Good News-Bad News

"Larry the Llama here reporting to you live from the remote town of Kenai, AK. It's been said that large boxes on wheels that store humans have been spotted descending on this fishing town. Their scent has been whiffed in the grocery stores, sending the locals to flee for lesser known feeding grounds. Large signs touting 'no river access' are now visible in driveways along the road. This ends the report, now turning it over to your not so trusty reporter who can't always be held responsible for her lack of reporting...the one we only know as...The Bean...."

Well folks I suppose I should start with the bad news and then end on a happy note. I can't really remember where we last left off. So I'll start with the cloud of panic that's been hanging over my head the past few days. Days that really feel like eons.

I've started a  nasty habit of collecting all of my metaphorical vegan chicken eggs into one organic fair trade woven basket. It's not something I recommend. No matter how prepared you feel, how qualified you know you are, you will be disappointed. I've taken a lot of falls in my life. Invested a lot of time, energy, money, dreams and hopes only to be let down. I'm working on the getting back up part.

In other words, I didn't make into grad school.

I always had a plan B, C, D and E if it came down to it. I never wanted to enact them. Grad school was such an easy plan. Go to school, find part time work, do the Peace Corps start making a living. Now, the world is my oyster and I don't like oysters. 

I've been in a flurry of rushing around trying to sort out the fillings to my current life sandwich so to speak. I'm currently enrolled in an online class that starts at the end of May to become certified to teach abroad as an English teacher. 

When I was a kid I bought my brother for his birthday a teachers play kit because I secretly wanted to use it so I could be the teacher. I knew three things about clouds and some basic math and that's what I taught him persistently. Somewhere in the fog of growing up I lost that childhood dream of being a teacher and yet here I've come full circle. I see my certification as a back up at this point. It's something that's good for life and will be a good out when I need a change of scenery or am itching for change. 

Even though I didn't get into PSU there's something about Portland that's calling my name. I just feel like that's where I belong for one reason or another at some point or another. So I'm re-enrolling in my business grad school, going to find work somewhere and put down some roots and see how long they last. 

In the not so exciting but I'm going to tell you anyway news:

• I spent the last weekend in Anchorage doing normal 20 something things. That included watching a friends swing dance group perform. Listened to some obnoxiously bad karaoke. Confirmed that I don't like beer. Played a grown up version of Apples to Apples. Went to the movies-with another human being! Went out to breakfast with new friends. Listened to the brass band of the Salvation Army church and for not being a spiritual person almost cried whilst singing Hallelujah.
• I ran around with a pre-school group on a farm. Watched their teacher get "attacked" by llamas and didn't feel guilty about laughing. 
• My 5 year old covered me in mud on a field trip to the beach that ended up lasting only 30 minutes for us. I told her I wasn't happy, but secretly was thrilled to not be wind chilled any longer. 
• Celebrated Cinco De Mayo with my friend Bethany who graciously rescued me from a house of party happy 7 year olds. Who also made the mistake of introducing me to Cribbage and now I can't get enough of playing it even though I lose ALL the time. 
• Apparently putting on shoes is a dangerous task for me because it angers my sciatic nerve. My legs fall asleep within a minute of me sitting down and I look like an octopus getting out of the car.  But I can still walk a mile with it out, dang it. I love doing Zumba and was mad beyond all reasoning that I couldn't go tonight. 
• I've slacked on playing guitar...I know slap on the wrist...hey in all fairness I've read probably 4 books in the past month thank you very much. 
• I still eat cereal for dinner way too often. 

Well here's the good news, my wonderful friend and former co-worker Elizabeth nominated/gave me an award for my blog! How cool is that? I felt all warm and tickly inside when I read her post. She's a fabulous counselor, an amazing mother to two stinkingly cute twin boys and she cracks me up every time I read her blog: http://bettytuesdays.blogspot.com/

The award is called the Liebster award and here are the parameters:

Liebster is German for "beloved," and part of the award is the honor of awarding other bloggers for their good work. Here are all of the Liebster rules:

Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them

Reveal your top 5 picks for the award and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog

Post the award on your blog

Bask in the love from the most supportive people in the blogosphere – other bloggers

Hope your recipients pass the award to their 5 favorite blogs to keep the love flowing

All of the blogs that I follow are pretty big and have way more than 200 followers so I'll link you to some cool sites that I follow. However, please feel free to nominate people in the comment section!

1.) http://theveganstoner.blogspot.com/- This is a really cool site with yummy looking vegan recipes. I can't get over how awesome the illustrations are. 

2.) http://www.shitmykidsruined.com/- I'm not a parent but this always makes me laugh and sigh about all of the wtf moments I've had with kids in my care. 

3.) http://catalogliving.net/- The captions on this site are fabulous and it makes you look at the prints thinking...yeah what were those designers thinking...and oh that chair is cute...

4.)http://www.thesimpledollar.com/- a great site for money advice and other great nuggets of info. 

5.) http://milasdaydreams.blogspot.com/- this is just too cute. I was always too busy clearing the dishwasher, looking through a magazine I'd been eyeing or scarfing food while my kids slept, but this mom is awesome tacos. 

So there you have it wonderful folks. Figuring out my life, trying to enjoy what time I have left in Alaska and sorting out the puzzle that we like to call life. 

Love and Peace as always. 

(P.S-this was taken at 10:00 p.m.!!)