Why is it that people always ask me: Have you met anyone? Are you dating anyone? Are you still single? Blah Blah Blah. I don’t get it, it’s not like I’m in my mid-thirties and living alone. Why is it that society has this expectation that once you graduate from college you should meet (or should have already met) the love of your life and be planning a wedding? Ok, so maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit, but it is partially true!
I think most of you reading this know me well enough to know that I am very weird about meeting guys, I’m not really sure why. I didn’t used to be like this, or maybe I was and didn’t know it because I always had a boyfriend when I was a teenager. Who knows? The point is that I am very shy when it comes to meeting guys and I personally don’t think that there is anything wrong with that. Not now anyways. I think when I’m ready to meet someone who might actually be a significant person in my life, I’ll open up a little bit more. Right now, I’m perfectly content with being weird and picky and making up multiple excuses on why I don’t like this guy or shouldn’t go talk to that guy. I think, or rather, I know that I use these excuses as defense mechanisms because I am not really ready to meet anyone. After all, I am only 22. That is young, that is really young! And my biggest fear is that I’ll meet someone before I’m ready to. I know that sounds nuts because everyone wants to meet someone and be loved and I am not an exception, I’m just not ready for that YET. I know it seems a bit control freakish, but I have this invisible calendar or schedule that I’m trying to stay on track with and I know that you can’t PLAN life, but you can try, right? I don’t know, I can’t help it; I guess it’s just the planner in me. I want to establish my career and see things/do things/experience things on my own before I see things/do things/experience things with someone else. Does this make sense to anyone, but me?
I don’t think that there is a right or wrong way to do things; I think everyone has their own way, and this is mine. I’m not saying that I don’t get lonely sometimes, because I’ll be the first to admit that I do. But for the most part, I enjoy being single. I enjoy not having to rush home for anything or anyone. I enjoy not having to act perfect or try to impress someone. I enjoy not having to look in the mirror and ask myself, does this look ok, is he going to think I look fat. I enjoy being by myself, I feel like I know myself more now than ever before and I think I owe some of that to the fact that I have done things alone for a while. I don’t think it’s a coincidence at all that the best years of my life have been the last 3, all of which I have been single and have not focused on anyone but myself. Call me selfish, but it’s true. Going to Spain for a semester and moving to New York are 2 of the biggest, scariest and most amazing and exciting decisions that I have ever made that I most likely wouldn’t have made if there were a guy in my life. Here I am living this life that I never thought I ever would and I’m not saying that a guy wouldn’t make it even better, because I’m sure he will…one day, but that day is not today. I’m more than content with my life just the way it is! So the next time someone asks me if I have met anyone yet or if I’m dating or in a relationship, I’m going to say…read my blog!!! ;)
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Seen, Read, Heard
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I don’t really have anything new or exciting to report, just some random stuff. I have seen 3 movies lately. First, The Ugly Truth. It’s a romantic comedy, my favorite! Katherine Heigl plays a young single woman who is the controlling workaholic type and although I am ashamed to admit it, her character kind of reminded me of me. Scary, I know! She is, of course, looking for the perfect guy that meets all of her expectations and her checklist requirements. Yes, she has a checklist, see the similarity now? While I’ll admit that I do make checklists for everything, making one for the perfect man worthy of my love is not one I have started yet, although maybe I should? LOL! Anyhow, she ends up finding love where she least expected it, DUH…it’s a movie! The second and third movies I have recently seen I am very proud to speak, or rather, write about. Solely because I know it will make my sisters very happy, which if you know who my sisters are, you can already guess which two movies I am talking about. If you guessed Twilight and New Moon, you’re right! I am happy to report that I finally broke down and watched Vampire movies. And I (like the rest of the world) really enjoyed them! :) Both of my sisters have been insisting that I read the Twilight saga for months now, but I just wasn’t interested in the whole vampire story line, not to mention I was busy finishing school, so I refused. Well, although I still haven’t read the books, I have seen the movies, and I totally get what all the hype is about. I’m sure since I liked the movies, I would LOVE the books because they are ALWAYS better. Kim & Drea, I’m not promising anything, but who knows, maybe I’ll read the books when I finish Eat, Pray, Love. Yes, I am STILL not finished with it. I’m really slow because I only read a chapter or two at a time. It’s not that the book isn’t interesting; it’s just that I hardly ever have huge blocks of time. I’m determined to finish it though, so a chapter here or there is fine with me as long as it gets done. ;)
