I Love The Feeling of Home

Wow, the time at home has been going fast....way too fast. But I think I have done nearly everything. I visited Central & ISU the first days I was home. I have seen Leah & Daniel play basketball. Enjoyed a real snow storm. Visited my grandparents in Spencer and celebrated Christmas. Ate at the bakery way too much. Cleaned Miller Apartments several times. Saw Tricia while she was home for Washington D.C. Visited 1st grade and grandpa in the hospital. Fallen up the stairs and slipped on ice. So yes I think I have done nearly all I wanted to, minus the falling and gramps' trip to the hospital.

I flew into Minneapolis on the 14th and was greeted by grandma, grandpa and mom. We then headed straight to a basketball game at Central Springs, which was nicely on the way home. The next morning I headed to Central to see a bunch of people there and then headed to ISU to meet with a couple people in the athletic department and visit Dena and Laurel. Then it was time to finally settle into Greene with a basketball doubleheader. Daniel played in New Hartford and Leah in Greene. Leah's team is still undefeated and her cheek has healed, she's just left with a small scar that flows into her smile....when she smiles.

The following week we got gobs of snow, pretty snow, real snow...as opposed to the 1/2 inch we got in Oregon. However, that left me and Daniel shoveling the sidewalk by the apartments. After Daniel did the whole driveway, by himself! The apartments have kept me pretty busy, I have have been helping grandma a lot because they were full during the holidays.

David made it home on Christmas Eve after the heavy snowfall, so we were able to celebrate at our normal times. Christmas Day we headed to Spencer and were able to stay for a couple nights before Leah had to return to practices.

Grandpa had a little scare and was taken to the hospital during the night and then had to stay another night while the monitored him. They never nailed down what the cause of his chest pains where, but when he left the doctors told him his heart was in better shape than last time he was there! So we are very grateful it wasn't worse and that he is home.

I have also found myself starting to study for GMATs. I got study guides while I was home and has slowly started working my way through them, knowing I need to get my test taken so I can start applying for schools as soon as possible. But hey I have a whole day of traveling back ahead of me, so why not wait?? (Oh great, the college procrastination is starting to kick in again!)

Hope you all had a splendid holiday season!

Merry Christmas From The Mouws

December 2010Happy Holidays,
I just came into the house from blowing snow off my driveway. There was some where between 6 and 200 inches of snow from yesterday’s blizzard. I decided that the creative juices were adequately flowing and I immediately sat down to type this greeting. At this moment I have enough snot and other types of moisture frozen in my mustache that it might not thaw for 24-48 hours, and my fingers are so numb that I can’t feel the keyboard of my computer. Yet, my wife just said that Sara called and said she was SO sick of the rain they were getting in Oregon. In fact it had filled some ditches and the water was actually “spilling onto the road”…………BOO HOO!

Speaking of Sara, after graduating from Central College last May she found a job as the Assistant Sports Information Director at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. We put a hitch on her 2000 Chevy Malibu and Sandy, Sara and myself headed off pulling a U-Haul on the Oregon Trail. Quite a trip, but we made it with no problems (thankfully) and Sara has enjoyed her time thus far in Oregon with her new job. Thank goodness my brother, Doug, is in Portland and Forest Grove is just outside of Portland. Sara has some family out there and a knowledgeable tour guide!

David is in his sophomore year at the University of Northern Iowa and seems to be enjoying his college experience. He added a part-time job this year to his schedule this year and that keeps him busy along with school. David’s job is at a KWIK STAR convenience store that coincidently is managed by a student of mine that I had in the late 80’s. Kim’s (the manager) father is the custodian at the elementary school here in town. One day he shared with Sandy and I that David was her favorite employee, as he is doing his job well. YES! Sandy and I may have done something right in raising that kid!

Leah is a junior in high school and doing well. Between her academics, athletics, a college course on Wednesday nights and more then adequate times with friends, she keeps herself very busy. Currently she is playing on the girl’s basketball team, which is rated in the top 10 in the state! Having graduated several talented seniors from last year’s team, few expected our team to be back in the top 10. Though they did not start even rated at the beginning of the season, they have managed to go undefeated to this point in the season. This past fall, Leah was voted by her teammates as the MVP of the volleyball team. That was quite an honor for her.

Daniel is an 8th grader and finishing his last year in middle school. A year ago I believe I mentioned that Daniel enjoys being in the middle school musical productions over the years, but has also managed to get a non-singing part. Well, it happened this year, as not only did he have to sing a bit, he actually had a short solo. The talent agents were swarming the stage afterwards to sign him as a recording artist. Funny thing though, he declined all offers and said he would rather play video games right now at this stage of his life. Sigh. Daniel moved to David’s bedroom in the basement, and now refers to it as his “man cave”. It is not uncommon for him to excuse himself to the basement with a friend and not see them for I think sometimes weeks. Video games?!?……maybe Sandy and I messed up there.

Sandy is still teaching first grade and I am still plugging away teaching high school math. For Christmas Sandy and I decided to get a new mattress as our gift to each other and call it good. Now that I think about it, how unromantic is that? I think I’ll surprise her with a pack of gum as well! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

© Jeff Mouw 2010

Book Review: Her Fearful Symmetry

Another book down by a new author, Audrey Niffenegger. The fiction book, Her Fearful Symmetry, is written in British-English, so it took a bit to get adjusted to it. Niffenegger is also the author of The Time Traveler's Wife.

The story starts with twin sisters inheriting their aunt's, their mother's twin, flat in London. They could only inherit the flat and money after they turned 21, lived there for a full year and never let their parents into the flat. After turning 21, the twins move to London and learn the area and meet the people in the building. The twins are connected in all they do and constantly dress the same. Valentina the weaker of the twins is sick of being controlled by Julia and constructs a way to get away from her sister. The idea seems impossible and all that is discovered in the process explains the struggles that separated their mom and aunt.

ACL Story--5 Years Later

5-years ago today, I was a senior playing high school basketball for one of the best teams in the state of Iowa. However, in one step that can all change and it did. Tearing my ACL was not how I planned on ending my high school playing time, but sometimes things happen for a reason. And that reason isn't obvious until years later.

As time goes by I realize there was a reason it happened and I realize there is more to life than sports. Sports will come to an end, but it's what you take away from it that shapes you in the future. I became stronger as a person and mentally prepared to take on new challenges. Going through rehab you literally learn to walk again. It was definitely discouraging at times and I wondered why I continued to push through it, but I honestly can say I am a better person because of it and am very grateful for my orthopedic surgeon, those close to me and the physical therapists I worked with continued to push me. My knee is stronger than it was and I am still able to play the sports I enjoy.

Below is a story I had to write in my Lit class freshman year at Central. It is called a Mystory and it is written in fragment style. A mystory is a combination of an old story tied in with a personal story and the fragment style is written in more of a random thoughts format (much more my style!). I chose to tie together The Little Engine That Could and my ACL story, it was still something that weighed a lot on my mind because it had only been about 10 months since I had had surgery but I was playing college volleyball! How blessed I was!


