Prompt 4: Why I moved

#reverb10 Challenge
Prompt: Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?

As I was nearing graduation and marriage earlier this year, I begin to truly realize that I had no idea where I was going or what I was doing after May 3. The whole world was completely open to me. For the first time, there wasn't a pre-planned "next step." I knew that it was up to me (or me and my husband) to decide what would come next for us.

We begin to peek down every avenue. Every new opportunity we considered. And that's how I ended up here. In Virginia. Away from everyone my family and everything familiar. I considered a job I never dreamed I would want to do, and it's really opened my thinking further. I still feel that everything is possible. Nothing is off limits.

Moment of the Year

{#reverb10 post}
December 3: Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

One moment. I have several from this year that were very defining for me--marriage, graduation. They were both a big deal. But the one particular second I often think back to is the day after our wedding (two days after my graduation).

My husband and I were driving from our hotel in Chattanooga to the airport in Atlanta. We were listening to a CD my old roommate had made for us as a wedding gift--she had asked a bunch of our friends and family for song dedications and messages, then acted as DJ. As we were driving down the road, the stress that had built up from school, the wedding and even my dad's medical condition melted away. In that moment I was free. I was hours away from flying off to Cancun, and I was listening to the voices of the people in the world that I care most about.

Reverb10: Day 1 and 2

So I found out about Reverb10 from some friends on Twitter. Basically you get one prompt a day for the entire month of December and then you write (or photograph) a response.I have a one day delayed start, so I have Dec. 1-2 here.

December 1 One Word.
Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

My one word for 2010 is transition. It was a crazy stressful year. I had some of the worst and best times of my life. There's a list out there somewhere about the most stressful things you deal with in life--I went through a good portion of them this past year. Here are some of the highlights (or lowlights, in some cases):

• Dad was diagnosed with cancer in Oct. 2009--we were dealing with a lot of treatments and decisions in 2010, including his surgery in May to remove the massive tumor from his colon. As far as we know he's cancer free. However, the whole experience really pushed me to grow up a little more, to deal with an issue that had never hit quite so close to home.
• Became roommates with someone I had only met twice
• Graduated from college in May
• Got married the day after graduation (and Dad had his surgery while husband and I were on our honeymoon in Mexico)
• Moved to Virginia in May (farthest I've lived from family and friends)
• Started my first full-time job in June
• Lived alone (for the first  time) for two months while Desmond was student teaching in Tennessee.
• My husband's graduating in December and is up for a job--who knows where we'll end up

 My word for 2011 is Innovation. I have tons of ideas and goals and dreams that have just sat on hold while I was busy doing homework. Now that I have my evenings basically free I have a little extra time to plan and experiment with all the things floating in my head. I actually might pursue more schooling, but this time I don't think I'll feel quite the pressure I did before. 2010 definitely made me a different person, and I hope to continue to grow in 2011.

-----------------------------

December 2 Writing.
What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?

 I procrastinate in fear. A good idea will pop into my head, then I sit and think about why it's not a good idea, which talks me out of writing anything at all. Then I get up and do one of the other million things I need to do. It's a sad cycle. Best way to eliminate that? Don't think. Just write.

I'm loving Sweet Clementine Chamomile

This tea is seriously awesome. We've had it for several months; I'd thought it was okay, but it just didn't really stick. So this past week, I tried it again and I'm a little addicted. Problem is, I don't remember where I bought it. And supply is starting to run low. I suppose I could buy it online, but not quite as instantly gratifying as in-store and there are shipping costs.

Have you tried any amazing tea lately?

105 before 25

I'm completely a list person. They make me happy. I love that feeling checking something off gives me. My dear friend, Tanya, has a bucket list full of things she wants to accomplish, some huge feats, others involve something as small as watching a movie. I love the idea. And since graduating from college, I keep thinking of things I want to accomplish, but I soon forget since I don't write them down. So in this post, I'm writing them. I know that I have to give myself a time limit to get anything done. Otherwise I'd be 85 with half the things left on the list, thinking I still have time. So with my 23rd birthday coming up in October, I've decided to give myself about 2 years to accomplish 105 things, thus the name of this post.

