Wunderhund

Some videos of the amazing feats of Apollo.

He can Dance!

He can Catch!

He can even Walk!

Yeah thats about all.

I Survived!!

4 Venti Lattes from Starbucks: $15.00
4 Text books from the Student Bookstore: $300.00
Surviving the first 4 days of the semester: Priceless

Well I made it through the first week of school without any major mishaps. I've decided to take a full course load this semester so I can graduate on time in the spring. This means, I'm taking a Cross-Culutral class, a Law and Ethics class, a Research and Evaluation Methods Class, my Group Practicum class (which means leading 3 groups of students, plus class, plus individul supervision) and a sex and drugs class. As if that wasn't enough, I've also decided to be a TA for one of the other graduate classes, just to get more experience and learn more behind the scenes from one of the best professors in the program. Crazy you say? I just prefer to think that I'm working eagerly towards my future. I guess it should also be said, that I did cut down my work load to only 2 days a week at Sycamore Glen so I have a lot of time during the week for homework, projects and everything else. I also managed to get Sundays off, which is now the most sacred day of the week to me.

Even though this semester looks like it's going to be tough, it's great to be able to see my friends again, and more regularly and to be learning things that are going to take me so far in my career (hopefully at least). It also provided me with more opportunities to brag about my adorable new neice and show her off to all my colleagues. Everyone thinks she's adorable.

Here's the new school year, and the eventual end of graduate work!

Did I mention I started working on my Master's Project too? Oye!

More of my wonderful new neice!

So I "stole" these pictures from my sister Larissa's blog, but I just had to share them with everyone! I am so proud of my sister and her husband for the way they made it through the last few months. I knew it was a struggle for both of them, especially for my sister, but everyone is now overjoyed at the new arrival, who is stunning everyone with her size despite being 4 weeks early! Though, she looks tiny next to her giant of a daddy. Enjoy the photos!

Petra Anastasia Has Arrived!

Congratulations to my wonderful sister Larissa and her husband Will, who finally welcomed their baby girl into the world on 8/21/08 around 12am. Petra weighed in at 7lbs 2oz and was 20 and 1/2 inches long.

I am so happy and excited to be welcoming another precious little girl into our family! Her brothers are in for a handful and I know my sister and her husband are overjoyed to finally have "a princess in manland" and I quote.

Chico is changing yet again....

As the fall semester gradually approaches, or rather, as the fall semester gets ready to pounce on me and eagerly drain my brain cells, I cannot help but think of all the changes that Chico undergoes as the new school semester approaches, especially in the Fall. Chico is affectionately known as a "college town" even though it's partying-reputation has decreased significantly since the 1990s, and has worked diligently to restore it's somewhat checkered reputation. As a result, I am beginning to see all the college students return to Chico as they gradually infiltrate the streets, stores and shops, sometimes to the greater frustration of most people here in town. However, it also got me thinking about the students that I will meet this semester, the new incoming graduate students as well as some of the other students that may be new undergraduates.

This semester I will be leading a group seminar/therapy group mainly full of lower classmen. It's always interesting for me to encounter these young students, especially as I try to recall what it was like when I was a freshman at Chico State (like it was all that long ago), but yet it still seems like it was such a long time ago. It's always interesting to see these students, their differences in personality, how you can see them trying to fit in, the intimidation, homesickness, and it always surprises me that they seem so young even though there's only 4-5 years separating us. It feels like a lifetime stands between us.

I am also interested in meeting the new group of MFT graduate students, because I remember how stressed, awe-inspiring, intimidating and exciting that first semester was for me, and it's always interesting to watch the newbie's reactions to the new higher octane environment of graduate school.

Well, summer is almost over and the freedom that I have enjoyed for the last few months is finally slipping away. I'm getting one step closer to the completion of my degree, my wedding! and the future. If there's any time to feel like you're standing on the edge of a great beginning, it would be now.

Cleaning up while cleaning up

Well we finally got around to the yard sale that has been several months in the making. After moving into the new house back in February our garage has steadily been collecting "extra" stuff that we either don't need or don't want. This came to a head last month when Jenn cancelled her storage unit and the remainder of stuff we had been hiding (out of site out of mind) found a home in the garage.

Turns out that having to park both of our cars in the driveway for the past month was sufficient motivation to finally hold the yard sale. So after a long night sorting, organizing, pricing and setting up we managed to roll out of bed at 6:30 to let people rummage through our belongings searching for treasure.

It is an interesting thing to watch people poke through your things and haggle over the price of anything and everything. Is it really so much to expect people to pay a full dollar for a purse that started the day being marked at $5 and probably cost upwards of $30 when it was new? Apparently so, at one point Jenn was offered 50 cents for a purse and when she didn't budge on the dollar price it was put back. It amazes me how cheap people can be sometimes. Not that we were against cutting deals (something we did with great frequency all day long), after all the goal was to get rid of stuff, but sometimes you just have to shake your head at it all.

