Can I get a Remix!

Last night was my first official performance as a member of Remix, a fun salsa and hip hop dance group that consists of six awesome gals. We've been practicing over the past few weeks and it has been a blast! It feels really great to not only be dancing again, but to be a part of something. I haven't been a part of a dance team since college and truth is, I hadn't realized just how much I've missed it.

We performed for the first time all together at a benefit to raise money for cancer put on by a relay for life team at the local high school. It turned out to be a great event raising almost $700!! My best friend, fellow Remix group member and Pacific Dance Academy owner Jessie, had a bunch of her girls from the studio perform and there was also a choral performance. All in all it was a fun night of dancing, singing, laughing, having fun and raising money for a great cause! I even got to ROCK a red tutu! Totally awesome! I can hardly wait for our next performance:)

Sunny spring afternoons

What a fabulous afternoon for watching track and field! I try my best to get out to support the kids I work with in my favorite schools, i.e. Rowe, Linwood, and I should say my school too right? Oak Grove. Whether it be choir concerts or sporting events I enjoy attending, cheering and just supporting the kids.

Today, I headed over to Alder Creek Middle school with my mom to cheer on a few of my favorite Rowe-superstars, our family friend's 8th grade daughter Kamryn included. Let me just say that she's just about the sweetest girl you will ever meet and a great student (I know, I've subbed in her class:) as well as a fellow athlete. I'm super excited that Kamryn is doing track because I have someone to come watch and cheer for!

Anywho, so my mom and I tracked- pun intended hehe, down her mom Nancy and took in some junior high track events. We watched everything from the hurdles, short relay, 100, 200 and 1500 meter races from the visitor's bleachers that date back to when Alder Creek was Clackamas High School, which was AWHILE ago. It was a blast! The weather was nice, not too chilly, a little bit of sun peaking out and no breeze...perfect track weather! We got to see and cheer absurdly loud for Kamryn as she ran the hurdles, 4x100 relay and 200 meters, she did great! She reminds me of myself when I was younger, a little nostalgia never hurt anyone:)

All in all I'd say it was an afternoon well spent! There was a good showing for the Rowe kiddos and lots of cheering, laughter, memories, and of course racing!

This or that??

red rose or white? white

salt or pepper? I lika-da-peppa!

hamburgers or hot dogs? hot dogs!

music or movies? I'm a movie buff

summer or winter? winter

sun or stars? stars

hott or cute? cute, the hot ones always break your heart

walk or run? walk

funny or romantic? funny

crunchy or creamy peanut butter? creamy

rings or necklaces? rings

camping out or slumber party? camping out

school or work? work, but technically I work at a school :)

surfing or snowboarding? snowboarding

soft candy or hard candy? soft candy

phone or e-mail? phone is MUCH more personal

pencil or pen? pen

pizza or chicken wings? chicken wings!

dog or cat? D-O-G

spiderman or batman? spiderman

snow or rain? rain, I love the smell

water or milk? milk

sweet or sour? sweet

shoe or clothes shopping? shoe

long or short hair? it's so sassy when it's short!

cocky or shy? cocky

ocean or pool? pool

baseball or football? baseball!!!

dancing or singing? dancing (tough call though)

hot chocolate or coffee? hot chocolate

rocky road ice cream or butter pecan? rocky road

pop tart or toaster strudel? toaster strudel

cake or pie? PIE!!

pickles or olives? pickles

blt or sloppy joes? blt

frosted flakes or fruit loops? frosted flakes

oreos or chips ahoy? oreos

fried chicken or fried shrimp? fried shrimp

chili or clam chowder? clam chowder

strawberry or grape jelly? strawberry

baked or mashed potatoes? baked

taco or burritos? tacos

hard shell taco or soft shelled? hard shell

sausage or bacon? bacon

ravoili or lasagna? ravioli

french toast or pancakes? pancakes

bowling or rollerskating? rollerskating

mac and cheese or cheese and crackers? cheese and crackers

lobster or crab? crab

mexican or itailian food? italian

turkey or ham sandwich? turkey

poems or short stories? poems

gold or silver? silver

Love or Lust? love

Truth or Dare? always dare :)

Happy Birthday Elizabeth

In loving memory of Elizabeth Marie. Today, April 18, 2010 we celebrate what would have been our little bit's 14th birthday. We miss and love you and will think of you always sweet girl.

The only exception

Lyrics can be a very powerful thing. Today, I thought I'd share with you a great new song by one of my favorite bands, Paramore, whose lyrics always say more than you may actually hear...enjoy.

When I was younger

I saw my daddy cry

And curse at the wind

He broke his own heart

And I watched

As he tried to reassemble it

And my momma swore that

She would never let herself forget

And that was the day that I promised

I'd never sing of love

If it does not exist

(Chorus)
But darling,

You, are, the only exception

You, are, the only exception

You, are, the only exception

You, are, the only exception

Maybe I know, somewhere

Deep in my soul

That love never lasts
And we've got to find other ways
To make it alone
Keep a straight face

And I've always lived like this
Keeping a comfortable, distance
And up until now
I had sworn to myself that I'm
Content with loneliness
Because none of it was ever worth the risk


(Chorus)


I've got a tight grip on reality
But I can't
Let go of what's in front of me here
I know you're leaving
In the morning, when you wake up
Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream


Ohh---
(Chorus)

And I'm on my way to believing
Oh, And I'm on my way to believing

Darn you conscience!!