1. Design a wedding album for our wedding (seriously...I design everyone else's albums, so if I don't put this here it won't get done)
2. Publish an article in Relevant
3. Pay off student loans
4. Make butternut squash soup
5. Design my own cookbook of family recipes
6. Take a drawing class
7. See a Shakespeare play in Blackfriar's Playhouse in Staunton, Va.
8. Design & implement a personal portfolio/resume Web site
9. Actively build and keep up with my social networks (blog, fb, twitter and linkedin) every week day for one month
10. Buy a pretty couch
11. Clean out and organize my bookmarks
12. Join a professional organization
13. Learn how to file my taxes
14. Take a painting class
15. Learn how to use my sewing machine
16. Do something active every day for 1 month
17. Create a photo wall with framed individual photos of each of our family members
18. Organize files on computer and external hard drives
19. Go on a cruise
20. Write in my personal journal daily for a month
21. Read a novel, just for fun
22. Stay at a bed & breakfast in a small town
23. Adopt a Great Dane and name him something British-esque
24. Sell stock photos
25. Do a walk/run to benefit a cancer society
26. Grow my own vegetables
27. Routinely freelance in graphic design, writing and photography
28. Decorate (and furnish) at least one room in the house
29. Do volunteer work with kids
30. Buy a f 1.8 lens
41. Make pretty labels for my glass kitchen jars
42. See the sun rise or set over the ocean
43. Visit my family at least once a month (as long as we're in driving distance)
44. Win a contest
45. Write down all the childhood memories I can think of
46. Go to all of the Smithsonian museums in D.C. (since I live so close)
47. Bake and decorate really cute cupcakes
48. Go horseback riding on the beach
49. Swim with a dolphin
50. Buy a kitchen item from Anthropologie
51. Send flowers to a friend on a random day
52. Get a massage (I have insurance that covers it, right, so why not?)
53. Write a letter to my husband once a week (because can't you see our children sifting through our love emails one day?)
54. Write a letter to a company, complimenting an employee or product
55. Read a business book
56. Try a new recipe for one meal a day for one week
54. Design Christmas cards for us
55. Go to the little photography museum in Staunton
56. Take a drive on Skyline
57. Visit a Virginia battlefield
58. Buy a very warm winter coat (since I'm living in Virginia and all)
59. Go camping with Desmond
60. Save money in an emergency fund
61. Paint pottery at a shop
62. Design yearly albums for personal year-in-review photos
63. Go on a vacation with Desmond
64. Go to a local art gallery
65. Finish a book that I've started within the past year
66. Second shoot a wedding
67. Clean clothes out of my closet that I never wear and refresh the supply with more work clothes
68. Get my wedding and engagement rings professionally cleaned so they stay shiny
69. Carry an idea book with me in my purse so I never forget my random ponderings
70. Keep my email box cleaned out for a month
71. Make a candlelit dinner
72. Go to a church event (because we're new and that's how you meet people)
73. Refinish my desk, complete with cute knobs
74. Publish all six articles I wrote for magazine and feature article writing class (I'm already half way there!)
75. Get an apron (because we all know I need one)
76. Frame and hang my college diploma
77. Organize all of my non-computer files
78. Take photos for a cause
79. Go to IKEA (I've never been, but I hear it's awesome)
80. Upgrade to a new computer
81. Organize photos in archival boxes
82. Go to a downtown Staunton restaurant
83. Go through my magazines and save only the good articles
84. Paint something fun on a canvas
85. Drink 8 cups of water a day for a week
86. Plant flowers
87. Find a good concealer (because I often don't sleep enough)
88. Get 7-8 hours of sleep a night for a week
89. Take portraits for someone who doesn't know me
90. Do a DIY project from a blog or magazine
91. Go to a drive-in movie
92. Decorate my house for Christmas
93. Start our own holiday tradition
94. Map out a summer small-town tour
95. Use the china just because
96. Read the six C.S. Lewis books I own
97. Try expensive tea
98. Pitch stationery I've created to a store
99. Write a review of a book I've read
100. Organize addresses in an address book
101. Paint a room in the house
102. Learn 10 phrases in Tagalog
103. Reupholster a chair
104. Organize pots and pans
105. Learn to cook a Filipino dish

Desmond and I just spent a crazy week out of town for work. More on that later. I know that people have been asking to see more photos of our house, so I've got a couple of pictures from the outside. Our room doesn't have anymore random boxes, and we're working on the living room and kitchen now. So more photos of the house to come, hopefully later this week.

Outside our house

Desmond on the front porch

I'm back!

I have finally returned to the blogging world! I have so missed it here. During the past months, I graduated from college with a B.S. in Public Relations, got married to Mr. Desmond Suarez II, moved to the little town of Staunton, VA and got a job at the Potomac Conference, which is also in Staunton (not to be confused, it is pronounced "stan-ton").

We have an apartment here already. It's actually the first floor of an old house. We don't know much about the house, but we're going to find out everything we can about it. I didn't get a chance to take pictures of the inside before we moved all of our stuff in it, so I'll post photos as we set things up. Here are a couple of preview shots.

