Fill In the Blank Friday & Other Musings

Happy to be linking up with Lauren for the Friday tradition!

 

1.   I am currently obsessed with:  She&Him Pandora (yes I've mentioned it multiple times), browsing thru vacation homes on TripAdvisor, Group Power & Zumba with my girlfriends(best way to work out ever), & preparing for the financial uncertain w/ hubby

2.  Today I am looking forward to this evening because, I get to work out with my good friend Kathryn, then it's game night with her, our friend Dustin, and dear friends the Yearby's. Love game nights & visiting with friends...complete with snacks & pizza from the best joint in town -- Walery's Pizza Parlor (thanks Uncle Dave!)

3.  The age I am is 25 and the age I feel is pretty typically 25...but depending on the circumstances that can vary.  I've been told my entire life I'm an old soul and/or wise beyond my years - so maybe that tends itself to feeling older most of the time

4.  My favorite place is -- tough, it has to be places: my house, Kauai (Poipu to be specific & Hamura's for saimin to even push it more specifically), Velas Vallarta in PV - it's heaven on earth, and my Gran's cabin in WA...the best place to veg out with no worries & pick up a great cup of potato soup & a Harp beer

5.  Something I have been procrastinating is for some reason getting my hair done. It's in desperate need! Must call stylist this week!

6.  The last thing I purchased was lunch @ The Flight deck. Philly Beef & Swiss sandwich complete with the BEST tomato bisque soup I've ever had. It's perfection.

7.  The thing I love most about my home is the fact that I have one that we can afford, who I share it with, and that we are starting to have friends over soon.  I've always wanted my house to be filled with friends, laughter & love. Happy Anna

Boy...nearly every question involves food in some way... ha, what can I say - love to eat!

Randomly Modest Mouse came on Pandora - and I was rushed back to high school/college when they were super popular.  Forgotten how much I enjoyed them.

In other news - I'll be playing house by my lonesome this weekend.  Honey Isaac is heading to Houston for a conference. So now I have to fill my schedule...or maybe I'll just have my girlfriends over for a movie afternoon? 

I had a great, quick, conversation with Isaac's grandma this week -- she had sent me an incredibly sweet card & note after my Gran passed away. I opened it and immediately started to cry. It was so sweet & kind.  So I called her to thank her & told her she was my only grandma now, and she basically said she would be happy to be my grandma now.  Can't wait for her & my MIL to come visit next month. It'll be fun to take Grandma to the casino and then out to Mo's for clam chowder -- she's mentioned it like 3 times since Christmas! Ha!

What are you doing this weekend??? 

<3 

Wee Bit Wednesdays

Jumpin' on the bandwagon today & playing along with Leigh Ashley for her Wee Bit Wednesday series.

{one} do you always wear your seatbelt in the car?

yes -- even on the longest of car rides.

{two} do you crack your knuckles?

not as much as I used to -- mom has scared me about arthritis

{three} what is your favorite flavor of gum?

peppermint - or sweet mint

{four} what is your favorite piece of jewelry that you own?

my engagement ring from hubby - simple and clean

{five} who is your best friend?

I have two...

Heather

and

 Monique

These girls keep me sane -- and laughing all the time!

{six} what is your favorite smell?

the way my sweatshirts smell when they come out of the drawer after the summer, weird?

{seven} what is your favorite lunch meat?

Ham

{eight} do you still have your tonsils?

Yes ma'am

{nine} do you untie your shoes before you take them off?

typically not....bad I know...

{ten} what color is your car?

silver...it's my mobster car :)

side note...love love love the She&Him Pandora station (yes I've mentioned this before). But I am sitting here enjoying the beautiful music of the Beatles, the Shirelles, The Weepies & of course She&Him. Delightful!

<3

Expectations

It's always seemed to be a struggle for me to manage my expectations - or to release myself from the expectations that I think others have for me.  It's been such a challenge battling those demons that sometimes I feel like I don't know who I am - what I love to do - what I dream of doing.  Oy vei...that's a sad statement as I read back over it.  Maybe it's because I haven't allowed myself to try enough different things in my life -- or maybe it's because I'm scared of failing.  Yeah...always nervous about that whole failure thing. 


How sad -- our God isn't about fear...  I'm looking forward to learning how to trust myself, trust the plan and specifically look for the ways that God is blessing me & moving.  That's a challenge for sure...but I might as well try, right??


On a side note - found out what our tax return is for this year -- definitely happy about that! And looking forward to using half of it to put towards Isaac's school loan.  We'll be knocking out almost a quarter of what is left on that! Hallelujah! In no time at all we'll be debt free! So awesome!
<3

Numb Face!

Boy oh boy - I don't mind the dentist...the one thing I hate about leaving the dentist is the numbness in my face.

I especially I hate the feeling when the numbness seems to be draining from your face! Ugh
Hopefully I can get some feeling back before Zumba session 2 tonight!

<3

fill in the blank friday

Time to fill in those blanks & follow along with Laurent at thelittlethingswedo...

