A Day at the Faire

I had the honor of accompanying Jessica and her family on their first visit to the KC Ren Fest.

The Theme of the weekend was 'Tales of Scheherazade' so we donned our belly jewelry and headed for the Faire!

We came across a Frollick of fairies who played dice with Brianna, so fun! Then they stuck around because they saw we had cameras and they are always happy to pose. I should take a few notes perhaps. Hand on hip + butt out = fairy pose, check.

It was really a wonderful day and I even got home in time to put away all my play things and start the week in an orderly fashion. Huzzah!

Gettin' Avatarded

That's what Chad & I call it when we veg-out and watch Avatar together.
He had picked up a bottle of champagne to celebrate the fact that I got a new job.
I picked up some chocolate cake...because JCCC has an awesome culinary program which is again producing tasty treats after a Summer hiatus.
Sure I did other things today, but what you are seeing is the culmination of these efforts and intentions just prior to Chad and I sitting down and getting Avatarded. We watched the final three episodes of the series, a bitter sweet ending to a cherished past-time. The strawberries made it sweeter. :)

All the Little Things

Look out below!

Got in a couple hours of Census work this afternoon. It really bolsters me to be making money again.

Chad and I hung out for awhile after he got off of work.He got his Climber's certification and I found out that an acquaintance of mine now works at the climbing gym, often the same nights that students get a discount! We will be back again and I am pleased to be working more of such activities into my days.

All's well that ends swell

Austin in her watermelon-ninja form wishes you a safe and Happy 4th of July!

What Summer Was Meant For

Backyard BBQs, hammocks, and a Rock Band...apparently!

Seriously? That all fit into one day? Here are some highlights

Thursday

Not that you wouldn't have known it, but more to remind myself that this all took place in one day.
I arrived to class a bit late eek!, but still think I managed an 'A' on my Spanish test.

Had a wonderful Quality-Time brunch break between classes with my beloved. Cinnamon rolls, coffee, + conversation = perfectly contented morning Austin.

Intro to Theatre was joyful as we continued to study the Greek origins of the Art and most of my buddies were in class and on-form. I even got to introduce Nate to Chad who met with me to check out a piece of art I really like on campus. I had a hot tip on some free dessert, so Chad and I shared a dish of ice cream and then met up with Jordan who is in town.

This was a day of running into people, and in a good way. We stopped and chatted awhile with my Spanish teacher from Span. I from whom I would like to get a letter of recommendation for a trip to Argentina this Winter. (Yes, I am already planning my next excursion abroad.) We walked through what is quickly becoming my favorite part of campus, checked out some art, encountered a few more people we knew, and Chad & I were able to give tours of the places we will most likely be haunting on campus this Fall. We said good-bye to Jordan then made our way to Oklahoma Joe's to meet up with Jessica and her fun-derful family!

It was some of the best food of its kind that I've had in awhile and quite possibly my favorite KC BBQ. I had eaten at the Olathe location before, but this was my first time at the original restaurant. I will be bringing my family here for sure next time they are in town!


Chad and I split a chicken & ribs plate with justifiably the best fries in KC. We got beans, which I wasn't actually too keen on, and also coleslaw which I enjoyed immensely! The only other thing I could have wanted was another wet-wipe to clear away all the sauce I accumulated in the meals' consumption. Ok, and maybe a pickle!

With our bellies full of BBQ wonderfulness we headed over to the Plaza to walk around a bit, sight-see and help our digestion along. Chad and I found a way from where we were that helped me to better connect my mental maps which is always exciting. We reunited with Jessica's family for some fun moments browsing through air conditioned shops and taking a stroll along the river walk. At that point we bid them a fond farewell and parted ways. Shortly there-after we discovered a toy shop on the way to geltao, which is as awesome as it sounds.

I got a call from work which cut our leisure short, but Chad was a champ and went along with me, met my amazing Assistant Supervisor Sadi, and even brought me a beverage. What a sweetie! We had intentions for other social outings in the evening, which were thwarted by our best efforts, so contended ourselves with sharing a book and reveling in memories of the day.

