My awesome girls!

I have no children of my own, but I have two rather amazing nieces. Check them out. (My mom sent me this video so I can see them while I'm living here in Ukraine.)

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Screaming Sea Lion Video

!

My mother is amazing. When we were getting ready to wrap up our time in Newport yesterday, she pulled out her iPod Touch and she started filming. Yep. These sea lions are barking up a storm and it's hilarious. I imagined that they were yelling at us.

"Hey, we're napping! Quit staring at us and taking pictures. Do I take pictures of you when you're napping?"

Anyway, I still totally invaded their privacy by taking pictures and laughing at them. Poor sea lions

Daycation 08.10.2011

Daycation: A day of rest in which you can do anything and everything you want as long as it’s completely unrelated to your daily activities. (Note: eating and drinking is expected in a Daycation, preferably of the special kind, you know… splurge! -both in calories and expense!)

Today was my daycation with my dad. You see, I’m leaving to Ukraine in just five days so my pops and I wanted to have a quality day of hang out time before I left for eleven months. My mom was supposed to be headed out of town so we decided to spend the day she left on an adventure of my choice. Well, as I started to think of ideas, I decided that I really just wanted my dad to be happy so I tried to get him involved. First, I wrote a list on my nametag at work. When I got home, I made him a short list. When he asked for more details, I expanded the list and wrote ideas for exactly what we could do/listen to during our fun day.

What I didn’t realize the whole time I was coming up with ideas was that I was really just stressing my dad out. He wasn’t excited because he didn’t know which choice was the right one. They were all GREAT choices, all he needed to do was to pick one.

Last night (Tuesday night), we had settled on a new plan. We would go to Portland to OMSI… and if we decided we didn’t want to go there, we would head to the zoo… Well, this morning that whole plan changed. Somehow, we made a plan to go to breakfast in McMinnville and then to go to the coast. It was madness.

It took at least two and a half hours to eat breakfast in Mac. The place we went turned out to be a bit snobbish, the kind of café where you need to know the owner to get a table quickly. But the banana pancakes were good. It was twelve before we were headed to our car to go to the beach. When we were just walking around downtown, I had texted my mom to invite her to join us. She texted back “no” but then changed her mind thirty minutes later. I was already past Sheridan when Dashboard Confessional’s “Stolen” was stealing the dead air in the car. My mom was calling my cell phone to beg me to pick her up.

We did it. After all, the old lady tends to make outings a bit entertaining. So… an hour and a half AFTER that phone call, we were back on our way, on the road to Newport.

Ah… Daycation. I was glad that I had made a list of ideas, but I’m glad that we were flexible enough to not do most of the things on the list. There were just too many things to do. And it was daycation. We weren’t supposed to worry about anything. It was a day to relax. Wonderful…

I’m glad the daycation turned out well. Sure I ate too many calories and my quest walking adventure was vetoed, but I still had a good time. I took tons of pictures, got my Rogue ID card picture taken with Puddles the Duck, and got to hear sea lions bark at each other. Just another rad day on the Oregon Coast, yes?

God ain't no wizard

When I was a little girl, I thought God was some kind of powerful sorcerer who could change my life like he did to the Israelites in Exodus with the locusts and the frogs and boils. I didn’t realize that God was the sit-back kind of guy, the grandfather who sits on his chair with his reading glasses and his book when his children play outside and eat their grandmother’s cookies while she fixes them dinner. Since I believed God was a wizard, I prayed to ask him for big things. The biggest and most constant prayer was that God would make me skinny. I was young and fat. I ate plenty of chocolate and loved my orange soda. I’m pretty sure I loved all food and would try to eat the same portions as the rest of my family because that was “normal” or something. I wasn’t aware that God couldn’t jump in and make me thin or that I was in fact in control of my own weight and body. Now at 28, I have figured it out. I joined Weight Watchers in October and have been eating the right foods and getting exercise to help me get down to a healthy weight. Last night, I got my 50-pound medal/token. I am thrilled. I feel better. I walk faster and I wear t-shirts that don’t hug my fat too much, mainly because there is less fat to hug. It’s exhilarating. I’m glad that I’ve started to figure things out. God is no wizard… got that. Eat healthy foods… getting that. And enjoy life… ah, I’ve been doing that for 28 and a half years.

