It's been a minute

Let's see, what have I been  up to? 

I'll try to make it as quick as possible. I feel like we haven't had much downtime lately, and that trend will likely continue in the near future. Last year, we stayed close-ish to home; at least staying within the United States. We did end up getting TSA PreCheck, which has been AMAZING. After I almost missed a flight out to my Staff Forum last October, we decided to sign up. It has been awesome! In hindsight, I do wish that we would have signed up for Global Entry instead, since we do a fair amount of international travel, but TSA PreCheck helps a lot for domestic travel. 

First, we spent Thanksgiving in Arizona with Colleen and her (err, our?? it's complicated..) family and took some fun photos in the wash for our Christmas cards

Me and sis with matching shirts

We had an amazing time with Colleen and her family. It was also nice to have some extra help with Mark.

We returned home for about ten days before leaving again for a wedding in Florida. The grounds, wedding, and reception were beautiful, however, as you can read about in the link, the caterer left much to be desired! Fortunately we had eaten before we went, since we had a feeling that we might be hungry. Other guests weren't so lucky!

Jay, me, Silvia & Brian at Villa Toscana in Homestead, FL

Despite the wedding debacles, we had an awesome time catching up with friends and making some new ones as well.

After the festivities were over, Jay and I headed south to Marathon for a few days to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary. We didn't like the traditional anniversary gift for this year, so we decided to gift each other with experiences. My gift to Jay/us was a sailing lesson. Jay's gift to me/us was a package of private dance lessons with Dancing on the Shore. It was hard to fit them in, but we enjoyed the refresher. We're hoping to get back into some ballroom dancing!

Oh Captain my Captain

This was the view from the front of our beachfront apartment in Marathon. We stayed at Tranquility Bay in Marathon, and I can't recommend it enough. The entire experience was perfect and we hope to return with Mark in the next few years. After our last trip to Key West, we wanted a place that was a bit more low-key - still a place where you could go have a few drinks, but not such a crazy party atmosphere. We'll be back to Key West of course, but the middle keys seem to be more our speed these days. We also went diving in Key Largo, but that photo didn't download for whatever reason.

Obligatory Santa photo

This is my most favorite Santa ever, he's at the Salisbury Mall - this is the second time we've gone to him. He's fantastic.

Quick trip to New York

We made a quick trip to New York the weekend after Christmas to visit Jay's family. His dad was in the hospital, so we got to see him as well. This is one of the few photos where almost everyone is together in the last few years.

This is from early in the night of my company outing

For the second year in a row upon hitting our special number at work, my boss has rented a limo to take us out with our spouses/guest to Ruth's Chris in Annapolis. This year was quite the debacle and probably left a few people scarred. We had a great time though!

Ocean World in Puerto Plata

In February, we returned to Lifestyles Holiday Vacation Club in Puerto Plata for the first time since having Mark. They suckered convinced us to upgrade our timeshare to the Villa level, which is what we've always wanted. We've tried to book the villas before with our plain old vanilla Studio level without success. But now we can finally book the villa. It's obvious that they are continuing to upgrade and update the resort, and the actual city is looking better than it has in previous times, so I know that the company is improving life for their employees and continuously looking to update their properties. So we will be trying to get to the resort at least once every year or two so that we can take advantage of our membership.

 Outback Beach Safari in Puerto Plata

 My favorite beach at the resort - Serenity Beach

Mark with a new friend and a hermit crab friend in Puerto Plata

This is what happens when you can't reach the dog food at the bottom.

Shortly after this photo was taken, someone tipped out of the dog food container, which broke.

 Mark with his second (errr, third??) cousin & Jay's Goddaughter - "Baby Spatula"

I've always wanted to donate my hair - especially before I start to get too much grey in it. I noticed that my hair had been kind of gross, limp, and I was starting to get a lot of split ends. I have also been starting to find more and more grey hair. I decided that this is the time and cut it off. I donated about 10 inches of hair to Children with Hair Loss. 

Before

After - feels so light!

Other news -- after slowly grinding at the Beachbody thing for a while, I started getting discouraged and a little frustrated. I was never big on the whole MLM kind of thing, and messaging people to join my challenge groups, pushing Shakeology, etc, just felt fake to me. It was taking up a lot of time and I slowly realized that I had NO training or business really to be suggesting this crap to people. I was suggesting fitness programs to acquaintances and people who I hadn't evaluated, not to mention I'm not a medical professional. Yes, I love the programs and they work, but it didn't feel scientifically sound to me. 

