rubi, the great

i love my dog. she's so cute and pretty. and she's the perfect size. she's only 18 pounds, but her personality is like that of a 120 pound dog. she's super feisty, but really sweet too.

i heart rubi.

this weekend i was lucky enough to get to spend the whole weekend with her. you see, once chris and i got married, she had to stay behind and live with my parents. which, was supremely sad. but, after my parents moved last month, we needed to find a new place for her. enter chris' wonderful aunt, ruthie. she's super great. she is letting us keep rubi wither her, and rubi is probably more spoiled than she ever was before. the thing that sucks is that ruthie's lame neighbors complain about rubi's barking *ummm, hello, she's a dog* but if you ask rubi, that's probably the best part because now she sleeps inside. lucky girl.

but, aside from the fun i've had laying on the couch with her, and doing my homework with her staring at me, i've had the most fun during sleep time.

chris' grand plan of having her sleep in the rooom with us, but on the floor totally didn't work.

guess who spent two whole nights huddled up against her favorite irish man. not me. i was up against the cold wall.

oh rubi. she really is the best.

i don't know why i can't manage to keep up with this...

it really shouldn't be this difficult. honestly. during my parents' most recent move, my sister found a ton of journals of mine. i was kind of embarrassed of my 13-19 year old self writing. although, i did find some stuff from the year i met chris. those were funny.

but, i say this as proof to show that i once maintained daily writings.

for the most part, i think life is kinda boring. i mean, who wants to know about the fact that i go to my internship on mondays and wednesdays, go to school on tuesdays and thursdays, sleep in on fridays and saturdays *sometimes*, and live at church on sundays? it's not like nothing happens during that time, but my life is kinda on all that interesting.

i promise.

except that my life is crazy!

take grad school. i'm SOOOOOOO ready for it to be done. my brain is mush. i can't think. i have the hardest time paying attention in class. except for my International Social Work Policy class. i think i'm one of two people who enjoy that class. mostly i enjoy it because it reminds me of why i loved studying Political Science. that said, i have about 17 assignments due before graduation. and graduation is, like, 76 days away.

then take my internship. i have to put together a fundraiser for my Capstone/Thesis project, and i just now got from *very necessary* information. not to mention the grant proposals that i have to work on. *ps, i worked on a grant that got my internship $600,000 in county funds for a new program*

then i have home, and the husband i get to see for fleeting moments. the family that i hardly every see. and my friends who all have equally, if not more, crazy lives.

i'm not complaining. if anything, i think i'm trying to justify to myself why i suck at blogging.

although, i think it might be because i'm not writing in a pretty book with a pink pen...

ish!

i really should be better at this thing!

it isn't that there hasn't been anything to blog about, but there have been waaaay too many things to blog about!

i'm in week three of school, and just waiting for it to be done. my house is a mess because i feel like i haven't been in it for weeks due to all sort of drama. chris and i celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary, and my dear friend amy is getting married this weekend. oh, and i have an assignment that is due on thursday. for some reason i thought it would be smart to sign up for it this week. at least it'll be done with that assignment.

on the school front: i can't do it any more. okay, i can, but, it's like, stop already!! i have my Capstone/Thesis project due in less than 4 months, and it's slightly more dramatic than i thought it would be. and, all i can think about is the first saturday in may.

chris and i: are super happy. year two was definitely more difficult than year one, but i wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. we spent this past weekend in Monterey Bay, Ca and it was wonderful. aside from the bed with the funny sheets, the hotel was fine, and close to Cannary Row. we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and got to see Super Cute Otters! plus, we ate the yummiest food. did i mention that i LOVE clam chowder? i do.

everything else: there are about 50 Billion weddings this year. this weekend is my super bestie amy, then my dear friend nancy in march, two more weddings in june, and another in july. i'm in the first two, and helping plan the one in july. that one is my friend grace. she my other super bestie, elisabeth's sister. and, if two of my other friends *who shall remain nameless* get their acts together, i'll have 2 more weddings to go to this year. oy!