witches and magic

I grew up in a bit of a conservative household. We dressed up for Halloween, but my mom wouldn’t ever let us be witches. Even when we were little and we watched Hocus Pocus, my mom thought that it wasn’t a good idea to dress up as the Sanderson Sisters. I wanted to be Sarah Jessica Parker’s character because she was blond and she was pretty. It didn’t matter though, because I was a chubby kid and as I said, we were forbidden from dressing as witches. I kind of left it alone after that, but then Harry Potter happened. First there were the books, then the movies, and then there was the lecture I sat in on at Oxford. An Oxford professor talking about witches? Sure!

My first attempt at dressing up as a witch was Halloween 2007 in Ukraine. I was a teacher and I wanted to throw my students a classic Halloween party. We bobbed for apples, ate Ukrainian donut shaped treats off strings, and danced to some happenin’ music. I dressed up a witch, partly because as an adult I had every right to do what I wanted and partly because I had a black shirt and skirt and making a cape wasn’t going to be very hard to do. I looked great…and scary. See?



Okay, so in this picture I don't look TOO scary, but still. I look dirty, right?

So yesterday, I went to watch the final Harry Potter movie with my friend, Chris. She dressed up as Professor Trelawney and quite frankly, she had the BEST costume in the whole place. I didn’t plan ahead so in about 45 minutes, I threw together a purple Rita Skeeter outfit. I was only missing the true ringlets in my hair and a quill. It was great.



This morning (or early afternoon), I am recovering from the midnight movie by lounging in my PJs, writing on my mac as I watch The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. It’s a great one. And again, it has that magic stuff. I love it! There’s something about magic and witches that I like more than all the vampires and werewolves that are so popular these days.

To be honest, as far as Sci-Fi/Fantasy goes, witches would always be my choice. My cousin loves the dragon stuff. My sister loves vampires and werewolves. My brother loves werewolves. I love witches and magic. I just do.

TWO POUNDS!!!

This is the first time I’m writing about it on any of my four blogs, but readers, I am a member of Weight Watchers. It’s true. I joined back in October and have been working hard to shed those pounds ever since. I’ve lost over 40 pounds, but here’s the thing, I seem to be a bit stuck. UGH!!!! What is going on? I’ve been going up and down, up and down, ever since the week of my birthday. My birthday was over two months ago. Yeah. I know. Two months of teeter-tottering is too much. It’s time to get down to business. I’m RECOMMITTING to Weight Watchers. It’s a fact. I’m going to go back to the Weight Watchers tracking sheets. And I am going to do it right. I think all we need sometimes is to start fresh, you know. Couples “start again” all the time. Each day is fresh with no mistakes (at least that’s what I learned from Anne of Green Gables). So tomorrow is day one of Rece Weight Watcher Part II. Please feel free to check-in and see how I’m doing or better yet, join me in this new adventure. Stay tuned for more. ☺

Some assembly required

Have you ever bought a piece of furniture that is fully intact? The box screams, “no assembly required.” You tear open the box, pull out the bookshelf, unfold it and TADA! You can put books on the shelf because it is ready. I love that feeling. I don’t need a screwdriver, hammer, or friend to help me. I pull it out of the box and feel as if I have accomplished some big feat. This feeling of accomplishment is a farce. I deserve no credit for the shelf. Someone else did all the grunt work.

The realization came to me yesterday as I put together small parts of dental chairs. I am working in a factory, you see. I got a summer job to help me pay the bills my “real” job at the school didn’t cover. It’s not my dream job by any means, but it’s going to help me and for that, I am grateful.