So I sent a message to a friend who is a Certified Personal Trainer to get her take on whether I should get a personal training certification or a nutrition certification and she said BE CAREFUL about the nutritionist certification, because really only REGISTERED DIETITIONS can prescribe meal plans and that kind of thing. WHAAAAT?? Then WTF is Beachbody doing?? Makes me wonder if this whole coaching thing borders on being against the law with some of the stuff.

At any rate, I decided to up my game and become a Personal Trainer. You know, with all of my spare time. LOL. I'm not going to do too much with it probably - just do in-home training with a few people here and there, but I wanted something else to hold myself accountable.

For travel this year, I got an AMAZING airfare deal from DC to Brisbane for about $800 roundtrip (thanks to nextvacay.com, so I am actually heading out to visit my aunt next month, but just for a week. After that trip, we have no big plans this summer, then probably a long weekend trip to Idaho for my cousin's wedding, a bucket list trip to Oktoberfest in Munich, then 4 days in Prague (all with a group of about 24 friends). I come back for a few weeks and then I'll be at my company's Staff Forum in San Antonio, where I think I will be presenting some stuff. 

SOOO there's a lot going on this year! I'm tired just thinking of it.

In MUCH sadder news, my baby boy Draco had to be put to sleep two weeks ago. I was absolutely devastated and am still pretty sad about it. He was an amazing cat and I am really going to miss him. He was older and definitely in ailing health. I wasn't a fan of him pooping outside the litterbox and tracking litter everywhere, but I really thought that we had another few years left with him.

Piper is a bit more skittish without him around. I'm not sure how much she misses him, or if she's happy to be the only cat right now, but I think she wants another friend. I do really want another cat and I'm hoping that Jay will warm up to the idea. When I got Draco, what I really wanted was a Maine Coon. I chose him because he was allegedly a MC mix. He definitely had a lot of the same traits, like the chirping that he used to do at birds, and he loved to play in the water. 

Anyway, if I can convince Jay that we need a Maine Coon, I am looking at these two breeders:

RP Cathouse which is pretty close by, and Makanacoon who are in Virginia Beach. I've talked to them both and they have good quality cats. Either way, I wouldn't be bringing a kitten home most likely until the middle to the end of summer. I'm torn though, because I should really be getting a rescue instead. Maybe I'll offset my guilt with a donation to our local shelter. 

So I think that's it for now! I should really be off to bed, I am tired. :)

25 Things in 2014 - how I'm doing

Earlier this year, I posted this list.

Of course I was secretly pregnant, so "survive childbirth" did not make the list. But it should have!

Here's how I did:

