugh.  I was looking through pictures today and found this golden nugget that is always good for a chuckle...at my own expense maybe....but still.



This was at my beautiful friend Laura's wedding last summer, and as you can see, the glowing bride is about to toss the bouquet.  You may also notice the bitter Dani on the far right in the pink dress.....not my most shining photo moment.  That was my life of being single forever flashing before my eyes...haha. 

I hate bouquet tosses.  First of all, I hate being called out for being single.  Secondly....I never catch them. 

Actually, I halfway caught the bouquet at Marisa's wedding, but so did a 5 year old.  So....being the grown up (although I deserved it more), I handed it over.  I might note that Cole (the groom of the lovely Laura in the picture above), caught the garter at that wedding.  Look what could have happened if I had been less gracious.

:)

Speaking of weddings, summer is fully upon us.  It was beautiful for Hoopfest this last weekend and although it's cloudy today, it is pretty warm!  Can't beat that.  It goes from being pretty cold off and on for the first part of June and then all of the sudden it shifts to being consistently INCREDIBLE!  This summer brings a lot of joy for me.  My beautiful sister is coming to visit with her husband and two kids next week, and along with that, almost my entire family is coming into town to visit as well.  My Dad's birthday is Sunday, my sister comes Monday (with fireworks included!), work is winding down for the summer and our schedule is changing (so my life gets 75% easier as of next week), and there are lots of weddings and end of the year celebrations to attend.  How quickly this year has gone...unbelievable.

My best friend is getting married in Olympia next month and it just dawned on me that she is going to have a different last name.  I have known her since the 8th grade....I wonder how many months it will take me to remember that her last name isn't King anymore!  So, the blog entries may get more sparse with all the festivities, but I will try to highlight the bigger moments when I get a chance.

Much love!

Addicted

Hello, my name is Dani and I'm addicted to Facebook.

I suppose you could call this my goodbye note, as I have finally reached the point in life where I feel the intense need to grow up and start having real relationships with people.  You know.  The ones where you actually hang out in person or you call them.

Facebook, although convenient in staying in touch with friends who live a long way away or are busy, really cheapens relationships and it cheapens life....  I have felt the impact in my life.  I was at breakfast this morning with one of my good friends and after a line of questioning, I realized that I haven't talked to my sister on the phone since Christmas.  It's June.  That isn't ok.  I also know that I have come to a point in my relationships with most friends where I feel more comfortable writing a quick comment to them than actually committing to a real conversation.  Not saying Facebook isn't genius in some ways.  I adore catching up with friends that I wouldn't normally call.  I love knowing things that are going on in my friend's lives.  I love looking at pictures...and Facebook makes it completely possible to get my photo fix.  HOWEVER....I'm starting to question whether it should be an every day type of thing.  Or a once a week type of thing?

I guess the biggest impact that being on Facebook has had on my life is that I feel I don't have much of a life anymore.  I will admit, I have an exhausting job.  I sometimes automatically feel like my life is getting cinched off just by the sheer fact that I come home totally burnt out most days.  But Facebook doesn't help.  I may have the best of intentions on just checking my notifications and then getting off the computer, but then I find pictures or see a comment from another friend which leads to further investigation.  I sometimes lose my focus and by the time I realize what time it is, it is too late to do anything REAL with my day.  Think of how much time I have wasted that I could be reading, running, being with ACTUAL PEOPLE, cooking, cleaning (no fun...but necessary), being outdoors.  I feel like life is so busy, but in reality I work 8 hours a day and then I'm done.  So where is the rest of that time going? 

I'm bad at making committments to change things about myself.  I will decide it sounds fun and challenging and the moment the going gets rough, I get going.  But I think this is one of those things I need to think through and actually consider as something more valuable than any of those other changes I've attempted to make.  We are getting into a really technologically driven age that is forgetting about real life and real relationships and I'm smack dab in the middle of that. 

Yuck.  It all just kind of makes me sick when I think of all my wasted time.  Or maybe that is the excessive amount of food I just ate at Frank's Dinner.  Either or.

Oh, and Happy Summer!  Finally some 80 degree weather!

