The tower's built of spit and spite, without a sound, without a sight. The biter bit, the bitter bite. (It's better to be out at night.)

So...as you can tell from the title, I'm on a Neil Gaiman binge. Well, not really. I just got a new book of his, Fragile Things. It's his collection of short stories and some poetry. Very good. The title is from a short about Vampires. I found it intriguing that it's basically a cycle that never finishes. Specifically: The biter bit, the bitter bite. And around and around it goes... Intriguing.

Anyway.

I/We had a very interesting odd weekend. First off, because Hubby's great-uncle passed away and we headed up to the funeral on Saturday. It was a lovely ceremony with family on a cliff overlooking the ocean with the waves crashing in the background. At the end, all the grandkids threw flowers into the ocean. Hubby read a speech from his dad who couldn't make it out, and everyone loved it. All in all, it was very lovely and dear, a good remembrance service. Then we drove home and got back about 8-9pm.

Sunday, of course, was Valentine's Day. Hubby and I were amazed and delighted to realize this was our fourth Valentine's together-1 dating, 1 engaged, 2 married. We both could hardly believe it's been that long, but come December, we'll have been together for four years and counting. So very wonderful.

So Sunday, we didn't have plans. We wanted a relaxing Valentine's Day, nothing stressful. Hubby had taken me out to dinner last week early on as our V-Day dinner. I was wanting to do something on Sunday but couldn't figure out what. We slept in, relaxed, and then Hubby got up and "ordered" me to stay in bed and in comfy PJs while he went out to run errands. When he got home, he made me walk out with my eyes closed and then gave me my gifts. The first were these gorgeous orchid plants he got me, instead of a bouquet of flowers, because he wanted them to last as long as possible, and these can keep growing and blooming for a long while (so long as I keep taking care of them. Hehe). Then he told me he was going to make us dinner, and we were going to curl up on the couch watching fun movies and just have a relaxing night. It was a lovely Valentine's Day. I have the best husband around, and I am one lucky,lucky girl.

To my delight, I discovered on Friday that I had the day off Monday because of President's Day! I was a bit worried I'd still have to get up early to go in to work with Hubby because of the whole one car thing and I had a class at 6pm. However, Hubby's boss let him off at 4:30 which meant I was able to sleep in till noon (Haven't done that in a LONG time!), take a shower, relax, read, organize the house a bit, and do wifey things. It was gloriously relaxing. I didn't have to worry about anything, got some laundry done and some dishes (thank God for washer/dryer and dishwasher! It's amazing!). I also discovered that our lovely little Condo is amazingly peaceful and quiet during the day, and bright with sunlight when you have the doors and windows all open! I spent a good two hours curled up in a recliner just reading and enjoying the sounds from outside that didn't involve sirens or yelling. Hehe. I honestly can't wait till I can stay at home and only work Part-Time. I don't know exactly when that will happen, but man, am I looking forward to it!

Well, I have set a goal. My hubby is taking me and a friend on an "Epic Date" (his name for it) in April. Which means, I would like to get in better shape before then. So...I have decided to start swimming in the mornings, and doing the P90X with my hubby (we start next week!), and also cut down on my food intake. By which I mean, except for one meal, only fruits and veggies for the rest. I want to tone up and lose this stomach. I fully admit I've been a bit lax when it comes to working out, but with my hubby getting up at 6AM every other day to go running, and starting the P90X, I figured I should too. Might try some Yoga too ;) Goal: Lose weight, but overall, be in better shape, and lost the stomach. Whatever that means and however that works out. The nice one is Tues/Thurs I'm on campus about an hour before my class, so I can easily do a quick half hour at the gym and get to class. So, here's hoping it works! I knew taking 2 PE classes this semester was a good idea!

Oh, btw. I'm getting a new addition to my body, face really. Glasses! I went and got an eye exam (I totally forgot the air-puff they do to my eyes, I must have jumped a foot!), and got glasses. They are cute, if I do say so myself. They'll be coming in about 2 weeks. Hopefully it'll help my headaches go away, especially with trying to see the powerpoint and reading the board at school (and also driving), because so far, I keep getting major migraines. Meh. Hooray for a job that causes eye strain. But hey, at least it's a job.