So yesterday, I put hundreds of small half rings onto a metal roller. And I made chair backs and put together motors. It was a long, tiring day and at the end of it, I thought, do they really make enough money to cover all the work we’re putting into these chairs. I mean, really, do they? One of my friends used to be a server at a restaurant. She once complained to me that people weren’t tipping her the full 20%. She still gets her regular OREGON minimum wage and yet she’s worried about not getting the HIGH tip? When did tipping go up to 20%? It used to be 15%. So if a crappy waitress/server gets 20% for her lame attempt at serving food, why doesn’t Mary Lou get 20% of the cost of the chair for all the grease she got on her hands, hair, and clothes? I mean, really…

FYI: the factory I’m working at is pretty awesome. They take care of their employees and even their temps (like me). This post has nothing to do with the company, but at the thought… why don’t we tip those hard workers who hurt their hands when fixing the sewing machine that makes our jeans or the craftsman who makes our kitchen table? And if we can’t afford that, can’t we at least give them a shout out?

Note: I would like to thank worker 12 for making my Levi’s jeans so fabulous and…

ain't no elves in this house

The Elves and the Shoemaker. It’s a great tale. The shoemaker cuts out all the leather, gets his tools ready for the morning work, and goes to bed. When he wakes up, the shoes are waiting for him. His work has been done. He can go through the rest of the day without worry or stress. Unfortunately for me, the elves and the shoemaker is just a story. Elves don’t come into your house and turn your fabric pieces into a beautiful dress when you leave your sewing machine out on the table.

Let’s start at the beginning. Last Saturday, my mom and I went to town so I could get a haircut and we could get pedicures. I picked out green polish, knowing I was graduating in a little over a week and that my cap and gown were Oregon green. After the beautification process, we went to Jo-Ann Fabrics to get some white fabric to protect my dad’s pool cover. When we were there, I saw that Vogue patterns were only $2.99. I found a perfect sundress pattern and decided to get it for my collection of patterns for when I become a real seamstress. Well, my mom saw it and said, “Let’s make it for your graduation.” My eyes got kind of big. I mentally calculated how much money was in my checking account. Then I counted the days until I was set to walk in my cap and gown. “Are you sure we can do it?” I asked. “Sure,” she said. So I went to the fabric section and I picked out pretty green fabric.

When I got home, I washed the fabric. Then I ironed the fabric, which my mom said I didn’t do very well. It’s true. I never was very great at ironing.

A few days later, I started to cut out the pattern and fabric pieces. This is only the second time I’ve ever cut out patterns and fabric. The first was to make an apron that is about two sizes too large for me.

The cutting continued for a few days. We’d run out of fabric and had to purchase more. Before we knew it, it was Saturday night. We were set to leave to Eugene at eight Sunday morning. That didn’t happen. Instead, my mom was up until three in the morning trying to help finish the dress. It’s not done. Right now at 9:22 Sunday, the pieces are still hanging over my Grandma’s old kitchen chairs. I am very little help. If I knew how to sew with any basic level, the sewing machine would be running right now. Instead, I dwell on the fact that my life isn’t a fairy tale and elves don’t come into my house to do work. Hmm. Maybe now that I’m an overeducated classroom assistant, I should learn how to sew with efficiency.

graduation day

Ten years ago today I was scrambling around my house. All four of my siblings were moving around the house, making last minute preparations. I had a paper and pen in my hand and was working to finish my valedictorian’s speech before I had to drive to school. It was graduation day and I was basically moving around like a crazy person. My biggest concern was to spend as much time with my best friends as possible before we all moved on to great and exciting lives. I’m starting to believe that I was a bit delusional in high school. Sure I was book smart and school smart, but when it came to life smart, I was pretty much on a cloud where I ate chocolate and swam in a pool all day. Ten years has changed me. I now believe in the real world and I pay attention to how much chocolate I eat. The one thing that hasn’t changed is that last minute madness. What is the attraction of procrastination and how can I tell him to get lost? I’m still working on that.

fire-broiled pecans

I almost died today. I was broiling some pecans to put in my pralines when I started to smell the pecans. I thought, oh crap, they’re probably a little burnt. I opened the oven door and AHHHH!!!! Flames! The flames were jumping off the pan. My life flashed before my eyes. I was pretty sure my parents’ house was about to go up in flames. It was awful.