And I'm reading a book right now called the Handmaid's Tale which is UH-mazing.  I was attempting to read Pride and Prejudice and decided I just don't have the patience for it right now.  I used to love reading classics when I was in high school, but I think it was because there was so much extra study put into it.  Now I come home and just want to let my brain relax, and I can't do that very well when I have to re-read every page to make sure I'm understanding the outdated language...maybe I'm getting stupider?  Oh no.

Hitting a high note

We aren't seeing much sun here in the Pacific Northwest.  June 17th and we still haven't hit 80 degrees.  I remember being young and hardly being able to handle being inside at school because of how hot it was at this time of year.

So...in honor of that...I've been listening to a lot of feel good music that takes my mind off how ridiculously garbage-like the weather is.  My summers are defined by music.  I remember listening to J Lo's "If You Had My Love" and dancing on the front porch of my best friend's house the summer before my 8th grade year.  The summer I was in Tahoe, we would blast Miley Cyrus with the windows down....just because we could and because we were cool like that. Last summer, I was kept good company by lots of good dance tunes and lots of good opportunities for dancing!  This summer might be different...lots of work....not a lot of spare time....but in true summertime fashion...lots of good music.

This summer I'm particularly obsessed with a few tunes that I would like to share...in case you haven't heard them and are looking for some new (or recycled) beats!

1) OneRepublic "Won't Stop"
Youtube - OneRepublic -Won't Stop


This is off their "Dreaming Out Loud" album from 2007.

I discovered this one from my beautiful friend's wedding slideshow (James and Ashley...you guys have such creative minds!).  I have quickly become pretty infatuated with it.  I guess it is kind of unexpected for OneRepublic, which is what I like.  Not to mention that it tickles my romantic funny bone.  Perfect and whimsical.  Love it.

2) Augustana "Sweet and Low" (acoustic version preferably!)
Youtube - Augustana-Sweet and Low


This is off their "Can't Love, Can't Hurt" album from 2008.

My friend Derek posted that he was thinking of this song, and it reminded me how much I love it too.  I have since been listening to it non-stop.  I saw Augustana in concert once and feel sort of dumb that I haven't pursued them a little bit better.  I guess I wasn't super impressed with the big single that they put out ("Boston"), so I gave up on them.  I have some renewed interest now.

3) My Morning Jacket "Movin' Away"
Youtube - My Morning Jacket -Movin' Away


This is off their "Circuital" album from 2011 (just released)

This band is pretty new for me, but I just have been hearing a lot about them in the recent past.  Turns out they have a really interesting mix of sounds...lots of really upbeat stuff but some slower ones too. This one is kind of perfect in my opinion.  They are at Lollapalooza this year....just one more reason that I'm upset that I'm not there.

4) Martin Solveig & Dragonette "Hello"
Youtube - Martin Solveig and Dragonette - Hello


This is off his album "Smash" from 2011 (also just released this month)

This is so upbeat.  Perfect song for the summer.  No explanation necessary!

5) Natasha Bedingfield "Strip Me"
Youtube - Natasha Bedingfield - Strip Me


This is from her "Strip Me" album from 2010.

I just got done watching "Morning Glory" and this song was definitely the featured song on the soundtrack, and rightfully so.  So good!  I could dance in my underwear all day to this song....literally.  Thankfully I have lots of other things to do with my day, so I won't actually do that. Maybe just half a day.  :)


Any other songs sparking your interest?  I want in on them!

Confessional

Bear with me because I feel like everything I have to say today sounds really high maintenance.  I'm not sure it makes me high maintenance though, because I'm pretty sure that high maintenance people don't recognize that they are being that way.

First of all.

I am slightly devastated currently over the loss of three true companions.  We have been through thick and thin together.  We have crossed state borders....we have gone out of the country....we have danced in the rain.......

My three favorite pairs of jeans have hit the dust.

I know...devastating.  I actually had a physical reaction to seeing an ill-placed hole in my current favorite pair of jeans today.  I know, I'm being overly dramatic and high maintenance (like I said)....I recognize that.  But still...what a loss.  I think it has something to do with how expensive they are and also how often you wear them.  One of these pairs, I have had since I was a freshman in high school.  Not to mention that they take on a personality of their own and it can be nearly impossible to find ones that actually make your butt look good or don't make you look as short as you are. 

Bah.