This brings me to a whole other topic, work. One of the reasons I don’t have large blocks of time to read is because of my work schedule. I love my job, but I must admit that it’s getting more and more demanding every day. The more people we hire, the more projects there are, and the more people I have to support. We are already at about 100, and there is only 1 me, so you can imagine the work load I have. I have been working from about 8:30am to 7:30pm Mon-Fri. The good news is we will be hiring more coordinators in the upcoming weeks so hopefully I won’t have to continue working 10-11 hour days for much longer. Not that it really bothers me too much now considering I am single and have no one to come home to at 6:00pm anyways (other than the pugs, of course). I’d much rather have these kind of hours now then later on in life, you know? I’m actually transitioning into the real world rather nicely, other than the fact that I miss my college life afternoon naps! :) Too bad real jobs don’t have nap time, that would be ideal for me considering I live for naps. Well, I used to anyway.
The one thing I can say for NYC is that most people have a work hard, play hard attitude. Yes, Patchers work a lot, but they also really know how to have fun! I thoroughly enjoy Happy Hours with my co-workers, which can include intense games of Pictionary in the office with some beers, or going to bars in SoHo. The most recent one was last Friday night and all rounds were on the President of our company so let’s just say, everyone had a great time! It is always really nice to get to know people outside of the office, you know, where you talk to people about things other than work. I’ve been able to make some friends this way, which is always nice. In fact, one of the girls I work with is supper cool and actually reminds me of me, we have very similar stories. But more than anything, she reminds me of my best friend Val, which I LOVE! Not that Val is replaceable, because she’s NOT, but having a friend here who reminds me of her makes it feel a little bit more like home. Last Saturday my co-worker/new friend invited me to Karaoke night with her and her friends and I had a blast. It was so nice to hang out with people my age, and the karaoke part was hilarious! My friend is the brave Val type that sung at the top of her lungs while I, on the other hand am the reserved type that had to get drunk in order to hold a mic in my hands. I did end up singing, just not by myself! ;)
I’m happy to report that I can officially say the phrase; I love the city in Spring. I hear that in movies all the time and now I know why. The weather has been phenomenal in April, sunny and in the 70s and 80s. I love it, sun puts me in a good mood! I have been taking full advantage and spending more and more time outdoors. The last 2 weeks while my Tio was visiting Kansas City I took care of the dogs and we spent A LOT of time in the courtyard behind our building and in the Oval (the main park in Stuy Town). It was beautiful outside and in addition to walking the dogs, I just sat on benches near the fountain and enjoyed the blooming trees and flowers around me. With the weather so nice the park was packed, which made for some interesting people watching, one of my favorite things to do, and let me tell you, NYC is the place to do it! There is such diversity in this city, I absolutely love it! You can walk into a grocery store and hear 5 different languages in a matter of 30 minutes. You would never find that in Kansas City, unless of course there was some sort of international festival going on which is highly unlikely. The only languages you hear in KS are English and Spanish. And there are still some towns where people might snub you for speaking Spanish and not English. It’s refreshing that people aren’t like that here. There is normal or abnormal because there is no standard or cultural norm. It’s impossible to fit in, or not fit in. I love it!
I’ll leave you with a random fact I just became aware of: Jersey law states that citizens are not allowed to pump their own gas. They must wait on a gas pump attendant to service their car for them. Self service is illegal, isn’t that bizarre? I’m not too sure how strict they are with enforcing the law though, I think cops have more things to worry about than my Tio Martin getting out of the SUV and pumping gas. Oops, did I just admit that I witnessed a crime?!
