... that I may be able to look forward to a visit from a certain someone and a little certain someone sometime in the not-so-far-away future. Lots of things need to be figured out first, but I can tell you that it would certainly brighten my days to the point of needing sunglasses until that visit happened. (Does that make sense?) Anyway, it was great to get news that made a slightly tough day seem ten times better.
Mad love.
Why Blog?
I'm a 22 year college graduate, documenting the things in my life that I want to always remember. The big things, the little things, the crazy things, the everyday things. It gets a bit random at times, and sometimes I like to ponder on the craziness of life. There's nothing earth-shattering here, but I like to think it's all fun to read. Read, leave me comments, ask questions, enjoy.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Oh Me Oh My Oh Moo...
... whatever shall I do? Hallelujah, the question is peculiar. [you may continue the song to yourself if you know it]
Childhood flashback. Anyway, I have a lot to catch up on, and I don't really feel like splitting it into multiple posts. SO. Beware. This shall be long, but hopefully not painful. If you don't have a good amount of time to read this right now, I'd recommend waiting until you do. I'll try to separate things appropriately, and all should be well. Here we go.
THE FIRST TWO WEEKS
Okay, so the first two weeks were fairly uneventful. I sat in classes all day, every day (in the same room even) and tried to retain as much of the information that was coming at me as possible. I retained enough of it to pass my test, but I'm not sure how much of it actually stuck in my brain. During these two weeks, I met a pretty solid (so far) group of people that I hung out with on breaks and ate lunch with every day. My officemate is also an August New Hire and happens to be on the same team as me - EpicCare Inpatient. Basically, we work on testing software used when someone is staying in a hospital. My classes were not all that interesting, so I didn't pay too close of attention... During my non-attention times, I had some random thoughts running through my brain, some related to work, some not. Here they are:
1. The sound q makes is really weird. Can you even make the q sound without a u after it?
2. Presenting can be hard business, especially when your audience is over a week into classes.
3. Gotta love working for a company that rewards you for a job well done by giving you a coupon for free dessert.
4. Hairlines along the neck are really strange. Check them out sometime.
5. I miss being around people that know I'm a drama queen sometimes.
6. It's distracting to have a window overlooking beautiful grounds in your office.
7. I love juice. Especially pomegranate juice.
THE DELLS
I had family (two aunts, one uncle, one grandma, five cousins under the age of 10, and one cousin who is home for a month from Africa) in the Dells during my second week of work. Although it made for some long days, I was able to make it out there to visit them two nights in a row. It was extremely nice to be able to spend time with my family during the overwhelmingness that starting a new job brings, and it was even nicer that some of my favorite people were out there. The second night I was there, we spent over two hours swimming in the indoor pool, which was incredibly tiring, but so fun to play with my cousins. Vanessa, my cousin that's been serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer for the past two years was also there the second night that I went out, and it was FANTASTIC to see her. When she left, we were just starting to form a relationship as adults, and it was hard for me to see her go. She is heading back to Africa at the end of this week for one more year, and I'm glad I was lucky enough to be able to catch up with her during her short time here.
WEEKEND BEFORE LAST
Two weekends ago, I made my first trip back to MN since moving out here. One of my bosses from my on campus job got married, and we were all invited to the reception. I drove to MN directly after work on Friday, and made it to my grandma's around 9:30. I spent the night there, and was able to spend most of the day Saturday with her before heading to the wedding reception. It was wonderful to spend the night dancing and laughing with friends that have been friends for longer than a few weeks, and I was incredibly happy to be able to help my boss celebrate the next step along her journey. Not only were we invited to the reception, we were also invited to camp out overnight, since the reception was held on my boss's childhood farm, so of course some of us took advantage of that. After a long struggle with a tent, we finally got one up and curled up to sleep for a few hours. I learned the next day that I talk in my sleep - something I know I did in my childhood, but was unaware that I still do. I guess I also respond to things going on around me while I'm sleeping. Interesting.