Early Birds Get the Best Parking Spaces Too!

Ah, yeah. This totally happened.
After getting up before 3 a.m. and then waiting six hours, I enjoyed a 3-song set by Mumford & Sons with my friend Alexa and a host of KC fans at Westport's Firefly Lounge.

After the show I was heading to my car when I encountered the band hanging out by their tour bus. The two on the right are actually in the band, but I met a lot of their entourage as well, all cool folks.

I followed up my morning with a quick change at home, (It was SO warm in that club!), and then headed to my second Summer class of the day.

Shine on!

A Mid-Summer's Eve celebration of my friends Tim & Jill and their union of X years! Congrats!

Fall Out

The creation of the duck-riding polo robot was nearly thwarted but fret not, the claw was no match for Sean's powers of creativity!

Clover-and-over

Wellsville, Kansas needed a few more fish, but apparently they are good on birds, bugs, and cherries!

Buy Local!

Highlight of my day. I followed up a lunch of FREE Chipolte, courtesy of Shatto milk, by going to get fried ice cream with Jessica. Oh yes, we devoured that thing. It was amazing!

For The Win!

After rocking out at the Weezer concert, we sought out a place to hydrate ourselves and landed at Chubby's. I ran into my roommate Ben out with a few friends as well and had to take a picture, of course!

What really tickles me about this photo is not just that it records a happy, random moment in life, but that in addition to the photo bomb by my friends; the random guy on the right ALSO got in on the photo bomb action. Priceless!

Wild, Warm, Wet, Weezer!

The day started with a trip to the KC Zoo with Angela & Jeff and our friend Lynne who was in town from TX with daughter Maddie. It was only my second time to the Zoo...I think. I seem to recall having gone before, but it is possible it was only to see Disney's Fantasia at the IMAX theater. This may have actually been my first time in the Zoo proper. Only Africa was open today, which worked out perfectly as it turned out to be quite a scorcher and our attention spans & Maddie's energy level lasted as long as a tour through the area.
The highlights for me were the hippos, having Maddie 'lead' our group with the map, stopping at unconventional 'sights' along the way, and charming Maddie through the last stretch of the park.

We finished right around lunch time and with the help of a GPS navigator they'd brought along, found our way to New Peking in Westport; one of my favorite Chinese food establishments.
Angela and I had fun coaching Maddie on the use of chopsticks, marveling at the Hispanic family across from us who'd had fire brought to their table and watching as their under-attended daughter set fire to one of her chopsticks, and catching up a bit with Lynn, Angela & Jeff.

From there I headed home to take a much needed nap, then switched gears for the Buzz Under the Stars concert out at City Market. My friend Dennis bought a house not long ago out in Olathe AND he happened to have won tickets to the show off the radio. We combined efforts and I got the tour of his new place, then we rode together to the show. Once there, we met up with a bunch of friends and ran into several more. I love this city!

The show was great. The opening acts likely gained a few fans and Weezer really put a lot into their performance with lots of crowd pleasing tunes and also a few gimmicks for laughs!
After the show we were in much need of hydration and as luck would have it, some sprinklers turned on right by where our car was parked, giving Jessica and I the opportunity for a refreshing frolic through the sprays of water! We eventually found our way in a most Family-Circus-style to Chubby's. It was nice and cool inside and our waiter tried valiantly to keep us supplied with water as fast as we consumed it.

I ran into my roommate Ben who was out with Amanda and a couple other friends. (See tomorrow's post since technically it was already Saturday at that point) I really do enjoy living in KC and have to count my blessings for days & evenings like these made possible by wonderful friends!

Because we live in Kansas, THAT's why!

I was almost certain this would be one of those days where I just didn't have any photos to post. I got a few things done around the house this morning, worked a couple hours in the evening for the Census and on my way to my supervisor meeting, I saw THIS.

He looked almost as stunned and puzzled about me taking his picture as I was to see him riding a horse through the nehehehborhood!

Adventures Abound!

