Sunshine meets Rain

My new address

2008-10-20T08:57:00.001-07:00

I've moved! Sadly not to a new two-bedroom apartment where I have my own desk and place for school books, but to a new virtual space that my husband so graciously made for me.

rwanda

2008-05-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

my friend jen is leaving for rwanda on sunday.
jen along with her dear friend odette, who is a rwandan refugee, wrote a zine that they are selling to raise money for the trip. the zine is a really powerful and fun story about odette's childhood and what kids can do when they set their minds to something.
on her trip, jen will be spending time with odette's two daughters, doing other girls empowerment work in the community, and spreading joy like no one else can.

both jen and odette are so hopeful that this trip will bring about something wonderful and i couldn't agree more. this trip and the zine have been extremely laborious, but the work that is being done is beautiful and is a picture of love.

to find out more about jen's trip go here.
to purchase your very own copy of the zine go here.

class of 2010

2008-04-26T11:21:00.000-07:00

my grad school interview was last thursday and josh wrote a little encouraging message on our bathroom mirror.

and you know what, i did do great, so great that i got in! 4 hours after my interview i received my acceptance e-mail. the letter will come in the mail soon.

josh flew out of town the next morning so we haven't really celebrated yet. unless you count sleeping alone for the first time since you've been married a celebration (i don't). but i treated myself to some gilmore girls and today i'm going shoe shopping!

it's april

2008-04-20T11:23:00.000-07:00

snow? really? really.

as heard on american flight 545

2008-04-15T18:12:00.000-07:00

josh and i are back from miami after an extra day in the sun, $800 worth of free airfare (hello san francisco) and west wing season 6 under our belts. were flew to miami so that josh could officiate his cousin's wedding.

i'm glad that we were able to stay the extra day because our original flight would have been with 40 middle schoolers and their teachers. and because we got to go to p.f. chang's (lettuce wraps!!) for dinner. and most importantly because if we hadn't stayed, we would have missed sitting four rows in front of a very vocal old man. before takeoff, he was talking/yelling on the phone to someone i can only assume a caregiver for a loved one. then he had to opportunity to talk to the loved one and this is what he said...

"i'm on an airplane." pause. "yeah, i'm heading to dallas. i know where you're headed. the toilet."

gasp!

2008-04-03T08:10:00.000-07:00

i'm going to share something quite embarrassing, but once i share i will no longer have to delete it off of tivo when we have company (true story). i am addicted to gossip girl. you know, the cw show about the teenage lives of upper eastsiders. with terrible acting and kind of predictable stories. but it's juicy and i love it! last night i saw a commercial advertising that all new episodes start april 21st and surprised myself by how excited i got.

*hangs head in shame* but at least i don't watch one tree hill.

we won't even get into my obsession with teen/young reader books.

2008-03-13T16:30:00.001-07:00

i am officially a graduate school applicant.

in other news, my sister and thomas get here and saturday! i like being with my family.

light

2007-12-16T08:44:00.001-08:00

yesterday while we were hanging our new whirley lights (yes, we know that they're awesome),

while admiring our new lights, we had dickens carolers and naughty santas!

AND... happy birthday to my husband!

the times they are a-changin'

2007-12-15T08:33:00.000-08:00

so my life seems to be taking some turns as of late.

yesterday was my last day at work at old job. i almost wept with happiness upon my departure.

monday i will train at my new job! and i will officially start on january 10th!

we leave monday night/tuesday morning for xmas and new years florida! i haven't been back to pensacola in almost two years, so i'm more than excited. i've never been on a cruise either, so i'm pretty pumped about that part as well.

so lots of exciting things coming up.

why i love christmas

2007-12-11T07:53:00.000-08:00

yum!

american history x

2007-09-26T20:54:00.000-07:00

i'm taking an online american history to 1877 class at the community college because earning a teaching certificate in washington state is freakishly hard and last night was my orientation. my teacher is a crazo. josh came with me, so he got to witness the crazy that ensued as well.

it started off well with a nice "who's excited about history?" welcome. then she dove right into the research paper and all its specifications. this lead to citation. wow. 25 minutes later, and after diagramming a sentence, we moved onto our four exams. i was happy to find out that i will most likely flunk the first exam. even happier to find out that crazo's high school was really tough. that's right, she somehow made the connection between our exams and her high school being just as difficult as colleges here.

somewhere in all of this she wrote 'wikipedia' on the board, pointed to it and proclaimed it as the anti-christ. yes, i agree that for academic purposes, it's not the most reliable source, but calling it the anti-christ is a little steep.

the end of the orientation (already 5 minutes after it's scheduled end) was when it really got good. this was the part of the evening she kept telling us to trust her because she knows what she's doing and if we did, everything would be fine. she home-schooled her two daughters and at ages 16 and 17 they got full scholarships to the universities of their choice. trust her because she's taught music for 25 years and if she can make kids play hard notes, she can make us learn history. trust her because she tutors high school students preparing for college. convincing arguments.

she ended the evening by spitting off history terms and asking if we knew them. this was the part of the evening that she wanted to feel super smart and powerful.

i left more confused about the class than when i came in, but hey, i trust her so i'll be fine

on a less crazy note, josh and i went to the grocery store afterwards and bought pumpkin ice cream!
pumpkin + ice cream = happiness

sightings 3 and 4

2007-09-22T13:05:00.000-07:00

naked girl was out last night and the night before!

dreaming of my hood

2007-09-15T17:48:00.000-07:00

this morning i took the first of three tests i'm required to take to get teacher's certification in washington. well, the gre is actually to get into the masters program, but it's all the same at this point.and this afternoon i applied to seattle community college so i can take the 3 history courses i need to get into the program. it all seems like an awful lot of work just to get into the program.

i wish i would have started this process long ago.

three

2007-09-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

i've been married for three months today and i couldn't be happier.

second sighting

2007-09-08T14:38:00.000-07:00

we saw ugly naked girl again this morning.
i'm going to start keeping a tally.
i love that we have an ugly naked girl. you know, it's kind of appropriate because i'm a bit ocd clean freak like monica and josh is a bit funny guy makes jokes when things are awkward like chandler.

president bartlett '04

2007-09-07T21:25:00.000-07:00

tonight, a friday night, josh and i are sitting at home not knowing what do to with ourselves. you see, about 3 weeks ago we fell in love with a little show called the west wing. since then we've spent most nights on the couch with cj, toby, josh, and the gang. we've stopped just short of moving to washington and working on the hill. i can't even describe how much we love this show.