Another interesting yard sale phenomenon are the swoopers. Late in the day when pickings are getting slim, the good stuff is gone, the crowds are slowing down, sure enough someone will come in and cut a great deal on a bunch of crap that was destined for the dumpsters. As we helped this lady load her large truck with the rest of our clothing, some low end furniture and about 50 VHS tapes we noticed this clearly was not her first yard sale today as the truck was stock full of goodies. This led us to ponder what will happen with our stuff. Will it really end up with this lady or is she just a yard sale middleman? Buying our stuff for 20 bucks and peddling it to someone who thinks they can sell it for more? Tough to say.

What is safe to say is we are glad it is over. We were able to get rid of most of our unwanted furniture and many many boxes of clutter that have been residing in our garage these past 7 or 8 months and we made a nice chunk of change along the way that went straight to the wedding fund.

Despite the work and the early morning having a yard sale is a fun and profitable way clean house. Plus we got to meet some more of our neighbors. Now all that is left is getting rid of the stuff even a swooper wouldn't want.

** It was brought to my attention that I failed to mention the wonderful support we received from our good friend Kim who, on her day off no less, woke up early to bring us coffee and hot chocolate. We rewarded her with some great deals on a couple of DVD's, a purse and a pair of stinky shoes. Danke Moto!

"Don't Psychoanalyze Me"

I thought it may be a good time to start a blog about what my career hopes and aspirations are (some philosophizing too), especially since I just blogged about Marriage, and I'm currently in a graduate program that focuses on Marital Therapy, as well as other facets of counseling.

I also thought it would be a good opportunity for everyone, including my family, to have a better idea of why I was drawn to such an interesting and sometimes controversial field. If I have to blame it on someone, I guess I could nail it to my senior Psychology teacher Mr. Pickering. While taking his class as a senior in high school, he really opened up the world of psychology to me, its many different facets and points of interest; from the conditioning of Pavlov to Erikson and Maslow and their growth and hierarchy models. Needless to say I was intrigued, especially by his own experience as a counselor and then as a teacher. Thus, when I was accepted to Chico State, it was easy for me to declare my major as psychology, a far cry from my prior aspirations as a pediatric cadiologist. Little did I know at the time that Chico State has one of the best psychology programs in the Cal-State system and one of the best graduate programs in psychology in the state. As I progressed in my school career, I began to think more and more about enterting the helping profession as a counselor. Drawing from my own family's previous experience with a counselor, and my own issues as a troubled teen, I began to see how important it is for people to be able to talk to someone who can be honest and forthright with them about their feelings, and also provide them with a place where they don't have to fear judgment or retribution from another human being. This desire led me to the graduate program, which I am now fairly close to completing.

I think it takes a rare talent to be empathetic to someone and to genuinely listen to what they're saying, but to also be able to hear what they're meta-message, or underlying feeling is. For instance, what is really behind that anger? Is it hurt? Is it fear? I think being able to help someone identify those issues, so that they can be right in their own hearts takes talent, practice and a genuine desire to help people who are lost and are ready to help themselves. I think therein lies the key as well. The person on the otherside, needs to be willing for you to challenge their heart, their emotions and even sometimes their beliefs. This is harder than it seems, when a lot of times their issues resonate so closely with your own heart, you hesitate because you're afraid of what lies within your own heart, a very interesting thing that sometimes catches me be surprise. I also think it takes courage to create an enviornment where someone is going to be so vulnerable with themselves, something that is harder than watching others be vulnerable. I think it takes a rare person to be an active listener and be willing to engage people in the way that usually involves intense emotions. Yet, I am still drawn to it.

I think it's also interesting to see how learning these different techniques can also impact your relationships. I hear "don't psychoanalyze me" a lot sometimes, or I get questions like "are you psychoanalyzing me?" and sometimes it bugs me, mostly because the connotation of the word "psychoanalyze" generally refers to Freud and his questionable, and I mean, questionable, psychological theories and techniques. And, also I'm not always thinking like a psychologist. However, as I'm sure my sister Larissa can sympathize with, sometimes it's difficult for those of us who live with someone with a psychological mind, because we can generally sense where an argument is coming from or when someone's upset, or like I said, the "meta-message". Scott has told me before that he's waited to discuss something with me because he knows I'll be able to peg it and sometimes he's not ready for my answer. But I guess that's where you have to understand and be compassionate towards everyone's limits of communication and listening skills. I also know that by no means am I an expert or immune to not listening or being angry and stubborn when I'm trying to "communicate." However, I think it just adds to your listening skills and other faculties if you are able to genuinely listen to someone and help them process through something that may be painful or hard to discuss.