This brings me to a whole other topic, work. One of the reasons I don’t have large blocks of time to read is because of my work schedule. I love my job, but I must admit that it’s getting more and more demanding every day. The more people we hire, the more projects there are, and the more people I have to support. We are already at about 100, and there is only 1 me, so you can imagine the work load I have. I have been working from about 8:30am to 7:30pm Mon-Fri. The good news is we will be hiring more coordinators in the upcoming weeks so hopefully I won’t have to continue working 10-11 hour days for much longer. Not that it really bothers me too much now considering I am single and have no one to come home to at 6:00pm anyways (other than the pugs, of course). I’d much rather have these kind of hours now then later on in life, you know? I’m actually transitioning into the real world rather nicely, other than the fact that I miss my college life afternoon naps! :) Too bad real jobs don’t have nap time, that would be ideal for me considering I live for naps. Well, I used to anyway.
The one thing I can say for NYC is that most people have a work hard, play hard attitude. Yes, Patchers work a lot, but they also really know how to have fun! I thoroughly enjoy Happy Hours with my co-workers, which can include intense games of Pictionary in the office with some beers, or going to bars in SoHo. The most recent one was last Friday night and all rounds were on the President of our company so let’s just say, everyone had a great time! It is always really nice to get to know people outside of the office, you know, where you talk to people about things other than work. I’ve been able to make some friends this way, which is always nice. In fact, one of the girls I work with is supper cool and actually reminds me of me, we have very similar stories. But more than anything, she reminds me of my best friend Val, which I LOVE! Not that Val is replaceable, because she’s NOT, but having a friend here who reminds me of her makes it feel a little bit more like home. Last Saturday my co-worker/new friend invited me to Karaoke night with her and her friends and I had a blast. It was so nice to hang out with people my age, and the karaoke part was hilarious! My friend is the brave Val type that sung at the top of her lungs while I, on the other hand am the reserved type that had to get drunk in order to hold a mic in my hands. I did end up singing, just not by myself! ;)
I’m happy to report that I can officially say the phrase; I love the city in Spring. I hear that in movies all the time and now I know why. The weather has been phenomenal in April, sunny and in the 70s and 80s. I love it, sun puts me in a good mood! I have been taking full advantage and spending more and more time outdoors. The last 2 weeks while my Tio was visiting Kansas City I took care of the dogs and we spent A LOT of time in the courtyard behind our building and in the Oval (the main park in Stuy Town). It was beautiful outside and in addition to walking the dogs, I just sat on benches near the fountain and enjoyed the blooming trees and flowers around me. With the weather so nice the park was packed, which made for some interesting people watching, one of my favorite things to do, and let me tell you, NYC is the place to do it! There is such diversity in this city, I absolutely love it! You can walk into a grocery store and hear 5 different languages in a matter of 30 minutes. You would never find that in Kansas City, unless of course there was some sort of international festival going on which is highly unlikely. The only languages you hear in KS are English and Spanish. And there are still some towns where people might snub you for speaking Spanish and not English. It’s refreshing that people aren’t like that here. There is normal or abnormal because there is no standard or cultural norm. It’s impossible to fit in, or not fit in. I love it!
I’ll leave you with a random fact I just became aware of: Jersey law states that citizens are not allowed to pump their own gas. They must wait on a gas pump attendant to service their car for them. Self service is illegal, isn’t that bizarre? I’m not too sure how strict they are with enforcing the law though, I think cops have more things to worry about than my Tio Martin getting out of the SUV and pumping gas. Oops, did I just admit that I witnessed a crime?!
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Overdue Update!
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Let me start off with my apologies, this update is FAR overdue! I had every intention of posting about my first day on the job, but you know how that goes. You say to yourself, I’ll do it tomorrow, and then tomorrow turns into next week, and then…well, here we are 3 weeks later.