this week we finished season 1. what a season and what a cliff hanger. season two was at the top of our bbuster queue and we were very excited for it to arrive, but come to find out there is a short wait. AHHHH! what does that even mean, short wait? how short? does blockbuster not know that we are dying over here? and so instead of season two disc 1, we received babel. not what i was hoping for.

i called every blockbuster in seattle and no one has it. so since we have no west wing, we really don't know what to do.

on voyeurism

2007-09-06T17:48:00.001-07:00

since people have moved into the apartments across the street from us, josh and i randomly watched to see if we could catch people in situations we ought not like picking their nose or having sex.

last night our dreams came true.

josh was talking with our friend joshua in the living room when i heard, "whoa that's a naked woman.". i ran over (of course) and there she was: top floor, middle window. just walking around her apartment. naked. now i'm not judging her being naked, i am all the time, but i close my blinds! we watched her for a good five minutes (don't judge, you would have too) and would have watched for more, but i realized that my husband was also watching the naked woman.

on a sideish note: yesterday was a weird day for me and naked people. on my drive home from work i saw a man and his manness peeing on the side of the street. and by side of the street i mean sidewalk. like you couldn't have found a more secluded area to pee, maybe a bush or your home?

why i'm a vegetarian

2007-09-05T20:30:00.001-07:00

yum.

last weekend josh and i traveled to ocean park, wa for the 8th annual roast on the coast. it's a yearly tradition my uncle and his intel buddies started way back when. they get together on the coast, roast a pig (as seen above), drink lots of beer, and sit around bonfires on the beach letting their buzz wear off.

josh read or heard somewhere that "biblical honeymoons" lasted a full year. we thought this was a good idea and are now working on our year honeymoon. every time we go somewhere on a "vacation" we tack on days, so we decided to add two more days to our honeymoon and make the trek out.

on the way over, we stopped in aberdeen on the advice of friends to visit the star wars shop. yes, that's the name: the star wars shop. quite incredible really. an entire store devoted to an eclectic mix of star wars memorabilia. the owner had an autographed tattoo of carrie fisher in her golden bikini on his arm.

the roasting festivities began shortly after we arrived, but the real luau feast was on sunday afternoon. the pig was fantastic from what i hear. but i think my fake chicken patty won the roast. my favorite activity was flying kites with josh (and let's be honest, watching cable tv in the hotel room).

harry potter, part iii

2007-07-27T22:56:00.000-07:00

last friday, josh and i drove down to elliott bay bookstore for the harry potter 7 release party. thinking the party would be fun since the bookstore is amazing, we were disappointed to find the "party" was actually just a trivia contest. i have never been more excited to miss a question in my life for the sole reason that i proved to myself (and hopefully others around me) that i do have a life. i mean, these people really wanted a cardboard harry potter countdown pop-up (which i ended up winning, ha ha suckers!) between the 30-year-old guy behind me who kept asking his friend random trivia that no regularly obsessed person would know, and the know it all girl in front of me who was concerned about her spelling of fenrir greyback, i was getting annoyed. but i was convinced that my harry potter night was not going to be ruined, so josh i resorted to doing what we do best: making fun of people. we had a few good luna jokes, some malfoys and even a nicholas flamel. classic.

we ended up getting our book around 12:15 and i read the first chapter that night. saturday and sunday were devoted mostly to harry and the gang.

i'm realizing more with each day how much i liked it. though slow in parts, the end was simply amazing. i'm not going to say much here (because i could really go on and on and i don't want to ruin it for anyone), but how funny was it what mrs. weasley said bitch?

to read more of what j.k. wanted to put at the end, go here.

the animal kingdom

2007-07-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

yesterday we went to the zoo with the payne family and had a spectacular time. josh and i have only been to the zoo once before this outing and left early to go ring shopping (look at us now), so we didn't get to see everything. i think now we've seen everything. the bats are, surprisingly, my favorite. well, the whole nocturnal room is really neat, but the bats are just so interesting.

to continue with our animal-themed day, we went back to the payne's place to watch grizzly man, the documentary about timothy treadwell (or the crazy bear man). you know, he's the one who wanted to be a bear and thought bears were his friend only to get eaten by one in the end. now, i'm no expert on him or bears, but i think he actually wanted to be eaten by the bear. i think it was his way of ultimately connecting with the bears, an i thou of sorts. if anything, you should watch it just to see what kind of crazy he and everyone in the movie was, the coroner especially.

Harry Potter Parts 1 & 2

2007-07-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

july harry potter month.

part 1:
wednesday night josh and i went to see harry potter on the big screen. while our seats weren't the best, i thought the movie was pretty good... one of the best HPs they've done. umbridge wasn't quite what i pictured, but luna was dead on. i actually have a little crush on her now and wish she were real so i could be her friend. i was also a bit upset that they didn't focus more on the grimmauld place more because i think it will be important in book 7.

part 2:
last night we went to the wizard's punk rock concert of the year. harry and the potters, a fun little brother band who sings solely about the magical world of harry and his posse, had a free little show at the downtown library. they were much more entertaining than expected, so that was a nice surprise. and they gave out free harry potter tattoos!

part 3:
will be the book 7 party at elliott bay bookstore this friday. excited? you bet!

monthiversary de blanco

2007-07-10T20:01:00.000-07:00

josh was ready with a hot bubble bath, fondue for two, and a massage for me when i got home from work today.

i love being married.

when the fondue settles, we're going to eat 1/12 of the top of our wedding cake. we've decided to eat a slice every month that way we enjoy at least a little bit of it.

in other good news, our apartment is finally looking livable. pictures to come. we still don't have much on the walls, but soon we'll have a thomas martin original and we're debating on which painting to buy from this artist.

the photos are here

2007-07-08T21:13:00.000-07:00

go here to relive (or live for the first time) the glory that was june 10th.

and go here to check out our amazing photographer. if you ever need a photographer, carol is your gal. and not just because she takes you to the bars before your photo shoots, but because she's spunky, creative, and talented.

frustrations

2007-07-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

"my love, what are you frustrated about? the shelf?"

"the shelf, the glass, the computer."

"you're not frustrated about the computer. just the shelf and the glass. i'll go to the hardware store tomorrow and get the screws to fix the shelf."

"i am to frustrated about the computer. i come in the other day and you've got two of your computers on top of mine."

"it doesn't hurt it."

"yes it does. if i think it does, then it does."