WEEK THREE
Last week we started what is called QA Camp; a series of classes that are geared towards what I'll be spending my time here doing. The class load is much lighter - only one or two classes a day - and the classes are much smaller, since only the new Quality Assurance folks are in them. Although these classes aren't really that interesting, and I have five weeks of them, it's been nice to have some time in my office to do things that don't involve sitting in a classroom, and I've been able to settle into somewhat of a rhythm with work. I've discovered that I absolutely love my job... I couldn't have asked for a more friendly environment or a better first job out of college.
THIS PAST WEEKEND
My mom and dad were out visiting this past weekend, which was great. They brought me a bunch of furniture from Joe's apartment, so I FINALLY have a bed! They made it to Madison early enough on Friday to come have lunch with me at work, and then they headed back to my place to unload the truck. On Saturday morning, we set out to find me some couches, so there were more places to sit than just my one chair and the floor. Our first stop was an estate sale not too far from my place, because I figured they'd have a couch. Well, we got there and the couch had been sold, but I ended up leaving there the proud owner of a piano! It is a gorgeous instrument, it was very very cheap for the shape it's in, and it belonged to the mother of the people holding the sale. It was difficult for them to sell it, but we were all happy that it came with me: someone who will love it, take care of it, and play it often. We obviously didn't have a way to move it yet, so we put a deposit down on it and moved on to searching for couches. I got super lucky and found a matching couch and love seat at a thrift store for super cheap, and we bought them both and brought them back to my place. I found some people to help with the piano, who were available later in the afternoon, so we headed to work for a quick tour. Mom and Dad both loved the place, and Dad kept telling me how impressive it is. The Dad stamp of approval was kinda fun to get :) After the tour, we went to pick up the piano. I had found a bunch of new friends from work who were amazing and agreed to help me out right away, so I met them at my place while Mom and Dad went to get a trailer, and we all went over to load the piano up. That turned out to be the easy part. My apartment is on the second floor of my building, and the staircase to get up there is pretty narrow. Combine that with a 600+ lb piano, and you don't get fun. Unfortunately for me, I was a little too helpful, and I ended up ripping part of my right big toenail off. It is disgusting, and it caused me a lot of pain. My friends, being great, stayed and helped us figure out how to take care of it, and then stayed to keep me company while my parents returned the trailer. All in all, not my favorite experience of life, but totally worth it to get my piano.
NOW
I'm now half way through my fourth week of work, still loving it, still hobbling around due to a sore toe. I'm looking forward to having a weekend here to relax, since my past few have been busy, and all is well. Sorry this is so long - I've been exhausted after work most days and haven't taken time to update this. If you made it the end - go you!
Love love love.
Childhood flashback. Anyway, I have a lot to catch up on, and I don't really feel like splitting it into multiple posts. SO. Beware. This shall be long, but hopefully not painful. If you don't have a good amount of time to read this right now, I'd recommend waiting until you do. I'll try to separate things appropriately, and all should be well. Here we go.
THE FIRST TWO WEEKS
Okay, so the first two weeks were fairly uneventful. I sat in classes all day, every day (in the same room even) and tried to retain as much of the information that was coming at me as possible. I retained enough of it to pass my test, but I'm not sure how much of it actually stuck in my brain. During these two weeks, I met a pretty solid (so far) group of people that I hung out with on breaks and ate lunch with every day. My officemate is also an August New Hire and happens to be on the same team as me - EpicCare Inpatient. Basically, we work on testing software used when someone is staying in a hospital. My classes were not all that interesting, so I didn't pay too close of attention... During my non-attention times, I had some random thoughts running through my brain, some related to work, some not. Here they are:
1. The sound q makes is really weird. Can you even make the q sound without a u after it?
2. Presenting can be hard business, especially when your audience is over a week into classes.
3. Gotta love working for a company that rewards you for a job well done by giving you a coupon for free dessert.
4. Hairlines along the neck are really strange. Check them out sometime.
5. I miss being around people that know I'm a drama queen sometimes.
6. It's distracting to have a window overlooking beautiful grounds in your office.
7. I love juice. Especially pomegranate juice.
THE DELLS
I had family (two aunts, one uncle, one grandma, five cousins under the age of 10, and one cousin who is home for a month from Africa) in the Dells during my second week of work. Although it made for some long days, I was able to make it out there to visit them two nights in a row. It was extremely nice to be able to spend time with my family during the overwhelmingness that starting a new job brings, and it was even nicer that some of my favorite people were out there. The second night I was there, we spent over two hours swimming in the indoor pool, which was incredibly tiring, but so fun to play with my cousins. Vanessa, my cousin that's been serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer for the past two years was also there the second night that I went out, and it was FANTASTIC to see her. When she left, we were just starting to form a relationship as adults, and it was hard for me to see her go. She is heading back to Africa at the end of this week for one more year, and I'm glad I was lucky enough to be able to catch up with her during her short time here.