Now here’s the rough part. I didn’t know what to do. Throw water? Call 911? Get the fire extinguisher? I ran to the garage, pulled out the fire extinguisher and took it back to the kitchen. The extinguisher is probably older than me and I had no idea what to do with it. I ran back to the garage and got the gigantic extinguisher my dad probably uses to put out field fires. The pin was already out. I figured it was dysfunctional. I called my mom, not 911. The fire was small, I thought. No need to call the cops. She didn’t understand what I was saying, probably because I was screaming into the phone. “Water? Do I use water?” I shouted. After three tries, I got my answer. Yes. I was supposed to use water. I got the bowl out of the cupboard causing a small finger wound. Then I put it out. I wasn’t dead. I had survived. My parents got home a while later. I got a mini lesson in broiling pecans, fire extinguishers, and how to keep my cool in an emergency.

A few hours later, I started making the pralines again. They kind of turned out. I blame the fire; it put me on edge.

The pleasures of being young

Small Clothes. That’s the best part about being a little person. You have small clothes. Packing is simpler. You have a small body, thus your clothes are smaller so really, you can fit more in a bag. Other people take the big stuff. Older siblings. Parents. They’re the ones who pack the sandwiches and juice. You just have to take your bag of clothes. Your life is easy. Waiting. Sometimes it’s rough, especially when you are really looking forward to the trip. Other times, it allows you to finish small projects, write a few letters, and maybe even start reading that book you really love.

Dreams of pirates and the like

Bad dreams. Bleh! Who needs them? As a kid, I could sense when the bad dreams were coming on. To stop the haunts, I would tell my favorite teddy bear, Pinky, my fears. That only lasted so long. I realized as I got older that I had to clear my head in order to fall asleep. So I would. I would think out and write down every thought I had before I could fall asleep. Only when my mind was clear would sleep find me.

Last night, I read before going to bed. I’d skimmed and read short lists in the most recent issue of Entertainment Weekly. Johnny Depp is on the cover. There’s a whole spread about the Pirates movie coming out in a few weeks. I didn’t realize the Pirate would seep in before I fell asleep. But it did and I just woke up from quite an adventure. I wasn’t truly in danger. I mean, Blackbeard just chased me down some rickety stairs, but he really didn’t have a chance of catching me. I was a lot faster than him. The one thing I do find weird is that the tune from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland overshadowed the Dashboard Confessional song that woke me up. No need to hear about a stolen heart. Why not just sing, “Yo ho. Yo ho. A pirate’s life for me.”

Dog Kicks

So I never had my own dog. I was allowed to have cats, but even the cats were required to stay outside and live in the barn. Dogs just weren’t our family’s thing. Actually, I’m pretty sure dogs were banned because my mom hates dogs. She just does. Because of this, I developed a distaste for man’s best friend as well. Instead of befriending the barking beasts, I always sided with the cat creatures. They were less loud.

Right now, I’m sitting next to the only dog I’ve ever liked. It’s the dog I housesit for and he’s adorable. He also has atrocious breath right now. It stinks. No joke. And… he keeps kicking me. What’s with the kicking, Quincy? Why can’t you just get comfortable and fall asleep already? Your nails keep jabbing into my side. Harumph. Silly dog!

Today I received a birthday card from my insurance company in the mail. Now my life is complete. ☺

How many cans of Diet Pepsi can I have in one day before I should be considered an addict? It’s been that kind of a day. It’s been at least four. Maybe five. There’s something wrong with this picture.

Day Two

It’s day two of thinking happy thoughts and pushing off the negativity. Since yesterday was a struggle, I’ve decided to start today out a little differently. I’m going to start the day with happy thoughts. It may be a bit like Peter Pan, but hey, the kid was smart!

Happy Thought #1: I live in Oregon, the best state in the USA.

Happy Thought #2: It’s only one more week until payday.

