To last year...

Here's a list of 11 things I am thankful for from 2011:

11. Welcoming baby Olivia into the world! Baby O-Ro is the newest addition to my group of friends and we're so glad she's here! I cannot wait to see her grow and change over the years.

10. SO won his 2011 Fantasy Football League. After how many hours of watching and analyzing football I did, at least he now owns a trophy to show for it!

9. Completed my 2nd year and started my 3rd year as a school social worker. I love my job and I am so incredibly thankful to be doing what I love every day. You can't beat having summers off either!

8. Ate dinner in a snow globe. In the winter, my SO and I went to the Space Needle for dinner. Just as we were beginning to eat, it began to snow! The 360 degree view, plus the gorgeous snowy sky and Seattle view made it feel like we were inside an actual snow globe. What an incredible experience!

7. Completed the first full year of book club! After years of wishing I were part of a book club, I finally decided to start one on my own. Now, we range between 8-15 women per month and we've read almost every genre of book you can think of. We always have such a wonderful time discussing the book and then moving on to politics, love lives, etc. I'm proud to say that I don't even know everyone who is part of the group! It's turned into a wonderful place to meet new female friends.

6. Tried at least 12 different local restuarants. Ever since the start of the monthly dinner club, we have been exploring new and different restaurants all around Seattle. This club has also allowed me to expand my palate and try new kinds of food that I might never have tried before. I'm looking forward to seeing what this next year will bring!

5. Visited New York during Christmastime. This year, my SO and I decided to visit our friends in NYC during the beautiful Christmas season. It was so much fun visiting Rockefeller Center and sipping a frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity's (although that is completely overrated in our opinions!). We also had a chance to spend time with friends who we don't see as often as we'd like. NYC is like our second home and we can't wait to go back in 2012.

4. Learned to cook new Chinese dishes from my Grandmother. I can now make my Grandma's famous sticky fried rice, soy sauce chicken, and steamed fish! My stomach has been cheering ever since!

3. Rekindled old friendships and began new ones.

2. My parent's 30th anniversary trip to Europe. Although I did not go on this trip myself, it meant a lot to me that I could give my parents the gift of three weeks alone together (my older sister and I stayed with my younger sister at my parent's house). Their stories from the trip are amazing and though at times it was stressful, there was never a moment I wished they were back home.

1. My SO and I got engaged! Suffice it to say, I am waiting to share this story for a later post. In the meantime, let it be known that I am incredibly thankful to be marrying such a warm, funny, loving guy!

To the Seattle Public Libraries...

Although I love my job, you may have heard me complain about my commute. For someone who had never previously owned a car prior to this job, the 45-60 minute commute at times feels torturous; especially at the end of a very long day.

Recently a good friend of mine told me that the Seattle Public Libraries are now offering audio books and e-books that you can download directly on to your device (i.e. iPhone, Android, Kindle, etc.).

This has changed my world!

Now, instead of dreading the long drive, I actually look forward to listening to my book on MP3. Although I still don't like traffic, there are times when I don't mind because I'm at an exciting point in a story and don't want to have to wait until the next day to hear more.

Thank you, Seattle Public Libraries, for making my life just a little bit easier!

To Yashar A...

Today I read a fabulous article that you can find here.

This article, written by Yashar Ari, talks about "Why Women Aren't Crazy." Now, I'm not going to summarize the whole thing (you should read it for yourself!), but what I will say is that it lifted a small weight off my shoulders. A weight that I never knew was there.

Yashar introduced me to the word gaslighting. A term he describes as "manipulative behavior used to confuse people into thinking their reactions are so far off base that they’re crazy."

Read the article and you'll understand why this term is such an eye opener.

And ladies, next time someone tells you you're overreacting or too emotional, tell them they're gaslighting.

Thank you, Yashar A., for helping women to realize there is nothing wrong with us.

To Husky fans...

This pumps me up and makes me smile:

Go DAWGS!

To Baby E...

Today was a long day.

It wasn't long in terms of the hours I worked, but rather the nature of the concerns I dealt with over the course of 8 hours.

Luckily, there was also a beautiful bright spot in my day. Today was the first Roots of Empathy baby visit of the school year. Baby E and his Mommy A spent an hour with a classroom of 4th graders and myself and it was wonderful!

If I haven't already, I'm sure I'll write an entire blog post about this incredible program in the future. For now, I'll sum it up by saying Roots of Empathy is an amazing program that teaches kids pro-social behaviors primariliy through having them observe the relationship between a baby and its parent(s).