I Think I Can I Think I Can
On the FloorBroken Down
Everything is going good one moment, the next one wonders what else could happen. Leaving them to wonder what comes next. Everything in their world has halted, while the rest of the world continues.


1. “She puffed along merrily. Then all of a sudden she stopped with a jerk. She simply could not go another inch. She tried and she tried, but her wheels would not turn.”
-- The Little Engine That Could Watty Piper
I am driving down the floor, I see the open girl, I am stopping…”POP!” I hear as a fall to the floor, a massive amount of thoughts are going through my head. “I am done, I did what Indy did.” I tore my anterior cruciate ligament, tears are flooding into my eyes, I heard the crowd gasp together. Everyone is looking at me laying on the floor, they do not know what I did, but I do. Everything was going so good, I was playing for the number one team in the state and now in this split second my world is stopped.

2. “It is now one-hundred years since the earliest known publication, by an unknown author, or the story of the determined little engine.”
-- Roy E. Plotnick
I was the second one on my team to tear my anterior cruciate ligament; everyone knew the story, they did not need an author. The author of The Little Engine That Could is unknown, but everyone knows the story. Between Indy and I people have learned the story behind tearing your anterior cruciate ligament, they get it, but do not care who is telling it. I want to get my story out, but it is the same; a new edition of the same story. The Little Engine That Could was revised and retold, but the story is same.

Finding HelpI think I can I think I can
After falling one has to get up again, but finding the courage to do it is hard. Having outside support and becoming mentally strong are big factors. It is all about convincing one’s self that you can do it.

1. “And she thought of the good little boys and girls on the other side of the mountain who would not have any toys or good food unless she help.”
-- The Little Engine That Could Watty Piper
I knew I could not do this on my own, I needed help. After surgery I did not know how I would ever be able to play again. My parents found me the best physical therapist in the area. I just wanted it to be over with I did not want to go through all the pain to getting better. Kurt and the therapy crew told me I could not get down I had to be set on getting back. I knew they were right I had to convince myself to work as hard as possible. They were the help I needed and I all I had to do was listen and follow their instructions and they would have me back in playing conditions.

2. “I think I can—I think I can—I think I can—I think I can….”
-- The Little Engine That Could Watty Piper
I continued through therapy three times a week, knowing I needed to keep working hard. It was tiring, at times I did get down. I wanted to be playing with my team, who continued to win without me. I was feeling left out, but knew the only way I could get stronger was by going to therapy. Lifting, balancing, walking, jumping and running were all really hard to me I had to preserve through the pain to get where I wanted to go. Whenever anyone asked me how I was, I replied “Great” or “Super”. It was my way of convincing myself that everything was going well, I just needed to keep working.

Coming BackI thought I could
After falling, it is hard to get back on your horse. It is for the personal satisfaction of succeeding. Overcoming the fear is the biggest step in coming back, but it can be done. Just have confidence and the rest falls into place.

1. “Children and adults continue to be reminded that good behavior brings rewards; and that with perseverance, hard work, and self-confidence even the smallest and least likely candidate can achieve great things.”
-- Charles A. Smith
As I continued through therapy I became more confident that I could come back and play. I wanted to come back and show everyone that I was fine and nothing had changed. I may not have been the star on my team, but I knew how to work hard. I had been working hard everyday I stepped into therapy I was there to get better and stronger. I was the sweatiest person there, it was an ongoing joke, but I got a towel out of it. After coming for 4 months they could tell I was serious about getting back in time for softball. I had watched my team win a state championship in basketball and set records at track meets, I was not going to sit out anymore; I was coming back.

2. “And the Little Blue Engine smiled and seemed to say as she puffed steadily down the mountain. I thought I could. I thought I could. I thought I could.”
-- The Little Engine That Could Watty Piper
I did it; after four months and two weeks of struggling physically and emotionally I was cleared to participate again. The first day of softball practice I was there with my team. Carry an extra load, a knee brace, but my spirit was high. I had the people who doubted my ability to comeback, but I knew I could the whole time. For this I smiled, I did not need to rub it in their faces; I just needed to play for my own enjoyment. I had succeed at what I wanted to do for myself.

Life Keeps Moving

Flying home from Oakland, I was miserable because my ears were popping horribly. I was starting to get congested on Sunday morning but that ramped up once the flight took off. After landing I could hear virtually nothing and it hurt, but after doing every ear popping idea in the book I could hear mildly again.

Monday came too quickly and I definitely had a cold and was starting to lose my voice. Tuesday my commitments as an Athena Volleyball Academy coach started. So I worked all day and then coached from 6-10 in Beaverton making it home around 11. My voice was not good and the cold was still there. Wednesday was another practice day but luckily I got a short nap in before practice because it was only from 8-10, but this time I did lose my voice by the end of practice. Thursday was another long day with work and practice from 6-10 and my head coach was gone at 18s practice so I had to run it by myself. I don't think my scratchy-hardly-there voice was taken seriously, but I sure tried! Friday things were starting to improve and Saturday I could talk again!

What I find funny about all of this is: normally I would get more sleep and rest when I am sick, but this week I got less. So I would highly recommend water, orange juice, Airborne
(which I used early in the week) and the Target brand zinc drops (I got in place of Airborne later in the week). They must have been awesome because I made it through a winter cold with lack of sleep!

In other news:
My parents sent me a package this week had ornaments in it, that at the time I thought I was going to have to pin to the wall because we had decided not to get a tree. But little did I know that the a day later a tree was delivered from my mom. So now we have a 3 foot tree complete with Iowa State and snowflake ornaments and a star!

Also as I was listening to my sister's game on the radio on Saturday she got hurt. The radio announcer says: 'Mouw's down on the floor, I think she may have chipped her tooth. The trainers are coming out to take care of her. We are going to take a radio break." At this point, I freak. Why are there trainers out there, cause if it was her tooth she could walk off on her own account and she would! So I call my mom immediately, she answers and tells me she can't talk she's got to go help Leah. WHAT? I am now pacing in my office at work where I was listening to it. So I call my grandma, dad and Daniel to get an update. Daniel so rudely hangs up on me because he isn't at the game and no else answers. The radio announcer finally comes on again and says "Mouw has left the gym, I don't think we will see her the rest of the night. There was a large amount of blood on the floor where she fell." WHAT? My mom finally calls me, she is on the way to the hospital with Leah. She had bitten through her cheek and had to get stitches. Can't wait to see them in a week!

Adventure: Bay Area, California

For Thanksgiving this year I headed to San Fransico, California with my uncle Doug to visit my uncle Donn and aunt Debbie. Now let me tell you this before you get too involved reading this post (because it will be long), if it is in San Fransico I probably saw it or visited! My uncles and aunt were excited to show a San Fransico 'newbie' around and let me tell you we did it in style, meaning we had a bear from a classroom in Iowa and a flat cow from a classroom in Wisconsin that traveled with us and saw the sights and had pictures as well. We hope the 2 classrooms that are getting the pictures and postcards from us enjoy the fun we had with them both!