"okay, you're officially a crazy lady."

a married woman

2007-07-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

so a lot has happened since my last post. i'd say getting married tops the list, but fiji is a close second.

before i go on, thank you to the person(s) who got out the williams-sonoma newlywed's cookbook. there was no card attached, so i don't know who to write a thank you to, but we are thankful.

so yes, i got married. everything was absolutely perfect and we felt very blessed by the love that surrounded us on that day. and we already got our pictures back! we are working on posting them all on flickr so everyone can have a look. we'll send out an email when that special day comes.

and yes, we went to fiji for our honeymoon. best honeymoon ever (even the part where josh got sick and had diarrhea for two days). we went scuba diving, water skiing, got massages, reef walked and tons of other fun things. we ate constantly and tried to work it off by walking, but every time we tried to go somewhere a little golf cart would come pick us up. so much for that plan.

i had to start work again this week. what a bummer that was. in fiji, josh and i discussed the possibility of me going back to school as well. we'll see.

friday was our dear friend eli's 25th birthday and we celebrated rock star style. of course i went as a member of the paparazzi because i hate dressing up and it was the easiest thing to be, but she was the hottest gwen stefani i've ever seen.

now josh and i are working endlessly on setting up our new apartment. it's coming along. lots of returns and purchases were made this week. we scored at ikea... they took back all the glassware we used at our wedding (without a receipt and everything)!

so that's my quick update. pictures soon.

if you're out on the road

2007-05-23T18:44:00.000-07:00

last tuesday was the series finale of gilmore girls (series, not season), so of course i was a bit emotional. josh was sitting next to me on the couch doing his usual tuesday night activity: playing on his computer and rolling his eyes.

imagine my surprise wednesday afternoon when josh says, "you know babe, i think i'm kinda gonna miss gilmore girls. I kind of want to watch it from the beginning"

WHAT?!?!

"bananas? because we can watch them." i say holding the pee in and quickly coming up with a viewing schedule.

so we've been watching them, much to my delight. we are almost done with disc 2 of season 1. i'm always scared after an episode that he's going to change his mind and forget the whole thing, but so far so good.

those gilmore girls... speak so fast, but they speak so true.

the list

2007-05-08T18:56:00.000-07:00

in college, before josh and i started dating, but after we both started liking each other and not saying anything about it, i made a list of reasons not to like josh. i'm not sure exactly when i wrote the list, perhaps when i called him on his birthday and he was all weird or perhaps when he kissed someone at midnight on new year's. what i do know is that it is the most ridiculous list i've ever made in a pathetic attempt to not like him. as you will read, all of these with the exception a select few are absurd and based solely on his outward appearance because after all, that's what really matters. especially since i starred half the list, which according to my list legend indicates "things i love too."

has college fat
hairy like a beast
no balls... not literally*
wants to live in miami
baby about his cuticles
doesn't like to dance
didn't ask to dance with me at semi-formal
introduced me as a "good friend"
metrosexual
habitual liar/joker
makes me try new food
doesn't always wear flip flops when he can
likes john mayer more than me
smokes cigars and then spits like a camel
doesn't wear boxers
doesn't like "boo"
never goes to class/doesn't care about grades/academics
how he picks up the guitar and plays it all the time even when it's not the right time
wasn't in a hurry to finish Blue Like Jazz
has dating ADD
doesn't layer
car = dirty
messes with my car
ears = gross even after 4 q-tips they were still gross
watches movies with subtitles

*added after the list was complete. obviously i needed a reminder that by no balls, i meant no courage, not that he was lacking his male companions.

once i finished the list, i went back and starred about half the item. the star, as indicated on my list legend, indicates things i love about him too.

i'm marrying this man in 33 days and i love him, hair and all.

not as tan as i had hoped

2007-04-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

last weekend josh and i went to miami for two (yes, two) wedding showers.
aside from the airline loosing my luggage, i had a lot of fun and almost didn't want to leave... almost.
i hadn't seen my parents in about a year and it was even longer with his family. i forgot how much i liked to be in their company and it made me think about moving back to florida.
we racked up some goodies and bought our wedding bands. josh's mom and sister took me shopping and i geared up for fiji with three new bathing suits.

2007-03-30T20:40:00.000-07:00

i found out yesterday that jen lemen will be preforming the benediction at my wedding. i've only met her once when josh and i stayed with her and her family two summers ago, but i couldn't have a bigger crush. i couldn't be more thrilled that she will be blessing us and sending us off as a married couple.

i have one more bookshelf to move out of my old room and then i'll be completely moved out. it's a weird feeling as this new place doesn't quite feel like home yet. sunday josh and i are going to ikea to buy something to sit on. hopefully that will bring a certain homely feeling to this place. maybe a trash can would do the trick.

i pre-ordered my copy of harry potter 7 today. exciting.

i need an iron.

like a school girl

2007-03-26T22:55:00.000-07:00

today was a good day. i felt very blessed.
first josh and i signed the lease for our new apartment. they gave us our keys and gave us this week's rent for free. which means i can start moving in with josh's help and not have to worry about saturday at all. seriously i almost cried i was so relieved.
then i got a call from the printers telling me our wedding invitations were ready to pick up. they look great.
next josh sold our old tv on craig's list for $10 more dollars than we asked for it.
it was also laura's birthday today at work, so we ate cake and didn't work for 45 minutes.

so back to the apartment...
every time i'm there, i just get so excited. knowing that it will be the place where josh and i start our married lives together makes me extremely giddy. i can't wait to fall asleep on our couch reading while josh plays wii until 2am. and i can't wait to take a shower in my big bathroom. but most of all, i can't wait to walk around naked in my home.

tonight while we were unpacking all the spices we bought at trader joes (yeah, we bought a lot of spices), we dreamt of what our kitchen would look like and what would go where. which led to me organizing every room inch of the place in my head. ORGANIZATION!! (yes, organization is so exciting that it gets capitals and two exclamation points).

playing catch up

2007-03-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

i know, i know, i've been mia for such a long time. over two months i think?
life has just been a bit crazy these past few months and i can only assume that it will get crazier. but i'm trying out a new thing, call it a quarter year resolution, where i will try to blog more.