1. Pass the Series 7 exam.
   I passed on the first try, even though I was freaking out the morning of the exam and already planning on strategies for the next time.
2. Housebreak our dog.
   I won't say that he's fully trained as far as obedience goes, BUT he is fully housebroken.
3. Finish the fence.
   It's finished, otherwise the dog would be even more obnoxious.
4. Plant a garden.
   Our yard guy has planted some more perennials in our front garden. So yeah, the garden is planted. ;)
5. Finish at least one closet of the two unfinished ones.
   Both closets have drywall and places to hang clothes. I'm calling it a win.
6. Rearrange upstairs bedrooms.
   Totally necessary when you have a baby. We rearranged ALL of the upstairs bedrooms. And did I mention that we bought a king size bed? It was needed. I have no idea how we slept in a queen before.
7. Find pet-friendly accommodations.
   No desire to do this anymore. Maybe one day our dog will be nice to take on vacation, but we often need a vacation from the dog.
8. Take a road trip with our dog.
   See #7.
9. Go on vacation somewhere new.
   We went to Maine in June... it was lovely!
10. Do something that I'm afraid of.
    Considering that childbirth has always terrified me and so has having a kid, then yes, that was a huge fear that I am ending up loving.
11. Blog at least twice a week (or 104 posts for the year).
    Failing hard at this.
12. Spend more time around the water (sunning, diving, swimming, boating, or sailing)
    Failed at this too. Went to the beach a handful of times and no diving while pregnant either. Looking forward to getting back in the wetsuit soon!
13. Try paddleboarding.
    Hopefully next year!
14. Actually send out Christmas cards in 2014.
    I think this is going to happen. We had our photos taken and have ordered the cards from Shutterfly. 
15. Get my wedding ring re-sized.
    Done! 
16. Come up with new savings goals & reallocate funds.
    Done! And now we have more new goals. We are trying to figure out which plan we are doing for Markface with the Maryland Prepaid College Trust. It's a pretty great deal.
17. Spend a weekend in NYC.
    Didn't do this. We are heading to NY in a few weeks, maybe we'll get to the city.
18. Swim 1000 yards (I might finally accomplish this)
    After I got pregnant I wasn't feeling too great and slacked off on my exercise routines. My girlfriend wants to start swimming at the Y, so I am planning to join her and get back in the swing of things. Maybe I can get this done by year-end.
19. Frame and hang at least one of my photos.
    Maybe by year end? 
20. Start foyer photo wall.
    We bought frames and everything. I just need Jay to hang them!
21. Spread some of Dad at Martinak. Maybe on his birthday.
    I meant to do this. Maybe next year on his birthday... he would have been 68 in February. I wish he were still around to meet his grandson. :(
22. Stay in better touch with relatives.
    I'm trying, but I still suck at it. It's much worse now that I have a kid.
23. Log at least 365 miles, walking or running. One mile each day (totally doable!)
    I think I may have done this, but since I haven't kept up with wearing my fitbit or logging on my exercise app, I have no idea.
24. Complete an obedience class with our pup.
    We did this! Unfortunately we need about a hundred more.
25. Throw an awesome dinner party.
    I really can't recall. We probably haven't had many people over but the last year has been such a blur I'm not sure. 

So all of that isn't too bad considering the major life changes that have taken place this year.

I've been back to work for three weeks now. The lack of sleep is pretty brutal, but I'm surviving. The first day of leaving the baby at daycare was awful too. But we are slowly getting into a rhythm, hopefully Markface will start to get with the program and begin sleeping longer. We had been getting anywhere from 4-6 hours each night, even almost 7. Then there are the days that he is up every 2-3 hours, or he'll sleep for 3 hours and then be up every hour, or some combination thereof.

Overall, life is still pretty damn good, even though I am now tired all the time.

Still alive... barely!

So the new job, new puppy and studying have been taking a toll on me. There are also some other things going on, health and family-wise. So add all of those things together and the blogging just hasn't been happening.

One day each week I have a 12+ hour day where I go for work and training in another office. So there is the high intensity of my new position, an average of two hours a night studying for my Series 7, the puppy and trying to eat dinner. And family drama. And trying to still have some time for my husband. Oh, and a lot of insomnia. By the weekends, I am completely drained. Eventually I will attain the knowledge I need, but there are a shit-ton more products than I'm used to - even though I am experienced in the field, it is way more intense than my old positions. Part of me is wondering what the hell I was thinking, but on the other hand, I am being challenged and I know I'll never get bored. There will always be something new to learn!

This has been my mantra recently.

All of that said, the last month has more or less sucked, to be honest. The weather has also not been helping much... all I want to do is hibernate. Between the weather and being tired from the studying/job/puppy/insomnia, I've been anti-social. Going out or seeing people is the last thing I feel like doing right now... if I have any "free" time, I'm spending it napping (with the puppy, that's more attempting to nap) or hanging out with Jay.

And this. I must be mindful of this. I'm feeling very unbalanced in my life right now. I've never tried meditation, so I think I'll be giving it a try. Perhaps it is what I need! Here's hoping for a more upbeat post next time.

So much happening!

The last week has been a whirlwind of activity and insanity. My sister in law came to visit, parties were hosted and attended, last-minutes gifts were ordered, cooking, cleaning, wrapping. 

I'll give a full update soon, I promise.

So I discovered why it seemed that the chickens were slacking off. It turns out that they had a secret stash of about two dozen eggs outside their coop. 

Jay relaxing at home after we returned from vacation.

And meat prep before our party. I had purchased about a 4 pound beef tenderloin over the summer from Giant. I think it was on sale for $8 a pound or so. 