 Desmond and I in a little garden area beside our place.

Our mess of boxes in the guest room.

Our first supper here we ate Ramen. We've been eating a lot of it. It's quick and cheap.

 So a couple of nights ago, we went to the laundry mat because we had about 9+ loads of clothes. We could've done them at our apartment, but we share a washer and dryer with three girls who live in the apartment upstairs. We didn't want them to hate us for taking up the washer for a year, so we decided to go out and get all of our laundry done at one time. Not that best experience, but we didn't get robbed and no one stole our clothes.

A shameless self-portrait. Can you see us?

Also Design

I found this awesome website today for Also Design. It was the light in an otherwise school-filled, stressful day.

Check out it out at http://www.also-online.com. It is so cool! Desmond looked at my funny, as I shrieked with delight at each creative animation. Make sure you click on all the links on the homepage. I especially like the the page animation for the "News" section. It has to be one of the most creative web site designs I've seen. I do wonder about the functionality of the sight with slower internet. I have awesome internet connection here at school, so I don't always pay attention to those things.

One day I want to design such amazing web sites.

Resolutions

I'm feeling a bit better today. I talked to my professor about my quiz. Though I still have the grade she'd originally assigned, we talked a little more about what she expects and is looking for in our answers, which was pretty helpful for me. It will be a little extra work, which is hard to imagine with all the time I already put into the class. Anyway, it's her first semester here so I think I'm just getting used to her teaching style.

So now I'm motivated, which is good because I've got a crazy week ahead of me.

2 tests
3 quizzes
1 essay
1 essay revision (in Spanish! Ah!)
1 presentation

It starts in 20. Bon voyage!

I'm Back!

After a nearly 3 month break, I'm back to blogging. The remainder of my summer was consumed with wedding planning, and for the past month, my time has been eaten by school. I'm finally making an important decision. I need to make at least a little time each week to do something I want to do (like blog). I could spend every once of time studying for tests and quizzes, reading boring books or writing endless papers. But I don't think that's healthy for me anymore. I just about went crazy today when I found out I got a bad grade on a quiz for one of my toughest classes. I studied hours for the quiz and I felt like it was useless. I'm still going to study and keep up with everything, but I've realized my need for balance. Hold me to it!

New Wedding Blog

So it's been a week and a day since Desmond and I were engaged. We've already started making plans, so I've decided to create a new blog geared specifically toward wedding plans. I'll still write in this one, but my new one is wedding specific. Here's the link to it: http://dreamingourwedding.blogspot.com

Thanks again to everyone who has supported us in our decision to get married. It's really meant a lot!

Engaged!

Monday, June 29, 2009 Desmond popped the question. The BIG question. For those of you who still don't get it, he asked me to marry him!!!

It all began with this little statement. About a week or two earlier.

Me: Babe, I know we spend a lot of time together, but we haven't been on an actual date in awhile.

Desmond: Okay, let's do something, not this Monday but next Monday--on my day off.

Me: Okay, what do you have in mind?

Desmond: I'll think of something. It'll be a surprise.

Thinking I had initiated this little date, I didn't really suspect him of planning a surprise engagement. And he knows I love surprises, so I thought he was just taking me somewhere fun.

So here's the story.

Monday is here. The day of our surprise date. I am bubbly and excited all day long. Desmond tells me that I must be off work around 5:30 so we can leave his house by 6:30 sharp. I am surprised and mildly impressed that he has the evening planned out so well.

Desmond typically spends most of the days he has off with me. But not today. He is gone "running errands" and "helping his dad." all day. But that's okay. I'm content knowing we will be able to spend the evening together. I occupy myself working on the registration packets I'm designing for Pisgah.

Around 4:00, I get a call from the other dean. She tells me she is running late and that we will have to try to find someone to sub for her. I start panicking. We call several people, but we've no luck. Finally, at nearly five a clock, someone agrees to sub for us.

I get in my car to head to Desmond's house. I call him to tell him I'm on the way. But he tells me to delay about 15 minutes because he's still "working on stuff." Now I'm curious. I stop by Mountain Java (an independent coffee shop--there are few Starbucks here because we're in Asheville, lovers of independent shops) to get a chai.

I arrive at his house exactly 15 minutes later. He comes to the door in his black suit. I finish getting ready. 6:27. I ask him if he's ready to go. He says yes, but as I turn to walk toward the door, he pulls out a blind fold and tells me I have to wear it. I smile and put it on.

He leads me to the car, helps me in, and buckles my seat belt. As we make each turn, I try to imagine down which roads we are driving. I'm not very familiar with the area, so my mind quickly loses track of where we are.

