my new car!

welcome to our ridiculously extended nissan family, 2012 versa!! i won't see mileage that low for another 10 years.

R.I.P. STEVE JOBS

haven't really been doing the blog lately but felt i needed to take a minute. this man's genius changed the world. as i type on my mac while listening to itunes (and subsequently text matt on his iphone), i'm truly saddened by this news.

RIP, you genius. now go streamline heaven!! =)

aaaaaaaamazing!!!!!!!!! sleepy man banjo boys =)

tragic.

this happened on our road about a mile from our apartment. i drove by when they were digging up the body on my way home from work wednesday and then thursday our road was like a tourist attraction. matt went to school with this girl but he didn't know her, but some of our friends did. so young. so sad. unfortunately, these things happen everyday everywhere, but it's very creepy when it's in your own backyard.

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110805/NEWS/108050387&cid=sitesearch

what came first, the vacuum or the duster?

"which makes more sense to do first? if i vacuum first, i'll stir up all the dust and get it when i dust. if i dust first, i'll wipe all the dust onto the floor and get it when i vacuum."

i have always debated this question before cleaning. so i'm about to start cleaning this afternoon and, innevitably, ask the question again, so i turned to my trusty friend google for advice. apparently this is the equivalent of asking "to be or not to be?" housewives and housekeepers, mothers and newlyweds, all have just as hard a time with this as i do and reading over everyone else's indecision only perpetuated my own. so there i was mulling over how i was going to clean instead of actually cleaning so i took it to the blog because this is a serious matter, and i've now spent all this time NOT cleaning that i'd rather stay on my ipad then look at a stupid vacuum or duster.

happy marriage equality, new york!!!!!

a huge victory! fantastic news!!!

backtracking

sharing a post from my favorite blog that pretty much sums up the last 2 years of my life.


Problem: If you’re on the wrong path, no amount of tweaking or persevering will get you where you really want to go.  You’re headed down a dead end.

Solution: Backtrack until you’re in a familiar place, and try again. Repeat as necessary.

Life goes fast, and it’s easy for even the best laid plans to go off track. Sometimes you find yourself in situations you thought would treat you well, but your intuition lead you astray. Sometimes you just stop paying attention long enough to wander down a path you never meant to.
Whatever it is that gets you to the breaking point, in the end you’re faced with having to make one of three decisions:

Continue on because that’s what’s comfortable (easiest)
Throw in the towel and quit trying (easier)
Take a few steps back and try again from another angle (hard)

The first two rarely get you what what you want—if something’s broke, it usually doesn’t fix itself— but they’re easy choices because they’re comfortable. Backtracking, on the other hand, is a difficult choice. It’s uncomfortable because you’re not giving up… but you still feel like a failure. And you’re not staying the course… but you’re still aiming for the same goal.
Backtracking is a confusing, frustrating, and challenging experience. Of course, it’s also the only viable solution.

Those that take the challenge face serious trials, but the payoff is usually worth the effort. Those that avoid it jeopardize their own happiness and run the risk of never finding what they want.

sunset in july

new album probably won't be very good but this is gonna be amazing! it really is the unity tour- a giant group of us are going to bethel 7/25. it's kind of matty's bday present :) perfect outdoor show for summer!

iPad

we are the proud new owners of an iPad2! how did we ever live without this thing?!

bank account =)

SOMETHING WE SHOULD ALL REMEMBER:

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.

As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window. I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

"Mr. Jones, you haven't even seen the room, just wait."

'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied.

"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time."

Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away.. Just for this time in my life.

Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.

So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories!

Remember these five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

vaca heyday!

cali was awesome, as always! so nice to finally get away with matt. we had such a wonderful week!! we're sad that it ended so soon but very very grateful for the memories we made.

will post some pics shortly- we just now got our internet setup at the new place.

i believe...