Alrighty, I think that's all caught up now. I have work to do, somewhat, and signs to practice.

Ta!

P.s. Here's hoping I get some other additions to my body soon too. XD

Remember your name. Do not lose hope — what you seek will be found.

Hello February! When did you arrive and how did you get here so soon?? Wasn't it just last week that Hubby was graduating, it was Christmas, and things were slowing down? Apparently not. I do believe you are laughing at me, evilly. Ah well. Welcome!

****

We are moved in. Except for boxes in the garage we need to go through. However, I don't count them as not being moved in because we have been living easily and comfortably in our new place. Besides, unpacking all our books will take time and love and care. Weekend project! I want to try to go through a box a day but that hasn't happened quite yet, mostly because this week has been crazy.

We finished moving all of our stuff over on Sunday (whee!). Slept for a couple hours, then it was up and time to head to work. The commute was surprisingly not bad at all. We're trying to figure out the right routes to take to miss traffic, and I think we finally settled on one. It takes about a half hour or so, but with the freeway time and driving and actually being able to sleep comfortably, we don't mind at all. I then had my first class that night which went very well. I love the teacher, and it's only an hour long. Which is...very odd. I haven't been in that short of a class since Freshman year. Tuesday was the same routine but more sleep this time (yay!), and then my ASL class which I'll talk more about later!! Wednesday was a relatively normal day, fell asleep on the bed while reading. Today started well, got plenty of sleep, brought breakfast and lunch! And I have my ASL class tonight.

Well, since I've brought it up so much...

My ASL class is amazing!!! It's one of the best decisions I made to take for class this semester! I'm going to hopefully be around to take ASL 2 next semester and hopefully hopefully (crossing fingers!!) be around to finish it out with ASL 3 next spring. I'm not sure how that all will work out, but I'm really hoping it does. My prof is deaf, showed up with an interpreter the first night. Basically said that this is the first/last night with an interpreter. After that first class, we will be on our own. So we as students will have to figure out how to communicate with our teacher, and he will...probably be laughing as we try to talk to him. He said there will be a lot of charades for a while and writing on the white board. We are not allowed to speak at all. We always have to be looking at him to understand what he's saying, to see the signs and read body language. I am going to love it, and the class is small (only about 15 people), which will make it fun and close-knit too. Tonight is my 2nd one, and I am absolutely thrilled to be going! Good thing I'm a visual learner and can read body language very well too!

We are settling in beautifully at our new place. We love going home every night and feeling like it really is our home. There's a wonderful sense of being away from everything (school and work). Instead of feeling like we are just an extension of Biola's campus or something like that. We actually have a cute small "house" if you will (as my friend put it!). It's amazing to feel not cramped. That I can stand in the kitchen or sit at the dining room table and not feel like I'm overlapping into the living room. We have a queen-sized bed! That's glorious. Especially when we both spread out as we sleep, not feeling like I'm going to roll over and fall off the bed. (Hehe. I didn't that once. It wasn't fun.) And Hubby is absolutely ecstatic about the 2 car garage and workbench. I, for one, love our dishwasher, stove, and washer and dryer. They all perform amazingly and quickly! There's almost more space than I know what to do with. (Almost) I still have to unpack boxes upon boxes of books, but I do believe I'll be able to find a place to put them up. All of them! I cannot wait! The nice one is with our garage, we have boxes piled up (not many though, which is nice) and we can take our time going through them. Most of them will probably stay out in the garage in a corner. I was able to get most of my pictures up and some books. I have two shelves in the kitchen dedicated to my Old Books collection! They face the front door, so it'll be one of the first things you get to see as you walk in! Along with my adorable Willow Tree figurines.

Overall, we're both ecstatic over our new home. We absolutely love it and the area is beautiful. We've been having fun driving around, figuring out where everything is. How far away, and all that. Oh! We also got a Costco membership! So we stocked up on things for a good while. It's so nice being just five minutes down the freeway from shopping centers, food courts, and basically anywhere. Instead of having to drive at least fifteen minutes just to get to a shopping center.

