2 Year Anniversary & A Long Overdue Vacation

The 2011-2012 school year ended Friday, June 15 the for me--and then my husband and I were off on a week-long adventure that we so desperately needed. We haven't had a vacation in years--not since 2009 when I graduated with my BA, lol. Plus, we were celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary and 10 years together. It was wonderful!! Here are just a few photos of our adventure (ignore the grainy-ness from taking photos with my cheap cell phone...my camera died 2 days into the trip):

Scrapbooking our adventure...

Baby Black Bears...so cute!

Ready for the day...

Boarding the train in Durango, CO

Ready to head to Silverton, CO on the train

Again, please ignore the grainy-ness...they look awesome small :)

Anyway, things are looking up for the two of us--just getting ready to dive back into school and prep for my internship coming up in September.

Hope you are all enjoying your summer and staying cool!

More posts and updates coming soon. I plan to update a few things around here beore September!

Morning Views

These are things I see every morning...

If I don't see them, my day is all off.

Yesterday I woke up late so I didn't get to make coffee before I headed out to school--and by the time 1p rolled around, man I had the worst headache! As soon as I grabbed a cup of joe at the kiosk near the library and took a couple of sips--POOF! My headache was gone.

Uhm, coffee dependant? Yes, I admit I have a problem. But I'm a functioning coffee-aholic, so I won't be detoxing anytime soon.

Lol.

Anyway, currently my days are filled with finishing projects and working on presentations.

But, what keeps me going is the realization that I only have 2 more class meetings and I'm FREE--until September. Then it starts all over again. Only it will be more intense with an added internship on top of class work and my regular job.

Life is about to get very interesting.



Catching Up...in Photos

Gorgeous Joshua Tree

 Feet...mine of course.

Creepy Tree... 

Bottlecap magnets and a pin that I've made recently 

Awesome cloudy sky 

Our little friend Beast passed away a few weekends ago. We loved him for about 4 years--we miss him dearly. 

Cute, funky statues at the Off-Road rental place in the lower desert. We stopped by to say hello--

Cory has done some work for the owner. 

Whitewater, CA--gorgeous place, right off the I-10.  

On the way to work...don't worry--I hadn't left the driveway yet. 

 A natural spring on the backway to Big Bear, CA

 A lovely quiche I made a few weekends ago--delish!!

artichoke hearts

squash

garlic

onion

sun-dried tomatoes

mushrooms

pepper jack

cheddar

bacon

eggs

cresent rolls for crust

**sometimes I add diced green chiles, but I completely forgot about that until just now. I guess I'll have to make another one!

Latest Happenings in My Crazy World

Oh my gosh...I'm a terrible blogger. Life has been so crazy this past year--with school especially. It's totally sucked up all of my time and energy. I'm nearing the end (few weeks left) of the first quarter of my MSW program at CSUSB and I'm dying a little bit inside because I wish my life were different.

I'm so tired of being stuck--or feeling stuck. I want my life to start already...I'm probably just being impatient but I don't know if I can mentally handle 2 more years living with family. It's not my family that's driving me insane, it's my own need to have space and to have my own house. I desperately want my own kitchen and the freedom to decorate as I wish. I'm trying so hard not to come across as ungrateful because the invitation to live here has helped me tremendously with school and saving money when I can, especially with the cost of school, my car, and gas. I'm just having a difficult time adjusting to the fact that I can't have a house or live my own life until I'm finished with school (2 yrs. from now) and have an awesome job with benefits. 

Then there are my student loans...

It's never ending. 

And I tell myself that it's not going to be like this forever. It's just for the time-being. But it only numbs the eagerness, despair, and anxiety for a short time. Then once again, I'm beating myself up about choosing to go back to school. But in reality and in the long run, it's the only way I will ever break away from welfare--which my family has lived our entire life on. 

I just want to do everything in my power to do well for my husband and I. And someday, I want to be able to buy a house and to be able to give my family things they have always wanted and could never have. Just little things.

It helps to just get it all out sometimes. 

When I write, I can say everything--without judgement or interruption. I'm sure I'll get out of the slump I'm in soon enough. But it always re-visits me.

Thanks for listening. 

For the time-being...and the next 2 years, I'll continue to spend most of my time on the computer, writing, reading, and working on presentations...as long as I can pay for it. 

Don't even get me started on the issue of student loans and grants that may not be available to grad students in next year or so.