Thanksgiving Dinner
Doug and I flew out of Portland at noon on Thanksgiving Day and arrived in Oakland just before 2:00. Donn picked us up and we had a relaxing afternoon while he smoked a turkey in his 'Egg' grill. We had our Thanksgiving meal at dinner time complete with gobs of side dishes. It was excellent.

Day 1: Driving TourThe first day we drove around the Bay area and saw much of the area including Golden Gate Park, the Bay Bridge and the Oakland Raiders headquarters and stadium.

Full House Park a.k.a. Alamo Park
I was asked when I got there what I wanted to see, I had know idea what to say because I didn't know what San Fransico held besides the Golden Gate Bridge. But as we watched the news I saw what I call the Full House Park, because it is shown in the opening credits of Full House and I loved that show. Luckily Doug knew the correct name of the park, Alamo Park, and we went to see it and the 'Painted Ladies' which are the line of Victorian Houses in the background.

Lombard Street
The streets in San Fransico are not flat, but that is common knowledge. However, seeing them in real life they are crazy! Lombard Street is very steep, but its the way down that makes it so popular. It is a brick road that zig-zags all the way down. People line-up for blocks and probably destroy their brakes because they are on the steep side of the hill! But we waited for a while then snuck out and cut back in a few blocks later. Donn opened the sun/moon/whatever roof so I could stick my head out for pictures. Unfortunately, we were on the darker side of the hill, but it was still cool!

Golden Gate Bridge
To end our long day of driving we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Fransico must do! The bridge was solid traffic as was Vista Point, luckily we stopped on the south side of the bridge and took pictures too. After crossing the bridge we crawled through the exit to get to Vista Point. Doug and I jumped out while we were sitting in the exit and walked up to the overlook while Donn and Debbie drove through and picked us up. It was a tad crazy, but the traffic was not fun for anyone!

Day 2: Public Transportation/Walking Tour For day 2, we planned to do our walking tour of downtown San Fransico. When we woke up it was raining a bit but we decided to brave it out and luckily never got rained on! We visited and saw many different tourist attractions of the city.

BART
We started the day by taking the Bay Area Public transportation system, BART. The style there was more like Chicago than Portland is. I love watching the city go by on public transportation systems, so it was enjoyable to see a new city and the back side of the Oakland Raiders/Athletics stadium too.

Cable Cars
Well you can't go to downtown San Fransico without riding a cable car, so of course we did. We waited in line for a while, which showed the impatient side of all of us. But once on the the trolley we all rode holding on to the outside and snapping pictures. At the end of the ride we stopped at the famous Buena Vista Cafe for an Irish coffee before walking on. We then visited the Ghirardelli factory area for our free sample and headed to the Maritime pier, a national park with ships and maritime history.

Pier 39 & Ferry
After ducking into a restaurant to miss the rain. We watched an acrobatic street show and headed to Pier 39. We walked around the huge tourist area for a while before heading to the ferry dock. We then rode the ferry back across the bay to the Alameda side as the sun was setting and the city lights were coming on.

Day 3: Roadtrip TourFor the final day we decided to head to Santa Cruz. It was the warmest day and very sunny, an excellent day to be on the pier and near the beach.

Santa Cruz Boardwalk
The pier had an amusement park with a bunch of rides. We of course rode the Giant Dipper rollercoaster, which has been shown in several movies, the carousel and bumper cars. We also walked around the pier and saw an amazing amount of sea lions and watched sand volleyball on the beach. At the end of our adventure we took the coastal highway home and I got to see the Pacific Ocean at many different points and see the sun set.

At the end of day three we had our final meal together in Alemada before Doug and I were dropped off at the airport to head back to Portland. We made it back at about 10:45 and I was back home by midnight. It was a great trip, I fully enjoyed spending time with my uncles and aunt and getting a tour of the Bay are in their style and not in the 'I'm a super tourist' complete with bus tour.

Technology Detox

I needed it! I work all day on a computer, I come home and get on my computer. I am in a generation that needs (or thinks they need) to be connected all the time. It isn't true. There is more you can do than sit on a computer, such as read a book, cook, go for a run, take pictures, etc. It is sad how we depend on our computer and being on the internet.

So, I decided for the Thanksgiving I would not take my computer with me. It was great, I rarely thought about it and enjoyed being with my relatives. My uncle Doug and I flew to Oakland, California on Thursday to spend the holiday with my uncle Donn and aunt Debbie. I left my computer at Doug's and didn't get it back until Sunday night when we arrived in Portland.

I didn't feel like I was missing anything. I read over 200 pages of the book I had started a while back, enjoyed talking with my relatives and visiting the Bay Area.

If you have a chance to just disconnect yourself from the constant connection to your computer, internet or phone for a couple days I highly suggest it!

Snow Day, Oregon Style

Waking up to a text message at 6:15 am wasn't that enjoyable, but when it says the school is closed due to a 'snow day' it's a bit more enjoyable. When I received it I went and found Chantel and Natalie and we took a look outside. And saw this: (Please note that there is grass peaking through in the yard)

However, after laughing at the thought of school being cancelled we all went back to bed. I got up again to get ready for work, because I didn't know if I still had to report or the protocol for the 'grown-up' world in the case of snow. I knew I could easily get there walking or driving. Heck, if we got this little of snow at home they wouldn't even let the snowplows out!

I didn't have to go to Pacific, but did head out to work for Landscape Concepts for a bit. I was starting to have cabin fever sitting inside the whole day and the roommates needed to study as well. Natalie headed to Eugene (a 3 hour drive) in the treacherous conditions to pick a friend. After she made it home safely (not that we were super worried) we had another good laugh at the fact that the school was closed and enjoyed our 'snow day' movie night.

Recipe: Southwest Chicken Wraps & Homemade Oreos

So we had a snow day, which left us all a bit bored because it wasn't a typical snow day like in the states of Iowa, North Dakota and Colorado. However, more to come on that later. But in our boredom Chantel and I went through the recipe book made by Natalie's sisters to make dinner and dessert.

Southwest Chicken Wrap
Ingredients
1 cup rice, cooked
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken (just boil the chicken until it's done & then shred it with a fork)
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 red or green bell peppers
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 T. chili powder
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. garlic salt
2 cups shredded cheese
Sour Cream (optional)
6 burrito-sized flour tortillas

Directions
In a large bowl, mix together rice, chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add chicken, beans, onion, bell pepper, cilantro and lime juice.

Preheat skillet or griddle to medium heat. Assemble wraps by sprinkling cheese on a tortilla leaving a one-inch margin (it's important to spread the cheese out because as it melts, the cheese holds it all together).

Place generous amount of rice/chicken mixture in the middle. If desired, dot the mixture with sour cream. Tuck in edges and roll up tortilla.Spray the outside of the tortilla with cooking spray and place seam-side down on heated skillet or griddle. Cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side.