IT WAS AWESOME. Literally one of the best things I have ever made, and so simple. I wish that I had documented each step... and in hindsight, I didn't even take photos of the finished product. I'll have to make it again to post. Basically, I made a rub of salt, pepper, garlic and adobo, then slow-roasted the tenderloin at 300. I finished it by searing each side on the stovetop. I let it rest for about half an hour before slicing it thinly. Then I made a fresh horseradish and creme fraiche sauce, coupled with toast points. 

I'll post more photos from the party and Colleen's visit soon. I think.

In other news, I love the breeder that we originally chose for our Belgian Malinois puppy. However, no breeding has happened/taken since we visited in July (not necessarily his fault), and we really wanted to take our pup home by this time. So basically even if by some miracle, he has a dog bred today - we still would have no puppy until April. Which we have decided is not going to work for us.

Timing wise, it hasn't worked out. I'm evaluating several other options, and if all goes well, we may be taking home a puppy this weekend. There is a female pup who is actually Bear's daughter. I wanted a male, but I mean... her daddy is a movie star. Incredibly intelligent dog from great lines. But she comes with a hefty price tag.

There is another litter that is two weeks old, from Broadcreek Kennels. There is some negative press about them, so while they are local, I am a bit wary. They are also showline Malinois, where we wanted more of a working dog. 

And finally, I happened across a litter of pups on a commercial website, then found a Craigslist listing for the same litter. Turns out that they would have similar bloodlines as our planned original Triple E pup.

In other news, I decided to take that job offer. I gave notice at my present job last Friday. They were upset, but took the news pretty well overall. My last day with the group will be January 17th. 

I'll be taking a week off to prepare for the new job. I'll also begin studying for my Series 7 exam soon. Probably the 2nd week of January. Originally we were thinking of going diving with that week off, but that's obviously not going to work with a new puppy. 

Next year will be an exciting one for sure. Lots of challenges in 2014, but I am looking forward to them.

My Work Day, by the Numbers

Number of minutes late...

Departing my house: 11 (0641)

Arriving at the hospital for 0730 meeting: -11 (0719 arrival)

Starting the staff meeting: 6

Traffic...

School buses and other vehicles driving 5 mph under the speed limit: 3

Yellow lights sped through: 2

Gracefulness...

Panera bags and boxes to carry for breakfast meeting: 5

Panera handles that ripped off and sent breakfast items tumbling onto parking lot: 1

Times dropping my personal laptop onto the pavement: 1

Laptop cords tripped over: 3

Coffee spills down the front of my sweater: 2

Stains removed from sweater using soap & water: 0

Head-Desk...

Corrections to meeting minutes (by one incredibly picky manager): 8

Go-To-Meeting problems: at least 10

Times that I had to mute a director who was causing an echo: 6

Minutes meeting took: 107 

Winning...

People given OJ and coffee from my cart who I met passing in the halls: 7

Working Hours left until my 4 day weekend: 6

Days until vacation: 10  

Just keep swimming running. Another 5k Friday. And a date to see Catching Fire tomorrow. And my third year of attending an awesome Thanksgiving celebration with friends who are family to me. Unfortunately Jay has to work, so we'll be having second Thanksgiving with my mother on Saturday. Hopefully there will also be some time to pack this weekend.

Wordless Wednesdays - How I'm feeling

First World Problems

Remember when I was feeling out of sorts a few months back?

I'm feeling a little stressed at the moment. But in a good way. Today I met with the person about the job opportunity I mentioned in the aforementioned post. I didn't think that the person was going to be able to provide me with a reasonable offer. So I wasn't worried about our meeting today. In fact, I was completely unprepared for our meeting.

As a matter of fact, this week I told Jay that I felt a little bit guilty for wasting the person's time. After all, there's no way that he could possibly compete with my awesome benefits at my current job.

When we were setting up our meeting, my possible future boss said he was going to make me an offer I couldn't refuse. 

And then he did. Or he at least has given me a LOT to think about.

I have a few weeks to give him an answer. He wants me to start January 1st. It's bad timing, as my  vacation is scheduled during the second week in December. I'm also considering taking a week off between jobs. And then there is the annual Christmas bonus, which I doubt that I'll get if I'm leaving. 

