Holy crap on a cracker! I am the worst blogger ever! Okay ... not ever, but I have been bad lately. I keep thinking "I should post" and then I get all busy doing nothing as usual and I don't do it. So, in no particular order of importance or chronologicality (I know its not a real word, just go with it) here is what I should have posted about but haven't.

1) Vancouver. Obviously I was allowed back into the country because had I not been you would have heard from me much much much sooner saying 'woe is me, I have to move back to Canada without a job!' Thank goodness that didn't happen - not because I don't want to move to Canada, but because I want that to be my choice if and when that ever happens. In fact, the border crossing this time was the easiest time I have had. They didn't hum and haw forever. They didn't make comments about 'how little they are paying me'. Nothing. We waited in line forever - 1.5 hours in the car and another 45 mins in the building (maybe I have those backwards - not that that really matters) - but that was the worst of it. We also stayed in the crappiest "Bed and Breakfast" known to mankind. Ugh. It was kinda scummy and gross. Oh well, that's what happens when you are poor and you wait too long to book a hotel I guess. Other than that it was fun - we went to a suspension bridge and we ate lots of fun junk food and basically just enjoyed ourselves.

2) The fourth of July was fun! Let me tell you about it! I ran a 5k for Cancer Awareness and Treatment in the morning. I was slow, but I ran almost the whole thing and I wasn't even too sore the next day! Then we went over to my friends sister's house to watch the parade and they fed us breakfast - waffles, bacon, eggs, sausage - perfect after race food! Then we watched a really long parade and then the same friends invited us to stay for BBQ lunch. It was soooooo good. Hamburgers, beef brisket, pulled pork, yummy cheesy potatoes .... *drools* Makes me hungry just thinking about it. Then we went home intending to nap but my other friend called and said he had free tix to the movies and did we want to go. We did want to go, so we showered quick and took a short short nap (only 30 mins - I wanted to sleep for like 5 times that!) and went to see Cars 2. It wasn't my fave Pixar movie ever, neither was the first Cars, but it was still fun. Then we went to St. Helens to watch the fireworks display there. Then we went home and slept. It was a great day. I love when those happen :D



3) Speaking of 5k's - I not only ran the one mentioned above, but I have now ran 3 so far! I did one in April for Earth Day, and then I did another one on June 21st for the Summer Solstice. It has been fun. The main thing being that since running them I have sorta (read: really!) slacked off on running regularly, so that is dumb of me. I should get back on that horse. But I do love the atmosphere and feel of a race. Good times!

4) My boss was in town a couple weeks ago. She said that we may have overspent our grant money (she wasn't sure but would know more after talking to the guy who deals with the finances more next week). That means worst case scenario is that if we have overspent and if we don't get our other grant funded then my job will essentially be over in like Nov or Dec. She assured me that I wouldn't be screwed - I could either move to Pitt with her or she would help me find something else either here or wherever because she thinks the world of me. I know that this has been a concern before, but it is so annoying. And it makes me feel like I can't ask for a raise even though I need and deserve one. My friend who used to work here recently contacted me and told me he knows of a job opening in Philly and I think I am going to apply for it. I may not take it, but I would rather get it and turn it down than always wonder whether I could have gotten it. Also, according to what he says it pays quite a bit more than I am making, so that'd be a huge plus.



5) Harry Potter! I went to a midnight showing of Harry Potter (this is not really special - I feel like almost everyone in the world went to a midnight showing - but it was still fun!) It was awesome. I enjoyed so much about this movie. Pacing was great, the actors were great, they cut things out but did a good job of tying it all together and not confusing the crap out of the lay person (used in this instance to refer to those who didn't read the book). I have been wanting to re-read the series but I held off so that I wouldn't sit there during the whole movie and just compare it to the book like I did with movie 2 - such a good choice! I think this helped me really get the most from the movie. I wasn't smart enough to go to a double feature of 1 & 2 in a row (I actually didn't know they were doing them until after I bought my ticket) so I think I will go see this again some day when I can watch 7.1 right beforehand, just for fun.