Life has been good and interesting. I've been thinking alot about things (nothing I want to post here), and my spiritual walk has been getting stronger. I've started trying to do some devotions at night when I can...and praying through some Celtic prayers out of a Celtic Spirituality book right now. It has definitely helped. I find that reading prayers is much easier for me lately than attempting to figure out what to say.

Life is good. God is good. And things are settling in a very Good way. Can't wait to see what kind of changes are going to happen!

I'm also posting an amazing poem by Neil Gaiman. It really hits me in specific parts, and although it's written for how to interact if you find yourself in a faerie tale, a lot can be applied to Life itself. Which seems like a faerie tale at times (in a very original sense...that things aren't normal and straight-forward. They rarely are). Mostly because I'm incredibly sad I wont' be able to make it UCLA tonight where he's speaking. I saw his post about it a while back (like October), went, "OH my gosh, I have to go!!" and totally forgot till today. Which means only the most expensive tickets are left. I have so many questions for him and would love to just hear him speak on writing, how to write, why, how to tell good stories. Hopefully he shall return soon, and I will be able to go! With a Signing!

So without further ado,

Instructions

by Neil Gaiman

Touch the wooden gate in the wall you never

saw before.

Say "please" before you open the latch,

go through,

walk down the path.

A red metal imp hangs from the green-painted

front door,

as a knocker,

do not touch it; it will bite your fingers.

Walk through the house. Take nothing. Eat

nothing.

However, if any creature tells you that it hungers,

feed it.

If it tells you that it is dirty,

clean it.

If it cries to you that it hurts,

if you can,

ease its pain.

From the back garden you will be able to see the

wild wood.

The deep well you walk past leads to Winter's

realm;

there is another land at the bottom of it.

If you turn around here,

you can walk back, safely;

you will lose no face. I will think no less of you.

Once through the garden you will be in the

wood.

The trees are old. Eyes peer from the under-

growth.

Beneath a twisted oak sits an old woman. She

may ask for something;

give it to her. She

will point the way to the castle.

Inside it are three princesses.

Do not trust the youngest. Walk on.

In the clearing beyond the castle the twelve

months sit about a fire,

warming their feet, exchanging tales.

They may do favors for you, if you are polite.

You may pick strawberries in December's frost.

Trust the wolves, but do not tell them where

you are going.

The river can be crossed by the ferry. The ferry-

man will take you.

(The answer to his question is this:

If he hands the oar to his passenger, he will be free to

leave the boat.

Only tell him this from a safe distance.)

If an eagle gives you a feather, keep it safe.

Remember: that giants sleep too soundly; that

witches are often betrayed by their appetites;

dragons have one soft spot, somewhere, always;

hearts can be well-hidden,

and you betray them with your tongue.

Do not be jealous of your sister.

Know that diamonds and roses

are as uncomfortable when they tumble from

one's lips as toads and frogs:

colder, too, and sharper, and they cut.

Remember your name.

Do not lose hope — what you seek will be found.

Trust ghosts. Trust those that you have helped

to help you in their turn.

Trust dreams.

Trust your heart, and trust your story.

When you come back, return the way you came.

Favors will be returned, debts will be repaid.

Do not forget your manners.

Do not look back.

Ride the wise eagle (you shall not fall).

Ride the silver fish (you will not drown).

Ride the grey wolf (hold tightly to his fur).

There is a worm at the heart of the tower; that is

why it will not stand.

When you reach the little house, the place your

journey started,

you will recognize it, although it will seem

much smaller than you remember.

Walk up the path, and through the garden gate

you never saw before but once.

And then go home. Or make a home.

And rest.

Boxes, moving, furniture selling, oh my!

We are moving tomorrow!! Well, more accurately, beginning our move tomorrow. Hubby and I are taking the entire weekend to do our move (we have to be out of our old apartment by Monday, the 1st), but the nice one is we can use the entire weekend to move more in waves, instead of freaking out the night before and scrambling to get everything done in one day/night.