So to get you caught up, here's what's i've been doing since january:
working non-stop all january
planning and stressing out about a wedding
playing wii tennis
joining a gym and trying to be good about going
acquiring a love for the taste of asian food (sans things with chunks of egg)
trying to overcome my fear of looking ugly on my wedding day (nightmares much?)
becoming a costco member
buying a big screen tv (what else was i going to play wii on)
being "evicted" by my "community"
welcoming josh's sister to seattle
hitting up seattle and portland with my sister
trying to care for my fiancee who came down with shingles and what i suspect to be strep throat
getting stuck in an elevator
trying to read as much as possible (my actual new year's resolution)

and the latest, finding an apartment that josue and i will live in when we're married. i'm moving in next weekend, so if anyone out there isn't going to be at the mhgs visitation weekend and what's to help out, let me know.

one year

2007-03-19T20:15:00.000-07:00

today marks my one year anniversary in seattle!
celebrate good times, come on.

wii

2007-01-14T22:44:00.000-08:00

our brand new wii...

it's really as fun as it looks. and just think how much more fun it will be once mario kart comes out!

i heart snl digital shorts

2006-12-30T08:41:00.000-08:00

this is almost as good as lazy sunday

from k to b

2006-12-28T21:35:00.000-08:00

i'm engaged!

visit our website.

www.josueandnicole.com

tagged

2006-12-27T22:25:00.000-08:00

i forgot to tag 5 people. i feel a little high school, but here goes nothing...

josue
bethany
natalie
meredith
angela

5 things you didn't know about me

2006-12-23T13:15:00.000-08:00

so i've been "tagged" by eliacin, one of my housemates, to post things most people don't know about me.
here goes...

in 2nd grade, i ran the mile in 6 minutes. i still consider that one of my greatest accomplishments.
when i was about 4, i stole bookmarks from a christian book store. when my mom found out, she made me return them to the store and apologize.
i've had 14 teeth pulled (2 were permanent) and i still love going to the dentist.
every time i'm in a catholic church or somewhere that has candles to light, i always light one in memory of my grandma.
my dream in life is to swim in all 4 oceans and walk on all seven continents.

sneads

2006-12-23T12:43:00.000-08:00

josh and i are in portland until christmas eve visiting my aunt and uncle and their family. josh had some internet work to do (like make our wedding website) and since my uncle's family lives in the stone age with their dial-up internet, we had to go somewhere where he could check his e-mail without wasting an hour of his life. we found that place in the food court at the beaverton mall.

as we walked into the mall i noticed a small pet store. of course i had to go in. hello, there are cute puppies and kittens full of allergic material for me to play with. so i'm ogling over the dogs. i see a puggle (and think of natalie), a hot dog dog and a poodle. then i look up and there, locked up in a little cage, i find what i want for christmas: the cutest little schnoodle pup in the world. she would have looked absolutely perfect with a sherlock holmes cap and a pipe sticking out of her mouth. i a little bit freak out. i start talking to the man next, "oh my god, they have schnoodles here! aren't they the best dogs? geez, this one is a lot cheaper than what the breeders sell them for. they're hypo-allergenic you know, that's what i want one."

i ask the lady at the pet store if i can play with her. we go into the little visitation area and start playing. at this point my aunt walks in and i ask her to go get josh and tell him i've found our schnoodle. she brings him back and of course, he's the strong logical one when it come to the dog. "we can make it work," i tell him. but he stays strong. i pull out some of my best moves, but he doesn't budge (i think given a little more time with her, he would have caved). so we walk out of the pet store empty handed.

the good news in all of this is that the pet store lady said they get schnoodles quite often and they are negotiable on prices, so when we are ready for a dog, we'll know where to go.

how appropriate

2006-12-17T10:35:00.000-08:00

friday night was the annual eagle and child christmas party/white elephant gift exchange. i find it only fitting that i walked away with this gem:

it has some real thoughtful insight. there's even a chapter on incest.
my favorite passage thus far is a letter written from a 'struggling sister.' she tells greg that her impossible weakness is sex (and by sex she means heavy kissing all the way to that precious gift god gave us of making love).
blah blah blah.
oh greg it hurts so bad.
blah blah blah.
now, we've done it 3 times. special? i don't know. i don't see us getting married because he's not a spiritual leader and christ has never really been #1 for him.
blah blah blah.
how can i get away from my boyfriend and get away from it. please don't say trust in jesus, 'cuz i have.
blah blah blah.

i think this could be my new favorite book.

meet artemis

2006-12-12T18:47:00.000-08:00

she comes complete with josh's birthday present stealthily wrapped as a christmas present and empty boxes.

and the checklist gets smaller by the day

2006-12-10T13:01:00.000-08:00

christmas tree: check
it's not charlie brownish, but it was cheap and wonderful.

decorations will commence soon.

abc family's 25 days of christmas: half check.
my tivo is set to record two christmas gems (and three men and a little lady as an added christmas bonus).

my christmas check list just got smaller

2006-12-07T17:57:00.000-08:00

i heard it tonight. the christmas shoes song.

sir i want to buy these shoes for my mama please.
she's really really sick
and she needs these shoes
because she'll look so pretty
there's not much time, and
these shoes could save her life

so those aren't the real words, but they are close enough. for those of you who haven't heard the song/seen the movie, i'm sorry that you can't enjoy the hilarity of it all. i really do have compassion (usually), but the song is just ridiculous, and it makes me laugh/gag uncontrollably.

and though my hatred for christmas shoes runs deep, i feel my christmas isn't complete unless i've heard it.
i got my fix early this year, so early that i might have to hear it again closer to the 25th to make it count.

now all that's left on my christmas check list is:

watch at least 2 abc family original christmas movies and sing along to their "25 days of christmas" song.
watch a charlie brown christmas, rudolph the red noised reindeer, and frosty the snowman (christmas staples).
buy an angel tree present.
get a charlie brown christmas tree.

mabye the best concert of my life

2006-11-16T20:03:00.000-08:00

holy jesus. i love ray lamontagne so much more than i ever did before.

last night was his show at the paramount and josh, brent and i were lucky enough to score 3rd row seats. thank you craig's list. after an amazing opener, he came on stage and just picked up his guitar and went to it. he went the first three of four songs without saying anything. when he finally spoke, it was in a low, shy voice. you could barely understand what he was saying because it was all in mumbles. but then he played shelter and out of his little mumbly voice came the voice of a lion. it was amazing.

the rest of the show was just as wonderful. i absolutely loved it.
i loved his quirkiness and how he would get flustered when the audience would shout things.

side note: when did seattle become retarded and shout things like, "i want to save you, " and "take off your pants."?

i think my favorite was when someone asked for the story being jolene and he replied, "give me a break."

josh and i came home on a ray high and wikipediaed him. now, i have never watched nor cared about american idol, but when i saw this, i was appalled that someone could butcher a song so badly and still win.

tony

2006-11-13T19:47:00.000-08:00

it's official: my lovely sister is coming to visit.
i'm in need of my sister and march seems so far away.
we will see the splendor that is seattle together,
and who knows, maybe we'll even venture into oregon.
a year and three months is too long to go without seeing ones sister.

picture time

2006-11-12T14:58:00.000-08:00

two of my most favorite people on the planet.