It was delicious! We didn't add the chicken, so it was vegetarian style. Chantel also cooked the onions and green peppers before mixing them in, it was great!


Homemade Oreos
Ingredients
Cookie
1 Devil's food cake mix
1 stick of butter, melted
1 egg

Cream Cheese Frosting
4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Directions for Cookies
Combine all of the above ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Form into one inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Cool and frost.

Directions for Frosting
Cream the butter and cream cheese together. Beat in the powdered sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and cream well.

***Special note: Make sure you check the cream cheese box and see how many ounces it is. I didn't check and it turns out a typical cream cheese box is 8 oz., so we have double the amount of frosting sitting in the fridge...ooops!

Adventure: To The Heart of Texas

Last week I spent four days traveling with the Pacific men's soccer team as they participated in the NCAA national tournament. The NCAA selection show was last Monday and we were paired against the #1 team in the nation, Trinity (Texas) because they are in our region, not the greatest luck but we were headed to the warmth of San Antonio, Texas.

It was a whirlwind Monday and Tuesday as the coaching staff got flights and hotels booked and I got out the necessary press releases and stuff done so I could be gone as well.

Wednesday, after I slept for 3 hours the night before, we were on the bus on the way to the airport at 4:15 am PST. Since we could not get any direct flights to San Antonio we had a 3 hour lay-over in Phoenix, which then increased due to flight delays. We made it to San Antonio around 6:00 pm CST. Being the only female on the trip I got my own hotel suite, it was glorious!

Thursday was a pretty relaxed day, scheduled homework time in the morning allowed me to get a run in and relax before they had a short practice at Trinity's field. After the practice we headed to downtown San Antonio to see the Alamo and Riverwalk. However, the guys didn't shower before we went down there. So not only did they smell, but we did a downtown tour in record time! I would have enjoyed a longer time at the Riverwalk, but I can't complain the trip was free to me. For dinner we ate at an excellent Italian restaurant.

Friday morning was same thing, but the afternoon was game time. We played the 5:00 match, I took some video and game notes to make my story writing easier following the game. Pacific was defeated 3-1, but played fairly well. They did play the #1 team in the nation, who has scored the most goals in the nation as well, and kept them to one of the lowest scores they have had all season.

After the loss our tickets were booked home. We left San Antonio at 5:20 am CST, had a lay-over in Denver and made it back to Portland by 12:00 PST.

Let me tell you the time change was not fun. I hadn't fully adjusted to daylight savings time and then early flights and the central time zone threw me off a bit more! Saturday and Sunday I slept a lot and feel a bit better on the time, but my days are still off!

I did enjoy getting a chance to travel and cover the team I have been with all season in their last match.

Book Review: The Lucky One

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks is the first book I have managed to finish in what seems like forever. It is definitely the longest Nicholas Sparks book I have read up to this point, but not a bad selection if you have time to read it. This book was another Goodwill find that I don't believe was read prior to me buying it, but I am not complaining because I only paid $4!

The story is told from the point-of-view of three main characters, who in the first few sections do not know each other but of course as the book continues on their lives become more entwined. Thibault is an ex-marine and walks across the country to discover his 'destiny' and find the person, Elizabeth, whom is his lucky charm in order to re-pay her. The town, Hampton, (there is even a shout-out to Hampton, Iowa) is run by the Clayton family, which becomes a problem for Thibault because Elizabeth used to be married to Keith a member of that family. The lives of Thibault, Elizabeth and Keith become more connected throughout the story and there is a struggle for power throughout. The end surprised me, but it still almost ended too happily ever after.

This wasn't my favorite Nicholas Sparks book by any means, but it wasn't bad enough to stop me from finishing.

Sense of Calm

I took today off, because Saturday will be a horribly busy day with 2 soccer matches, a volleyball match and football game (and I also picked today, because I checked the weather and it was suppose to be the nicest day of the week! :) ). All at home and the soccer teams and football team use the same field so transitions between events will have to go smoothly and our student workers will have to be ready to gear up for each different event and get the needed equipment where it should be, but that is Saturday, not today.

Today, I slept in. By that I mean I made it until 7:30 and was able to roll-over and sleep until 9:00. My body doesn't sleep in well, it is use to a routine and it sticks to it, but it was nice not to have to set an alarm. After waking up I found my bike gear and headed off on a short 12-mile ride to Banks and back. I am getting used to riding solo on the roads here, but still get a little stressed when semis pass me and don't move over.

After my ride, I walked with Natalie to class and got a Quiznos sub and headed to the park. I enjoyed a little picnic in the park and soaked up the sun, the beautiful fall leaves and the warmth of the day. Then walked on and discovered the coffee shop of Forest Grove, it was very calming and I was able to read for over an hour before heading home. When I got home I opened all the windows and doors to let the beautiful weather soak into the house as I cleaned.

It was weird how calming I found today. I never turned on music or talked to anyone. I just soaked in the day, collected my thoughts and indulged in the story of my novel. I also had the feeling that right now I am where I am suppose to be, I don't know where I will be next year, but right now I am where I am suppose to be! It is a great feeling to have and I am grateful to be feeling it!

I hope everyone can have a day like this, a day to themselves to relax, collect their thoughts and realize they are blessed and know they are in the right spot!

Rain, Rain Go Away!

I am not ready for the Oregon rainy season, but it has started in full force. It's not like it rains all day, it is off and on. It may rain hard for 5 minutes, then the sun sneaks out, then it rains lightly, then hard, then sun, oh you get the picture, but I don't like it. I constantly carry an umbrella, but was recently asked if I knew true Oregonians don't carry an umbrellas? Well, I didn't but I am quite sure I will continue to carry my umbrella and stick out as a Midwesterner.

Pumpkin Carving
I had the urge to carve my Roloff farms pumpkin, but didn't want to deal with the mess. But Natalie's sister's family was going to carve their pumpkins so I joined in the fun. My artistic abilities are lacking in the pumpkin carving category and luckily Natalie felt the same way, however her sister, Jenny, is very talented. We looked at pumpkin carving ideas and worked away. And were entertained by Natalie's 2-year-old nephew, James, freaking out about the inside of the pumpkin and then attempting to put the pieces back into the pumpkins. Jenny drew out a Mario and Toad pumpkin that turned out amazing and made our pumpkins look pathetic! Jenny also baked the pumpkin seeds and they were tasty as well.

Halloween
For Halloween, I headed to the optometry party with Natalie. We avoided having to buy costumes and kept it simple by using our 80s outfits for future skating event. Saturday morning I hit up Goodwill and found an awesome Hard Rock Cafe sweatshirt to finish off my costume.