(this started as an email chain that i felt like sharing)

...that either you control your attitude or it controls you.

that backgrounds and circumstances may influence who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

that even good friends will hurt you sometimes and you must forgive them for it.

that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

that it takes a long time to become the person you want to be and you should never stop trying.

that you should ALWAYS leave loved ones with loving words because it may be the last time you see them.

that money is a shitty way to keep score.

that while everyone has the right to be angry, no one has the right to be cruel.

that sometimes it's not enough to be forgiven by others so we must learn to forgive ourselves.

that the things and people we care about most in life are often taken from us much too soon so we should show love and acceptance even though we may not always feel it.

that life and its experiences are more precious that money could ever be.

in myself and my beliefs.

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!!!

shilly-shallying...that's a good one

in·de·ci·sion
noun \ˌin-di-ˈsi-zhən\

Definition:
: a wavering between two or more possible courses of action : irresolution

Examples:
She was paralyzed by indecision.

Synonyms:
faltering, fence-sitting, hesitance, hesitancy, hesitation, irresolution, pause, shilly-shally, shilly-shallying, vacillation, wavering, wobbling (also wabbling)


and just for the hell of it-

Rhymes with:
cell division, circumcision, double vision, imprecision, long division, short division, split decision, subdivision, supervision, tunnel vision

a first.

came super close to getting in an accident today cause of the stupid snow. on my way down to work, the exit i get off the palisades was covered in icy, slushy mess and i just skidded out of control around the turn. fishtailed, turned sideways, then jumped the curb and stopped just a couple feet short of the tree line. scary shit. had to take a few minutes to just breathe and re-group. i was able to just drive away though so at least everything was ok. i was shaken up all day today. that's the closest i've ever been to an accident. *knock on wood.*  definitely looking forward to sunshiny cali in may or at least for it to seem like spring here ;)

status: accepted!

officially accepted into the comm disorders program at new paltz!!
i'm hoping to start my first classes at the end of may.
but not before another trip to CALI in the beginning of the month!!!!
and this time, matt's coming with =)

THE GLASS:

...what is it to you? had to share this.
cor, i think you'll get a kick out of this. especially the ones in bold, they're my faves. i thought of some of them myself.