Nicole Votes 2006

2006-11-07T19:15:00.000-08:00

like my sister said, "i voted, i count."

i hope everyone voted today. i could write a whole long thing on civic duty and why everyone should vote, but i will only say this:

if you don't vote, you shouldn't complain about the state of things. you may think your voice is small, but it is still a voice and it should still be expressed. and if you're lucky, you'll get a cool i voted sticker.

happy election day!

sunday = picture time

2006-11-05T12:22:00.000-08:00

because he really is.

hey baby let's go to vegas

2006-11-04T12:38:00.000-08:00

the more i look at wedding things, the more i think elopement is for me. and that's just crazy because a). i love to plan and organize things and b). elopement equals less presents.

no, i'm not engaged yet, but if this wedding is going to happen in may like we're hoping for, i figure i've got to start now. even thinking about things right now to type bums me out. i get all anxious and my mind goes everywhere when i think about it. is this normal? i mean are people actually not excited about planning their wedding?

i think learning to ask for and receive help might be the hardest part about this whole process. i don't like to ask for help, but this will require it.

how come every dress i look at is ugly or $3000? or both (see exhibit a)
and speaking of money, when did everything get so expensive?

exhibit a:

picture time

2006-10-29T12:19:00.000-08:00

it's the great burning pumpkin, charlie brown.

sunday picture love

2006-10-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

everybody knows he's an ass man.

rubber is expensive

2006-10-17T19:27:00.000-07:00

rubber as in tires, not condoms. but come to think of it, i think condoms are pretty pricy as well.

today i had to buy connie 4 new tires because as the nice man a les shwab told me, i was driving on illegal tires.

206.---.----

2006-10-14T16:16:00.000-07:00

this morning josh and i took our relationship to the next level: verizon wireless family shared plan.

while we were waiting to be helped, josh leans over and whispers to me:
"babe, if they ask, tell them we live together. we'll just pretend we live at my house."
"why?"
"because it's a family plan."
"i don't think they'll care "

since my cell phone was getting old and starting not to charge, i decided get a new cell phone with a seattle number as well. it was a hard decision as i am deeply committed to my old phone, but this new one is alright. it has bluetooth that doesn't work with my computer and the crappiest six choices for a ringtone i've ever heard, but supposedly it has better reception.

so if you want my brand spanking new 206 number (and you're not a crazy), ask and you shall receive.

TGIT

2006-09-26T18:03:00.000-07:00

two words...
gilmore
girls

it's only september

2006-09-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

i was in safeway earlier this week when i saw them. pumpkins, the first of the coming holiday season. my face lit up. after all, the holidays are the most wonderful time of the year. cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, bell ringers, the smell of christmas trees... what's not the enjoy? and when else can you glue yourself to the tv for the a christmas story marathon? then top all of that off with fireworks and the new years resolutions you know you'll never keep. holy hell i'm giddy just thinking about it.

unfortunately, the light in my face didn't last long as i realized it's still september. who buys their pumpkin a month and a half before they need to? and who bakes sugar cookies with ghosts printed on them before summer is officially over? i really lost it when i discovered the aisle of christmas lights at fred meyers. IT'S SEPTEMBER! the thing that is so wonderful and special about the holiday season (besides all the sentimental family/jesus stuff) is that it only lasts for a short time. when people buy their turkeys in july it takes something away from the joy of the season.

september is simply not the time to start putting up christmas lights.

2006-08-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

my boyfriend has a new flickr account and now i'm not sure i'm still his girlfriend.

and we're baaaack

2006-08-17T19:21:00.000-07:00

my dearest friend natalie was just in town and it was a wonderful but short visit. short because the work nazis wouldn't let me leave. we only got one full day together and that was wasted in a little city called vancouver.

now i've heard good things about the city. everyone raves about how clean and fun it is, but i was extremely unimpressed. we didn't have a game plan, but josh went to gastown a few years back and said it was cool, so we checked it out.

gastown should be renamed to shittown. it was horrible. within 30 minutes 5 crazies attacked.
1. the panhandler. she approached us at my car and started talking to us, telling us all about the parking meters and her life. natalie quickly put her wallet away and josh asked her if she had change for a dollar. he's going to hell.
2.rehab woman. she was making a small scene in the little restaurant we were eating at. she was told by the owner to stand in line and not talk.
3. crazy camera man. he tried to steal the man next to me's camera. tried to grab it right off his wrist and asked, "can i have this?" the camera owner said no. crazy man asked again. and then walked off. 20 feet later he verbally assaults whitey mcwhiterson probably to the point of tears.
4. hit and run crazy. this man ran away after punching a little asian girl in the face. you know it's a good trip when you have to call 911.
5. crazy laugher. this one just kept laughing at himself. josh purposely blocked the crosswalk with my car to see what he'd do. he laughed.

we went to the market, but after our adventure in shittown, we weren't in the mood for anything but getting the out of the city.

snoop

2006-08-02T07:49:00.000-07:00

i hate surprises. well, let me rephrase that: i hate surprises that i know are coming. "i have a surprise for you," are six words that should never be spoken in the same sentence. if you have a surprise for me and you tell me, it's not really a surprise anymore, is it? and now you have to endure my constant nagging to find out what it is. because let's be honest, once i know there is a surprise i'll do pretty much anything to find out what it is.

christmas is a perfect example. i know that surprises are coming. i used look for my presents every year (and still would if not for the fact that i'm with my mom when she shops for me). i wouldn't stop until i found them. once i found them, i'd keep snooping in other places just to make sure there weren't anymore. i'd usually check two or three times a week to see if anything had been added. i just like to be prepared. what if you hate a present, you need to know so you can fake the, "yea! i love it. thank you," face.

my birthday is friday and the presents from my parents came off my amazon wishlist. before they bought my present i looked over wishlist to make sure i knew what was on it and i looked at the total number of items. 77. this morning i checked to see what was missing and 3 things are gone, but i can't figure out what they are. ahhhhh. i know one thing, but the other two are a mystery to me. this will consume my mind all day.

nuggets of joy

2006-07-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

two things happened today at starbucks that made work a little less unbearable.