Anyway, I think I've blabbed long enough on this topic. I hope it was somewhat enlightening, but I'll probably have to go back and do some editing and re-post it eventually, but I think it works for now.

More about the wedding....well marriage really.

Since I probably won't have as much time to talk about the wedding in the next few months, (I'm sure there are a few of you reading and starting to chuckle already if you know me) I thought I would spend some more time talking about our wedding and I guess marriage in general.

As the start of school comes closer and closer, I cannot help but think about how quickly the next few months are going to fly by. I have to confess, it is starting to make me a little nervous. Not that the planning process hasn't been fun and exciting, but when I sit back and think, wow, I'm going to me married this time next year. Married. It sort of blows me away. While I have great examples around me, Scott's parents, my mom and step-dad, my sister Larissa and her husband, its just a little awe-inspiring to think of yourself at the cusp of a major life change and wonder how you're going to handle it. Especially marriage. No one wants to fail, struggle at, be stressed out all the time, during the most important, intimate and special relationship between two people. I am thankful that Scott and I are both easy going, laid back people, who don't anger easily and are generally pretty good at communicating with one another. But even now, we both can see how difficult it is to constantly be putting one another first in each of our lives, and remembering that we aren't number one anymore. I think being that selfless is a struggle for any human being, given the nature of the human condition, but I think it becomes especially hard when you are considering someone else's wants, needs, hopes, dreams, and struggles first and foremost above your own.

My sister, Larissa, wrote a great blog on this the other day, specifically about humility, that really touched my heart and convicted me in my thoughts about who I am putting first in my life. When I think about the future, my heart is so excited for the things I will share with Scott and the things I will know, yet it is a little overwhelming when you start adding all the ingredients into the recipe, (i.e. kids, houses, pets, careers, etc.)

All in all, even considering nerves, stress, worries about fitting in my dress, are all overshadowed by the thought that in June I will get to stand up next to the man I love and declare my love for him and become his wife. I think that's definitely a future worth looking forward to.

I would of course welcome any and all advice or suggestions regarding marriage, I will only be a novice after all.

School is about to start...again.

As the school year is again appraoching me, as much as I may want to resist it, I can't help but think of everything that's happened this summer, and everything we have on the calendar for this fall. I also can't help thinking about how busy I will be with school this coming semester. For those of you who read this blog and don't know, I have been attending Chico State University since the Fall of 2003. I graduated with B.A. in Psychology in 2007 and was accepted into the Master's Program for Marriage and Family Therapy. I have already completed one year in that program, and I am looking forward to graduating in May 2009 so I can continue to work towards my ultimate goal of being a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.

As I am trying to ignore the beginning of the impending school year, I got to thinking about all the fun things Scott and I have done this summer. We've been camping several times, as you can read about in his blog, and I've also been able to take a few trips to visit my sister and having the weekend for some girl time with my girlfriends. We've also been able to see a lot of new summer movies, like The Dark Knight and Pineapple Express, both we very good films and it's always fun to spend an evening in the air conditioned comfort of the movie theater.

I've also spent much of the summer preparing wedding plans and gearing up for the big day next June. I know the time will go by so fast, so we're trying to be on top of things. We've already picked the venue, which you can read about below, we just chose I photographer, who is really familiar with the Lake Almanor Area so we can get some spectacular wedding photos. We also completed our registry's at Macy's and Bed, Bath and Beyond. I have to confess, that the registering part was probably one of my favorite moments.

Now with August almost half-old, we're getting ready to have a yard sale and do a last summer cleaning as we get ready to settle in for the next few months. Apollo, of course is growing by leaps and bounds and it's funny to see how "smart" and entertaining he can be.

So here's to summer, the brightest and most liesurely season.

Back from my Midwestern Adventure

I finally got home last night around 11pm, from my visit to Kansas City, MO. I was there visiting my sister Larissa, her husband Will, and her boys Silas, Kace and Gresham. While I had a great time visiting with everyone, I was mainly there to be the extra hands, feet and body for my sister who is busy growin' her baby girl Petra. She's been feeling a little down-hearted because in her mind she's "slacking" because she doesn't have any energy and doesn't feel very well much of the time. However, even when I am being very productive, helpful and am full of energy, she's still much busier than I am because she's carrying a precious life inside of her and I'm sure that even on my best days, her work, although unseen, greatly outweighs mine. Never the less, I felt very blessed to have the opportunity to visit my sister and be a help to her and her family, especially since it entailed getting to know each of her boys, who already has their own distinct personalities.

Contrary to what many people may think, taking care of 3 kids, or should I say "helping take care of 3 kids" did not automatically dampen any desire that I had to have my own children. In fact, it made me feel even more positive about wanting my own children. That's still several years away, but there is something so special about raising up your own children and watching them grow and develop their own personalities, feelings and minds. It is also such an encouragement to see my sister and her husband interact with one another, as I approach my own wedding and marital relationship, and even watching them interact with their children was an encouragement to how I would like to raise my own children.

