Works in Progress

I've always known that if I were ever to get married, I would make my own dress. Well, maybe not always. The decision probably came around the time I made my first dress, back in Creative Clothing in high school. Somewhere I still have that dress, and though it fit last time I tried it on, I doubt I would ever wear it again. What looked cool to me at 14 now looks like a print from a picnic table cloth. The dress wore to my Mom's wedding at 16 will likely never be worn again, as I knew much less about fibers at 16. Turns out flannel is better suited to quilts and boxers than summer style dresses. I really liked the print though.

Four weeks ago today Doug proposed, and I said yes, so now I get to make that wedding dress. We both want a beach wedding, so a long dress seems rather silly to me, as I don't need a dress full of sand. The so-called "traditional" dress fabrics are out too: none seem well-suited for saltwater and I can't guarantee I won't get wet in it. I would also like it to be washable, so I can wear it to the mainland receptions we are planning. And it would be nice to wear the dress again in general, though I'll likely dye it another color to do so as white tends to be a poor color choice for me in everyday clothing.

I've started making a dress. Not the dress, but a prototype of what I eventually want to have for the wedding. Good thing too. The patterns I have chosen are resulting in a dress that is far too loose fitting. I say patterns because I was unable to find just one I liked. So I am merging two. We'll see how that goes in the end. Below is a picture of the work in progress:


Also in progress are knitted baby items. Not for me though. One is for a friend who is expecting in October. The other is a sweater for Doug's (and in the next year mine too) niece. All three projects are fun, and all three have been going together easier than I anticipated. But right now I am really excited about getting the pieces of the dress put together, so I have been working on that for the last two days.

Not sure how many more free days I'll have to spend at home working the whole day. It's only the second week of school so there haven't been many calls for subs yet, but with another semester's tuition and the wedding coming up, my bank account is demanding I take every call I get for work. The upside to subbing is that weekends and evenings are still mine, so around homework I should have plenty of time for these and any other projects I decide I must do.

Repack

For the last few days I have spent my productive time of the day down in my Grandma's basement. Opening boxes and storage bins that were packed and brought to Seattle nearly two years ago. Some things are easy enough to discard. Others are set aside to be thought about. And some are immediately repacked.

Most things that are set aside to be thought about end up getting moved to the discard pile, but it is a slow process. I packed with the expectations that after only a few months, I would be unpacking the boxes in a new apartment. Now it will be some time again before I get around to unpacking. I need to have the boxes packed and ready to go to get a valid estimate of shipping costs, but I still need more time to finish. Once I've chosen a company, I need to make an appointment. At this point I feel it is unlikely I'll finish in the time frame I expected to. I'm hopeful though, I'd like to get this done.

Last Day of School

Friday was my last day of school... As a teacher. My last day as a student was May 12, and on the 13th, I took over teaching a second grade class. I learned how to come up with things to do when lesson plans provided were inadequate for the amount of time I had in the day. When the lesson plans I was given ran out, I learned to come up with things to do that would keep 20 8-year-olds busy and be somewhat educational.

The class wrote auto-biographies, learned about fractions and multiplication, had a mini geography project, and even had a couple of PE sessions. Turns out with all the other stuff second graders are supposed to be learning, not many get out for regular PE. And they love PE. Our two and a half weeks together were fun for me, and by the end of it I was a little bummed I had already made travel arrangements before I was asked to take the job - otherwise I could have stayed with them next week too.

Tomorrow I fly to Seattle. I need to go through my things that are in storage in my Grandma's basement and decide what is worth shipping to Hawaii, and then figure out what to do with the rest of it. Hopefully I'll have time for a small garage sale - the cash will be useful for shipping. And then: summer adventure begins!

I'm Going Back to School!

Today I received an acceptance letter from the University of Hawaii, granting me admission as a graduate student to start in the Spring 2009 classes. According to the information they sent, looks like classes start on January 12, 2009. I haven't looked at class schedules yet, so I don't know what is going to be available, but I do know I'll be back in the classroom. I haven't yet decided on a set program, but am looking at both Anthropology and Sociology. I'm also interested in their International Cultural Studies Certificate, which would go along with either program.