- The optimist says the glass is half full.
- The pessimist says the glass is half empty.
- The project manager says the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
- The realist says the glass contains half the required amount of liquid for it to overflow, so just calm down.
- The cynic wonders who drank the other half.
- The school teacher says it's not about whether the glass is half empty or half full, it's whether there is something in the glass at all.
- The alcoholic says it's not about whether the glass is half full or half empty, it's about who is paying for the next round.
- The one-upper says, "That's not my glass, mine was way bigger."
- The professional trainer does not care if the glass is half full or half empty, he just knows that starting the discussion will give him ten minutes to figure out why his powerpoint presentation is not working.
- The mother of a five-year-old says sweetheart it's whatever you want it to be.
- The consultant says let's examine the question, prepare a strategy for an answer, and all for a daily rate of...
- The inquisitive troublemaker wants to know what's in the glass anyhow... and wants the rest of it.
- The homemaker sees the dirty glass, washes it, then dries it.
- The homebuilder sees does the above, then puts it away in a custom oak and etched glass cabinet that he built himself using only hand tools.
- The worrier frets that the remaining half will evaporate by next morning.
- The fanatic thinks the glass is completely full, even though it isn't.
- The entrepreneur sees the glass as undervalued by half its potential.
- The computer specialist says that next year the glass capacity will double, be half the price, but cost you 50% more for me to give you the answer.
- The first engineer says the glass is over-designed for the quantity of water.
- The second engineer says (when the half is tainted) he's glad he put the other half in a redundant glass.
- The indecisive says the glass is full-empty.
- The Buddhist says don't worry, remember the glass is already broken.
- The logician says that where the glass is in process of being filled then it is half full; where it is in the process of being emptied then it is half empty; and where its status in terms of being filled or emptied is unknown then the glass is one in which a boundary between liquid and gas lies exactly midway between the inside bottom and the upper rim, assuming that the glass has parallel sides and rests on a level surface, and where it does not then the liquid/gas boundary lies exactly midway between the upper and lower equal halves of the available total volume of said glass.
- The scientist says a guess based on a visual cue is inaccurate, so mark the glass at the bottom of the meniscus of the content, pour the content into a bigger glass; fill the empty glass with fresh content up to the mark; add the original content back in; if the combined content overflows the lip, the glass was more than half full; if it doesn't reach the top, the glass was more than half empty; if it neither overflows nor fails to reach the top then it was either half-full or half-empty. Now what was the question again?
- The obsessive compulsive postpones the question until the level is checked, and checked again, and again, and again... 
- The life coach knows that the glass goes from full to empty depending on the circumstances, and reminds the drinker that he can always fill the glass when he wishes.
- The grammarian says that while the terms half-full and half-empty are colloquially acceptable, the glass can technically be neither since both full and empty are absolute states and therefore are incapable of being halved or modified in any way.
- The auditor first checks whether the empty half is material and then designs the audit procedures to obtain sufficient evidence to conclude that the glass is indeed empty.
- The waiter will hurry to replace the glass with a full one. For him there are no doubts: the glass was empty when he took it away; it is full in the bill that he brings you.
- The magician will show you the glass with the full half at the top.
- The physician AND the philosopher say that the glass is not empty at all - it is half-filled with water and half-filled with air - hence, fully filled on the whole.
- The psychiatrist would ask you, "Is the half-empty/half-full glass really that important? I mean... really? Think about it. If fact, let's not. Let's set that particular issue aside for a few moments and talk about why it's bothering you in the first place." 
- The musician says he/she is unimpressed with the promoter of the concert for not providing more alcohol to fill the glass.
- The ineffective Executive team would discuss the question during the board of directors meeting, convene a committee to research the problem, and assign tasks for a root cause analysis, usually without a complete explanation of the problem to those assigned the tasks. The directors would consider the problem to be above the pay grade of those assigned root cause analysis tasks.
- The dog just wonders: can he eat the glass or will you throw it so he can bring it back.
- The cat wonders why the glass is only half full (or empty)... is it a trick... poison perhaps...
- The optimistic eccentric would say the glass is consistently overflowing in order to make room for more liquid.
- The neurotic says, GLASS?! WHAT GLASS?! No one said anything to me about any glass! I guess it's just up to me to figure out what's in the glass now! Thanks a lot, glass!
- The person who just came out of The Matrix says, "There is no glass..."
- The student says the glass is just another dirty trick played by the teacher to prove that students are dumb.
- The researcher says that following initial observation and testing a working hypothesis for further research is: "The glass is both half full and half empty," and that these findings warrant further investigation with a more representative sample of glasses and contents, which may or may not be liquid.
- The algebraic simultaneous equation theorist says that if the glass is equally half full and half empty, then half full = half empty; therefore ½ x F = ½ x E; therefore (by multiplying both sides of the equation by 2) we show that F = E; i.e. Full equals Empty!
- The efficiency analyst says the glass is operating substantially below optimization level, being consistently exactly 50% under-utilized during the period of assessment, corresponding to an over-resourcing in meeting demand equating to precisely 200% of requisite capacity in volume terms, not accounting for seasonal trends and shrinkage, and that if the situation continues there is in theory opportunity for savings or expansion.
- The phobic says yuck, someone drank out of it and left their germs on the glass.
- The salesman will convince you that even though the glass is half empty, you are getting more than your money's worth compared to buying a full glass. The full glass is less expensive because of the economies of producing a common standard version in big quantities, whereas the more expensive half represents much better value because it is more exclusive and better quality, very hard to come by and greatly sought after.
- The customer service rep will agree with you that the glass is half full/empty, and they will do anything in their power to fill the glass up at no extra cost. However, after a full investigation you will be informed that you mistakenly received a half full/empty glass since you only paid for a quarter. You therefore received a half full/empty glass at the price of a quarter-full/three-quarters empty glass. You should consider yourself very lucky, and that any further complaints might result in your having to return the half full/empty glass at your own cost, with no guarantee of any refund.
- Jesus says, "THY CUP RUNNETH OVER IF SUCH QUESTIONING MY WILL CONTINUES."