Put simply, I love my job at Patch! I love the people, I love the location, I love the fun relaxed atmosphere, I love that the company is doing REALLY well and growing rapidly, I love it all! I of course have been super busy, but I like to be busy, it makes the days go by fast and makes me feel a sense of accomplishment and productivity! Like I mentioned in one of my previous blogs, I enjoyed my time off, but was feeling a bit stir crazy being unemployed and all. It just felt so bizarre going from being a student for 18 years of my life to NOT. I have to admit, it turned out to be more of an adjustment than I thought. I was so used to either being in class or spending my free time doing homework and preparing for future classes. I know it sounds crazy for anyone to really WANT to work because once you start working, you never stop, but after a month of not working, I was ready to do something worthwhile with my time, and now I am! ;)
On the down side, I am no longer a free woman who doesn’t have to set an alarm and can just wake up whenever. Now that I am a working professional (I like to consider myself a professional for some reason, it makes me feel like an adult, which makes sense because I sort of am, lol) I haven’t had too much time for PERSONAL internet activity. I have obviously slacked off on updating my blog, I only get on Facebook like once or twice a week, and I hardly ever tweet. It’s like I’m on the computer all day at work so the last thing I want to do when I get home is open up my lap top. The good news is now that I have a BlackBerry I can check FB and Twitter from my phone and don’t have to get on my computer, this should help me stay connected to the social media world! ;) As far as my blog goes, I promise to try and post more regularly like I used to. Once a week is ideal, we’ll see how it goes!
Side Note: Getting a BlackBerry was bittersweet. I was really excited when my boss gave me the phone because this meant I was getting a company phone that the company pays for. Who doesn’t love free stuff, right? Plus, it’s exciting to have an NY area code. The bitter part is getting rid of my Kansas City phone. It’s like my 816 area code was all I had left of KC, the only piece of real identity connecting me to Kansas considering that my address, email, everything else has already changed. I know this sounds really silly, but getting a new number (917-484-0808) is a big deal for me, I guess because it makes things so real. I mean I know I have been here for 2 months now, but there is still a small part of me that still thinks of this move as sort of temporary. Things like getting a new number and opening up an NY bank account (which I am in the process of doing) make me realize that this city is indeed my new home. It’s exciting and sad at the same time. I think one of the reasons I am hesitant to think of NY as my home is because my family isn’t here. It’s hard to associate the word home to anything other than family. Those of you reading this who really know me and my family well, totally understand this logic, I’m sure!
Now, this is the part of this post I am most excited about writing – From NYC back to KC: My surprise visit home! Skype dates with my family are great, but there is nothing like the real thing!
Last Friday I left work an hour early to head to the airport for an evening flight to Kansas City. My Dad and sisters knew I was coming, but my mom, she had no idea! You see, her 50th Birthday was Monday, March 29 and my sisters and I wanted to do something special for her. After all, she is the greatest mom in the whole world! We decided to pull a double surprise on her: 1. I would fly in for the weekend and 2. We would throw her a surprise party! And boy did we pull it off!
Now let me backtrack a bit, working that Friday was so difficult because I couldn’t concentrate on anything but the fact that I was visiting home for the first time. Focusing on work was impossible because all I kept thinking about was seeing my family and surprising my mom. I somehow got through the day and when 5:30 rolled around, I was out the door more anxious than ever. Unfortunately, my flight was delayed (surprise surprise, a flight from NYC-LGA delayed!) so I had to wait longer than I wanted to see the kiddos. You see, George (my brother-in-law) was picking me up from the airport and taking me back to the Elmer house to stay the night so I knew that considering I wouldn’t be arriving in KC until after Midnight due to the delay, I wouldn’t get to see the kids until the morning. But, little mister Jaxson woke up when he heard his Dad and me come in, so I did get to see him right away! He was in shock. He stood completely still staring at me for about 30 seconds before he realized he wasn’t dreaming, it was really me. He said, Wesa? I said, hey buddy, come give me a hug, I missed you! He ran down the rest of the stairs and was in my arms in seconds. It was the best hug I’ve had in a very long time! I of course peeked in to see miss Audrina sleeping ever so peacefully before I went to sleep with Jaxson in his room. Needless to say, I slept really well that night! I woke up Saturday morning to the sweetest face ever. Sorry Drea, I’m talking about Audrina! ;) Baby girl was so smiley and happy to see me that I could have cried!
