Yes we can!

yes we can, originally uploaded by fitchaction.

This year held many milestones. I didn’t just graduate, start working full time and move out; I took a lot of back roads to get where I am at the start of a new year. I’ve learned a lot about what I’m capable of and who I want to be.

January: I started my internship at The Herald-Mail. I’m not sure if doing a third internship the semester I graduated was the wisest, especially in addition to being editor of The Picket and trying to graduate. Despite that, it was a great, great learning experience and I’m glad I was able to work there.

February: I discovered the Passion: 268 Generation. I think I’m a better person because of it too. Passion showed me the value of living for God; for making his name famous.

March: Oh March. In addition to a cross country trip with 21 of my new BFFs for a week in San Francisco, my dad had a risky back surgery that was a long time coming. It was a stressful time personally, but that trip to San Francisco was one of the best experiences of my life and the best spring break I could ever ask for.

April: I said good-bye, I finished my internship and I closed chapters.

May: Graduation! Moved to Martinsburg, started at The Journal. Big month.

June: First real paycheck and adjusting to the single life living all by myself. Not a whole lot to report.

July: Summer in Shepherdstown with late night dinners with friends and tubing in the Potomac. Fun times.

August: I took my first solo cross country trip. I went to San Francisco all by myself, switching planes, layovers, etc. It was the first vacation that I initiated and followed through with. It was worth it, even though I had been there just a few months before. I met some amazing people, watched Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in Union Square at an impromptu outdoor theater, hiked in Muir Woods and walked along the beach before taking a red eye flight back the the East Coast. August also involved more creepy run-ins with the maintenance man.

September: I committed to being the publicity director for Covenant’s Christmas production, took a road trip to Morgantown for the first time and got better adjusted to life in the Panhandle.

October: Homecoming, fall in Shepherdstown and turning over a new leaf. I also met this interesting character.

November: A time to give thanks.  Adventures in Bethesda and Frederick to take the GRE. I moved back to Shepherdstown and into a bigger place with a room mate who makes life more interesting (in a good way). It’s never a dull moment. More milestones personally. Good month overall.

December: I’ve finally become content with who I am and where I’ve come from. I’ve learned that anything is possible and you really can change who you are, with a little discipline and dedication.

I’m planning a very low-key New Year’s Eve and I’m looking forward to the day off tomorrow. I wish you all a happy and blessed new year filled with possibilities. I’ll be back tomorrow with my “forecast” for 2009.

REI vs. Ikea

This morning I had a great appreciation for my bed. I seriously did not want to get up and I don’t think I moved at all throughout the night. I was out. Probably because I had 12 hours of ongoing fun on Sunday, finally ending when I got home at 11 p.m. and emptied my car from my Ikea trip.

Last week a friend of mine invited me to go with him to an REI store to exchange a pair of shoes and I could decide the location based on wherever else I wanted to go while we were making the trip. I voted for College Park for two reasons. One, Ikea and two, so I could visit the campus for the University of Maryland, the graduate school where I applied to.

REI wasn’t what I was expecting in terms of location or size, but inside, I enjoyed watching the passionate outdoors-types trying on backpacks, looking at shoes and that gleam and sense of determination in their eyes of finding exactly what they were looking at. The ratio of men to women wasn’t surprising, but I thoroughly enjoyed just people watching.

While I waited for Tim at REI, I walked around and checked out the winter coats, the Smartwool socks and the camping gadgets. In the fall, I finished “A walk in the Woods,” by Bill Bryson and I couldn’t help but feel I was with Bryson as he was getting ready for his adventure on the AT. While we were looking at a wall of backpacks, I saw a Gregory, the same name brand that Bryson took on his hike.

I hadn’t even heard of REI until the past year when I started hanging out with boys who like to hike and my interests started to change. Although I’m still too cautious and my footing isn’t as confident as my trail mates would like, I still love hiking. REI was a whole other sub-culture; it’s where you go when you want a quality bike, a good backpack or sleeping bag, or need the perfect gift for the hiker/backpacker/skiing addict in your life, such as skiing themed Christmas tree ornaments.