one: danny from the real world new orleans came in and asked for directions to PCC. he was with paul, his blurred-out boyfriend during the season. i didn't recognize him, but thought he looked really familiar. after i gave him directions lacy asked if i knew that he was danny from real world, and it all came together. i told this to josh on the phone and he said he also had a reality tv star sighting today. one of the tattoo artists from miami ink. i told him mine was better because danny is cooler and i actually spoke to him. he disagreed, but i think we all know who the winner is.

two: a lady found a tooth in her parfait. an f-ing tooth. a black f-ing tooth. it was amazing and disgusting all at the same time. how does one loose a tooth in a parfait and then not say anything? i don't understand. but that is the reason that i only eat muffins at starbucks (that, and the ungodly amount of calories in each goodie). i wasn't at work when it happened, but i saw the parfait and the tooth. the lady had eaten quite a bit before the tooth was found.

fyi

2006-07-27T22:02:00.000-07:00

a good way to loose five pounds: stomach virus.

monday night satan took up residency in my stomach and wouldn't leave until everything in my body was flushed down the toliet. i cannot remember the last time i felt that miserable. probably the 12th grade hot dog food posioning incident (and people ask why i'm a vegetarian).

since it's my second week at my new job and i didn't want my boss to think i call in sick for shits and giggles i told myself that, despite not being able to stand upright without throwing up, i needed to go to work. it took me an 45 minutes to get dressed and another 15 to brush my teeth. i got to work, threw up twice, told my boss i was sick, came home, and went straight to the couch and slept.

the upside of this misery was getting to watch two episodes of matlock. tivo has something to do during the days now.

my ghost friend

2006-07-23T19:17:00.000-07:00

we are almost through with the 2nd month of the 2006 hurricane season. it's not a big topic here in seatte. we've got our own problems (namely the 90+ degree heat with no air conditioning... it's as we've just been through a hurricane and now there's no power to turn on the ac) and hurricanes don't make the list. but in pensacola, where my parents and board games are, you can't make it one day without the local news giving you tips on how to run genetrators or board your windows. i check the weather channel online daily to stay updated and find out where jim cantore will be next.

my house in pensacola is about 20 miles inland on new haven drive. it's a fun little street with it's very own ghost. yes, it's true. nailed to a telephone pole at the beginning of my street is a little wooden ghost named casper. i don't really know when casper arrived, or what his purpose was, but he's been there for about 4 years and i love him. one of my favorite parts about going home when i was in college was turning onto my street and seeing him there, welcoming me to the neighborhood. i would yell out hi casper and wave to him.

living inland, it's not the storm surge and flooding that cause the damage, it's the wind and tornados that accompany the eye wall that cause all the problems. in 2004 when hurricane ivan hit i was in tallahassee. when i finally got in touch with my mom and she told me that our neighbor's shed roof was in our pool and that our back porch was completely blown away my second thought, after holy shit, was oh god, what about casper? luckily he made it through. in 2005 my casper worries appeared again when hurricane dennis hit. this time me and rents (unnecessarily) evacuated to jacksonville (after ivan my dad said he wasn't staying for another hurricane). while praying for my house and connie to be okay, i also asked god to keep casper safe. as we got closer to my house, i started getting anxious about what i'd see. would my house have a roof? and more importantly, would casper be there to greet us? again, he made it through.

so far this hurricane season hasn't been very active. hopefully we can make it this year without one, but if we can't be so lucky, i hope that casper makes it through another storm.

the curse of the great nicolebino

2006-07-09T19:15:00.000-07:00

i forgot how much i really like to watch baseball. i went to the mariners v. tigers game today and just feel in love with the atmosphere. there's a feeling you get when you are walking into the stadium, trying to find your seat. it's kind of unexplainable, but you just know you belong there. sure, what they charge you at the concession stands could be considered rape, but what the hell, you pay it because it's part of the baseball experience. you're not really at the game until you spend $8 on a beer. the meat even smells good at a baseball game.

i love rooting for a team. i could care less about a team before i go to a game, but as soon as i decide who to go for, i'm their biggest fan. i suddenly need know team records and player stats, like my life depends on it or something. that's what i loved most about fsu games. everyone was always so into it and it made you feel good to be part of the crowed screaming "chris rix sucks." today i discovered that i have what i like to call the "the curse of the great nicolebino." every time i go to watch a live baseball game (which has only been three times), the team i'm pulling for looses. tigers v. indians... the indians won. braves v. pirates... pirates won. mariners v. tigers... mariners won. wtf? i thought this last game could break the curse because the tigers had won all 5 previous games against the mariners this season (a little bit of trivia i picked up today), but the curse won out. i bought a tigers hat and everything.

mama knox

2006-07-05T11:54:00.000-07:00

my marm came to visit last weekend and i got to show her the greatness that is the northwest.
i picked her up from the airport friday at noon. we came back to my house where she fell in love with my "big ass" living room window. i took her to my fruit stand where we loaded up on fruits and veggies. we came back to my house and played garbage and ate peppers and cucumbers with josh and aimee. after all, what is a visit with my mom without playing cards and eating veggies? that night we went to target, because again, what's a visit with my mom without a trip to target?
saturday was the day o'seattle. we hit up pike's place and that little section of town. then we accidentally snuck into the aquarium. we also went up the space needle, saw the freemont troll, and went to kerry park. i came home and went to bed.
sunday we drove (as in josh drove) to portland to see some family. an uncle who i hadn't seen in 11 years was also there and that was a bit awkward. but portland was fun. we drove to this great lookout point to see the sunset on sunday night and then on monday we took a trip to these really beautiful waterfalls about 30 minutes east of portland. then we drove back to seattle and hung out until i had to go to work.
tuesday i dropped her off at the airport. i cried after she left. i guess i didn't realize how much i missed her until she was here. i had a really good time and i think she did too.

r.i.p. harriet

2006-06-25T14:59:00.000-07:00

on my lunch today i was looking through the paper and saw that jean benet ramsey's mom had died after a long struggle with ovarian cancer. i think my exact thought was "whatever." i was too annoyed that the story took up such a big space on the page to actually care. but then i looked on the next page and saw that harriet the 176 year old tortoise had died of heart failure and was so overcome with sadness for this reptile that i teared up.
how embarrassing to be me, the turtle crier.

my first visitor

2006-06-19T07:38:00.000-07:00

my marm comes to visit in 11 days and she's bringing my board games. hooray! prepare to have your ass kicked in clue: master detective.