"Do you ever feel you've become the worst version of yourself? That a Pandora's box of all the secret, hateful parts - your arrogance, your spite, your condescension - has sprung open? Someone upsets you and instead of smiling and walking away, you zing them? "Hello, it's Mr. Nasty." Tom Hanks (you've got mail)


Thoughts to ponder...
Be warned that when you finally have the pleasure of saying the thing you mean to say at the moment you mean to say it, remorse inevitably follows. So always try and think BEFORE you speak, take the high road when ever possible and let your conscience be your guide.

Mi tiempo favorito del ano!

Tonight my sister and I are heading to out to watch the Portland Beavers play! THIS, in case you were wondering, is my happy place:) There is just something about sitting in a stadium, cold beer in hand, the smell of hotdogs wafting, cheering alongside fellow fans of the greatest game ever that I can't resist. I think what I like most about baseball is the fact that it is an individual sport just as much as a team sport. Each player has a specific role and yet everyone relies on one another to get the win. Pitching is one of the most fascinating aspects to watch! I owe my knowledge of pitches to my college friend Jessie, who schooled me in every position and pitch, including daily pitching practicing in the yard!! (shout out to Jessiefriend!!;)
The great thing about my favorite time of year is....it is only BEGINNING!!!! LET'S PLAY BALL!!!!

Bad connection

Have you ever had one of those conversations where you feel that everything was lost in translation?? What about misinterpreted?? Can I get an all of the above?? Over the weekend, I was involved in the most confusing and misunderstood texting conversation, yes I said texting because apparently I'm the only one who enjoys speaking on the phone every once in a while anymore. I only have one question...where have everyone's interpersonal skills gone?

With texting and facebooking literally taking over as the main ways to communicate, I feel like there is SO much that is left either unsaid, confused or void of emotion. Nobody meets in person anymore. Sites such as myspace, facebook and about a gazillion others have replaced any need to see people with everyone updating and recieving constant feedback on what friends are up to without even so much as picking up the phone. I find myself constantly frustrated with certain people and their reluctance to meet me half way on communicating. I mean how hard is it to pick up the phone, dial my number and chat for five or ten minutes?? ESPECIALLY if you tell the person there is something important to discuss! I mean COME ON!!! (helpful tip for friend's of Rachael...say what you mean and mean what you say, in other words if you say you will call me, call)

I'm not saying that I'm not a texter. I can text with the best of them and yes, I use facebook too, BUT what I am saying is there should STILL be communication in other more personal ways. I consider myself a personable individual, I like to hear someone's voice when I talk to them or look across at them while we are having a discussion. I make the extra effort to contact the people that matter most either by phone or in person. Does that mean that I am not important to those individuals who can't be bothered to do the same for me?? Arrrggggg!!! I'm still oober frustrated about this.

In like a lion, and out like a...lion?!?

WOW. It's April. I can harldy believe how crazy busy March seemed! It started oober busy and even the end of the month, my spring break, passed with nothing but busy craziness!

To sum up...work in March was filled with testing, testing, testing. One of my super favorite things to do. Strike that. We had about 70 students take the state English language assessment and on top of that our district was audited by the State Department of Education, which apparently only happens once every five years or so. Oh so glad I could be there to be a part of it. Strike that too. I was more than ready for a week away from work needless to say.

School also has been relentless. I was, however, well aware of how much work taking graduate classes and teaching part time would be, but boy oh boy has it been a LOT of work! When I'm not in class, Monday and Wednesday nights, I'm thinking about what's due next class or completing online work. Good thing I'm a great multitasker! I did get a little break from two of my classes during spring break, which helped.

On to the exciting stuff! My little brother, who does not seem so little anymore, and his wife Nicoleta came back to the states on March 12th! They got married in Italy a little over a year ago, but are planning a reception for October in Oregon. Their new home will be in Tuscon. Needless to say there was much planning to be had including venues, wedding dresses, catering, etc. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE and ENJOY doing all these things?? LOL, ok, so I'm not Ms. wedding planner. I tried to be a good big sis and sister in law by playing along for some of the planning. They did end up finding a terrific venue (special thanks go out to mom and Angel) as well as a delicious caterer and pretty much the most FANTASTIC dress ever for Nicole! It was great to see and spend time with the whole family together, including a night of kareokee competition between Josh and I:) but family time is almost always busy time so I was tired! I also watched my sister's house and pets for most of the week while they were in Idaho. Some much needed time away on my own doing what I love to do...watching baseball:) If I could not be watching pre-season baseball in person you better believe I watched as much as I could on tv! A little sidenote...FIRST SEASON BASEBALL GAME ON SUNDAY APRIL 4th!!!!

The first weekend of spring break was spent with everybody at the beach. Here are some pictures of our family weekend beach getaway to Depoe Bay where we enjoyed sunny weather poolside, explored seaside junk shops, ate good food, drank awesome beer and enjoyed good company. All in close quarters too!! We must love eachother;)

Who ever heard of a sunny and warm enough day at the Oregon coast for swimming in March??             

Liv taking a break from swimming                                Mom and dad posing on the balcony of our place                                                                   

Addy in Grandpa's Indian Jones hat!                            Liv and Falcon relaxing                               

I'm not married so no bedroom for me! Couch cushions on the floor were awesome!    Being silly with Addy

Caleb and dad waiting for the rest of our 10 person group to walk through the shark tunnel at the aquarium!

 Nicole and I in our bright hoodies!

Grandpa talking on his shoe...lol and Addy, grandpa and I at Cape Fowl Weather

Nicole and Josh with the squirrels

First time on the Oregon coast!

Addy and Liv found a pirate ship!

Course I met a man!!

Even Falcon got to come to the beach:)