I don't want to leave my present employer in a bind. And I really love my new boss, our Regional Medical Director. I also really like the directors and the people that I've made friends with here. I'm finally starting to fit in, I think.

But then there's no chance for advancement here. Unless I wanted to go work in the Baltimore offices. 

Am I happy plugging along in a fairly simple job, where I have to deal with jerks fairly frequently (just had someone today whining about their schedule)? I make a good wage and have excellent benefits, except for vacation. Or do I take an opportunity where in just a few years, I may be working in a managerial capacity. Definitely more skill involved with this position, and I'll have to get my Series 7 license pretty much right away. But I'll also get an extra week and a half off. And a slightly shorter commute.

My possible-future-boss did tell me that I was free to call my position whatever I wanted. So that's kind of fun. He said that as long as I get Registered Assistant next to my name ASAP, he doesn't care what I call my position. 

With this offer, I've felt a bit like my friend Kelly who has joked about having a four leaf clover shoved up her ass. When so many people are unemployed or underemployed, I find it a little overwhelming that someone has sought me out for this opportunity. The whole process has been more like a reverse interview.

So if I go through with all of this, it means that I'll probably end up scrapping that Social Work degree and going for my Business Administration degree. 

First world problems, I know. 

My Week

It's been a very busy week at work and home. So not much time for posts.

Had to put up this sign at work... people here have problems closing the fridge door 

Yesterday I performed surgery on our laminating machine. File this under "other duties as assigned."

And some leftover bananas from our trip to Lake Rawlings that never made it out of the back window of my car. Yuck.

This afternoon I'm off to Lewes, DE for a stress-free weekend with many of my favorite ladies. I am looking forward to margaritas and slutty pumpkins. We are planning on relaxing, drinking and stuffing our faces. And maybe a run on Saturday at the park and some kayaking.

I am debating whether it's worth it to bring my camera. I'm sure there will be lots of opportunities for photos, but I don't think I want to deal with anything bigger than my iphone.

Out of sorts

Hello fellow readers. All five of you! 

I’ve been sick, out of sorts, and pulled in many directions. I also had an overwhelming amount of fun (including a random meeting of Kelly's sister) over the weekend. So I'm still a little tired from last weekend's shenanigans. I hope to post about my crazy fun weekend, but alas I have no photos! That may be for the best, as it involved swimwear and a floating cooler. 

But I digress.

Lately I’ve found my life defined by quotes from the Lord of the Rings. I make no apologies for my use of LOTR references in this post. Consider yourself warned!

“They’re scattered, divided, leaderless.”

My thoughts are scattered. There has been a lot to think about lately. Just a few weeks ago, I thought that I had it all figured out 

Shortly after writing about my deep thoughts, I sent my application and transcripts to Chesapeake College to start the process of getting my BA in social work.

Last Wednesday, I talked to someone about a job opportunity in the financial services industry. It would be similar to the work I did at my last job with Wilmington Trust.  It wasn’t an interview - just a chat to learn about the position and the person’s vision going forward. Aforementioned person heard that I’m an ideal candidate for the position. It was a nice ego boost for someone to approach me about a job when I’m not even looking.

Like I said in an earlier post, I like my current job. I don’t love it because I feel like I’m not making much of a difference. This particular opportunity would in some ways let me make a difference. Helping people achieve their financial goals makes a difference. I can get behind that.

However, I’m not the kind of person who would leave their employer after such a short period. I also don’t know if this opportunity is the right fit. There is definitely a lot of risk involved. My current position is stable and has awesome benefits. There is also a new regional director coming onboard next month who I think is going to be great to work with. But I have been leaderless since July, and I’ve felt a bit afloat here despite the local directors calling me  “Boss.”

"I'm old, Gandalf. I know I don't look it, but I'm beginning to feel it in my heart. I feel thin, sort of stretched. Like butter scraped over too much bread."

  

Then there’s that 4 year degree on my bucket list.  If I ultimately decide to pursue the financial services position, do I get my business admin degree, which I’m not all that excited about… or do I proceed with my BA in social work?  Ultimately I can go on to get my MSW. Maybe I could even knock out my MSW before 40 if I work really hard. It’s only 7 years away, I have to be realistic.