WEEKEND BEFORE LAST
Two weekends ago, I made my first trip back to MN since moving out here. One of my bosses from my on campus job got married, and we were all invited to the reception. I drove to MN directly after work on Friday, and made it to my grandma's around 9:30. I spent the night there, and was able to spend most of the day Saturday with her before heading to the wedding reception. It was wonderful to spend the night dancing and laughing with friends that have been friends for longer than a few weeks, and I was incredibly happy to be able to help my boss celebrate the next step along her journey. Not only were we invited to the reception, we were also invited to camp out overnight, since the reception was held on my boss's childhood farm, so of course some of us took advantage of that. After a long struggle with a tent, we finally got one up and curled up to sleep for a few hours. I learned the next day that I talk in my sleep - something I know I did in my childhood, but was unaware that I still do. I guess I also respond to things going on around me while I'm sleeping. Interesting.
WEEK THREE
Last week we started what is called QA Camp; a series of classes that are geared towards what I'll be spending my time here doing. The class load is much lighter - only one or two classes a day - and the classes are much smaller, since only the new Quality Assurance folks are in them. Although these classes aren't really that interesting, and I have five weeks of them, it's been nice to have some time in my office to do things that don't involve sitting in a classroom, and I've been able to settle into somewhat of a rhythm with work. I've discovered that I absolutely love my job... I couldn't have asked for a more friendly environment or a better first job out of college.
THIS PAST WEEKEND
My mom and dad were out visiting this past weekend, which was great. They brought me a bunch of furniture from Joe's apartment, so I FINALLY have a bed! They made it to Madison early enough on Friday to come have lunch with me at work, and then they headed back to my place to unload the truck. On Saturday morning, we set out to find me some couches, so there were more places to sit than just my one chair and the floor. Our first stop was an estate sale not too far from my place, because I figured they'd have a couch. Well, we got there and the couch had been sold, but I ended up leaving there the proud owner of a piano! It is a gorgeous instrument, it was very very cheap for the shape it's in, and it belonged to the mother of the people holding the sale. It was difficult for them to sell it, but we were all happy that it came with me: someone who will love it, take care of it, and play it often. We obviously didn't have a way to move it yet, so we put a deposit down on it and moved on to searching for couches. I got super lucky and found a matching couch and love seat at a thrift store for super cheap, and we bought them both and brought them back to my place. I found some people to help with the piano, who were available later in the afternoon, so we headed to work for a quick tour. Mom and Dad both loved the place, and Dad kept telling me how impressive it is. The Dad stamp of approval was kinda fun to get :) After the tour, we went to pick up the piano. I had found a bunch of new friends from work who were amazing and agreed to help me out right away, so I met them at my place while Mom and Dad went to get a trailer, and we all went over to load the piano up. That turned out to be the easy part. My apartment is on the second floor of my building, and the staircase to get up there is pretty narrow. Combine that with a 600+ lb piano, and you don't get fun. Unfortunately for me, I was a little too helpful, and I ended up ripping part of my right big toenail off. It is disgusting, and it caused me a lot of pain. My friends, being great, stayed and helped us figure out how to take care of it, and then stayed to keep me company while my parents returned the trailer. All in all, not my favorite experience of life, but totally worth it to get my piano.
NOW
I'm now half way through my fourth week of work, still loving it, still hobbling around due to a sore toe. I'm looking forward to having a weekend here to relax, since my past few have been busy, and all is well. Sorry this is so long - I've been exhausted after work most days and haven't taken time to update this. If you made it the end - go you!
Love love love.
Monday, August 1, 2011
My Big Girl Job
I started work today...