Soccer
The soccer seasons continue, but are getting close to the end. The women's team will play their last game on Saturday, but the men's team may continue on to the national tournament. This whole season has been a learning experience for me, I have had to learn soccer jargon, soccer statcrew and the stress of having one of the top teams in the conference and a nationally ranked team. The men have moved around in the national rankings and are one game from clenching an automatic bid for the national tournament. I have been told that if they qualify I will get to travel with them, so when Saturday comes I will know if they qualify and on Monday where we could be headed.

Golf season wrapped up last week, but swimming season has started and wrestling will be starting this weekend. I am amazed how fast time has been going since I moved here!

Also Happy 87th Birthday to my Grandpa on November 2!

Adventure: In The Area

Last week I finally was able to take some adventures after about a 2 month period that lacked new adventures.

Pittock Mansion
Thursday I took a much needed day off and took a field trip out of Forest Grove with Abby, an optometry student's wife. The field trip took us to Pittock Mansion, the home to Henry & Georgina Pittock and was built in the early 1900s. Henry purchased the Oregonian and made it what it is today. The mansion is nestled amongst the trees and what seems to be the highest point in Portland.

When we got to the mansion we walked the grounds to see the overview into the city and pretty sure we could see the whole city through the trees. We decided we didn't want to pay to see the inside of the mansion, but were told it was free to see the servant quarters house. Even that was amazing, yes smaller, but we both decided we could comfortably live in a house of it's size. Plus their was even a volunteer there to give us a bunch of history on the Pittocks and their servants.

Roloff Farms
As I was moving out here Jodee told me I better stop at Roloff farms if I see it, because she is a fan of Little People Big World. So I finally looked it up and discovered it was about 15 miles for our house. Well of course we had to go then, it was just a matter of figuring out when we all could go. The farm is only open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in October. Sundays are hard because of varying church schedules and Saturdays run into a lot of games for me, so we had to do it a Friday and I would have to leave work early.

Well, we finally found a Friday that worked. Last Friday, we headed to Roloff Farms to get a pumpkin. When we got there I spotted Amy Roloff right away, due to the line of people wanting pictures with her. So I jumped in line and eventually was joined by both my roommates for a picture with Amy. I was very aware of how tall I was and this time it wasn't because I looked like a giant next to my roommates!

After our picture I went on the search for the 'perfect' pumpkin and Chantel and Natalie properly documented the search with their photography skills.

'Eye Ball'
Saturday night was the 'Eye Ball', a fundraising semi-formal dance for the Optometry Amigos clubs. It is a club that travels to other countries to provide eye care to underserved people. So I purchased a ticket to attend with my roommates and also got them in contact with my Uncle Doug who helped them get Chinese Garden tickets donated for the silent auction. The silent auction was a mix of donations from places in the area as well as optometry supplies for the optometry nerds who the 'Eye Ball' was for anyway. Our tickets provided a tasty dinner with far too many forks.

Public Transportation
Sunday I headed into Portland after church, but chose to ride the MAX, the public transportation system instead of driving. I checked out the map and knew what trains I needed and thought it would be easy. I spent a good 10 minutes trying to decipher how to buy a ticket! But finally ended up with a 2 hour pass, which I thought was an all day pass... Anyway to get on the train you don't have to scan your ticket like in Chicago, so my ticket was never checked, so I rode the train back 4 hours later with the same ticket.

Changing Plans & Goals

About a week ago my mom was working on cleaning off the computer when she came across an essay I wrote for a scholarship my senior year high school. She sent it to me to look at and all, I could think of is 'wow how goals and plans change!' Here's the essay:

In the future I want to do something that I enjoy and want to continue to do. I plan to attend Central College next year and major in architecture. I will be participating in volleyball and track and field. My top priority while at Central will be deciding between architecture and landscape architecture. No matter which I decide I would like to graduate with a degree in 2012, as both programs are six year programs. From there I would like to join an architecture firm. I would eventually like to have my own firm. I hope to travel worldwide to study architecture of different regions and time periods. After traveling I want to bring back new ideas to the United States and incorporate them into my own designs. I also hope to work toward a master's degree after spending some time in the field. My goal is to find a career that will suit me and allow me to use my education. This is my dream, one I will continue working on until it comes true.

Well, I definitely did not become an architect, because I really am not a good free hand drawer. However, while that seemed to be my huge goal at the time, I also included small ones of having a career I enjoy, completing my education on time and finding a career that suits me. And I did play volleyball and participate in track and field. Architecture didn't, but I am still not sure I know what career will fit me. I am hoping to start a master's program in next year or so.

Isn't it odd how many goals and plans we make in life, but if we look back at them we see how many of them were changed? What we saw as a perfect plan or goal in our lives at 18 has completely changed at age 23. It also leads to the thought: Did I fail because I didn't achieve these goals and plans?

I think it is a reminder as much as we try to lay out a plan or set a goal for ourselves there is a higher power who has the ultimate plan for us. We can make plans and set goals, but can't be disappointed in not meeting them perfectly, because it may not be the plan laid out by God.

Jeremiah 29:11:
"For I know the plan I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future."

23 Years

My birthday has come and gone. And yes I worked the whole day, I guess that's part of growing up. I also suppose that I shall work on my birthday for a majority of the remainder of my life. But you know what, that means I can get birthday gifts delivered to work, right?

Shortly after I got to work on Tuesday I heard someone ask if I worked there, I dreaded that my parents had sent me balloons and wondered what I had to pop them, they are so awkward to carry home. But when the delivery person found my office they handed me a tray of mini cupcakes. My mom had figured out how to get 'Mama's Cookie Jar', a local sweet shop to make and deliver me cupcakes, much better than balloons.

After working a whole day I came home to a birthday banner in our front entry way that my roommates had hung up and Natalie gave me a bouquet of yellow and red daisies. We then had a nice roommate supper at Grendel's in downtown Forest Grove. While it was an attempt to be a meal without optometry talk, it failed. They had just finished a test and had to unwind from it!

It was then off to IM volleyball for Chantel and I. But afterwards our IM team came back to share the delicious mint chocolate chip ice cream cake with us. It was great to have visitors and of course because mint chocolate chip is my favorite flavor of ice cream!

Also I received many cards and a random assortment of surprises in the mail...THANK YOU everyone who sent birthday wishes my way!

Introducing My Roommates

Chantel

Our North Dakotan, Chantel is the oldest, after taking a year off she is hitting optometry school hard. She is the most dedicated to her studies in our house and maybe the most of anyone I have ever met. She was our leader on the camping adventure, but she lives in the library. Literally, she visits everyday and if it is near a test or quiz day she stays until 1 am! Pretty impressive, considering in undergrad I didn't use the library until I was a junior and from then on it was very, very limited!

Chantel also does well putting things into perspective for the young ones in the household (me and Natalie). She has travelled worldwide on many mission trips, has had her family's home taken out by a tornado and has the most dedicated mail-sending mom. She also is a pretty good cook and handy to have around with all her experience she has had re-building her house last year.