After a yummy Indian lunch where I had some delicious lamb curry and naan bread, we drove JUST. DOWN. THE STREET! To the University of Maryland at College Park where we got a little lost and finally found the Journalism building (photo to come). It was exciting. We walked the main drag of campus, looped around by the visitors center and the chapel and then set off for Ikea.

Ikea was just like REI only different. I knew what to expect in Ikea, but it was similar in the regard that it was a bustling place of like for the same thing. Consumers at REI and Ikea love and know their product. The know what they want, how much they’re willing to spend and where to find it. They’ve done their research and know where and how often they’ll use it.

I spent the majority of my time dodging carts and making sure I wasn’t in anyone’s way.

I left Ikea with a large picture frame, a magnetic bulletin board to post random snapshots and mail on, two bud vases and two very sore feet. Ikea is not the place to break in your new $10 Ann Taylor Loft flats.

Some housecleaning, if you will.

Three items of business.

1. Happy (belated) Birthday Jeff! Even though I wished him a happy birthday yesterday on Facebook.

2. Listen/Watch this video. It’s fun and I think you’ll enjoy it.

3. If your not already doing so, I totally recommend you listen to This American Life from Chicago Public Radio. It too, is fun and interesting. Last night I laughed out loud in my car driving home last night when the manager at a Chick-fil-A said “People can still afford a chicken sandwich regardless of the economy.” By the way; they have a Podcast which is what I normally get. I just happened to catch it on NPR last night.

And speaking of Chick-fil-A … I think I’m going to go get some lunch. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

This has to have been one of the nicest holidays we’ve had in a while. Our family had a simple Christmas with practical gifts such as new glasses and loan payments and a few things off the wish list, such as a yoga mat and a new green pashima.

Christmas for us has always been about simple pleasures and having a meal with the whole family. Family for us means lots of laughter and visiting with my nephews and enjoying good food. The holidays around these parts mean slowing down and watching movies and taking naps.

On Christmas day, I split my time between my dad, step-mom and step-siblings and my mom and step-dad; as usual. This is how I’ve done it for a few years now, and we’ve gotten into a rhythm. Breakfast of cinamon rolls with dad and Myra; big meal with mom and Rich. Thursday evening I came home in time to see both Cash (2) and Gabe (4), the nephews play with a butterfly machine that spits out paper butterflies out of an elephant trunk and then chase each other around the living room and tackle one another. It’s fun to see them play together and wrestle and do boy-ish things.

After everyone had calmed down, Gabe curled up on the couch next to me while I was on my computer. He looked at the keyboard and started saying “Button, Button, Button, Button!” in reference to the keys. I knew he couldn’t hurt anything since it’s a Mac (if I had a PC and he pushed control, alt, delete, then we may have had problems) so he pushed “buttons” and then went and got his own toy computer. Then I pulled up the PBS kid’s Web site and we started playing animals game and coloring picture and they he stayed for nearly an hour tucked under my arm. It was so cozy and adorable. He didn’t use to do that at all. Normally I’m just “Aunt Jill” and he rarely gives me the time of day, but in the past 8 months or so, he’s more comfortable around me and we play and talk. I hope that as he grows up, we can have play dates and go see movies and get ice cream.

Friday I had the luxury of sleeping in, getting coffee with my dad and then spending the afternoon on the couch watching season 6 of Gilmore Girls and then I got to see the most adorable puppies ever. Our friends have a miniature australian shepherd who just had 6 or 7 pups and are selling them. They have one that isn’t called for yet and three total still at their house named Spanky (which by the way is an awful name). We sat at their kitchen table snuggling with the pups. Little Spanky pulled on my heart strings. She was enough to melt your heart.