Happy Thought #3: After eating ounces and ounces of Jell-o, my hair is finally long again.

Happy Thought #4: Chocolate exists.

Happy Thought #5: Purple is the color of royalty.

Happy Thought #6: The US Postal Service made all first class stamps FOREVER stamps for 2011.

Happy Thought #7: Today is Thursday.

Happy Thought #8: Tomorrow is Friday.

Happy Thought #9: I have really great friends.

Happy Thought #10: My family is awesome.

Happy Thought #11: The Oregon Ducks are a pretty awesome team.

Eleven seems like a good number. It was my first volleyball number back in the seventh grade. Today is bound to be a great day.

Forty Days of Good Thoughts: Starting Now

Being a good person takes a lot of work. It means we have to stay positive, be friendly, and let people we love know how much we care about them. It also means there’s a lot of grinning, letting things go, and taking the higher road. Sometimes, I don’t feel like being a good person. I want to scream, yell, eat too much chocolate, and sleep all day. But that’s not me. I care way too much about doing my best and making a difference to settle into an apathetic lifestyle.

Today was probably one of the roughest days I’ve had in a while. I cried at least three times at work. And when I watched Glory Road this evening, I cried a little again. It was just one of those emotionally charged, completely draining days. And then I decided to finish this blog entry. That’s when I saw a word doc named ASD fascination. I checked the properties. It was from April 18 of 2010 and was about wanting to work more with children with autism. It was strange. Back then I had no idea I would be working at the school I do, working with kids with autism.

I started to think more positively. Perhaps what I do matters. Perhaps it’s good that I work where I do. Maybe I’m exactly where I need to be for the time being.

I’m sure today isn’t going to be my only rough day and I’m sure that in a few days, I’ll feel emotionally and physically drained once again, but at least I can end today on a positive note. My job matters, if for no other reason than that I care about doing my best and making a difference in the lives of the kids I work with.

Oh, and if you want, check out my old blog entry here. It’s kinda cool how things turned out.

Lent

Lent. It starts tomorrow. I didn’t really ever learn about Lent until college when the Nazarene chaplain talked about it at Wednesday’s Ash Wednesday chapel. I got the ashes on my forehead and decided to give up chocolate. It was rough though. I had to wait until after my birthday to eat the candy my mom had sent to me. This year, I’m not sure I’m participating in Lent. But since in the next half an hour I plan to start my Fat Tuesday celebration, I thought it might be good to think about what I could possibly give up. Here are my ideas.

#1: Sarcasm – Nope. There’s no way I could handle myself without sarcasm for 40 whole days.
#2: Chocolate – I’m already on a pretty serious diet. What would be the use of cutting off the random piece of chocolate I consume once every two weeks?
#3: Jelly beans – Nice idea, but I don’t even eat jelly beans unless it’s Easter.
#4: Sandwiches – Sure, the whole idea of Lent is to help you focus more on Holy things by cutting out other idols and obsessions, but I couldn’t give up sandwiches. Come on, I’m a good enough person. Let me have my sandwich! ☺
#5: TV – It’s hard enough to go a weekend without watching TV. Why on earth would I try this for Lent?
#6: Writing – Are you kidding me? You might as well ask me to hold my breath for 40 days. Are you really ready to plan a funeral?
#7: Soda – Ok. This is an idea. But I just tried to cut off soda for a week and only lasted 6 days. Sad.

That’s it. I give up. I’m not sure what I should do for Lent this year. Perhaps I could just try to think happy thoughts. I like that. Be happy for 40 days. It’ll be 40 days towards my goal for 2011. All I want is to be happy. Hmm. I like this.