6) Sunday, Aug 14th, I taught Relief Society. (For those who don't know I am LDS and Relief Society is a church meeting where all the women get together and learn together and help each other grow spiritually) Anyway, we only have one teacher right now and it happens to be my friend who is in charge of assigning people to teach so she just had me do it this one time. It was about Family Roles. Not my first choice to teach a lesson on, but I didn't really get to choose so whatever. It went well I think. I am not really the best teacher - in my opinion I am not really even a GOOD teacher - but we made it through and I think I did a good job about not repeating things we have all learned a bazillion times and I didn't dwell on depressing topics for a singles Ward, we had good comments and I didn't end up talking the entire time so I am satisfied.

7) Well, there isn't really a 7 ... so there you have it. My life for the last little while. I am basically happy and the same as always. What a surprise, NOT! (yeah I think I was channeling the early 90's for a minute there, sorry). Well, I guess I should go be productive. I will update sooner (I hope ;D)

Oops?

Heh, so much for being better at posting. Oh well. You guys have all lived so I think no harm done. A lot has been going on lately and I just haven't really wanted to sit and type it all out because that means that I have organize my thoughts into some kind of coherent manner and that is tough to do.

First off one of my best friend's was diagnosed with what is called psuedo-tumor cerebri which basically means that she has many of the symptoms of a tumor but without an actual physical tumor. She had extra cerebral spinal fluid build up which was giving her headaches and all other sorts of nasty symptoms. Anyway, this diagnosis was then followed by getting a shunt placed in her brain so that the extra fluid would drain off and she wouldn't have the pressure anymore. The surgery went well, but then the next day her heart stopped and so she required another surgery to get a pacemaker put in. So there was about a week in there that I spent mostly at the hospital or at her house helping her out and just basically being there for her. Through it all I realized a couple of things.

One is that I have great friends. She was such a trooper the whole time. I know it is hard to maintain a positive outlook on things when you are facing so much, but she has been so good. I am continually amazed at what people can go through emotionally and physically and still manage to come out okay.

I also realized that I am like my Grandma in ways that I never really realized. My Grandma is a worrier. She has stayed up nights worrying about every single one of her children and grandchildren because she wants so much to help them out. Now, I don't stay up nights, but I worry. I am pretty good about keeping things internal and not letting it effect me too much, but I still worry about things. Sometimes even ridiculous things that I shouldn't worry about. Also, my Grandma is a fixer. I know that if she could just fix all her loved ones' problems she would. Of course this isn't possible, so that leads to the worrying. I also just want to fix things for people. If I could have been the one to have the surgeries for my friend I would. It really sucks when you just want to help someone and there is absolutely nothing you can do.

Other things that have been going on include that I had to get my status renewed so that I could continue to work in the US. I am on TN status and this requires that I go through a border crossing and apply for status every year. It has always been a pain because almost every time I have been missing some kind of paperwork (despite double and triple checking on my part) or something else has gone wrong. This time, thankfully, nothing went wrong. But it made me sick with worry the whole 2 or 3 weeks leading up to it. Add that to worry about my friend who's surgeries were the week before the planned trip and I was a little bit of a wreck.

Thankfully - status is approved for a year, so the worry about that is gone. Thankfully - surgeries are over and my friend is on the mend, so that worry is alleviating. Of course, new things to worry about always pop up. Now I have to take the previously mentioned trip to Pittsburgh for my job for 2 weeks and that is nerve-wracking for about a million different reasons that I don't want to go into because it will just make me freak out more. It will be good. And at the end of it I am going to Utah to visit my family for 2 days, which will be a good end to that adventure. I have been wanting to go to Utah for a while now and so even though it will be a short trip it will be very fulfilling I think. I hope!

Anyway, I will make sure I take pics in Pitt and keep everyone updated on how things go there. I leave on Monday and I am totally not ready to do so (ack!) but I still have 2 days ... that's enough time right? I better go do laundry.