Tuesday but it feels like Thursday

Whew...I feel like I have been in a tornado the past few weeks. Not only was I in Jen's wedding, but I was interviewing for a job that I really wanted and ended up getting hired. So, it has been busy and the fun doesn't stop. This week I have a work event and some happy hours to attend; next week is baseball and seeing friends; and at some point I need to start preparing for Alaska! In between it all, I am trying to read Harry Potter book 7 and am only half-way through. Mike, I promise I will get it done very soon!

Jen's wedding was fun. This picture was pre-ceremony in the changing room. I loved my dress and hers was gorgeous as well. I loved getting all dressed up, hair done, makeup on...it was a good day. I always enjoy wedding receptions, dancing along to the cheezy wedding music (I tried my skills on the Electric Slide and was given an A for effort by one of Jen's friends). I must say, I am glad I am married and went through all the wedding stuff already. I don't know if I could handle it at my age (ha!).

Intentions

I remember watching an Oprah episode one time, a long time ago. Gary Zukov was discussing his book Seat of the Soul and Oprah introduced the notion of living with intention. This is from The Seat of the Soul:

"Every action, thought and feeling is motivated by an intention, and that intention is a cause that exists as one with an effect. If we participate in the cause, it is not possible for us not to participate in the effect. In this profound way, we are held responsible for our every action, thought and feeling, which is to say, for our every intention. We, ourselves, shall partake of the fruit of our every intention. It is, therefore, wise for us to become aware of the many intentions that inform our experience, to sort out which intentions produce which effects, and to choose our intentions according to the effects that we desire to produce".

I have thought a lot of that concept since my (almost) new position of Faculty Advisor. I have wanted this for a very long time, just had to figure out how to get there. The past four months I have been bugging my soon to be new boss, I have bugged other advisors, and really made this job my intention. And now look, my intention is about to become a reality. It is so very powerful to think about life this way. I think it is important to know the intention and make sure that intention is what you really want, or else you may end up with something you do not really want!

Stolen from Meg

I am always looking for good fodder for the blog. I will continue MP's tradition...
1. Song: The Story by Brandi Carlile. I love her voice, full of conviction, plus the song evokes how I feel about my Mikey.
2. Book: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. I am on page 140 and there are, like 800 pages. I will not disclose anything about this book...except that it is fantastic so far.
3. Magazine: Blueprint ( http://www.marthastewart.com/ Search magazines and scroll down) Honestly, I am not a Martha fan. I don't know who has time, money, or energy to do even half the things she does. I am also annoyed by famous people who get off easy when they commit, or say, a felony. However, this magazine is eye candy and I do love any kind of candy!
4. State of Hair: Long, kinda full today. I don't mind it. I like my natural blond highlights. Although, it is too long and blond for me to notice any gray hair. Mikey, that is up to you to help me find those little buggers.
5. State of Mind: Excited. I am so jazzed about my new advising job. Impatient-I don't want to wait until September to start!
6. Weather: Extremely hot. You know it is hot when you see the news and think "Oh good, it is only going to be 95 degrees today".
7. Celeb Crush: Can it be a female? Tina Fey. She is a witty writer, brilliant actress, and just very real. I wish I had half her humor.
8. Obsession/Irritation: I want to lose weight but I can't give up chocolate, bread, wine, seconds, pizza...

100 Degrees and Cool

Yesterday was a scorcher. I think it hit 100 degrees. Mike and I were so busy running errands and preparing for my mom's birthday on Saturday that Sunday came around and we had little energy to do much. Which was fine with me...Harry Potter Book 7 arrived in our mailbox on Saturday so I was able to take the little energy I had and put it into starting the book. So far, it is very good.

The best purchase we have made is the window AC unit in the main part of the house. As it was 100 degrees outside, I curled up in the bedroom, with the ceiling fan going, reading the book. I was actually chilly. What a blessing to be cold in such heat. I remember the days when we did not have AC, just window fans. I remember cooking dinner and sweating. Life is much more enjoyable with the AC unit.