Natalie

The Colorado native, Natalie is the baby of our house. She graduated undergrad from BYU in three years and turned 21 in August. She is very focused on getting doctorate in optometry, but sleep gets in the way quite often. She is more prone to studying at home, because she doesn't see the need to haul her stuff to campus to just be distracted there too. However, she has fallen asleep on her studies more than once. Last week I came into the living room to find her asleep on the floor with a her book open, she also tries to stay up and study to wake up at 3 am and find her light on and her notes and computer open. Though, it seems to work for her as she continues to do well.

Natalie is an improving cook, compliments of the cookbook her sisters put together for her. As a former gymnast and diver, she swims laps around us at the pool! She is also the most likely to give in to having ice cream even though we banned it from our house until my birthday! (It's not been going well!)

Thoughts

I am the eye test guinea pig for them and they support my random chaotic schedule, it's great!

I am grateful the Pacific classifieds were so helpful in helping my find these guys. Having only talked to Natalie for about ten minutes before moving out here, I was a bit worried. After living with them for 2 months, I am still in awe of how well it all worked out. We have adjusted to each other quirks and get along well. We know we can ask for advice or support from anyone we live with and being 2,000 miles from home it is great to have that.

Budget Survival 101

Mailing Lists!

As much as I hate mailing lists cluttering up my inbox I also find them very handy. In Chicago we all signed up for a bunch of them, because we could get free sandwiches at Quiznos or free ice cream at DQ. Which was great because everything was more expensive there.I never unsubscribed to either, especially DQ, because who would really turn down free ice cream?

Anyway, the Quiznos one has come in quite handy out here. I'm not saying I go there every week, but when I get a coupon for $2 off a sandwich I do visit and get it for the next day's lunch. I also am a fan of the ones I get from Shutterfly for free pictures, I have taken a lot of pictures out here and it's nice to be able to print them for free.

The other thing I find hand is swagbucks.com. It is a search engine, powered by Google, however as you search you can gain points for gift certificates. It really is a marketing research ploy. You have to have an account, so I am sure what I search is monitored for research and sorted by the demographic I fit. But hey I am a marketing person too, so if it helps go a head and graph it as long as I get my gift cards. I regularly get the Amazon coupons, which is making life a bit cheaper here because I am ordering Christmas gifts online and having a discount and not having to pay for shipping!

I've learned you can be a smart shopper without a lot of effort if you just know where to look. And between Chicago and Oregon I have discovered many good ideas to stay on a tight budget...or maybe my frugal Dutch side is starting to show!

Gratefulness Challenge

I would like to issue a challenge to anyone who reads this. It is rather simple and I think you will find it to be rewarding. Try it for awhile, say until Thanksgiving, and I bet it will become part of your routine.

The challenge is this, grab a small notebook and keep it on your nightstand or a place you will see it each day. Then make it a point everyday to write something you are grateful for. Challenge yourself to come up with at least three a day, if you have more great write them down. At first it might seem a little awkward, bu as you get into it I think you will realize it will become easier and as you go through your day you will recognize things (tangible or intangible) you are grateful for.

Here is a little info I found about gratitude:

"Science tells us that an "attitude of gratitude" is a good health choice. Being more grateful more often makes us happier and more optimistic. But gratitude also adds to the bottom line - in very real ways. And the best news about gratitude is that it requires little time and no money."

Here are five reasons gratitude improves your life:

1. Gratitude reduces negativity

- When you realize what you are grateful for you can see more positives in a situation.

2. Gratitude helps us learn.

- See the silver-lining, every problem has an opportunity for us to learn.

3. Gratitude improves relationships.

- Let people know how grateful you are for them being in your life and what they do.

4. Gratitude attracts what we want.

- When you are conscious of the blessings in your life, you attract more the same thing.

5. Gratitude improves problem solving skills.

- You will enter a situation with a perspective of improvement & opportunity rather than challenge.

There is so much to be grateful for, just take the challenge and you will notice the gifts you have been given in your life!

Where has the Time Gone?

I am not really sure where the month of September went, but it went fast! And with very little in the adventure category. My roommates got into the full swing of optometry school and athletic events seemed to attack my schedule. But I can proudly say I made it through my first month as an SID and still enjoy it.

I believe I have started to get the hang of soccer language and that of course makes writing those stories easier each time. But when it comes to zero-zero ties, I lack words to explain the situation!

Golf on the other hand, you say how many strokes they shot in the round and how far over or under par they were and how the team did....and that's the whole story!

I am now starting swimming stories as well. At this point I only have sent out the preseason preview, but their competition starts this weekend. Which means I am going to have to start understanding swimming in about 48 hours from now!

My other sport of the winter will be wrestling...men's & women's....hmmm. Anyway it cannot be assumed I have seen wrestling just because I am from Iowa. I, in fact, don't really like wrestling. I don't understand it and I have never seen a match. Hope I can write a good story!

I have learned in this first month, if I act and think I can do something well, I can. I also have learned that I have more free time than I ever did as student-athlete. It's weird coming home after work and not having homework structure my day. I free read a lot, but even that gets annoying when you have read so many books in the past 4 months! I really don't want to become a TV bum, so if anyone has an idea to help me fill up some free time e-mail me suggestions. I have problems sitting still for long, I like to be active!

My tickets have been booked to get back to Iowa for the holidays. I will be flying in on December 14th and have bonding time with the family until I fly out on January 5th. It will be a great 3 weeks of Iowa snow and siblings' basketball games! I can't wait.

October---Birthday Month

October means birthday month in our household. Mine is the 19th & David's is the 28th. And then Grandpa's is November 2nd, so he just celebrated with us when we were littler.

This year my mom and dad will spend the birthdays of their two oldest in parent-teacher conferences. I will spend mine in Oregon and David will spend it in classes at UNI.

When I was little I celebrated a my birthday at a wedding in Minnesota. It wasn't the same waking up in a hotel to birthday gifts as it was at home. But over the past four years I have gotten used to celebrating in odd places.

Through college my birthday always fell during Central's fall break. Which is the typical time frame the Central Volleyball team takes their big trip.

My freshman year I was not on varsity so I got to go home for my birthday. My sophomore year it was Los Angeles. It was right in the middle of our trip, so when I came out from breakfast to load the vans all the parents sang 'happy birthday' to me and then surprised us with cupcakes after our game. It was nice, but not the same as being able to talk and see my family.

Junior year was even more interesting. New York City. However, it was the day we flew home. I was up at 3 a.m. eastern time to head to the airport to fly back to Iowa. Teammates were there to tell me 'happy birthday' but we were exhausted, so I spent the flight sleeping and then slept most the day when we got home. Senior I celebrated at home again! We had taken our trip to Oregon during Labor Day weekend, so we had fall break off. I got to see Daniel's cross country meet and Leah's volleyball match and celebrate my birthday at home!

This year I will celebrate in Oregon, the fourth state in 5 years! Interesting track record to have. But in the rules of our house you get to choose how to celebrate it. Chantel chose camping....my front runner is roller skating at the rink in Hillsboro decked out in 80's attire. Keep following for pictures to come! :)

Also I will celebrate with care packages.... :D haha.
But really: I like books, so Barnes & Noble. Panera & Target are nice too! Or just fun treats!