Today it was sweet to see Baby E come into the classroom smiling and happy to be there. The kids responded as well as I could ever have hoped. The questions they asked Baby E's mom were thoughtful and it was adorable listening to the connections they made to their own lives. You ccould practically see the empathy growing inside their hearts.

So, here's to you Baby E! I appreciate you and your mommy's sacrifice of time and cannot wait to see you grow and change over the course of the next nine months.

To a sweet child...

Last week was the beginning of the new school year.  During the first weeks, I try to visit every single classroom in order to introduce myself and explain what my role is at school.  Most of the kids already know, but it's a good reminder for them anyway and a chance to get a bit of face time with the new students.

In order to make it interesting, I always try to involve the students in my explanation by asking them questions about my job.  

Here's a peek at the sweetest answer I've ever heard.

Me: "Can you tell me about some of the things I do around here?"
5th grader: "You make kids feel good about themselves!"
Me: "Well, I certainly try to do that."
5th grader: "I know you do, because that's what you did with me!"

Thank you for your vote of confidence! :)

Warmly,
Ms. C.

To a brand new season...

For those of you familiar with my college history, you will know that I started out my career at the University of San Francisco and then later transferred to the University of Washington for my BA and MSW. Having attended UW for not one, but two degrees, one would think I would have become quite the UW sports fan over my 3 years there. Sadly, my first and only UW game while I was at UW wasn't until I attended as the guest of a friend from USF during the Fall of graduate school.

My fiance would be horrified, if it weren't for the fact that he can now take credit for turning me into a fan that bleeds purple and gold.

Now, it's Husky Football time once again. First game of the season and you can already read the multitude of "Go Dawgs" FB status messages. The excitement of Football Season is in the air!

Though I can't claim to be an expert on Football or even on the Huskies (yet!), there are some aspects of Football season that I love.

For me, Football season means weekly gatherings with good friends (i.e tailgates). It means collectively cheering for one goal and celebrating like mad when our team wins. It means smiling, laughing, and enjoying our Saturdays, rain or shine. It means singing and chanting until our voices are gone. It means hugging complete strangers when the Huskies score a touchdown. It means eating burgers and chicken wings. It means decking ourselves out in Purple and Gold.

And what could be better than that on a beautiful day like today?

GO DAWGS!

To good health...

After much (or at least a little) convincing on the part of our friends, my honey and I've decided to try out the Quantum Wellness Cleanse.  What does that mean?  For three weeks we are ridding our diet of the Big 5: gluten, sugar, caffeine, animal products, and alcohol.  "You must be crazy," is the response we've heard most frequently since letting people know that we're attempting this seemingly impossible feat (the second response being "what's left to eat?").  Amazingly enough, it hasn't been as hard as it seems.

Day 1:  Craved sugar like mad.
Day 2:  Craved sugar like mad.
Day 3:  Caffeine head ache and only craved sugar a bit.
Day 4:  Caffeine head ache, no sugar cravings.
Day 5:  No caffeine headache, no sugar cravings, and I'm feeling totally energetic even though I worked all day!

If I feel this good after 5 days, how much better am I going to feel after 21?  I am fully admitting right now that after these three weeks I will be indulging in chocolate like it was going out of business and I certainly will not be vegan.  However, I am willing to give up for three weeks these food items that I dearly love in order to experiment and see if eating healthier truly makes a difference.

Which brings up the next question... why don't YOU try it?  Or even try giving up one food item?   If you do, you'll have to let me know how it goes...

One thing I know for sure, I am extremely appreciative to be healthy enough that simply changing my diet for 3 weeks is all the healthcare I need.

To the end of Summer...

I've noticed that it's difficult to appreciate summer until it's almost gone. My school's "August Days" (aka training and preparation days) are tomorrow and that means school officially starts the following week.

When I look back on my adventures over the past few months, it seems almost a blur. It would take thousands of words to describe it, so instead I think it best to use photos.

My summer was filled with:

Baseball.

Best friends.

Romantic dates with my honey.

Not one, but TWO trips to California (Disneyland and San Francisco).

Special time with the little ones in my life.

Good food.

A trip to the Oregon Coast.

And BINGO at the Greenwood Senior Center.














Now it's back to the daily grind, but not without a few moments of gratitude for the wonderful adventures I've had.

I am so appreciative for having the free time to enjoy life to its fullest.

To spring...

After a very long (and most likely still not quite over) winter, it's so wonderful to see a little ray of sunshine peeking through the gray clouds. It's days like these that I am so grateful for living in such a beautiful city.

I hear a lot of people complain about the seemingly endless gray skies and rain, but for some reason the weather doesn't bother me. Yes, I am excited when there is sunshine, but I also have days when I wish for rain. It reminds me of the yin and yang: how can you appreciate sunshine if you never have rain?