Secondly,

I got a pedicure for the first time this weekend and although I always claimed that I would never stoop to the level of getting pedicures on a regular basis....I may revoke that immediately.  Here's the deal.  It isn't half bad to sit in a massaging chair for an hour while someone rubs your feet, and let's face it...there is no way that I can paint my toenails half as well as my new friend at Hot Nails in the Valley.  :)  I'm just saying that I can see why people blow $20.00 a month on a good pedicure....

Thirdly...

I'm totally hooked on the Bachelorette.  I'm kind of bothered by the fact that I love cliche reality TV shows.  I guess it isn't the biggest deal ever, but at some point it comes back to me feeling like I have some immature and totally cliche hobbies. I suppose I could expand my horizons and watch nature shows or read deep intellectual material on my off-time, but all I would be thinking about is what guy isn't getting a rose that night!  Hey, at least I haven't jumped on the American Idol train.....

There you have it.

In other news, summer is rapidly approaching and life is getting REALLY busy.  It's strange when one season of life is nearing an end.  This summer is going to be a time of transition, a time of goodbyes, and a time of celebration.  I will be returning to my job for another term, but it will be my last one at the House of Charity and its crunch time to figure out what the next step is.  Not to mention that I will be getting all new co-workers for next year and heaps of new responsibilities.  It's going to be a totally different year with new and different challenges in addition to the ones that I know will already be there.  

Hope summer is starting off well for you all!

When I grow up....

It has been an ultra tough week at work.  We aren't experiencing a meeting of the minds anymore between staff members and its pretty frustrating. Additionally you can add the stress involved with working with the homeless population, and it's a recipe for disaster.  Through this week, my mind has been racing with questions of why I'm taking this path.  Why am I wanting to be involved with social work?  I know I'm not dead-ending in this job because its incredible experience and something that ultimately I will look back on and be thankful that I did.  However....I don't see myself working with the homeless as a career.  It is a smidge more than I can handle on a "forever" basis.  So, I've been forced to stop and look at the Masters program I'm wanting to get into and question what I'm doing.  I can't really afford to make another $15,000 mistake with my education...let's face it.

In thinking about it, I realize that there are a lot of paths I could take that I would be able to be comfortable in for an indefinite period of time.  I love the idea of working in a hospital setting and I love working with the elderly. All acceptable options....definitely worth considering. However, I'm discovering that no matter what path I take in my mind's eye, the real reason I want to do social work pops out.  Here it is....



This is what I want to do.  If I could lock myself into a career at this point in my life...I would do this forever.  Here's the scoop.  Upward Bound is a program that is federally funded and included under the umbrella of Trio.  Its main goal is to work with high school students who come from families that are either low-income or where neither of the parents have bachelor's degrees.  Some of the students are aging out of the foster care system, are disabled, aren't proficient in the English language, etc...  Upward Bound's goal is to help these students pursue and succeed in their education at the high school level and to pursue post-secondary education.  Rad?  I think so.  So how does it work?  They provide instruction and tutoring in the major subjects (especially in science and math), they provide counseling, mentoring, cultural enrichment, etc...and they provide a safe place and a fun place to be learning.  It also uses some of my activity and adventure side that I picked up from recreational management. 

Now, I got involved with this program as a residential assistant at a summer program that was run in Moses Lake, WA at Big Bend Community College the summer after I graduated college.  I knew going into it that I was in for a wild ride, but I had no idea what I had in store.  It ended up being such an incredible time, and one that got me fired up for this program.  I was ready to sign up for life at the end of that summer, and it hasn't faded since.  I asked a lot of questions while I was there, and discovered that you need an MSW for most of the counseling positions within Upward Bound, but at that point I had just graduated from college in something other than Social Work and the thought of graduate school almost killed my soul.  You need a little break between 18 years of education and another 2 years of grad school. 

So, I'm taking the break I needed..and now its time to put my student loans where my mouth is and make the leap.  This program makes me want to learn continually and be in the best shape intellectually to help these kids succeed.  And I can't tell you the satisfaction you get when you were even a small part of these kids succeeding in college.  Most of my students are going to be juniors in college this next year and they are making it.....so awesome.