Book Review: Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas

Fiction again, sorry. Since the library failed me I haven't been back. My roommates and I were at Goodwill looking for a couch a while back and got sidetracked by the books the large book selection they had. For only $2 a piece we stocked up, why buy a book at full price when you can get them that cheap? And most didn't look like they were previously read!

Anyway, Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas is by James Patterson, a different author than I have been reading so I thought it was worth the purchase. I also have had people tell me it was pretty good. Thinking of James Patterson as an author makes me think more of murder mysteries, so I was a bit skeptical of this book.

After getting into it, I really started getting into the plot. It was suspenseful and I wasn't able to predict the end before it happened. It was also a very detail oriented and emotional book. I was almost to tears near the end! I don't want to say much about the plot because I think it would ruin the suspense for those of you who read it, but I definitely think it is worth a casual read!

Budget Survival 101

Coupons!

We live by them here. Every Tuesday the free advertiser is dropped off at our house. It is complete with ads to every grocery store in the area and a pack of manufacturer coupons. I knew there was no way we were just going to throw those away. So every week I cut them out and put them in what has become our coupon drawer.

As I learned in Chicago, many specials at the Safeway are only good if you are 'club member'. So right away the first week I got a club card. Which every week the club card combines with Safeway coupons to save bunches. This morning I saved nearly $15 dollars and ended up only paying $25 for my groceries. I felt pretty proud to have shopped smartly!

Also we discovered how expensive slipcovers were last week, it would have been more to cover one couch than it was to buy both! So I found some flat sheets on clearance at Target and made up some slip covers. Grandma will be so happy I finally got out my sewing machine, a graduation gift from her, to put them together.

Here are the before and after pictures of our lovely floral furniture:

My Mom Rocks!

Even from 2,000 miles away my mom can bail me out!

After our women's home game on Saturday I headed to an outlet mall with my roommates. I had my computer packed because I knew I'd be finding another wireless cafe to write my men's soccer story later.

We visited a couple stores and I called up a cafe to check if they had wireless and then headed there way. Upon ordering my drink I found a table near a plug-in only to discover I was missing my power cord. This wouldn't be a problem for most laptops, because they can run on battery. However, my battery has about a 5 minute lifespan and I refuse to buy a new one. But in this situation it was a gut-wrenching experience. Should I just wait until we are back home in 4 hours to write a story or should I find an alternative plan?

Well I hate when game stories are posted hours after a match, so I knew I needed to find an alternative. MY MOM. I called her up and she logged on to my e-mail and read me the box score, which was a challenge considering she has never seen a soccer box score before....not sure if she has seen a complete game either!

So after receiving limited box score info from her, I hand wrote a story. After completing it I text her the entire story! She then typed it and sent me an e-mail with the story and the headshot I needed to post it. I quickly logged on to my computer went straight for the website to post the story and my e-mail and posted it!

It was amazing that my battery died about a minute after posting, but it was up! I was so relieved to have an awesome mom who can help me from 2,000 miles away. Love you Mom!

Landscape Marketer

I am starting to get my feet under me a bit now with marketing ideas for Landscape Concepts, Inc. here in Forest Grove. They wanted me to start a Facebook page and a Twitter account. I still am not the biggest fan of Twitter, but am starting to understand it can play a large role in viral marketing.

The first week I didn't do a whole lot, I created the ad for a sale on the front page of the website, posted it and updated the website. I also had to find the need software, Ebay became my best friend for a while and I eventually won the bid war!

This week I created the Twitter account and designed the background. Let me tell you that was not as easy I had hoped due to the different types of browsers used, I had to make as many pictures visible as possible and I think I got it after 6 attempts! I also got my first experience listing an excavator on Ebay. I decided to use Twitter to announce the selling of the excavator and my auction got over 40 more views during my 4 hours at work on Friday. I guess Twitter is a viral marketing strategy!!

The software came pretty quickly so I am now well prepared to create ads, brochures, newsletters and update the website.

Landscape Concepts, Inc: http://landscapeconceptsinc.net/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/landscapeinc
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gales-Creek-OR/Landscape-Concepts-Inc/149730238386441

I Survived!

The first crazy weekend for me at Pacific is over and I survived! I am completely exhausted, but happy it all went relatively smoothly.

I spent nearly 24 hours in the press box of Lincoln Park Stadium over the 3 days. Friday was a men's and women's soccer double header. They took on Whitworth and for the guys this is the team who has won the conference 4 years in a row and are chosen to do the same again this year. So the nerves were high. The women went into overtime and pulled out their first win! They scored just 2:34 into the overtime period and in soccer that ends the period. The men pulled out a 2-1 and while that sounds awesome it was full of stress of my student worker crew. A time discrepancy between our scoreboard and the refs caused our coach to get a yellow card and Whitworth got a free kick that bounced off the top crossbar with 7 seconds left. The coach was still mad by the time I sent workers down with stats and they both go ripped! I felt bad for them, but in the end I decided it was nothing to stress about. We scored 2 goals, they scored 1, therefore we still had the win no matter how close the kick was at the end.

Saturday was the event that everyone in the office has been stressed about...the first Pacific home football game in 19 years! Pacific disbanded football after the 1991 season, but has brought it back this year. Our team is mainly freshmen, so it is a bit of rough going. Coming from Central's strong football tradition I was asked a bunch of questions I was unable to answer. I have worked 2 games while at Central and attended maybe 4! Volleyball season kind of overlaps football now doesn't it? :) However, I was asked to be there as support for the statcrew and my boss. My main responsibility during the game was to keep the Twitter feed going with the play-by-play and then post game get the players and coaches for interviews and tape an interview with the head coach for YouTube. Over 3,000 people attended the first game and the support was great for the young team. I just found it interesting to see so many tents set-up tailgating on campus grounds, because that is rare at Central! The Boxers didn't win, but I think the support they got was a moral victory.

Sunday I was back in the press box for another soccer double header. The women pulled out their second victory of the season against Whitman and the men followed with a 4-0 shutout of Whitman. The day went smoothly, but was just a long day after other full days of games!

While all these games were going on at the stadium, the men's and women's golf teams were also hosting their Pacific Invitational. The women golfed Saturday and Sunday and the men golfed Sunday and Monday. So while I didn't have to be at the meet, I had to be in the office to send results to the other SIDs and write stories when the meets finished. Over the weekend I wrote 8 stories! Coming up with wording to sound different each became harder as I got more tired! But overall I felt like I achieved a lot during the weekend!

Sunday I wish I could have been in Greene celebrating my mom's birthday, but clearly the distance does not allow that. I was able to talk to her before the soccer games and got a card sent to her, but if anyone wants to take her to DQ that'd be great, because I couldn't!!