1.   I am       a child of Christ, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, lover of movies, nap taker, and a food junkie

2.  The bravest thing I've ever done was    letting my guard down to trust Isaac completely.

3.  I feel prettiest when       I'm having a good hair day, my jeans fit nicely & Isaac kisses me on the forehead

4.  Something that keeps me awake at night is   family issues -- other than that, I pretty much pass out the second my head touches the pillow.

5.  My favorite meal in the entire world is     teri-beef plate lunch at Rainbow's Drive-In Honolulu, HI.  Strike that -- pretty much every meal I eat in Hawaii.

6.  The way to my heart is        words of affirmation, snuggle time, & quality time in general

7.  I would like to       go to DisneyWorld this year....not likely, but it sure would be fun!

 

<3

Milestone!

Well not that big of a milestone - but still cool I think.  

This right here is my 200th post! Cuh-razy!  Who would have ever thought that when I started this little bloggy thing that I would maintain it and stick with it to hit 200 posts!  That being said, it boggles me that people read this (thank you for those that do! makes a girl feel special!).

With that I'm hoping that I'll be able to expand my little blog wings a bit and test myself with this.  Because honestly, I feel so not fashionable (as of late), crafty, "hip" when I look thru my blog.  But the good thing is that when I read thru previous posts....I see me, thru & thru.  My struggles & joys.  So for that I'm proud of myself!
Any suggestions on how I can push myself with this little blog here? I want/need to try new things & be better at documenting them! 

Loves to you all!

<3

Pandora station of the moment: She&Him - eclectic selection of hip signer/songwriter music with a splash of some good oldies :) Makes me thankful that the sun in shining out my window

Wee Bit Wednesday + No voice!

Here we are again -- Wednesday, or hump day as some like to refer to it as.  Link up & follow along with LeighAshley

one - what is your favorite breakfast food?

Strawberry Belgian Waffles & bacon from OPH...delish!

two - how many pairs of shoes do you currently own?

   I should probably be ashamed by this...but hey, shoes always fit, so I always buy them

at least 30-35 (flip flops included)

three - city or country?

country...no question

four - what is your favorite part of your job?

the flexibility of working with family - i.e. if hubby & I get stranded in Hawaii when we fly standby, I don't worry about getting fired! Phew!

five - what is your favorite junk food to snack on?

Um, probably cheese quesadilla with gooood guacamole & salsa YUM!

six - have you ever been mentioned in the newspaper?

does an engagement announcement count?

seven - do you use post-it notes?

yes - for work; otherwise no

eight - do you have freckles?

yes...I joke that in the summer I don't really get tan, I just become one giant freckle!

nine - is it ok for men to wear pink?

absolutely!

ten - when was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?

goodness -- I don't even know. Ages ago.  I want to do that more though

Well I'm on day 3 with no voice - and let me tell ya, it makes work a bit of a challenge.

That aside - I'm so thankful for good friends these days.  Monday night after hanging out at a basketball game with honey Isaac, we stopped by our good friends Monique & Chris' place to visit.  What a blessing to have great friends at this stage in our lives.  And Friday night I'll be hanging with my great friend Kathryn...that said, think good thoughts for her! I may have made a potentially great love match between her & another friend of ours.  It'd be fun to see if they really jive & match! Yahoo!

<3 

Valentine's Day

Super thankful for my wonderful husband Isaac -- also super thankful that we don't take Valentine's Day to the extreme (no offense to those who leave little love notes & candy hearts all over the house).  I'm thankful for the flowers that I'm sure will be coming today.  I'm thankful for my Necco Sweethearts that are likely awaiting me at home.  And most of all I'm simply thankful for a husband who loves me, cares for me, protects me, and would swim thru shark infested waters to bring me a lemonade! ;)

 He's such a good man.  So we spent all day yesterday together - had breakfast, looked at furniture, took a spontaneous trip to IKEA to get ideas for the upcoming office makeover, and went to the greatest Asian food market in the area (Uwajimaya) for some Hawaiian & Japanese goodies & lunch.  Yesterday felt like our Valentine's Day -- completely focused on one another and the life we live together.  I love this man!
<3

Fill In the Blank Friday!

Time again to fill in some blanks!  Fill in your blanks & link up with Lauren @ the little things we do...

 1.   The TV show/website that I watch/read that I would be embarrassed to tell anyone about is  I don't really think I have anything that I'm embarrassed about.  Everyone I know understands that I'm a "reality" TV junkie.... But there's nothing to be ashamed about with that!


2.  An item of clothing that is worn and torn but that I love far to much to throw away is  My green YoungLife sweatshirt...I'm not sure I could every bring myself to get rid of it. Far too many memories, and it's just so dang comfortable!

3.  My grocery store impulse buy is gum -- husband and I always get to the checkstand very proud of ourselves and then grab like 3 or 4 packages without even blinking!