It was a long day, it was exhausting, it was muggy, it was filled with a TON of information, it was slightly overwhelming, and it was just the beginning of a long training process.
I'm struggling with typing coherent words/sentences right now, so I'm done here for now.
xo
It was a long day, it was exhausting, it was muggy, it was filled with a TON of information, it was slightly overwhelming, and it was just the beginning of a long training process.
I'm struggling with typing coherent words/sentences right now, so I'm done here for now.
xo
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Pre-Moving Adventures
Let's see. My blog seems to have been very inactive during the second half of June and first half of July, but my life wasn't. In fact, I was pretty busy during my last month at home, doing all sorts of things.
I spent a lot of time in the middle of June getting to know someone new, who then promptly moved to Englewood, CO. (Not due to the getting-to-know-me aspect of their life; it was already planned, long before I came on the scene!) The end of June was filled with cabin time and a few days spent up at school, visiting friends and checking out the summer CSB/SJU scene.
The beginning of July was a total whirlwind of more cabin time, and then eight days of traveling to visit a few people. I spent four and a half days in Englewood, CO, and had an amazing time. I got to go to the LPGA tour, drive (well, in my case, ride) up a mountain, visit Buffalo Bill's grave, see the Denver Botanic Gardens, go ice skating, climb a mountain (that was a tough trek!!), and just enjoy the beauty of my surroundings. Then it was home for the night to take Karen to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter, and then off to St. Louis to see my best friend. We only got to spend the weekend together, but we definitely made the most of our time together.
After coming home from those two trips, I spent a few days in Princeton, one night in St. Joe, and then moved to Madison. It's going to be nice to settle into one place for a while and not be constantly on the move.
Hope all is well wherever you are!! Much love.
I spent a lot of time in the middle of June getting to know someone new, who then promptly moved to Englewood, CO. (Not due to the getting-to-know-me aspect of their life; it was already planned, long before I came on the scene!) The end of June was filled with cabin time and a few days spent up at school, visiting friends and checking out the summer CSB/SJU scene.
The beginning of July was a total whirlwind of more cabin time, and then eight days of traveling to visit a few people. I spent four and a half days in Englewood, CO, and had an amazing time. I got to go to the LPGA tour, drive (well, in my case, ride) up a mountain, visit Buffalo Bill's grave, see the Denver Botanic Gardens, go ice skating, climb a mountain (that was a tough trek!!), and just enjoy the beauty of my surroundings. Then it was home for the night to take Karen to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter, and then off to St. Louis to see my best friend. We only got to spend the weekend together, but we definitely made the most of our time together.
After coming home from those two trips, I spent a few days in Princeton, one night in St. Joe, and then moved to Madison. It's going to be nice to settle into one place for a while and not be constantly on the move.
Hope all is well wherever you are!! Much love.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
This is from Sunday... I didn't have internet until about 20 minutes ago!
It's 9:45 pm; my mom and sister left about 11 hours ago, and I am alone in my new home. It's been a long three days, full of packing and unpacking, driving, exploring the city I now live in, and trying to figure out everything that needs to get done in the next week. (On the top of that list is getting my internet set up, as soon as possible!) I am finally sleeping in my bedroom (Karen has been up here for the past couple of nights) and no longer have to fear the ceiling fan crashing down on my while I sleep…. it sounds like it's going to come flying off at any second, which is not conducive to relaxation. Thus, the next phase of my life begins.
Even though I saw this actual apartment when I visited here a month and a half ago, it was almost impossible to imagine it as mine. Until now. My stuff is scattered everywhere, and I'm starting to figure out where I want it all to go. It was an immense help having my mom and sister here to help me unload everything and then go shopping to find more of what I need, but it will be nice to have the chance to really make this place my own. In some senses, it feels totally natural to be moving into yet another apartment - after all, I have moved into new places three years in a row, so this is nothing new. In other senses, however, it is completely and utterly terrifying. I'm not leaving here in eight months. My friends don't live down the sidewalk or across campus, and my family is much further than 45 minutes away. I try not to think about this stuff, and just concentrate on the new and exciting adventures that are in front of me, but every once in a while a thought slips in that reminds me how alone in this place I really am.