Day two and the return trip from Manhattan were full of friendship and fun, and also quite a lot of sun! I had breakfast with Jessica and Ryan at a local establishment and it was really nice to sit, relax, eat and just enjoy each others' company.
On the way back, Ryan navigated us to a place called 'The Top of the World', a park with a trail that begins at a high look-out over the city. We could see the 'KS' hill in one direction and Tuttle Creek Dam in the other. SUCH a beautiful day!
We dropped Ryan back by the house as he is up to his elbows in home repair.

Jessica and I made a trip to the K-State garden where we discovered the Insect Zoo! It was small, but then, so are insects, and they had quite a few of them packed in there. We'll have to see the cutter ants on a return trip as they were in the process of renewing that exhibit. There were LOTS of other creepy-crawlies and a bit to my chagrin, not all of them remained in their containers. We were careful not to set down any of our personal belongings...
I was most excited to see the florescent scorpion and the Queen bee!

We made our way to Aggieville, enjoying browsing through the air conditioned shops. I ended up getting quite a fashion boost! Time was getting short so we just drove past the park where I was excited to see they are building water slides! More to look forward to on the return trip!

We met up with Ryan for lunch at the very retro-tastic Vista where it was two-corn-dog-Tuesday! Paired with cherry limeades was a tasty combination. Mmm!

We bid farewell to our gracious host Ryan and set off on our return home. Along the way we stopped at a scenic over-look and also found further adventure in Topeka. Jessica has been very encouraging for my sense of adventure and it certainly made the trip all-the-more memorable!

Some say her heart grew three sizes that day!

Jessica notes changes in Ninja Austin...but she'll never tell!

Oh, and also this:

Austin: Hey chica! Thanks for sharing an awesome day with me.

Jessica: I know, right? Let's totally recap what we did!

Austin: Sure thing! That sounds amazing!

Jessica: Ha ha! Okay, so.......first you came to my house, yes?

Austin: Uh, how detailed do we want to be? Like should we tell them that you ate Reece's cereal, or should we skip to something meatier?

Jessica: I didn't have a steak if that's what you mean.....

Austin: Thanks for following through with pith. Let's just continue shall we? I was rather impressed with your new doormat, I suppose that is worth mentioning for would-be guests to your abode.

Jessica: Yeah, or we could just tell them how we slayed a dragon and became princesses of another realm....or skip that part and go right to the drive...your call.

Austin: That is good to leave in there, oh and also how important it is to read labels and how easy it is to 'steal' ice!

Jessica: Oh man...calories are hidden everywhere! So yeah, we drove across Kansas while talking of EVERYTHING and listening to great music. :-)

Austin: Enjoyed a snack of delicious apples...which I'm pretty sure were NOT grown by a Kansas farmer...but I digress

Jessica: Those were good apples. Like, if someone had asked how I liked them apples, I would have said, 'I like them just fine sir and/or ma'am.'

Austin: lol Yes n'deed! It were some beautiful country we traveled through and some wonderful weather to go with it.

Jessica: Oh gorgeous!

Austin: We need to make a point of going back through Topeka to drive over the new clock bridge!

Jessica: Right, good call, I forgot about that. Ultimately, we made it to Manhattan, KS. I've never been before, super cute town!

Austin: I am really proud of you, jumping right in to help with the house work and climbing up the ladder to work on the roof with me!

Jessica: Oh man........ladders. They scare me. I swear that one was out to get me!

Austin: But you made it down safely and with style!

Jessica: cha..........scaredy cat style! :-D

Austin: *mreowr!* On your way to becoming a Wildcat! I had really felt like we earned our dinner once we were done.

Jessica: Ha ha! Yes, dinner was earned. Oh yeah, and our invisible friends were a lot of fun at dinner time. Thanks, guys! And what a lovely walk we took afterward!

Austin: A great night for it, there is so much still to show you tomorrow!

Jessica: I can't wait! Some of those stores looked really fun!

Austin: I think we wrapped it up at a good time though and I'm glad we made good on your idea of a Sonic stop.