It's the nice one, moving into a full furnished place, we can move in just basic essentials tomorrow night, sleep there, and then head back on Saturday to get the bigger things and other things. Shouldn't be a bad move in the slightest, and should be very easy. I'm going to be spending Saturday unpacking and organizing what I can as the boxes come in. Then probably towards the end of the day (going to let "the boys" take care of most of the moving), going to go back and help finish moving and cleaning the old place. Unless Hubby and the Marine decide to just do it all. Which is entirely possible.

We are currently selling most of our furniture. We've successfully sold our fridge, loveseat, and Loft Bed Frame. Now we just have a sleeper sofa, another small couch to sell. Hopefully the people coming to look at it tonight would be willing to take them off our hands. Here's hoping!!

In other news, I am completely registered for classes at school. Bad side: The Road Cycling class I'm taking (or at least want to take) means I need to get a decent--at least, if not very good--road bike. And those are expensive. So...we'll figure something out. Maybe hit up Craig's list...

I'm also taking a Health and Wellness class which should be interesting. All about nutrition and living well and balanced lives, which I'm interested in.

And my favorite most exciting class: American Sign Language, 1!! Soo freaking happy to be able to take this class, and I'm glad things worked out that I can! I just hope I can finish it out (two-three semesters worth). We'll see. I'm just glad to be able to be learning it again. I'll be able to talk to my friends who are fluent! And we'll have fun :-)

Oh! And tomorrow evening, Lush and Il Duce are coming to visit!! Very excited to hang out with them. We're doing a big dinner and hang out time, because we haven't seen them since before Christmas (wow!). Lush is going to help me figure out decorating stuff for the new place and organize and all that. Cannot wait to see them!!

Short blog post today but I need to run to lunch with a friend.

To Do Today:

-Pack up kitchen

Yay for my sister!!!!!!!!!!

Hubby and I just wanted to say congrats to my little sister who qualified for State in Gymnastics!!! Sooo very proud of you, Sis!!!

Much love to you!! xo xo xo xo xo

Announcement

No, not that kind of announcement, sillies.

Along the lines of my last blogpost, I am sooo very excited to announce we're moving!! It was something Hubby and I had talked about all last semester. That after he graduates, to find a better apartment. The requirements we agreed on were: Bigger, better space, away from Biola (and the Biola "Block"). We wanted to find something nicer for cheaper than what we were paying now, or find somewhere that deserves more money. Basically, if all the amenities were worth the extra money, then we'd go for it. We budgeted, and I started keeping a lookout half-heartedly, cause we weren't really going to search seriously till after the first of the year and all that.

Well, one night on Biola's Housing, I saw that there was a 2bdrm 2bath condo (fully furnished) for rent, for barely anything more than ours. Hubby called, and we went to go see it.

Now...when I hear someone say "fully furnished" I think of a couple couches and beds. The bare minimums you just didn't want to take with you. This condo...oh my goodness. We walked in and immediately fell in love. We applied two days after viewing it. They called us in a week later to see it again and to let us know we had gotten it!

So our new condo is a twobedroom/two bath condo. It has a two-car garage, a patio about the size of our dining room/kitchen combined!, both bedrooms have amazing storage space in the closets.

The living room has two leather couches, a cute coffee table, an entertainment center that comes with a (I think!) 32" flatscreen TV, DVD player. The dining room has a gorgeous table with four chairs. And the kitchen...I about died. Big stainless steel Kitchenaid two door fridge, a stove, microwave, oven, dishwasher. New granite countertops. Tons of cupboard space that are incredibly deep. The shelves are all on rollers to pull out. The lady is also leaving one full dishset for me (because they don't want it/have no room for it), a shelf full of teaccups and three teapots. Oh, and an espresso/coffee maker! The appliances are only about two years old, all of them! The Master Bedroom (hehe, we have a master bedroom!!) is huge and comes with a Queen Bed! Also on one wall is the sliding glass door to the patio with gorgeous drapes, and then on the other side of the room are the closets! Two closets with mirror doors and tons of storage. The patio is, like I said, about as big as our kitchen and dining room combined. It has a BBQ (yay!) and a covering you can pull over for when it's raining. Then the 2 car garage. Hubby's really excited to have a garage that comes with a workbench. Oh, and a washer/dryer! No more quarters, no more using laundromats. I can do my laundry when I want, as often as I want. I am so happy about this!!