In Washington, we have a special way of judging the weather: Mt. Rainier. If you ever hear someone say, "she's out today!," you know it's a good day.

I am appreciative for our 4 separate and distinct Washington seasons!

To...?

I apologize that the last post was so cryptic. It's difficult when things happen in your personal life that are too complex to describe in a blog post or too, well, personal. In this case, my writing about it would be intruding on someone else's personal life. And that's just not fair of me, is it?

What I will say is something happened recently to a person I love dearly.

A miracle of sorts.

This person had been struggling for years with depression and anxiety and two weeks ago she found herself, as she put it, "healed."

Now, I'm not a very religious person. I was raised Catholic and attended a private Catholic high school, but I'm still not even sure I believe in a god. Any god.

However, what happened to this person is beyond logic and reason. In fact, it is so awesome I feel like I'm holding my breath just waiting for a (inevitable?) crash. Something this magnificent can't truly be real, can it?

How can someone wake up one day and quit smoking cold turkey, be open to trying new things when in the past they had been afraid, spend time in public spaces without feeling anxiety, be willing to do things on her own when previously she had needed almost constant companionship from a loved one?

How can she defy every reality she faced just a mere two weeks ago?

I don't have an answer.

All I can say is, thank you.

I don't know who or what I'm thanking, but THANK YOU!

A more precious gift could not exist than giving someone their life back.

To hope...

I'm thankful today for reasons I can't mention in a public blog. I just want it to be known that sometimes life brings wonderful, unexpected hope. And dare I even say the word... miracles?

Let's just hope it lasts!!

To a graduating sib...

At Sibshops today, you did something so brave. You stood up in front of all of your peers and performed a rap you had written for Sibshop Idol. At first you said, "I can't do this," but after much encouragement from the small audience, you took a deep breath and began.

"I know a place, yeah I know a place,
If you wanna talk, if you wanna have fun,
A snowball fight, scavenger hunts,
But don't lose the time cuz it's over at half to one.

Going around, talking about sibs and their needs,
Talking to Aunt Blabby, doing whatever she says
And at lunch, at 11:30 you can get some sugar
So be sure afterward you be takin yo meds.

If you don't believe me and you got a lot of time,
Come down 520 bridge, hook up with Montlake Boulevard.
I guarantee it's no joke, it's just a bunch of average kids,
This isn't no bologna, this ain't no bowl of llama's lard.

I was here in the third grade, I've been here ever since.
2011 is my last year to do all my hops,
But I be back in 3 years for some volunteering, but for now I'm at S.I.B.S.H.O.P. Sibshops!"

Thank you for your courage, compassion, and willingness to step out of your comfort zone. We'll miss you next year!

To our nation's current and past presidents...

Your job certainly isn't easy and often thankless (at least by 50% of the population), so thank you.

Also... much appreciation for the day off.

To CNY...

It's not often that a holiday reminds me of my regrets, but Chinese New Year happens to be one of them.

Why, you ask?

Because I still know far to little about my heritage.

I was born in a household that celebrated everything. Chinese New Year, Santa Lucia Day, St. Nicholas Day, Epiphany, Solistice... to name a few. We learned so much about so many different holidays, that I never took the time to really understand this important holiday of my ancestors.

Today marks the first day of the the Year of the Rabbit and I know this because one of my friends (himself Chinese) invited me to a Chinese New Year's Reunion Dinner last night and... Facebook headlines told me so. Yes, I learn much of my relevant news from Facebook links my family and friends post (call it cliff notes for the news).

As we sat around the food laden table, my friend regaled us with the traditions of Chinese New Year. I made sure to eat noodles (for longevity), fish (for prosperity), and all of the other important dishes he shared with us.

Now, partaking in a meal with a group of friends almost always brings me joy and last night was no exception. The only regrets that night were spurred from my disappointment of not being able to be the one to share these wonderful traditions with others.

However, though I'm disappointed in my own lack of knowledge, I am forever appreciative for my friend teaching and reminding me what Chinese New Year is all about.

After all, it's never too late to learn!

Thank you Marcus!

To school counselors and social workers... a week early

We were told a surprise guest would be joining us at 10 am.

Our guessing got us nowhere.

Finally, after a productive hour and a half of group work, the door opened wide and in walked... members of the School Board.

Now, the immediate reaction in a room full of counselors and social workers to the arrival of the School Board is usually one of anticipatory trepidation. What did we do this time? Or, for that matter, what haven't we done?

This time though, the ensuing announcement was one of appreciation and celebration. They told us that next week is National School Counselor Week. The visitors were there to present us with Certificates of Appreciation and to read to us an official proclamation.