Perhaps I have career ADHD. Or regular ADHD. Or maybe it’s just my personality: 

What ENFP’s are actually searching for, however, is more mental in nature, such as words, ideas, or possibilities (i.e., Ne). ENFPs are constantly generating new ideas, associations, and quips. They can often seem random, scattered, distracted, and flighty and, rightly or not, are commonly diagnosed with ADD or ADHD.

Like other NP types, ENFPs place high value on their personal experiences when it comes to discerning truth. Though not to the same extent as ESFPs, for ENFPs, “experiencing is believing.” Because of the high value they place on their personal experiences, ENFPs may feel they cannot fully know themselves until they have tried just about everything (contrast this with INJs, who feel they know whether they will like something without needing to experience it). For this reason, ENFPs are quintessential seekers and dilettantes, wanting to experience as much of life and the world as is humanly possible. In many regards, the interests and aspirations of ENFPs are infinite. This can be nothing less than exhausting for those trying to stay apace with them.

I think that’s enough seriousness for now. 

  

“We dwarves are natural sprinters! Very dangerous over short distances!” 

This weekend I’m running my first 5k. I slowed my progress a few weeks ago, thinking that I would still be finished the program in plenty of time. Then I got sick and missed a week and a half of runs. Then I hurt my knee. Then I read an article that said to avoid injuries, run faster. Of course I couldn’t keep up with my fast pace and had to walk a lot. Like Gimli, I’m a natural sprinter.

And you know what? I am way faster doing a walking/running combination than I am running at a sustainable pace. So I’ll be walk-running this 5k. I have one run left before Saturday and I’m going to try to get my endurance up. That means running the entire 25 minutes of my Week 7 Day 2, but at a slower pace. I’m not sure what I’ll do on Saturday, but my main goal is to finish in 45 minutes or under. I think that is more than doable.

I’m not sure that running will be my main exercise after I complete the C25k program (on pace to finish on or around September 22^nd) but I will probably try to run once or twice a week in addition to other exercise. In a perfect world, I’d like to do a combination of yoga, pilates, running, swimming and elliptical each week. With some ballroom dancing thrown in. Jay and I were talking about taking lessons again since we had such fun learning scuba together. Of course he’s all into MMA at the moment. So perhaps the ballroom dancing will have to wait.

Oh, and look at the message that my tea gave me today:

I feel like I'm a little too much into experiencing myself lately. I think that I need to get out of my own head a bit. 

Well said, Bilbo. Some time off would be swell. Who wants to tell my boss that I need a mental health week?

 

Deep thoughts

“You’ve been doing a lot of thinking,” said my massage therapist.

“You must be psychic. You should combine psychic services with massage therapy,” I said.

No psychic ability needed; people who suffer from migraines or do a lot of thinking tend to have a ton of tension in the muscle that goes into the base of their skull. She told me the name of the aforementioned muscle, but I was too busy enjoying my massage to recall the name. Although I suffer from migraines, I haven't had one since my last massage, so I agreed with her clinical impressions. I also had a terrible run later that evening. The next day I learned that you’re not supposed to take part in strenuous exercise after having a massage. Good to know! But I digress…

There’s been a lot to think about recently. I’ll start with the potentially less life-impacting thing first: purchasing another car. We’re going to keep Jay’s truck Charlene as well as sweet Roxie, who has nearly 300k miles on her. Roxie is a great commuter car and good for at least half a million miles. We also wouldn’t get much money for trading her in. There are so many decisions to be made. New or used? What should we buy? SUV or wagon? There are a lot of models in the running. Jay wants a new car and thinks that is where all the deals are. Although I would love a new car, I’m leaning towards used so that we can get more bells and whistles (heated leather seats are awesome).

Now on to the real thinking – about life. I’m not passionate about my job. I’m not making a difference. Although I’m sure that if you asked some of the physicians, I’m making a difference in their lives by giving them a terrible schedule. I also listen to them whine and gripe about each other (the inference I get is that I'm also supposed to do something about the offender). Sometimes the complaints are legitimate, others not so much. Apart from the occasional “Thanks for the great schedule!” emails, there isn’t much enjoyment I get from work apart from my paycheck. Of course, this is not to say that I don’t like my job.  I gain satisfaction from completing a project or compiling and presenting data in new and exciting ways. I’m happy when people tell me that I’m doing a good job. These are basic things, but it keeps me sane. I’ve made a few friends. The money is decent and I like my bosses. This will do for at least the next few years.