Next order of business, surprise my mom! The whole family went to IHOP for breakfast and once everyone was seated, I strolled in with Jaxson (Dre told my mom that he had a sleepover with his grandma so he wouldn’t be coming to breakfast). My mom started crying, got up from the table and gave me a bear hug! It was perfect! We ate breakfast, went birthday shopping, and spent the rest of the day hanging out at Kim and Michael’s house watching the K-State game and I of course, played with the kids! Then evening came and we headed to the Legends for dinner. Well, that was what we told my mom anyway. We arrived at Wild Bills, headed up the stairs where our table was, and then…SURPRISE, all of my mom’s family and friends were there to wish her a happy birthday! Once again, the tears came a rollin! She was so shocked/surprised/excited/overwhelmed, it was priceless! We spent the rest of the night eating, drinking, dancing, and celebrating a beautiful woman’s 50 years of life!
Mom – You truly are the most amazing woman I know. You have taught me so much about life and how to live it. Your optimism is contagious and all those in your presence can’t help but smile! I’m so glad I was able to share your birthday with you. I love you and miss you!
Although my weekend in Kansas City was great, there was a bit of sadness included. My Abuelo (grandfather) was admitted to the ICU at St. Luke’s Hospital due to a terrible infection. I guess it was destiny that I happened to be in KC that weekend as I was able to go visit him in the hospital. It was difficult to see him week and unhealthy, but I got to see him and that’s the important thing. He is now out of ICU and slowly recovering. I ask God daily to continue to watch over him, and I’m grateful that he has answered my prayers!
I'll leave you with a few pictures from the party!
Put simply, I love my job at Patch! I love the people, I love the location, I love the fun relaxed atmosphere, I love that the company is doing REALLY well and growing rapidly, I love it all! I of course have been super busy, but I like to be busy, it makes the days go by fast and makes me feel a sense of accomplishment and productivity! Like I mentioned in one of my previous blogs, I enjoyed my time off, but was feeling a bit stir crazy being unemployed and all. It just felt so bizarre going from being a student for 18 years of my life to NOT. I have to admit, it turned out to be more of an adjustment than I thought. I was so used to either being in class or spending my free time doing homework and preparing for future classes. I know it sounds crazy for anyone to really WANT to work because once you start working, you never stop, but after a month of not working, I was ready to do something worthwhile with my time, and now I am! ;)
On the down side, I am no longer a free woman who doesn’t have to set an alarm and can just wake up whenever. Now that I am a working professional (I like to consider myself a professional for some reason, it makes me feel like an adult, which makes sense because I sort of am, lol) I haven’t had too much time for PERSONAL internet activity. I have obviously slacked off on updating my blog, I only get on Facebook like once or twice a week, and I hardly ever tweet. It’s like I’m on the computer all day at work so the last thing I want to do when I get home is open up my lap top. The good news is now that I have a BlackBerry I can check FB and Twitter from my phone and don’t have to get on my computer, this should help me stay connected to the social media world! ;) As far as my blog goes, I promise to try and post more regularly like I used to. Once a week is ideal, we’ll see how it goes!
Side Note: Getting a BlackBerry was bittersweet. I was really excited when my boss gave me the phone because this meant I was getting a company phone that the company pays for. Who doesn’t love free stuff, right? Plus, it’s exciting to have an NY area code. The bitter part is getting rid of my Kansas City phone. It’s like my 816 area code was all I had left of KC, the only piece of real identity connecting me to Kansas considering that my address, email, everything else has already changed. I know this sounds really silly, but getting a new number (917-484-0808) is a big deal for me, I guess because it makes things so real. I mean I know I have been here for 2 months now, but there is still a small part of me that still thinks of this move as sort of temporary. Things like getting a new number and opening up an NY bank account (which I am in the process of doing) make me realize that this city is indeed my new home. It’s exciting and sad at the same time. I think one of the reasons I am hesitant to think of NY as my home is because my family isn’t here. It’s hard to associate the word home to anything other than family. Those of you reading this who really know me and my family well, totally understand this logic, I’m sure!