i'm glad/excited that my marm is my first visitor. she'll get to see where i live (since i am the slacker daughter who never quite got around to making a "this is my home" video which i promised many times), and the people i live with (which frightens me a bit due to the 49% of america agrees with 99% of the world bumper sticker on my refrigerator and the multicultural/f you america 4th of july party tom is hosting due to his distaste for patriotism and all that jazz). she will also see that her youngest daughter is doing fine 3,000 miiles away, and that this hippie city hasn't turned me into a total crazy tree-hugging, braless liberal.

goodbye my lover

2006-06-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

i read some tragic news tuesday: j.j. reddick, my former future husband, was arrested for drunk driving and performing an illegal u-turn. in my mind we were perfect for each other. he was a history major and i love history. he played basketball for duke and i love duke basketball. he is from virginia and i sometimes claim to be from virginia. you can't get a much better match than that. when i saw the link "duke basketball player arrested for drunk driving" i thought it was going to be greg paulus, he looks stupid enough to pull something like that, but when i saw j.j's name i literally gasped. i was sure that cnn.com was lying, they had recieved bad information and it wasn't really j.j. at all, it was some lacrosse player making trouble again. my future husband would never do anything like that because he is an upstanding citizen and a smart man. i was mistaken. it really was him and in that moment i knew our relationship would never make it; he likes drunk driving and i don't. as my 10th grade history teacher told me to do in sad moments, i held my neighbor's hand and thought of the baby jesus. i was inconsolable for about 10 minutes but then i remembered that my future lover, anderson cooper, would be in town friday and i was okay.

to the drivers of seattle

2006-05-30T17:03:00.000-07:00

i am entirely convinced that over 50% of the traffic jams in the seattle area are caused, not by the amount of cars on the road, but by the pushover, brake-happy drivers. i recently read an article that listed seattle in the top 5 in lowest number of rude drivers. but i don't think it's people not being rude, i think it's people not knowing how to drive. so here are some driving tips for people dring in seattle.

merge is a word i don't think you are too familiar with. both the drivers trying to merge and the cars already on the road have trouble with the concept. it means to blend or fade gradually into something else. if you are trying to get on the highway where other cars are moving fast it makes sense to accelerate your car, not slam on your brakes. if you just keep driving, i promise there will be a space for you. but if you slam on your brakes, it makes it harder not only for you to merge, but for those behind you as well. for you see, they now have to slam on their brakes to avoid hittng you, thus they are left trying to merge at a speed below yours. for those of you already on the road, you do not have to slam on your brakes every time you see a car merging. yes, other cars are scary, but just keep driving. switch lanes if makes you more comfortable, but do not, i repeat do not, slam on those brakes of yours.

on that same note, when there is an exit only lane created from an entry ramp and you need to be in that exit lane, you do not have to get over the exact moment that little white line becomes dotted. you people act like if you aren't in the lane right when it opens you will miss your exit. i know there is a lot going on what with all the merging and you starting to feel anxious about missing your exit, but you have another mile before you need to get off. if you would just wait a little longer the merging traffic would thin, the lane would become free to get into, and you wouldn't have to hit your brakes at all to get over. mindblowing, i know.

in a traffic jam there is no need to drive 20 car lengths behind the person in front of you. i'm not saying that you should get all up on them, but dear god, we are going 5mph, it's okay to get a little closer.

contrary to popular belief, brakes aren't fun to just push for no reason.

the speed limit is 60. if you don't like to speed that is your choice, but there is no need to go below that. move it or loose it sister. did you not learn that the left lane was for passing, not for driving slow in? slower traffic keep right... the signs was made for a purpose. and HOV drivers, you're causing just as much traffic in the HOV lane by poking along at 54. i know other cars are fun to look at and there is just something so warm and fuzzy about being stuck in traffic with other people, but please either speed up or get out.

house v. sumatra

2006-05-26T00:17:00.000-07:00

so i just got home from my second shift at starbucks. tonight was another 8hr. shift that i was dreading, but, like the last one, it flew by. tonight i did about 2 hours of computer-based training and got to play quiz games testing my register knowledge with fun tv show themes. my favorite was when i was asked if i could outwit, outplay, and outlast certain coffee themed things. it didn't really make sense, but i was amused. i also got to play let's make a deal where i had to choose a door and then perform the cash register related task behind it. then i was put on the real cash register, where i explained to many customers that i was new and that was the reason why it took me 5 minutes to find the grande white mocha with soy and carmel and a slice of pumpkin bread. i think if i had any knowledge in the coffee area i would be okay, but when someone says triple espresso no foam i just stare blankly at them. i don't even know if that drink i said was even a possible coffee combination.

i also had a coffee and tea tasting tonight. the tea wasn't horribly bad, but i'm not one for the coffee. i tried the house decaf and the sumatra decaf. then my manager tonight, mark (who closely resembles clayton, thus confusing me everytime i see him), proceeded to ask me questions about the differences in the smell between the two. what the hell do i know? coffee smells like coffee. so i made something up about one smelling stronger than the other. then we sipped the coffee and he asked me about the "body" differences. again, what the hell do i know about the "body" of coffee, i've never had a sip of straight coffee in my life. after the blank stare i recieved when i told him i didn't taste a difference, i sipped again and made something up about the sumatra being earthier. what?

i still feel lost in some areas, but i think i'm catching on. a lot of the time i feel like i'm just standing there in the way waiting for someone to tell me what to, but i guess that's what supposed to happen when you are new. i enjoy the people, the process of learning, and i especially enjoy knowing that i am on my way to medical insurance.

my bedroom

2006-05-25T11:20:00.000-07:00

so this is my room in pictures. it's a work in progress, but soon it will be complete. i have some pictures i want to put up, but i don't have the frames yet. i thinking of taking my closet doors off like jessica and getting a curtain to close it off. i just don't know where i'd put my africa map if i did that. i'm not crazy about the red, but i'm not about to repaint it. and the desktop computer is out of here as soon as i erase everything on it. when my bank account is a little more plentiful, i'm going to buy a little chair from ikea and make it my reading chair.

save me from myself

2006-05-20T11:48:00.000-07:00

as disgusting as it is to some, i love love love peeling skin. i used to sit for hours and peel my grandma's skin when i was little. we would see how big we could get the peels and then proudly display our biggest ones. quite fun actually. thursday night i began to peel. the good peel too, not the boring flaky stuff. since then peeling has taken over my life (i've taken two "peel breaks" since starting this entry). i can get to most of my peeling regions, but my back is tricky. i sit in front of the mirror and try to reach my arms around, but it's not very effective. josh has proved to be worthless in this effort as he gags whenever he sees my skin.

in other news, my first shift at starbucks is monday at 4:15 am. nice and early.

what's 13" and apple-y...