The next step will be trying to convince them that as far as their residency requirements go, I'm not a resident of any state, and therefor should be granted in-state tuition for Hawaii since I have been here the longest in the last 12 months. Then I'll have to work on the funding issue.

But I'm still excited, some of my waiting has paid off. Now if only I would hear back on one of those government jobs I applied to last week....

Waiting

Seems like there is tons of waiting going on in my life right now. Waiting for someone to respond to my ad on craigslist and buy my car. Waiting to hear from the University of Hawaii. Waiting to get my final scores on the GRE. Waiting for paperwork to come from the VA so I can apply for jobs with veteran's preference. Waiting for October so I can turn in 30 days' notice to my landlord.

And once those are taken care of, there will be more waiting. Waiting for the money from my sold car to get to my bank account. Waiting for classes to start so I can be in school again. And waiting to hear back from the various places I applied to.

No worries here though. I'll just keep pushing forward and dealing with each thing as it comes along.

Seattle

Tomorrow I am flying to Seattle. But instead of returning, I am only visiting. A large part of the trip will be taking care of my belongings in my Grandmother's basement and selling my little blue car. I still miss that thing even though I have been driving around my newer car around for over a month now. Must be a first car thing, haha.

It will be a short trip, about a week. Longer would have been nicer for all I want to get done, but with the new job a short trip was all I could afford timewise. I hope people aren't too disappointed at the lack of time I will have. I imagine some will be, but there is little I can do about that. Hopefully I'll get back for a longer trip later on, and perhaps one that gets me to New Mexico and Colorado for additional visits.

Still Here

I am still in Hawaii, with no real desire to head back anytime soon. Two weekends ago I headed out for some camping with Red, her brother, and some of their friends. It was 3 nights of great fun. No worries of what time of day it was. And there was plenty of fun things to do, from swimming in the ocean to collecting shells along the beach to searching for tidal pools in the rocks. I had my camera along for the trip, but once again didn't get around to taking any pictures. The campground was full of chickens, and while one might think that is annoying, it really isn't. They take care of the bugs, which to me would be more of an annoyance.

On the camping trip I had my first chance at beach fishing, but never caught anything. Since then I have tried a few more times, but still no luck. A few nibbles here and there, but nothing seems to bite hard enough to be pulled in.

Yesterday I had the chance to go out for another motorcycle ride. It was a long day riding, but loads of fun. On one road that followed the coast traffic became quite heavy, but the reason was soon presented: everyone was whale watching. Though they were quite a way out, they could still be seen as they came up for air. All I had to do was watch for the water coming through their blowholes, and the hump of their backs could be seen shortly afterwords.

Now it might be time for me to get more serious about the job search. All play and no work makes a girl broke. I just hope I find something that won't interfere too much with the play, or I might not last long.

The Travels Will Continue

I was thinking I would try to get a military flight to Hawaii, but then I found a screaming deal on airfare and decided that it would be worth the small price to be guaranteed a flight and arrival time at my destination. Well, as guaranteed as you can get with airlines. It is only a one-way ticket though, so the military thing might still happen on the way back. Or I'll just hang out in Hawaii until I find another good deal. Sure, there is a plan to return, just no plan as to when.

Can't wait to go! Bought the ticket today, and I fly out on February 10th. 8 days in advance, and that is really planning ahead for me - at least in the sense of travel.

Eeek! Where Has the Time Gone?

So I have been back at my Dad's for a little over a month now, but what have I done? First, I recovered from traveling for 3 months. Turns out there was quite a bit of missed sleep to make up for. Then I started researching graduate programs and chose a couple to apply to, which are in the works now. I've also served 2 days of Jury Duty for King County in Washington and looked for employment. Somewhere in there I made some new friends, got sick as a dog (from which I am still recovering), knitted a few things, and re-found my desire to travel. Now I have become restless again. I imagine that the rain in Seattle has helped push along my need to be on the move.