4.  Something I do at work to pass time that I wouldn't want my co-workers to know about is  I play Mahjong on Facebook games...it kills time and it's a fun kind of puzzle game for me 

5.  One thing in my life that I could give up, but never will is  my "addiction" to "reality" TV...that being said, if need be it would & could be cut down if it were significantly impacting my life & family

6.  A little indulgence that I have is  macaroni & cheese....I just love the stuff.  So delicious & comforting to me

7.  The junk drawer/area in my house is  We have one in the kitchen & then our "office" aka Isaac's catch all room is a junk room at the moment but will be modified come this spring break! (I can hear the Hallelujah chorus being sung by angels now!)  And because that room is chaos...it has spilled over in to our middle room, where Husband has consistently set it up as his "recording" room.. Hmmm

Looking forward to our Hearts tournament tomorrow with great friends! And not working tomorrow! Ahh...after this week I'll gladly take the morning to sleep in, lounge around & then go buy a new phone... Yesterday I dropped my dear iPhone and cracked the entire screen.  So it must be replaced now.  But I'm nervous about them moving all my stuff to the new phone -- will it get lost in the move?! EEK!
<3      

Gran's Service

Yesterday was my Gran's service - and without a doubt one of the hardest days I've ever had.  It made me realize how I may have taken for granted how special she was and the connection that we shared.  She was the true picture of a matriarch - the leader of our family, who brought every one together.  She was the connecting piece between us all.  My cousin Erick said it best - even though there were many of us grandkids, no matter what - when you were with her, you felt like you were the most special person in the world.
She acquiesced to me every time I came to visit and joined me to get a bowl of potato soup at the local Irish pub.  She let me veg out on her couch during my visits, never once as much implying that I should be doing something else, something more productive.  Because to her, the cabin was a sanctuary....it was "just the beach."
My aunt had brought Gran's "special" perfume from the cabin...and when I smelled it in the morning, I started to cry. Oscar de la Renta perfume "OSCAR" will always remind me of her.  Kind of an old lady type perfume - but smelled like soft powder.  Goodness she was a special woman; fiercely independent, tender, and stood her ground.  The impact she's had on our family is significant. But we're all taking solace in the fact that she's been reunited with our Poppy, Auntie Lynn, and my cousin Brandon (aka Bubba).

Here are some photos from yesterday...

Breakfast at Ma's Place -- started by my great-grandma in the 40's Puyallup, WA

 Gran's grave with Poppy -- a hold place for her body, but her spirit lives in each of us

 Picture boards with photos of Gran - her mumus as the background

Through it all God has been good and brought a closeness in our family back.  It's been a good reminder for all not to take for granted the bond that we share and the love that flows between us.  Thank you Lord for the blessing of having Gran as my grandma.

<3 Anna

Gran's "only girl"

Surrounded by Love

I know I've mentioned this before - but this has been an incredibly difficult time for my family.  But even in the midst of all of that chaos one thing has rung true through it all...I am surrounded by love.


This entire weekend I saw how people around me & my family love, care, & support us.  It was nice to be encouraged and supported at work on Saturday.  It was nearly overwhelming how many ladies came Saturday night to my mom's house - we all gathered together to eat, drink wine & share fond memories of our mothers.  My mom wanted to do this to honor everyone that has supported her & our family during everything.  I have to say this was the best thing I've been a part of in a while. We had family there with us - girl friends of my mom - ladies we know from work.  Just a wonderful picture of the people of our lives.


And Sunday was spent with Isaac...at church, running errands, napping on the couch, and watching the Super Bowl with my parents.  Probably the most low key Super Bowl - but perfect for all of us.  I was just so thankful that my parents and I still have a very tight relationship & that they are so supportive of & love Isaac as well.  It's a blessing for sure how well we all get along.


So in preparation for Wednesday's service & events to remember Gran...I'm going to do my best to hold on to the feeling of being surrounded by love. I'll need it for sure.
<3

crummy start...wishing for some frivolity

I have to say that this has by far been the worst start to a new year that I have ever had.  From the very beginning of the month to the absolute end - January 2011 has been the most awful month for myself & my family.  
The reason for my absence as of late...My dear sweet Gran passed away on Tuesday. She was the strongest, most independent (definitely where my mom gets it from), comforting person I knew.  She had been in the hospital for over 2 months - something that I know just killed her, when it finally became clear that she wasn't going to be able to go back to her beloved cabin at the beach.  So Tuesday morning I raced from home to Olympia, WA to be with my mom, aunt & cousins as we let Gran go dance with Poppy.  By far this has been the hardest week I have experienced in quite a while.  One week ago I was sitting with her in the hospital visiting and talking about getting back to the cabin.  I am so glad that I could be there as she passed and be there to support her when she supported me my entire life.

She was a great Gran -- always supported and encouraged us, and let us crash at the cabin when we need to recover. I'll miss her...

With all this going on I need some frivolous things to take my mind off of it all.  I need some silly, I need some laughter, I need some thing to look forward to for Valentine's Day...any & all suggestions welcome!  My heart is hurting so I need something help distract myself a bit because otherwise I think I'll just crumble.  In fact, I know I'll crumble...
<3