Jessica: Yeah. They have frozen yogurt now. Who knew? Either way, it was a fantastic night to end an amazing day!

Austin: And how!

Jessica: Aaaaaaaaaaaaand how!

Austin: That's all she wrote!

Austin: That's all she wrote!

Chimeney Cheese Rum

Today I fit in the most hours I've worked for the Census in one go to-date. I made a lot of progress and even a few exciting discoveries, getting the chance to apply some of the more obscure points of my training for the first time! I really enjoy this job.

My evening was chock-full of fun and friends. First for a D-licious sushi dinner...there must be left-overs somewhere around here, there was SO much food!

The next stop was to KC's Power and Light district to hear my friend Matt play a set at the Pizza Bar. Ran into a few people I knew while there, reinforcing the feel of KC being an extended 'small town'. The music was great, the company was fabulous and my tummy and ears were full to brimming with delights!

The Long and Winding Road

A GPS is back on Christmas list after my return trip from Arkansas.

My day started out wonderfully, a quiet morning with my grandma, and a lively afternoon visit with my Ulmer family. I'm so glad to have had the chance to see them, even if briefly!

The remainder of my day was spent on the twisty roads out of Arkansas and up through Missouri. I about lost it in Arkansas when, for the life of me, I could not tell if I was on-track or how much further and in which direction I needed to travel to get the heck out of there! Fortunately, I stopped long enough for a cup of patience (in this case a black forest mix from Braum's, Mmm!) and a phone call to a supportive friend. After that I was back on track!

That is, until night fell and I made a second, failed attempt to get food. I had called to check-in with my grandma when I noticed an all-too-familiar sign. I had gotten back on the highway going the the wrong direction! Doh! Thus adding an additional hour-and-a-half to my already epic journey. Again, I was saved by my cell phone and a compassionate friend. Hooray for technology that-almost-always works!

I've decided that in addition to the GPS, I will be adding a pair of sparkly red shoes to my Christmas list. I enjoy traveling, but there are times when there really is no place like home.

Never-wonderland!

After bidding my Grandpa farewell on his road trip, I spent a lovely day with my grandma. (Pictured here in front of their newly remodeled 'fireplace'. Aren't they darling!?)

I got in some sun and some exercise cleaning around the house. We went to lunch together, watched Alice in Wonderland, ate dinner at Olive Garden. Once we got home we went on a stroll around the block. I spotted something on the ground out of the corner of my eye and was rather startled. Not knowing what my grandmother's reaction would be, I advised her to take a few more steps forward, then asked her to turn around and confirm that what I was seeing was, in fact, a tarantula! I had never seen one 'in the wild' before! What an exciting thing! Now to help up-date her Mp3 player and get to sleep at a decent hour.

Tomorrow I'll hit the road home, stopping along the way to visit my Ulmer family in Mena, AR.
It is the whirl-wind tour and I'm so glad to be on it!

On The Road Again

I drove through rain and sun, through prairie and forest; a beautiful drive and I have arrived!

What it comes down to is that I'm fine with everybody else getting LOST today

X Roads

The JCCC Improv group doin' their thing! This was the start of a fun-derfull evening that blended into the following day. The comedy show then a party out in the country complete with a bonfire, s'mores, stargazing, and I'm pretty sure I heard a bull frog in there somewhere!

The Sun Came Out Today!

This was the only picture I was able to take before my camera battery died! I joined a group of friends and potential friends down by the river this evening. In the mix there were juggling props, fire dancing/ spinning props, instruments, food, a dog, curious passers-by with wishes for our well-being and as the evening wound down, a few pipes found their way out and were lit beneath the stars, set between the city-scape and the rushing water.

Bliss!

Dry The Rain

This is hands-down my favorite pic of the night!

The Highway

The picture for today...if I had taken one, would be of myself with Courtney Koval at the Chestnut Fine Arts Theatre in Olathe. Such an interesting venue! The show was really wonderful. After two hours of being loosely on the receiving end of inductive tactics however, my face was pretty sore from smiling!