Lucky for me I have friends around the world, and one has invited me to come see Hawaii. I knew this was coming before my trip in Europe ended, and have been planning on trying to get there since she moved. I am still working out the details of getting there - I'd really like to use a benefit of my military service and get a military flight there. That would save me a ton on airfare, something that needs to happen if I even want to get there. Besides getting some much needed R&A time, I am really excited about this: I have no idea how long I will be staying there, nor where I will be going when I leave. There is an entire world of possibilities out there, and the next thing I've got coming up is hopefully starting a graduate program sometime next August/September.

Home

After Lagos I spent a nice 3 nights in Lisbon. The city was beautiful, and loads of fun. Not really beach weather, but it was warm enough to leave the jacket behind at the hostel when I went out for the day. My first full day I made a visit to the Oceanarium, and learned what a sun fish was. They are monstrous fish, and a bit ugly, as far as fish go. I managed to get some pics, but will post those a bit later.

Though I stayed in Lisbon for 3 nights, my second night was the night to celebrate the end of my trip, as I had an early flight out and would need to get to bed early on the 3rd night if I wanted any sleep. I went out with several people from the hostel and had a great time. A couple of the staff from the hostel lead the group to a bar where there was Fado going on, the traditional Portuguese singing. Where I was sitting I was unable to see the performer, but it was a great experience anyway.

My last day in Lisbon I spent wandering the streets around the castle. I was going to visit the castle, but had lost interest by the time I finally found the place to buy my ticket. The streets were fun though, all narrow and cobblestone, winding their way around houses. As I walked the streets I imagined that Portugal might be a place that I could find myself living.

Leaving Lisbon wasn't too hard, but the journey back to Seattle was a headache. I had to leave early from Lisbon to fly to Frankfurt, Germany. The flight was nice, and a real meal was served. From Frankfurt I flew into Washington DC, and that is where things started to go wrong. My flight to Seattle kept getting delayed longer and longer, until finally it was just canceled. The earliest they told me they could get me out was 7pm the next day. I felt no need for a direct flight and I asked for anything that could get me out of DC. I ended up on a late night flight to San Fransisco with an early connection into Seattle. In DC I was told I would get a room in SF, but by the time I arrived on the West coast, I would have had only 2 hours in that room, so I opted for the chairs at gate #72 and set up camp.

After a few hours of broken sleep I managed to get breakfast on a food voucher before boarding my plane to Seattle. The plane was on time, a nice feeling after the disappointment of DC. Of course, landing in Seattle at that time in the morning meant finding a ride was hard, so I had to use the shuttle service. No big deal though, made it to my Dad's, and then spent most of the day feeling a bit off, but unable to sleep. Finally around 10pm I crashed out, and now I am ready to see what Seattle will throw at me.

6 Days Left

In 6 days I will be on a flight to take me out of the US. And I still only have that planned. I finally went and got new shoes today, the backpack I plan on using for the trip is currently in UPS' possession, and there are no accommodations reserved. But still, I think it will work out just fine.

Instead of putting much effort into planning my 3 month Euro-trip, I've been going camping. Two weekends ago I went with my sister to a place called Icicle Creek. As kids our parents took us there a few times, and we got lucky and ended up at the same campground we remembered so well. We stayed for two nights, and had a great time. Had I not needed to return for a doctor's appointment, we would have stayed longer, since I had no real plans and she didn't have to work again until the next weekend. Even though we didn't stay near the sites we had remembered using in the past, we still got a great site with its own beach. Pretty lucky, considering we got to the campground at 7pm on Sunday night, Labor Day weekend. We thought for sure all the sites would be full, but we kept our fingers crossed and it worked. Just finding a site was nice, since all the campgrounds we had passed en-route to our destination had full signs. But in terms of sites in the campground, we had scored.