Now, this is the part of this post I am most excited about writing – From NYC back to KC: My surprise visit home! Skype dates with my family are great, but there is nothing like the real thing!
Last Friday I left work an hour early to head to the airport for an evening flight to Kansas City. My Dad and sisters knew I was coming, but my mom, she had no idea! You see, her 50th Birthday was Monday, March 29 and my sisters and I wanted to do something special for her. After all, she is the greatest mom in the whole world! We decided to pull a double surprise on her: 1. I would fly in for the weekend and 2. We would throw her a surprise party! And boy did we pull it off!
Now let me backtrack a bit, working that Friday was so difficult because I couldn’t concentrate on anything but the fact that I was visiting home for the first time. Focusing on work was impossible because all I kept thinking about was seeing my family and surprising my mom. I somehow got through the day and when 5:30 rolled around, I was out the door more anxious than ever. Unfortunately, my flight was delayed (surprise surprise, a flight from NYC-LGA delayed!) so I had to wait longer than I wanted to see the kiddos. You see, George (my brother-in-law) was picking me up from the airport and taking me back to the Elmer house to stay the night so I knew that considering I wouldn’t be arriving in KC until after Midnight due to the delay, I wouldn’t get to see the kids until the morning. But, little mister Jaxson woke up when he heard his Dad and me come in, so I did get to see him right away! He was in shock. He stood completely still staring at me for about 30 seconds before he realized he wasn’t dreaming, it was really me. He said, Wesa? I said, hey buddy, come give me a hug, I missed you! He ran down the rest of the stairs and was in my arms in seconds. It was the best hug I’ve had in a very long time! I of course peeked in to see miss Audrina sleeping ever so peacefully before I went to sleep with Jaxson in his room. Needless to say, I slept really well that night! I woke up Saturday morning to the sweetest face ever. Sorry Drea, I’m talking about Audrina! ;) Baby girl was so smiley and happy to see me that I could have cried!
Next order of business, surprise my mom! The whole family went to IHOP for breakfast and once everyone was seated, I strolled in with Jaxson (Dre told my mom that he had a sleepover with his grandma so he wouldn’t be coming to breakfast). My mom started crying, got up from the table and gave me a bear hug! It was perfect! We ate breakfast, went birthday shopping, and spent the rest of the day hanging out at Kim and Michael’s house watching the K-State game and I of course, played with the kids! Then evening came and we headed to the Legends for dinner. Well, that was what we told my mom anyway. We arrived at Wild Bills, headed up the stairs where our table was, and then…SURPRISE, all of my mom’s family and friends were there to wish her a happy birthday! Once again, the tears came a rollin! She was so shocked/surprised/excited/overwhelmed, it was priceless! We spent the rest of the night eating, drinking, dancing, and celebrating a beautiful woman’s 50 years of life!
Mom – You truly are the most amazing woman I know. You have taught me so much about life and how to live it. Your optimism is contagious and all those in your presence can’t help but smile! I’m so glad I was able to share your birthday with you. I love you and miss you!
Although my weekend in Kansas City was great, there was a bit of sadness included. My Abuelo (grandfather) was admitted to the ICU at St. Luke’s Hospital due to a terrible infection. I guess it was destiny that I happened to be in KC that weekend as I was able to go visit him in the hospital. It was difficult to see him week and unhealthy, but I got to see him and that’s the important thing. He is now out of ICU and slowly recovering. I ask God daily to continue to watch over him, and I’m grateful that he has answered my prayers!
I'll leave you with a few pictures from the party!
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