I can't believe July is almost over. My flowers are starting to look a little bit crunchy. Our grass actually held up very well all summer and looks very lush and green. I hope August goes by slow, slow. I love fall, and even the beginning of winter. I just hate the January through April stretch. Football is wrapping up, the holidays are over, it is cold and gets dark early. It feels like just yesterday it was February and I was just itching for summer. Now, it is halfway over. I think it is time we take a vow to enjoy these aspects of summer before they go away:

1. Sitting on the back patio drinking coffee and eating breakfast.
2. Sunday morning walks to the farmer's market.
3. Walking to get ice cream on Gaylord Street or in Bonnie Brae.
4. Baseball.
5. Hiking.
6. Escaping to the movie theater to sit in air conditioning for a few hours.

The list goes on.

A busy week

I am wrapping up a pretty busy week. Mike was out of town for most of it. To keep myself occupied, I did a ton of stuff. I watered the lawn, cleaned my closet, did laundry, went grocery shopping, mowed, gardened, walked the boys. I had Mentoring on Wednesday and my final dress fitting for the wedding on Tuesday. Whew. Mike got home and I proudly told him of all I did. He was very impressed.

Onto the weekend. Not much planned. We are meeting Robert at Wazee for some pizza tonight and having the fam over tomorrow for dinner for Mom's 30th (wink, wink) birthday. We have a special present for her. Can't say here! I don't know what else we will do.

Job update: I was unofficially offered the position as Faculty Advisor. I have one more interview and then the job is mine. I was told I was the most dynamic candidate, and the answers I gave to the questions were brilliant. Wow. I really like my soon to be new boss, Barry. A real straight shooter. Plays the political game well (and at Regis there is plenty of games to play) but also leads well. I am too excited for words. I will have a beer for all of you to celebrate tonight (unofficially, of course).

Onto #3!

I find it funny how processes work in a University setting. In the hallway, I was walking by one of the people who interviewed me last week, and she asked if I were free next Wednesday at 4pm for the 3rd interview. Of course I was excited, but I couldn't be too excited because we were in the middle of the hall.

But I am excited! Wednesday at 4pm...What should I wear? My suit of course. I am thinking a maroon shirt this time. I hope this works out. The girls here want to know if I am the only one going to the 3rd interview, and I don't know! It's killing me! I really want this job, so let's hope I am the final candidate.

Wish me luck!

It Had Been Awhile

Ahhhh...it has been awhile since I was out and about downtown Denver into the later hours in the evening. Saturday night was Jen's bachelorette party. Going into it, we both said how we would probably call it a night after a long dinner at Maggianos with her friends and family. Or, maybe one drink at a martini bar? Well, it turned into a little more than that. For any good bachelorette party, one must have The List...a list of silly things the bride-to-be must do to have fun and make a bit of a fool out of herself and others. Jen's list was pretty tame...get a kiss...be serenaded by a stranger...have a stranger take the garter off with his teeth...so on and so forth. I made The List with no intentions of making her complete it. However, we were with two very extraverted ladies who helped make sure she could at least mark off a few things. At Double Daughters, Jen danced on the table. A waitress outside of a bar sang to Jen the song "Reunited". At Martini Ranch, a good sport pulled off Jen's garter with his teeth. She got a picture with a cop, who has made this type of thing almost like a part time job. We called it a night at 11pm (ooohhh, late!) and I was snuggled into bed next to my hubby at 11:30. It had been awhile since I had been wild and crazy downtown...and to be honest, once a year is good for me!

Good Hearts at Goodwill

I always thought of Goodwill Industries as catering to the needs of older people. I also associated it with any place where I would drop off donations-"Let's do a Goodwill run" when it is really the ARC I am headed to. So, I was surprised to learn all the different facets of Goodwill Industries. Yes, you can donate your used items to them. They also have programs to help adults get jobs, and they have a huge youth program, serving at-risk kids in the community. The array of programs and support Goodwill offers to youth and adults in need is very admirable (http://www.goodwilldenver.org/).