Last weekend I went camping with my Dad. We went to a place called Kalaloch, also a place I had been taken as a kid. I think the last time I had been to that campground was when I was 16, right before I left for my first adventure in Europe. Though I went there several summers as a kid, and my Dad had done the same, neither of us had ever stayed in one of the most sought after campsites: one on the bluff, over-looking the Pacific. Our first night as we pulled through the campground, we were not surprised to find that all the bluff sites were occupied, as they always are. But before going and paying for our second night's camping, we decided to give the bluff one last walk through, to see if anyone was leaving. And we got lucky. Moving camp was fun to watch, especially for other people, I'm sure. Anything heavy was thrown hastily into my car, and then me and my Dad went back for the tent. Instead of taking the time and effort to take the tent down, we picked it up, mattresses and all, and carried it put together to our new site. One camper in a nearby site called it the Sunday Shuffle. Apparently, that kind of thing happens on a regular basis. I wonder how many other campgrounds are like that? And I wonder how long our site was empty before it had new owners? People had come by in the evening to see if we would be leaving in the morning, but we had no visitors the morning we left.

I suppose now I should get to work on figuring out what exactly I will be doing once I arrive in London. Stay in the city for a night or two, or head up to Scotland to the places I've decided I would like to see on the trip? Whatever I decide, I think I'll try to go for one more camping trip before I leave though. It has been loads of fun.

Euro-Trip

The Euro-trip is getting closer. Today I got my tickets through United, turns out I had enough miles for a freebie. I will be leaving on the 18th of September from Seattle, and staying away until the 12th of December. Hopefully I am coming back early enough to miss the start of the Christmas rush, but if not I suppose I won't care because I would have just spent nearly 3 months in Europe.

So far life is grand on my quest to avoid the working world. I wonder how long I can keep this up? I suppose at some point I will need to generate some kind of cash in-flow, but until then I'll keep finding new adventures.

Moving...Ugh

I really don't want to take the time to do this. I could just get rid of everything, but I hate the idea of that. Some of the things I have I got because I wanted them, and I worked hard to earn the money that paid for them. Or I didn't buy them, but I don't want to re-buy them in the future, because I know that it is something I would never buy for myself. I considered pulling a trailer with my car, but have been told by a few people that doing so will probably result in a blown transmission. So I guess I need to rent a truck, and pull my car. But is it really worth pulling?

Then I start to wonder: Why did I ever move my stuff here in the first place?

Something To Do

Today I started a new job. Not that I really wanted to work for someone else, but pulling in some extra cash will be nice. And the job seems like it will be okay. The hours are flexible, and mostly I will be doing computer work indoors. That part is really nice, considering the heat outside. I'll be working for the college still, just a different professor on a different project.

Now I just need to get motivated to get my apartment ready to vacate. I like the location and all, but I can't stay here forever. This town is starting to suffocate me. It is time for me to find new things out and around. If some incredible offer came up for me to live here then I might consider it, but as of yet everything points towards leaving.

Planning Europe

Before I graduated, I was thinking Europe might be a good excuse to not get a real job yet. With graduation gifts coming in (read: cash), the dream became more of a reality. All members of family and friends to respond to my graduation have done so in monetary ways when possible. For me, this is great. I want to go for as long as possible. I have no obligations other than supporting myself. Though school ended only a week ago, full research is underway to make this trip reality. I have downloaded countless pages of information, and that is only the beginning. I still have the library to hit up, and possibly books to buy for the trip. I have read some great information on what to pack, and I think I might need to invest in some new clothing to make laundry easier, as I expect to do laundry in the sink many nights while abroad. Already, I have too many countries I want to see. Even though I am planning 2-3 months, I need to downsize my list so that I will have more time in each place. Some countries have more than one city on their list, other countries have people I would like to see for longer than a day. Plus, any excuse I leave myself to get back only ensures yet another trip.

If anyone has suggestions of what to pack/what to see/where to go/any other good information, please leave me a comment. Of course, any updates will be made here.

Graduation Weekend Over

Long weekend on top of a long week. Good thing I am doing nothing tomorrow.

My mom tried several pictures of me dressed like I was something important. None really worked until I got tired of the sun in my eyes and put my sunglasses back on. That's when she said "Now you look like you." I guess when I don't wear them, people don't know for sure if it is me.


So what will I do now to fill my time? My next project is some research on Europe. My plan is to go for a couple of months. I just need to figure out how to do it as cheaply as possible, without compromising fun. In all, it should be a learning experience for me. Figure out who I am, and where I want to go. What I am really supposed to be doing. Or maybe I'll learn that knowing all that stuff is overrated, and I am just fine where I am.