We chat and make small talk. He seems nervous. I become a little more curious--maybe even suspicious. We begin winding around sharp curves. I scream a little. I don't know if it's because his driving actually scares me or because I'm excited. He tells me I can take the blindfold off if I'm getting car sick. I don't. I like surprises too much.

We've been driving nearly 30 minutes and he becomes quiet, almost silent. The car stops. He tells me to keep the blindfold on. He walks around the car, opens my door, and helps me out. He holds my hand tightly as we walk down a path. The path is bumpy and full of rocks and roots. He instructs me on nearly every step forward.

Finally we stop. He lets go of my hand. "You can take your blindfold off now," he says. I slowly push the blind fold up off of my eyes. I gaze at him on one knee in front of me, a beautiful ring held out on in front of him, the gorgeous Blue Ridge mountain range behind him.

"Adrienne Vernon, will you marry me?"

I'm in complete shock. The man I love wants to marry me! I know he knows my answer, but I said it anyway.

"Yes!"

He puts the ring on my finger. We kiss. We hug. I'm engaged! I soak in the surreal moment. A couple along the trail is clapping.

I look to my left and see his mom, dad, and brother walk out of the woods. They videotaped and took pictures of the moment. They had also come to set up our dinner for us. Desmond had ordered manicotti from Apollo Flame. They table they set up was gorgeous. It has a vase of roses on it, candles, and our meal.

Desmond's family hugs us. They take some more pictures, and then they go. It's just me and my fiance. Fiance. I know it will take time for me to get used to saying that. I'm still in shock. I love him so much.

The trail we walked down to get to the perfect spot.


Our lovely dinner and beautiful view.


Putting the ring on my finger.


The ring.


A kiss for my fiance.


Happy.


Getting ready to eat.


Us.

Going to NC

Well....it appears that I will be the assistant dean this summer at Pisgah! I'm pretty excited. I'll also be doing a little PR and marketing work. So yeah. Finally getting out of Georgia and gaining more experience. But don't get me wrong. I love Georgia. I just needed something new--to explore something different and try to figure out where God is calling me. I graduate in a year, and I'm still not sure if PR as a career is for me. I do enjoy the work, but I don't know if I'd want that to be my life. It's too early to tell. I don't have much experience. But this summer, hopefully that will change. I'll get some experience with PR outside of the classroom and see what a dean does.

I'll for sure miss my family, but hopefully they'll come up and visit. And I'll be able to come home once or twice, I think. So yes, that's the latest. Let's just hope I can survive all these projects. I keep reminding myself, only 5 days and I can leave!

Waiting...

I really dislike waiting. But I'm not really talking about waiting in line or waiting to get out of class. Sometimes that's frustrating, but I can handle that--no big deal.

It's the big things, like waiting to graduate, waiting for that deciding phone call, waiting for test results...things like that. It seems like life is on hold until you get answers to those questions. It's all about waiting for someone or something. And that drives me crazy.

Counting the days...

In 21 days I will be finished with this school year. I'm super-excited, but I'm really starting to feel the pressure. I've been frantically trying to make arrangements for my Communication Research class, while frantically working on my presentation for Rock Climbing class. And tonight, for roughly four hours I'll be working on a newsletter for Publication Editing. I think I may scream. Really.

This weekend was good though. I had my interview at Pisgah. I think it went really well. I talked to the principal and the girl's dean. She gave me a tour of the dorm and everything. It's not certain yet, but it looks positive. I'm really excited about the opportunity. While we were in North Carolina, we got to see Desmond's family, and that's always good. We got up there Thursday night, then left Saturday afternoon to get to GCA in time for the alumni basketball game. We lost, but that's okay. It was good to see everyone. I feel so old every time I go back there, and I'm only three years out.

So yeah, that's life right now. I'm going to try to write more often...it helps me organize my thoughts.

Overwhelmed

I'm feeling a bit drained right now. I tried to get up and go to worship in Talge this morning, but I just couldn't do it. Instead I woke up with barely enough time to get to my first class. I was so high yesterday, now I'm so low. That's how I often function, unfortunately. There isn't much middle ground, unless I'm closely surrounded by unfamiliar people. Then I'm probably to middle-of-the-road. So yeah. Now I'm tired and cranky, and taking it out on the poor people who read this.

I guess the point of this whole personal lament (other than make my pathetic self feel better) is to confirm what many have told me, most recently my significant other: Sometimes you just have to choose to be happy. You may have days when you're tired, dissapointed, hurt, dejected, or whatever. But life is to short to hold grudges or let little things upset you. I don't always live that way, but I'm trying. As Scarlet says in Gone With the Wind (though in an entirely different context), "tomorrow is another day." Indeed it is. So live it.