However, it’s time for me to start thinking about #26 on my 101 list. That is “Figure out what I want to be when I grow up or figure out my degree path.” This happens to coincide with #8 on my bucket list: Get my 4 year degree. 

The fastest way to that four year degree is through either a business administration degree or a psychology degree. A psych degree is pretty much useless unless I’m planning to get a PhD (however I may do a double major just because I have so many psych courses already). The business administration field is just not my thing. A marketing approach might be fun so that I could be creative, but I don’t see myself as the business type. With a degree in social work, I could earn my master’s degree while working in the field. Ultimately, I’d like to either have my own private counseling practice or work in the schools. The benefit to working in the schools is that I would finally have that extended vacation time that I’ve been looking for. School counselor jobs are hard to come by around here, so I would have to be patient for an opening to come up.

Fortunately for me, Salisbury University offers a bachelors and masters of social work through the Higher Education Center at Chesapeake College. From the information I’ve been able to track down, there are four or five general ed classes that I’ll need to take before being able to enroll in the social work curriculum. I’ll find out which ones those are when I meet with an advisor, but I’m pretty sure they will be bio and history courses. 

As usual, this epiphany occurred a little too late for me to get my act together and sign up for fall classes. I will have the next few months to prepare my mind for the spring semester and make some tough decisions about how much time I can devote to the organizations that I love. 

Wordless Wednesday

Experiences and Choices

I'll apologize for this rambling post. There have been a few different versions as I was trying to work stuff out. I considered never posting it at all, but just in case it helps someone out, I thought I should put it out there. Maybe someone googles, "reverse culture shock" or "yearning for something more." Or maybe even "crumb snatchers." Who knows. But I hope that someone reads it and can relate to it.

Yes, this place is real. I've been there. I took the picture.

Since I returned from my trip, I’ve been suffering from reverse culture shock. Yes, I know it's a bit ridiculous since I was gone for only three weeks. Plenty of other people go on holiday, ahem, vacation for a month or longer, although not typically in the good ole USA. People hardly even use all of their meager vacation time here. On the other side of the ocean (in either direction), lots of young adults take gap years to travel the world. Oh how I envy them.

Your experiences change you. Sometimes the changes are temporary; others are permanent changes.

When I was 25 and my father died, it changed me permanently. It aged me in many ways. I realized that nothing is ever certain. It made me desperate to cling to anything that was the norm while he was alive (i.e. ex-boyfriend who I should’ve ditched way sooner). It made me a little on the impulsive side… since nothing was ever certain, why not live for today and for this very moment. I did a lot of stupid shit. 

But… I learned. Time and experience are the best teachers. Time and experience can change you. Yes, you’re still you… but a better version of you (hopefully).

Visiting Australia and New Zealand has changed me. In some ways I know that the changes will be temporary; jet lag, being back at work, driving (okay, riding – Jay did all the driving) on the other side of the road… the usual stuff. Mostly it's given me a yearning for something more. A new childlike wonder of the world - it's such an amazing place. People on the other side of the planet speak our language, yet are different in so many ways from us. For the first time, I think I would be more than capable of joining Josh Gates and his crew from Destination Truth. Searching for ghosts in Antarctica? That sounds fun! Diving to search for mermaids in Israel? Count me in! 

Survived the double waterfalls of doom. One of the craziest things I've ever done and I loved every second.

My life seems to have come to a crossroads. Or maybe I just think it’s at a crossroads. Maybe this wouldn’t be so panic-inducing if this hadn’t come at a time when we are finished the house, financially stable and planning for little crumb snatchers. Maybe because of aforementioned crumb snatchers, I want a better life for them. A better life for them and me - which means getting as far away as possible from immediate family members who drive me mad. Or maybe I'm just enjoying my life so much that I'm worried that kids will put a damper on my vacation plans. Sorry kids, we're not going to Disneyland - we're going to Uruguay.

There is an Aborigine with a didgeridoo in this picture. I wish I'd been able to frame him playing it.