The time I spent with her and her family was definitely the highlight, the plane ride was uneventful, but with it's usual share of colorful characters. I am glad to be home and back with Scott and Apollo, but I will definitely miss seeing three sweet little faces, as well as my sister and her husband. I'm ready to relax and enjoy my time at home without little ones for the time being, but it definitely makes you look forward to the future.

When its 100 degrees in the Valley... Run to the Hills!

No I'm not talking about the Iron Maiden song. I'm talking about camping. What better way to escape the heat than a weekend in the mountains at the lake or at the coast. With houses and dogs and weddings eating up all of our disposable income these days, camping provided us with a few cheap and fun getaways this summer.

Antelope Lake

First was a visit to Antelope Lake a spot my family spent many years going to. Jenn and I took off on a Friday after work and arrived shortly after dark. I had previously made a reservation for a lakeside spot and low and behold when we got there sure enough someone was all set up in our spot despite the Reserved Klopcic sign they either didn't see or ignored. After the camp host sorted everything out, we made camp in the dark and the rest of the trip was quite enjoyable.

Apollo had a blast exploring and slightly less of a blast learning how to swim.

Redwoods

Next up for our summer adventures was a drive to the Northern coast of California and the beautiful majestic redwood national forest. We met up with Sean and Julie and spent a great couple of days at Prairie Creek Campground. Among the highlights were spending the day at Gold Bluffs Beach and Fern Canyon. Watching Apollo run and run and run and run and run some more on the beach was a blast. He shied away from the water though.

We took a short hike through fern canyon and were awed by the natural beauty.

Oh and we ran into some elk, one of which thought our campground looked like a good place for breakfast.

Bucks Lake

For the 4th of July, Jenn's sister and nephew were visiting from Alaska and my sister was visiting from Santa Barbara. Jenn's dad owns a cabin and a boat up at Buck's lake a short 2 hour drive away. With family in tow we drove up to the lake for some fun on the lake. After a day spent tubing, swimming and a night sleeping on some rocky ground we were all little sore, but no worse for the wear. Definitely a fun little getaway.

Lookout Trip

My most recent and probably last camping trip of the year started with Apollo and I bidding farewell to Jenn and heading up to Oregon to visit Sean and Julie. After a nice weekend we all drove back into California to stay at a lookout near Mount Shasta and Castle Crags. This was my first time staying in a lookout and I have to say it was incredible. The views were amazing and thankfully the smoke from all the fires cleared enough to give us some spectacular vistas. The next day we hiked out to Cliff Lake which was also quite spectacular in its own right. Plus it gave Apollo a chance to once again show that he dislikes swimming.

The waterfall in Oregon we stopped at briefly.

Some sunset pictures at the lookout.

Mount Shasta from above the trees near dusk.

Apollo pouting at his swimming lesson.

Well that is a summer worth of camping trips in blog form. We had a blast and despite the swimming we are pretty sure Apollo enjoys it just as much as we do.

Kansas City Here I Come!

As many of you may or may not know. I hail from a rather large family. Allow me to elaborate on that for a brief moment. I am the youngest of 5 girls. Yes, 5 girls. I have two older step-sisters, who are married and live in Southern California with their families. Between the two of them I will soon have 2 nephews, Dakota and Justin, and one niece, the second oldest the nieces and nephews brood, Samantha. My other two sisters who are related to me are quite spread out. My oldest sister, Michele lives in Alaska, where I grew up, with her her husband and Johnathan, the oldest of the bunch. My second oldest sister Larissa, lives in Kansas City with her husband and family, Silas, Kace, Gresham and the soon to be arriving, Petra.

This summer I was able to come out to Kansas City and visit my sister and her family, which is a special experience for me, since I haven't seen the boys since they were all babies and they are getting so--oo big, as children are wont to do. It has also been special to get to see my sister carrying her precious daughter, Petra, who I know will be treasured. But as Scott said to me when we found out that they were finally having a girl, "I wouldn't want to be the boy that tries to date her."

In any case, I am having a great time getting to know each one of these precious little people and learning about their personalities. It's also a blessing to have the chance to spend time with my sister, who has always been an encouraging example to me, even when she didn't think she was being exemplary. It is always interesting being around children and getting a look inside their world. It's an incredible feeling to have someone want your attention and cuddle in your lap, or just to be able to make them giggle and laugh, with that belly laugh that I think we all lose too soon when we grow up.

Needless to say, its been a fun trip so far, even though I miss the dry heat of Chico. It's rather humid out here this time of year, but that's normal for this part of the country I'm told. Hopefully, I'll be able to get pictures up soon and everyone can see how blessed I am to have the family that I do.