I felt good about getting off to a good start today with a jog and I am back to logging my nutrition and exercise. Broke a zipper on my stand-by slacks yesterday, quite a bit of motivation there. Doh!

I managed to get several important errands run and while I am not as far along as I'd like, it feels good to have taken a chunk out of all that was on my plate!

More Than Meets The Eye

Today I wrapped up my last final of the semester, Acting I, and celebrated with lunch across the way at Tequila Harry's. Only a few people from the class didn't make it and even our teacher joined us which was, in my opinion, an honor.

There are other pictures with more of our class, but I couldn't resist giving props to Jessica's photo bomb!

Fairy Tale Sans Maté

Arriving early afforded me the best parking spot I've had all semester!

Why we did not get a class picture before class began is beyond me. I feel partly to blame in fact, though I was able to catch video of the day and for that I am glad. *Note to self...add 8GB SD card to Birthday wish-list.*

I did however manage to get this picture of Rachel and myself who turned out to be fashion twins for the day. All in the interest of presenting our Reader's Theatre final. It has been an amazing class and I feel very fortunate to have worked with so many individuals who are talented in diverse and wonderful ways!

KEEP MOVING, MERGE LATER

Because we are them and they are we, and together we are meant to be!


Can't pass up a good excuse to frolic through a field with my gal-pal and her little'uns!
After rehearsal for my final tomorrow I met up with Jess and the girls and we had a mini play date before Improv. rehearsal. The ground was still soggy, but after days of rain, I was happy just to be out-of-doors.
An evening at home is providing me with much needed time to attend to domestic duties and prepare for the week ahead!

Make a mind picture and I'll catch you on the flip-side!

I enjoyed sleeping-in this morning and didn't even mind venturing out into the rain for 30 minutes on Census duties.
In the afternoon I got in some over-due Quality Time with my roommate. While brief, it was time well spent. Additionally I decided that I had time enough to bake cookies. I am really starting to get the knack of this recipe!
My evening on the Plaza was a delight! A movie at the Plaza theater, (I kept an eye out for familiars, but did not encounter any), dinner at Blanc, and good company.
A safe drive home, despite conditions, and a cozy evening in to round out the day.
Now for some sleep, perhaps accompanied by the sounds of a passing storm.

High-Dr8!

A full day, pep-talks throughout kept me going.
Most of what I had going on I was genuinely excited about, but so much of it and it starts to feel obligatory, leaving me a bit anxious. Still, when I actually get around to things, I find I tend to enjoy myself.

I'm very excited about participating in the Student Theater organization on campus. This photo is of our President from the meeting today.

Got a few hours in at work and had a nice chat with my new supervisor.
Celebrated Amanda and Brett's graduation in the evening with more libations all around than we are accustomed to. *hic* Now, for some sleep!

Gifts

Had me a hankerin' for some grits, so I called up my Jessica and we got us some down-home cookin' at the Cracker Barrel! Mmm-mmm! Sweet tea too!

In the evening I was fortunate to join with good people to celebrate my friend Lynnea as she is soon to be married!

The stars were out on my drive home. Hello friends!

Kansas is a good place to raise children...and Cain!

I'm listening as rain falls torrentially and thunder booms at irregular intervals. Kansas storms are so exciting, but also a comfort. They seem to mirror my personality to a 'T'! I'm also drinking tea, so it all works out.

Another amazing day all-in-all. I am so pleased to be a student. Doing my student thing and enjoying my 'process', etc. It is a little known fact that I was born on 'The Day of The Good Life', and days like this affirm that fact!
My good pal Jessica surprised us with fresh cream puffs from the culinary dept. here on campus! They were delish and we reveled in her generosity. I managed to make a fine mess with mine, a testament to how much I enjoyed it!


After a quick rehearsal for her Honors piece I went to Chipotle with Jess for lunch, then followed it up with a bit of shopping. Shopping is one of those 'girl things' that I do not actually enjoy, so having a friend along really helps. Back at school we had fun performing our scene, with a pause to run in the rain.