Happy Mardi Gras, y’all!

st patties

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facebook junkie

When did I ever become a facebook junkie? I’ve got to admit, I’ve been like this for a while. But WHEN did it happen? I get up and I check facebook and VKontakte (the Russian facebook). When I get home from work, I check facebook and VKontakte. I’ve started to give up on the VKontakte because my dear friends I visited in Ukraine haven’t been sending me much love in the past week and a half. I’ll stick to my loving facebook friends. Hmmm… Maybe I need to find that second job so I have more stuff going on. ☺

Fall Walk

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So the I Love My Ducks guys totally crack me up. I just showed my mom the Return of the Quack video... and then this was underneath. Um, gross... and also HILAROUS!

the perfect guy

So as shown in yesterday’s blog post, I like television characters. The truth is that I love television characters so much, I think they should/could be real people. The other day I came up with my version of the perfect guy. He would be as smart as Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory, as funny as Chandler Bing from Friends with the looks of James Franco from Freaks and Geeks.

My father told me such a guy does not exist. Hmph. Maybe I’ll have to figure something else out.

Favorite Television Characters

1. Chandler Bing
2. Karen from Will & Grace
3. Just Jack from Will & Grace
4. Andrea from Samantha Who?
5. Seth Cohen from The O.C.
6. Jack Donaghey from 30 Rock
7. Tracy Morgan from 30 Rock
8. Larry Paul from Ally McBeal
9. Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory
10. Phoebe Buffay from Friends
11. Jess from Gilmore Girls
12. Finn from Glee
13. Rachel from Glee
14. Mercedes from Glee
15. Lucy from I Love Lucy

FRIENDS

I have seen every episode of Friends. It’s true. The Vegas episode happened at the end of my sophomore year of high school. My parents didn’t like the show so I would watch it in my room on their black and white TV. The next year, we got a mini satellite dish and my parents ended up watching it with me. I watched it at 5:00 and at 5:30 and we’d watch the new episodes every Thursday at 8 PM. In college, I skipped the basketball games to watch Friends. This was, of course, way before Hulu existed and we could watch current episodes online. Sure I missed out on one of my university’s main events, but I stayed connected to my loyal friends.

There’s something about Chandler’s nonstop jokes and Phoebe’s clairvoyance that makes me feel at home. I’ve always wanted a group of friends like the ones in Friends. But I’ve always moved around too much or been too busy to constantly hang out with a large group of friends.

I’m watching Friends right now. It’s been the perfect Saturday: watching Friends, editing photos, chatting on Russian facebook, and baking. Ah. Good day at home.

Eleven reasons 2011 is going to be awesome:

1. I’m going to eat gumbo in New Orleans over Spring Break.

2. I work with some really cool people so going to work is actually fun.

3. I’m a year smarter than I was in 2010.

4. I am actually going to the dentist for a regular check up this year.

5. It’s the year of the rabbit. Rabbits are also called bunnies. My last name is Bunn so obviously it’s my year.

6. With the wrinkles of yet another year, I won’t have to pull out my ID as much each time I order a beer.

7. I’m able to enjoy the beauty of Oregon.

8. I discovered How I Met Your Mother at the end of 2010 and now my new love affair can continue into the New Year.

9. The final Harry Potter movie is coming out.

10. I’m learning how to knit, embroider, and sew.

11. I’ve fully committed myself to the Democratic Party and am loving it.

Happy New Year! (four days late)

2011

It has been ten years since I left high school. It’s been almost six since I graduated college. I’ve known my friends in Ukraine for five years. This is crazy. When I was younger, I always wanted the days to go faster so I could enjoy my weekends. I wanted to be able to hang out with my siblings without any distractions of school and homework. But of course, my sibs had friends and hobbies that kept them from my agenda.

In 2011, I know a little more than when I was little Rece. I know that we only get one life. We have to live our lives as if there is no tomorrow. We should be doing the things we want to do NOW and spending time with the people we care about. I finally made it back to Ukraine over Christmas break and I realized how much I love the people and the culture over there. But my life is here in America. And so… I will write more. I will call more often, and I will save money to visit my dear friends.

I didn’t want to make any real new years resolutions this year, mainly because every year I make resolutions, I only follow through with about one or two of them. So in 2011, I aim to be happy. That’s it. I want to be happy at work, in my personal life, with my family, with my money, etc. As long as I’m happy, I’m sure the other things will be as they should be, right? ☺

Happy New Year friends!