This week I spent Monday getting out the weekly notebooks, which I am finally getting better at! Tuesday morning I got the honor of writing about the 3rd and 4th men's soccer players to receive student-athlete of the week. Each week I have to nominate soccer players who had good playing weeks. Each week this season Pacific has won the men's offensive player and it has been a different guys each time. This week my defensive nomination was selected too! It's kind of cool being able to nominate someone and then have them selected and for 3 weeks in a row!! The other new press release I got to write was the fact that the men's soccer team jumped from not being rated to 14th in the national poll. They are currently 6-0-1 and have a good chance to finish right at the top of the conference. After the rating I was told if they make it to the national tournament there is a strong possibility I would get to travel with them to cover it all, so let's keep cheering on the Boxers!!

Wednesday I finally got a day off!! It is my first day off since labor day and trust me it's much needed. I got to sleep in and get a bike ride to Hagg Lake in, plus a nice little stop to pick some blackberries along the route. Then I headed to Hillsboro to get my oil changed. Let me tell you it was an experience! I have never gone to Jiffy Lube, in fact I always just schedule my car to be serviced when I am home on break. And in Greene, the mechanics just know what to do and will pick-up your car at home! Here I was asked a bunch of questions, had to pick out my oil and make decisions! AHHH! Then wait patiently while they finished. Oh well, add it to my list of new experiences. After the oil change experience I just bummed around Hillsboro and hit up Panera, because I have the MyPanera club card and had a freebie to use. Also I highly recommend the Pumpkin Spice Latte! It was great to just have the day to myself.

How Lucky Our Small Town Is!

Wow, I have come to realize how lucky Greene, Iowa is to have a library at the level it is. The other day I wanted to get a biography, because I am sick of reading fiction books. So I decided to use my Boxer Card (the Pacific ID) at the public library in Forest Grove.

I went in planning to get a biography on John Wooden. You'd think a very common one to find, considering he was one of the best coaches in the nation. Anywho, after I was directed to the biography section I roamed the bookcase, NOTHING, NADA! John Wooden didn't exist, in fact most of them on the shelf were rather old. Not saying old books stink...well actually they do...but I mean their text isn't bad, but there were now newer people. So I found the computer card catalog and searched for John Wooden. To my dismay they had nothing at all, not even already checked out books. I was very frustrated, but decided to settle for some fiction.

After finding a book, I went to check out and gave them my Boxer Card in order to set-up a library card. I was then asked for a my current address so I told her, she then needed proof. Really, I have lived here for 3 weeks, and my Driver's license still is from Iowa...I have a staff ID I clearly am not running away with the book. However, I was unable to check out a book. I guess I have to figure out proof of my address, suggestions?

What I discovered at this library was there was a big emphasis on the technology. Lots of computers in the main area. Honestly, what I love about our library at home is for a town of 1,000 people we have a great selection of new and old titles. The librarians takes suggestions from the public and the library teen board makes new book picks. It is a community oriented library. Greene residents should feel lucky to have the resource they have!

Update on Life

Honestly, I have worked. It just looks like from my blog that I have only gone on adventures and read. But not that we have internet at our house I can do more regular updates!

I have started to get into a routine, well as much of a routine the sports information world allows. During the fall I am the primary contact for men's and women's soccer and golf. It's an interesting schedule, I am not used to having games on Saturdays and Sundays. The conference Pacific plays in, the Northwest Conference (NWC), schedules conference games on Saturdays and Sundays and a very rare Wednesday. The Sundays really surprised me, I am was just used to having Sunday as a day off at Central and also being able to attend church. With games starting at noon there is no way I can get to church and back in time to get set-up!But I am figuring it all out slowly.

The first home match was about a week and a half ago, and it was the first full soccer match I have watched in my entire life. I know, how can I be the primary contact for the support, huh? Well I have learned a lot about it in the first month here. The women's soccer coaches, husband and wife duo, are the youngest people in the office besides me and have answered all the questions I have had about the game at this point. So I am finding the groove I need to write logically stories about the matches! All my stories can be viewed at http://www.goboxers.com/ Mine are all the soccer and golf, of course!

I also have had a chance to play a lot of volleyball. The head volleyball coach discovered I played for Central and asked if I could come in and play with them at practice. Well I couldn't refuse the chance to get on the court again. Pacific doesn't have JV programs, so coaches only have a varsity team to work with and have to make cuts. So to make sure they have enough to scrimmage I go in and play!

The one problem I have to adjust to is using a Mac computer. I have used purely Windows computers throughout college, so having to adjust to the Mac version of everything was slow at first but I am starting to get it down.

At Pacific I am only suppose to be working 26 hours a week, because of how they have my pay allocated....I am yet to keep my hours under 26 since I started. But with all the sports starting it is hard to keep it under, if something needs to be done I need to get it done. However, with only working 26 hours I figured I would try to find a minimal part-time job on the side. After a bit of searching I came up with a landscape company in Forest Grove that was looking for a someone to do marketing and web updating for them. I contacted them and now I am working about 10 hours a week there. I figured it would be nice to get a bit more marketing experience and improve the skills I already have.

The first problem I ran into with my car after it trekked all the way out here was a low coolant light coming on. Well, I should say a light coming on because I had to look it up in the owner's manual to figure out what it meant. I really was dreading going to a mechanic here, especially if it was something simple. So I called up Mark, my mechanic at home, and he walked me through it and I did it myself. I felt so accomplished.

The next problem came during the Iowa State vs. Iowa game. Our cable and internet hadn't arrived yet, and I was decked out in layers of ISU. (Because I have been told Oregon doesn't have seasons, it has layers...just add or subtract!) Well I thought of going to Buffalo Wild Wings, but had to no desire to sit there that long and probably have to fight to have a game of Iowa teams on. So I used our 'stolen' internet and loaded the live stats, it looked like a bunch of foos ball men moving around. Unfortunately, things did not go ISU's way and it was a disappointment, but I still wore my layers proudly!

Sunday, Chantel and I tried yet another church (there were no home games!) in Hillsboro. It was an incredibly small church, smaller than my church at home! And was definitely geared towards families with young kids, so not quite what we were looking for. On the way home I saw a sign for a garage sale, and since we still didn't have furniture, we detoured. It ended up being a great detour! We got a couch and a loveseat for $50....in a lovely floral print. But the problem we had was getting it across town. So something in me, made me walk around the neighborhood and whenever I saw a truck in the driveway I knocked and asked if they would help. At about the 5th door I found someone willing to help us out! I honestly still can't believe I went door-to-door asking for a truck driver...a year or 2 ago you couldn't have paid me enough to do that!

Lastly, I wish I could be at home to see some of my siblings sporting events. Daniel is in his last jr. high season of cross country and has made solid improvement over last year. Leah is wearing my #3 this year for the Bearcats. I know they aren't having the most outstanding year, but they are young with no seniors on their team. I am very hopeful that they will improve this year and next year will be a great year for them. If any of you get a chance, please go watch them for me!

Next time I promise to keep this shorter, but I had a lot to fill you in on!