This amazing Kansas storm accompanied me home and it looks like a stormy night is ahead for me to enjoy!

Defeating the Retro-Grade!

The good times just kept on rolling today. I saw so many wonderful people and interacted with them in positive ways! From school mates to roommates, to neighbors and coworkers.

I sat in on the Movement Final, here pictured with Sammi is so ecstatic as a fighting-bride and Amanda's zombie cameo is, well, to die for? What ever the case- love it!

This was also a day of balance, which always feels good. I got some quality time in at the gym and ate a brownie for dessert, win!

Where there's a Will...there's a future

I don't have a new picture for today. It was a rainy one here in the land of OZ.
Highlights included rehearsals with friends/ classmates for various projects, having money in my account to cover books for Summer semester, and enjoying mid-Western stormy weather from inside a snug, warm, and cozy house with a cup of tea and something good to eat!

Weekend fun!

This will have to be a combo post for the weekend.
Saturday I worked a couple hours for the Census, then the remainder of the day was primarily given over to the Theatre Banquet/ Showcase.
This picture shows the start of the exciting after-show activities as we learned to play 'Ninja'. I have much to learn, but enjoyed this first exposure to the game.

Sunday was very relaxed. I turned my alarm off and allowed myself to slip into a state of unhurried, yet dutiful domestication. I had a friend over in the afternoon and time sped by as we chatted between working on independent projects and later shared a meal.

I claimed the evening for something I've wanted to do since moving into this house. I scrubbed out the tub as I caught up with my pal Jessica por telephono. Then I went about filling up the tub and testing out the jets! It was so wonderfully relaxing!

I hope my mom's have had an equally relaxing and enjoyable time this weekend.
Happy Mother's Day!

Yes Virginia, this was a Friday

I got up early this morning for a little 'me' time which included stretching and eating a healthy breakfast before getting ready for a couple hours of Census work. Today my supervisor shadowed me. I got several nice comments from him, some even about the work I was doing.
I enjoyed a quiet afternoon at home, tending to domestic concerns, trying to prepare for the weekend ahead and settled on reading through a Neil Simon play.
It was off to school in the late afternoon where I made an AMAZING discovery and was aided in it by my dear friend Alexa. We then proceeded to consume chocolate, IN PUBLIC! It was glorious, glorious indeed.
Also, this tree is incredible. It has a lovely fragrance and the bunches of blooms appear to me as 'ghost grapes'.

I followed that up by catching most of the meeting I'd driven all the way to town for, I'm now an 'officer' of sorts and looking forward to doing my part to get things moving and grooving. More details on that later.
I called up a couple of good friends for a nostalgic meal at Pizza Man, then headed over to JCCC with Chad for the free outdoor concert. We walked around the art museum, which I'd never actually been in before. They have some pretty interesting exhibits on display. There were also some very interesting people on display. They turned out to be a part of the show. Dancing with Alexa helped keep me warm and we had some fun with lighting and our cameras while things were wrapping up. All-in-all a wonderful way to head into the weekend!

Notice his counter-part on top of the building

The weather holds and we are blessed with another beautiful day!

I started my day with my fitness assessment. Enough said about that.
I got NO critical remarks from my Acting I teacher on my monologue preview. I hope she still loves me! After class I found myself with a stretch of time before rehearsal so I joined up with Jessica and went in search of food for our grumbling tummies!
We were drawn back out-0f-doors and ran into friends Sarah and Tom and enjoyed their company while we ate and then a little while after. Tom had sweet potato fries-my fave! and allowed me to steal one from him, Yum! This pic was taken shortly there-after as Tom took up his post guarding the wall.


Which reminds me of some jokes Jessica was telling in the hall earlier. Why can I only remember the one that made me cringe?

When I walked into the fitness center later in the afternoon, they informed me that I had now earned enough points to get an 'A'! That was up-lifting in the face of not having made *quite* the progress I'd hoped to make this semester.