also: i swear babies are being born left and right. i just found out that i'm gonna have a little nephew. no, not my sister. my best friend jennifer. i heart her and can't wait to meet her baby! not just her, but my friends *yes, plural* at church have had babies, a friend at school is, like, ready to pop, and a few other friends have just told me that they are preggers. jealous? hmmm, i don't want to call it that. but, if i have to go to babies 'r us one more time... did i mention i'm helping throw a shower in the next week or so?

anywho, nutshell: life has been insane. and right now it doesn't look like it's going to change anytime soon. but, you know, i'm happy. i'm healthy, i have a fabulous husband, my family is somewhat normal now, i'm ultra blessed because i have people who consider me close enough to take part in their special life changes, and i'm super close to finishing school.

complain? never.

it's almost the new year

as in, in two days.... how insane is that???

but, i'm back on my wagon. the weight loss one. not the school one. don't remind me of the school one. i've been having too much fun wedding planning and not going to school. you see, one of my dearest, super bestie friends got engaged in the past two weeks, and is getting married in a month. super crazy! she wants her mamma to be able to be there with her, so we're all along for the ride! please pray for my dear friend and her family.

while i love her, and am super happy that we found her the MOST AMAZING dress yesterday, this is not the point of my post. sorry, sweetheart!

for Christmas, i got the Wii Fit Plus from my fabulous in-laws. and, i got Wii Dance Party 2 from my fabulous husband. don't worry. they weren't trying to tell me something. i asked for the Wii Fit, and chris knows that i like to dance. but, those things are probably the funnest weight loss tools i've found yet!

i've created a 20 minute yoga and strength training routine *that i still haven't actually done* that seems fun. all the other works outs have been pretty cool. and, i hurt the next day, so that's good, yes? and last night, after realizing that i might have to be in front of about 100 people in a pretty dress quite soon, i did about 25 minutes of ab and arm work outs. it hurts to do anything today.

oh! and i started a calorie counting journal yesterday. i ate about 1500 calories, and burned about 200 yesterday. did you know that the wraps at Chik-Fil-A has about twice as many calories as their chicken nuggets??? i know!

it's all pretty tedious. but, i guess hard work is where the difference lies. here's to a healthier 2011!

ps... i'm 3/4 of the way through grad school

yay!!!!

chris is convinced that not only am i a different person once school is done. but our whole house is completely different. i have not sat at the kitchen table with the laptop since wednesday night. honestly. i'm on the desktop right now.

but, as i enter my vacation, i realize how odd if feels to not have any papers to write. or articles to research. or class to attend. or internship to go to.

i'm a trophy wife again. well, at least for two weeks. and darn it, it feels good.

i would like to share with you my homework list...

Organizational & Behavioral Managment
*no assignments due

Human Rights & Sustainable Development
*no assignments due

Advanced Clinical Practice
*no assignments due

Advance Community Practice
-Needs Assessment
-portfolio and presentation: DUE 12/16

Field Seminar
-Capstone Proposal: DUE 12/16

i have written over 87 pages of information in the last two and a half weeks. and i still have about 20 to go.

but then i'll be 3/4 of the way to the MSW...

it's friday night... and i'm tired of homework

i don't think people realize how random social work is. like, real social work, anyway... it's random. like, today, all day, i stuffed envelopes. why? fundraising. yeah, that's social work. gotta keep those non-profits running!

also today, i had a great conversation about my Capstone, thesis-like project with my internship agency's Director of Development. he's a pretty cool guy. anywho, we came up with this plan for my project to a dual city fundraiser, hoping to raise 50k. yeah, $50,000. i would be fine raising $10.

not only does this assignment seem waaaaaay daunting, but it sounds pretty amazing. you see, the funds would go to the agency's program for kinship caregivers. people who take in children you aren't their own, relative or not. so, the program is really important. and raising funds for it to run would be great.

the amazing thing, though, is that they trust me with this plan. i mean, hi, i'm the msw intern... yeah, this is not my real job. but oh if it could be!

so, you see social work is really random. but, it's amazing random. i love it. i'm so happy with my choice in going back to school. even if i am dying trying to get all my assignments done. but still, i can't wait to go out into the world and use this knowledge to create good for others.