Back from Break

Well, back to the daily grind. Spring break was fun while it lasted. Desmond and I spent the first half with my family in Vero Beach, Florida and the second half with his family in St. Augustine, Florida. They met in the middle for a day at Cape Canaveral at the Kennedy Space Center. It was a blast, but all good things come to end. And now school. Surprisingly, I'm wired now. I went to bed super early and got up super early. It's my after-spring-break resolution. Anyway, I'm off to work on a project. I just wanted to post a couple spring break pictures. More to come!

Desmond and I sitting on a turtle at the zoo

My dad and I at the zoo


Dad and Angelina at the beach


My cousin Jerri at the beach


Our little friend


My mom and I at the park

Defining Your Life in 6 Words

Today was my first day of classes this semester. The educational possibilities look promising, but the amount of work intimidates me. In Publication Editing we discussed what some consider off the topic of actual publication editing: six-word memoirs. However, Nash (the professor) was trying to prove that a few words can be as powerful as an entire book.

He read several passages from the book, Not Quite What I was Planning, in which people summed up their lives in six words. The submissions proved to be insightful, inspiring, unnerving, humorous, depressing, each conveying the depth of a person's soul in six words. He continued to read six-word memoirs that his classes past had written. Then proceeded to ask us to write our own, then read it allowed for class. I hate being put on the spot like that, and I hate exposing my soul to the world--both are issues I'm trying to get over within reason (just one reason I blog). But I did it. I wrote one in less then 5 minutes.

So I've decided to share mine with whoever stumbles across this and reads it.

"Dancing on a thousand foot tightrope." <----- [The first one I wrote]

and

"So high up afraid to fall." <------ [I wrote this later before class ended]

I'm sure my close friends may be able to propose reasons why I'd write such phrases, but I'm not sure anyone understands the depth of those words. I'm not even sure I do. But in some way it defines my life, in some ways presently, in some ways thematically.

I encourage you to write your own six-word memoir. I'd like to hear any you're willing to share. If you want to read more or submit to a larger audience, here's a website:

http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/

Fall...er...Winter....

Last week was fall, this week is winter. Fall seems to be the shortest season, perhaps because it's my favorite. Tonight it was 32 degrees, and only two days ago, nights were about 2o degrees warmer. Last Sabbath afternoon(not yesterday but a week earlier), Desmond, Roxy, and I went to Red Clay State Park, just to get away from everything. The colors were beautiful. The leaves were falling; the air was crisp and fresh. Now it's just cold.


But it's okay. I think I may be getting sick though. I can't stop sneezing!

I do wish I had a good place to sit outside and think. My mind is freed and I become more creative. And creativity is most beneficial during these last few weeks of the semester when I'm feeling quite burned out. I don't like to be forced to be creative. Desmond always says that's what school is about--it trains you to be creative when you don't feel like it. I know he's right. and that I'm a bit of an idealist. To my defense, I can and do force creativity (though I resent it).

But what I love about my the air, the smells, the color of fall is that it awakens that natural creativity. The only kind that feels right to me. It's not rushed, just released. I don't work at the dictates of professors or bosses. I begin to create for me.

Old Friends

About a week and a half ago, Desmond, Kevin, Meagan, and I went to Atlanta to surprise Kim for her birthday. And I'm just now writing about it. I had the best intentions of blogging regularly, but it was only an intention...

I do admit that I deleted all previous posts a couple of months ago. Why? I don't know if I can answer that entirely. But I have conceded to commence writing apart from school requirement. It's good for one's soul to write on whatever idea flutters through the mind. It's often the only escape some thoughts are allowed.

Back to topic. The four of us drove to Atlanta and met Kim, Matt (her boyfriend), and two of
their friends in Piedmont park.


This picture is dark, but I like the Atlanta skyline in the background. I have an obsession with taking feet pictures everywhere we go (to Desmond's dismay). Here's our feet Piedmont feet picture.


Here's one of me and my man. I love this picture of him. Handsomeness... We're in this center garden area of the park.


So after our escapades at the park, we went to the Cheesecake Factory for supper. It was amazing, as usual. Desmond and I split raspberry chocolate truffle cheesecake. Delicious!


I know it looks like Kevin and Meagan are dating in this picture. I'd like to make an official statement, dispelling and myths or rumors. As of today, they are not dating. But this picture brings me back to the purpose of this post. Old friends. Quite simply, I miss them. I hate losing friends. I hate growing apart. And I know that's the way the world turns. But can't I hope a precious few will always remain?