Once in awhile, the bigwigs get it right.

Thank you to all school counselors and social workers everywhere! You deserve it.

I should know.

To me?

Sometimes it feels good to be thanked yourself...

5th Grade Boy to me today: "Ms. C., thank you for letting me listen while you problem solved with my friends. Now I know what to do with my little brother."

To a 5th grader...

Last week I decided to check in with a 5th grader who I worked with regularly last year.  She's been struggling with some pretty major changes in her life.

While we were talking, she started to tell me something and then stopped.  Then finally she said, "I'm going to make a WWMCD bracelet!"

"What's WWMCD?" I asked.

She smiled and then replied: "What would Ms. C. do?"

Thank you for making my day.

To everything and everyone I am thankful for...

Although I've been a little remiss on my posts, I would truly be lacking if I skipped out on a Thanksgiving post.  The thing is, I have so much to be thankful for that I cannot dedicate this post to just one person or one thing.  With that in mind, I've decided to write a list!

I am thankful for:

1.  My parents:  Whenever I tell anyone about my childhood, they are always so impressed at how loving, generous, kind, and supportive my parents are.  These are always wonderful moments for me, because they remind me of how lucky I am to have them. 

2.  Emily:  Though we didn't always get along, I'm so glad we do now!!  I love that we spend time together because we want to, not because it's "family" time.  I admire how you pick goals to work on and actually follow through!  I'm fortunate to have a sister that I enjoy spending time with and also look up to.  

3.  Steph:  You are still one of the most important inspirations in my life.  You're such a beautiful person with a gorgeous smile and infectious laugh.  I love you! 

4.  Greg:  You're sitting right behind me, so it's hard to write anything TOO nice because then I'll never hear the end of it.  But anyway, thank you for being so supportive, for eating all of my culinary experiments and telling me they taste delicious regardless, and for being so willing to try anything... even the silly traditions of my family.

5.  Having a job that I love:  I hear and read about people struggling to find work or finding it and hating what they do.  Although my job is not without it's stressful moments, I am so happy to say that I continue to love it day after day.  

6.  My wonderful friends, old and new:  This year has been a year of changes.  Friends moving away, meeting new friends, becoming closer to the ones still here...  The long and the short of it is I feel so lucky to have you in my life.  You all serve a different purpose in my life, but nonetheless you are in it for a reason.

7.  My Kitchenaide Mixer:  I love it.  I've always wanted one and now I finally have one.  It doesn't disappoint!  For those of you who know me,  you know that I LOVE cooking for people.  Sharing a meal with friends or family is probably the most heartwarming experience I could ever have.  Sure, I love my Kitchenaide Mixer, but really I'm thankful for what it represents - food, family, friends.

8.  Travel:  This year I've been extremely fortunate to have been able to travel.  I visited Belize, Guatemala, New York (twice!), New Orleans, California, Oregon... Traveling and experiencing new cultures enriches my life.  I know that it is a privilege to be able to travel and so I am forever grateful to have these opportunities.

9.  Learning new skills:  This year I've been trained to instruct Roots of Empathy, am learning how to use yoga with kids, perfected my stick shift driving, enhanced my cooking skills... I love learning!

10.  LUA.  

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

To great neighbors...

For those of you not living in Seattle, you may have heard that our lovely city has been hit by a "triple arctic blast" as the news reporters called it.  What this actually means is that Seattlites have been stranded all around the city, as no one here actually knows how to drive in the snow.  And by nobody, I mean nobody.  Half the city owns up to this fact ("Snow scares me! I hate driving in it!") and the other half complains that no one knows how to drive in it and then attempts a hill they really shouldn't have.

The flip side of this is that snow days mean more time snuggled up at home in comfy clothes with the heat on high and drinking hot cocoa.  Preferably with marshmallows, and for me, preferably with soy milk.

Snow days also mean that the company you keep consists of whoever lives in your house (so long as they were able to get home when the snow hit) and your closest neighbors.

Ours happen to be Kadi and Ryan.  

Over the past two days, we've been texting and visiting back and forth between our apartments (they live two floors down).  Then yesterday, after a fabulous snowball fight at the Olympic Sculpture Park, we decided to have a communal dinner.  

We decided that Kadi and Ryan would make split pea soup and I would bake biscuits.

A few hours later, dinner was served and it was fantastic!

There is nothing I love more than eating wonderful food with wonderful friends.

Kadi and Ryan,

Thanks for being fabulous neighbors!!  I love having you live so close and we will surely miss you when you move to Aspen.

Cookies and cinnamon rolls,
Suz