I started volunteering for the Goodwill program with their Mock Interviews. A group would go to North High School and help students with interviewing skills. I heard about the Summer Mentoring Program, where I could mentor a first-generation college bound student. The program lasts most of the summer, but the mentor and mentee are to keep in touch throughout the first year of college, just to make sure things are going okay. Through the summer, Goodwill provides classes that the mentor and mentee attend to deal with a variety of issues: time mangement, money management, relationships, peer pressure, study skills, etc. I met my mentee for the first time last night. She is a beautiful girl, originally from Bosnia but her family has been here over 8 years. She has that innocence of an 18 year old, ready to embark on her college experience. She is attending CU-Denver, my alma mater, so I can certainly help her navigate through that campus. She is very close to her family and her family is very supportive of her, so I don't know how "at-risk" she is. I do remember my first year of college, though, and if I had a mentor to get me through I would have been delighted! So, whatever her social or financial situation, she will be a great person to mentor. I am excited to start working with youth. My current job has me focused on working with adults, but working with someone young will be refreshing.

Moments to Breathe

I love working at Regis. Only at Regis can I go to an evening dedicated to reflection and spriritual renewal. Last night, I spent the evening with around 10 other women looking to take time out of our busy lives and...breathe, pray, be silent...whatever each of us needs to find some time of quiet. Our host is the Director of Ministry here at Regis-a vibrant woman who finds the right words for every situation. We had a nice, simple dinner together and then discussed ways that we can take some time just to be quiet. We went on a Sabbath Walk, and I took off my shoes and walked in the grass. We meditated and discussed patience, forgiveness, and how we each deal with stress. It was just a nice evening and I am so glad I work in a place that offers such opportunities.

Winding Down

I got to spend almost the whole week with these fabulous guys. I am on the eve of wrapping up a pretty good week. It was nice to be away from work and be refreshed on other things in life. I had my interview Friday and was nervous pretty much all day Wednesday and all day Thursday. Wednesday we went to a nice BBQ at my parent's house, and Thursday we ran errands and Mike helped me practice for my interview. Friday rolled around and I faced the interview head on. I was interviewed by about 7 people, most in the academic advising department. It was a relief when it was over! I came home and Mike and I saw Ratatouille-I would certainly recommend it, it was very cute! When we got home, there was a message from one of the people I interviewed with...The committee recommended that I move to the next level of interviews! Yay! I am not sure with whom, but it should happen within the next week or so. I had a great day today, and tomorrow we will go for a hike which will wrap up a great week.

Looking forward to a good week!

I have a 2 day work week! Yay! Tonight we go see the Rockies play and then the fireworks show, tomorrow is a day of fun and a BBQ at the folks, and the rest of the week we shall see what transpires! Friday I have an interview in Academic Advising department on Friday morning at 10am. Wish me luck!

I may not write for a few days, so be patient and check back periodically!

A good day for Jen

I remember my bridal shower. MP's mom threw it at her house. I remember a meaningful day, full of love from friends and family, all focused on me. The bride-to-be. My bridesmaids had a theme: Round the Clock Shower. All the guests bought gifts related to the hour on their invitation. It got racy the later the hour! My shower was memorable thanks to three very special bridesmaids (and EP).

I hope Jen's shower was just as memorable. Lily and I threw it on Saturday. Around 15 people came, which was manageable. The picture here was the cake from Mulberries on Old South Pearl Street. I will never again buy a grocery store cake. This cake was delightful and created in the spirit of Jen's wedding invitation. Jen looked radiant and radiated pre-wedding bliss all day. We played "Pin the Lips on Jason" and 4 guests got the closest for prizes. We opened gifts. We (sadly) broke into the beautiful cake (not so sad after I tasted the delectable marble cake and fudge filling). It was a lovely day and got us all in the mood for the wedding day.