I am exhausted - physically, mentally, and emotionally - and I'm just hoping that things will look brighter tomorrow. And brighter yet the next day. And so on and so forth. Hopefully starting work will help a lot, and my fingers are crossed that I get visitors sometime in the near future! Any prayers (and/or mail) are welcome. I miss you all already, and I can't wait to see what the future holds.
Much love.
It's 9:45 pm; my mom and sister left about 11 hours ago, and I am alone in my new home. It's been a long three days, full of packing and unpacking, driving, exploring the city I now live in, and trying to figure out everything that needs to get done in the next week. (On the top of that list is getting my internet set up, as soon as possible!) I am finally sleeping in my bedroom (Karen has been up here for the past couple of nights) and no longer have to fear the ceiling fan crashing down on my while I sleep…. it sounds like it's going to come flying off at any second, which is not conducive to relaxation. Thus, the next phase of my life begins.
Even though I saw this actual apartment when I visited here a month and a half ago, it was almost impossible to imagine it as mine. Until now. My stuff is scattered everywhere, and I'm starting to figure out where I want it all to go. It was an immense help having my mom and sister here to help me unload everything and then go shopping to find more of what I need, but it will be nice to have the chance to really make this place my own. In some senses, it feels totally natural to be moving into yet another apartment - after all, I have moved into new places three years in a row, so this is nothing new. In other senses, however, it is completely and utterly terrifying. I'm not leaving here in eight months. My friends don't live down the sidewalk or across campus, and my family is much further than 45 minutes away. I try not to think about this stuff, and just concentrate on the new and exciting adventures that are in front of me, but every once in a while a thought slips in that reminds me how alone in this place I really am.
I am exhausted - physically, mentally, and emotionally - and I'm just hoping that things will look brighter tomorrow. And brighter yet the next day. And so on and so forth. Hopefully starting work will help a lot, and my fingers are crossed that I get visitors sometime in the near future! Any prayers (and/or mail) are welcome. I miss you all already, and I can't wait to see what the future holds.
Much love.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Ciao Minnesota!
I woke up today for the last time at my home.... and in a very short while, I'll be headed off to make my new home in Madison, WI. I'm feeling a little (okay, a lot) nervous, and a lot sad - I'm taking my biggest step yet into "the real world" and while it's one that I've been looking forward to for a long time, it's also the one that makes me apprehensive of what's to come. I know that I'll do fine, and I know that I will come to love living in Madison, but I also know that this will take some time.
Mom and Karen are coming with me to help me move (I have a LOT of stuff!) and we're planning on heading out in about 10 minutes. However, most of you know my family, and know that "in about 10 minutes" will actually translate to "within the next hour." It's going to be a long day, and I'm looking forward to it with equal parts of excitement and dread... three flights of stairs with all of my crap (I mean belongings) is probably not going to be the most fun I've ever had, especially if the promise of thunderstorms comes true.
Anyway, I have a lot more to catch everyone up on, and that will happen after the move, and most likely after Mom and Karen leave on Sunday. Much love to all!
Rachel
Mom and Karen are coming with me to help me move (I have a LOT of stuff!) and we're planning on heading out in about 10 minutes. However, most of you know my family, and know that "in about 10 minutes" will actually translate to "within the next hour." It's going to be a long day, and I'm looking forward to it with equal parts of excitement and dread... three flights of stairs with all of my crap (I mean belongings) is probably not going to be the most fun I've ever had, especially if the promise of thunderstorms comes true.
Anyway, I have a lot more to catch everyone up on, and that will happen after the move, and most likely after Mom and Karen leave on Sunday. Much love to all!
Rachel
Monday, June 20, 2011
A Trip Down Memory Lane
I was out and about today, driving near my old neighborhood, so I decided to take a few minutes and check out all the changes that have taken place in the past 12 years. It was bittersweet to drive by the houses that used to hold friends and the yards that I'd played in so many times. Our old place looks beautiful - the trees are much bigger and I love the landscaping that the new owners did. I find it hard to believe that so much time has gone by since I lived in that little brown house, but the memories are fun to pull out and dust off every once in a while!
xo
xo
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