Australia is an amazing country. I love the people, the lifestyle, the egalitarian society, the free healthcare. Australia is a liberal’s utopian world (apart from the blatant racism that I witnessed, which was bizarre and went against everything they seem to stand for). They eat healthier and seem to take better care of themselves than Americans. People there are engaged with each other; you see them being more aware of their surroundings and not occupied with their phones. And most of them seem genuinely happy. 

Bill Bryson is one of my favorite authors (I swear I'm going somewhere with this). Perhaps it’s because he writes travel books and I adore his sense of humor. His book In a Sunburned Country is my current favorite. After visiting the country, there is just no way that I could better summarize Australia.

Here are two of my favorite excerpts:

“The fact is, of course, we pay shamefully scant attention to our dear cousins Down Under- not entirely without reason, of course. Australia is after all mostly empty and a long way away. Its population, just over 18 million, is small by world standards - China grows by a larger amount each year- and its place in the world economy is  consequently peripheral; as an economic entity, it ranks about level with Illinois. Its sports are of little interest to us and the last television series it made that we watched with avidity was Skippy. From time to time it sends us useful things-opals, merino wool, Errol Flynn, the boomerang - but nothing we can't actually do without. Above all, Australia doesn't misbehave. It is stable and peaceful and good. It doesn't have coups, recklessly overfish, arm disagreeable despots, grow coca in provocative quantities, or throw its weight around in a brash and unseemly manner.”  (since publication Australia's population is now at 23 million)

“The people are immensely likable— cheerful, extrovert, quick-witted, and unfailingly obliging. Their cities are safe and clean and nearly always built on water. They have a society that is prosperous, well ordered, and instinctively egalitarian. The food is excellent. The beer is cold. The sun nearly always shines. There is coffee on every corner. Rupert Murdoch no longer lives there. Life doesn't get much better than this.” 

When I arrived in Brisbane and hopped in my aunt’s car, I felt like I was going home. It felt strangely familiar. Three days spent in Coolangatta reminded me of going to Rehoboth Beach as a kid. It just felt right.

So I’m mourning the loss of my vacation and missing my auntie. I’m also wishing that I didn’t have this daily drudgery of going to work. I wish that I could do something else. In Australia, of course. What that is, I’m not quite sure. Don't get me wrong, I have a great job here. It pays well for the area (it should for some of the crap I put up with) and I have a nice flexible schedule. I even like most of the people that I work with. I also have FANTASTIC health insurance. Vacation time, not so much. But yes, it's a job and I am thrilled to be there.

Then there is the question:  Would my personality type even allow me to have a job that I adored 90% of the time before getting bored? I've probably changed my mind 10 times in my adult life about what I want to be when I "grow up." Just in the past year I've given serious thought to becoming a nurse or a social worker. Even my associate's degree is in general studies. With an emphasis in psych and business, of course. One of these days I need to just pick something and get a 4 year degree. One day. Here or somewhere else.

Maybe I could be a professional expressionist? Is that a  job? I'm great at making faces!

Okay, enough with the rambling. The next paragraph is what I've been trying to get at this whole time.

Since I’ve been home I’ve investigated how I can get to Australia permanently. If I ultimately decide that OZ is where I belong, getting there will be a huge challenge, as getting a visa to live there permanently isn’t easy. There are an awful lot of big decisions to make, but they start with small steps. However, the steps start with big decisions like what I should actually get a degree in. Or if I should take up something like becoming a wool classer or no, wait... a poultry farmer! Seriously. The wool classer is on the state sponsorship page for Western Australia as an occupation in demand. The poultry farmer is on a second list called schedule 2, where they have other occupations that they issue limited numbers of visas for. Hey, I'm kind of a poultry farmer. This hobby of mine might get me to OZ after all.

Fun with Grandma Grande's Furs

All of that said - to feel like I’m taking action I’m getting my open water diver certification. In some weird way, it's a connection to Australia for me. Becoming a scuba instructor (which itself would certainly take a lot of time and cost a lot of $$) is probably not the route that I would go to get to OZ, but getting my open water would be the first step. So on July 10th, I'll be strapping on 60 pounds of gear and jumping into the pool. I'm sure that I'll be thinking more clearly then.

More photos of the trip and less rambling about my life to come soon, I promise. Maybe even this weekend. We have a 202 list (101 wasn't enough) from our journey, which I'm hoping to share. Although there are a few things on that list not for public consumption! :)