Tomorrow I go back to reality. I’m covering story time and a craft event at the library and making cop calls and so far that’s all that’s on my agenda. Spending time with the family has been so nice. It’s been nice to relax and remember my roots and catch up with people and sleep.

Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!

Currently reading

I’ve been catching up with The Morning News today while waiting on some breaking news. That doesn’t typically happen when you cover education and the kids are on break.

This is one of the features I’ve read today, a montage of things from the writers reflecting back on 2008. It’s gearing me to do my own year in review. A lot has happened this year!

One of the most enjoyable things about this year is being back in Shepherdstown and having the opportunity to have a fresh start. I got rid of those boxes I’ve been holding onto and see things in a whole new light.

This morning I was doing some last minute shopping on German Street on quite possibly one of the coldest mornings we’ve had thus far. I’m trying to get moving earlier in the mornings so this morning I slipped out of the house around 8:30 and drove into town. The first thing I noticed is how quiet the streets are. There was practically no one out. Only four people were in the bakery when I stopped by and no one was in the Lost Dog. I crossed the street and saw someone go into Mellow Moods but that was only the owner.

While I was waiting for my bagel with creme cheese and lox (my standard morning order), I looked outside into the street and I saw a couple saying good bye. I had seen them coming down the steps of the apartment above the bakery and now they were literally in the street. Boy kisses girl on the cheek/neck at least four times and she tries to say a quick good-bye, smiling the whole time. She finally pulls away and crosses the street, carrying a coffee cup as if she isn’t going too far. Then boy crosses the street, suitcase in tow.

This is what I love about this town. The quiet, cold mornings. The people. The observations you make about yourself and the world around you just by people watching.

You can always run into an old acquaintance, a classmate, a friend when walking down the street.  Last night I was in the Meck and within five minutes I had seen three people I knew from The Picket.

Today is a slow day in the newsroom with schools being out for the holiday. I’m enjoying the quiet time to go through voice mails, clean out my inbox and tie up loose ends before the new year.

If I don’t get back before Thursday, Merry Christmas everyone!

This weekend was jam-packed!

After working a 10 hour day on this story, I drove home for over an hour in the fog with a headache which was so not fun. I went straight to a friend’s house for a fabulous annual Christmas party and saw some of my best friends. That was enjoyable. It was good to cut loose and laugh and be around some familiar people.

Saturday we slept in and had breakfast and headed to Berryville for the annual Teaford Family Christmas Extravaganza. It was equally as fabulous. We ended up not taking the hayride or going to the nursing home for caroling but went on a Christmas house tour instead (pictures to come).

I picked out new glasses yesterday as well. They’re part of a Christmas present from the folks. Very different for me and I’m excited to get them in the next couple weeks.

Today I crammed a bunch of visiting into one day. I did not one but two Christmas cantatas, plus going to Dad’s church. I went to my mom’s house and went through four totes of childhood memories. We got the stuff down to two bins and had to throw out a lot of smelly stuffed animals and childhood sheets and clothes. I found a lot of good writing from my middle school and high school years and will eventually post some of it.

The weekend went by too quick and now I need to head to bed. Night folks!

Random musings

My mind has been full of random, generally happy thoughts, so I thought I’d spill it all out before I go to bed.

• I really have some of the most diverse people to hang out with. I’m really lucky and I LOVE my friends. They’re great.
• I still have gifts to buy and I’m nearly broke right now. Payday is Thursday at midnight.
• Despite that, I got my haircut and my eyebrows waxed yesterday during a break from work. I kept telling myself I wanted to get the eyebrows done in December and I was long overdue for a haircut. I felt very matronly. I still have the same “silhouette” but it has more movement. Stylists always rave about my thick hair so it gives me a confidence boost every time I get my hair cut and that was nice.
• I’m finally content with a lot of things in my life. Sure it’d be nice to be more financially stable, but that’s part of starting out.
• I am blessed beyond measure.

Good night kids!