life summed up: ''the rung of a ladder was never meant to rest upon, but only to hold a man's foot long enough to enable him to put the other somewhat higher.'' -thomas huxley

hey y'all, let's just slather that corn with some butter and mayonnaise!

i absolutely adore this woman!

one year ago today...

a boy gave a girl a ring =)  wish we were married by now, but we're working on it!

and on another happy note, it's 60 degrees today! almost time to go for a hike =)

where in the world?!

i'm already dreaming about how i'll spend my amazing SLP salary in 3-4 years so i decided to make an official must see list of all the places i want to visit one day. a traveling bucket list if you will. facebook has a cool app that let's you map where you've been, where you've lived and where you want to go. it says i've been to 6% of the world and want to visit 15%. surprisingly low, i feel like i want to go everywhere. here's my map:



still to see:
louisiana, texas, new mexico, arizona, utah, nevada, maine, hawaii, alaska!!
british columbia, maybe quebec
mexico, belize, puerto rico, jamaica, barbados, bermuda, aruba
brazil, argentina, peru
ireland, scotland, portugal, greece, turkey, iceland, russia
south africa, tanzania, egypt
india, china, japan, thailand, nepal, vietnam, indonesia
australia, new zealand, french polynesia, cook islands, galapagos islands, easter island
antarctica =D

inspiration

this video is 80% responsible for me considering speech pathology and audiology as a new career path. disclaimer- it's kind of a tear-jerker, but so so sweet =D

live, laugh, LOVE!

a dear friend of mine suffered a tragic loss last weekend when his father was killed, his mother badly injured, and his childhood home destroyed. i've been feeling awful this week, imagining if it were me in his shoes. my heart goes out to him and his family. RIP Mr. B <3

after leaving the wake tonight, my mom asked me if i wanted to come up for dinner. i said no, instead opting for some much-needed alone time, and that matt and i would come up on sunday.

then i realized where i was and what i had just witnessed. i just watched my friend say goodbye to his dad and knew he'd do anything to have the chance to go have pizza with him again. so i called my mom right back and told her i'd be there shortly.

i adore my family, so much more so than i can put into words. i cherish them so deeply. more importantly, i make sure i tell them that all the time. i never leave the house or hang up the phone without saying i love you. i never leave a fight unsettled. i never let the last thing i say to someone before walking away be something negative or hurtful. because the cliche is true - you never know when a moment with someone might be your last.

CHERISH YOUR LOVED ONES. NOT JUST IN GOOD TIMES, BUT IN THE BAD ONES TOO. DON'T WAIT FOR A REASON TO SAY 'I LOVE YOU' OR 'THANK YOU'. DON'T WAIT UNTIL THE HOLIDAYS TO CALL. LIFE IS HARD AND DAYS ARE SHORT, BUT NEVER FORGET TO STOP AND TAKE A MOMENT TO REALIZE WHAT YOU HAVE. LIVE, LAUGH, AND LOVE EVERY CHANCE YOU GET!!!

**xoxo to those not included in this pic. maybe on my wedding day i'll finally be able to have a pic with ALL of my loved ones in it =)

she bangs, she bangs!!

never thought i'd see the day i got straight across bangs. guess i grew some balls in 2011 =D also got a new cut (just layers, can't really see) and new color (red and dark dark brown, also can't really see in pic)

it's a new dawn, it's a new day...

and i'm feelin' good! finally working again. looking at apartments. can move ahead with our wedding. furthering my hobbies. back to eating healthy after near-constant gorging for the holidays. jersey shore's back on. the last thing i need to be the cherry on top - another trip to cali to see cojo!

only 2 weeks in and 2011 already feels heaps better than 2010. cheers!

on a major WTF note, however...in a seemingly pointless move, ''they'' have decided it'd be a good idea to add a 13th sign to the zodiac and switch dates for the 12 existing signs. why would they do that?! my whole life i'm a poster child for aries and now suddenly one day i'm a pisces?!! and just who is the authority on the zodiac anyway?!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

                             MAY 2011 BRING HAPPINESS, HEALTH AND PEACE TO ALL.