2006-05-16T18:20:00.000-07:00

she is. finally after months of wishing and waiting, my little white beauty has arrived.

she came as quite a suprise. i got a call from josh saying he was coming over for lunch because he was hungry. i said come on over. i just happened to be looking out my window when he was walking up the driveway. i saw him put something down... it looked like a computer box. i didn't get too excited because let's face it, i've gotten excited too many times over this 13" wonder and i wasn't about to be let down again. but i've seen enough mac boxes in my day to be 73% sure that what i saw was in fact a mac box. josh motioned me to come outside. i could feel myself getting more excited. despite the burn i ran to the door and raced down the steps. en route he met me and said he had a gift. he reached in his pocket and pulled out an apple. i didn't get the connection. i asked about the box he set down and he told me to go see. i ran to it and there she was. i was so excited my bright red back didn't even hurt when josh hugged me. we went upstairs and set her up. she's as nice on the inside as she is on the outside. jealousssssssssss?

it's a little lame how truly excited i am about this.

welcome to the mac world me.

maybe like a j-o-b

2006-05-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

you are now reading the blog of starbuck's newest barista.
hooray, hooray, hooray!
income, income, income.
it's not the best money in the world, but as my bank account nears zero, any money is good money.
i don't know shit about coffee, but oh am i going to learn.
in 9 training sessions i will be a coffee maker pro. natalie will be so proud of me.
starting soon i'll be able to get strep, get a cavity, or get a funky eye disease and be fully insured!

prizes for those who kno where the title comes from...

the commute

2006-05-02T01:52:00.000-07:00

the rain and 30 degree weather didn't stop 1653 people from coming to greenlake saturday night. it was a powerful sight.

my $10 sleeping bag from target must have had magical warmth powers because while everyone froze in their rei hardcore sleeping bags, i was all snuggly warm in mine. the night was absolutely amazing even the part when our tarp was shushed by youth kids sleeping two tarps over.

gnc

2006-04-26T07:37:00.000-07:00

on april 29th, major cities all over the world are hosting the global night commute. the mission of this night is to make people aware of what is going on in northern uganda. every night thousands and thousands of children walk miles away from their homes to safe shelters, spend the night, and walk back home every morning. they make this commute so they will not be abducted and forced to fight as soldiers. they are invisible children.

i encourage everyone, if you live in a city where this is going on and you are able, please support this cause, you can make a difference. go here to find out more information and to sign up.

a planner

2006-04-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

I remember growing up how I wanted to be a maid. I loved cleaning and thought that being a maid would be the best job in the entire world. One time I even got a bucket of water and our feather duster and cleaned the playground’s slide because it was dirty. I wanted to be a teacher. Vis-à-vis pens made my Christmas and the day my sister brought home a sheet of transparency paper was the best day of my young life. I wanted to be an astronaut and fly to the moon. I wrote NASA and asked them to send me space pictures and when they arrived I plastered the back of my door with the solar system. No matter what my occupation, I was going to live in a grand house. It had four stories, including the basement which was going to be a movie theater. I still have the floor plans. It was going to be the house that all my kid’s friends hung out at, the “cool” house. And most importantly, it was always going to be clean. It was great when you were young to have a plan for your life.

If you know me now, you know that I still like to make plans and lists; it didn’t fade away with age. I am one of the listy-est people I know, constantly making to-do lists (write a blog entry is on my current to-do list) and planning things in my head. And like most ISFJ’s, I like stability and nearly cry when things don’t go as planned. I started preparing for my move to Seattle a year before I was leaving. I was worried in august that I didn’t have a place to live when I moved there in March. I didn’t have a job moving out here and that absolutely terrified me. I still don’t have a job and I’m still terrified. I got my degree in business because I thought it would easy to get a job after graduation, not because it’s what I really wanted to do. I don’t know what I really want to do. Lately I’ve been feeling really called to mission work, mainly in Africa.

All that being said, after josh graduates in 3 years, I’m moving to Africa. When I first told josh this, he thought I was just putting the idea out there, you know, something to think about, but I made it clear that I was serious. So, this is my plan for now. I just have to figure out what I’m going to do for the next three years, maybe become someone’s personal assistant…I’d be good at that.

slamming stones

2006-04-08T09:33:00.000-07:00

my goal for this blog was to update more frequently than i did on my other one. so far, i'm not doing so hot. i blame this on my lack of home internet and josh's busy computer-using schedule. so from now until that glorious day in june when my god-sent apple laptop comes to live with me, my posting will probably not be as often as i had hoped.

that being said, josh and i have were quite the cultured couple last week.

tuesday night we went with some friends to a poetry slam. katie and i were judges and it was very stressful work. if you score the poets too low, you get booed. if you score them too high, you are just lying to yourself and the poet. i, of course, wanted the old man to win so i gave him high scores, but my 9.4 wasn't enough, and he was out.

friday night we went with will and selena to see a play called stones in his pocket in the tiniest theater i've ever been in. you know how actors spit when the annunciate? well we were so close to the actors that i actually got spit on. aside from phlegm, the play was really excellent. it just took me 7 minutes to figure out the right spelling of 'phlegm.'

everyone should see this movie (and no longer use paper napkins).

frequently used

2006-04-06T16:32:00.000-07:00

i thought it would be a good idea to make a glossary of names/places that have become regulars for me and might pop up frequently in this blog.

aimee: my roommate. a library sciences grad student who hates when anything besides her feet are in her shoes.

COTA: church of the apostles or where josh and i go to church.

eliacin and ricci: the family that lives in the basement. former missionaries in puerto rico and great parents to their daughter catie, age 3.

greenlake: the neighborhood in seattle where i live. also the name of the lake where i run alongside hundereds of other people and dogs.

jessica: my roommate. a vegan triathlete who works for the sine's. her boyfriend matt is a park ranger.

josué: josh's seattle name.

mars hill: josh's grad school.

thai tom: a thai resturant in the u district that josh swears by. #15 swimming rhama, 2 stars.

tom and christine sine: my landlords. they own the house and live on the main floor. while they aren't writing books they play with their t-shirt wearing golden retriever, bonnie.

zoka: josh's second home. a local coffee shop where josh goes to study and i go to read.

2006-04-05T12:54:00.000-07:00

testing 1 2 3
testing 1 2 3

now that i'm in seattle, i thought it only appropriate to start a new blog along with my new life. i guess with seattle comes nerdiness, who knew?