So....there you have it.  Now...the key (as in all social service/educational programs) is to have this not be cut from the federal budget before I get a chance to get through graduate school! :) 

Ahhhh, I'm excited all over again.  I think its valuable to take some time out of your life to sit and dream....and this was a great way to start my day!

Cheers!

Happy June

With summer quickly approaching, I feel that it is necessary to outline my favorite summertime destinations for you....just in case you are in Spokane and bored and wondering what I would do if I were looking for a good time.  Ok, you'll never be thinking that....but here they are anyways.

College tradition said that we always visited SILVERWOOD in honor of beautiful Miss Mollie Pritiken's birthday every year.  Since college has been out we have fallen down on our attendance, but a repeat trip should probably be taken this year.  Never been to Silverwood.  You, my friend, are missing out.  Especially if you love roller coasters and rides that make you want to puke and die.  I prefer the kiddy rides, the train trip around the park, and the water slides....but you go and have you big time fun!



Another one of my hot spots is Greenbluff which you may say is not a wise pick......since they really are mostly known for being a fall-time destination.  But let me tell you.  Greenbluff knows how to celebrate summer too!  My whole family is coming up the first week in July and I'm counting down the days to go strawberry picking!!



There are also a lot of totally prime lakes in the Spokane area and there are three that I would like to highlight. 
Coeur D'Alene is pretty cliche, just since its the biggest one.  However, I must say that they have one of the only really great public beaches within a SHORT driving distance of Spokane....and I feel like the water isn't going to give you gangrene by swimming in it!  SCORE!  They have cliff jumping, great hiking, giant sized sundaes and parasailing (not that I'd ever do that, but I want to throw something adventurous out there to lure in the crazies!)



Diamond Lake is really the local favorite.  It's located decently close to Newport, which is a cute little town just North of us.  It's also a perfect driving distance...and has the warmest water out of any lakes that I know of anywhere near here.  Only thing is that you have to know someone with a cabin or it isn't any fun, because their public beach is pretty much non-existant.  So make some friends with cabin dwellers....ask around.  I'm sure you'll find them!  :)



Priest Lake is the big name to watch for.  It is the furthest away of all three, but its totally worth the drive.  From what I can tell, the public beaches double as campgrounds...and that is pretty much the way to go if you are heading up this way.  My favorite spot is Lions Head, which is also relatively close to the natural water slides!  :)  And huckleberry ice cream is a must have.  I was actually watching a show on TV the other day where one girl asked if huckleberries were even a real kind of berry.  Poor, misinformed girl.

So what else is worth seeing?  I think it's important to note the best summertime eats....or at least my top list.....

1) Madelines : You could have this all year, but there is nothing better than sitting on the patio in the sunshine eating their yummy food.



2) The Ram:  This is one the way back from Diamond, and it is another Spokane tradition.  You are basically being sacreligious if you go to Diamond without also stopping at the Ram.  (it's a typical old-school burger place!)

3) Molly Moons. This is my favorite spot outside of Spokane....but considering how close we are to Seattle, chances are pretty high that you will end up there at some point this summer.  This place has several locations (one in Wallingford, one in Capitol Hill, and one in Madrona).  I'm all about the Wallingford one, but this is what the line will look like every night.  Be prepared.  Despite the long wait, it is COMPLETELY worth it.  They have some pretty radical flavors, like salted caramel, balsamic strawberry, and mandarin chocolate sorbet....and they allow you to taste test.  Take advantage!



4) My new favorite, and possibly the location of my next birthday dinner is Texas Roadhouse in Coeur D'Alene.  Its a chain, but holy cow....they do it right.  I'm basically just a sucker for good BBQ food, and considering that we don't live in the South, I figure anything with the name Texas in it is bound to be pretty successful. 

5) Last but not least...let's throw in a South Hill favorite....Benniditos.   This long standing South Hill tradition has a great outdoor seating area and although I'm not that big on pizzas....I will give this two hearty thumbs up.  It is located about 2 blocks from where I grew up, so we used to walk up there constantly to grab a $2.00 slice of pizza and get fountain drinks (which always taste better shot out of the fountain "wand" rather than the normal, boring machine).  They have a bunch of pizzas named after specific South Hill entities (like the L.C. Primo, the Grand Boulevard, and the High Drive.).  So great.

There you have it. 

My summer must-dos.

Seize the world!