Rehearsal went well, I'm really looking forward to the Showcase this weekend. We even got things wrapped up in time for me to get home and get a couple of hours of work in. In addition to getting money, I'm also getting to practice my Spanish! This is a really good job for me.
I got home just in time to water my plants and do a bit of weeding before the sun clocked out on its day. It was good to catch up with friends and family over the phone as I tidied up and settled in for the evening.

A Dose of 'D'!

A B-eautiful day and the freedom to enjoy it!
After class this morning I gathered with a few friends to enjoy an event taking place on campus. There was karaoke and a good number of my new friends are the type who willingly partake in such things so we stuck around and enjoyed the show!
I also got in a bit of dancing, which makes any day better, in my opinion.

I even managed to spend a few productive hours following the event, getting some info. from the student center, working out at the fitness center, shopping for healthful foods, and tending to my little garden plots. Now it is time to study!

Reflecting

I am coming up on a year since departing on my European Adventure!

Classes are going well, Census job round II kicked off this afternoon, and I am enjoying life in general.
School is a great place to make new friends and one of mine has inspired me to pick back up with my blog. A photo a day and a caption, to help me focus on all the good in life and to share the highlights with those near and dear to me. (Also with those who are not-as-near and who are not all necessarily on Facebook!)
This first pic is not from today, but it is a good one to get caught-up-to-speed with, as it includes my new friend Jessica (left), our friend Sarah, and myself sharing a moment at Improv. rehearsal. I just hope Jessica doesn't mind that I 'borrowed' it from her!

Last Day of Spring Break 2010

I tried Korean food for the first time today. Curried rice with...what I think was beef, and some vegetables. I eagerly scooped it up with my long silver spoon. Very tasty! There was also a white, firm vegetable in the center, paired with spinach? both coated in a spicy red sauce. Diners shared these plates, taking bites with chop sticks to be eaten over their plates. I am prompted to explore Korean restaurants in our area. Let me know if you already have a favorite!

Spring Break?

I've been prompted to up-date, so here you have it.

After my return from Europe and touring domestically through the holidays, I decided it was time for a bit more structure and enrolled in several classes at JCCC.

I am enjoying my two acting classes and the way my Lifetime Fitness class is helping me to combat the effects of delicious French cheeses; assisting me to fit into my own clothes again!

I had been without work since I left the Fire Department in May, content to tighten my belt while searching through jobs, working on my genealogy project, and floating by on my savings.
I knew this was a limited option and was hoping that one of my applications would soon pay off.
Happily that is just what happened and I got the call to come in for a day of training in the middle of Spring Break. While this put a damper on travel plans I was considering, it was the better option financially. Since I'd given in to travel fairly consistently for the past six months, it was time to bring balance to the force and make the wise move monetarily.

Twelve hours of training and one St. Pat's Day sadly under celebrated, I am now an employee of the Federal Government! I worked my first full-day as a U.S. Census Bureau Representative on Friday, March 19th. It is a temporary position, only lasting a month. I have confidence however that other opportunities will open up after this one. A friend of mine, upon hearing the news laughed at the fact that I am again in a position to badger him about something.
It's my JOB people! Yeah, I get a kick out of it. Have YOU filled out your Census form yet???

All-in-all things are going well. I have work I feel good about doing and am getting paid for...though come to think of it, I never did confirm what I would be getting paid! I suppose this is another element of 'trust' in my gypsy lifestyle, that if I continue to apply myself , things will manifest in such a way that my needs are met.

I love that my Theatre classes give me an excuse to go see more live theatre, though I'd forgotten how much I tend to freely spend on 'the arts'. I will do my best to wait on that first paycheck...but I must admit to feeling that it is time to work my way back into the dance scene!
I have a couple friends who I'm eager to take on as dance partners, having married off my last one in February. Congrats Carl and Rachel!

Friday of next week I will be among students presenting English translations of the work of visiting Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko. It will be in one of JCCC's theaters and I believe tickets are free, but you'd need to contact the box office in advance. This is a very exciting opportunity and I hope those of you who are in the area will attend!