And the best part? It's only a little more than what we're paying now for our old apartment, and only ten minutes further down the street. We're right by the freeways (which is awesome!). The whole condo complex is a gorgeous place. A pool and jacuzzi, green grassy areas and trees all over the place with picnic tables.

We are so excited to have gotten this condo. Our old apartment worked well for what it needed to accomplish. You know, me starting out there. Hubby and I starting out there (there are some wonderful memories in that apartment!), but we are ready to get better situated in a place that doesn't feel like an extension of a dorm. We want a place that fits with where we are right now as FT working professionals and a married couple (I think technically we're still considered newlyweds, though we don't really feel like it, hehe). Also to get away to a new place to have a "new start" somewhat, and to just feel like closing a chapter to begin another one as Hubby's graduated and figuring out what to do for a career (he actually has, but I don't want to announce it without talking to him first).

We are so blessed to have gotten this condo. We saw it and immediately fell in love. So I just prayed God would open the doors and make everything work out, and it did!

So, come January 29th, we are moving into this new place!! I shall post pictures once everything is settled in and unpacked. Though with the furniture already provided, we really won't have much, besides some special furniture of ours and of course, all of our stuff which will be easily put away.

So that's the latest update! What a wonderful way to start the new year!!

Non sum qualis eram

Hello!

Well, along the same lines of my New Year's "Resolutions", I have decided to adopt a thing my friend has done for the last couple of years. It consists of choosing a word to represent the year and what you want to have happen.

Here's a better explanation:
"'The Experiment: What's the word? A resolution revolution'

New Year's resolutions have never worked for me, especially in a world of information overload. It's another list that gets lost before January ends. That's why in Y2K some friends and I committed to a WORD for the year. A single word or short phrase that would be the compass, true north, filter and driving force for the year ahead. One you want to own. One you remember. One that inspired you, makes you think, grow and learn. ... See More

For example, my JUMP year I ran a marathon, took bigger risks in business, and learned new ways of relating to the most important people in my life. Another year, PAUSE inspired me to take time to read, to build margin in my schedule, and to be quicker to listen and slower to speak.

In a year of DOWNTURN, UNCERTAINTY, CHANGE and BAILOUT, we need more GOOD, HOPE and PERSPECTIVE. The power of a single word can shift opinions, change events, reshape habits...

-Lorraine O'Keefe
principal, ThinkinBig Communications"

I decided I really liked this idea, so I have been musing and thinking about what word I want to represent this year. I at first thought of "Change" but it didn't quite represent what I wanted (and I didn't feel like sounding like our President who used that word too much). After much consideration, I have decided on "Gypsy". This may seem odd, but let me explain.

I chose that word because the whole idea of a Gypsy and who she is, is exactly what I want. For me, Gypsy signifies a willingness to go on adventures, to not be satisfied with being in a rut. To always be willing to go where the wind leads (In this case, the "wind" and God). To always be changing. To never be satisfied with just being and surviving. To be willing to do new things, to pursue things I didn't think I could before...to be at ease no matter where I am. To be satisfied and joyful with what I have, even if it's not much. To be joyful in Life. To take joy in Facts.

It also means being flexible, to embrace changes and enjoy them. To be courageous and do things I've always wanted but have been too scared or worried to try.

Essentially, being a Gypsy and embracing Life as it comes, no matter what it brings.

So let's see how this year turns out together, shall we? I'll do my best to keep blogging (hopefully once a week or so).

P.s. The Latin Phrase means: "I am not as I used to be".

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!! Spent the day relaxing and loving  every minute of it.  

My Resolutions this year --not that I do many anyway-- are:

1. Become a better lover-wife and friend.
        I know most people would say I'm not an awful friend or something. And my hubby definitely wouldn't say I'm not a good wife or lover. That being said, I'm not perfect and I want to become better. Especially as new things happen and I grow from them.

2. Accept me for who I am and all the consequences from thtat. 
       This one is very specific for  me. Even with everything and how I've grown, I still have issues accepting myself. Hope to change this.

3. Finish the book I'm writing.

4. Become more content, in any and all circumstances. 

5. Enjoy Life to its fullest.